Welcome to my tour stop for Wild Iris Ridge by RaeAnne Thayne. This book is an adult contemporary romance published by Harlequin.
The tour runs July 21-31 with reviews, author interviews and guest posts.
Make sure to check out the Tour Page & Schedule. And now keep reading and check out this book with the most stunning cover. Don't you just love those colours?!
Wild Iris Ridge by RaeAnne Thayne
Release: July 2014
Imprint: Harlequin HQN
ISBN: 978-0-373-77859-1
Pages: 352
Description:
A big-city, high-powered advertising executive and a small-town firefighter learn that no matter where you started or what you’ve lost, if you open your heart, you can find joy and love again. WILD IRIS RIDGE is the latest book inUSA TODAY bestselling author RaeAnne Thayne’s charming Hope’s Crossing series.
Lucy Drake and Brendan Caine have only one thing in common.And it's likely to tear them apart. Because it was Brendan's late wife, Jessie—and Lucy's best friend—who'd brought them together in the first place. And since Jesse's passing, Brendan's been distracted by his two little ones…and the memory of an explosive kiss with Lucy years before his marriage. Still, he'll steer clear of her. She's always been trouble with a capital T.
Lucy couldn't wait to shed her small-town roots for the big city. But now that she's back in Hope's Crossing to take care of the Queen Anne home her late aunt has left her, she figures seeing Brendan Caine again is no big deal. After all, she'd managed to resist the handsome fire chief once before, but clearly the embers of their attraction are still smoldering…
Can you tell us a little about your latest book?
WILD IRIS RIDGE is the seventh (and final planned) book in my Hope’s Crossing series, centered around a small resort community in Colorado. When Lucy Drake returns to Hope’s Crossing after a life crisis to renovate the home she inherited from a beloved aunt, she must finally face her feelings for Brendan Caine, father of her two godchildren.
What inspired you to write it?
What inspired you to write it?
I almost finished the series with CHRISTMAS IN SNOWFLAKE CANYON, my December 2013 book, but I had many loose ends I hadn’t yet tied off so persuaded my publisher to let me write one more book. Brendan was a character I felt great sympathy for when I introduced him in previous books and I couldn’t wait to give him a happy ending.
How did you come up with the idea for the cover?
How did you come up with the idea for the cover?
I gave the Harlequin art department the idea of using a garden with an arbor for the cover because the gardens at Iris House (the Victorian my heroine inherited) provide an important setting to the book where several significant scenes take place. I love the WILD IRIS RIDGE cover, as I do all my covers. It looks soft, warm and pretty – exactly like somewhere I would love to spend some time.
What is it about this genre that appeals to you so much?
What is it about this genre that appeals to you so much?
I love books about small towns and communities, probably because I live in a very tight-knit, loving community which has been a pivotal part of my life. I love writing about people learning how to take care of each other, building connections and friendships and, of course, finding love.
What made you want to become an author?
I have always loved telling stories. My friends and I used to come up with our own version of fan fiction (the Bay City Rollers and Shaun Cassidy figured prominently. LOL!). I’ve always loved to read and I think a natural byproduct of that can sometimes be loving writing as well. I turned that love of storytelling first into journalism, where I spent ten years as a reporter and editor, but in the back of my mind, I always knew I wanted to write the kinds of stories I loved best, romance novels
How do you come up with character names?
In the hero’s case, I had introduced Brendan previously as a sibling to other characters in the series and didn’t have much choice. For the heroine, I wanted a name that portrayed both vulnerability and strength and was a little old-fashioned. I’ve always liked Lucy and thought it fit her well
Name one of your all-time favourite books?
Name one of your all-time favourite books?
The Windflower by Laura London
Who, or what, inspires you?
Who, or what, inspires you?
My family inspires me. We are very close and they are incredibly supportive. I have three children, a daughter who is 24 and married and two sons, 17 and 11. I also have an amazing husband who has been my biggest cheerleader from the day I first came up with this crazy idea to tell stories for a living.
Where is your favourite place to write?
Where is your favourite place to write?
On my back patio on warm summer evenings while the sun sinks and the stars begin to pop out. The air is sweet with my flowers from the garden and it feels close to heaven.
What is your favourite movie that was based on a book?
What is your favourite movie that was based on a book?
Pride & Prejudice (the Keira Knightley version, though I like the others too).
Name two of your favourite authors.
Name two of your favourite authors.
Mary Balogh and Susan Elizabeth Phillips.
Tell us a random fact about yourself.
Tell us a random fact about yourself.
I was once caught in a flash flood in Marrakech.
Tell us an interesting fact about where you live.
Tell us an interesting fact about where you live.
It is the cheese capital of the Intermountain West.
What are your (writing) plans for the future?
What are your (writing) plans for the future?
I have two new series starting this Christmas time. In November, my new Hope’s Crossing spinoff series, Haven Point, will premiere with the release of SNOW ANGEL COVE. This is Aidan Caine’s book and I loved merging a familiar, beloved place with somewhere all new. In December I’m beginning an all-new Cowboys of Cold Creek trilogy for Special Edition with my title THE CHRISTMAS RANCH. The series features three very different sisters who run a Christmas-themed attraction in the Cold Creek Canyon area. Right now, I’m beginning Book 2 in Haven Point and looking forward to returning to this town I have come to fall in love with.
Tell us one thing that's on your bucket list.
Tell us one thing that's on your bucket list.
I want to learn French and Italian. I can speak a little Spanish but that’s about it.
Favourite myth /fairytale?
I always loved Beauty and the Beast, even before the Disney movie came out. It was my favorite story in the huge Reader’s Digest volume of fairy tales my parents had in our home library
Who did you want to be when you were a kid?
Who did you want to be when you were a kid?
I always enjoyed being myself, quirks and all.
USA TODAY bestselling author RaeAnne Thayne loves words. This led her to a fifteen-year career in journalismas a newspaper reporter and editor. But through it all, she dreamed of writing the kind of stories she loved best, romance, and has since published more than 40 titles. RaeAnne finds inspiration in the rugged northern Utah mountains, where she lives with her hero of a husband and their children. She loves to hear from readers and can be reached through her website, RaeAnneThayne.com.
Giveaway:
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Thanks so much for hosting a tour stop and interviewing RaeAnne!
ReplyDeleteHello RaeAnne! Hope you've been enjoying your tour and getting lots of new readers. If they read the reviews of your stories, they'll become addicted soon enough. :-) The fave authors you mentioned in this interview are two of my faves as well, and I also have always loved Beauty and the Beast by Disney. I even liked the TV show they had for awhile where the "beast" lived underground and the "beauty" who helped him lived above ground...though it was definitely not a fairytale show. I really liked the Disney movie Beauty and the Beast, but not particularly the sequel they made. I'm fussy about sequels of anything, though. Keep on writing your wonderful stories! jdh2690@gmail.com
ReplyDeleteThanks for such a great giveaway and interview!!
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