“Salvage” and “Recovery”: Companion Novels About Family And Forgiveness by Con Riley

The Novel Approach is thrilled to have Con Riley with us today. Be sure to check out the giveaway details below to see how you could win an e-copy of either Salvage or Recovery

Sometimes ideas for stories creep up on me — a character gradually becomes clear, then a setting, or a situation. Other times, plots and characters come to mind almost fully formed right away. Salvage, and its soon-to-be-released companion novel, Recovery, fall into the latter category.

I was midway through an entirely different novel (part of my Seattle Series) when one of the main characters in Salvage, Gabe Cooper, introduced himself. He didn’t belong in Seattle at all, so I opened a new word document and sent Gabe home to the family he left behind years earlier in Minnesota.

Gabe might have missed his home and his family, but he was convinced his father, Coop Cooper, didn’t feel the same way about him.

They’d worked as a team yesterday, just like they used to. Seemed as if this morning, they were right back where they started.

Gabe glanced across at his dad again. The bright sunlight glinted off so many silver hairs now. Those reminders that time hadn’t stood still while Gabe had been away felt like an accusation. Maybe if he’d come home more often, he’d have noticed the signs that his dad wasn’t well. He’d said the same to Jamie last night while parked by the gates at the Stark place. But as the strong wind had buffeted the truck, his words had been met with silence.

Gabe’s best friend Jamie isn’t a fan of family obligations. His party lifestyle and love of one-night stands are worries adding to Gabe’s burden. Only Scott Stark’s arrival takes Gabe’s mind off Jamie.

So, the storyline for Salvage follows Gabe and Scott as they rebuild a brand-new concept of family.

But I wasn’t done with Jamie.

Recovery, which is due out May 19, picks up Jamie’s story a year later in sunny San Diego. Far away from Gabe’s watchful eye, Jamie finally works on making better — safer — choices, only some old habits die hard.

The press of Daniel’s body, closer now than before, made his interest obvious. Still, Jamie drew in a slow breath.

Alec had said he’d be back as soon as he could. He’d told Jamie to be strong, to trust in himself, and to have fun meeting some useful people. He’d also reminded Jamie over and over, all year long, to keep in mind the man he wanted to be rather than the kid Alec first met who somehow had gotten so lost. Such a nice way to describe the fucked-up brat Jamie had been when they’d first met.
Alec might be right about acting like a professional—faking it until he could make it—and Jamie had done his best, but the party was in full swing now, and this guy Daniel was very attractive.
Hooking up could count as networking, couldn’t it?

Jamie’s journey was wonderful to write. I’m excited about Recovery’s release. It can be preordered here: RECOVERY

Salvage is already available at many e-retailers including Dreamspinner Press and Amazon.

While it isn’t strictly necessary to read Salvage first, you can comment below if you would like a chance to win an e-copy before Recovery’s release. Already read Salvage? I’ll send an e-copy of Recovery instead, when it comes out on May 19.

THIS CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED

Blurb: Salvage Stories: Book One

Five years ago, an accident fractured Gabe Cooper’s family. Believing it was broken beyond repair, Gabe and his best friend Jamie Carlson left Minnesota behind for San Diego sunshine and college. Now another crisis brings Gabe home to help his ailing father, and he finally has to face the guilt that kept him away for so long.

Scott Stark also returns to Minnesota, with his young niece and nephew in tow, shouldering new family responsibilities. While Gabe comes to grips with his past, Scott struggles to accept his present role as a substitute parent, caring for two children, each with different needs. As Gabe and Scott get to know each other, reclaiming family life almost seems possible. Only two things stand in the way of love: Gabe’s unresolved relationship with Jamie, and Scott’s plan to leave Minnesota as soon as he can. Both men will have to accept past mistakes if they want to salvage a future together, and time is running out.

Blurb: Salvage Stories: Book Two

San Diego is a city of second chances for Jamie Carlson. His new career as a photographer is taking off, and with the support of a loving surrogate family, he’s finally putting his party years behind him. The Bailey family helped him solve his drinking problem, but there’s no easy solution to staying sober now that Belle Bailey’s dying. Her last wish is a challenge Jamie can’t overcome without help.

Solving problems is Daniel Priest’s specialty. More than twenty years older than Jamie, he’s successful and experienced. He makes his living resolving corporate crises—but his personal life has been far from perfect. Now that his marriage is over, Daniel’s determined to make up for lost time. One night with Jamie isn’t nearly enough for him.

Daniel’s honest offer of help is more than Jamie expects from a one-time hookup. Even so, fulfilling Belle’s last wish is a tall order. Repairing her damaged family as she requests proves difficult when Jamie has to face his own past as well. Jamie could risk his hard-won recovery by admitting why he hit rock bottom in the first place. If he wants a future with Daniel, he’ll have to address those reasons head-on.

About the Author: Con Riley lives on the wild and rugged Devonshire coast, with her head in the clouds, and her feet in the Atlantic Ocean. Injury curtailed her enjoyment of outdoor pursuits, so writing fiction now fills her free time instead. Love, loss and redemption shape her romance stories, and her characters are flawed in ways that makes them live and breathe. When not people watching, or wrangling her own boy band of teen sons, she spends time staring at the sea from her kitchen window. If you see her, don’t disturb her—she’s probably thinking up new plots.

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