***The four novels of the *Meredith* series explore love, growth, and the flaws that make us human. The following is my character interview with the protagonist of the Meredith Series, Meredith herself, answered by Author Amanda Gale.***
Hi Merry! Wait, is it ok if I call you Merry?
I’d like that! Only truly special friends get to call me Merry. 🙂 Given how well you know me by now, I think we are definitely on a nickname basis. Thank you for asking.
Oh, certainly! I do feel that I know you pretty well, and I appreciate you agreeing to answer some of my questions. 🙂
Merry, by day you are a dedicated English teacher. How do you spend your nights?
Well, this is an interesting question! I’m glad you’re asking me now. If you had asked me this same question earlier this year, my answer would be very different. I spent most of my time alone before, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing! But I was alone because I was sad and afraid. After I lost Adam, I didn’t find much to enjoy anymore. Now, I have my brother and a very special friend to keep me company. I hadn’t seen my brother in many years, so I am thrilled to have the chance to spend so much time with him. His friend Nick and I have grown quite close. Our time together is comfortable and cozy. 🙂 When we’re alone, we tend to go for walks or stay warm at home, where we can talk. When my gregarious brother is with us, however, we never know where we’ll end up!
Yes, that brother of yours is something else… 🙂 and I’d like to express my sincerest condolences for the passing of your fiance, Adam. Please tell me a little about him, or a story about the two of you that makes you smile.
You are very kind. Thank you. It’s always so hard to know what to say about Adam. He was not large in stature, but in personality he was larger than life. Everybody loved Adam. He truly cared about people, and he was perceptive and wise enough to know just what to tell people to make them feel that they could do anything. His optimism was infectious. There was something special about him that cannot be explained, but if you met him, you sensed it. Oh, there are so many stories I could tell you about Adam! The little things are most vivid to me. He gladly took phone calls from students in the evenings. He used to make me special chocolate coffee every Sunday, just because he knew I loved it. That’s the kind of person he was.
Oooh, special chocolate coffee! How lovely. 🙂 Sounds like Adam was a great guy. Thank you for sharing your memories of Adam with me.
Merry, you recently met your brother’s friend, Nick. Were your surprised that you began to have feelings for him? Did you feel guilty because you were still grieving for Adam?
I definitely was surprised that I began to have feelings for Nick! Falling in love again was the last thing I expected to do. I was so closed off, so mired by the past. It’s amazing that Nick was able to find his way through the wall. Once I did let the wall down, though, my reasons for developing feelings for him were no mystery! But I did feel guilty. There are moments when I still do. Being with someone else does at times feel like a betrayal of Adam. However, I know this is a normal feeling and that Adam would want me to be happy. I try to remind myself that I need to move forward because my heart will always grieve a little. In this sense, I feel guilty for Nick’s sake, too. It feels odd to be with someone while I am missing someone else. Somehow, though, these feelings need to coexist, and I am letting myself take my time. I go forward accepting the complexity of the situation but knowing I am on the right path. 🙂
That’s great, Merry. 🙂 I’m curious about how it felt when your secret romance was revealed to your brother, Vince. Was it relieving in any way?
I was terrified that my secret would be revealed because my brother Vince has a short temper and had made clear that he didn’t want me getting involved with Nick. At the same time, I knew he couldn’t possibly understand my reasons for being with Nick and that he was simply being an overprotective big brother. I was relieved when he found out because it meant I didn’t have to hide anymore. I hated keeping secrets from him, especially since we’ve finally reconnected after all this time.
Yeah, I bet. Glad to hear it worked out for the best. What is it about Nick that makes you want to move forward with your life? What is so special about him?
Nick is special because of his gentle heart. You couldn’t find anyone kinder or more sincere. I love that he appreciates the simple things in life and that he has such respect for nature. Spending time with him, listening to his quiet voice, has made me feel happy and at peace for the first time in a year. He’s reminded me of how beautiful the world is.
Nick really did change your outlook in such a positive, beautiful way. 🙂
Finally, did you regret handing in your resignation letter?
Absolutely not! 🙂 I’m sad, of course, but I am looking forward to the future. As much as I’ll miss my students, and as grateful as I am for my wonderful year with them, I can’t wait to slow down and live my life in a beautiful place that affords me so many opportunities to reconnect with nature and with myself. And of course, most of all, I’ll be with Nick, who has brought love back into my life. I’m thrilled to be on this path. I just know it’s going to be perfect!
I know it’s going to be perfect too. 🙂 Thank you, Merry! I enjoyed chatting with you! 🙂
About The Meredith Series
Meredith Beck, a teacher from Philadelphia, must redefine herself after she is shaken by tragedy. The series chronicles the remaking of her life and her relationships with three men, each struggling with his own journey. Carrying her experiences with her, Meredith emerges stronger, wiser, and at peace as she discovers the beauty of an imperfect world.
Through the end of July, the Meredith Series is on sale for a bargain .99$, each!
Meredith Out Of The Darkness (Book 1)
Meredith Beck is living the perfect life. She has a thriving career she loves and an apartment in New York City with the man of her dreams. But when she is devastated by tragedy, Meredith must rebuild her life in what she discovers is a shockingly less-than-perfect world.
In Book One, Meredith Out of the Darkness, Meredith stumbles through her day-to-day responsibilities without passion or hope. Her mundane routine is pleasantly interrupted when her brother introduces her to Nick Kelly, a quiet painter from a small town in Maine. Meredith is drawn to Nick’s love of nature and is comforted by his purity of heart. They begin a whirlwind romance, and as they plan their future together, she is delighted to have found peace once again, this time in a simple life far removed from the fast-paced life she’s known. But they are haunted by the past, competing with ghosts and desperate to meet unreachable expectations.
Full of colorful characters and leading the reader on an emotional journey from Philadelphia to Maine, Meredith Out of the Darkness is about two people’s awakening to a world of possibilities. But when their different visions of perfection come between them, the question remains: what is true perfection?
Women’s Fiction, Romance
247 Pages
Published July 4, 2014, by Brenda and Cobena Books
ON SALE THROUGH THE END OF JULY!
Meredith Against The Wind (Book 2)
In Meredith Out of the Darkness, Nick showed her the beauty of a simple life in which all her choices were her own. In Book Two, Meredith Against the Wind, Meredith bravely moves forward in her quest for perfection, only her vision of perfection has been forever changed.
In a Washington, DC suburb of Virginia, Meredith meets Wes Bickhart, a charismatic attorney recovering from a divorce. Wes sweeps her off her feet with his wit, charm, and chivalry, and together they enjoy a passion for intellectual banter and for each other. Meredith feels safe with Wes, who having been burned himself, is also seeking the perfect love and wants nothing more than to give her a future of comfort and security. She is tempted by the seemingly perfect life Wes offers her. But in the back of her mind, she wonders if this is what she wants anymore. And the longer she takes to decide, the more she realizes that this life might require her to sacrifice more of herself than she is willing.
In Meredith Against the Wind, Meredith is put to the test as she is forced to stand up for herself, even as she redefines who she really is. Harder now but stronger, and with new perspective, she becomes embroiled in a power struggle as she determines how much is worth surrendering for love.
Women’s Fiction, Romance
306 pages
Published July 4th, 2014 by Brenda and Cobena Books
ON SALE THROUGH THE END OF JULY!
Meredith Into The Fire (Book 3)
Ever optimistic, Meredith has never given up hope that she’d recapture perfection. However, experience has taught her how easily her world can fall apart. Having endured enough losses, in Book Three, Meredith Into the Fire, she resolves that it will never happen again.
They’ve been crossing paths for over a year. Now fate seems to throw Meredith together with Shane Thayer, an aspiring celebrity chef with an odd sense of humor and a volatile temper. Struggling to make a name for himself and to satisfy the ambitions of his overbearing parents, Shane seems a far cry from the security for which Meredith yearns. But she is tired of following the same path, and she is anxious for her search to be over. Against the advice of her friends and family, to whom it is obvious that Shane is all wrong for her, Meredith sprints toward what she convinces herself is stability. Unfortunately, her attempt to take control of her life only brings her more chaos.
With tension at her job mounting and her unstable relationship rushing toward an unknown conclusion, Meredith makes a desperate grasp for control as her life crumbles around her. As her journey culminates in a dramatic explosion, will she settle for Shane or will she find what she is truly looking for?
Women’s Fiction, Romance
218 pages
Published July 4th, 2014 by Brenda and Cobena Books
ON SALE THROUGH THE END OF JULY!
Meredith With The Waves (Book 4)
Meredith’s journey has brought her far from the buoyant, idealistic girl she was before. But she has grown wiser and more courageous with each experience, never losing her integrity, her kindness, or her spark for life. In Book Four, Meredith With the Waves, she comes to be at peace with the world and with herself as she and her husband begin their life together. Their relationship will blossom and mature as they face trials and share laughter, together finding that life’s imperfections are what make perfection after all.
In this poetic final installment of the Meredith series, Meredith learns of intense love, intense sacrifice, intense sadness, and intense joy. It is a story of birth and death, life and family, and the ways they teach us what is truly important. A poignant tale of reconciliation and the putting to rest of personal demons, it is a truly satisfying conclusion.
Women’s Fiction, Romance
259 pages
Published July 3rd, 2014 by Brenda and Cobena Books
Goodreads
ON SALE THROUGH THE END OF JULY!
About The Author
A graduate of Vassar College and Boston University, Amanda Gale taught high school English before she began writing women’s fiction. The four novels of her *Meredith* series explore love, growth, and the flaws that make us human. A lover of history, classic literature, and quiet nights at home, she lives outside Philadelphia with her family.
Twitter: @AmandaGaleBooks
A Well Read Woman 
Great to read another character interview. After I’d read about the Meredith series, I wanted to hear more from her. Guess I’ll have to add to the teetering tbr pile.
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LOL, Mary!!!!!!!!
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