~ Some Things You Might Like to Know About 'Robin's Reward' ~

~ SOME THINGS YOU MIGHT

LIKE TO KNOW ABOUT

'ROBIN'S REWARD' ~

People frequently ask me how I came up with the characters, setting, and plot for my 85,000-word contemporary inspirational romance novel, 'Robin's Reward'. Let's just say I have an extremely active imagination. My creativity began at a young age and has just never slowed down.

Here's a list of some things you might like to know about 'Robin's Reward':

--  The story is set in the coastal mountains of Northern California in the fictional small town of Bonita Creek, right about where you would find Willits, California, on your atlas.

--  I chose the name of Robin for my main character because I had a close childhood friend named Robin. We met in Sunday School in second grade and continued our friendship until we were in our twenties. We lost track of each other at some point, but I have fond memories of many fun times together.

--  Robin loves to garden, cook, read, and walk. Hobbies she shares with her creator.  :0}

--  Robin cooks and bakes from scratch, just like I do. Biscuits, cookies, pies, waffles, potato salad, pizza, spaghetti sauce--all made from scratch. It takes more time, but we feel it's a healthier way to eat. Besides, we gain a great deal of pleasure from the simple acts of cooking and baking.

--  Robin's favorite flowers are dahlias. Coincidentally, my favorite flowers are dahlias. The magenta pompom dahlias on the book's cover are Robin's favorite variety, which she probably chose because they're on the top of my list, too!

Robin's favorite variety of dahlia.

--  One of Robin's favorite places to visit are the botanical gardens on the coast in Mendocino County. This is a real place! The Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens in Fort Bragg, California, are an awesome place to walk, view the ocean, and wander around looking at hundreds {if not thousands} of varieties of flowers, trees, shrubs, ground covers, etc. I love to walk down the path toward the ocean and see a family of California Coastal Quail wander out of the brush and scurry across the path to the other side. They are shy, but beautiful. Here's the link to the Garden's website: 
https://www.gardenbythesea.org/

The Dahlia Garden at the Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens

 ***Spoiler Alert: Below is a photo I took of the gazebo in the Dahlia Garden at the Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens. This is the site of a very important scene in 'Robin's Reward'! Enough said . . . 

This Gazebo in the Dahlia Garden is the location for many summer weddings.

 --  The minister in the story, Reverend White, and his wife, Marian, are based upon a couple who worked with the junior high school youth group at my childhood church. They were kind to us and generous with their time. Dealing with two dozen young teens could not have been easy, but they gave me many lasting memories fun times spent together at our annual ice skating and museum field trips.

--  A dog named 'Hunter' who plays a small part in the plot was named after a friend's rambunctious, enthusiastic, energetic, lovable Redbone Coonhound.

I hope you've enjoyed getting a glimpse of the meaning behind some of the elements of this book. Enter the giveaway below for a chance to win an ebook copy of 'Robin's Reward' along with several other books written by participating authors. {Note:  The three photos above were taken by me at the Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens in 2015.}

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Enter the Rafflecopter contest below for a chance to win some ebooks and hardcover books including an ebook copy of my book, 'Robin's Reward' and a hardcover copy of my holiday book, 'A Holiday Miracle in Apple Blossom'.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

COMING UP SOON ON 'READING, WRITING & STITCH-METIC':

-- Thursday, March 22nd - Friday, March 23rd: 'SPRING MULTI-AUTHOR GIVEAWAY' organized by Singing Librarian Book Tours will feature my two inspirational romance novels--'ROBIN'S REWARD' & 'A HOLIDAY MIRACLE IN APPLE BLOSSOM'. I will post a different feature about my books each day, so stop by for new content each day next week.

Enter to win an e-copy of 'Robin's Reward' {giveaway sponsored by me} and a hardcover copy of my Christmas book {giveaway sponsored by my publisher, Cedar Fort, Inc.} There are several other authors participating, so stop back in on Tuesday morning to learn more details and enter the Rafflecopter giveaway.

--  Monday, March 26th:  Release Day Giveaway for 'My Sister's Intended' by Author Rachael Anderson.

--  Monday, March 26th:  It'll be another Marvelous Middle-Grade Monday here on the blog. Featured title is TBA.

--  Wednesday, March 28th:  Book Spotlight for 'My Sister's Intended' by Author Rachael Anderson.

# # # # # #