Are you looking for a heartwarming escape into a fictional world featuring a rugged, small-town Alaskan setting? Look no further, because now that A Baby in Alaska is published, the Home to Hearts Bay series is complete. So here are five irresistible reasons why you should dive into this hopeful uplifting series that will leave you wanting more.
Captivating Characters
This is the first time I’ve written and published a five-book series. One of my favorite things about the whole experience has been dreaming up captivating characters. From strong, independent heroines to charismatic, swoon-worthy heroes, I want to write about complex and relatable characters. It’s a fine line between creating protagonists so appealing readers will fall in love with them but also possessing rough edges and plausible flaws. Vulnerable fictional friends with interesting backstories and unhealed emotional wounds are the best kind…mainly because they show up on the page with plenty of baggage to work with and they often leave an indelible mark on readers’ imaginations.
Slow-burn Romance
I’m not opposed to scorching sparks and the kind of chemistry that makes the pages sizzle, but that’s not the genre expectation for this particular Love Inspired line. Instead, readers prefer what we like to call ‘no spice’. This is defined as intimacy that occurred off the page (especially if the hero and heroine once had an intimate relationship and conceived a child) but starting on page one, they’ve not been a part of each others’ lives. I’m a huge fan of the slow-burn romance. This happens by crafting scenes that feature palpable tension. The kind of tension that comes from stolen glances, forced proximity, and the hero and heroine working together to achieve a common goal. With every book I write, I intend to tell a story that has you rooting for the couple to conquer every obstacle in their path on their way to happily ever after.
Engrossing Storylines
I read to be entertained and to escape reality, so I try to write books that help readers do the same. Each book in the Home to Hearts Bay series can be read as a standalone. However, the overarching themes of grief recovery, second chances and redemption are woven throughout each novel. Book three, His Alaskan Redemption, and Book four, Her Alaskan Companion fit together nicely because both examine the heartrending stories of two women who’ve recently discovered they were switched at birth. As writers, we’re often taught to ‘write what we know’, and I definitely leaned hard into my own personal loss (my father died in 2020) as inspiration for the Madden sisters, who each play the heroine role in this series. From the slow-burn romances set in this rugged Alaskan island community to the juicy secrets that don’t stay hidden for long, I feel confident that each book in this hopeful uplifting series offers an engrossing storyline that will keep you turning pages late into the night.
Alaskan Setting
As a child growing up in Alaska, I did not appreciate the breathtaking scenery right outside my front door. But it has certainly served me well as a grownup. Even though I write fiction, my lived experience is infused in everything I create. The vivid descriptions in the Home to Hearts Bay series will bring the Alaskan setting to life. I hope that you’ll be able to vicariously stand on the island’s rocky coastline, taste the salt in the air, or feel the cold spray coming off the waterfall as it plunges over a moss-covered rock wall. When Rylee Madden lands her floatplane on the bay, I want you to see the particular shade of emerald green in the water and hear the boards on the dock creak under your sneakers as you make your way into town. As you dive into this hopeful uplifting series, I want you to experience the Alaskan setting and admire it as much as I do now.
Hopeful Uplifting Series
Novels in the romance genre explore complex human emotions, from hope to heartache and despair to joy. Every time I start writing a new book, I struggle to craft the internal arc of each protagonist. But I want you as a reader to experience a range of emotions that resonate, while keeping the pace and tension high enough to keep you engrossed in the story. It’s a challenge, to say the least. I’m thankful for craft partners, an encouraging writing community, a supportive family and skilled editors who helped bring this hopeful uplifting series to the global marketplace. Yes, it’s entertaining and designed to help you escape reality for a short-time, but to be honest, I want these stories to have a lasting impact. I hope a few weeks, or months or maybe even a year after you’ve finished the final page, you’ll still be thinking of these characters.
Conclusion
If you’re looking for an immersive and unforgettable reading experience, this heartwarming romance series is for you. With captivating characters, slow-burn romance, engrossing storylines, and a gorgeous Alaskan setting, Home to Hearts Bay has all the ingredients to transport you to a small town filled with love, adventure and happily ever after. Prepare to laugh, cry and root for these unforgettable characters.
So what are you waiting for? Dive into this fabulous series today, available now from your favorite bookseller.
