Welcome to the Blog + Review Tour for Mountain Storm Survival by Cathy McDavid, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!
About the Book
Title: Mountain Storm Survival Author: Cathy McDavid Publisher: Harlequin Love Inspired Suspense Release Date: October 24, 2023 Genre: Inspirational Romantic Suspense
A brutal storm. Relentless pursuers. And more than their lives are on the line… Helping with youth wrangler camp is how Kate Spencer is atoning for her past. But now she and ranch manager Rand Walkins are trapped in the Superstition Mountains with two girls as illegal miners hunt them down. Rand has every reason not to trust Kate, much less forgive her. But working together is the only way they’ll escape from the danger that threatens them all… New York Times Bestselling AuthorPURCHASE LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | ChristianBook | Bookshop | BookBub
About the Author
NY Times and USA Today bestselling author CATHY MCDAVID wrote her first book at sixteen. The self-illustrated children’s story featured a young girl whose lack of responsibility nearly resulted in the demise of her pet fish. It’s quite possible the book was an autobiography, but Cathy’s not telling. She wrote her second book, and first romance, at nineteen with the help of a portable Smith Corona typewriter. One never knows how the unrequited crush on a college professor will affect their eventual career. These days, with over 57 titles and 1.6 million books in print, she still incorporates a little of her own life in each story. A lover of all things western and former avid horsewoman, her stories include riding, ranching, and rodeo because, well, who doesn’t enjoy a good cowboy romance? Mother of grown twins and married to her own real-life sweetheart, Cathy is living her dream penning heart-stopping suspense thrillers and heart-touching family dramas for Harlequin.
Connect with Cathy by visiting cathymcdavid.com to follow her on social media and sign up for email updates.
GUEST POST BY CATHY MCDAVID
Most everyone who knows me, or knows about me, or has even visited my website, is aware that I’ve owned horses and mules for most of my life — from the time I was about thirteen until a few years ago. They were a big, big part of my every day, from early morning feedings to cleaning stalls to changing wound dressings to drying off newborn foals. I’ve done everything from competitive show jumping to driving a wagon to trail riding in the mountains all around Arizona. And that doesn’t include the days I just rode for pleasure or to exercise my horse.
Without a doubt, the mountain range I’ve most ridden more than any others is the Superstitions, situated east of the Phoenix metropolitan area. They are ruggedly beautiful, filled with abundant wildlife, and have an incredible, fascinating history. The Superstitions biggest claim to fame is the Lost Dutchman’s Mine. More than likely, the story of Jakob Waltz, the man who supposedly discovered the mine and kept is secret, was highly fictionalized. That hasn’t stopped the legend from living on and on and from hordes of people scouring the mountains for the lost treasure — some even paying with their lives.
So, I may have taken a little liberty with my book Mountain Storm Survival when my characters accidentally stumble upon an illegal mining operation in the Superstition Mountains and then wind up having to face danger after danger as the bad guys chase them down with the intent of eliminating any witnesses. But that’s okay; the book is fiction after all. Unless, maybe, there really is gold in the Superstitions. We may never know.
Because I’ve gone on several dozen trail rides in the Superstitions, I only had to do a little research of the mountains for the book. Mostly on flash floods and severe thunderstorms. The occasional rain that I’d been caught in during my trail rides was nothing compared to what I wrote about in the book and put my characters through. Thank goodness all that happened to me was a thorough drenching, not a near drowning or being pursued by masked men on ATVs. Those parts of the story were entirely my imagination.
I also looked up maps of the area to refresh my memories and to make sure I was correctly describing real-life landmarks and placing them the correct distance from each other. All the rest of descriptions in the book are from the way I remember the rides I went on. It was a lot of fun for me during the writing process to go down memory lane. I really had a lot of fun on those rides. Most of the time. I can remember once sleeping on the ground during a rain storm that wasn’t exactly enjoyable.
My main goal while writing this book was to not only be accurate in describing the mountains and beautiful landscape and, mostly, the terrifying weather conditions, but to keep readers sitting on the edge of their seats while they turned the pages. My villains needed to be scary, the twists and turns unexpected, and the action non-stop. Another aspect where I used true accounts was the wild horses. They indeed roam free in the mountains, I’ve seen them myself. And they are sometimes escaped ranch horses.
Most importantly, however, is I needed to make the story believable. The best way I’ve found how to do that is to write engaging characters. If a reader connects with the hero and heroine, they are more willing to be swept up in the story line. And if I, the author, connect with the characters, I’m going to really enjoy writing the story and thrill with bringing it to life.
I hope you’ll take a moment to check out Mountain Storm Survival and go along with me on a journey I’ve taken many times. Rand and Kate’s story is especially meaningful to me as it’s all about second chances. Not only at love, but for them to put the anger and betrayal and mistakes of their respective pasts behind them and move forward into a place of forgiveness and love.
Tour Giveaway
(2) winners will win a print copy of both Blizzard Refuge and Her Surprise Cowboy Groom, a $5 Starbucks gift card and a cowboy coffee mug!
Full tour schedule linked below. The giveaway begins at midnight October 31, 2023 and will last through 11:59 PM EST on November 7, 2023. Winner will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. US only. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.
Giveaway is subject to JustRead Publicity Tours Giveaway Policies.
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The author’s deep familiarity with the place setting of her book will give the story great authenticity. I look forward to reading Mountain Storm Survival.
I think so too!
Sounds like a really great read.
I agree!
This looks like a killer read. Thanks for hosting this giveaway.
You’re welcome!
I can’t wait to read this book.
Me too!