Monday, February 9, 2015

Tour Launch: After the Silence by Rula Sinara #PrismBookTours

A themed tour through Prism Book Tours.

We're launching the BOOK TOUR for
After the Silence
By Rula Sinara

Two people from different worlds and separated by an ocean. Can love span the distance?

The February Tour
9 - Launch
22 - Grand Finale

More About After the Silence and Author Rula Sinara

What is your motivation behind this book? Why did you want to write it?

This entire series grew from everything I’ve been passionate about since childhood, including Africa, wildlife rescue, nature and children. When I wrote the first book, The Promise of Rain, I was able to live my childhood dream of being a wildlife veterinarian in Africa’s Serengeti, or becoming the next Jane Goodall, vicariously through my heroine’s experiences. And as that story unfolded, I knew exactly which characters needed their own stories to be told in books 2 and 3 of the series. Sadly, I also knew that the death of a dear character in The Promise of Rain would happen in After the Silence. And I knew that my own emotional struggles with raising children who were blessed with being ‘outside-the-box’ would fuel Ben and Hope’s journey in After the Silence. Although so much of me comes through in my stories, they’re by no means autobiographical, however I hope that they do make readers experiencing similar circumstances know that they’re not alone.

What do you hope readers take with them when they read your book?

That there are no boundaries to love: not mountains, oceans, physical or emotional challenges, race, different cultures and not even species (sometimes a pet can open a heart when another person can’t). Love is a universal power that has an extraordinary ability to heal. And it always finds a way. Think of all the adopted children who found loving families in countries across the world where they’d never set foot before…yet those families were destined to come together and complete one another. Or soul mates, like Ben and Hope in this story, who also lived on opposite sides of the world and, given their circumstances, had very little chance of ever meeting…yet they did. So it’s all about a little destiny, serendipity, unconditional love and acceptance. And the world really needs more of it.

Do you have a favorite scene?

Oh, this is a tough one. There are so many! Anyone who knows me knows how self-critical I am, but this was an emotional story for me to write, so every scene is close to my heart. But if I had to boil it down, there’s a scene that takes place in the kitchen at Ben’s in-laws house where, for the first time, we see him letting his guard down a little as he plays a joke on Hope in front of his kids. We see that, behind his hardened exterior, he has a sense of humor. We get a glimpse of the father he used to be…the type of father his daughter is desperate for if she has any chance of breaking through her mutism…and we do see the potential impact his letting his guard down would have on her. So it’s a big turning point for all three characters: Ben, Hope and little Maddie.

Share something about you that is unique—maybe about how/where you write…or a favorite snack.

I’m chuckling because there are many things about me some might weird, as opposed to unique, LOL…like the fact that, when I need a moment to relax or decompress, I go outside and pet my chickens. I have a small backyard flock and anyone who has chickens knows just how sweet and loving the little ladies can be J. Plus, they give me delicious, organic eggs (I’m big on organic gardening and foods) every day. But really, they’re very grounding and such a symbol of life’s basics, that watching them puts life’s challenges in perspective.

As for a favorite snack, I’m such a coffee addict it’s not funny. And not just any coffee. It has to be good coffee. Smooth and rich. I think I hit a world record on coffee consumption while writing After the Silence, and when I was writing The Promise of Rain, I actually went out and bought a Kenyan roast to enjoy along with my heroine, Anna. Oh, the things I do to immerse myself in a story, LOL!


After the Silence
(From Kenya, With Love #2)
Rula Sinara
Adult Contemporary Romance
Paperback, 368 pages
March 1st 2015 by Harlequin Heartwarming

Does following her passion mean losing her way?

Marine Ben Corallis is an expert at facing death, but nothing comes close to the terror that grounds him when his wife is killed in a car accident the day he returns from duty. He's left to raise an infant, a toddler and a ten-year-old girl who hasn't uttered a word since her mother's death.

It's hard not to care for the widowed marine with three young children. Yet he's still grieving, too burdened with guilt to fall in love again. And Hope Alwanga's future as a doctor awaits her on the other side of the world, in Nairobi. If two such opposites can't agree on a common country, how can they ever create a safe place to call home?


About Book One in the Series
(Each can be read as a standalone.)

The Promise of Rain (Book 1)The Promise of Rain
(From Kenya, With Love #1)
Rula Sinara
Adult Contemporary Romance
Paperback, 384 pages
January 1st 2014 by Harlequin Heartwarming

He wants to take her child out of Africa...

The Busara elephant research and rescue camp on Kenya's Serengeti is Anna Bekker's life's work. And it's the last place she thought she'd run into Dr. Jackson Harper. As soon as he sets eyes on her four-year-old, Pippa, Anna knows he'll never leave...without his daughter.

Furious doesn't begin to describe how Jack feels. How could Anna keep this from him? He has to get his child back to the States. Yet as angry as he is with Anna, they still have a bond. But can it endure, despite the ocean--and the little girl--between them?

Rula Sinara
Rula Sinara lives in Virginia’s countryside with her husband, three boys and zany but endearing pets. When she's not writing or doing mom stuff, she loves organic gardening, attracting wildlife to her yard (cool bugs included) or watching romantic movies. She also enjoys interviewing fellow authors and is a Special Contributor for USA Today's Happy Ever After blog. Her door is always open at her website and blog.


Tour-Wide Giveaway


Gift Card Prize Pack: $100 Amazon Gift Card and ebooks of The Promise of Rain and After the Silence (open internationally)
US Prize Pack: Paperbacks of The Promise of Rain and After the Silence + Swag
3 ebook of After the Silence (open internationally)
Ends February 28th

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Prism Book Tours