California Homecoming by Casey Dawes -- Guest Blog and Giveaway

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Casey will be awarding a bottle of Santa Cruz Mountain Pinot Noir (a wine served in California Homecoming)(US ONLY) OR a $25 Amazon gift certificate (winner's choice) to a randomly drawn commenter during this tour and her Virtual Reviews Tour, as well as donating $20.00 to Fisher House in honor or memory of a serviceperson of the winner's choice. For each tour stop $5 will be donated to Fisher House in honor or memory of a serviceperson of the host’s choice.

A special welcome to Casey who is brave enough to share five things we probably wouldn't guess about her. Leave a comment and let us know how well she did :-)

You’d probably never guess… I have six children and nine grand-children. Only two of the children are biologically mine, the rest are all steps, or as I like to say, children and grand-children of my heart. Unfortunately, I rarely see any of them. We stay in touch via Facebook and infrequent phone calls. Everyone is growing way too fast! I’m proud of every single one of them.

How did all this happen? I married a few times…well, more than a few… It took me a long time to understand how relationships worked, why it was important to be realistic about the person I was considering as marriage and parent material, and what my part in a relationship needed to be. In fact, I’m still working on it.

You’d probably never guess… I have a master’s degree in theater from the University of Michigan. I was determined to make it in theater when I was young. My father was aghast--theater was not in his prescribed list of what women should do. As it turned out, I hate rejection and I left the occupation early on, although the boards still tempt me from time to time.

You’d probably never guess… One summer I moved from E. Glacier Park, Montana (population 379 at the time) to 42nd St. and 9th Avenue in New York City. I think the population of the building was more than 379! Yes, there was a man involved…

You’d probably never guess… I used to give speeches around the globe on how to make a mainframe database called DB2 perform faster. I even wrote a book about e-business software: Exploring IBM e-business Software. The miracle was that I stayed awake during the writing and editing of two editions of that book!

You’d probably never guess… I’m an introvert. Because of many years of giving speeches and working crowds as president of this or that, I appear comfortable around lots of people. When I learned that introvert/extrovert is defined as where you get energy, it all made sense. I can handle the crowds--but not for long. Then I need to take a break and be alone to recharge. During one of my marriages I was married to an extreme extrovert. It was hell on both of us!

Thanks, Casey! Now, enjoy an excerpt from California Homecoming:

Sunday morning Hunter pressed a shirt and put it on, along with his best khakis. He thought about picking up a bunch of flowers on the way, but laughed at himself. He was trying to find a room, not a relationship.

“Oh, it’s you again,” Sarah said when she opened the door, the dog standing next to her. She was frowning.

Against all reason, something about her made him want to scoop her up in his arms and hug her. Because her t-shirt and jeans were dripping with dust, cobwebs, and streaks of soap, it was probably a bad idea, but her short height and big brown eyes gave her an appealing elfin look. He’d always been a sucker for Eowyn in Lord of the Rings.

“I still don’t have any rooms,” Sarah continued and began to shut the door.

“Wait,” he said.

She stopped. “Why should I?”

He smiled. Considering their size difference, she really had no choice. But he bet she’d fight him with every ounce of her strength.

She’d probably fight like a girl -- nasty.

“This is an inn, isn’t it?” he asked.

She smirked at him. “It’s an unopened inn. No room. Get the picture?” She started to inch the door closed.

This time he shoved his foot in the gap. The swinging door clanked on his prosthetic.

Sarah gasped. “I’m so sorry!”

He grinned. “I’m not. It would have hurt a lot more on the other leg.”

When Sarah Ladina purchased an old Victorian in Costanoa with plans to turn it into a high-end destination inn, she had no idea life could get so complicated. Well, maybe she did. As an unwed pregnant woman who couldn’t cook, she had her work cut out for her. A good-looking disabled veteran, a doctor who orders modified bed rest, and an ex who’s trying to get back into her life make her wonder if she’ll ever be able to stand on her own and open the inn in time for her mother’s best friend’s wedding.

After returning from duty in the Middle East wounded in both body and spirit, Hunter Evans is in search of employment and a home, but finding a job has been tough and housing doesn’t come cheap in Costanoa, the town that he loves the most on the California Coast. Can he strike a deal with the pretty innkeeper to trade a room for handy work?

About the Author:

Author Casey Dawes lives and writes on the bank of the Clark Fork River in Montana with the love of her life and two cats who think they own the joint. To learn more about Casey, visit her website: www.stories-about-love.com.
Twitter: @CaseyDawesAutho
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/wisewomanshining
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Casey-Dawes/177311175677765
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GoodReads: http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/5313263-casey-dawes