THE WORDS WE LOST - Nicole Deese - One Free Book

Bio: Nicole Deese's humorous, heartfelt, and hope-filled novels include her award-winning Love in Lenox series and her bestselling standalone novels published by Bethany House Publishers. When she's not working on her next contemporary romance, she can usually be found reading one by a window overlooking the inspiring beauty of the Inland Northwest. She lives in small-town Idaho with her happily-ever-after hubby, two towering-over-her teen sons, and one princess daughter with the heart of a warrior.

The acclaimed author of Before I Called You Mine and the Carol Award-winning All That Really Matters, Nicole Deese has penned numerous contemporary romances filled with humor and hope that tug on the heartstrings. Kicking off a string of standalones set in scenic San Francisco with literary themes, Deese delivers a poignant and intriguing contemporary tale of friendship, forgiveness, and a love that goes beyond the page in The Words We Lost.

About the story: As a senior acquisitions editor for Fog Harbor Books in San Francisco, Ingrid Erikson has rejected many a manuscript for lack of defined conflict and dramatic irony—two elements her current life possesses in spades.

In the months following the death of her childhood best friend and international bestselling author Cece Campbell, Ingrid has not only lost her ability to escape into fiction due to a rare trauma response, but she’s also desperate to find the closure she is convinced will come with Cece’s missing final manuscript.

After an editorial meeting jeopardizes Ingrid’s career, she fears her future will remain irrevocably broken. But when Joel Campbell—who shattered her belief in happily-ever-afters—offers her a sealed envelope from Cece, his late cousin, asking them to put their differences aside and retrieve a package in their coastal Washington hometown, Ingrid must confront a past riddled with secrets before she can discover the true healing she’s been searching for.

Welcome to my blog, Nicole. Can you please tell us a little bit about your new novel, The Words We Lost?

At its core, The Words We Lost is an intimate journey which follows the special bond of three 

best friends and the significant impact their memories play even after their trio is broken by a

tragic loss. Through a unique narrative which features a literature-loving protagonist, the

firstborn heir to a family legacy, and the surfacing of a mysterious manuscript, the two friends

who remain must push past their own raw history in order to honor the last wish of a friend who

loved the written word almost as much as she loved them.

The Words We Lost is the first novel in a collection of stories which features the publishing

industry as a connecting series theme. Will you share a bit more about how that theme ties

the series together?

Each book in the Fog Harbor Romance series will features a fictional publishing house based

out of San Francisco, California called Fog Harbor Books. Each standalone romance will

highlight either an editor, author, or audiobook narrator from Fog Harbor Books and reference

past characters who will be reoccurring throughout the series.

Your protagonist, Ingrid Erikson, has a unique occupation as a senior acquisitions editor

at Fog Harbor Books. What inspired you to choose this particular job for her?

Even before I plotted the details of The Words We Lost, I knew Ingrid would need a career that

would place her in close proximity to books. As a child who grew up in hardship, books were a

welcome escape to Ingrid, and as she aged, books became the bond she shared with her two

dearest friends. It made sense that she would stick close to what she knew and loved most, and

ultimately, her career path helped launch her best-friend-turned-famous author, Cecelia

Campbell.

The Words We Lost centers on themes such as friendship and forgiveness, but also deals with the impact grief can have on relationships. Can you tell us a bit more about how those ideas are portrayed in this novel and what led you to choose those topics?

When the premise for this book first came to me, I loved the idea of writing about such close-knit friends, but I also knew the plot would require me to tap into my own personal experience with grief in a raw and honest way. After losing my youngest sister in a car accident when she was only twenty-six, I’ve felt the impact grief can have on a family and close relationships.

Though challenging to write at times, my own journey and reflections about loss and hope played a huge role in the drafting phase of this novel. My goal was to offer an empathetic  perspective into the wants, needs, and overall responses of each individual character as they traveled their own road to healing.

What do your readers have to look forward to in this collection of novels?

In addition to the behind-the-scenes peek into the publishing industry, I think readers will be

pleased with the predominant, page-turning romances inside each story world. There’s a

second-chance romance with high angst, drama, and chemistry, a forced-proximity romance

with flirtatious banter and plenty of heart-melting confessions, and a slow-burn, friends-to-

lovers romance filled with toe-curling delight and loyal devotion.

Was there anything that you found particularly interesting about the publishing industry

in your research or in your own experience as a published author that you included in the

book?

I had a lot of fun inside this story world and made sure to pack Cecelia Campbell’s narrative full

of author-y statements and thinking. I chuckled to myself more than once at her dramatic antics

and the lengths she’d go for her fictional works. As for Ingrid, there’s a scene toward the end of

the book where she’s reflecting on the different aspects of her job and noting which editorial

tasks bring her the most joy. I interviewed a handful of editors and was able to write this scene

with them in mind. I hope it’s as meaningful to my readers as it was to me—I’m so incredibly

grateful for my editors!

What do you hope readers will take way from this story?

Ultimately, I hope my readers close this book feeling like no matter how lost, broken, hurt,

rejected, or estranged they might feel in their own story, there’s always a next step if they’re

willing to take it.

Can you share what you’re working on next?

I’m currently working on the second book in the Fog Harbor Romance series and enjoying the

refreshing, humorous personalities of my two main characters immensely!

How can readers connect with you?

I’m most active on my Instagram: @nicoledeeseauthor. I’d also encourage my readers to sign-

up for my occasional newsletter at nicoledeese.com.

Thank you for sharing this book with us. I love novels about authors.

Readers, here’s a link to the book.

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=The+Words+We+Lost&i=stripbooks&crid=1FB3NSC39MBY7&sprefix=the+words+we+lost+%2Cstripbooks%2C114&ref=nb_sb_noss_2

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