Spotlight & Giveaway: Wildflower Season by Michelle Major

Today it is my pleasure to Welcome author Michelle Major to HJ!

Hi Michelle and welcome to HJ! We’re so excited to chat with you about your new release, Wildflower Season!

 
Thank you! I’m so happy to be here.
 

Tell us about the book with this fun little challenge using the title of the book:

Wildflower Season

W is for wild about Emma and Cam as a couple
I is for in for an emotional story of hope
L is for love winning out in the end
D is for a couple of cute dogs that will steal your heart
F is for lots of flirting
L is for laughing out loud
O is for outstanding chemistry
W is for when opposites attract
E is for excitement and energy
R is for reuniting with favorite Magnolia characters

Please share the opening lines of this book:

“Another round.”
Emma Cantrell smacked her open palm onto the worn oak
bar top, her gaze focused on the empty shot glass in front of her. “Please.” She didn’t meet the bartender’s sympathetic glance. There were plenty of people who had it worse in the world than Emma.
Even if her life was one sloppy, soggy mess.

Please tell us a little about the characters in your book.

I hope readers will be uplifted and swept into the story. Emma Cantrell was a fun character to write – determined to start over and create a life on her terms. She doesn’t expect Cam Arlinghaus or the way he turns her world (and her heart) upside down. I always want readers to walk away from one of my books with a smile – maybe after shedding a few happy tears.

Emma was a secondary character in The Last Carolina Sister, the final book of my Magnolia Sisters trilogy. When she jumped off the page in that story, I reached out to my editor and asked about spinning off a second series set in Magnolia. I just knew Emma had a story to tell.

Please share a few Fun facts about this book…

• Wildflower Season is the first book in the Carolina Girls series, a spinoff of my Magnolia Sisters series. I wasn’t necessarily planning to continue in the world of Magnolia but there were so many characters in this sweet small town that captured my heart. I couldn’t help but want more.
• Emma renovates a dilapidated mansion in the story, and many of her adventures in construction are based on my own personal experience with a 3 year long “fixer upper” house project.
• The town of Magnolia is inspired by the towns I loved visiting as a girl on the coast of North Carolina.

What first attracts your Hero to the Heroine and vice versa?

Although on the surface Emma and Cam are a classic opposites attract couple with very different goals and experiences in life, in some ways they are similar in their hearts. They’ve both been hurt in the past so are guarded and find it hard to trust – to me that makes it even sweeter when they begin to fall for each other.

The First Kiss…

He didn’t smile, but his eyes crinkled at the corners. “I want to be all the way with you, Emma.”
His lips met hers in a melding of wanting both a physical and emotional release. Just like that, her doubts about whether she was doing the right thing vanished. It could only be right to feel this kind of connection.
The need between them stoked higher, like a flame that had been doused with kerosene. Soon they were tugging at clothes and nipping at skin. Emma gave herself over to the feel of his hands on her and the sensation of his mouth exploring the most sensitive parts of her. As frenzied as she felt, Cam didn’t rush the tempo. It was as if during their one time together he’d memorized everything she liked the best and now could use it to turn her into a puddle of lustful goo.
But Emma wasn’t going there alone. She dragged her teeth along the base of his throat, wanting to elicit the same reaction in him as he had in her. And it worked because he let out a low groan and then lifted her into his arms, carrying her toward the back of the house and what she assumed was his bedroom.

If your book was optioned for a movie, what scene would you use for the audition of the main characters and why?

This is one of the first tender moments between Emma and Cam. I love it because they are both trying to deny their connection and I’d enjoy seeing how that played out on screen.

He stopped in his tracks as he came around the corner of the hallway to see a shapely pair of denim-clad legs bending over just inside the bathroom doorway. His heart pounded and unwanted desire coursed through his veins at the sight of those curves.
Emma straightened, and his attention was riveted on a lock of hair that escaped her high ponytail and rested against her elegant neck. He felt rooted to the spot as she swung the sledgehammer overhead and then slammed it into the wall with a guttural shout.
The yell and the spray of drywall snapped Cam out of his strange trance. “What the hell are you doing?” he demanded as he moved forward.
Emma either didn’t hear him or chose to ignore him, because she lifted the sledgehammer again. He grabbed it,
but she didn’t let go. Instead, she turned and shoved at his chest.
He stumbled over the pieces of broken drywall littering the tile floor but kept hold of the wooden handle. Emma followed him and ended up plastered against the front of him. The scent of her citrus shampoo mixed with a bit of drywall dust was a strangely heady combination, and he wished he didn’t notice how good her body felt against his.
“What in the world…”
He released the sledgehammer to try to regain his balance by grabbing onto the sink, but Emma let go at the same time as him and then let out a yelp of pain and crumpled more fully against him.
Cam muttered a curse as he lifted her up and out of the bathroom. The heavy tool had fallen onto her foot, and much to his bafflement and irritation, she was wearing flip- flops.
“Who wears sandals while doing demolition?” he asked against her ear, but realized she had earbuds tucked in them. He plucked one out and started to repeat the question.
“I heard you,” she said quietly, her voice tight with pain. “Put me down. I’m fine.”
He hated that she was in pain, even if it was her own fault.
Carefully he deposited her on the sofa in the sitting room that had been covered with an old sheet to protect it during the repairs. He dropped to his knees in front of her and took her foot in his hands.
She tried to yank it away but he held tight. “Do you think you broke it?”
“No, but it hurts. Let go. I need to grab ice.”
He rose. “Stay,” he commanded, holding out his hand, palm forward.
“I’m not your pet,” she countered.
“I’m well aware. Toby has more sense than you.”

She shifted like she wanted to get up and stalk away. As soon as she tried to put weight on her foot, she winced.
“Just please stay here,” he said, making his voice gentler. “Maybe I will,” she grumbled and looked away.
He got a plastic bag and filled it with ice. When he
returned, Emma was leaning back on the sofa cushions, her creamy throat exposed. He could see the pulse at the base of her throat and his mouth went dry.
“Here’s the ice,” he said, so loud that she startled.
“No need to shout,” she said, blinking. She reached out a hand. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” Instead of handing it to her, he crouched down and placed the bag of ice on the top of her foot.
She hissed out a breath and her leg jerked. “Easy, there.” He placed a hand on the back of her ankle. “For the record, you need closed-toe shoes and safety goggles the next time you think about knocking down walls.”
“I’ll remember that,” she said through clenched teeth.

If your hero had a sexy-times play list, what song(s) would have to be on it?

• Falling Slowly by Glen Hansard from the movie Once.
• A Million Reasons by Lady Gaga
• Say You Do by Dierks Bentley
• Bonfire Heart by James Blunt

If you could have given your characters one piece of advice before the opening pages of the book, what – would it be and why?

Trust your heart – I think they both could have avoided a lot of bumps in the road if they’d done that. Of course it would have made a much shorter book. Ha!

What are you currently working on? What are your up-coming releases?*

I have two more books, Mistletoe Season and Wedding Season, coming in the Carolina Girls series. I’m also working on the next release for my Welcome to Starlight series from Harlequin Special Edition. And taking my son to college at the end of summer – sniff!
 

Thanks for blogging at HJ!

Giveaway: I’d like to give away three autographed copies of Wildflower Season (US only).

To enter Giveaway: Please complete the Rafflecopter form and Post a comment to this Q: Wildflower Season is set in spring when everything is in bloom. What is your favorite thing about spring?

 
a Rafflecopter giveaway

 
 

Excerpt from Wildflower Season:

“Please don’t let me die.” Emma repeated the words to herself like a mantra as she walked down the overgrown driveway on Camden Arlinghaus’s property.
At least she hoped she had the right place. She also hoped she didn’t get attacked by the dog mentioned in the Beware of Dog sign affixed to the gate blocking the driveway’s entrance. And that whoever lived here was friendly and not quick with a shotgun aimed at trespassers. And that no snakes or wild boars or giant spiders came rampaging out of the thick tangle of trees and vines surrounding her.
The air was heavy with the scent of the fecund earth. Birds chirping and insects buzzing were the only noises that broke the silence. At this point, she felt grateful for any sound that wasn’t the nervous beating of her heart in her own ears.
She’d gone to the dock south of town as Holly instructed, only to be told Cam was at home today. The guys that gave her directions to his property appeared both curious and amused a woman was seeking him out. But they’d been nice enough to her face—polite in a down-home kind of way —even with the comments about Cam not having friends or entertaining ladies at his home.
Emma could see why as she approached the house. It wasn’t run-down per se, and the front yard was relatively tidy compared to the chaos on the way in. But there was something unapproachable about the cabin. A weighty emptiness hung in the already thick, sultry air.
If only one of the contractors she’d contacted earlier had returned her call. Maybe she should turn around and try them again. Or insist Holly come with her to talk to Camden. “Can you read?”
She stopped in her tracks at the question that carried to her from the cabin’s front door, spoken in a deep, almost disbelieving tone.
“Yes, I can read.” She plastered a smile on her face and took another step forward. “Are you—”
“Then you need to turn right around, ma’am. Because the signs posted are pretty clear to someone claiming to be literate.”
“I’m not looking for trouble.” She lifted her sunglasses to the top of her head, held a hand over her eyes and squinted up at the porch, but all she could make out was the silhouette of a man in the door.
He chuckled, a rusty sound that reverberated through her like the vibration of a tuning fork. “Somehow I don’t believe you.”
The screen door squeaked open. Emma heard a booming bark and caught a streak of tan fur and then she was on her backside in the dirt with at least a hundred pounds of damp dog circling her in glee.
Emma liked dogs, all animals, really. She’d never actually owned one, but when she ran her family’s charitable foundation they’d funded various local shelters and animal rescue organizations.
The dog seemed overenthusiastic but not threatening. “Good boy,” she said, peering under his belly to confirm he was indeed a boy. She got to her feet as he ran back to the house with her sunglasses in his mouth.
Sunglasses that had cost her over three hundred dollars and that she couldn’t afford to replace on her current salary of less than nothing. She wasn’t about to explain that to the man who stared down at her from the top step.
Her breath hissed out like she’d just taken a blow to the stomach. Holly had failed to mention that her former brother-in-law was hot as all get-out, in a Paul Bunyan sort of way. Rugged had never been Emma’s type. Her ex- husband was handsome enough, polished and a little nerdy. But Cam Arlinghaus was every lumberjack fantasy Emma had never had come to life. He had dark, wavy hair and a shadow of stubble covering his angular jaw. It was nearly ninety degrees so there was no flannel to be seen, but he wore the low-slung cargo shorts and faded T-shirt like he was a cover model for a deep-sea fishing guide magazine.
“You ignored the No Trespassing and the Beware of Dog signs,” he said, his voice flat. “Those signs are there for a reason.”
She nodded, her flummoxed mind trying hard to put together a coherent thought in the face of all that strapping masculinity. It rolled off him in waves and felled Emma like a riptide. Turn around, her sense of self-preservation screamed. Run as fast as you can.
“I’m sorry,” she managed, swallowing against the sudden dryness in her throat. “I needed to talk to you.”
One thick brow lifted. “You were at the dock asking about me.”
“How did you know?” she asked with a frown. “I thought you didn’t have a cell phone.”
“Ever heard of a landline?” His mouth curved at the corner. “Mine has a cord and everything.” He moved down a step, and Emma resisted the urge to back up. “I can’t imagine any good reason someone like you…” His dark eyes raked over her, leaving her skin hot in the wake of his gaze. “Would need to talk to me, but this is private property. I have a charter to run tomorrow morning. You can—”
“Holly Adams sent me,” Emma blurted, then held her breath as a maelstrom of emotions played over his strong features. Pain, sorrow and confusion rioted in his dark eyes for a few brief moments until his face went blank again.
He reached out and grabbed the porch’s iron railing like he might lose his balance. His full mouth took on a thin line. “Why?”
The word was spoken on a whisper of breath but carried to Emma like a challenge.
“She needs your help. I need your help.”
“I don’t know you.”
“No.” She did her best to flash an encouraging smile. “I’m
Emma Cantrell, and I’m helping Holly plan her wedding.” “That has nothing to do with me.”
“Her wedding venue was destroyed in the storm.” “Nothing to do with me,” he repeated.
“She lost everything,” Emma explained, her heart hammering in her chest. If she couldn’t convince Cam to help with the repairs on her house, she didn’t know what she’d do. As much as she’d toyed with the idea of walking away from Magnolia, that wasn’t what she wanted. She had to make this work. “Even her dress and the decorations she was putting together. It’s kind of a disaster for her.”
“Nothing—”
“I got it.” She held up a hand. “If you’d stop interrupting me, I can explain what this does have to do with you.”
“I don’t want to know.”
“You’re her last hope.”
He massaged a hand over the back of his neck as he
stared at her in disbelief. “Are you trying to remake Star Wars, small-town Southern-style?” He made a show of looking past her. “Hiding a droid behind you?”
“It’s not funny.”
“I know.” He closed his eyes, and she watched as he blew out a long breath. When he met her gaze again, his stormy eyes offered no hint of emotion. “Tell me what Holly needs from me.”
Cam waited for this Emma Cantrell to speak, hoping he’d be able to process her answer through the roaring in his head.
Holly needed him.
His late wife’s little sister, who’d held tight to her sobbing mother at Dana’s funeral despite her grief. Holly was six years younger than Dana, so Cam had met her when she was a gangly preteen in braces. She’d become as much a little sister to him as she was to Dana, and he hated that his selfishness had caused the accident that took Dana from her family.
His former in-laws blamed him, and rightfully so. He had no idea how Holly felt because he hadn’t seen or talked to her since the funeral five years earlier. There was almost no one from his former life he’d stayed in contact with. Hell, Toby, the yellow Lab sprawled on the porch behind him, was his best friend. In some ways, the dog was his only friend.
The signs at the gate were meant to dissuade visitors, but in truth, the only thing people had to beware of from his dog was being slobbered on.
“Holly is engaged to Brett Carmichael. Have you heard of him?”
“Political family, right?” Cam didn’t keep up on news or current events but the Carmichaels were a household name. One had made it to the White House as a vice president. And little Holly was marrying into that family? He rubbed a hand over his jaw. He really had lost track of her.
“Political dynasty is more like it,” Emma clarified. “She hasn’t exactly been welcomed with open arms by Brett’s mom. He’s a US senator with bigger aspirations. It doesn’t sound like his family thinks Holly is the best choice for him.”
Cam muttered a curse, then quickly apologized. His mom had taught him to watch his mouth in front of ladies. “The Holly I knew is sweet and caring. Any family would be lucky to have her. Hell, this country would be lucky to have her.”
Emma’s grin was so bright it almost blinded him. In an instant he went from being distracted by the thought of his past to a distraction of another sort.
The woman who’d barged into his world was beautiful in a girl-next-door or sexy-librarian sort of way. She had caramel-colored hair and delicate features. Her skin looked soft, and a smattering of freckles covered the bridge of her nose like she’d spent too much time in the sun recently.
She didn’t strike him as the outdoorsy type, but what did Cam know? He was so out of practice conversing with women—other than the wives or girlfriends of the guys who ran the boats near him—it was almost comical.
“I bought a house in town. I’m converting it to an inn,” Emma said, and Cam forced himself to pay attention to her words. She looked nervous and unsure of herself, at complete odds with the woman who’d faced him moments earlier. Hell, even getting knocked on her back end by Toby hadn’t rattled her. But talking about her property seemed to. “At least that was the plan until the storm damaged the roof and a good part of the house’s south side.”
He narrowed his eyes. “Where is this house exactly?” “On Fig Tree Lane,” she said, hitching her chin.
“Niall Reed’s place?” He shrugged at her surprised
expression. “There aren’t a lot of properties in town that could work in the capacity you’re talking about. I heard about the mess with his will and the long-lost daughters.”
“They aren’t lost anymore. I want to help Holly with her wedding, but there’s no one to help me with the repairs the house needs.”
“Why?”
She blinked, her big eyes going even wider.
“Because of the storm,” she told him after several drawn-
out moments. “People who work in construction around here are busy, and I’m new to town so I’m not a priority.”
“Why do you want to help Holly?”
The play of conflicting emotions across her delicate features fascinated him. “She and I are helping each other. Even if she keeps the guest list small, her wedding is going to be a big deal. I can’t pay for that sort of publicity.”
The answer made sense, but he didn’t believe that was the extent of Emma’s motivation. He forced himself not to push her on it. The less he was involved in her life—in Holly’s life—the better. The smart thing would be to say no. To turn around and slam the door on Emma and her repairs and taking part in any of it.
But he stood his ground. The last words he’d said to Dana’s little sister before he walked away from the gravesite were if Holly ever needed anything he would be there for her.
A part of him had hoped she’d reach out and give him a way to assuage his guilt over his part in Dana’s accident. But she hadn’t, and Cam had retreated farther into himself, putting more and more distance between his lonely shell of an existence and the life he used to have.
“Why did she send you?” he asked. Not that it mattered. He couldn’t say no whether the request came via this beautiful messenger or from Holly herself.
“Holly didn’t want you to feel pressure to agree,” Emma said, almost reluctantly. “She thought it would be too difficult to say no to her face.”
“What about her parents?” His chest ached at the memory of the accusations his mother-in-law had thrown at him. He deserved every one. “Do they know?”
“I don’t think so,” Emma admitted, looking uncomfortable. “Although Holly seems to believe her wedding is going to fix everything if it goes off without a hitch.” She sniffed. “Weddings don’t fix things.”
Don’t be curious about this woman, he reminded himself. Not now, not ever. He’d buried his ability to care along with his wife.
As much as he wouldn’t allow himself to care, the promise he’d made to Holly wouldn’t let him walk away.
“Maybe not.” He drew in a deep breath and blew it out along with his good sense. “But I’ll take care of whatever repairs you need done to give Holly the wedding she wants.”
Emma took a step toward him. “Really?” She laughed, shaking her head. “I thought you were going to tell me no.”
“I’d tell you no a hundred times over,” he answered, because he needed her to understand the deal. To understand him and what this was about. “But for Holly, I’ll always say yes.”
Even though he knew it could be a huge mistake.

Excerpts. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
 
 

Book Info:

She always followed the path of least resistance…until it leads her to a small town where she can follow her dreams.

When Emma Cantrell’s marriage imploded, she learned a fast and painful lesson about trusting her heart. Then, on a visit to Magnolia, North Carolina, to see her brother, an elegant, if dilapidated, mansion for sale presents the opportunity to start over. Risking everything on her dream of opening the Wildflower Inn, Emma buys the house…just as the storm of the century hits, severely damaging the structure. But a chance meeting with Holly, a bride-to-be in desperate need of a new venue, gives her hope…and the name of a contractor who’ll work fast and cheap, allowing Emma to repair the inn in time to host the wedding and save her investment.

A furniture builder who hasn’t picked up a tool in the five years since his wife died, Cameron Mitchell has no intention of agreeing to help this beautiful—and, he’d guess, entitled—woman insisting that he fix her inn. Until he learns that Emma was sent by Holly, the little sister of his late wife. Grudgingly, Cameron agrees to do the work, with one condition: that he be left completely alone. But the more time they spend together, the more Emma touches a part of his heart he was sure died long ago, forcing him to try making peace with his past.
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Meet the Author:

Michelle Major is the Publishers Weekly best-selling, RITA award winning author of over thirty sexy and sweet contemporary romances. She loves second-chances love stories, smart heroines and strong heroes. A Midwesterner at heart, she’s made the Rocky Mountains her home for nearly half her life and is thrilled to share her books with readers. Connect with her at www.michellemajor.com.
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