No Safe Harbor Fun & Giveaway

Today we're going to have fun with my writing friend Elizabeth Ludwig. A couple years ago we attended a writers retreat in Texas. One thing that made that retreat so fun was getting to know other writers -- like Lisa. This month she has a new book out: a historical romantic suspense. Read to the end, leave a comment, and I'll give away one book. With a heroine named Cara how could I not share the book! It's set in New York city during 1897, and has threads of romance and suspense. So let's learn more about the hero and heroine.

 Brief physical description

I have two protagonists—Rourke (Walsh) Turner and Cara Hamilton.

Cara is Irish, with long red hair and beautiful green eyes. She’s sweet, but don’t let that fool you. She has a fiery side!

 

Rourke is the kind of hero women swoon over. He’s tall and handsome, with raven black hair and deep blue eyes.

Actor/famous person who might resemble her/him:

I always pictured Kirsten Dunst as Cara, or perhaps Deborah Kerr. Either way, it would have to be a strong actress who played the part of Cara Hamilton, since she is very much a take-action kind of gal.

For Rourke and his piercing blue eyes...who else but Clive Owen! One glance from those baby blues, and poor Cara was head over heels...

Strengths and weaknesses
 

Rourke is stalwart and brave, loyal to a fault, and he would do anything for his family. Unfortunately, it is those very qualities that drive him to seek revenge...even at the expense of the woman he loves.

Cara, on the other hand, is gentle and willing to forgive, yet when her faith is called into question, she realizes her greatest weakness may lie in the one area she’d always believed herself strong.

Quirks
 

Both of my characters are intrinsically opposed to lying, yet both find themselves resorting to subterfuge in order to protect the ones they love. In the end, it’s these half-truths and deceptions that nearly drive them apart and almost cost them their lives!

Your inspiration for the character
 

Family members on both my side and my husband’s emigrated from Europe in the early 1900’s. Some of my ancestors were from Spain. My husband’s ancestors were from Holland, Ireland, and Germany. These brave men and women who risked everything in search of a better life were the inspiration for this story. I hope I’ve done them proud!

Background to the story

No Safe Harbor is set in New York City in 1897, right around the time that immigration to this country was hitting its height.

Lured by a handful of scribbled words across a faded letter, my focal character, Cara Hamilton, sets off from Ireland on a quest to find the brother she'd thought dead. Her search leads her to a houseful of curious strangers, and one man who claims to be a friend--Rourke Walsh. Despite her brother's warning, Cara trusts Rourke, revealing her purpose in coming to New York.

She's then thrust into a world of subterfuge, veiled threats, and attempted murder, including political revolutionaries from the homeland out for revenge. Her questions guide her ever nearer to locating her brother--but they also bring her closer to destruction as those who want to kill him track her footsteps.

With her faith in tatters, all hope flees. Will her brother finally surface? Can he save Cara from the truth about Rourke... a man she's grown to love?

BIO: Elizabeth Ludwig is an award winning author whose work has been featured on Novel Journey, the Christian Authors Network, and The Christian Pulse. She is an accomplished speaker and teacher, and often attends conferences and seminars, where she lectures on editing for fiction writers, crafting effective novel proposals, and conducting successful editor/agent interviews. She is the owner and editor of the popular literary blog, The Borrowed Book. Along with her husband and two children, Elizabeth makes her home in the great state of Texas. To learn more about Elizabeth and her work, visit her at www.elizabethludwig.com.
Author website and/or blog: www.elizabethludwig.com and www.theborrowedbook.blogspot.com