I’m very pleased to be hosting Harlequin author Geri Krotow on the blog today. Geri is an award-winning author whose 2007 debut, A Rendezvous to Remember, earned several awards, including the Yellow Rose of Texas Award for Excellence. Geri’s first novel as well as her second book, What Family Means, received critical acclaim from publications like The Chicago Tribune. She’s also had a very interesting personal life, as you’re about to find out.
You had a very distinguished career as a Naval Officer (thank you for your service to our country!). How did your training and service influence your writing?
You’re very welcome, and thanks for having me on your blog! My military background has made my writing more to-the-point, and I think my voice is cleaner as a result. But I had to work hard to go past “just the facts, ma’am” to be able to put real emotion on the page. The military doesn’t encourage random emotions! The military discipline has paid off in spades as getting into the chair and getting the words down regularly requires a tenacity I learned first-hand. The navy taught me to practice perseverance daily, which has helped me during times of rejection and career upheaval. I know that I can do it!
What can you tell us about your Whidbey Island series and your upcoming release?
My family lived on Whidbey Island for a total of five years during my husband’s career. I fell in love with the Pacific Northwest and was eager to use it as a setting for this series. The Navy series came about when my editor, Paula Eykelhof, suggested I draw from my experience and come up with a Navy story. I wanted more than anything to show an authentic slice of navy and military life. How the families live and struggle, and find hope no matter what. I’ve been on active duty and a navy spouse, so I’ve seen both sides of a tough coin. Our military families need and deserve all the support we can give them.
As a special treat, in NAVY ORDERS, the new release, there is a free chemo cap/TBI cap knitting pattern in the back. It was donated by Robin Celli and Schnapps, her Schnauzer, from Delaware Head Huggers, a non-profit that collects donations of knitted or crocheted caps. They’re at www.delawareheadhuggers.org
One of your older books has a WW II angle, and your publisher has asked you to write another WW II book. What can you tell us about that?
Yes, my first novel, A RENDEZVOUS TO REMEMBER, featured two parallel plots, contemporary and World War II in Belgium. World War II is a passion of mine and I happen to be married to a WWII expert of sorts, so it’s a natural fit for me. I love being able to honor the men and women world wide who sacrificed during this time period. I had a reader contact me earlier this year who had read NAVY RULES and wanted to tell me about how he’d served on Whidbey Island during WWII. I told my editor about it, and she suggested I think about doing a WWII book on Whidbey. NAVY CHRISTMAS will be a 2014 release and as with RENDEZVOUS it will have parallel plots. This time it will involve the War in the Pacific. It’s part of the Whidbey Island Series, so it will be interesting to see how it all ties together!
What else is going on in your writing life? Any more Whidbey Series books planned?
I just turned in NAVY RESCUE, a 2014 release (there will be 2 Whidbey Island books in 2014). As in NAVY ORDERS, it includes a mystery within the romance. When I started this journey so many years ago, I wrote romantic suspense. I’m back to my roots, but with more of a cozy mystery in each romance. I like to say that I’m throwing in a dead body! I’m going to be giving a workshop at RWA National, I’m on two panels at the Baltimore Book Festival in September, and I’ve already booked my hotel for RT2014 in New Orleans next year! Like all writers there are many, many characters clamoring for me to put them on the page in their own story.
Thanks so much for coming on the blog, Geri! For my readers today, Geri is giving away a copy of NAVY ORDERS. Just tell us what some of your favorite contemporary romance settings and series are. One person who comments will win the book!
And be sure to check out Geri’s website for excerpts and buy links!
My favorite contemporary romance books/series are: Wanted by Her Lost Love (Pregnancy & Passion, #2) by Maya Banks and The Tycoon’s Pregnant Mistress (Silhouette Desire, #1920) by Maya Banks!! I love the settings of the book and also the story. Modern and fresh..
Anyway, thank you for the giveaway and this amazing post!
Thanks for stopping by, Myra!
I don’t have any favourites. I enjoy the variety of all the settings, whether in a SuperRomance, a Desire, A Blaze, a medical, or whatever else I’m reading. To me, it is about HOW it is written … the flow of the words … the emotions those words evoke in me … but I will admit I just love witty banter in all of those books.
I love banter between the h/h too, Laney. Makes a book that much more fun!
I like Vannessa’s curveball/fastball series of course! I also love Susan Elizabeth Phillips’ series.
Thank you so much, May! Honored to be mentioned in the same breath with SEP!
I don’t have a favourite as long as it’s well written, with characters that I can connect with.
I don’t have a particular fav either. I’m currently making my way through Jill Shalvis’ Lucky Harbor series 🙂
Love that series, Erin!
no fav settings; like Abbi Glines’ Sea Breeze series
Dream Lake, by Lisa Kleypas.. also Jill Shavis.
Thanks for the give away.
I love just about anything written by those two, Cecilia!
I love a series – one of my current favorite contemporaries is Emily March’s Eternity Springs.
I love small town settings. Also military men! I have no in particular favorite series, love them all!
I love military men as heroes too, Sue!
I love finding new books!! I would love to win and read this book!! Thanks
I love Harlequin Presents and my favorite is something with royals.
I just love a good story.
Sounds like a good book! Adding it to my TBR list.
I’m enjoying the “The fancy lives of the Lear sisters” trilogy by Julia London. I also love Vanessa’s patriots series.
I enjoy all settings 🙂 I enjoy being transported to different eras, places and countries. I like the naval theme. It’s original 🙂
I like settings in smallish towns or communities within semi-big towns. Large metropolises don’t really interest me because I can’t relate. My absolute favorite setting so far is Robyn Carr’s Virgin River. The characters have a lot to do with the place to. Like in Jill Shalvis’s Lucky Harbor and Marie Force’s Gansett Island series.
I love a wide variety of settings, however I connect better with small-town settings. I like contemporaries as well as historicals, and lately I’ve gotten into sports-related (thank you Vanessa for feeding my baseball reading habit!). I also tend to read more of an author if there are books in a series. 🙂
I love contemporary settings and real life situations, especially those geared around military or first responders as the hero/heroine. I also have a soft spot for historical settings. Basically I’ll read anything unless it’s poorly written or reads like 1000 other stories written by the same person.
I’m in love with small town settings at the moment. No particular series comes to mind.
I love contemporary romances with real situations. I’m not particular about the setting. I think all settings from all over have some sort of story to tell.
I always enjoy settings in areas where I’ve not been so that I can learn about new places. I do like books set in the Southwest a lot because that’s where I’ve lived. But I also like to read about mountain areas.