A warm welcome to author Elle Keaton joining us today to talk about her new release “River Home”, book 5 in her succesfull Accidental Roots series.
Welcome Elle 🙂
The Accidental Roots series was, in fact, started by accident. When I first put pen to paper (or fingers to key board) I did not intend to start a series, or at least to write only three books and then move on. Accidental Roots now has five entries and there will certainly be at least two more. So, there I was, with more than book and now I needed a series name. Accidental Roots popped into my head and stuck there.
While my characters aren’t necessarily rootless many of them do lack family. The one thing they have in common, whether they think so or not, is a desire to belong to someone or a group of someones. To have a family they can count on. I think this is a theme many of us can relate to. My family is pretty great but it is tiny and since I was young my parents always invited those with nowhere to go to come and be a part of ours. Our little family of three often had twelve to twenty Thanksgiving guests. We aren’t necessarily born into the family we love best (or who loves us best) – but if we are lucky enough to have a great family then I believe we need to share. There, see? Accidental Roots.
Why Skagit? Firstly I needed to set my stories in a place I know well. Well enough to make up stuff about that even natives wouldn’t squint at. That meant Western Washington, I have lived lots of other places but this is where I grew up. I also wanted it to be a place where all kinds of people could live. This ruled out Seattle — too expensive these days. Gone are the times when someone could move to the Emerald City, rent a cheap place with a couple friends, and see what life brought them.
Western Washington does have a long history of enticing artistic personalities and other folks that tend to fly beneath the radar (no I am not talking about serial killers although we have more than our fair share). If you are at all interested in what is called the Northwest Mystic movement, do a search on Bill Slater, Guy Anderson, Paul Hansen, Morris Graves, Charlie Kraft (and others) along with an art community called Fishtown. When I wrote about Adam Klay’s father I vaguely used Fishtown as a reference as the community he was a part of. The quirky people who live in Skagit are quite real to me and, I hope, to you.
It has been nearly a year since Storm Season was published and the characters were let out into the real world, thank you for letting them be a part of your world!
#TeamMiguel
EK
Miguel Ramirez is the very definition of pochos; a half-breed-white-washed Mexican–American who can’t even speak Spanish (also unapologetically bisexual). Over three years ago he arrived in Skagit a broken man having barely managed to escape an abusive relationship. Slowly, he’s rebuilt his life. He’s tried hard to discard his deepest desires and be happy with what life has given him. Family will always be out of his grasp, no one really wants to keep a stray after all. Except maybe a red-haired stranger with a galaxy of freckles covering his face who seems to encompass everything Miguel’s learned to avoid.
Nate Richardson; focused, solid, reliable, career minded Federal Agent. No time for relationships outside of work. Then he runs into Miguel with his crazy green eyes, rakish smile and outrageous sense of humor. Nate starts thinking about Miguel as more than just another guy. Nate was sure he didn’t care about sex and didn’t believe in love…he’d never met Miguel Ramirez before.
Things quickly speed up zero to sixty between Nate and Miguel. Other things are heating up as well. Human trafficking is still plaguing Skagit, but Nate is sidelined when the case he is working on reaches a standstill. Meanwhile, chilling events start happening, literally on Nate’s doorstep. Will outside forces—or their own baggage—keep Miguel and Nate apart? What exactly is family, and can Miguel and Nate make one of their own?
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Author/imaginator & photographer (also rare Pacific Northwest Native), Elle grew up in Seattle, WA., with the Cascade Mountain range to the east and Olympics to the west. Elle shares her life with between three to five cats (depending on who’s counting), an extremely patient fiancé and a flock of young adults. She’s lived in four US states, London England, and Hong Kong; always knows what time it is, and has little problem finding parking even in the most difficult places. Elle’s series made its debut spring of 2017. Accidental Roots, is set in the Skagit Valley of Western Washington. Writing has always been a passion but not something she was able to take seriously until recently, some journeys are longer than others. Now her head is full of ideas and not enough time in each day. As far as we know she wasn’t actually raised by wolves.
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