June Foster Interview

Q: How long have you been writing and what other careers or jobs have you had?
A. Though I’ve got lots of grandkids and am now a senior citizen, I’ve only been writing since 2010. Before, I worked for thirty-four years as an elementary school teacher. I taught English as a Second Language to Hispanic students in El Paso, Texas and to children with a multitude of language backgrounds in Seattle, Washington. Because I lived in the great Pacific northwest, I frequently choose the area for a setting in my books.
Q: Would you tell us about your current book release The Inn at Cranberry Cove?
A: After her boss fires her on unfounded grounds, twenty-nine-year-old Ashton Price leaves Denver for Cranberry Cove, Washington. She’s inherited her aunt’s B&B and is determined to carry on her legacy. Upon preparing for guests, she learns of a century-old tale of treasure within the inn. Many have searched for the illusive gems but to no avail. She discovers a man working on the inn’s grounds, but is he the gardener Gina Price hired? Perhaps he’s searching for the hidden treasure.
James Atwood, corporate executive, works in the Atwood’s thriving cranberry business. Tragedy strikes, and he’s numb and riddled with guilt. Befriended by Gina Price, he finds solace working evening and weekends in the fresh earth, fescue grass, and aromatic blossoms of the inn’s gardens, helping to divert his mind from his dishonest cousin Robert, bent on destroying the Atwood business. He continues tending the grounds after Gina passes, and the new owner believes he’s a gardener. After she calls late one night upon hearing a prowler, James races to her rescue and discovers his feelings are more than protective.
Ashton’s first guests, the Claxton’s, appear out of nowhere saying they’ve had reservations for a year though she finds no record of a deposit. She chalks the failure up to faulty accounting before she arrived. When an elusive intruder continues to make frightening midnight visits, Ashton fears for her own safety and that of the Claxtons. But then, their odd comings and goings cause Ashton to wonder. Are they really vacationing visitors from California, or do they have other motives for staying at the inn?
Can two people allow the majestic northwest and fragrant coastal air heal their wounded hearts? Will they discover the secret of The Inn at Cranberry Cove?

Q: Where did you get your inspiration for this story?
A: About fifteen years ago when my husband and I lived in Lacey, Washington, we took a weekend jaunt to Ilwaco, a coastal town on the southern end of the state. We stayed in a lovely B&B which was once an old church. Today the inn is called The Inn at Harbor Village. I always knew I’d write a story about what secrets lurked within inn’s walls, and now, I have!

Q: What is the main thing you hope readers remember from this story?
A: Besides being entertained by the mysterious occurrences at the inn, I hope they will remember that next to the Lord, one’s family is more valuable than gold.

Q: How do you choose your settings for your books?
A. Once I choose a plot idea, the setting seems to fall in place. For example, I’ve written four books for my Small-Town series. Since I live in Alabama in a small town, it only seemed logical to choose this area for the story’s setting. The Inn at Cranberry Cove is based on a real B&B in Washington state, so of course I chose that setting, fictionalizing much of the area, to include the name of the inn.

Q: Do you base your characters on people you know or are they totally made up?
A: My characters are mostly fictionalized. However, I take many of their traits from real life people I know. Real people give me ideas for plots as well. For example, in my story Out of Control, a youth pastor must deal with anger he learned as a child and is in danger of losing his job. Several people I know struggle with anger.

Q: Would you share with us what you are working on now?
A. I’m beginning book two in my Cranberry Cove series. The story is set in Cranberry Cove, Washington, as in book 1. Gracie Mayberry is a barista at the local coffee house in book one, and she will be the heroine of book 2. The hero is a new character who’s visiting from Seattle Washington. Watch for that book around May 1. Book three will be out in September 2021.

Q: If money were no object what vacation would you like to take and why?
A. I’d love to take a two-week trip to Israel. Once when we lived in Germany while my husband was stationed there in the army, I had a trip to Israel planned. We had to leave the country sooner than expected, so I had to cancel the trip. I’d love to see the land where Jesus lived and walked.

Q: What is the silliest thing you have ever done?
A. I went to the hospital recently for one-day cataract surgery. Of course, I was perfectly awake and was capable of walking, but the nurse required I sit in a wheelchair. I reached down to get my tissue that had fallen to the floor, and I fell out of the wheelchair. I was fine, no problem. The young nurse almost had a heart attack.

Q: What is the hardest thing you have ever done?
A. When we lived in Washington state, I accepted a teaching contract with a private school. A few weeks later I was offered a contract with the public schools which I had hoped for. I hated to let the private school down and break my contract, but it was the best thing for me.