Happy Book Birthday to LAKE OF DESTINY and a Reader Appreciation Giveaway!

by Martina Boone

It’s New Release Time . . .

An anxiety of writers My very first novel for adult readers is out today, which means I’m biting my fingernails. I saw a great thread on Twitter recently about the correct name for a group of writers. I agree! Definitely anxiety for the win.

As writers we alternate between being anxious and grateful. I’m not sure that ever goes away. And as always on release day, I’m both nervous and so very, very grateful for the support I’m getting from friends and readers.

I hope you’ll be willing to help launch this book with me, too. Buying a copy would mean the world to me, and if you enjoyed Compulsion, or if you’re a fan of Nora Roberts, Susan Wiggs, Susan Mallery, Marie Force, Jude Deveraux, Sarah Addison Allen, or Susanna Kearsley, I hope you’ll love this one as well. It’s clean enough for my YA readers with a great multigenerational cast of characters.

What if you met the person you knew you were destined to love? Would you tell them?

Lake of Destiny is a magical Highland romance about men in kilts, destiny, family, healing, and the sometimes twisted path to love . . .

“Delightful, charming, and heart-warming.”
—New York Times bestselling author Wendy Higgins

Helping her aunt organize a Beltane Festival in a picturesque Highland village seems like the perfect escape from Anna’s second broken engagement and the meltdown that wrecked her legal career. But to succeed, she’ll need to wrangle kilt-wearing villagers, dangerous sheep, a disaster of a dog, and the reclusive laird who refuses to open his property to the public for the ancient tradition of “Sighting.”

For centuries, Loch Fàil in Balwhither has been known to locals as a “thin” place, one where the veil between worlds peels back on Beltane morning to show the face of a person’s one true love. The tradition could draw tourists by the busload, but that’s exactly what Connal MacGregor fears will reveal the secrets he’s been desperate to keep hidden.

While Anna struggles to mediate between the needs of the village and Connal’s need to protect his identity and his daughter, she finds herself falling in love with all of them: Connal and his child, the magical glen, the villagers. But day by day, opening herself to love exposes deeper scars from Anna’s childhood, and confronting those wounds could finally set her free–or endanger her every chance of happiness.

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Available in hardcover, paperback, and digital. Audiobook coming June 15, 2017.
Special introductory e-book pricing available across all retailers applies for a limited time!

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Praise for Lake of Destiny . . .

“It reminds me of a Nora Roberts series, The Gallaghers of Ardmore which I loved but, of course a Scottish version with hot men in kilts! I loved all the characters. This is very clean which means Martina’s YA fans can totally read it as well!”

~ Jaime, Two Chicks on Books

“Everything you could ask for in a romance. Heartbreak, a strong leading lady, a HAWT broody lead, a kilt wearing Scot, and so much more! I seriously couldn’t put the book down.”

~ Goodreads Reviewer Aubrie Nixon

“Everything about Lake of Destiny, the characters I wish I could hang out with at the pub, the sense of finding oneself in the turmoil of a life turned on its head, and the sheer sensory delights in Martina Boone’s prose make this book more than a read, it’s an experience not to be missed.”

~ Goodreads Reviewer Leslie Rose

“I definitely recommend “Lake of Destiny” as an enjoyable clean romance with enough surprises to keep you engaged so grab it when it comes out.”

~ Goodreads Reviewer Jolyn

The First BookTube Review . . .

I’m SUPER honored to have Lake of Destiny featured as Susan Sipal’s very first “Touch of Magic” Booktube Review on her new YouTube channel. It’s a great review that really gets to the heart of what the story is about, so check it out! She’s doing a fabulous giveaway as well. And be sure to subscribe to her channel for more books with unusual magical elements.

And Yes, There are Kilts . . .

Reader Appreciation Gift Pack

Need more gifts beyond those four photos? : ) Well, okay, since you asked . . .

As a thank you to my readers, I’m going to re-implement my monthly giveaways with a giftpack of items related to my books. This month is all about Lake of Destiny with the Outlander Cookbook, Scottish shortbread cookies, Highlander coffee, and more!

There are two ways to enter:

Complete the rafflecopter link below and/or
Enter on Facebook/Martina.Boone by posting a screenshot of Lake of Destiny in your hand, on your eReader or on your Goodreads “Romance” or “To Read” shelf.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

That’s it. I’ll pick the winner and post another giveaway June 1st!

Romantic Recipes

Chocolate Toblerone Cake with Toblerone Ganache

As with all my books, Lake of Destiny is full of love, and family, and food. I’ve even included some recipes in the back of the book this time, and here’s a recipe that isn’t included, based on the Toblerone chocolate bar that Anna buys in the duty free shop in Chapter One.
Made with the delicious Swiss chocolate bar with honey and nougat, this decadent cake makes the perfect gift to cheer up a friend in need, but it’s so good you’ll want to keep it for yourself.
Ingredients:
For cake

14 tbsp butter, chopped
2 3.52 oz Toblerone chocolate bars, coarse chopped
1 cup fine-granulated (caster) sugar
1 cup milk
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup plain flour
1 cup self-rising flour
2 eggs, lightly beaten
berries, to serve

For ganache & decoration

3 3.52 oz Toblerone milk or dark chocolate bars, coarse chopped
1/3 cup cream

Step-by-Step:

Preheat oven to 325°F.
In a double boiler, melt butter, 2 bars of Toblerone, sugar, milk, and vanilla together over medium heat until smooth and silky.
Pour contents in a large mixing bowl and allow to cool.
Mix in flour and eggs, and beat at low speed of a mixer until well combined.
Butter the sides of a 9-inch pan and line the bottom with buttered parchment paper.
Bake 1 hour or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
Let stand 10 minutes before removing from pan. Cool completely.
Melt 2 additional Toblerone bars with cream in double boiler until smooth.
Let cool until just thickening, and pour gently over cake.
Beat remaining ganache with mixer and pipe into several decorate swirls around the top of the cake. Top with triangles of Toblerone. Refrigerate before serving.

Musical Inspiration

Many of you know by now that I have a geeky love of folk songs–escpecially Celtic ones. The Robert Tannahill poem, “The Braes O’Balquhidder” about the glen in which Lake of Destiny is set became a beloved Scottish ballad that in turn inspired the more well-known “Wild Mountain Thyme.” Here’s a lovely version of the original by the Tannahill Weavers to get you in the mood for the Lake of Destiny! : )

Martina Boone

Martina Boone is the award-winning author of the romantic southern gothic Heirs of Watson Island series, starting with COMPULSION from Simon & Schuster, Simon Pulse and the Celtic Legends Collection of novels set in Scotland, Cornwall, and Ireland beginning with LAKE OF DESTINY. She’s passionate about improving lives through literacy and the love of books, and she runs the Compulsion For Reading program to distribute books to underserved schools and libraries.

She lives with her husband, children, Shetland Sheepdog Phinney, and Zoey the lopsided cat, and she enjoys writing contemporary romantic fiction with a hint of magic set in small towns and beautiful places. When she isn’t writing, she’s addicted to travel, horses, skiing, chocolate flavored tea, and anything with Nutella on it.

Post © Martina Boone and/or Adventures in YA Publishing. All rights reserved.

Posted: Apr 25, 2017

Category: Imported from AYAP

Tags: Martina Boone | YA Fiction Giveaways

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The first slide is an animation of a science/magic room in a castle. A cartoon character of a mad-scientist looking man in in the foreground says: “Hello! Dr. Frankenstein here to say, Well Done on kid lit zombie week! I’m an expert at reviving the dead, and let me assure you, with a little spark, you can bring dead projects to life. Especially if you dig up parts from other dead things. I’ll even let you have a sneak peek at my laboratory’s store room to consider potential parts for your dead project. If you see something with a yellow glow, that means you should click it. Have fun!”

He points to the right side of the screen and a new scene slides in of a castle science/magic storage room. There are various cartoon Frankenstein body parts scattered around. Some of them have a yellow glow. If you click on them, the images below appear (I’ve added alt text to them, so I hope it works).

The Heart of your story is the main character. The protagonist is the beating core that truly brings your story to life. If your MC doesn't make kids (and their grown-ups) care within the first few pages, your story will flatline. </p>
<p>Your main character needs to be:<br />
• Relatable enough for kids to see themselves<br />
• Unique enough to stand out in the slush pile<br />
• Active enough to drive the story<br />
• Memorable enough to survive multiple readings at bedtime</p>
<p>Where do you find this amazing donor heart? It might be the very thing you loved so much about the manuscript you want to revive. It might be the younger sister from your shelved YA novel. Or maybe it’s the hilarious kid you blogged about meeting at a school visit. Find a character beating with potential and place it in the center of your story.<br />

The Brain of your story is the theme or central message. The theme is the big idea that controls everything else. Picture books are more than stories - they're tiny life lessons disguised with humor and heart.</p>
<p>But your theme needs to be:<br />
• Subtle enough not to trigger the dreaded "didactic" rejection<br />
• Clear enough for a four-year-old to grasp<br />
• Universal enough to speak to both kids and adults<br />
• Fresh enough to prevent agents and editors from responding with "Not another sharing/bedtime/first-day story!"</p>
<p>Check your other dead manuscripts to see if there is a recurring theme, something that really seems to be speaking to you. Find the bit of poetry you scribbled on the back of a receipt to see what theme inspired it. Reread the pep talk you texted your critique partner at 1am. Pick the theme that will drive your story, giving it purpose, direction, and deeper meaning.<br />

The Legs of your story is the plot. Not to be confused with a grave plot.🤪 The plot is what keeps everything upright and moving, as well as providing support for all the other elements. You have very few words to use in a picture book, so you need to do a lot with each plot point.</p>
<p>In general, your plot should:<br />
• Hook readers fast<br />
• Build tension that a child can follow<br />
• Create page turns that feel natural<br />
• Wrap up in a way that satisfies</p>
<p>You can borrow a plot twist (a leg) from one manuscript and the opening (the other leg) from a different manuscript. Consider if the subplot of the middle grade novel you trunked would work better as a picture book. Or maybe your Facebook post about a disastrous camping trip could become a story for kids. Just keep putting one foot in front of the other until you have your storyline.

The Arms of your story are the side characters.

The Torso of your story is the setting. Setting helps a story breathe and connects all the elements of the story. It isn't just where your story lives, it's what makes your story ALIVE. It's the difference between "this happened in a park" and "this happened in that park, the one with the twisty slide that burns your legs and the creaky swing that sounds like a baby crying.”</p>
<p>Your setting should:<br />
• Make your character's world feel real<br />
• Contain your story in a way that makes sense to young readers<br />
• Connect different scenes and moments organically<br />
• Give your illustrator enough room to add visual subplots</p>
<p>Half-finished manuscripts are a great place to dig up settings, since you worked out the place details before the plot petered out. Or maybe you had to cut a second fantastic location from your chapter book. You can also revisit the detailed caption from your Instagram carousel documenting your tour of that delish candy shop. Disinter a robust setting that can house all of your story's vital organs.

After you press the Click When Done circle button, the lights flash with the sound of electricity buzzing. Then the screen goes black and lightning zaps across the screen with the sound of thunder.

The screen then lights up to show the storage room, and all the Frankenstein pieces have been assembled into the whole monster. An upbeat song plays in the background. Then a speech bubble pops up with the words, “I’m alive! I’M ALIVE!” Then the screen goes to black.

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