Wednesday's Warriors - Aloha to Donna Steele and MAC'S FAMILY

Donna Steele joins me today for Wednesday's Warriors with her new release, MAC'S FAMILY:

When Mac was wounded in Afghanistan, he visualized coming home to heal and help his grandfather with the family business. That was before he got word that his beloved grandfather had been killed in a senseless accident. Now he’s come home to emptiness.

Nina has made her escape from her stepmother’s iron thumb and landed in a new part of the country with no one but herself to rely on. Far from helpless, but still young and alone, Nina must navigate surrounded by strangers and decide over and over who she can trust.

One fateful night brings them together for support that leads far beyond anything either could imagine.

Amazon, AllRomance

Wilson Creek, North Carolina
Public Domain (link)

From Donna's bio, 

Ever since I learned to read—from Superman Comics, Dick, Jane and Sally held no appeal—I’ve wanted to write. The possibilities of science fiction have always drawn me and I’ve read them all. There just needed to be a little more romance in them. I finally got up the courage and I’m delighted that I’m able to share these stories with you.

Kim:  Heart of Carolina - what is your favorite sight, sound, and smell of the Tar Heel state?

Donna:  Ahh, that's easy rain in the mountains, and it has all three, though smell is the best – I grew up near the mountains and we went there often. We also had a cabin at Brown Mountain Beach (yep, where the Brown Mountain Lights still haunt the mountain) so that scent brings back many memories.

Kim:  Do you have the same, or different, "routine" for writing paranormals and small town romances? 

Donna:  The routine stays the same – a character intrudes into my mind demanding to be written with their own ideas of where the story should go (can you say pantser–LOL!) fortunately they seem to take turns. Maybe they realize there's only one of me and don't want to fight amongst themselves.

Kim:  Tell us about Mac's Family - what inspired it? How did you "research" for it? 

Donna:  I've seen the videos of many returning warriors, greeted by family and friends, but the image of a soldier returning with no one to greet him came to me. Mac is coming home to a family that no longer exists and feels lost. My heroine didn't show up for a while, so I worked with Mac until eventually Nina made her wishes known. My research came from my first beta reader, she gets the really raw stuff and called me to say there was no way my soldier would be able to come in from deployment as I wrote it. Then she sticks her new son-in-law on the phone to walk me through was would be necessary for Mac to return to the states permanently. He wouldn't let me get away with anything fortunately and I learned a lot. I'll be calling on him again.

Kim:  What's next for Donna Steele?

Donna:  Next up is a short Christmas story – Christmas with Family. Again I've gone with my natural heroes. When Symone's sister has to rush to Germany to be with her critically injured husband, Symone steps in to keep her four-year-old niece for what looks to be a really sad Christmas. But she's not alone for long before a stranger who's a good friend of the family and has recently left the service shows up to help her.

Mahalo, Donna, for spotlighting military heroes in your books! Donna is giving away a digital copy of MAC'S FAMILY to one randomly selected commenter.  To enter the giveaway,

1.  Leave a comment about North Carolina - what do you know about the Tar Heel state?  My family visited Highlands, NC, as a mountain escape several summers ago.

2.  Comments are open through Saturday, September 19, 10 pm in Baltimore.

3.  I'll post the winner on Sunday, September 20.

Mahalo,

Kim in Baltimore

Aloha Spirit in Charm City