Northern Heat

7 Day Book Series.
Today I'm welcoming Helene Young.
(And there's a giveaway!)

What does a house or a home mean to characters in a book?
I went outside my four walls and asked my neighbours - authors of Romantic Suspense, Historical & Contemporary Romance and Rural Romance.

Helene Young is a multi-award winning author of Australian Romantic Suspense. With her sixth book recently released, Helene's novels live up to the message “Love in the heart of danger.”

Helene has just set sail to start the rest of her life (literally... see below). Fortunately for us,  this means she'll have plenty of time to write more books.

A House is a Home When... with Helene Young

The Book: Northern Heat, released on 27th May, 2015. It’s loosely linked to one of Helene's previous novels, Safe Harbour.

Character: Conor, a hero in need of redemption.

Giveaway: Helene is offering an eBook copy of Northern Heat to an international reader, or a paperback copy to an Australian postal addressee reader.

Who is Connor and where does he live?

Character Bio
Conor, ex-footballer and now deckhand on a prawn trawler on the Endeavour River in Cooktown, is running a multi-million dollar trust fund at night and trying to atone for his past mistakes by day. Still scarred by the grief of losing his wife and daughter he’s on the trail of their killer. Dying doesn’t scare him and he certainly doesn’t believe he’s worthy of settling down or finding love again. But Cooktown has a way of creeping under your skin and Conor’s been drawn into the community. Has he finally found a place to call home?

The House
Veritas is Conor’s current home. It’s a sleek 50 ft yacht with snowy white sails, gleaming brass work, and timber decks. After spending two years in the protected witness programme he was used to being on the move, carrying nothing but a backpack and devastating memories. When his cover was blown, disappearing and buying the boat gave him the ability to move on with a moment’s notice. There’s no chance of him becoming attached to a place, or a person.  Except that Dr Kristy Dark seems to have claimed a place in his heart. Memories of that sexy moment on the back deck of Veritas keep him awake at night. Has he been using his nomadic existence as an excuse for rejecting another chance at happiness?

What does a house or a home mean to Conor?

Before his world fell apart Conor and his family lived in a beautiful house in a desirable street in leafy Sydney. Now his world is contained in 50 foot of boat. There’s comfort in the austere lines, the soft glow of the brass and the tinkle of water against the hull. Veritas is something he can control and that anchors him, cocoons him from life’s storms. He can hole up in his boat knowing she will weather a cyclone. But when the worst happens and he’s forced to choose between Veritas and the woman he’s come to love, he’s forced to accept that people are what make a house a home.

Excerpt from Northern Heat by Helene Young

Conor squinted ahead. The rain had eased somewhat and he could see a monster of a log rolling on the surface. There was no way around it. He increased the power in reverse, slowing the Veritas further, and braced himself.

The boat hit the log with a thump and the bow lifted a metre in the air as they rode over it. And then they stopped dead, Conor only just managing to stay on his feet. The only good thing was that it had deflected them further right. He might have collected more debris, but he wasn’t adding another yacht to his raft.

A torch beam swept across him and he waved. Nothing else he could do. He only hoped the other yacht’s anchor held. The raging water won again and slowly they picked up speed. From here on there was nothing in the way. There was only one thing left to do.

It took him less than a minute to grab the waterproof bag with his computer and passport and sling it into the dinghy. Could he make it upstream again? He didn’t know, but he wasn’t about to die wondering.

With the backpack settled on his shoulders and the portable radio strapped next to the gun, he lowered the dinghy into the inky water. She bumped against the stern as the swirling water tugged at her. The sound of the diesel engine died as he flicked the switch on the Veritas, and he ran a hand around the wheel.

‘Sorry, lovely lady, but someone else needs me more.’ He wasn’t crying. It was just the rain. It took half a dozen pulls on the starter to get the dinghy outboard roaring. He licked his lips, tasting the salt. He couldn’t bear to look back as he gunned the engine.

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Helene's five previous novels

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Helene's new release

Back cover blurb for Northern Heat by Helene Young

In remote northern Australia, Conor Stein is living under an assumed name and rebuilding his shattered life. Working at Cooktown’s youth centre has given him the chance to make a difference again, and a chance to flirt with Kristy Dark. When he finds himself dragged into a murder investigation, with more lives at risk, he fights to the death to protect those he loves.

After tragedy tore her family apart, Dr Kristy Dark fled home to the steamy north with her feisty teenage daughter, Abby. She hoped being part of the small community would help them both heal. When late one sultry night Conor staggers into the emergency department supporting a local fisherman with a gunshot wound, she has no inkling her world is about to be turned on its head.

As a cyclone tears through Cooktown, cutting them off from the world, the real killer moves to silence any witnesses. With their lives on the line, Kristy will have to summon her courage and place her trust in Conor, or they’ll both lose someone they love.

Click on any book cover or collage to discover all the blurbs, all the books and where to buy, or click here HeleneYoung.com 
or visit Helen Young on Facebook 

Leave a comment to go into the draw to WIN a copy of Northern Heat.
(eBook for international or paperback for Australian postal addressees, and thank you Helene.) 
Good Luck!

And pop back tomorrow to see the next of my special guest authors and discover what a house or a home means to a character who finds herself torn between the haunting memories of her past, her dedication to the job and her attraction to a handsome local....

Jennie, in the company of Helene Young

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Leave your comment, then pop over to Helene's blog. The Rest of Our Lives Starts Now – a true and ongoing life story from Helene (they set sail last Monday) Good Luck, Helene and Cpt G!

You can also visit Anna Campbell from yesterday and maybe win a copy of Three Proposals and a Scandal.

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