It’s always fun to chat with author Carolyn Miller & today she’s here to talk about her new contemporary romance, Hearts and Goals! I’ve loved the two books I’ve read so far in this series so make sure you add them to your TBR list đ
Carolyn Miller lives in the beautiful Southern Highlands of New South Wales, Australia, with her husband and four children. Together with her husband she has pastored a church for ten years, and worked as a public high school English teacher.
A longtime lover of romance, especially that of Jane Austen, Georgette Heyer and LM Montgomery, Carolyn loves drawing readers into fictional worlds that show the truth of Godâs grace in our lives. Her contemporary romance series includes the Original Six hockey romance series, and the Independence Islands series, and her historical series include the Regency Brides and Regency Wallflowers series.
You can connect with Carolyn on her website, Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram and Twitter, plus sign up for her newsletter!
HEARTS AND GOALS by Carolyn Miller
SERIES: Original Six Hockey Romance #4
GENRE: Inspirational Contemporary Romance
RELEASE DATE: March 24, 2022
PAGES: 354
Heâs a goalie with a big heart, while sheâs afraid to trust again. Can he learn the language of love to win her heart?
After a series of tragedies, Maggie Jolyâs dreams have been confined to her work at Montrealâs botanic gardens and caring for her little boy. Besides, wishing for more would simply be selfish, especially when sheâs already loved well. But when a surprising workplace encounter sees her in the arms of a handsome sweet-talking stranger, sheâs soon forced to reassess whether romance might still be in her future after all.
Working in this fairytale-like city is a dream come true for Beau Nash, Montrealâs new goalie. And while heâs excited to explore all his new city offers, he hadnât counted on meeting a striking brunette with heart-melting eyes, or so quickly bonding with her and her son, even though Maggieâs faith is a little tenuous, and shadows from the past mean she might never really be ready to love again.
An incident at the Gardens forces Beau to choose between his dream job and the woman of his dreams, while an accident on the ice invites Maggieâs deepest fears. Perhaps a Pumpkin Ball might help convince them to believe in happily-ever-afters once again.
Hearts and Goals is the fourth book in the Original Six, a sweet and swoony, slightly sporty, Christian contemporary romance series.
Hi Carolyn! Welcome back to the blog!
Carolyn: Over â it looks classier
Carrie: ah that’s a good point!
Carolyn: If itâs sugar free vanilla coke Iâm all in!
Carrie: I prefer sugar free cherry coke, but I’m with you in principle haha
Carolyn: Ocean. My mother-in-law lives beside the sea, and I love the sound of the waves and the smell (even though as a redhead I burn easily). Some might consider where we live in the âhighlandsâ as more mountainlike (or at least hilly), anyway đ
Carrie: ooo the highlands sounds like my kind of place!
Carolyn: Give me a good toasted sandwich any day. Ham, cheese, tomato, avocado, or turkey, cheese and cranberry sauce. Quick, easy, and delicious!
Carrie: yum!
Q: Which books are âon your nightstandâ?
Carolyn: Iâm actually co-writing a rom com (a contemporary based on Pride and Prejudice!), so Iâve been reading a lot of those recently to get more of a feel for the genre. So a reread of Angela Ruth Strongâs excellent Husband Auditions awaits, plus several others, such as Lindsay Harrelâs and Sarah Monzonâs books too.
Carrie: ooo yay! That’s some research I can get behind đ
Q: If I asked your characters to describe YOU as an author, what would they say?
Carolyn: (This is from Heart and Goalsâ Beau Nash): Carolyn can get pretty focused writing all those books (I think I heard something about 8 or more books releasing this year â whoa!). She probably should chill out a little more and have some fun (maybe learn to shoot some pucks?). But she cares about people, and loves making people smile while she makes them think, so itâs all good.
Carrie: awww! I love that
Q: Which character in Hearts and Goals was the most difficult to write?
Carolyn: Hearts and Goals is set in Montreal, Canada, which presented unique challenges for this Aussie author. Maggie Joly was a challenge, because she is from Quebec, speaks French, and is a widowed mother of a young boy. Sheâs also on the faith journey, so trying to balance all of those qualities made for some fun times â especially when it came to figuring out the French language! Itâs actually Quebecois French, which is a little different to ânormalâ French, so I had to rely on some wonderful Quebec-based reading friends who helped me get it right. I do love this aspect of the book, having Beau struggle to learn the language to impress Maggie. But who doesnât want to read a book where they can pick up some tips on learning the language of love?
Carrie: i bet that was challenging but rewarding!
Q: Did you have the whole plot outlined before you started writing, or did you let the characters dictate what came next?
Carolyn: As per usual I did NOT have the whole plot for Hearts and Goals worked out beforehand. I mean, I knew thereâll be a happily ever afterâŠ
So I started with a scene set in Montrealâs botanic gardens, which Iâd visited with my husband a number of years ago, and worked in various things along the way. Iâd come across a charity golfing tournament that the Montreal Canadiensâ team is involved with to raise money for Montrealâs Childrenâs Hospital, so it was fun âtranslatingâ the videos onto the page, which then further inspired Beauâs passion for helping sick kids. (I mightâve used a Carey Price viral video moment as inspiration too). I love seeing how the plot can unroll as I press further in â and then see God answer when I pray about how to bring it all together in the end!
Carrie: He is so sweet to answer us, isn’t He?
Q:Â What is one of your favorite quotes from Hearts and Goals & why do you love it?
Carolyn: For sheer romance factor I love this scene, where Beau is trying out his French:
âI really like you,â he murmured close to her ear, where a tendril of her hair had escaped. âMa belle Maggie.â
âJe tâaime bien aussi, mon bel Beau,â she murmured, her eyes dark as she gazed up at him.Â
Okay, so he was still learning this French stuff, but that sounded awfully close to the I love yous heâd heard sung in many a cafĂ©. âWhat did you just say?â he whispered, his feet stumbling to a pause.
Maggieâs eyes still held a mischievous twinkle. âYou want to know the difference between je tâaime bien and je tâaime?âÂ
âOui.â
âSome may disagree, but Iâve always understood je tâaime bien to mean I like you well enough.â
âWell enough?â Beauâs chest panged.
âWhereas je tâaime,â she said, inching closer, her heels meaning her face was in perfect kissing range of his, âmeans something more.â
*
Excuse me while I go get a fan!
Carrie: You can’t have my fan – i’m using it! #allthehearteyes
Thank you so much for taking time to talk with me! đ Before we say goodbye for today, tell us whatâs coming up next for you.
Carolyn: Ooh, Big Apple Atonement, the fifth book in the Original Six hockey romance series, releases May 5, and I think readers who like reformed bad boy books will enjoy this one (think âSaint with a secret; sinner with a heart of gold.â) Then itâs back to Regency for Midnightâs Budding Morrow at the end of May, then more contemporaries, including the sixth book in this series, (and the one that just might be my personal favorite) Muskoka Blue.
What about you? What makes you want to read Hearts and Goals by Carolyn Miller?
Thanks again for the opportunity Carrie! This was fun!
I love hockey. I love Carolyn Miller and her books. Who could ask for anything more???
I haven’t had a chance to read any of the series (grmble . . . edits . . . grumble . . . deadlines . . . grumble . . . proposals . . . grumble . . . lather, rinse repeat), but I’m SO looking forward to it.
I HAVE read Midnight’s Budding Morrow. It was totally wonderful AND I cried.
Thank you, Carolyn!
Love Carolynâs books.