Author Spotlight - Excerpt from Lost Then Found

Thanks so much for supporting Christina this week while she's been in the spotlight. She's offering a giveaway = a PDF copy of "Lost then Found." Post a comment on the blog today, Saturday, and Sunday and I'll pick one lucky winner out of a hat to win a copy of Christina's novel. The winner will be announced on Monday here on the blog and on the Connections Loop.

Smiles
Moderator Steph

************


She entered into the small room and Jonas followed, stepping into the dark office. The room had one small window near the top of the wall. A coat of dust blocked out most of the sunshine.

"Thanks for talking to me."

"Hold the thanks." Renee pressed the door closed then turned to face him. Renee jabbed a finger toward a plush chair across the room. "Sit."

Without a word, Jonas complied.

Sweat coated her hands and her stomach clenched. Give her a screaming, profanity-spewing ex-husband of one of her clients instead of an indifferent and calm Jonas Knight. To hide the tremble wanting to buckle her knees, she slid onto the desk and thumped her heels against the marred wooden legs of the hand-me-down furniture.

"All I want to do is help you." Jonas leaned forward, decreasing their distance.

"I can handle a man like Howard." She scooted back a few inches. "And I did. I don't need you showing up here putting my staff and my clients in danger. What if he followed you again? I thought you were better than that." The baiting words flowed from her before thought stopped the spitefulness.

Blankness filled his gray eyes. Jonas steepled his fingers and pressed them against his lips. Renee had always assumed the lack of readable emotions came from being a top-notch skip tracer, not an ingrained personality trait. She learned otherwise, discovering love couldn't...and wouldn't...change it.

She pressed her hands onto the wooden top to stave off the tremor building in her body. "I have no information for you. I want you to stop harassing me. Leading people to me."

His brows rose. "Little dramatic, aren't you? This is not harassment. This is one professional coming to talk to another professional about a common case."

"We have nothing in common."

A hint of an unreadable emotion jumped in his eyes. "We have a lot in common. Denying it doesn't change the fact."

Something fluttered in her heart, and she refused to acknowledge it enough to define it. "We're not here to talk about us."

Jonas settled into the chair and rested one jean-clad leg on top of the other. "Aren't we? Isn't this whole issue about us?"

Renee clenched her hands, knuckles jamming into the desk. Pinpricks of pain traveled up her arms. Why did Jonas turn everything into a battle? "Not on my end. Is it on yours?"

A smile inched up the corners of Jonas' mouth. Her heart fluttered. His smile always affected her. The first time she saw it, he stood in front of the classroom listing his credentials. The grin grabbed her and reeled her in. She focused on the shape of his mouth rather than the words coming out of it. The paper in front of her remained blank, and she had to take that particular seminar again. The next time, she chose a different instructor as the handsome, renegade Jonas Knight distracted her attention and captured her heart.

In three months, he swept her off her feet and to the altar. Her heart had never known such happiness. A memory of her sister's funeral trickled into her mind. Or pain. Jonas had stood beside her, arms crossed, staring into the distance without a flicker of emotion on his face or in his eyes. Renee had needed the feel of his arms around her, to lean on him and gather strength, but Jonas denied her comfort that day. He closed himself off to her, to her parents, to Alex. Her husband turned himself into a stranger the day she needed him most.

Author Spotlight - Christina Freeburn talks about Christmas stories & writing

It's getting to be that time of year again. Turkey. Present shopping. Putting up the Christmas tree. Present shopping. House decorating. Present shopping. Cookie baking. Putting a limit on the present shopping.

And along with all that fun, comes my favorite and most anticipated activities of the year. That window of time available to listen to Christmas music, watch Christmas movies, and the reading holiday themed books. Usually, I start collecting --hoarding-- the books around October so I have plenty to read. I have a few favorites but am always on the search to add to my collection. My favorite topics for holiday books are rekindled romances, the loner finding those who want to make him or her a part of their family, and the ones centered around 'holiday drama'.

I'll admit right now that I like my holiday angst to be have a light and humorous tone. I don't mind some heavy hitting issues, but nothing to deep and heart-breaking. There is one Christmas song where I can't turn the radio over fast enough when it comes on. If I'm going to cry at the holiday, I want it to because my heart was touched by kindness and generosity. During the rest of the year, give me the heavy themes, the life-altering, heart-wrenching books but from the week of Thanksgiving through January 1, I want 'holiday drama'. It's a weird quirk of mine.

'Holiday Drama' books are based on those perplexing and aggravating issues which only come up around the happiest time of the year--the time of joy, love, and getting together with family members. The angst over not being invited, or being invited, to 'the' cookie exchange party of the year, deciding to pare down the holiday spending and activities only to be confronting by those not agreeing with your choice, or the holiday planner/baker/shopper/decorater having enough and going on strike. Throw in the neighborhood war of banning blow up yard decorations, greedy shopper buying the entire stock of the hot item to sell for a fortune on an auction and there's enough drama to last the whole season long.

And with that time sneaking up on me pretty fast, I'd love to hear some recommendations. I've been real busy this year with writing books, volunteering, driving teens around, and helping plan a wedding this summer, so I haven't conducted my 'intense' search for those holiday drama stories and would love to hear what you enjoy.

Author Spotlight - Christina Freeburn talks about her influences

I always thought I didn't have a 'true' influence on my writing because I've always wrote different types of stories. How could any one writer, book, or even style of story, have influenced my writing when I create stories that use voices and techniques that are the opposite of each other.

One day, I saw a poll someone was doing regarding the influence Nancy Drew had on female mystery author's writing...and I realized how wrong I was. I enjoyed reading about Nancy Drew and her adventures but my true love was the Hardy Boys. Frank. Joe. Fenton and Laura. Aunt Gertrude. Even now, I still sometimes pick up a Hardy Boy book and read it. There's something about the stories that tug at my heart and are a comfort to me.

I was more drawn to the Hardy Boys because I yearned to be in their family. I loved to experience the warm and loving family of the Hardy Boys. Reading those books allowed me to spend time with siblings who loved and cared about each other, where parents supported their children (though I'd never be that supportive if my teens wanted to hunt down criminals), filled a longing in me. Those books brought joy to my life and allowed me to experience the type of family I dreamed about as a child.

Without having known it, the Hardy Boys played a key role in the type of stories I wrote. Whether I write mysteries or romantic suspense, there is a strong family unit that is the backbone of the book. The family members don't always get along in harmony. They have their moments of arguments and saying just that 'perfect' thing to irritate their sibling but in the end ... they stand up and by each. When one is threatened, they close ranks as no issue between them is ever more important than each other's well-being. Disagreements and personality clashes become non-existent. Family is first.

Author Spotlight - Q&A with Christina Freeburn

STEPH: I don't know about "Lost then Found." What's it about?

CHRISTINA: Lost Then Found is about skip-tracers Renee and Jonas Knight, ex-spouses and former business partners, who find themselves on opposite sides of a case. Renee lost her sister to domestic violence and decides to her skills as a skip-tracer to relocate and hide abused women who are trying to start their lives over. She's starting to feel whole again when her ex-husband shows back up in her life demanding to know the whereabouts of one of Renee's clients. Jonas knows the young woman couldn't have vanished by herself and suspects Renee helped her. When his client starts acting suspicious, Jonas decides to team up with Renee to protect her and also to discover the truth about the young woman in hiding.

STEPH: How long did it take you to write?

CHRISTINA: The first draft of Lost Then Found took me about 3 months to write.

STEPH: Where did you find the inspiration for the novel?

CHRISTINA: I attended a writer's workshop that had a skip-tracer speaking. I signed up for the newsletter and a few months later the newsletter talked about how paparazzis use skip tracers to find out the secret locations of celebrity weddings and vacations. I started thinking about what would happen if a skip tracer was hired to find a person who had a very, good reason to have gone off the grid. What would cause a person to make that choice? How would a person know how to hide themselves? More and more what and how questions developed and as I answered them, the New Beginnings series took shape in my mind.

STEPH: How important is setting to the novel?

CHRISTINA: As the story starting forming, the setting became more important. Not so much the area where the heroine’s office is located in Maryland, but the town two women she relocated call home. This town, Mourning, took on a life of its own and became, in a way, a character with its own personality and plays a key role in other books in the series.

STEPH: Did you have to do a lot of research for the story?

CHRISTINA: I did research into skip tracing, wills and estates, and also checking to make sure the choices Renee made never crossed the line between right and wrong legally. Or is a decision will have her crossing that line, it’s a conscious choice where she's willing to accept the consequences.


STEPH: Hollywood is calling. Cast the lead characters of the story.

CHRISTINA: This question took me a little while to answer as I hadn't really thought about it. But, I think Josh Lucas and Emma Stone would be great to play Jonas and Renee Knight.


STEPH: What's the theme of the novel? What do you want to resonate with readers?

CHRISTINA: The theme of the novel is forgiveness and responsibility. What do I want to resonate with the reader ... that's a tough question. The main thing is that there is always hope for a better life no matter the circumstance and no matter your past. And sometimes to fulfill dreams and move past pain, we have to come term with wrongs we’ve committed and set out to make them right.

STEPH: Do you have an ebook reader? If so, which one?

CHRISTINA: I have a Kindle and am being tempted by the Kindle Fire.

STEPH: How long have you been writing?

CHRISTINA: I have been writing since I was in the ninth grade. I just did the math and realize that’s about 27 years. Wow! Though, I didn’t start taking it seriously, as in trying to get published, until 15 years ago.

STEPH: FUN question: What's your favorite Thanksgiving day pie?

CHRISTINA: Apple pie with crumb topping.

STEPH: My son, Andrew, (he's 9) absolutely LOVES Apple pie like this!