A Mother's Love, An Inspiration: Guest Post and Giveaway with Kat Martin

The fabulous Kat Martin is guest blogging today to tell us about a subject close to her heart- which also happens to be the inspiration behind her upcoming release (out April 5th) entitled 'A Song For My Mother'. Without further adieu, please welcome our special guest:

About the Author:

"For New York Times bestselling author Kat Martin, a career in real estate led her down the road to romance. Through real estate, Kat found her own perfect match--her husband, Western author Larry Jay Martin.
"We were on opposing sides of a transaction--I represented the seller and he represented the buyer," Kat recalls.
A short time after the two became acquainted, Larry asked her to read an unpublished manuscript of an historical western he'd written. Kat fell in love with both the book and the author! "It was quite a romantic story," she admits. "I'd still like to see it get published." Then, after doing some editing for her future husband, she thought she'd try her own hand at writing.
Kat moved on to become the bestselling author of over fifty historical and contemporary romance novels. To date, 12 million copies of her books are in print, and she's been published around the globe, including Germany, Norway, Sweden, China, Korea, Bulgaria, Russia, England, Estonia, Lithuania, South Africa, Italy, Poland, Thailand, Portugal, Turkey, The Slovak Republic, Spain, Argentina, Estonia, Czech Republic and Greece.
When she's not writing, Kat also enjoys skiing and traveling, particularly to Europe. Currently, she's busy writing her next book."

-You can find Kat Martin on the web at her website and on her facebook.

A Mother's Love, An Inspiration

   People often ask where I get my story ideas. Often the idea for a novel comes from a character who pops into my head or a plot concept, some kernel of information I may have read or seen on TV.  The idea for A SONG FOR MY MOTHER is a story that came out of nowhere and slowly developed into a book. 
      Three years ago, my mother passed away.  She was my best friend.  In my family, we were raised not to display emotion.  There was no hugging, no kisses on the cheek.  And yet without words, the bond between my mother and her three children was as strong as steel.
      We knew she loved us without question.  Knew she would be there for us no matter what we did or what happened in our lives.  She was the inspiration for all three of us, the person who convinced us we could achieve anything we wanted, be anything we wanted to be.
      In our family, I was the first child to go to college.  My sister and brother followed.  We all credit that accomplishment to our mother.
      In our later years, we became a little less reserved, but I never really told my mother how much she meant to me or how grateful I was to her for all she had done for me.
      Perhaps this story of the bond between mothers and their children is my way of telling her what was always in my heart.
      A SONG FOR MY MOTHER, the second in my Dreyerville Holiday series, is a story of love, loss, hope and second chances.  I hope you enjoy it.  

Warmest wishes, Kat

About the Book:

'A Song For My Mother'

Release Date: April 5th, 2011

Read an excerpt: here

"Years after running away with her boyfriend in her junior year of high school, Marly Hanson returns to Dreyerville at the request of her daughter, Katie, who has recently been treated for brain cancer. Katie has never met her grandmother, Marly's mother, Winnie. But Marly and Winnie have been estranged for years and confronting the past for each of them is painful. The homecoming is bittersweet, but revisiting the conflict between them is crucial if Marly and her mother are ever to find the bond they shared before Marly left Dreyerville.

To complicate matters, living next door to Winnie is handsome sheriff and widower Reed Bennett, and his son, Ham, who is close to Katie's age. Ham and Katie become fast friends, while their parents find their attraction to one another going deeper than mere friendship. But Marly's time in Dreyerville is limited and risking her heart isn't something she's willing to do.

As the days slip past, and though she tries to avoid it, Marly and Reed become more deeply involved. Can she risk loving the handsome sheriff and give up the the futer she worked so hard to forge for herself and her daughter? Can she make a life in Dreyerville after what happened all those years ago?

Will Marly finally realize that her true destiny and ultimate happiness lie in coming to terms with her past?" 


Book Trailer:

Get Your Copy Today!

Barnes&Nobel | Amazon | Borders

 IndieBound | The Book Depository

Giveaway Details:
Kat Martin has generously offered to giveaway an autographed copy of 'A Song For My Mother' to one (1) lucky commenter. All you have to do to be entered in the drawing is leave a comment describing your relationship with your mother and/or what she means to you on this post. Also leave your email address so I can contact you if you're the winner. The giveaway will end April 17th, 2011 and the winner will be announced and contacted soon thereafter. Restricted to US & Canada. 

(Also, you can enter Kat's Mother's Day contest on her site which ends May 15th)