Amanda Cabot is the bestselling author of After the Shadows and Against the Wind, as well as several historical and contemporary romance series, including Mesquite Springs, Cimarron Creek Trilogy, Texas Crossroads, Texas Dreams, and Westward Winds. Her books have been finalists for the ACFW Carol Awards, the HOLT Medallion, and the Booksellers’ Best. She lives in Wyoming.
In this interview, Amanda shares some of her thoughts regarding her latest novel, Into the Starlight.
FF: Can you please provide a brief summary of your novel, Into the Starlight?
Here’s my ten-second teaser: Who would have guessed that a spinster’s visit to Sweetwater Crossing would change the course of her nephew and a lovely pianist’s lives and resolve a decades-old mystery?
FF: What makes your Secrets of Sweetwater Crossing Series stand out from your other series?
Two things make this unique. First, it’s the first time I’ve dealt with sibling relationships in a blended family, and secondly, it’s the first time I’ve had an overarching mystery that’s not resolved until the final book.
FF: Each book in the Secrets of Sweetwater Crossing Series focuses on a different sister in the Vaughn family. Can you please tell readers about Joanna, the middle sister in the Vaughn family?
Joanna has the basic insecurity of a middle child, feeling as if she’s not as special as her sisters, when in reality it’s simply that her talents are different from theirs.
FF: Dr. Burke Finley is not from Sweetwater Crossing. How did he come to reside in this town?
Burke has no intention of staying in Sweetwater Crossing longer than the two weeks that he’s promised his uncle’s fiancée, but you know what they say about best-laid plans.
FF: Both Joanna and Burke have baggage from their past. How does this affect their relationship and how are they able to move beyond their problems?
Like most of us, their past has shaped them. The challenge they face is recognizing that while they cannot change the past, they must not let it prevent them from enjoying the present and planning for the future.
FF: Into the Starlight is a story of friendship and family that also contains an element of mystery. What is your secret for blending these elements to create a captivating story that your fans will love?
No secret, just a lot of careful plotting to ensure that no one element dominates the story.
FF: What do readers have to look forward to as you conclude the Secrets of Sweetwater Crossing Series?
I’m excited about my Sisters of the Heart trilogy which features three women who are closer than many women who share DNA. The first book, Echoes of Sunrise, will be available in early 2025.
FF: Are there any threads that run through the whole series that will be wrapped up in this book?
This final book completes the sisters’ reunion and—more importantly—answers the question of what happened to Clive Finley.
FF: The Secrets of Sweetwater Crossing Series takes place in 1800s Texas. What do you enjoy about writing books set in the historical South?
Besides the pleasure of writing about a particularly beautiful part of Texas, I enjoy setting my books in what many believe to be a simpler time. It wasn’t necessarily simpler, but it was different from 21st-century America. Weaving those differences into my stories is great fun for me as an author, and judging from readers’ reactions, they enjoy it too.
FF: What do you hope readers will gain from reading Into the Starlight?
My prayer as I write each book is that my stories will touch readers’ hearts and deepen their faith.
Into the Starlight
Secrets of Sweetwater Crossing Series #3
Amanda Cabot
Revell
Genres: Historical Romance, Amish Romance
Release Date: July 16, 2024
ISBN-10: 0800740661
ISBN-13: 978-0800740665
Book Summary:
Neither of their lives has turned out the way they planned–and they certainly never planned on each other
After more than a year in Europe, Joanna Vaughn returns to Sweetwater Crossing, her dreams of becoming a concert pianist shattered. As if that wasn’t enough, her husband, whom she married after a whirlwind courtship, has died. The only thing sustaining her on the journey back to Texas is the thought of her childhood home. But to Joanna’s dismay, the place she once loved no longer feels like home.
When personal and professional crises throw his entire future into question, Dr. Burke Finley believes it’s time for a change. A quick trip to Sweetwater Crossing with his almost-aunt Della Samuels turns into an extended stay to discover what happened to his uncle and her would-be husband. But the beautiful and musical Joanna makes it more than bearable.
As the two join forces to help Della, there is no denying the attraction felt on both sides. But ghosts from the past are coming to call–and threatening to destroy any chance at happily-ever-after.
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