12 Days of Christmas ❆ When We Fell Down by Alexa Padgett ❆

Title: When We Fell Down
Author: Alexa Padgett
Publisher: Sidecar Press, LLC
Series: Seattle Sound Series Book 7
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Holiday Romance
Release Date: Dec 1 2017
Blurb/Synopsis:

Love played false
It’s just before Christmas, and Ella Dorsey is pregnant, heartbroken, and miserable. Her husband Simon hasn’t been home in months. There are photos of him snuggled up to his publicist. And just when she thinks things between them are hitting their lowest, divorce papers turn up at her work.

Too cold to be true
Simon’s music career is finally starting to bring in the admiration and cash that he’s chased for years. But his wife is keeping secrets and freezing him out. His son believes rumors over his own father. And someone has been telling lies—to him, and about him. Ella’s annual trip to visit her parents in England couldn’t have come at a worse time…

An answer for always…
Simon has until Christmas to discover the truth, decide what matters, and win his wife back. But there’s more to Ella’s life than him. For their love to last, he’ll have to learn her heart all over again…

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Read between the Lines and Readers are dying to know more about your holiday themed novel. Is your novel a standalone or part of a series, if in a series can it be read as a standalone. Can you give us some details? 

This novella, WHEN WE FELL DOWN, is the seventh book in my Seattle Sound series. 

Where do you draw your inspirations from?

I love music and the Pacific Northwest. Ella actually reminds me of a good friend of mine. My friend is Australian, though, not English. 

Who are your favorite authors?

Oooh, tough one! I love so many. Okay…let’s see. Vi Keeland, Elle Kennedy, Katie Lane, Mia Sheridan, and Darynda Jones are on my auto-buy list. I also adore John Green, Neil Gaiman, Tamra Baumann, Colleen Charles, J.K. Rowling, Diana Gabaldon, Sharon Kay Penman, Rick Riordan (I read these series to my girls), Philippa Gregory, and Margaret Atwood. My friend Deana Luchia just came out with the sweetest book titled HAPPY AS HARRY that’s next in my TBR pile.  Those are just the authors that currently come to mind. I know I’m missing fantastic writers from this list. 

Was there any particular book which gave you the writing bug?

Probably the Anne of Green Gables Series. I devoured that as a child. I made my mother take me to the book store—I refused her offer to go to the library—and spent my own money to buy the series. 

That said, I’ve just always loved creating stories. I had a friend in elementary and middle school, and that’s what we did—never dolls or running through the bayou…Nope, we wrote stories about elves and dwarves and warrior princesses. 

Speaking of potentially “embarrassing” subjects, what’s the strangest thing you had to research for your writings?

Hmmm….great question! I had a long conversation with a friend who is a nurse practitioner about the differences in ovarian cysts and ectopic pregnancies. Not sure that’s embarrassing, though. I did have to research beer for Between Breaths. And I spent years in early childhood music classes with my daughters, so I created a character who’s an early childhood music teacher (that book is titled A MOONLIT SERENADE and releases in my Holidays Ever After Box Set December 5th.)

Research aside, what’s the hardest part of being an author?

I love being an author. I truly do. I guess there are times I’d like more social interaction and there are days the characters will NOT behave or when the words just are not flowing, but, all in all, I adore my job. 

How would you describe your writing style?

I asked my ARC team this question a few weeks ago! I wanted to know what author I wrote most like. You know what they answered? We love all those authors you suggested, but you write like YOU and that’s why we read your books. I thought that was the sweetest answer. 

But…to your question, I hope I write like Vi Keeland and Elle Kennedy. I respect both those women and what they’re doing, and I’d love to be considered in their sphere.

Any “fun facts” about the book?

I played cricket when I lived in Australia back in the mid 1990s. I was terrible at it—the rules are different enough from baseball, I had no clue what was going on. In fact, my team lost the game because I didn’t know where I was supposed to throw the ball after I caught it. Oops.

Have you had any odd fan encounters?

I’ve had some creepy emails and Facebook PM’s (I don’t like those), but, no, nothing too strange in person.

Is there anything you’re currently working on now?

I sent my editor Book 1 in a spin-off series set in Austin, TX. That book, titled DEEP IN THE HEART OF AUSTIN, is about Jenna Olsen—yes, I listened, lovelies!!! It’ll come out late spring or early summer 2018. 

Danish Salted Butter Cookies

Makes about 24

INGREDIENTS
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup turbinado or brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 large eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more
1 cup fine white sugar (for rolling cookies)

PREPARATION
Combine butter and granulated sugar in a large bowl; add vanilla. Using an electric mixer on high speed, beat until very light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Beat in 1 egg. Reduce speed to low; gradually mix in 2 cups flour. Chill in bowl (covered in plastic wrap) until firm, about 2 hours.
Place racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat to 350°F. Let disk of dough sit at room temperature until slightly softened, about 5 minutes. Scoop 1 tablespoon of dough and roll into a ball. Roll the ball into white sugar and place on a cookie sheet. Bake until edges are golden brown, about 10 minutes.

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With a degree in international marketing and a varied career path that includes content management
for a web firm, marketing direction for a high-profile sports agency, and a two-year stint with a renowned literary agency, award-winning author Alexa Padgett has returned to her first love: writing fiction.

Alexa spent a good part of her youth traveling. From Budapest to Belize, Calgary to Coober Pedy, she soaked in the myriad smells, sounds, and feels of these gorgeous places, wishing she could live in them all—at least for a while. And she does in her books.

She lives in New Mexico with her husband, children, and Great Pyrenees pup, Ash. When not writing, schlepping, or volunteering, she can be found in her tiny kitchen, channeling her inner Barefoot Contessa.

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