Spotlight & Giveaway: Last Chance Beach: Summer’s End

Posted August 10th, 2020 by in Blog, Spotlight / 71 comments

Today it is my pleasure to Welcome authors Joan Reeves, Liz Flaherty, Nancy Fraser, Caroline Clemmons, Jan Scarbrough, Kathleen Lawless, Bonnie Edwards, Marcia King-Gamble, Kathryn Hills, Connie Vines, Nora LeDuc, Hanna Rowan, Maddie James, Laurie Hunsaker to HJ!
Spotlight&Giveaway

 

We’re so excited to chat with you about your new release, Last Chance Beach: Summer’s End!

 
Thank you, Sara, for having us here, and thanks to everyone who’s checking in. We hope you enjoy your visit to Last Chance Beach.
 

To start off, can you please tell us a little bit about this book?:

There are 14 short stories in this season-ending trip to Last Chance Beach, all told by writers who belong to the Romance Gems blog. As one of the writers, I can’t wait to read the other 13!
 

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

The soles of her sandals skittering across the wet surface, Lily Abbott landed on the weather-worn dock with a loud thump, her backside slapping against the damp slats in the same way a fish flops around on the ground after being pulled from the lake. – from “I Do…Again” by Nancy Fraser

“Yeah, anyone watching you hack up that defenseless egg can tell you’re thrilled.” – from Beach Kisses & Sunset Wishes by Nora LeDuc

His eyes were a little less bloodshot than usual. His hair looked as if someone had styled it with a weed whacker. He needed to shave. He lifted his arm and sniffed his armpit. He definitely needed a shower. Perfect. That should get the day off to a rousing start with his new roommate.
“If it isn’t Houston’s answer to Gordon Ramsay. Make any chefs weep today before you escaped from your version of Hell’s Kitchen?” – from Hot August Night by Joan Reeves

“A new beginning shouldn’t start with a dead body, but Jenny’s new beginning was anything but normal.” – from Dreams of the Past by Laura Hunsaker

“Don’t go all woo-woo on me, Mark,” Alisha scoffed. “Next thing, you’ll be telling me there’s some higher power pulling strings we don’t even know about.”
“Could be someone, somewhere, figures we deserve a second chance.” – from Blue Sky Summer by Kathleen Lawless

Fragrance and love cannot be hidden.- from Paradise Perfume by Connie Vines

 

What inspired this book?

I thought of the title Romancing the Spouse first. I like to write about “seasoned” characters and second chances. Then I asked what would a wife do to revive her marriage after the kids are gone? – Jan Scarbrough

I was having lunch one day with my co-workers at the assisted living where I work and we started to talk about what we would change about the facility if we won the lottery and we could buy it. Then I saw a reality show about people who won the lottery but didn’t live happily ever after. When I was presented with the opportunity to write about Last Chance Beach, I thought what if someone was in a winning lottery pool but wasn’t interested in staying put? Where could she go to avoid the people who would want to take advantage of her? Of course, she could head to Last Chance Beach, just as Moira Campbell does in CAN’T BUY ME LOVE. – Hannah Rowan

Gordon Ramsay, the screwball comedies of the 1930s-1950s, the big full moon in August. – Joan Reeves

Two of my children surf, so I’ve spent many an hour watching them on the water, admiring the skills that go into the sport. 2020 marks the first year the sport was scheduled to finally be included in the Olympics. – Kathleen Lawless

My perfuming background. Fragrances have the ability to give confidence, heal, and make life enjoyable. – Connie Vines

Several memorable vacations have involved a trip to the beach. In my mind, Last Chance Beach is the beach we visited. – Caroline Clemmons

I’m fortunate to have spent some time in Florida. During one visit, people gathered on the beach for a drum circle at sunset. I went down to join in the fun. So at one point, I asked myself what the characters were up to next.The answer was drum circle. The lovely greenery and beaches in the Sunshine State also helped me imagine the scenery. – Nora LeDuc

 

How did you ‘get to know’ your main characters? Did they ever surprise you?

I love when my characters just start talking to me. I often have them do a journal entry in first person of what’s on their mind before I start the book. And yes, my characters are constantly full of surprises. – Kathleen Lawless

The dialogue just popped into my head. This is the first story I’ve written without a detailed plot and character sketches. The story just “unfolded.” – Connie Vines

I spent a good bit of time thinking about the main characters before and during writing. – Caroline Clemmons

Well, it’s surprised me now. I suddenly realized I thought of my heroine in Beach Kisses and Sunset Wishes as a best friend. I never wondered much about what she was about to do because I knew her well and she had entrusted me with her all secrets. In fact, the opening scene opens with the two best friends discussing the heroine’s recent breakup. – Nora LeDuc

 

What was your favorite scene to write?

The one where celebrity chef Zander Rojas cooks Rocky Mountain oysters for Chelsea Elliot in hopes of making her storm away and leave the beach cottage so he can have some peace and quiet. – Joan Reeves

The one on the porch of Liliput Cottage when Hass talks to her parents. It made me wish SOMETHING NEW was a full-length book so I could have delved deeper. – Liz Flaherty

The scene where the hero rescues a boy who is drowning. I was only 5, and at the beach with my mother when she swam out and saved a young boy from drowning. That experience has stayed with me all these years. – Kathleen Lawless

The scene where the hero and heroine met. – Caroline Clemmons

My favorite scene to write was the hero and heroine’s walk along the Last Chance beach at sunset. There they enjoyed their first kiss surrounded by white sand and the rustle of the blue rolling waves.– Nora LeDuc

 

What was the most difficult scene to write?

The end because I was having so much fun with them tossing insults at each other. – Joan Reeves

I think it was when Alisha tells Mark she is sorry for hurting him all those years ago, believing she will feel better after she apologizes, but she only feels worse. – Kathleen Lawless

Tempest’s acknowledgement of how her past makes it more difficult to trust enough to fall in love. – Connie Vines

The ending. – Caroline Clemmons

I often find opening scenes the most difficult to write. It’s a balancing act between the need to know facts such as age, physical description etc. and jumping into the action/emotion of the story. – Nora LeDuc

 

Would you say this book showcases your writing style or is it a departure for you?

Hot August Night, my story in this Romance Collection, is the kind of romantic comedy I love to write with a lot of witty repartee between characters. – Joan Reeves

SOMETHING NEW is a fair sample of my writing style, with a change or two thrown in for added flavor. – Liz Flaherty

I really try to push the reader’s emotional buttons with my work, so I hope I achieved that in BLUE SKY SUMMER. – Kathleen Lawless

Showcases my writing style. Though my historical and western novels have less internal dialogue and more action scenes. – Connie Vines

I think it’s a departure. I don’t usually write stories this short. – Caroline Clemmons

What you read on the pages of Beach Kisses & Sunset Wishes is my normal writing style. My text is slightly different when I write romantic suspense. Then, the pace picks up, and a lot of question aren’t answered until later in the book. – Nora LeDuc

 

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

I want them to feel like they’ve been to Last Chance Beach with us and that they’re going home refreshed (but tired in a good way) and happy. Oh, and that they can’t wait to read all of our books! – Liz Flaherty

It’s important we look forward in life and don’t waste energy bogged down in the past. Particularly past relationships. – Kathleen Lawless

Perfume Bottles can be broken and replaced. But cherish your loved ones and friends; broken hearts may not heal—and cannot be replaced. – Connie Vines

A happy feeling. I want them to have enjoyed themselves and feel they’ve had a relaxing and refreshing experience. – Caroline Clemmons

In this time of high anxiety about health, finance and safety, I hope people can forget their worries and immerse themselves in the feelings of excitement and joy of newfound love. – Nora LeDuc

 

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

I have a mail-order bride story scheduled for August called MAIL ORDER RACHEL, and am planning to release a new series this fall called WIDOWS OF THE WILD WEST. This is a spin off of my popular SEVEN BRIDES FOR SEVEN BROTHERS Historical Western Series. – Kathleen Lawless

Gumbo Ya Ya —An anthology for women who like Cajun romance. 4 stories, one of which focuses on perfuming and a possible love potion! August 2020 release! And a Sassy & Fun Fantasy novella 2—Bell, Book, & Gargoyle, October 2020 release. – Connie Vines

I’m working on a historical romance titled CHARLOTTE’S CHALLENGE for the Golden Legacy Series. It will release in September.– Caroline Clemmons

My next release is Christmas at the Easy Breezy and will be released Oct. 15. I’m also working on the Romantic Suspense book 2 for the series Love, Lies, & Mystery. The story takes place in Florida, and it can be read as a stand-alone. – Nora LeDuc

 

Thanks for blogging at HJ!

 

Giveaway: We’re giving away a beach towel and a backlist print book–US only. An international winner winner will receive a download.

 

To enter Giveaway: Please complete the Rafflecopter form and Post a comment to this Q: We’ve all come to love Last Chance Beach and to know its every nook and salty, sandy cranny. Do you have a favorite vacation spot that has become a second home to you?

 
a Rafflecopter giveaway

 
 

Excerpt from Last Chance Beach: Summer’s End:

He should have called her rather than just show up. Zeke knew that, but it had been two weeks since he’d seen her—probably the longest time since he was in second grade and she was in kindergarten.
There’d been something in her voice the day before, though, that made him think he was missing more than he’d realized.
What if she’d met someone else on this idyllic jaunt to a beach? What if the reason she sounded funny was that she was afraid to tell him she’d fallen in love with some guy who understood her better than Zeke did?
Wouldn’t take much, he had to admit. He’d never pretended to understand her. He’d just liked her. No, he loved her, come to that.
But…knitting? Cats? Those were things she shared with her nana, not real life.
She’d worked so hard all through school and in the two years since, that when the opportunity to spend six weeks on the island came up, he’d been all for it. She deserved the time. He’d had to travel for work while she was gone, so they’d have struggled to have together time anyway.
But he hadn’t expected her to enjoy it so much. While he didn’t consider himself overly macho…or macho at all, he’d still wanted her to miss him. To maybe even act a little needy. Not that she ever was needy. That was one of the things he liked about her. Loved about her.
Bryce, Hass’s older brother and Zeke’s best friend as well as the other half of Z & B Contracting, had suggested he spend some time at Last Chance Beach. “We’re all caught up and crews are placed and on time. Go to the beach and look around. It’s a family place, from what Hass says, and not developed past the point of pleasure. It might be somewhere for us to get some work.” He slid off the stool at the bar where they’d been having a managers’ meeting and held up a warning finger. “Just remember, no touching my sister. My dad still thinks she’s a virgin.”
Zeke waved a dismissive hand, but an hour later, he was on the road. If he didn’t stop to eat, he could be crossing Last Chance Bridge before dark.
He wasn’t though. It was summertime, so there was always roadwork. It was after ten when he reached the beach. He wondered if he should get a room in a motel, but he wanted to see Hass, to feel her in his arms.
Anxious to put his disquiet to rest, he pulled in behind the red compact car she’d been driving since high school. The white stucco house was mostly dark, but he could see the faint glimmer of a light on the beach side, where the sliding door back entrance was. He didn’t want to scare her, so he tried to make noise walking around—hard to do on soft white sand with only rustling sea grass to compete with the crashing poetry of the ocean.
She was sitting on her porch at a wrought iron table painted an ice creamy pastel shade of pink. A glass of wine—if you could call the stuff she drank wine—sat in front of her, as well as a plate of saltines smeared with peanut butter.
It was their favorite evening treat. His stomach reminded him he hadn’t eaten since lunch, and he hoped she was up for sharing. He knocked on the side of the house and stepped onto the porch. “Hass?”
She wasn’t glad to see him. Although the look of dismay came and went so fast on her expressive face that he could almost have convinced himself he’d imagined it, he knew he hadn’t. He could feel it, the new gap between them that he’d sensed on the phone. She got up to greet him, but not quickly. Not happily.
“I didn’t know you were coming. I’m reading to the kids tomorrow,” she said.
So? She read to kids all the time back home. It had never affected their relationship. “Okay.”
She met him halfway, though, walking into his arms and raising her face to meet his kiss. “You feel tired,” she said, her hands moving up and down his arms, light and warm on his skin. He was glad he was wearing a sleeveless tee shirt.
“I am, but glad to see you. I miss you.”
“Nah, you just want my crackers and my wine.” She grinned at him, and he thought he saw the familiar sparkle in her crystal-blue eyes, the look he knew was for him alone. “Especially my wine.”
“Right.” He kissed her again, lingering. They fit so well together, each of them knowing what the other wanted and needed.
Or did they?
The thought made him lift his head and search her gaze again. “Are you okay, Hass?” He lifted her hand to his lips, kissing her short, soft fingers. “Are we okay?”
from Something New, by Liz Flaherty

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
 
 

Book Info:

LAST CHANCE BEACH is the island paradise where Dreams go to live again, and Wishes may come true. It’s Summer’s End on the island, and the cottages, condos, hotels, and bungalows are filled to capacity.
There’s plenty of time left to find summer fun and summer love, new romances and second chances, hot alpha males and heartwarming heroes, love at first sight and romantic delight, enemies to lovers and opposites attract.
Throw a log on the beach bonfire tonight and celebrate LAST CHANCE BEACH: Summer’s End, a special romance collection of 14 all-new short stories from bestselling and award-winning authors. These summer stories—created especially for this collection—will thrill the hopeful romantic in you. Some are sweet: some are sizzling! Some are humorous; some are serious. All the stories will make you sigh!
LAST CHANCE BEACH: Summer’s End will make you want to book a vacation to the island of legend and love, the place where soul mates find each other and love at first sight happens all the time!

Book Links: Amazon | B&N | iTunes | Kobo | Google |
 
 

Meet the Author:

Retired from the post office and married to Duane for…a really long time, USA Today bestselling author Liz Flaherty has had a heart-shaped adult life, populated with kids and grands and wonderful friends. She admits she can be boring, but hopes her curiosity about everyone and everything around her keeps her from it. She likes traveling and quilting and reading. And she loves writing.
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | GoodReads |

 

 

 

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71 Responses to “Spotlight & Giveaway: Last Chance Beach: Summer’s End”

  1. Jeanna Massman

    I don’t really have a favorite vacation spot. I love my home so that is my favorite spot.

  2. EC

    My bed IS my fave vacation spot.

    In the literal sense, I don’t think I have one.

  7. hartfiction

    I have too many vacation spots to mention them all – but two of my favorite beach spots are Myrtle Beach, SC (because I used to live there) and Oahu, Hawaii. 🙂

  8. Pamela Conway

    I don’t travel much but did go to Hollywood Beach, FL twice & loved it.

  9. janinecatmom

    I honestly haven’t been to one place enough to have it feel like a second home. I used to go to Hawaii with my ex, but it’s been a very long time ago and I can barely remember how it felt to be there. I’ve gone to Galveston several times but it’s only because it’s within driving distance.

  12. nora leduc

    I loved reading all the authors’ comments to the questions. So interesting. And the excerpt pulled me right into the emotional feel of the story. Thanks so much, Liz, and to Harlequin Junkie for hosting.

  21. anna nguyen

    anywhere in italy. i have been to several cities like venice, florence, and rome. always a wonderful place to visit.

    • lizkflaherty

      I haven’t been there. My daughter-in-law took my granddaughter there for her high school graduation trip–they still talk about it years later!

  22. penneyblog

    Yes we went to Carl’s bad beach 2 weeks ago but we stayed in the car. it was packed with people and no one was wearing masks. There was a couple of people coughing and no one said anything, we drove around then headed back home.

    • lizkflaherty

      Oh, I’m sorry it didn’t work out well. It’s a rough time and you probably needed it to be a good one. :-(. Thanks for stopping by.

    • lizkflaherty

      I’ve only been there once, but I loved it. My friend Margie Senchal is from there, and when she talks about it, it’s like visiting!

  24. Marcia King-Gamble

    There’s no place like Last Chance Beach. It’s the only way to vacation.

  26. Glenda M

    Not specifically: national and state parks, beaches, mountains, and historic areas – including cities are all places I love to visit when I am able to do so.

  29. hannahrowan

    Is it really a vacation spot? I have a favorite airbnb where I stay when I visit my daughter in CA
    Thanks for featuring Last Chance Beach, Sara

  33. Debbie P

    I don’t have a second beach home but if I did it would be Mackinac Island, MI. It’s just beautiful up there.

  34. Debbie P

    I don’t have a summer beach second home. But if I did it would be on Mackinac Island, MI. It’s beautiful there!

    • Liz & Duane Flaherty

      A great way to harvest memories if you can do it, but you can make staycations just as much fun and just as memorable.

  41. Mya Murphy

    I won a trip to Spain.. It’s my favorite place in the world, and, if possible, I would definitely move there.

  43. Patricia B.

    Sadly, no. Growing up we had a camp on a small mountain lake in the Adirondack Mountains in Northern New York. Unfortunately, we were not able to buy it, and it is no longer in the family. It was nothing fancy, but the perfect place to get away and relax. I would love to find another cabin in the woods in the Northeast or Colorado (we lived there for 3 years), or just a small house in coastal Maine. For now, we are spending vacation time exploring this wonderful country.