About the Book

Book: Blizzard at Blue Ridge Inn

Author: Pat Nichols

Genre: Women’s Fiction

Release Date: January 21, 2024

Three strangers stranded in a North Georgia inn confront lies from their pasts and experience the healing power of friendship.

Amanda Sullivan is desperately trying to save her crumbling second marriage. Will celebrating her ninth anniversary with her husband in Blue Ridge breathe new life into their troubled relationship?

Erica Parker suspects her husband is unfaithful. She vows to learn if her distrust is real or imagined.

Wendy Peterson can hardly wait for the birth of her baby with her wealthy husband, until a shopping spree in the quaint tourist town shatters everything.

When a once-in-a-century snowstorm blankets the country and delays their husbands’ arrivals, the perfectionist, the peacemaker, and the socializer find themselves alone at the historic Blue Ridge Inn. During two days of isolation, they overcome the differences in their ages and lifestyles to discover they have a lot in common. As the temperature rises and the snow begins to melt, a stranger delivers shocking news. Their stay at the inn is no accident.

 

Click here to get your copy!

 

About the Author

Award-winning author, Pat Nichols is proving it’s never too late to follow your dreams. Nine years after retiring from a twenty-seven-year corporate career with an international beauty company, her love for writing resurfaced and prompted her to launch career number two as a novelist. Now she draws on her experience to write stories with tension-laced challenges and heart-warming triumphs. The Secret of Willow Inn is a 2020 Selah Award winner. Starstruck in Willow Falls is a NGCWC Georgia Peach Award winner. Her short story The Vet and Valentine Day also won a NGCWC Georgia Peach Award.

Pat is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and Word Weavers International. She has been featured on WATC Television Atlanta Alive, in Southern Writer’s Magazine, and in Voyager Magazine

More from Pat

Nestled in Chattahoochee National Forest, Southern Living Magazine named Blue Ridge, Georgia as one of 2022 South’s Best Mountain Towns. The first time my husband and I visited the town, we were impressed with the galleries, shops, Scenic Railway, and the friendly vibe. Although I was writing a series set near Savannah, the idea of Blue Ridge staring in a new series took root. When I finished writing the last book in the Butler Family series the idea had blossomed.

Another trip to the iconic town. This time to identify a setting for book one about Amanda, Erica, and Wendy, strangers who find themselves stranded in a cozy inn during a blizzard. We found the Blue Ridge Inn Bed and Breakfast. Perfect! I pressed the front-door buzzer. When I explained my mission to the woman who responded, she took my number and promised the owner would contact us. An hour later John Lavin met us on the front porch. He graciously gave us a tour and shared the 1890 Victorian home’s history.

Writing a fictional story set in a historic inn steps from the train depot and downtown Blue Ridge was inspiring. In fact, I’ve dedicated Blizzard at Blue Ridge Inn to John and guests who stay at the inn. In June, my husband and I plan to spend our anniversary in the suite reserved for Erica. We’ll ride the train and enjoy dinner at the Black Sheep restaurant, a scene in Blue Ridge series book two. By that time, book three will be finished. Then on to book four.

My Interview:

What inspired you to start writing?

Nine years after I retired from the corporate world, a young woman who had drifted in and out of our family’s lives for two decades died tragically. As a cathartic exercise, I began writing a fictional story loosely based on her life, but with a happy ending. A year later, I had completed a full-length novel titled Jenny’s Grace and fallen in love with writing. At that point, I discovered how much I didn’t know about writing. Thus began my quest to study the craft. Five years later, I was blessed with a contract from a traditional publisher for the Secret of Willow Inn, book one in the four-book Willow Falls series. What happened to Jenny’s Grace? After rewriting it six times, it published finally in 2022.

What advice would you give a new writer or someone just starting out?

Because writing is a journey through peaks and valleys, it’s important to become a life-long student. Read books about writing and marketing. Go to conferences and learn from experienced authors. Connect with other writers. Join a critique group. Above all, realize writing is a gift worth pursuing and stay the course.

What is the most difficult part about writing for you?

Perfecting the first and last chapters. Chapter one must draw readers into the story and make them care about the characters. The final chapter needs to leave readers satisfied, and if the story is part of a series, eager to read the next book. Which is why I rewrite both chapters numerous times.

What is the most surprising thing you discovered while writing your book(s)?

How much influence my characters have over where the story goes. Which makes sense given how many hours I spend inside their heads to determine what they’re thinking and how they’d react. My husband and I often talk about them like they are real people.

What do you hope your readers take away from this book?

“In a culture of people being encouraged to embrace the role of a victim, here is a beautiful story of throwing off victim-hood and its depression and limitations for taking charge and embracing possibilities!” That reader perfectly stated what I hope other readers will take away from the story.

Blog Stops

The Avid Reader, April 11

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, April 12

Stories By Gina, April 13 (Author Interview)

Devoted To Hope, April 13 (Spotlight)

Texas Book-aholic, April 14

Artistic Nobody, April 15 (Author Interview)

Locks, Hooks and Books, April 16

Girls in White Dresses, April 17

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, April 18

Where Crisis & Christ Collide, April 19 (Author Interview)

Splashes of Joy, April 19

Book Reviews From an Avid Reader, April 20

For Him and My Family, April 21

An Author’s Take, April 22

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, April 23

She Lives To Read, April 24

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Pat is giving away the grand prize package of a $50 Amazon gift card and a signed copy of the book!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

https://promosimple.com/ps/2afa1/blizzard-at-blue-ridge-inn-celebration-tour-giveaway