Spotlight on Annalisa Daughety and Love is a Battlefield

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

ANNALISA DAUGHETY, an Arkansas native, won first place in the Contemporary Romance category at the 2008 ACFW Genesis Awards. After graduating from Freed-Hardeman University, Annalisa worked as a park ranger at Shiloh National Military Park. She currently resides in Memphis, Tennessee. Her first book, Love Finds You in Charm, Ohio, released in September 2009. In October 2009, Love is a Battlefield hit the shelves. Love is a Battlefield is the first book in the Walk in the Park series. Each book will be set in a different national park.

LOVE IS A BATTLEFIELD
by Annalisa Daughety
Published by Barbour Publishing

ABOUT THE BOOK

Kristy O’Neal gave up her dream job as a park ranger at Shiloh National Military Park to get married and move away. When she’s left at the altar, she returns to the park to find her old position has already been filled. She accepts a seasonal position even though it is a step back, career-wise. Working alongside Ace Kennedy (the man who has her old job) is almost more than Kristy can handle. Throw in a matchmaking mother and friends who think she should put herself back in the dating game, and Kristy is nearly at her wits’ end. She sees the past as a battlefield of failed relationships and isn’t sure she’s ready to risk her heart again.

For Ace Kennedy, history offers proof that true love exists. With stories from the park’s rich history in his arsenal, he begins the battle to win Kristy’s heart. But when Kristy learns he’s keeping secrets from her, her skepticism seems justified. Can she risk her heart on the battlefield of love one more time or will Ace lose Kristy forever?

Readers, buy your copy of Love is a Battlefield today!

AUTHOR INTERVIEW

1. What gave you the inspiration for this story?

I spent a few years working as a park ranger at Shiloh National Military Park. I absolutely loved my job, but at the same time realized it was very unique. Not many people dress up like a Civil War soldier and fire a musket on a daily basis! Ever since then, I’ve wanted to use Shiloh as the setting for a novel.

2. How much of your own experiences influenced your characters? What aspects became traits that were theirs and theirs alone?

I think my own life experiences helped me better understand how a character might react to a particular situation. I might draw from an experience I’ve gone through, yet magnify it in a big way. For example, I know what it feels like to experience a break up, but for my character I kicked it up several notches—and she’s actually left at the altar. So while there might be bits and pieces of myself in some of my characters, the things they experience and the way they handle them are totally their own.

3. If your hero/heroine were an ice cream flavor, what would he/she be and why?

Ace Kennedy would be rocky road because he’s very sweet, yet a little unpredictable.

Kristy O’Neal would be vanilla with a hard chocolate shell because on the surface, she comes across as tough and unemotional, but once you get to know her, she’s actually very vulnerable.

4. Are there any themes in Love is a Battlefield that you hope the reader sees? Are there any themes that weren't overt but developed as the stories progressed?

The theme of forgiveness is really central to Love is a Battlefield. Kristy’s journey allows her to understand how important (although not always easy) it is to forgive those who’ve hurt her, and how freeing that can be.

I think the underlying theme is of friendship. Even though Kristy and her two best friends are separated by miles, each time they see each other it’s as if no time has passed.

5. What were your most difficult parts to write? Your favorite?

The most difficult chapters for me to write had to do with an accident and it’s aftermath. I don’t want to give too much away, but those scenes were very emotional, both to write and to read. Even though Love is a Battlefield is a light read, I didn’t want to gloss over anything. So trying to keep the right balance of seriousness, yet still have a touch of humor was hard during those scenes.

My favorite part to write was probably the “one question” game that Kristy and Ace play to pass the time while they’re on night patrol. It was fun coming up with questions for them to ask each other and of course, figuring out what their answers would be.

6. When is your next book coming out and what is the story?

Next to release is Love is Monumental, book two in the Walk in the Park series. It’s set at the Washington Monument and surrounding area in Washington D.C. It releases in May 2010. Here’s a blurb:

Park ranger Vickie Harris might love her job at the Washington Monument, but she's never been in love. On her thirtieth birthday, Vickie impulsively promises her friends that she’ll ask out the next eligible man she meets. That man, professor Thatcher Torrey, has spent years building his life around work. Thatcher is searching for a historic document and enlists Vickie’s help with his quest. Just as these polar opposites form a bond, a secret from Thatcher’s past pulls them apart. Will they go their separate ways? Or will they finally realize that when it’s with the right person, Love Is Monumental?

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Thank you, Annalisa, for being in the spotlight with us.

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