Marian P. Merritt - Lagniappe

Where the Bayous Meet the Mountains

Monday, November 16, 2015

Candee Fick - Catch of a Lifetime


Good Monday Morning Readers!

Today, Candee Fick visits 
Lagniappe to discuss her latest
release, Catch of a Lifetime.


Welcome, Candee!

Tell us a little about Catch of a Lifetime

Catch of a Lifetime is a contemporary, inspirational romance that tells the story of a rookie college football coach and a football-hating graduate student, athletic trainer who must work together to salvage the season while avoiding a scandal. Cassie’s past is affecting her present and until she can get past the bitterness and stereotypes, she won’t be ready to step into the future. Of course, Reed’s competitive drive to win will be affected by his growing attraction to the new girl and their requirement to interact professionally around the team.

He breathes football. She shudders at the very mention of the sport. After a tragedy involving a football player destroyed her family, athletic trainer and graduate student Cassie moves across the country looking for a fresh start, but a change in financial aid lands her in the middle of her worst nightmare. Meanwhile, rookie coach Reed worries his dream career will slip away as injuries plague his players and his star receiver teeters on the brink of ineligibility. As the two work together to salvage the season, sparks fly, and Reed must eventually choose between the game he cherishes and the woman he loves.

Do you listen to music when you write? If so, what's on your writing playlist these days?

I love music, especially when it helps me get into the mood of the setting as I write a particular scene. For instance, when writing Catch of a Lifetime, I listened to the soundtrack from the movie Rudy when writing some of the football action scenes. For a different story set in the mountains, I tried a playlist full of nature sounds. Currently, I’m brainstorming a book that’s set around a dinner theater that is running the show “White Christmas,” so I’ve got that musical score feeding my imagination. Quite a variety!

Give readers your brand/tagline and share how you came up with it.

My tagline is “Stories of Faith, Hope, and Love.” That trio of characteristics comes right out of the Bible, but applies to my niche of Christian (faith) romantic (love) fiction (stories) that leave readers with hope for the future. My desire is that readers are encouraged as they discover a little bit more about God’s love for them packaged in a fictional adventure.

What are the biggest misconception people have about your subject/genre?

When some people think of a romance, they picture a line of “bodice-ripper” covers near the grocery store checkout and find it hard to pair that idea with the Christian faith. However, the Bible is the greatest love story ever told since it depicts God’s pursuit of a relationship with us, Jesus laying down His life to buy our freedom, and ends with a wedding feast and happily-ever-after eternity. I believe a Christian romance can be a reflection of that same love story in ways our frail humanity better understands. In addition to flawed characters trying to serve and love each other, the strand of faith woven through their relationship can point readers to the only One who can ultimately satisfy their longings.

If you weren't a writer, what would be another dream job?

Hands down, I’d be a librarian so I could hang out with stories every day. Of course, I might get in trouble for reading the books instead of shelving them, so perhaps I should be a book reviewer instead. Or an editor. Anything with books, right?

Where did your love of books/storytelling/reading/writing come from?

My mother taught me to read at the age of four, so by the time I reached kindergarten, I was already beyond the dry adventures of Dick and Jane and their dog Spot. However, my imagination was fed by my grandmother who sent new books for every special occasion. Often those characters lived in my brain and acted out new adventures while I waited a new book to arrive. Of course the more I read, the more I imagined stories I wished were available to read. Eventually I started writing down those ideas.

What can readers who enjoy your book do to help make it successful?

If you enjoyed my book, tell someone! Word of mouth is the best marketing tool available and yet authors are dependent on readers to do it. Recommend the book to friends and acquaintances in your circle of influence. Even buy a copy as a gift. But please go to Amazon, Goodreads, and/or other book-related sites on the Internet and tell your virtual friends what you loved about the book. The more people who chime in with a review, the higher the book ranks in those mysterious search algorithms and the more often it gets included in the “people who viewed this also viewed” suggestions so more readers can find it.

What can we expect from you in the future?
My second contracted book is currently with my publisher’s editor and is due to release in September 2016. Tentatively-titled Dance Over Me, it tells the story of a fledgling actress searching for her place on the stage and her long-lost brother. It takes place at a dinner theater so imagine tap dancing, musical numbers, and Big Band trumpet playing by the hero. I’m currently plotting the sequel and recording ideas for book three in that series.

Please include buy links and your website/FB/Twitter etc links.



Please leave a question you’d like readers to answer.

If you are a football fan, who is your favorite team and why? If you would rather do without football, what other sport/band/show are you a fan of?

LIGHTNING ROUND  

Nora Roberts or Diana Gabaldon?   Diana Gabaldon
Sandals or FlipFlops?    FlipFlops
Artist: Monet or Van Gough    Monet
Women’s Fiction or Romance?   Romance

Plotter, Pantser, or Planster?    Planster


Candee Fick is the wife of a high school football coach and the mother of three children, including a daughter with a rare genetic syndrome. When not busy with her day job or writing, she can be found cheering on the home team at football, basketball, baseball, and Special Olympics games. In what little free time remains, she enjoys exploring the great Colorado outdoors, indulging in dark chocolate, and savoring happily-ever-after endings through a good book.












Candy, thanks for sharing!


Readers, thanks for visiting Lagniappe.


I pray you find 
"a little something extra" 
in each of your days.

Marian