Book Spotlight: Coach Maddie and the Marine by Blaire Edens
by Blaire Edens
Release Date: January 11, 2016
Entangled Bliss
About Coach Maddie and the Marine
After the combat death of her Marine husband, grief counselor Maddie Westerfield has thrown herself into helping other families—leaving no time for dating. Which is just fine with Maddie since falling in love again, especially with another man in uniform, is out of the question. No matter how gorgeous he is. Plus, she’s busy looking after her eight-year-old nephew for her deployed sister.
For the last eight years, Lieutenant David Sterling has lived with the guilt of losing one of his soldiers in an ambush in Afghanistan. So when the opportunity presents itself, he jumps at the chance to help the beautiful widow coach her nephew’s football team. But keeping things strictly professional between them is harder than he expected. And even though he knows a relationship with Maddie will only lead to heartbreak, he can't help falling for her.
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About Blaire Edens
Blaire Edens lives in the mountains of North Carolina on a farm that’s been in her family since 1790. When she’s not plotting, she’s busy knitting, running, or listening to the Blues. Blaire loves iced tea with mint, hand-stitched quilts, and yarn stores. She refuses to eat anything that mixes chocolate and peanut butter or apple and cinnamon. She’s generally nice to her mother, tries to remember not to smack her bubble gum, and only speeds when no one’s looking.
Connect with Blaire
Website | Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Blaire's Belles | Goodreads
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A Q&A with Blaire Edens
1. What or who was your inspiration behind Coach Maddie & the Marine?
I grew up in a military family. My father was a fighter pilot and I saw the grief that crippled so many families after a tragic loss. The military man is always in the back of my mind, so in some ways, David’s character came to me pretty fast. With Maddie, I was really interested in how single parents, or guardians, deal with all things they don’t know how to do when it comes to kids.
I love football and I wanted to put Maddie in a situation where she had to prove herself to herself, so that was an easy leap. For some reason, the theme of working outside a comfort zone really appeals to me. Many times getting out of our cozy place is the only way to build self-confidence.
I began working on this book a very long time ago. One of the most interesting parts of the behind the scenes story is that my son was a baby when I started fleshing out this idea. The book grew and changed as he grew and changed and now he’s the same age as Andrew. The line between which kid is my son and which kid belongs on the pages gets blurrier every time I re-read this book.
2. Which actors would cast in the roles of Maddie Westerfield and David Sterling?
For David, I’d pick the American Sniper version of Bradley Cooper. Since David played college football, I think all those muscles Bradley had in that movie would work perfectly.
For Maddie, I think Anna Faris would do a great job of capturing Maddie’s sometimes misplaced confidence. In addition, she’s relatable and does a great job portraying women in very ordinary circumstances. She brings a freshness to the screen that would work well for Maddie’s character.
3. What do you think is the best way for someone to handle or manage their grief?
Grief is such a solitary emotion and it’s a different experience for everyone. Because every relationship is unique and has its own dynamic, it’s often very hard to put your loss into words because other people don’t understand the complexity of your ties to the person you’ve lost. First of all, if you’re struggling, find a counselor. It’s vital that you take care of yourself while you’re grieving. It’s a process that can take a long time and you may need some extra help coming to terms with your loss. There’s no shame in reaching out and asking for help. If your insurance doesn’t cover mental health, there are usually local resources, like health departments and religious organizations, that can offer you some assistance.
For me, I found that there were three things that helped me tremendously while I was in the throes of grieving my father: talking about him, staying connected to his friends who have a wealth of stories about his working and social life that are still new to me, and allowing my heart to guide me. Instead of worrying about other people and how they’ll judge the way you mourn (and they will), take care of yourself. If you feel like a laugh, laugh. If you feel like a good cry, grab the Kleenex. Be patient. The active grieving phase will take as long as it takes. If it’s lengthy for you, that doesn’t mean you’re weak. It just means it’s taking longer than you thought it would. That’s totally okay.
4. What made you want to become a writer?
I’ve always written. I asked for a diary for my 5th birthday and the Hallmark one my parents bought me, complete with a cute kitten on the cover and a tiny brass padlock, was the beginning. I learned very quickly that, for me, writing was the best way to explore my emotions, things I couldn’t understand and things I wanted to understand. It’s a way to process all the things that pop in and out of my life. When I write a book, I’m not only telling myself a story, and you a story, but I’m figuring out what drives people, what forces them to grow and evolve. I’m always learning as I write. I can’t imagine not writing. Instead of becoming a writer, I think I’ve grown into it.
5. What's up next for you after Coach Maddie & the Marine?
I have a new series with Entangled Lovestruck that will be out in mid-2016. The first book is in my editor’s hands and we’re planning two more to follow it. Tentatively titled Superhero Dad, it’s the story of Clark, an architect who can’t get past the guilt he feels for seriously injuring his best-friend. When his sister’s best friend, Anna, might lose custody of her son to her abusive ex-husband, Clark steps in and proposes a marriage of convenience to save the kid. What he doesn’t realize is that he wants to be a family man more than he ever imagined.
It’s a fun, sexy book with lots of laughter. It was a joy to write and I hope to start on the second book in the series in early 2016. The series will launch in 2016 and I can’t wait to see what readers think of my superhero.
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