Book Description:
While on vacation in Savannah, Georgia, a year ago, Lars Cargill bought a small watercolor painting to hang in his estate in England. The more he stared at the artwork, the more he wanted to meet the woman in the painting. This summer, Lars returns to Savannah to find the elusive real-life Lady and the Sea. Problem is, the artist says she doesn’t exist. Of course, he doesn’t believe her. Otherwise he wouldn’t be showing up in her art classes and around town where she paints local scenes. He doubts she has the heart to turn him away, not when he shows her that he has artistic potential.
Abilene Dupree is busy trying to make a living as an artist and art teacher in Savannah. She sells commercial art, not personal stories. Although much of her heart goes into her paintings, she doesn’t reveal her soul, not even to the clean-cut guy with cute dimples who is searching for the woman in her Lady and the Sea painting. She keeps telling Lars that the illusive woman in the painting doesn’t exist. Well, the more she tells him that, the more she begins to believe her own words. Before she could give him the real answers he seeks, Lars’ own past shows up and he has to decide on his future. Will their relationship be like an unfinished painting?
Narelle: Welcome, Jan. Can you please tell us more about the setting for Draw You Near.
Jan: Savannah and Tybee Island are two of my favorite coastal Georgia towns by the Atlantic Ocean. I go there quite often. In fact, I had been researching coastal Georgia for my colonial fiction and Civil War series when the idea came to me to write a contemporary series in the same towns to contrast life now with life then. However, it took several more years before I was able to get to this series, and here it is, finally.
Narelle: I’ve always wanted to see the Atlantic Ocean and visit the US East Coast. A lovely location for your research. How does your novella fit with the SPLASH! water theme?
Jan: In Draw You Near, Savannah artist Abilene Dupree keeps her personal life out of her commercial paintings except one, a watercolor painting she called Lady and the Sea. That one painting has now brought Londoner Lars Cargill back to the coastal town and into her art world. Can she hold him at bay before he invades her personal space and paint his way into her heart?
Narelle: Abilene’s watercolor painting sounds intriguing. Is your novella connected to a series?
Jan: Yes. Draw You Near is the third novella in my Savannah Sweethearts series of multiethnic contemporary Christian novellas celebrating faith, hope, and love. Meet local Christians going about their daily businesses when they meet the loves of their lives. Or not. What is God’s will for each of them?
Savannah Sweethearts is all about life by the sea, which in essence, is not much different from life in landlocked cities. Inherently, the human nature is such that we all have in our hearts a need for the Lord, for His salvation, sustenance, and sanctification. There are seven books in the Savannah Sweethearts series, each showcasing a different aspect of man’s need for God and for one another against a backdrop of ocean, sand, and sun.
Savannah Sweethearts Series: www.janthompson.com/savannah
Narelle: Jan, I’m looking forward to reading your Savannah Sweetheart books. Thanks for visiting today and sharing more about Draw You Near with our blog readers.
Jan Thompson blends inspirational women’s fiction with clean Christian love stories to celebrate the grace of God and hope in Jesus Christ. Whether they are multiethnic contemporary Christian romance, international romantic thrillers, or regional historical fiction, Jan’s books are for readers who love inspiring stories of faith, family, friends, and yes, happy endings. Always. Jan is also an avid reader and enjoys reading good books on pleasant days. When she is not busy writing and publishing, she is a wife, mother, educator, family scribe, and chief of staff to the family cat.
Website: www.janthompson.com
Book News: www.janthompson.com/newsletter
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Thank you, Narelle! That’s a lovely interview! And loved collaborating with you and our fellow indie authors on the SPLASH! box set. It was fun!
Hi Jan, you’re very welcome 🙂 SPLASH! has been a wonderful experience and an exciting way to launch my first indie book.
Yes, it was very fun indeed! It felt like I was on a summer field trip! Love the experience and hope we can do it again someday!
Hi Narelle and Jan! I really enjoyed the SPLASH Facebook party on the 23rd of June. It was so nice to chat with all the wonderful authors & us readers. I’ve “met” some of you from the Inspy Romance blog, so it was like getting together with some old friends! I won a copy of Jans novella “Know You More” and have begun reading it. We also chatted quite a bit last night privately, and I found out her third novella was in the SPLASH collection! I had just purchased my copy last night as well. So, I am excited to learn more about all the characters in her “Savannah Sweethearts” collection 🙂
Jan, it really was such a nice chat we had. And I probably read at least halfway through the book last night!! I probably would have read all of it if my eyes didn’t start drooping 🙂 I really enjoyed reading this interview here on Narelles blog about “Draw You Near”. I really like getting a feel for the characters and a bit of their backstory! And I really can’t wait to read Lars and Abilenes’ story. I love seeing Georgia through your eyes! One day, I hope to visit.
Thank you both for a wonderful author interview! Blessings on your writing 🙂
Trixi – Thank you so much for your kind comments! It’s a lot of fun to write about the places I’ve been to and to find excuses to take another trip! Savannah is a neat place to visit as it has a mix of old and new. Stay tuned as there are seven friends in all, and thus, seven stories to tell… 🙂
Thank you again, Narelle, for the wonderful interview. You rock!
Hi Trixi, It was lovely to chat with you at the SPLASH! Facebook Party 🙂 I’m glad you’ve discovered Jan’s books and are enjoying her stories. I hope to visit Savannah one day, too! Thanks for stopping by 🙂