Rick R. Reed Reality: Blog Tour: Shell Taylor Drops by to Talk About RECLAIMING HOPE

TITLE: Reclaiming Hope

SERIES: Home for Hope #3

AUTHOR: Shell Taylor

PUBLISHER: Dreamspinner Press

COVER ARTIST: L.C. Chase

LENGTH: 210 Pages

RELEASE DATE: October 14, 2016

BLURB: Sequel to Resurrecting Hope

Home for Hope: Book Three

Four years ago, Kollin Haverty’s best friend, Riley Meadows, dropped off the face of the earth. When he shows up out of the blue, armed with a flimsy excuse for disappearing and having nearly completed his transition from female to male, Kollin wants to pick up where they left off. But Riley’s unwillingness to be honest with Kollin prevents him from fully trusting Riley again. Despite Riley’s insecurities and Kollin’s abandonment issues, they quickly discover there’s something more than friendship between them.

When a ghost from Riley’s past unexpectedly appears with haunting memories in tow, Kollin’s anger about being lied to outweighs his desire to be the understanding boyfriend Riley needs. As Riley’s web of strategically withheld secrets begins to unravel, he must find the courage to pursue his own peace before he can move forward with Kollin, and Kollin must decide what’s more important—supporting his best friend or protecting himself.

Hi, everyone! First, I want to thank Rick Reed for having me to share a little about Reclaiming Hope. I’m a huge fan of his work so this is a lovely honor! Yesterday I wrote a little about what inspired me to write Kollin’s and Riley’s story, and I mentioned I had a difficult time stepping into their headspace. The main reason for that is because I’d spent over two years writing Adam’s and Elijah’s stories and instead of doing something smart like completely detaching myself from that world, I tried to move around it and not… quite… let… go of those two.

Anyway, I managed to find a way to finish the book and still keep some of my favorite parts of Adam and Elijah in there. One of the most entertaining things to figure out with those two was how they would parent not only adult-Kollin but also his new younger sister, Lizzie, who came with her own set of issues.

Adam seemed pretty obvious. Given his background and everything he’d been through and overcome—he is clearly the more serious dad who is going to talk everything out and make sure everyone understands how everyone is feeling and maybe if we have time we’ll sneak in a round of Kumbaya while we hold hands and sway back and forth.

Elijah, though, was a bit more difficult. It’s not in his nature to be fatherly or affectionate (after all, he didn’t receive that growing up so he never quite learned it), and so I think he struggles with that and maybe sometimes overcompensates. Granted, it comes more naturally to him with Kollin and eventually LIzzie, but once you step outside of that circle, Elijah is almost a totally different person. In fact, even four or five years after we first see a bit of a dent in Elijah’s armor, Kollin is still the only person on the planet allowed to call him Eli. Not even Adam gets that privilege! There’s one scene in particular that shows Elijah’s struggle—or maybe struggle isn’t the word because he really doesn’t care much that he’s not super compassionate—in which Elijah discusses some serious issues with Riley. The scene is in Riley’s POV, but it’s pretty clear that Elijah’s biggest goals are to ensure Riley understands he’s there to protect Kollin and he’s going to say what he has to say and if Riley doesn’t like it… so sorry.

Lizzie added some fun opportunities to see Adam and Elijah parent a younger teen as well as a girl. We find that Elijah’s the stricter of the two, and that all of the years Adam has spent working with youth has paid off because he’s able to really understand how this teenage girl thinks and can often manipulate a situation so he gets what he wants (which is what’s best for Lizzie.)

I can’t say much more without giving away too much of the story, but tomorrow I’ll discuss how Adam and Elijah directly impacted Kollin’s and Riley’s relationship. Thanks so much for stopping by today. Don’t forget to enter to win the giveaway for a chance to win an Amazon gift card or a book from my backlist. Or… if you’d rather, I also have an audio copy of Redeeming Hope (Home for Hope book 1) to give away!

Adam rolled his eyes to mimic her and then turned his attention toward Kollin. “Look who the cat dragged in.”

For some reason, Kollin’s heart fluttered. Waves of nervousness raced through his body as he tried to figure out why Adam thought he should know the stranger. He’d never told either of his parents about meeting the guy at the bookstore, and even if he had, Adam couldn’t have known he was the same person.

The man studied the ground, seemingly reluctant to look at Kollin, but Kollin knew he couldn’t identify him even if they were staring directly at one another.

Fortunately Adam saved him from further embarrassment. “I didn’t recognize Riley until he threatened to own me in Ping-Pong.”

Kollin sucked in a huge gulp of air. The nervous flutters, which had been nothing more than a curious enigma, ceased, and he suddenly felt as if a boulder had settled in the pit of his stomach.

He hadn’t spoken to Riley Meadows in over four years. When Kollin’s parents kicked him out, Riley had been the one who kept Kollin sane. He tethered him to reality when all he’d wanted was to escape inside himself. They’d kept in touch when Riley first went to college and somehow became even closer—until Riley seemingly dropped off the face of the earth. Phone calls, e-mails, texts… all unanswered. Kollin eventually took the hint and gave up.

Now Riley was back?

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Shell Taylor is a full-time mother of three exuberant and loving kiddos and one fur baby, a tiny but fierce Yorkie-poo named Rocco. As a Christian who practices love, grace, and humility, she tries her best to instill these same virtues in her rowdy kids. She is a huge fan of Marvel comics and will never stop loving Harry Potter (Hufflepuff pride, baby!) When Shell isn’t writing, she can be found binge watching Netflix or volunteering at her church and childrens’ school. Shell considers herself blessed to have married a strong, supportive man who works hard to allow her to continue to follow her dreams.

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You can also email Shell at - shell4jmu@gmail.com