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Tuesday, August 21, 2012

Blog Tour: Melanie Dobson and Cara Putman



Mackinac Island. It¹s a magical place that
allows you to step back in time from the moment you first step off the
ferry. Authors Cara
Putman
 and Melanie
Dobson
 have teamed up for a tour of the island, now and then.
Comment at each stop for a chance to win a copy of one of their books set on
Mackinac Island. You¹ll find the list of stops here.
Share the tour on twitter, Facebook, pinterest and other places, and you¹ll
gain extra entries for the grand prize of a copy of each of their books and
a 5 slice box of Murdick¹s
Fudge
, straight from Mackinac Island. Just be sure to email Cara at
cara@caraputman.com, so she can record your entries. The grand prize winner
will be selected on August 27, 2012.


While the current Mackinac lighthouse was
built in 1895, my novel was inspired in part by an intriguing note I read on
my tourist map, a note about an old light station on the eastern bluffs. I
mapped out my bike ride to find the site of this old station. I asked locals
and a lighthouse expert about the location, and I climbed the bluffs
searching for it. No one seemed to know about the station, and even though I
found some old buildings and ruins on the east side of the island, I never
found the site for this old light. When I returned to Mackinaw City, I
toured a historic lighthouse that looks out into the Straits of Mackinac.
And I wondered, what if...? What if there had once been an old lighthouse
high above the eastern shore? And what if the lighthouse keeper disappeared?
I don¹t know where the older lighthouse was on Mackinac‹or if there was
one‹so I built one for my story.
The lighthouses are a very recognizable
aspect of Mackinac Island. They stand like sentinels, guarding the
waters leading to Mackinac...warning boats to be wary. When I see the
lighthouses, I know we are getting close to the piers and to the start of
our time on the island. 




A Wedding Transpires on Mackinac
Island


 Join attorney Alanna Stone as she
returns home despite her determination to never set foot on Mackinac Island
again. Once again in close proximity to Jonathan Covington, her first love,
she vows to protect her privacy and her heart from the man who still makes
her pulse race. But when her worst fears are realized and history repeats
itself‹landing her in the midst of a murder investigation‹Jonathan may be
her only hope. Will they be able to lay aside the past and let God heal
their hearts, or will reconciliation come too late?  Read the first
chapter here.



Love Finds You on Mackinac Island:

As the Gilded Age comes to a
close, Elena Bissette¹s family has lost most of its fortune. The
Bissettes still own a home on fashionable Mackinac Island, and they
spend summers there in hopes of introducing Elena to a wealthy suitor.
Quickly tiring of the extravagant balls at the Grand Hotel, she spends
her days walking along the island¹s rugged coastline. There she meets
Chase, a handsome laborer who invites her to watch the ships from an
abandoned lighthouse. The two begin to meet there in secret, hoping to
solve a mystery buried in the pages of a tattered diary. As Elena falls
in love with Chase, her mother relentlessly contrives to introduce her
to Chester Darrington, the island's most eligible bachelor. Marriage to
the elusive millionaire would solve the Bissettes' financial woes, and
Elena is torn between duty and love. Read the first chapter
href="http://www.melaniedobson.com/media/samples/mackinacSample.pdf">here.

14 comments:

Anonymous said...

I loved visiting Mackinac island when I was a kid, and would really love a chance to visit again thru these books!

Karen Schulz

aregeetee5162 at yahoo cot com

pol said...

Tracey, thanks for your part in the tour of island, wow this is so nice, sure hope to see in person one day but til then will enjoy reading the book and visiting there.
Paula O(kyflo130@yahoo.com)

Nancee said...

I've lived in Michigan all my life and have been to Mackinac Island many times. That's part of what makes these two books so special to me. I like winning print books of Amish/Christian fiction. Thanks for offering this giveaway.
Nancee
quiltcat26[at]sbcglobal[dot]net

Melanie Dobson said...

Thanks so much for hosting us, Tracey! Cara and I have had so much fun delving into the island's past and present together.

Cara Putman said...

Tracey, thanks so much for hosting us and taking the extra time and effort to get everything working. Oy!

And ladies, the island is a fun place to visit. Hope you enjoy visiting through our books!

Pam K. said...

I would love to "visit" Mackinac Island through these books since I haven't been able to actually go there. It would be especially fun since one book is historical and the other contemporary. Thanks for the chance to win!

pmk56[at]sbcglobal[dot]net

Cherie Hamby Kasper said...

Loved hearing about the lighthouses. I live along the Erie shore and want to do the tour of the lighthouses here. I now live closer to Mackinac Island that I did a year ago when we moved from Kansas. I'm going to try to make a trip there and do the tour of the Island.

Unknown said...

I once took a trip just traveling the Northwest coastline, stopping to see lighthouses.

laurelprincess12 at gmail dot com

Lane Hill House said...

"What if there had once been an old lighthouse high above the eastern shore? And what if the lighthouse keeper disappeared?"

Intriging!!

I would like to be put in the drawing for Melanie's book. Kathleen
lanehillhouse[at]centurylink[dot]net
(I have Cara's book.)

Cara Putman said...

Love seeing people stop at each location. Good luck!

Anonymous said...

How wonderful to pair to books that take place at one of Michigan's finest spots -- Mackinac Island. I have found memories of it from frowing up in the Detroit area, though I now live in the South. Just thinking about it brings back the memories of those fudge samples! YMMM!

Jennifer said...

I would love to just go around the island and absorb all the history that I could.
jennydtipton[at]gmail[dot]com

apple blossom said...

thanks for the tour and chance to win these books.

ABreading4fun [at] gmail [dot] com

bn100 said...

Very nice and informative post.

bn100candg(at)hotmail(dot)com

 
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