How I Handled the Research for the Book by Kimberly Daniels – Guest Blog and Giveaway

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Kimberly Daniels will be awarding a $25 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

I have to say that the research for Lost Until You was so difficult, almost gut-wrenching. I mean who else would want to sit on a beach to interview young, tan surfers and then watch them do their thing in the ocean? Sounds like torture, right? Truthfully, it was it was so interesting and inspiring at the same time. Surfers are often shown in a negative light, portraying this unintelligent, lazy person whose vocabulary consists of the phrases, “Duh” and “Surfs up.” After talking with a number of them, this stereotype made me really angry. Their ability to visualize and judge this unpredictable phenomenon of nature is simply astounding. And then to take it one step further to control the movement of their bodies and the board they are standing on through these unpredictable waves is so artistic. Intelligence and grace is really just the start of it.

What I was determined to accomplish in Lost Until You was to give the sport of surfing the credit it deserves. I started with a lot of in-depth talks with my husband, who spent years growing up on a board right hear on the East Coast. I then moved on and spoke to current competitive surfers and studied the lingo. I watched a few surf competitions and was able to properly describe the atmosphere of one of them in the story. The best was seeing the competitive nature between the different surf towns.

I will say the lingo was the hardest for me to understand. Tides, swells, storms, and types of waves all play a part in surfing. To be able to explain it correctly took was difficult, but all that meant was more time with these tanned, athletic surfers! Anyone jealous yet?

Camryn Singer never imagined that she would return to the place where she lost everything. To grant a dying wish, she and her young son make the move back to the small Jersey beach town where she grew up, hoping to somehow find the missing pieces of her life. Determined to keep her heart guarded, the last thing she needs is the force that is sexy surfer, Cole Stevens, literally slamming into her life.

Struggling against growing feelings for Cole, Camryn tries to focus on life with her son. But when Cole picks the lock to her heart, Camryn knows he might be the one to change everything. Just when Camryn thinks she’s finally finding her happiness, a ghost from the past comes back to haunt her.

Camryn must now decide between letting Cole stand with her in the fight for her life, or staying lost in the pain of the past.

Enjoy an Excerpt

The walk home is spent talking about the normal things: work, surfing, summer plans. As we approach the end of our walk, three crazy people waving and yelling our names block the entrance to our houses. Gavin bolts toward us, jumps into Cole’s arms, and reaches one arm out for me to pull me in for a group hug. The change in his demeanor from yesterday is astounding, and I know the sight of Cole and me together is part of that. Surely Carter also helped by pumping him with junk food all night at their sleepover. Lila and Carter join the hug seconds later, making me feel like I can call this home again.

We break apart from our embrace with Lila begging for the scoop, Carter complaining of hunger, and Gavin bragging about winning his bet with Cole. Before I can answer anyone, Cole puts his arm around me and looks at Gavin.

“Gavin, I want to make sure that you’re okay with your Mommy and me spending a lot of time together.”

Gavin looks from me to Cole and replies, “Does it mean you’re gonna kiss each other a lot now? Because that’s kinda gross.”

“Well, I think you better get used to that.” Cole leans over and whispers to him, “Because your mom’s way too pretty not to kiss.”

With a disgusted look, Gavin yells out, “Eww, gross!” He then reaches around Cole’s neck again and says, “But it’s okay if you and Mommy see each other. Even if you have to kiss.”

“Aww, thanks, buddy.” Cole reaches his fist up to Gavin.

Gavin taps his fist back to Cole’s and replies, “You’re welcome, buddy.”

Watching the two of them interact like this creates a feeling of contentment and satisfaction that is so new and refreshing. Everyone starts walking toward the back deck while I take one more look out toward the vast stretch of sand. This beach town holds the reason for my nightmares and heartache. But today, it represents the birth of my new life, one that includes Cole. However, looking toward the water’s edge, my elation is quickly stripped from me as I stand staring into the aqua-colored eyes of my biggest fear.

About the Author: Kimberly Daniels is a middle school English Teacher who took the advice of her students to pursue her writing hobby as a career. When she’s not at her laptop dreaming up new happily-ever-afters, she can be found glued to the TV or Kindle consumed with a new show or book addiction. She lives with her husband and two daughters in in the suburbs of Philadelphia, spending weekends at basketball games, softball fields, and dance recitals.

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