10 Years of Blogging Celebration – Day Six

Posted by abakersp in Reviews / Spotlights / 8 Comments

Welcome to another day of A Baker’s Perspective Blogging Celebration!!! If you’re new here, make sure you visit the previous blogs to enter the giveaways!

Today I am tickled to have author Rosey Lee on the blog today. I read her debut novel, The Gardins of Edin, which she is giving away (hint, hint), and I really enjoyed it. And though I haven’t read her second novel yet, it is on my TBR and I can’t wait to dive in!!

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About the Author

Rosey Lee writes stories about complicated families and complex friendships, but a happy ending is guaranteed. She was nominated for a 2025 Georgia Author of the Year Award for The Gardins of Edin, her debut novel. A Gardin Wedding is her second novel. Rosey lives in Atlanta, about an hour away from the fictional town of Edin, Georgia, where her characters live. She grew up on the Westbank of New Orleans and carries the area and her loved ones in her heart when she’s away from them. Learn more about Rosey and sign up for bookish updates at https://www.roseyleebooks.com/.

Q&A With Rosey

Hello Rosey! I’m so happy to you have on the blog today 😊

Let’s start by telling readers a little bit about yourself.

Thanks so much for having me. I’m Rosey Lee, and I’m very happy to join you today. I write stories about complicated families and complex friendships, but a happy ending is guaranteed. I live in Atlanta, about an hour away from the fictional town of Edin, Georgia, where my characters live. I enjoy bargain shopping and listening to live music. I also love cooking, which readers may pick up on when they read my books.

Tell us more about these amazing books you have written, and maybe give a sneak peek into what’s ahead!

My debut novel, The Gardins of Edin, centers around a family that’s falling apart. The Gardin family lives on a beautiful estate in Edin, but everything isn’t picture-perfect. Ruth runs the family’s multimillion-dollar peanut business. But after her husband’s death, she feels like an outsider in the very place she wishes to belong. Her cousins by marriage, Mary and Martha, fuel the family tension. Naomi, the peacemaking matriarch, steps back to let the women figure things out on their own. But hidden truths, life-and-death circumstances, and escalating clashes force the women to grapple with what it means to be family.

The second book in the series—A Gardin Wedding—follows Martha, the troublemaker of the family. She’s finally mellowed out a bit after coupling up with one of the most eligible bachelors in town. But his mother seems dead-set against their union. The life Martha has always wanted feels just beyond her fingertips. She’ll need to answer some tough questions about herself and get help from her family in order redeem her past and secure a love-filled future.

I’m excited to share that the ebook of A Gardin Wedding happens to be $1.99 until around September 26, 2025. The book can be read as a standalone, but avid readers may want to grab the discounted ebook to read after they get all of the juicy family drama in the first book.

Get your copy!

I remember Martha! Oh her story is going to be great! What led you to write in the genre you’re currently writing?

My books can be described as women’s fiction with romantic elements, but I didn’t think about genres at all when I started writing. I just set out to write the stories that I like to read—messy family and friendship dramas that have a heartwarming ending. As I started writing my Gardins of Edin series, I saw an opportunity to bring a little romance into one of the women’s lives because it would add to the tension in the family. I discovered that I really enjoy incorporating romance to my stories, so I’ve been playing around with that more as I add to the series.

Were you a big reader and/or writer as a child?

I loved borrowing books from my elementary school library. I enjoyed writing stories for class assignments, but I wrote poetry during my free time. Writing poetry feels more personal to me, probably because I used it to process my feelings when I was a kid. The poem that I included in The Gardins of Edin isn’t about me or anyone I know, but I still blush a little when I wonder how I convinced myself to share a poem with the world.

What book(s) had a big influence on you growing up? How about as an adult?

Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret. by Judy Blume had a big impact on me. My faith was strong, so I didn’t share Margaret’s questions about religion and faith. I deeply believed that God cared about what I went through in my life every day, and Margaret’s one-sided conversations with God really strengthened that for me. Reading the book also made me feel like I could be a writer, though I realized that Judy Blume was not a child.

As an adult, Waiting to Exhale by Terry McMillan reinvigorated my love for reading and reminded me that I couldn’t abandon my interest in writing a book.

How do you try to incorporate your faith into your stories?

The Gardins of Edin takes place from the Christmas to Easter holidays, and the women in the Gardin family—Ruth, Naomi, Mary, and Martha—have the names and personality traits of their biblical counterparts. Although biblical knowledge isn’t needed for readers to be drawn into the Gardin family’s story, the plot grew from my curiosity about what happened after the stories told in the Bible. It’s something I’ve wondered throughout many years of Sunday School, Bible tudy, Vacation Bible School, and listening to sermons. But my series is not intended to be doctrinally sound, and it’s set in the present day.

Now some fun questions.

What’s on your TBR right now?

I’m looking forward to The Stories We Carry by Robin W. Pearson, which will be released on October 7, 2025.

Yes, I am very excited for that book! Coffee or Tea (or something else!)?

I like to drink tea when I write because it makes me feel cozy, but I’m not pretentious about it. Sometimes I’ll drink a blueberry tea that’s made from a tea bag, and other times I’ll use a loose-leaf blend that combines white tea leaves with hibiscus, ginger, jasmine, and mango. The Gardin women like hibiscus tea, so my love of tea has definitely spilled over into my writing.

Favorite snack?

Does ice cream count as a snack? I love ice cream so much that I want to believe I’ll still get to have it when I get to heaven. Lol 😊

Ice cream definitely counts as a snack! Favorite read from 2025?

I’m still very excited about The Hunted Heir by Jayna Breigh, which was released in January. The book combines the things I love about family stories with suspense, romance, Southern history, and so many secrets. I loved the way all of the puzzle pieces came together, and the layers in the novel kept me on my toes and tugged at my heart along the way.

Listening to any great podcasts right now?

The Because Fiction Podcast, hosted by Chautona Havig.

Chautona is a hoot! I enjoy listening to her. Favorite TV show?

I’m a huge Abbott Elementary fan. I have lots of educators in my family, so that may have something to do with it.

And finally, favorite bookish quote?

Toni Morrison said, “Writing to me is an advanced and slow form of reading. If you find a book you really want to read but it hasn’t been written yet, then you must write it.”

Thank you so much for chatting with me today! I loved getting to learn more about you!!