Thanks so much for agreeing to be with us today, Kaira!
Thank you for having me – and sharing my latest book, Laguna Heights, Laguna Beach Book 2!
My pleasure 🙂 What 5 things should readers know about you?
- I honk when I laugh. I can’t help it!
- I love yoga and Pickleball.
- My family is the best part of my life.
- My dream was to live at the beach one day, and write books.
- I’m living my dream.
LOL to #1—I sympathize—I have a tendency to snort myself 😉
Tell us all about your main characters—who are they? What makes them tick? Most importantly, what one thing would they need to have with them if stranded on a desert isle? 😉
The stars of Laguna Heights are Annie and Hank. They’re college sweethearts whose almost perfect relationship is shadowed by a figure from Annie’s past. Hank is Annie’s rock, and as the story progresses, she’ll need him and his understanding, even more. If they were stranded on a desert isle they’d be happy as long as they have each other. (And their kids, of course.)
Of course!
Where did the inspiration for this book come from?
A run in with an obsessive and abusive guy long ago.
Yikes…it’s good to see you’ve gotten something positive from the experience, though.
How long have you been writing, and what (or who) inspired you to start?
I’ve been writing all my life and have wanted to be an author for as long as I can remember. In third grade our assignment was to write a letter to the person whose career you most admired. I wrote to Robert McCloskey of Make Way for Ducklings fame. I knew. I was an English major in college and then wrote for magazines, newspapers, ad agencies and more until finally becoming a full-time book author in 2011.
Awesome!
What do you like best about being a writer? What is the most challenging part?
I love everything about being a writer, but especially the community of other authors and readers. The most challenging part is finding time to get organized. My new assistant is helping so much with that part. Phew.
Ugh, yes, organization—it is challenging, to be sure!
What are you working on right now? What can readers look for from you in the next year?
I write contemporary romance and women’s fiction. I’m working on a women’s fiction story right now and then plan to start a new romance series next year, while still continuing both the Laguna Beach and Indigo Island series. Next year sounds so fun, already!
Fantastic!
What authors and/or books have inspired you?
There are too many to name. I’m constantly inspired by the wonderful women writers I am encountering along this journey. It’s awesome.
It’s true it’s hard to choose just a few…
What are you currently reading? What are your thoughts about it so far?
I just finished The Admissions by Meg Mitchell Moore, and it was great. My novel coming out in May 2016, The Goodbye Year, deals with a similar theme in that it is the pressure on families and kids senior year in high school. Loved it. Also just finished the creepy novel The Dinner by Herman Koch and the suspenseful Elizabeth is Missing by Emma Healey. I love to read all types of fiction and this month I’ve been able to read widely. Still have a stack by my bed and on my eReader!
Of course!
If you had to “sell” this book in a single Tweet, what would you say?
LAGUNA HEIGHTS by USA Today bestseller @KairaRouda. Will their perfect life be ruined by her secret past? http://amzn.to/1Ljez6M #romance
Great job! Thanks again for being here with us today, Kaira 🙂
Thanks for having me!
Author Info:
I’m delighted to be able to say I’m a national bestselling author. My books have won the Indie Excellence Award, USA Book Awards, the Reader’s Choice Awards and honorable mention in the Writer’s Digest International Book Awards. The novels have been widely reviewed and featured in leading national magazines. I’m still working hard and building that career, learning from a wonderfully supportive reading and writing community. Speaking of support, I couldn’t ask for a more wonderful family. My husband and four amazing almost grown children are my biggest blessings. Oh, and my friends fill my life with joy. I hope you’ll take a moment to visit my website – and to peruse my books. I love talking to book clubs, in person or via Skype. If you’re interested, please let me know. For more, please visit my website KairaRouda.com
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Laguna Heights
Laguna Beach #2
By: Kaira Rouda
Releasing October 15, 2015
Real You Publishing
Blurb:
Annie and Hank have created a perfect life in Laguna Beach but when a dark secret is revealed, will their marriage survive?
In high school, Annie Johns was the calm, supportive sidekick to the rest of the tumultuous female stars of the hit reality TV show, Laguna Nights. Today, she’s living the happy life as a mom that she predicted on the show long ago. There’s only one problem: the secret from her past that haunts her most nights, a secret that if revealed could ruin everything she shares with her husband, Hank, the man who saved her from the heartache.
***Laguna Heights can be read and enjoyed as a standalone novella. And if you enjoy Annie and Hank’s story, please consider reading the rest of the Laguna Beach series.
Laguna Nights (Laguna Beach Book 1), Madison and Josh
Laguna Heights (Laguna Beach Book 2), Annie and Hank
Laguna Lights (Laguna Beach Book 3), Laura and Paul
Laguna Sights (Laguna Beach Book 4), Jamie and Scott
Link to Follow Tour: http://www.tastybooktours.com/2015/09/laguna-heights-laguna-beach-2-by-kaira.html
Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26038919-laguna-heights?from_search=true&search_version=service
Goodreads Series Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25706406-laguna-nights
Buy Links: Amazon | B&N | Kobo | iTunes | GooglePlay
Why won’t Madison pick up? Annie’s hand shook as she held her phone to her ear, wishingher best friend would answer her call. Annie sat crouched down, hiding in the front seat of her white mini-van, ducked below the steering wheel, hoping Chris hadn’t followed her out to the grocery store’s parking lot.
Knowing him, as she did, he would.
“Madison, it’s Annie. I need to talk to you. Please, call me,” she said before hanging up. Breathe in, breathe out, she reminded herself, techniques the counselor at college had taught her to deal with this situation her senior year in college all those years ago. She had been free from Chris for more than a decade.
What was he doing in Laguna Beach? Had he come here to find her or was it just a coincidence?
A fist pounded on the driver’s side window. “Hey Annie,” Chris yelled through the glass as Annie screamed.