What a delight it is for me to have Amanda Cabot on the blog today. I can’t wait to share the story behind this story with you. First of all, a little bit about her book, Out of the Embers.
A young woman with a tragic past has arrived in town . . . and trouble is following close behind
Ten years after her parents were killed, Evelyn Radcliffe is once more homeless. The orphanage that was her refuge and later her workplace has burned to the ground, and only she and a young orphan girl have escaped. Convinced this must be related to her parents’ murders, Evelyn flees with the girl to Mesquite Springs in the Texas Hill Country and finds shelter in the home of Wyatt Clark, a talented horse rancher whose plans don’t include a family of his own.
At first, Evelyn is a distraction. But when it becomes clear that trouble has followed her to Mesquite Springs, she becomes a full-blown disruption. Can Wyatt keep her safe from the man who wants her dead? And will his own plans become collateral damage?
Suspenseful and sweetly romantic, Out of the Embers is the first in a new series that invites you to the Texas Hill Country in the 1850s, when the West was wild, the men were noble, and the women were strong.
Amanda, what was your inspiration for Out of the Embers?
Fire. The title hints at it, and the back cover blurb leaves no doubt that fire plays an important role in my latest book. Not just fire, but a disastrous and deadly blaze. The orphanage where Evelyn has lived and worked for a decade burns to the ground, killing everyone who’d been living there except Evelyn and a young orphan.
This is what authors refer to as the “inciting incident,” the event that changes everything for the heroine. It’s dramatic. No doubt about that. But why would anyone begin a book on such a tragic note? The answer lies in my childhood.
My family moved from a small town in Texas to a northern suburb when I was seven. It was the middle of second grade for me, and to say that the experience was vastly different is an understatement. There was a dress code – no wearing jeans to school, even when there were feet of snow outside. There was a cafeteria – no going home for lunch. But the biggest change was the seriousness of the fire drills.
Oh, there had been fire drills in Texas. I remember exiting via an outdoor slide and thinking it was fun. There was nothing fun about the fire drills in my new school. The reason was simple: several years earlier, one portion of the school had burned, killing a dozen students and leaving the remaining students and faculty indelibly changed. Teaching fire safety wasn’t simply another item on the “must do” list. It was an essential part of the school year.
Even though I hadn’t experienced the fire, I felt its aftermath. I saw the tension on the face of one of my classmates whose older sister had died in the fire and the way teachers reacted when a fire alarm rang unexpectedly. I knew how powerful and devastating fire could be. That’s why when I was searching for an inciting incident for Out of the Embers, there was only one answer: fire.
Amanda Cabot’s dream of selling a book before her thirtieth birthday came true, and she’s now the author of more than thirty-five novels as well as eight novellas, four non-fiction books, and what she describes as enough technical articles to cure insomnia in a medium-sized city. Her inspirational romances have appeared on the CBA and ECPA bestseller lists, have garnered a starred review from Publishers Weekly, and have been nominated for the ACFW Carol, the HOLT Medallion, and the Booksellers Best awards. A popular workshop presenter, Amanda takes pleasure in helping other writers achieve their dreams of publication.
Social Media Links
https://www.facebook.com/amanda.j.cabot
https://twitter.com/AmandaJoyCabot/
http://amandajoycabot.blogspot.com/
Buying Links
Thank you so much for joining us, Amanda!
Thank you so much for having me on your blog!