Guest Post from Jean M. Grant!
Will Rise from Ashes
Contemporary Women’s Fiction
Release date: April 17, 2019
by Jean M. Grant
Social Media links:
Website ~ Twitter ~ Facebook ~ Goodreads ~ Bookbub ~ Amazon Author Page ~ The Wild Rose Press
Pre-order buy links:
Amazon ~ Barnes and Noble ~ iTunes
Available at other venues starting April 17th:
Kobo ~GooglePlay ~ Walmart
Bio:
Jean’s background is in science and she draws from her interests in history, nature, and her family for inspiration. She writes historical and contemporary romances and women’s fiction. She also writes articles for family-oriented travel magazines. When she’s not writing or chasing children, she enjoys tending to her flower gardens, hiking, and doing just about anything in the outdoors.
Tagline: Living is more than mere survival.
Blurb:
Young widow AJ Sinclair has persevered
through much heartache. Has she met her match when the Yellowstone supervolcano
erupts, leaving her separated from her youngest son and her brother? Tens of
thousands are dead or missing in a swath of massive destruction. She and her
nine-year-old autistic son, Will, embark on a risky road trip from Maine to the
epicenter to find her family. She can't lose another loved one.
Along the way, they meet Reid Gregory, who travels his own road to perdition looking for his sister. Drawn together by AJ's fear of driving and Reid's military and local expertise, their journey to Colorado is fraught with the chaotic aftermath of the eruption. AJ's anxiety and faith in humanity are put to the test as she heals her past, accepts her family's present, and embraces uncertainty as Will and Reid show her a world she had almost forgotten.
How did I do my research for Will Rise from Ashes?
Simply put, heaps of reading, exploring, and
travel. My background is in science (microbiology, immunology, biology, and
marine science—I spent a lot of time fine-tuning my interests in college and
graduate school), and I love traveling and hiking. The idea of Will Rise from
Ashes came from a bit of my own life (as a parent with an autistic child) and
my love of nature…I asked myself what would happen if the Yellowstone supervolcano
erupted? Volcanoes are a constant topic in our household. Bam! My story came.
Then, road trip time! I’d already visited the
lovely national park in the corner of Wyoming as a child and took another trip
this time with my family, 4 years ago. This highlight of our national park
system did not let me down. I was walking on ground zero—research moments were
everywhere! We also toured other geothermal wonders throughout the Pacific
Northwest on that trip. The bright sapphire-blue Crater Lake was one of my
favorites and meandering through the observation areas of Mount St. Helens gave
me shivers. I returned home with piles of books and dug into the story. Along
the way, I’d stop to dig deeper with research. And up front, I take careful character
development into consideration. My stories tend to have journeys of the body
and heart, and this one takes my characters from Maine to Colorado. Talk about
a road trip. The experts say “write what you know” and for me that was science,
journeys, and parenting. I hope my readers enjoy AJ and Will’s journey in Will
Rise from Ashes as much as I do.
Excerpt:
He slid closer and placed a hand on
mine and squeezed. “I see a strong woman who has been hurt deeply. I see a
resilient mother who would journey through hell for her children. I see somebody
who has become jaded and has trouble trusting, unable to sort through friend and
enemy. I see a woman with hope.” He held my gaze. “And I’d like to be your
friend,
Audrey Jane.”
My jaw may have dropped. I wasn’t
sure. I recovered quickly. Or at least I tried. “You’ve been talking with my
therapist, haven’t you?” God, I was teasing him. I was joking. I was like Will.
Will always got goofy with his peers in social situations when he didn’t know
the expectations, or how to behave.
Either way, Reid didn’t laugh. Thin
lips pressed into a frown that I couldn’t decipher.
I didn’t prod any further. I broke the gaze and released my hand from his, then stoked the fire for the tenth time, sleep luring me with sweet abandon. I tossed the stick into the fire. “I should turn in.”
“I’ll stay awake,” he offered.
“Until the fire goes.” “Okay.” I nodded, though the fire could have been quickly
snuffed.
I paused in my opening of the tent
flap, turned around, and peered at him. My arms dropped to my side, my hands still.
“I’m sorry about the hotel. I was sick and wasn’t thinking straight. Thank you
for your help today.” A part of me couldn’t disclose the unvarnished truth.
Part of it had been crazy withdrawal symptoms AJ. The other part—I’d been paranoid
he’d been drinking. Harrison’s death remained a ghostly echo in my mind,
perhaps clouding my judgment. The scent had been on his clothes though. I was
sure of it. The more I pondered, I believed his story. Perhaps I had been triggered.
Perhaps I really did have trauma or PTSD. I shook my head. I didn’t know.
Firelight glistened off the growing
beard hairs on Reid’s chin and spots of amber danced in his dark, round eyes.
Speaking of soulful eyes… “You were looking out for Will. I understand. I had
been gone far too long.”
“You had a legitimate reason. Shit
happens,” I countered.
His lips curved into a resigned
smile. “Yeah. Rest, Audrey Jane.”
“You, too, Reid,” I whispered. I
added in a deep exhalation, “And yes, yes, I’d like to be your friend.”
As I stepped into my tent, I
observed Reid’s normally straight shoulders slouch a hair. Perhaps he, like all
of us, was on his own road of atonement. Searching for meaning, searching for
answers…searching for absolution.
I had treated him poorly. I didn’t
know what the hell had just happened between us, but I tucked it away into a
corner of my brain to contemplate upon another time when I was lucid. My
remorse had lifted somewhat.
Ignoring my exhaustion for at least
a few minutes, I clicked on my headlamp and pulled out my journal. It was time
to unburden my heart.
Also available:
Soul of the Storm
by Jean M. Grant
Buy links:
Amazon ~ Barnes and Noble ~ iTunes ~ Kobo ~ GooglePlay ~Walmart
Tagline: Will love help her summit one more peak?
Blurb:
Charlotte MacGregor lost the thrill
of conquering mountains five years ago when her sister disappeared on a hiking
adventure without her. Still guilt-ridden, Charlotte heads for a vacation to
rustic Vermont with a friend—where she's surrounded by reminders of her
devastating loss and plagued with unanswered questions.
Matiu Christiansen is an outdoors buff. He works multiple jobs to save for his dream of owning an outfitter in New Zealand. He's never quite felt at home in the United States and he yearns for his Maori roots, but his attraction to Charlotte puts a kink in his plans to move home later this year.
Thrown together by
coincidence, Charlotte and Matiu form a kindred bond through their shared love
of the outdoors. Can Charlotte surmount her demons to assist Matiu on a rescue
when a late-season snowstorm hits? And can Matiu help Charlotte heal from the
pain of the past?
Feel free to follow me on my BLOG TOUR, April 18-June 6. Don’t forget to enter the giveaway!
