Authorpreneur Dashboard – Tammy L Grace
Finding Home
Romance
Fans of Hallmark style movies, featuring women in mid-life, will enjoy escaping with the first book in the Hometown Harbor Series. Set in the picturesque San Juan Islands, readers are taken on an emotional journey filled with the complex relationships of friendship and family. Each book in the series highlights a different woman and her journey of self-discovery. Finding Home features Sam, who moves to the island intent on starting over after a divorce. It’s an inspirational story of loss, love, second chances, and forgiveness. A coming to life journey for a middle-aged woman, who flees to a small island expecting a change of scenery and discovers much more. Shattered by her husband's infidelities after twenty-five years of marriage, Sam Collins is plagued by constant fear and loneliness, reliving the tragic death of her parents and the betrayal by the man she loved. The past she wrestles to let go of comes hurtling back when she least expects it. In an effort to help a struggling young man, she is forced to confront the anguish she is desperate to escape. While torn between love and friendship, she must face her fears and choose between the life she's known and a chance for a family and home she's been longing for all her life.
Book Bubbles from Finding Home
Peaceful Pies
Sam's grandma instilled a love of baking in her and in this scene Sam's using her creative juices to calm her thoughts. I love to bake, and infused all the books with some of my own favorite pie and dessert creations. Sam has used baking as an escape for decades and is now incorporating this hobby into her new life strategy. I've had some readers tell me they get hungry when reading about all the pastries and baked goods that come out of Sam's kitchen.
Designing a Home
In this scene Sam is taking in what will now be her home, not just a vacation spot. I wanted the reader to feel the space and get a sense of the luxurious surroundings. Sam has a lot of issues, but lack of money isn't one of them. I had lots of fun designing the waterfront home and setting up an ideal refuge for Sam.
Must Love Dogs
My own golden retriever was the inspiration for all the canine companions in my novels. Along with a different main character in each book in the series, I feature the main character's dog. I love dogs and especially adore my own Zoe, who I borrowed for Sam's best friend. As a special bonus to readers who sign up for my mailing list, I've compiled my interviews with all the dogs in my books and I'll send it to you as a thank-you for joining my mailing list. Sign up at www.tammylgrace.com on the main page or the contact tab.
Research Required
I've got a secret...I don't drink coffee. This meant I had to do some research into the huge variety of coffee drinks available. For this scene I remember checking out the specs on lots of machines and watching several videos on how to be a barista. I love the smell of coffee, but never developed a taste for it. I'm more like Sam and enjoy a good cup of tea.
Coffee Shop
I've always had a secret desire to own a book store and coffee shop, long before they were the "in" thing. That was my inspiration in creating Harbor Coffee and Books in FINDING HOME. I'd love to spend a few hours here sipping tea and reading a good book while taking in the scenic beauty of the San Juan Islands.
Sam's Arrival
The idea for this story came to me while I was on a ferry and observed a woman sitting with her dog. With that encounter began what would be a series of books set in the San Juan Islands off the coast of Washington. Finding Home begins with Sam's ferry ride and arrival in Friday Harbor and her journey of discovery.
