Spending the day with Michele Davenport-Dutton...plus a book giveaway

Introduction by Melissa Amster

I met Michele Davenport-Dutton through CLC a while back. She has always been such a kind, friendly, and enthusiastic woman and I'm thankful to know her. I even did a reader spotlight on her almost 10 years ago. So when I heard she had published her first novel, I wanted to feature it and also learn more about her. One Alpen Day sounds really interesting and is receiving great reviews on Amazon. Michele has TWO signed copies for some lucky readers!

Michele Davenport-Dutton has always enjoyed reading and was the Top reader at her Montessori school in Garmisch, Germany, which she took pride in as a young child. She is a fan of love stories fueled with heart and happy endings. This is Michele’s debut novel. She received her Bachelor’s Degree at CSUB in Business Mgt. and shortly after, became pregnant with her first baby. She put her career on hold as she had three more children and became a stay-at-home mom for nearly 30 years. She had always wanted to write a book and is happy to see it finally come into fruition. Michele is married to her husband, Chris, and together they have eight adult children and seven grandchildren. (Hopefully, many more grandchildren to come) Michele and Chris reside in Shafter, CA, on the outskirts of Bakersfield. Visit Michele on Instagram.

Synopsis:
All she wants in life… is to be a mom.

All he wants in life… is for his two young children to have a loving mom…

Newly divorced and still struggling with her pregnancy losses and failed marriage, Angela Sutton leaves L.A. to return to her hometown Grainau, Germany where she assists her Aunt Terese in running the family bakery. One day, the famous Hollywood actor, Mason Glade, whom Angela has had a major crush on, enters the bakery. Angela can’t believe her eyes. What is he doing in her sleepy Alpine village? Is he shooting a movie? What Angela does know is that Mason has two young children with his estranged, alcoholic wife, Camila. Has fate brought Angela and Mason together in the same village? Would Mason be interested in someone like her? Could they possibly have a future together?

Mason Glade is a simple man who wants a simple life with a warm, loving wife and a mother for his two children. Sure, he’s a famous Hollywood actor and well-loved, but he’s tired of his estranged, alcoholic wife, Camila, being plastered on every tabloid magazine. It’s embarrassing for him, but mostly for his two young kids whom they share together. When Camila enters rehab, Mason decides he needs a break and has to get away, somewhere far. So, he packs up his kids and their nanny and heads to Grainau, Germany, a small village in the Bavarian alps. There he meets a beautiful German girl, Angela, who works at her aunt’s bakery. He’s smitten with her and so are his kids. He sees how great Angela is with them. Slowly, he’s falling for her. Will he divorce Camila and pursue  Angela or is going to give Camila one last try? (Courtesy of Amazon.)

In one sentence, what was the road to publishing like for you?
The road to publishing was fairly pleasant because the wonderful Lee Hyat, who designed my beautiful book cover, assisted me in uploading my manuscript to Amazon’s KDP publishing. 

How is Angela similar to or different from you?
I see a lot of similarities in my mother and myself in Angela. We are all about family. We are the caretakers, the nurturers and it’s because I had a wonderful Oma (Grandma) as a role model. Angela differs from me as she’s had a couple of miscarriages. I’ve never experienced a miscarriage. I had to do a lot of research on miscarriages- causes of, etc.

If One Alpen Day were made into a movie, who would you cast in the leading roles?
I’m not good at casting. It’s weird. I see the hair and eye color, the personality, but I don’t see my characters’ faces. Is that strange? If I had to choose, I’d pick a young Matthew McConaughey and a young Kate Beckinsale as the leads. I’ll let you guys pick. Let me know what you think. :)

What is the last book you read that you would recommend?
I read Jane Porter’s novel, Christmas at Copper Mountain, four times now. I rarely read a book more than once, rarely twice. I don’t know. There’s something magical about Jane Porter’s writing. She just seems to draw you into her stories. They say, “Come inside. Stay a while. Have a cup of hot cocoa.” She brings a lot of emotion into her characters, lots of internal conflict and I think that’s what makes her books so successful. 

If your life was a TV series, which celebrity would you want to narrate it? 
Without a doubt, Kathie Lee Gifford. That woman is so beautiful, inside and out, and so articulate. She’s a Godly woman. I just love her and truly miss her and Regis’ morning show. Did anyone else watch Regis and Kathie Lee? Great memories, Great laughs.

If we were to visit you right now, what are some places you would take us to see?
Aside from Agriculture, Oil, and Basque food, Bakersfield is best known as The Country Music Capital of the West Coast and Nashville West. Country music legends, Buck Owens and Merle Haggard came from Bakersfield. If you came to visit, I would show you Buck Owens’ Crystal Palace museum and also enjoy a great dinner at the restaurant there. 

Thanks to Michele for chatting with us and for sharing her book with our readers.

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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Giveaway ends March 26th at midnight EST.

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