Wednesday, April 27, 2022

Book Tour, Excerpt & Giveaway: The Rancher's Wyoming Twins by Virginia McCullough

On Tour with Prism Book Tours

The Rancher's Wyoming Twins
(Back to Adelaide Creek #1)
By Virginia McCullough
Clean Contemporary Romance
Paperback & ebook, 384 Pages
March 29, 2022 by Harlequin Heartwarming

Her worst enemy...
Could bring her heart home

Heather Stanhope wants to despise the man who now owns the ranch her family lost. But Matt Burton is raising his late sister’s adorable twins, loves horses, and is known for his loyalty and honesty. Sneaking into Adelaide Creek for her friend’s wedding, Heather hopes to avoid Matt, but fate and family have them crossing paths. Heather knows falling for Matt means risking her heart, but it’s a risk she can’t resist.

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Excerpt


“I had fun at our party,” Lucy said. “Our whole yard was filled with people. But then Nick got sick,” Lucy said.

Nick nodded, which gave her the opening she needed.

“Why don’t you tell me about it, Nick?” She picked up the tablet and showed it to him and Lucy. “I’m going to write down what you tell me so the doctor can read it when you see him.” There was no question in her mind that Dr. Tom would order some tests. With Nick sitting this close to her in the well-lit room, it was even clearer something was off. Pale skin and dull eyes made him appear worn out. She reached over and affectionately squeezed Lucy’s hand and then Nick’s. Lucy’s skin was warm, but Nick’s was cool, closer to cold. She noted that on the tablet.

“Sometimes I get tired at the wrong times.”

Stacey leaned forward. “We had a hard time settling you down the other night, Nick,” she said. “You didn’t seem like yourself. Not at all.”

“We’ll tell Dr. Tom you’re tired at the wrong times,” Heather said.

“Sometimes I get mad about things. I don’t like the rules.”

“I think Dr. Tom will be interested in hearing more about that.” And putting together the clues of cold hands and pale skin. No child should have dull eyes.

Heather caught Matt’s look….she had a hunch about what was wrong with Nick.

Excerpted from The Rancher’s Wyoming Twins by Virginia McCullough, Copyright © 2022 by Virginia McCullough. Published by Harlequin Heartwarming.
 
About the Author


Born and raised in Chicago, Virginia McCullough has been lucky enough to develop her writing career in many locations, including the coast of Maine, the mountains of North Carolina, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and currently, Northeast Wisconsin. She started her career in nonfiction, first writing articles and then books as a ghostwriter and coauthor. She’s written more than 100 books for physicians, business owners, professional speakers and many others with information to share or a story to tell.

Virginia’s books feature characters who could be your neighbors and friends. They come in all ages and struggle with everyday life issues in small-town environments that almost always include water—oceans, lakes, or rivers. The mother of two grown children, you’ll find Virginia with her nose a book, walking on trails or her neighborhood street, or she may be packing her bag to take off for her next adventure. And she’s always working on another story about hope, healing, and second chances.


Tour Schedule


Tour Giveaway


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Ends May 4, 2022

 
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Wednesday, April 6, 2022

Series Review: A Maple Falls Romance series by Kathleen Fuller


My rating: 4 stars / I really liked it



Synopsis

When her grandmother injures herself sliding into third base, Riley McAllister must return to her small hometown to help run the family yarn store in this sweet, lighthearted romantic comedy.

Riley McAllister left the small Arkansas town of Maple Falls after graduating high school, hoping to make it big in New York as a mixed media artist. She’s still pursuing her dream when her grandmother begs her to come home and help her manage the store while she recovers from a broken leg she got after sliding into third base during a church softball game (she was safe, by the way). Riley agrees, planning to convince her grandmother to sell the old shop and retire so Riley can get back to the big city. New York is where she belongs, not some hick town that doesn’t even have a decent coffee shop.

Hayden Price’s life hasn’t turned out as he expected either. He still works in the hardware store his family has owned for several generations after his chance to make it out of Maple Falls ended when he blew out his pitching arm during a minor league game. Stuck with debt from college and a broken engagement, he decides to make the best of things when he comes back to Maple Falls and puts together the town’s first church softball team--with him as coach, of course.

Riley and Hayden went to high school together but ran in totally different circles. In fact, it’s safe to say they hated each other. Will that change when the softball team unexpectedly brings them together? Or will the pain and disappointment of their past failures keep them from discovering love in Maple Falls?


My Review

Kathleen Fuller is one of my favorite authors of Amish romance, so I was so excited to read a contemporary romance series from her. She's skilled at bringing depth to her characters- making them come alive with their strengths and flaws, struggles and triumphs. Riley and Hayden don’t hate each other- they actually have been interested in each other surreptitiously since high school, but life got in the way of them becoming more than acquaintances. Riley copes with her traumatic past and dysfunctional childhood by closing herself off from people, which is incredibly frustrating to Hayden. He has overcome personal disappointments and injuries, and I loved how that put him in a unique position to understand Riley and support her. Boy, they do not have an easy road as Riley begins to recognize how her coping mechanisms are no longer helping her, but preventing her from pursuing the happiness that is just within reach. I enjoyed the sense of community and we are introduced to friends and neighbors that I looked forward to get to know more in the coming books. 

Disclosure statement: A complimentary copy of this book was provided from a tour group, publisher, publicist, or author, including NetGalley, OR was borrowed from the library, including OverDrive, OR borrowed from Kindle Unlimited, OR purchased. A review was not required and all views and opinions expressed are unbiased and my own.
 


 
My rating: 4 stars / I really liked it



Synopsis

She’s loved him for years, but now he’s her biggest competition. Is this town big enough for two coffee shops?

The Sunshine Diner has been Tanner Castillo’s home away from home for years, and his place behind the counter is a fixture in the small town of Maple Falls. After years of working there and saving every penny, he is able to purchase the diner and make the necessary renovations to bring it into the 21st century. Growing up poor, Tanner's always felt like he’s needed something to his name before he could ask out Anita Bedford.

Due to some savvy business investments, Anita’s parents have been able to provide her and her siblings with everything they’ve ever needed or wanted. But Anita doesn’t have the same ambitions as her doctor brother and lawyer sister. She’s always been happy to work as a waitress at the diner, especially since it kept her close to Tanner, whom she’s been crushing on since middle school.

When her father decides to open a coffee shop and bakery, he puts Anita in charge, making her the direct competition to Tanner’s Sunshine Diner. After working side-by-side for years, can working against each other finally be the thing that brings these two lovebirds together?


My Review

Unrequited love can be brutal! Anita has it bad for Tanner, and has for a long time, but never pursued a relationship with him. It was awesome to see both Anita and Tanner following their dreams and putting in the hard work to make them happen. Unfortunately, while they are friendly coworkers at the diner, they are not close enough to confide their palms with each other, which creates the conflict when they become unexpected competitors. It was a fun dynamic as Anita fights her attraction to Tanner while Tanner wakes up to the chemistry he finds with her. He can be a bit of an idiot, so he’s lucky that Anita is forgiving ;) A subplot with Tanner’s mother experiencing health problems broke up the momentum when it turned to her point of view. I appreciated that the story was more well rounded with multi-generational perspectives in their cozy community, but I found myself skimming her chapters to get back to Tanner and Anita. The theme of accepting the help of her support group when Anita found herself in over her head was especially touching. I loved the ending and the solution they found for their future together in Maple Falls. 

Disclosure statement: A complimentary copy of this book was provided from a tour group, publisher, publicist, or author, including NetGalley, OR was borrowed from the library, including OverDrive, OR borrowed from Kindle Unlimited, OR purchased. A review was not required and all views and opinions expressed are unbiased and my own.
 
 

My rating: 4 stars / I really liked it



Synopsis

She’s a high-fashion realtor; he’s a low-maintenance mechanic. What on earth could they have in common?

Dressed in designer labels and cruising around town in her red Mercedes, workaholic realtor Harper Wilson presents the picture of success in charming Maple Falls. But Harper’s carefully cultivated image is resting on a shaky foundation. With a sudden drought in sales, she’s starting to see her professional dreams—along with her posh lifestyle—slipping away.

Car trouble brings her to mechanic Rusty Jenkins, and their unlikely friendship is taken to the next level when the laid-back Rusty allows her to give him a makeover for a charity bachelor auction. Harper soon discovers that beneath the town mechanic’s wild beard and grease-stained clothing lies a true Southern gentleman—someone with a kind heart and dreams of his own. Their chemistry is undeniable, but as they get closer, past fears and relationships start to creep in, reminding them of just how much is at stake when carefully constructed facades fall apart.

Maybe their worlds aren’t so separate after all. And maybe covering up who you really are keeps you from discovering what was always meant to be.


My Review

Opposites attract can be such a fun dynamic, and Harper and Rusty are definitely lifestyle opposites! I think what makes them work is the values they have in common. It was a pleasure watching them get to know each other on a deeper level and the respect they developed for each other. It can be a bit tricky when a makeover is involved- but because Harper didn’t judge Rusty before he got a haircut and new clothes, it didn’t make her seem shallow when she also appreciated him after. I liked that we learn why maintaining her image has been important to her, and see her progression as she allows herself to relax, slow down, and take time to accept herself when she’s not top of the game. I thought the author handled the topic rather well. Harper’s lessons also involve letting herself lean on her friends, confide in them, and make time for relationships, rather than getting caught up in the rat race. We get to know more Maple Falls residents in this third book and I love how they give the story more depth. The subplot with Harper’s parents added to the story, but I felt like the chapters with her mother’s perspective were a little angsty and long for my taste and stalled the main story with Rusty and Harper. I hope we get a book or novella telling the story of the fourth member of this group of friends, especially since there were hints of foreshadowing woven in.

Disclosure statement: A complimentary copy of this book was provided from a tour group, publisher, publicist, or author, including NetGalley, OR was borrowed from the library, including OverDrive, OR borrowed from Kindle Unlimited, OR purchased. A review was not required and all views and opinions expressed are unbiased and my own.

Review: The British Brides Collection by Pamela Griffin, Kelly Eileen Hake, Bonnie Blythe, Gail Gaymer Martin, Tamela Hancock Murray, Jill Stengl


My rating: 3 stars / I liked it



Synopsis

Spanning over 500 years of history in the British Isles, nine inspiring romance stories take readers through English gardens, around London ballrooms, and within Scottish castles. Follow along as each of the brides-to-be encounter high drama and epic romance on the way to the altar. Will they survive with their faith intact?

1358 - Fayre Rose by Tamela Hancock Murray
1631 - Woman of Valor by Jill Stengl
1748 - Fresh Highland Heir by Jill Stengl
1812 - A Duplicitous Facade by Tamela Hancock Murray
1814 - Love's Unmasking by Bonnie Blythe
1822 - English Tea and Bagpipes by Pamela Griffin
1827 - A Treasure Worth Keeping by Kelly Eileen Hake
1851 - Apple of His Eye by Gail Gaymer Martin
1865 - Moonlight Masquerade by Pamela Griffin

Inspired by authors like Jane Austen and Charles Dickens, these nine romances are penned by an exclusive selection of Christian fiction authors and will become a cherished favorite of British history and literature.


My Review

This is a nicely varied collection of stories, spanning centuries in their settings. It was interesting to note the differences between the eras in speech, dress, traditions, and society. I found each story to have a compelling plot and characters. Sometimes the drama was a bit much, but I loved the sweet endings. The Christian theme runs strong among them as well, with conversion being worked into many plots, and often at least one of the main characters would be devout. I enjoy characters with strong faith, but when the narrative turns preachy I tend to skim. Overall this was a strong collection and I was glad to get to know the writing styles of the authors. 

Disclosure statement: A complimentary copy of this book was provided from a tour group, publisher, publicist, or author, including NetGalley, OR was borrowed from the library, including OverDrive, OR borrowed from Kindle Unlimited, OR purchased. A review was not required and all views and opinions expressed are unbiased and my own.


Blog Blitz, Excerpt & Giveaway: The Paramedic's Forever Family by Tanya Agler

The Paramedic's Forever Family JustRead Blog Blitz 

Welcome to the Blog Blitz for The Paramedic's Forever Family by Tanya Agler, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!

ABOUT THE BOOK

The Paramedic's Forever Family Title: The Paramedic's Forever Family 
Series: Smoky Mountain First Responders #2 
Author: Tanya Agler 
Publisher: Harlequin Heartwarming 
Release Date: March 29, 2022 
Genre: Sweet Contemporary Romance 

Sometimes “good friends” 

Just isn't enough… 

Bachelor paramedic Mason Ruddick doesn't know what he'd do without Lindsay Hudson. The widowed mom is his sounding board, his neighbor and, since the death of her husband and his best friend, his lifeline. Only lately, Mason can't stop noticing just how beautiful and special Lindsay is. Or how often he thinks about her. Now Mason's heart is caught between the best friend he lost…and the one he's falling for.

PURCHASE LINKS*: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | IndieBound | BookBub

 

EXCERPT

Mason waved his arm with a flourish along the length of his torso, the bright sunlight turning the red locks of his hair into burnished gold. “That’s the deal? You could have asked for anything from me, and you want my electric saw?”

“Driving you home wasn’t that big of a deal.” Unlike the tingles still pricking her fingertips.

This was Mason, she reminded herself, her husband’s partner and her best friend. She’d already lost too much to also lose her cool over a man who’d kept her together after Tim died. Everyone else, including her parents, had coddled her and thankfully taken care of Evan while she hid in bed, until one afternoon when he stormed into her room, opened her drapes and let the sunshine in.

“Your wish is my command.” He smiled and turned, marching toward his garage with that determined gait of his, the one that made women in Hollydale stop and take notice. Just as attractive was the respect he’d earned from his fellow first responders.

Flicking her fingers, she absorbed the spring warmth and willed all thoughts of him as anything other than a friend aside while reviewing her strategy for building a trellis.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Tanya Agler 

An award-winning author, Tanya Agler makes her home in Georgia with her wonderful husband, their four children, and a lovable rescue beagle. When she’s not writing, Tanya loves classic movies, chocolate, and a good cup of tea. Visit her at www.tanyaagler.com or email her at tanyaagler@gmail.com.

CONNECT WITH TANYA: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

TOUR GIVEAWAY

(1) winner will receive a $20 Amazon gift card, a signed copy of The Single Dad's Holiday Match, and a dachshund bracelet!

The Paramedic's Forever Family JustRead Giveaway 

Full tour schedule linked below. Giveaway began at midnight April 6, 2022 and will last through 11:59 PM EST on April 13, 2022. Winner will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. US only. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.

Giveaway is subject to the policies found here.

ENTER GIVEAWAY HERE


Follow along at JustRead Tours for a full list of stops!

JustRead Publicity Tours 

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Tuesday, April 5, 2022

Blog Tour, Excerpt & Giveaway: Claiming Her Legacy by Linda Goodnight

Claiming Her Legacy JustRead Blog Tour

Welcome to the Blog Tour for Claiming Her Legacy by Linda Goodnight, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!

ABOUT THE BOOK

 
Claiming Her Legacy
Title: Claiming Her Legacy 
Author: Linda Goodnight 
Publisher: Harlequin Love Inspired Trade 
Release Date: April 26, 2022 
Genre: Inspirational Historical Romance 

With her family’s legacy on the line, a woman with everything to lose must rely on a man hiding from his past… 

Oklahoma, 1890 

Frontier women don’t ride off alone to track an outlaw—not even women as capable as tomboy spinster Willa Malone. But Willa desperately needs the bounty money offered for her father’s killer if she’s to keep their homestead and take care of her sisters. That means she needs an expert tracker's help. Gideon Hartley has the skill, but the handsome trail guide also has a troubling secret… 

Gideon has spent years trying to numb his pain with whiskey. Little by little, their quest—and Willa’s belief in him—is restoring the sense of purpose he thought he’d lost. Journeying into the heart of danger, they’ll have to face down the past together if they hope to protect their future… 

 

EXCERPT


The three sisters still argued come bedtime.

Willa divested herself of dusty boots and set them by the cabin door with a resolute thunk. “I’m going to hunt him down and collect that bounty and neither of you will convince me otherwise.”

“This is crazy talk.” Mercy, already in a long nightdress, loosened her hair and let it fall over one shoulder. “A woman can’t go bounty hunting.”

“Why not? I can ride and shoot better than most men.”

“It is simply not done. Women don’t ride off alone after outlaws. Lawmen do.”

“I staked this claim alone, didn’t I?”

Mercy had stayed behind at the rail depot with Savannah, who could no more run for land than she could leap over the moon. Papa had run with Willa, hoping for a double portion, but he’d come up short. Willa hadn’t.

“There were plenty who tried to take it away because I was a woman.”

She’d faced the claim-jumpers with a loaded rifle in hand, dead set on keeping what she’d staked until Papa and the sisters arrived to set up camp.

“Yes, and now we have to find a way to keep it.” Worry weighed Mercy’s soft words. “But bounty hunting is not the way, Willa. Riding after an outlaw alone, a known killer, is too dangerous. Even for a man.”

Mercy reached for a brush, and with more than the usual vigor, began the first of one hundred strokes of her glorious hair.

Willa had given up such feminine niceties long ago. A braid down the back was sufficient. Practical.

No one would notice if she primped anyway.

Willa’s chin jutted. “I’ll hire someone to go along. A tracker.”

Mercy’s brush paused. “Who?”

Willa’s heart rattled at the truth in Mercy’s statement, though she didn’t dare let either sister see her concern.

Finding a knowledgeable guide with the grit for bounty hunting would be difficult enough. Finding one who’d agree to a share of the bounty in return for his services might be next to impossible. And riding the trail with a woman? Even she saw the futility in that.

Yet, what other choices did she have?

“I’ll find one,” she said with false bravado. “With the many settlers coming and going in this territory, someone will know a guide.”

“Even if you find one, how will you know where to go?” Mercy resumed her brush strokes, the red hair gleaming in the lamplight. “This is a big country. A man on the run can hide many places.”

Willa shivered, her heart jittery in her chest as she slipped into her nightgown and turned back the quilt Mercy’s mother had pieced from scraps.

She didn’t remember her own mother but she fondly recalled Papa’s second wife, Maeve, a gentle soul who’d nurtured a needy, motherless six-year-old. Maeve, as Irish as Papa, had been the balm that soothed Papa’s wanderlust for a while. Those were the good days when Papa had worked the railroad and Maeve had turned a sod house into a loving home.

Emotion knotted in Willa’s chest. At times like this, when life was hard and decisions were harder, she missed having a mother to lean on. She missed Maeve.

She recalled Papa playing his fiddle by the firelight as Maeve’s work-roughened hands put together the tiniest pieces of scrap cloth until a pattern emerged, amazing Willa.

She also remembered Maeve’s swollen belly and the promise of a brother or sister. She’d gotten Mercy and lost Maeve in the same pain-filled day.

Months later, while Papa awaited wife number three, a mail-order bride from Georgia, he had given the quilt to Willa.

Now, with the enormity of what she planned tight in her chest, she pulled the precious cover closer, imagining the comfort of Maeve’s biscuit-and-rosewater scent.

“The bounty hunter had a good notion Papa’s killer was headed to Indian Territory to hide out for a spell,” she murmured. “I’ll start there.”

“Willa, stop! Put this out of your mind.” By the light of a coal oil lamp, Savannah’s slender fingers jabbed a needle in and out of a ripped chemise. “A woman traveling out there, even with a man’s protection, would be in terrible danger.”

ISBN-13: 978-1-335-41876-0
Claiming Her Legacy
Copyright © 2022 by Linda Goodnight
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.
For questions and comments about the quality of this book, please contact us at CustomerService@Harlequin.com.
Love Inspired22 Adelaide St. West, 41st FloorToronto, Ontario M5H 4E3, Canadawww.LoveInspired.com
Printed in U.S.A.
 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Linda Goodnight

New York Times bestseller Linda Goodnight fell in love with words as a young child when her mother took her to a tiny library and let her fill a cardboard box with books. The next week she was back again, forever hooked on the beauty and power of the written word. Her other passions are her faith and her blended family. A former nurse and teacher, she lives in Oklahoma with her husband where she enjoys baking and travel. Connect with Linda at www.lindagoodnight.com

CONNECT WITH LINDA: Website | Facebook

TOUR GIVEAWAY

(1) winner will receive a $25 Amazon gift card!

Claiming Her Legacy JustRead Giveaway

Be sure to check out each stop on the tour for more chances to win. Full tour schedule linked below. Giveaway began at midnight April 5, 2022 and lasts through 11:59 PM EST on April 12, 2022. Winner will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. US only. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.

Giveaway is subject to the policies found here.

ENTER GIVEAWAY HERE


Follow along at JustRead Tours for a full list of stops!

JustRead Publicity Tours 

*NOTE: This post contains affiliate links.






Friday, April 1, 2022

Book Tour, Author Interview & Giveaway: Light the Way by Lin Stepp

On Tour with Prism Book Tours

Light the Way
(The Lighthouse Sisters #1)
By Lin Stepp
Christian Fiction, Contemporary Romance
Paperback & ebook, 292 Pages
April 1, 2022 by Mountain Hill Press

In this new coastal series, Lin Stepp transports her readers into the rich, colorful lives of Burke and her sisters, Lila, Gwen, and Celeste, who grew up at the Deveaux Inn and Lighthouse on a windswept island, accessible only by boat. Get ready to be introduced to the ups and downs, joys and sorrows, challenges and adventures of a Lighthouse Keeper.

Life had grown hard for Burke Deveaux at the family inn and lighthouse since her father died. She missed his warmth and still expected to see him walking into a room, his big laugh booming. Burke and her mother were gradually adjusting to the change, and Lila had come home this winter to help, but the workload was heavy. With spring coming and tourism picking up in the South Carolina Lowcountry, Burke welcomed Hal Jenkins’ request for his son Waylon to work for them. Waylon, retiring early from the Navy, knew the island and the lighthouse, having grown up nearby. Burke also knew Waylon well since they’d grown up together. He’d always been older, and she wondered how he’d see her now.

Waylon had been away from Edisto Island for over twelve years now, traveling around the world in the military, but it felt good to be home. He’d hated learning Lloyd Deveaux was gone, the warm-hearted Lighthouse Keeper he’d followed around as a boy. But he liked the idea of coming to stay at the lodge at Watch Island to help the Deveaux family with the inn, lighthouse, and nearly five-hundred acres of land the Lighthouse Station occupied. He knew Burke had picked up many of her father’s old tasks and he looked forward to seeing her again. He’d kept feelings for her clamped down for years but one look at her brought them surging back. How would he handle that with them working together?

(Affiliate links included.)
 
PRAISE FOR LIN STEPP AND HER RICH SOUTHERN NOVELS:

“This book feels just as tranquil as Edisto and has a wonderful, laid back flow, like beautiful ocean waves lapping up on the shore … you can’t help but fall in love with every facet of this novel.” – Christ F. JUST READS Review

“From the stunning backdrop of the South Carolina Lowcountry … this book was like going home.” – Kim Standridge Boykin, Bestselling Author of Palmetto Moon

“Each book showcases Lin Stepp’s natural gift as a novelist for originality and narrative driven storytelling.” – MIDWEST REVIEW 
 
Interview with Author Linn Stepp

Can you tell us a little about yourself?

A native Tennessean, I’ve lived most all my life in Knoxville, TN, not far from the Smoky Mountains I love. I believe there is always a place that feels like “home” to you, and this spot, on God’s lovely earth near the mountains, is that special place for me. I’m blessed to have known a happy childhood in rural suburbia where I could freely roam the hills, fields, and neighborhood. I’ve always loved to read, study, and learn new things so it’s little surprise I ended up as Dr. Stepp, with three degrees. I taught psychology and research courses at Tusculum College for twenty years and often worked in educational sales positions on the side. I met my husband while at college and we are still a happy team, with two children now grown and gone from home. It wasn’t until mid-life that I began to write books and, to my joy, readers loved them. To date I have over twenty published books, most of my novels stand-alones set in the Smoky Mountains plus my new beach books set at the South Carolina coast. My husband and I also write regional guidebooks together and have also written a 365-day devotional guide. I really love being an author and I’ve been blessed to hit the New York Times, USA Today, Publishers Weekly, Amazon and other bestseller lists with my titles.

What do you do besides writing?

My husband and I love to hike in the Smoky Mountains near our home and we love to explore new places. We’ve hiked trails all over the TN and NC mountains and described many in our hiking guide The Afternoon Hiker. Additionally, we’ve visited all the state parks in Tennessee and in South Carolina and have written two parks guidebooks, Discovering Tennessee State Parks and Exploring South Carolina State Parks. We’ve enjoyed filling all three of these guides with our color photography to enhance them, and we are already planning more future adventures visiting parks in two other nearby states. The publisher of our hiking guide used some of my illustrations in the book, also and as another side interest I love to draw and paint.

What was your favorite part of researching for this book?

I love lighthouses, and have always been fascinated by them, so I really enjoyed researching the history of lighthouses and learning how lighthouses operate for LIGHT THE WAY, the first title in my new Lighthouse Sisters series. This book is Burke’s story … one of four sisters who grew up at the Deveaux Lighthouse and Inn on the coast. Like my earlier Edisto Trilogy books, LIGHT THE WAY is set at Edisto Island, South Carolina, a small, quiet island halfway between Beaufort and Charleston. Edisto is our favorite vacation spot … and it was a joy visiting the island more than once to research for these books! Although we’d been going to Edisto since the 1980s, I discovered many new wonderful places and bits of local history that are finding their way into my stories.

Do you have images you can share that come close to how you picture your characters? Do you like to find visual inspiration for your characters before or during your writing process?

As an artist as well as an author, I am a very “visual” writer. I always want visuals for the books I write … especially pictures of the places and all the book characters that will be in each novel. After “imagining and seeing” in my mind all the characters, pets, houses, businesses, and more that will people my books, I find pictures for them as I begin to plot a new book. I stuff these into folders along with brochures, local maps, and pages of scribbled down notes and ideas. I also draw setting maps, which my publishers have always included in the front of my books, and I create a “collage bulletin board” of the main people and places who will be in my story right before I begin to write a new book. Below is the board I made for LIGHT THE WAY and the Lighthouse Sisters books.


 
What are some songs that you listened to or inspired you while writing your book?

I know authors who like to listen to music while they write, but I can’t work with music or noise in the background. Whenever I write, I head into my office and shut the door to work in the quiet. The “music” in my head of all the characters talking is enough noise and distraction for me as I work on a book. Occasionally I might go online to find the lyrics to a song that weaves its way into the lives of a character, but that is the only time music playsny part in my writing process. I am much more inspired by places, by travel, by people, and by ideas picked up in reading than from songs.

What message would you like readers to ultimately take away from the book?

I read for joy and pleasure all the time, around writing my own books. Books are a beautiful way to escape, to enter into other lives I might not know, to travel to places I might not otherwise ever see. I love rich, warm-hearted books that make me feel like I know the characters in the story, that I get involved with and hate to say goodbye to at the end of the story. I like books that teach me something I didn’t know, inspire me in some way, lift my faith in the goodness of people despite all the problems in our world. I hope my readers might find this kind of pleasure in reading my stories … and smile and sigh at the end, wishing the book didn’t have to end so soon.

What can we look forward to coming from you in the future? 
 
Now that I am retired from college teaching, I write two books every year. My readers love my new coastal books but they also love my books set in the mountains, so I try to write a book set in the mountains and a book set at the coast every year. My mountain title this year, that readers can also enjoy, is titled Eight at the Lake. It’s a delightful, fun story set in the charming historic town of Dandridge, TN, near the Cosby side of the Great Smoky Mountains. The books I’ll be finishing for next year are the second book in the Lighthouse Sisters series titled Lighten My Heart, Gwen’s story, and a new mountain title set in Cherokee, NC, called Seeking Ayita. After that, two more Lighthouse Sisters books will follow, along with more mountain titles and two new regional guidebooks to the state parks of North Carolina and Georgia. Between book publications, readers might also enjoy reading my monthly blog posts, always on one interesting topic or another and full of photos. These and my monthly newsletter can be found on my author’s website under the “Blog” or “Newsletter” tab. I hope you’ll check those writings out as well as reading about all my published books on my website at: www.linstepp.com

About the Author


Lin Stepp is a native Tennessean, businesswoman and educator. A New York Times, USA Today, Publishers Weekly, and Amazon best-selling international author, Lin has twenty published novels out now, including her twelve beloved Smoky Mountain novels, all set in different Tennessee and North Carolina locations, three Mountain Home books, a novella in one of Kensington’s Christmas anthologies, and four South Carolina coastal novels, including her three Edisto Trilogy books and her first release in the new Lighthouse Sisters series. Lin and her husband J.L. also write regional guidebooks, including a published Smoky Mountain hiking guide and a TN and a SC state parks guidebook, all filled with hundreds of color photos. Stepp’s latest 2022 releases are Eight at the Lake, set in Dandridge near the Smoky Mountains, and Light the Way, set at the SC coast. Writing and adventuring are her joys and more novels set in the Smokies and at the beach are on the way, as well as more colorful regional guidebooks. Lin’s title Claire At Edisto was the 2019 Best Book Award Winner in Fiction: Romance, sponsored by American Book Fest and her novel Welcome Back a finalist in the 2017 Selah Awards. Lin enjoys speaking for events, festivals, libraries, and book clubs. And she loves reading, hiking, exploring out of doors, and keeping up with her readers. Look for her pages on Facebook and Twitter and follow her monthly blog and newsletter, too, that you will find on her website at: www.linstepp.com


Tour Schedule


Tour Giveaway


One winner will receive print copies of Light the Way, Claire at Edisto, Return to Edisto, and Edisto Song by Lin Stepp, and bookmarks (US only)

Ends April 6, 2022

 
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