Will they let duty drive them apart or will they dare to fall?
DARING TO FALL
Hidden Falls #2
T.J. Kline
Releasing Jan 17, 2017
Avon Impulse
T.J.
Kline returns to Hidden Falls with the sweet and fun story of a small-town
firefighter and the stubborn woman who refuses to fall for his charms.
Emma Jordan
has returned home after her father’s death to run the animal sanctuary that had
been his legacy. But strange things start happening, and it seems that someone
is out to shut her down, someone who doesn’t mind putting lives in jeopardy to
see it through. When Hidden Falls’ sexiest fireman starts to ask
questions, Emma needs to make sure his charm doesn’t distract her from keeping
her dreams alive.
Ben McQuaid
has an obligation as a local fireman to protect the community, even from a
well-meaning wildlife veterinarian who’s in way over her head. But, it’s
becoming hard to keep his loyalty to the town and his desire for the pretty vet
separate. As Ben and Emma become caught in a dangerous game of cat and mouse,
their feelings for each other are growing.
Will they
let duty drive them apart or will they dare to fall?
T. J.
Kline was
bitten by the horse bug early and began training horses at fourteen—as well as
competing in rodeos and winning several rodeo queen competitions—but has always
known writing was her first love. She also writes under the name Tina
Klinesmith. In her spare time, she can be found spending as many hours as
possible laughing hysterically with her husband, teens, and their menagerie of
pets in Northern California. That is, when she isn't running around the
California Gold Country researching new stories.
Q: Can you tell us a little about your book?
Q: Can you tell us a little about your book?
DARING TO
FALL is the second in the Hidden Falls series. It’s a small-town, family saga
following the McQuaid family, all seven siblings. This story centers around Ben
McQuaid, the second oldest, a Hidden Falls firefighter who finds himself torn
between his duty to protecting the town and his desire to protect a woman who
might be threatened by the people of Hidden Falls. Emma Jordan, on the other
hand, is returning to Hidden Falls and her father’s wildlife rescue, after his
sudden death, to find that not everyone is excited about her return, or the
fact that she’s taking over the sanctuary.
Q: How did you come up with the
concept and the characters for the story?
With the
Hidden Falls series, I knew I wanted a family saga but I wanted a diverse
family unit that, at first glance, seemed so complex they couldn’t possibly be
as close as they are. The McQuaids were born. Ben has always been the
“responsible” guy, the Jiminy Cricket to the rest of his brothers, and exactly the
kind of guy who does you expect of a small-town hero. He needed a woman who
would appreciate those aspects of him, even if it meant fighting her attraction
to them.
Emma Jordan
sort of created herself. The same things that draw her to Ben, frighten her
and, oddly enough, are the same things putting her into the predicament she
finds herself in. She’s tenacious, loyal and a hero in her own right.
Determined to save others who can’t save themselves. However, the idea for an
animal sanctuary came because, in spite of all my ambitions to be a writer when
I was young, this was the other job I wanted to have – saving (or training)
wild animals.
Q: What did you enjoy most about
writing this book?
I loved the
research for this book. As a kid, I spent hours reading about a wide variety of
animals, sure that one day that information would serve me. It did, in DARING
TO FALL. I would spend one day researching bobcats and the next figuring out
exactly which type of dart gun and dosage of medication should be used. Not to
mention that I was able to reach out to wildlife rescues, trainers and fireman.
What could be better than that?
Q: What gave you the most trouble
with this story?
Staying
concentrated on the external conflict of their situation. I had a hard time
with these two characters not wanting to keep their hands off one another. They
have a great chemistry – it burns hot but both have reasons to hold back – and
it meshed together well to create a very “real” couple with ups and downs.
Unfortunately, if I’d left them to their own devices, I’m not sure the animals
would have ever gotten fed.
Q: Name one thing you won’t leave
home without.
Easy! My
cell phone. I live on it. I made sure the last time I upgraded that I purchased
one that would serve me, and my writing, on the go. I do everything from it –
reading, emails, texts, appointments, even writing. I can even set my home
alarm from it. I even use it to set up playlists for while I’m driving. I’d be
lost without it (which is why it has frequent backups!)
Q: What do you like best about being
a writer? What is the most challenging part?
The best?
The fact that, most days, I don’t even have to brush my teeth if I don’t want
to. I do, every day, I swear! But I don’t HAVE to. I have the freedom to style
my hair or not, wear PJs all day or dress up. I can set a doctor’s appointment
whenever I want to rather than in limited “free” time. I work around vacations
and trips, around my kids’ schedules and when I want to. Being a writer has given
me more freedom than any job I could ever imagine.
The most
challenging? The freedom. When you don’t HAVE to do anything, you have to be
self-disciplined to still get up every day and do what needs to be done. There
are times, under deadline, when I’ve planned poorly and forgo a trip to the
movies. Or, even more difficult, when I’m not under deadline to actually sit in
the office chair and put words on the page knowing no one is keeping tabs and I
have an entire season of Hart of Dixie waiting for me on my DVR.
Q: What do you do when you are not
writing?
When I’m
not writing, you can either find me hanging out with my husband and kids (two-
and four-legged). If I’m not out working with my horses – is it work if it’s
something you LOVE to do? – the family loves being outdoors. We’ll take off and
go to the beach for the day, hiking in the mountains, or playing in the snow.
Living in California, we can pick from all three, in the same week even, and
I’ll be taking pictures the entire way. If weather doesn’t permit, you can find
us watching movies together with popcorn, pizza, candy and sodas.
Q: Do you have any advice to give to
aspiring writers?
Be prepared
for the “real” life of writing. It’s not all fun and games, pajamas and book
signings. Most days, it’s ugly, hard, gut-wrenching work. You will doubt
yourself, listen to people rip your work apart and feel like you are crazy for
attempting to make this your life. It’s okay…we all live there. It doesn’t
matter whether you’ve written one book or nearly twenty, writing is always hard
work. But, as I said earlier, is it really work if it’s something you love to
do? Never give up on what you love to do, whether it’s writing, painting,
acting, debate, mathematics, history, woodworking…do what you love and it will show
in the results.
Comments
Post a Comment