Book Bags and Cat Naps welcomes Marie Astor: Interview

 

Today I’m welcoming Marie Astor to the blog. Marie is on a virtual book tour with Goddess Fish to talk about her book, On the Rim of Love. Marie is awarding two prizes to randomly drawn commenters during her tour:  a sterling silver plum quartz necklace and earring set, and a sterling silver aventurine necklace that were custom designed for the tour (US/Canada only) so don’t forget to follow the tour to increase your chances!  You can read an excerpt here.

[sws_green_box]About Marie

Marie Astor is a die-hard romantic who wholeheartedly believes in true love, which is why she writes in the contemporary romance genre.

Marie is the author of contemporary romance novels, On the Rim of Love, Lucky Charm, and a short story collection, A Chance Encounter and Other Stories.

In addition to being a writer, Marie is an avid hiker, an excellent swimmer, a good skier, and a capable badminton player.

Currently, Marie is working on her next novel – stay tuned for details!

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About On the Rim of Love

Maggie Robin has been dating the irresistibly good-looking, successful Jeffrey Preston for two years. But when Jeffrey proposes marriage a week after Maggie’s college graduation, she is no longer sure if she wants to marry a workaholic TV producer.

Her doubts culminate when during a ski trip to British Columbia, Maggie meets Taylor Denton, a handsome, free-spirited big mountain skier who is the complete opposite of Jeffrey. It does not take Maggie long to realize that she has fallen in love with Taylor and she decides to break off her engagement with Jeffrey. But just when she thinks she has found the love of her life, an ill-fated misunderstanding tears Maggie and Taylor apart.

A week later, Maggie is told that Taylor has died in a tragic ski accident; yet, her heart refuses to believe in Taylor’s death. When Maggie returns to Taylor’s native town, she learns that Taylor is indeed alive, but has been seriously injured. Resolved to bring her lover back to life Maggie stands by Taylor’s side, convincing him to embrace life again.

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About Marie

Where were you born?

New York

What did you want to be when you grew up?

An English professor – like my dad.

Other than author, what jobs have you had?

Technical writing

About Maria’s writing

How did you come to write On the Rim of Love?

Two winters ago I visited Banff, British Columbia. I have always thought that there is something very special about the atmosphere of ski towns, and I was charmed by Banff’s quaint streets and the wonderful people who walked them. An idea for a contemporary romance became to form in my mind: a big city girl meets a big-mountain skier who is rooted in his small hometown. By the end of my ten-day stay at Banff, I had jotted down an outline and notes on the main characters: Maggie and Taylor, as well as Taylor’s best friends: Shawn and Hannah. The hardest part was over: all that remained for me to do was to sit down and write Maggie’s and Taylor’s story.

What’s the opening paragraph?

“Come on Maggie, you’re going to be late!”

“I’ll be there in a minute, mom!” Maggie feverishly surged through her room, making sure she had not forgotten anything. It felt strange being back in her parents’ house after having her own place for almost four years.

“Jeffrey is on his way up, honey.” Janet Robin poked her head through the crack in the door. “Maggie! You haven’t even zipped up your suitcase! Come on – help me close this thing up! You know how Jeffrey gets about being late.”

“I know, Mom.” Maggie sighed, remembering Jeffrey’s zeal for punctuality.

“Now, what are you sighing about, young lady?” Mrs. Robin placed her hands on her hips.

“You’ve just graduated college a semester early with honors, your boyfriend proposed to you with a splendid ring, and he is taking you on ski vacation of a lifetime!”

At her mother’s mention of her engagement, Maggie self-consciously twisted the huge diamond ring on her finger – the ring was too big, and she constantly worried about its slipping off.”

Marie said she would rather:

Sell a million copies of this book but never win an award than win a Nobel Prize for Literature but only sell 20,000 copies

Now for a bit of fun…

What’s the most exciting book you’ve read this year?

The Peach Keeper by Sarah Addison Allen

Describe your perfect weekend…

In the winter: racing down a mountain on my skis. In the summer: hiking in Yellowstone Park, Wyoming. 

Describe a more realistic weekend…

In the winter: dinner and a movie. In the summer: hiking in Harriman Park State Park, Stony Point, NY.

You’re having a dinner party and you can invite one writer, one musician, one monarch, one villain and one president. Who do you invite and why?

Writer: Sarah Addison Allen – I love her books and I think she is an incredible writer – it would be wonderful to meet her in person…

Musician: David Gahan – when I was twelve years old I had my room’s walls covered in posters of Depeche Mode.

Monarch: Catherine the Great – she was the most renowned and the longest-ruling female monarch of Russia at the time when women were mostly thought of as pretty-looking accessories. The period of her rule is considered to be the golden Age of Russia. I’d love to hear how she staged the coup against her husband, Peter III.

Villain: Bernard Madoff – I want to know what was going on through his mind when he was defrauding hundreds of people.

President: Ronald Reagan – because he tore down the wall.

Depeche Mode!  We had this song playing as I signed the registry book at our wedding:

You get to spend the afternoon with my six cats – heaven or hell? Explain!

Depends on the cats – are they well behaved? I love animals, so I would say heaven. Cats are fascinating – what I love most about these enigmatic animals is their regal demeanor – after all, these graceful creatures share their ancestry with tigers and panthers. 

Are they well behaved?  Hmm… depends who you ask.  I say ‘yes’ but my husband is a resounding ‘no’!

Share one blog you love to read

Romance at Random

Fill in the blanks – how did Marie finish these openers?

He took her trembling body in his manly arms…

…and her lips parted in expectation of a kiss.

He tipped his hat and turned away. After a few steps he stopped,…

…and spat on the ground.

In the darkness, I heard the sound of…

…of menacing laughter. 

Word association – how did Marie respond to these word prompts?

Writer… Creativity

Bestseller… Success

Ambition… Ruthlessness

Cheese… Grilled cheese sandwich!

And finally…

Now you get to ask me a question…

What are the names of your six cats? 

They are… Razz and Kain (who came first), Buggles, Charlie, Bilbo and Frodo.  Charlie was the only one we named as when we got him from the rescue shelter he had been called ‘John’.  As he was still very little we decided we couldn’t consign him to a lifetime of being called ‘John’, so we renamed him!

Thank you so much to Marie for joining me!