Monday, July 10, 2017

A SEASON OF HOPE BY Sara Jane Jacobs


Readers, I should have illustrations to go with this but I couldn't get Blogger to copy the photos and other art. So here it is without all the beauty and color I couldn't get to work. You could look here, though and see what should copy here:

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
I began writing as a hobby while raising my two children. In 2015, I dusted off my stories and my dreams to see if I could turn my hobby into a career. My first story, Season of Hope, was inspired by summer vacations which always included a trip to Franklin, North Carolina, to visit family and explore The Smoky Mountains. When I'm not writing, I enjoy spending time with family. I love most any activity that involves being outdoors, especially camping, hiking and spontaneous excursions to splash in the ocean. I currently live along the Emerald Coast of Florida with my cat Selah and her delightful offspring, Colby, Jack and Tuesday.



AUTHOR CONTACT LINKS:











ABOUT THE BOOK:

When Amanda Jarvis prays that a special friend will move into the vacant house near her isolated mountain home, she isn't upset when God sends a boy instead of a girl. But Amanda's not the only one receiving unexpected answers to her prayers. After fleeing with his mother from an abusive father, Tyler Armstrong finds much-needed love and acceptance with Amanda's family over the next ten years.

As high school graduation nears, Tyler is shocked when one carefree afternoon with Amanda churns up an inner turmoil he would have never imagined; he's crushing on his best friend. And for the first time in his life he's hiding a secret from Amanda. Convinced the timing is all wrong, Tyler pushes his feelings aside as he and Amanda prepare for the future. He will soon begin training to pursue his dream of becoming a Navy SEAL, while Amanda makes plans to spend the summer in Manhattan with her aunt and then return home to the community college.

When Amanda's summer job catapults her into a modeling career, she readily accepts the much-needed distraction. Tyler's impending deployment is turning her world upside down. Along with the fact that she's falling for her best friend. And, for the first time in her relationship with Tyler, she's hiding a secret, too.

Phoebe Garrison, Amanda's controlling aunt, is thrilled when she is given the power to act on behalf of her underage niece. Bored with her Fortune 500 advertising agency, becoming Amanda's manager is just what she's been looking for to rekindle her aspirations. But as Tyler becomes aware of Phoebe's obsession to push Amanda into supermodel status, tensions rise. As the three of them become entangled in a mass of concealed ambition and desire, each will make decisions that will send ripples of turbulence across their futures.


BOOK LINKS:








GIVEAWAY:

                               
Enter to win the SEASON OF HOPE giveaway! One person will win the following items…


·        An eBook of Season of Hope

Enter below!

People often ask what inspired me to write, Season of Hope, and it was such a combination of things that it’s never a simple answer. Oh, how I wish that I was journaling when I began writing. It would be fun to go back and find out exactly what I was thinking!

It started with a short story contest that I heard about on the radio back in the early 1990s. I don’t remember what the prize was but it must have been something that interested me since I started writing. I never did enter that contest but I held onto the beginning of that short story which would eventually turn into two books over the years.  I had spent most of my time learning script writing and working on a pilot for a television series. But, when a friend suggested that I turn my stories into books, I started focusing on that particular story again.  (The scenes that I had written take place much later in what is now book two in the Seasons Series.) I knew I needed a starting point somewhere that could get my characters to the scenes that I had written for the short story. I went back to when Amanda and Tyler were seven. I wanted them to be best friends. I’ve always loved a friends-to-more story.

As I began to spend more time on the manuscript, I was living in a small community outside of New Orleans called Belle Chasse, Louisiana. I had a dream to live in North Carolina and open a coffee shop. My dad was from Franklin, and our family would go there every summer to visit my grandparents. I loved those visits! I envisioned the pasture that ran along the side and back of the house for a lot of the scenes in book one and two. After I was married, we still took trips to Franklin. My grandparents were no longer alive but my aunt and uncle owned the house that I had spent so many summers in. We would have family reunions there, literally spending every waking moment outside. My family and I also took vacations around other parts of the Smoky Mountains. Those trips kept the inspiration going until bits and pieces made their way into the stories.

One of my favorite things about the story is that Amanda and Tyler live on the fictitious Nathan’s Mountain outside of Bryson City, North Carolina.  Here’s a link to a video of Bryson City - https://vimeo.com/121147905 - that I share on my website. It’s creator, Chuck Farris, was kind enough to let me borrow it. I have had it on my page for so long now it kind of has a “theme song” feel for me. I love how it captures so much in an around Bryson City.  I can imagine Tyler and Amanda walking the streets and exploring the countryside together.

I’ve enjoyed the opportunity to share a little bit of the inspiration behind the story with you. If you get the chance to read Season of Hope, I hope that Nathan’s Mountain and the love and friendship shared between these two families comes alive to you.




BLOG TOUR SCHEDULE:

June 26 – Truth to Shine

June 27 ASC Book Reviews

June 28 Meagan Davenport


June 30 Barbara Brutt


July 4 Faithfully Bookish



July 7 Bookworm Mama

July 10 Tell the World

July 11 2014 and Beyond

July 12 Tammy Karasek

July 13 Rebecca DeMarino

July 14 –  Julie Arduini

July 17 Laura Bennet

July 18 All Betts Are Off


July 20 Rebecca Van Daniker

July 21 Leslie L. Mckee

                                            

This blog tour was coordinated by A Latte of Literature Blog Tour Services. Find out more:



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