Spotlight & Giveaway: Crash Landing by Annie McQuaid

Today it is my pleasure to Welcome author Annie McQuaid to HJ!

Hi Annie and welcome to HJ! We’re so excited to chat with you about your new release, Crash Landing!

 
Hi! Thanks so much for having me. I’m excited to share more about Crash Landing, my debut romance, and dive into my publishing journey with you all!
 

Please summarize the book for the readers here:

Crash Landing is a second-chance romance with a survival twist. In it, we meet Piper who is on her way to her best friend’s destination wedding when her plane is canceled. At the airport, she bumps into Wyatt, the former love of her life who she hasn’t seen in eight years. Wyatt offers her a ride in the plane he is flying to the wedding himself, and you guessed it, they crash land on an island in the middle of the Caribbean. In order to survive, they must put aside old wounds and work together. Crash Landing is told in a dual timeline so readers get to see Piper and Wyatt falling in love for the first time in high school, against the backdrop of them growing closer again on the island.
 

Please share your favorite line(s) or quote from this book:

“If it takes a plane crash to see you, I’d do it again in a heartbeat”
“I’m so damn grateful we made it off that island, but it will all be for nothing if I don’t ask you for a second chance.”

Please share a few Fun facts about this book…

• I grew up reading survival stories like Hatchet, Julie of the Wolves, and Island of the Blue Dolphins, which inspired the island survival theme in Crash Landing.
• One of my favorite side characters, Allie McLaughlin, is named after two of my high school friends—first name from one and last name from the other.
• Crash Landing features a dual timeline, with one taking place during high school. Those high school scenes are the only parts of the book that haven’t really changed since my very first draft, which makes them extra special to me.

What first attracts your Hero to the Heroine and vice versa?

Piper and Wyatt initially bonded as preteens over their love of fantasy books. They also have a unique connection as only children, which gives them a shared understanding of loneliness and longing. Piper is one of the only people that Wyatt lets his guard down around and they seem to just “get” each other immediately. That initial connection grows over time into love rooted in a deep friendship.

Did any scene have you blushing, crying or laughing while writing it? And Why?

I adored writing the moment when Piper and Wyatt first *reconnect* on the island. I love the callbacks to their relationship in high school and how sweet they are with each other. Here’s a snippet of it:

Afterward, he tucked her under his arm, not letting her go. “Are you good?”
“Never been better.” She dropped a kiss on his chest, right above his heart.
“I love your freckles.” He kissed her nose.
Piper squirmed. “I usually cover them up, but there’s no hiding them here, especially with all the sun I’m getting.”
“I’m glad. These freckles drove me crazy in high school. I spent hours finding constellations on your face.”
Piper suppressed her maniac smile. “That’s very cute and a little stalkerish.”
He shrugged. “I never denied being obsessed with you. Still am.”
It wasn’t quite an admission of love, but it was as close to one as Piper needed now. She leaned in and kissed him once more.

Readers should read this book….

If they want a survival rom-com that offers a high-stakes twist on their favorite romance tropes, including second chance romance, he’s always loved her, friends-to-lovers, and forced proximity. It’s perfect for fans of Emily Henry, Christina Lauren, and Jessica Joyce who are in the mood for a beach read with heart, humor, and action!

What are you currently working on? What other releases do you have in the works?

I’m currently drafting my second novel, which will be released with Avon sometime in 2026. While I can’t give away too many details yet, it’s another adventure romance, but this one’s set in the mountains of North Carolina. It’s a slow-burn romance with the opposites-attract trope, tons of flirting lessons, and the perfect “only one tent” setup. I can’t wait to share more soon!
 

Thanks for blogging at HJ!

Giveaway: A paperback copy of CRASH LANDING, US only

To enter Giveaway: Please complete the Rafflecopter form and Post a comment to this Q: If you were stranded on a remote island and could only bring one book, what would it be?

 
a Rafflecopter giveaway

 
 

Excerpt from Crash Landing:

The first patch of turbulence they hit was gentle enough to rock a baby to sleep. A few bigger bumps followed like the plane was a smooth stone skipping across a shallow pond. When they hit an air pocket that caused the plane to drop dramatically, Piper shot upright, her stomach jumping to her throat. She dug her fingernails into the leather armrests, leaving half-moon imprints of her rising terror. Had they flown into a storm?
Outside her window, the air swirled, thick and swampy, the clouds a green-gray color that belonged in a witch’s brew, not the sky. Raindrops streaked across the glass. She strained for a glimpse of the ocean below, but the thick curtain of clouds obstructed her view.
At the front of the plane, Wyatt spoke into his headset, his attention focused on the dials in front of him.
Piper looped her tote back over her shoulder, unbuckled her seat belt, and walked toward him. Before she could take two steps, the plane dropped, then tipped to the right, knocking her to the floor. Her knees throbbed at the sudden impact, screaming in unison with her heart.
Alarm sirens rang from the cockpit, a cacophony of panic.
Wyatt whipped around, his eyes wide. He shouted over the engine, “Why aren’t you buckled up?”
“I wanted to see what was happening up there,” Piper yelled back, grabbing at an armrest and pulling herself upright.
“Jesus, Piper! Get back in your seat!”
“Stop yelling at me. I’m trying to!” The force of the plane jerking up and down pinned her to the floor. Tears swam in her eyes. Her heart raced. Was this how she would die? On the floor of a plane with Wyatt Brooks?
The plane dropped like an elevator whose cable had snapped.
“Piper, get back in your seat. Now!”
She could only choke out a sob in response, frozen in place by terror and confusion. Then a pair of muscular arms yanked her up and into the copilot’s seat. Wyatt buckled her in securely before fastening himself in next to her, moving so quickly Piper barely registered what was happening.
“What’s going on?” Her heart hammered so loud in her ears it nearly drowned out the roar of the plane.
Wyatt didn’t respond as he pulled his headset back on and repeated foreign phrases in a low, terse voice. Tension zipped his face up as tight as his death grip on the flight controls.
Piper’s knuckles whitened on the tote bag in her lap. “Wyatt, is there anything I can do to help?”
Clouds whirred by, the tips of white caps now visible out the window.
They were flying far too low.
“Hold on,” he said through pinched lips, his hands trembling on the controls. “We’re almost out of this wind pattern. Once we get over these islands, we should be—”
A loud crack cut him off.
The belly of the plane slammed into something unforgiving and hard, jolting them so forcefully Piper bit her tongue, her mouth filling with metallic blood.
The sound of a metal lid snapping off a tin can filled the air. A vacuum of wind hit her from behind as the back half of the plane fell away. The seat she’d been curled up in moments ago—gone.
She wasn’t ready to die yet.
This couldn’t be the end.
Leaves rushed up, meeting what remained of the plane. Her nostrils burned with the acrid odor of fuel. Heat blasted past her, flames licking her face.
Wyatt screamed something, but a horrible noise filled her ears.
Then, with a flash of searing heat, everything went black.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
 
 

Book Info:

Piper Adams is completely, totally, one hundred percent over Wyatt, the former love of her life. At least, that’s what she tells herself. After he broke her heart, she stopped taking risks and focused instead on building a perfect—and perfectly safe—life. But bumping into Wyatt at the airport on the way to her best friend’s destination wedding wasn’t part of the plan. Neither was a canceled flight nor Wyatt’s offer of a ride on the tiny plane he’s flying to attend the same event. Desperate to make it on time, she accepts his offer, but things go from awkward to full-blown nightmare when their plane crashes in the Caribbean, stranding Piper on a deserted island with the last person she ever wanted to see again.

At first, rule-following Piper clashes with adventure-driven Wyatt, but as the days tick by, she can see the boy she once loved has grown into a man. A man who makes her laugh, knows his way around a fire, and is annoyingly hot shirtless. A man she could love again. As the chemistry still simmering between them boils over, Piper begins wishing Wyatt was more than just a survival partner. But for their love to survive a second chance, she’ll have to not only trust Wyatt again, but also learn to trust herself and find the courage to let go of her carefully curated life for the chance at something far greater—if they can survive the island long enough for rescue.
Book Links: Amazon | B&N | iTunes | kobo | Google |
 
 

Meet the Author:

Annie McQuaid lives in Raleigh, North Carolina, and works as a marketing director for an education technology company. When she’s not putting her characters in life-or-death situations, you can find her visiting the beach, tackling her never-ending TBR, or spending time with her adorable nieces. Crash Landing is her debut novel.
Website | Twitter | Instagram |