I cannot even express how excited I am about today’s guest! She is one of my auto-buy authors, no matter what genre she’s writing, and truly a sweetheart in person.
USAToday bestselling author Colleen Coble’s novels have won or finaled in awards ranging from the Best Books of Indiana, the ACFW Carol Award, the Romance Writers of America RITA, the Holt Medallion, the Daphne du Maurier, National Readers’ Choice, and the Booksellers Best. She has nearly 4 million books in print and writes romantic mysteries because she loves to see justice prevail. Colleen is CEO of American Christian Fiction Writers. She lives with her husband Dave in Indiana. Visit her website at www.colleencoble.com and connect at Facebook.
Her most recent release, The View from Rainshadow Bay, starts her new Lavender Tides series!
After her husband, Jack, dies in a climbing incident, Shauna has only her five-year-old son and her helicopter charter business to live for. Every day is a struggle to make ends meet and she lives in constant fear of losing even more than she already has.
When her business partner is murdered, his final words convince Shauna that she’s in danger too. But where can she turn? Zach Bannister was her husband’s best friend and is the person she blames for his death. She’s barely spoken to him since. But right now he seems her only hope for protecting her son.
Zach is only too happy to assuage his guilt over Jack’s death by helping Shauna any way he can. But there are secrets involved dating back to Shauna’s childhood that more than one person would prefer to stay hidden.
In The View from Rainshadow Bay, suspense, danger, and a longing to love again ignite amid the gorgeous lavender fields of Washington State.
“Prepare to stay up all night with Colleen Coble. Coble’s beautiful, emotional prose coupled with her keen sense of pacing, escalating danger, and very real characters place her firmly at the top of the suspense genre. I could not put this book down.” –Allison Brennan, New York Times bestselling author of Shattered
“…The View From Rainshadow Bay, opens with a heart-pounding, run-for-your-life chase. This book will stay with you for a long time, long after you flip to the last page.” – 4 STARS, RT Book Reviews
Hi dear Colleen! Welcome to the blog! I am so incredibly honored to have you here 🙂
Colleen: Apples but they have to be Pink Lady. I am obsessed with the sweetness and tartness of that type. LOL
Carrie: Yum! I love Pink Lady apples, though my faves are Honey Crisp.
Colleen: Summer. I hate the cold and snow. 🙁
Carrie: It’s okay. I still love you 🙂
Colleen: Cats. We had a cat for 18 years and loved him. I like dogs too but cats don’t slobber. LOL
Carrie: haha!! This is very true. My sweet Zuzu would be highly offended at me saying that, but I have yet to meet a cat who slobbers. Zuzu on the other hand? But she’s worth it ♥
Colleen: Coffee, coffee, coffee! I’m obsessed with coffee, but it has to be GOOD coffee. Organic, fair trade is the best. Captain Davy’s Coffee Roasters is the very best! When roasted on an IR roaster, the full flavor of the bean comes through, and there’s no sour stomach. I used to drink it with flavored creamer, then with cream, then with butter and MCT oil, and now I drink it black. Actually, thanks to Kristin Billerbeck, I started on the entry drug, Iced Mochas. LOL You just learned a lot about me. 🙂
Carrie: LOL! I know… that was really a silly question to ask you lol.
Q: Around here I like to say that reading is my superpower. If YOU had a superpower, what would it be?
Colleen: Reading also! I started reading really young and still read at least 3 books a week, even when writing. I couldn’t live without reading. Reading helps me make sense of the world, and I believe it instilled a great sense of empathy.
Carrie: Oh I love that! It always makes me sad when my author friends say they had to quit reading when they started writing. I’m delighted that you still read so much – makes my heart happy!
Q: Tell me some good books you’ve read lately.
Colleen: I’m obsessed with Lisa Gardner and Lisa Scottoline. I’m making my way through their entire backlist (and they are both large!) I have Gardner’s Look For Me on preorder and it’s due to hit my Kindle in a week. My fave book of hers is always the last one I read. LOL
Carrie: Hmmm yes – that happens to me with your books haha! I have not (yet) read anything by Lisa Scottoline but I do love Lisa Gardner!
Q: What’s the weirdest thing you’ve ever Googled while researching a book?
Colleen: Right after 9/11, I was writing Without a Trace, and I needed to know how to down a small plane on purpose. Try getting that question answered when everyone was on high alert. I finally found a small plane forum and begged for help. One kind soul went to my website and checked it out, then finally gave me the answer I needed. 🙂
Carrie: haha! oh dear! that would be a tricky time to research that…
Q: You are a master at setting and, particularly, at integrating the setting with the suspense. In your new Lavender Tides series, you’re heading to the opposite side of the country from your Sunset Cove series in Maine. How did Washington state pose different challenges and/or benefits in creating the setting for your characters?
Colleen: I’ve visited the area since I was a child because my aunt and uncle lived in Tacoma. It’s very different from Maine though, and the Sequim area is different from Seattle as well. I always try to make sure you can’t pick up one of my books and plunk it into another setting. In Washington you have that awesome ferry system and so many islands. It’s beautiful in a different way from Maine.
Carrie: I can already imagine many delicious suspense possibilities with a ferry system and islands and Colleen Coble!
Q: Zach and Shauna are both dealing with grief, guilt, secrets and second chances in The View from Rainshadow Bay. And of course trying to stay alive lol. Which of these two characters do you most closely relate to, and why?
Colleen: Probably Zach. I’m one of those people who feel guilty at the drop of a hat. LOL I want to keep everyone happy, and I hate conflict.
Carrie: I can totally relate to that too!
Q: What do you most want readers to take away from The View from Rainshadow Bay?
Colleen: I want them to forgive themselves for any guilt they are carrying around. Forgiving ourselves can be hard!
Carrie: I think forgiving ourselves is sometimes so much harder than forgiving other people.
Thank you so much for taking time to talk with me! 🙂 Before we say goodbye for today, tell us what‘s coming up next for you.
Colleen: It was great to be with you, Carrie! You’re one of my favorite people. 🙂 Next up is The House on Saltwater Point, book 2 in the Lavender Tides series. My protagonist, Ellie, is a house flipper, and I had so much fun with that! But she’s racing against time to save her sister and stop a terrorist attack.
Carrie: Sweet friend, you are one of MY favorite people. And I cannot wait to read my new fave book from you ♥
Colleen Coble is giving away a hardcover copy of The View from Rainshadow Bay to one of my readers!! (US only) This giveaway is subject to Reading Is My SuperPower’s giveaway policies which can be found here. Enter via the Rafflecopter form below.
What about you? What’s your favorite Colleen Coble novel?
O!! Colleen Coble! This is great! I’ve only read a few of her books, but I really like Beneath Copper Falls!
I liked Because Your Mine the best so far.
An impossible question, I have read so many of Colleen’s books. “Anathema”, which I think has been re-published is probably my favorite.
To name my favorite Colleen Coble book is like naming my favorite ice cream – just about impossible because they are all so delicious! I really enjoyed this interview between you two friends!
All is Calm
Oh no, you’re asking me to pick a favorite Colleen Coble novel? I don’t think I can, I really do love them all. Thank you for the teriffic interview and giveaway opportunity.
I have only read one of the search and rescue young adult books.
Oh my gosh – too many to choose from!! Maybe Without a Trace, the first of the Rock Harbor series.
I dont have a favorite Colleen Coble book, they are all so good! Been a fan for years. Thanks again Carrie for a great interview!
Loved this interview. I almost picked up this book yesterday but I waited to ask you first!!! I refuse to answer the above question on the grounds that it might incriminate me! ?. I’m originally from Indiana!!
I have not read any books by Colleen….yet!
Aww…a fellow non-slobber lover. 😉 Kindred spirits. lol
My favorite is Twilight at Blueberry Barrens.
That’s a tough question since Colleen is one of my all time favorite authors. The Rock Harbor series was good but so was the Hope Beach and Lonestar series. I did enjoy The View from Rainshadow Bay and Beneath Copper Falls (return to Rock Harbor) too. I can’t pick just one. Great interview, Carrie and Colleen!
I have a few of Colleen books, and I could not just pick one. Each are very hard to put down.
I really enjoyed the books on Mercy Falls series and the Lone Star series. I haven’t read anything from Colleen Coble that I didn’t love.
I had the opportunity to read “Mermaid Moon” and LOVED it. I’d love to read more of her books and appreciate the chance to win a copy of “The View from Rainshadow Bay”.
I liked reading the Hope Beach Collection!
“Coffee, coffee, coffee! I’m obsessed with coffee…” 🙂 me too
Thank you for the interview!
I have not read any of Colleen Coble’s books yet.
Marilyn
I’ve read some of Colleen’s books, but I don’t really have a favorite. They’ve all been great, and I’ve loved them. I haven’t read her newest ones yet, but they’re on my TBR list. It would be such fun to win this one. It sounds fantastic!
Thanks, Carrie and Colleen, for the lovely interview!
Hi Colleen! I have read all of you books. All were great stories. I am going to say my favorite book will be the Mercy Falls series, especially The Lightkeepers Daughter. It was the first book I read. Thanks for writing such wonderful stories!
you are most welcome 🙂
I love and own all her books, so would love to get this one too. Being from Texas though I especially love the Lonestar series for the mystery and suspense on the farm setting.
that’s one of my faves!
I haven’t read any yet but I have the Lonestar Series and it sounds great I can’t wait to read it
that’s one of my favorite series!
I have read almost all of her books!! They are so good I can’t decide what one I love the most
i have the same problem!
I think Butterfly Palace is my favorite book by Colleen Coble.
i love that one too!
My favorite novel by Colleen Cobble is Blue Moon Promise. Such an amazing book!!!
Thanx for the interview and giveaway!!!! I have loved every book of Colleen’s I have read. I would love to win a hardcover of a Colleen book.
Me too!!
I love Colleen’s books, so choosing a favorite is difficult, but the Mercy Falls Series is among my faves! I would be delighted to win a copy of Rainshadow Bay! Thanks for the giveaway. ?
I love the Mercy Falls series!
Colleen Coble, great inerview! Oh, I can’t wait to get my pre-ordered copy that has been back ordered until about 2/13/2018! I’m so disappointed with that! I would love to win a hard cover book.
I’ve only read her Rock Harbor mysteries years ago, but she had me hooked! I’ve SO wanted to catch up with all her books since…gah! Too many books, so little time 🙂
Thanks for the fun interview & giveaway chance Carrie!
I totally feel your pain, my friend!
I love them all! I’d love to win her newest!
As you say “my favorite is the one I just finished.” I love allowing your books. Thanks for the chsnce.
I love Colleen’s books! I really enjoyed the Lonestar series. 🙂
that’s still one of my faves!
Would love to win a copy of this book to see what the past secrets are and what danger Shauna and her son face.
good luck!
I don’t think choosing a favorite is possible! Every one is fantastic and I agree, the last one I read is my favorite! Thanks for the chance to win!
i hear ya!
Mermaid Moon is my favorite. Her novels are memorable and special.
i agree!
My favorite is Twilight at Blueberry Barrens.
i love that one too!
I love, love, love Colleen Coble’s books. She always keeps a reader intrigued till the very end. Thanks for a chance to win her new book! Can’t wait to read it.
she totally does!
Colleen, I am so jealous that you read three books a week. I would have trouble picking a favorite, but since I read Without A Trace first, I would pick that one. Looking forward to new book.
it’s a great one!
If I had to pick on of Colleen’s book as my favorite it would be Mermaid Moon. That was an awesome book.
another of my faves!
Colleen is a longtime favorite of mine! I have read and re-read and listened to her books so many times! They just never get old.
If I must choose a favorite, I choose… “Fire Dancer”. I think that may be the first of Colleen’s books that I read and I remember reading it over and over again, wishing for a sequel so a certain gentleman could have his happily ever after. I was absolutely over the moon when my wish for him came true in “Beneath Copper Falls”!! 😀 Which may make that my second favorite of her books… 😉
excellent choices! 🙂
Sadly I’ve never read one of her books but this cover is STUNNING and calling out to me! 🙂
oh you MUST read her books!!
Lightkeeper’s Ball is one of the few I have read …. I would love to read other series.
oh you must read more of her books! They are so great!
I’ve only read Seagrass Pier, and it was really good! I was completely fascinated with the story about memories being transferred after an organ transplant!
Yes! I love that book!
I haven’t read any of Colleen’s books yet, but would like too.
The Inn at Ocean Grove, though I have never been disappointed in any of her books or audios.
Me too!
I LOVE Colleen’s books! I couldn’t possibly choose a favorite.
I have the same problem, my friend lol
I havn’t read Colleen’s books yet. But I want to! Soon!
Ack! You must! Lol
I love her books about old architecture. I think one was called The Inn at Ocean’s Edge. Great story.
One of my faves!
I don’t have one because I’ve never read her books.
oh Julie!! YOU MUST!!! Girl!!!
Whichever one I’ve just finished reading!
I haven’t read any yet but have a few on my TBR list!
they are must-reads! 🙂
Haven of Swans.
A great book!