Nicole Deese is a Christy Award and Carol Award-winning, bestselling author of hope-filled, humorous, and heartfelt contemporary romance novels. When she’s not sorting out character arcs and story plots of her own, she can usually be found.
In this interview, Nicole talks about her latest boo, The Roads We Follow.
FF: The Roads We Follow is the second book in a collection of Fog Harbor Romance Series full-length novels. Can you tell us a little more about this series concept, how closely the books are related, and how The Roads We Follow fits in?
Absolutely! The series concept for all three of the Fog Harbor Romance Series is to include a unique story thread that involves a sneak peek into the publishing world. While the first book in this series (The Words We Lost) featured an acquisitions editor on a quest to discover her late author’s final manuscript, The Roads We Follow delves into the world of an aspiring fiction author who writes in secret given the unique and complicated pressures of growing up as the daughter of a country music legend in Nashville, TN. Each book in the Fog Harbor Romance Series is a stand-alone read with a few minor connections that can be tracked through each story.
FF: If you had to choose five words to describe this story, particularly to readers, what would they be?
Adventure. Humor. Romance. Intrigue. Legacy.
FF: This book has it all—a sparky romance, some family drama, an epic road trip, and all the bookish details a reader curious about publishing could want. What are you most excited for readers to experience about this novel?
I’m most excited for my readers to experience the cross-country road trip! I think many of us can relate to the interesting and sometimes tense dynamics that develop under the strain of a close-quarters vacation with our family members. Now, imagine all the fun I had while writing a sparky romance into the mix!
FF: Can you give us a brief introduction of our two main characters—Raegan Farrow and Micah Davenport? What should readers know about these two?
Raegan is the youngest daughter of the incredibly talented and beloved country singer, Luella Farrow. Her two older sisters both have a role to play in the Farrow music label, while Reagan often feels like the “Cinderella” of the siblings, as she is usually the one to handle the family grunt work. She is also a brilliant, but secret, writer of fiction novels who has dreams far outside the confines of her family’s loyalty to the country music industry. She is kind, empathetic, funny, imaginative, helpful, and at times, an anxious overthinker.
Micah is the oldest brother of two and a loyal son to both his parents, which is why he is on a quest to discover the truth about the newly surfaced information pertaining to his family tree and to his own paternity. The best way he can think to get the answers he needs is to offer his driving services to a country music superstar and her family. Micah is quick-witted, even- tempered, wise, selfless, and at times, too impulsive for his own good.
FF: What is the continuing element through this collection of stories that ties all of them together in some way?
The main continuing element in this series is the fictional publishing house located in San Francisco, Fog Harbor Books, and the acquisitions editor who will be a contributing character in all three books, Chip Stanley.
FF: What led you to write a series based around a reputable publishing house and all the ins and outs of that particular industry?
I’ve always been intrigued by the many functions and faces that make up the publishing world as a whole, and I was eager to find a creative way to tie these storylines and characters together by using their common love, understanding, and passion for the written word within this fictional book series.
FF: What lessons can we learn from the characters in The Roads We Follow and their struggles?
I was inspired to layer in truths regarding the differences between peacekeeping and peacemaking, and also to address the challenges that come with speaking the truth in love to family and friends. It’s not always an easy road to travel.
FF: What aspect of this story did you enjoy writing the most?
As with most of my books, I enjoyed writing the romance most of all. There’s something so fun and special about developing a romantic journey from those first sparks of attraction into something deeply meaningful and right. I adore Raegan and Micah’s journey to love!
FF: What are you working on next?
I’m currently working on the first draft of the final book in the Fog Harbor Romance Series (coming soon)! Stay tuned for more!
The Roads We Follow
A Fog Harbor Romance Series #2
Nicole Deese
Bethany House
Genres: Romance
Release Date: April 30, 2024
ISBN-10: 0764241192
ISBN-13: 978-0764241192
Book Summary:
A cross-country road trip. A secretive box of journals. An unforgettable summer romance.
As the youngest daughter of a country music legend, Raegan Farrow longs to establish an identity away from the spotlight and publish her small-town romances under a pen name. But after her dream is dashed when she won’t exploit her mother’s fame to further her own career, she hears a rumor from a reliable source regarding a tell-all being written about the Farrow family. Making matters worse, the unknown author has gone to great lengths to remain anonymous until publication.
Raegan chooses to keep the tell-all a secret from her scandal-leery sisters as they embark on a two-week cross-country road trip at their mother’s request and makes it her mission to expose the identity of the author behind the unsanctioned biography. But all is complicated when she discovers their hired bus driver, Micah Davenport, has a hidden agenda of his own–one involving both of their mothers and an old box of journals. As they rely on each other to find the answers they seek, the surprising revelations they unearth will lead them down an unexpected road of love and reconciliation.
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