Guest Post with Author Karyn Good and Giveaway

Today I would like to welcome to the blog author Karyn Good. Karyn is currently on tour for her book Backlash and has stopped by today to chat about reunion stories. Before I give the floor over to Karyn, let's get to know her a bit.

I grew up on a farm in the middle of Canada's breadbasket. Under the canopy of crisp blue prairie skies I read books. Lots and lots of books. Occasionally, I picked up a pen and paper or tapped out a few meagre pages of a story on a keyboard and dreamed of becoming a writer when I grew up. One day the inevitable happened and I knew without question the time was right. What to write was never the issue - romance and the gut wrenching journey towards forever.

Places to find Karyn:

| Site | Blog | Facebook | Twitter |

I love reunion stories. There’s something about getting a second chance at love that pulls at me. The ultimate happy ending with a hero and heroine forced to wait for theirs, but also given the chance to grow, to learn what it was about their mistakes or their preconceptions that pulled them apart the first time around. I like to think that if two people are meant to be together, it will happen. I’m tempted by stories where the main characters have lost love and are given a chance to find it with each other again.

I think we can all relate to the allure of second chances. The charmed do-over. You’re determined to do it right this time. Whether it’s a time to try again or gain closure. It can be an opportunity to demand answers. This is the case in Backlash. The hero, Constable Chase Porter, disappeared from their small town of Aspen Lake ten years ago. Now he’s back and my heroine, Lily, wants answers. Wants to be able to finally close the whole ‘Chase’ chapter of her life.

Part of the appeal of reunited lovers is what caused the break-up the first time around. As readers, we ask ourselves: How did these two people who obviously had very strong feelings for each other get so off track? The fact that they let love slip through their fingers, or were forced to abandon their feelings, makes them seem more human somehow. It’s the baggage. And we all carry some. In reunion stories, we get a chance to see it unpacked, dealt with, and resolved.

As a writer, there’s an advantage to penning reunion stories. There’s a history to build on. The conflict is there from the very beginning. Of course, the downside is all that backstory that wants to make its way onto the page. The challenge is to create a story that’s more than a mere misunderstanding, or easily resolved. But with a conflict worth the effort, enough temptation to fan that buried spark back into a flame. It’s very satisfying when you can lay the past to rest and move the story forward. It then becomes about the future and facing it together. The knowledge that they’re better together than they are apart.

I’ve got some favorites. Like Sherry Thomas’s Not Quite a Husband, or Nora Roberts’ Face the Fire. What about Breaking Point by Suzanne Brockmann, or Tara Janzen’s Loose Ends? Sigh. How about you? Have a favorite reunion story?


What he’s sworn to protect, she’s willing to sacrifice to save those she loves...

When dedicated teacher Lily Wheeler interrupts a vicious gang attack on one of her students, she vows it won’t happen again. But her rash interference puts her in the path of a cold-blooded killer and the constable tracking him—a man she has little reason to trust, but can never forget.

Constable Chase Porter returned to Aspen Lake to see justice done, not renew old acquaintances. But when he rescues the woman he once loved from a volatile situation, he realizes his feelings for Lily haven’t lessened over the years.

Now, the dangerous killer Chase has sworn to capture has Lily in his sights. Can Chase and Lilly learn to trust each other again before it’s too late—or will old insecurities jeopardize their future?

Places to Purchase:

| Amazon | Kindle | Barnes & Noble | All Romance | The Wild Rose Press 

“I remember you.” His arms tightened.

Her heart sighed, and the scent of him cast a spell. A trace of soap, a whiff of man, and a fragrance so familiar it made her think of bush parties, bonfires, cheap wine, and the back seat of an ’86 Firebird.

She remembered every little detail.

“What’s this about, Lilypad?”

That he remembered that awful nickname he’d labeled her with when they were kids was a visceral punch to the gut.

She wrinkled her nose. “I hated that name.”

“I know. I’d have been disappointed if you hadn’t.”

“Why ‘Lilypad?’”

“I don’t know. I thought of it one day when a bunch of us were catching frogs.”

“You’re such a sweet talker.”

He hadn’t moved an inch, yet he seemed closer. “You don’t want a sweet talker. Remember?” He ran a finger down the side of her cheek. “You want someone who’s going to let you know exactly what he plans to do to you. And believe me, there won’t be anything sweet about it.”

In the second needed to catch her breath, she changed her mantra to: Live in the moment. Forget Tessier and his bag of terrors. Forget everything. For the next hour. One more hour.

Want to win some goodies from Karyn? Check out what's up for grabs.

Up for grabs:

• 1 lucky commenter from the ENTIRE tour will win a $25 Amazon Gift Card.

To Enter:

• Leave a comment answering the question: What is your favorite Reunion story? 
• Please leave your email address along with your comment to be entered. 
• Giveaway ends June 15th.

Good Luck =)