Also by this author: From Scratch, Sour Grapes
Published by Forever Romance Genres: Chic-Lit, Contemporary Romance, Romance
I am so excited to have fellow Texan Rachel Goodman here on Margie’s Must Reads!! I love Rachel’s books! I love that they full of that Sweet Southern Sexy Charm! I have a soft spot for Texas Authors and stories set in Texas, so I am super thrilled that she agreed to answer a few of my silly questions!
MMR: Hi Rachel!! Thank you so much for being here with us!!
I love your books, they are some of the best Contemporary Romance Books I have ever read! I think they are some of the best out on the market today! So fun, refreshing and unique. I just have a few questions I would like to ask so I am going to get started:)
Thank you so much for hosting me!
MMR: Lets be honest, do you know anyone like Margaret and her friends in real life?
RG: I think Margaret Stokes is a girl most of us have met, though maybe with a little more tact. I certainly did when I attended SMU, a wealthy, private university in the heart of Dallas, and especially living in the metroplex (have you seen the Real Housewives of Dallas?).
Margaret’s snarky, snobby, and on occasion bitchy. But she’s also loyal, steadfast, and has a big heart. Normally, she’d be cast as the villain (like in FROM SCRATCH), but I knew there was something special about Margaret, a softness worth exploring and uncovering, which is why I dedicated a book to her.
MMR: I didn’t exactly hate her in From Scratch, but she was a hard pill to swallow. I really loved her in Sour Grapes. I am so happy she found her place.
MMR: When writing this series, did you research baking, the restaurant biz, and the wine world?
RG: To help support myself through college, I worked in the restaurant industry for six years as a server, bartender, and expediter, so I was already familiar with how the diner should run and look when I drafted FROM SCRATCH.
But prior to and during the writing of SOUR GRAPES, I made several visits to Fredericksburg, a quaint town in the heart of Texas Hill Country that President Lyndon Johnson once referred to as “a special corner of God’s real estate.” This adorable town became the inspiration for Wilhelmsburg where SOUR GRAPES takes place.
In Fredericksburg, Main Street is lined with antique stores, art galleries, bed and breakfasts, and bakeries, and the surrounding area is filled with rolling hills, grassy pastures, and row after row of vineyards. I was already knowledgeable about the winemaking process through my own travels, but I wanted to research how the wineries in Texas operated to make SOUR GRAPES as accurate as possible.
MMR: WOW!! I love Fredericksburg! And that is so funny because that is EXACTLY the place I pictured when you described a quaint Hill Country town!
MMR: Who are your romance heroes?
Does Ryan Reynolds count? Because he can be my romance hero any day 😉 Or how about Chris Hemsworth? No?
But in all seriousness authors like Christina Lauren, Kristan Higgins, Jill Shalvis, and Sophie Jordan are kicking ass and doing incredible things for the romance community.
MMR: Heeeheee! Sure!
MMR: What makes a good heroine?
To me what makes a great heroine is a woman who is emotionally complex, flawed–sometimes even unlikeable—but who can change. My hope is that by the end of the story, I make readers root for the heroine in spite of her choices, mistakes, weaknesses, and often unsympathetic path. Because life is never black and white, and I like to explore heroines who dance in the gray areas.
MMR: I really have enjoyed your heroines! I am looking forward to more sisters with sass from you!
MMR: What makes an unforgettable hero?
RG: Those guys who are sexy, funny, smart, quick witted, kind, and above all, complement the heroine rather than overshadow her.
MMR: YES!!!
MMR: Who are some of your favorite authors?
I LOVE Kristan Higgins, Lauren Oliver, Chelsea Cain, Karin Slaughter, Emily Giffin, Neil Schusterman, and Gayle Forman
EEEEEKKK! I was just approved for Gayle Forman’s and Emily Giffin’s new books on NetGalley!! I love them too!! We are book soul sisters!
MMR: Tell us your favorite classic novel.
RG: The Witches by Roald Dahl. It’s my favorite book that I read every year.
MMR: Oh I love him too!! Willy Wonka and the Chocolate factory is so much of my childhood. That book and the movie (the original) have so many great memories for me growing up!
MMR: Who is next in the Blue Plate series? And how many more do you plan to write?
Confession: I am currently NOT drafting the next book in The Blue Plate series but a whole new series featuring an NFL quarterback and the sassy executive chef of his restaurant.
MMR: SQUEEEEEE!!! Football books are my favorite of all the sports books!! I knew I loved you for a reason! I can’t wait!!! This sounds perfect!
RG: That said, I plan to someday write Annabelle and Wes’s story that picks up where FROM SCRATCH left off, and I also think it could be fun to explore a Moose/Bonnie romance 🙂
MMR: Oh I am so glad!! I thought for sure book 2 was going to be about Annabelle and Wes, I really wanted to see what happens with those two, and Moose and Bonnie sound great!!! DON’T SLEEP!! JUST WRITE!!
MMR: What was your path to writing? Was it always something you wanted to do?
Honestly, I kind of just fell into writing. Growing up I never dreamed I’d one day be a published author, so it’s still kind of surreal to me that this whole thing is real.
My day job as an engineer and engineering professor is very analytical, as I’m sure you can imagine. I was craving a creative outlet, so I started writing at night and on weekends while my husband was earning his MBA. Before I knew it, I’d written a complete manuscript—FROM SCRATCH (the companion novel to SOUR GRAPES). My husband is the one who encouraged me to query agents. The rest is history.
MMR: Where do your ideas come from?
RG: I know it’s cliché but my ideas come from everywhere, usually when I’m away from the computer and out living my life. My books are relationship focused, obviously between the hero and heroine, but also between the heroine and her family and friends that make up her world, so much of the conflict and plot that occur in my novels stem from the issues and relationships that arise among the people I know in real life, including MY own 🙂
MMR: Any advice for aspiring writers?
RG: “Just keep writing.” It’s advice I hear repeatedly and advice I believe in most. Because all paths lead to writing. Because the truth is, this business is full of rejection. Agents pass, publishers change their minds, critique partners pull your work apart. But at the end of the day, the only one who has the power to deem you a writer is you.
Also, the only aspect on this crazy, wild journey that’s in your control is writing the best book you can. And then after you’ve done that, write another one.
Thank you much for being here with us today! I really enjoy your writing and I am looking forward to more from you!
For those of you who have not had the pleasure of reading From Scratch or Sour Grapes get your one-click fingers ready and dive into these delectable treats by Rachel Goodman!
Read my Review for From Scratch Here!
Read my Review for Sour Grapes Here!
