And welcome Melanie Snitker's latest novel Finding Peace, Book One in the Love's Compass series.
Melanie is part of the CIR group on Facebook, bringing some 18 000 authors who choose to write CLEAN fiction in pretty much every genre out there.
It gives me great pleasure to introduce Melanie, and to share with you her new book. The cover is AMAZING, I simply love it.
So here we go...
BOOK BLURB:
Police Officer Tuck
Chandler is good at his job. He’s also good at holding women at arm’s length.
Jilted by his fiancée for his dedication to his job, he’s not about to open
himself up to hurt like that again.
Laurie Blake is a
struggling photographer. After growing up in a wealthy family, she’s determined
to make it on her own, even if it means doing it the hard way.
When Tuck is assigned
to a puzzling burglary involving Laurie’s fledgling photography business, he
goes into it with his usual perseverance. He wants to help her – if she’ll let
him. As the case unfolds and the mystery deepens, another question arises.
Will the past get in
the way of their future?
So what did you think about that? Pretty good blurb to draw you into the already irresistible book cover.
Time for an EXCERPT, so read on...
Laurie Blake fumbled to fasten the
buttons on her jacket. When she was finished, she plunged her stiff hands into
the welcome warmth of the pockets. It was January in north Texas and cold
weather was to be expected. But these exceptionally low temperatures almost
made her want to dig out her gloves. Almost.
Each breath turned into a puff of fog
that preceded her down the street. She chose her steps carefully to avoid the
uneven sections of pavement.
Walking the two buildings between Daisy
Belle’s Diner and the apartment above her photography studio, she was glad she
chose a small bowl of vegetable beef soup for dinner. It would help keep her
warm until she got home.
The evening sky bore hints of orange as
the sun readied for bed. Perfect timing. She hated to be out after dark.
The neighborhood wasn’t in the best part
of town. And that was an understatement. Most of the buildings were in dire
need of a fresh coat of paint and the storefront for Capturing the Moment
Photography was no exception. She was thankful that at least her building
didn’t sport any of the paint tags many of the others did.
Her eyes flitted to her dusty-looking
Honda Accord before turning towards the door of her place. Something snagged
her attention and her head whipped back around, eyes quickly honing in on the
trunk. It wasn’t latched. Thinking little of it, she went to shut it completely
and that’s when she noticed that the passenger side window had been broken.
A groan came from her throat as she
stood and stared at the damage. Tears gathered in her eyes.
This was fantastic. Just what she needed
– to pay for repairs to her car. Because there was nothing else to use her
limited funds on.
Shoulders slumped, Laurie unlocked the
door to her studio, turned the lights on, and stepped inside. She pulled a
cheap cell phone out of her pocket and dialed the police station. After
reporting the damage, she was told to expect an officer to stop by.
Many of the portraits on the walls of
her studio smiled at her. However, not even the photo of the cherub-faced baby
sitting in a flower pot could lighten her mood.
By the time a truck pulled up in front
of her place almost an hour later, the tears had disappeared. She stopped her
swift pacing and looked past the reflection of herself in the window as an
exceptionally tall man got out of a black truck.
She stepped out into the cold air,
leaving her jacket hanging on a chair inside. Arms crossed in front of her, she
watched as the man approached her. He wore the two-toned blue Kitner Police
Department uniform which included a heavy coat. At over six feet tall, he was
the definition of confidence.
He gave her a nod. “Hello, Ma’am. I was
told that a car had been broken into. Was it you who made that call?”
“Yes, it was.”
He looked like he was expecting her to
say something else. She raised an eyebrow at him.
The officer cleared his throat and
reached for a small notebook in one of his coat pockets. He pulled it out along
with a pen and flipped open to a blank page.
“I’m Officer Chandler. Can I have your
name?”
“Laurie Blake.”
“Is it your car that has been damaged?”
“Yes.”
She gave him her contact information and
answered a few other questions before he motioned to the car.
“Laurie, I would like you to show me the
damage and make a list of anything that might be missing from your car.”
“Nothing was stolen.”
“You already went through everything?”
His brown eyes looked surprised and she realized that they were the exact same
shade as the close-cropped hair on his head.
“I don’t keep anything in my car. I know
what part of town I live in.”
Officer Chandler’s eyes went to her
crossed arms. She had been rubbing them to keep warm and stopped immediately
under his gaze.
“You
should go inside and get a coat. This could take a few minutes.”
~
Laurie’s
arms dropped to her sides and she pierced Kentucky with a glare. She turned on
a heel and went inside the studio behind her. He followed at a distance and
stopped just inside.
He
watched her shrug on a dark green jacket. Hair hung to the middle of her back,
the ringlets tangled together in a mess of copper red.
He
stared at her eyes. They were so green, they reminded him of jade.
“My
jacket’s on. Let’s go.”
He moved
out of her way as her shoulder brushed his chest. He raised an eyebrow. If she
was this frigid with the guy who was here to help, then it was a good thing the
person who broke into her car was long gone. Kentucky might have been called in
to investigate a homicide instead.
Black
boots that looked tiny compared to his own carried her around the car to the
passenger side. She gestured to the broken window and buried her hands in her
pockets.
Kentucky
reached for a small camera in his coat and took a few photos before pulling on
the handle. The car door yielded with a creak and he leaned inside.
His gaze
swept over the faded seat covers, the stained floorboards, and landed on the
dash.
“That’s
odd, the stereo is still here. It’s usually the first thing they take.” He
stood up again. Laurie was watching him. “If you had nothing stashed in the car,
what was the point?”
She
shrugged. “They checked the trunk, too. It’s an old car. Probably wasn’t worth
their time.”
“Maybe.”
He examined the trunk and made a few more notes. “At this point, all you can do
is make a claim with your insurance company to get the window repaired.”
At his
words, a look of defeat crossed her face.
“What is
it?”
“I have
liability only.”
He gave
her a nod. He remembered when Capturing the Moments Photography had opened up
about six months ago. He had even commented to his partner about how the area
of town was an unusual place for a business like that. Looking at Laurie’s car,
he assumed she was here because it was all she could afford.
He
rubbed the back of his neck with one hand. “We will investigate this. If we can
find the guy who did it, we’ll let you know. I’m sorry there’s not much else I
can do.”
The
light from the studio reflected in her eyes. The frown on her face softened as
she kicked one of the car’s tires with the toe of a boot.
His eyes
were drawn to her mouth as she worried her lower lip with her teeth.
“Do you have any trash bags?”
Her
brows came together. “What?”
“If you
have a trash bag and some packing tape, I’ll help you cover up that window.”
Her
pretty eyes opened wide and she blinked at him as if she were seeing him for
the first time.
“Um.
Yeah. I do.”
Without
another word, she disappeared into her studio. As he waited for her to return,
Kentucky wondered about Laurie Blake. Her emotions seemed measured and she
certainly was a woman of few words. But he had seen vulnerability – even if it
was only for a moment.
She came
back with the materials he needed. Together, they sealed off the broken window.
When they were finished, he nodded towards her place. “It’s getting colder out
here and you have to be half frozen. You should go in for the night. I’ll file
all of this first thing in the morning.”
He half
expected her to argue with him. Instead, she took the tape back from him and
jabbed a thumb at her car. “Thanks for the help.”
“You’re
welcome.” He withdrew a card from his wallet and handed it to her. “If you have
any questions, please don’t hesitate to call me.”
Their
fingers brushed as she plucked the card from his hand. The warmth he felt at
the touch surprised him.
Without
looking at the card, she slipped it into her jacket pocket. She walked to the
door and turned slightly towards him again.
The
light lit her face and he admired the smattering of freckles across her nose.
“I’m sorry this happened to you.”
She
shrugged her shoulders, copper curls falling forward to frame her delicate
face. “It is what it is.”
Now...shall we learn a little about our author?
Let's give a warm welcome to Melanie D. Snitker!
Melanie D. Snitker has
enjoyed writing fiction for as long as she can remember. She started out
writing episodes of cartoon shows that she wanted to see as a child and her
love of writing grew from there.
She and her husband
live in Texas with their two children, who keep their lives full of adventure,
and two dogs, who add a dash of mischief to the family dynamics.
In her spare time,
Melanie enjoys photography, reading, crochet, baking, archery, camping and
hanging out with family and friends.
Before we post the author and buy links, how about an interview! Yes, Melanie was a good sport and was able to answer all these questions, just for you.
Could you share a little about yourself and
what led you to become a writer?
I have enjoyed writing
for as long as I can remember. When I was a kid, I wrote episodes of Chip n
Dale Rescue Rangers, using images from coloring books to illustrate my stories.
I went from that to writing scripts for Star Trek: The Next Generation and Deep
Space Nine Episodes. I even sent one or two in, though nothing came of it. lol
I've gone through periods of my life where I’ve done little to no writing, but
it’s always been something I've loved to do. Now you have peaked my curiosity! I would love to read one of your Star Trek scripts. Yes, I have no problem admitting my love for Star Trek.
Do you write full time? How much of your life
is set aside for writing?
I do not write full
time. I'm a stay-at-home-mom to our two children – 9 and 4 – and we homeschool
as well. So my days are pretty busy. When I'm working on a book, I try to take
five days a week and dedicate an hour or two to writing in the evening. When I
officially finish a book, I take a month to clear my mind and focus on something
besides writing. I admire your ability to schedule in time to write. I know that with 2 kids, homeschooling all that life can throw at us, if I would take an hour or two to write, I might not get around to writing before midnight LOL. Good for you!
Could you tell us a little about your novel?
Sure! Finding Peace is
the first novel in a series I've called Love’s Compass. At this point, I'm
planning three books in the series. Each of the books will be based around one
of the siblings in the Chandler family. Finding Peace is Tuck’s story. He is a
police officer in their little town and he’s dedicated in his mission to keep
the citizens safe.
When Laurie Blake’s
car is vandalized and later finds a burglar in her photography studio, Tuck is
determined to catch the culprit and bring peace back to her life.
His fiancée some years
ago canceled their engagement. Ever since then, he’s held women at arm’s
length. Now that he’s working so closely with Laurie, he’s struggling with the
past and how it’s going to affect his future. I had the pleasure of being a beta-reader for book one, and I am looking forward to reading the finished product!
What inspired the name you chose for the series?
One of the minor
characters, Grams, has a locket shaped like a heart. It has a raised compass on
the front. Her late husband gave it to her when he left for Korea many years
ago and told her that love was a compass and no matter how far apart two people
might be, love has a way of bringing them back together again. I liked that so
much, I decided to name the series Love’s Compass and carry that idea through
all of the books in different ways. Now I bet all of our readers would like to know if this compass does exist!
What is the message behind the story? Was it
something you specifically wrote a story around or did it develop as your
characters came to life?
I had some ideas of
what I wanted in this story, but it just kind of developed as the characters
came to life. I actually got over halfway through, decided I wanted a different
feel to the story, and went back to rewrite the first half again. I was really
happy with the outcome after that. I wanted to show that we all need direction
and peace in our lives – no matter what we’re going through. How true.
Do you work from an outline or just go with the
flow? If you use an outline, how detailed is it?
I usually just go with
the flow, but I think I do create more work for myself that way. Halfway
through the book, I sat down and made an outline so I could really study my
characters. This helped me to see where I wanted to go with the story and I
rewrote the first half again. I’ll be attempting to outline a bit more for
future books. While I was a student of The Institute of Children's Literature, I had to outline my stories...and boy did I hate that. Now, as I am writing another novel, I find myself thinking I should outline...and I will lol.
What is the time span in your novel, weeks,
months, years? How much research went into it?
This particular book
takes place over about a month and a half. It begins just after the first of
the year and continues into February. I wrote about an area of the country I’m
very familiar with and I didn't need to do a lot of research for this particular
title.
How do you handle marketing? Do you have a
plan, a publicist, or just take one day at a time?
I’m still learning a
lot about the marketing aspect of being an author. I feel like I have a better
handle on it with this book than I did with my first. But I already have things
I’m planning on doing differently with the next one. I put together a tentative
plan and take it one day at a time after that. I’m hoping to be more organized
with each book. I think the most important thing is to pace yourself, because it can become overwhelming and it's important to keep on top of things. (I say this as I struggle to regain control after having Savannah.)
Do you have any advice for aspiring authors?
Never give up! I hear
people say that you have to write every day if you want to be an author and
that’s not true. Write when you can and don't get discouraged if that’s less
often than other times in your life. Keep a journal. There is a season for everything
in our lives. I know that I went through many years where I wanted to write and
it just didn't mesh with what was going on in my life at that time. I wrote
when I could and I'm so glad I didn't give up! Very sound advice. Thank you.
Could you tell us what you're working on now?
I'm starting the
outline for the second book in the Love’s Compass series. This will be Lexi’s
story and I'm excited to start writing it in the next week or two. I have many
aspects of the story planned in my head and will be working on an outline next week. I really hope my readers will enjoy getting to know Lexi as much as they
do her younger brother, Tuck. I am looking forward to your next book.
Melanie, thank you for taking the time to stop by and talk about your newly released novel, Finding Peace. Now if any of our readers want to purchase a copy or ask Melanie a question about her book, you can find all the necessary links below.
Contact Information
Purchase Links
Finding Peace is
available on Kindle and in paperback
No comments:
Post a Comment