#SaturdaySpotlight is on Denise Broadwater & A House With Holes

Good Morning and Welcome!

I want to thank everyone who has left a comment on my January posts. I'll be announcing the gift-card winner on Wednesday so check back and be sure to leave comments often so you can be put in the drawing!

Today's guest is brand new to our blog and brought to us by PrimeStar Publicity.

Denise Broadwater has been a licensed professional counselor in South Carolina for ten years, treating anxiety, depression, life adjustments, and marriages. She has an MA in clinical counseling and began her career as a family therapist working with at-risk families and youth. Additionally, Denise has an M.Ed in education administration with several years of teaching experience in private education. She is a wife and the mother of three children and recently added “Nana” to her list of titles. She enjoys rowing at the gym, cooking new recipes, sewing quilts, and blogging at Life Lights Blog (emptynestmarriage.com) and Charleston Renovator Blog  (www.freedmanscottagerenovation.blogspot.com).


So Nice to meet you, Denise. Now let's hear about your new book!

''If you're with me, Denise, I can promise you there is nothing in this mess we cannot fix.''

When veteran rehabbers Denise and Greg Broadwater purchase a dilapidated Charleston Cottage in a sketchy part of town for less than the value of the lot, they soon uncover complications they didn't bargain for--both in the house and in their relationship. As a licensed counselor, Denise thought she could handle anything that came up in their 30-year marriage. However, she didn't plan on open dirt floors, a creepy bathroom or wildlife in her kitchen, and that's just for starters. Heartfelt and humorous, dramatic and down-to-earth, A House With Holes is a memoir with a message as Denise compares the house renovation to her adjustments as a new empty-nester.

EXCERPTS:

From the intro:

As I stand at the stove, out of the corner of my eye I glimpse movement. I look over my shoulder, and—moving slowly away through the plastic curtain into the construction area—I see the gray-brown bushy tail of a racoon.

I shut off the stove, stick the soup pot into the warm oven, and slam the door into the dorm room. My first impulse is to fire off an angry text to Greg, but know I’ll regret what I would write in my current emotional state.

Instead, I tremble on the bed with a blanket over me. The longer I wait, the more I feel sorry for myself. How much of this am I supposed to stand?

From Chapter 2:

My craftsman husband, Greg, works for Liollio Architecture, a firm that has spent more than sixty years designing in Charleston. He’s very aware of what a typical renovation in this town will require of us. Each house is like opening a time capsule with hopes of discovering covered treasure. Each phase of the process comes under scrutiny to ensure the house preserves its southern heritage.

 Despite the constraints, in 2012 Greg and I share a dream of owning a house on the Charleston peninsula. We look at the surrounding suburbs, but are drawn to live in this exciting city. Upscale neighborhoods, old world charm, the convenience of walking to all the local restaurants—this is where we want to be.

We enlist Realtor Leon Polk to help us find a small cottage to restore on the upper westside. Several weeks pass, and several opportunities collapse due to quick sales or poor timing. Taking matters into our own hands, Greg and I spend evenings religiously surfing realty sites and tax maps looking for the right place.

Leon is happy to let us search because he believes we are looking for a pipe dream, impossible to find. What we appreciate most about him is his willingness to show us anything, anywhere. Greg is faithful to do searches for several weeks.

A House with Holes can be purchased at Amazon.

Wow...sounds like an intriguing memoir! Thank you so much for sharing. We certainly wish you the best of luck and God's blessings with it.

Thanks for stopping by friends. Be sure to leave a comment and be entered in February's drawing for a $15.00 gift card!

Until next time, take care and God bless.
PamT