Tess Thompson

Author, Tess Thompson: Tess Thompson is a mother before all else, and a writer after that. She’s also a Zumba dancing queen, though the wearing of the crown is reserved for invitation-only appearances. After honing her craft in theater with a prize-winning play titled My Lady’s Hand, her heart was called to a different storytelling medium: the great American novel.

But, as she recently said to a friend, “Well, maybe not ‘great’ but certainly American.”

The first of these, Riversong (Booktrope Editions), went on to become #1 on Barnes and Noble’s Nook Book chart in October 2011. Two years after its release, readership of Riversong continues to grow, spending weeks in the top 100 Kindle bestsellers; it’s known amongst her friends and family as “the little book that could.”

Caramel and Magnolias, the first in the Legley Bay Collection was released in the fall of 2012. In May of 2013 Tess released the sequel to Riversong called Riverbend and the third in the collection, Riverstar, in August 2013. Tea and Primroses, the second in the Legley Bay Collection was released February 16, 2014. The first in the Blue Mountain Collection, Blue Midnight was released June 30, 2014.

She’s currently working on her first historical fiction, Duet For Three Hands, which will be released December 2014.

Like her characters in the River Valley Collection, Tess hails from a small town in southern Oregon. She currently lives in a suburb of Seattle, Washington with her two young daughters, ages 11 and 8, the loves of her life.

Although currently single, Tess has not given up on finding a love story of her own. Until her prince arrives, she’s content creating what she hopes are epic, page-turning love stories with a little suspense and mystery for additional spice. She writes in her home office six days a week, sipping countless cups of herbal tea, with two naughty but adorable kittens, (Christmas presents for her daughters) Mittens and Midnight, at her feet. But hopefully said Prince arrives soon to save her from becoming a bitter, crazy cat lady. Did she mention how adorable the kittens are?

Tess loves to hear from you. Drop her a line or visit her Facebook Fan Page or follow her on Twitter.

**Contact Tess: Website

**Find the books!: Amazon Goodreads Barnes & Noble

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INTERVIEW

Describe your writing style in five words: Lyrical fast-paced romantic suspense.

When did you know you wanted to be an author? When I was a little girl I fell in love with reading fiction and have been obsessed with reading and writing all my life.

Hard/paperbacks or eBooks? I get a lot of paperbacks from the library and also read a ton of ebooks on my Kindle.

Describe your writing/editing/publishing process: I write the first draft of a novel quickly then rewrite the entire draft before sending it to my editor. She then does her magic and I do another rewrite.

When working, what is your favorite snack or drink? Apple Cinnamon herbal. tea.

Do you have any writing rituals? I always say a little prayer before I begin the day’s work but besides that I’m just “Butt In Seat” when my girls are at school.

What is something that people would be surprised to know about you? I spend way too much money on my hair.

If you could meet any author, who would it be? Laura Ingalls Wilder.

How did you celebrate when your first book was published? I don’t remember exactly. Probably steaks and a glass of really good red wine.

Where is you favorite place to write? Anywhere that’s quiet. I mostly write at my desk in my home office because I have to use my ergonomic keyboard because of arm issues.

What do you want readers to take away from your books? Hope. Inspiration. Belief in second chances.

What are you working on now? I’m working on both Riversnow (fourth River Valley book) and the second in the Blue Mountain Collection about Blythe’s sister Bliss. We’re also editing my first historical fiction, Duet for Three Hands.

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“Blue Midnight” by Tess Thompson

“If you change your mind, here’s this.” Finn Lanigan kissed a young Blythe Heywood one last time under a star-scattered Idaho sky. It was the last kiss that ever weakened her knees, the last sky she noticed for over a dozen years. Then she left, returning to her fiancé, the wedding she’d committed to, and the secure life she’d yearned for since she was a little girl.

Thirteen years later, her husband leaves Blythe for his young associate. Devastated, she’s unable to imagine the next chapter of her life as she packs her family’s belongings to move across town. Unexpectedly, she finds the forgotten slip of paper bearing Finn’s phone number in the back of a drawer.

Hadn’t she tossed it years before as a newlywed, when she vowed to be the perfect wife and mother? Apparently not. Here it remained. Her road not taken.

Facing three weeks without her young daughters, Blythe sets out to find the man she left behind so long ago. With only the name of the small town where he once lived, Peregrine, Idaho, and the memory of their last kiss under a starry sky, she heads across the Pacific Northwest in search of him.

What she finds in the foothills of Blue Mountain challenges everything she thought she knew and is the very last thing she expected. Within days, her life changes forever. But it is her destiny and destinies cannot be denied.

The first book of the Blue Mountain Collection, laced with Thompson’s lovable but complex characters, “Blue Midnight” is a mature love story about second chances, family, and the complexities of trust and vulnerability after betrayal.

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