FUN AT THE BLUE WILLOW INN AND RESTURANT

What an incredible turnout for the Ladies tea and book signing at the historic Blue Willow Inn & Restaurant give for me this past Saturday! The weather was perfect too. The ladies that work there out did themselves and treated me like a royal. We had 60 people buy a ticket and then there was a waiting list.

THE BLUE WILLOW RESTURANT & INN

 

I love the stately structure and always feel like I've stepped back in time. I was in Blue Willow Heaven! Many know of my love for blue willow dishes and how that all got started when I was a little girl. My brother and his wife gave me a blue willow tea set for Christmas.

 

 

When I saw the decorated room where the ladies tea would be held, I couldn't help but feel very honored. Miss Billie has a great staff and they worked hard to make this tea and signing a great success.

 

Me and Miss Billie-owner of The Blue Willow Restaurant & Inn

 

Our very own bride, Makensy, directing the ladies upstairs. Isn't she a doll?

 

Wonderful smells led me upstairs where I met Miss Billie and her staff. They spared no expense with the dining area. It was so pretty that I didn't want to even place my water glass down for fear the glass would leave a water ring on the beautiful blue fabric covered table.

 



 

Each of the place settings had a key chain holding a magnolia charm, a southern belle, and a charm of the Inn hooked onto the napkin. Our delicious menu consisted of Chicken salad, Croissants, Quiche, Cucumber salad sandwiches, Broccoli salad (that was wonderful),frozen desserts, an array of dessert squares, tea/Lemonade, mints and nuts and coffee. How perfect!

 

The sideboard laden with giveaways and of course my books!

 

 

 Desserts

Me speaking to the ladies

 

 









Drawing names for fun prizes! I gave blue willow tea cup and saucer, a box of tea, cookies from Holland and for-get-me-knot seeds. One bag I gave away had a bibliophile's journal. I'm not sure what the staff gave out as I was too busy calling out names. Miss Billie like my gift to her --The Heart of the West Series

 

 

She won The Blue Willow Cookbook! I have it and it's a beautiful book.

Carol is a bundle of energy!

 The charms-beautiful~!

 Love the ladies in their hats!

 

Signing my books

 

As you can tell this was a wonderful, fun-filled afternoon and I gained new friends and readers.

Many at the end of my talk, asked a lot of good questions. I believe Miss Billie said they will start having a tea once a year. She was so delightful to talk with and hear some of the stories of the years she and her husband had at the Blue Willow Inn. Her husband Louis is smiling down from heaven and how well she has carried on with her supportive staff and surely he is proud, as I am to have met her.

 

What a wonderful day that I'll never forget. Thank you Blue Willow Inn folks. See you soon for some friend okra, catfish and banana pudding!

 

If you're ever in GA please go by the Blue Willow Inn in Social Circle, GA!

 

Maggie Brendan

 

 





PERFECTLY MATCHED

I'm so excited to share with you my new book cover for Perfectly Matched-book 3 in The Blue Willow Brides series. The model looks exactly how I envisioned Anna, the youngest of the three sisters, would look like. As usual, Revell creates beautiful covers and I'm glad to be able to share my ideas for what the cover should look like.

 



Here's a brief description:

Anna Olsen knows it's time to leave her sister's increasingly crowded house and start a life of her own. Following her sisters' examples, she becomes a mail-order bride, and after a short correspondence with clock maker and jeweler Edward Parker, she moves to Denver to become his wife. Almost immediately it's painfully apparent that Anna and Edward are very different. Anna is a free spirit who would rather be painting and enjoying the company of friends than cleaning house. Edward is a consummate perfectionist who, on their wedding day, hands Anna a list of chores that need to be done around the house daily.

Can this mismatched couple see past their differences to a harmonious future? Or will their disparate passions create obstacles neither is willing to surmount?

Maggie Brendan closes her Blue Willow Brides series with a heartwarming tale of true love despite misunderstanding, showing readers that God's timing is always perfect.

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It's available for  preorder on CBD, Amazon, B&N or your nearest Christian Book store.

I enjoyed writing Anna's story and all her escapes and I hope you will too. Closer to the release, I'll be having a giveaway.

I'm currently working on The Arrangement, my 1st novel in my new series, Virtues and Vices of the Old West.

I hope you'll sign up for my newsletter or follow my blog. Spring is just around the corner. Yay! Now back to writing. Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

MAGGIE

FALL GREETINGS & GIVEWAY

Fall has tiptoed into Georgia quietly with pleasant humidity levels once again and slowly changing colors. I'm working on edits for the last and final book in The Blue Willow Brides series, Timeless Perfection. I must confess that I have a penchant for candy corn--a staple of autumn candy that's can usually be found at this time of year. It's a must have for me and I reward myself with a handful after a few hours of work each day.

 

 

When I emptied the bags in this pumpkin cookie jar, it's hard to walk past and not take a few kernels. I like to believe we shouldn't deprive ourself from a treat now and then. What's your favorite autumn candy?

 

 

I wanted to let you know I have an interview up on my friend Lena Dooley's blog this week. If you go leave me a comment, I'm giving away a copy of my latest book, Twice Promised. A week from Saturday, she'll select the lucky winner. Here's the link: http://lenanelsondooley.blogspot.com/2012/09/twice-promised-maggie-brendan-one-free.html .



 

I'll be book signing in October 20th for LifeWay's Fiction Event day in Kennesaw, GA and at LifeWay in Gulfport, MS-my hometown-November 17th. If you're anywhere near there, I'll love to connect with you. I enjoy talking with my readers, so I hope to see you.

 

Now back to my edits...and perhaps a handful of candy corn! :) Have a beautiful autumn!

 

MAGGIE   

 



DEEPLY DEVOTED IN BOOKSTORES & FREE KINDLE & NOOK DOWLOAD FOR NO PLACE FOR A LADY

My first book in The Blue Willow Brides has been released! September 1st, Deeply Devoted landed in the bookstores and online. I'm already receiving reader feedback. One reader wroter:

"You employ some really descriptive and metaphoric language which I love.... My favorites are- He was "deliciously handsome", "stared into the dark liquid", "love was spilling over into her heart", "you wear the dirt well", "she hugged the secret to herself", "the filtered sunlight kising its bank and overhanging trees", and the outdoor smell kissed the laundry with a fresh fragrance all its own". These really stirred my senses.

I felt your intimacy with God weaved throughout the book. You really showed how the love between Peter and Cath was founded by their faith in God and his purpose for them and others in their lives and how love endured through the strength of their faith."

Another reader read until 1:30 in the morning to finish. This is what an author loves to hear. :)

I'll hope you'll pick up a copy at your favorite bookstore, Amazon or Christianbook.com. You'll find the links on the side-bar. No Place For a Lady is a free download right now on Kindle and Nook if you haven't read it. Click here: http://tiny.cc/bhzim or here http://tiny.cc/1nh98.

I plan to have a give a way soon connected with Blue Willow Dishes so stay tuned. I've been a little bit out of step lately after a bad fall, a broken bone in my foot, sprained ankle and badly sprained hand. I had more than 2 months of therapy eating up my time while I was completing book 2 in this series. To say I was a bit overwhelmed would be an understatement. Now you know why I've been behind on blogging, but I hope to get back on track.

Georgia is dealing with rain and tornado warnings today from the now tropical storm Lee. So it's been an unevental Labor Day. Hope you have sunshine and barbeque for Labor Day wherever you are. As for me--I have a big pot of Camillia Red Beans and Andouille sausage simmering. Mmm...good!

MAGGIE

I HAVE A WINNER!

Thanks everyone for posting for a chance to win a copy of A Love of Her Own. Congratulations to Lauralee -- your name was drawn from the list of posters!! I'll get your book out to you this week. I enjoyed reading about what's going on in all of your heads.

I've just completed edits for the first book in my new series for 2011, and I'm excited to announce that Revell will be keeping the title for the first book, Deeply Devoted and the series title that I came up with, The Blue Willow Brides. It's a rare thing when the publishers keeps boths the title and series title an author comes up with originally. I'm writing the second book, and I hope they'll keep that title too.

Since I've been so hard at work the last couple of years, I'm taking some time off to go visit my daughter and grandkids for a week this Friday and will stay until for Thanksgiving. The kids are out of school, and my daughter will be free from teaching that week too so I'm looking forward to hanging out with them.

In case I don't get a moment to blog again I'm wishing all of you a wonderful Thanksgiving! We have soooo much to be grateful for, don't we?

Maggie