Behind the Scenes of Sanctuary Cove with Kate James

It's my pleasure to take you behind the scenes of my March release, Sanctuary Cove.

Sanctuary Cove is the story of New York based communications executive Emma Meadows, who never imagined that sticking to her principles against an act of corruption would cost her her job and her relationship. Heartbroken, she retreats to her lakefront cabin in the Adirondack Mountains. Aiding an injured animal at the side of a rain-drenched road, she meets local veterinarian Joshua Whitmore. Gradually, Josh’s charm and persistence overcome her defenses. But when Emma’s past abruptly intrudes—putting reputations and even lives at stake—it threatens everything she and Josh have begun to build together.

The Characters


Emma Meadows

Emma is an intelligent, capable business executive . . . until she loses her job as vice president with a major communications and media relations firm. She has unwavering standards of ethics and integrity, and loves animals. She was betrayed by her former fiancé and is reluctant to trust again. She’s 32 years old. She is relatively tall at five feet eight inches, and she’s slender. She has long blonde hair and blue eyes. A celebrity lookalike for Emma is Sienna Miller.

Joshua Whitmore

Josh comes from a family of healthcare professionals, but he decided to choose a different path. He’s a veterinarian, passionate about his job and the animals that come under his care. He is 35 years old, six-feet, three-inches tall, with a lean, athletic build. He has dark brown, collar-length hair, and his eyes are brown with gold flecks. Josh is good natured and easy going. Family is important to Josh, and he is close to his parents and siblings. He is principled, and loyal to his friends and family. And, of course, he loves animals. A celebrity lookalike for Josh is Josh Holloway

Emma’s Dog Max

Max is Emma’s dog. He’s a five-year-old Alaskan malamute, weighing approximately 100 pounds. He has silver-gray and white fur, and brown eyes. Max is gentle, loving and loyal.


Max had been accepting of city life, but he is truly in his element in Sanctuary Cove.

Rescue Dog Theo

Theo is a dog-wolf mix, with gray fur and brown eyes. He's slightly larger than Max. Emma finds him after someone had hit him with a car and left him, injured, at the side of a road. It’s because of Theo that Emma and Josh first meet.

Theo had belonged to someone before the accident but despite Josh’s best efforts, he’s unable to locate Theo’s family. Emma adopts Theo, as soon as he’s well enough. Theo develops a strong bond with Emma and Max, and is protective of them.

Josh’s Dog Winston

Winston is Josh’s yellow Labrador retriever. He has yellow fur—naturally—and sweet brown eyes. He weighs roughly 70 pounds. He’s as lovable and loving as a dog can be.
Winston quickly develops a strong bond with Max and Theo. He is by far the smallest of the three dogs, and the other two are respectful of Winston’s smaller size.

Emma’s Cottage 


Emma's cottage is situated on a large, secluded property, on a knoll overlooking a small, private lake. The location looks like this . . .

The windows you see in the next picture belong to the two-and-a-half-story great room.

Emma loves the seclusion of her property. This is the rock in the clearing where she likes to sit and think.

This is the view she has from the rock. The lake is just on the other side of the cottage. The windows facing the garden belong to her kitchen. She loves the 180-degree view she has while she’s cooking.

And this is a picture of one of Emma’s gardens edging the forest. She enjoys working in her gardens, and has put a lot of time and effort into them to ensure she has flowers blooming from spring to fall.
This is the stone path skirting the kitchen.
The next picture is of Emma’s bedroom, with the windows to the right overlooking her lake. The view from her bedroom is spectacular!
. . . and this is her bathroom . . .
This is Emma’s main-floor guest bedroom that she converts into her office. The wallpaper on the top half of the walls has little birds on it; when she first saw it in the store, she couldn’t resist buying it.
And this is her great room, overlooking the lake, the gardens and the forest. The couch faces the fireplace. She loves to sit by the fire during the winter months.
This is Emma’s kitchen, overlooking her driveway and forest. She enjoys being able to look out the windows while she’s preparing meals, and the wood-burning fireplaces makes the room toasty warm in winter.
Josh and Emma, along with their dogs Max, Theo and Winston, would love to have you visit Sanctuary Cove and spend some time with them. I hope you’ll enjoy the trip!

What's Coming Next


In addition to Sanctuary Cove, I will have two more releases this year. Home to Stay, the fourth book in the San Diego K-9 Unit series, releases on July 1st and is available for preorder now. A Priceless Find, a sequel to the award-winning A Child’s Christmas, will be released on October 1st and is also available for preorder.

I’m grateful to everyone who has purchased one of my books. Readers make it possible for me to do what I love! You can connect with me by e-mail (readers@kate-james.com), through my website, my Facebook page, Twitter (@katejamesbooks) or regular mail at PO Box 446, Schomberg, ON, L0G 1T0, Canada.

I would love to hear from you. I would also appreciate it if you’d leave a comment below, to let me know what makes a story enjoyable for you.

Happy reading!



Comments

  1. I agree with Emma, the seclusion of the property makes for the perfect sanctuary and a great place for a writer's retreat! I'm really looking forward to reading HOME TO STAY, Kate.

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    1. I love the writers' retreat idea, Jill! I hope will enjoy Home to Stay.

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  2. What a lovely retreat, Kate. I want to go there!! Congratulations on your upcoming releases and I'm looking forward to Sanctuary Cove. 🤗🌻🌷🌺

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    1. It really is a beautiful spot in Ontario, Janice, and thank you!

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  3. I would love to sneak away to that cottage and hide out for at least a month. Beautiful pictures, Kate! I can't wait to read Home to Stay!

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    1. It's difficult NOT to be in a good mood there, Stephanie! :) I hope enjoy Home to Stay.

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  4. The pictures are spectacular, and I know the book will be, too!

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  5. Gorgeous pics Kate. What a wonderful place to live. Can't wait to read the book

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    1. It's a cottage in a place not unlike the fictitious Sanctuary Cove. If you do get a chance to read Sanctuary Cove, I hope you enjoy it, Eleanor.

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  6. Kate, thanks for the lovely "book tour." The pics are just perfect. Congratulations on the success of your K-9 Unit series. Looking forward to a Priceless Find this fall as well.

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    1. I'm glad you came along for the tour, Carol, and thank you! :)

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  7. Love your home! I'm afraid I might not get any writing done there, though...be too busy soaking up all the beauty! Home to Stay sounds wonderful!

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    1. Thank you, Patricia. It's not our home. It used to be our cottage until a couple of years ago. I still miss it. It was a terrific place to write . . . or just relax!

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    2. I wish I could say that I was the one who bought it.

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  8. Love, love, love this! I can't wait to read it. And those pictures are gorgeous! I've never been so jealous of a fictional character. I love all your K-9 books and can't wait to read the next one.

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    1. Aww...thank you, LeAnne! At least I can still live vicariously through Emma! :)

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  9. Thank you for sharing sanctuary cove. I would love to have Emma's kitchen and great room. The story sounds amazing.

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    1. it's my pleasure, Sophia. Just imagine both those rooms in the winter with fires burning, and huge, fluffy flakes drifting down outside! I'm glad you like the sound of the story!

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  10. Wow--now that's a cottage! Loved the photos, and I can imagine moving right in and making myself at home. Congratulations on such wonderful books!

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    1. I'm glad you like it, Virginia It is very peaceful and secluded . . . and a fantastic place to write!

      Thank you!

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  11. Love all the behind the scenes glimpses, Kate! I'm with LeAnne--I'm jealous of Emma! Thanks for sharing. :) Looking forward to reading. <3

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    1. If we still had the cottage, I'd have to have a Heartwarming writers' retreat there for sure, Anna! Thank you, and I hope you enjoy the book if you get a chance to read it.

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  12. I loved Sanctuary Cove so much and I hope there are many more. These photos are fabulous! What a gorgeous place to visit much less live. Of course, the dogs are the best!!!
    Superb post.. you made me smile and sigh.

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    1. I'm always happy if I can put a smile on your face, Catherine. I know that dogs can do that, too! I'm so glad you enjoyed Sanctuary Cove.

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  13. Lovely pictures of Emma's cottage, Kate. I'm not sure I'd ever want to leave - the view is spectacular. And Winston, Theo and Max are adorable ... I've always been fascinated by the wolf-dog mix. Congrats on all your success with the K-9 series and your upcoming releases!

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    1. Aww...thank you, Cari! Two of the three dogs are based on pups we had. Max is based on our beloved Malamute Casper, and Winston on our sweet yellow Lab, Buster. Big sigh, because they are now in doggy heaven.

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  14. I really enjoyed Sanctuary Cove. I just started on Home to Stay. It pulls you right in.

    I enjoy a story that can take me away to another place; one that immerses me in the imagery that it conveys. And I love characters that I can envision with my mind's eye. Congratulations on the upcoming release of Home to Stay.

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    1. Thank you for sharing your thoughts about what makes a book enjoyable for you, Laurie. I'm so glad you liked Sanctuary Cove and that Home to Stay has pulled you right into the story. Oh, and you might be interested to know that the heroine in my October release, A Priceless Find, has a cat rather than a dog! :)

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  15. Loved looking at the house an gardens, but I'm a nut for homes.

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    1. I'm glad you like the pictures, Shirley! Thank you for leaving a comment.

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  16. I love strong heroines, and it's never easy to stand up to corruption. Great dogs! Sometimes my Lucy holds her head like a wolf. That's probably the husky in her :)

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    1. I'm glad you like the pups, Pamela. I'm imagining Lucy with her head held like a wolf. :) I had two Huskies when I was younger. Neither they or our Malamute, Casper, did that. I could get Casper to converse with the wolves at our cottage though! :)

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    2. Oh my, and does my Lucy talk. I just wish I knew what she was saying.

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    3. I've often wondered that, too, with our guys! :)

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  17. That looks like a fabulous writer's retreat!! Congrats on all your success with this series. As a dog-lover, I can't resist!

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    1. Thank you, Amy. Maybe we should plan on a writers' retreat with dogs! :D

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  18. What a beautiful post, Kate! I just know I'm going to read it a few more times, just to luxuriate in those gorgeous spaces. And those pups...adorable! We have a woodstove very like that (except it's red) at the cabin. (Is it wrong to be envious of a fictional character's life? LOL) Can't wait to get my hands on this one, my talented friend! Wishing you a wonderful week!

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    1. What a wonderful compliment, Loree. Looking at the pictures again, I'm now envious of Emma, too! But you have your cabin. :)

      Thank you for the good wishes!

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    2. Ha! I scrolled back through them as soon as I got to the bottom. :)

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  19. I'm only going to echo everyone else's comment, Kate. What extraordinary beauty--canine and otherwise!

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    1. Aww...thank you, Moira. Hopefully, the descriptions in the book do justice to the pictures!

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  20. Such a lovely visit to Sanctuary Cove. You are so clever, Kate.
    Cindy

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    1. I'm glad you enjoyed it, Cynthia, and thank you! :)

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  21. Kate, I can't wait to read this book! Love, love, love the set up and I can't resist a book with a veterinarian :). And I just have to say that Emma is super lucky to live in that cottage ;)!!

    Congrats on both books and the incredible covers!

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    1. I hope you enjoy the book, Rula, and I am glad you liked the "tour!"

      Thank you!

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