Meet Linda Bradley -Women's Fiction author #giveaway

I am delighted to welcome to the blog Linda Bradley, whose debut novel, Maggie's Way was one of my favorite reads from last year. Linda writes women’s fiction with threads of love, life, and hope.
The second book in her Montana Bound series,  Maggie's Fork in the Road is scheduled for publication on June 29th, Linda is offering two lucky readers an eBook copy of Maggie's Way. 
Linda, tell us about yourself.
I live in Michigan with my husband and rescue dog, Maisey. We’re not sure who rescued who. Wink.

Wink. I have two grown sons, Trevor and Griffin and I told myself that when they graduated high school, it would be my time to follow my dream and I did. I’m a breast cancer survivor and when I met my characters Maggie Abernathy and Chloe McIntyre, I found my voice.
I have an Associates Degree in Interior Design and a Master’s Degree in Reading and Language Arts with undergraduate work in Elementary Education and Fine Arts. I wrote and illustrated a children’s book titled, The Hunter for my Master’s Degree. I’m a member of RWA, as well as the Greater Detroit Chapter of RWA.
We have things in common. I too, have two grown sons and am a breast cancer survivor. Life's great, isn't it?

I love firsts, so tell me about the moment when a publisher told you they wanted to publish your book.
I’d just come home from school as I teach second grade and when I checked my email, there it was, an email from Soul Mate Publishing telling me they wanted to publish my work. I yelled to my husband and thought, here we go. I’m not much of a dancer, but I believe there was a happy dance involved.

I think I screamed and danced. 

 If it isn’t too nosey. How about the first time you kissed your true love?
What can I say?  It was the best kiss ever!

Favorite Writers?
Jane Porter, Tracy Chevalier, Sue Monk Kidd, Claire Cook, Elizabeth Berg, Nancy Horan, Sarah Addison Allen, Elizabeth Berg, Luanne Rice to name a few.
The only of of those I've read is Sarah Addison Allen and I adore her! I was lucky enough to have Sarah on my blog last year and she gave us a recipe for the fig and pepper bread mentioned in First Frost

What is the most exciting moment, so far, in your writing career?
There are a few!
One, receiving cover quotes from best-selling authors and inspirations, Jane Porter and Lori Nelson Spielman. Two, holding the first copy of my debut novel, Maggie’s Way. That was pretty special! Three, receiving word that Maggie’s Way was a finalist in The Romance Reviews Readers’ Choice Award for Summer 2016 and a finalist in the 2016 Greater Detroit Booksellers Best Contest.

All fabulous moments, and I know you will have many more of them,

What is your favorite pastime, other than writing?
I love art, especially my husbands, travel, and reading.  Great portrait.

Oil of Linda By Scott Hammond

How do you motivate yourself when inspiration takes a vacation?
I read The 90 Day Novel by Alan Watt or I just read.

Got a recipe you want to share?
Blueberry Buckle from allrecipes.com
A summer favorite at my house!
INGREDIENTS:
¼ cup butter, softened
¾ cup sugar
1 egg
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup milk
2 cups fresh blueberries
TOPPING:
2/3 cup sugar
1?2 cup all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/3 cup cold butter
DIRECTIONS:
1. In a small mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Beat in egg. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt; add to creamed mixture alternately with milk. (I use rice milk as we don’t drink dairy.) Fold in blueberries. Pour into greased 9-in. square baking pan. (I use a round decorative baking dish and cut it like pie. It’s pretty!)
2. For topping, combine sugar, flour and cinnamon in a bowl; cut in butter until crumbly. Sprinkler over blueberry mix. Bake at 375 degrees F for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack.
Sounds Delicious

Any advice for new writers just starting out?
Keep writing. Keep reading. There’s no timetable or formula for getting published. Be fierce. Follow your heart.

Tell us about Maggies's Fork In the Road. )Available for pre-order later this week. I will post the link when I get it.)

What do you get when you cross a middle-aged woman caught in a hiccup of life with a pesky eight-year-old on a mission to understand her Hollywood mother? You get a cast of misfits waiting to steal your heart.
Writing Maggie Abernathy is a great deal of fun. Her sarcastic wit and hearty dreams make for intrigue, but she wouldn’t be Maggie Abernathy without the eccentric characters that drive her life. Each have their own tribulations and through their interactions find themselves with an ironclad bond, but just when they’ve become connected, their dreams drive them in different directions and it’s never easy to say goodbye. Writing youngster, Chloe McIntyre is a delight as well and she’s still not willing to take a backseat to anyone.

Blurb
Maggie Abernathy learns that pesky neighbors, John and Chloe McIntyre are moving to Montana. The only problem is…she can’t fathom living without them now that they’ve stolen her heart. While trying to digest the news and accept John’s decision to leave Michigan, Maggie ventures to Chicago with Chloe to see Chloe’s Hollywood mother in a photo shoot, where the three kindle a quirky bond making it even harder to say goodbye. With the support of Maggie’s meddling mother, best friend Judy, and a surprise visit from Montana rancher, Winston Ludlow McIntyre, Maggie begins to wonder which fork in the road leads home.

What’ s your current WIP?
I have a couple manuscripts in the works. My mind is full of ideas. I’m working on a new series set in Montana and a stand-alone Women’s Fiction Novel with a hint of Spirit.

Where can we find you?
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/Linda-Bradley-389688594534105/
Twitter  https://twitter.com/LBradleyAuthor
Amazon
Website
Goodreads
Blog

Thank you for  being here, Linda. Linda is giving away two eBook copies of Maggie's Way. 

Here's the cover blurb:

Middle-aged, Maggie Abernathy just wants to recuperate from cancer during the solitude of summer vacation after a tiresome year of teaching second grade. Maggie’s plans are foiled when precocious seven-year-old, Chloe McIntyre moves in next door with her dad, John. Maggie’s life changes in a way she could never imagine when the pesky new neighbors steal her heart. With Maggie’s grown son away, her ex-husband in the shadows, her meddling mother’s unannounced visits, and Chloe McIntyre on her heels, somehow Maggie’s empty house becomes home again.

Review Quote
“Linda Bradley’s fresh voice will keep readers riveted from beginning to end. Bradley delivers a heart-warming story full of disarming honesty and beautiful drama…This one stands out!” —Jane Porter New York Times and USA Today best selling author

Enter below. Happy Reading

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Read More →