What Remains True Blog Tour #Romance #Summer Read

Welcome again to USA Today Bestselling author Nancy Naigle, who's talking about her latest homey, comfy, small town  read,  What Remains True. 

* Be sure to check out the Q&A, giveaway, and follow the blog tour below for more! 

About the Book: 

Working at a little shop on Main Street in a small town is exactly the break that executive Merry Anna Foster needs following her divorce. She’s made a bet with her ex-husband that she can live on the amount of money she’s giving him in alimony. If she can do it, then Kevin will have to stop complaining and leave her alone. But after three months of this new life, will she even want to leave Antler Creek? 

Adam Locklear, bull rider and owner of the local feed store, is having the best year of his rodeo career. He’s also a bit distracted by the pretty new neighbor living in his old bunkhouse. Then an old girlfriend shows up with a surprise - and leaves five-year-old Zan—the daughter Adam didn’t know he had—in his care.  Does the future hold a life even better than what Merry Anna and Adam had each dreamed of? 

BUY: Amazon -  Goodreads 

Find Nancy at: Instagram - Twitter  *** Get a free bookmark download and more!

REVIEW: Remember that TV makeup commercial that starts, "Easy, Breezy...?" That's this book. A fun, breezy, summer read you won't put down until the last page. It's easy to get caught up in Merry Anna's world as she adjusts to a new life in a quaint small town, the type of town we'd all like to run away to! You're gonna love seeing how it all turns out! 5 stars! 

** Interview with Nancy Naigle:

What inspired the story?

 The small town of Antler Creek, which I first wrote about in Christmas Angels, had been popping up in my mind over and over again. I loved the characters, and the barn quilt trail, it was just such a great place that I couldn’t resist setting a new story there with new characters and old friends too.

 

What made you decide to set the book in the rodeo world? How did you research the details? 

I’m a huge rodeo fan, not just bull riding, but all of the events, but bull riders are facing great danger when they get on the back of the big bull. I’ve had first-hand conversations with bull riders, and I was excited to bring that experience to readers who may not know that much about it. In my research about injuries I was surprised that there are a few sports doctors in the sport who used to ride broncs or bulls, and that just possibility made my character even more interesting. The most surprising thing was my personal experience with mutton busting. That’s when kids ride on the back of a sheep. It’s hilarious to watch, and I’d seen it as a spectator hundreds of times, but my stepson actually competed in the mutton busting a few years back and let me tell you…it’s terrifying when it’s your loved one out there! Even on a sheep.

 

Is there a favorite area for you in a small town you like to write about? Why? 

Small towns have personalities, traditions, and most everyone knows everyone else’s business. I feel like the town itself is another character.

 

Who/what inspired the main character - and her fun renovating neighbor?  

My characters are never based on people I know, but rather characteristics that make them unique or engaging. Tara, the fun renovating neighbor, is a widow who is very handy with tools and I just love that she’s taken on this huge project. She’s a little old school, so her friendship with our heroine Merry Anna is perfect timing with technology as she tries to shop online for the special lighting and other things she needs for the house. She and Merry Anna have a really lovely friendship.

 

What is the takeaway you hope to leave readers with? 

 That even when we think we know exactly what we want and are laser-focused on the goal, life has a way of changing our direction. It’s a story of change, adapting and pivoting when things go haywire. It’s also a story of friendship.

 

Do you plan on another book with any of your main characters - or even the sub-characters? 

Yes! I love this town. There will most definitely be more stories set in Antler Creek. There could even be a wedding coming soon. The cast of characters is growing and there are countless holidays, traditions and stories to tell.

 

And... what's next?

 

I have two more books coming out in 2022. They are both on pre-order now.

Mission: Merry Christmas (releases 9/6) is a Christmas novella with a Caribbean setting.

The Wedding Ranch (releases 12/6) is women’s fiction about family, forgiveness and second chances.

 

Is there a certain other interest or hobby you're drawn to?

 I don’t quilt. I love anything crafty though. The last few years I have been painting barn quilts. Barn quilts can be found all across the nation. There are websites that list barn quilt trails across America and I’ve been on several across the nation.

These aren’t quilts like grandma used to sew, which by the way I love and am so envious of the talent that quilters have! These are quilt-like geometric designs that are drawn on plywood and painted with exterior paint. You affix them to your barn, outbuildings, house, fence or if you’re like me and running out of buildings I’m painting some small 12x12 barn quilts to hang under my mailbox.

 

I first became interested in them when I wrote the first Antler Creek book, Christmas Angels. Since then, I’ve taken a few classes and painted a bunch of them! It’s such a relaxing craft, and if you mess up, you just paint right over it. I like forgiving art, lol. Readers have been asking me to do a video how-to about it. It’s on my list of to-do’s. So stay tuned.

* Thanks again, Nancy, for visiting and sharing some of your world with us! 

 

****

* Giveaway: *

What Remains True

H Lobby #miniatures sale & Good News/Bad News!

 

Can't resist a sale! I'm mostly doing half scale these days so thought this little kit could come in handy if the size is close enough. The kit was $7.99; electric tape $16 down to $3.99; LED lite was $3.24. Just a few things I bought. Yeah, I got a few more electric things, the splices and lead wires, and a second light. Won't see that price again!

Good news is I got a few more things done on The Fairfield: Not much picture-wise but the 2nd floor fireplace is papered now. Cutting pieces to make the wood mantles next. I think this floor will be more wood as also have wood flooring cut. I might do some faux wainscoting and some fake ceiling beams since the left room here has a dragon print orange paper. Thought the wood could be a nice contrast and give it a warmer look.

Also got the 1st and 2nd floor porch wood cut; light is in on front porch; 2 floor lights in for the pumpkins, too! (What's a porch without lit pumpkins?) Added another light in kitchen. In-order process: had to get a couple pieces of siding cut and painted, then measure and glue on one piece to get the exterior light on...

Oh, and speaking of that! UGH! Must've taken the lights off an old house and didn't realize the one was a bare wire. Well.... a piece of wire stuck out and shorted.... had to take it apart and have the dollhouse electrician install the second light - after I coated the wire with nail polish to be safe!

BAD news -- shorted out 2 transformers!!! My BIG Mistake!!! Worse was my very large big transformer I've had for years! UGH!!! Those are very expensive now!!!! Should've left it on the big house. Should've, should've. Live and learn....

Well, hopefully will have better news next time! See you then!

New #Miniatures Find: Mystery Medieval-Tudor Box

 

I just had to share!

While I am doing mostly half-scale dollhouses these days, once I saw this box, I knew I had to take it home. It's so different! I just fell in love with it; very excited!!! (Click images for full size.) No matter what, I'll find a place to display it. The box has a lacquer-painted surface. The size is 15" h, 14" w, 7" d.

What do you think it is???

I just thought it was so cool and unique. I immediately pictured setting it up as the Tudor/Medieval scene I'd set aside for ages. I have a queen doll and I think a couple others (or I'll dress them). I'd also made a clay meal, complete with boar's head, a loooong time ago, and I'd gotten some other food items from a previous swap some years back.

The images look to be a mixture of medieval, maybe Crusades-Middle East, maybe colonial even? haa! So it really doesn't matter what I mix, it seems. 😀

Right side:

Left side: Middle East? Crusades? Who knows?

Top:

Colonial? (How this fits with the others I don't know! haa!)

Did you guess what it is yet????

I should leave you hanging but....

Ta-dah! It's a cd case holder. Just have to figure how to get the inside wall out. The sides can be covered. I think I'll make egg carton stone, like a castle interior. 

This will be fun! Stay tuned, it may be a while until I get to it. (Project #999. haaaa!) 

Let there be Light! #Fairfield HS #Dollhouse

 

Yes, it's been a little while since the last post, but... I've been kind of busy!

Actually got a few lights in, and in case you wonder what takes so long, well.... it took most of yesterday to figure out this light for the living room/parlor. An old Illinois Hobbycraft kit, it  contains quite a few pewter pieces, plastic sconces and a small metal tube. A too small tube I learned after trying to fit in four wires from two lights.

The lamp originally called for three lights, so I omitted one (and glad I did.) Cut the tube as it was too long, then realized it was also too small. And then realized after I got a slightly bigger tube that it would be too low so just scrapped it. Yeah, after all that. haa! I like the final look of it; added a rhinestone on the bottom.  I really love this room!

On to the dining room light, with more problems, of course!  I got this light with fake candles a while back I think from the Ionos Half Scale Group swap. I painted it black, put chains on, and added the green leaves around it. Then... oh had to match up which wires went together to each of the three candle lights after I struggled to pull them through the ceiling hole. haa! Lucky, hubby  is the electronics whiz with his tester and such. But I think it works well with the room, don't you?

I love the black/white themes in these two rooms but I will be adding color in the bedrooms. One is an orange dragon theme wallpaper I've also had for a while. The other will be red stripe as I've had this zombie-clown-circus theme in my head for a bit since I have some small resin figures to use. Yes, it sounds weird but I think it'll be cool!

Bathroom: For weeks, I had the small wall (which butts up on the left) put aside, all papered and ready and now... of course, I couldn't find it! So had to take another unused piece of wood, cut a new wall and paper it. (Not shown here.) Then I had to paper the inside walls. The back wall had to be glued halfway, put a hole through the paper, attach inside bath wall light, then solder it in back before folding paper over and gluing it. 

I have to add another light above the stair opening across the hall and will probably add another light on the ceiling near the window here since the spiral stairs will on the right. I'll add a small corner molding  since despite creasing it, the corner paper split. The bumps from the wires won't be as noticeable once everything's in place as you really only get a glimpse of the light through the bathroom barn door.

Kitchen: Yes, ceiling lights are up. I used the metal bead caps and metal findings again like in the other Haunted House as I think they have a vintage look that goes good with the kitchen.  (I have to add  piece of molding on the top back of the stairs yet.)  I decided to put an older piece of ivory textured paper on the ceiling and also used it for the tower ceiling.

More doors and windows are painted and I have to glue in the bay window on right next. Want to get the moldings in before I do that. Also have to add the inner trim on the bay inside edges. I glued a painted piece of cardboard on the inner top which works well.

I know, not many photos and it may not seem like much, but this was a lot of work getting to this point. haa!

That's it for now! I wanted to get more done today, but between all the looking around and then doing lights, I've done enough for now! So, until next time! 

Thanks again for looking and stopping by! Stay tuned for the next updates!