Genre: New Adult (Contemporary Romance)
Date Published: July 1, 2013
Publisher: Self
When Beth Michaels high tailed it out of the hole-in-the-road town she grew up in, she only had two goals. One-get as far away as quickly as possible, and two-never set foot in her parent's home again. But when she receives a heart breaking call from her childhood best friend, Jen, she has no choice but to turn her '56 Ford pickup back in the direction of Salem, Missouri to attend a funeral. There's a new local in town when Beth arrives, and suddenly, it ain't all that easy for her to remember her rules for dating.
#1. Cookie-cutter-perfect guys ain't her type.
#2. Tie wearin' and church frequentin' is an automatic dismissal.
#3. Most importantly, never date anyone from small minded, conservative, Bible-thumping towns like Salem.
Unfortunately, Matthew Wright breaks all her rules and then some.
Matt might be from a small town and have small town values, but that doesn't mean he fits into a little slot of Beth's preconceived notions. After all, ever so often good guys are good. Now if he could just convince Beth to let go of her past and give him a chance, he's pretty sure there's a whole lotta sweet under that prickly exterior.
His own ... Sweet Contradiction.
***FAIR WARNING: If you are easily offended by books that happen to mention things concerning God, Religion, Etc., in a favorable or unfavorable light, then this book might not be for you.***
“Guess what tomorrow night is?” I bounced up and down on the edge of Jen’s bed.
She groaned and pulled her covers up and over her head. “Go away; you’re up way too early.”
I grinned and then tugged the blankets off of her. “Come on, sleepy head... it’s a beautiful day, and I plan on making the most of it. I thought maybe we could lay out in the sun in the backyard or maybe throw a picnic basket together and get out of the house.” I really wanted Jen out of bed. She’d been drawing further and further into herself the past several days. She was normally an early riser, so I knew something was off with her. Death was hard, and I imagined the hurt I felt from losing Mrs. Collins multiplied times a thousand. I ached for the pain my best friend must’ve been going through. I needed to get her mind off everything.
“Ooh, I know. How about we go to that cute little antique shop we saw near Flat River a while back? I’d love to check it out. I heard there’s a nice, u-pick apple orchard near Flat River too. We could make a day of it.”
Jen groaned again and curled up into a ball.
I smiled to myself as I got up off the edge of the bed. “I bet a bushel of apples would make some amazing apple-cinnamon cobbler.”
She didn’t move.
“Oh man, and I’d love some homemade apple butter.”
She uncurled herself and moved her hair out of her face.
“I bet apple butter would be good slathered on some homemade bread, fresh out of the oven.”
Jen narrowed her eyes at me. I smiled as sweetly as possible. “Elizabeth Michaels, you are positively prime evil.
You know I could never say no to homemade apple butter and freshly baked bread.”
I moved over to the door and turned to give her a wink. “I know. Now hurry and get dressed. We are getting out of the house today.” I heard her mumbling as I bounced down the stairs to make a fresh pot of coffee. Mission accomplished.
She groaned and pulled her covers up and over her head. “Go away; you’re up way too early.”
I grinned and then tugged the blankets off of her. “Come on, sleepy head... it’s a beautiful day, and I plan on making the most of it. I thought maybe we could lay out in the sun in the backyard or maybe throw a picnic basket together and get out of the house.” I really wanted Jen out of bed. She’d been drawing further and further into herself the past several days. She was normally an early riser, so I knew something was off with her. Death was hard, and I imagined the hurt I felt from losing Mrs. Collins multiplied times a thousand. I ached for the pain my best friend must’ve been going through. I needed to get her mind off everything.
“Ooh, I know. How about we go to that cute little antique shop we saw near Flat River a while back? I’d love to check it out. I heard there’s a nice, u-pick apple orchard near Flat River too. We could make a day of it.”
Jen groaned again and curled up into a ball.
I smiled to myself as I got up off the edge of the bed. “I bet a bushel of apples would make some amazing apple-cinnamon cobbler.”
She didn’t move.
“Oh man, and I’d love some homemade apple butter.”
She uncurled herself and moved her hair out of her face.
“I bet apple butter would be good slathered on some homemade bread, fresh out of the oven.”
Jen narrowed her eyes at me. I smiled as sweetly as possible. “Elizabeth Michaels, you are positively prime evil.
You know I could never say no to homemade apple butter and freshly baked bread.”
I moved over to the door and turned to give her a wink. “I know. Now hurry and get dressed. We are getting out of the house today.” I heard her mumbling as I bounced down the stairs to make a fresh pot of coffee. Mission accomplished.
How long have you been writing?
I’ve written poetry and short stories since I was a teen, but I’ve been writing book since February 2012.
What inspired you to write Sweet Contradiction?
For Sweet Contradiction, the inspiration came from a lot of places. People I know, my own southern background, and a lot of the pieces and places of the story are based on real places. Salem, MO is where I have a lot of family. There used to be a Piggly Wiggly there. I just added in the characters and their stories.
Which of your characters do you relate to most and why?
Beth Michaels, probably because she had a lot to prove, things she wanted to escape from, and a lot of growing as a person to do.
What is a secret about you that nobody else knows?
I don’t think I have any secrets that *no one* knows, but maybe something that is not widely known? I homeschooled myself through high school with my Pastor’s wife’s help. I graduated through our closed Christian School as a class of 1. Top of the class, baby! Oh wait... I was also bottom of the class. ;)
What book have you read too many times to count?
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte.
What is the best piece of writing advice you ever received?
Don’t listen to 99% of “writing advice”.
If you could hop into the life of any fictional character, who would it be and why?
Oh, hmmmm. Maybe into the “world” of Harry Potter. I’d love to live in a world with magicks.
What was one of the most surprising things you learned in creating your books?
That I had countless stories inside of me that needed to be told. That once I’d begun one manuscript I’d become bombarded with the voices of dozens of other characters that demanded attention as well.
What do you like to do when you're not writing?
Read, spend time with my kiddos. Binge on Netflix shows!
Are any of the things in your books based on real life experiences or purely all imagination?
All my books have at least some tiny part of my life experience in them. Some only have tiny,
inconsequential stuff in them, others have things I’ve dealt with personally or seen others deal with.
When not writing, Peggy can be found spending time at home with her husband, her teen son and four little girls. She loves reading, writing, soap making, aromatherapy, gangster movies, prepping for the zombie apocalypse and downing insane amounts of Twizzlers and Kazoozles.
As if being a wife and homeschooling mom of five doesn’t keep her busy enough, Peggy Martinez is a full time Author who has six published books, including The Time Warper Series and State of Decay. Peggy’s dream is to own a small homestead where she can raise some chickens along with her five kids, tend to a large garden and one day take her dream vacation’s to Ireland, Greece and Scotland.
To learn more about Peggy Martinez and her books, visit her website.You can also find her on Goodreads, Facebook, and Twitter.
Lovely to meet you here today Peggy.
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