GUEST POST: Eve Marie Mont

Noelle Ryan works as a veterinary technician at a New England animal shelter, helping pets find the perfect homes. If only it were as easy to find the same thing for herself. After discovering that she can’t have children—and watching her marriage fall apart after a shocking revelation by her husband—Noelle feels as forlorn and abandoned as the strays she rescues.

She can’t seem to get over her ex, Jay. Unfortunately, all Jay wants from her is a whopper of a favor: serving as a caretaker for his elderly mother, who still blames Noelle for the breakup. While Jay heads off to Atlanta to live the life of a bachelor, Noelle is left with only her Great Dane, Zeke, to comfort her. But when a carefree musician named Jasper gives her a second chance at life—and at love—Noelle comes to realize that home is truly where the heart is.

I loved Free to a Good Home. Gentle and sweet, but totally compelling, it reminded me of Elizabeth Berg and also Alison Pace. I read it in two sittings and felt completely satisfied at the end. (And Jasper was one of the sexiest heroes I've read for a while.) 

So I'm thrilled to have a guest post from Eve. Over the cut!

Over to Eve!

Thanks so much, Keris, for hosting me on your blog! 

I had two really clear inspirations for Free to a Good Home: one was my adorable shelter dog, Maggie, now thirteen years old but still a puppy to me; the second was my mother-in-law, Anne Mont, who just passed away this May after a courageous battle with Lou Gehrig’s disease. The book centers on Noelle, a veterinary technician whose most steadfast relationship in her life is with her Great Dane, Zeke. In my real life, I am fortunate enough to have the most loving and supportive husband, but when I was writing the book, I asked myself, what if I suddenly didn’t? What if my husband left me? How would I cope? And the answer was, in part, through the unconditional love of my dog.

Then I asked myself, what if Noelle was still so in love with her ex-husband that she would do almost any favor he asked? What if, for example, he asked her to take care of his ailing mother? Again, fiction diverges from truth because my mother-in-law, Anne, was the sweetest and most selfless person I have ever met; as someone described her at her funeral, she was “grace personified.” But her fictional counterpart, Margaret, is bitter and ornery, and she’s never liked Noelle. And once Noelle is chosen as her caretaker, Margaret resents her even more.

After I had these “What if?” questions in mind, the rest of the story fell into place. A new love interest entered the picture: Jasper, the adorable musician with the ex-girlfriend who won’t go away. And Noelle, of course, has trouble moving forward since she’s still so hung up on her ex-husband. Along the way, Noelle and Margaret learn from each other, and trusty Zeke keeps Noelle company as she struggles to figure out where she truly belongs.

Please check out the contest on my website for a chance to win a book club package of eight signed copies of Free to a Good Home. If you’d like to read a sneak preview, click here.

Eve Marie Mont lives with her husband, Ken, and her shelter dog, Maggie, in suburban Philadelphia, where she teaches high school English and creative writing. Free to a Good Home is her first novel.

Comments

[Jill Mansell]

Wonderful title, great cover, lovely premise. And I am a huge Elizabeth Berg fan, so this one is going to be right up my street.