Clear As Day by Babette James
Published: April 4, 2012
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Genre: Contemporary Romance
What's a girl to do when her summer lover wants forever?
Haunted by dark memories of her parents' volatile marriage, artist Kay Browning keeps her heart locked behind a free-spirit facade and contents herself with the comfortable affair she has every summer with easygoing photographer Nate Quinn.
The only trouble with her plan? This summer Nate's come to Lake Mohave to claim the lover he can't let go. He's done with the endless traveling and settling for temporary homes and temporary loves. Kay's always been more than just a vacation fling, and now he must convince this woman, who sees love as a course to certain heartbreak, to take that leap of faith and learn how safe love with the right man can be.
Guest Post by Babette James:
Thanks so much for letting me visit here today and share a little about my debut novel, Clear As Day, a sweetly scorching contemporary romance about two friends with benefits facing the fears and uncertainties of their changing relationship.
Clear As Day began as a short story years back when I was in college, an exercise featuring the desert setting of Lake Mohave, a reservoir downstream from the Hoover Dam formed out of stretch of the Colorado River by the Davis Dam. I grew up in Southern California and I’ve always had a love of the deserts of the Southwest, particularly the areas of Lake Havasu and Lake Mohave, and even took a college class on desert biology. I loved the juxtaposition of the stark, hot landscape with the cool waters and wanted to play with that particular setting. I’m delighted with my cover and how it shares some of the area’s unique beauty.
But a story needs more than a setting, and my artist character Kay appeared in her lakeside campsite as the sole first person point of view, already independent, reserved, and commitment-shy. Then the man who would become easy-going, globetrotting photographer Nate showed up to disrupt her careful, comfortable rut in life. I never quite found a place for Clear As Day in its short story form, but never gave up on it, and two years ago took on the experiment of expanding the little original story first into a novella.
The expansion was an interesting experience. The simple friends-with-benefits relationship proved not so simple and from there exploded the beginnings of their conflict, love story, and their tight-knit group of friends. I had fun with the story, adding in bits of my family’s trips to the river, other camping and fishing experiences, and my own enjoyment of watercolors, music, photography, and the desert. Kay’s viewpoint changed from first person to third. The biggest change and challenge was adding in Nate’s viewpoint, and once I did that, the story just bloomed into the full novel length it is now. I had to explore the whys of all the characters and asking one question led to another and more.
Clear As Day was no longer a just scenic location and simple moment in time between two occasional lovers, but a full story world with a crowd of interesting secondary characters, and all the characters’ lives intersecting and affecting one another. Not only did I have to ask what has happened in just Kay’s and Nate’s backstories to bring them to the story’s point in time, I needed to explore their friends’ lives, and additionally, ask what happened next to all of them, after Kay and Nate reached their point of happily ever after. I found that the story of Kay and Nate and their friends had not ended, but had more still to tell. I’m currently hard at work on the sequel and other friends will be joining Kay and Nate in falling in love at the river.
I loved writing Clear As Day, it’s been a story of my heart in many ways, so seeing this story published is a dream come true. Receiving the 4 1/2 star scorcher review from Romantic Times and being able to hold my book in my hands have been truly thrilling moments. I hope you enjoy Nate and Kay’s journey to love as much as I have.
What’s your favorite summertime or vacation location? Babette will be giving away an eBook copy of Clear As Day to one lucky commenter. Please leave your e-mail address with your comment.
About the author:
Babette James writes contemporary and fantasy romance and loves reading nail-biting tales with a satisfying happily ever after. When not dreaming up stories, she enjoys playing with new bread recipes and dabbling with paints. Babette is a member of New Jersey Romance Writers, where she has served on the Board. She is also a Pro member of Romance Writers of America, and the Fantasy, Futuristic & Paranormal, Celtic Hearts, and ESPAN Chapters of RWA, Liberty States Fiction Writers, and Romance Divas. As a teacher, she loves encouraging new readers and writers as they discover their growing abilities. Her class cheers when it’s time for their spelling test! Born in New Jersey and raised in Southern California, she’s had a life-long love of the desert and going down the shore. Babette now lives in New Jersey with her wonderfully patient husband and three extremely spoiled cats.
You can find out more about Babette James and how to connect with her on her website.
Giveaway:
One winner will receive an eBook of Clear As A Day by Babette James.
How to enter:
Leave a comment answering the question posted above by Babette.
Giveaway details:
Giveaway is open internationally. Giveaway will be open until midnight EST on May 18th. Winner will be chosen using random.org. Winner will be emailed, and this blog post will be updated to show the winner. Winner has three days to respond or a new winner will be selected.
Winner: Pragya
Clear As Day began as a short story years back when I was in college, an exercise featuring the desert setting of Lake Mohave, a reservoir downstream from the Hoover Dam formed out of stretch of the Colorado River by the Davis Dam. I grew up in Southern California and I’ve always had a love of the deserts of the Southwest, particularly the areas of Lake Havasu and Lake Mohave, and even took a college class on desert biology. I loved the juxtaposition of the stark, hot landscape with the cool waters and wanted to play with that particular setting. I’m delighted with my cover and how it shares some of the area’s unique beauty.
But a story needs more than a setting, and my artist character Kay appeared in her lakeside campsite as the sole first person point of view, already independent, reserved, and commitment-shy. Then the man who would become easy-going, globetrotting photographer Nate showed up to disrupt her careful, comfortable rut in life. I never quite found a place for Clear As Day in its short story form, but never gave up on it, and two years ago took on the experiment of expanding the little original story first into a novella.
The expansion was an interesting experience. The simple friends-with-benefits relationship proved not so simple and from there exploded the beginnings of their conflict, love story, and their tight-knit group of friends. I had fun with the story, adding in bits of my family’s trips to the river, other camping and fishing experiences, and my own enjoyment of watercolors, music, photography, and the desert. Kay’s viewpoint changed from first person to third. The biggest change and challenge was adding in Nate’s viewpoint, and once I did that, the story just bloomed into the full novel length it is now. I had to explore the whys of all the characters and asking one question led to another and more.
Clear As Day was no longer a just scenic location and simple moment in time between two occasional lovers, but a full story world with a crowd of interesting secondary characters, and all the characters’ lives intersecting and affecting one another. Not only did I have to ask what has happened in just Kay’s and Nate’s backstories to bring them to the story’s point in time, I needed to explore their friends’ lives, and additionally, ask what happened next to all of them, after Kay and Nate reached their point of happily ever after. I found that the story of Kay and Nate and their friends had not ended, but had more still to tell. I’m currently hard at work on the sequel and other friends will be joining Kay and Nate in falling in love at the river.
I loved writing Clear As Day, it’s been a story of my heart in many ways, so seeing this story published is a dream come true. Receiving the 4 1/2 star scorcher review from Romantic Times and being able to hold my book in my hands have been truly thrilling moments. I hope you enjoy Nate and Kay’s journey to love as much as I have.
What’s your favorite summertime or vacation location? Babette will be giving away an eBook copy of Clear As Day to one lucky commenter. Please leave your e-mail address with your comment.
About the author:
Babette James writes contemporary and fantasy romance and loves reading nail-biting tales with a satisfying happily ever after. When not dreaming up stories, she enjoys playing with new bread recipes and dabbling with paints. Babette is a member of New Jersey Romance Writers, where she has served on the Board. She is also a Pro member of Romance Writers of America, and the Fantasy, Futuristic & Paranormal, Celtic Hearts, and ESPAN Chapters of RWA, Liberty States Fiction Writers, and Romance Divas. As a teacher, she loves encouraging new readers and writers as they discover their growing abilities. Her class cheers when it’s time for their spelling test! Born in New Jersey and raised in Southern California, she’s had a life-long love of the desert and going down the shore. Babette now lives in New Jersey with her wonderfully patient husband and three extremely spoiled cats.You can find out more about Babette James and how to connect with her on her website.
Giveaway:
One winner will receive an eBook of Clear As A Day by Babette James.
How to enter:
Leave a comment answering the question posted above by Babette.
Giveaway details:
Giveaway is open internationally. Giveaway will be open until midnight EST on May 18th. Winner will be chosen using random.org. Winner will be emailed, and this blog post will be updated to show the winner. Winner has three days to respond or a new winner will be selected.
Sorry! This giveaway is now over.
Winner: Pragya
My favorite vacation location is wherever in Florida my older daughter is. Currrently they are in a little town between Daytona and Orlando. There's lots to do there - the beach one way and Disney the other!
ReplyDeleteSomewhere cold. Since I'm in India, it's some hill station, maybe Shimla or Dalhousie.
ReplyDeletepragyasharma_100@yahoo.co.in
Good Morning! I'm delighted to be here today and share a little about Clear As Day.
ReplyDeleteMY favorite place growing up was my parents cabin in Mackay Idaho. There was so much to do: swimming in the river, fishing hiking, basically anything outdoors. So I think that's my favorite spot to vacation!!!
ReplyDeletebridget.howard@hotmail.com
Germany! We go every other summer because that's where I was born and raised half my life. ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT!! =)
ReplyDeletetamara_beard@yahoo.com
Hi, Eve, I love visiting Florida and I'm setting part of the sequel to Clear As Day there.
ReplyDeleteHi, Pragya, escaping to the cool mountains during a hot summer always sounds wonderful!
Hi, Bridget, that sounds great. I loved camping with my family.
Hi, Tamara, I've always wanted to visit Germany someday.
It is anywhere my motorhome takes me. We have 2 dogs, who travel with usand enjoy the adventures we go on. I like gambling in Tunica, MS the best. suzyrph@charter.net
ReplyDeleteAnywhere sunny and warm. With a beach. Ireland has rain all year round so it's nice to get away from it. I loved Tenerife
ReplyDeleteyleacy(at)yahoo(dot)ie
Any urban city with a nice beach would be my favorite summer place. I need to be near a large city but I love the beach.
ReplyDeleteleanna.hiner@gmail.com
anyplace urban with a beach. I need to be near a large city and I love the beach.
ReplyDeleteleanna.hiner@gmail.com
Traveling in a motor home with your dogs sounds fun, Suzanne!
ReplyDeleteHi, Yvonne, it's been chilly here today, so I'm feeling very ready for sunny and warm. I would love to make it over to Ireland someday.
Hi, Leanna. That's a good way to have a relaxing getaway with all the conveniences.
I like France as a vacation spot.
ReplyDeletebn100candg(at)hotmail(dot)com
I used to love going to Lake George in upstate New York. It was so calm and beautiful.
ReplyDeleteLmackesy @ gmail.com
Hi, BN! Oh, yes, food, wine, art, history--France would be lovely.
ReplyDeleteHmm, I really don't get vacations, but I have to travel for work and attend conferences in other cities. I have really enjoyed my trips to Asheville, NC especially during the autumn months with the changing foliage. But my most favorite "vacation" was when I lived in Paris for 3 months while studying at a university there. I took weekend trips all over Europe and had the time of my life.
ReplyDeletebas1chsemail at gmail dot com
Hmm, my comment didn't save...
ReplyDeleteI don't usually take vacations but I do get to make lots of trips for business and conferences so I always try to add a few days to those. I really enjoy Asheville, NC in the autumn when the colors are changing. Other than that, my most favorite "vacation" was when I lived in Paris for three months while studying at a university. I was able to take weekend trips all over Europe. C'est la vie!
Hi, Bas. I love the colors of autumn. That must have been wonderful to spend three months in Paris.
ReplyDeleteSummer to me means the beach so my favorite summertime activity/location would be at the beach with friends and family and a picnic along too. We go as often as we can - it's in the next town over. We even buy a non resident beach sticker and get our money back with less than 6 weekend visits.
ReplyDeleteIf I had to pick an actual location for vacation I have several favorites - Italy, Hawaii and Las Vegas to name a few.
Thanks for sharing. Look forward to reading your debut novel!
jbcweiss AT sbcglobal DOT net
Love anywhere with a beach - we go as often as we can to the beach the next town over from us. We even buy a non resident beach sticker that pays for itself with 6 weekend trips to the beach.
ReplyDeleteBest of both worlds - close to home and doesn't cost much.
Thanks for sharing. I look forward to reading your debut novel.
Hi Jbc, thanks! I always loved family get-togethers down at my grandparents' shore house and being able to walk to the beach.
ReplyDeleteI love anywhere with a beach, so I absolutely love going to Hawaii or Florida
ReplyDeleteHi, Lacey, sounds wonderful. It's gray and damp here today.
ReplyDeleteLove the sound of your book Babette!
ReplyDeleteHi, Calisa, thanks so much!
ReplyDeleteThat's a tough question, since my family likes to go and explore different places. Though my daughters always want to go beach-ward, my husband and I enjoy going to the mountains to go for long hikes. One of the most beautiful places in the world is Hawks Nest State Park in West Virginia. It's full of breathtaking natural beautiful, streams, waterfalls, majestic mountains, and is just a boat ride away from a scenic up-view of the New River Gorge bridge. Rebecca beittelrebecca@yahoo.com
ReplyDeleteOur favorite place is Neskowin, Oregon. The kids find sea stars and sand dollars in the tide pools. We go there as an extended family each year:)
ReplyDeletebchild5 at aol dot com
Hi, Rebecca, it sounds gorgeous.
ReplyDeleteHi, BrendaJean. That's fun! I used to love exploring tidal pools when I was a kid in Southern California.