Exclusive Sneak Peek: Sanctuary Cove by Kate James + Giveaway! (Open Internationally!)

Sanctuary Cove
Kate James

Can his safe haven be enough for her?

Emma Meadows never imagined that sticking to her principles against an act of corruption by a New York senator would cost her her job as VP of communications. Heartbroken, she retreats to her cottage in the Adirondacks to lick her wounds and, in the process, rescues an injured dog that only Josh Whitmore can save.

The veterinarian works diligently to bring dog and woman back to full fighting form, until allegations against the senator become more serious. Seeing Emma's reaction to the increasing pressure, Josh realizes that inevitably she'll find a way back to the top... and he'll likely lose her for good.

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Interview with Catherine Lanigan, Author of Sophie's Path + Fear of Falling Giveaway (Open Internationally!)

I'd like to welcome Catherine Lanigan to the blog today to celebrate the exciting release of Sophie's Path from Harlequin Heartwarming!

Welcome to Books à la Mode, Catherine! Let's get this interview started.

Will you please share a brief introduction with us?

Catherine Lanigan is the international bestselling and award-winning author of forty published titles in both fiction and non-fiction, including the novelizations of Romancing the Stone and The Jewel of the Nile, as well as her Angel Watch trilogy of real stories of angelic intervention in human life.

Currently, she has published five novels in the Shores of Indian Lake series for Harlequin Heartwarming: Love Shadows, Heart’s Desire, A Fine Year for Love, Katia’s Promise and Fear of Falling. Sophie’s Path was published this past July.

It's my pleasure! It's amazing to get to feature you today! Readers, here's a bit about the book, which just hit shelves in paperback earlier this month:

Her choice. His consequences.

Nurse Sophie Mattuchi has seen a lot of angry patients in the ER, but no one’s ever rattled her like Jack Carter. He has no right to blame her for his friend’s death. Sophie did everything she could.

Didn’t she?

Yet his accusations sting, and that sets off all kinds of internal alarms. She’s never cared this much about any man’s opinion of her. But Jack is different. He stirs up feelings. Strong feelings. Guilt. Anger. Attraction. Curiosity. Sympathy. Sophie’s definitely not interested in Jack, but even if she was, he’d never forgive her for the decision she made that night in the hospital.

Would he?

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What was the inspiration for the plot of Sophie's Path?

The Shores of Indian Lake series took well over a year for me to create the town, the anchor characters and the original plot lines of the first half dozen books. In truth, I hope to write two dozen of these stories set in Indian Lake before I’m done. The town is my Glocca Morra; the mythical Irish town in "Finnian’s Rainbow." It is set in northwestern Indiana very near Lake Michigan and is surrounded by verdant farmland as well as Amish communities. I wanted that lush, abundant and pastoral kind of feeling that I always get when reading Jane Austin. Though my series for Heartwarming is not "Inspirational," I still wanted that waft of divine essence in the land, itself. For many who live in Indian Lake, it is a walk back in time, with an active historical preservation society that seldom allows a house to be torn down, but instead, the buildings must be renovated and preserved. I spent a great deal of time creating maps of the town layout, the buildings and the architectural essence of the town. I wanted its history deeper than a Norman Rockwell painting, yet still with that kind of nostalgia; while at the same time, the romantic characters are all dealing with contemporary, real, even harsh life-issues. I knew from the beginning I wanted to have one, if not two books dealing with drug gangs and drug addicts, which are prevalent in so many towns, cities and hamlets. (This issue is at the heart of Sophie’s Path.) Eventually, the city council and politicians will be crucial in these stories as they deal with the issue of lack of tax money to pay for education, street repairs, cleaning Indian Lake, and increasing the police and fire forces.

My anchor character is Mrs. Beabots. She is elegant, feisty, stylish, creative, intelligent and in her early 80’s. She is the voice of wisdom and common sense at one time or another for every couple going through their "whirlwind, rollercoaster" relationships. She owns a large Victorian home where she rents out the third floor old ballroom as an apartment to many of the heroines as they transition from one life to another. Though Mrs. Beabots is wealthy and doesn’t need the rent money, she likes having the girls around her. Mrs. Beabots is blessed with beauty, brains, and high energy. She feels a sense of responsibility to her community and donates her time and her sugar pies to charities. She makes it her business to know people, help them, but never gossips. She can keep a secret because all of her past before moving to Indian Lake in the mid-1960’s is a very well-kept secret—and will remain a secret until the last book in the series. Mrs. Beabot’s Secrets will answer all the questions about her that the characters ask in each book in the series.

How much of your real life is in the book?

After living the bulk of my life in big cities with choking traffic, I have moved back to my hometown in Indiana and yes, I find a lot of inspiration in my real life for my characters. My plots, however, are devised from my imagination and my fictional characters. I am one of those writers who gives a bit of free reign to their characters and when I’m creating my proposals, I let them tell me their story. Their dialogue is also their own. Sometimes, I can’t believe what comes out of their mouths!

Blog babes, click "Read more" to find out the first line of Sophie's Path, a behind-the-scenes look at how the character Sophie came about, and the story to Catherine's publishing journey. We're also hosting a giveaway for a finished copy of Sophie's Path, so you don't want to miss that either!

Interview with Kate James, Author of When I Found You + Giveaway (Open Internationally!)

I'd like to welcome Kate James to the blog today to celebrate the exciting release of When I Found You from Harlequin Heartwarming, the third book in the K-9 trilogy!

Welcome to Books à la Mode, Kate! Let's get this interview started.

Will you please share a brief introduction with us?

Kate spent eight years of her childhood living in foreign countries as her professional parents traveled on business. She lived in four countries and spoke five languages before settling down in Canada again to attend university. After graduating with a degree in civil engineering, she held a variety of positions in the field of real estate development and operations, and ran three substantial organizations. While her writing during this period was mostly business related, including presentations and speeches she delivered both nationally and internationally, her passion is and always has been fiction.

Kate's business and personal experiences enable her to write fiction with a deep, often first-hand knowledge of what she is writing about. This approach makes Kate's stories richer and more vivid.

Kate’s goal is to entertain you with well-written, engaging stories, set in intriguing places and with strong, likable characters. “I hope my stories bring you pleasure and entertain you. Nothing pleases me more than receiving feedback from people who have chosen to spend their valuable leisure time with one of my books,” notes Kate.

Kate married her husband, Ken, in an elegant, ocean-front wedding on a tropical island. They enjoy traveling and the outdoors with their beloved Labrador Retrievers.

It's my pleasure! It's amazing to get to feature you today! Readers, here's a bit about the book, which just hit shelves earlier this month:

Is she part of the solution... or the problem?

It could be a terrorist threat. Or is it some other sinister plot? An unprecedented rash of security breaches at San Diego's international airport is putting passengers at risk and bringing the competence of the airport's chief of security, Ariana Atkins, into question.

With explosives the weapon of choice, police K-9 unit captain Logan O'Connor and his bomb detection dog, Boomer, might be Ariana's best, if not only, line of defense. Logan is certain his belief in Ariana, and his growing love for her, aren't misplaced... but it wouldn't be the first time he's misjudged someone's intentions.

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As a huge fan of first lines, I'd love to hear the first line of When I Found You. Could you give us a brief commentary on it?

"The pilot’s bringing the plane back?" Ariana Atkins, chief of security and asset protection for the San Diego International Airport, swiveled away from her desk and stared at her senior security manager.

Although I write fiction, my personal belief is that for a reader to be drawn into a story (among other attributes) it has to be genuine and credible. I try to draw on my personal knowledge and experiences to the extent possible, ensure that I do the necessary research and, at times, fictionalize facts.

I have been fascinated by airports and the aviation sector for as long as I can remember. Professionally, I have had some involvement in the industry. As such, I have more insight into an airport’s operation than the average person might, and I also tend to pay more attention to media coverage of airport or aviation related incidents.

My primary goal for the opening scene is to establish the setting and introduce the main characters in a way that will capture the reader’s interest. An airline pilot deciding to bring an aircraft back shortly after takeoff and for a somewhat unusual reason engages both the hero and the heroine under less than ideal circumstances, and will hopefully accomplish this goal. Without giving away too much, I will say that this scene is a case of fictionalizing an actual occurrence.

Blog babes, click "Read more" to find out how Kate came up with the title and the hero's name, and what her guiltiest pleasure is. We're also hosting a giveaway for a finished copy of your choice of one of the previous books from the K-9 trilogy, so you don't want to miss that either!

Top 5 Characters I Named After Real-Life People by Amy Vastine, Author of The Girl He Used to Love + Giveaway (US/Can only)

The Girl He Used to Love (Grace Note Records #1)
Amy Vastine

Publisher: Harlequin Heartwarming
Release Date: June 21st 2016
Page Count: 384
Genre: Romance, Contemporary

The past will always be between them

He swore he'd never return home. Then a flat tire lands Dean Presley back in Grass Lake, Tennessee, and he's forced to confront the woman he left behind. Faith Stratton was once the love of his life. Now her gifted brother could be the rising Nashville star Dean needs for his struggling music label. But it means taking Sawyer away from the horse therapy farm that Faith's so proud of. That won't be easy, especially since those old feelings that started all the trouble… Well, let's just say he can't go back there, because he doesn't want to relive the memories of the terrible accident that drove them apart.

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Top 10 Changes Made to Under an Adirondack Sky by Karen Rock + Giveaway (US/Can only)

Under an Adirondack Sky
Karen Rock

Can he juggle everything... including her?

After raising his siblings and running the family pub for more than a decade, Aiden Walsh has set his own dreams aside. Until the most beautiful woman he's ever seen stumbles into his bar, and his arms. Too bad Rebecca Day is the school psychologist in charge of his brother's future. Who's he kidding? He doesn't have room in his full life for romance anyway. But forced to join Rebecca and her group of troubled teens on an Adirondack retreat, he realizes keeping his family afloat isn't enough for him... not by a long shot.

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