Connie
Mann is a licensed boat captain and the author of romantic suspense novels Tangled Lies (May 2016) Angel Falls and Trapped! as well as various works of shorter fiction. She has lived
in seven different states but has happily called warm, sunny Florida home for
more than twenty years. When she’s not dreaming up plot lines, you’ll find
“Captain Connie” on Central Florida’s waterways, introducing boats full of
schoolchildren to their first alligator. She is also passionate about helping
women and children in developing countries follow their dreams and break the
poverty cycle. In addition to boating, she and her husband enjoy spending time
with their grown children and extended family and planning their next travel
adventures. You can visit Connie online at www.conniemann.com.
Tracey: You are a boat captain! How exciting! Please tell us about how you became a boat
Captain and what sort of things Captain Connie does.
Connie: I became a boat captain 10 years ago out of
self-preservation and found I love it! I’d had one too many rejections
(including a book contract that fell apart) and finally realized I had to get
out of my home office or I’d lose what was left of my mind! Being a captain is
the perfect balance. Being outside around people fills the creative well and
gets me excited about getting back to my stories. I work for our local school
board and take 5th graders out on the Silver River here in Florida
and get to show some of them their very first alligator. Very fun!
Tracey: You’ve
written a lot of parenting books and articles, share with us how you’ve
balanced family life with your writing life.
Connie: I think it’s a hard balance for
everyone who works from home. I have to consciously shut down the computer,
turn off social media and focus on being present with my family. When the kids
were young, I also established some routines. I’d tell them I was going to be
in my office for a bit (short stretches) and posted this sign on the door:
“Writer at work. Do not disturb. (Exceptions: fire, flood, blood).” This helped me focus during that short window
and they learned that when I came out, they’d have my full attention.
Tracey: How did the storyline for Tangled
Lies come about?
Connie: People had been asking me to write a boat captain heroine for a while and
I love Florida and all the cool little places here, so I started with that. My
nephew and his wife are foster parents—which is awesome!--and that also got me
thinking. After that came my favorite part of any story: asking dozens and
dozens of ‘what if?’ questions. What if you’d been a foster child, and what if
you were a boat captain, and what if you came home…?
Tracey: How does your faith play into your
writing and your stories?
Connie: Two themes run through every story I
write: hope and second chances. I believe that the Great Creator who writes our
life stories—and gives us stories to tell--is also the author and foundation of
our hope. He always, always gives second chances and because of that, the
characters in my stories always get second chances, too.
Tracey: I know you support a project that is
near and dear to your heart. Can you tell us about the Seeds of Blessings
project?
Connie: Seeds of Blessing is a fabulous organization dedicated to helping
artisans (especially women) in developing countries break the poverty cycle.
The artisans in the program not only create beautiful things, but they are able
to become entrepreneurs and buy livestock, or fields, or start a store to
create a better life for their families. It has changed whole communities and
I’m delighted to work with them. If you’d like to know more, please contact me or
visit www.connie.seedsofblessing.com
Tracey: What has been your favorite
vacation?
Connie: It’s so hard to pick, but one of our
favorites was a trip to the Florida Keys when our children were young. We went
with another family and had a blast swimming, snorkeling and even taking a boat
ride out to the Dry Tortugas and Fort Jefferson.
Tracey: What is your favorite hymn and why?
Connie: For me, it will always be Amazing
Grace. I especially love the newer version by Chris Tomlin – My Chains are
Gone. Because at the end of the day, it’s always about grace…and hope…and
second chances.
Thanks so
much for having me as your guest! It’s been a pleasure.
Orphaned
as a child in Russia, boat captain Sasha Petrov has spent most of her life
adrift, anchored only by her loving foster family. So when they beg her to
return to the family marina in Safe Harbor, Florida, for Mama’s sixtieth
birthday, Sasha complies, hoping to put the past behind her. But Mama has other
plans: she wants her three foster daughters to find Tony, the biological son
who disappeared twenty years earlier.
Sasha
agrees to try, but that’s easier said than done when bad boy Jesse Claybourne
shows up, reigniting an old attraction. Back in Safe Harbor on a quest of his
own, Jesse gets tangled up in Sasha’s search, and soon the two are close to
uncovering an old town secret that some will stop at nothing to protect.
When
Jesse is violently beaten and Sasha’s dog is poisoned, they realize the past is
hiding something more sinister than they ever imagined. Can they uncover the
truth without destroying Sasha’s family and breaking each other’s hearts, or
are they sailing against the wind?
Website: www.conniemann.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/CaptConnieMann
Pinterest.com http://www.pinterest.com/captconniemann/
Amazon buy link:
8 comments:
Thanks so much for having me as your guest, Tracey! Such a pleasure to be here.
I had the chance to chat with Connie a bit last week during a Facebook event. What a neat gal and author?! Would love the chance to receive a copy of her newest book. Thank you for the opportunity! breannaherron(at)icloud(dot)com
Tangled Lies sounds like a very exciting novel. I enjoy all kinds of suspense. I'm looking forward to reading it. Thank you for offering a copy.
may_dayzee(at)yahoo(dot)com
BreAnna - it was lovely to chat with you on FB last week! Thanks for stopping by. :)
KayM - If you enjoy suspense, I think you'll like Tangled Lies. :)
Connie hope you have had a good blog tour!
Oh this sounds so good!! I can't wait to read it for myself!!
alander87(at)allcom(dot)net
This book, and author, is new to me, and there is much to appeal to my reading tastes! I deary love my brother-in-law, who grew up being told not to get into the water unless he knew how to swim! to overcome his water fears, he has made himself face them, and has lived on his boat. He is now a captain.
Janice
pjrcmoore@windstream.net
Thanks for stopping by 'Anonymous.' I'm so glad the book appeals to you!
And Janice--how cool that your brother-in-law faced his fears and is now a captain. What a great story! Thanks for sharing it.
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