A Life in the Day of Annette Irby

Sandra Ardoin @SandraArdoin

We all have our favorite spots for relaxation. Author Annette Irby turned one of her favorites into the setting for her romantic novel and brings it to life for the reader.  Today, she shares how that setting helps her balance life and writing. 

Thank you for the invitation to visit your blog, Sandy!

As a Northwesterner, I love sunshine. We recently came through a sunny, dry season, but before it passed I took one last warm trip to the beach.

The scent of saltwater inspires me. I grew up near the Great Lakes, so large bodies of water weren’t something new before I moved to the Northwest. Yet there’s something about the sea, something about the specific marine life that lives there, the mystery of huge cetaceans and even sharks, that inspires the writer in me.

Walking the beach, I’m free to plot new books and talk with Jesus. I’ve encountered God in the tame waves of Puget Sound and in the massive surf of the Pacific Ocean. I’ve enjoyed His presence near the tropical Hawaiian waves of turquoise meeting a periwinkle sky. He’s mighty, He’s beautiful, He’s warm, He’s faithful.

When the writing narrative dries up, I pack a few things into my car and head off to the beach. Sometimes I’m problem-solving my plot or characterization. Last year, around this time, I took powerwalks near an overlook with a water view, and chatted with God about a possible contract for the book that just released. What a memory!

When I am not free to take time out for the beach, I surround myself in my writing office with beachy things. Seashells, sea glass, sea turtles, and décor in beachy shades. All of it inspires me.

I’ve been studying my family genealogy in the last few years, and I’ve discovered my people originated in Scotland in an area near the sea. In fact, “we” have a castle there (my widely extended family) that is near the sea, which dates back to the 1300s or perhaps earlier. Is it possible my love for the sea is in my DNA? I can’t get enough of it. As I prepared this blog post and searched my phone for images I might share, at the very first picture of the beach trip I mention above, I sighed aloud. That’s who I am.

Other aspects that occupy my days are editing for publishers and fellow writers, and caring for my family. I’m grateful for my very supportive husband of twenty-six years who carries the home burdens with me so I might pursue this writing dream, and make my deadlines. ? He’s also my first reader and occasional brainstorming partner.

If you get a chance to pick up a copy of Finding Love in Friday Harbor, or any of the upcoming books in my Washington Island Romance series, I hope you’ll be transported to the beachy settings and find a getaway experience in the pages as we visit some of my favorite locations together.

Happy reading, friends.

Where do you find inspiration for those things in life that require a little creativity?

♦♦♦♦♦♦♦

Finding Love in Friday Harbor, Washington:

Will keeping his promise lead to another broken heart—or help them find love again?

Professor Mikaela Rhoades has a plan: she’ll encourage her students’ marine biology research through an exclusive program while helping an old family friend’s whale touring business stay afloat. The challenge is the tour captain is her first love and ex-fiancé. Mikaela longs to help his family in the wake of his father’s death, but she’s keeping secrets. She’ll have to face her past and overcome her concerns about the future to make it through the summer.

Captain Hunter Cahill has taken over the family touring business after his father’s death. Unfortunately, he’s drowning in grief and debts. He’s hoping the incoming stodgy professor will help resurrect the failing business, but he’s not prepared when that professor turns out to be Mikaela, his former fiancée. To make matters more difficult, he’d promised his father to pursue her if she ever returned to the island single. The more time they spend together, the easier it is to keep that promise, though she still plans to leave at the end of the season. How much will it cost him to spend the summer romancing Mikaela?

Annette M. Irby has been writing since her teen years when she sat pounding out stories on a vintage typewriter just for fun. Since then, she’s joined Christian writing groups and launched blogs so she could share the joy of writing. She likes to say she’s addicted to color as flowers and seascapes inspire her. In her off hours, she enjoys gardening, photography, and music. She lives with her husband and family in the Pacific Northwest.

Links to connect with Annette:

Website: www.AnnetteIrby.com

Twitter: @AnnetteMIrby

Facebook Reader Friends Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/252272708574760

Book Review Blog: www.annetteirbyreviews.blogspot.com

Buy link at Amazon: http://amzn.to/2h5JTmW