Virtual Book Tour and Giveaway: Marie Astor

I'd like to give a big welcome to Marie Astor, who's visiting my blog today on her latest stop for the "On the Rim of Love" tour!

Please enjoy her blog and then comment so you have a chance to win! Marie is awarding two prizes to randomly drawn commenters during her tour: a sterling silver plum quartz necklace and earring set, and a sterling silver aventurine necklace that were custom designed for the tour. Plus, if you go back and visit her previous stops (click on the banner for all her tour stops) and comment, you'll have more chances to win.


I asked Marie, "How much research goes into your books? For example this one has the characters skiing in British Columbia - did you do some skiing there to research?"

Hi and thank you for inviting me. My name is Marie Astor and I am the author of contemporary romance novels, On the Rim of Love and Lucky Charm, and a short story collection, A Chance Encounter and Other Stories.

I often get asked about how much research goes into my books. My latest contemporary romance, On the Rim of Love, takes place in British Columbia. I visited Banff, British Columbia two winters ago and I was instantly smitten by its beauty – the vast open spaces, the towering mountain cliffs and the white, sparkling snow that seemed to stretch endlessly. I have always thought there is something very special about the atmosphere of ski towns, and I was charmed by Banff’s quaint streets and the wonderful people who walked them. An idea for a contemporary romance became to form in my mind: big city girl meets a big-mountain skier who is rooted in his small hometown. By the end of my ten-day stay at Banff, I had jotted down an outline and notes on the main characters, Maggie and Taylor, as well as Taylor’s best friends, Shawn and Hannah.

On the Rim of Love takes place in Eagleville, British Columbia. But before you start looking up Eagleville on the map, I have to tell you that Eagleville is a fictional town. Why did you create a fictional town? you ask. Off-piste skiing is a big part of On the Rim of Love, as it becomes the initial point of connection between the main characters – Maggie and Taylor, so I wanted to create a ski resort with access to all kinds of ski terrain. From the research that I did, I learned that most US ski resorts do not offer lift access to wild mountain terrain and require either renting a helicopter or climbing long, arduous routs to get to wild mountain terrain. Europe, however, offers easy access to off-piste skiing – you can take a lift car to the top of Mont Blanc. However, I have never been to Mont Blanc, but I have been to British Columbia and my heart was dead set on its beauty. So, I decided to combine the best of both worlds and create a ski resort where Maggie and Taylor could take an enchanting ride to the very tops of the mountains – I hope you’ll come along for the ride!

Here's the blurb for On the Rim of Love:

Maggie Robin has been dating the irresistibly good-looking, successful Jeffrey Preston for two years. But when Jeffrey proposes marriage a week after Maggie’s college graduation, she is no longer sure if she wants to marry a workaholic TV producer.

Her doubts culminate when during a ski trip to British Columbia, Maggie meets Taylor Denton, a handsome, free-spirited big mountain skier who is the complete opposite of Jeffrey. It does not take Maggie long to realize that she has fallen in love with Taylor and she decides to break off her engagement with Jeffrey. But just when she thinks she has found the love of her life, an ill-fated misunderstanding tears Maggie and Taylor apart.

A week later, Maggie is told that Taylor has died in a tragic ski accident; yet, her heart refuses to believe in Taylor’s death. When Maggie returns to Taylor’s native town, she learns that Taylor is indeed alive, but has been seriously injured. Resolved to bring her lover back to life Maggie stands by Taylor’s side, convincing him to embrace life again.

More about Marie:

Marie Astor is a die-hard romantic who wholeheartedly believes in true love, which is why she writes in the contemporary romance genre. Marie is the author of contemporary romance novels, On the Rim of Love, Lucky Charm, and a short story collection, A Chance Encounter and Other Stories. Stop by Marie’s website: www.marieastor.com to sign up for book releases and events. Marie can also be found on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/marieastorcollection and Twitter: @marieastor.

Books by Marie Astor:

On the Rim of Love – a contemporary romance about the unexpected power of love.

Lucky Charm – a humorous contemporary romance about love, luck and friendship.

A Chance Encounter and Other Stories – a short story collection about love and everyday life.

Murphy Visited

Oh ... what a day yesterday was. I won't go into details (they might make me cry), but suffice it to say Murphy showed up and he was worse than usual. Not just for me, but for my DH as well. The stars were aligned crooked over our household.

Lexie has been feeling uber needy lately. I mean, it's nice to have a cat who wants to hang out with me, but I can't have her in my lap 24/7. If I sit down anywhere, she wants up, if I walk around, she's under my feet. She'd definitely settled in well, though. And I think she and the dog might actually end up being friends in the near future, though Lexie is definitely boss (cats usually are):



There was no coming up for air yesterday, and probably won't be today. I'd really like my life back, please.

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Marianne's Day Off

No time to blog this morning ... I've discovered that the first of the month is going to be crazy, busy nightmare because of our site reconstruction.

I know this is all over Facebook, but for those of you who either aren't on FB or haven't watched, I give you one of the cleverest commercials for the Super Bowl (and you don't even have to watch football to see it):

Snow Accidents

It snowed yesterday morning -- not a lot, maybe half an inch, and by the time I was out and about the roads were pretty much only wet (some were even dry by the time I started home from dropping the kidlet off at school). So I was completely gobsmacked by the number of accidents. Seriously, the roads were NOT bad. I saw two accidents on the highway about a mile apart.

The highway roads were dry. DRY.

One was so bad, the woman had bent the guardrail back, peeled it like a can opener, about twenty feet and her car was mangled. She was fine, standing next to it talking to the cop, but how on EARTH had that happened? It wasn't even like there was much traffic.

The roads are much the same this morning. About half an inch of snow on them, and still a few flurries. Minimal, and I'm sure once I get out to drive, they'll be fine as this "storm" should have passed. But now I'm worried -- how are other people driving to end up in accidents?

The weather here has been abnormally warm all season. DH has been snowmobiling ONCE. It feels like late March weather and not January. I'm sad for him, but it's sure made winter much more bearable for me.

I'm starting to read about other folks starting their gardens, and I'm terribly envious, so the idea that I might be able to start a bit early just tickles me pink.

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You Should Play Classical Guitar

You have an idea of how the world should be. You have a very clear vision for your life. People respect you for holding on to your ideals. You don't stray from what you believe in. You're the type of person who still believes in changing the world. You passionately believe that things should be better. You have strong emotions. You listen to your heart... it has rarely led you astray.

What Classical Instrument Should You Play?

Mostly right ....

Appliances, Couponing and YAY For Monday!

Finally Monday... I had one of those weekends that DRAGGED. DH was bored, Bored, BORED -- not enough snow except WAY north (like a four hour drive) to go snowmobiling, and nothing to do here. It's like having a bored toddler, but with driving privileges and the right to actually make household decisions.

DD drifted a bit aimlessly, too, though we did spend the greater part of Saturday looking at appliances. DH wants to have an idea of what we want BEFORE things die, so we don't go rushing around stupidly in a hurry if we need something.

DH is very methodical, very specific and doesn't mind taking hours and hours to do this kind of thing. I think we spent three hours at Sears, and that wasn't our only stop. First, we decided what features we absolutely wanted, and which didn't matter (for instance, I'm not big on all the "bells and whistles" -- I'm more interested in the practical things like space and utility... I don't care that the ice maker in the door will give you ice four different ways).

Our current dishwasher is already pretty much history (I wash dishes by hand), the fridge, as you know, appears to be on its last leg. The only appliance we have in decent shape is the stove.

Anyway, after much looking (and shaking, and wiggling and poking) we narrowed down our choices. DH is now looking them up online to check for reviews and potential problems.

On Sunday I went couponing at Walgreens. Yes, I'm still doing this, I just don't talk about it as much.

I wanted to hit Walgreens immediately, because they had two items that were Complete free after register return: St. John's baby aspirin (I get this for a friend whose DH had a heart attack and has to take one a day) and "Blink" eye drop (I use eye drops a LOT). The free stuff tends to sell out, and I wanted to make sure I got it. They had some other great stuff too, and I had one of my best trips ever. Check it out.... I got:

1 Blink eye drops
1 St. John's Baby Aspirin
12 bars of Irish Spring Soap
2 large bottles of Soft Soap body wash (in Mango and Berry ... mmmm)
2 Soft 'n' Dri deodorants
6 cans of mandarin oranges
4 containers of Pringles
2 bottles of Head and Shoulders shampoo
1 Proglide razor

After my coupons and the register returns I got back ($22 in RRs!) I only spent $12 -- the original cost of the order was $66.

Yes, I do feel smug.

Today, I'm going through the CVS and Rite Aid flyers -- but I don't think they have as good of deals. Honestly, I tend to find the best deals at Walgreens.

And so are the days of my life.

How was your weekend?

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You Are Driven

Your friends would all agree that you are very accomplished and successful. You get whatever you go after. You have a lot of energy and a lot of discipline too. You always know where to direct your focus. You can adjust easily to different situations. You are good at wearing different hats. You are always charging straight ahead. You have no time to listen to your own self doubt.

The Pasta Test

Hmmm.... mostly right.

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Friday Funny

That's all for your well-wishes for the fridge. I cleaned it and tinkered with the thermostat a bit and it seems to have helped... for now. It's old, so I know it's only a matter of time

For now, though, I leave you with some funnies:


Sounds like a typical, brilliant decision by your local politician.


Civil War planes? Let me know how that works out.


Must have been a GREAT paint job.


"We had no idea anyone was buried there."


I didn't know we could choose.


Thanks for the depth of insight.


What are the odds of that?


I would have guessed after age 19.

Hope this started your weekend off with a laugh! Have a great one.
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This and That Thurday

Got "The Happiness Project" at the library yesterday. I need it.

My fridge has been running non-stop since last night. You know how, when you open the freezer and the cooler is running, it will stop when you open? Mine doesn't. For HOURS it has just run, and run, and run. Fridge and Freezer part. I finally pulled it out and unplugged it because the noise was making me crazy.

Do refrigerators reboot? I really, really don't want to buy a new fridge right now. This couldn't have come at a worse time.

Dru Ann asked yesterday if I had a publisher for "Now and Forever" -- Dru, I'm going to self-publish it (I said that in one of my previous posts somewhere). I decided I didn't want to place the sequel to something with a different publisher.

Maria Zannini wisely gave me suggestions regarding the cover art, which I'm taking. There's a particular cover design that I love. "One Love for Liv" *sort of* has it (though I really don't like that cover). So, I think I'll go with that. It's distinctive and pretty. Now, I just need to decide what I want to PUT on the cover.

Dakota and Mom's kitty, Camille, got to meet yesterday. They did really well, all things considered. Dakota was very calm and submissive ... right up until the cat swatted at her. At that point, she decided the cat was playing and started to do play bows and head flips.

Camille was not amused. But she didn't run and hide. She held her ground. She's not in the least bit afraid of the dog. She knows who the house belongs to, and it's not Dakota.



Dakota's tail is a blur in the photo because she's wagging it like crazy.

It's a good thing they seem to tolerate each other, because it means I can still bring the dog for visits now and then.

There's a chance of ice on Friday and a chance of power outages. So, if I'm not here, that's why.

That's it for me. I should probably go plug the fridge back in now. *sigh*

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You Are a Rat Catcher

Not the most glamorous job in the world, but the Middle Ages weren't exactly glamourous! You have the skills, intelligence, and craftiness to be a successful rat catcher. You are willing to take risks and go to some pretty sketchy places in the name of your career. In modern times, you would make a good detective, pilot, or firefighter.

What's Your Medieval Profession?

Awwww... poor rats. I think they're wrong in the overview, too.

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