Wednesday, January 28, 2015

A Vacation gone wrong! With an unexpected outcome!

 Did you ever go on vacation and have it go horribly wrong? This happened to me quite a few years ago. When the kids were young, we used to rent a cottage for our summer holiday at Wasaga Beach, a popular touristy town on Georgian Bay. This particular year, hubby's friend offered us the use of his cottage for free. It was quite a distance away, in what we Ontarians call Muskoka country. But hey, free is free.

The drive there should have been a warning. It gave the term "off the beaten track" a whole new meaning! Although the cottage itself was nice, albeit rustic, the satellite TV didn't work in the summer because too much foliage blocked the reception. And while the water looked nice from the porch, it wasn't exactly user friendly, ie. non-swimable. There was a canoe and hubby paddled the kids (note: not the wife) over to a nearby island. I got a hysterical report back from my daughter about the amount of bugs that attacked her and how there was (gasp) an outhouse on the island that she had to use.
Needless to say, after reading every book available, I was ready to pull my hair out. Never had a week seemed SO long. Finally one day we took a drive into the nearest town. We attended an art display by a local artist and drove down to the water where we found a lovely resort called Windermere House. I was entranced by this beautiful setting, and in fact, we had lunch at the resort's pub-style restaurant. I wanted to stay there for the rest of the week, but reluctantly had to return to the cottage.

What I did gain, however, from this 'vacation-gone-wrong' was the basis of a novel, set in a beautiful resort called "Wyndermere House". This book went on to final in the Golden Heart contest - and to my great joy is now hitting the bookstores under its new title "Healing the Widower's Heart".

I hope you get the chance to read this charming story of Paige McFarlane and her attempt to help widower, Nathan Porter and his son, Zach. I know you'll love these characters as much as I did!

(Available now at bookstores near you and on-line at Harlequin.com!)

The moral of the story: You never know what good thing can come out of a vacation gone wrong!

About Healing the Widower's Heart:

When widower Nathan Porter brings his grieving son, Zach, to Wyndermere House, he is desperate for a lifeline. Nathan hopes the change of scenery to the woods of upstate New York will help mend his son’s heart. But the counselor assigned to his son’s care seems too young—and too pretty—to be qualified. Paige McFarlane has learned what loving someone—and losing them—costs. But soon her efforts with Zach reveal that to help the son she must also help the dad. As Nathan and Paige work together to mend the boy’s broken spirit, they realize the walls around their own hearts could be crumbling, as well. 



Saturday, January 17, 2015

My Book News...

What a whirlwind it has been since December when "Wayward Hearts" released!
One thing I've learned is that December is not the best month for a book release. With all the Christmas preparations and being extra busy at work (as a church secretary, the season is very busy!), there's not a lot of time to devote to promoting one's new book! So I fear Maxi and Jason's story did not get the attention it deserved. 


Right on the heels of  New Year's, I found my Love Inspired romance, "Healing the Widower's Heart" already in our local bookstore! It was not supposed to come out until February. I guess some stores get their inventory earlier than others, as Wal-Mart and Target did not have the February books out yet. 
Most thrilling of all was the 4 1/2 star review I received from RT Book Review Magazine! This magazine contains nothing but book reviews-on all types of fiction, not just romance-and 4 1/2 stars is pretty much the highest rating they give out!! Very excited about this!

So I hope if readers like "Healing the Widower's Heart", they'll go and try "Betrayed Hearts" and "Wayward Hearts", too! Please visit my new and improved website for more info on each book (www.susanannemason.com) 

Now off to continue my edits on book 2 of my historical series, tentatively called "A Worthy Heritage"!
Stay warm and Happy reading!