Anita Higman, New Releases, and Free Books!

While she's been faithfully caring for her tearoom customers, Charlotte has also been quietly turning into an old maid. Will the next marriage in Middlebury be for her?



Today we're visiting with novelist Anita Higman, author of A Marriage in Middlebury (Abingdon Press, November 2013).

Best-selling and award-winning author, Anita Higman, has thirty-seven books published in various genres, but her greatest love is inspirational romance and women’s fiction. She’s been a Barnes & Noble “Author of the Month” for Houston and has a BA in the combined fields of speech communication, psychology, and art.

Anita loves good movies, exotic teas, and brunch with her gal friends.

Please tell us three random things we might not know about you.

- I love tearooms and all things tea. One of my favorite teas is blackberry sage. Oh, and I love Earl Grey.

- When I was a kid growing up on our farm in Oklahoma I had a pet snake named Herbie.

- Autumn is my favorite time of year. It’s crisp and earth-fragrant and wistful.

As I sit here, watching an icky, wet snow cover everything outside my window, I'm inclined to agree with your assessment of autumn, Anita. Give me that fall crispness or the clarity of spring any day!

Please tell us a bit more about the plot of Marriage in Middlebury.

Charlotte Rose Hill, who loves serving up country delicacies and uniquely blended teas, discovers that while she's been faithfully caring for her tearoom customers, she'd also been quietly turning into an old maid. Charlotte did fall in love with a young man, Sam Wilder, when she was 18, but his family forced her to walk away from their relationship.

Now, more than a decade later, Charlotte finds that she still has feelings for her first love.

Initially thrilled to learn that Sam has come home to Middlebury, Texas, Charlotte is then devastated to learn that he's brought someone with him: his fiancée. But all is not lost when one of the loveable but meddlesome townsfolk decides to get involved. Will the next marriage in Middlebury be for Sam and Charlotte?

Why will readers care about Charlotte?

Charlotte Rose Hill is like a best friend. She is big-hearted with everyone she meets, but because of a great injustice she has been denied the one thing she’s always dreamed of. I’m hoping you’ll be rooting for her to fulfill her longing in spite of all the obstacles.

Readers, I had the pleasure of reading and endorsing this book for Anita. I thought you might like to read my comments:

Nothing makes for a better romance novel than second chances, misunderstandings, and tension-filled bad timing, and that's exactly what tearoom owner Charlotte Rose Hill experiences in Anita Higman's lovely new novel, A Marriage in Middlebury. When Charlotte's old beau returns to the quaint town, fiancee in tow, you'd think the old sparks would be snuffed out. Think again. Higman has created an ensemble of characters both romantic and quirky, and the greatest pleasure in reading the book is that all of their stories matter.  

Anita, if you were the casting director for the film version of your novel, who would play your lead roles?

The heroine, Charlotte, could be played by Téa Leoni




and the hero, Sam Wilder, could be played by Jude Law.






What is the one improvement you’d like to make in your life in 2014?

I’d like to be a better witness for Christ, and I’d like to know more clearly the books He wants me to write.

Oh, yes. Give us that guidance, Lord! I wish it was easier to determine.

What is the last novel you read that you would recommend?

I read Jane Eyre , and truly loved it. I would highly recommend it because it’s exquisitely written and deeply inspiring.

What are you working on now?

Right now I’m taking a brief break, working on promoting the novels that are already out there.

Where else can readers find you online?

Please visit my website at www.anitahigman.com or my Facebook Reader's Page.

The book can be purchased in fine book stores and online via the following buttons:






CBD.com


Finally, what question would you like to ask my readers?

If you could choose any profession for a heroine, what would it be?

Thanks, Anita, for visiting with us and telling us about your novel. Readers, Anita has offered to give a signed copy of her book to the winner of our drawing on Thursday, January 9. To enter, leave a comment below in answer to Anita's question, above. "Please enter me" won't get you entered. Leave your email address, in case you win, like so: trish[at]trishperry[dot]com.

Also, I'd love it if you'd connect with me on Facebook. Just click on my name at the right of today's post.

Annoying legal disclaimer: drawings void where prohibited; open only to U.S. residents; the odds of winning depend upon the number of participants. See full disclaimer HERE.

As you scroll to the bottom of today's post to answer Anita's question, take a look at the terrific new Inspirational fiction releasing in January!

Contemporary Romance:

Mommy Wanted by Renee Andrews --A Mother's Hope Three years ago, Kate Wydell made a big mistake: she ran away, leaving her baby daughter behind. Now Kate's back in the small Alabama town, desperate to make amends. But she's afraid to reveal who she is. Especially since her new boss, a widowed father of young girls, is the kind of parent, the kind of person, Kate hopes to be. Mitch Gillespie sings lullabies and teaches his daughters how to be their best. With every passing day, Kate falls harder for him. But once Mitch knows her secret, will she lose him-and her deepest wish-forever? (Contemporary Romance from Love Inspired [Harlequin])

The Rancher's Secret Son by Betsy St. Amant -- When her troubled teenage son is sent to Camp Hope, Emma Shaver is thrilled and relieved. The therapy horse ranch in Broken Bend, Louisiana, is well-known for giving at-risk teens a new lease on life. There's just one problem-it's owned by her old high school sweetheart, Max Ringgold, who doesn't know he's her son's father. Emma didn't plan on facing her past to ensure her son's future. But when old feelings for Max resurface, Emma must decide if she will reveal the truth to him and restore her family for good. (Contemporary Romance from Love Inspired [Harlequin])

Historical Romance:

With Autumn's Return by Amanda Cabot --An idealistic lady doctor and an opinionated attorney find love and adventure in nineteenth century Cheyenne, WY. (Historical Romance from Revell – A Division of Baker Publishing Group)

A Match Made in Texas by Mary Connealy, Karen Witemeyer, Carol Cox, Regina Jennings-- In the small town of Dry Gulch, Texas, a good-hearted busybody just can't keep herself from surreptitiously trying to match up women in dire straits with men of good character she hopes can help them. How is she to know she's also giving each couple a little nudge toward love? (Historical Romance from Bethany House [Baker] Publishing)

The Quaker and the Rebel by Mary Ellis -- When a conductor on the Underground Railroad crosses paths with a Rebel Ranger, everyone expected sparks to fly, but sometimes love is more powerful than any army…North or South. (Historical Romance from Harvest House Publishers)

Shadowed by Grace: A Story of Monuments Men by Cara Putman -- Desperate to save her dying mother, Rachel accepts her newspaper's assignment to travel to Italy to capture images dangerously close to the front lines of WWII. Her real motive - to find the father she never knew -- an artist she hopes can offer the comfort and support both she and her mother need to survive. It's an unlikely situation for love and faith to flourish, but soon Rachel not only finds herself, but also her long-lost earthly father, and ultimately, the man her Heavenly father created to cherish and provide for her. (Historical Romance from B&H Publishing)

Romantic Suspense:

Crossfire (Love Inspired Suspense) by Jodie Bailey -- After he couldn't save her brother, army first sergeant Josh Walker isn't about to let anything happen to Andrea Donovan. Josh may have saved her from one attack, but drug smugglers are desperate to get information about one of Andrea's patients-a patient who's disappeared without a trace. Despite the danger, the beautiful counselor refuses to hand over confidential files. Now Josh and Andrea have no choice but to battle on for their lives-and their love-or they'll be the latest casualty to get caught in the crossfire. (Romantic Suspense from Love Inspired [Harlequin])

No One to Trust by Lynette Eason -- Summer Abernathy wakes up one morning to find her husband missing, three men in her home intent on finding him, and the life she's been living based on a lie. (Romantic Suspense from Revell – A division of Baker Publishing Group)

Beowulf: Explosives Detection Dog by Ronie Kendig -- Former Navy handler Timbrel Hogan has more attitude than her Explosives Detection Dog, Beowulf, but she's a tough woman who gets the job done. Green Beret Tony "Candyman" VanAllen likes a challenge and convincing the hard-hitting handler they belong together might just get him killed. When tragedy strikes and Tony's career is jeopardized, Timbrel must re-evaluate her life and priorities-and fast because a terrorist plots to unleash a weapon of mass destruction on American soil. Can Timbrel and Beowulf track the chemicals in time? Will Tony surrender everything to save the woman nobody wants to love-except him? (Romantic Suspense from Barbour Publishing)

Frame-Up by Jill Elizabeth Nelson -- When a pair of murders link them as prime suspects, a single mom and a reformed bad boy must team up to prove their innocence before they become the killer's next victims. (Romantic Suspense from Love Inspired [Harlequin])

Happy reading!