Review & Interview: Marianne Evans with Search and Rescue

Sal's Place Series, Book 1

by Marianne Evans




Search and Rescue is an upcoming release from Marianne Evans, my fellow author in the Heart's Haven collection as well as a treasured friend. I'm thrilled to offer my review of this unforgettable book, which will be available for purchase on February 8th.



Marianne graciously took time to answer a few of my questions. Be sure to take in that mini-interview following the review.







REVIEW:




Marianne Evans has done it yet
again. This author consistently delivers poignant storylines that grip the
heart, and captivating characters so real you wish they’d walk off the page and
into your life. She is second to none when it comes to making a setting or
situation incredibly realistic through the use of outstanding descriptive skills. I’m a speedy reader as a rule, but I
always spend an inordinate amount of time between the covers of her books—and
that doesn’t mean I’m not turning pages as fast as I can. But I keep stopping
to jot down some beautiful turn of phrase that gave me spine tingles. Consider
this line: “Something about a tough-guy cop turning timid stroked a gentle fingertip against her soul.” Could there even be a better way to say that?





Both hero and heroine in this
story have heavy crosses to bear, with life situations that would crush a lot
of people. When the story begins, Jennifer Foster has almost reached that
point. She fits two physically demanding jobs in between frantic situational
clean-up behind a bi-polar mother and—perhaps most exhausting of all—dealing with the emotional frustration
that goes along with that never-ending task. Ryan Douglas walks into her life
and refuses to walk back out, no matter how hard she tries to push him away.
She’s every bit as attracted to the handsome police officer as he obviously is
to her, but she’s not about to drag any man into the chaos of her life—especially
a man like Ryan. His gentle persistence is enough to melt any heart. This guy
is not only easy on the eye, he’s also brave, sweet, sensitive, generous and giving.
Simply put, he’s the ultimate hero, and yet his own life is no bed of roses. His
faith is his strength, and he’s determined to share that blessing with Jenny, even
if she never accepts the heart he’s so ready to give.





This may well be my favorite
Evans masterpiece to date. Jennifer and Ryan certainly give the series a
running start. And yet, I have no doubt this author will find a way to make book
two every bit as compelling. She always delivers excellence…and never more so than in Search and Rescue (Sal’s Place, #1). Way
to make an impression, Marianne!





INTERVIEW:











Welcome,
Marianne! Thank you so much for taking time to chat with me. First, I'm curious
about what prompted you to write a series based around an independently owned
restaurant (Sal's Place)?









::giggles::  I was hungry.  J  Actually, the
DH and I have a favorite mom-and-pop style diner we frequent after Mass on
Sunday's. There's something about the atmosphere and 'verve' of walking into
that place that is like nothing else. We're regulars, so the waitresses always
say hello and there's just a wonderful vibe to spots like this. Naturally, my
writing angel kicked into gear and dreamed me up a lovely ol' place by the
Detroit Riverfront, run by a delightful chef with a heart of gold—and Sal's
Place was born. Additionally, I loved the idea of throwing a spotlight on
places that aren't franchised (not that franchises are bad...). Neighborhood
spots like Sal's Place should never, ever become extinct!










I
completely agree—there’s nothing like them for real, cozy, “feel-at-home”
comfort.







Search and Rescue kicks off the
series,  and spotlights Jennifer Foster,
one of Sal’s waitresses. Jenny's life is complicated by the unpredictable
actions of a mother who suffers from bi-polar disorder. You handled the
portrayal of Mom's condition as well as its effect on Jennifer and her father
with such grace and finesse! How much and what kind of research was involved on
the subject?





First of all, thank you so much for
the lovely compliment! I'm glad you responded to Jenny's character! I did
considerable research on the topic of bi-polar disorder with physicians (guess
that's one of the perks of getting to know your doctor better and better as you
get older and older...) and via the Internet. There were sites in particular
that I focused on wherein stories were shared by people who live with the
disorder, and those who care for them. Their journeys depicted such strength of
character and beauty of heart—which is precisely what I wanted to show in
Jenny. At the same time, her mother needed to be multi-dimensional, not just a
device used to complicate her life. I wanted to make her real. Jenny's mom is
deeply loved, and tries to live with her disease, but at times, it gets the
better of her...like it would ANY of us.






So
true. I have dear family members whose lives are complicated by bi-polar
disorder, and even though I don’t actually live
with the situation, I have witnessed the devastation it can bring about. It’s
heartbreaking, for everyone involved.







I
have to hand it to you, Marianne. You turn a phrase to perfection like no one
else! I want to just sit at your feet and learn. LOL  For example, the one I mentioned in my review
simply took my breath away: “Something
about a tough-guy cop turning timid stroked
a gentle fingertip against her soul.” Do you just walk around
spouting this kind of word music? And if not, please...clue me in! Give a
nutshell version of what goes into creating the perfect way to phrase something
that's been said over and again by authors down through time...and make your
reader feel like it's the first time she ever really heard that particular
emotion/situation/setting, etc., described.





WOW! Delia, that's such high praise
coming from an author I admire and respect as much as you. Thank you! Let me
de-swell my head a second here.... OK, I'm back now. LOL! All kidding aside,
the author is God—I'm simply His scribe. I will say that as I dive into a
scene, and into my character's heads and hearts, I find that I literally
"feel" what they feel. Yes, that's right, I crack up with them, I
roll my eyes at their mis-cues, and I cry with them when they mourn. Literally.
I also feel that rush of awareness and loving promise as my hero and heroine
connect. The fact that you sense that in my writing is, I kid you not, the
highest praise an author can receive. So, again. THANK YOU.  ::blush::






Well,
I meant every word. And I gotta tell you, I had an “Ooooh, Lord, that’s so
cool!” shiver when you referred to yourself as “God’s scribe.” That’s exactly
the way I define my role as a writer. (In fact, may I insert a quick aside to
my readers here? I recently guest posted about exactly this subject. Readers, if you’d
like to read that post, here’s
a link. But don’t go anywhere until
I finish chatting with our guest. We’re looking forward to you joining the
conversation in the comment section.)





Sorry
about that little sideways jig, Marianne. Back to the subject…





This
series is different in tone and feel from your Woodland books. Is it too soon
to know which series you most enjoyed writing, and why?





That's such a tough question! I
enjoyed writing both Woodland and Sal's Place very much—though for very
different reasons. Woodland was my 'entree' into Christian romance, as well as
my first time creating a series, so it will always be the precious
"first." Sal's Place challenged me to create something completely
different in location and tone yet continue to dig deep and discover characters
with real-life issues and create the world in which they will find hope, God's
truth and mercy, as well as a forever-love that will leave readers feeling
uplifted and affirmed, no matter what tribulations might be happening in their
own lives.





Well,
you did an amazing job on the Woodland Series, and I’m already loving Sal’s
Place. Both sets of stories clearly and beautifully portray “real” characters
in very real situations, loving and becoming closer to a very real God. So I’d
say you’re succeeding in both goals. Isn’t it wonderful what God can do with
the gifts He gives us when we give them back to Him? J





Now,
I promised to keep this interview short. So tell us where to find your books,
and how to find you on the web.





No worries, Delia, I could hang out
here all day!! My books are available at Amazon.com—here's a link to my author page there which should point folks in the right direction.




Readers can also connect with me at
the following places:





My website (Marianne Evans - Faith-affirming Fiction™)



My Blog (A Minute with Marianne)






My Facebook page





Twitter







MARIANNE EVANS is an
award-winning author of Christian romance and fiction. Her hope is to spread
the faith-affirming message of God’s love through the stories He prompts her to
create.






Evans’s novel, Hearts
Communion, earned Christian Small Publisher Book of the Year honors in the
Romance category and readers have lauded her work as: ‘Riveting.’ ‘Realistic
and true to heart.’ ‘Compelling.’ Evans has also won acclaim in such RWA
contests as The Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence where she has been a finalist
twice, the Ancient City Romance Writers Heart of Excellence contest where two
of her novels earned distinction as finalists and the Colorado Romance Writers
Award of Excellence contest.





A lifelong resident of
Michigan, Evans is active in a number of a number of Romance Writers of America
chapters, most notably the Greater Detroit Chapter where she served two terms
as President. She’s also active in American Christian Fiction Writers and the
Michigan Literary Network.