Stacey Wiedower makes herself at home...plus a book giveaway

When I first saw the title of Stacey Wiedower's debut novel, 30 First Dates, I kept thinking of 50 First Dates, which is one of my favorite movies. However, the concept of this story is completely different, but it still sounds like a lot of fun (and hopefully less sobbing involved). In any case, I'm glad that Stacey could stop by to talk about her favorite things and I hope you'll enjoy getting to know her in this way. 

Stacey started her career as a reporter at a daily newspaper before following her passion to interior design school. She spent three years at a firm with bizarre similarities to Designing Women, and now she funnels all of those experiences into her work as a full-time writer. Along with magazine articles, website copy and a weekly feature called "My New Home," she writes romantic comedy, and the zany characters she's met poke their heads into her stories from time to time. Stacey lives in Tennessee with her husband, also a writer, and a son who's inherited their overactive imaginations.

You can visit Stacey at her website, Facebook, and Twitter. And if you'd like to check out her novel, she has TWO e-books for some lucky readers anywhere in the world!

Synopsis of 30 First Dates:
Erin Crawford is a relationship blogger with a bucket list and a vendetta. After years of horrible luck in relationships, she decides to start a blog called "30 First Dates." Her mission: go out with 30 men before her 30th birthday, all to find a non-jerk in 30 dates or less. As she blogs about her sometimes humorous and sometimes laughably bad dates, she crosses off her bucket list of 30 things she wants to do before she turns 30—and kills two birds with one stone by completing the items on her dates! In fourteen months she skydives, skinny-dips, crashes a wedding, travels to multiple cities and lives way outside her comfort zone. The only question is, as her birthday approaches and her list grows smaller, will Erin be able to find love? Or is she destined to be a first-date-only kind of girl?

Oprah used to give away her "favorite things" on her show. If you were to do a show where you could give people FIVE of your "favorite things," what would you include and how would you present it?

I love reading “favorite things” lists! One of my favorite magazines, Elle Décor, features a designer or trendsetter in a list of “12 Things He/She Can’t Live Without,” and I pore over this article every month. You learn so much about somebody by finding out what they love (and you get great ideas for things you might want to try yourself). I’m super excited to write my own list of five favorite things:

Bare Escentuals mineral foundation. I discovered bareMinerals makeup probably six or seven years ago, and I don’t think I’m overstating things to say it changed my life. I still don’t understand how it works, but this small tub of powder is like a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser for your face. It goes on easily, stays on all day and covers any and all blemishes and splotchy spots. It’s even helped my complexion! And it’s made with natural ingredients that give it a low ranking on the toxicity scale, which makes it even better.

My old-school Kindle. I stare at a computer all day long, every day, so when I read the last thing I want to do is look at another backlit screen. That’s why I love my early model Kindle, which reads like the pages of a “real” book. For my giveaway I’d upgrade viewers to the newest non-lit model, but honestly, that good old original Kindle does me just fine.

PG Tips black tea. My mother is British, and so even though I grew up in the American south, I’ve started and/or ended most days of my life with a nice, hot cup of English tea. A teaspoon of sugar, a splash of milk … perfection. My favorite brand is PG Tips, and my parents used to bring back suitcases full of it before it became readily available in the United States. My electric tea kettle is another must-have in my life.

MacLeod Family Vineyard zinfandel. I had an amazing experience touring this small, family-owned vineyard on a trip to Sonoma County, California. My husband and I sat on hay bales in the bed of the owners’ pickup, their sweet dog right beside us, as we rumbled across the hilly terrain. We tasted wines, cheeses and chocolates on a red-and-white checked tablecloth under a shade tree, surrounded by a panoramic view of rolling hills draped in grapevines. It was as idyllic as it sounds! The trip inspired a scene in 30 First Dates, though my vineyard experience was a bit less risqué than main character Erin Crawford’s. (Let’s just say I was fully clothed.)

Time to myself. I can’t for one second imagine life without my family and friends. But there’s nothing like a weekend away to recharge, forget your mountain of responsibilities and relax, already. On my show, I’d give an audience full of busy working moms a long weekend at a technology-free spa. Oh, and if anybody wants to give me that, I’ll be your new best friend!

Thanks to Stacey for sharing her favorite things with us and for sharing her book with our readers!

~Introduction by Melissa Amster

How to win: Use Rafflecopter to enter the giveaway. If you have any questions, feel free to contact us. If you have trouble using Rafflecopter on our blog, enter the giveaway here.

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Worldwide. Giveaway ends January 21st at midnight EST.