THE HOUSE BY THE CYPRESS TREES by author ELENA MIKALSEN

In The House by the Cypress Trees, Julia Ramos, in Italy to find her birth mother, rescues a dog, is nearly run over by a handsome Brit, and gets evicted from her rental apartment. Not a perfect trip.

Daniel Stafford wants to visit his family in Tuscany—after his girlfriend dumps him for their Italian driver, he botches a work presentation in Rome, and an assertive American falls in front of his car.

When their two disastrous lives collide, they end up sleeping on the side of the road. Falling in love with Italy—and each other—is the least of their concerns.

From the Author ~ 

ALL THE ROYALTIES FROM THE SALES OF THE BOOK WILL BE DONATED TO ~ NO KILL ANIMAL SHELTERS ~ IN SAN ANTONIO AND TEXAS.

Some Q & A with Elena ~ 

Tell us a little about yourself and your writing.

My novels are all about love. WRAPPED IN THE STARS is about love that lasts forever. Two lovers, Mark and Rebecca, got separated in the early 20^th century, but their love remained behind, it didn’t die. Part of their love stayed in the ring that Mark gave to Rebecca. So, when this ring is found years later, another couple picks up the energy from Mark and Rebecca’s love and fall in love.

In THE HOUSE BY THE CYPRESS TREES, I explore romantic love. That wild feeling of new love when you first fall for someone and you want to spend every moment with them and you will do anything for them.

In ALL THE SILENT VOICES, I explore the depth of love between a husband and wife and what challenges a good marriage can withstand. How far will a wife go for her husband and how far will a husband go for his wife?

Finally, in the novel I am working on right now, CITY OF GLASS, the focus is on sibling love. A sister sacrifices everything to save her brother.

Where do you get your ideas?

From travel, stories in the news, and my imagination

Is there a particular author or book that influenced or inspired your writing or decision to write?

There have been multiple: Diana Gabaldon, Susanna Kearsley, Sara Gruen are some of the top ones.

Do you have a ‘day job’ as well?

Yes, I am a full-time pediatric psychologist.

Is anything in your book based on real-life experiences?

My family’s trip to Italy was a huge inspiration for The House by the Cypress Trees. The episode in the first chapter, where Julia rescues a dog was inspired by the real-life experience we had in Rome. We didn’t rescue the dog, but wished we did. Many experiences Julia has in Italy really happened to us on our vacation.

Do you have a favorite chapter or scene?

In The House by the Cypress Trees, my favorite chapter and the one I think is the most romantic is when Julia is standing on the balcony and Daniel quotes Shakespeare to her as he approaches. I fell in love with my own fictional character as I wrote that. Also, I love the chapter when they are sleeping in the car on the side of the road and play a get-to-know you game.

Places you’d like to travel?

I’m dying to go to New Zealand.

Favorite band of music.

Coldplay. I listen to it all the time.

Favorite book or movie?

My most favorite book is One Plus One by Jojo Moyes. 

Elena Mikalsen is a women’s fiction author who is somewhat obsessive about travel and telling stories about love and amazing travel locations. When she is at home, in San Antonio, she can be found browsing through bookstores or antique shops with her family.

She is hopelessly devoted to her two rescue dogs, Cookie and Vanilla, who was present by her feet during the entire process of the writing of this novel. When not writing stories, she is a Pediatric Psychologist helping children with chronic medical illnesses. She blogs on issues of mental health for teens and adults. 

Her debut novel, Wrapped in the Stars, won the 1^st place Chatelaine award for the best Historical Romantic Fiction of 2018. 

Please explore Elena Mikalsen’s other novels, Wrapped in the Stars (2018), available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and all other online retailers, and an upcoming All the Silent Voices (2020). 

To connect with Elena ~ 

Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/17629655.Elena_Mikalsen

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/ElenaMikalsenAuthor/

Website: www.elenamikalsen.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/WF_writerEM

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/writer.mikalsen/

THIS IS HOME, by author LISA DUFFY

From the author of book club favorite The Salt House comes a deeply affecting novel about a teenage girl finding her voice and the military wife who moves in downstairs, united in their search for the true meaning of home.

Sixteen-year-old Libby Winters lives in Paradise, a seaside town north of Boston that rarely lives up to its name. After the death of her mother, she lives with her father, Bent, in the middle apartment of their triple-decker home—Bent’s two sisters, Lucy and Desiree, live on the top floor. A former soldier turned policeman, Bent often works nights, leaving Libby under her aunts’ care. Shuffling back and forth between apartments—and the wildly different natures of her family—has Libby wishing for nothing more than a home of her very own.

Quinn Ellis is at a crossroads. When her husband John, who has served two tours in Iraq, goes missing back at home, suffering from PTSD he refuses to address, Quinn finds herself living in the first-floor apartment of the Winters house. Bent had served as her husband’s former platoon leader, a man John refers to as his brother, and despite Bent’s efforts to make her feel welcome, Quinn has yet to unpack a single box.

For Libby, the new tenant downstairs is an unwelcome guest, another body filling up her already crowded house. But soon enough, an unlikely friendship begins to blossom, when Libby and Quinn stretch and redefine their definition of family and home.

With gorgeous prose and a cast of characters that feel wholly real and lovably flawed, This Is Home is a nuanced and moving novel of finding where we belong.

"Authentic characters resonate throughout this engrossing novel. . . . Intensely real and deeply emotional, Duffy’s rich novel is worth savoring from the very first page."
—Publishers Weekly, starred review“A beautifully drawn portrait of a motherless girl and a rudderless woman both trying to find their place in the world— but who find each other instead. Lisa Duffy nails the complexities of modern relationships, and proves that she’s a storyteller that’s here to stay.”
—Colleen Oakley, author of Close Enough to Touch and Before I Go“Duffy's latest is a novel of family, friendship, and the meaning of home… Also touching on such topics as post-traumatic stress disorder, military service, and addiction, This Is Home makes a great addition to any family life or women's fiction collection.”
—Booklist

Some Q & A with Lisa Duffy ~ 

Tell us a little bit about yourself and how you started writing.

I started writing as a young girl—poetry, journaling, and an attempt at a novel when I was nineteen and sequestered in the house with chickenpox. It was a terrible novel, and then life rambled on: college, a job in the software industry, marriage, and three kids. When my youngest went to preschool, I went back to school for writing, hoping to give it a real shot. I still had some credits to finish on a degree in Women’s Studies. Once I had that, I was accepted into an MFA program in creative writing. My debut novel, The Salt House, came to fruition in those writing classes. After I graduated, I worked on it exclusively and found an agent. We sold it to Touchstone/S&S not long after. That’s the short synopsis of a long journey on my path to publication.

What are some things you enjoy when not writing?

We live on a tidal river with our boat on the dock in our backyard, so we do a lot of boating in the summer. I love to cook. My husband does, as well. We have six kids in our blended family, ranging from 16 to 36. Never a lack of mouths or people willing to sit at our table and talk over a glass of wine. I tend to be a homebody, and this is my favorite time of year. Still warm enough to enjoy the outside, but cool in the evenings. I love to get a fire going in our woodstove, cook something delicious with Chopped on TV in the background, and good company at the table. Nothing better than that.

Where do you get your ideas?

I always begin with voice. An opening sentence that won’t leave me alone. When I have a cast of characters, I take my time getting to know them. Some of it through writing, but a lot of imagining takes place away from my desk. Thinking about the characters or story when I’m driving or in the shower or going to sleep.

Is there a particular author or book that influenced or inspired your writing or decision to write?

Little Women is the first book I read as a young girl that introduced me to an entirely different world. I think I fell in love with reading at an early age because of that book. And my love of reading led to my desire to write. To see if I could somehow create a world simply from my imagination and express it through words.

What are you working on now?

I’m working on my third novel, My Kind of People, releasing from Atria next summer, about class, identity, and betrayal colliding when a young girl is orphaned in a close-knit island community off the coast of New England.

Is anything in your book based on real-life experiences?

I took some liberty with Libby and stole some of my own childhood for her character. I grew up in the middle apartment of a triple-decker in a suburb outside of Boston. My father was a policeman in my hometown. We had family members living on the first floor for various stretches of my childhood. It was noisy and crowded, and I didn’t always love it. Of course, it took growing up and moving away to see how much of it made me who I am today. We sold the house years and years ago, and sometimes I’ll drive by it when I’m in town, and there’s a tug inside. Still a part of me that feels as though I’m home.

Do you have a favorite chapter or scene?

Scenes with Rooster Cogburn were interesting to write. And fun too. We’ve always had labs as pets, and Rooster just appeared on the page as this big, gentle dog. I enjoyed spending time with him on the page.

Do you have any advice for aspiring writers?

Surround yourself with people who support your passion. It’s a lonely endeavor, less so when you don’t feel alone in it.

What are the downfalls of your writing career? The best parts?

It can be all-consuming. Sometimes if you’re on a roll with a book, it can be hard to set aside the work. The best part is the writing itself. Getting to play with words all day.

Is there anything you’d like to say to your readers and fans?

Thank you. For reading and sharing your love for these characters. I’m forever grateful.

To connect with Lisa:

lisaduffywriter.com

@lisaduffyauthor

Twitter ~ @lisaduffywriter

The Salt House

This is Home 

My Kind of People (coming 2020)      

          

                 

GOOD MAN, DALTON, by author, Karen McQuestion

A chance encounter leads to an unpredictable Manhattan romance in an irresistible and heartwarming novel from the author of Hello Love.

Greta Hansen has arrived in Manhattan to intern with the Vanderhaven Corporation, a company owned by distant and very wealthy relatives. But she soon realizes she’s actually been hired to keep watch on their capricious daughter, social media celebrity Cece. No last name required. Why bother? The entire Twitterverse already watches every fabulous move she makes. Including an unfortunate shoplifting mishap when Cece decides to go off script. It’s then that a handsome—and homeless—stranger comes to the rescue.

Dalton Bishop has a secret. A man of privilege, he’s been living on the streets as a social experiment. Now, in gracious payback for his chivalry, Cece invites him to an elegant fund-raiser called the Forgotten Man Ball. It’s Greta he’s taken with, however—and to Greta’s surprise, she’s taken right back. But Dalton has one more secret up his tattered sleeve. For right now, though, he’s just happy embracing the woman of his dreams. It’s only the beginning of a romantic and revealing adventure that will take them to a place where money, class, and fame matter far less than true love.

PRAISE FOR THE BOOKS OF KAREN McQUESTION

"I was riveted to the page and on occasion brought to tears. A book you don't want to miss." -- Barbara Taylor Sissel, bestselling author of Faultlines and The Truth We Bury on Half a Heart

"Karen McQuestion just keeps getting better! Hello Love is an enchanting, impossible-to-put-down novel about big hearts and second chances." --Claire Cook, USA Today bestselling author of Must Love Dogs

"An emotional and engaging novel about family..." Delia Ephron on A Scattered Life

McQuestion writes with a sharp eye and a sure voice, and as a reader, I was willing to go wherever she wanted to take me. After I finished the book, I thought about how I might describe it to a friend, and I settled on...:"You should read this. It's good."--Carolyn Parkhurst on A Scattered Life

"The plot is fast paced and easy to dive into, making this a quick and exciting read." --School Library Journal on From a Distant Star

Some Q & A with Karen ~ 

Tell us a little bit about yourself and how you started writing. I caught the writing bug in third grade when my teacher gave the class an assignment to write a short story. Mine was good enough to be read aloud to the class and to my surprise everyone seemed to like it. At the time I was a shy, awkward kid with no discernable talents so this was a big moment for me. After that, I wanted to be an author.

What are some things you enjoy when not writing? Reading, traveling, visiting with family and friends, walking, and trying to keep up with new technology.

Do you have a ‘day job’ as well? I’m happy to be able to say that I can make a living writing fiction, something I never imagined I’d be able to do.

Where do you get your ideas? I don’t have a definitive answer for this. Oftentimes it’s a combination of things—a personal experience, something I read, an overheard conversation—little seeds that combine to make a story or at least the jumping-off point of a story.

Can you tell us about your challenges in getting your first book published? I wrote novels for ten years and even after I got an agent, publishers took a pass. I have a box in my basement filled with rejection letters. It was discouraging but I just kept going with the hope that the next manuscript would be the one that would get me in the door.

In 2009 I read that Amazon was allowing self-published authors to upload their work to Kindle. Expecting nothing, I put six books up on the digital platform and was stunned and delighted when my books began to sell (and even more thrilled when they got great reviews). In a short time, my sales got the attention of the media and I was featured in articles in the Wall Street Journal and Entertainment Weekly and became the subject of a segment on Good Morning America. Now my books are published by  Lake Union Publishing. They are available in paperback, audio, and Kindle and have been translated into Polish, Czech, Turkish, German, Spanish, and Korean. It’s been a wild, wonderful ride.

If you had to go back and do it all over, is there any aspect of your novel or getting it published that you’d change? Not a thing. The struggle made the success all the more sweet.

  

What are you working on now? A book called The Moonlight Child. I don’t want to say any more than that because I don’t want to jinx it.

Is anything in your book based on real-life experiences? Not intentionally! I’m sure some things sneak in though.

Do you have any advice for aspiring writers? Write the book you’d like to read and never give up.

What are the downfalls of your writing career? Too much sitting.

The best parts? Everything else.

  

Place you’d like to travel? Iceland.

Is there anything you’d like to say to your readers and fans? I say this constantly, but it bears repeating: thank you, thank you, thank you! Because of you, I get to do what I love for a living. I never take that for granted.

To connect with Karen ~ 

Website:  www.karenmcquestion.com

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/KarenMcQuestion

Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/karenquest/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kmcquestion/

My Book Tribe on Facebook (a reader group in which I am a founding member):

https://www.facebook.com/groups/MyBookTribe/

DEAR WIFE, by author KIMBERLY BELLE

From the bestselling author of The Marriage Lie and Three Days Missing comes a riveting new novel of suspense about a woman who, in a fight for survival, must decide just how far she’ll go to escape the person she once loved.

Beth Murphy is on the run…

For nearly a year, Beth has been planning for this day. A day some people might call any other Wednesday, but Beth prefers to see it as her new beginning—one with a new look, new name, and new city. Beth has given her plan significant thought because one small slip and her violent husband will find her.

Sabine Hardison is missing…

A couple hundred miles away, Jeffrey returns home from a work trip to find his wife, Sabine, is missing. Wherever she is, she’s taken almost nothing with her. Her abandoned car is the only evidence the police have, and all signs point to foul play.

As the police search for leads, the case becomes more and more convoluted. Sabine’s carefully laid plans for her future indicate trouble at home and a husband who would be better off with her gone. The detective on the case will stop at nothing to find out what happened and bring this missing woman home. Where is Sabine? And who is Beth? The only thing that’s certain is that someone is lying and the truth won’t stay buried for long. 

Reviews ~ 

Multiple plot twists keep the reader guessing all the way to the stunning conclusion, and the link between Beth and Sabine comes as one of the book's bigger surprises. Belle once again displays a knack for high suspense. - Publishers Weekly

A woman on the run, a grieving husband, a bereft sister, a brokenhearted lover, a determined detective  - or are they? Nothing is as it seems in Kimberly Belle's, knockout thriller, DEAR WIFE. I tore through the pages of this clever, multi-layered stunner that not even the most astute suspense fan will be able to see what's coming until the final, jaw-dropping twist. Clear your calendar and put DEAR WIFE at the top of your to-be-read list. Five breathtaking stars! - Heather Gudenkauf, New York Times bestselling author of The Weight of Silence and Before She Was Found

Subtle, insidious, clever... DEAR WIFE is spellbinding. I was hooked from the first page. You're going to love Kimberly Belle's latest outing. And you aren't going to see it coming... - JT Ellison, NYT bestselling author of Tear Me Apart

Kimberly Belle's DEAR WIFE is a powerhouse psychological thriller, filled with all the twists and turns of a woman crafting herself a new identity while escaping an abusive marriage. Masterfully written, Belle has outdone herself with this thrilling and emotionally complex tale. This one shines. - Jennifer Hillier, author of Jar of Hearts

Some Q & A with Kimberly ~ 

Tell us a little bit about yourself and how you started writing.

I’m not one of those writers who penned her first novel in crayon. Writing was something I always dreamed of doing, but for the longest time, it fell by the wayside for a job that paid the bills. That job for me was nonprofit fundraising, and it definitely helped me hone my writing skills. Fundraising letters, website texts, scripts for meetings and events…I learned very quickly how to drill down to a powerful, poignant message that tugs at the heartstrings.

And then in 2008, the economy crashed and so did my job. By that point, I was pushing forty, and I still hadn’t written that novel I’d always dreamed of writing. I decided to see my sudden unemployment as a now-or-never moment, so I sat down and my computer and….realized I had no idea what I was doing. I spent the next couple of years learning how to build a story. I took courses, read everything I could get my hands on, found some critique partners and mentors, and then I wrote a book and then another. I was almost done with the second story when I attended a local conference and pitched it to a couple of agents—a process kind of like speed dating and just as nerve-wracking. One of them, Nikki Terpilowski of Holloway Lit, signed me by the end of the month, then sold both books to Mira in a 2-book deal. I’ve since moved to Park Row Books, but both imprints fall under Harlequin/Harper Collins, so I haven’t gone very far.

Where do you get your ideas?

Ideas come from everywhere and nowhere. Sometimes it’s a news snippet or article, like the one about compassionate release that inspired The Last Breath, or a bumpy plane ride that planted the idea for The Marriage Lie.

But sometimes, when you’re really lucky, ideas fall into your lap. Dear Wife was one of those ideas and a gift from the writing gods. I had just spent months putting a proposal together for another story when the idea for Dear Wife woke me up in the middle of the night. My eyes popped open, and the story was right there, fully formed. I knew my characters, the major plot points, how the story began and ended. While the house slept, I stared at the ceiling and watched the story play like a movie in my head. In the morning, I called my editor and pulled the first proposal, then asked for another week or two to throw together a new one for Dear Wife. Thankfully, she loved the story just as much as I did.

Is anything in your book based on real-life experiences?

Dear Wife is my second book that deals with domestic violence, a subject that was inspired by a dear friend whose backstory is similar to my main character’s in Three Days Missing. When that story opens, she is in the midst of a very messy, very public divorce from a husband who beat her in a very public setting—pretty much exactly what happened to my friend. It’s a fictionalized story crafted around a real-life one, and writing it helped me sort through all the emotions I felt, the sadness and helplessness and anger while watching my friend go through her divorce. I thought I’d worked through all my emotions until the idea for Dear Wife popped into my head, and I realized I had more to say, this time through a woman who is fighting back in the most brave, kick-ass way. Beth is angry and determined and willing to risk it all for her freedom—all the ingredients for the best kind of heroine.

Do you have a favorite chapter or scene?

That last scene on the rooftop was my favorite, and probably the easiest to write. I can’t say much about it without giving away a big part of the plot, but I really enjoyed the way Beth’s voice came out so loud and strong. I was channeling her or she was channeling me, I don’t know, but whatever it was, it really worked. That scene flew out of me.

How do you market your work?

Park Row provides me with a publicist who is a master in getting my books into the right hands, but he has dozens of authors just like me, clamoring for his attention, so I also hire an external publicist to supplement his work. When a book is coming out, I work my contacts, as well, and I purchase Facebook and other ads around publication time. I spend a good chunk of my advance marketing the book, an investment that seems to have paid off.

Do you have any advice for aspiring writers?

The biggest advice I can give to any writer is to keep writing. Letter for letter, word for word. Don’t wait for an agent, a publisher, a contract, just keep writing and polishing your craft, every single day. Treat your writing like a job. Set your alarm and go to “work” behind your laptop every day, five days a week, because if you wait for inspiration to strike—or for a story idea to come upon you—you’ll never get anything written. Some days you’ll end with a lot of words, other days you’ll stare at your screen and pull out your hair. In the end, it all evens out, and eventually, you have a book.

What are you working on now?

I’m currently finishing up a story about a newlywed woman who discovers a woman’s body under their lakeside home dock. The police show up, and in her shock and the pressure of the moment, she follows her husband’s lead and lies about ever having seen the woman—which she did the previous day in passing. It’s not a big lie, and she doesn’t really think much of it at the time, but soon that one little lie turns into an avalanche. As the police close in on the woman’s killer, my main character uncovers dangerous truths about her husband and her marriage, as well as dark secrets that have been simmering below the lake’s currents for years. No title yet, but coming sometime in 2020.

This idea was something I’d been stewing on for ages, a book set in a remote mountain lake town where money plays a big role in the town’s dynamics. My main character’s marriage to an older, wealthier man gives her a rags-to-riches backstory, which reveals unexpected truths about her character. People will break their moral compasses for a host of primal reasons: hate, love, envy, passion, survival—and money. 

kimberly s. belle is the USA Today and internationally bestselling author of five novels, including the domestic suspense, Dear Wife (June 2019). Her third novel, The Marriage Lie was a semifinalist in the 2017 Goodreads Choice Awards for Best Mystery & Thriller and her work has been translated into a dozen languages. A graduate of Agnes Scott College, Belle divides her time between Atlanta and Amsterdam. 

To connect with Kimberly ~ 

http://kimberlybellebooks.com/
https://www.facebook.com/KimberlyBelleBooks/
https://www.instagram.com/kimberlysbelle/
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7778742.Kimberly_Belle

Dear Wife. Some vows are meant to be broken.  Coming 6.25

Amazon | iBooks | B&N | Indiebound | Kobo | Google Play

MY LOVELY WIFE, by author SAMANTHA DOWNING

Dexter meets Mr. and Mrs. Smith in this wildly compulsive debut thriller about a couple whose fifteen-year marriage has finally gotten too interesting...

Our love story is simple. I met a gorgeous woman. We fell in love. We had kids. We moved to the suburbs. We told each other our biggest dreams and our darkest secrets. And then we got bored.

We look like a normal couple. We're your neighbors, the parents of your kid's friend, the acquaintances you keep meaning to get dinner with.

We all have our secrets to keeping a marriage alive.

Ours just happens to be getting away with murder.

Reviews ~ 

#1 Library Reads, IndieNext, and Amazon Best of the Month in Thriller!
"A dark and irresistible debut."—People

“The thriller we’re most excited to stay up with all night.”—Entertainment Weekly

“Side effects of reading this include sleepless nights, and awkward looks from strangers on the subway due to your horrified expression.”—Cosmopolitan

“Will shock even the savviest suspense readers.”—Real Simple

“A new twist on the genre.”—Refinery29

“If you read one book this year, make it My Lovely Wife.”—Betches

“Wow! My Lovely Wife is a stunner—full of twists, well-drawn characters, and riveting suspense.”—Harlan Coben, #1 New York Times bestselling author 

Some Q & A with Samantha ~ 

Tell us a little bit about yourself, and how you started writing.

I’m originally from California and now live in New Orleans. My writing began as a natural extension of being such a big reader. I started with short stories, moved to novels, and I’ve been writing steadily for years now.

Do you have a ‘day job’ as well?

I do, I’ve been working since I was a teenager and I’ve had a salaried job throughout my entire adult life. It’s hard to imagine life without one – or without benefits! Becoming self-employed is a big, big leap.

Where do you get your ideas?

Anywhere, honestly. I can be inspired by a person, a TV show, a movie, or a real-life crime. I like to twist things around into something new.

  

If you had to go back and do it all over, is there any aspect of your novel or getting it published that you’d change?

Yes and no. I’ve written novels before this one and I had no idea this would be the first one to get published. If I had known, maybe I would have revised it a few more times or changed a few things. Other times I think it worked out just perfectly. Sometimes, ignorance is best!

What are you working on now?

Another thriller! Hopefully as disturbing as this one.

Is anything in your book based on real-life experiences?

The family life scenes, yes. A lot of the conversations and family drama are things I have seen or experienced. But the murders? No, not that!

Do you have a favorite chapter or scene?

I don’t want to give too much away, but there is a scene when Millicent and her husband climb a tree. It’s early in their relationship and it says a lot about them as a couple.

Do you have any advice for aspiring writers?

Concentrate on becoming the best writer you can be. I’ve been in a writer’s group for a few years now, and many writers concentrate more on the business of writing rather than the craft. I believe the reverse is better.

What are the downfalls of your writing career? The best parts?

The downfall is the deadlines! I’m still getting used to them. But the best parts far outweigh the downfalls – being a published writer, seeing your book in book stores, knowing that people outside your family are reading it!

Place you’d like to travel?

I would love to see China, Japan, and New Zealand. Basically the other side of the planet.

Is there anything you’d like to say to your readers and fans?

Thank you very much for reading and I really, really hope you enjoy it!


Click on this link to Connect with Samantha:

https://www.samanthadowning.com/bio

BEFORE SHE WAS FOUND, by author, HEATHER GUDENKAUF

A gripping thriller about three young girlfriends, a dark obsession and a chilling crime that shakes up a quiet Iowa town, from the New York Times bestselling author of The Weight of Silence.

For twelve-year-old Cora Landry and her friends Violet and Jordyn, it was supposed to be an ordinary sleepover—movies and Ouija and talking about boys. But when they decide to sneak out to go to the abandoned rail yard on the outskirts of town, little do they know that their innocent games will have dangerous consequences.

Later that night, Cora Landry is discovered on the tracks, bloody and clinging to life, her friends nowhere to be found. Soon their small rural town is thrust into a maelstrom. Who would want to hurt a young girl like Cora—and why? In an investigation that leaves no stone unturned, everyone is a suspect and no one can be trusted—not even those closest to Cora.

Before She Was Found is a timely and gripping thriller about friendship and betrayal, about the power of social pressure and the price of needing to fit in. It is about the great lengths a parent will go to protect their child and keep them safe—even if that means burying the truth, no matter the cost.


“[A] scintillating psychological thriller....The stunning plot builds to a chillingly realistic ending. Gudenkauf is at the top of her game.” —Publishers Weekly starred review

"Eerily page-turning and wonderfully twisty, Before She Was Found is the riveting story of one troubled group of young girls struggling to belong and the frighteningly blurred boundary between where urban legend ends and real danger begins." —Kimberly McCreight, New York Times bestselling author of Reconstructing Amelia and Where They Found Her

“Dark and stylish, Before She Was Found is an entertaining read that thrills to the last page.” —Linda Castillo, New York Times bestselling author of A Gathering of Secrets

“Heather Gudenkauf has done it again. She manages to merge engaging characters and terrifying topics resulting in unputdownable suspense set in a small Iowa town. In Before She Was Found, Gudenkauf takes us into the lives of three young girlfriends as a sleepover turns into tragedy. Examining today’s realities of social media and the added pressure our connected culture creates, Gudenkauf has crafted a gripping thriller.” —Kaira Rouda, bestselling author of Best Day Ever


Some Q & A with Heather ~

Tell us a little bit about yourself, and how you started writing.

I was so fortunate to be able to pursue careers that I am passionate about. I wanted to be a teacher ever since I was a young girl and have spent the last twenty-seven years in education. Over the years I served as an elementary and middle school teacher, a special needs teacher, an instructional coach and as a Title I reading coordinator. I didn’t seriously consider writing until I had been teaching for several years and my three children were in school.

I started writing my first novel, The Weight of Silence after school was let out for summer break. I bought myself a beautiful journal and started writing the story longhand. I finished the first draft just before I went back to school that fall.

I think the key to being able to juggle multiple roles is to truly love what you do. For me, writing is an escape, an opportunity to explore new ideas, new characters, a chance to express myself creatively.

What are some things you enjoy when not writing?

When I’m not writing, you can usually find me doing one of four things: hiking, yoga, spending time with my family or reading.

One of my favorite pastimes is hiking with our German shorthair pointer, Lolo. We love to visit local nature preserves to hike the trails and bluffs. It’s a great time to clear my mind and often I’ll be able to work through some challenging plot points on a book I’m working on or where I’ll come up with new ideas.

I practice yoga several times per week. What I love about it is that we all come to our mats with our own expertise (or in my case, lack of) and we can move at our own pace and level. I’ve found that yoga really helps to balance me – mind and body – especially since I spend a lot of time sitting behind a computer.

I spend as much time with my family as possible. Though my three children are grown and out of the house, we get together as much as possible. I also spend a lot of time with my folks – in fact, we just celebrated my mom’s 80^th and my dad’s 85^th birthdays. I treasure every day that I have with them.

I always end my day with a good book. Currently, I’m reading a galley copy of Jason Pinter’s THE BROKEN WOMAN. So good!

Where do you get your ideas?

Just like for many of my novels, the idea for Before She Was Found was inspired by news headlines: A fictional online entity and real life collided with heartbreaking results. In Before She was Found, three young characters similarly become fascinated with an urban legend with devastating consequences.

Through my writing, I also wanted to explore how the lack of mental health services, family dynamics, and social media can impact actions and decisions that have life-altering costs.

Is there a particular author or book that influenced or inspired your writing or the decision to write?

There are so many authors that have inspired me to pursue my dream of becoming a novelist but I’ll try and narrow it down to two.  As a young girl, Laura Ingalls Wilder’s The Little House on the Prairie series made me into a reader. I would spend hours and hours reading and re-reading the Little House series.

Willa Cather made me want to be a writer.

Willa Cather is my all-time favorite author and My Antonia – is my all-time favorite book. Cather’s writing is just beautiful. I love the way that she could describe the setting in a novel and it actually seemed to become a character within the story. Cather’s writings showed me the magic and power of words. I reread My Ántonia and O Pioneers every single year and can only dream of writing such powerful stories.

Do you have any advice for aspiring writers?

The best advice I have for beginning writers is to do just that ~ write. It is so important to set aside time each day to get your thoughts and ideas down on paper. It can be an hour or ten minutes. You’ll be surprised at how quickly the pages start to add up. I also think it is crucial for writers to be readers. Read far, wide and deep!

  

Place you’d like to travel?

I’m a definite homebody – but I do like to go on adventures now and then. For as long as I can remember, I’ve wanted to visit Italy. My dad was stationed there years ago when he was in the navy and the stories he tells makes me want to hop on the next plane. I’d love to hike through the Italian countryside, take in the all the sights and of course, sample the food!

  

Is there anything you’d like to say to your readers and fans?

I love talking reading and writing with fellow book lovers! 

Readers can connect with me in the following ways:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HeatherGudenkaufAuthor/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heathergudenkauf/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/hgudenkauf

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/heather-gudenkauf

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2875124.Heather_Gudenkauf

Website: https://heathergudenkauf.com/