One Author’s Silver Lining: A Guest Post and a giveaway by Mary Oldham

I started writing in 1998 after a divorce. My friend Betsy (everyone needs a friend named Betsy) told me to journal my feelings. I tried, but I ended up writing a story about murdering my ex-husband and getting away with it.

Over the next few years, I found that I loved to write. I remember telling my parents, and they were horrified. I said, “Look, I’m not quitting the day job, but I’m going to pursue this.” So, I did, by writing a little book called Laura Takes a Lover. I entered it into the Georgia Romance Writers Maggie Contest, and it finaled, first contest, first entry, same with the Romance Writers of America’s Golden Heart. Then, my fate was sealed. Over the last ten years, I’ve written seventeen manuscripts.

When I pitched Silver Linings to my agent four years ago, she was excited but failed to sell it. So, in May of 2021, I decided to move the needle for myself. I have a background in Marketing and Fashion Design. Still, I needed a little help, so I hired a line editor, Sue Grimshaw, to ensure the story was tight. Next, Tamara and Chris at the Deliberate Page to make sure it looked good and was grammatically perfect. Most importantly, Sue linked me with Lynn Andreozzi, who designed a beautiful cover.

The story of The Silver Linings Wedding Dress Auction is simple. I have a friend who has been engaged a lot in the 30 years I’ve known her. I’ve loved the rings, we’ve always enjoyed the dresses, so I wrote a story about a woman looking for the HEA who finds herself in interesting circumstances with different men. I did all the sketches for the book, so it combined a lot of my loves.

In November, A Paris Affair will be available. It is the first book in the Hotel Baron’s series to be followed by the book two, Laura Takes a Lover, now entitled, A Summer Affair, due out in December.

For a chance to receive a signed copy of The Silver Linings Wedding Dress Auction, be one of the first ten to follow Mary on BookBub! (Send here an email at maryoldham@comcast.net to let her know when you’ve signed up!)

About the Author Mary:

Mary Oldham is a multi-award-winning author, and three-time Golden Heart Finalist with the Romance Writers of America in the areas of Contemporary Romance and Romantic Suspense.  Mary resides in Portland, Oregon when she is not writing by the Pacific Ocean in scenic Yachats.

Website: https://maryoldham.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/weddingdresssketchesmaryoldham

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/maryoldhamauthor/

Two weeks before her wedding, a tragedy occurs, and Leslie Westcott becomes a single woman again. The pain of it all is palpable, and the need to move forward in life takes time. But over the next few years, Leslie has no problem meeting Mr. Almost Right and accepts their proposal. After all, no one would ever fill that void with the loss of her one true love. Of course, Leslie must change what she wants with each new relationship, but what about love?

Fortunately, the thought of settling for less stops her, always in the nick of time.

The result is a closet full of unworn wedding dresses and an aunt who owns a bridal shop and decides to have a charity auction to benefit a local women’s shelter. Join Leslie as she relives each voyage to love and decides which dresses she is ready to cast away. And what about her true love?

Maybe the love of her life has been there all along — she’ll have to look past the the sparkle of her engagement rings and into the heart and soul of a good friend.