Virtual Book Tour: Beacon of Love

Good morning! Please welcome author Allie Boniface, who has bravely answered my infamous Rick Reed Beacon of Love!  Allie will be awarding a $10 Amazon or B&N GC and an e-copy of any book from her backlist to one lucky random commenter during her tour. The more you comment, the better your chances of winning! Go here to see where her other stops are.

The Questions

1)      You’re marooned on a small island with one person and one item of your choice—who is that person and what item do you have?

Hubby, of course – both for company and because he can build or fix anything...I imagine he would be a sort of McGyver of the island. And if there's  wi-fi, then I'll bring my laptop. If there's not, The Complete Works of Shakespeare. I figure that'll keep me busy and entertained for a while :)

  2)    What is your idea of how to spend romantic time with your significant other?

We LOVE to travel, both in this country and abroad. A perfect romantic day is wandering through a town we've never been to before, stopping off in local pubs and restaurants, doing a little shopping, then sitting outside for cocktails and watching the moon on a warm summer night...

3)      When you start a new story, do you begin with a character, or a plot?

Hmm, that's a good question. Usually plot. I'm a big "what if" person, so when I hear something on the news or a story from a friend, I tend to think "what if ______ happened next?" I almost always figure out the characters I want to plug into the situation afterwards. In this book, Beacon of Love, I definitely had the idea of a haunted lighthouse before I figured out who my hero and heroine would be.

4)      If they were to make the story of your life into a movie, who should play you?

Oh, boy, tough one! I'll pick Sandra Bullock because people have said I look like her. I do like that she's

independent and not afraid to speak her mind – so yeah, let's go with her!

5)      Who’s your favorite horror villain and why?

I'm going to pick two here. First is Iago from Shakespeare's play Othello (though that's more a tragedy than a horror story, but still). I teach this play to my students each spring, and I always begin by telling them he's the best villain in all of Shakespeare, and quite possibly in all of literature. He's brilliant, he's manipulative, he's absolutely believable in his lies, and no one can exactly pinpoint his motives, even scholars who have studied the play for centuries. He has the best lines in the play, and though you hate how he leads everyone to slow but certain ruin, you almost have to admire the way he does it.

Second is the creature from Stephen King's horror novel It. I'm a big King fan, because he can tell a story

and turn a page like no other author. The "villain" in this story is so great because it takes the shape of each victim's greatest fear. To one person it appears as a clown, to another  a predatory bird, to another a werewolf. And it works so well because King realizes that we don't all fear the same kind of villain, but we do all have real, terrifying fears. I love this book!

Thanks so much for having me here today!

Beacon of Love

by Allie Boniface

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BLURB:

Welcome to Lindsey Point, Connecticut: suspicious of outsiders, loyal to tradition, and absolutely devoted to its local legends.

Enter Sophie Smithwaite, feisty travel show host, in town to film an episode about Lindsey Point’s haunted lighthouse. But digging into the story of a tragic murder-suicide and love gone wrong reveals startling connections to Sophie’s own past. When a gorgeous local handyman fills in behind the camera, Sophie’s life gets complicated by more than just her family history.

Part-time paramedic, handyman, seasonal Santa-Lucas Oakes does it all–except get attached. He’s still reeling from the death of his best friend ten years ago and the more recent infidelity of his ex-fiancee. Yet despite Sophie’s big-city nosiness, and her insistence on chasing long-dead ghosts, he’s drawn to her.

But mixing with an outsider means questioning people and traditions Lucas has always defended. When a series of attacks seem to be connected to Sophie’s investigation, both Sophie and Lucas must decide if they are willing to risk everything to uncover the town’s secrets…and their own.

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EXCERPT :

“Want something to drink? Water?”

Sophie shook her head.

“Not thirsty?”

“Lucas.”

He set the glasses down on the counter. “What?”

“Come over here and kiss me.”

His smile crooked. “Or what?”

She took two steps toward the kitchen, and he took one toward the living room, and they met in the middle. “Or I’m going to go crazy.”

He placed his hands on her cheeks and kissed her forehead.

Sophie closed her eyes, waiting for the slow, inevitable slip of his mouth down her neck. To her curve of her collarbone. Maybe lower.

“There you go,” he said. His hands went away.

Her eyes flew open. “That’s it?”

“You said you wanted a kiss.”

Her fists landed on her hips. “Ha ha. Funny guy. So funny, in fact, I think I’m gonna recommend that comedy special you were talking about to Lon. He’s looking for a new show, you know. Maybe you’re the next big thing.”

Lucas swung her off the ground. Her arms went around his neck and her mouth ended up a fraction of an inch below his. “Maybe I am.” He kissed her again, this time not on the forehead. And not sweetly. “What do you think?”

But she couldn’t answer, couldn’t think of anything at all except his tongue teasing hers, her legs wrapping themselves around his waist and holding on like she’d never held onto a man in her life. Fire sizzled up her spine, and the air in the room went hot. Her hands--God, her hands couldn’t get enough of him. They wanted to be everywhere, in his hair and on his face and unbuttoning that damn shirt and taking off her own dress that was so in the way right now.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Allie Boniface is a small-town girl at heart who's traveled around the world and still finds that the magic and the mystery of small towns make them the best places to fall in love and find adventure. From the New England coast to Rocky Mountain hotels to tiny European bars, she's found more character and plot inspirations than she could ever count. Currently, she's lucky enough to live in New York's beautiful Hudson Valley with her own "Hometown Hero," a guy who can fix, build, drive, and grill anything and is the epitome of the strong and silent type.

When she isn't writing love stories, Allie is a full-time high school English teacher who gets a kick out of helping her teenagers negotiate the ups and downs of writing along with the ups and downs of life (because, really, she's still trying to do the same thing!). And while she'll continue to travel far and wide, Allie knows there's really nothing like coming back to the place where the people who have known you forever welcome you home with open arms. 

ALLIE BONIFACE – ONLINE LINKS

www.allieboniface.com

www.allieboniface.blogspot.com

Twitter: AllieBoniface1

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Allie-Boniface/213522468685926?ref=hl