I am absolutely delighted that today’s guest is none other than romantic novelist Marcie Steele!
Marcie’s latest book, The Second Chance Shoe Shop is out today and you can read all about it and buy it at a click here: http://amzn.to/1UyNLXQ
It’s a delightfully romantic tale of love, friendship and putting your best foot forward, about young widow Sadie and Riley, who believes she’ll never find love again after her last break-up, work at Chandlers shoe shop, in the charming town of Hedworth. But when Chandlers is threatened with closure, the friends are confronted with the loss of not only their jobs, but also their support network – the glue that holds them together when they are close to breaking.
As they put together a plan to save their beloved shop, Sadie realises that she might just be learning to live again. Could it be that new beginnings are just round the corner? The campaign also finds Riley unexpectedly crossing paths with charming photographer, Ethan. Maybe her second chance at love is right under her feet …
But the exciting thing about having Marcie as our Hot Holidays! guest is that we actually get TWO authors for the price of one…….. because Marcie Steele is also known as Mel Sherratt!
Marcie Steele AKA Mel Sherratt
Best known for her crime thrillers psychological suspense and fiction with a punch – or ‘grit-lit’ as she calls it – Mel is a romantic at heart and has always wanted to write about characters who were not necessarily involved in the darker side of life.
And how could she not be a romantic when she says that coffee, cakes and friends are three of her favourite things?
Mel lives in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, with her husband and terrier, Dexter.
https://marciesteele.wordpress.com/
ES: Mel, I’m thrilled you could join us today. Can I be the first to congratulate you on the publication of The Second Chance Shoe Shop?
MS: You’re welcome, Elaine.
ES: So, let’s kick off by asking you where you spent your last holiday and what made you choose it?
MS: We had a beach holiday on the island of Kos. It’s a place we have visited many times, but we haven’t been for quite a number of years. We visit the same resort, a little fishing village called Kefalos, and because we have been so many times, we know a lot of the owners of the bars and restaurants, and even some of their customers who return year after year like we do. It makes for a very enjoyable experience every time we go back. It literally is like home from home.
ES: Aww! That sounds lovely. Is your favourite type of holiday a beach holiday, then?
MS: Absolutely! My favourite holiday is lying on a beach from morning until late evening with a good book or two or three. Lunch is just a stone’s throwaway and a welcome relief out of the hot sun. When it is washed down with something refreshing and chilled, it’s all the better.
ES: So, what’s your least favourite?
MS: My least favourite holiday would be one where I am on my feet morning until night, rushing to see the sights before hopping onto the plane to the next destination and doing it all over again.
ES: Tell us about your best ever holiday and just what made it so special.
MS: I think it would have to be visiting Kos when my husband was forty. On the night of his birthday, after our meal, a cake was brought out. We had a slice of it and it was delicious, and then we moved on to the next bar. There we were greeted by another cake, and another one at the next bar. All in all, there were four cakes, and by the time we had the fourth piece of cake, and smiles and congratulations all round, we were in tears of laughter and really fed up of cake!
ES: Ha! Ha! Ha! I can just imagine. Even I might struggle with four birthday cakes. Have you ever had any travel or holiday disasters?
MS: No, I haven’t had any, apart from an eight-hour delay to my flight once, but that was a long time ago..
ES: Which place do you long to visit?
MS: I am a home bird so I don’t travel too much, nor do I feel the need to. There is one place I haven’t been to yet and that is New York. A bit morbid I know, but I would love to visit the site of 911 because that’s my birth date. Having said that, I have had plenty of opportunities to visit and haven’t, so maybe in the back of my mind I don’t really want to go, for the obvious reasons.
ES: I can understand your hesitancy. I’ve been to New York several times, but have never been able to bring myself to visit Ground Zero. But on a happier note, who’s your favourite travelling companion or do you prefer your own company?
MS: As I’ve said, I’m a home bird really and I don’t like travelling. I don’t like driving. I don’t like catching trains. I’m not so bad travelling with someone. So that is one of the reasons why I don’t travel too much. I also suffer from stress-induced hiccups, which only happens when I travel alone. It is the bane of my life – and very embarrassing!
ES: How strange! Now, just between ourselves, have you ever had a holiday romance?
MS: I haven’t had a holiday romance as such, but I do remember one particular time; it was when I was traveling alone and the plane was delayed for eight hours. I was in my 20s and recently divorced, and knew no one. I had hardly any money either, as I was going to stay for a week with my parents, gatecrashing their week’s holiday because I couldn’t afford one on my own. But I met this group of lads, who looked after me and as there wasn’t anything to do but drink, we all got very drunk and I ended up snogging one of them. We left it at that and said we’d meet up at the resort. I fell asleep on the plane and never saw him again until the return journey where by then the magic had gone. But I do remember him fondly.
ES: Ahhh! What might have been, eh? How would you spend your dream 24 hours if you could go to multiple worldwide destinations with no travel or time restrictions?
MS: That’s easy – I would go to New York, Sydney Harbour, Disneyland, Vegas, and the visit Elvis Presley’s house, Gracelands.
ES: And finally, what tips or advice would you give to travellers and holidaymakers?
MS: Make sure you take plenty of books with you. You never know with Kindle how long the battery will last. And make the most of every day. Life is for living!
Thank you so much, once again, Mel. And all the best for The Second Chance Shoe Shop, Marcie!
