Write to the Point with Valerie Comer

Today we get write to the point with Valerie Comer….again 🙂 She visited just last week and a couple of times before that. Today she’s sharing about her newest book Wild Mint Tea and the giveaway she is running. I also have posted my review of the book at the end of this post.

Tell us about your newest book.

Wild Mint Tea http://valeriecomer.com/mint

She’s rooted deep. He flies free.

Local-foods chef Claire Halford envisions turning Green Acres Farm into an event destination. Weddings prove trickier than she imagined when the first one comes with a ruggedly handsome brother-of-the-bride, who has everything but a fixed address. Oh, and faith in God.

Noel Kenzie loves the freedom his reforestation company affords him. Why worry about deep stuff like God and commitment when he’s in his prime? Except there’s a woman who might make it worth giving up his wings…and digging in some roots. If he dares.

What do you do when you’re not writing?

Gardening, food preservation, and playing on the trampoline with my three little granddaughters. My husband and I also like to haul our little holiday trailer up beside a mountain creek when we get the chance in the summertime, but the farm keeps us pretty busy. In winter, there’s not much to life besides writing, marketing, and a bit of snowshoeing.

Where do you get your ideas?

The basic idea for the Farm Fresh Romance series, of which Wild Mint Tea is the second story, came to me in a dream. I think that’s the only time that’s ever happened! Once the concept of having several young women buy a farm together got perking in my mind, I knew they needed very different backgrounds and personalities. And because the series is focused on sustainability and local food, one of them had to be a chef. That was Claire, and this is her story.

Do you outline or are you a seat-of-the-pants writer?

I learned a few years ago that it’s not either/or but a spectrum, which explains why I create a huge mess when I try to pants—and freeze up blind when trying to plot. I’ve finally started settling into a routine (about time, as I’ve written ten novels!) where I use GMC (goals, motivation, and conflict) to do a very basic plot…and then wing it from there.

Have you written a book you love that you have not been able to get published?

I have two or three I’ve written that are still calling my name. When I catch up with contracted novels, I’ll go back through them and see if they’re worth putting more effort into or if they’re better left behind. At the moment, I’m not sure.

Are you like any of the characters in your book?

At first I read that question as, do you like any of the characters…and the answer is yes, I do like them! But am I similar to any of them? Not so much in Wild Mint Tea. In Raspberries and Vinegar, the first novel in the series, I see a lot of myself in the hero’s mom. She’ll play a larger part again in the third story, but she wasn’t “in town” during the time frame of Wild Mint Tea.

Are you working on a new project now?

The third Farm Fresh Romance novel, Sweetened with Honey, releases in about a year, so that’s my current main project. It will take over totally soon, when I turn in edits on my novella for Snowflake Tiara, a Christmas twosome I’m writing with Angela Breidenbach that releases in September. It’s a bit different with a historical (Angie) and a contemporary novella set around a beauty pageant. And yes, my “brand” of farm and food holds solid through.

Anything you would like to add?

Yes! I’d love to share my adorable book trailer (created by my daughter), but don’t watch it if you don’t want to grin for 40 seconds straight. I’m warning you!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=55p5lI48JiQ

There’s also a Goodreads giveaway on currently, with three paperback copies of Wild Mint Tea up for grabs. Why not enter?

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Wild Mint Tea

by Valerie Comer

Giveaway ends March 17, 2014.

See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.

Enter to win

My thoughts on Wild Mint Tea:

I adored the characters in this book. I instantly liked Claire with all her spunk and Noel was just “bad” enough but not too bad. I liked the fact that he really didn’t want to settle down but he was drawn to this woman who had roots (pun intended) down deep in her community.

Valerie did a great job of building tension between these two and I couldn’t wait to see them get together. The whole time I kept wondering how Noel would ever decide to plant roots with Claire. Would he give up his business? I couldn’t wait to see how Valerie would work that out.

I’m not giving anything away though. You’ll have to read the book for yourself to see how that all plays out….if it does 🙂

I have to say I think I like this book better than the first. Speaking of the first book in the series, you will not feel lost of you choose to read this book first, but why wouldn’t you want to read the first book? If you enjoy good down on the farm romance you will enjoy this tasty book.

Grab your copy at your local bookstore, Amazon, or Barnes and Noble.

Visit Valerie’s website here.

A copy of this book was given to me by the author in exchange for an honest review.