Fresh FIction Box Not To Miss
Sarah Varland | Writing TUNDRA THREAT
Author Guest / November 7, 2014

Every author’s writing process is different, and every story is different even for a particular author, at least that’s true with me. My latest release, TUNDRA THREAT, started with a full-of-personality character and a setting I love. When McKenna Clark, my law-enforcement-heroine, first took shape in my mind, the first thing I did was try to think about what kind of guy it would take to make sparks fly. And not just romantic sparks. Conflict sparks. Because who likes a happily-ever-after that comes too easily? In the book, McKenna is a stubborn, red-headed wildlife trooper, so I paired her with an equally stubborn (because that’s always fun, right?) hunting guide. That’s right. She protects animals. He takes people out to hunt them. And that’s just the beginning of the obstacles in their way. If there’s anything that’s true of both McKenna and Will, it’s that they’re risk takers. Even when a tragedy in Will’s past makes him life more cautiously for a few years, he comes back to this way of living life fully with no regrets when he’s reunited with McKenna. As far as the setting fitting the characters, there was no better place to set their love story…

Donna Alward | Going Vintage for Treasure on Lilac Lane
Author Guest / November 7, 2014

It all started with a side room in a little shop in Mahone Bay, NS. We had a family day out and were browsing around and there they were…racks of vintage clothes. We saw shoes, coats, dresses… and while my husband wasn’t particularly keen on the clothing, my daughters and I were in heaven. We ooohed and aaaahed over several items, and in particular, a beautiful wedding dress. It was way too small for any of us, and my daughters were wayyy too young to think about wedding dresses (and still are!) but I took a picture of it anyway, that doesn’t do it justice. The ivory satin and the lace were just stunning. I knew then that someday it would make its way into a book. But I didn’t know when, or how. But I finally found the right moment. It’s Abby’s wedding dress in TREASURE ON LILAC LANE (Oct 28).  And it started my fascination with searching for vintage clothing for my characters to wear for her big day, including the heroine, Jess, who is Abby’s Maid of Honor. After all, in THE HOUSE ON BLACKBERRY HILL, Abby inherits her great-aunt’s house and with it a treasure trove…