Though Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Christianbook and several other sites have already "scooped" the date by a week or more, today March 1st marks the official release of my newest medical novel,
LIFE SUPPORT.
Nurse Lauren Barclay puts life on hold to keep a watchful
eye on her troubled sister. It’s why she’s back in Houston. But that means
confronting the brooding Physician Assistant who caused painful turmoil in her
family--and left Lauren with memories her heart can’t forget.
PA and single parent Elijah Landry is no stranger to stormy
relationships, including his father, who is threatening him with a restraining
order. It won’t stop Eli from protecting his disabled brother—or making peace
with Lauren. He wants that and so much more.
But as Lauren and Eli draw closer, a powerful hurricane
roars toward Houston. Survival instincts take priority and everything changes.
Can hope weather the storm?
As you may know, this Houston set story is the final book in my Grace Medical series, and I am already working on the first of my three newly contracted books. But this in no way prohibits me leaving the keyboard long enough to throw a release celebration party. So let's do it!
Since Life Support's story includes a lively Mardi Gras party, I thought we should serve slices of King Cake:
Mmm, grab a slice--and watch out for the little toy baby prize. Ah, you look great with purple sprinkles on your chin!
And because I can't write a book without more than one sweet treat, how about we add some chocolate cherry scones from a scene at Houston's exceptional coffee spot, Ben's Beans?
Oh, and we must offer Eli Landry's brother's favorite food in the world: Blueberry Pancakes!
Yes, that works. But maybe we should have some protein, too . . . Louisiana style. Like Gumbo:
And some of those yummy salami-layered Cajun Muffuletta sandwiches:
Here, grab a napkin. And start tapping your toes. The band is starting up:
Heads up, as soon as you finish your gumbo, it's your turn at the rub board.
Now let's put some of this together with a brief snippet from LIFE SUPPORT:
***
Lauren opened the door to find festivities in full force . . .
The air smelled of gumbo—chicken, smoky sausage, shrimp, tomatoes, peppers, garlic—spicy and pungent, but there was a bakery scent too, yeasty and sticky-sweet like frosting. The Viettes had done an amazing job turning the homey great room into Mimaw’s version of the French Quarter in New Orleans, featuring a huge vinyl mural complete with brick walls and triple-story ironwork balconies, street signs, and even the gaudy likeness of costumed dancers and musicians. Green, purple, and gold streamers hung from the overhead beams. An elegant sequined mask was affixed to Auntie Odette’s smiling portrait.
To say that there was music was an understatement.
The hardwood floor thrummed from speakers offering blues and jazz—saxophone, trumpet, piano—alternating with an upbeat blend of accordion and washboard: zydeco . . .
Cyril must have caught Eli at the door, because he wore a trio of bead strings around his neck, a complete style clash with the pale striped shirt, jeans, and running shoes—all of it so different from the white coat and scrubs he wore at Houston Grace. His hair looked damp. Rain maybe, or more likely he’d showered after leaving the hospital. But even beyond the beads and casual clothes, he seemed more than a little out of his element. His dark eyes were serious as he scanned the room, taking in the decorations and the crowd.
Oh, dear . . . Lauren’s stomach did a foolish somersault as their eyes met.
***
Great food, music, romance, medical drama, and hurricane brewing! I hope that's enough to entice you to give this new story a try. In fact, by way of continuing celebration, I'm going to help that along right now.
Let's a have book giveaway!
For your chance at one of FIVE signed copies of LIFE SUPPORT, leave a comment below about our launch party (do you like gumbo, was there a prize in your king cake, have you ever danced the Cajun jig, does a good romance story make your heart flutter?). Be sure to include your e-mail address so I can contact you if your name is chosen. I'll draw the winning names (via Random.Org) on Friday March 7th and contact the lucky winners by e-mail.
Good luck to you all. And have another slice of king cake! Wheeee (rubbing my knuckles on the washboard and tooting a kazoo): LIFE SUPPORT has released!!
**For another chance to win a copy of this book, check out fellow author Dr. Richard M. Mabry's blog where I explain how a book release is a bit like giving birth: RANDOM JOTTINGS, The Expectant Author **
