#BookReview ~ Maggie's Fall by Ricki Wilson

Title:     Maggie's Fall

Author: Ricki Wilson

Genre:  Mainstream fiction/women's fiction

Rating:  4 stars

Amazon Product Page

I really enjoyed this book. Being a long-time horse lover, I really liked that this was essentially a book about saving a horse ranch that was failing. Maggie is a strong woman who has had a lot of tragedy in her life that she needs to work out and get over. Her problems run deeper than she'll allow herself to admit and beyond this being the story of Maggie saving her parents' ranch and keeping it running, this is the story of Maggie finding herself. 

I love the entire cast of characters. Jonah and Martha, who help run the ranch and act as Maggie's extended family, are great people and I love Martha's no-nonsense way she deals with things. Maggie's son, T.J., adds his own brand of charm and, of course, I absolutely love Witt - the finance manager who helps Maggie at every opportunity he can. 

My one criticism would be that there is quite a bit of head-hoping in this book with shifts from one character to the next which is sometimes a little confusing. On the other hand, it does give readers a chance to look into the minds of all these characters and get to know each of them better than they would have if Maggie were the only point of view character. 

Even though this extended family face many challenges, together with love and perseverance, they show a strength to get through the tough times, even when things don't work out like they expect or want them too. A very satisfying story that I enjoyed and recommend. 

This book took me longer to read than I wanted it to since I've been finishing up writing my own book and had other things promised to read. That said, it was a really good book that I greatly enjoyed and I was frustrated by the lack of reading time I had available to devote to this. Even though I was supposed to be doing other things/reading other books, I kept coming back to this one to read a chapter or two when I could steal away some time. I really think people will love Maggie. She's a great character who has much to learn about herself, and the journey of her life makes a great read. I hear a sequel is coming, and I can't wait! 

Buy it on Amazon

Happy reading, friends! Have a great week!

eeeChantelfff

Interview with Travis Casey and Tyler Chambers - Author versus Character

Travis Casey has recently released the first book in his Tyler’s Troubles Trilogy, Trouble Triangle. I was lucky enough to read this book as a beta reader in its earlier stages and have been anxiously awaiting its release date. I have a hard time classifying this book’s genre, but I would tag it as an enormously funny adult humor book with a splash of romantic themes. Check out the cover and product description! 

The year is 1982 and Tyler Chambers finds that his luck has run out…almost. After several brushes with the law, he avoids jail by enlisting in the Navy and gets himself stationed in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Such is his good fortune. 

Tyler is ecstatic when he lands a date with Holly, the best looking girl on the base, but things sour quickly when he discovers how controlling and annoying she is. As he is about to dump her, a revelation from his past comes back to haunt him, and Holly is the only person who can save his Navy career and keep him out of prison. 

He should be grateful, but is besotted with another girl. Debbie Meyers is sexually confused and has her own ideas for Tyler. She beds him easily enough, and uses him in a vendetta against Holly. Tyler finds himself in a TROUBLE TRIANGLE when both women want him for their own needs. 

A story of lust, love and blackmail. But who's doing what to whom? 

Buy it now! ~ Trouble Triangle on Kindle or Paperback Version 

Okay, I’m very excited because Travis and the main character of Trouble Triangle, Tyler Chambers, have agreed to hang out with me today and answer some questions. Welcome guys! Glad to have you here. 

So, tell us how this all started. How did you two meet and how long ago was it?

Travis: About three years ago, I wrote my Naval memoirs. After fifteen rejections, I thought perhaps it may be more saleable as a work of fiction--

Tyler: Excuse me for butting in, Chantel, but Travis has delusions of grandeur. Put it this way, he knew memoirs of a nobody wouldn't sell. So he had to draft, get it, draft, me in. He needed someone with charisma.

Travis: Back off, bud, I created you and I can kill you off anytime I want to.

Tyler: Phbbt. *Tyler waves his hand dismissively*Yeah, right. And kill off book sales. I don't think so. Next you're going to tell everyone you just looked at the keyboard and I happened to pop out of the O between the parentheses.

Travis: *Travis looks at the keyboard and types in ( O )*. TYLER! You're disgusting. Sorry, Chantel. See what I mean? I have to keep a close eye on him. He doesn't have a clue what it takes.

Chantel: It’s okay, Travis. I can see he is a bit of a handful. What was your first impression of each other?

Tyler: Well, Chantel, Travis needs me more than I need him. I could walk into any one of a dozen books and the writer would be happy to have me. *Tyler nods his head confidently*. I don't have diva tantrums and I write most of my own stuff. He's got it easy.

Travis: I have to agree. Tyler does perform his own stunts, which helps. He does suffer a bit from overconfidence though. I gave him a sidekick, Mark, in Trouble Triangle. But I gave Mark all the best lines in the book. Tyler's still not too happy about that. And Mark's had three marriage proposals from readers. *Travis sticks his tongue out at Tyler*

Tyler: Phooey. I set Mark up for those lines. I said those things on purpose just to make Mark look funny. *Tyler brushes his knuckles against his chest* The women came to see me.

Chantel: While I have to agree that Mark is sweet and funny, Tyler, you do have your own brand of charm. Okay, let’s get to the nitty gritty here. Travis, what does Tyler do that annoys you the most?

Travis: You just saw it. He shoots his mouth off all the time and thinks he's bigger than the book. *Travis thrusts his finger toward Tyler* I don't need you. I could write the book with just Holly, Debbie and Mark.

Tyler: Just try it, pal. By chapter three you'd be begging me to come back.

Chantel: *Uh-umm…* Excuse me guys, I didn’t mean to start any trouble. I can see that was the wrong question to ask. Let’s change the subject. Tyler, if you could say just one thing to Travis, what would it be?

Tyler: Despite our differences, I'd say he's a pretty fair author. I mean, I did get plenty of sex in Trouble Triangle. *Tyler grins* He did do some pretty unexpected things toward the end of the book, but I can see why he had to do it. After all, I did write him into some pretty nasty corners to get out of. *Tyler snickers* Overall I thought he handled it pretty well. By the way, can I say something to you, Chantel?

Chantel: Umm…I'm not so sure about that. I like to keep this a family-friendly blog, you know.

Tyler: No, it's cool. I just wanted to say thanks for giving Travis a kick up the backside. In his early drafts, he had us all standing around like a bunch of idiots. Talk about rough drafts. I felt like a vegetable talking without movements. We were just 'talking heads' as you put it. Thanks for telling him to make us jerk our heads, wave our arms, even wiggle our feet. My body was going numb from lack of movement.

Chantel: Glad to help and you're welcome, Tyler. I thought you were pretty cute. I hated seeing you in a coma. 

*Chantel and Tyler share a laugh*

Travis: Excuse me. If you two are quite finished, can we get back to promoting the book. My blood, sweat and tears, if you don't mind.

Chantel: Sorry, Travis. Of course, this is about you and your fabulous book. I just never got a chance to talk with Tyler before. I’ll focus better. So, what one thing did you do to Tyler in the book that you feel the worst about?

Travis: I knew Tyler was a cocky little so-and-so from his inception, so I gave him an arrogant little air-head as his chief playmate. She caused him some grief. *Travis laughs*.

Tyler: What? Holly? You mean you made her talk that Valley girl crap just to get at me? Why you son-of-a--

Travis: Now, now, Ty Ty. Remember, this is a family-friendly program. We can't say the same thing about the book, thanks to your potty mouth.

Tyler: Hey, you're the one who put me in the Navy, remember? If you wanted a wholesome book, you should have made me an airline pilot or a doctor or something.

Travis: The way you drink? Are you crazy? Let's see…*Travis rests his chin on his finger looking skyward* Okay, let's see how this sells. Tyler starring as "Tequila Test Pilot." Or should we ask Harry Potter to move over for 'The Drunken Doctor Does Debbie'.

Tyler: Hey, you give me the role and I can do it. I make Tom Cruise look like a goat in a nativity play. I got the 'it' factor.

Travis: For crying out loud, Tyler! You’re the character in a book, not some Hollywood actor in a mega-blockbuster. *Travis buries his head in his hands*

Tyler: If you send Trouble Triangle to Steven Spielberg like I told you to, well, you may never see me again. I hear JK Rowling is looking for someone to perform some wizardry on her luscious--

Chantel: Alright, guys, time out! As interesting as all this is, and I do appreciate the giggle, I have one last question to ask before you leave. Do you think you two will meet again in the future?

Travis: I've already penned his second book, and we agreed I'd give him a trilogy. But I'm really going to scare the crap out of him in the next book. I don't know, I might even kill him off. 

Tyler: Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never kill me. Travis has me stuck in the 1980's for Pete's sake. When I'm done here, Chantel, I might come over to one of your books. I quite liked the red-hair chick in Always and Forever. Hey, how about if you give me a Cougar? And a cell phone? I really want a cell phone so bad. Then me and the cougar can text pictures back and forth of ourselves wearing…well, nothing.

Travis: Good luck, Chantel. You can have him. Thanks for having us on your blog. 

*Chantel lights a cigarette despite the fact she quit smoking five years ago*

A cougar, huh? ……..... 

Oh! You guys are still here? I thought you left. *fans face and smashes out cigarette* I don’t know what came over me. Thanks for stopping by to chat! I can’t wait to read Trouble Triangle again and see if all my favorite scenes made the cut to the finished book.

Want to find out more about the author? Here’s the lowdown on Travis Casey:

Travis was born and raised in Mid West America, living in eight cities in five states by the time he was eighteen. He joined the US Navy and spent four years in Hawaii, then five years in Scotland before jumping the metaphorical ship. He and his Australian wife moved to Seattle for two years, but returned to the United Kingdom in 1992 and took up residency in the South East of England where he has remained ever since.

His writing career began with writing mostly non-fiction articles on the website http://helium.com but he was always attracted to those topics under humor and creative writing. Many of his articles got rated highly and it became a hobby as well as an obsession to write. After discovering http://critiquecircle.com he turned to writing fiction. A new genre for him, but he soon found a following of readers and took the plunge into writing novels.

Want to connect with Travis and check out other work he’s done?
Travis' blog: http://www.traviscasey.net/ 
Travis' articles on Helium.com: http://www.helium.com/users/39080/show_articles 

Listen to Travis read the first chapter of Trouble Triangle below or on YouTube: 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jVxDhoL1oYE&feature=plcp 

(mild language warning) 

Once again, here is the link to buy Trouble Triangle – get your copy now!
Trouble Triangle on Amazon
Buy it in Paperback

Also, you can add it on Goodreads here

Thanks so much for stopping by everyone. If you enjoy a bit of naughtiness and a whole lot of fun, you don’t want to miss this book! It’s fantastic. Happy reading and have a great weekend!

eeeChantelfff

Interview with Ricki Wilson ~ author of Maggie's Fall

I am so excited to have Ricki Wilson here today so we can talk about her mainstream fiction book, Maggie's Fall, and also learn more about Ricki. 

US Amazon Link

Maggie McClellan is a single and single-minded woman whose sole purpose in life is to protect the M-Bar Ranch and the M-Bar Ranch family: her son, T.J.; Martha and Jonah (who have lived on the ranch as long as Maggie), the M-Bar horses, and one stray dog who knows all of Maggie's sorrows.

Maggie is smart. She knows how to run a ranch and how to keep her guests happy; she knows to stay out of Martha's kitchen and not to leave Jonah's tools lying around; she knows how to sooth a frightened colt and that T.J. worries too much for a little boy; but she doesn't know how to stop an anonymous investor from buying out her leases.

Maggie will not lose everything her parents built. Saving the M-Bar is the only way to keep her parents' memory alive. When the pressure of holding everything together weighs too heavily, Maggie breaks a long-standing rule: she rides off alone across the M-Bar pastures without telling anyone where she's going.

Thanks for being here, Ricki. So, give us a more in depth look at Maggie. What makes her so special? 

Maggie is a single mom who is fighting the daily battle to take care of her family and her home. Maggie’s home happens to be a struggling ranch in west Texas, but she could easily represent anyone who is weighed down with the everyday struggles of getting by. What makes Maggie special is her perseverance and her positive determination. She’s very inspiring. 

It sounds awesome! I always love an inspiring story. I have this loaded on my Kindle, waiting it's turn on my TBR pile. Can't wait to get to it! 

Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?

The most important things are often right next to us: a little boy’s happiness, the grateful eyes of a stray dog, the soft breath of a trusting horse, the unconditional love of family and friends—these are the riches that will carry us through the storms. 

Nice. These things are easiest to take for granted, and often the best gifts we have. 

Let's talk about you now. What made you want to be a writer? 

I am inspired by the magic of words, allusions that sweep us up in memory, similes and metaphors that paint backdrops and panoramas, words that twinkle and boom and shush through summer grasses. Master wordsmiths select the perfect handful of nouns, just the right shade of adjectives, and the boldest of verbs, bundle them up with a comma, a dash, and a period and present us with bouquets of literature and rhetoric. To realize that we all have access to words, that with perseverance and practice, we too can aspire to create something beautiful, or tragic, or inspiring, is an overwhelming notion. Words are boundless and non-discriminate magic at our fingertips. 

I would agree with that--magic that can transport us anywhere. What do you love about writing? 

There is a moment in writing that occurs without notice, a vacuum that shuts out everything except the story. This is a perfect moment of pure focus. Hours can fall away unnoticed. This is what I love about writing. 

Do you ever suffer from writer’s block? If so, what do you do about it?

I do not suffer from writer’s block; I do, however, suffer from writer’s procrastination and writing-on-hold. I am currently teaching 5 days a week and 4 nights a week. This overwhelming schedule leaves me little time to write. Even though I know what I want to write, I hesitate to begin. I know that my writing time is limited, and it’s very difficult to shake the nagging voice that reminds me of papers to grade and lessons to plan. What I wouldn’t give for 60 uninterrupted days to do nothing but write. Of course, that would be a luxury that all writers would cherish. I know other authors struggle with schedules and obligations. I need to do a better job of working within mine. 

Ah - the dream of uninterrupted writing time. Sounds lovely. But, wow, you are busy! Good thing you don't have writer's block, cause you need every second of writing time you can spare with that busy schedule. Besides teaching, what do you like to do when you're not writing? 

I love to crawl into a good story and read the day away, like the day I read Always and Forever cover-to-cover, non-stop. Thank you for that, Chantel! 

Oh - what a lovely way to hear you enjoyed my book, though I think I'm blushing. Thank you so much. I also love reading. I get much less time to do it than I'd like now that I'm also writing, but books are the best form of entertainment!

What’s next for you? 

The sequel to Maggie’s Fall is in the works—for the second time. Around late summer, when I was nearing the end of the first draft of Maggie’s Stand, I realized that I was not happy with what I had written. I trashed nearly 120 pages of that draft, saved about 40,000 words, and started over. I am much happier with what is transpiring now. Even though my rash decision has delayed the publication of my next novel, I feel an obligation to my readers and to myself to make my writing the best it can be. 

I'm glad you are on track now, but I can understand how that must've hurt to have to get rid of so many words. I wish you quick writing on the remainder of Maggie's Stand! Thanks for visiting with me today, Ricki!

ABOUT RICKI:

Ricki Wilson is an independent author and professional educator from Oklahoma. Growing up among genuine cowboys, Ricki learned at an early age to appreciate the true value of a good horse and a faithful dog. Maggie's Fall, Wilson's first novel, is a tribute to both. 

Want to connect with Ricki? Here are all the social media connections so you can stay up to date with what Ricki has going on and keep up to date with the progress on Maggie's Stand any any other projects:

Website: http://www.rickiwilson.com 

Indie Spotlight: http://www.rickiwilson.com/indie-spotlight.html (Putting Indie Authors in the Spotlight!) These are beautiful! I really appreciate the one Ricki made for me. 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/hacktothefuture 

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5302031.Ricki_Wilson 

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/rickilynnwilson

Maggie’s Fall is available in print and digital formats exclusively from Amazon and Amazon UK: Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005YCZD3I 
Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B005YCZD3I

Thanks, once again, Ricki, for being here. 

Happy reading, my friends! Have a terrific weekend!

eeeChantelfff