Thursday, June 30, 2016

Celebrate Canada Week - Aloha to Toni Anderson

The Canadian flag at the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic 
Image by Jared Grove (link)

I became a fan of Toni Anderson after reading DARK WATERS set in Canada's Barkley Sound. From her bio,

New York Times and USA Today international bestselling author, Toni Anderson, writes dark, gritty Romantic Suspense novels that have hit #1 in Barnes & Noble's Nook store, the Top 10 in Amazon and Kobo stores, and the Top 50 in iBooks. Her novels have won many awards.

A former Marine Biologist from Britain, she inexplicably ended up in the geographical center of North America, about as far from the ocean as it is possible to get. She now lives in the Canadian prairies with her Irish husband and two children and spends most of her time complaining about the weather.

Toni has no explanation for her oft-times dark imagination, and only hopes the romance makes up for it. She's addicted to reading, dogs, tea, and chocolate.


Learn more about Toni and her books at toniandersonauthor.com.


Kim: What is your favorite sight, sound, and smell of your part of Canada? 

Toni: This is tricky because I live on the cusp of the prairies and the Canadian shield. My favorite sight is probably that of huge fields of sunflowers. My favorite sound…the amazing array of songbirds we have. My favorite smell…the smell of lilac in the spring—it grows around here in mad profusion.

Kim: Can you share a unique Canadian saying or slang that resonates with you?

Toni:  I love using the term ‘tuque' for a hat :)

Kim: What would you recommend a reader to see, eat, or drink to enhance their travel experience to Canada?

Toni: In Manitoba they should go for a drive through the prairie fields to get a sense of the vastness of the place, and a feeling for how incredibly flat it is. They should stand on the edge of the Great Lakes and realize they are staring at freshwater. They should visit the Museum of Human Rights at the Forks in Winnipeg. 

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DARK WATERS remains one of my favorite reads ...

Sergeant Holly Rudd arrives in the coastal community of Bamfield after local divers discover a body with a knife jutting from its chest in the waters of Barkley Sound. As she investigates the crime, Holly soon realizes the sleepy town is rife with secrets. But what unsettles her most is the residents’ insistence that she bears a striking resemblance to the victim of a murder from three decades earlier. She shrugs off the uncanny likeness as a coincidence. But her simmering attraction to Finn Carver, one of the divers who discovered the corpse, isn’t so easy to ignore.

Finn, a former Special Forces soldier, knows it’s best to keep his distance from Holly. Yet it isn’t long before they both give in to the consuming desire they share. And as the danger escalates, Finn and Holly must rely on each other to thwart the plans of a cold-blooded killer who’s intent on keeping the past buried.

Motor Lifeboat in Barcley Sound, 1907
Public Domain (link)

I am giving away a book choice from my convention stash. To enter the giveaway,

1. Leave a comment about the Pacific Northwest - what do you know about it?

2. Comments are open through Saturday, July 2, 10 pm in Baltimore.

3. I'll post the winner on Sunday, July 3.

Mahalo,

Kim in Baltimore
Aloha Spirit in Charm City

Long Beach, British Columbia
Public Domain (link)

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23 comments:

  1. My sister's brother in law lives in the Vancover area and have visited them. The gardens are amazing!

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  2. I have a few friends that live in the Pacific Northwest but other than the pictures they post, I've never been there.

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  3. Absolutely nothing. Aside from pictures or what others say.
    Sounds like a fascinating read.
    Carol L
    Lucky4750 (at) aol (dot) com

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  4. Thanks, Kim! Happy Canada Day tomorrow!!

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  5. I've never been but my husband lived in Washington State and always said it was his favorite place (they moved around a lot).

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  6. I really know nothing.
    Patty B

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  7. I've read lots of books set in the Pacific Northwest, but I've never been there - would love to visit

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  8. I don't know anything.
    Ladbookfan

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  9. I've heard it's absolutely gorgeous! I've been just north of San Francisco and it was beautiful.

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  10. My family lived htherr too
    Kimh

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  11. I live there eastern part but not originally from WA state.

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  12. I can't say that I know much about the Pacific Northwest.

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  13. I can't say that I know much about the Pacific Northwest.

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  14. No much.....except my good friend lives in Oregon!

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  15. I love the pacific northwest, I used to live in British Columbia and I miss it everyday.

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  16. Not much.
    Karen T.

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  17. It is beautiful country. The weather is tempered a bit by the ocean currents. The coast is my favorite kind - irregular, at times rocky, forest growing right up to the beaches. Vancouver and Victoria Island are worth a long visit.

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  18. I love BC, although it rains way too much. But it's got such beautiful scenery.

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  19. I know it rains in Seattle! And that's where the Twilight books are set. I would love to visit there some day!

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