5 SECRETS (What No One Knows About My Book)

Our guest author today is Linda McLaughlin, who is going to share some tidbits about the writing of her book that no one knows--until today.

Linda McLaughlin grew up with a love of books and history, so it's only natural she prefers writing historical romance. She loves transporting her readers into the past where her characters learn that, in the journey of life, love is the sweetest reward. Linda also writes steamy to erotic romance under the name Lyndi Lamont, and is one half of the writing team of Lyn O'Farrell.

Worth The Risk

My thanks to Bev for inviting me to her blog. I’m here to share five secrets about Worth The Risk, my first published novel. The book was written in collaboration with my friend Anne Farrell. Beginning authors are always told to “write what you know” and Anne and I took that seriously. The manuscript was a finalist in the Short Contemporary Category of RWA’s prestigious Golden Heart contest.

Here are the five secrets about our short contemporary romance, Worth The Risk.
1. We are both long-time residents of Southern California; Anne was born here and I moved her at age 14. Setting the book in the local area seemed like a natural idea, but we decided to invent an imaginary town, which we called Santa Elena.
2.  The story starts with a tabloid article about a groom who is arrested at the altar for embezzlement. We got that idea from the local LA news. An editor who rejected the book said it was “unbelievable”. She obviously never lived in La-La Land.
3. At the time we were writing the book, we were both working at the local public library, so chose children’s librarian for our heroine’s profession. From my experiences working in the children’s room at the library, we got ideas for scene, including the toddler story time that features loud, off-key singing, as well as the Halloween scene where Amanda dresses up as Sleeping Beauty. One Halloween, the children’s room staff brought in a twin canopy bed, covered it with fake spider webs, and on Halloween day, we all dressed up as characters. I wore boots and tunic and a sword to play the prince. However, no kissing was involved in the library. We added that for the book. (Working in the children’s room was the most fun I ever had at work.)
4. The men in my life are all gearheads, so I was able to draw on that experience for Mitch, our ex-race car driver hero. My husband is an avid car racing fan, so I turned to him for help with Mitch’s background.
5. The scene where Amanda flies Mitch to Catalina Island was drawn from my one experience of flying into that airport in a small private plane. The airport was built by leveling off a hill perched above the Pacific Ocean. Coming in to land was a little scary with that cliff in your sight. Our first attempt at landing had to be aborted because of an updraft. (Preferable to a down draft, obviously.) It was one of the more exciting moments in my life, so we re-created that experience for Mitch.

Blurb from Worth The Risk

Children's librarian Amanda Lloyd values privacy above all else. Three years ago her wedding ended in disaster when her groom was arrested at the altar and the story of the 'Embezzler's Bride' appeared in the supermarket tabloids. The experience has left her determined to avoid being caught in the public eye again. Until she meets a sexy single dad with a scandalous past.

Ex-racer Mitch Delaney is a public figure whose life has been plastered across the tabloids more than once. But he believes that anything worth doing is worth a risk. After the death of his ex-wife, he moved to Southern California to take care of his son Josh. He doesn't need the complication of a woman in his life, especially since Josh's grandparents have filed suit for custody. But Josh is on the hunt for a new mother and he has his heart set on Miss Amanda, and Mitch can't fault his son's taste.

Against her better judgment, Amanda finds herself falling for both of the Delaney men. When she agrees to accompany Mitch to a high-profile movie premiere, they draw the attention of the tabloids. Overnight Amanda’s private affair becomes very public indeed, threatening her job and Mitch’s custody suit. She’s waited twenty-eight years for the right man. But will happiness come at too high a price?

Buy Links for Worth The Risk

Available from Amazon Kindle http://amzn.com/B006LFIRGC
Apple: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/worth-the-risk/id563112816?mt=11&uo=4
Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/c/lyn-ofarrell
Kobo: http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/worth-the-risk-7
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/236077
 
You can find Linda, and Anne , on these links.
Linda McLaughlin http://lindalyndi.com
Blog: http://lindalyndi.com/reading-room-blog/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/LindaMcLaughlinAuthor
Twitter: @Lyndi Lamont https://twitter.com/LyndiLamont
Anne Farrell’s website: http://annefarrellwriter.com/

Thanks for checking out Linda and her secrets. If you have any comments or questions, Linda will be around to answer them today.

And don’t forget to check back next Thursday to find out even more author secrets about their book.