Welcome to the Blog Tour for Captured in Frame by Laura Thomas, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!
About the Book
Title: Captured in Frame
Author: Laura Thomas
Series: Bite of Betrayal #1
Publisher: Mountain Brook Ink
Release Date: August 5, 2024
Genre: Christian Romantic Suspense
In an idyllic village nestled in the English countryside, photographer Georgia Brooks is desperate to begin a new chapter in her life. Bramble Cottage was supposed to give her space to heal and hope again after suffering betrayal and rejection by the only man she ever loved. This was Georgia’s chance to rekindle her faith and reconnect with her sisters in a place that held sweet childhood memories—not expose herself to the ugly underbelly of the art world and put her family in danger.
Local pediatric surgeon, Doctor William Hughes, is captivated by the Canadian beauty with a camera over one shoulder and the weight of the world on the other. After suffering his own tragic loss and balancing a demanding career with raising a toddler, he recognizes the heaviness of grief . . . and the burden of guilt.
When Georgia discovers she could be in possession of incriminating evidence to frame a criminal ring, she needs to trust someone. She chooses Will. Postcards, photographs, paintings—something about Bramble Cottage is worth killing for. Can Georgia uncover the truth in time?
PURCHASE LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop
Author Interview
1. Did you already enjoy photography before you wrote this story or did you need to learn the ins and outs of it, especially with how technical cameras can be these days?
To be honest, I love the creative aspect of photography and adore snapping shots that inspire me, but I’m SO not into the technical side of it! My husband, however, is definitely a tech guru with all things photography and I see how it brings him joy, so channeled some of his passion for my photographer protagonist. As a result, I ended up going down many rabbit trails as I researched details for the darkroom scenes and found the whole thing utterly fascinating—but I’ll stick with just writing about it!
2. Is Bramble Cottage based off of a cottage or home you're familiar with? Same with the English countryside you created in the story, since you're from the UK?
Yes, I was longing to set a novel in England at some point, and I found the perfect backdrop when I was back there visiting my family in 2019. My sister was living in a quintessential English village in the countryside complete with donkeys wandering down winding roads and thatched cottages galore. As we walked her pugs around the patchwork of surrounding fields, we passed the sweetest pink cottage with a thatched roof and rose trellis. I fell in love with it at once, snapped a photo, and knew I had to incorporate this delightful home into my story.
3. How do you decide what careers your characters will have for each of your stories?
What a great question! Many Christian romantic suspense books include at least one of the main characters in the military, emergency services, or an investigative profession, but I happen to believe there is also a place in this genre for protagonists with “regular” jobs. With the exception of one main character (who was secondary in a previous book and then elbowed his way into the next one as the detective hero!), my “regular” yet fascinating jobs include a teacher, missionary, nurse, realtor, author, architect, chef, orphanage worker, bookstore clerk—and our photographer and pediatric surgeon in Captured in Frame. Their careers usually come to me as I’m going deep with my character research and deciding what best suits their personalities and goals in the storyline… it’s a fun part of the process!
4. Do you ever get to travel for research when developing a story or while writing one?
I love traveling, so I’m always looking for excuses to discover new story settings in the name of research! Other than England for this book, I’ve also researched for my writing in Jamaica, Paris, Maui, the Oregon Coast, Seattle, Mexico, and locally in British Columbia. I have notebooks and photos from other destinations yet to be written about—I’m sure they will surface eventually!
5. Do you have any interesting stories of how you came up with a storyline or character?
I’m always amazed how I manage to come up with an actual story from a random moment that sparks a little something-something! With Captured in Frame, I mentioned that I was staying with my sister in that serene English village and really wanted to set a novel there but needed that spark to set things in motion. So, one dark, rainy evening I saw (in the figment of my overactive imagination) a huge, drenched, grizzly man lit up by a flash of lightening outside my sister’s French doors. Charming turned chilling in an instant and my suspense brain started figuring out who would come to this village and why—and what could possibly go wrong? (You’ll have to read the book to find out…)
6. Have any of your characters done or said something unexpected?
Absolutely. They surprise me constantly! I am a plotter, so before I write my first draft I have a pretty solid framework of what will happen and when. Of course, I allow flexibility and freedom to go with the flow and I’ll often find a character doing something totally unexpected. Without giving away any spoilers, in Captured in Frame, I had planned for a certain character to have a murky past with questionable choices, but I was shocked and rather appalled when it all played out! Of course, I was also rubbing my hands together with glee because the suspense heightened to a whole new level—and now even I was scared for my protagonist…
7. Do you ever start writing the next book in your head when you're working on a current novel?
Ideally, I try to not get engrossed in my next book until I finish the main revisions of a current novel, although that was tricky the time my publisher released three novels in twelve months—which I would not recommend for one’s sanity!
Inevitably, thoughts and ideas will come to me for a future book, especially if I’m writing a series, so I’ll keep a separate book document where I can dump everything and allow those ponderings to percolate and take shape. I think the fear of forgetting plagues most of us, so it’s a huge comfort to know I’ve got those gems jotted down for potential future use.
For this current Bite of Betrayal series, I just submitted book 2 to my publisher and so now I get to weave the words for book 3… stay tuned!
About the Author
A published, award-winning Christian author, Laura Thomas writes heartwarming encouragement for your soul—especially in her numerous romantic suspense novels, as well as her teen fiction, marriage, and children’s books. Laura is a hope*writers certified writing coach, a book-loving chocoholic mom and nanny, and is married to her high school sweetheart. Originally from the UK, they now live the empty nest life in Kelowna, British Columbia, with their French bulldog!
Connect with Laura at laurathomasauthor.com to follow her on social media and sign up for email updates.
Tour Giveaway
(1) winner will win a $25 Amazon gift card!
(1) winner will win a signed, personalized paperback copy of Captured in Frame, and a Captured in Frame canvas book tote!
Full tour schedule linked below. The giveaway begins at midnight August 6, 2024 and will last through 11:59 PM EST on August 13, 2024. Winners will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. US/CAN only. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.
Giveaway is subject to JustRead Publicity Tours Giveaway Policies.
Follow along at JustRead Tours for a full list of stops!
6 comments:
Sounds like a book I will enjoy.
Thank you for sharing Captured in Frame and being a part of this giveaway! 🤗
Sounds really good.
This sounds like a book I’d love to read!
This looks very intriguing. Thanks for sharing.
Sounds like a great read. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
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