A Family Like Hannah's by Carol Ross Interview & Giveaway

On Tour with Prism Book Tours.

A Family Like Hannah's

(Seasons of Alaska #4)
by Carol Ross
Adult Contemporary Romance

Paperback & ebook, 384 pages
February 1st 2016 by Harlequin Heartwarming

Starting over is serious business

With her professional skiing career cut short by an accident, Hannah James is putting all her energy into transforming Snowy Sky Resort into something special. There's only one obstacle. Famous pro-snowboarder-turned-consultant Tate Addison has his own ideas about taking the Rankins, Alaska, lodge to the next level. But Hannah won't compromise her dreams. She gets that Tate is trying to create a stable home for his orphaned six-year-old nephew—a boy Hannah already adores. And if she isn't careful, she could also fall for the boy's too-attractive uncle. Is she risking heartbreak? Or do she and Tate really want the same things out of life?

Amazon - Barnes & Noble - Harlequin - Kobo

The Other Books in the Series

Carol Ross is the author of three books for the Seasons of Alaska series for the Harlequin Heartwarming line. She lives with her husband and one loveable miscreant of a dachshund in a small town in Washington close to both the ocean and the mountains. For a complete list of her books, giveaways, and other fun stuff stop by and visit her new website: carolrossauthor.com.

Interview 

How long does it take you to write a book?

I’m going to be honest here and admit that I’m not a very disciplined writer. I want to be – I swear I do. I’ve tried those methods of sticking to a certain word count per day or week. I’ve even charted my progress at times. But this only seems to psych me out. For each contract so far, I’ve allowed myself between four and four and a half months per book. I’ve finished one a few weeks early, one right on time, and with another I literally worked fourteen hour days for more days than I’d like to admit before it was due. Another truth is, I never feel like I write enough or accomplish enough. But I’m beginning to believe this might just be a state I have to get used to.

What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?

I would have to say it’s the fact that I’m a terrible plotter. And by this I mean that I don’t know what’s going to happen in my story before I write it. I’m constantly surprising myself, which is both fun and frustrating. This habit sometimes sets me up for lots of revisions. Right now, I’m half way through a first draft and don’t know who the bad guy is going to be. (Hmm…. Wondering if this might have something to do with the fact that I don’t write as fast as I’d like?)

Where do you get your information or ideas for your books?

My ideas always come from my characters. I start by creating a person in my mind. I give them a personality first, including family situation, a job, hobbies, interests, likes and dislikes, and even little quirks. Then I try to drop them right into some kind of action. I add a line or two of dialogue, and I’m off and running. I do love to research my settings also, and often interesting scene ideas will arise from that.

What was one of the most surprising things you learned in creating your books?

I'm not as good at multi-tasking as I always believed. I used to pride myself on being able to accomplish multiple projects at once. But when it comes to writing books, all that flies out the window. I can barely manage to feed myself and wash my hair when I’m in the midst of getting that first draft down. Now I make lists of tasks that I need to accomplish in between manuscripts – necessary evils like dental appointments and cleaning my house.

What do you think makes a good story?

Characters. I love to fall in love with a character. This is more important to me even than the plot. I am great at suspending my belief, so I don’t need every aspect of a story to fall perfectly into place. But, I do need a strong personality and a well-developed character. They don’t have to be perfect as people, although generally kind, well-meaning, and relatable is a plus. When an author can evoke my empathy and leave me feeling invested in their happily ever after, I’m hooked.

What would you like my readers to know?

How grateful I am to my fellow readers. I spent a couple decades reading romance novels before I wrote them. And now that I’m on the other side of the page, so to speak, I wish I would have reached out to my favorite authors and told them how much I adore their work. Because now I know what an amazing feeling it is to hear a compliment, receive a nice email, or read a flattering comment on social media about my own work.

So, I’m going to take this opportunity to say thank you to Victoria for hosting me. And thank you, lovely readers, for visiting with me here today!

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Tour Schedule

February 14th: Launch

February 15th: Reading Is My SuperPower & I Am A Reader

February 16th: Rockin' Book Reviews & Getting Your Read On

February 17th: Katie's Clean Book Collection & underneath the covers

February 18th: Thoughts of a Blonde, Becky on Books, & deal sharing aunt

February 19th: Heidi Reads... & Zerina Blossom's Books

February 21st: Grand Finale

Tour Giveaway

$50 Amazon eGift Card and an ebook of A Family Like Hannah's (open internationally)
Rankins' Alaska Prize Pack: signed copy of A Family Like Hannah’s, an infinity scarf, gray fluffy mittens, a tin of Starbucks hot chocolate, a coffee mug, and a sterling silver snowflake necklace. (US only)

Copy of A Family Like Hannah's (print if in the US, ebook if outside the US)
Ends February 26th

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