Character Spotlight ~ Robin Jones Gunn's Bryan Spencer & Carolyn

 Bryan & Carolyn

Prolific author, Robin Jones Gunn is back with a contemporary tale set in the Canary Islands.  Enjoy meeting her latest charaacters.  Over to you, Robin:~

Brief physical description

Bryan is a youthful, midlife single dad from southern California. His only son, Todd Spencer, will be familiar to Christy Miller readers, since Todd is THE Todd in the Christy Miller series and the College Years series.

Carolyn is a young widow who feels like she fades into the background with her medium height and light brown hair.

Actor/famous person

Bryan resembles Dennis Quaid

Carolyn resembles Natasha Richardson but with darker hair

Strengths and weaknesses

Bryan: adventuresome, tender heart  - weakness: avoids conflict

Carolyn: cares deeply for others, is creative  -  weakness: doesn't take care of herself

Your inspiration for the character

I’ve often heard writers talk about how they “hear” their characters’ voices as they’re writing. I know that’s true because that often happens when I’m working on a story.  Katie seems to have one of the loudest voices in my head, but then, that’s no surprise considering her larger than life personality.

With “Canary Island Song” something different happened. I “saw” a character suddenly show up at the end of a chapter. It was Bryan Spencer. There he was, at Abuela’s birthday party, sitting across from Carolyn as if he belonged there.  That’s when I realized he did.

Here’s the interesting part. I had already written the first draft of this book and the hero was a man named Gabriel who was from the Canary Islands. He was nice and interesting but didn’t bring a lot of WOW to the book. I received all the reviews from my editors and first-draft readers and went back to work.  When I got to the birthday party scene, I was rewriting the part where Carolyn looks up to see who was seated across the table from her and in my imagination I “saw” Bryan Spencer’s face and his steady, closed lip grin.  That’s when I knew Carolyn had been pursued by the wrong man in the first version of the book!  Gabriel needed to go find himself another woman. Carolyn and Bryan were perfect for each other.

I then went through and changed the whole book with Bryan as the hero. The story came alive. I couldn’t write fast enough. It was so fun to turn in the revision and hear the chorus of “YES!” from my editors and reader.  Ahhh, love between the right two people is always such a beautiful thing to watch.

Background to the story

When I visited the Canary Islands off the coast of West Africa a few years ago with my writer friend Anne deGraaf we had several extraordinary experiences. We took Flamenco Dance Lessons from a lovely instructor, Lydia, who invited us into her home and spoke affirming, life-giving words as she taught us to "dance from the stomach up".  We visited the church where Christopher Columbus prayed before setting sail for the New World and we went for a camel ride!

The most precarious part of the camel ride is getting on and feeling the beast tip way forward and then way back as he stands under the burden of two women placed on his back.  Once we were in motion I loved the rolling feel of the ride. It was soothing and hypnotic.

After having all these amazing experiences in the Canary Islands I knew that one day I had to try to fit some of the details into a story. "Canary Island Song" is that story and I offer it to readers with a prayer that many of them, just like Carolyn, will "get your heart back".

Thanks for sharing, Robin :)

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Review of Under A Maui Moon

Character spotlight on Carissa

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Under A Maui Moon by Robin Jones Gunn ~ Tracy's Take

Publisher’s Synopsis:

Carissa doesn't know who she is anymore. She and her husband, Richard, are recent empty nesters; Richard is spending more and more time at work counseling his volatile clients and less time at home with his wife; his clients are starting to show up at the house at night causing Carissa to feel scared in her own home; and to top it all off, Carissa's boss informs her that she's been "let go." She wonders where God is in all of this since He doesn't seem to be around to protect her—and she's already stopped trusting her husband.

In the midst of her world tilting off center, she's offered time at a hideaway on Maui. Hiding seems like the best way to respond to life's overload, and the thought of being alone sounds like just the right balm to soothe her wounded heart.

The languid Hawaiian sun, white beaches, and warm-hearted people bring respite, but meeting handsome Kai causes Carissa to toy with the idea of being romantically involved with him. Then, under a Maui moon, she looks to God for guidance and hope for the future. That's when she discovers His hand still is on her life, and that love is closer than she ever realized.

What I thought:

‘Under a Maui Moon’ is a splendid example of Robin Jones Gunn’s talent and skill, as she takes you on a journey to paradise, with trouble brewing just under the surface.

With a strong character-driven story, I was immediately invested in the outcome of the challenges Carissa faces. She is such an authentic and realistic character, making this novel difficult to put down. I admired Carissa’s brave choice to spend some time on her own all the way across the Pacific in order to find some perspective for all that was swirling around her. Whilst I’m not sure I would have made such an adventurous decision, Robin demonstrates that God is in the unusual moments of life and uses what is around us to point us in the right direction.

Robin Jones Gunn uses Carissa’s experiences to illuminate God’s gentleness and love for us, with a softly delivered rebuke and healing of an injured heart. When we truly seek Him in all circumstances of life, He will guide us.

With thanks to Wynn~Wynn Media for Tracy's review copy

Guest reviewer:~ My friend Tracy from Beyond My Picket Fence

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Character spotlight on Carissa

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Special Saturday Spotlight ~ Robin Jones Gunn's Carissa Lathrop

Carissa

Prolific author, Robin Jones Gunn, invites readers to join her at one of her favourite places in the world in her latest novel, Under A Maui Moon ~ the beautiful islands of Hawai'i. Enjoy this insight into her lead character, Carissa Lathrop.

Over to you, Robin:~

Brief physical description

I often cut out pictures of intriguing looking people when I find them in magazines and catalogs. (Yes, this does sometimes drive my husband crazy when he picks up an Eddie Bauer catalog and finds a few pages missing because the polo shirt he was looking for happened to be on the model I just decided would make a stellar hero in a future novel.) I keep a file of all these cut outs and line them up for interviews whenever it’s time to work on my next book. I know I’m not the only author who does this. What would readers think if they knew we spent a serious day at work playing with paper dolls and using a glue stick to arrange them in a binder?

For Carissa Lathrop in “Under a Maui Moon” I selected a picture of a woman out of a J. Jill catalog because she looked so normal; 5’5”, brown hair, dark eyebrows, serene expression, straight nose. She reminded me of Katharine Ross from Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. So, of course, when I made that connection, I had to watch the bicycle riding scene from the film to remember how she laughed and carried herself. It’s all research, right?

Strengths and weaknesses

Carissa is hard working, organized, pensive and poetic. Her soul wound is that her father left when she was 12. In the new empty-nest season of life she feels disconnected from her husband and needs to get her heart back.

Your inspiration for the character

Carissa is a compilation of several women I know and was future inspired by a lot who have written to me over the years and shared their hurts with me. I’m not good at offering advice or direction to those women but I listen and take in what they tell me. Then I sort of work out a possible life solution to those real life challenges by creating a compilation character who is going through the same problems. I literally watch as the story unfolds in order to see how the imaginary character faces the same issues and comes out with her heart tender to God. That’s always my objective. Not that the problems are necessarily solved, but that the character’s heart is softened and they turn to the Lord.

Background to the story

My husband is a counselor so a lot of his life experience influenced the opening of the story. And of course, I set Under a Maui Moon on the island of Maui because I LOVE Maui and spend as much time in the Hawaiian Islands as I can. In the back of the book I posted photos of the last time our family stayed at the real campground near Hana that is described in the book. I also included photos of the Bishop Chapel on Oahu where I spoke several years ago to 450 Hawaiian students about the history of Ka’ahumanu. That real life experience became a pivotal part of the ending of the book.

Over the years I’ve developed some wonderful friendships on the islands with some women sho work in the museums and teach at the schools. One of those women, Kahu Kathy Weaver, was an invaluable source of information as I was developing this story. (photo attached) We’re pictured together here at the Mission Houses Museum on the island of O’ahu.

On the homepage of my website www.robingunn.com I’ve posted a video my son took a few years ago at the waterfall pools described in the book.

On my facebook page I’ve posted an album of all my favorite places in Hawai’i.

Also, I’d love to invite readers to sign up for my newsletter at www.robingunn.com and find out about my next destination novel and when it will release.

Robin ~ thanks for sharing your thoughts and personal photos with us!

On Monday the spotlight shines on Mary Ellis' Rene & Jonathon from The Way to A Man's Heart.

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Secrets by Robin Jones Gunn

Synopsis:~

Jessica ran from her past...but can she hide from love?

Jessica Morgan wants desperately to forget the past and begin a new life. She chooses a small, peaceful town tucked away in Oregon's Willamette Valley as the place to start over-Glenbrooke. Once there, Jessica conceals her identity from the intriguing personalities she meets-including the compassionate paramedic who desires to protect her and the jealous woman who wants nothing more than to destroy her.

Will Jessica's deceit ruin all hope for the future? Or will she find a deeper peace that allows her to stop hiding the truth from those who love her most of all?

My take:~

I first read Secrets back when it initially released, along with each one of the Glenbrooke series, and loved them all. Reading Secrets again with its fabulous new cover was a lot of fun but I have to say Christian fiction has evolved since the mid 90s. Secrets is a sweet story of a young woman trying to escape her past and finding love in the beautiful town of Glenbrooke. Robin provides a great escape for those who prefer their fiction simple and not laden with complexities of characterisation or plot. Sweetly done!

With thanks to Waterbrook Multnomah for my review copy

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Buy Robin's books at Amazon or Koorong

Peculiar Treasures by Robin Jones Gunn ~ Chloe-Anne's Take

Katie Weldon doesn’t know where her relationship stands with Rick, there is something holding Katie back but she doesn’t know what … could it have to do with the past and forgiveness?

At her best friend Christy Miller’s wedding, Katie catches the bouquet and the eye of Julia … who is the woman’s president director of crown hall at Rancho Corona University. Julia thinks Katie would be great for the RA job and doesn’t have to do much convincing to get Katie to take up the offer. In taking this job Katie has to support and be there for the girls in the dorm, will she be able to look after these girls and deal with her own problems?

Even though Katie is extremely busy she still learns to trust in God and to ask him for his help when it is needed.

Peculiar Treasures is a marvellous read. When I first picked up the book and realised it was on Katie Weldon I was a bit wary of how it would turn out. I had previously read some of the Christy Miller series and loved Christy so much that I thought it would be hard to do it on a different character. Now I think differently, I absolutely loved Katie’s character even more so than Christy.

I love that even though Katie is already a Christian, she still seems to grow in her faith and learn new things about God everyday. Robin Jones Gunn did a fantastic job on Peculiar Treasures, I can’t wait to read the sequel.

Guest Reviewer: teen Chloe~Anne