San
Francisco architect Nora Bradford came to Antarctica as an associate with one
of the world’s top firms specializing in environmentally friendly architecture.
Nora is the lead designer of Glacier Ridge Lodge, a new luxurious, sustainable
guest house at the Amity Bay Antarctica research station, and she’s poured her heart
and soul into the project. After losing her beloved fiancé in a diving accident
two years before, it’s all she has left. But when the promotion she was
promised goes to someone else, and her angry confrontation with her boss gets
her fired, Nora decides to remain behind to spend the winter alone in
Antarctica. She never expects that Amity Bay’s handsome station manager Alexei
Zaikov will show up at her door, determined to bring her in from the cold.
NB: Until recently, I was the most normal,
stable person you’d ever want to meet. I
grew up in a military family. My father was a colonel in the Air Force and we
lived all over the world. I was a good student, loved art, and never caused
trouble. I graduated from Stanford, was hired by one of the top firms in my
field, and was engaged to marry the man I loved. I did everything that was
expected of me, but life isn’t fair, and I lost all of it; my fiancé, my
career, my dreams. All gone. I guess there’s a story in that, though not one I
ever wanted to be part of.
RW: Can you tell us about your hero?
NB: For so long, the only man who mattered to me
was my fiancé, Blake. We met in
college, and were engaged by the end of grad school. Three months before our
wedding, he drowned. In the two years since, I didn’t think I would ever be
attracted to another man. And then I came to Antarctica and met Alexei Zaikov. He’s
big, blond and handsome—the rugged, outdoorsy type that’s any woman’s dream.
But he’s also gentle and caring. That’s what I like most about him.
RW: What problems do you have to face and
overcome in your life?
NB: Right now, there’s a bit of confusion between
Alexei and me. Actually between me and everyone at Amity Bay. You see, Glacier
Ridge Lodge was built to replace the station, which is slated to be shut down
this year. It’s heartbreaking for the people who call Amity Bay home, and not
surprisingly, they resent the lodge. The problem is that they don’t know I
designed it. They think I’m my jerky ex-boss’s secretary and that I was fired
because I intervened when he chewing out one of the Amity Bay workers. They’ve welcomed me into their community. If
the truth comes out, they’ll hate me. Not only do I feel horrible about keeping
this from them, I feel horrible that my building is going spell the end of
Amity Bay.
RW: Do you expect your hero to help or is he the
problem?
NB: Unfortunately, Alexi is only making it harder.
He’s shown me so much kindness, and is willing to take our relationship slowly,
because he understands that I’m still getting over Blake’s loss. I hate keeping
this secret from him, especially because he was hurt by some woman back in
Russia who cheated on him. He wants to trust me, but I think he senses I’m not
being totally honest with him.
RW: Where do you live?
NB: Nowhere, at the moment. San Francisco was
part of my life with Blake, but living there without him is just sad. Glacier
Ridge Lodge is lovely, but it’s not a home either. As crazy as this sounds, if
I could live anywhere, it would be in Amity Bay, Antarctica. It’s a
warm-hearted little town in the middle of this vast, mysterious and beautiful
wilderness, and it’s the first place I’ve felt at home in a really long time.
RW: During what time period does your story take
place?
NB: Present day, in late April, which is the
start of wintertime in Antarctica.
RW: How are you coping with the conflict in your
life?
NB: (Laughs) Not too well! I’m a mess, because I’ve
come up with an idea for how to save Amity Bay, and I know it can work! I
learned so much on the Glacier Ridge Lodge project, I know I can lead this. But
to put the plan in motion, I have to tell everyone that I’m not a secretary,
but the evil genius responsible for the building that’s destroying their
community. If I tell the truth, will they hate me? Will I lose Alexei?
To
say I’m nervous about coming clean would be an understatement.
RW: Those are all the questions we have for you.
Thank you for speaking to us.
NB: Thank you.
Meet Elizabeth Harmon
Elizabeth
Harmon loves to read and write romances with a dash of different.
A
graduate of the University of Illinois, she has worked in advertising,
community journalism and as a freelance magazine writer. She feels incredibly
blessed to have a career that allows her to spend her days imagining “what if?”
and a loving family that keeps her grounded in the real world. Her debut novel,
Pairing Off is a 2016 RITA Award
Finalist.
An
adventurous cook, vintage home enthusiast, occasional actress, and entry-level
figure skater, Elizabeth makes her home in the Midwest, where life is good, but
the sports teams aren’t. She loves to hang out on her front porch, or at her
favorite local establishments, enjoy good food and wine, and talk writing with
anyone who will listen.
Heating It Up
A Tad More Plot
In Heating It Up,
a heart-warming novel of mistaken identity and forced proximity, widow Nora
Bradford and Russian adventurer Alexei Zaikov must work together to save their
small Antarctic town from being shut down—but will the truth about Nora’s role
in Amity Bay’s demise, doom their romance?
Excerpt
Slowly, Nora crawled from beneath the bed, then
sat with her back against the wall, too stunned to go any further. She was
alone. A squatter in Antarctica. Well,
she’d wanted to break some rules. Do something rash. Here was her chance. She
might even make history. Assuming she survived.
The thought made her laugh, but as her laughter
sputtered to an end, the oppressive silence of the huge empty lodge settled all
around. She buried her head in her hands. Oh
my God, what have I done?
The answer was the creak of footsteps on the
stairs.
Nora gasped and swallowed. Her heart raced and
moisture oiled her palms. She called out in a trembling voice. “Herbert? Mark?
Is that you?”
Without waiting for an answer, she raced from
the room. They were still here! It wasn’t too late! She could put this
ridiculous scheme behind her, and go back to San Francisco like a sane person.
Thank God!
“Hello! Hello! It’s Nora! I changed my mind! I’m
coming with you!”
No one was on the stairs, or in the lobby. Shit! They must have gone outside. She
could still catch them, if she hurried. She dashed across the lobby, slipping
in her socks on the polished wood floor.
“Wait! Don’t leave without me!”
Nora
burst out the front door, and onto the veranda. A blast of frigid wind sliced
through her sweater and stopped her in her tracks.
She stared down at the bay. Night was falling.
And the yacht was gone.
Follow Elizabeth:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/romanzwrter_grl
Goodreads
Author Page: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23440537-elizabeth-harmon
BookLikes: http://elizabethharmon.booklikes.com
Amazon
Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B00RY9SY0S
Heating It Up is Available at:
Amazon
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Barnes
& Noble | iBooks
| Kobo
| Smashwords | Goodreads
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Rochelle, thanks for having me on the blog today, and letting Nora tell her story.
ReplyDeleteI greatly enjoyed meeting Nora, and it was good seeing you March 2 at Wine, Women & Words. Thanks so much for inviting me. I'm so glad we were able to fund both scholarships for Girls on the Run.
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