Greetings from....Alaska?! by Anna J Stewart

Greeting Heartwarming peeps!  Great to be back with you again during this chilly month of February.  Hope everyone had a beautiful holiday season.  

As most of you know by now, I'm a California girl--through and through. I can't imagine another state I'd want to live in (maybe Hawaii), but if I had to choose one of the most beautiful places I've ever visited, Alaska would be on the top of the list.  How fortunate that my latest Heartwarming release MAKE ME A MATCH takes place there!

When Melinda Curtis, Cari Lynn Webb, and I bounced ideas around for a Valentine's anthology, the first notion was to do something with matchmaking.  It was the romance holiday, of course it had to revolve around love (and, well, romance, so duh). But...we decided to turn the expected on its head and made our heroes the ones determined to help unattached singles find their perfect mate. Not ones to make things easy on ourselves (or our heroes), we put these three men (Cooper, Ty, and Gideon) in the testosterone rich, estrogen lacking Alaska, because, hey, we needed to give them a challenge, right?

There is something inherently appealing about Alaska. You can almost hear the snow drifting down, the flakes landing feather light, and feel the chill against your cheeks simply by thinking about it.  I was fortunate to have visited there a number of years ago with my pseudo-little sister, Jessica--we took a cruise (she's originally from Alaska, so having the personal tour guide was a definite plus). Now I'm not normally a fan of drizzle, rain, and fog so thick you can't see to the other side (despite growing up in SF), but something magical happens in Alaska. It's like you're transported to another, much more quiet world. A place where what's important emerges from the chaos and craziness in the lower 48.

**Okay, I just spent 15 minutes digging for my photos (10 years ago meant pre-cell phone era)...I survived the avalanche in my closet to find them! Yay! See what I mean about other worldly?  *sigh*  Now I want to go back!**



In a scene I wrote for SUDDENLY SOPHIE, my contributed novella to the collection, Sophie, my heroine, is out on a date arranged by Gideon, one of our matchmaking bachelors. What Sophie doesn't know is that Gideon really doesn't want to find her a match, so...let's just say it isn't the best date ever. This should give you a clue--doesn't that just look...romantic? It does? Okay, then imagine it's night.  Ha!  That was fun to write. (This was actually taken in Sitka, far away from where our fictional town of K-Bay is).



At its heart, MAKE ME A MATCH is about friendship and the bonds that form. Coop, Ty, and Gideon have dreamed together, failed together and stalled out in life together, but nothing has torn them apart. And nothing will, not even as each of them find their perfect match.

I'm lucky to have friends like that. Melinda, Cari and I have been critique buddies for almost a decade now. We practically have our own language and a shorthand no one else would understand. We can be unflinchingly honest with one another, but we are also each others' first call when things get rough. We know there are two shoulders for us to cry on when need be (and trust me--there has been need). No one gets by in this life on their own. Having friends like I do, or like the three bachelors from K-Bay, makes all the difference in the world.



So I leave you with this beautiful flower (I have no idea what that is--it was pretty, so that was all that mattered, LOL--feel free to tell me what it is in the comments!). I hope that you, like Coop, Ty, and Gideon, surround yourself with forever friends as you go through life.

Happy reading, heartwarmers!

<3
Anna J

USA Today and national bestselling author Anna J. Stewart can't remember a time she didn't have a book in her hands or a story in her head. Early obsessions with Star Wars, Star Trek and Wonder Woman set her on the path to creating fun, funny, and family-centric romances with happily ever afters for her independent heroines. Anna lives in Northern California where she deals with a serious Supernatural & Sherlock addiction, surrounds herself with friends and family and tolerates an overly affectionate cat named Snickers (or perhaps it's Snickers who tolerates her). Visit her online at www.authorannastewart.com.

Comments

  1. Drizzle, rain, fog and more fog...that's winter here in TN. And not nearly as ethereal or magical as in Alaska. Which is on my bucket list. Congrats on the anthology! Must read.

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  2. Happy release month!!

    Anna, you know your posts always make me smile (if not laugh out loud) and this one is no exception. Yes, your book is now on my TBR pile.

    The flower is Foxglove (proper name: Digitalis). If I remember correctly, it's used for medicine; however, if ingested in its natural form, it can be poisonous. I'm always careful to keep the pups away from it!

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    1. Oh, great, Kate! Thanks! I'm making note on my picture now . And thank you for the good wishes. :) Release month is always a little crazy!

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  3. Beautiful! Alaska's on my bucket list, too.

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  4. My son lives in Alaska, 4 miles from the earthquake epicenter that hit last month. He’s fine but the giant hole in the road he travels won’t be repaired until summer. He’s been trying to get me to visit what he considers his home state. Your book, with three authors, sounds like a wonderful read, and the pictures make me want to take that trip as soon as the temperatures warm up.

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    1. Glad your son is okay, Marion!! And yes, you must go! Esp since you have someone to stay with. :) It'll be worth it, I promise!

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  5. Anna, what a fun post! As know I'm already little partial to Alaska myself. And I love this three bachelor matchmaking friends premise, especially written by a trio of amazing and talented friends like you guys. Can't wait to read this one!

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    1. Awww, thanks, Carol. I love the fact we have two Alaska books out this month . Yours is on my TBR pile...just have to crawl out from under deadline!!

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  6. Ah, Alaska. So glad we had this time together, Anna!

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  7. Alaska is fantastic, but too cold most of the time for me. I had a good friend who lived there. She had some great stories as her husband was a sheriff and sometimes when he had to go out at night to pick up a perp, she had to go along to keep the vehicle running so the gas lines didn't freeze up and leave him and perp stranded. A lot of funny things happened to her. I told her she should write a book. Can't wait to read your books.

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    1. Hi Roz! I can only imagine some of the stuff they have to put up with! Brrrrr! She should definitely write a book. :) Thanks for posting!

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    2. Have you ever watched Ice Road Truckers? It's terrifying.

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  8. I spent a summer in Anchorage between graduating from college and beginning my first teaching job back in Seattle. It will be fun to revisit when I read your book.

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    1. That sounds amazing, Linda! What memories you must have. Hope our book brings them back for you. :)

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  9. I always wanted to drive the Al-Can Highway when I was younger (and if I could drive!) Thought Alaska looked so appealing. It's too primitive for my city-slicker needs, though. But would love to meet your heroes and read their stories. Congratulations Anna, Melinda, and Cari!

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  10. I have a friend who drove to Alaska and spent 90 days traveling the Al-Can Highway, and I've wanted to go ever since. And the story sounds great!

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  11. My home is Anchorage, so I'm really looking forward to your book. We have a saying about men in Alaska "The odds are good, but the goods are odd."

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  12. Okay, Anna, you have made me want to go to Alaska! Can't wait to read the books.
    Cynthia

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