Great Summer Reads - Day 22

"Sally Britton is sixth generation Texan, received her BA in English from Brigham Young University, and reads voraciously. She started her writing journey at the tender age of fourteen on an electric typewriter, and she’s never looked back.

Sally lives in Arizona with her husband, four children, and their dog. She loves researching, hiking, and eating too much chocolate."

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“I didn’t really understand what love was. 

I didn’t know what it meant, that I should’ve fought harder for it.”

Banished from home by her angry father, Julia Devon travels to Bath to fulfill her role as family spinster by assisting her cousin, Lady Macon, in caring for her dying husband.

Nathaniel Hastings’s life runs in a predictable pattern, until a routine visit to one of his ailing patients brings him face to face with Julia, the woman who broke his heart five years before in London.

Julia and Nathaniel find themselves unlikely allies as they work together to tend to the family’s needs, fend off Lady Macon’s scheming brother-in-law, and avoid confronting the pain of their shared past. But could this accidental meeting be their second chance at love?"

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Snippet:

Author Interview:

1.      What is your favorite book that is not yours?

My FAVORITE book is probably The Princess Bride by William Goldman 

2.      Do you write in multiple genres? Which genre is your favorite to

write?

At the moment, I'm only writing regency novels, but I plan to put out a

Western Romance series and possibly a heist trilogy. They're all fun to write,

but any story I dream up always has a huge element of romance involved. So

romance is my favorite. 

3.      How young were you when you started writing?

The first story I remember writing, I was about fourteen years old. But I was

making up stories and telling them to my sisters at bedtime long before then. 

4.      If you could meet any author, past or present, who would it be

and why?

I would love to meet L. M. Montgomery. She wrote the Anne of Green

Gables series, and The Blue Castle. Those books were such a huge part of

my childhood and my desire to be a writer. I felt like Anne most of the time,

too. I used big words, I was smart but smart wasn't always good. I'd just love

to chat with her about how much her books meant to me and find out more

about her. 

5.      How long does it take you to write a book, and what was your

fastest book to write?

I can write a 60,000 word novel in a month. I'm more comfortable with a 6-8

week timeline, though. The fastest book I ever wrote is actually out in the

world, His Bluestocking Bride. I wrote it in a month, but it took me a few

weeks to clean it up after that rush job. And I put it off for almost a year. 

6.      What is your favorite thing to do in the summertime?

My FAVORITE thing to do in the summer is lay around and be lazy! Isn't

that awful? But the year is always so busy and full. I like slowing life down,

relaxing, making lots of trips to the library and the pool.

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Great Summer Reads - Day 21

Born just outside of Rome, Flavia Brunetti grew up bouncing back and forth between Italy and California, eventually moving back to the Eternal City and confirming her lifelong commitment to real gelato. 

Flavia holds a Master of Arts degree in Government and Politics from St. John's University and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from John Cabot University.
Today she travels the world working for an international humanitarian organization and spends her free time writing and wandering around her beloved Roma in constant search of bookstores and the perfect espresso. 

You can find her city blog on Rome at whichwaytorome.com and her portfolio of published writing at flaviinrome.com.

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Until her dad died, Little considered herself a Californian. Now, thanks to half a letter, a symbol she can't quite remember, and writer's block, she finds herself back in Italy, the country of her birth. In a headlong rush to return to her beloved San Francisco, Little will travel throughout Italy, enlisting the help of the aunt who raised her, friends old and new, and the country itself, in her search for the answers she needs.

This is the powerful story of those in search of a balance between wanderlust and the necessity to come home, a reminder that although we may be fragments, we are never a lost cause.

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Snippet:

This is a story for the third generations (the fourth, the fifth, the sixth generations), for the not-so-lost generations, for the hybrids. For the people who feel more at home in an airport than they wish they did, who yearn for one place to call home but also always, inevitably, long for something they do not know, miss places they have yet to behold, people they have yet to meet. This is for the ones who have grown up checking if the gate has changed, who have both struggled with and embraced transience, have learned to find themselves in the moments in between, that have found a place to belong in the very un-belongable (I just made that a word). This is for the ones who always say goodbye, who have learned too well how to keep tears from falling until they’ve gotten through Security. The ones who cry inconsolably when they get on that plane but are always ready to say hello on the other side. For the ones who hear the sea even in the rumble of the 747 as it wakes up, who have chosen freedom but know that they have placed their roots everywhere, not nowhere. Everywhere, in the laugh of the friends they never forget, in the people that wait for you at Arrivals even when your flight is nine hours late and you stumble off the plane in the middle of the night during a thunderstorm. Lifetime friendships, your blood runs in my veins friendship. 

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Great Summer Reads - Day 20

Morgan J Muir lives in Utah with her fantastic husband, three offspring, and as many cats (but she doesn’t carry them with kits in sacks, and has never been to St. Ives). She grew up riding horses and motorcycles and listening to her grandmother read poetry. She grew up reading any sci-fi/fantasy novel she could get her hands on and so was surprised the day she discovered that she also really enjoyed historical fiction.
Morgan always loved to write and draw and her parents always liked to say that they knew she’d write a book some day.  Ever since she was small she told stories and drew pictures for her tales.  When she got old enough, all of her spare time between classes was spent writing and she always had a notebook with her.
Her first novel was originally written after her first child was born, to help her pass the long, lonely hours as a new stay-at-home mom.  As her kids got older and more came she was too busy to do much with her stories, until one year she was introduced to NaNoWriMo, which finally rekindled the spark that led her to finish what she’d started.

Morgan’s favorite authors are Brandon Sanderson, Kristen Britain and Marion Zimmer Bradley.

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Mariah has chosen to become a vampire, but she can’t remember why.

Upon waking in the labyrinthine caves of Sophus, a centuries-old vampire, Mariah can’t remember all the choices that brought her there, but she does know there are dangerous secrets hidden within her.  As she learns to control her powerful new body— and its bloodthirsty urges— Mariah discovers a unique ability to travel through a world of spirit, the key to remembering her past, and possibly the future. 

At first, it seems her path is simple: learn to control her bloodlust, find her missing husband, and return with him to raise their son. However, things are more complicated than they seem, and neither Sophus nor her husband’s captor is willing to let them go. Mariah must use whatever skills she can to find her husband and protect her still-mortal son, but will it be enough? 

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Author Interview:

What is your favorite book that is not yours?

This is a tough question, there are a lot of books that are my favorites, though I could narrow it down be genre. Historical Fiction: Shadow of the Moon by MM Kaye, Fantasy: Anything Brandon Sanderson, Romance: A Rose in Winter, Sci-fi: anything Darkover

Do you write in multiple genres? Which genre is your favorite to write?

Yes, i write fantasy, romance, and historical fantasy. My favorite to write though is Fantasy because I love the freedom of worldbuilding as opposed to being constrained by this world's reality and history (i mean, do you realize that bobby pins didn't exist before the 20th century? No picking locks with bobby pins before then!).

How young were you when you started writing?

I wrote my first book in 3rd grade, so about 9 years old. And I hated the editing/prep for publication process just as much then as i do now.

If you could meet any author, past or present, who would it be and why?

I'm not really sure. I'm so much of an introvert that I'm not sure I would get a whole lot out of a meeting like that. it would probably just be really uncomfortable, and filled with awkward silences.

How long does it take you to write a book, and what was your fastest book to write?

At least a couple years, start to publish. The first draft is the hardest part, and can take a year or more, depending on what I have going on in my life, so I always try to have several manuscripts at varying stages of completion.

What is your favorite thing to do in the summertime?

Camping with my family, and getting to have my kids home from school.

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Great Summer Reads - Day 19

Shaunna Gonzales currently resides with her family in the greater Seattle area. Married

over thirty years, her role as wife and mother of four continue to be her priorities.

A storyteller in her youth, she endevored to extend her love of stories to the written word and in 2005 began to write her first novel. Though that manuscript will remain buried, she has continued to learn.

Once told by her doctors that she would never leave her wheelchair -- due to her Multiple sclerosis. It has been tucked in a closet while she continues on. (In other words muddles on.)

Shaunna has worked as a professional reviewer for InD'Tales eMagazine for three years. In 2012 she also served as the vice president of Moonwriters, the on-line chapter of American Night Writers Association (ANWA She prefers to write romantic fiction and has ventured into the romantic suspense, and time-travel genres. Her debut novel, Dark Day s of Promise was released by Desert Breeze Publishing in 2012 re-released 2015.

Although she prefers to spend her days writing, she is willing to share what she has learned from the school of life and is often found "giving back." 

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Thirty-four year old Vicki Laramie must learn to trust before she can love, but she might die trying.

While Vicki’s children grapple with the death of their father -- a man whom she’s successfully fabricated as loving, a lie her rebellious teenager recognizes -- she must find a way to support her family and find a role model for her boys. 

She never intends to fall for Staff Sergeant Chase, her best friend’s son, who suffers from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). She’d much rather choose a safer man to love, but her children have a voice in the decision she makes. 

With two deaths to deal with, a suitor after her money, a rebellious son, and Sergeant Chase’s repeated attacks, she can only hope to survive the danger she faces. If she doesn’t, her children will be left without either parent.

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Snippet:

Was he telling me the truth about Carter calling? I wasn't sure. The reality of whether or not I'd survive the night and claim I'd made the right choice to accept a ride from such a dangerous man was, as of yet, to be determined. A fierce battle raged within me. Although grateful for the ride, and the warmth of his Jeep, a cold shudder of terror slithered up my spine every time he glanced my direction. The locked door added to my apprehension. Cold overwhelmed me again.

He exercised a considerable amount of care in adjusting the army blanket higher across my chest with one hand. His warm hand brushed against my skin. I flinched, wanting to scream, but managed to keep it in check, in all honesty because I couldn't ... The phantom pressure of his hands lingered at my throat.

It seemed incomprehensible. I'd once thought him in need of my comfort, only to have him turn on me, becoming a killer. Never, if I lived forever, would I forget the coldness in his eyes at the moment I knew I'd die. The memory of his eyes, the cold purposeful reflection of them, caused me to shudder. I couldn't bring myself to look at him. Would his seeming gentleness be absent, replaced instead by the killer I knew existed behind the veil of concern for my well-being? Though good-looking, he'd proved beyond dangerous -- he'd proven deadly. He'd held my life in his hands. The option of my continued breathing his choice and his alone. I wasn't at all sure by what fate I continued to breathe and feared it had been a calculated move on his part to heighten my terror. He'd measured me well if such were his intentions.

It required a firm determination on my part to remain calm. In the subconscious recesses of my mind, I considered myself his prisoner. Distrust replaced my calm acceptance of his explanation of finding me with emphatic surety. I tried in vain to calm my instincts to run should the opportunity present itself.

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Great Summer Reads - Day 18

Laurie (L.C.) Lewis will always be a Marylander at heart—a weather-whining lover of crabs, American history, and the sea. She admits to being craft-challenged, particularly lethal with a glue gun, and a devotee of sappy movies. Her ninth published novel, her first romance novella, Sweet Water, was inspired by a visit to Oregon’s magnificent coastline, and time spent with Mother Eugenie, upon whom the character Mother Thomasine is based. 

Laurie’s women’s fiction novels include The Dragons of Alsace Farm (2016), Awakening Avery (2010), and Unspoken (2004), written as Laurie Lewis. 

Using the pen name L.C. Lewis, she wrote the five volumes of her award-winning FREE MEN and DREAMERS historical fiction series, set against the backdrop of the War of 1812: Dark Sky at Dawn (2007), Twilight’s Last Gleaming (2008), Dawn’s Early Light (2009), Oh, Say Can You See? (2010), and In God is Our Trust, (2011).

She is currently completing a political suspense novel planned for a summer 2017 release, a re -release of a romantic comedy, and she’s working on another historical fiction novel for a 2018 release. She loves to hear from readers.

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Fears and secrets are the dragons we each must face. . . 

In need of his own redemption, Noah Carter finally confronts his childhood hero, the once-beloved uncle who betrayed him. Instead of vengeance, he offers forgiveness, also granting Uncle John a most curious request—for Noah to work on the ramshackle farm of Agnes Deveraux Keller, a French WWII survivor with dementia.

Despite all Agnes has lost, she still has much to teach Noah. But the pair’s unique friendship is threatened when Tayte, Agnes’s estranged granddaughter, arrives to claim a woman whose circumstances and abilities are far different from those of the grandmother she once knew.

Items hidden in Agnes’s attic raise painful questions about Tayte’s dead parents, steeling Tayte’s determination to save Agnes, even if it requires her to betray the very woman she came to save, and the secret her proud grandmother has guarded for seventy years.

The issue strains the fragile trust between Tayte and Noah, who now realizes Tayte is fighting her own secrets, her own dragons. Weighed down by past guilt and failures, he feels ill-equipped to help either woman, until he remembers Agnes’s lessons about courage and love. In order to save Agnes, the student must now become the teacher, helping Tayte heal—for Agnes’s sake, and for his. 

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Author Interview:

1.     What is the thing you struggle with the most while writing? And how do you defeat it?

a.     Self-doubt is my biggest nemesis. The little voices tell me there are more critical things to do than write. And there clearly are, but then I  tell myself that the books authors write help others to push their own hard things back for a while, and then I feel good about hitting the keyboard again.

2.     What kind of music do you listen to while you write?

a.     I’m inclined to listen to soft music—Andrea Bocelli, Josh Groban, Alex and Sierra, and David Archuletta.

3.     What is your favorite part of writing? O

a.     h wow, there are so many delightful things. Creating interesting characters is fun. Sometimes I just laugh my head off at their idiosyncrasies, and sometimes they become part of you. I love seeing complex threads come together seamlessly. That’s when you know your story is tight and comes full circle. Typing THE END feels great because you met your goal. And the best part is hearing back from readers when they tell you your book touched them in some way. That’s immeasurably wonderful!

4.     Which of your personality traits did you write into you characters? (Deliberately or accidentally)

a.     All my characters have some part of me in them. It’s how I can relate to them and help them grow. Tayte from “The Dragons of Alsace Farm,” is very much me. She wants to do what’s right, but she has a tendency to be a steamroller. I think I do a pretty good job of reigning that trait in, but it’s there.

5.     Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?

a.     There are a few. First and foremost, I hope “Dragons” inspires readers to have the hard conversations with their aging loved ones early. There is so much guilt in managing an aging loved one’s life, and it triples when that loved one has dementia. Knowing their wishes and working out a plan before it hits, relieves so much of that guilt. Secondly, I hope readers feel the power of redemption in the book, that we all need to  be, and can be redeemed from even our biggest mistakes.

6.     Do you have any advice for other writers?

a.     Get started. Get a notebook to jot down things that inspire you—character treats of people you meet, places that wow you, fun words and names, story ideas, etc. Make a character bible for each of your characters. Know them and what they like look so well that you can see and hear them as you write. Outline your story. It’s awful, and the creative part of our brain hates doing it, but it will make your story stronger, and you’ll write more quickly with better continuity.

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