Soul of the Storm by Jean M. Grant 💕 Fun Facts, Book Tour & Gift Card Giveaway 💕 (Contemporary Romance)

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Charlotte MacGregor lost the thrill of conquering mountains five years ago when her sister disappeared on a hiking adventure without her. Still guilt-ridden, Charlotte heads for a vacation to rustic Vermont with a friend—where she's surrounded by reminders of her devastating loss and plagued with unanswered questions.

Matiu Christiansen is an outdoors buff. He works multiple jobs to save for his dream of owning an outfitter in New Zealand. He's never quite felt at home in the United States and he yearns for his Maori roots, but his attraction to Charlotte puts a kink in his plans to move home later this year.

Thrown together by coincidence, Charlotte and Matiu form a kindred bond through their shared love of the outdoors. Can Charlotte surmount her demons to assist Matiu on a rescue when a late-season snowstorm hits? And can Matiu help Charlotte heal from the pain of the past?

Let’s start with a few signatures about Vermont:

Green Mountains
Covered bridges
“Mud Season”
Farms & meadows
Cheese, ice cream (“cremees”), and chocolate
Rivers and waterfalls
Rustic small towns
Snow
The Long Trail, a 272-mile hiking trail that goes from North to South across the state
Cows

Now for a few fun facts about the writing process of the book:

I took a Memorial Day weekend trip up to Warren, Vermont to do research. The fictional town of Willow Springs is located roughly near Warren. I hung out with locals, basked at a fire by the Mad River, hiked part of the Long Trail, and drove along country roads to get a feel for the area. I live in Massachusetts, so a few of our signatures overlap but there are Vermont hallmarks like creemees, Ben and Jerry’s, Cabot Cheese to name a few. It was a fun weekend away and fed my creative muse (a muse who gobbles up setting).
This book is part of a series by The Wild Rose Press and revolves around the Deerbourne Inn, a fictional B&B, with a cast of “regular” characters who make appearances across the books. The publisher created a master file of each character, along with a town map, and other tidbits of information. Each book is its own story and can be read as standalone, but a series-reader will be rewarded with overlaps here and there…and the stories span genres from mystery to romance to even time/travel and historical. Oh, and there’s a ghost at the inn!
I consulted with a Vermont State Police officer and Vermont Search and Rescue canine unit coordinator to delve deeper into my story’s plot and characters for authenticity.
I learned a lot of Kiwi (New Zealand) slang/vernacular for my book. Some of the sayings are quite interesting!
Mud season is a real thing in Vermont, not seen here in Massachusetts, and it all ties into the soil composition mixed with rain and snow melt-off.
I thoroughly enjoyed writing a book set in my stomping ground of New England and hope my readers do, too!

“What’s on your agenda tomorrow?” He offered her a brookie. He sat closer this time, his thigh brushing hers.

She unwrapped the brookie, grateful to have something to focus on, inhaled the enticing mixed scent of chocolate and buttery deliciousness, bit into it, and had to cover a moan.

“Choice, right?”

“Heaven. I need to get you to write these sayings down. Though I’m filing them away in my brain. This is choice?”

“Yup or sweet as.”

“Sweet as what?”

“Just sweet as. We leave the conjunction hanging there.”

They shared a chuckle.

“Confuses the hell out of tourists,” he added.

“Indeed.”

“Easy as.” His eyebrows lifted as he munched. “So, tomorrow?”

“Not sure. If Ronnie hasn’t already ventured there, maybe north to Waterbury to visit the cheese and ice cream factories.”

“Nah, that’s tourist stuff. How about farther off the beaten track?”

“You have better ideas?”

“Of course.”

“What’s your schedule like since you’re Mr. Busy?”

His smiled tipped to a frown. “Another full day. Since I mucked this morning on my day off, maybe they’ll give me a break tomorrow. Plus, I’m waiting on their vehicle to get repaired.”

She found herself nibbling on her lip, and it wasn’t just from the chewy deliciousness in her mouth.

He poured her tea. His clock near the TV chimed. “I gotta change for the inn shift. Be right back. Drink the tea slowly. Let it work its flavor on your palate. Drink it like you would an expensive wine. Slosh it, inhale, savor.” He rose. “Just don’t spit it out after.”

She almost snorted the swallow of tea. God, he was a flirt, even if he didn’t know it. Maybe he did.

She admired his physique as he strode to his bedroom. The T-shirt stretched nicely across his wide shoulders, and she presumed he had a well-defined torso beneath it. She bet his calves were in kick-ass shape from all the work he did. And his butt…

He only half closed the door. She got a decent peek as he took off his dirty T-shirt. Elaborate, curved black tattoos covered his shoulder blade in similar symbols to the ones on the quilt.

She pulled her gaze away as he disappeared behind the door. Veronica had warned her. Fun only, fun only. Oh my God, what the hell was she doing?

Jean’s background is in science and she draws from her interests in history, nature, and her family for inspiration. She writes historical and contemporary romances and women’s fiction. She also writes articles for family-oriented travel magazines. When she’s not writing or chasing children, she enjoys tending to her flower gardens, hiking, and doing just about anything in the outdoors.