Accepting second d best is good for her career but first-grade teacher Retta Curt delays singing up for the disappointment. Given two weeks to reconsider her contract, she retreats to her Gram’s cottage on Moon Lake, the last place she felt contentment. But the cottage is derelict; her cousin, Julie, is distant; childhood beau Dean is bitter; and Sweet Picks, the family ice cream stand, is in danger of folding.
Magruder, a surly newcomer, is buying,
then neglecting properties until nothing remains of the idyllic lakeside
community Retta remembers. When vandals target Sweet Picks, Retta’s dreams to
recapture her happy childhood collapse, and the return to Mook Lake becomes a
decision worse than accepting the teaching contract.
Star-crossed, can she save the family
business and rediscover happiness, or is Retta destined for a second-best
future?
Good
morning, Retta. Thanks for taking time away from Sweet Picks to chat with us. Tell
us a bit about Double Dipped. I had a
wonderful childhood, spending every summer vacation at my Gram’s cottage in Moon
Lake, Wisconsin. My cousin, Julie, and I worked at the family's ice cream
concession stand, Sweet Picks, where we were the envy of our friends. Free
shakes and hours of carefree adventures were among the benefits. As an adult, I
longed for the same idyllic contentment. So when my teaching contract changed,
I decided to return to the lake and reevaluate my life choices before accepting
the new assignment. As it turned out, Moon Lake wasn’t the same place I’d enjoyed
as a child. There was a new man in town, and Sweet Picks was in danger of going
out of business—if it even opened for business that summer season.
What
made you pick teaching as a career? It
wasn't about teaching. On the contrary, I love children and enjoy being around
them. Kids, especially the younger ones, are spontaneous and innocent. Their
eyes light up with discoveries, and they have an earnest willingness to share. Teaching
allowed me to be part of that wonderment.
Knowing
what you know now, if you had it to do over again, would you stick with being an
educator or do something different? I
would still feel the same way about kids, so I’d do it again. But maybe in a
different place, somewhere closer to home and those I love.
What
is your biggest fear? Failure. I made
a mess of my life before I returned to Moon Lake. I certainly don’t want to make
that a tradition.
What
is the best piece of advice you ever received? Gram always said, “Roll with the punches.” She meant,
be satisfied with what you have. So I needed to stop comparing my adult woes to
my childhood pleasures. It turns out I have plenty of adult happiness and a
parcel of caring people with which to share the experiences.
Thanks for this, Retta,
and good luck with the new road in your career. Now we’d like to spend a bit of
time with Terry.
Which writer or
character[s], from either books or movies, [or both] have had a major impact on
your writing? I absolutely love the Dick
Francis crime novels written between 1970-2010. His writing entertained me with
unusual professions and unfamiliar situations by employing descriptions and
dialogue that rendered them completely relatable. I strive to accomplish a
similar familiarity between my characters and readers.
With regard to research, where
did you start for this novel? Did that lead you down different paths, thereby
changing the original concept? Double
Dipped started as a short story and
grew into a novella. The original version contained many of the same characters.
However, it had a much different mystery and outcome. I needed to research after
deciding to give Cousin Julie prosopagnosia, the inability to recognize human
faces. Individuals with prosopagnosia know they are looking at someone but
cannot recognize them by their facial features, even people they know well. I
thought it would make an exciting flaw and create a bit of intrigue.
Tell us a bit about your
publisher. How did you hear about them, what influenced you to submit to them,
how is the submission process, and what is the turn-around time from date of
the query to date of release? The
first two books in my mystery series, Rory Naysmith Mysteries, Gone Astray, and Gone Before, were published with The
Wild Rose Press. I couldn’t have asked for a more supportive, responsive, or
dedicated team, so when I learned TWRP had a summer-read series, One Scoop or
Two, I wanted to jump on board.
What are you reading right
now? I usually read for pleasure or
distraction. Right now, The Midnight Library by Matt Haig.
What's next for you? Rory Naysmith Mysteries, book 3, Gone Crazy, is
almost complete. I hope to have it out in early 2023. Your readers should know the
audio version of Double Dipped, narrated by Susanna Barbetta, is
available. It was so wonderful to hear this manuscript read—or should I say
performed—that I’ve fallen in love with audiobooks. Perhaps I’ll give Rory this
opportunity.
To purchase Double Dipped, go to: Amazon, Barnes & Noble
To learn more about Terry Korth Fischer and the stories she creates go to:
Website:
https://terrykorthfischer.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/terryiswriting
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TerryIsWriting
Amazon Author Page: www.amazon.com/author/terrykorthfischer
Goodreads Author: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14349440.Terry_Korth_Fischer
BookBub Author: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/terry-korth-fischer
Newsletter: https://tinyletter.com/TerryKorthFischer
Thank you for hosting Retta and me! Great fun.
ReplyDeleteSounds like a wonderful summer read. Best with it!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Ilona.
DeleteWhat a cute premise for a story! Congratulations on the book.
ReplyDeleteAppreciate you stopping by. Thanks.
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