Skip to content

A Conversation with Michele Summers, Author of SWEET SOUTHERN TROUBLE (with a giveaway!)

Welcome, Michele! What 5 things should readers know about you?

Hmmmm, okay, here goes:

  1. I’m very stubborn. Yep. Like a dog with a bone stubborn. I dig my heels in and won’t give an inch when I think I’m right. According to my kids, I always think I’m right. But in my stubborn defense, I will apologize if proven wrong. Not happily, but I do it anyway.

 

  1. I hate to be photographed. No, hate is probably too mild. I detest, loathe, abhor, (take your pick) being photographed. It literally pains me to pose for pictures. Not sure why, but it probably stems from my childhood, standing with my eight siblings for what felt like days while my dad fiddled with lights and cameras to take our family photos. An exercise in complete torture. Any pictures you might see of me have been taken under extreme duress. 😉

 

  1. I’m fascinated with power tools. Recently I gave my kitchen a facelift by painting my wood cabinets and tile backsplash, but it needed to be sanded before painting and I couldn’t possibly do it all by hand. After buying my first power tool, an electric sander, I was hooked. (Kitchen turned out fabulous, I might add!) Next up: Circular Saw!!!

 

  1. I’m basically a homebody even though I love to travel. But these days it takes a lot for me to pack my bags and head to parts unknown or otherwise. I enjoy spending time in my home and love it when both my kids are around for family dinners and hanging out. Don’t get me wrong, if someone offered me tickets to Paris or Florence, I’d blow this Popsicle stand, but not for long…because there’s no place like home.

 

  1. I love basketball. Let me restate that: I love college Specifically UNC basketball as in 2017 National Champions basketball!! I’ve been watching my Tarheels since way before Michael Jordan (GOAT) made his first jumper in high school. As a child, I used to shoot baskets with my two brothers, and we’d fight over which UNC player we were pretending to be. I taught my son how to shoot a free throw and used to beat him at the game Horse. (He was probably five at the time…I’m very competitive. Don’t judge.) I’ve seen more national championship games than I care to count. And probably know more college basketball stats than most coaches. And like a true Tarheel who bleeds Carolina blue, I’ve proudly passed this passion down to my son and daughter. It’s hard to live in North Carolina without catching the basketball fever. GO HEELS!

 

I’m with you on #2. Pictures are the worst!

 

Where did the inspiration for this book come from?

Mostly my imagination. Sweet Southern Trouble was the very first book I wrote and prior to writing it, I used to play around with different scenarios in my head, wondering if I had the nerve to actually write a book. At the time, my son talked football non-stop (still does) and I started asking him questions about different quarterbacks and coaches and he inspired me with his answers. Learning how hard these guys worked to play ball, I thought it would be funny to see how a big, tough football player would deal with a snack-sized kindergarten teacher. On the outside they appear as complete opposites, but they discover common ground as fierce competitors.

Love it! You never know where inspiration would come from 🙂

 

How long have you been writing and what or who inspired you to start?

I’ve been writing for about ten years. In the beginning, I wrote on the sly…late at night while everyone slept. No one person inspired me to start writing. I basically challenged myself to see if I could do it.

That works too—awesome!

 

What are you working on right now?

A fun new series set in Miami about a family of brothers, all professional athletes in different sports, all strong-willed, stubborn, and damaged in some way by the sins of their father. And all coming up against their biggest challenge: protecting their hearts from the women who butt heads and lock lips with them and who keep tempting them to fall hopelessly in love. Look for the Silver Starrs series in late 2017.

Sounds great! Can’t wait 🙂

 

What are you currently reading, and what are your thoughts about it so far?

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte because who doesn’t love a strong woman who won’t compromise her beliefs or convictions? Not even for the only man she ever loved. I’ve read this book at least once a year, ever since I was fourteen and my older sister read it aloud to me, while sitting on the beach one summer. My first romance. This one never gets old.

I agree! Every time I read it again, I notice something new.

 

If you had to sell your book in a single Tweet, what would you say?

What happens when a snack-sized, trash-talkin’ kindergarten teacher competes with a smokin’ hot, tough football coach? A real throw down!

Perfect!

 

Thanks for having me! These questions were lots of fun!

Thank you for coming, Michele! Good luck with SWEET SOUTHERN TROUBLE—I can’t wait to read it!

 

MICHELE SUMMERS writes about small-town life with a Southern flair, and has her own interior design business in Raleigh, North Carolina, and Miami, Florida. Both professions feed her creative appetite and provide a daily dose of humor.

 

 

Title: Sweet Southern Trouble
Author: Michele Summers
Pub Date: May 2, 2017
ISBN: 9781402293641

 

An ambitious Southern belle

Marabelle Fairchild knows she’s a gal who can get things done. Feeling unappreciated at the exclusive private school where she’s a kindergarten aide and varsity tennis coach, Marabelle determines to score with the next big fundraiser. What she doesn’t expect? A smokin’ hot football coach to throw her off her game…

 

A reclusive NFL bachelor…

NFL coach Nick Frasier is Raleigh’s most eligible bachelor, but he wants to focus on his career…not his playboy status. He doesn’t need a smart-mouthed, pint-sized kindergarten teacher pestering him. So he cuts Marabelle a deal—in exchange for Nick sponsoring a bachelor auction starring him and his gorgeous celebrity pals, Marabelle will pose as his fiancée to ward off unwanted advances.

 

What could possibly go wrong?

Buy Links:

Amazon | Books-A-Million | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Chapters | iBooks | Indiebound

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Published inauthor interviewblog tourBOOKS!GIVEAWAYnew releasespotlight

11 Comments

  1. Thank you so much for hosting such a great blog post and giveaway. I hope you get to read and enjoy Sweet Southern Trouble. Thanks again!

  2. Anita Yancey Anita Yancey

    Sounds like a fantastic book. I really like the cover.

  3. Linda Herold Linda Herold

    Your numbers 2, 4, and 5 describe me!! I also love reading romance in small towns!

  4. Linda, say it ain’t so! ;-))) Unless you’re a huge UNC basketball fan like I am! Hope you get to read Sweet Southern Trouble. Let me know if you enjoy it. Thanks.

  5. Linda Herold Linda Herold

    I am actually a die hard Sacramento Kings fan! They don’t win many games but they are fun to watch and I am loyal!!

Comments are closed.