Heroine Interview from The Memory House by Linda Goodnight with a Giveaway

This week I’m hosting Linda Goodnight with The Memory House (North America only) and Barbara Warren with Dangerous Inheritance (US only). If you want to enter the drawings for the books, please leave a comment on your post with your email address. I will not enter you without an email address (my way to contact you if you win). If you don’t want to leave an email address, another way you can enter is to email me at margaretdaley@gmail.com. The drawings end Sunday (Apr. 19th) evening.

Interview with the heroine from The Memory House by Linda Goodnight:

1. Julia Griffin Presley, tell me the most interesting thing about you.

Along with my unpredictable sister, Valery, I own and operate the Peach Orchard Inn in Honey Ridge, Tennessee. Peach Orchard, aptly named for the orchard growing at the side of the house, is a beautiful antebellum home we restored. Some interesting things happened in this house, are still happening. I hope you’ll book a room soon. Guests do love my peach tea and muffins, and the house has so many stories to tell.

2. What do you do for fun?

That’s a hard one. I haven’t thought about having fun in a very long time. Not since Mikey disappeared. I suppose entertaining guests is my idea of fun, making sure everything is perfect for their stay, right down to the French press, freshly ground coffee.

3. What do you put off doing because you dread it?

Dealing with my sister’s little problem with alcohol and men. I know something needs to be done but we Griffin women, we don’t talk about such things. We sweep it under the rug, ignore the elephant in the room, and pray the problems go away.

4. What are you afraid of most in life?

Never seeing my son again. Please don’t repeat that. I try to stay hopeful and I would never tell a soul that I’m afraid he’ll never come home. Love always hopes, remember, but six years is a long time and he was only eight years old.

5. What do you want out of life?

Besides having Mikey home again? I don’t really know. Peace, I guess. The strength to get through the days and to keep his memory alive.

6. What is the most important thing to you?

Family, which is ironic since I no longer have one. And to add to the irony, Val and I hired a drifter, Eli Donovan to work on repairs to the carriage house. It’s a renovation we’ve wanted to do and Eli made us an offer we couldn’t refuse. Eli has a family—a little boy–he doesn’t know what to do with, but I can’t let him bring the child here. The world is too scary for children.

7. Do you read? If so, what is your favorite type of book to read?

Southern living and cooking magazines. Now that I’ve become interested in the history of my house, I’m also reading more books about the War Between the States.

8. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?

I’d stop being so angry at my ex-husband.

9. Do you have a pet? If so, what is it and why that pet?

Bingo was actually Mikey’s Australian shepherd. He’s getting a little gray around his merle blue muzzle, but he still knows how to make a little boy smile. Just ask, Alex, Eli’s son.

10. If you could travel back in time, where would you go and why?

Thinking about that horrible day makes me shake all over, but I’d go back to that October morning to the last day I saw my son. I’d go back and I wouldn’t allow Mikey to leave for school that day. I’d never let him out of my sight. Not that day. Not ever again.

Check out The Memory House on Amazon