Guest blogging today is the lovely Kimberly Rose Johnson, a fellow Inspy Romance author! Kimberly’s latest book Island Hope, book 4 in the Wildflower B&B series, is available on preorder ready for release next week!

Kimberly is doing a blog tour with her publishers Mountain Brook Ink to celebrate the new release.

Featured Authors:
Heather L.L. FitzGerald – Debut author of young adult fantasy series, The Tethered World Chronicles
Kimberly Rose Johnson – Multi-published author of sweet romance series, The Wildflower B&B Romance
Angela Ruth Strong – Multi-published author of Finding Love in Sun Valley, Idaho, book one in the Resort to Love series

Each stop will include an opportunity to enter for a FREE KINDLE FIRE as the grand prize, as well as three runner-up opportunities to win a $10 Starbucks gift card! Check the bottom of the post for either a Rafflecopter FORM or a Rafflecopter link for your chance to enter!

Now, over to Kimberly!

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Thanks for hosting me, Autumn! True story, when I was pregnant with my first child, I wanted a girl, and I planned to name her Autumn. 🙂 I ended up with a boy and named him Austin. Ah, memories.

Which brings me to my topic today—the story behind the story.

Island Hope is the fourth and final book in the Wildflower B&B Romance series. I wasn’t sure there was going to be a book four since I was originally only contracted to write three books for this series. However, my publisher pushed hard and convinced me to write a fourth book.

It wasn’t that I didn’t want to write it, but rather, I wasn’t sure I could. At this point it was late August, and I didn’t even have a solid storyline in mind! We were both attending the same writer’s conference and I pitched my vague idea, but still hesitated to commit. What if I couldn’t write it fast enough?

My youngest was heading off to college for the first time this past August and my emotions were in a whirlwind. Knowing I’d probably be feeling out of sorts, my wise husband planned a mini-vacation to my favorite destination, Sunriver, Oregon and while there inspiration struck. We walked the paved pathways through the woods discussing my ideas and brainstorming together. I finally had a solid plot. However, at this point it was already the middle of September and time was not on my side.

Knowing my publisher really wanted a fourth book, I sent an email to her while I was on vacation detailing my fleshed out idea. We went back and forth a bit and came up with something we both liked. Within a couple weeks I had a contract and a short amount of time to write.

I honestly can’t remember what kind of timeline I was working under, only that I had to write quickly—thankfully I had more than enough time and turned the manuscript in two or three weeks early.

Metal sculptor Hope Michaels gave up on art when her creativity was zapped by another person who was close to her. Burying herself in her electrical contracting business, Hope takes a job on Wildflower Island. She never imagines that a job at the Wildflower Resort will turn everything in her life upside down. But that’s exactly what happens when her best friend and employer, Piper, plays matchmaker.

A lonely widower throws all his energy into raising his teenage daughter, but when he is promoted to manager of the Wildflower Resort, things at home don’t go as smoothly as planned. Worried about his relationship with his daughter, he seeks advice from a feisty-but-sweet newcomer. Will she help smooth his path or will things only get more complicated?

Did you notice the connection of Hope’s name to the title of the book? That was my publisher’s brainchild. I can’t even remember what I’d originally titled it. 🙂

There you have it—the story behind the story. I hope you enjoyed a glimpse behind the scenes.

Feel free to ask questions about the process or any one of the books if you’d like. On a side note, remember when I mentioned being in Sunriver when I came up with a solid plotline? Well the next series I have contracted with Mountain Brook Ink is set in Sunriver. 🙂