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!
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)
- AmazonThe Inn at Ocean's Edge (A Sunset Cove Novel Book 1) - Kindle
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