Narelle here. I’m delighted to welcome my Aussie author friend Meredith Resce to our blog today. Meredith’s latest release, Falling for Maddie Grace, is a Christmas novella in An Aussie Summer Christmas boxed set. Meredith is sharing her inspiration for Maddie and Zac’s story with us.
Book Description:
Maddie Grace has followed her passion, and against all odds has become the first female professional football umpire in Australia.
When an on-field accident sees her caught up in play, and on the receiving end of a blow to the head that knocks her out, Maddie’s career is in jeopardy—not because of the accident, but because of the young man who knocked her out.
Zac Beecham is one of Australia’s most loved professional sports stars. He’s used to the intrusive paparazzi who seem determined to ferret out some dark and dirty secret where there is none. Having been open about his faith and Christian morals, he knows he is a target. So when he ends up on top of Maddie Grace, dazed and in a stupor from concussion, the media pounce on the visual images and decide to make a mountain out of a mole hill. Ridiculous headlines: Zac’s secret love affair with the ref – investigation into corrupt umpiring.
Dodging headlines is one thing, but dodging Maddie Grace is another.
Meredith Resce
Meredith: Narelle, thanks for inviting me to visit Inspy Romance and share my novella with your blog readers.
Why is Maddie a professional field umpire? And why Australian Rules Football?
Well, I may be a little biased, but Aussie Rules Footy (as we affectionately call it) is the best spectator sport in the world (yes the world) and you’re missing out if you’ve never watched a game. But it is a traditionally men’s sport.
In recent years, a professional female goal umpire has been on the circuit, and I’ve really admired her tenacity and skill at doing her job. One day I saw her narrowly dodge one of the players (tall, solidly built, fast-moving players) as they both had their eyes on the ball. Then my crazy mind asked the question? What if he’d cleaned her up, and landed on top of her. That would be awkward. You know how it is with a writer’s mind—one little trigger and it’s off on a full scale romantic adventure.
So Maddie Grace was born, and became the first ever professional field umpire. There are some women coming through the ranks in the lower leagues, but none have yet made the premier league. Maddie has, and of course, Zac, our highly ranked, super-athletic, good-looking AND single player doesn’t see her when she gets caught in play, until he’s on top of her, and she’s out cold.
Fun times ahead.
FYI—if you decide to investigate Aussie Rules, The Adelaide Crows are the team to support. This keeps all of our Australian interstate rivalry alive. South Australia – the best state.
You can read Falling for Maddie Grace in An Aussie Summer Christmas boxed set on Amazon Kindle and Kindle Unlimited.
Visit Meredith’s website to learn more about Meredith and her books.
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Narelle: Meredith, thanks for visiting with us. I have a confession: I grew up in Sydney and the Swans were the AFL team we supported.
Do you follow a sporting team? Have you heard of Aussie Rules footy?
Meredith and I would love to hear your thoughts and experiences.
A fun loving Aussie girl at heart, Narelle Atkins was born and raised on the beautiful northern beaches in Sydney, Australia. She has settled in Canberra with her husband and children. A lifelong romance reader, she found the perfect genre to write when she discovered inspirational romance. Narelle's contemporary stories of faith and romance are set in Australia and international locations.
Hi Narelle and Meredith:) Loved Falling for Maddie Grace! Do have to say though Ladies, that the Brisbane Lions are my team; my husband is a Crows man, I am a Lions supporter- go QLD! Swans…hmmm, better than Collingwood! Reading this made me think of Caroline Wilson and her efforts at entering the male dominated world of AFL, a lot like Maddie Grace.
Blessings and many thanks for writing great books set here in Australia:)
Hi Wemble, I’m a Sydney girl at heart, lol. Maddie’s story is a realistic portrayal of some of the challenges women face in the sporting world. I really liked Zac, too. :)
Thanks for introducing us to Meredith, Narelle. I loved how she got the idea for Falling for Maddie Grace. Here in the US, we have the NFL. I was raised watching the Washington Redskins. Although I live in another state now, they’ll always be my number one team.
Hi ladies – Gold Coast Suns all the way! Thanks for the fun interview :)
Thanks Narelle for introducing Meredith! Meredith, I enjoyed your Aussie romance Falling for Maddie Grace, because my three year old granddaughter is named Maddison or Maddie. Because of living in a male dominated household with three sons and two grandsons, Maddie is the apple of her Oma’s or grandma’s eye. Second, I always enjoy a romance with a different perspective and were I learn something. Even though I am not a sports fan, I learned a lot about Aussie football and about a woman in a non traditional job. As a high school wrestler, my middle son learned that a neighboring school had a girl on the wrestling team. Our son has a difficult time with change and so we discussed women in non traditional rolls. As an avid reader, I enjoy meeting new authors from around the world and seeing romance in a different perspective.
Happy Holidays Narelle and Meredith!
I grew up in the Washington DC area so we were Redskins fans. Now that I am in a rural area of WV I no longer follow the Redskins. High school football is what is popular here. Our local high school team was one game away from going to the state finals. We are so proud of them. Just bought An Aussie Summer Christmas. Looking forward to reading Falling For Maddie Grace.
Hi Meredith, and welcome to Inspy!
I grew up in Sydney, and I don’t think Sydney even had a team in the premier league back then! It was rugby league or nothing where I lived!
I think I was probably the only one who had a hard time figuring out umpire was similar to a referee. Not intuitive as I didn’t grow up watching any kind of football, but my family and friends are into soccer. Way different sport. The story plot sounds very interesting though. Thanks for sharing.
Hi Jill, It’s interesting how we the team we grow up with remains our sentimental favorite. :)
Hi Andrea, thanks for stopping by. I’m not surprised to hear you’re a Suns supporter. :)
Hi Renate, you’re very welcome. I’m glad you enjoyed reading Maddie’s story and learning about Aussie footy! Happy Holidays :)
Hi Nancy, wow, your High School football team has done well! I went to an all girls High School and football (of any description or code) wasn’t a big part of our sporting program. I occasionally played touch footy with my church friends many, many years ago. :)
I forgot to add – I hope you enjoy ‘An Aussie Summer Christmas’ and Maddie and Zac’s romance story. :)
Hi Autumn, The Sydney Swans were originally a Melbourne team who relocated to Sydney in the 1980’s. I first came across AFL at primary/elementary school when we did an Auskick-style program – and I was happy that girls were included, and allowed to play! Our sporting choices at school were segregated and girls had the option of playing softball in summer and netball in winter. Rugby League (and the Manly Sea Eagles) was the footy code followed by my family when I was younger. :)
Hi Priscila, We also call umpires ‘referees’ or ‘the ref’. I’ve learned there are many Aussie expressions that don’t translate easily if the context is unfamiliar. Soccer is big in Australia, too. We are a sport-loving nation. :)
One of the lads from my home town played as a backman for the Lions. Glad you enjoy the game – oh, and the story.
We see a lot of NFL based stories through Hollywood movies and TV, so we know it’s big in the US, that and the NBL and baseball. I wish we had an international competition for AFL.
Thems fightin’ words, Andrea – :)
I’m glad you were able to discuss the concept of women in non-traditional roles. It is really something in this new millenium, isn’t it? They are starting a women’s Aussie Rules football league, which I have had trouble coming to grips with, as it is such a rough and rugged sport – but apparently, it is taking off, and some say they play a better brand of football than the men. I hope you have a great holiday season, and a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
Hi Autumn, There is a vast difference in football preferences between NSW QLD and VIC SA TAS and WA. I know I haven’t quite understood the mad passion behind the NSW vs QLD state of origin games, but the whole country seems to take and interest now, so I do watch a game every now and then, and really try to understand the rugby rules. I think I’m getting the hang of it. But Aussie Rules is the game I love to watch, and I had a lot of fun using it for this new novella. Hope you’re writing is going well.
Hi Nancy, I’ve never been to the US, but my husband has been a couple of times. He went to one of the College football games and said it was dynamic – big and dramatic. But then he said that everything he saw in America was big and dramatic – but then he did go to Texas. Hope you enjoy your taste of Australia, and Aussie sports.
It’s been a bit of an education trying to figure out which words and phrases might not be understood by a North American audience. We tend to forgot. We watch so much American television here in Australia, that American vernacular is well understood, but obviously, there is not so much Aussie TV being shown in North America, and so our language differences may cause confusion. I’m glad you figured it out.
I’m trying to catch up on these blogs. I have An Aussie Summer Christmas, and will read it soon, but I have never read anything by several of these authors. I have never heard of Aussie Rules footy. My favorite sports teams are the Kansas City Royals baseball team and the Kansas City Chiefs football team. Have a merry Christmas!!!
I hope you enjoy ‘Falling for Maddie Grace’ when you get to it. There’s a You Tube link at the beginning to show some examples of the high-flying marks that are talked about in the story. I hope you have a merry Christmas as well. Blessings
I love baseball! In 2013 I went to a baseball game in Seattle – great fun :) Merry Christmas!