Hi Regina. It’s so nice of you to stop by my blog and introduce yourself to my readers. If you could organize a dinner party, which fictional characters (choose some from your own books too) would you invite and what would you cook?

It is a pleasure to be on your blog this week, Lynn! Such a great topic too. Very thought-provoking.

“If I could organize a dinner party, which fictional characters would I invite and what would I cook?”

Well, I am the sort who enjoys rather large dinner parties, say about 12 guests or so. But to be sure it’s not too large in this case I would choose six guests.

First I would invite Robinson Crusoe, an incredible individual with great instincts. It might be nice for him to mingle a bit. Next I would snatch the Count of Monte Cristo and have him relate how he pulled off that escape!  Also fabulous would be Moll Flanders, who has so many experiences and always has something interesting to say. The next on my list would be the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Lisbeth Salander. Huck Finn, for sure to comment on what’s happening to America today. In this midst of these famous characters, I would add in Haley Hawthorne, the heroine from my contemporary Inspirational romance, “In Good Faith”.

Each of these characters has journeyed on a path which has required them in some way to address the issue of faith in their lives and their worlds. So this might prove to be an interesting group!

For our menu, I would make them a great big, old-fashioned turkey dinner with all the fixings just like we have here in New England every Thanksgiving. It is the ultimate comfort food, very nourishing and has a lot of meaning as well. Perhaps the guests will share something they are thankful for in their lives as we chat, we shall see!

Thanks again for having me this week, Lynn! This week as a reminder, on the Blog Tour I am hosting the wonderful author Christine London at my blog :  http://www.reginaandrews.wordpress.com

You can find me, Regina and get more information at:

WEBSITE: www.reginaandrews.com
BLOG www.reginaandrews.wordpress.com
EMAIL: andrews_regina@yahoo.com

Here’s a link http://bit.ly/pLV5w

and a blurb about my novel “In Good Faith”:

Haley Hawthorne is a successful Art Director at a high-powered greeting card company in Manhattan. Designer clothes and expensive material luxuries are what she uses to try and fill the emptiness inside — but it wasn’t always that way for her.

Orphaned at a young age, Haley was raised in rural Dunbar Falls by her Uncle Nelson amid pasture lands and a clear sense of the things that matter most in life, including her joyful relationship with God.

One day Aaron Carrier, her old friend from Dunbar Falls pays her a surprise visit to her office at Sterling Greeting Cards with devastating news about Uncle Nelson. When she returns home to Dunbar Falls, Haley is faced with a professional decision upon inheriting Uncle Nelson’s air-conditioning company. More than that, she faces a crossroads in her heart. It is a crisis of faith, of loyalty and of love.

What does God want her to do? Will she be able to return home to Dunbar Falls and all that it has meant for her? And will Aaron Carrier be more than a friend?

There will be a grand prize of a $50 Amazon gift certificate awarded at the end of the tour. Enjoy the blogs and leave comments for the opportunity to be the grand prize winner. One entry ticket per comment!

Excerpt: “In Good Faith”

“Ms. Hawthorne, could you look at these proofs?”

“Do you have a minute to go over this copy together, Ms. Hawthorne?”

“A call for you from Grace on line three, Ms. Hawthorne!”

Haley Hawthorne tossed her long red curls over her shoulder as she swept through the Creative Area of Sterling Greeting Cards. She carried a designer bag in one hand and a steaming latté in the other.

As Senior Art Director for the largest greeting card company in the world, these early morning entrances refreshed her enough to get through the day ahead. They were her redemption. But I can remember a time when I didn’t feel like that, and it wasn’t so very long ago.

A hush fell over the flock of artists and interns following behind her as she passed. With a frown she accepted a stack of messages from the leathery, outstretched hands of her receptionist Bernice, a fixture at Sterling’s for over forty years.

“I’m already carrying too much, Bernice,” she murmured.

“There, there.” With a motherly pat, Bernice tucked the papers under Haley’s arm. “Toting a heavy load can weigh you down, Haley. Maybe it’s time to think about what you really need to carry and what you can let go.” She gave Haley a look.

“Maybe you’re right, Bernice.” As if I haven’t already tried! That’s what was keeping her awake most nights. The old Haley used to travel light and breezy, her heart and soul as free as a bird. But lately she felt heavy in her heart and she couldn’t put her finger on why. How had things changed so much?

Ignoring the chirp of her cell phone, Haley walked down the corridor to her office, glancing at the framed collections of award-winning cards on the walls and the shelves crowded with shining trophies she’d won over the years. When would she get a chance to start her own company?

The fact that all her talent was padding someone else’s profit column wasn’t the only thing bothering her these days. There was something else that had been nagging at her for some time now, an emptiness she couldn’t fill with work…or with her boyfriend, Derek, either. All she knew was that she had to get through each day.

Her young assistant, Suzie, unlatched the chrome double doors to her office for her and Haley flashed the smile that had been opening doors for her all her life.

She called over her shoulder, “I’ll get to all of you in a minute.” The entourage scattered, leaving her and Suzie in the peaceful calm of her office.

And then she saw him.

“Aaron Carrier! I can’t believe it! What are you doing here?”

She put down her bag and her coffee and reached her hands out to him after smoothing her lemon yellow designer suit.

She gave him a warm hug, then turned to her assistant.”I’ve known this guy since we were kids. He and his two brothers were like triplets, they were so alike. I’ll never forget when he insisted we start calling him Carrier, to be different from his brothers Adam and Austin. Boy, were they mad…”

With his broad, six-foot frame blocking the Manhattan skyline in the window behind him, Haley noticed how his glinting azure eyes and thick hair had grown more imposing in the ten years that had passed since she had last seen him.

He jammed his fists deep into the pockets of his jeans. “Hey. We have to talk, Haley. It’s about Nelson.”

Her heartbeat quickened. “You’ve come all the way here from Dunbar Falls to tell me something about Uncle Nelson?” She glanced at Suzie, then back at him. “It must be bad news.”

“I’ll have Bernice hold all of your calls.” Suzie hustled off in a cloud of expensive perfume, latching the door behind her with a solid ‘click’.

“Tell me what’s wrong, Carrier. Is it bad?”

“Yeah. The worst.”

“He’s -”

Carrier nodded. “Last night.” His piercing blue eyes, steely as two sapphires, searched her face. But they didn’t stop there; they burned into her soul.

Want to continue the tour? Here’s a list of the blogs:

Ann Tracy Marr –
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Ann-Tracy-Marr/114711658247?ref=ts

Susan Roebuck – http://lauracea.blogspot.com/

Sharon Poppen –http://poppensthoughtsonwritingandstuff.blogspot.com/

Regan Taylor – http://regantaylorsworld.blogspot.com/

Corinne Davies – www.daviesromance.blogspot.com

Regina Andrews – http://reginaandrews.wordpress.com/

Christine London – www.christinelondon.com

Lynn Hones – lynnhones.wordpress.com