INTENTIONAL HEIRS, Sunrise Crik, Book One by Rebecca McLafferty

Book One of the Sunrise Crik series is a contemporary suspense novel that includes many of my favorite qualities for story! Like the strong beginning, the first scene puts the main character in the middle of a crisis—and I admired Evah Rois on the first page. I love a novel that pulls me quickly into the character’s lives and concerns and adds a healthy dose of problems and complications that the characters must deal with. This novel isn’t the Die Hard or 007 types of suspense but profoundly grabbed my heart and attention because I could relate to situations and believe that their victories could be mine.

And the location—Montana—is majestic with those gorgeous mountains in the background and a small town nestled alongside. I could almost imagine myself there and feeling small as I gazed up the mountain’s heights. The diverse characters are interestingly challenged or troubled by past hurts. The threaded mystery drew me in, and I just had to know—but I’m not going to tell—why ruin your fun!
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I know that previously, Rebecca McLafferty and her husband had their own Alpaca ranch, and they worked hard to keep those adorable creatures safe, happy, and well. Any scenes, which included the Alpacas were written from Rebecca’s heart and experience! So, if you love large animals and small ones, I believe that you will enjoy Intentional Heirs. There are so many facets of human emotion, pain, and overcoming woven into the fiber of this story, and that makes this a reread for me. This is a wonderful anytime read. Rebecca McLafferty gave me this story to review, and I’m giving my honest opinion and reaction to her story. Once her novel published, I bought my own paperback and Kindle copies! I highly recommend Intentional Heirs and hope that you will discover the worth of this new writer and her debut novel for yourself! 

QUESTIONS FOR REBECCA:
 
HOW DID YOU CHOOSE A SMALL COUNTRY TOWN IN THE BEAUTIFUL MONTANA AREA FOR YOUR SUSPENSE NOVEL?
 
This is a great question. I have always loved the western U.S and, at a young age, I became a Midwest cowgirl. How many people in Wisconsin own Stetsons and full-length duster coats? (chuckle) Years later, my husband and I visited the Livingston area of Montana. The picturesque mountains were forever etched in my memory. My story takes place in the fictitious town of Woodridge, located between Livingston and Bozeman.
 
I chose a small Montana town because of the western lifestyle and the honest, down-to-earth people from that area. The story also takes the reader to the Bozeman and Livingston areas. Rich Montana history inspired some of the story’s scenes.
 
 
DO YOU WISH TO SHARE ANYTHING ABOUT FORGIVENESS THAT YOU DIDN’T GET TO INCLUDE IN INTENTIONAL HEIRS?
 
Some character traits in Intentional Heirs illustrate that forgiveness is critical to our peace of mind. I feel that when someone is unwilling to forgive, for whatever reason, anger and bitterness steal that person’s joy. It seldom affects the person who did us wrong. It hurts our own mental state, and our actions often hurt the people we care about the most.

One of my favorite scriptures is, “Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.” Colossians 3:13 (NIV)

That is so powerful!
 
 
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE SCENE TO WRITE? (GETTING TO KNOW A CHARACTER OR SUSPENSEFUL CONFRONTATIONS?)
 
Both types of scenes are satisfying from the writer’s point of view, but I would have to say that I enjoy writing action scenes the best. For example, when Police Chief Nolan Quinn is in the middle of a brawl, I love his karate kicks and take-charge attitude.

And when Jane is heading up a rescue, I’m thinking, “Go get them, Jane!”
 
 
I SEE THAT YOU HAVE RECIPES IN YOUR NOVEL. DO YOU HAVE A STORY TO TELL ABOUT ANY OF THE RECIPES? DID YOU CREATE ANY OF THESE?
 
Within the pages of Intentional Heirs, the heroine, Evah, is a bakery chef. When she bakes at the McCormick ranch, these are three of her recipes. I love to bake, too, and created these recipes years ago. In my own yesteryear, I taught enrichment classes, including Baking Breads, where we experimented with breads and cinnamon rolls.

These days, I have a gluten intolerance and have made the recipes adaptable that way.
 
 
WHAT CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT YOUR NEXT BOOK IN THE SUNRISE CRIK SERIES?
 
I am really excited about book two of the Sunrise Crik Series, Intentional Fires. It takes place in the same Montana area. Toni Lublow is an Iraq-Marine widow running a Christmas tree farm with 10- and 12- year old boys. Park Ranger Sam Duncan is putting out fires ranging from campgrounds to national forests. Some of the characters from Intentional Heirs are involved in the story, too.

Disagreements with neighboring campground owners, Trevor and Dani Riley, are hard to set aside—especially during the Christmas Tree Farm’s Centennial Celebrations. There’s plenty of fire fueling their multi-generational 90-year-feud.
 
 
WHERE DO YOU WANT YOUR READERS TO FIND YOU ON SOCIAL MEDIA?
 
I am most active on Facebook (Author Rebecca McLafferty). I invite readers to my website at www.rebeccamclafferty.com and welcome emails at rebeccamclafferty4353@gmail.com.

Thanks for allowing me to answer these questions. It was great fun!