Sarah's Books & Life: Interview with Karen Erickson

The the tour stop today, I'm pleased to have Karen Erickson with me today and she even has a little blurb from Jane's Gift for you! Don't forget to checkout the giveaway at the end.

Thanks so much for answering my questions! As a new reader of yours I’m really enjoying your writing and can’t wait to go back and read your other books.

And thanks so much for having me as a guest on your blog, Sarah! I’m excited to be here today.

I’ll admit I was drawn to Jane’s Gift because I come from a family of firemen, what inspired your to write Chris as a fire captain?

Well, my father is a retired battalion chief/arson investigator for CAL Fire, the state run fire department in California. As I was growing up though, he was a fire captain of a variety of stations within his ranger unit and so…the inspiration came from there. I grew up around it, just like you.

Having a main character suffer a great loss so early in the book sets the tone for the story, what was the most challenging part of creating those emotions and healing throughout the story?

I didn’t want Jane’s past to put a damper too much on the story. Of course, it molds her and makes her the woman she is today, but I didn’t want the subject matter to be too depressing.

In fact, Jane’s Gift was rejected by a well-known publisher for being too depressing. Now, that was a different version of what Entangled’s Bliss line published but hey, it is a heavy subject. Death and recovery is never easy. But I hope I filled the story with enough love and happiness to make the readers smile.

Since Jane’s Gift is the first in the Lone Pine Lake series, can you share a little about what we can expect in future books? How many books will be in this series?

Jane’s big brother Cameron is next—his book, Cameron’s Homecoming, should be out in early spring 2013. I hope to have a total of four books in the Lone Pine Lake series. And if all goes well, Mac’s story would be next (and if you read Cam’s book, you’ll see why) and then I’d like to end it with Mindy and give her a second chance at love. Poor thing deserves it. I already have her hero picked out and everything!

Since it’s the holidays and Jane started a new Christmas tradition, do you have any special holiday traditions you and your family follow?

Of course. :) Every year we go to Christmas Tree Lane, which is in Fresno, CA (we live just above the city). We’ve been making that drive for years and even though so much of it is the same, it’s that familiarity that makes you feel good inside, right?

Another tradition—we always make and frost holiday sugar cookies. I started doing that with my grandma when I was little and I’m keeping up the tradition. It’s so much fun. The kids are so creative when they frost and of course, those cookies are delicious.

I love random questions, so here’s my last one: What’s your favorite holiday food?

My grandma makes the best homemade scalloped potatoes—we’d always have them with ham for Christmas dinner. I need to get the recipe from her and make them myself. I’m afraid I won’t do them justice though. Hard to beat Grandma’s cooking!

Thanks so much for taking the time to answer these questions and I’m looking forward to reading more about the residents of Lone Pine Lake!

Sarah

Thank you again for having me, Sarah. Happy Holidays everyone!

Blurb for Jane’s Gift:

A fire captain afraid of commitment. A widow afraid of fire. Can the holidays bring them together? A devastating house fire cost Jane Clark nearly everything: her husband, her confidence, and her looks, with the physical scars marbling her body. Now, two years later, she's living and healing back in her childhood hometown of Lone Pine Lake. The upcoming holidays are the perfect opportunity to bring some Christmas cheer into her young children's lives, starting with a visit to the firehouse, where her brother's best friend has offered to help quell their residual fears. Lone Pine's resident playboy, fire captain Christian Nelson is happy with his single-guy lifestyle. He's an everyday local hero, so he's never wanting for attention around the holidays. But when Jane Clark shows up, Chris is immediately drawn to the beautiful widow--even though kids and commitment have never been his style. Despite her brother's warnings about his friend's playboy status and dangerous occupation, Jane can't help but fall for the gorgeous fire captain. The holidays are a time of new beginnings, but can two scarred people find the strength to let go of their pasts to live in the present, when a lifetime together might be the sweetest gift of all?