Sit down Saturday with Amie Denman



Today we’re celebrating the December release of Meet Me on the Midway.


So, Amie Denman, where did you get the idea for this novel?

Because this is the third book in the Starlight Point Stories, I’ve known Evie all along. As the youngest member of the Hamilton family, she’s been a savvy voice on the fringes of her older siblings’ romances. I knew her, but I didn’t know who the perfect man for her would be. I knew Evie would want to make capital improvements to Starlight Point such as the marina and the hotel renovation, and I thought about what man she might come in contact and conflict with on her projects. When I dreamed up Scott Bennett, a fire inspector who’s passionate about every single line in the fire code, I knew I had the right man.

In looking at the cover, if you could add a caption or captions, what would they say?

A few things come to mind. First of all, I dearly love the Harlequin cover artists! They have done an amazing job on this whole series so far. In this image, Evie could be saying, “Are you crazy? I don’t have time to ride that Ferris Wheel! I have an amusement park to run!” and Scott might be telling Evie, “I may be the one in the rescuing business, but you’ve saved me from being a brooding grouch protecting my big book of fire code violations. I love you.”

How long did it take you to write?

After many discussions with my wonderful editor Dana Grimaldi, it only took me about three months to write Meet Me on the Midway. For me, creating a really strong conflict that will end with a very satisfying payoff is the biggest challenge. Once I figure that out (with help from my editor and my writing critique partner), I can usually write quickly.

What is your favorite scene?

I love moments when characters reveal their vulnerabilities to others, whether they want to or not. In my favorite scene, Scott falls asleep on the Starlight Point ferry as it takes him from the amusement park to downtown Bayside where he lives. The poor man is exhausted from working two jobs and worrying about every smoke alarm and sprinkler system under his jurisdiction. Evie happens to jump on the ferry at the last moment and grabs the only empty seat. It’s dark, but she recognizes the handsome sound-asleep firefighter on her bench. She watches him sleep on the twenty-minute ride, and she attempts to awaken him when they reach the dock. Her efforts to rouse him fail until she decides to say the one word she knows will get his attention. She leans very close and whispers the word “fire” in his ear. You can imagine what happens next!

Tell us one thing you learned during research.

I actually learned some disturbing things about fire codes as I researched laws regarding hotels. I’ve always been quite cavalier when I’ve stayed in hotels on vacation, assuming they had sprinkler systems and alarms that were up to date. They have to, don’t they? Not necessarily. Depending on the location and age of the hotel, you may not be as safe as you think. Fire and building codes are regional and vary state-by-state and even within states. Now, whenever I travel, I call the hotel to make sure there are sprinklers in every room. When you read Scott’s backstory in Meet Me on the Midway, you’ll see why.

This is your 11th book. Exactly what does that mean to you?

The thing I’m most excited about is that this is Starlight Point Stories #3, and #4 and #5 will be coming from Harlequin Heartwarming in 2017 and 2018. I love writing a series because it’s so much fun to build a world and get to know characters you’ll see over and over. My heart belongs at Starlight Point, and I’ll miss it when the series is finished!

Thanks for hosting me on Sit down Saturday! I love talking about Starlight Point!
Amie

P.S.

If you haven't read the first two books in the Starlight Point series, they're on sale throughout December. The codes you'll need are on this graphic:

 





Comments

  1. Congratulations on the release of MEET ME ON THE MIDWAY, Amie! I know it will be another terrific story, and I am happy to hear that there are more books in your Starlight Point series in the works.

    Best wishes with this release!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Kate! I'm working on Starlight Point #5 right now, and I "think" it's the end of the series...but I'm not sure I can let it to!

      Delete
    2. Never say never! I wrote a K-9 "trilogy" and the fourth book of the (now) "series" will release in July 2018 and I already have already introduced the characters for the fifth book. I bet your readers will want to have you keep them coming! :)

      Delete
  2. Congratulations on your release, Amie! That's disturbing to read about the fire codes varying from state to state. You'd think they'd be uniform. I look forward to reading MEET ME ON THE MIDWAY!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hi Amie and congratulations on the release of Meet Me on the Midway. I love the Starlight Point series so much!! Thanks for telling us about hotel fire codes. Who knew? Love the cover of your new book. ( :

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks so much for your lovely reviews of the first two in the series! I hope you'll like this one just as much!

      Delete
  4. Good morning, Amie! As a collector of anything related to stars, I love the title of your series, and your wonderful covers. Good going! And I have to see what happens when your heroine leans down to whisper "Fire!" in your hero's ear while he's asleep. Sounds like fun. Congratulations!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Have loved following your series and can't wait for this book. Are there some long lost relatives you can add so we don't have to stay goodbye to the family?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Great suggestion on long lost relatives, Roz. Actually, books #4 and #5 are people not physically related to the Hamilton family. Since I'm branching out anyway, there are nearly two thousand summer employees at Starlight Point...endless possibilities!

      Delete
  6. Hi, Amie, Congratulations on the publication of Meet Me on the Midway. I enjoyed the first two in the series and look forward to reading this one.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Congratulations, Amie! As a bit of an amusement park enthusiastic myself, I love the premise for this series. And I agree about your covers. The art department really has captured the feeling of your setting.

    ReplyDelete
  8. I love this series. So excited to hear there will be more Starlight Point stories.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Congrats on your release. Sure looks exciting.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Yay for December book birthdays! This story sounds great and I can't wait to get to know your fireman hero better! Congrats :)

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment