The Heart of a Hero Blog Tour: Author Interview + Giveaway

 

Welcome to the Blog Tour & Giveaway for The Heart of a Hero by Susan May Warren, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!

Title: The Heart of a Hero
Series: Global Search and Rescue #2
Author: Susan May Warren
Publisher: Revell
Release Date: June 2, 2020
Genre: Romantic Suspense

Jake Silver may not be able to put the memories of his time as a sniper and Navy SEAL behind him, but at least he can put his skills to use as a part of the Jones Inc. rescue team. Saving the life of pediatric heart surgeon Dr.

Aria Sinclair on Denali helped too. But now he can't get her out of his head. Aria has dedicated her life to helping children born with defective hearts. After all, she was one of those children. Driven to succeed, she lives a lonely, stressful life. One she would have lost on Denali if it hadn't been for Jake. Jake is exciting and handsome, but he's also dangerous, and she's already lost one person she loves. She can't bear it again.

It's not until she finds herself trapped in the middle of a Category 4 hurricane that she can admit she needs Jake desperately. With their very survival in the balance, can they hope for a second chance at life . . . and love? 

PURCHASE LINKS*: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Christianbook  

---

 

Susan May Warren is the USA Today bestselling, Christy and RITA award-winning novelist of over sixty-five novels. An eight-time Christy award finalist, a three-time RITA Finalist, she’s also a multi-winner of the Inspirational Readers Choice award, and the ACFW Carol Award.

A seasoned women’s events speaker, she’s a popular writing teacher at conferences around the nation and the author of the beginning writer’s workbook: The Story Equation. She is also the founder of MyBookTherapy.com, and Novel.Academy, a school for aspiring novelists.

CONNECT WITH SUSAN: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram  

---

Hi Susan! Thank you for once again taking the time to answer these questions and giving my readers the chance to get to know you and your newest novel- The Heart of a Hero- a little bit better. I usually start all of these interviews by asking for five random facts about YOU, but since this is your second time here, let’s mix it up a little! Can you share 5 random facts about this book or the Global Search and Rescue series in general? 

Sure!

1.    I learned how to SCUBA dive so I could write Jake’s scene in Heart of a Hero.

2.    My son lives in Sicily, and I made him and his fiancée Skype me and show me the square Ham visits in Catania so I could get it right.

3.    Have you ever had pistachio gelato?  You won’t be disappointed. (#funnovelfood)

4.    I went sailing so I could figure out how to capsize a Hobie-cat 16.

5.    Heart of a Hero contains two “easter egg” characters from a series I wrote years ago…something special for long-time Susan May Warren fans!

Just when I think things cannot get even more EPIC, this book (and the Global Search and Rescue series in general), prove me wrong! Where do you continually find inspiration for these wonderful tales?

Oh, there is inspiration all around us! I often watch the news and come up with “what if’s” that start to ignite my curiosity. The what-if for Heart of a Hero started in the Keys, a few years ago, when our family visited there during our vacation and thought…what if we were trapped here during a hurricane? And then, of course, a hurricane hit the Keys! (Dorian).

The next book takes places in Italy, where there is an active volcano, (Etna) that erupted a couple years ago while my son was stationed there. So…there you go, another What-if? 

I’m always impressed with the details in your novels that truly make them more believable. In The Way of the Brave it was the mountain climbing terminology, in The Heart of a Hero there seemed to be a lot of medical knowledge. What does the research process look like in creating these characters and stories and making them that much more realistic? 

Oh, loooots of research goes into these novels. (sometimes so much I don’t know when to pull back!).  In The Way of the Brave, I spent a lot of time at the beginning proving Jenny’s climbing skills because you just can’t climb Denali without being an expert. The weather changes so much at the top of the mountain that you need both expedition and technical climbing skills. I needed to learn both, and when to use them, as well as the different routes up Denali, the different landscapes on the mountain, how to survive a fall, walk through debris field (and survive a fall into a crevasse), survive an avalanche, how to ice-climb, what to eat, the different kinds of altitude sickness, and their progressions, as well as the different styles of rescue on different phases of the mountain.

For the Heart of a Hero, I had to learn about weather patterns and hurricanes, as well as hospital and the aftermath challenges of a storm. I had to learn about COPD, and how to treat other injuries. I had to learn the basics of electricity so I could electrocute someone without someone ELSE getting electrocuted, the effects of drugs on a person (and withdrawal from drugs), had to figure out the evacuation procedures of Key West, as well as the different sea levels of the island, and how the hurricane would attack. I had to learn how to hotwire a sea-doo, and, of course, how to dive attack a boat. and, to get it all started, I needed to learn (remember) how to sail (and capsize) a Hobie-cat 16.

I own a lot of research books. And documentaries. Funny, the BEST research books aren’t the fancy memoirs, but the self-published memoirs and first-hand accounts. They are the rawest, but most honest accounts, I find.  But the BEST research is first hand. I like to travel to the locations, train or do something similar to my characters and talk to people who have done what my characters have done. I feel blessed that many times I find exactly the person I need to talk to in order to get the story right! (Once, I needed to find someone who had been down an iron ore mine for a historical I wrote…and wouldn’t you know it, I went to a dinner party for my husband’s work and talked to the husband of one of his co-workers who tested iron ore mines for a living. Whaaatt?)

I also have a lot of now-useless facts roaming about my head!!

In addition to your MANY fantastic fiction novels, I recently discovered that you have a collection of nonfiction books for aspiring writers too! I cannot wait to check them out. What is the best advice that you would give someone who wanted to be a writer?

A writer has to be a reader first—and they MUST read in the genre they are writing in, so they understand, naturally, the beats and style of, say, romantic adventure. Or a thriller, or a mystery. Then take notes on the stories—what they like, what doesn’t work and start a notebook of the kinds of stories and devices (read: tropes) you enjoy reading/writing about. It’s easier to start with what you already know, both in genre and in location, and in profession, than something new. (And if you love fantasy, that’s great too—you can make up a world you know well, in your head!).  After you have a picture of what you want to write, then dive into learning. (The Story Equation, my little book on writing, is a great place to start! #shamelessplug!)

Can you tell us a little bit more about The Heart of a Hero?

Heart of a Hero is about Jake Silver, a charming guy with a deep secret. Jake is one of those guys who “seems” like he just wants to have fun. Avoids responsibility and anything serious. But that is NOT Jake, and when he discovers that the woman he’s fallen for just might be in trouble, of course he has to show up to save her. Except…she’s NOT in trouble (or so she thinks) and the last thing she wants is goofy fun-loving Jake around to mess with her heart. But then, well, trouble DOES strike, and he’s the ONLY one she wants around. And if that isn’t confusing enough, Aria has her own dark secrets that float to the surface they struggle to live through a Cat-5 hurricane and the aftermath of survival. I had so much fun writing this story—and watching Jake and Aria struggle with their attraction to each other!

What do you hope readers will take away from the book?

That God has a plan for everything, even tragedy, and if we trust Him, there is always MORE to the story.

If 2020 has shown us anything, it’s that life is so often even stranger than fiction! How are you coping with this quarantine? Do you find this time at home has given you more inspiration? Any other fun non-writing projects you’ve found the time to tackle?

We bought a house during Quarantine! Seriously—of course when we put the offer on it, we had no idea we’d be in lockdown. But, with all my conferences and writing events cancelled, it gave us the chance to do some serious upgrading. We didn’t tear anything out, but I repainted a bedroom, two bathrooms, (including cabinets), replaced about 10 light fixtures and built a deck!

Now that we’re being slowly freed, I’m settling down to write again… Maybe I have this whole “stay at home” thing backwards!

Thank you again for taking the time to answer my questions. I loved this book, and cannot wait for the next one! Before we go, can you give us an idea on what we can look forward to next in the series?

Oh, we’re going to continue the epic adventures, the handsome heroes and brave heroines and set the entire series in beautiful, rugged Alaska. You’ll see some old friends, as well as make new ones as we focus on the brothers of Sky King ranch, a bush pilot outfit in central Alaska. (but of course, we don’t just stay in AK…we’ll need to trek around the world a bit!)

Any other projects you are currently working on that you can share?

I am finishing up the proofs on the Price of Valor, book 3 of the G-SAR series, out in October. I can’t wait for readers to find out what happened to Signe, Ham’s wife…and what’s really going on in the subplot!

---

(1) winner will receive a $25 Barnes and Noble gift card and a heart-shaped hematite necklace!

Be sure to check out each stop on the tour for more chances to win. Full tour schedule linked below. Giveaway will begin at midnight June 1, 2020 and last through 11:59 PM EST on June 8, 2020. Winner will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.

Giveaway is subject to the policies found here.

ENTER GIVEAWAY HERE

 

---

 

Follow along at JustRead Tours for a full list of stops!

*NOTE: This post contains affiliate links.