#TRAVEL WITH GUEST AUTHOR ROBIN LOVETT

Robin Lovett enjoys reading and writing about her favorite things: croissants, France, and sexy athletes. It’s no wonder Racing To You, her debut novel, features all three. Learn more about Robin and her books at her website. 

Going to France costs so much money. I didn’t realize how lucky I was to go there to study during graduate school. And now I’m a writer, what better way to travel back, without buying the plane ticket, than to write a novel set in France?

I want to be transported on the pages of a book. To go to the south of France, to smell the pastries in the patisserie, to feel the breeze off the Mediterranean, to watch the seas of the Côte d’Azur sparkle in the sun, and listen to the French language spoken wherever I go.

But even when traveling in person, it’s not always as perfect as one hopes. My first view of the Mediterranean as a student was on an overcast rainy day, and I was decidedly disenchanted. Without the sun, the water was as gray as any river and the rain reminded me so much of home, I wanted to cry. How could this be France? It was miserable, and no one should ever be miserable in France, right?

That wasn’t the only trouble. I left home thinking my French was stellar. I’d studied for years and spent weeks brushing up, but I never counted on how difficult it would be to understand native speakers. I could barely converse with the locals.

Travelling alone, managing the European transit system without anyone’s help—it scared me. I never knew how much I depended on having loved ones and friends nearby until I was in a strange country with everyone I knew across an ocean.

The good news, though, I had plenty of time to learn and experience. It wasn’t a vacation where I had to go home in three days. I had weeks. The sky eventually cleared and when the sun came out… the sea was so blue, it was blinding, and the sun so bright I could feel it warming me from the inside out. I learned to navigate the town, found my favorite places, and studied how to converse with the local people.

It became as idyllic as I imagined, even though, just like any good story with a well-earned happy ending, it wasn’t easy at first. But the good stuff was all the sweeter when it happened. It made me a braver, stronger person and showed me I was more independent than I ever thought I could be.

Writing Racing To You was as cathartic as I’d hoped. I will go back to France someday. But I learned what I miss isn’t just the place, but the amazing things the journey taught me about myself.

Racing to You

Love—the one roadblock they never expected.

Aurelia is living her dream, teaching for a year in the south of France. Except it’s all going wrong. The carefree culture is challenging her academic goals, and her students are so difficult that she wants the unthinkable: to give up and go home.

Meeting Terrence doesn’t help. When he’s not training for the Tour de France, the cocky pro cyclist is flirting with Aurelia, but she didn’t cross an ocean to hook up with an American jock, even if he does have killer dimples and looks hot in spandex.

Until the jock sets out to prove he’s more than mere muscle. He wants to teach her what having fun really means, which could be as dangerous to her structured life as it is to her heart.

As life hits unexpected roadblocks, they turn to one another for support, and flirtation becomes game-changing love. But Terrence is chasing his dream of being the fastest man on two wheels, and she isn’t sure how far he’ll go to win…or how far she’s willing to follow.

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#TRAVEL TO AUSTRIA WITH GUEST AUTHOR BRENDA WHITESIDE

Harte's Alpine Cabin

Brenda Whiteside and her husband are gypsies at heart having lived in six states and two countries. Currently, they split their time between the pines of Northern Arizona and the RV life. At home or in the RV, she spends most of her time writing stories of discovery and love entangled with suspense. Learn more about Brenda and her books at her website.

Story telling is rewarding…and once in a while frustrating.

There are times, as any writer of fiction will tell you, when a character takes over the keyboard and types her own story. It happens to me in every novel, and because I find it fun, it’s also rewarding.

Beginning writers are often told to write what you know. Even now, after seven years of honing my craft, I still employ that advice in one way or another. When characters reveal to me who they are or what their stories are, they seem to tap into “write what she knows.” With one book, this caused me a bit of frustration.

Many years ago, as a newlywed married to a man in the army, we were stationed in Germany. Our travels took us to Austria, and I fell in love with the country. The people are friendly, mellow, and easy to smile. The food is fantastic. The beer and wine are as rich and mellow as the people. The countryside is lush green and spotted with castles. The craggy Alps are spectacular.

Nearly thirty years ago, a young man we called Harte, short for Hartmut, spent a week in our home when his Austrian youth hockey team came to Arizona to play in the annual Easter tournament. Yes, hockey in Arizona! We became fast friends. Years later, as an adult, he returned to Arizona to work for a couple of years. A few years after that, my husband and I traveled to Austria and stayed with his family.

In The Art of Love and Murder, Book One of my Love and Murder Series, Lacy’s past is revealed as she researches who her biological parents were. As it turns out, her father was Austrian. Hmmm, is it coincidence that I have a good Austrian friend who lives in the city where Lacy’s father was from? Is it coincidence that while in Europe, Austria was one of my favorite countries? I even borrowed my friend’s name, Hartmut, for Lacy’s father’s name.

So, in Book Three, A Legacy of Love and Murder, a trip to Austria was in order to learn more about Lacy’s Austrian biological father. With the help of Lacy’s daughter, August, we immerse ourselves in ancient castles, family secrets, the local cuisine, neo-Nazi plots, murder, and romance. What I didn’t realize, as a new series novelist, it was unorthodox of me to write the first two books in Arizona, third in Austria, and then back to Arizona for the last two.

The other mistake I made was to get really excited about the first cover. It was dramatic from my point of view with a Swastika on the wall behind my hero and heroine. Not a spoiler – my hero is an Austrian inspector who fights the spread of neo-Nazism in his off hours. Unfortunately, I learned there are readers who would not pick up my book because of that symbol on the cover. I had no idea! Luckily, my publisher was understanding and gave me a new cover. Whew…problem solved and my angst calmed. I hate to think a cover would keep someone from enjoying what I believe to be an entertaining story.

Hopefully, I not only entertain with my story but introduce you to the country I love.

A Legacy of Love and Murder

In Austria to meet her great-grandfather and explore his castle estate filled with priceless art, August Myer arrives to find he’s died suspiciously. As one of the heirs, her life is in danger, turning this fairytale Alpine adventure into a nightmare of veiled threats, unexplained accidents, and murder.

Inspector Tobias Wolf splits his time between his profession and fighting the spread of neo-Nazism. But when the beautiful, intriguing American crosses his path during a murder investigation, ensuring her safety challenges his priorities…and his heart.

When August learns the handsome inspector is concealing a personal involvement, and the death of her great-grandfather is somehow connected, she takes the investigation into her own hands. The outcome could be the death of both of them.

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BOOK CLUB FRIDAY--GUEST AUTHOR MONA RISK

Mona Risk traveled to more than fifty countries on business or vacation. Eventually she left a scientific career to share with readers the many stories brewing in her head. She writes contemporary romances, sweet and not so sweet, with suspense elements or medical themes. Sprinkled with a good dose of humor, her award-winning stories are set in the fascinating places she visited. Learn more about her and her books at her website.

A Writer’s Inspiration

Of all the countries I visited, France has always been my favorite. Its rich culture and history appeal to me. I spent days and weeks touring the countryside, visiting chateaux, monuments, churches and museums. Being fluent in French, I feel comfortable in Paris and love strolling along the streets of Paris where several friends always welcome me.

A few years ago, my husband rented a car and we toured the Loire Valley. I was impressed by the magnificence of the chateaux. I visualized gallant aristocrats entertaining beautiful women in lavishly decorated galleries and plush gardens. Stories played in my mind. I don’t write historical romances but kept thinking about the settings.

A year later, while spending Christmas with my sister, my niece enthusiastically related her summer training in a French chateau. As an American student in Architecture from Harvard University, she was offered the unique opportunity to work on the restoration of a chapel in France. When I asked jokingly, “Was the owner a haughty old man?” My niece answered: “He was a young, handsome count and the five girls in my team had a crush on him. He dated my friend.”

Oh, oh. Chateau. Handsome count. Training on a historical chapel. Maybe looking for a historical statue. I had an epiphany. Here was my story premise. My muse supplied a budding romance. I could imagine my heroine, a pretty American architect, just like my niece. As for the hero, of course, he would be a gorgeous French count.

When I pitched my blurb to an agent at the RWA conference, she suggested I change the plot to make it a romantic suspense. I took her suggestion to heart and upped the stakes with a missing statue and the murder of a professor.

French Peril was born. It was first published in 2008. Recently, the title was changed to Her French Count and the novel became part of the box set, Foreign Lovers, that encompasses four novels: Her Greek Tycoon, Her French Count, Her Russian Hero, and Neighbors and More.

Foreign Lovers

Set in romantic or exotic international places, the romance novels in this box set are sizzling with passion, emotion, and sensual tension and sprinkled with humor.

Her Greek Tycoon (Her Greek Romance): A sexy and humorous Romeo and Juliette Greek style, set in Mykonos Island. Will Stefano be able to convince Ashley he's not the enemy anymore?

Her French Count (French Peril): A Da Vinci Code in a French Chateau. Count François has his hand full trying to protect the pretty American architect who's turned his life upside down.

Her Russian Hero (To Love A Hero): Clash of cultures and intrigues. On her first business trip to a Russian country dominated by male chauvinism, the beautiful American scientist finds more chemistry than she bargains for. But the man she's attracted to is a national hero admired by men and adored by women, the Major General of Belarus.

Neighbors and More: A contemporary romance novel with elements of suspense and humor. In a High Rise where so many neighbors live too close for comfort, the handsome Sicilian lawyer, and wealthy young divorcée, try to hide their idyllic romance. When a neighbor drowns in the Jacuzzi, life will forever change in the Blue Waves Building.

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