Donna K. Weaver joins us today, touring with the second book in her Safe Harbors series, Torn Canvas—and a giveaway!

First, a bit more about the book—then, we’ll get to hear about Donna’s experience when a fellow passenger needed a real life helicopter rescue from their cruise ship!

Even a hero needs rescuing sometimes.

Modern-day pirates took more than Jori Virtanen’s friends; they stole his face. Not only does the twenty-four-year-old former model have to confront months of reconstructive surgery, he discovers his previous life was as superficial as his looks. Jori struggles to make a new life for himself as an artist while evading the press. They expect a hero, but he knows the truth. His beauty masks a beast.

Olivia Howard’s given up a normal life for her job, and the sacrifices are finally paying off. The twenty-six-year-old talk-show host’s ratings are heading to the top of the charts. Her dream is to make a difference in people’s lives, but the studio wants mind fluff—like interviewing hot model Jori Virtanen. When Olivia learns the guy helped rescue passengers on a cruise excursion from kidnappers, she knows this is the story she needs to make her case. The only problem is the hero was injured, and now he’s disappeared.

The more Olivia learns about the man behind the scar, the more intrigued she becomes. But Jori is no girl’s happily ever after. Once she finds him, Olivia has to free his heart and help heal the beast.

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Jordan asked me to talk a little bit about any interesting experiences I might have had while cruising. I am a Navy brat. I was five when my family moved to South Korea to join my father who was stationed in Seoul, and that was when I first sailed the Pacific. By the time I was thirteen, I had sailed the Pacific three times. Loved it–even if the first two trips were on Navy transports. Not exactly like a cruise ship, but still cool because I was at sea.

My most recent experience was last January. My husband and I took an eighteen-day circle anniversary cruise to Hawaii. We sailed from San Diego on the evening of January 21st. The water was pretty rough. Even on modern ships with ballast systems to help with stabilization, it takes time to get your sea legs. It’s during these times that passengers are the most vulnerable to accident.

Evidently, the night before, someone had fallen on the stairs. In the process this person had knocked a woman down. She hadn’t been so lucky. She broke a leg and had some head trauma, including bleeding from the ear. After consulting with the ship doctors and the mainland, the captain made the decision to turn the ship around so we could meet up with a Coast Guard helicopter to life flight the poor woman to a hospital.

We were not allowed to watch the actual event. As you can imagine, an actual helicopter evacuation is quite dangerous. If something were to happen—like the helicopter crashing into the ship—the fewer passengers in harm’s way, the better. Later during a class where the executive officer explained how the bridge worked, they included a video of the evacuation.

The woman survived, but there wasn’t room on the helicopter for both the doctor and her husband. That poor man had to turn around and sail five days to Hawaii so he could catch a plane to come and join his wife. Then, our island itinerary had to be changed around to account for the lost day. They did everything they could to preserve as much as possible, but people still complained. Enough that the Captain finally had to speak up about it and remind everyone that the woman’s life was more important than their vacations.

I watched various videos on YouTube when I was writing Torn Canvas because Jori has to be life flighted after his injuries fighting the pirates. While the other freed captives are sailed back to Pago Pago, American Samoa, Jori requires more immediate medical attention. I never dreamed I would ever be on a ship where there was a helicopter rescue.

Following is an excerpt from that scene:

With a jolt, the stabbing pain returned, worse than before. Jori tried to open his eyes, but only the right lid would work. Immediately, a shaft of a bright light forced him to close it. Was that a helicopter? He tried to move but found he had been strapped to some kind of board. Even his head was tied in place. His heart began to race, and it was difficult to breathe.

Jori struggled against what held him, pausing when a warm hand brushed his forehead.

“It’s okay.” Elle sounded scared. He jerked against the restraint harder. “Please don’t move,” she said. Over his face, her red, puffy eyes filled with tears.

“Why am I tied up?” Jori breathed out. He closed his eye and forced his rigid muscles to relax. Hadn’t they just fought the pirates? Opening his eye again, Jori pulled against the binding on his wrists.

“Shhh. You’re hurt.” She stroked his hair again, a tear dropping to the side of his forehead and running into his hair. “The Coast Guard is here to fly you to the hospital in Pago Pago.”

“Sir,” said a man in a military jumpsuit and helmet, stepping into view, “we’re going to lift you now. Please don’t move.” The man gave a signal.

With the motion, Jori’s heart beat even harder, making the pounding in his head worse. There was something he needed to remember—

“Wait! Elle ….”

“They’re sailing us back!” The wind blew away the rest of her words as the swaying ropes pulled him toward the helicopter.

With the motion, Jori closed his eyes and clenched his fingers on the board beneath him. He refused to think about what the weaving back and forth meant. He was at Disneyland and not about to smash against the ship or the helicopter.

The sound of the blades was now deafening. Forcing a convulsive swallow, Jori took a deep breath. Motion sickness tore through his stomach, and he gagged. What if he threw up and couldn’t turn over? What if he choked to death on it?

“Shiiiiiiii—” The board bumped something, and Jori’s eye snapped open, his heart skipping a beat.

“We have you, sir,” said a woman’s voice.

 

I’m really excited to read this one! You can too!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

And check out the book trailer!

About the Author

Donna K. Weaver is the author of the Safe Harbors series and Second Chances 101, Book 5 in the Ripple Effect series. She’s a wife, mother, grandmother, Harry Potter geek, Army veteran, and karate black belt.

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