About the book: The tragic death of Shelby Dodson’s husband—her partner in a successful Home Network house flipping business—stole love, status, and career. Now a bungalow redesign thrusts Shelby into the company of a new contractor.
Scott Matthews remembers high-and-mighty Shelby from high school, and her prissy, contemporary style goes against his down-to-earth grain. When the house reveals a mystery, will its dark secrets—and their own mistakes—cost a second chance at love?
Want to hear more? Here’s how the setting came about.
As a renovation romance, Fall Flip’s setting called for a charming Southern town, small enough to retain a cozy feel but big enough to support competing businesses. It also must offer a number of historic houses in need of, well … flipping. Thus, the lovely Savannah River town of Augusta on the border of Georgia and South Carolina!
First, it’s got the history. Founded in 1736 by General James Oglethorpe, this one-time trading center with Creek and Cherokee Indians became home to:
- George Walton, a signer of The Declaration of Independence
- Springfield Baptist, the oldest African-American church in the country
- soul icon James Brown
- President Woodrow Wilson
- Nearby Army base, Fort Gordon
- And of course – the Masters Golf Tournament every April
Augusta boasts nine neighborhoods on the National Register. My hero’s family lives off Walton Way in one of the oldest and most prestigious, while the bungalow Scott and Shelby restore is located just east on the more modest Heard Avenue. Shelby gets her favorite brew at a coffee shop nearby on Central, while her younger sisters attends Augusta State University.
Add it up, and this equation is looking pretty good. History + military + university = a neat locale, but we need one more thing … culture! The historic downtown and double-decker Riverwalk embrace local crafters with weekly, seasonal artist markets and monthly farmers’ markets. And how neat is that one of my friends near Athens actually lived and worked in Augusta for many years as an interior designer? Her business became so well-known that clients still call her back for mural painting and consults.
Augusta offered all the elements to make a renovation romance work. Can’t wait for you to visit!
About the author:
Represented by Hartline Literary Agency, Denise Weimer holds a journalism degree with a minor in history from Asbury University. She’s a managing editor for the historical imprints of Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas and the author of The Georgia Gold Series, The Restoration Trilogy, and a number of novellas, including Across Three Autumns of Barbour’s Colonial Backcountry Brides Collection. Her historical romance, The Witness Tree, is also releasing this month with LPC’s Smitten Romance. (https://www.amazon.com/Witness-Tree-gain-break-heart/dp/1645260623/). A wife and mother of two daughters, she always pauses for coffee, chocolate, and old houses! Connect with Denise here:
Where to find the book: Fall Flip on Amazon