In the
years since my first book was published, I’ve met so many awesome authors who
write clean romances, just like me. New York native Christina Lorenzen is one
such author. She recently announced the release of Healing Seas by Forget Me Not Romances, and I invited her to come
and share the inspiration for the book.
When my publisher
announced that she was looking for authors to write novellas for state
collections, I knew I wanted to write something about my state, New York. Even
more so, I wanted to write a story set on Long Island where I live. I was also
very excited because I had never written a historical story before.
My intention was to
write a story set in the early 1700s, specifically a pirate story. I did a lot
of research and I wrote the first chapter, when I began to worry about things
like dialogue and using accurate terminology. I was so frustrated I decided to
stop writing early one day and watch television. My daughter was also having
some tough times as she was putting together her senior thesis project for her
film degree. Graduation is in May. The clock was ticking for us both. We
decided to watch The Titanic.
We’ve watched the movie
at least a dozen times. It never fails to keep me glued to the screen. The
costumes alone just leave me in awe. As we watched it this time, we talked
about my husband’s grandmother, her great grandmother. We were blessed that my
daughter got to know Grandma Dorothea. She was in her late teens when she
passed away, so we have some wonderful memories of her, but as the movie played
we talked about how much grandma loved the movie too.
The Titanic sank in
April of 1912. Grandma was born March 3, 1912. She had been fascinated with the
Titanic and had listened to stories about it as a young child. So in 1997 when
the movie came out my mother-in-law took her to see it. Honestly, I think it
was one of the best days of grandma’s life. She couldn’t stop talking about it.
It was that night when I realized that I was going to change my time period
from the 1700s to 1912. It was that night Addie Mayfield came to me.
Healing
Seas is
the story of two people, Addie Mayfield and Frank Shea, who each suffer a
tragedy at sea. It’s the story of how they struggle to get past disappointment
and sadness and find love and hope for a future. And I couldn’t have written it
without Grandma Dorothea, whose excited face came to mind with every word I put
on the page.
Thanks for having me
here today, Patty. I enjoyed sharing my story for the inspiration behind Healing Seas.
Thanks for being here and sharing your book
Christina! Here’s the blurb and lovely cover for Healing Seas.
In just a
matter of days, Addie Mayfield’s life is upended. Through an arrangement her
father makes, she sets sail on the RMS Titanic as governess to the two young
Fairchild children. When tragedy strikes, she finds herself rescued alongside
strangers on the RMS Carpathia, headed for New York City. Far from home, she is
taken in by the O’Reilly family to wait for her family to send for her. With no
money for her passage home, she’s brought to the small hamlet of Montauk to
become a caretaker for a great aunt she has never met.
Captain
Frank Shea is a man without a ship. Removed from duty as captain of the RMS
Morrow, he’s come to Montauk to recover from a leg injury. More painful than
the injury is his fall from grace after spending his entire life at sea. The
ocean was his home and he has never needed anyone. Now faced with an uncertain
future, he’s desperate for a way back to the sea. Until he meets Addie
Mayfield, a woman who is just as lost as he is.
Can these
two people find hope for the future after all they’ve lost? Can an unexpected
love heal two broken souls?
Healing Seas can be purchased at Amazon.
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