We are delighted to have Ane Mulligan visiting us today. Not only one of the nicest people you’ll meet, she also has a great sense of humor.

In honor of your coming today Ane, I tried to find your favorite coffee, Millstone’s Chocolate Velvet coffee, but they don’t have  k-cups. So instead I will welcome you with Homemade Cinnamon Mocha Coffee.

The ingredients and directions are below so our readers can brew  a cup and join us.

1/2 cup ground dark roast coffee, 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg, 5 cups water, 1 cup 2% milk, 1/3 cup chocolate syrup, 1/4 cup packed brown sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, whipped cream, (optional). Directions: In a small bowl, combine the coffee grounds, cinnamon and nutmeg; pour into a coffee filter of a drip coffeemaker. Add water; brew according to manufacturer’s directions. In a large saucepan, combine the milk, chocolate syrup and brown sugar. Cook over low heat until sugar is dissolved, stirring occasionally. Stir in vanilla and brewed coffee. Ladle into mugs; garnish with whipped cream if desired. Yield: 6 servings. (http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/homemade-cinnamon-mocha-coffee)

Thank you Susan.

Ane, we are so excited about your new book, Chapel Springs Survival. Tell us about it.

A mail-order bride, a town overrun with tourists, and illegal art ~ How on earth will Chapel Springs and Claire Bennett survive?

Well, it has my attention. What brought about the writing of this story?

I received a phone call from our eldest son, who said, “Mom, I emailed you some pictures. Look at them, then call me back.” Click.

He’d hung up. I quickly opened email and there was a photo of a lovely—very Latin young woman. The next photo she was in a wedding dress. I hit speed dial. It seemed our son got himself a 21^st Century mail-order bride. And didn’t tell his mother about it until a year had passed.

I told him, “For not telling me, it’s going in a book.” And it did. That’s where the similarities end. In real life, our daughter-in-law is the best thing that ever happened to our Michael. We love her and did from day one. But that wouldn’t make a good novel. So I took that idea, of a modern-day son who gets a mail-order bride and how it wreaks havoc in his family.

Is there a purpose behind the story that you want your readers to know?

That love can conquer the steeliest of hearts. Then we can win over someone without words.

What was the most challenging part in writing this story?

It didn’t quite go the way I thought it should, so when the characters hijacked it, I hung on, hoping it would end right and I wasn’t facing a 90K word rewrite. Fortunately, my characters were right. The ending was perfect.

Did it require a lot of research and if so what kind?

­Not as much as some of my stories. Since it’s the second in the Chapel Springs series, I’d done a lot for that one. This did require a little medical research, though. My main character fell and hurt her knee. At first I thought she had a broken kneecap, but after some research, I nixed that. It’s a whole lot worse than I thought!

What’s next for Ane Mulligan?

The third book in the series will be out in May. It’s called Home to Chapel Springs. I have a hard time deciding which I like best, the second or third books. Right now, I’m writing the fourth and last book in that series, Life in Chapel Springs.

Well, I will be sad for the characters to go…thanks for entertaining us and thank you for stopping by today. Good luck with your new book.

Be sure and drop by Ane Mulligan’s website:

http://www.anemulligan.com/

Just click on her book above and it will take you to Amazon.com to her page.

Stop by her Facebook page and like her. https://www.facebook.com/ane.mulligan?fref=ts