Have you heard about the Deerbourne Inn yet?
No? Well, hop on over to The Wild Rise Press or Amazon and learn more.
I first shared about this novella series set in Vermont here. There are nearly 2 dozen now! I’ve personally read about 16 so far. I’ve fallen a little behind but plan to get back to picking up where I’ve left off. I love the quicker romantic reads that range in subgenres from contemporary to historical, paranormal to mystery. And now you can own them in paperback!
The latest book out in the series is Harmony’s Embrace by Amber Daulton (I’ve already read her other book in the series, Lyrical Embrace).
Tell us about what you write.
I write novels, novellas, and short stories all in the romance genre. I’m particularly fond of romantic suspense and contemporary.
What drew you to writing?
I read my first romance book when I was 12 after I snuck a Harlequin paperback out of my mom’s bedroom. I couldn’t stop thinking about it, and I wanted to create my own story about two people having an adventure and falling in love. I wrote with pencil in a spiral-bound notebook and finished that 200-plus-page story in about six months.
I published my first book when I was 26, and Harmony’s Embrace is now my fourteenth book to date. I have about ten more manuscripts on my computer waiting to see the light of day.
What was your inspiration for Harmony’s Embrace?
No inspiration, per se, but I fell in love with a secondary character when I was writing Lyrical Embrace, my first contribution to the multi-author Deerbourne Inn series. Birley Haynes was pretty uptight, and I was dying to loosen him up. Obviously, he needed a romance of his own.
When I started plotting Harmony’s Embrace, I couldn’t see the forest for the trees. There were so many options. The biggest challenge was figuring out who the heroine was going to be. I had it narrowed down to three women, but after I finally picked Birley’s high school sweetheart, Harmony Holdich, the rest of the story fell together seamlessly. Now I can’t imagine Birley falling head over heels for anyone else.
Words of advice for fellow writers in the trenches:
Make friends with other authors and readers via social media. Don’t be shy. Start a blog even if you aren’t published yet, so you can join blog tours. A tour is a great way to get a free ebook as long as you write a review and post it on your blog. The author’s readers will then come to your blog to read the review. They’ll know YOUR name, and that’s what you want—to get your name out there.
Just keep trying. I know it sounds cliché, but there’s nothing else to do. If you don’t try, you won’t succeed. Period. Keep your hopes up, take rejection letters in stride, and if a publisher or editor gives you feedback on why he/she rejected your work, listen to their feedback. They know what they’re talking about.
What was a tense part of Harmony’s Embrace to write?
I love writing intense, emotional scenes. Whether the characters are happy or sad, I get a kick out of what they’re feeling, but if I’m being honest, I prefer when they’re upset. (Yeah, I like tormenting my people. Don’t all authors enjoy that?)
(from Jean: why yes, we do)
Take this scene in Harmony’s Embrace: Birley, Harmony, and his kids are decorating the Christmas tree while cookies are baking in the oven. Everyone was acting like a big happy family until Birley’s manipulative ex-wife showed up. OMG! I know, right? The night was ruined, and the kids railroaded poor Birley into letting their mom crash on the sofa. Harmony was beyond hurt, and I couldn’t blame her for what she did next… And that’s the end of the tease! Told you, I’m mean. ;)
Here’s a bit more about this book:
Reuniting with the man who broke her heart has never felt so right.
Divorced dad Birley Haynes is too busy raising his children and running his family’s music academy to start a relationship. Then Harmony Holdich, his high school sweetheart, returns home to Willow Springs, Vermont for Christmas and falls into his bed. She brings light and fun back into his life, but he can’t brush aside the threatening incidents around his workplace.
Harmony hadn’t expected a complication like Birley, especially so soon after the death of her unfaithful husband. With her life a mess, she plans to move across the country and start over. All she can offer him is a fling, but her heart yearns for more.
When the threats rise, how will Birley keep his children safe and convince Harmony to give love another chance?
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