About the Book:
April and Hale Abercrombie’s love is tender and sweet. While he serves in Vietnam, their marriage is marked by trust and the belief that they will grow old together with a gaggle of grandchildren at their feet. But, their charmed marriage changes in the face of losing their newborn daughter.
On leave from his tour, Hale can barely wait to hold his wife and her help her heal. When he arrives, his embrace, his touch, and his love are as perfect as April remembered. Their reunion is passionate and their physical connection is strong and soothing. But, April’s heartache remains.
Hale stumbles through his attempts to prove to April that their future will be rich and full of wonder. His good-hearted, but take-charge approach causes her to retreat. Eve
n in grief, April can see Hale’s earnestness, yet she finds solace in putting space between them. With a short time before Hale must return to war will they see that real love endures in the face of adversity, that their marriage can be strengthened even when it looks as though all is lost?
Set on the beaches of the Outer Banks, Return to Love is the second book in the Endless Love series. Book one, Home Again, was named a finalist in the 2014 Next Generation Indie Book Awards.
For More Information
Return to Love is available at Amazon.
Pick up your copy at Barnes & Noble.
Discuss this book at PUYB Virtual Book Club at Goodreads.
Read Chapter One here
Title: Return to Love
Author: Kathleen Shoop
Publisher: Oakglen Press
Pages: 261
Genre: Romance
Format: Paperback/Kindle
Purchase at AMAZON
April and Hale Abercrombie’s love is tender and sweet. While he serves in Vietnam, their marriage is marked by trust and the belief that they will grow old together with a gaggle of grandchildren at their feet. But, their charmed marriage changes in the face of losing their newborn daughter.
On leave from his tour, Hale can barely wait to hold his wife and her help her heal. When he arrives, his embrace, his touch, and his love are as perfect as April remembered. Their reunion is passionate and their physical connection is strong and soothing. But, April’s heartache remains.
Hale stumbles through his attempts to prove to April that their future will be rich and full of wonder. His good-hearted, but take-charge approach causes her to retreat. Even in grief, April can see Hale’s earnestness, yet she finds solace in putting space between them. With a short time before Hale must return to war will they see that real love endures in the face of adversity, that their marriage can be strengthened even when it looks as though all is lost?
Set on the beaches of the Outer Banks, Return to Love is the second book in the Endless Love series. Book one, Home Again, was named a finalist in the 2014 Next Generation Indie Book Awards.
Book Excerpt:
Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina, Autumn 1970
Hale’s lungs were tight as he gripped his duffel in one hand and held his uniform over his shoulder with the other. He flew up the steps of the small fishing cottage that his wife was renting from the Shelby family and arrived on the wide porch. He had imagined the moment he’d see her so many times that he felt like he was performing a play. He dropped the duffel right there and knocked on the screen door. Why was he knocking? She knew he was coming. He threw the door open and walked into the small entry. It opened into the family room. He wiped his feet while he scanned the space. “April!”
His heart beat fast and heavy. Yes, he was home under difficult circumstances. Hale’s wife was having difficulty coping with the stillbirth of their daughter. He was worried for her and knew if his skipper granted hardship leave that things must be bad. Yet he was determined, sure as he had finally arrived at the Outer Banks, he was confident that he could make her well. He just needed to see her, to hold her, to tell her everything was going to be okay.
The Guess Who’s “No Sugar Tonight” was playing on the radio. The tune brought a smile to his face. He rushed down the hallway and poked his head into two bedrooms and a bathroom before finding the room April had been using. He tucked his naval uniform into the closet, went back to the kitchen, and turned off the radio, straining to hear any noise that might signal April’s location. He went back outside, inhaling the salty air.
Where was she? He leapt off the porch and crossed the gravelly lane called Beach Road stepping onto the sand, craning his neck to catch a glimpse of her. A seagull clipped Hale’s head as it landed off to the side then flipped a whitefish into its mouth. As far as he could see, the beach was empty, yet he thought he should walk it, search for April. He didn’t know which direction she would have walked, but he started out anyway.
Heading south, a flock of black birds escorted him from above. Scores of them moved together like one great wing flapping in the wind. The whoosh of their collective descent was punctuated by their coarse, throaty screams.
The sand worked into Hale’s shoes, each particle stabbing at the skin below his ankles. He pushed one shoe off and then the other, leaving them near a smattering of driftwood that had been pushed ashore by high tide. The birds dropped, their calls growing louder, drowning out the surf. One by one the black skimmers rained from the sky like bombs, their red beaks bright against the gray sky that had crept in with Hale’s arrival. Some of the birds landed in the shoals and poked and prodded at the sand.
He came upon the largest cluster of birds, the beige sand peeking out in small patches among the blackness, and his eye went to a different form, a woman sitting rod straight, motionless in the center of the black avian shroud. Her blonde hair whipped in the wind like the sea grass at his feet. Hale stopped. His heart thumped. April. He willed himself to breathe, to move toward her. He’d never seen such a sight, the way she seemed partly born of the sand, partly able to sprout wings and fly away.
“April!” he said, waving even though her back was to him.
She did not respond. He called again, his words turned back to him by the stiff ocean gales. He jogged toward her, weaving in between napping skimmers, hopping over those that were too busy eating to move out of his way.
When he had nearly reached April, he halted again. He suddenly felt nervous about his excitement; he felt her sadness as though they shared the same soul. He’d never seen such a stunning sight in his life. Her elegance was apparent even sitting on a beach, in the middle of birds. She turned her head slightly, her profile facing him. His stomach flipped. Oh my God, is she beautiful. The wind tossed her hair, making her appear as though she were posing for a magazine shoot.
Even from a distance, even from the side, he thought he could see the sparkle of her blue eyes. The way they were set, wide on her face, made it seem as though he saw something slightly different every time he looked at her, something more, something alluring, hypnotizing. Those eyes.
There was no woman more captivating, he was sure. Or more lonely. Her sadness seemed to leap over the sand to him, to well up from the soles of his feet, filling him, squeezing the breath from his suddenly heavy lungs. If he felt this, then her pain must be far greater. Her emptiness more profound. He’d helped her create life, but he hadn’t been there when it ended.
About the Author
Amazon Top-100 Bestselling author, Kathleen Shoop, holds a PhD in reading education and has more than 20 years of experience in the classroom. She writes historical fiction, women’s fiction and romance. Shoop’s novels have garnered various awards in the Independent Publisher Book Awards, Eric Hoffer Book Awards, Indie Excellence Awards, Next Generation Indie Book Awards and the San Francisco Book Festival. Kathleen has been featured in USA Today and the Writer’s Guide to 2013. Her work has appeared in The Tribune-Review, four Chicken Soup for the Soul books and Pittsburgh Parent magazine. She lives in Oakmont, Pennsylvania with her husband and two children.
Her latest book is the romance, Return to Love.
For More Information
Visit Kathleen’s website.
Find out the latest book news at Kathleen’s blog.
Contact the author here.
A short interview:
Has writing been something you always did, or was it a discovered talent that came to you at a later point?
I did a lot of writing in my head before I began to actually write fiction seriously. For years I would run scenes through my mind, let interesting characters take up space there and string plots together without putting much down on paper. Still to this day part of my writing process consists of playing out my novels in my mind as I walk or wait for my kids in carpool lines. I take notes and finally it comes to life on the page. So in many ways, I’ve been writing as long as I can remember. But I began to treat writing fiction like a job about 12 years ago… and I began to write fiction about 14 years ago. I’ve been a voracious reader all my life and for me that’s where authors start. I recognized the power of fiction (all writing, really) long before I started writing it. And, I wrote nonfiction for my work in education as well.
Do you remember how it felt when you were offered that first contract? What emotions stand out in your memory?
Well, I remember how it felt when I signed my contract with my agent. It was glorious, empowering, exciting. I was sure my path to publication was fully set and I would reap the benefits of having scored a big time agent in a big time agency. Wrong! She could not sell my work and we eventually parted ways as what I was writing no longer matched what she wanted to represent. This brought misery, fear, wondering… I was sure my writing was strong even if it hadn’t found a home. But how could that be true if such an accomplished agent could not sell my work? Once the dust settled on the agent-breakup, I found at my core I believed I had written strong, marketable work even if the pros couldn’t identify the market themselves. Lucky for me, at just that time, the writing world turning and I found myself with a stack of manuscripts and the ability to become my own publisher AND reach readers. This was scary, thrilling, wonderful. I felt vulnerable in putting my fiction out there without the cover and credibility that a traditional book deal provides. But I had to do it…I kept coming back to that sense, deep inside, I knew that was my new path.
With over 100,000 book sales and handfuls of awards for each book later, I am pleased and excited about my future as an author. It’s not at all the path I wanted to take at first, but once the dust settled I knew it was the right decision to make in going alone. I am so grateful to have readers, to have the chance to participate in publishing this way.
Is this a first book, part of a series, or the latest in a long line of many?
Return to Love is the second book in the Endless Love series. Home Again is book one. They take place on the waters of North Carolina (Inner and Outer Banks!) and are set in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s. Sweet, spicy romance…
What is the oddest thing that’s happened to you since you chose to become a professional writer? Will it ever make it into a book, or is that a secret?
I don’t have an odd “thing” that has happened since writing professionally. But there have been “Debby Downer,” types of people all througout my journey and even if the exact scenario that occurs when someone is discouraging (I also call these people “dream-stompers”) and rude doesn’t make it into the book, the feeling these people radiate is used quite often! Fiction can’t live wihtout conflict so although real life troubles are difficult, they are lovely for fiction.
Do you have your next book underway, or other titles in the planning stages?
Always, always! Books two and three in my historical fiction Letter Series should be out late this year. And a novella in the Endless Love series will be included in an anthology called Holiday Bliss—launching in October 2014.
Do you have a favourite genre and why? Is it one you write in, read in, or both?
I adore historical fiction first and foremost. Having a PhD in Education and coming from a long line of readers who inhale nonfiction as much as fiction, led me to love research and history as much as fiction. Historical fiction allows me to play with my strengths and my interests at the same time. I never even considered writing romance until a fellow author asked me to contribute to an Anthology called “Bliss.” Home Again appeared in that book with five authors writing about the same stately home on the water (called Bliss) but with each of us writing about a different era. I fell in love with romance! With each romantic story I write, I love it more and more. There is something refreshing and very simple (not easy by any stretch—just less complicated) about whittling a story down to its core—the couple—and exploring that primary relationship. Both genres are magical in their own ways.
What, to you, is the most exciting part of the writing process? Does it change from book to book or remain the same?
The most exciting part of the writing process… Whatever part I’m working on at the time… except for when I’m lost and can’t figure out what’s wrong with the plot!!! I love first drafts—belting out words and just letting the story tell itself. I probably dislike second drafts the most. This is the time when I’m inevitably struggling with something that’s not working. But after breaking through that, I love the next drafts—the crafting of the sentences so they are dynamic and interesting and unique. I love that. And then there’s publication. Nothing beats having a book out and about, roaming the world, and hearing from readers. This is why I feel so fortunate. As hard as the process can be when I’m “stuck,” as uncertain as I can be when working with designers and publicists and such—I am so grateful that I can do any of it. I feel like it’s a miracle. And I am also tremendously lucky to have a great many editors (for different stages) and readers who I trust can see my vision, support me, yet be brutally honest in pointing out problems that need to be addressed.
If you could co-author a book with anyone, who would you choose and why? What kind of book do you think would come from the collaboration?
Geraldine Brooks…selfishly I would love to write with her in order to learn…she would probably stab herself in the eye at the thought of working with me… but she is brilliant and I would love it.
Where can readers find you on the web?
Thank you so very much for hosting me!
Kathie
Media Contact:
Dorothy Thompson
Pump Up Your Book
P.O. Box 643
Chincoteague Island, Virginia 23336
Email: thewriterslife@gmail.com
No comments:
Post a Comment
Thank you for stopping by and sharing your thoughts.