Welcome to the Blog Tour for Right Before Their Eyes by Carrie Walker, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!
About the Book
Title: Right Before Their Eyes
Series: Faith Endures #2
Author: Carrie Walker
Publisher: Mountain Brook Ink
Release Date: February 5, 2025
Genre: Romantic Women's Fiction
Sometimes the love you need most looks different than you imagined.
Clare Martin thought nothing of agreeing to live with her dementia-ridden grandmother when her parents left on mission. Balancing that with her job as a social worker and the expectations of her career-driven boyfriend proved doable—until Grandma started a house fire.
Mason Hughes has loved Clare for years, but the time was never right to tell her and now she’s dating someone else, fixing Mason firmly in the friend zone. He’s working to be a pediatric neurologist, a dream inspired by a special boy with a terminal brain condition and must choose a medical school. Finances are so tight he’s forced to consider a program across the country, a troubling fact he’s kept secret.
Lucia Roberts, a seventeen-year-old on Clare’s caseload, loses her foster home and is placed in an unwelcoming group home. At every turn she’s met with rejection and becomes desperate for any proof she has value—enough to make choices that could affect the rest of her life.
When Grandma Dottie and Lucia's paths take a dangerous turn, Clare frantically tries to save them. As their lives knit together, will they find the love that’s right before their eyes?
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More Books In This Series
Excerpt
Tightness stretched across Mason’s chest. Time for the serious talk. He lifted Theo onto his lap, and they cuddled on the hammock. With his arms wrapped around the boy’s slender body, Mason held his small hands and played with his fingers. Theo’s warmth washed over him as his chest rose and fell.
Mason took in a long, shaky breath and released it. “Theo, buddy . . . you know I never want to leave you, right?”
Silence.
“Thing is, I’ve been working hard to be a doctor, so I can help kids like you. You inspired me to do that.” He pursed his lips, and his vision blurred. “Well, I’ve applied to medical school. That’s doctor school. I’m kinda scared where it’ll lead.”
He rotated Theo so he could see his face. He had to see his eyes. So trusting, so peaceful. “I applied to the University of Minnesota’s Medical School, and I hope it works out because I could still live at home and see you all the time. Nothing would change.” He studied the boy and his quiet way.
“But doctor school is super expensive. Way more than college. I already sold my car and took another job to help pay for tuition.” Mason swallowed. “Most of my friends graduated last year, because I took classes at the rate I could afford them.”
The next words stuck in his throat. He hadn’t spoken them to anyone who might offer an opinion—that would make them real.
“I also applied to a school in . . . New York. My counselor pushed me to apply in case the University of Minnesota doesn’t work out. They have a pilot program for full-paid tuition, but it's far away. Our park days probably wouldn’t happen very often if I go there.”
There. He’d said it.
About the Author
Carrie Walker is an award-winning author who lives in Michigan with her husband and seven children. As an avid reader, she pens what she loves to read, stories that bring hope to a hurting world. Besides writing, Carrie enjoys board games, time with family and counting down the days ’til Christmas.
Connect with Carrie by visiting carriewalkerwrites.com to follow her on social media or subscribe to email newsletter updates.
Author Interview
Carrie: I always envisioned Emma’s Hero to be the first book in a three-book series. I wanted to show the growth of Mason’s character from a troubled teen into adulthood, and the underscore of how this baby counted out by doctors changed the world . . . even years later. For this story specifically, Mason and Clare walked on the page from Emma’s Hero and told me their story. The part that came as inspiration was Lucia’s storyline. With Clare working as a social worker I felt it was important to dive into the story of teens in the foster care system, and I really wanted to show Lucia’s character from her point of view, to walk through her struggles with her and learn. To see how sometimes the lowest points in our lives can lead to such transformation and even saving times in other’s lives.
Carrie: I drafted the book in a few months, but it took some editing after beta readers to polish it. I’d say about six months in all–much faster than my first novel!
Carrie: I was lucky enough to have a friend who worked as a social worker in the foster care system. She was so generous with her time answering my many questions. I learned so many surprising things from her. For example, that most kids don’t have working cell phones. They may have an unactivated one, but it would only function in WiFi areas. Also, that children in group homes are not necessarily forced to go to school. There is a policy that they will go to school, but if they do not there is often not enforcement of it. So many of the stories she would share with me were surprising as well, but those would fill a page.
Carrie: “One moment can change the entire trajectory of your life.” This is shared in a conversation at a point in time where Lucia questions if she should invest her heart in a family that may not last long. And I think it's so important, because sometimes we wonder if something is worth the effort if it’s only going to be a short-term thing. We can’t discount what God can do with a few weeks or months when sometimes a single moment can change your life forever.
Carrie: I’ve been a reader all my life, and as a reader I think there’s probably always that tickling in the back of your mind “maybe I could write a book.” But seeking to be an author wasn’t something I set out to do. God gave me the story idea for my debut, Emma’s Hero, and it absolutely wouldn’t leave me alone. In drafting that story, I realized I loved to write and here we are :)
Carrie: At one point in time I had 3 huskies and 3 children under two and a half years old :).
Carrie: I’m almost done with Loyally Luke by Pepper Basham. It’s such a fun and easy read.
Carrie: My favorite are books that kinda ride the line between Women’s Fiction and Romance. I enjoy a strong thread of romance, but love some extra depth to the storyline.
Q: What is your favorite hobby?
Carrie: I really enjoy playing board games (we have two closets filled!) and my husband and I recently started playing pickleball and it’s quickly becoming a favorite passtime.
Carrie: Fall. I love the cooler weather, the changing color of the leaves, bonfires and football and the approaching holidays.
Tour Giveaway
(2) winners will each receive a print copy of Right Before Their Eyes as well as a $20 Amazon gift card!
Full tour schedule linked below. The giveaway begins at midnight February 11, 2025 and will last through 11:59 PM EST on February 18, 2025. Winners will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. US only. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.
Giveaway is subject to JustRead Publicity Tours Giveaway Policies.
Follow along at JustRead Tours for a full list of stops!
Lovely cover
ReplyDeleteI liked the excerpt.
ReplyDeletegreat interview! I love your questions & Carrie's answers :)
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed the sweet excerpt.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed the interview and excerpt
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