Iβve been writing for a very long time. Thirty years, in fact. My first book was
a little story called
TAMING MAGGIE that landed on me on the number one spot of
romance bestsellers. Heady stuff!
I love the name Maggie, and if youβve followed my career, you know that Iβve
used it more than once. In its current incarnation, Maggie is the major
character in
STARS TO LEAD ME HOME, a woman so down-to-earth, so like
your next door neighbor, your sister, your dearest friend that youβll laugh and
cry and cheer for her throughout the novel.
Where did the name come from and why is it my favorite go-to name for
characters? Maggie was my husbandβs grandmother, and I lived next door to her
during the early years of my marriage, so close, in fact, that I could hear her
screen door open every morning as she headed out to work in her gardens. Long
before other people even thought about getting out of bed, Maggie Webb was
dressed in calico bonnet and work boots, pulling weeds out of her garden and
tossing them into the Radio Flyer wagon she used as a garden cart.
My daughter called her Ma, and she, too, was alert to Maggieβs every move. The
nursery window faced Maggieβs gardens, and the first words I heard every morning
came from my daughter, whoβd be standing in her crib, bouncing up and down and
calling out for Ma.
Ma lived alone well into her nineties, independent and feisty, intelligent and
witty, compassionate and endearing to the end. Bits and pieces of her have found
their way into my stories for all these years. Still, I reserve the name for
landmark books, books such as
STARS TO LEAD
ME HOME.
This book reminds me of
DRIVING ME CRAZY, a wildly popular novel I wrote in the NEXT
line. It puts me in mind of TALK BEFORE SLEEP (Elizabeth Berg), THE DIVINE
SECRETS OF THE YA YA SISTERHOOD (Rebecca Wells) and STEEL MAGNOLIAS (Robert
Harling). I could tell you many things about this book, but the truest thing I
can say is that it celebrates wonderful, zany, unbreakable female friendships
and you donβt want to miss it.
Iβm doing some great giveaways for
STARS TO LEAD
ME HOME. Youβll find them in the contest section here at Fresh Fiction and
also on my blog. Learn more about this book here and on my
website.
Save forty percent by preordering
STARS TO LEAD
ME HOME! This savings will vanish on pub date, June 4.
Amazon |
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Happy reading!
About STARS TO LEAD ME HOME
If youβve ever tried to pick up the pieces after a marriage goes up in smoke,
youβll know Maggie. If youβve ever thought your daughter might not speak to you
again or a life-threatening illness would claim your best friend, youβll
understand Maggieβs heart. And if youβve ever wished on a star, youβll cheer for
her throughout this book.
Hi, Peggy! Your comment was such fun to read. I, too, often wished I'd been named Margaret and could be called Maggie. But my parents just named me plain old Peggy. Maybe because they were fans of the Lennon Sisters? Who knows. Thanks for stopping by.
(Peggy Webb 5:16pm March 24, 2015)
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