Pie Girls by Lauren Clark #giveaway #book tour

In the immortal words of Joey Tribbiani, "Pie good!" 

Okay that might have been "Meat good." but the guy loved pie too. Remember the Shepard's pie/trifle episode. lol

Today Lauren Clark is giving us dessert first with her funny and sassy release, Pie girls.

So, grab a fork and get ready to dig into something de-lish!

****GIVEAWAY ALERT****
Lauren will be awarding a $20 Amazon GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

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BUT...before we get to the dessert I asked Lauren a few questions so we could get to know her better.

Take it away Lauren!

What is your biggest inspiration?

My boys, my nephew, Josh and my niece, Sarah (to whom I dedicated Pie Girls). They ask me all of the time what I am working on next and when it will be published!

Great books and beautiful writing also inspire me. It always gets me thinking about my next big story idea. Truly, I don’t feel as if my day is complete unless I’ve written or edited a few pages.

Where did you get the inspiration to write Pie girls?

The answer is really two-fold. First, I grew up enjoying the wonderful pies that my grandmother baked for us from the time I was a baby. No holiday or special occasion would be complete without a pie that my grandmother baked. They were always delicious and the perfect way to end a great meal.

Sharing her recipes in Pie Girls is a small way to pay tribute to my grandmother. Several years after she passed away, I asked my mother to write down all of her recipes so that I could have them and share them with my family and friends. 

Second, I visited a place in Greensboro, Alabama called the Pie Lab, a restaurant written up many times in Southern Living, Bon Appetit, and many newspapers around the Southeast. I kind of fell in love with the idea of such a place in Fairhope, Alabama, a lovely waterfront community near where I live. I decided to create a shop named Pie Girls there, and thus, Searcy’s story was born.

10 Things we don’t know about you.

I am in graduate school working on my second master’s degree

I am a bit of a coffee addict

I tend to leave my keys everywhere

Once, I drove away from a gas station without disconnecting the pump from my car

My favorite candy is M&Ms

I make lists all of the time

My running shoes are pink

I always use the wallet my 9 year old gave me (or else he asks me where it is)

I’m pretty darn good at remembering people’s names

My favorite brand of shoes is Born

5 Things you love about being an author.

The awesome camaraderie I have with my author friends

The ability to make people happy

The opportunity to touch people’s lives in a positive way

The fun I have creating characters and storylines

The enjoyment I get sharing book ideas with my closest friends

5 Things you don’t like about being an author.

I don’t particularly love to edit my own work

I don’t adore proofreading

I wish I could write faster! (Can I use this for 4 & 5 also?)

What research went into Pie girls?

I’ve been to the Pie Lab in Greensboro several times. It’s a special place—small town atmosphere—great food, and personal attention, but the thing that makes it really unique is that it is a place where high school dropouts or people in need of skills and training can go and learn valuable skills—how to bake, run a register, make change, and give good customer service.

I read everything I could about the history and philosophy of the restaurant, which is sharing with and giving back to the community. I wanted Pie Girls to have that same welcoming, open, big-hearted feel.

Why did you pick Southern Women’s Fiction?

I live in the Deep South and love the lifestyle, the impeccable manners, the food, and climate. I’ve traveled fairly extensively and but really find myself most at home in Mobile, Alabama, surrounded by friends and family.

What’s in a name?

Searcy is the name of a good friend’s sister. I’ve always liked it because it’s a bit unusual, but definitely Southern. To me, it evokes a character who’s a bit sassy and spontaneous, yet sensitive on the inside.

As far as the Pie Girls book title, I wanted to name the shop something that connected mother and daughter. When Searcy comes back to Fairhope and begins pitching in, it really fulfills her mother’s dreams of she and Searcy running the bakery together.

What’s your favorite aspect about being an author?

Meeting readers. Hands down. It’s the most amazing and humbling experience to be told that someone really loved my book.

The hardest part about writing is…editing my own work.

A day with Lauren Clark behind the scenes

5:30 am – 7:30 am – Writing or editing my current work in progress

7:30 am – 8:30 am – Kids off to school, getting ready for work

8:30 am – 9:00 am – Drink coffee, check email, post to social media

9:00 am – 12:30 pm – Work at Spring Hill College as the Web Content Manager

12:30 pm – 1:30 pm – Drink more coffee, share lunch with friends

1:30 pm – 5:00 pm – Work at Spring Hill College

5:00 pm – 6:00 pm – Dinner with the boys

6:00 pm – 7:00 pm – Run at the gym, walk, or meet friends for coffee

7:00 pm – 8:30 pm – Work on grad school assignments, read with my boys

8:30 pm – 9:30 pm – Read my current favorite book, sleep!

Ideal writing space

I write in the office of my house. It’s a bright, sunny space with big windows. I’m surrounded by shelves and shelves of books by my favorite authors. I’ve used the same desk from Pier One since 2005.

Where do ideas come from?

Anywhere and everywhere. I am fascinated by people and always ask a million questions when I meet someone. I believe that everyone has a story.

That was great! Thanks so much for sharing Lauren. Okay now onto the good stuff.
Check it out!!!

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Pie girls

by  Lauren Clark

Princess, Southern belle, and spoiled-rotten social climber Searcy Roberts swore on a stack of Bibles she’d never return home to Fairhope, Alabama. After marrying her high school sweetheart and moving to Atlanta, Searcy embraces big-city life—Carrie Bradshaw style.

But now, Searcy has a teeny, tiny problem. Her husband’s had a mid-life crisis. He’s quit his job, cancelled her credit cards, and left her for another man.

Searcy returns to Fairhope, ready to lick her wounds. But when her mother falls ill, she’s is thrust into managing the family business—only to discover the beloved bakery is in danger of closing its doors forever.

Enlisting the help of the adorable bike store owner next door, an array of well-heeled customers, and her soon-to-be ex-husband, Searcy hatches the plan of the century to save Pie Girls.

      

Excerpt

"Are you sure that the baby's mine?"

           

I feel faint and the room starts to tilt and swim. "Whatever are you talking about?" I demand, doing my best to sound indignant. "Of course it's ours."

           

Alton turns his body to face mine. "I'm asking, because it's impossible," he explains.

           

My lips part. I try to form words. What is he trying to tell me?

           

"Searcy," Alton leans closer. " I had a vasectomy. Six months ago.”

           

“What?” I squeak. “How? When?”

“You were in California with Phillipa."

           

My hands begin to quiver. I brace myself on the sofa.

           

Vasectomy?

           

Six. Months. Ago.

           

I feel sick. I want to throw up. Or launch myself out the window.

           

My husband's gaze doesn't waver. He's serious.

           

"You see," Alton continues gently. "The baby can't be mine."

           

I can't speak or take a breath. All at once, I am furious. How dare he do this to me? Of all of the underhanded, rotten, selfish things to do to a wife. How could he take this away from me? From us?

           

Usually, I’m a calm, rational person. But without another thought, my right hand clenches into a fist. My fingers curl tight and the tips press into my palm. My arm bends at the elbow and I draw my body back, gathering momentum.

           

I take aim.

           

As my first jets through the air, cutting a path straight for my husband's gorgeous face, everything screams to a slow-motion finish.

           

His face registers a mix of doubt, surprise, and then...in the last second...out-right terror.

           

I punch Alton square in the mouth.

Oh no she didn't! 
Ha, nothing like a feisty southern belle. Love it!

Buy Links

Amazon US~ http://amzn.to/X8rCq1 

iBooks~  https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/pie-girls/id906182442?mt=11 

Barnes & Noble~http://bit.ly/1pHBVuo

Author Bio

Lauren Clark writes contemporary Southern novels sprinkled with sunshine, suspense, and secrets. A former TV news anchor, Lauren adores flavored coffee, local book stores, and anywhere she can stick her toes in the sand. Her big loves are her family, paying it forward, and true-blue friends.

She is the author of four award-winning novels, Dancing Naked in Dixie, Stay Tuned, Stardust Summer, and Pie Girls, as well as a short story, A Very Dixie Christmas, published in the Merry & Bright holiday collection. Lauren is a member of the Gulf Coast Writers Association and the Mobile Writers Guild. Check out her website at www.laurenclarkbooks.com.

Where can you find Lauren???

Website ~ www.laurenclarkbooks.com

Blog ~ www.laurenclarkbooks.com/blog

Twitter ~ https://twitter.com/LaurenClark_Bks

Facebook ~ https://www.facebook.com/pages/Lauren-Clark/235315706518284

Pinterest ~ http://www.pinterest.com/laurenclarkbks/

 Follow the Tour!!!

The more you comment, the better your chances of winning. The tour dates can be found here: 

http://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2014/08/nbtm-tour-pie-girls-by-lauren-clark.html

ENTER HERE!!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway     

Thanks for stopping by Lauren and the best of luck with Pie girls!

Cheers,

Nancy