Monday, June 26, 2017

Virtual Book Tour: Sanctuary by @authorlaurie #giveaway #interview


Inspirational romance
Date Published: June 20, 2017
Publisher: Random Moon Books (indie)

 photo add-to-goodreads-button_zpsc7b3c634.png

Hardworking, successful lawyer Nora Ramsey, was at the height of her career. Now, she's questioning everything in Murrell's Inlet, South Carolina.

When she accepts her aunt's dilapidated estate as her inheritance, Nora is plagued with misgivings and doubt. When one of her newly inherited horses takes ill, she prays for guidance and receives it in the form of veterinarian Shaw Flynn. 

Dedicated and rugged, he assists Nora through the trying time. In Shaw, she sees someone gentle, caring and deeply devoted to God. The more she’s with him, the more he inspires her to embrace her own faith. And as their relationship blossoms into a something real and beautiful—like the coastal sunsets of Murrell’s Inlet—Nora stumbles upon Shaw’s deepest secret. Her trust is destroyed and the wisdom of her life-changing decision shaken as the future she envisioned is threatened.

As the truth becomes clear, can she find forgiveness within the sanctuary of her heart or will his betrayal destroy her faith in him once and for all? 


Interview

Hello!  I'm so happy to join you today to celebrate the release of my new book, Sanctuary.  It's Book 1 of my new series of inspirational romance, Murrells Inlet Miracles.


What is the hardest part of writing your books?
I would have to say, it's finding the time to do all the writing that I'd like to do!  You see, I have a full-time "big job" that takes up probably 80% of my waking hours.  I'm blessed to have it, and it's been a great career over the span of close to 35 years.  But I've also fit my writing career into the nooks and crannies of my free time for 17 years, and I'm rapidly approaching the time where I want to pull my writing into the forefront!



What songs are most played on your Ipod?
I discovered country music in the last 7 years or so, and now that's all I listen to.  My favorite artist is Brad Paisley, and I also enjoy Keith Urban, Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan and Kenny Chesney.


Do you have critique partners or beta readers?
Yes, I have both.  They're all fellow writers and we help each other make our books the best they can be, by reciprocating these services.  It's so helpful to get a fresh eye on my books because by the time my beta readers get it in their hands, I've literally been through it 5 times.  By that time, if something obvious is staring me in the face, I'd probably miss it!


What book are you reading now?
I just finished, The Way Home, by fellow inspirational romance author Belle Calhoune.  Next up on my Kindle is Pawleys Island by Dorothea Benton Frank.


How did you start your writing career?
It was 1999.  I was on a business trip to Atlanta, Georgia.  I had the weekend free and decided to do some sightseeing, so I went to the Margaret Mitchell House.  This was the tiny apartment within a boarding house where she wrote the majority of Gone with the Wind.  She typed her masterpiece on an old manual typewriter on a TV tray in her living room, and threw a beach towel over it when she wasn't writing.  It took her ten years to finish, while she got married, worked at a newspaper, broke her leg, convalesced, etc.  You know, while she lived her life. But she kept writing, even though she had no idea what an American literary treasure she was creating.  Something about that inspired me.  I went right back to my hotel room and plotted out a novel that had been in my mind for weeks.  The next day I started writing and I never stopped.  I finished that book and published it as Whispers of the Heart, my first published novel.


I'm excited to be starting a new series, following the completion of my first series, Pawleys Island Paradise.  Sanctuary is Book 1 in my new Murrells Inlet Miracles series of inspirational romance.  It features Nora Ramsey, a smart, hardworking lawyer whose life is successful and busy and productive.  Then, she's thrown for a loop when two things happen:  her law partner is investigated for a crime that she may or may not have been involved in, and her favorite childhood aunt dies, leaving her the chance of a new life, a new home, and a new purpose.


Along the way, she meets handsome veterinarian Shaw Flynn.  In him, she visualizes what this new lifestyle could be like, away from the stress and strain of the big city.  In the peaceful beauty of the Low Country of South Carolina. In the gaze of his eyes, and the easiness of his smile.  She likes what she sees.  Until a secret comes to light which shakes the very foundation of her dreams.

About the Author


Award-winning author Laurie Larsen leads a double life.  During the day she's a respected Project Manager in the fast-paced world of Information Technology.  After dinner and a glass of wine, she becomes a multi-published author of Christian fiction grounded in today's modern world.
Laurie's been published for 17 years, but feels she finally found her writing "niche" in 2009 when her first inspirational romance, Preacher Man was published.  It won fans, accolades, and the prestigious EPIC Award for the Best Spiritual Romance of 2010.  From then on, her path was clear.  She was put on this earth (in part) to tell love stories combined with a strong message of faith.  Her Pawleys Island Paradise series is a much beloved, at times best-selling series of six books following Leslie and Hank, and the Harrison clan, as they face the daily challenges of life while trying to include prayer and praise.  Reviewers say the books are heartwarming, life-changing and an example to follow for including God in your life.

Laurie loves the beach (obvious to anyone who's read the Pawleys Island Paradise series) and she's fondly looking forward to a day (not too far away) where she can retire from the demanding day job, and spend her days living at the beach and writing novels.  Until then, she travels back and forth between Illinois and South Carolina just as often as possible. 

Contact Links


Purchase Links




Reading Addiction Blog Tours

2 comments: