Guest Post (and a Giveaway!): Tanya Agler & The Soldier’s Unexpected Family

Welcome to the Blog Tour for The Soldier’s Unexpected Family by Tanya Agler, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours! I’m delighted to have Tanya on the blog today to chat about her new book!

Title: The Soldier’s Unexpected Family by Tanya Agler
Publisher: Harlequin Heartwarming
Release Date: March 1, 2021
Genre: Sweet Contemporary Romance

He had a plan…

She changed it all!

Major Aidan Murphy arrives in the charming small town of Hollydale to take full guardianship of his six-year-old nephew. Only there’s a slight problem—his vivacious, fiery co-guardian.

School teacher Natalie Harrison has no intention of letting Aidan take her best friend’s heartbroken little boy away. Now Aidan must convince Natalie that blood is stronger than love…even if his heart tells him otherwise.

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by Tanya Agler, author of The Soldier’s Unexpected Family

This past October, my family welcomed a rescue beagle. When he came home with us, he brought a blue blanket and being October, we named him Linus after the cartoon character. He’s a little bit of a goofball, and he loves his stuffed turkey and cow. He’s still fond of blankets and loves to snuggle into a big pile of blankets. My twin fifth graders are participating in digital learning this year, and we gather in the dining room on weekday mornings. Linus joins us and tries to steal any blankets we might have on our laps. He’ll either lay down under the dining room table or look out the window on a chair we scoot over for him.

Even now as I write this, Linus is being a cuddlebug and taking one of his naps. Linus the Beagle’s age was guesstimated by our vet at around two-and-a-half years of age so he’s approaching his third birthday, and his first with our family. Being a young dog, he loves his daily walk. I use this time with him, when we’re not running – and I’m not a runner (!), to think about my work in progress depending on where I am in the book. I love to brainstorm new ideas or work out plot holes or think about edits while I’m walking, so Linus is always more than eager to help me by going on a walk.

This year my writing space has had to undergo adjustments as my twins have participated in digital learning. In the past, when they started preschool, I started writing at Panera or a coffee house or a library so I wouldn’t have the dishwasher or washing machine calling my name. Now, I write in the dining room on weekdays and at my desk on the weekends.

Here’s a picture of Linus enjoying a sunbeam as he helps me write.

The Soldier’s Unexpected Family takes place around the Fourth of July, and food plays an integral part! I think I was hungry from all the different times my characters ate or talked about pie. When I think of summer, I think of fun outings where food is usually involved. As far as my personal life, I remember my sixteenth birthday. My grandparents came to visit and my parents asked what I wanted to do, and we all went on a picnic.

Summer activities and food go hand in hand in my family, and they do in the book. Without giving too much away, two of my favorite characters in the book are feuding pie bakers who are getting ready for the Fourth of July pie contest. Also there’s a family barbecue scene that was so much fun to write. In the scene, Natalie’s brother Mike talks to Aidan and introduces him to banana pudding.

HARRISON FAMILY BANANA PUDDING

2 (4-oz. each) packages vanilla instant pudding mix              8 oz. Cool Whip

1 (4-oz.) banana instant pudding mix                                     6-8 bananas, sliced

5 c. milk                                                                                  1 (16 oz.) box of vanilla wafers

1 c. sour cream

(I use an aluminum foil pan whenever I take this to potlucks or parties; you can either make this in a bowl or a clear rectangular glass pan.)

Beat pudding mixes and milk in mixer bowl until smooth. Fold in sour cream and Cool Whip. Alternate layers of bananas, vanilla wafers, and pudding mixture in aluminum foil pan until all ingredients are used, ending with pudding mixture. Chill until serving time. If you’re taking this somewhere, after chilling, you can dot the portion sizes with chilled whipped cream and an extra vanilla wafer. Prepare in advance (preferably night before or morning) and store in refrigerator.