Irene Hannon is the bestselling and award-winning author of more than 60 contemporary romance and romantic suspense novels. In addition to her many other honors, she is a three-time winner of the prestigious RITA Award from Romance Writers of America. She is also a member of RWA’s elite Hall of Fame and has received a Career Achievement Award from RT Book Reviews for her entire body of work.
In this interview, Irene talks with us about her latest book, Sandcastle Inn, book number ten in the A Hope Harbor Novel Series.
FF: Can you please provide a brief summary of your novel, Sandcastle Inn?
When a man struggling to recover from a tragic loss and a woman still reeling from an unplanned career detour join forces to save a floundering inn on the Oregon coast, might they also discover that hope and healing can sometimes be found in the most unexpected places?
FF: Your first Hope Harbor novel was released in 2015. How many Hope Harbor novels have you written so far?
Sandcastle Inn is the tenth Hope Harbor Series novel—with more to come!
FF: What is the common denominator for all of your Hope Harbor novels?
The charming seaside town of Hope Harbor on the Oregon coast is the glue that holds the series together. Every book features a new cast of main characters, and the story begins and ends in each book. There are no hanging plot threads from book to book, so a reader new to the series can pick up any book and feel right at home.
FF: Why did you choose to set your Hope Harbor novels in Oregon?
I’d always wanted to set a series in a small seaside town, and from the dramatic coastline photos I’d seen of Oregon I thought it would be the perfect place for a series filled with romance, drama, humor, and hope. So before I wrote the first book, I traveled to Oregon and drove the coast from top to bottom. Many of the things I saw are woven into the fabric of my little fictional town.
FF: What was the inspiration for your newest novel, Sandcastle Inn?
I thought it would be fun to write a story centered around a B&B that was in trouble, and I also wanted to explore a somewhat trouble mother/daughter relationship. That led me to Sandcastle Inn.
FF: Both of your protagonists, Vienna Price and Matt Quinn, come to Hope Harbor for very different reasons and neither have plans to stay long term. Can you provide some insight into their backstory?
Vienna has had a major career setback that has thrown her off the trajectory she embarked on early in her career. She comes to Hope Harbor to visit her mom and regroup. Matt is a veterinarian with a successful practice in San Francisco, but he’s suffered a devastating trauma and needs time to regroup. So he visits his sister, who’s purchased a B&B in Hope Harbor—only to find a mess waiting for him.
FF: What are some of the main themes covered in Sandcastle Inn and what do you hope readers will gain from reading your book?
Starting over, changing course, coming to terms with a troubled family relationship, and dealing with unexpected setbacks in life are just some of the themes explored in this novel. I hope readers who are experiencing any of these challenges will find a few insights in the book that will help them cope.
FF: Where can readers purchase a copy of Sandcastle Inn?
Sandcastle Inn can be purchased wherever books are sold. It’s available in multiple formats, including audio.
FF: What are you working on next?
I’m working on book 11 in the Hope Harbor Series (April 2025), and looking forward to the release of book 2 in my Undaunted Courage romantic suspense series, which will release in October 2024.
Sandcastle Inn
A Hope Harbor Novel Series #10
Irene Hannon
Revell
Genres: Romance, Contemporary
Release Date: April 2, 2024
ISBN-10: 0800741927
ISBN-13: 9780800741921
Book Summary:
Vienna Price never intended to return for more than a passing visit to Oregon and all the bad memories she’d left behind. But when your career tanks, home is where you go to nurse your wounds and chart a new course. Only temporarily, of course—because as much as she loves her quirky mom, anything more than a short stay would drive them both crazy.
A trip to Oregon isn’t in Matt Quinn’s plans, either, until a perfectly timed appeal for help arrives from his sister. What better place to decompress after a shattering loss than a quiet, seaside town named Hope Harbor? But R&R isn’t on the agenda when he arrives to find his sister’s new enterprise on life support.
Vienna, however, may have just the skills needed to resuscitate the foundering B&B—if Matt can convince her to hang around long enough to mend an inn…and his heart.
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