Romance
author Elsa Winckler joins me today
to chat a little bit about her newest contemporary, Where the River Bends.
her virtual book tour, Elsa will be awarding a $10 Amazon or Barnes and Noble
(winner’s choice) gift card to a luck randomly drawn winner. To be entered for
a chance to win, use the form below.
To increase your chances of winning, feel free to visit
her other tour stops and enter there, too!
Welcome, Elsa. Please tell us a little
bit about yourself.
I have been reading love stories for as long as I can remember and when I ‘met’
the classic authors like Jane Austen, Elizabeth Gaskell, Henry James The Brontë
sisters, etc. during my Honours studies, I was hooked for life.
married my college boyfriend and soul mate and after 43 years, 3 interesting
and wonderful children and 3 beautiful grandsons, he still makes me weak in the
knees. We are fortunate to live in the picturesque little seaside village of
Betty’s Bay, South Africa with the ocean a block away and a beautiful mountain
right behind us. And although life so far has not always been an easy ride, it
has always been an exciting and interesting one!
like the heroines in my stories to be beautiful, feisty, independent and
headstrong. And the heroes must be strong but possess a generous amount of
sensitivity. They are of course, also gorgeous! My stories typically
incorporate the family background of the characters to better understand where
they come from and who they are when we meet them in the story.
Please share a little bit about your
current release.
Kalinda Evans works for the Anglo-Boer war foundation
in Canada. She’s sent to South Africa to make sure everyone who lost their
lives in the war will be remembered. On her drive to the guest farm in
Kimberley, South Africa, Kalinda picks up a female hitchhiker and is startled
when just moments later, the woman vanishes. Kalinda would be convinced she was
dreaming…except there’s still a white lace handkerchief on the passenger seat.
Extreme sports enthusiast and computer game designer Zack Carter is always
after the next big challenge. He’s far too busy for romance and adheres to a
three-date rule, until he meets his parents’ latest guest. When she relays the
story of her mysterious experience, Zack’s family shares the local ghost story.
Kalinda and Zack work together to solve the puzzle of the ghost and how it all
ties in with the war and the work Kalinda is doing.
As their attraction grows, Zack realizes he no longer feels the need to prove
anything to himself. He only needs to prove to Kalinda that he’s more than a
good time.
write this book?
I wanted to write something
about the Anglo Boer War, a war that changed the history in South Africa in
many ways. Not a historical novel, but I wanted to incorporate something about
the war. While researching the Battle of Paardeberg, I discovered that a
regiment of Canadian soldiers were also sent to South Africa and that they were
accompanied by eleven nurses. This triggered the idea for Suzie, the ghost in
the story. It was also during this time that our beautiful daughter arrived on
our doorstep with only her handbag and laptop – she’d finally found the courage
to walk away from an abusive marriage. Writing Where the river bends was a way for me to work through this heart
ache.
Excerpt from Where the River Bends:
Relieved, Kalinda nodded. Her insides were still shivering
from the shock. She wanted to get to the little museum as quickly as possible
and start on her assignment. She didn’t want to stay one minute longer than
necessary. At the moment Toronto sounded much more normal.
her. Again there was the strange shift inside of her. How did the song put it?
Easy on the eye, hard on the heart. Yep, that was Zach Carter. She didn’t have
to guess whether he was a flirt – the damn dimple seemed to appear just too
readily. Dimples? Seriously?
Suzie,” Luke said.
the ghost stories, already.
people who are getting married soon.”
because getting married is definitely not on my agenda,” Kalinda said
firmly.
dear. It was also the last thing on my mind. And then I met Zacharias.”
react to Madeline’s words. She focused on her plate, fervently hoping all talk
of ghosts and weddings was finished.
you ended up on your hands and knees on the road,” Zach interrupted her
thoughts.
exactly what had happened. “I fell, I think.”
“You were driving …”
for her. She was walking towards me when I heard the car behind me. When I
turned around, the car was nearly on top of me. And then—” She inhaled
sharply. “She pushed me out of harm’s way,” she finished softly.
hit you.” Madeline had also turned pale.
around the table. Then Zacharias cleared his throat.
What exciting story are you working on
next?
A series of three stories will be published by Tule Publishing next year, I’m
happy to say. At the moment I working on an Afrikaans story but I’m hoping to
start with something new in the new year.
When did you first consider yourself a
writer?
love holding a book in my hand and know inside the pages is a story that I
wrote down. I think after that very first book, it finally dawned on me that
I’ve written a book, it’s okay to call myself a writer.
Do you write full-time? If so, what’s
your work day like? If not, what do you do other than write and how do you find
time to write?
Yes, I’m fortunate enough to write full-time. I retired in 2010, our three kids
moved out more or less at the same time and I now have the time to write down
the stories that I’ve been thinking about for as long as I can remember.
What would you say is your interesting
writing quirk?
I start with a story, I find pictures of the hero and heroine and I put them up
where I can see them the while time while I’m writing
As a child, what did you want to be when
you grew up?
always wanted to write.
Anything additional you want to share
with the readers?
would love to hear from the readers!
Kobo | iTunes
| Amazon
UK | Amazon
USA | Amazon
Australia
Media:
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| Instagram | Pinterest | Wattpad | Google+ | Youtube video of Where the River Bends
guest on my blog!
Thanks for sharing the news, Lisa – I appreciate your time! Love your blog 🙂
Thanks for hosting!
I'd love to read this story. 🙂 I enjoyed the interview!
Lovely to hear, Cheryl – I hope you enjoy the book! Thanks so much for stopping by 🙂
Really great post!
Thanks, Victoria – so please you've stopped by!