From The Top
(Blue Spruce Lodge, #2)
by Dani Collins
Published by: Tule Publishing
Publication date: February 27th, 2018
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Their hot New Year’s Eve wasn’t supposed to have consequences…
Fiercely independent after a difficult childhood, Ilke Lunquist devotes herself to one thing: skiing. She’s on the cusp of gold when an unexpected pregnancy throws her future into chaos.
Nathaniel Hart takes on the daunting project of restoring Whiskey Jack Ski Resort to be close to his young son, but with one failed marriage behind him, he avoids serious relationships.
They might be virtual strangers with only a baby in common, but Nate is determined to be part of his child’s life. Ilke didn’t become a champion by backing down from a challenge, especially not one where her child’s happiness and her own heart are on the line. When tragedy strikes, heartbreak draws them closer together. Nate discovers he’s more than ready for a bigger family and maybe, just maybe, Ilke will find the home that has eluded her all her life.
~AUTHOR INTERVIEW with Dani Collins~
1) What gave you the inspiration for the storyline?
I think I was most inspired by a
growing awareness of the sacrifices women make to have children. Ilke is a
professional alpine skier. She has invested her life into her sport. Turning up
pregnant derails all of that, but skiing is the only place where she has ever
felt safe or had a home. I wanted to explore that difficult space between
wanting to be a mother, but knowing the toll it takes on other dreams.
2) Are there any hidden themes
in the book that you hope readers will discover?
A recurring theme in all my
books is that life is unfair and we all make mistakes that get us into trouble,
but the effort to persevere is worth it.
That might be a strange message
from someone who writes romance where Happily Ever After is a given, but I like
to leave my characters in a place where they feel loved despite their flaws and
mistakes. They learn to accept their own imperfections along with the blemishes
in life.
3) Are any of the characters
based on real people you know?
The dog! Murphy is based on my
sister’s rescue. Read more about him and see a photo here: http://danicollins.com/faq/murphy-real-dog/
Also, one of the secondary
characters, Glory, is a romance author (like me!) She’s the heroine from On The Edge, Book One of the Blue Spruce Lodge series and probably
the most auto-biographical character I’ve written. I drew on my own experiences
as an author to write her journey toward publication.
4) Who has influenced you most
as a writer?
When I was starting out, Linda
Howard and Elizabeth Lowell were the authors who made me want to write romance,
along with Harlequin Presents authors Robyn Donald, India Grey and Jayne
Bauling.
These days I’m careful about
when and who I read. There are some authors I want so badly to emulate I lose
my own voice. Others are so good, I feel like a hack and lose heart in my own
writing. I guess the answer is, they all influence me to some degree.
5) If you could have any three
literary characters over to your place for game night, who would you invite,
what would you play, what would you serve, and why?
Um, Mr. Darcy, Mr. Darcy and Mr.
Darcy? Okay, maybe I’d take the whole cast of P&P since I love Lizzie and
Jane and Mr. Bingley. Heck, I’m married to Mr. Collins.
As for games, my kids recently
introduced me to a card game called Fluxx. It comes in different themes (Monty
Python is our favorite, but the pirate edition is also fun.) Why would we play
it? Because it’s easy to pick up and fun.
And I’d serve wines from our
Okanagan region, here in BC. Shop local, right? :)
6) Do you feel that
you can ever have too many books?
To own? Or to
write?
The answer is no
to both. I wrote for twenty-five years before I published and expect I’ll write
at least that long before hanging up the keyboard.
When it comes to
owning books – I personally love print books, but hate dusting, so ebooks are a
blessing and no, it is impossible to max out on those.
Author Bio:Award-winning and USA Today Bestselling author Dani Collins thrives on giving readers emotional, compelling, heart-soaring romance with some laughter and heat thrown in, just like real life. Mostly she writes contemporary romance for Harlequin Presents and Tule’s Montana Born, but her backlist of forty books also includes self-published erotic romance, romantic comedy, and even an epic medieval fantasy. When she’s not writing—just kidding, she’s always writing. She lives in BC, Canada with her high school sweetheart husband who occasionally coaxes her out of her attic office to travel and visit their grown children.
Thanks for hosting today, Jen! :)
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