We’re so pleased to welcome author M.A. Church today, on the tour for her contribution to Dreamspinner Press’s States of Love series, A Country Boy at Heart.
Welcome, M.A.!
When I saw the call for the States of Love collection, I knew immediately what state I wanted to do. Even though I live in Mississippi, I asked for Tennessee. The hubby and I lived there for ten years, and he still works there. The main reason I went for it was because Bass Pro had recently gone in the Memphis Pyramid. When Bass Pro approached the City of Memphis about buying the Pyramid, we still lived in Memphis and I remember the hoopla that surrounded it.
Now we live in the country, and the hubby and kids all hunt, fish, and shoot bows. We’ve spent a lot of time at Bass Pro, lol. Because I married a country boy, I have a pretty good idea what it’s like being with one! Plus, our son works at a farm here in town. I mean, the story idea practically reflects my life, lol.
So, I already knew what type of job Nick, my country boy, was going to have. I based what Nick does on my son, who’s been an employee at a full-working farm since he was sixteen. And just like my son, Nick is able to do a little bit of everything… from spraying to kill weeds to traveling several states over to pick up Christmas trees.
Sandy is my city boy. In the story both Nick and Sandy end up at the Pyramid for the Grand Opening. As mentioned in the blurb, there’s this freakishly tall glass elevator Sandy already is nervous about. And sure enough, something happens in it. (As a side note: at the opening of Bass Pro, the elevator did stop operating and people were stuck inside of it for a short while.)
About the Book
Hot damn, what more could a country boy want? Bass Pro Shop is finally opening in Tennessee. Nick plans to check out all twelve indoor acres chock-full of hunting, fishing, and boating in the Memphis Pyramid on the Mississippi River.
City boy Sandy wonders yet again how he let himself get talked into attending a grand opening for a hick hunting store. His geeky heart prefers the energy of the city. Little does he know all that is going to change due to a freakishly tall glass elevator—and Nick, the high-school crush who’s suddenly taking a second look at him.
A moment of panic while trapped in the elevator leads to a spark neither expected. Getting out is the least of the challenges they’ll face if they want to try to put their differences aside and find out if love is possible between a city boy and a country boy.
Buy A Country Boy at Heart: Dreamspinner Press || Amazon || Barnes & Noble || All Romance eBooks || Kobo
The Excerpt
“Sandy? Sandy? Shit. Shit. Hey, are you okay?”
Okay? Of course he wasn’t okay. Just how many concussions had Nick had playing football? They were stuck in the elevator—a glass elevator. Did Nick somehow not realize this? Why was he not freaking out too, because, oh God… oh God… what if it plummeted to the floor? Or the glass cracked?
Was there enough oxygen for the both of them? What if there wasn’t? How were they going to get down? How was anybody going to get to them? Could anybody get to them? They were going to die, just die here, and everybody on the floor was going to see them die.
Sandy couldn’t breathe. Was the oxygen already getting too thin in there? And, and, and all those people down there on the floor were just looking up at them. Just standing around looking at them while he and Nick waited to die. He was going to die.
“Sandy? Hey, you need to calm down. You’re breathing really fast. Too fast. Shit. You’re about to hyperventilate. Sandy?”
Couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t breathe. Everyone was staring at him. He hated being stared at. Everybody always stared at him, and pointed at him, and laughed, and it pissed him off, but… he couldn’t breathe and….
Nick kissed him.
Holy tongue action, Batman, Nick could kiss. There were fireworks, the angels sang hallelujah, and the planet stopped moving.
About the Author
M.A. Church is a true Southern belle who spent many years in the elementary education sector. Now she spends her days lost in fantasy worlds, arguing with hardheaded aliens on far-off planets, herding her numerous shifters, or trying to tempt her country boys away from their fishing poles. It’s a full time job, but hey, someone’s gotta do it!
When not writing, she’s on the back porch tending to the demanding wildlife around the pond in the backyard. The ducks are very outspoken. She’s married to her high school sweetheart, and they have two grown children.
She was a finalist in the 2013 Rainbow Awards, runner up in the 2015 Rainbow Awards, and is a member of Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America.
Links: Blog || Twitter || Facebook || Goodreads || Amazon || Email
The Novel Approach Reviews 
Leave a Reply