Celebrating a New Book Series: The Location Scout's Quest - book 9 in the "Our House" series

If you have been following my blog, you've already met a few of the authors in the series, Our House on Jakaranda Laan. Now it's time to learn about the 9th book in the series.

But first let me give you some background to the books. This is the third installment in the multi-author, multi-genre Our House book series. There have already been other two series of "Our House" books. The previous series include Our House on Sycamore Street, which takes  place at Eden Cove, an English seaside town and Our House on Heather Wynd, which is set along the shore of Loch Ness in Scotland. Some of those authors have been in each of those series and other authors have joined in to tell their stories of the characters to be found on those streets.

This newest series, Our House on Jakaranda Laan is located near the majestic Garden Route in South Africa. The fictional town of Cedarfontein has roots stretching far back in history to the late 1700s and into the present. The series includes historical as well as contemporary stories. Even though the stories are standalones written by a single author, you will find characters from other books in the series dropping in to play their part.

The Location Scout's Quest is a contemporary fiction book that tells the story of Gwen Thorton who is the location scout. For the past 10 years, she has chased Christmas magic for a living by scouting charming towns for heartwarming romance films. But now that magic feels more like monotony and an ache for something new. Then she's offered a project far outside her comfort zone: a cozy murder mystery filming in a small town in South Africa. It’s a world away from where she lives and everything familiar, but it's something she believes will revive her spirit.

Preston “Ham-the Hammer” Forsythe has forged his path with discipline, order, and a heart locked away for the sake of his career. Known for his adrenaline-fueled action hits, he’s ready for a break from the films that have boxed in his reputation as a director. This movie is his shot at a career-defining breakthrough to redefine himself as a multi-dimensional director. He refuses to let anything or anyone derail that goal.

But God has a sense of humor. When Gwen and Preston first meet as strangers on a quiet hiking trail, they share a breathtaking view, a few easy laughs, and a spark neither of them can quite shake. When they discover they’ll be working together, that spark becomes a tension neither of them expected. As production hurdles mount and the town splits over having a filming crew interrupt their quaint town, Gwen and Preston find themselves drawn together to complete the film and redirect their lives.

As the cameras roll and the lines between script and life blur, they’ll have to confront what they truly believe about love, purpose, and faith. Because sometimes the most meaningful stories aren’t the ones we plan… they’re the ones that find us, just when we need them most.

All through the story, you'll read about setting up the movie filming locations, but the only information you learn about the movie is that it's a cozy mystery and the murder scene takes place in a winery. 

To give a sense of realism to the movie production, I did a lot of research about what a scout look would look for in settings, the pictures they would take to fit the scenes in the movie, End meeting with owners of the businesses or homes where they would film a scene. I also studied the timing needed for pre and post production of the movie.

As a result of doing this research, I started creating the actual movie in my head. It's very sketchy at this point, but I think I will actually write that book. It will then be made into a movie script for the movie referred to in The Location Scout's Quest. The title of the book is tentatively called A Catered Event Murder.

The location scout's quest is available in KU eBook and paperback editions. You can find it on Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/Location-Scouts-Quest-Contemporary-inspirational-ebook/dp/B0H6QY399S

And here's a special bonus...Get a FREE eBook as part of this series. It's a cookbook that features recipes of some of the characters in the Our House series and introduces you to each of them and their stories. Get it at: https://dl.bookfunnel.com/6i3sifi9ss 

A Dog-Not-Gone Christmas: Author Interview with Ginny Sterling

What made you decide to write another Christmas novella? 

I have always adored the season and the magic that comes with it. When writing novellas for The Lawkeepers, I found a series that focuses on more than just the emotions of a romance book. The books center on the blessings that faith and love bring to a person. Being able to combine the two seemed like a perfect fit to celebrate Christmas, as the season is the epitome of eternal love.

Could you give me a short synopsis of the story for my readers? 

This story is about falling in love with the whole person and their soul, rather than merely the outer shell we inhabit during our lives. The story is about two people who find each other by chance and until then didn’t realize their lives lacked a missing element.

A lonely K-9 bomb soldier discovers a kindred soul halfway across the world who gives him hope when he’d felt he had none.  The relationship begins as pen-pals, grows into a friendship, and then develops into a deeper relationship.

In my books, I try to create an environment where you are drawn in and simply overwhelmed with emotion, whether its laughter/tears/happiness/or joy.

What are some of your favorite Christmas traditions? 

Oh goodness, I remember as a young girl climbing into the backseat of my parents Chevette (yep) and driving through the neighborhoods to see the glowing Christmas lights. We'd sing Christmas carols while I snuggled under a blanket in the back seat.

I brought my own children up the same way. Nowadays, we get hot chocolate from Starbucks (We are modern now! LOL!), then drive through the neighborhoods looking at the lights before Midnight Mass at our church. I still love singing Christmas carols and seeing the lights. Thankfully my husband doesn’t mind my warbling. 

What's next?

I will continue writing The Lawkeepers. In addition, I will be writing another Christian based series with Best Selling Author, Jenna Brandt. Our series is called Match Made in Heaven and the first book is called Perfectly Matched, a Christmas Novella. It’s a sweet tender story of redemption, finding yourself and falling in love with the right person- at the right time. 

in June 2019, I will be attending Wild Deadwood Reads. This event takes place in Deadwood, South Dakota and I am terribly excited. I’ve never been to South Dakota and the photos make it look like a historical trip through time to the Old West. This will be my first event and I would absolutely adore the chance to meet you all.

What’s the best writing tip you’ve learned or been given that you’d like to share? 

Get the story out of your head- plain and simple. That is the hardest part about writing- getting it out of your mind and being able to express it on paper. You picture a scene but being able to convey it is something else completely.

Don't get stuck on the small stuff. I remember googling ‘how to make lye soap’ for at least fifteen minutes before I realized that I could simply say my character made soap. That was it. I needed to get past the hiccups and the roadblocks I perceived were there. Getting the plot out of my head and finishing the story was key. The polishing, adding to, and edits can come later once it’s actually written.

What do you know now about writing and publishing you wish you had learned sooner?

It's not just being able to write that makes an author - it’s being able to market yourself and create the need for your book. Writing is about creating a world you love and then spending the rest of the time making sure others love it too.

That’s all for today’s interview. If you would like to buy any of Ginny’s books, here are some links to get you started. 

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14626816.Ginny_Sterling

https://www.amazon.com/Ginny-Sterling/e/B017IAAJH8