by: Susan Sands
Series: Louisiana
Genre: Contemporary Romance/Women’s Fiction
Release Date: May 31, 2022
Publisher: Tule Publishing
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It’s not true that you can’t go home again, but do you want to?
Paris gallery owner Leah Bertrand returns to her historic, moss-draped Louisiana hometown to fulfill a deathbed promise to her friend and mentor. She’s been matched as a bone marrow donor to a stranger, yet the match is so close that doctors suspect a family relationship. But how? Leah’s family has always seethed with drama, but this visit home promises secrets as deep, dark, and mysterious as the water in Cypress Bayou. And then her ex arrives, and Leah realizes the feelings and secrets she buried years ago have come back to haunt her.
Dr. Jake Carmichael returns to Cypress Bayou after years away and is shocked to see Leah, his childhood sweetheart and first love, back in town and on his patient roster. The sparks still burn, but when he tries to discuss what went wrong and perhaps rebuild their relationship, Leah refuses.
Jake’s not ready to give up on their future together. But Leah fears she has even more to lose this time…
Hi Kim! I’m doing great. Thanks for having me on Read Your Writes today.
You are a new to me author. Though I’ve seen some of your books around. You’ve been described as a southern, contemporary women’s fiction author. Why do you choose to stick to the South for your settings?
I grew up in the deep South, Louisiana to be exact. A very tiny place in the middle of nowhere—which is definitely somewhere to those from there. (Did that rhyme?) All my childhood memories were shaped in small Southern towns. I live in the Atlanta suburbs now, but my imagination tends to go back to my roots when I brainstorm new projects.
Your new series from Tule Publishing is simply called Louisiana. What can you tell me about the series?
I’m a big fan of digging under the rocks in my books. The rocks being the things that seem pretty obvious and straightforward but when you look underneath, there’s always something more. You’ll rarely find a story of mine that doesn’t have some hint of mystery, suspense, or a journey, both emotional and physical. And I love second chance romances, so that thread is pretty prevalent in my novels as well. This series features two brothers and two sisters in the first two books. The third book would be spoiled if I told you who the heroine is and how she’s connected.
The first book is called Home to Cypress Bayou. Tell me about it.
Leah and Jake were childhood sweethearts with every intention of being together forever after Jake finished medical school. BUT, things didn’t quite go according to plan. Jake was finishing his residency as a medical doctor when Leah got an amazing job offer in Paris, so she figured while Jake did his thing, she would go and do hers. Without spoiling the many twists and turns this story takes them through, the two face the realities of living separate lives while trying to make things work an ocean away. And thanks to some small-town gossip and intentional interference, the seeds of doubt were planted, watered, and fertilized. But Leah comes home to donate bone marrow to an anonymous recipient, which means she also must face Jake again.
Leah returns to fulfill a deathbed promise, but she discovers more than she bargained for. This aspect of the story gives the story a little mysterious vibe. How did you plan for this, or did the direction the mystery take surprise you?
The original story was different, but there was always a secret Leah carried that Jake finds out later. The true mystery is what happens when someone out of the blue contacts the family threatening to reveal THE secret kept by Leah’s mom, Karen, and grandmother, Nana. It’s all about family, food, and forgiveness.
The door for a second chance at love opens, with both Leah and Jake returning to Cypress Bayou and realizing their attraction is still strong. Are you a huge fan of second chance romances?
Huge fan of second chances. I think everyone has that “what if” moment from sometime in their lives, even as a fantasy. What if they’d taken a different path, or made different choices.? This trope allows the reader to explore the what ifs.
Was there a moment when Leah and Jake’s story really came to life for you?
This was my very first book—ever. The one that sat under the bed for years. I continued to pine for it and vowed that one day it would see the light of day. So, this one has been simmering for a long time.
How many books do you plan on having in the Louisiana series, and will events/discoveries from each book carry over throughout the series?
This is my second series. In my first, the Alabama Series, each book can stand alone. In the Louisiana series, there are secrets revealed in every book that might spoil things if you read them out of order.
Susan, thank you so much for taking the time to answer some questions for me. Congratulations on the new release.
Thanks so much, Kim!! And thanks to everyone who takes the time to attend reader events. We appreciate your support!
CHAPTER ONE
Leah
I got the call at three o’clock in the afternoon. The number on my screen showed a US area code. As an expatriate living in Paris, incoming calls from “home” got answered even when I didn’t recognize the number—which I didn’t.
“Is this Leah Bertrand?” the caller spoke with a slow female drawl, a dead giveaway to her Southern heritage.
“Yes. How can I help you?” I was at the gallery sifting through invoices while there were no customers. Getting a stateside call, one from the South no less, put me on high alert for lots of reasons.
“This is Georgia Jones from the National Bone Marrow Registry. I’m the transplant coordinator for the southern US region. We’ve got a patient here who’s a match with your donor swab sample.” Her molasses twang slow-slid across the ocean, sounding exactly like the people in my North Louisiana hometown.
Georgia Jones paused for a breath, then continued, “We’re hoping you’d be willing to do further testing.”
Her words caught up to me. Wait, what? Bone marrow? “O-oh, bone marrow testing? The registry. Yes, what do you need me to do?” I began to catch on. It wasn’t a call I’d expected. Obviously. I’d only recently signed up for the registry.
“The first step will be a simple blood test at the same place you did the original cheek swab to see if your tissue matches.”
Georgia Jones had my full attention now. “Okay, I’m willing to have my blood tested.” I switched the phone from one ear to the other and shifted feet. “The medical office is a couple blocks from where I work.” This whole blood-drawing thing made my liver a bit lily-ish.
“That’s convenient. I have that information right here in front of me. I’ll send over the lab orders.” She rattled off the street names, mispronouncing them badly in broken Southern French.
I almost corrected her. I didn’t, but I cringed. Clearly, the woman didn’t speak French.
“I see on our records that you’re in Paris, France, so that could be a challenge, but you seem to be the only possible option for this patient.”
My first thought was, How sad for her. But Georgia Jones didn’t give me a chance to speak those thoughts. She powered ahead. “Since we’ve tried the US options for tissue matches and come up with none—” She paused. “How would you feel about an all-expenses-paid trip home?”
“Jake Carmichael’s face briefly flashed before my eyes, as it always did when the subject of Cypress Bayou came up. Which is probably why I hadn’t been back in quite a while.
“I—uh…” I tried not to choke on my past. “How soon would I need to travel?”
Excerpted from Home to Cypress Bayou by Susan Sands, Copyright © 2022 by Susan Sands. Published by Tule Publishing.
Purchase Home to Cypress Bayou from:
The Louisiana Series:
Secrets of Cypress Bayou releases August 16, 2022
Susan has published five southern, contemporary women’s fiction novels set in Alabama. She describes her humorous small-town stories as fun, romantic, and filled with big family love. Susan also writes authentic place-as-a-character southern fiction with a humorous voice in addition to her Alabama series.
Susan has three grown children and lives with her dentist husband in Roswell, GA. She has a degree in elementary education, is a member of the Georgia Romance Writers, the Romance Writers of America, the Atlanta Writer’s Club, Womens Fiction Writers of America (WFWA), and the Broadleaf Writers Association. She participates in book festivals, book clubs, and writer’s conferences around the South. Susan is the recipient of the 2017 Georgia Author of the Year award for romance.
Places to find Susan Sands:
I read this book and it is so good. I enjoyed your interview too.
ReplyDeleteThank you. The secrets in the book really sounds intriguing. I'm glad you liked it.
DeleteI can't wait to read the rest of the series.
DeleteGlad to hear you're looking forward to it.
DeleteI enjoyed this book
ReplyDeleteGlad you enjoyed it. It definitely does sound good.
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