Deal Sharing Aunt: What Lainey Sees by Laura Tobias Giveaway, Interview & Excerpt

Thursday, August 27, 2015

What Lainey Sees by Laura Tobias Giveaway, Interview & Excerpt

BOOK INFORMATION

TITLE – What Lainey Sees AUTHOR – Laura Tobias GENRE – cross genre: time travel, romantic suspense, Native American romance PUBLICATION DATE – March 2015 LENGTH (Pages/# Words) - 110 K PUBLISHER – Laura Tobias COVER ARTIST – Angie-O Creations

PLEASE NOTE: What Lainey Sees is in Kindle Select. And it will be part of a Kindle Countdown August 26, 27, 28 during this three day promo run. - What this means is the book will be on sale at Amazon during this three day blast! It'll be on sale on AMAZON.COM/.UK ONLY. Sale price: .99 cents all day August 26 and until 6 pm PST August 27. Then up to $1.99 for the remainder of August 27 and all of August 28th. It goes back to its regular price of $3.29 at 8 am PST August 29th.

BOOK SYNOPSIS

Centuries ago, the passion they shared as Native American lovers ended in tragedy. Together again and unaware of their past, can they claim the love that’s rightfully theirs?

Seattle newspaper reporter Lainey Hughes is desperate to find her mother who has disappeared into a doomsday cult sequestered somewhere in the Pacific Northwest. She teams up with Gage Stuart, a jaded cop whose young son is also being held there. As they race up the coast in a kayak searching for their loved ones, Lainey’s visions show her the past . . . the present . . . and the future.

Lives are on the line. Love is within reach. And trust is hard to come by.

What Lainey Sees may help two wounded souls embrace their future . . . but only if they’ll learn from past mistakes.

BUY & TBR LINKS

AMAZON KINDLE US AMAZON KINDLE CA AMAZON KINDLE UK GOODREADS

EXCERPT

She interrupted him. “Hold me, Gage. Just hold me. We could have died back there. My God, what would have happened to my mother?”

AUTHOR BIO

By the time she hit Grade Four, Laura Tobias knew she was going to be a writer. So did the teachers. It was the persistent daydreaming and invisible friends that tipped them off. The question was: how could she daydream for the rest of her life and get paid for it? The answer: Trade the crayons for a computer and write those stories down. Oh, and grow up first. She’s managed the first two. She’s still working on the growing up part.

Laura Tobias lives with her family, including two Shetland sheepdogs, in the Pacific Northwest. When she’s not reading or writing she’s either playing in the garden or spying on people at the grocery store. Laura is an award winning author of 19 books for teens and children written as Laura Langston.

Interview:

Thanks for hosting me on your blog. I’m happy to be here!

Where are you from?

I’m from the Canadian west coast: Victoria, B.C. I grew up in Vancouver and spent my early twenties living on the frigid prairies until I got tired of the cold weather and moved back to Vancouver Island.

Tell us your latest news?

I just handed off my latest YA novel (written as Laura Langston) and I’m about to jump into revisions on my next Laura Tobias novel. The working title is ‘Girls Who Dish’ but I’m pretty sure that title will change. It’s about three women who work in a restaurant and it revolves around a ten million dollar lottery win. It’s a romance but there’s not a paranormal element in sight!

When and why did you begin writing?

I wanted to be a writer when I was in Grade Four. I was a daydreamer, an avid reader and I loved making up my own stories. I remember getting a gold star on a short story I wrote about a girl who was trapped in a box. It was a macabre read but I was thrilled with it and the good mark.

When did you first consider yourself a writer?

Growing up, I didn’t know any writers so I didn’t know how I could ‘become’ one. I became a journalist instead. I suppose the first time I considered myself an actual writer was when I had my first article published. But my biggest thrill was when my first novel was accepted.

What inspired you to write your first book?

I literally was writing as a child. I remember writing a picture book about a turnip and a tomato. They were so different and their love was doomed. I wrote my first romance novel when my daughter was an infant. I’d snatch whatever time I could while she slept. That novel is under the bed where it will remain. I think of it like the first pancake you cook: not meant for human consumption but necessary to season the pan.

Do you have a specific writing style?

I’ve been told I have a distinct voice but I’m not sure how you’d describe my style. And to be honest, my style varies depending on whether I’m writing romance, YA novels or books for younger readers.

How did you come up with the title?

It took a while and some help from a writer friend. Originally the book was titled Soul Surrender but that felt too generic. What Lainey Sees works on multiple levels and is absolutely perfect for the story.

Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?

I like to think so but I’ll leave that for the readers to decide.

How much of the book is realistic?

Every book I write is real. Even the parts that are paranormal or fantasy. I even talk to my family about my characters and what they’re going through. Half the time at dinner they don’t know if I’m referring to a physical person or a book person.

Are experiences based on someone you know, or events in your own life?

There are a couple of scenes in What Lainey Sees that were inspired by actual events. When Lainey and Gage race up the coast in a kayak, they encounter a large whale within touching distance of their kayak. We were boating on the west coast once when a very large humpback whale breached right near our boat. It was both frightening and awe inspiring.

As well, the conflict between Lainey and Gage is loosely based on a running conflict between me and my husband. I was born and raised in a family where anything paranormal was considered normal. My husband (aka Mr. Petrol Head) has no use for what he calls ‘woo-woo, fruit-loop stuff.’ That made developing the conflict between Lainey and Gage a lot of fun.

What books have most influenced your life?

I’m not sure you have space for all of them! Seriously, I’ve been a voracious reader from the time I could sign for a library card (you had to be able to print your own name to qualify) and so many different books influenced me at different times of my life. When it came to writing What Lainey Sees I was heavily influenced by some of the big names in past life fiction: Susanna Kearsley, Barbara Erskine, Diana Gabaldon and Jojo Moyes. Moyes doesn’t do classic time travel but her books often have dual story lines. I also relied on a series of non-fiction books about past life hypnosis by Michael Newton to give me an overview and understanding of reincarnation.

If you had to choose, which writer would you consider a mentor?

That’s another very hard question. The authors I mentioned earlier certainly inspire me when it comes to writing dual story lines or time slip romance. I also adore Barbara O’Neal for the richness of her storytelling and the depth of her characterization; I admire Jodi Picoult because her books often tackle difficult subjects sensitively and she’s an excellent writer. And when I need a light entertaining read with a guaranteed happy ending, I invariably find myself inspired by reading Kristan Higgins or Meg Cabot.

What would you like my readers to know?

I hope they enjoy reading What Lainey Sees. And if they’re Amazon.com customers, the book is part of a Kindle Countdown Deal for one more day: http://www.amazon.com/What-Lainey-Sees-Laura-Tobias-ebook/dp/B00UZK92M2/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1439587941&sr=1-1&refinements=p_27%3ALaura+Tobias