Welcome to TOW bi-monthly feature Thursday’s Thoughts. On the second and fourth Thursday of each month, I share the thoughts of a featured author in the form of answers to questions I posed to them.

One of February’s featured authors is Christine Nolfi.

How long have you been writing?

First let me say, thank you for inviting me to post on The Opinionated Woman’s Musings blog. I’ve been walking around on happy feet since Booklist said my February 28th release “…has such a charming small-town vibe and endearing characters that readers will find themselves falling in love with quirky Sweet Lake and hoping for a series.”

Ok, back to the question. I can’t recall a time in childhood when I wasn’t writing stories. After college, I owned a small PR firm, and took on writing tasks for companies in northeast Ohio. Once my four adopted children were all in elementary school, I began writing novels fulltime.

If you’ve read the Liberty Series, you know I love writing stand-alone stories without cliffhangers, and with characters reappearing in later books. Creating a fictional town packed with eccentric, heartwarming people that readers will enjoy visiting time and again—is there anything more exciting? For me, there isn’t.

If you could be an animal, which would it be and why?

Years ago, I had reading by a medium who said mine was the spirit of the Great Black Wolf. It seemed a bizarre comment at the time. As I drove home, it dawned that I’ve always owned at least one dog. I was also born in the Chinese year of the dog, so it seems the choice has been made on my behalf.

What is your advice to someone new to writing?

Find a critique group of serious writers, with at least one published author in the group. Writing is a solitary occupation, and it helps to find the members of your tribe. If you’re not sure where to find a critique group, check with your local chapter of RWA (Romance Writers of America) or MWA (Mystery Writers of America).

What do you like to do when you are not writing?

I’m the last woman alive who will freely admit she enjoys cleaning her house. For reasons unknown, great ideas for the next novel pop into my head while quietly ironing or mopping a floor. I also love to work out at the gym, cooking, gardening—and reading, of course!

Please tell us about your February release.

In Sweet Lake, Linnie Wayfair battles to wrest control of the family’s inn, a historic Ohio landmark, from her flamboyant, filmmaker brother. During the tussle for control, she inadvertently sparks a romance with his attorney. Not that she thinks romance is a great idea: the tourist town of Sweet Lake, Ohio is dying. If she doesn’t turn the Wayfair Inn around, her beloved hometown will be all but shuttered.

She has help along the way from her two closest friends, Jada and Cat. She’s also aided by a group of older women in town who refuse to see the inn shut down. The Sweet Lake Sirens intervene on Linnie’s behalf in hilarious, and often poignant ways.

I don’t want to give all the fun away. Let me leave you with this quote from Kirkus Reviews: “The theme that ‘any event capable of breaking a woman could break her open instead, to reveal her true beauty and power’ reveals itself in surprising ways. In this uplifting and charming story, each room of the inn is filled with friendship, forgiveness, and love.”

Interested in learning more about award-winning author Christine Nolfi? She provides readers with heartwarming and inspiring fiction. Her debut Treasure Me is a Next Generation Indie Awards finalist. The Midwest Book Review lists the books in the Liberty Series as “highly recommended” and her novels have enjoyed bestseller status. Look for her 2017 series, Sweet Lake. Join her mailing list at http://eepurl.com/AcuEH and chat with her on Twitter at @christinenolfi.

Christine’s website: http://christinenolfi.com

Goodreads page: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4811669.Christine_Nolfi

Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/christinenolfi

Christine on Twitter: https://twitter.com/christinenolfi

Link to Sweet Lake on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Sweet-Lake-Novel-Book-ebook/dp/B01IH81XUM/ref=sr_1_1_twi_kin_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1484075291&sr=8-1&keywords=sweet+lake

Link to The Comfort of Secrets on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01N4N00OR/ref=series_rw_dp_sw

Link to the Liberty Series on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Liberty-5-Book/dp/B014Z0T9D4/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1484075616&sr=8-7&keywords=the+liberty+series+by+christine+nolfi