Spotlight & Giveaway: A Hawaiian Christmas Romance by Anna J Stewart

Today it is my pleasure to Welcome author Anna J Stewart to HJ!

Hi Anna  and welcome to HJ! We’re so excited to chat with you about your new release, A Hawaiian Christmas Romance!

Merry and happy, everyone!
 

Please summarize the book for the readers here:

A HAWAIIAN CHRISTMAS ROMANCE is a friends to more than friends sweet island romance featuring new single mom Tehani Iokepa and her best friend Wyatt Jenkins.

Tehani is caught up in both grief and guilt after losing her son Kai’s father. The grief is because he was her first love, but her guilt… not everything was as perfect in their relationship as people believed. Not even Wyatt, her next door neighbor, friend, solid shoulder and constant comfort knows the truth. As the holiday season approaches and Nalani, Hawaii, finds itself as the last-minute host to the Santa Surfing Championship, Wyatt and Tehani, along with Kai, discover there’s always a second chance for a happily ever after, especially in the islands.
 

Please share the opening lines of this book:

In the two months since Kai was born, Tehani Iokepa had come to one inescapable conclusion: her son had been born with the most perfect timing ever given to an infant. And also the worst.

In either case, he was currently working his way through an unblemished record of knowing precisely when she was wearing a brand-new or even a clean top.

Please share a few Fun facts about this book…

• I’ve been waiting YEARS to write a Christmas book set in Hawai’i. When I was eight, we spent Christmas in Kona (same island as I’ve placed Nalani) and it is, all these years later, my favorite holiday I’ve ever experienced. A lot of the imagery I write in this book are pulled directly from my memories of that holiday.
• As I don’t have children myself, I had lots of conversations with my friends who are mothers and who were more than happy to regale me with inspirational infant antics in order to make two-month old Kai as realistic (and fun!) as possible.
• I don’t think there’s anything sexier than a man with a baby. Or maybe that’s just me. One of the things I really wanted to do with this story was put Kai front and center, not only for the hero, who already loves the baby as if Kai were his own, but also his still very single Uncle Mano. It’s just fun putting bachelors with babies and have them take to it immediately (even with a few hiccups).
• One of my main research topics this time around was focused on all the charity work and events that take place around the holiday season. Getting to create the Santa Surfing Championship draws from a number of events that take place in the islands throughout the year.

Please tell us a little about the characters in your book. As you wrote your protagonist was there anything about them that surprised you?

Tehani has been a recurring character in all of the Hawaiian Reunions series and first appeared in HER ISLAND HOMECOMING. She’d only just found out she was pregnant in that story which takes place shortly after her baby’s father Remy Calvert has died suddenly. I knew at that time there was so much more to her story (there had to be!), but it wasn’t until I started writing A HAWAIIAN CHRISTMAS ROMANCE that I discovered what it was. I don’t want to give any spoilers, but there’s an added layer of grief to Tehani’s situation that’s only resolved once she confesses not only to her hero, Wyatt, but also to her circle of friends.

I really came away from the story admiring her in how she changes from trying to protect Remy’s memory and legacy at all costs to being honest about life’s imperfect moments and issues. It’s definite growth on her part, pulling herself out from under the shadow of a man who was beloved but flawed (don’t worry! It’s nothing horrible, just… heartbreaking).

As for Wyatt Jenkins, I think everything about him surprised me. While he’d been mentioned in previous stories, he was a complete blank slate to me, other than the fact he’s always been in love with Tehani. But he always kept a distance because Remy was one of his best friends. Even now, months after Remy’s death, he can’t let himself hope that there might be a chance for him now with Tehani. But he does devote himself to her son and that was something that had me immediately falling in love with him. He’s just a good guy. That isn’t surprising of course, but how he unfolded with his history and devotion to his friends was a pleasant realization.

If your book was optioned for a movie, what scene would you use for the audition of the main characters and why?

I’m really fond of this scene that takes place after Tehani surprises both of them by impulsively kissing Wyatt after he’s babysat Kai for the evening. I think it displays their chemistry and attraction for one another while also addressing the “ghost” between them. She’s beginning to finally move away from her past while he tries to cling to the possibility of a future for them.

He found her rummaging through the refrigerator. “Kai went down in his crib perfectly.”

Tehani stepped back, a glass container in her hands, a giant cookie sticking out of her mouth. She nudged the fridge door closed with her hip and spun, freezing when she saw him standing on the other side of the counter. She bit through the cookie and let it drop onto the container, chewing and swallowing quickly. “Great. Thank you.” She reached into the container and pulled another cookie out to offer it to him. “I call these crisis cookies.” She handed him a large white chocolate macadamia nut cookie. “Want one?”

“Thanks.” He had to admit, her taste in cookies was second to none. The play of brown sugar against the sweetness of the white chocolate and crunch of roasted nuts was perfection.

She took another bite of hers but didn’t close the container up, as if she wasn’t quite done with it yet. “I’m really sorry,” she mumbled.

“What for?”

She arched a brow. “We aren’t going to talk about me…?” She pointed to the door, and the porch that lay beyond. “You know… What I… Okay.” She held up a hand in surrender. “You don’t want to talk about it—”

“There’s no reason to be embarrassed, Tehani. I told you—no harm done.” Pushing his disappointment aside, he walked over and sat on her sofa, then watched as she joined him but sat in the flowered upholstered chair across from him. “But considering you want to blame Maylea for it, did something else happen tonight with her?”

She waved off the suggestion. “Not really.” But there was something. He could see uncertainty lurking behind her eyes. “I think I’m feeling guilty.”

“Hence the cookie?” Wyatt resisted the urge to ask for clarification.

“Hence a lot of things.” She kicked her bare legs up over the arm of the chair.

“Do you want to tell me what you’re feeling guilty about?” Wyatt recognized someone needing to be nudged.

“Not really.” She ate more cookie, still avoiding his gaze. “But I’m afraid if I don’t tell someone I’m going to end up eating an entire batch of these things.” She took a deep breath. “I told you all that Maylea offered me a job in Maui earlier this year. What I didn’t tell you—” she hesitated “—was that I accepted it.”

Wyatt’s stomach dropped straight to his toes. He’d suspected as much, but the confirmation felt like actual pain.

“I was…” she went on. “Sometimes, I still feel like I’m floundering, you know? Like everything around me is spinning out of control and I can’t make it stop. Taking the job calmed things down. Gave me something different to focus on. For a while, at least.”

He broke off a chunk of cookie, if only to give himself something to do. He wished what she was telling him was a surprise, but it actually made sense and confirmed his nagging suspicion she was dealing with something she didn’t want to talk about these last few months. “What changed your mind?”

“Nothing.” She stared into her lap. “They rescinded the offer after the fires in Maui. They decided to hold the job for a local who needed the work. I didn’t anticipate how relieved I was going to feel when they called, but it took until then for me to realize what a huge mistake I’d be making if I left Nalani. If I left all of you.”

He couldn’t quite reconcile the emotions swarming inside of him. “I’m sorry you didn’t think you could come to us. To me. I thought—”

“It was a panic move,” Tehani said quietly. “I was embarrassed I let it get that far. I don’t know… I don’t know if I can explain it well.”

“Try,” he urged. “No judgment, T.” Never any judgment.

“Okay.” She seemed to pull her thoughts together and shifted in her chair. “Let’s take tonight. After dinner. With everything that Maylea and I discussed, I just wanted to get out and clear my head. Just go for a walk, sit at the marina and enjoy the lights. It’s always so beautiful during the holidays, with twinkling lights on the railings and even on most of the masts of the boats. But…” She frowned, the cookie forgotten in her hands. “Instead, all I could think about was
the last time Remy and I went out sailing. It was like I could see us, walking down the gangplank to the catamaran, replaying each moment of that day.” She leaned her head back, tears sparkling in her eyes.

“That happens all the time, Wyatt. I loved Remy. I always will. But how can I move on when he’s everywhere I look? Every part of my life was tied up in his and now that he’s gone… I don’t think I know who I am. Everywhere I go—shopping, the beach, even just getting a stupid shave ice from Seas & Breeze—I see Remy or a memory of the two of us together. It’s him or it’s us and it’s never…” She took a shuddering breath and looked into Wyatt’s gaze. “It’s never me. I think part of me thought that if I could start over somewhere new, someplace that didn’t have many memories of him, I could finally find myself. If for no other reason than to make certain Kai has a solid footing in life. But that’s selfish. I can’t take him away from the one place his father loved, but I have to be secure in myself if he’s going to thrive. Please tell me that makes sense.”

“Of course it does.” It made entirely too much sense.

“You’re not just saying that because you’re a nice guy?” Tehani challenged.

“I’d never lie to you, Tehani.” Right now, secrets didn’t count.

What do you want people to take away from reading this book?

The more books I write, the more I realize I write the unofficial trope of Circle of Friends. I hope these books (and this one in particular) give readers a beautiful sense of the holidays in the islands, but also the pseudo circle of friends I’ve created in Nalani. It’s an escape from everything and provides a celebratory atmosphere focused on friends, family, and community. I think that’s what a lot of readers are looking for these days.

What are you currently working on? What other releases do you have planned?

I’m currently writing the third book in my Circle of the Red Lily series. These are darker romantic thrillers so it’s definitely a shift away from the sweet romances of Heartwarming. BURIED will be out in late May (just in time for my birthday).

In late January, the first in my brand new McKenna Code Romantic Suspense series for Harlequin. ARCTIC PURSUIT features the first of four siblings, each of whom serves in a different law enforcement agency and first up is Wren McKenna, who is suddenly seeing her long-time FBI partner Ty Savakis in an entirely new light. The story takes place in small Alaskan town inspired by Whittier, AK.
 
 

Thanks for blogging at HJ!

Giveaway: Two winners, each will win digital copies of the first three in the Hawaiian Reunions series: HER ISLAND HOMECOMING, A SURPRISE ISLAND WEDDING, and A SURPRISE SECOND CHANCE.

To enter Giveaway: Please complete the Rafflecopter form and Post a comment to this Q: I shared my favorite Christmas above. Do you have a specific holiday season that brings back lots of fond memories? Or maybe it was a favorite gift to give or receive? Share below. It’s time to get our holiday on!

 
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Excerpt from A Hawaiian Christmas Romance:

An earsplitting wail had Wyatt shooting up in bed. Still a bit disoriented, it took him longer than it should have to realize the sound was familiar. He grabbed a pair of shorts, tugged them on and a shirt as he hurried, barefoot, out the front door. The screen door banged shut behind him as he raced down his walkway to Tehani’s place.

Her living room lights were ablaze and he could hear her voice. He knocked once on her screen door and had just unlatched it when she pulled the door open. She looked frazzled, apologetic and more than a little scared. She had a seriously red-faced Kai in one arm and her cell phone tucked between her chin and shoulder. Her mussed long hair lay in tangled knots down her back. “I’m sorry,” she whispered and stepped back to let him inside. “Yes, I’m still here.”

Wyatt didn’t hesitate. “Give him here.” He scooped Kai out of her hold and cradled him gently against his chest. The baby was as hot as lava rock. His hold tightened and the same concern he saw shining in Tehani’s eyes rocketed through him. He lowered his head, pressed his lips against Kai’s forehead and tried to will him to feel better. Kai whimpered, but his crying eased. A little.

“Yeah, okay.” Tehani shoved a hand through her hair and squeezed her eyes shut. “Uh-huh. Eight thirty. We’ll be there. Thanks.” She hung up with a sigh and looked at Wyatt with such
exhausted relief that he ached for her. “The advice nurse thinks it’s an ear infection. Should have realized. He’s been fussy the last day or so. Tugging on his ear.” She started toward Wyatt, hands out as if wanting to take Kai back, then noticed the baby wasn’t fussing nearly as much and she backed away. “Okay, tag, you’re it for a little while. Coffee?”

“Sure.” He followed her into the kitchen. Normally, she drank what was left from the morning before if Kai awoke, but this time the pot was empty. “How much have you had?”

“Enough that you shouldn’t feel safe asking me that question.” She set the pot to brewing and turned, then braced herself against the counter. “I’m so sorry. He woke you up, didn’t he?”

“It’s okay. I had to be up in a few hours anyway.” He refrained from telling her he’d only just dropped into bed shortly before midnight.

“How long has he been crying?”

“What year is it?” She tugged the hem of her tank top down over her bare stomach. “He’s been fussy ever since yesterday. I brought him into bed with me around nine and I thought that worked. Then it didn’t. I should have known something was wrong.” She clasped her hands against her heart. “How did I not—”

“You’re a mom, not a diagnostician.” Wyatt tried to ease her guilt. “Babies get ear infections, Tehani. The only thing we can do is just ride it out. You’ve got an appointment in the morning, right?”

“Thankfully, yes. She gave me the option of driving him to the emergency room in Hilo or taking an early appointment at the clinic.” She looked suddenly doubtful. “Did I—”

“You made the right call,” Wyatt assured her. “And if you change your mind, I’ll drive the two of you into Hilo. It’s okay, Tehani. You’ve got this. And I’ve got you.”

Tears filled her eyes and she covered her mouth. “Sorry.” She tried to laugh, but it sounded as if she choked instead. “It’s so hard. He’s in so much pain and I just want—”

“You just want to take it from him. I know.” He stretched out his hand and waited for her to grab hold. When she did, he tugged her close and tucked her into his side, still holding Kai against his chest. “I do, too. And we will. As soon as we see the doctor, he’ll give Kai some antibiotics and we’ll get him all fixed up.”

“Yeah?” She sounded sleepy now and he took a little pride in thinking she felt safe enough in his arms to give in to the exhaustion.

“Yeah.” He kissed the top of her head and gave her a good squeeze. “Did the nurse suggest anything else?”

“Uh, a humidifier in his room. I’ve got one in the closet somewhere. Don’t usually go looking for extra humidity on the islands.”

“True.” She was back to finding the humor in situations, he realized. Looking around her usually very tidy home, he saw evidence of a panicked, overwhelmed Tehani. The living room appeared as if it had been tossed by a burglar with pillows and blankets on the floor and baby toys scattered about.

Her workspace was piled with unorganized stacks of paper and file folders. And there were not one, not two, but three coffee mugs buried among the clutter.

“Let’s sit down. Come on.” He moved her toward the sofa and he snagged one of the hand-quilted blankets from the back, then draped it over her bare legs in one toss.

“I should try to feed him again,” she murmured. “He didn’t eat much yesterday. The nurse doesn’t want him getting dehydrated.”

“Noted.” He started to sit next to her, but the second he started to, Kai began fussing once more. He quickly stood back up, keeping his hold as steady as he could, and resumed his gentle rocking motion.

Kai settled again.

“Looks like you’re stuck,” Tehani told him with a tight smile.

“There are far worse sentences.” He was grateful to give her a break. She really did look knackered. “Why don’t you curl up? Get some sleep. Kai and I will be fine.”

“But—”

“I can take his temperature.” He nodded toward the thermometer she’d left on the kitchen counter. “If it spikes or I think something else is going on, I’ll wake you up and we’ll go in, okay?” He nodded toward her legs and urged her to kick them up onto the sofa. “Take an hour. Just an hour, Tehani. Reboot. Recharge. I’m not going to go anywhere. I’ve got him. I’ve got you both.”

“You promise?” She was half-asleep when she said it. “You won’t leave me, too?”

“I won’t leave you, Tehani.”

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
 
 

Book Info:

Is opening her heart the best gift of all?

Hawaiian sunsets with her good friend surfer Wyatt Jenkins help Tehani Iokepa get through each day as a single mom. With his lighthearted nature and touching bond with her son, Wyatt always lifts Tehani’s mood. But as two-month-old Kai’s first Christmas approaches, memories of her husband are everywhere. Working together to save the Santa Surfing Championship makes Tehani realize she’s ready to create new memories…with Wyatt. But guilt and loyalty keep them both from sharing their true feelings. Can their hearts take the leap from friendship to love this Christmas?

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Meet the Author:

Anna J Stewart is the National and USA Today bestselling author of more than sixty sweet to spicy romances. Currently writing for Harlequin’s Heartwarming and Romantic Suspense lines, she also writes the award-winning Circle of the Red Lily romantic thriller series for Arc Manor’s Caezik Romance.

In addition to being a Maggie and Holt Medallion winner, her books have also finaled in the Daphne, the National Readers’ Choice, and she’s had one of her books optioned as a TV movie. No matter the story, Anna’s books are always about family—the ones we’re born to and the ones we create. When she’s not writing or working with her editing clients, she’s usually cooking, baking, binge-watching her newest TV addiction, or re-watching her all-time favorite shows, Supernatural and all things Star Trek. Any spare time she has left is spent wrangling two monstrous and attitude prone cats named Rosie and Sherlock.
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