Guest Post (and a Giveaway!): Brandy Heineman & Like Honey for the Bones

Welcome to the Blog Tour for Like Honey for the Bones by Brandy Heineman, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours! I’m delighted to have Brandy on the blog today to share more about her new book!

LIKE HONEY FOR THE BONES by Brandy Heineman
GENRE: Split-time Romantic Mystery (Christian)
PUBLISHER: Independently Published
RELEASE DATE: July 24, 2023
PAGES: 385

TWO HEARTS BROKEN ALONG THE SAME JAGGED EDGE MAKE A GRISLY DISCOVERY DEEP IN THE SHENANDOAH VALLEY

Present Day. Solveig Borja fled Virginia to escape the guilt of one reckless night, and once she settles the family estate, she’s Norway-bound and never looking back. Meanwhile, Kyle Benton has come seeking asylum from past sins—which Solveig shatters even as their hopeless romance blooms. But when they discover a skeleton at Rice Caverns, its century-old mystery holds startling links to the here-and-now.

1919. The Great War is won. Gussie Rice longs for her beau’s return from France, until she learns he’s confined at a stateside hospital and her closest confidant is part of the secret. Her bid for love sparks a confrontation that ricochets through time…

Bad blood and escalating threats swirl around Solveig, and Kyle’s new life proves no haven from the old with his brother’s killer trolling the shadows. As the past rears up, the cavern’s hidden places beckon with power to light their hope or to swallow them in utter darkness.

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The Stories Within the Story

by Brandy Heineman, author of Like Honey for the Bones

Oh, witty banter. You’re like the pufferfish delicacy of romance. Served up perfectly, you give the story a flair of excitement and readers the thrill they hope for. Too much, and the whole thing goes belly-up.

My new novel, Like Honey for the Bones, is an inspirational romantic mystery told in split-time, and as such, the story has a lot of targets to hit in its 300-some-odd pages. The witty banter between my characters had to pull its weight—enough to show them falling in love, but not so much that readers wonder if the killer gets away while the protagonists are flirting with one another.

I decided—and I’ll bet everyone following Carrie’s blog can agree—that a great way to let my characters show off their personalities to readers and each other would be through their reading choices.

[Kyle] tossed the coil of rope into a rusty wheelbarrow and took up the handles. “Pop quiz. Last book you read for fun?”

“Probably not one you know. Den mørke vinteren. That translates as The Dark Winter.” [Solveig] colored slightly. “Don’t laugh. It’s a romance.”

“Not laughing. Good story?”

“Yes. True love blooms in the nuclear winter. Sad and hopeful at the same time.” She appeared overly interested in the bumper stickers affixed to the tool cabinet. “Your turn. Same question.”

“Cryoseed. It’s a sci-fi about a botanist who has his body frozen—”

“And revives to a world that needs his relatively uncorrupted DNA.”

He nearly crashed the wheelbarrow into the lawn mower. “You’ve read it?” If she says yes, she’s The One.

Part of me—the part that truly believes I can write all the things and never sleep—wants to actually write both of these books. There’s hope for them as short stories, maybe, but each is already doing a job just as it is.

The characters’ recent selections offer a low-key glimpse into their sensibilities and worldviews. None of us are defined by a single book we happened to read, but the choice of that book—and reaction to it—provide a miniscule clue, a tiny part to the whole person.

Solveig is slightly embarrassed by her choice of a fatalistic love story, while Kyle is ready to rave over his everyman-against-the-world sci-fi. This tiny bit of vulnerability on both sides opens a door for deeper connections.

The Dark Winter is recalled just when Kyle and Solveig’s budding romance looks hopeless, and again when [spoiler redacted 😉]. Cryoseed references intensify their relationship, and then, in the suspense thread, [more spoilers 🤐].

Suddenly, my characters’ latest fun reads are more than fodder for witty banter. They become part of the fabric of the story Solveig and Kyle weave together. As Solveig reflects later on:

Given time, the two of them could build a private lexicon of signs, quirks, and bywords. A language of their own.

This is one of the many beautiful things about the bookish community. The stories we love help us engage with one another to understand differences and find commonalities. They create context between strangers and strengthen friendships. They become the most elite of all inside jokes. By giving us a safe yet powerful way to reveal a bit of our hearts to each other, the shared love of story builds connections that far outlast the 300-some-odd pages that inspire them.

Your turn! What was the last book you read for fun?

(3) winners will win a signed, print copy of Like Honey for the Bones and $25 VISA gift card!

Full tour schedule linked below. The giveaway begins at midnight July 24, 2023 and will last through 11:59 PM EST on July 31, 2023. Winner will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. US only. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.

Giveaway is subject to JustRead Publicity Tours Giveaway Policies.

Enter Giveaway

This giveaway is hosted by JustRead Tours, not RimSP
Follow along at JustRead Tours for a full list of stops!

What about you? What makes you want to read Like Honey for the Bones by Brandy Heineman? Also, what was the last book you read for fun?