Love in Bloom Giveaway Hop + Author Interview with Nell Carson

Recently, we had the delightful opportunity of reading and reviewing a fun and heartwarming romance by Nell Carson: The Gingerbread House. You can read our joint review of the novel here. We were lucky enough to get an interview with Nell herself, and we'll be giving away a copy of The Gingerbread House and a book of choice from The Book Depository.

After a tumultuous past, Greta Kendall has focused mainly on her bridal shop, located on the first floor of her beloved Queen Anne Victorian near Aspen. For two years she’s fought to save her house from Stephanie Harwood of Harwood Development, who is intent on razing her home to build a new mall. But now Greta’s running out of time. The town council is about to approve the final plans for the mall.

When Gray Daniels walks into her shop, Greta is immediately attracted to his rugged good looks and midnight blue eyes, until she learns he’s Stephanie Harwood’s fiancé. She’s furious to find they’ve tricked her into a publicity stunt aimed at garnering support for the mall. So now her little war has a new front: Gray Daniels. If only she could also fight her growing attraction to him.
A knock on the door brings a return of old danger, and Greta must now put aside her anguish over the house to discover if she’s at last capable of looking the past in the eye and overcoming it—and if she’s finally free to love again.

Author Interview with Nell Carson

To start, can you tell us a bit about yourself?
I’m from the US—born in Philadelphia and raised in Seattle but I now live in Denver with my husband, Ben, and our beautiful baby boy, Cole. I have a degree in literature from the University of California, Santa Barbara. For my day job I work in the accounting department of a real estate firm. It works out well because I write in the mornings then go to work and use the opposite side of my brain!

The Gingerbread House is my second novel. Tell-All, also an Avalon Romance, came out in 2010. Avalon has since been sold to Amazon Publishing. My third novel, Not Your Average Joe, will be published by eharlequin’s Escape Publishing on August 1st. I’m very excited! They have beautiful covers and I’m looking forward to seeing what they come up with.

For our curious readers, could you describe your book in three words.
Surprising, Triumphant, Affirming

What was your inspiration for writing The Gingerbread House?
We moved several times while I was growing up and my parents would always buy run-down Victorian houses and renovate them. It was kind of their hobby, my mom doing the decorating and my dad doing the carpentry work. Because of that, I developed an appreciation for architecture and preserving old houses. I read about the US Supreme Court ruling that a town could legally tear down a person’s home for economic development and I thought it would be interesting to write about that conflict.

The idea of a gingerbread house was adorable, what would your dream house look like?
An old rambling Cape Cod style house perched on a hill overlooking the coast. Airy with lots of light and a wrap-around porch.

Now onto the miscellaneous portion of the interview, which fairy tale would you want to live in?
Sleeping Beauty – With a 14 month old, sleep is a luxury these days!

If you could have a superpower, what would you choose?
Flying!

If you could put Greta into any Jane Austen novel, which would it be?
Sense and Sensibility – I like to think she wouldn’t put up with the men-only heir situation. She’d start a revolution!

And finally, because our blog is called Looking for the Panacea, if you had to choose some Panacea Candidates, what would they be?
Speaking of the great Miss Austen, I’d have to say Pride and Prejudice.

Giveaway Details

• The giveaway is open to wherever The Book Depository ships free. Check here
• There will be one winner. This person will win a book up to 10USD from TBD and a copy of The Gingerbread House.
• You must be a follower of this blog to enter (by GFC)
• You must be 13 or older to enter, and have your parent's permission if you are younger than 18
• Giveaway ends on the 22nd May.
• Winners will be notified by email and will have 48 hours to respond before a new winner is chosen.
• We are not responsible for any packages lost or damaged in the mail.
• ALL ENTRIES WILL BE CHECKED. So don't cheat. Yeah, we're watching you....

Onto the giveaway!

a Rafflecopter giveaway