THE INN AT OCEAN'S EDGE - Colleen Coble - One Free Book

Dear Readers, I’ve often told you how much I love Colleen Coble’s romantic suspense novels. Her plots are very complicated and her characters leap off the pages. The Inn at Ocean’s Edge is such a good example of her writing. With a mystery that spans two generations and characters with a lot to hide, the story kept me turning pages as quickly as I could read them. I know you’ll love this story.

Welcome back, Colleen. Since you’re being published regularly, what new avenues will your future books take?      

I’m totally in my sweet spot of romantic mysteries and plan to stay there. I write what I love to read. With The Inn at Ocean’s Edge, I veer more deeply into layers and complexity though. It was super fun to write!

What conferences will you be attending this year? Will you be a speaker at any of them?

I’ll be at my beloved American Christian Fiction Writers Conference in Dallas September 17-20th, but I’m not speaking this year. I’m also attending the Romantic Times Convention May 13-15th in Dallas and will be chatting with readers at our annual “How Sweet It Is” breakfast. I’ll also be at the International Christian Retail Show in Orlando June 29-30th. I’ll be on a fiction panel on the 30th.            

If you were in charge of planning the panel discussion at a writing conference, what topic would the panel cover, and who would you ask to be on the panel, and why?    

I would have a topic on the importance of attending a conference every year if you’re a writer. It’s so important to network with other writers, with agents and editors, with publicists, and with publishers. You’d be a good one on that panel, Lena! You’re very good at that.

Thank you, Colleen. I do agree with you on the importance of conferences and the connections we make there. How important is it to you to be active in writing organizations?

You never arrive as a writer. There is always something new to learn, something you can do better. That’s one of the many things I love about my career! It’s very important to me to give back too, to reach out and help others up. When I was first dipping my toe in the writing life, I didn’t even know another writer, and it was a very lonely time. You think others can’t possibly understand the way your mind works, but there are people out there you will click with, writers you will learn from, and people who will help you. It’s an exciting way to live! 

Both of us started writing in that time before all the organizations and conferences to help writers. I’m sure that’s why we appreciate all the things available for writers now. And I told my husband that I don’t want to stop learning until I die. Where in the community or your church do you volunteer?

I am always helping out at church. I take turns with our pastor hosting our monthly small groups at church, and I take my turn in the nursery when I’m needed. I sing in the choir and have been an integral part of my church for nearly thirty years. I love my church dearly!

Who are the five people who have made the most impact on your life, and how?       

Diann Hunt was a sister-of-the heart. She lost her battle with ovarian cancer in Nov of 2013, and I miss her so much. Her zest for life and love for Jesus permeated everything she did, and the joy in her life spilled over to others and taught us how to live. She will always be a part of me.

My grandmother Eileen was my soul mate. She was always there for me no matter what. She believed in me and encouraged me. I’ve always been so sad that the call from Barbour came after her death.

My brother Randy’s death in a freak lightning accident propelled me into writing. I’d had the dream a long time, but I hadn’t had the courage to try. Randy had a lot of dreams that went unfulfilled too, and his death was a wake-up call that I should follow my dream or it might never happen.

My family would have to take up the final two mentions even though there are more than two of them! My parents, brothers, husband, and kids have always encouraged me. Many times I wanted to give up my writing dream, but my husband Dave wouldn’t let me. I’d get a rejection, and he’d insist I send it out again. And he’s the bravest person I know with so much love in his heart. I’m very blessed to be married to him for 43 years now.

If you could write the inscription on your tombstone, what would it be?

Dream big. God has dreamed a bigger dream for me than I ever thought could come true. I just wanted to have ONE book in the library. I couldn’t see anything bigger than that.     

Tell us about the featured book.    

I wanted to explore how God supplies our needs with the people he puts in our lives. I was thinking so much of Diann when I wrote the book. She was in the final stages of her battle with ovarian cancer, and writing The Inn at Ocean’s Edge was my solace during that time.

Claire goes to a magnificent inn on a remote island in Maine to help seal a deal her father is hammering out with another aviation company. The minute she steps onto the marble tile of the hotel, she has a panic attack and rushes out where she meets Luke who realizes she’s the little girl who went missing here on the island when she was four. She wasn’t found for a year and no one knows where she was or who had her during that year. Luke’s mother disappeared that same night, and he’s convinced that if Claire can remember that night, it might lead to the truth about what happened to his mother.

It’s a very complex story with lots of layers, and I’m excited to get feedback from readers!

I loved Diann, too. I was thrilled that a novella written by her was included in the novella collection I’m in that released last month, 8 Weddings and a Miracle. Please share the first page The Inn at Ocean’s Edge for my readers.       

July 4, 1989

The sea was near. Though she couldn’t see it, she smelled the salt air and heard its roar as it hit the rocks close by. The branches around her held scary shadows. The forest was thick here, and she put her hand on the rough bark of a tree that smelled like Christmas. Mommy had told her to stay far away from the rocks. But which way are they? It was too dark to tell. She was afraid to move for fear she’d tumble off a cliff. All she’d wanted to do was go fishing.

She strained to hear her mother’s voice, but only noises like screeches and rustling little things in the grass came to her ears. Tears hovered in her eyes and closed her throat. She swiped the back of her hand across her face. Daddy always said crying wouldn’t fix anything. It would just make her head hurt.

Mommy would be so upset when she saw her torn dress. Daddy had brought it for her, and he would be angry when he saw her mud-splattered tights and patent leather shoes. Somewhere she’d lost the bow in her hair, and stringy locks hung in her eyes. There was something on the ground, and she stopped and picked it up. A lady’s scarf that smelled of flowers. She bunched it in her hand and stepped over an umbrella in her path.

Where can my readers find you on the Internet?

My website is colleencoble.com and I’m very active on Facebook at colleencoblebooks. I love to hear from readers!

I love the way our readers can connect with us on Facebook. Thank you for sharing this new book with us today, Colleen.

Readers, here are links to the book. By using one when you order, you help support this blog.
The Inn at Ocean's Edge - Christianbook.com
The Inn at Ocean's Edge (Sunset Cove Novel) - Amazon
The Inn at Ocean's Edge (A Sunset Cove Novel Book 1) - Kindle

Christian Book Store

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