Shannon here: June Foster shares how her characters met in her latest Contemporary Romance, The Long Way Home. Comment or answer the question at the end of the post to enter the drawing for an e-copy. Deadline: March 2nd, 11:59 pm central time. Here’s June:
How the Hero and Heroine in The Long Way Home Met
I love to begin my novels in the big middle of the action. So in The Long Way Home, the story starts at the JFK airport. David Maguire is just setting foot on US soil after a tour of duty in Germany with the army. He’s so glad to be back home, he feels like kissing the sidewalk outside where he’s waiting for his Uber to show up. He texts his mother in Oak Mountain that he’ll see her tomorrow when he flies to Alabama. For those of you who read A Harvest of Blessing, his mother is Nadia Maguire.
As a side note, the idea of kissing the sidewalk came to me because that’s exactly how I felt when I returned from visiting my daughter, who at the time was a missionary in Lima, Peru.
When David gets into the Uber, a good looking woman is fiddling with her cell phone, but when he tries to talk to her, he can’t control his pesky southern accent. A big city woman like her would no doubt ignore him.
Jada Atwood can’t wait to get to her medical conference in Queens. She loves her profession as a registered nurse midwife. Though the guy sharing the Uber with her is muscular and downright nice looking, she’s engaged to another guy so she tries not to stare at David.
Jada and David would probably have never fallen in love if it hadn’t been for two bank robbers who commandeer the Uber. Yes, God can use even bad guys for good.
Much later that night, David and Jada have no idea where they are, lost in the blackness of the night in a Pennsylvania forest. It’s then that Jada admires how David prays to God for help and how she longs for his faith to replace the emptiness inside her. And it’s in the forest David begins a compelling urge to protect Jada and keep her safe. And it’s in the forest they begin an adventure they never expected to have.
About June: June Foster is an award-winning author who began her writing career in an RV roaming around the USA with her husband, Joe. She brags about visiting a location before it becomes the setting in her next contemporary romance or romantic suspense. June’s characters find themselves in precarious circumstances where only God can offer redemption and ultimately freedom. Learn more and connect:
June’s Website June’s Twitter June’s Facebook June’s Amazon Page
About the book – The Long Way Home:
David Maguire’s tour of duty in Germany is over, and he’s returning home to Oak Mountain, Alabama in search of a job. After a long flight from Frankfort, he shares an Uber with Dallas resident Jada Atwood.
Jada Atwood, a registered nurse midwife, is on her way to a medical conference in Queens. If only she could live up to her father’s legacy at the hospital where she works, she could prove worthy of his reputation. Marriage awaits yet her fiancé has yet to offer a ring.
When the Uber driver must make a stop to pick up a passenger at a Queens shopping center, two men who robbed a nearby bank commandeer the Ford as a getaway car. But when they discover two passengers, they have to get rid of the extra baggage.
After the kidnappers murder the Uber driver, David and Jada fear for their lives. Will they find their way home or die in a Pennsylvania forest?
Can’t wait for the drawing or worried you won’t win? Get your copy now! The Long Way Home
Question for Readers: When Jada and David met in The Long Way Home, a frightening adventure replete with danger awaited. In your opinion as a reader, what is the most romantic way a couple can meet?
Come back Feb 22nd for Regina Merrick!
Thank you Shannon for celebrating romance with your lovely blog. I’m always happy to share my latest release. Look for my next romance between a Catholic priest and a young woman! Yes, you read that correctly. Only thing, the story is inspired by real life people: my great grandfather and great grandmother! It should be out in May.
Glad to have you, June. You always have interesting ideas for books.
Wow! Your story sounds exciting! I think chance meetings always make the best romance.
Candace, thanks for the comment. I love it when readers share their opinions because after all, that’s why an author writes!
Love the premise of June’s book – sounds very exciting! I’m a big fan of romance, and I love the accidental meeting where one person is helping someone else, not just being busy for the sake of busyness. For the reader to see the kindness in a character – even if the potential love interest misunderstands – helps us cheer for them, and ultimately makes for a swoonworthy romance. And if there are stars or flowers involved, so much the better!
Carolyn, so well stated. One thing more experienced authors always pointed out to me was make your character sympathetic. Thanks for your comment.
I like June’s books…especially Ryan’s Father, and would like to enter to win this.
Oh, and I am a bachelor for life, so not sure about the question 🙂
Thanks for the encouragement, Mark. You name is in the hat.
And you’re excused for not answering the question.
A new author to me! YAY!!
This sounds really good.
Thank you!
Thanks for stopping by, Karen.
Eye contact! Windows of the soul. A surprise meeting, you would never suspect or expect in your journeying.
Kathleen, I agree. I love unique meetings. In my book Ryan’s Father, the hero and heroine meet in an earthquake.
In Out of Control, the hero is a youth pastor and scolds the heroine for arriving late for the meeting where she is guest speaker. He thinks she’s a teenager.
In Flawless, they meet in a stuck elevator.
Thanks for your comment.
I have a winner! Mark A. Buzard won the drawing. I appreciate June for being my guest and everyone else for stopping by.