INSPIRATION AND LEMONADE:
The story behind Beyond the Misty Shore
By
Vicki Hinze
Into
every life, lemon juice does pour. If
you’re lucky, you learn to love lemonade. I’m lucky. And it’s a good thing
because…
I was
having a pitcher-full and a truth about life and lemonade settled in: Loving lemonade is a choice. I mean, we can’t avoid lemon juice any more
than we can avoid challenges. We can fight it, but we are going to lose. Lemon
juice will be poured; it’s inevitable. But that doesn’t mean it has to be
bitter. We can make a different choice. Sprinkle in a little sugar or Splenda, so
to speak, a little water, and we’ve got lemonade, which tastes quite good and,
on a hot day, it’s amazingly refreshing.
So I got
juiced. I was at this crossroad in my life, debating which way to go, and this
lemonade truth kept stealing my attention. I refilled my glass with
half-a-pitcher to go, and another thought came to mind. We have a choice. When life throws us lemons,
we can choose to make lemonade, or not. Another thought chased that one:
What if we couldn’t?
What if
we didn’t have a choice. Or the choice wasn’t ours to make. We’d be stuck.
Literally swimming in lemon juice without lemonade or a solution or resolution
in sight!
I didn’t
care for the feeling, and it shot holes in my theory that I had at least a
little control in my life. Don’t you hate it when that happens? When your illusions are shattered and as
leaky as a sieve?
I more
than didn’t like it, I hated it…but I was intrigued. So I thought about
it. Okay, so you have not a pitcher full
of lemon juice but a barrel full. You’re already banged up. (Can anyone get to adulthood in life without
getting banged up? Unlikely. Rare, even.) So you’re chugging lemon juice
from the barrel, eager to drain it and get the nastiness behind you. You’ve deciphered your problems and have
progressed to looking for solutions, and you’re feeling good about that because,
while the bad stuff isn’t behind you yet, you’ve made progress. You’re on your way to getting rid of it.
Only
you’re not. You’ve wracked your brain and there just are no solutions. Not even
one. Worse, not only have you been robbed of a solution, your choice in what to
do has been stolen, too. Now what?
What do you do?
That was
the situation I found myself in that led me to write the Seascape novels, and Beyond
the Misty Shore specifically.
Being
stuck doesn’t exactly inspire you to be in the most receptive frame of mind.
Sunshine is arrogant when you’re grieving, right? But isn’t it true that the
worst possible time is always when important things happen? When life-changing
things happen?
That’s
been true in my life, and so I made it true in TJ MacGregor’s life, too. He is the hero stuck at Seascape Inn in
Beyond the Misty Shore. Add more lemon
juice in the form of Maggie Wright, a woman who loves to hate him, and Miss
Hattie, the wise Seascape innkeeper (who seems to know everything about everything but won’t just tell anyone anything
because “some things are best learned firsthand”), a colorful cast of local
characters, Maine cliffs, and a little otherworldly intervention, and, well,
T.J. has his work cut out for him, doesn’t he?
He did,
and so did I. But don’t feel too bad for him.
We’ve all tasted the tart of the juice and, you know, sometimes when
we’re broken, we have to really hurt
to ever get beyond the pain. We have to figure out that we can heal before we
do heal.
Eventually,
we get it. And when we do, magic happens. We no longer just survive. We truly
live.
Like you
and me, he’ll figure it out… eventually. So will Maggie. And what fun to watch without personally sucking
lemons!
I’m getting
a little misty here. I think I’ll pack a bag and go visit Seascape Inn again .
. . just as soon as I finish this glass of lemonade. Care to join me?
Vicki Hinze’s Seascape Trilogy is on sale through March 1st!
Pick up these paranormal romances today!
Whimsy. Serenity.
And a Touch of Magic. The Seascape Inn.
Marketing executive
Maggie Wright and artist T.J. MacGregor are linked by a mysterious car accident
that killed Maggie’s cousin, Carolyn, T.J.’s fiancée. When Maggie arrives on
the Maine coast determined to get answers from T.J., she discovers a tortured
man who is bound to the Seascape Inn by supernatural forces.
Despite the tragedy
that stands between them, Maggie and T.J. begin to fall in love, seeking
answers and a healing spirit they may never achieve.
With their painful divorce looming on the horizon, radio psychologist
Bess Cameron and her soon-to-be-ex-husband, John Mystic, meet at Maine’s
Seascape Inn to finalize the terms of a property settlement. Bess believes John
is in love with someone else, and she’s determined to move on without him.
Their marriage appears doomed until the Inn’s matchmaking ghost, Tony, and its
irrepressible owner, Miss Hattie, take matters in hand.
Sometimes you have to leap upon a
mystic tide and have faith the sand will shift and an island will appear . . .
The second book of bestselling author Vicki Hinze’s Seascape Trilogy brings
readers back to the gentle magic of a place where love is always stronger than
the fragile boundaries of life.
Beside a Dreamswept Sea – Just $5.99!
Welcome to the third
book of The Seascape Trilogy, three mystical romance-mystery novels by
bestselling author Vicki Hinze.
New love isn’t on
the agenda for widower Bryce Richards, who comes to the peaceful Seascape Inn
with his three children, hoping the ethereal setting will help them recover
from the death of their mother. Likewise, fellow inn guest Callie isn’t looking
for romance either; she’s recovering from an emotionally abusive marriage.
It will take all the
matchmaking skills of innkeeper Hattie Stillman and her ghostly assistant to
bring Bryce and Cally together.
Check out my post tomorrow where I review all three books in the trilogy.
About the Author
Raised in New Orleans, Vicki Hinze began writing before Kindergarten but
her journey to writing books included a lot of corporate pitstops. Eventually,
she settled in and her first novel landed an array of awards and on the
bestseller list. With nearly 40 books published, she's been back many times
with awards in multiple genres and appearances on multiple bestseller lists,
including USA TODAY. Vicki is recognized by Who's Who in the World as an author
and an educator and is best known for chilling suspense, trailblazing, and
creating series that genre-blend. Her works include suspense, mystery and
romance. Since 1994, this former VP of International Thriller Writers has
written heavily about military and military families and in nearly all genres
except horror. Hinze is a Floridian married to a former Hurricane
Hunter/Special Operations Officer. She constantly pushes the boundaries on
existing genres, opening the door for new novel blends.
Just a note to say thank you for hosting me today. I really appreciate your interest and support!
ReplyDeleteBlessings,
Vicki