JOURNEY’S END Blurb:
Devastated after the brutal murder of her husband, Chelsea Hammond vows never to love another lawman. Intent on rebuilding her shattered life, she turns her focus to helping troubled teens. But when an angry father bent on retaliation, threatens her, Chelsea must turn to the one man she never thought to trust: Deputy U.S. Marshal Trey Colten.
Trey wants only to protect Chelsea, but she blames him for her husband’s death. Trey can relate. He blames himself, also. As danger lurks, Trey begs Chelsea to heed his warnings. He let down one Hammond. He won’t let down another—especially one who now holds his heart.
When Chelsea is snatched from her home, can she put aside her fear, and trust Trey with her life? Can she forgive him for destroying her past and let him help to rebuild her future?
Where one journey ends, another begins…
JOURNEY’S END Excerpt:
“I suppose I should have been a vet.”
“Maybe. But I don’t think you’ve wasted your energy or your talents as a guidance counselor. Teenagers can’t seem to resist you, either.”
That produced a full-fledged smile in his direction. Way to go, Colten!
“Remember that natural charm I warned you about?”
He threw back his head and laughed. “Yes. And after a few days in your presence, I’m inclined to agree with you.”
He pulled into the veterinarian’s parking lot and glanced her way, surprised to see her grinning. “What?”
“Saved by the vet.”
Her words hit him like a piano dropping ten stories. She was flirting with him.
He took his time walking around to her side of the truck. He opened the door and leaned in, planting his hand on the seat next to her shapely legs. His face hovered inches from hers while he savored the way her wavy hair cascaded down her shoulders, the lips that curved in that always graceful way, and the eyes that spoke everything his heart wanted to hear.
Her eyes closed, and her lips parted slightly.
Trey snapped out of it. He couldn’t do this. He was on the job. She didn’t know the secrets he knew, the truth about her husband.
Her eyes startled open. As much as he wanted to partake and enjoy, he couldn’t. He touched a silky curl framing her face and ran it through his fingers. “You need to know that right now I’m working. But there will come a time, soon, when I’m not.”
How did you come up with your premise? Is there a story behind your book? How did the story evolve?
JOURNEY’S END germinated with a seed from a newspaper article about a mobster, finally convicted for his crimes years later. Intrigued, I played the “what if” game until I came up with the premise, which ended up nothing like the article.
For those who are not familiar with this story, would you please give us the blurb?
Sure!
Devastated after the brutal murder of her husband, Chelsea Hammond vows never to love another lawman. Intent on rebuilding her shattered life, she turns her focus to helping troubled teens. But when an angry father bent on retaliation, threatens her, Chelsea must turn to the one man she never thought to trust: Deputy U.S. Marshal Trey Colten.
Trey wants only to protect Chelsea, but she blames him for her husband’s death. Trey can relate. He blames himself, also. As danger lurks, Trey begs Chelsea to heed his warnings. He let down one Hammond. He won’t let down another—especially one who now holds his heart.
When Chelsea is snatched from her home, can she put aside her fear, and trust Trey with her life? Can she forgive him for destroying her past and let him help to rebuild her future?
Where one journey ends, another begins…
How did you decide on the setting?
Actually, the original setting for JOURNEY’S END was in north Georgia, an area where we liked to vacation, but I had trouble remembering particulars. After moving to NC, I changed the setting to Journey Creek, a fictional city northeast of Charlotte, to offer readers accurate details, more of a sense of belonging.
When will it be released?
JOURNEY’S END releases May 20 with White Rose Publishing.
Where were you born?
Coldwater, Michigan. At age twelve, my family moved to Florida, so I only remember the cool things about Michigan. Like making snow angels, building snowmen, growing a garden with humongous tomatoes, and playing badminton. I have no memories of snowstorms or blizzards, thank God.
If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be?
Where I live right now. Kannapolis, North Carolina. What’s not to love about North Carolina??
What’s your favourite colour?
Blue
What music groups/artists blast from your CD player while you write?
Absolutely nothing. No music except for the birds chirping outside my office window.
Name some of your most favourite things.
Some of my favourite things include spending time with my family, drinking my cup of café con leche in the morning, kicking back in my recliner with a good book, teaching 2nd graders in Sunday School, vacationing in the mountains, watching football, walking my dog at the park, turning the fireplace on for the first time in winter, the changing seasons (we never saw this in Florida!), and what else? Shopping!
My least favourite things: Traffic. Bad coffee. Or no coffee in the morning. A sad ending to a book. That’s the absolute worst! My books always end with happily-ever-after’s!
Why did you begin writing? How long have you been writing?
Why? Because my son started middle school and didn’t want me hanging out at school with him anymore. LOL. By then, I’d been a stay-at-home mom about three years and had spent most of my time alternating between two schools. My older son graduated, and my younger son moved to middle school. I knew I needed something more to fill my days. An avid reader, God planted a story idea that pinged around in my head for a few months until I finally confessed my desire to write to my husband. With his enthusiastic support, I started pounding out the story.
How long? Off and on for seven years. More off, though, until the last couple of years.
What advice would you give a new writer just starting out?
Don’t give up. If you are like me, you will receive enough rejection letters to fill a three-inch binder. Cry, rant, and stop writing for a little while. Then, whip out that piece of paper and look at it again with a fresh perspective. Pick out the constructive criticism on how to make your writing stronger and better and dig back in. Because the feeling is ever so sweet when you get that affirmative email or phone call…
Who is your favourite author and why?
Oooh, I have bunches of favourites, too many to name! But, as a new author to White Rose Publishing, I can’t wait to read all the new books coming out and catch up on the ones I haven’t read! WRP has a line-up of fabulous Christian writers! But, I have to confess, any book by Susan May Warren will automatically go to the top of the pile!
When you write do you start with a plot outline, a character sketch, how do you begin? How do you stay on course?
As organized as I am in everything else, it pains me to confess that I’m a pantser. But, honestly, I’ve tried outlining. Nothing doing! So, I try not to let it bother me and just accept that I’m a pantser. My goal is to give birth to great characters and hook a reader into an opening scene, and let the story flow from there.
Are you working on anything at the present you’d like to share with us?
Here’s a sneak peek at JOURNEY’S EDGE, my second book featuring a Deputy U.S. Marshal, which I’m hoping my editor loves!
A ROUTINE AUDIT? Hardly. Red flags — and the goon that’s following her — raise McKinley Frasier’s suspicions that numbers don’t add up at the insurance firm she’s auditing. And when someone tries to snatch her daughter from school, who does she turn to for protection? Renner Crossman, the cop who walked out on her one month before their wedding. Renner’s not the same guy who broke her heart ten years ago. He calls himself a “new man.” Can she trust the new Renner with her daughter’s safety? What about her heart?
Journey’s Embrace will be my third and final book featuring a Deputy U.S. Marshal.
What was the hardest part of writing your book?
Staring at a blank screen. Knowing I had to fill 200+ pages with words. And not just words, but an entertaining story. A heart racing, God-gracing book with a guaranteed happy-ever-after.
What do you do in your spare time? (Assuming you have any ;-) )
LOL. That’s funny. I used to read. Lately, I’ve only dreamed about reading!
What genre would you like to explore that you haven’t tried to write in yet? Will you? What would you never see yourself writing?
My first three books fit in the inspirational romantic suspense category, but I think I’d like to target inspirational romance next. I don’t see myself writing science fiction or paranormal.
Do you really, really want a dog?
If you had asked me this question eight years ago, my answer would have been a resounding “no.” But then we vacationed at a dude ranch in Wyoming and fell in love with two golden retrievers that could actually open doors. Can you imagine? Properly awed, we researched the breed and eventually bought ourselves a pup. Bruiser, our now seven-year-old golden retriever, goes with us everywhere.
What is your strangest habit?
I am obsessed with locking doors. Sometimes I check them a couple times to make sure they are really locked. I know, weird!
What were you doing at midnight last night?
Um, sleeping. We’re early risers, so we’re in bed by ten. We can’t even stay up for holiday fireworks!
What’s a saying you use a lot?
Oye!
Have you ever cried during a movie?
Oh, my goodness, yes. But, really, I feel the same way about movies as I do about books. If I read a book with a sad ending, I won’t ever read that author again! My books always end with happily-ever-after’s!
Are you a morning person or a night person?
Definitely morning! I’m worth zilch around nine p.m. Good only for reclining in front of the television, watching a recording of Castle, Human Target, Hawaii Five-O or Bones!
If you could go anywhere to tomorrow, where would you go?
Maine and the New England coast. That’s the last area of the United States that my husband and I haven’t visited.
Review
Coming. I know I owe several. Could give you excuses but won't. They will be up by the end of the week. I promise. :)
Comments
I loved reading how you came up with the premise of your story too. You never know what God will use. :)
Thanks so much, Clare, for hosting me today and for featuring Journey's End!
Are you a football fan, too? I have two favourites: the Tampa Bay Bucs (previous residents of the Tampa area) and the Carolina Panthers (we live in NC now). And, yes, these two teams play each other. When that happens, I root for the Panthers. Aargh!
Which football team is your favourite? (Clare, did you notice I adapted the spelling here to the UK version? Grin)
God is awesome, isn't He?
Thanks for your kind words.
My sweet hubby postponed our trip to the NASCAR race in Dover due to the release of Journey's End. Is that sweet or what???
I'll make it up to him with the fall race. Which areas are a "must see" around there?
Hi Pamela. Hey Marianne. So great to see you here. Thanks for the kind words.
To all WRP roses: Thank you doesn't begin to cover my gratitude for your support. You've become precious friends to me! Thank you so much for your fragrant, sweet words of encouragement!