Author Spotlight: Restless Spirit by M. Kate Quinn

I’m very excited to have M. Kate Quinn here today to share her latest release, Restless Spirit! Kate also did a fun interview with me. Help me make her feel welcome!

 

I love a good ghost story. What inspired the haunting story line in this book?

I’ve always had a fascination with ghost stories.  I know so many people who have had an experience with a supernatural event, myself included.

She’s afraid of dogs. / He’s a K-9 copy with a rather large dog. How much fun did you have writing their initial meetings?

I had a great time with Aubrey and Asa’s friction. There’s a spark from moment one.

This is the second Ronan’s Harbor series book. How many are you thinking of doing? Anything you can share about what to expect from future books?

There is a third book in the series in the works.  All I can say at this point is that it revolves around a “reluctant” bridal shop owner.

What would your theme song be as an author?

Don’t Stop Believing.

What genre would you like to write that you haven’t tried yet?

I’d like to try my hand at a cozy mystery.  My last couple of romances have included a bit of mystery in them.  As a left-handed scorpio who read every Nancy Drew book on the planet, I’m thinking this is going to happen.

When/where do your best writing ideas come to you?

I’m best in the morning.  I’m so lucky to have the cutest little study in my house.  It is my sanctuary.  I chose my desk with care.  My easy chair is an over-stuffed rattan-framed beauty.  I have a wall-to-wall bookcase filled to the brim.  My happy place.

What fictional character would you like to be? And why?

Right now I think I’d like to walk a mile in Aunt Molly’s shoes.  Molly is Aubrey Donner’s “adopted” aunt who is quirky, bawdy, outlandish, sexy, and afraid of nothing.  She’s actually akin to Blanche Devereau.

What’s your favorite love story? And why?

If we’re talking my books, each one has been my favorite at one time and the reasons have always been because of what I like to call the “magic” moment when I know the story has opened up to its true message.  The message is always love, friendship, family, perseverance, courage.

And now for the speed round (ala Actor’s Studio). One word answers:

• What turns you on? A long look.
• What turns you off? Vulgarity
• What is your favorite word?
• What is your least favorite word? Ugly
• What sound or noise do you love? Violin
• What sound or noise do you hate? Screeching
• What profession other than yours would you like to attempt? Ballroom dancing
• What profession other than yours would you NOT like to attempt? Sky Diver
• What is your favorite swear word? Bitch
• If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say to you as you enter the Pearly Gates? Well done, kiddo.

 

RESTLESS SPIRIT

M. Kate Quinn

Strange things are happening at Aubrey Donner’s cottage in Ronan’s Harbor, NJ. Noises in the night, crashing antiques and an eerie presence all add up to only one thing: her cottage is haunted.

Her new job hosting a pet-related program on local television finds her battling to hide her lifelong fear of dogs from local no-nonsense K-9 officer Asa Kavanaugh and his four-footed, pony-sized partner, Scout.

Aubrey can’t wait to be done with the duo until she realizes she can use Asa and Scout’s help to wrangle her phantom. While chasing shadows, yearnings of two wounded hearts collide, banishing old fears and unveiling the possibility that true love may really exist after all.

Coming soon from The Wild Rose Press!

 

Excerpt

It looked like a scene of bone china homicide. The antique collectibles were demolished, strewn across the old hardwood floor in bits.

Aubrey reached down and picked up a chunk of a handle she recognized as the cup that had been her favorite–hand painted with delicate pink tea roses around the rim and the belly of the cup. Tears stung her eyes.

What little she owned was being smashed piece by piece. Memory after memory was being erased from her life. She pressed a clenched fist to her mouth.

“Let’s get a broom and dust pan,” Asa said.

“I’ll get them.” Joanie dashed from the room.

“This isn’t trash,” Aubrey said against her fist. Her throat was clogged with a sob that needed and deserved escape.

“Aubrey.” Asa was at her side, his strength and calm like radiant heat, an antidote for her goose-bumped flesh.

Scout had sidled up beside her, pressing his body against her legs. His heavy-muscled self was almost a comfort, or at least she was still too flipped out by the damaged goods to think long enough about a massive dog being nearly on top of her.

She met Asa’s concern-filled gaze and attempted to say something, anything, to chase away that brown-eyed sympathy. When her lips parted, all that came out was a squeak.

A big, solid arm wrapped around her shoulders, his fingers kneading her shoulder. Overtaken by the touch, the feel, the pressure, and the appeal of his nearness she did the unthinkable. Aubrey Donner grabbed a fistful of his shirt and tugged him closer.

 

About the Author

Award-winning author, M. Kate Quinn draws on her quirky sense of humor, hopelessly romantic nature, highly developed sense of family and friendship, and her love for a good story while writing her novels.  Her Perennials Series began with Summer Iris (Wild Rose Press, July 2010) a Golden Quill Award finalist for Best First Book. The second, Moonlight and Violet (Wild Rose Press, June 2011) won the coveted Golden Leaf Award for Best Contemporary Novel 2011. The last in the series, Brookside Daisy (Wild Rose Press, February 2012) was a Gold Leaf Award finalist.  Her next project, The Ronan’s Harbor Series, is a trilogy of romances set in a quaint shore town, the first installment, Letters and Lace, released June 26, 2013.  The second book in the series, Restless Spirit, is due to release summer 2014.

Kate Quinn, a life-long native of New Jersey, makes her home in Central Jersey with her husband and their magnificent Beta fish, Indigo.

www.mkatequinn.com