Author, Spotlight

Kara Isaac: author spotlight

Beth Erin

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Y’all aren’t going to believe me when I tell you this but it’s true so please sit down and brace yourselves… our featured author for today is FROM THE FUTURE. That’s right, we pulled out all the stops this time! She lives in a lovely country where they are enjoying the cooler temperatures of winter and are in fact 16-19 hours in the future compared to the US.

About the Author

Kara IsaacKara Isaac lives in Wellington, New Zealand. She is the author of Close to You, a RITA Award Double Finalist, and Can’t Help Falling, an RT Review Top Pick. Her newest book Then There Was You released on June 22. When she’s not chasing three adorable but spirited little people, she spends her time writing horribly bad first drafts and wishing you could get Double Stuf Oreos in New Zealand. She loves to connect on her website, Facebook, and Twitter.

website | facebook | twitter

 

Five Favorites

Favorite Secondary Character

Kara: My favorite secondary character that I’ve created has to be Kat. She appears in Close To You as Allie’s best friend, has a cameo appearance in Can’t Help Falling, and then returns in Then There Was You as Paige’s cousin.

I love it every time she appears on the page because she’s forthright, funny and very real. I’ve received quite a few messages from readers asking when she will get her own story. I’m hoping to write it one day but I’m also worried about doing her justice!

Beth: Kat! She definitely livens things up and I love that about her!

Favorite book cover

Kara: There are so many incredible book covers that I’ve seen recently that it’s impossible to pick but I will mention two. The House of Foster Hill by Jaime Jo Wright releases in December and I think Bethany House has created a stand out cover for her. Also, yesterday I had my first look at the cover of The Heart Between Us by Lindsay Harrel that releases next March and I think it’s gorgeous!

The House on Foster Hill by Jaime Jo Wright The Heart Between Us by Lindsay Harrel

For my books, I have adored all my covers but I think my favourite (so far) is Can’t Help Falling. It just captures the essence of Peter and Emelia so perfectly. Initially my publisher had two other options they preferred so I had to make a case for this one and I’m so glad my editor went into bat for me on it!

Beth: Jaime’s cover gives me the creepers just a little bit, that’s pretty powerful. I like Lindsay’s too, this style is gaining momentum. Can’t Help Falling has to be on of my all time favorites, ESPECIALLY since I adore the story ????

Favorite time/place to read/write

Kara: With three little people, my favorite time is any time there is some calm for more than a few minutes! My favourite place to both read and write is the corner spot in our sectional sofa. A few cushions, a blanket (in winter) and a drink and I’m good to go for hours!

Beth: I tend to migrate towards the ends of our sofa and I’m a year-round blanket gal… we could work so well together, Kara!

Favorite fictional couple

Kara: I was tempted to chose a literary couple but honestly, as embarrassed as I am to admit it, Lucas and Peyton from One Tree Hill are my favorite fictional couple. I can’t even really express why, just whenever I think of them I get the warm fuzzies. Whenever I’m in a writing slump I’ll put on a DVD of one of the early seasons because they make me feel the way I want readers to feel about my characters 🙂

Beth: I don’t know them but now I’ll have to look them up!

Favorite bookish memory

Kara: It has to be holding Close To You for the first time. After almost ten years of writing, holding my very first book baby in my hands (with my name on the cover!) was a magical moment 🙂

Beth: THAT is a very special bookish moment!

 

Books

Tell us about your latest release

Kara: This was my first ever attempt at writing a romantic comedy and I started writing it way back in early 2008. I’m the eldest of three and my younger brother had recently gotten married and my younger (by six years) sister was engaged while I was very single and had an amazing knack for going on really bad dates! I decided to make my heroine worse off with me so I doubled the age gap between her and her sister and gave her an epiphany that she had been in a relationship for years with a guy who was never going to commit.

When I first started writing it I actually had a different hero in mind for Paige and then this Australian worship pastor from Sydney showed up at an airport in the second chapter and refused to get off the page and took all her attention away from the other guy!

Beth: I like this guy already!

Would you give up everything for a life you hate with the person you love?

Then There Was You by Kara IsaacPaige McAllister needs to do something drastic. Her boyfriend can’t even commit to living in the same country, her promised promotion is dead on arrival and the simultaneous loss of her brother and her dream of being a concert violinist has kept her playing life safe and predictable for six years. Things need to change. A moment of temporary insanity finds her leaving her life in Chicago to move to Sydney, Australia. There she finds herself, against many of her convictions, as a logistics planner for one of Australia’s biggest churches, and on a collision course with her boss’s son.

Josh Tyler fronts a top-selling worship band and is in demand all over the world. But his past failed romantic relationships almost destroyed both his reputation and his family. He’s determined to never risk it happening again. The last thing he needs is some American girl tipping his ordered life upside down. Especially one who despises everything he’s ever worked for and manages to push every button he has.

When Josh and Paige are thrown together to organize his band’s next tour, the sparks fly. But can they find a way to bridge the differences that pull them apart? Or will they choose the safety and security of what they know over taking a chance on something that will require them to risk everything?

goodreads | amazon

 

Beth: I cannot WAIT to read this story!!! (but alas, I must follow my own rules and attack the tbr systematically or we could have chaos and gnashing teeth around here… sooooooon, I will reach this story and bask in its pages) Y’all don’t mind that I’m kind of nuts, right?! I try to behave myself but sometimes I just can’t contain my inner book dragon fangirl ????

 

What are you working on now?

Kara: Right now it’s all about getting the word out about Then There Was You 🙂 In July we’re heading to Sydney to visit my husband’s family and from there I’ll be heading to the Romance Writers’ of America (RWA) Conference in Orlando. Once I get back from there my plan is to start writing Kat’s story but there are also a couple of other potential opportunities in the air so it’s also a bit of wait and see at the moment as well!

Beth: Sounds like you will be busy, busy, busy for the next month, Kara! Safe travels and thank you for sharing favorites and book news with us today!

Giveaway

Kara Isaac has generously offered to send one Faithfully Bookish reader a copy of Then There Was You!!!

Then There Was You giveaway ends July 4

ebook international | ebook or paperback US only
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Say hello to Kara then settle in for a chat…
Do you have busy summer plans, reader friends?
Or is your tbr at the top of the to-do list? 

74 thoughts on “Kara Isaac: author spotlight”

  3. We just moved into the new home of our dreams. So this summer will be unpacking and putting away. There will be lots of breaks and rest time which I plan on sitting on our large front porch admiring the mountain views and reading books on my tbr list.

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  4. Thank you so much for a fun interview! I can’t wait to dig into this book!!! And the other two books are on my list, too…..
    Summer is definitely busy but we’re also planning on some R&R time for the whole family which will be awesome.

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  5. Love Kara Isaac’s books! Summer can be busy with all the family adventures but love to find time to chill by the lake and read books or even just hang out in the swing in the back yard. So many places to go but gotta take time to escape all the running around!

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  6. Loved your funny introduction for this post! I don’t have any plans yet but am trying to work out several trips to visit friends. Otherwise I will be working and reading just like I do the rest of the year.

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  9. We will have a pretty laid back summer. Thankfully not very crazy or busy at all. I love Kara’s books and look forward to this one. Thank you for the interview and giveaway.

    Stephanie

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  11. Thanks for the fun spotlight, Beth and Kara! Hugs to you both! I have a huge TBR list that I’m working on this summer. I also am sooooo looking forward to going to CFRR in August! So exciting! I’m anxious to actually physically meet a lot of my fun Facebook friends there.

    I love Kara’s books, and if anyone hasn’t read them yet, do yourself a favor and read them! Kara is one of my favorite authors, plus she’s adorable!

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    2. I am SO envious of everyone getting to go to CFRR this year. I had such a blast last year and am SO sad to be missing it this year. I have my fingers and toes crossed for 2018!

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  12. Such a busy summer – Traveling to see family, reading, moving to a different state, and of course going to CFRR in August!

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      1. I wish you were coming too, but understand that it’s a lot bigger trip than I have to make! 🙂

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  14. I don’t have plans really, but my youngest daughter does so that will mean helping her prepare for her busy summer. She goes to a few different camps and then is going on a mission trip to the DR with her dance team for 2 weeks. I hope to spend part of the summer reading but we live on a large yard which requires an awful lot of upkeep. (15 acres will do that!) In addition, I have a large garden and all three of my girls will not be at home to help with picking produce or weeding or preserving.

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    2. I have heard such amazing things about Mark of the King! It is on my Kindle waiting for my loooong flights to the US in late July (along with about 20 other books!)

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  16. I’m not too busy this summer, so my TBR list is one of my top priorities. My only problem is trying to figure out what to read next!

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    1. I hear you, Chanel! MY TBR is so big it has overflowed my bedside bookshelf and is also stacked under my bed. And that’s before we even talk about my Kindle!

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  18. Bahahaha! I love the opening to this interview! And Kara’s even from MY future. Not many people can say that!

    As you know, my TBR is always at the top of my to-do pile. 🙂 And my current summer plans are to get through winter! ????

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  19. No Summer plans. My husband works at a busy motel on the Oregon coast so we’ve never been able to go anywhere in summer. That’s ok, I’d rather do our trips during the “off” season when there are less tourists everywhere and we can enjoy ourselves 🙂 Plus, we love the off-the-beaten-path things to do and places to visit. I think the worlds biggest ball of string would be a highlight of a trip…lol!

    I always have a TBR pile no matter what time of year it is. I will NEVER read all of my books in my lifetime…lol! Even on a vacation, I have a few books on hand 🙂 Is that bad or what??

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    1. Trixi, you are a traveler after my own heart! We always try to travel in the off season… lower prices, smaller crowds, slower pace, plenty of time to read, what’s not to love?! Aren’t we supposed to take books with us EVERYWHERE?!! 😀

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  20. Hi Kara!!. “Can’t Help Falling” was one of my favorites of 2016 (Loved “Close to You” as well). Looking forward to reading the new one. My big summer plans are a month away. I’m heading to the Oregon Coast to hang out with my family and celebrate several things that have happened/are happening this year: My mom’s retirement, my niece’s and nephew’s high school graduations, my parents’ 45th anniversary, my sister-in-law’s birthday, and my promotion at work. Always a fun time to visit family since I only see them one every one or two years. OH, and at the tail end of that trip? I’m headed up to Cincinnati for the Christian Fiction Readers Retreat!

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  21. I’m leaving on vacation tomorrow, and I have a HUGE stack of books to take–including “Close to You”! (I just read “Can’t Help Falling” and LOVED it, so I’m eager to read “Close to You.”) I always travel with my sister, and she informed me that it’s my turn to do the driving so that she can read for once … so I’m not sure how much reading I’ll actually get done, but I’m hoping to make a dent in the pile 🙂

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  22. I live in a very warm part of the US so summer means air conditioning and reading. Travel/vacation is off season for my husband and I.

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    2. Air conditioning is definitely a must! New Zealand doesn’t get crazy hot but my husband’s family lives in Sydney and we could survive summer without it over there!

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  23. Love this interview with Kara.
    I’ve already been to New York on a trip this summer. I’m attempting to read some books by new to me authors who will be at CFRR this year before I go.

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    2. It’s winter here and I have been on a mission to clear out things as well! (here’s hoping the kids never notice some of the toys that have departed!)

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