MAGIC
IN DIXIE
The
first book in a new southern series,
IN
DIXIE
By
Beth Albright
“ 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
Blurb:
“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.
Purchase the Book at:
Interview by Marlene Engel
I want to welcome the
extremely talented, Beth Albright, to Book Mama Blog today!
Beth, I love how your
books are tied into the Tuscaloosa, Alabama area. I was born in
Tuscaloosa, so I find this to be very exciting. What made you decide to
incorporate that city into your books?
Thank you so much for having me!
Today is release day for MAGIC IN DIXIE!! So I am totally thrilled! I too, was born and raised in Tuscaloosa and
for me, having lived all over this country; it is still my favorite place on
Earth. It is home and it always will be, no matter where I live! From NYC to
LA, Houston, two of the Great Lakes, the landlocked Midwest, several cities
there, I can honestly say Tuscaloosa is where my heart is. So when I decided to
write I knew I didn’t even have to think about it—Tuscaloosa is where all my
books would have to take place.
The passion I feel for
Tuscaloosa is so pure and deep. I mean, c’mon—the national champion college
football giants, The Alabama Crimson Tide, the Black Warrior River and the
riverboats, the regal campus, the deep history, The FOOD, OMG!! And of course
the best people I have ever met---my friends, my family. My roots are deep
there! My grandfather was an attorney during the week, and on Saturdays—he was
the Crimson Tide Play-by-play announcer! His portrait hangs in the museum on
campus. Simply-I just love Tuscaloosa! And as they say, you write what you know
and what you love.
Wow, you sure have moved
around the globe! It’s wonderful that
you are able to relive your fond memories of Tuscaloosa through your books.
Your new book is called
Magic In Dixie. Where did you come up
with the premise for this book?
Honestly, I have been planning
this story since last summer. 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 had 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 entire series is about each
of these women 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.
The book sounds
absolutely amazing. I can’t wait to get
my hands on it! And, of course, you can
expect to see the review right here at Book Mama Blog!
You were an actress in my
favorite soap opera, Days of Our Lives. Where you writing at that time as
well and do you still act today?
I have always been writing! From
my very earliest memories it was how I expressed myself from my deepest
emotional place. I was a talk show host on both radio and TV for years and I
LOVED that career so much! I loved getting everyday people as well as
celebrities to share their stories with my audience. But writing about the
sudden loss of my dad is how I really became a writer. I wrote about that night
over the course of my life growing up. It was how I processed the tragedy, I’m
sure.
But as far as writing fiction,
no—I never wrote anything while I was acting on Days Of Our Lives. The writing
came in a very organic way. I left Days Of Our Lives when I discovered I was
finally pregnant. I had a stroke when I had him and couldn’t have any more.
When he was growing up we moved a lot!! I was always the new mom in a new city
with a small child. As he grew up the longing for home, Tuscaloosa was pretty
overwhelming. So once again, the writing was cathartic—I was homesick for the
funny women the strong women in my life—my mother especially, my aunt, all
their friends and my friends---so I created the life I longed for in The Sassy
Belles.
Now, I can be home in Tuscaloosa
every single day as I write!
I’m so sorry to hear
about the passing of your father and the stroke you suffered during child birth. It’s good that you were able to use writing
as a way to express yourself in a therapeutic way. And, I see that, once again, Tuscaloosa
played a huge part in helping you heal!
I see that you decided to
go the self-published route with this book. What made you decide to do
that as opposed to traditional publishing?
Well, as we all know, the
publishing industry is changing, literally minute-by-minute. I decided this
series would be self-published because of so many reasons. First I really love
the control an author gets with self-pub. I helped create the cover and had a
hand with the design too. I love how fast I can get my work out to my readers
too! I can finish, and publish in a matter of days. That is super exciting. I still
plan to do traditional publishing but for now I am loving how this works!
The books published by me,
Magnolia Press, will always be available on ALL forms of digital—from Amazon to
Nook to Kobe and Smashwords, and as a
paperback as well. I am currently working on getting them ALL on audio as
well. For years and years I worked as a voice-over artist and actress, so I
can’t wait to record the books myself!
I’m sure that your
readers will be happy to hear that they can get your book in all formats! And, to be able to have the option of audio
as well is wonderful.
I heard that Magic In
Dixie is the first book in a new series. What can your readers expect
from the rest of the books in the series?
This is so thrilling! 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! Many
of my old characters will make appearances as supporting characters too so my
beloved Fru Fru’s are back and full of hilarity! I actually did a poll and the
love my readers have for those funny guys was totally overwhelming! Vivi and
Blake will be there too.
But 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.
Thank you so much for
taking the time out of your EXTREMELY busy schedule to come chat with us! It was great having you and know that you are
always welcome to pop over. We wish you
much success with your new book, series and self-publishing.
Thank you from the bottom of my
heart for having me!! What an honor it has been to be a guest today on my big
release day. I hope everyone loves MAGIC IN DIXIE!
Beth Albright is the author of the award-winning,
best-selling series The Sassy Belles. After knowing Beth for just a few
short seconds you are sure to learn she is from Alabama. No, it’s not the
lilt of magnolia you can still catch in her voice, or even the way she
lovingly describes her undying love for her famous alma mater's football
champions. She will tell you she loves Tuscaloosa, even after living
quite literally all over the country. Though Beth has had a remarkable
career, from New York City to Hollywood, and all points in between, she
has never forgotten where she came from...and what she loves. That's why
when it came time to write, Beth had no choice but to write about
Tuscaloosa and The University of Alabama, and all the quirky people she
still calls family, though some do not actually share her bloodline!
Beth Albright has always been a storyteller. After
spending nearly 15 years in talk radio, as a talk show host, playing the
part of a principal character on the soap opera, DAYS OF OUR LIVES, owning
her own acting school and children’s theater, and raising a son who was a
nationally ranked figure skater, Beth has decided to return to her roots;
storytelling. When she was in the sixth grade, her teacher gave her the
floor every Friday to tell her stories. See, Beth was a talker, a future talk
show host in the making, and she was sharing her stories so much that her
teacher couldn’t teach. The teacher told 12 year old Beth if she would begin
writing her stories down, she would be allowed time to share those stories
with the class.
And she’s been writing, AND talking ever since.
Beth has interviewed Bob Hope, Oprah Winfrey, Betty White, Wolfgang Puck
and George Burns live from the Chinese Theatre, as well as numerous other
celebrities, and authors. Then Beth became a principal character on Days of
Our Lives. But through all of the excitement of talk shows and soap
operas, Beth loved telling stories to her audience the most. With a degree
in Journalism from her beloved University of Alabama, She always remains
true to her roots, born and raised in Tuscaloosa, “My grandfather was the play
by play announcer for the Crimson Tide in the 50s!” Beth will proudly tell
you. She is a down homespun girl, although she
currently lives in San Francisco with her TV producer husband and her
brilliant son. But her heart is always in Alabama.
Connect
with the author at:
Beth is generously giving one lucky reader
a signed book, chocolates and a Starbucks
gift card.
And three separate winners a $5 Starbucks
gift card.
