Like many of you, my last 18 hours has been filled with work, Christmas shopping, Christmas cards, holiday merriment, cookie baking (burned them), shipping packages (had to wait in line twice) and pouring water into the Christmas tree base (must do that again).
I’m taking a break from Christmas today, however, to participate in a “blog hop” with some of my writer friends. Come back on Friday and Christmas Day for some fun reflections of Christmas from different cultures (A Totem for Christmas and Christmas Down Under).
A blog hop is a tour through various writers’ websites as they discuss their latest creative work. I was “nominated” by Kay Strom (who is featured in my best-of-all-time blog post Tattoing Your Soul) who last week discussed her latest book The Love of Divena.
Other friends who’ve participated include Julie Carobini, Sherry Kyle, B.J. Taylor and Linda Clare.
I’m the last hop and I’ll be talking about my first only-my-name-as-author book, Bridging Two Hearts, due out in Feburary, 2013.
The idea for my inspirational romance Bridging Two Hearts came while we visited Navy friends on Coronado, including one who worked at the Hotel del Coronado. From the Navy Captain, we learned about the adventures Navy SEALs had in San Diego bay off their backyard. I thought about what it would be like to work at the Hotel del Coronado and with the proximity to the SEAL training area, it was possible a romance could bloom.
The cover gives you an idea of the type of people I envisioned while writing the story, but when my hopping pals asked which actors would I choose to play them in a movie, I was a little stumped. Two different generations read my books, so how about two different parings? Amanda Seyfried would make an excellent Amy and Channing Tatum would do handsomely for Josh. For older readers, think young Reese Witherspoon and Josh Lucas.
I did a lot of research on Navy SEALs as I wrote and read numerous memoirs written by Navy SEALs. I spoke with a Navy Public Affairs Officer about life within the SEALs, and he provided several surprising and one shocking tidbit that made it into the story.
As I researched the very difficult life of Navy SEALs, I was inspired by both the men who serve and the women they leave behind. It’s one of the toughest jobs out there and I wanted to give a peek into the domestic life and concerns of men continually putting their lives on the line.
It took me about a month to write the first draft of the story, followed by several weeks of revising. I visited Coronado and learned a lot while on location.
Life on Coronado, including actual places we visited, plays a part in this story along with the wisdom of an elderly World War II Navy widow and the interesting ways people have of dealing with fear. In addition to what the young couple use to work through Amy’s fears, Josh encounters the very important clinical work being done by an actual clinic in San Diego that helps military members and civilians handle phobias—including crossing the Coronado Bridge!
Bridging Two Hearts was released by Harlequin’s Heartsong line in mid-February, 2013. For more information about the book, see my webpage devoted to Bridging Two Hearts.
Meanwhile, what books are you looking forward to reading or receiving this Christmas? Got any great suggestions for those still looking for the perfect Christmas gift book?
Thoughts? Reactions? Lurker?