Monday, May 12, 2014

Narelle Atkins ~ The Nurse's Perfect Match


I'm thrilled to welcome my dear friend, Narelle Atkins, back to Ink Dots and to celebrate the release of her second romance, The Nurse's Perfect Match. A fun loving Aussie girl at heart, Narelle was born and raised on the beautiful northern beaches in Sydney, Australia. She has settled in Canberra with her husband and children. A lifelong romance reader, she found the perfect genre to write when she discovered inspirational romance. Narelle's contemporary stories of faith and romance are set in Australia and she is thrilled to have the opportunity to write for Heartsong Presents.

The Nurse’s Perfect Match 

NURSE AMY WILKINS HAS COME HOME 

After her marriage ends in tragedy, Amy returns to Snowgum Creek to rebuild her life. There she meets widower Ben Morton, who's not looking for romance, though his young children are eager for Amy's attention. She's given up on her dream of being a mother, but can't ignore how she's drawn to Ben's little ones, and to their handsome farmer dad. 

As love kindles between Ben and Amy, she worries how she'll ever measure up to the wife he lost. And Ben is concerned about how Amy will ever truly fit into life on the farm. They could be the answer to each other's prayers—if the secret Amy is keeping doesn't tear them apart.

Narelle says... 

If I could eat anywhere in the world tomorrow, it would be... a romantic dinner with my husband, overlooking the gorgeous valleys in the Blue Mountains near Sydney, Australia.

The most unusual job I've ever had is... planting apple trees. I was sitting low to the ground on a tree planter, attached to the back of a tractor. We manually planted rows of trees on a sloping hill. I ended up covered in dirt from head to toe. It was a fun and rewarding job. 

My all-time favourite movie is... a tough question! There are so many movies I love for different reasons. One of my favourite contemporary romance movies is Notting Hill. I love the quote in the movie from Anna Scott (Julia Roberts). "I'm just a girl, standing in front of a boy, asking him to love her.” 

I can't wait for the calendar to flip over to... July 2014 when I travel overseas to San Antonio for the Romance Writers of America conference. Dotti, I’m so looking forward to seeing you in Texas in July! I'm so looking forward to that date, too. It's coming around faster than I imagined! :) 

When I was a child I most feared... redback spiders. At school the boys would find redback spiders, somehow put them on the end of a fallen tree branch, and chase the girls around the playground. Needless to say, I learned to run fast! I must be the only Aussie who's never come close to seeing a redback. But I'm not complaining. 

If I had a pet kangaroo, I'd name it... Joey. This is hard question to answer, because both of my children have named their soft toy kangaroos. My daughter, who is sitting to the table with me now, named her kangaroo Joey, and the baby joey in the pouch is called Timmy. My son named his kangaroo Skippy (after the iconic 1970’s Aussie tv show) and the baby joey is Skip. So cute. :)

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If you'd like to win a copy of Narelle's The Nurse's Perfect Match, tell us about the scariest critter you've escaped, OR ... hope to never have to outrun.

Spider, snake... crocodile? Leave your answer in the comments below and I'll announce a winner on Friday. 

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I'm reading The Nurse's Perfect Match this week, Narelle. Congratulations on its release. What a thrill to be sharing your second book already. :)