Answers For Julie {+ Giveaway}

It’s always a delight to welcome award-winning romantic suspense author Cate Beauman back to Thoughts in Progress. This time she returns with ANSWERS FOR JULIE, the ninth full-length novel in her Bodyguards of L.A. County series.

ANSWERS FOR JULIE is on sale now through Amazon, Barnes & Nobel, iTunes, Kobo, and more!

To celebrate the recent release of this intriguing story, Cate is offering a special giveaway just for those visiting Thoughts. Please see the end of the post for more details. Now here’s a brief synopsis of ANSWERS FOR JULIE:

          Julie Keller relishes the simple things: hot chocolate on winter nights, good friends she calls her family, and her laid-back career as a massage therapist and yoga instructor. Julie is content with her life until Chase Rider returns to Bakersfield.
          Bodyguard Chase Rider isn’t thrilled to be back in the town where he spent his childhood summers. His beloved grandmother passed away, leaving him a house in need of major repairs. With a three-week timetable and a lot to do, he doesn’t have time for distractions. Then he bumps into Julie, the one woman he hoped never to see again. Chase tries to pretend Julie doesn’t exist, but ten years hasn’t diminished his attraction to the hazel-eyed stunner.
           When a stranger grabs Julie’s arm at the grocery store—a woman who insists Julie’s life isn’t what it seems, Chase can’t help but get involved. Julie and Chase dig into a twenty-five-year-old mystery, unearthing more questions than answers. But the past is closer than they realize, and the consequences of the truth have the potential to be deadly.

Please join me now in giving a warm welcome to Cate as she talks about the inspiration behind ANSWERS FOR JULIE and shares an excerpt. Welcome, Cate.

I often get my story ideas from watching crime documentaries, but the plot for Answers For Julie came together after I read some sobering FBI statistics in a magazine about the odds of a missing child coming home. 

Unfortunately, many children are lost forever. The wheels began spinning quickly after that, and a few weeks later, the story was well on its way. 

I hope you enjoy Julie and Chase as much as I enjoyed writing them!

~ Cate

Read an excerpt from Answers For Julie:

        “Good night.” She turned on her side as Becky left and snuggled into her covers, listening to the music from downstairs while she stared at the white lights twinkling on the baby Christmas tree she and mommy had decorated for her room. Noah’s excited voice carried from his room, and her eyes drooped in the warmth and comfort of her bed. Her mind drifted to the Grinch and Cindy Lou Who, and her eyes flew open when her bedroom door creaked shut. She didn’t like her door closed.
        Sitting up, Alyson relaxed when she realized she wasn’t alone and looked at the woman dressed in a black coat and hat, Becky’s friend who liked to come and play with her and push her on the swings at the park.
        “Hi, Ally,” she whispered, stepping farther in the room, looking over her shoulder.
        “Hi.” She yawned. “Did you come to play with me?”
        “Whisper,” the woman said, glancing over her shoulder again.
        She smiled. “Okay.”
        “Do you want to come with me? We could go to the park.”
        Alyson glanced out the window at fat snowflakes falling in the dark, pushed off her covers, and stood. “I have to ask my mommy.”
        “She said it’s okay, but we have to hurry and be very, very quiet.” The woman moved to the bed, grabbed two teddy bears and laid them down, pulling the blankets up and over the stuffed animals. “It’s a secret game.”
        Becky and Noah’s voices were muffled through the wall, and Alyson pressed her hand to her mouth, suppressing a giggle. “I like secret games.”
        “Me too. Come on.” The woman took something from her pocket with gloved hands and unfolded it, laying a piece of paper flat at the foot of the bed.
        “What’s that?”
        “A note so your mommy will remember I took you to the park.”
        “I only want to play for a little while. I’m going to see Santa with mommy and Noah.”
        “Just for a little bit,” the woman assured with a smile. “Let’s hurry.” She lifted Alyson and bundled her under the pink and purple blanket Grandma Porter made for her when she had been a teeny, tiny baby.
        “I need my boots and coat.”
        “I have some for you at my house.”
        “Okay.”
        The woman walked to the bedroom door and stopped, holding a finger to her lips. “Shh.”
        Alyson grinned and said “Shh” back.
        The woman stepped into the hallway and out the French doors that opened to the large balcony Alyson and Noah weren’t allowed to play on and hurried down the long sweep of stairs.
        Alyson clung tight to the woman taking her to the park. She stared back at her huge brick and pillar house lit with hundreds of Christmas lights as Becky’s friend ran with her into the shadows of the street.

Did you enjoy the excerpt? You can read the first chapter on my website, www.catebeauman.com, or you can finish the whole book here!

The Unofficial Answers For Julie Soundtrack

Music still plays such a large part in my writing process. I listen to Pandora or YouTube and compile a collection of songs that I feel represent my characters or the situations they face as the novel unfolds. Here are a few of the songs that I had on “repeat” while I created Julie and Chase’s story! You can listen to all of them on my website www.catebeauman.com.

The soundtrack, of sorts, for Answers For Julie:
· Leaving Home by Cody Fry and Raquel Cole
· All The Stars by Ed Sheeran
· Rust Or Gold by Jill Andrews
· American Secrets by Parachute
· Thinking Of You by Katy Perry
· Battleship by Daughtry
· Find My Way Back by Cody Fry
· The Last Time by Taylor Swift featuring Gary Lightbody
· Running Back To You by Matt Wertz
· Ungodly Hour by The Fray
· I Need You by LeAnn Rimes
· Free Like You Make Me by The Cary 

Cate, thanks so much for joining us today and sharing this behind-the-scenes look at ANSWERS FOR JULIE. For me, the soundtrack is an added bonus for the story. For those who aren’t familiar with Cate, here’s a bit of background for you.

Cate currently lives in North Carolina with her husband, their two boys, and St. Bernard’s, Bear and Jack. She is the author of the international bestselling and award winning romantic suspense series, Bodyguards of L.A. County. Before her career as an author, Cate worked in special education for 12 years.

“I’m a pretty lucky girl; one day I woke up and my entire life changed. I saw the light, so to speak, and decided I was going to be a writer. Now, five years later, I’m working on my tenth novel! I remain so very grateful for the support and success that I have had. Thank you!” - Cate 

You can sign up for Cate’s newsletter HERE and will be notified of monthly giveaway offers and much more!

For more on Cate and her writing, visit her website and Amazon Author Page, as well as connect with her on Twitter, Facebook and Goodreads.

GIVEAWAY DETAILS:

This giveaway is for two e-Book copies of ANSWERS FOR JULIE. 

To enter, just click on the Rafflecopter widget below and following the instructions. It may take the widget a few seconds to open, please be patient.

Thanks so much for stopping by today during Cate’s visit. Do you enjoy listening to the same soundtrack the author listens to while they are writing? Does the music give you a bit more insight into the characters and their story?

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