Nat Thomas calls Mistletoe Falls, Vermont home where summers were magical, her aunt became the parent she needed, and high school love bloomed. Sixteen years later, that love lost, Nat returns home for a much-needed break. She’s recruited to revitalize her aunt’s picturesque inn. Will the boy who broke her heart be the man who rallies to save her home and capture her heart…for good?

Brad Matthews returns home to buy Green Mountain Sports, after years as an outdoor adventure guide. He’s thrown into partnering an event to revive the town’s inn and boost his business. Can he work with the woman who demolished his heart and ran with no explanation?

In a small town where everyone knows your business and interfering relatives revive snicker-doodling, the lost art of matchmaking, Nat and Brad may not stand a chance. Can the two find enough heart to forgive and accept love again?

Wild Women Authors is delighted to welcome author Delsora Lowe as she celebrates the current release out of the Wild Rose Press: The Inn on Gooseneck Lane. With Delsora is paralegal Natalie Thomas who will go first.

Good morning, Nat. Thanks for speaking with us. Let’s start with where you’re from. I’m from Boston. But since I was a kid (seven,) I spent summers at my aunt and uncle’s inn in Vermont. That’s when I met Brad Matthews. The summer prior to my senior year, I had had it with my parents, and finally fell in love with my best friend, Brad. So, I lived with my aunt and uncle at the inn. To say my parents were not happy is an understatement. After college in Boston, I’ve spent the last eleven years living in Washington, D.C. I’m a city girl with a small-town heart.

Tell us a bit about The Inn on Gooseneck Lane. The family-owned inn is my home for the next two months. My aunt owns and runs the inn. Sadly, my uncle passed away a few years ago. With lack of help, my aunt has struggled to keep the inn in the black. My plan was to come home on a sabbatical to study for a paralegal exam and secure a promotion. But my aunt volunteers me to organize a Christmas week event for the over-fifty crowd to help promote and save the inn. Only problem is, I’m blindsided when my co-organizer is the boy from my past—the love of my life who betrayed me.

What did you think the first time you saw Brad Matthews? I was horrified. Okay, that wasn’t the first time I saw him. The first time I met him was when I was seven and he became my best friend, although he was a bit annoying. But this time around—he was the last person I expected to walk through the inn door. I wanted to hide. But my aunt was counting on me to work with the one guy who tore my heart to shreds, to save the family inn. I was pissed, confused, and yes, horrified that I—okay, we— were set up and now stuck together for the next two months.

What was your second thought? Geez, he looked good! Filled out, buff, a bit outdoorsy, scraggly looking, tanned. Did I mention buff? And those eyes. The eyes that had haunted my dreams for the last sixteen years.

Do you feel it was love at first sight? As a seven-year-old, it was friends at first sight. This time around, it was hate-at-first-site, and for quite a while after until we agreed to set aside the past FOR NOW and work together to save the inn and help his new business—Green Mountain Sports. Eventual love—NOT on my radar.

What do you like most about Brad? Nothing. Okay, that was until I got over the fact we were stuck together, but I still wasn’t willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. But he’s proved himself over and over. So, to answer your question… Easy—he loves him mom. Seriously, any guy who drops everything to help his widowed mom through a cancer scare, and then extends that help to his surrogate aunt (Aunt Mary and his mom are besties since childhood,) to assist her in saving the inn, despite having to partner with me…well turns out he’s a pretty great guy, after all.

How would you describe him? Thoughtful. Caring. A good friend. Persistent, in that he knows how to wear down a person. Way too focused sometimes. I guess we have that in common. Still, he also knows how to have fun. But points off for driving me crazy in more ways than one. And that includes his utter lack of knowledge or willingness to learn anything related to the computer and social media, which makes organizing a huge event with him a nightmare. But we’re working on that aversion.

How would Brad describe you? Uptight, focused when on a mission, standoffish, stubborn. Used to be a time when we were kids and teens, that he would have called me fun-loving. Carrying around his betrayal all these years has made me a by-the-book, get-the-job-done-and-don’t-look-back kind of gal.

What made you choose to become a paralegal? I didn’t choose this career. Both my parents are attorneys, and this career was chosen for me. I wanted to major in art and art history, but the folks threatened to not pay for college, so I knuckled under. Although I did sneak in a few art courses. But now… after spending time in Vermont and getting to know Brad again, I’m finally ready to do things my way.

What is your biggest fear? Right now, letting down my aunt and losing our family legacy. This inn has been in the family for several generations. I will do anything to make sure it thrives. Oh, and letting down my guard around Brad.

How do you relax? Ha! Not sure I remember what that word even means. At the law firm there is never downtime. And now, between running the inn, spearheading an event, and studying for my paralegal exam, there is no time for relaxation. And now, Aunt Mary and her mom Sylvie get in the act and throw Brad and me together, thinking we’ll both have fun. Not!

Who is your favorite fictional character? I hate to admit this at the age of thirty-four, but probably Cinderella. She’s a dreamer with optimism. Totally opposite of me. My dreams for great love and living my life as an artist of some kind were quashed. And no one has ever presented me with a glass slipper that fits. At least I thought that, until Brad came back into my life and taught me that maybe dreams can come true—if, and I mean IF, I am willing enough to forget about the shoulds and dream about the what-ifs.

What is the best piece of advice you ever received? My aunt, always the optimist, introduced me to the book The Little Engine That Could when I was a kid. Her message was always to be optimistic and know you can do anything. As an adult, when things seem impossible, I channel Aunt Mary’s voice in my head that says, “I think I can, I know I can.”

Thanks for spending time with us, Nat. Now we’d like to chat with Delsora.

What movies or books have had an impact on your career as a writer? Too many to name. Each romance I read inspires me, even when I read out of my normal genre of contemporary romance. I have so many favorite authors who teach me something every time I read their books. Plus, I love to try new authors and varied genres. And then don’t get me started on all the writing skills books… I love all romance movies, and am especially drawn to Rom Com.

Is there an event in your private life that you were able to bring to this story and how do you feel it impacted the novel? There are quite a few areas of my life represented in this story. As I drove a quintessential back road from southwestern Vermont home to Maine, climbing over the mountains and running alongside a rushing creek (the setting for my inn,) I saw a country lane sign—Gooseneck Lane. That, I said to myself, will make a great story title. I plotted pieces of this book in my head as I drove. The Inn is based on an inn and a bed and breakfast, both of which I stayed in, in the town of Brandon, VT. So, bits and pieces of the story are based on that stay and town, and others are based on an old mansion by a river in Maine, converted to a restaurant and wedding venue that I managed years ago. The owners lived on the 3^rd floor. We hosted winetasting dinners and paired them with local-sourced food. We also planned small weddings and business conferences. I also worked in non-profits and independent schools and colleges. A big part of my job was planning multi-layered events. I grew up in Washington, D.C. and my best friend was the senior assistant to one of the partners, so that was another element of inspiration for the development of my heroine. My hero was based on students I worked with at Unity College who majored in the area of adventure therapy and outdoor recreation.

Tell us a bit about your publisher: how did you hear about them and what influenced your decision to submit to them? I have long known about The Wild Rose Press and submitted to them several times over the years. When I wrote this story, I had a Hallmark type story in mind. I sent it out to several publishing houses and was excited when my editor at TWRP expressed interest. Truthfully, I know and admire a TON of authors who work with TWRP, so it was a thrill to be accepted into the garden. And those authors, ones I have known for years and others who are new friends, are very special to me—a giving group ready to share advice and help one another.

What book[s] currently rest on your TBR pile? All I can say, there is not a house big enough to store all the books on my TBR pile. Luckily, I have a Kindle. Currently I’m reading Donna Alward’s newest book. I recently finished books by Cindy Kirk, Vicki Lewis Thompson, Jill Shalvis, and Nancy Fraser. Waiting in the wings are books by Madeline Hunter, Peggy Jaeger, Terri Brisbin, Laura Trentham, Lori Wilde, Kari Lemor, and the list goes on and on.

Lastly, what's up next and when can we expect to see it on the shelves? I have a Christmas novella, Holiday Hitchhiker, ready to be released later this fall. It is a stand-alone, but part of a trilogy with Sue Ward Drake and Luanna Stewart, that takes place in the Sierras, near the border of Nevada. Each couple first meet when they are stuck together in a days-long blizzard the week before Christmas. The book ends on Christmas Eve in the sweet town of Angels Glen, CA, a small mountainous town, based on gold-mining towns.

Delsora brought along an excerpt from The Inn on Gooseneck Lane:

As she replaced the receiver, the double-wide, etched glass-and-oak door opened with a squeak. Natalie jumped. She gathered her composure and donned her best hospitality smile.

The doorway filled with a set of wide shoulders covered in plaid flannel and long legs encased in worn blue jeans atop scuffed hiking boots.

“Nat?”

She squinted, wondering who belonged to the 1disembodied voice of the tall man stepping from the porch’s shadows into the lobby.

“Nat,” he repeated. “Sorry I’m late.”

His voice was guttural and familiar. Her heart plummeted to the pit of her stomach, like a thundering rockslide. Only one person called her Nat. That same person spewed constant apologies for being late. She locked her gaze on the recognizable aqua eyes. “Brad?”

Sixteen years.

He’d gone from a slender, clean-cut captain of the football team to a buff guy sporting a days’ scruff of chestnut-brown beard.

In a flash, her thoughts transported to the senior girls’ jealousy stemming from the big man on campus asking the big-city, new girl to the prom. Her reflection reverted to summers growing up in Vermont, and the instant bond she developed with her aunt. Earlier to a time when climbing trees was cool, boys and girls could be best friends, and true friendship went unimpeded by those things the genders let get in the way. And before she decided to remain in Mistletoe Falls her senior year, when her heart filled with love, and long before her heart smashed to smithereens.

To learn more about Delsora Lowe and the stories she creates, go to:

FaceBook: https://www.facebook.com/delsoraloweauthor/