"Making Waves" by Lorna Seilstad

February was Romance Month at Clash of the Titles

For February, Clash of the Titles featured two gooey, deliciously sigh-worthy clashes.

Michelle Massaro hosted Clash Two, another tough contest between Elaine Marie Copper's The Road to Deer Run and Lorna Seilstad's Making Waves. The COTT team was delighted with two new "firsts" for Clash of the Titles. Lorna's book was nominated by one of our team reviewers over at Title Trakk. "I was blown away and very honored that a reader would take the time to submit a scene from Making Waves, and I'm pleased as punch that it was this scene. It's always hard to know if the same scenes I see as romantic are the same ones that move readers," Lorna said.

The other "first" for COTT was that a self-published author won the Clash. "Recently, we've come to the decision to open up all of our Clashes to self-published authors," Michelle Massaro, assistant editor for COTT said. "There will still be guidelines to adhere to, disclaimers to sign, but we feel this will best serve you guys—our readers, authors, and friends. We will still have unpublished Clashes according to our usual schedule, but now they will be reserved for our truly unpublished friends."

And the Clash fairly zinged with the most site comments from our readers. "Readers flooded in to participate in this clash and the battle was fierce. The race was very tight--we were dead even up until the last couple of hours," Massaro said. The Road to Deer Run won the "I Conquered COTT button."





Web sites:
Lorna Seilstad: http://www.lornaseilstad.com/

Making Waves: http://www.amazon.com/Making-Waves-Novel-Manawa-Summers/dp/0800734459/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1299433897&sr=1-1

Lorna Seilstad's "Making Waves"

We're happy to have Lorna Seilstad with us today talking about her book, Making Waves. To learn more about Lorna and her book, read on!

1) How did this story come to you?
I’ve lived in Iowa my whole life and Lake Manawa is about a ten minute drive from my house. Since my dad lived there as a child, I’d heard stories about the resort’s heyday, but I had no idea just what a fascinating place it was until I began to research it. After I did, I had to write a story set there. I wanted to bring the area back to life—at least on paper.

2) Tell us about the journey to getting this book published.
At the 2008 ACFW conference, I presented this book to Andrea Doering. I completely forgot my pitch and just handed her my one sheet. Then, I sat there while she read two chapters. Thank goodness, she laughed in the right places! I knew I was in trouble if she didn’t.

After she was done, she complimented my fresh voice and asked me to send of full copy to her. Less than a month after I submitted the manuscript, I received an e-mail asking for a couple more ideas to make this into a possible series. A month later, Revell offered me a contract.

3) Tell me three things about yourself that would surprise your readers.
1. I’m good at pinball. This really surprised my husband when we were dating.
2. I’ve never sailed, although I’d love to. I read “Sailing for Dummies” when writing Making Waves. I also had help from a sailing writing friend to make sure I got the information correct.
3. I occasionally serve as a wedding coordinator. I guess romance is in my blood

3) What are you working on now and what's next for you?
There are two more books in the Lake Manawa Summers series. The next book is called A Great Catch and occurs five years later at the lake. I’m busy working on book three which will be yet another five years later and will feature the resort’s new roller coaster.

4) Parting comments?
Thank you for having me today. It’s been fun.

5) Where can fans find you on the internet?
I love connecting with and hearing from readers. I can be found at:
http://www.lornaseilstad.com/
http://www.inkspirationalmessages.com/ (10-writer blog)
On Twitter and on Facebook