Sometimes all it takes is one second
Chapter One
Twenty years later I won’t cry. I absolutely, positively will not cry. Liliana Howe silently repeated the mantra as she rang the doorbell of her parents’ home in Norman, Oklahoma. She still had a key to the house, but her arms were full with two large white paper bags of her father’s favorite Tex-Mex from the taqueria over by Oklahoma University. Brian and Stephanie Howe met at home for lunch every day, but it was rare for Lili to join them. She usually worked through lunch. But then, today was not a usual day, was it? Her father answered the door. His gray eyes rounded in surprise. “Lili? Did we forget a lunch date?” “No, Dad. I was in the neighborhood. Thought I’d surprise you with lunch from Miguelito’s.” “Well, that’s nice.” He opened the screen door. “Come on in. Let me help you with those bags.” He led her through the house back toward the kitchen. “That smells wonderful. This is a real treat, Liliana. Your mother doesn’t let me have Mexican too often.” “It’s been too long since I’ve seen you guys.” They walked into the kitchen to find her mother seated at the table staring intently at her computer. Typical Stephanie Howe. Always working. Without looking up, she said, “Stevenson has the best rating, but—” “Look who’s here, honey,” Lili’s father interrupted. Stephanie Howe finally glanced up, her thoughts obviously somewhere else, because she gazed at Lili as if she didn’t recognize her. Lili waved her fingers. “Surprise.” “Oh.” Stephanie gave her head a little shake. “Lili. Hello. Did we forget a lunch date?” Inwardly, Lili sighed. “No. I was in the mood for Mexican and I thought of Dad.” “It’s not good for his cholesterol.” “No, but once in a blue moon won’t hurt him. Dr. Derek told me that himself.” She unloaded the bags, setting tacos, cheese enchiladas, refried beans, guacamole, and tortilla chips in the center of the table. Her mother brought plates and silverware from the cabinet. “Nevertheless, it’s nice to see you. It’s been too long. How are you, Lili? Have you recovered from tax season?” “It’s definitely behind me,” she replied with a wry twist of her lips.
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Q&A WITH EMILY
MARCH Q: What will newbies to Eternity Springs find unique in your work? A: My recurring character, the wise-woman Celeste Blessing, is written in such a way that the reader asks “Is she or isn’t she an angel.” My answer is that it’s up to the reader to decide. Spirituality is individual, so I think Celeste’s spirituality should be, too. Q: Do you listen to music while you write? What are some tunes on your playlist? A: I listen to movie soundtracks: Last of the Mohicans, Braveheart, Lord of the Rings, DragonHeart, Gettysburg, Somewhere in Time, Dances with Wolves. I also listen to Celtic spa music and classical piano and cello duets. Q: What is your favorite scene in A Stardance Summer? A: I love the Fourth of July scene with the Callahan family, all the Eternity Springs crowd, and fireworks—both in the sky and in the treehouse. :) Q: What is your favorite scene in A Stardance Summer? A: I read an article in our electric co-op magazine about a camping club like the Tornado Alleycats. I visited one of the campouts and knew I had to write them into a book. Q: If you could switch places with one of your characters from this book who would it be and why ? A: Any of the Callahan women would be just fine with me. Can’t think of anything better than to be the wife of one of those men. Q: Describe A Stardance Summer in 5 words. A: Camping with the Callahans—Yum! Q: We all love books, what are some of your favorite ones? A: I’m a huge fan of the Andy Carpenter series by David Rosenfelt. I recommend the audio because Grover Cleveland does the narration and he’s fabulous! I read everything Mary Balogh writes. I adore Patricia Briggs Mercy Thompson series and her Alpha and Omega series. Jim Butcher’s Harry Dresden books. Susan Elizabeth Philips. I listed authors instead of books because I think in authors and series instead of individual books. :) Q: What are you working on currently writing-wise? A: I’ve just finished the next Eternity Springs book, THE FIRST KISS OF SUMMER, and I’ll be starting another Eternity Springs Christmas book next. Q: Do you have a favorite genre? Is it the same genre you prefer to write? A: I am fickle in my literature love. I will read thrillers for a while, then glom historical romances, then get hooked on romantic suspense, then I might venture into fantasy. Q: Do certain themes and ideas tend to capture your writer’s imagination and fascinate you? A: I write about friendship and family, love and laughter. Everything I write flows from those four things. Q: How do you balance long-term thinking vs. being nimble in today's market? A: I don’t believe in trying to be nimble. I think you learn the crafter and write the book you want to write. That’s how to get the special “something” that makes a book fabulous. I don’t believe in chasing trends. Eventually, the trend will come to you, and if you’re writing what you love to write, the readers will find you. Q: How do you find readers in today's market? A: That’s my publisher’s job. I write the best book I can write and then write the next best book I can write. That’s how I’ll find readers. Q: Do you come up with the hook first, or do you create characters first and then dig through until you find a hook? A: I meet with three other writers once a year for plot group. We help each other plot our books. I will say, for example, I need an Eternity Springs Christmas book. I want the guy to be a rancher, but that’s all I have. Then we brainstorm until we come up with a kernel of an idea that appeals to me. I flesh it out from there. Q: What's on the top of your TBR pile right now? A: I’m reading Nora Roberts’ Come Sundown. Q: Tell me a little about the characters in A Stardance Summer. A: In A Stardance Summer, I use one of my favorite tropes—in love with her brother’s best friend. I tie my Callahan Brother’s trilogy to my Eternity Springs series in the male lead, Brick Callahan. He didn’t meet his real father until he was a teenager and because of that, he has some things to prove. It’s important to him to build something on his own, independent of his family and their money. So, he establishes an RV Resort and his business grow from there. Lili has no idea that her teenage crush owns the RV resort where she flees to spend the summer with members of a female camping club, the Tornado Alleycats after her family and business partners betray her. Return to the beloved small town of Eternity Springs in the newest installment of Emily March’s New York Times bestselling series with A Stardance Summer.
Sometimes the end of one road Brick Callahan enjoys every minute of chaos at his campground, Stardance Ranch, especially after the Tornado Alleycats arrive for an extended summer stay. The members of the all-female glamorous camping club are primarily seniors—active and adventurous, friendly and fun. But when he discovers Liliana Howe frolicking with the glamping grannies in a late night skinny-dipping session, he fears he's in for a summer of trouble. Because his best friend's kid sister has grown up to be drop-dead gorgeous. . . .is the start of another Betrayed by those she trusted, Lili decides she's put her career first for too long. She sells her practical sedan, buys a travel trailer, and heads to Eternity Springs for a summer of rest, relaxation, and reassessment as the newest member of the Alleycats. The last person she expects to find running an RV resort is her high school crush. Their undeniable mutual attraction is a reminder that life is full of surprises. But when the past comes calling, will their summer romance stand the test of time? Inspired by Jules Verne’s classic adventure tale, Mike Veseth takes his readers Around the World in Eighty Wines. The journey starts in London, Phileas Fogg’s home base, and follows Fogg’s itinerary to France and Italy before veering off in search of compelling wine stories in Syria, Georgia, and Lebanon. Every glass of wine tells a story, and so each of the eighty wines must tell an important tale. We head back across Northern Africa to Algeria, once the world’s leading wine exporter, before hopping across the sea to Spain and Portugal. We follow Portuguese trade routes to Madeira and then South Africa with a short detour to taste Kenya’s most famous Pinot Noir. Kenya? Pinot Noir? Really!
The route loops around, visiting Bali, Thailand, and India before heading north to China to visit Shangri-La. Shangri-La? Does that even exist? It does, and there is wine there. Then it is off to Australia, with a detour in Tasmania, which is so cool that it is hot. The stars of the Southern Cross (and the lyrics of a familiar song) guide us to New Zealand, Chile, and Argentina. We ride a wine train in California and rendezvous with Planet Riesling in Seattle before getting into fast cars for a race across North America, collecting more wine as we go. Pause for lunch in Virginia to honor Thomas Jefferson, then it’s time to jet back to London to tally our wines and see what we have learned. Why these particular places? What are the eighty wines and what do they reveal? And—spoiler alert!—what is the surprise plot twist that guarantees a happy ending for every wine lover? Come with us on a journey of discovery that will inspire, inform, and entertain anyone who loves travel, adventure, or wine. |
Tricia
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