Spotlight & Giveaway: Her Island Homecoming 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, Her Island Homecoming!

 
Hi, everyone! Love being back with all of you.
 

Please summarize the book for the readers here:

When pilot Sydney Calvert comes home to Nalani, Hawai’i, the small town she grew up in, for her brother’s funeral, the last thing she expects is that he’s left her his tour company, Sydney’s instantly faced with the choice of returning to her own life and dreams or fulfilling the plans her brother had, not only for his business, but for the town as well.

Accountant Theo Fairfax couldn’t be less excited about a business trip to Nalani. Evaluating Ohana Odysseys as a potential buy-out/investment for his company should be straight forward, but meeting Sydney Calvert complicates things–in a lot of ways.

This is an opposites attract, fun in the sun, get away and enjoy yourself kind of read that’s truly meant to entertain and amuse with very little angst. True escapism, in my opinion.
 

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

Oh, my gosh. I have so many! Let’s see…

The time would come when the thought of her brother wouldn’t bring a tear to her eye but a smile to her lips. She just had to hold on long enough to get there.

Theo Fairfax was not made for the tropics.

No one can feel bad with a big cone of shave ice in their hand.

“Chew your food, Noodles.”

Please share a few Fun facts about this book…

• I have been dying to write a series of books set in Hawai’i. My first trip was when I was eight and we went for Christmas. I’ve been back numerous times since and every time I step off the plane I feel like I’ve come home.
• One fun fact in particular, somewhere in my family tree are relatives who came to Hawai’i from Tasmania. They lived there for a few generations so maybe I actually was coming home!
• I probably spent more times figuring out what to name Theo’s “roommate” (a gecko named Noodles) than I ever have naming an actual hero or heroine.
• This series is one time that the music I listen to actually fit. I’ve been listening to the same CD for about a decade now when I write. It’s just ocean sounds, waves, and instrumental music, but boy did it put me in the tropical mood!
• The name Sydney has been on my list of future characters almost from when I published my first book back in 2014. This book finally gave me the perfect person to use it for.
• This is the first of a six book series and readers will meet all but one of the heroes or heroines in this story. I think… Yes. They’ll get an idea of who will get their HEA just by reading this story.

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

On Theo’s part, I think there’s a lot of shocked fascination with Sydney. He’s never met anyone like her before. She’s so carefree and go with the flow and he’s definitely a buttoned down numbers cruncher. His analytical mind won’t rest until he figures her out, then by the time he does, he’s head over heels.

Sydney sees Theo as a challenge, and also a distraction from the grief she’s been feeling since her brother’s death. She’s determined to push him out of his comfort zone and get him to loosen up.

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

I laughed a lot writing this book. Even though a lot of this story has to do with processing grief and re-evaluating what one really wants out of life, there’s a lot of joy and healing to be found in it as well.

Creating the quirky cast of supporting characters, the towns people, is always one of the fun parts of writing a book. In this story, we have Maru, a local lady who makes malasadas (fried Portuguese donuts) and sells them by the beach, Haki, who hunts menehune (mythological trickster figures), and Benji, who has a pet pig named Kahlua. They wear matching Hawaiian shirts and Benji is teaching Kahlua how to surf. Here’s a snippet of when Theo meets Benji and his porcine pal:

“Theo Fairfax, this is Benji Tatupu. Benji, Theo’s here visiting for a few days.”

“Ah, malihini.” Benji attempted a kind of wink in Sydney’s direction. “Aloha.”

Since he’d spent significant time on the internet after dinner last night, Theo had picked up a bit of the language. “Aloha. And yes,” he said with a slight nod of his head, “I am most definitely a newcomer.”

He’d be lying if the impressed surprise in Sydney’s gaze didn’t give him a bit of a zing.

“Keeping eyes on this girl, are you? Good, good. About time.”

Benji smiled wryly at Sydney. “Can’t believe no one has snatched her up yet.”

“That’s because I’m waiting on you,” Sydney teased.

Benji cackled, and before Theo could shake the befuddlement over a shirt-wearing pig loose, Sydney dropped down and grabbed hold of the pig’s face, earning a melodious string of grunts in
response. “Hey there, Kahlua. How’s my favorite porcine town mascot today? You had a good morning?”

Kahlua squealed, grunted and nodded his head as if providing an answer.

“Tehani told me about your new golf cart,” Sydney said in a tone that confirmed what Theo thought about the older man. He definitely wasn’t steady on his feet. “Coming up on the heat of the day. Why aren’t you driving that beauty around town, Benji?”

“I’ve been walking up and down Pulelehua Road every day for more than forty years, keiki.” Benji’s craggy voice carried more affection than annoyance.

“That’s why your neighbors chipped in and got you the cart,” Sydney said easily as she gave the pig a firm pat on either side of its substantial haunches. “We like seeing you in town, and it’s a long walk from your house. What happened? Is something wrong with the cart?”

“Maybe. Don’t know.” Benji heaved a heavy sigh. “It might have died a few days ago.”

Sydney didn’t miss a beat. “Did you remember to plug it in the last time you got home with it?”

“Might have forgotten to do that.” Benji’s wrinkled face scrunched, and he tightened his hold on Kahlua’s rope. “I’m never sure what goes where with that thing. Plugs and cords and doohickeys. I don’t have time to deal with all that nonsense when I’ve got two good feet capable of taking me where I want to go.”

Readers should read this book….

If you’re looking for an island getaway. If you love the opposite attracts trope. If small-town romances are your catnip along with fun, quirky characters and shenanigans. My goal is always to entertain and divert readers from real life and I think this book definitely accomplishes both those things.

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

I recently turned in book 3 in this Hawai’i series. Next I’ll be writing a romantic suspense for Harlequin’s ongoing Colton series and after that? I’m tackling a new Blackwell book for Heartwarming.

As far as releases go, book 2 in this series, HER SURPRISE ISLAND WEDDING, will be out in September, as will my next Honor Bound romantic suspense. DEADLY VEGAS ESCAPADE was one of the most fun books I’ve written to date–I call it The Bourne Identity meets The Hangover. A definite roller coaster ride!
 

Thanks for blogging at HJ!

Giveaway: 1-$15 Amazon Gift Card

To enter Giveaway: Please complete the Rafflecopter form and Post a comment to this Q: As I stated above, Hawai’i is one of the few places I’ve traveled where, from the time I stepped foot there, I felt as if I’d come home. Have you ever traveled someplace that made you feel that way? Where were you? Or is there someplace you dream of going to because it literally calls to you?

 
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Excerpt from Her Island Homecoming:

SYDNEY WASN’T ENTIRELY sure what surprised her more: the fact that sixty minutes to the second later, Theo stepped onto the landing pad or that he’d shown up at all. Given his initial reticence regarding the very mention of getting into a helicopter, she would have laid solid odds on the latter being true, yet here he was, with shadows of doubt and trepidation on his handsome face.

“Let me guess,” he said as he approached, casting wary eyes on her vehicle as she closed the cargo door where she’d stashed some last-minute snacks for a stop she planned to make. “You weren’t
entirely sure I was going to come.”

She smiled, scrunched her nose. “It may have crossed my mind.”

“You changed your clothes.” He glanced down at his khakis and polo shirt, then inclined his head as he reached a hand out. “And tied down your hair.”

“Yeah, well, I don’t fly in flip-flops.” She waggled one of her sneaker-clad feet in front of her and ran a suddenly nervous hand down her loosely twisted braid. “And the fewer distractions I have up there, the better.” She sobered at his wince. “How about we get those nerves under control before we take off?”

“Not entirely sure that’s possible.”

“We’ll see. We’re all gassed up and ready to go, but to satisfy that scientifically leaning mind of yours—”

“I’ve watched some videos,” he said as she pulled open the pilot-side cockpit door. “There was this one on YouTube, how to fly a helicopter in six minutes.”

“Six minutes, huh?” She rolled her eyes. “And here I wasted thousands of hours earning my license. All right, then. Let’s see what you learned.” Sydney stepped back and pointed. “What’s that?”

“Ah. That’s the collective, and it’s operated with the left hand. It controls height and moves the pitch of the blades.”

“Huh.” Sydney gave him an impressed nod. “All right. How about this?” She indicated the main controller situated in the center of the pilot’s seat.

“The cyclic. It’ll tilt the craft forward and back. It’s what you use to keep the nose of the helicopter where you’re going.”

She laughed. “Okay, so maybe YouTube wasn’t a bad idea after all. What about the foot pedals?”

“There’s two of them.” He moved closer, peered in as if actually interested, which was what she was hoping for. “They work as anti-torque and maintain resistance against the blades. Without them, the chopper would just spin and spin. They’re what keep the vehicle steady.”

“All of it together requires a bit of a light touch. I’ve been flying since I was seven years old, Theo. I made my first solo flight when I was sixteen. I won’t say I’ve never had issues up there, but I know what I’m doing.”

“I believe you.”

“Uh-huh. I can see that. Okay, how about some stats to help ease your mind?”

“What kind of stats?”

“Helicopter crashes, aircraft crashes in general, are anomalies. For example, did you know there has to be at least seven catastrophic failures on a plane for it to go down?”

“If you’re meaning to help—”

“I’m not saying accidents don’t happen,” Sydney said calmly. “I’m just saying they’re rare. The odds of anything happening to us—”

“Never tell me the odds,” Theo said, cutting her off. “That’ll only give me something to obsess over. What about turbulence?”

“What about it?”

“It can get pretty bad, especially in a smaller craft.”

“Okay, just a reminder—you going up was your idea.”

“And you said you could put my mind at ease before I climbed on board.”

Yeah, she’d walked right into that one, hadn’t she? “Okay, you’re a smart man. I have no doubt you’ve done your own research—”

“I have. There was this—”

“Video?”

“Yeah.” He grinned, some of the trepidation leaving his face. “Scientifically, I understand that turbulence is the atmosphere essentially adjusting itself around aircraft.”

“Right. And it’s always there. Pilots learn early on how to work around it, fly around it or maintain the aircraft going through it. But let’s look at it this way.” She slipped her fingers through his and drew him around the front of the chopper. “I haven’t updated my will yet, so nothing’s going to happen to us today. There is one important warning I need to give you, however.” She tugged open his door and motioned for him to step up into his seat.

“What’s that?”

“From here on? I call the shots. You’re in my space now. Understood?”

“Aye-aye, Captain.” He gave her an awkward salute that had to be one of the cutest things she’d ever seen.

“We aren’t in the Navy,” she teased. “Hook your belt. I’ll get you settled with your headphones in a sec.” She closed him in and did a quick double-check of the cargo holds containing the typical
emergency equipment: first aid kit, fire extinguishers, a few lengths of sturdy rope, flares and a knife. One of the things she’d learned working Search and Rescue back in South Carolina was to keep an extra stash of emergency rations just to be safe. While she didn’t anticipate the need for a thermal blanket, she had a couple of those as well. Island terrain was far different from the southern east coast, but it didn’t hurt to be prepared for any eventuality. Always the sign of a good pilot, something her first flight instructor had taught her back before she’d even turned double digits.

Despite having had her door open for a while, the heat of the midday sun was pulsating inside the cockpit as she climbed in.

“You okay?”

“So far.” Theo was casting his eyes about as if that could change at any moment. “Just focusing on not being a control freak and reminding myself you know what you’re doing. You really did this as a little kid?”

“I really did.” She hooked her belt and reached up for one of the pairs of headphones hanging up and a little behind them. “These are noise-canceling phones. We’ll be able to talk to one another.” She tapped the small microphone protruding from one of the ears. “You feel sick, there’s a barf bag in the front compartment right by your feet.”

“That is the line I will not cross,” he said.

“Good to know.” She laughed. “Okay,” she shouted as she pulled her own headphones on and clicked the connection button on the roof control panel. “Just need a few minutes to warm this baby up.”

She clicked the ignition switch.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
 
 

Book Info:

If she stays, will he stay too?

From sand in his shoes to a gecko eating his dinner, Theo Fairfax is way outside his comfort zone in Hawai’i. Sent to convince pilot Sydney Calvert to sell the tour company she just inherited, he finds himself being won over by the tight-knit community, the natural wonders and Sydney’s free-spirited beauty. Could exploring their growing feelings lead to a future as magical as a tropical sunset?
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Meet the Author:

Anna J Stewart is the USA Today bestselling author of more than fifty sweet to spicy romances. Primarily writing for Harlequin’s Heartwarming (sweet romance) and Romantic Suspense (spicy) lines, she also writes for Arc Manor’s Caezik Romance. In addition to being a Holt Medallion winner (Bride on the Run), she’s finaled in both the Daphne duMaurier, and the National Readers’ Choice. In 2019 one of her books was optioned for television. No matter the story, Anna’s books are always about family—the ones we’re born to and the ones we create. Anna lives in Northern California where she loves going to the movies, attending fan conventions, and heading to Disneyland, her favorite place on earth. When she’s not writing, she is usually cooking, baking, binge-watching her newest TV addiction, or re-watching her all-time favorite show, Supernatural. She also spends a frustrating amount of time wrangling two monstrous cats named Rosie and Sherlock. You can read more about Anna, her books, and her workshops for authors at www.AuthorAnnaStewart.com.
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