Guest Post (and a Giveaway!): Catherine West & As The Light Fades

Welcome to the Blog + Review Tour for As the Light Fades by Catherine West, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!

Title: As the Light Fades
Author: Catherine West
Release Date: September 10, 2019
Genre: Contemporary Fiction

Sometimes we’re placed in the strangest of circumstances for the most important reasons.

After her carefully constructed life crumbles, Liz Carlisle finds herself back on Nantucket, picking up the pieces. With the family estate under renovations, the solitude she craves seems out of reach.

Matthew Stone intends to steer clear of his new tenant. She’s carrying a load of baggage, but as long as she pays the rent, he’ll let her be. He’s got enough to deal with caring for his wayward niece, Mia.

Liz doesn’t have time for teenagers and her track record with men is abysmal, but an unlikely friendship forms between the three.

When her former boyfriend is charged with assault, Liz is called to testify against him. But he knows the darkest secrets of her life—secrets she’d hoped to keep buried forever, and he’s ready to reveal them. Telling the truth is the right thing to do, but it may cost her everything she’s worked so hard for, and all she’s come to love.

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Catherine West is an award-winning author of contemporary women’s fiction. When she’s not at the computer working on her next story, you can find her taking her Border Collie for long walks or reading books by her favorite authors. She and her husband reside in Bermuda, and have two adult children and two beautiful granddaughters. Catherine is the winner of the 2015 Grace Award (Bridge of Faith) and a two-time winner of Romance Writers of America’s Faith, Hope & Love Reader’s Choice Award (The Things We Knew, 2017 and Where Hope Begins, 2019, and a Carol Award Finalist for Where Hope Begins. Her latest novel, As the Light Fades, releases September 2019.

Catherine loves to connect with her readers and can be reached at Catherine@catherinejwest.com

CONNECT WITH CATHERINE: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

what readers can expect from as the light fades

The idea for As the Light Fades started to take shape after I wrote The Things We Knew, (Thomas Nelson, 2016). I loved the Carlisle family so much, and I wanted to know more about the other siblings whose stories we didn’t know all that much about. As time went on, I began to hear from readers that they also wanted more from the Carlisles, so I started to think about who would be the most interesting sibling to begin with. I settled on Liz, because she was a tough lawyer who seemed to hold everyone at arm’s length, and really wasn’t all that likeable, and I wanted to explore the reasons behind her actions.

So we return to Nantucket at the end of summer. Liz has left her life in New York, escaped her abusive boyfriend, and is trying to pick up the pieces and find healing from the past. Because the family estate is being converted into a bed and breakfast, she needs a new place to live. That’s when she meets Matthew Stone. He’s recently moved to Nantucket with his fifteen-year-old niece, Mia, who he has guardianship of. They’re living in the home left to him by his grandparents, and Matt’s a little strapped for cash, so decides to rent out their carriage house, and Liz becomes his tenant.

We know from the get-go that these two are both nursing pretty deep wounds. Liz is holding on to things from her past that threaten to undermine any hope of a happy future, and Matt is dealing with familial discord, fractured relationships with his sister and his parents, and he’s not sure he’s cut out to be a parental figure, especially not to a rebellious teenager who has some pretty big issues of her own.

One thing I loved about these characters was their honesty. Once they began to open up, they really learned how to share on a deep level, and that was an important turning point in the story. I also loved the character of Drake Carlisle, Liz’s dad. It was fun to bring him back, and, even though he’s struggling with Alzheimer’s, he offers wisdom and insight, and humor too.

I think my favorite scenes are the ones with him and Mia. And of course, the scene with the puppies. But I don’t want to give anything away!

So, what can readers expect? Well, as usual, we deal with some tough topics in the story. Abuse, self-worth, insecurity, cutting. Relationships are not easy under the best circumstances, and here we have a few scenarios where life is just plain hard. And our characters have to make the best decisions they can in the moment. I hope I’ve addressed the issues with honesty, as well as compassion. And I hope readers will also find a story of forgiveness and second chances, as well as grace and hope and faith.

Is this book “Christian fiction’? Since I’m being asked that a lot, I’d like to answer it here if I may.

As the Light Fades is not being published by a Christian publisher. Well. Except that I’m the publisher, and I’m a Christian, so there’s that. 🙂 However, we’re not marketing the story specifically for the Christian market, because I hope to reach new readers who may not necessarily read a book if it’s labeled as “Christian”. That said, I believe you can find God in this book. You will find faith and grace and forgiveness, all trademarks of mine, that are not going to change. I believe in writing stories that peel back the curtain and expose the sometimes raw realities of life. And sometimes those things aren’t pleasant or fun to read about, but they happen, and we should not be afraid to be exposed to them. Remember who Jesus hung out with? The ones who needed him most. Except they didn’t know it. He didn’t visit the palaces and courtyards of the rich and pretty people, where all was sunshine, rainbows and unicorns. He went to the hard places. The dark places. He made friends with prostitutes and people who made a living extorting money from others. But He also offered compassion, grace and healing. He gave us the greatest example of how to live in the world and show love.

So I wouldn’t want to offer readers anything less than that. I hope people of all faiths and all walks of life can enjoy the books I write, and take away something of value from them. If, at the very least, I can give a reader pause, perhaps challenge them to see something in a new light, and feel new compassion for others, then I think I’ve done my job.

Thank you so much, Cathy! You know I’m cheering you on here from the sidelines – and hoping for a glimpse of Gray 😉

GIVEAWAY

(1) winner will receive a $75 Amazon gift card from the author!

Be sure to check out each stop on these tours for more chances to win. Full tour schedule on this tour shown below. Giveaway begins at midnight September 11, 2019 and will last through 11:59 PM EST on September 18, 2019. Winners will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. US/CAN only. For our giveaway rules and policy, click HERE.

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