Look,
touch, but don’t fall in love.
Massage therapist Liz Williams lives by one
rule: never date a client. A rule she’s never had trouble following until she
lays hands on fireman playboy Torrunn MacKay. Trouble is, Liz’s sexy new client
is dating her arch-rival at work…and has a strange habit of appearing just
before the fire alarm sounds.
Firefighter Torrunn MacKay has got it made:
killer job, downtown condo with a view, and hot blonde girlfriend with no more
desire to tie the knot than he has. But the surprise attraction he feels toward
his new masseuse is threatening to change all that. And what’s with the string
of fires that seem to follow her everywhere?
Can Liz mind her table manners and keep
Torrunn at arms’ length? Will Torrunn put his commitment fears aside to keep
Liz safe? More than hearts will be in jeopardy when the two start Flirting with
Fire.
CONTENT WARNING: Beware of darkened rooms,
delicious firefighters, and desperate pyromaniacs.
Thank you so much for having me over to
your blog today, Zili! I’m here to spread the word about my recent romantic
suspense release, Flirting
With Fire. While it can be read as a standalone novel, it is also the
second book in my Hometown Heroes collection. The entire series is based in
Fort Wayne, Indiana, and many of the locations mentioned in the book either
exist or are loosely based on actual places. So today I thought I’d share with
you 10 random facts about the book and its setting. Here goes!
1. Fort
Wayne, Indiana is an actual city and my hometown. It’s named after General
“Mad” Anthony Wayne, who helped build and defend a fort built around 1794
at the confluence of our three rivers: the St. Marys, the St Joseph, and
the Maumee.
2. Liz
Williams, FWF’s heroine, grew up in a small town south and west of Fort
Wayne. And while Autumn Lake, Indiana is not an actual town, it is very
loosely based on the town of Roanoke, Indiana, where I, too, spent my
younger years.
3. Torrunn
MacKay, FWF’s hero, works at Fire Station One, located at the northeast
corner of Main St. and Spy Run Avenue.
4. The ball
diamond referenced many times in the book, and the backdrop to Liz’s new
apartment complex, is actually Parkview (not Glenview) Field. It serves as
home to the Fort Wayne Tincaps, a minor league class A affiliate of the
San Diego Padres. Our beautiful stadium was just voted the #1 Minor League
Baseball stadium experience in 2014 by Stadium
Journey magazine.
5. The Irish
pub mentioned several times in FWF is actually named J K O’Donnell’s and is
a popular downtown hangout.
6. The
Chinese restaurant also mentioned in FWF is actually the Double Dragon
Restaurant, and sits beside an alley where a key arson in the story took
place.
7. This is
the aforementioned alley. (Hint: the fire that happens here in the book
just might land poor Liz in a nearby hospital…)
8. Here’s a
view of Liz’s apartment building, as seen from the ball diamond. I’ve
always thought if I had been young and single (and kid-free) when the
stadium opened, I would have jumped at the chance to rent one of these
apartments.
9. The
Lakeside Park Rose Garden is known as one of the largest rose collections in
the state. It’s also located near where Nate Steele and Jessica Hartley
live, and just might be the
location for their upcoming wedding in Book 3 of the series…
10. Last but
not least, the home mentioned at the end of the book was formerly owned by
my stepmother, who has been an avid supporter of my writing. My father
helped renovate that beautiful old home from top to bottom, inside and
out. It wasn’t until after the book came out that I discovered he had proposed
to her in the same location as a proposal in FWF took place. Like father,
like daughter, it seems. ;-)
“I had nothing
to do with this.”
Torrunn watched
me pace back and forth across the interrogation room, his look grim. “Nobody’s
saying you did.”
“Then why did I
get hauled down here? I should be back at the spa—I’ve got a regular at three
o’clock who’s going to be pissed.”
“Relax, Liz,” he
said from his seat at the room’s lone table. “They’re just going to ask you a
few simple questions. See if you saw anything. And you heard Xavier—he’s
covering your appointment.”
“He shouldn’t
have to. Me, having to come down here? It’s going to kill any trust I’ve built
up at the spa, and it’s not fair. I didn’t set the stupid dumpster on fire.
Heck, I’m scared of fires. I hide inside every Fourth of July for fear of
getting hit by falling bottle rockets.” I stopped pacing and ran a hand through
my hair. “You believe me,” I asked, spinning to face him. “Don’t you?”
He smoothed an
amused grin from his face and nodded. “Yes, I do. Though, you were a little
flustered when you got into the massage room.”
I snorted. “Not
because of anything going on outside.”
“Oh?” Torrunn
leaned forward in his seat, eyes bright with interest. “What could possibly
have had you so frazzled?”
Why had I been
all worked up as I raced into the building? Was it really because I was running
late, or because of who was waiting for me on the table…?
Kyra Jacobs is an extroverted introvert who
writes of love and mystery in the Midwest. When this Hoosier native is not
pounding out scenes for her next book, she's likely outside, elbow-deep in
snapdragons or spending quality time with her sports-loving family. Kyra also
loves golf, Guitar Hero, and thinking through plot twists while out on a good
run. Be sure to stop by her website www.KyraJacobs.wordpress.com
for links to connect with her on social media. Kyra lives in northern Indiana
with her husband and two children.
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