Keeper of My Heart Tour ~ Review,Interview and Giveaway ~Darcy Flynn

Today I am welcoming author Darcy Flynn to the blog, she is currently on tour  with Bewitching Book Tours promoting her latest release "Keeper of My Heart".

Darcy is giving away 5 ecopies of Keeper of My Heart to 5 lucky readers, see
Giveaway below. 

Hello Darcy!! Thank you so much for stopping by Forever Book Lover.  We have been waiting for our turn to speak with you on your newest release, "Keeper Of My Heart."

Hi Kat,

Thank you for having me today. I’ve been looking forward to our visit as well.

FBL ♥:Tell us about your book. How did you come up with that (story, angle, idea)?

My heroine, Katie McCullough, must face the death of a dream of owning the town’s lighthouse compound when, my hero, Max Sawyer, a new hotel developer in town outbids her for the property. The fun starts when she wrongly assumes he is turning the property into one of his ‘Serenity Spa Resorts’.

Katie McCullough doesn’t know it, but Max Sawyer, the over confident, insufferable thief who outbid her for the lighthouse property, is none other, than her mystery lighthouse sailor. The one man who captured her heart five years earlier, the one man who has since been the plumb line for every other unsuspecting male who has crossed her path. Unfortunately for Max, he doesn’t measure up either.

Still reeling from losing the property she’d planned to call home, sparks fly when Katie assumes Max is turning her beloved lighthouse compound into one of his ‘Serenity Spa Resorts.” Outraged, Katie sets out on a mission to dismantle the property…and his plans.

Except Max’s plans have absolutely nothing to do with hotels and everything to do with winning Katie’s heart.

I came up with the story simply through my own love of lighthouses and from my girlhood dreams of someday owning a lighthouse and living in the keeper’s house. Right now, I live on a beautiful horse farm in Tennessee but the ocean has always called my name. One can dream, right! J

FBL ♥: What's a typical working day like for you? When and where do you write? Do you set a daily writing goal?

Well, living on a farm dictates its own unique schedule, so I have to be pretty flexible. Most of the time I write as much as I can, when I can. I especially love writing at night after the house is quiet. But when other work calls, I shoot for a minimum of three to four hours a day, writing before and after lunch. I have two or three places in my home where I love to write. One is in my little upstairs studio. There’s a balcony off that room that overlooks our farm. That’s where I write when the weather’s nice. When its cold I sit by my fire with my feet propped up on the hearth, my MacBook Pro in my lap.  

FBL ♥:How did you choose the genre you write in?

I was de-cluttering a storage closet after my son went to college and came across a box of vintage 1970’s Harlequins. It was like Christmas! I re-read most of those books during my son’s freshman year. I had forgotten how wonderful those books were. I decided that was the kind of romance novels I’d write. The sweet ones. J  

FBL ♥: How do you develop your plot & characters? Do the characters come to you looking for their story to be told or do you get an idea and then find the right characters to tell it?

Most of the time my characters come to me through the music I listen to. I basically create a music video in my head, which takes on a life of its own in accordance with the mood of the music. I really enjoy this process. I create and re-create until I like it. Then from that scene I weave a story line, a plot, by asking questions. For instance, I knew I wanted to write a story surrounding a lighthouse, fishing village. So I took a walk with my iPod and listened to a symphonic piece. While listening, the image that came to me was of a girl looking with longing at a lighthouse. She was coming across the water on a ferry. The water was choppy and the wind was whipping strands of her hair across her face. That was the picture that formed in my mind. From there I asked why. Why was she looking with such longing? Who was she thinking about? Etc.

After that process I write out a very lean character sketch for the main characters on large index cards. Everything from physical attributes to some background facts about each one. I also color co-ordinate-Pink card-Heroine: Blue card- Hero: Yellow card- Best Friend, etc. From here, I develop a more detailed organized plan. 

FBL ♥: Is there any particular author or book that influenced you in any way either growing up or as an adult?

I read my first romance when I was fifteen. Devil’s Cub by Georgette Heyer. I’ve never looked back! I’ve read every one of her books, some, four and five times. She is such a joy to read. I was also influenced in my growing up years by Harlequin’s sweet line of romances. I remember buying my first Harlequin from a used bookstore. Authors like Kay Thorpe, Jane Corrie and Margaret Way were some of my favorites.

FBL ♥: Is anything in your book based on real life experiences or purely all imagination?

Yes, Katie and I both love lighthouses and we both paint them. We’re both watercolor artists. And the nine year old, Jamey, is based on my own son when he was that age.

FBL ♥: What was your favorite chapter (or part) to write and why?

I really enjoyed writing the scene where Max and Katie are stranded over night on an island knoll in a one room fishing cabin. 

FBL ♥: How did you come up with the title?

It’s basically a play on the word keeper. The story takes place in a lighthouse community. And Katie’s admiration of the former keepers of the town’s lighthouse ties in with Max being a keeper of sorts as well. Not of a lighthouse but of her heart.

FBL ♥: If a book were being written about your life, what would the title be?

A Lyrical Life

FBL ♥: Can you tell us what projects your currently working?

Sure, I’m working on a story about a young woman who is struggling to keep her Bed and Breakfast afloat in the face of fierce competition from her neighbor who is the owner of a successful hunting lodge and the man she believes responsible for her father’s demise. It takes place in west Texas and it’s my first cowboy romance. I’m having a ton of fun writing it!

FBL ♥: Please tell us a little-known fact about yourself:

I’m a former tap dancing teacher.

First, You will love this book!! It was that good. The storyline was refreshing, it was a lovely tale proving once again that love triumphs despite obstacles along the way. If you are looking for a hot passionate romance book, you won't find it in this but what you will find is a sweet romantic story of two people finding their way to one another.. You will be delighted in the bantering between Katie and Max, you may even find yourself chuckling out loud a time or two. Max sometimes may have come across pompous, but Katie had a tendency to do "over the top" things.  The author created some great secondary characters which added to the depth of Katie and Max. Ms. Flynn brought to life a realistic fishing town and within a few short pages, you felt that you were a resident in the quaint town of Paige Point.

The love that Katie has for Pop is sweet, it made me think of my own grandfather and what I would do for him if he asked. It was cute to find that love can still happen even in your twilight years.

Ms. Flynn spun a wonderful tale and I am sure you won't be disappointed . She is offering 5 copies of her book to 5 lucky winners. I recommend you filling out the form and enter to win this book. 

My Rating:   

              

Darcy was born into the rich culture of New Orleans, La. As a city filled with colorful historical intrigue and broad creative energy, her natural bent to the arts coupled with her love for one of the most romantic cities in the world has been the inspiration and anchor of her artistic multi-dimension endeavors. Darcy was always compelled by the need to express herself and like her mother’s famous gumbo, her previous expressions included a little bit of everything - art, music, acting and dance.

Although, published in music, art and the Christian non-fiction market under another identity, it was the empty nest that turned Darcy to writing romantic fiction. A lover of lighthouses, Darcy’s first novel, Keeper Of My Heart, unfolds in a small Maryland fishing village on the Chesapeake Bay.

Darcy, a former Mrs. Tennessee, continues to be surrounded by all things creative in Music City and when not in writing in her London flat, lives on a beautiful horse farm in historic- Franklin, Tennessee with her husband, son, two English Setters and a calico cat. Darcy enjoys stargazing, raising rare breed chickens and gardening.

Visit Darcy at her website. 

Darcy Flynn is giving away 5 ebook copies of Keeper of My Heart to 5 lucky winners. This is opened the whole tour. The 5 winners will be chosen at the end of the tour.  Click this link for the giveaway entry form.  Goodluck!!