Hey Guys! Woohoo…it’s release day for RaeAnne Thayne’s next book in the Haven Point Series. You all know by now that I love RaeAnne and this series.
I am on the last few chapters of Serenity Harbor…and let me assure you…this is another winner. Look for my review next week.
Update: Here is my Review of Serenity Harbor!
In the meantime – Check out this Q&A with RaeAnne!
Q&A with RaeAnne Thayne
Q: Katrina Bailey is the younger sister of Wynona and Marshall Bailey, and she’s a character we’ve seen glimpses of in previous books. What made you want to explore her story in more detail, and what makes her such a great heroine?
A: One of my favorite things about writing an ongoing series is having the chance to really dig deeply into everyone’s stories. I introduced Katrina in the previous books of Haven Point as a somewhat flighty young woman, obsessed with dating, who seemed to always pick the wrong guys. I knew there had to be more to her. In SNOWFALL ON HAVEN POINT, I created a plot where Marshall, Katrina’s brother, had to be in a circumstance where none of his family members could help him after he was hurt in a car accident. In one of those throwaway lines that I didn’t really think through at the time, I wrote something about Katrina being out of the country, trying to save the world. When I was trying to decide which character’s story to write next, I knew it had to be hers – mostly because I was dying to know what she had been up to! I loved learning all her secrets – especially discovering why she had always been rather obsessed with guys.
Q: Bowie’s young half-brother, Milo, is a major character in this novel and helps bring Kat and Bowie together initially. You are great at writing charming and believable children — what makes them a good element of a romance novel?
A: Children can be fun to write and can add depth and emotion to a story like nothing else. One way to judge people’s characters is to watch how they interact with children. If they’re impatient or dismissive to the young and innocent, they’re going to be that way with others, too. Even if a person struggles to know how to treat children, as Bowie does with his half-brother, watching their efforts can show a great deal about who they are and can reflect their own journey. Katrina is drawn to children with special needs because of her own childhood, struggling with learning disabilities and her own childhood challenges. Bowie feels a great sense of responsibility to his brother, an obligation to provide a much more stable home environment than he had. I find something noble in these aspects of both their personalities, one more reason they deserve to find their happy-ever-after with each other!
Q: Although Kat bonds with Milo fairly quickly, part of the novel focuses on Bowie’s struggle to learn how to connect and communicate with his younger brother. Why was it important to show that struggle, and how did you want their relationship to develop throughout the book?
A: I wanted to show Bowie gradually coming to accept and embrace the brother he has only just met, not in spite of his condition but as an important part of what makes Milo the amazing boy he is. I also wanted to show it can take time and patience to get to that place but that the journey is worth the effort.
Q: Another key plotline in this novel involves Kat’s efforts to adopt a young girl named Gabi who she meets in an orphanage in Colombia. What made you want to incorporate adoption into Kat’s storyline?
A: I needed to show Kat’s character growth from the flighty, flirtatious young woman of the earlier books to someone who has discovered a purpose more important than chasing the next cute guy to come to Haven Point. She is working toward a goal, adopting Gabi, and only agrees to help Bowie because he can help her get there. That set up a perfect conflict. After she starts to fall for Bowie, she is torn between two things she wants desperately, and she can’t see how to reconcile the two and have them both.
Q: Not to give too much away, but this book features a pretty swoon-worthy first kiss. As a romance author, what would you say are the key elements for writing a perfect first kiss?
A: Oh, this is a hard one for me to answer, mainly because each “perfect first kiss” is perfect only for those two characters, in their unique circumstance. The requirements to make each first kiss in a book perfect vary as widely as the characters. They do have a few things in common. I love stoking that simmering tension that precedes that kiss until the hero and the heroine (and the reader!) can’t wait another moment for them to finally come together. Tentative, sometimes accidental touches, eyes meeting, that surge of awareness every time they are together. It’s so much fun to write, especially when the characters are fighting the inevitableness of that attraction with everything inside them!
Q: We have to ask, what’s next for you? Are you planning more Haven Point novels? If so, can you give us some hints about what readers can look forward to next?
A: I just finished the next book in the series, which is the long-awaited (and frequently requested) story of Jamie Caine! He is a sibling to many characters who appeared in my earlier Hope’s Crossing series and it was so much fun to once more bridge the two series. For some reason, readers really connected with him, and I’ve had many people ask me to write his book. It’s been on my mind for a long time, but I had to wait until I found the perfect heroine for him. I never would have expected quiet Julia Winston to be the perfect one for this sexy pilot but, as always, my characters love to prove me wrong. SUGAR PINE TRAIL comes out in October, and I really hope readers adore them together because I loved writing their book!
About Serenity Harbor
Title: Serenity Harbor Series: Haven Point #6
Also in Series: Redemption Bay, Evergreen Springs, Riverbend Road, Snowfall on Haven Point, Serenity Harbor
Author: RaeAnne Thayne
Publisher: Harlequin
Publication date: June 27th 2017
Target Audience: Adult
Genres: Romance
Length: 384 Pages
Source: Publisher
Format: ARC
Find It: Goodreads
Buy It: Amazon|B&N|Book Depository
In the town of Haven Point, love can be just a wish—and one magical kiss—away…
Computer-tech millionaire Bowie Callahan is about the last person that schoolteacher Katrina Bailey wants to work for. As far as she can see, he's arrogant, entitled and not up to the task of caring for his young half brother, Milo. But Kat is, especially if it brings her closer to her goal of adopting an orphaned little girl. And as her kindness and patience work wonders with Milo, she realizes there's more to sexy, wary Bo than she'd ever realized.
Bo never imagined he'd be tasked with caring for a sibling he didn't know existed. Then again, he never pictured himself impulsively kissing vibrant, compassionate Katrina in the moonlight. Now he's ready to make her dream of family come true…and hoping there's room in it for him, too…
About RaeAnne Thayne
I’m not one of those people who knew from birth she was destined to become a writer. I always loved to read and throughout my childhood I could usually be found with a book in my hands. To the disgust of my friends, I even enjoyed creative writing assignments that made them all groan. But I had other dreams besides writing. I wanted to be an actress or a teacher or a lawyer.
Life took a different turn for me, though, when my mother made me take a journalism elective in high school (thanks, Mom!). I knew the first day that this was where I belonged.
After I graduated from college in journalism, I took a job at the local daily newspaper and I reveled in the challenge and the diversity of it. One day I could be interviewing the latest country music star, the next day I was writing about local motorcycle gangs or interviewing an award-winning scientist.
Through it all — through the natural progression of my career from reporter to editor — I wrote stories in my head. Not just any stories, either, but romances, the kind of books I have devoured since junior high school, with tales about real people going through the trials and tribulations of life until they find deep and lasting love.
I had no idea how to put these people on paper, but knew I had to try — their stories were too compelling for me to ignore. I sold my first book in 1995 and now, more than 40 books later, I’ve come to love everything about writing, from the click of the computer keys under my fingers to the “that’s-it!” feeling I get when a story is flowing.
I write full-time now (well, as full-time as I can manage juggling my kids!) amid the raw beauty of the northern Utah mountains.
Even though I might not have dreamed of being a writer when I was younger, now I simply can’t imagine my life any other way.
I love when a series follows a cast of charters throughout – you really do get more depth to their eventual story.
For What It’s Worth
Karen recently posted…tell me something tuesday
So true Karen…that is one of the things I love about series like this!
That sounds really good. I really like reading series because you get to know all the characters so well.
Mary Kirkland recently posted…Recipe: Fried Zucchini and Vegie Saute
Agreed Mary…it’s so great to get to know everyone in town and eventually get their full stories while catching up on characters from previous books.
Great questions! This book looks interesting! I hope you enjoy it I can’t wait to see your review!
Kristyn @ Reading To Unwind recently posted…{Blog Tour} Prom Queen – Katee Robert (Review & Giveaway)
I’m loving it…RaeAnne never disappoints!
Great interview, thanks so much for sharing this!
kindlemom1 recently posted…Review: Wildfire by Ilona Andrews
This is a great series. Glad you could pop by to get to know RaeAnne a bit more!
I have only read two of RaeAnne’s books, but I loved both. I enjoyed getting a little insight into her latest book! Thank you for sharing the interview.
Literary Feline recently posted…Mid-Year Review: My Top Ten Favorite Books So Far This Year.
You’re welcome!
This sounds like a sweet read. Great Q&A! 🙂
Thanks Aleen!