Forever Faithful NBtM

Blurb:

Forever Faithful is the sequel to the award winning book "Always Faithful." "Always Faithful" is about a Marine officer, Nic Caldwell, who’s has the unenviable task of informing families that their loved one is either missing, or has been killed. She is assigned task of making a notification of death to the wife of a former college friend. During the process of bringing Mike Monroe home, a series of events unfold that bring Claire Monroe and Nic Caldwell closer and through those events they fall in love. Nic isn’t without her own demons, having survived a helicopter crash that killed her entire crew in Iraq and leaving her to fight for her own life. Survivor’s guilt has nothing on Nic.

"Forever Faithful" brings Nic and Claire back facing a deployment after Nic graduates from a military university in California. She finds herself in Afghanistan and the victim of another accident that leaves one of her peers dead and Nic fighting for her life. Nic is faced with injuries that leave her questioning whether she can be the woman she once was in Claire’s eyes. What unfolds is a story of survival, love and acceptance as both women face the journey a head.

Excerpt:

Claire sat on the bed, cradling her daughter close. What would she do when she was chasing boys for all the wrong reasons? Trying to banish the thought from her mind, she clutched Grace closer, laying her head on her chest. She felt Grace relax against her, the fight gone.

“Mommy?”

“Hmm?”

“Why do I have two mommies and Tim only has one?”

Aw, the looming realization that her parents were different. She knew it was coming, but Claire didn’t expect it quite yet. “Cause you’re lucky.”

God, what a stupid answer, she thought, pulling Grace closer. Gently she laid Grace down on the bed and lay beside her, threading her fingers through sweaty hair, pushing the unruly mess out of Grace’s face.

“Can we find Tim another mom?”

“What?” She had to stop herself from giggling at the notion that Tim needed another mom. What would Tim’s dad say?

“Yeah, he needs another mom, too.”

“It’s not that easy honey.”

“But you have Nic and you love each other, so Tim’s mom needs another mommy to love her, too.”

Oh, the innocence of youth. If life were only that simple.

Isabella, thanks so much for stopping by. So, why don’t you tell us a little about yourself?

I write under the pen name Isabella. I teach computer science at a college on the central coast of California. I ride a motorcycle, like to people watch (which comes in handy for writing), and I run a publishing company, Sapphire Books Publishing. We have 19 authors who write in all different genres, with lesbians as the main characters.

How did you start writing?

I had submitted my first manuscript to two publishers and was rejected by both. One said they weren’t looking for my type of story at that time. The other company wanted me to completely rewrite the story and resubmit. I thought long and hard about rewriting it and after talking to my wife, I decided that I’d try and publish it myself. I researched self-publishing, looked at all the options and decided to start a publishing company and publish my first book, Always Faithful. It was the first in the Faithful series, and the precursor for Forever Faithful, my latest release.

What was the inspiration for your book?

Forever Faithful is the second in the Faithful series. This book was partially based on my experience as a military wife and includes some of the people I met along the way. I wanted to focus on the family side of things in this book. Nic Caldwell is a Marine who is being deployed again, but this time to Afghanistan. Her wife, Clare, is left behind to wonder if Nic will meet the same fate as her first spouse who died in Iraq. Nic comes pretty close to fulfilling that concern. In a nutshell, it’s a book about surviving a deployment, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and how love conquers all.

What’s the one genre you haven’t written in yet that you’d like to?

I haven’t written a western yet, and I would love to tackle that genre. I love the feel of a western, the language, the settings, and the characters found in a truly good western.

Are there any genres you won’t read or write in? Why?

I’m not much for world building, so dystopian is out for me. Fade to black also isn’t something you’d find in my books. Not that I don’t like books that have fade to black, but if there is the buildup of sexual tension I like to see the characters close the deal.

So, what are you working on right now? Have any other releases for the near future, or are you still writing?
I am working on a mystery titled Time Stamped. It focuses on the aftermath of a brutal attack that completely strips down one of the main characters to her core. She realizes that she’s not really living the life she’d planned. She’s sacrificed a piece of herself to be what someone else wanted. After the attack she comes face-to-face with the realization that she was not a victim of chance, but of opportunity. The ending is a twist that I don’t think the reader will see coming.

Alright, now for some totally random, fun questions. Favorite color?

Sapphire blue

Favorite movie?

All of the Underworld and Matrix movies. They both have strong female leads who kick butt. Their dialogue is gritty, and they’re movies that have no basis in reality.

Alright, you have one superpower. What is it?
Immortality. That’s a super power right?

You can have dinner with any 3 people, dead, alive, fictitious, etc. Who are they?

My grandmother, Amelia Earhart, and Cleopatra. I love strong women.

Last question: Which of your characters are you most like and how/why?

I think I’m most like Luce Potter in American Yakuza. We have some similar traits but vastly different looks. She is tenacious, has a strong sense of integrity, and seldom shows all her cards in any situation. Business is business and she knows what she needs to do to secure her future. She’s a go-getter and doesn’t take no for an answer. She lives life and doesn’t let it live her.

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Author Bio and Links:

Christine Svendsen is the founder and chief executive of Sapphire Books Publishing, a leading United States publisher of LGBT books. Christine founded the company in the face of rejection from big-time publishers who either told her that they weren’t looking for books of her type or that they wanted her to rewrite her stories completely. She defied them all by establishing her own publishing company, which now features a long list of award-winning LGBT authors. Today, Christine publishes books through her company and writes under the pen names of Isabella and Jett Abbott.

Christine’s most recently published novel under the name of Isabella is “Forever Faithful,” the sequel to “Always Faithful,” a book based loosely on being a former military officer’s wife and the adventures of living on a military base.

Other novels by Isabella include:

●       “Broken Shield,” which covers the topics of spousal abuse and how it can lay hidden in a relationship, even when the person being abused is a cop.

●       “American Yakuza” I and II, tracing the adventures of a multicultural character who tackles the male dominated world of the Japanese mafia.

●       “Executive Disclosure” and “Surviving Reagan,” a series about Chad Morgan, an executive protection specialist, and Reagan Reynolds, a daughter ready to take the reins of her father’s company until her plans get derailed by her own misguided determination.

Novels by Jett Abbott include two books: ”Scarlet Masquerade” and “Scarlet Assassin.”

Christine is currently working on a new novel called “Time Stamped.”

When she’s not writing, Christine teaches college part time, rides motorcycles, and spends time remodeling her cabin in the Sierra foothills. She lives on the central coast of California with her wife and has three wonderful sons.

Contact Information:

Isabella@sapphirebooks.com

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About Sapphire Books Publishing:

Founded by Christine Svendsen, Sapphire Books Publishing is “the gem of lesbian publishing.” Dedicated to quality fiction that reflects the lives of the lesbian community, the company publishes romance, erotica, paranormal, mystery and intrigue, fantasy, and other fiction where the main characters are lesbians. Since its inception, the company has grown to include a cadre of highly acclaimed LGBT authors, including Linda Kay Silva, Kim Pritekel, Beth Burnett, and Linda North. Sapphire Books are available in hardcover, softcover, and ebook formats throughout the world.