Friday, December 13, 2019

Interview with Laurie Wood about her new book Northern Hearts


            Thank you so much for having me on your blog today, Laura!

Thank you for stopping by!
What is your favorite Christmas song?

It would be a tie between “The Little Drummer Boy” and “Hark the Herald Angels Sing”. I love singing all the usual Christmas carols during the Advent season, but I play little Christmas music at home leading up to Christmas. I’m not one to play music during my writing time, so I don’t listen to the radio or iTunes, anyway.

What are you reading right now?

I’m actually re-reading “The House on Foster Hill” by Jaime Jo Wright, because I loved it so much. When it first came out, I just devoured it in 24 hrs. This time, I’m reading it slower and enjoying it even more the second time around. I adore time slip novels. Then next up is “Darling Rose Gold” by Stephanie Wrobel, which is a Canadian psychological/domestic thriller from the ABA market. I’m reviewing it for NetGalley.

What would be your dream vacation?

Ah! I have two dream vacations that tie: #1 would be to take a VIA train ride across Canada to see my country that way without having to drive it all. It’ll never happen because it’s so incredibly expensive, but we’re dreaming, right? And #2 would be to go back to Edinburgh, Scotland because my husband and I only had 2.5 days there back in 2003 and have always said we’d go back and explore it more, and go up into the Highlands. I’d love to tour well known wool mills and sheep farms and castles, and he’d like to tour the whiskey distilleries because there are some famous ones that go back hundreds of years.

How do you choose your settings for each book?

I choose Churchill, Manitoba for my “Heroes of the Tundra” series because I wrote the first book for a contest asking for Canadian heroes. And I knew people would be writing about the Mounties, etc. So, I wanted to write something different but still iconic to Canada. I came upon the idea of our polar bears while visiting the zoo with my kids that weekend, and my hero who owns a wilderness adventure tour guiding company that takes people out to see polar bears in “arctic rovers”, was born.
I have other ideas for made up small towns in Manitoba, and a series set in my home city of Winnipeg, Manitoba. And I may also try something set in Europe. It’s whatever hits my mind with the strongest idea, I suppose.

Will we know what happens to your character after the end of the book?

Yes, in this novella the story ends on a happily ever-after and you’ll know what Kali and Jake have decided to do with themselves.

Where do you like to write? Can you share a picture?

I wrote NORTHERN DECEPTION two years ago on our dining room table but it’s a real antique and not ergonomic. I was getting a lot of shoulder and wrist pain. For my birthday this year, my husband surprised me with this glass desk for the corner of the dining room. It has the right-sized pull-out tray for my keyboard and fits nicely in the corner by the window. I still don’t have an “office”, but it’s nice to have my own little space!

How do you handle distractions?

Ha! Well, I’m much better than I used to be. I shut down Facebook and Twitter etc when I’m working and only leave emails open. I use Siri to give myself a twenty-five-minute timer, and then I write for twenty-five minutes and take a 5-10 minute break. This ishelpful for getting started in the morning, because anyone can write for twenty-five minutes.  I believe it’s called the Pomodoro Technique. The trick is to get back to the twenty-five minutes of writing after your little break. But it’s good to get up and stretch or refill your water bottle. Even my two dogs know they have to wait till the timer goes, and they don’t bug me arbitrarily anymore to go outside till I’m on a “break”.

What’s on the horizon for you? What will you be writing next?

The next book in this series called NORTHERN PROTECTOR will come out June 16, 2020 from Anaiah Press. I’m excited about it as the story goesdeeper into some issues I’m passionate about so I hope my readers will come along for the journey.

I have two different time slip ideas I’ve been researching, so it will depend which one grabs me the hardest once I’ve sent in NORTHERN PROTECTOR. Or, I might start another romantic suspense series I’ve got on the hard drive.

Share a holiday tradition or recipe.

My ultimate comfort food for Christmas is home-made tourtiêres or meat pies. They’re made from veal and pork, with finely chopped onions, garlic, and salt, and with a nice flaky pie crust they’re SO good on Christmas Eve. We go to church Christmas Eve and enjoy Christmas morning with family and presents.

Thank you so much for hosting me, Laura. I wish you and your family a very Merry Christmas!

Northern Hearts
By Laurie Wood
Romantic Suspense
ebook
Release Day:December 6,2019

BOOK LINK:

Book Blurb:

Wealthy socialite Kali McIntyre dreams of opening her own dessert bar, Sassy Sweets, in downtown Winnipeg—until her father crushes that dream when he cuts her off financially. He’s determined to get her to use her law degree to join the family’s high-powered law firm. She’s determined to do anything but that. And when an unknown-to-her aunt dies in Churchill, Manitoba, leaving her an unbelievable inheritance, Kali’s on the next flight up north to make her dreams a reality. 

Chef Jake Miller has lived in Churchill for the past ten years, working hard to keep The Great Northern Lodge afloat through some tough times. But then his business partner dies unexpectedly, without telling him that she’d changed her will or that she had a niece who is set to inherit everything. Now, Jake and Kali have thirty days to work together and decide–who will stay and who will go–before Christmas rolls around. Secrets, attempted murder, and a new menu all add up to a Christmas unlike any other.


About the Author:

In the mid-1980’s I was a municipal police officer when women in Canada were pioneers in policing. But I always wanted to be a writer. Now I’m a military wife who’s lived across our beautiful country. My husband and I have raised two wonderful children with Down Syndrome to adulthood and they bless us every day. My books have finaled in the prestigious Daphne du Maurier (twice), the TARA, the Jasmine, and the Genesis contests. We live in central Canada with a menagerie of dogs, cats and kids and if the house were bigger, no doubt we’d have more.







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