Blog Tour + #Giveaway: When the Heart Brings You Home by Robin Maderich @XpressoTours

When the Heart Brings You Home
Robin Maderich
Publication date: November 1st 2022
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Holiday, Romance

When the Heart Brings You Home, A Connor Falls Christmas Collection, is a heartwarming collection of three holiday novellas, all set in the small town of Connor Falls, Pennsylvania during the Christmas season, and each a story of family and love with a touch of romance.

Winter Light – a troubled little girl brings the Christmas Spirit back to her struggling single father and the woman he once kissed many years ago.

Light the Heart Home – two sisters with secrets reunite at Christmas, prodding old wounds and finding healing love.

Home for the Holidays – all Susan Hardwick wants is to find her way back home.

Comfort. Joy. Romance. Welcome to Connor Falls.

 

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Interview with Robin Maderich

How did you become involved with the subject or theme of your book?

The theme of this book and the Connor Falls Christmas series in general is family, friendship and love. Pretty universal, and I guess life got me involved in the theme. I wanted to recreate the nature of families with all their ups and downs and the promise of love—whether between family members, friends or in a romantic context. We all can relate in some fashion to what we have had or what we hope to have in that regard. I chose to set the stories during the Christmas holidays in a smalltown locale because there’s a certain magic embedded in my childhood memories of that time and place. Write what you know is a common idiom among authors and I’m sticking by it. Christmas, to me, is a hopeful time. I tried to imbue that belief into each of the novellas in this collection, and in all the Connor Falls Christmas stories, past and for future release, as well.

What were your goals and intentions in this book, and how well do you feel you achieved them?

My intention in writing this collection was to bring to my readers some part of what the Christmas season and family mean to me, as well as the promise of new romantic relationships or a return to those we’ve known before. I think I succeeded in my goal, but the readers will be the best judge of that. I chose a collection rather than a full-length novel because I wanted to present these warm fuzzy feelings in bite-sized chunks.

What was the hardest part of writing this book?

I was involved in a nasty accident in 2019 which resulted in some severe neurological issues, so the hardest part of writing this book was the return to near normalcy which had to precede the actual act of writing it. For a long time, it was nearly impossible to create as an author, but I have healed enough to overcome that setback and am more than grateful.

What did you enjoy most about writing this book?

For one, being able to do it! (See prior answer.) I also enjoyed reconnecting with the town, the people who inhabit it in my heart and head, and being able to set their stories down in a manner I hope will warm hearts and bring joy to those who read them.

Where there alternate endings you considered?

I can’t say I had any alternate endings. I possessed an idea of the ending for each story in my head as soon as I started the first chapters, and thereafter did my very best to get the characters into a position to be where they belonged when the time came to let them go. I never really had a different ending in my mind, although some fine-tuning was needed to shape the beginning idea into the final form, as it wasn’t specific.

Can you share some stories about people you met while researching this book?

The town of Connor Falls and surrounding environs is based on memories of where I grew up and two small towns near to my home now, together with the semi-rural area where I live. I carry Connor Falls around in my head, from the main street to side streets and the neighborhoods and farmland beyond. The small business aspects (for those characters who run their own) are based on my experience as a one-time business owner. I didn’t really have to perform a great deal of research for the book and therefore didn’t meet anyone in particular in that process. However, in the first book in the Connor Falls Christmas series (Hurry Home for Christmas), I based Eve’s mother on my own mother, especially the transformation of the household at Christmastime. My mom used to remove a lot of what we would see around us on a daily basis and replace it with something Christmas-y for the holidays each year. It was like magic. We’d come home from school and, boom, there it would all be. I have no idea where she stored all the things she’d temporarily removed. I’m sure I didn’t give the storage dilemma much thought when I was young. It was the magic I looked forward to every year.

What genre of books do you enjoy reading?

I enjoy women’s fiction (Luanne Rice, Anne Rivers Siddons), romance, cozy mysteries, thrillers, historical fiction (recent read – The Giver of Stars by Jo Jo Moyes), and historical fact. I also really enjoy young adult and certain fantasy/sci-fi. I do love the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon and another particular favorite is the King Arthur trilogy (actually, there was a fourth, too) written by Mary Stewart. Reading The Crystal Cave many years ago changed something in me—for the better, I think. I’m not exactly sure into what genre those fall. And, to be absolutely honest, I read anything that piques my interest. I don’t go into a bookstore and walk straight up to a particular section to search for a book. I like to browse, look at covers, read the blurbs. I like recommendations, too.  

Author Bio:

First published by Warner Books’ Popular Library, Robin Maderich has written numerous romance novels, from historical to contemporary paranormal, as Robin Maderich, Celia Ashley and Alyssa Deane. Ms. Maderich resides in Pennsylvania, the locale and inspiration for many of her stories. She is an avid fan of historical fact and fiction, as well as the infinite realm of possibilities.

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