Born and raised in the Rocky Mountains, A.L. Parks has spent the last 25 years moving all over the United States. Married to the Navy - well a man in the Navy - Parks has lived in various places throughout the United States. Now she resides in the Washington D.C area, and loves every minute. She has four children, and one spoiled German Shepard.
2013 marked her debut in publishing. Her first novel, Strangers, released on her 45th birthday. She was amazed at how many people fell in love with a story about two people dealing with grief, and finding love again. Abby and Bryce were the perfect couple to introduce Parks as an up-and-coming author.
Her second novel, The Return, released in December 2013. A wonderful Christmas romance, it is the first book in a series. Book Two is set to release in Spring 2014.Links: Website Twitter Facebook Goodreads
Interview
1. Your husband was in the Navy and you have traveled a lot, what has been your favorite place to live?
He's actually still in the Navy, but will be retiring in a couple of years. I really enjoyed San Diego while we were there, but I love the east coast. Being in the DC area is awesome, because I am so close to so many cool places. My husband spent a year in Newport getting his Master's, and we really enjoyed visiting him there, also. Oh, those mansions!!!
2. Strangers was your debut novel, was this the first book you have ever written or was this just the first book that you decided to publish?
No, the first book I wrote is still in editing. I'm sort of a big baby about it. I LOVE it, but want it to be absolutely perfect before I publish it. The characters feel like family to me, and their story is so suspenseful and romantic...
And I actually wrote The Return before I wrote Strangers, also. Strangers is a stand alone, so it seemed like a really good story to debut. Bryce's story will be a novella, and while I had hoped to get it out before Christmas, it has sort of been put on the back burner in favor of these other WIP's.
3. For you what is the best part of going to signings and events?
Meeting people! I love to talk about my books to people who come up to the my table. I love being able to put faces to bloggers I interact with over all the various forms of social media we use. And I love meeting other authors...some have become my biggest behind the scenes support network. And their books have inspired me to use my voice, and not let it become overshadowed.
4. You are starting a new series the Escape Series with the first book being Redemption, then you have the second book in the Return to Me series Return to Newport and then also the second book in the Strangers series Emily's Wish with writing different books in different series at the same time do you ever get confused or do you write them at different times to avoid that? (I know that I get confused just trying to read multiple books in different series at the same time, it's one of the reasons I don't like cliffhangers I tend to merge story lines :) )
Yeah, that doesn't make me look like the poster child for adult ADD. LOL! Squirrel! I have been known to write two books at once, but it is not very often. And when I do, the second book is more of a "time-out" to get my head on straight with the first book. And I don't have an issues with getting the story lines crossed because they are typically very different stories.
For the most part, I may have two projects going at once, but only one that I am primarily focused on.
5. What are some of your favorite authors that you love to read, the ones that you will pick up their book without reading the synopsis because you know that you will be getting a good read?
I have recently become a huge Candis Terry fan. I also love my gal pal, TJ Kline. Liz Crowe has a no-nonsense story-telling that takes everyday obstacles and turns them on their heads.
6. What was it about second chance romances that grabbed you and inspired you to write books about it?
I live it, so I know it. I have some life experiences under my belt, so I really wanted to write about what happens when your first love doesn't turn out to be the One True Love. For some of us, we need a second chance...and I wanted to tell those stories.
7. What is your favorite comfort food?
Yes, food comforts me. All of it. LOL! Chocolate is always a good go-to, of course.
Books
Strangers
Bereaved bride Abby Clark is tortured by visions of the fatal crash that took her fiancé on their wedding day. She succumbs to a dark existence where loneliness, sadness and nightmares dwell; until handsome, brooding Bryce Holden walks through the door of her favorite coffee shop, wearing the same cloak of despair and grief. Abby discovers in Bryce someone who understands love and loss, and soon their close friendship grows into a deep love. But ghosts make strange bedfellows, and Abby is forced to battle the tormenting images that continue to haunt her, and confront the ethereal presence of a beloved wife to protect her future with Bryce.
Emily was Bryce's life, his world, and when she died, he plummeted into a dark existence. Hoping to drag himself out of the pit of grief and depression where he dwelled for the past five years, he moves out of the home he shared with his deceased wife. New apartment, new outlook, new life. Struggling with the guilt of moving forward without Emily, Bryce wanders into a coffee shop and meets Abby, a kindred spirit. But Abby makes Bryce feel things, want things... See how Bryce feels upon meeting Abby for the first time, and how he discovers Emily's final wish for him.
Return to Me
Eve Carlisle had a singular purpose - sell the rustic house nestled in the Colorado ski resort town. Tortured by her husband’s betrayal, the beautiful divorcee refused to give her heart to another man. But Jake had been a happy surprise, with his mesmerizing blue eyes, warm smile, strong but gentle nature – as well as being incredibly sexy. She had convinced herself the relationship with Jake was nothing more than a fling. After all, she had a life in Newport, with society friends and a lucrative career as a family court judge. Still, Jake had a definitive hold over her, and she was finding it hard to think clearly where he was concerned. The demons of prior failed marriages haunt them both, and threaten to end things just as they are beginning. When Jake tells Eve he is falling in love with her, Eve refuses to believe it can last. Returning to Newport, the hollowness of her existence exposed, she must confront her fears before she loses Jake forever.
Return to Newport (Return to Me 2)- Anticipated Release Spring 2014
Redemption (Book 1 Escape Series)- No Set Release Date Yet
