The Secret Sister Blog Tour: Interview + Giveaway

I'm so pleased today to have author Brenda Novak stopping by the blog to answer a few questions about her upcoming release, The Secret Sister. Brenda was a new-to-me author until a couple months ago (FAIL!) when I participated in a tour for This Heart of Mine, the latest in her Whiskey Creek series. I fell madly (madly!!!!!) in love with that book, so I'm super excited to be a part of the promotional tour for The Secret Sister as Brenda now has another adoring fan in me. Welcome to Supernatural Snark Brenda!

To help us get to know Maisey a bit better, let’s take a look at her bookshelves. What are 3 books that sit on her shelf of favorites?

Maisey writes children's book, so she would have a collection of the children's books that've inspired her the most: LOVE YOU FOREVER, THE GIVING TREE, THE POLAR EXPRESS, WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE, THE VERY HUNGRY CATERPILLAR, GOODNIGHT MOON, JAMES AND THE GIANT PEACH, the Harry Potter series and HOLES.

If Maisey could ask you one question about why you wrote her family the way you did, what do you think she would most want to know?

Hmm...this is tough because I didn't write the story; Maisey did. This is all coming from her, so it's her thoughts, her feelings, her perspective. She's the one who struggles with her controlling mother and her substance-abusing brother. She also misses the father that was so nurturing to her growing up and provided her with a firm foundation amidst the confusion and pain.

Let’s say that tomorrow you find a box of photographs that hints at a family secret as Maisey does, which one character (aside from Sherlock Holmes) from a piece of fiction would you most like to recruit to help you unravel the mystery?

If I had a mystery to solve, I think I'll have to go with Thomas Magnum from Magnum P.I. Why? Tom Selleck is still hot. LOL (And Maisey has her own hot guy living next door, so why shouldn't I have one to help me, too?)

If you were to create a time capsule for future generations of your family, what are a few of the items you would include to help them get a feel for who you were?

In a time capsule, I would put pictures of my family. They mean the most to me (I have five kids). I would also put my favorite books--JANE EYRE, PRIDE & PREJUDICE, THE SECRET GARDEN, GONE WITH THE WIND, THE THORNBIRDS, OUTLANDER, EYE OF THE NEEDLE, SHOGUN, FOREVER AMBER, THE ALIENIST, A WOMAN OF SUBSTANCE, the early books by Kathleen Woodiwiss, several Susan Elizabeth Phillips titles, several of Sandra Brown's titles and many of the Stephanie Plum series (I would add more but you didn't say how big this time capsule could be--LOL). I would then probably include the awards I'm most proud to have received--like the Silver Bullet Award from the International Thriller's Association, which I was awarded for my efforts to raise money for diabetes research over the years. After that, I'd put in a few things that mean a lot to me because they represent milestones in a career I have thoroughly enjoyed (like the pin I will receive this summer for having written 50 books for Harlequin). And last, but not least, I would include some of my journals to show my thoughts and feelings and what I have learned as I progress through life.

If The Secret Sister was to be made into a movie, how would the tagline on the promotional poster read?

Tagline: Did she once have a sister? Has her mother lied all these years? Why?

Thanks so much for answering my questions Brenda!

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THE SECRET SISTER

After a painful divorce, Maisey Lazarow returns to Fairham, the small island off the North Carolina coast where she grew up. She goes there to heal—and to help her brother, Keith, a deeply troubled man who's asked her to come home. But she refuses to stay in the family house. The last person she wants to see is the wealthy, controlling mother she escaped years ago.

Instead, she finds herself living next door to someone else she'd prefer to avoid—Rafe Romero, the wild, reckless boy to whom she lost her virginity at sixteen. He's back on the island, and to her surprise, he's raising a young daughter alone. Maisey's still attracted to him, but her heart's too broken to risk…

Then something even more disturbing happens. She discovers a box of photographs that evoke distant memories of a little girl, a child Keith remembers, too. Maisey believes the girl must've been their sister, but their mother claims there was no sister.

Maisey's convinced that child existed. So where is she now?

Goodreads • Amazon • B&N

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BRENDA NOVAK

New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author Brenda Novak has penned over 45 novels. A two-time Rita nominee, she's won The National Reader's Choice, The Bookseller's Best, The Bookbuyer's Best and many other awards. She runs an annual online auction for diabetes research every May at www.brendanovak.com. To date, she’s raised over $2 million. Brenda considers herself lucky to be a mother of five and married to the love of her life.

Website • Twitter • Facebook • Goodreads

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GIVEAWAY

Up for grabs today are 5 copies of The Secret Sister! To enter, please fill out the Rafflecopter form below. Giveaway is open to US/CA only.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

TOUR SCHEDULE:

July 27

Supernatural Snark – Interview

Melissa’s Eclectic Bookshelf - Review

July 28

Savings in Seconds – Review

Girl of 1000 Wonders – Review

July 29

Her Book Thoughts – Review

All Romance Reader – Review

July 30

Maine Book Momma – Review

Jael’s Reviews – Review

July 31

The Desert Bibliophile – Review

Melina’s Book Blog – Review

Aug. 3

Maureen’s Books – Review

Rainy Day Ramblings – Review

Aug. 4

Paperrdolls – Review

Remember the Books – Review

Aug. 5

The Avid Book Collector – Review

Candace’s Book Blog – Review

Aug. 6

Actin’ Up With Books – Review

Talk Supe – Review & Guest Post

Aug. 7

Brooke Blogs – Review

Every Free Chance – Review