Blog Tour: Book Spotlight & Guest Post: Magic in Dixie by Beth Albright (with Giveaway!!!) – CLOSED

Title:  Magic in Dixie  

Author: Beth Albright    

Series: In Dixie, #1     

Published: June 2014

“ Honey, there are
secrets in this town for sure but I couldn’t believe there were so
many– all buried in one family. And of all places to start digging them
up—a funeral.”
~Vivi McFadden Heart

“I was born into a house full of secrets and bad behavior.”

Rhonda
Cartwright Bently is having the most important moment of her life. She
has finally been asked to help cater the Governor’s ball at the Emmy
Awards in LA— But before the big day she has to get home to Tuscaloosa,
Alabama and bury her estranged father. What she discovers in the
aftermath of the funeral turns her life upside down in a matter of
seconds.

A gift from her father from the grave—a dilapidated
southern mansion with an old trunk full of family secrets, will
transform Rhonda’s life in an instant and make her question everything
she’s ever believed about her family and herself. And then there’s that
list–the one she made about her dream man when she was just a teenager.
Her perfect love may be right here under her nose, but for Rhonda this
is one last complication she could do without. She intended to get home,
bury Daddy, sell that dilapidated monstrosity and get back to LA, as
fast as she could. But plans never quite work out just as we hope.

Rhonda
will have to call on her old BFF’s, Blake and Vivi, to help solve the
family mystery. But what those original Sassy Belles finally create out
of that pile of dust could change Rhonda’s life for good, make her
Hollywood dreams fade to black, and maybe even help her uncover her
heart right where she left it—in Dixie. But sometimes things aren’t as
they seem. And people aren’t always who we think they are.

Beth
Albright is at her southern best with this new series of sexy romance,
laugh out loud comedy, and edge-of-your-seat mystery—exactly what we
have come to love in the Beth Albright brand! So grab your girlfriends
and put on your seatbelts for this one– an exciting, unpredictable joy
ride though the Deep South that will keep you guessing until the final
shocking pages.

WHY I LOVE TO WRITE ABOUT THE DEEP SOUTH: THE MAGIC OF DIXIE

The romance of the seasons, the symphony of a summer night, the damp warm summer evenings, the sound of crickets, the magic of fire-flies, or “lightening bugs” as we call them down south; these are things I love about the place I call home. Summer days are a different story: most days, the heat kisses your face like opening a dishwasher mid-cycle! I love the bright neon yellow and orange leaves of fall, the crisp cool air and the cornflower blue skies. In winter, I love waking up to the excitement of the first fresh snowfall (usually just a dusting), but on that day we all become children filled with excitement; rosy cheeks stinging in the frigid air. And I love the incredible burst of the most fragrant spring you’ll find anywhere on Earth. Azaleas abound in hot reds and pinks, color bathes your eyes at every turn and magnolias fill the air with perfume. You know you’re alive in the Deep South. It breathes long slow deep breaths. You feel it. And it’s full of the romance of just being alive.

I love the people of the Deep South,where family comes first–where that sense of community is unique and rich and holds that tapestry of our people woven tightly together like a well-worn heirloom quilt. It’s a place where people still love to sit on their front porch and shout “hey” while they wave to everyone who walks by–Where you will be invited inside for some sweet iced tea and some good story-telling at your neighbor’s kitchen table any day of the week. And there’s always the food, from my favorite delicacy of fried green tomatoes to cornbread and BBQ to cobblers–it’s the very best food anywhere.

The women of the Deep South (and I am one) love their make-up, pearls and pageants, but underneath all that hair and make-up is a wonder-woman, the glue holding her family and friends together. They are the strongest people I have ever know. Always feminine and polite but make no mistake, we are steel magnolias. There’s nothing we can’t or won’t do for those we love. And we’ll look like beauty queens while doing it! We can hug your neck, wring your neck and bless your heart all in the same day!

And then there’s college football, the religion of the Deep South. Our gods are our football players in Alabama. The University of Alabama Crimson Tide has more national championships than any other school in the nation. And weekend church is the tailgating that fills the University of Alabama quad every Saturday in the fall. We burst at the seams with Crimson Pride. The mantra “Roll Tide” in Alabama is like “Aloha” in Hawaii–it means hello, goodbye, and God bless you all at the same time.

I am so filled with pride to call Alabama and the Deep South my home! With Alabama Love Stories, in the SOUTHERN BORN series, you’ll get strong, smart, funny, sexy southern women who stick together like warm peach cobbler, love their men, and never give up on anything–or anyone they love.

So, I was thrilled when this new series, IN DIXIE popped into my head.

The entire series is about each of these women, my newest Belles, discovering themselves, their passions, their hearts and souls. And then making the difficult decision to embrace that – or not. Of course part of that journey will always be finding true love and learning just who your southern sisters are when things get tough. And my novels will NEVER be without laughter and hilarious situations. It’s the southern way–laughter in the face of adversity. And to simply believe in the magic of tomorrow–as our favorite southern heroine, Scarlett O’Hara always said, “I’ll worry ’bout that tomorrow. Tomorrow is another day.”

Honestly, I have been planning this first story, MAGIC IN DIXIE, for a long time. I knew this book would have all the fun, comedy, sarcasm and romance of all of my previous books but what was tugging at me with this one was this huge secret this family has been hiding. So it’s like peeling back an onion; layers upon layers, unfolding.

And I take my readers on this mysterious adventure through an old antebellum mansion that my heroine inherits from her estranged father. Secrets are so imbedded in this very crazy family with possibly the most dysfunctional mother I have ever written! I LOVE her!

The central heroines are my new Belles, and their stories, a little deeper and richer but still steeped in the ways and attitudes and language of the Deep South. Of course all will be heady sexy romance with a shot of mystery and filled with laugh-out-loud moments. The next book will be out in December, called STARDUST IN DIXIE. 

These books are so near and dear to my heart! All of these women have a story to tell. They are funny and sexy, sophisticated but very genuinely southern!

I love writing about the Deep South. My passion to write was born there and to this day, I still find there’s MAGIC IN DIXIE.

Purchase the Book at:

Amazon * Barnes&Noble

           

GIVEAWAY DETAILS – CLOSED (US only)  

Beth is generously giving one lucky reader a signed book, chocolates and a Starbucks gift card. And three separate winners will win a $5 Starbucks gift card, too – so there will be 4 winners here!!!

 To enter… 

• For 1 entry leave me a comment entering the giveaway.
• Tweet, share on Facebook, or blog for 2 extra entries.
• Please include email address so I can contact you if you win.

This giveaway is open to US residents only and ends July 3rd! 

Good luck!