On this quiet Sunday morning why don't you put the kettle on, make your favourite breakfast and settle down for Sunday Brunch with Jaffareadstoo
I'm delighted to welcome Maggie Christensen to Sunday Brunch
Welcome back, Maggie. What favourite food are you bringing to Sunday brunch?
I’ll be bringing along a spinach and fetta quiche and my homemade basil and goat’s cheese bread.
Would you like a pot of English breakfast tea, a strong Americano, or a glass of Bucks Fizz?
A glass of Bucks Fizz sounds good to me.
Where shall we eat brunch – around the kitchen table, in the formal dining room, or outside on the patio?
Definitely on the patio.
Shall we have music playing in the background, and if so do you have a favourite piece of music?
No music. Let’s listen to the birds.
Which of your literary heroes (dead or alive) are joining us for Sunday Brunch today?
I’d love us to be joined by Marcia Willet and Hilary Boyd, both of whose books have been an inspiration to me.
Which favourite book will you bring to Sunday Brunch?
This is a difficult one. There are so many, but I think I’ll choose to share The Chadwick trilogy by Marcia Willett – Looking Forward, Holding on and Winning Through. These were the first of Marcia Willett’s books which I read and was immediately hooked by her writing.
When you are writing do you still find time to read for pleasure? And is there a book you would like to read but haven’t had time for …yet!
I read voraciously, always have three on the go – a paperback, one on my kindle, and an audiobook in the car. There are two books I have yet to read and am anxiously awaiting. One is Alexander McCall Smith’s latest Isobel Dalgleish one – The Sweet Remnants of Summer. I love this series set in Edinburgh and am waiting for the paperback to be published in 2023 to complete my collection. The other is Marica Willett’s final book, Christmas at the Keep, also the final book about the Chadwick family which is due to be released in late October.
Where do you find the inspiration for your novels?
I find inspiration everywhere – walking around, listening to people talk, reading articles in newspapers.
Have you a favourite place to settle down to write and do you find it easier to write in winter or summer?
There is a spot in our lounge room which catches the morning sun. I like to write there in the morning, moving to another spot later in the day.
When writing to a deadline are you easily distracted and if so how do you bring back focus on your writing?
If I get distracted, I tend to re-read what I’ve written, then set daily word count deadlines. If I get stuck with a scene or apart of the plot, I tend to write a later scene in the book.
Give us four essential items that a writer needs?
Laptop, thesaurus, coffee and lots of patience.
What can you tell us about your latest novel or your current work in progress?
My latest release is Starting Over in Bellbird Bay, book 3 in my Bellbird Bay series set in a small coastal town on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast. Book 4, Christmas in Bellbird Bay will be released on November 3rd and is currently available for pre-order. I am currently writing book 5, Finding Refuge in Bellbird Bay, also available for pre-order and due to be released on February 7th. Although part of a series, all can be read as standalone novels.
They are heart-warming tales of family, friends and how a second chance at love can happen when you least expect it, set against a background of sun, sea, surf and sand. One reviewer said, 'It is always a pleasure to get lost in the towns that Maggie Christensen creates. Her books are easy, pleasurable reads which feature older characters taking a chance for happiness when it comes their way! The town is full of people who you could easily imaging spending a fun night around a dinner table or at a pub or even just having a chat with as you wander around town.'
Starting Over in Bellbird Bay
Following the death of her husband, Cleo Johansen and her daughter moved to Bellbird Bay determined to make a new start. Having carved out a new life, Cleo is shattered when a shadow from her husband’s past throws their lives into disarray.
Will Rankin has lived in Bellbird Bay all his life. Now widowed, the former surf champion runs the local surf school and enjoys a close relationship with his son. Content to lead a single life, the appearance of an undesirable stranger is quick to upset his peaceful existence.
While neither Will nor Cleo is interested in forming a new relationship, an unexpected attraction surfaces when a mutual friend suggests they spend more time together.
Set against a background of sun, sea and sand, can Cleo and Will find a way to move forward together?
A heart-warming tale of family, friends, and how a second chance at love can happen when you least expect it.
Where can you find the series?
Maggie, where can we follow you on social media?
Twitter @MaggieChriste33
More about Maggie
After a career in education, Maggie Christensen began writing heartwarming stories of second chances and women who find love in later life, and historical fiction set in her native Scotland. Her travels inspire her writing, be it her trips to visit family in Scotland, in Oregon, USA or her home on Queensland’s beautiful Sunshine Coast. Maggie writes of mature heroines coming to terms with changes in their lives and the heroes worthy of them. Maggie has been called the queen of mature age fiction and her writing has been described by one reviewer as like a nice warm cup of tea. It is warm, nourishing, comforting and embracing.
Thank you for sharing Sunday Brunch with us today
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Thanks so much for inviting me, Jo.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing Sunday brunch with us, Maggie.
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