I love reading books set in historic times or in other countries, but I also love a good book set in NC. Even if the author isn’t from North Carolina, if he/she has done his or her homework and gets all the details just right, I feel more connected to the story. Even if the town or city is fictional, as long as I can make a connection to the surrounding cities and characters, then I feel as if I’m reading about people I could actually know.

Skye Taylor may not be from North Carolina, but she has definitely done her homework. Born and brought up in New England, Skye assumed she’d always be a snow-loving Yankee until a life-changing adventure in the South Pacific showed her an equally appealing alternative. She now lives in St Augustine, Florida where she divides her time between writing novels, walking the beach, volunteering at the living history museum and trying to keep her to-be-read pile from taking over the house.

I love the premise of her book and the cover is so gorgeous that I have already downloaded it onto my e-reader. But in case you’ve never heard of Skye Taylor or her books, I decided to interview Zoe, from her latest release, Falling for Zoe~ 

 

Lilly: So, Miss Zoe Callahan, some lucky people have already read your story and I heard they found hope and inspiration in your experiences. You mentioned that you thought another title for this book might have been New Beginnings. Can you share a little bit about that?

 Zoe: Well, to start with, I’m twenty-seven years old and until just a few months ago, I was still living with Daddy. For the longest time, I never questioned that. You see, my mom died when I was thirteen, and since I was the oldest, I just kind of fell into taking care of my brothers and sisters, trying to be all the things our Mom would have been if she’d still been with us. My next oldest brother is already married and I have an adorable two-year-old nephew. But the youngest just went off to college, so I just kind of got into the habit of taking care of everyone and didn’t think much about me and what I wanted out of life. But then something shook my life up a little and I had to make some big decisions. One of them was to buy this lovely old house in Tide’s Way. Once upon a time, it belonged to the Jolee family. It wasn’t part of the plantation, though. It was built by a younger son back in the eighteen hundreds. I was looking at condos mostly, but when I saw this place, I just fell in love with it. I can see the ocean from almost every window in the house for one thing. What I didn’t count on was how many things could fall apart in an old house, but I’m learning. So that’s one new beginning. A big one.

 Lilly: That is a big one. But, what happened to shake up your life?

 Zoe: Well, like I said, my life was kind of going along to get along. My father always wanted to add & Sons to the firm’s name, but none of my brothers were interested in becoming lawyers. Then this really bright new lawyer got hired and Daddy took an instant shine to him. He introduced us and we dated for a while. Porter Dubois was handsome and smart and he seemed really interested in me. It was kind of exciting at first, and I so wanted to fall in love and live happily ever after. I let Porter have his way when he wanted us to sleep together and that was exciting at first too. I never really had a boyfriend before. I was too busy being a big sister. But I didn’t fall in love with Porter, and when I got pregnant and Porter didn’t want anything to do with either me or the baby, I realized I didn’t really even like him very much. I’d made some pretty big mistakes, but I didn’t want to keep making more. Keeping my baby was the easiest decision. I already loved her, even before I knew it was a her. But Daddy thought I should give her up for adoption and that’s when I decided it was time to make a new life for me and my baby. Big decisions, big new beginnings.  

 Lilly:  A tough decision. Weren’t you a little intimidated about becoming a single parent, a new homeowner and everything, all at once?

 Zoe: I didn’t really think owning a home was going to turn out to be such a huge challenge. I might not have made that choice if I’d known, but now I’m glad I didn’t know. Otherwise, I’d never have met Jake Cameron. As for being a single parent—being a new parent is scary anyway, I think. I worried about it some, but I knew it was the right thing. Then I met Jake. He’s got three girls, and he’s a single parent. He seemed to be doing a pretty decent job of it, too. They are the nicest kids you’d ever want to meet. His example gave me confidence. Thank God, he’s pretty handy with tools, too. He helped out a lot with all the things I discovered I didn’t know about owning an old house.

 Lilly: So, I guess Jake Cameron is one of the new beginnings you spoke of?

 Zoe: Jake is a wonderful man. He’s a great father, a terrific neighbor, and a really good friend. He’s also pretty good to look at.  He’s not classically handsome and polished the way Porter Dubois is, but he’s totally buff and outdoorsy with that sun-bleached hair of his. I bet he never even thinks about the clothes he wears, but I’m telling you, I think about them a lot. Or rather, I think about the way he looks in them. Jake is one of the biggest blessings in this whole new beginning thing.

 Lilly: It sounds as if this gallant neighbor is pretty special.

Zoe: I’m smiling because Jake is special. But you’ll have to read the book to find out just how special. 

“With a deft hand and engaging style, Skye Taylor creates a

realistic story with a heart that captivates . . . if you keep your

heart open, love heals the deepest wounds. Don’t miss this

book.” ~Vicki Hinze, USA Today Bestselling Author  

 

Blurb~

Jake Cameron won’t risk hurting his best friend by admitting he loves her. Little does he know . .  that’s what hurts her the most.

Zoe Callahan, pregnant with the child her ex-boyfriend doesn’t want, adores her ramshackle new home in the seaside town of Tide’s Way, North Carolina. When she meets handsome Jake Cameron, her next-door neighbor who offers some fixer-upper help, her heart goes out to him instantly. He’s a doting dad to three daughters and the kind caretaker to a mom-in-law with Alzheimer’s.

Jake is equally taken with Zoe. But Jake, a contractor and volunteer firefighter from a close-knit family of brothers and a sister, won’t risk a romance that could disrupt his family after his ex-wife nearly destroyed it.

Despite Jake’s efforts to hide his feelings, he and Zoe quickly form an unbreakable bond. Zoe discovers love hasn’t given up on her, even if the father of her unborn child did. Now she just needs to figure out why Jake is so determined not to let the heady attraction that sizzles between them turn into something more than friendship.

When disaster strikes Jake is Zoe’s rescuer. He already has her heart, but now, in spite of the rift that has come between them and the haunting nightmare from Jake’s past, Zoe must trust him with her life and the life of her baby. And Jake must trust himself.

Look For Falling for Zoe and other stories by Skye Taylor on Amazon. You can also find Skye at Belle Books and on Facebook.