Today is my turn on the Virtual Author Book Tour for THE WATER’S FINE by Janice Coy. This is an intriguing read that is a women’s fiction story with a suspense sub-plot.
Below you will find a book description, an author Q&A, my book review, the author’s bio and social media links and a giveaway. Good luck and enjoy!
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Book Description
Catalina Rodrigues believes she’s living her best life, traveling to exotic locations around the world as a scuba dive master, spending every moment possible in her beloved ocean.
Bertie Clark is excited for a week-long scuba trip with her husband exploring the underwater wonders of an ocean teeming with life – the Sea of Cortez.
But a tragedy on their dive boat sends both women into uncharted territory, questioning what they’ve always thought to be true, and fostering an unlikely friendship. Will either trust the invitation to “come on in, the water’s fine” again?
Water’s Fine: Suspense Novel by Janice Coy
Publisher: Independently Published (April 22, 2019)
Category: Suspense, Family Fiction, Women’s Fiction
Tour dates: January/February, 2020
ISBN: 9781795669047
Available in Print and ebook, 312 pages
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Author Q&A with Avonna Loves Genres
What is your favorite scene in “The Water’s Fine?” why?
I have many favorite scenes in “The Water’s Fine,” and I hope readers will agree. One is when Catalina and the rest of the boat crew welcome the newest guests on board the Calypso for a week-long scuba dive trip. Catalina believes it will be just another group of strangers to shepherd on dives for a week, and then back to the port where the people will depart never to be seen again. All she cares about is being assigned the more experienced divers this time around. She doesn’t know that before the week is out her life will be changed forever.
How long did it take you to complete “The Water’s Fine”?
Including research, the novel took me about two years to complete. When I’m done with the first draft, I like to set my novel aside for a while so I can come back to it with fresh eyes. By the time I’m ready to publish, I’ve written about seven to eight drafts, and gotten feedback from several first readers. Even then, I must take a deep breath and let it go. Someone said once that a novel is like a painting, even when the art is done, the artist or writer can always find something to fix.
Where did you get the inspiration for your cover?
One of my favorite things to do as a scuba diver is to look back up to the water’s surface. If the water’s clear, it’s amazing to see how deep the sun’s rays can penetrate through the layers. Twilight is especially beautiful when the water is like liquid gold above, and already getting shadowy below. The cover of “The Water’s Fine” is from the perspective of a scuba diver looking back up at the surface. The bubbles are the expended air the diver has used; the bubbles closer to the surface are open.
What draws you to this genre?
I read a lot of Fairy Tales and Nancy Drew when I was growing up. I loved the suspense of wondering what was going to happen next. Would Nancy solve the crime? Would the princess live up to her bargain to sleep with the toad on her pillow? Alfred Hitchcock once said a mystery is for the intellect while suspense is about emotion. Typically, in a mystery, the crime happens immediately, and a detective sets about solving it. In suspense, the protagonist only gradually becomes aware of the danger, much like a frog in a slowly heating pot. I have a lot of fun putting my characters in unexpected situations and discovering what they will do next.
What writers have you drawn inspiration from? Are there other inspirations you draw from?
As an avid reader, I enjoy reading books by authors who are great storytellers and writers like Sue Monk Kidd, Amor Towles, Anthony Doerr and Larry McMurtry. They all inspire me to become a better writer as do Liane Moriarty, Kate Morton and Kristin Hannah. I also am inspired by adventures I’ve had, the stories people tell me, and the choices people make. While writing “The Water’s Fine,” I relied on my own week-long stay on a scuba dive boat on the Sea of Cortez.
What book/s are you reading at present?
I just finished “A Gentleman in Moscow”; I’m starting “The Lilac Girls” and am waiting on “What Alice Forgot.”
Are you currently working on another book?
Yes! I’m in the very rough draft stages of my sixth novel. I don’t outline, so I use the rough draft as a general outline. I didn’t know if I would have a sixth story to tell, but one day a hazy vision of the story evolved in my head. Tony Morrison said, “I always know the ending; that’s where I start.” I have a beginning and an ending. It’s how my characters will get from A to Z that’s challenging!
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My Book Review
RATING: 4 out of 5 Stars
THE WATER’S FINE: A NOVEL by Janice Coy is an intriguing women’s fiction story with a suspense sub-plot. This is a standalone book which takes you on a journey into the love and perils of scuba diving, friendship, family and suspense.
Catalina took off immediately after graduating college to work as a scuba dive master. She was going to travel the world for one year, but she is now on her sixth. She is currently on The Calypso and getting ready for a new group of vacationers for a week-long trip. She is very pleased because her group of six are all experienced divers.
Alberta “Bertie” and her husband Matt are looking forward to this new experience of diving in cold water. Previously they have only gone on warm water dives. Bertie is very outgoing and friendly, but she also comes off as being a know-it-all because she always researches and prepares for everything.
Catalina and Bertie hit it off. Neither has many friends and they find they enjoy each other’s company. When a tragedy strikes that ends the trip, the two are determined to keep in touch even long distance. Catalina returns to San Diego to get her Masters degree and Bertie and Matt return to their jobs in Michigan.
Bertie and Matt decide to move to San Diego. Catalina is very happy they are on their way because strange and dangerous things have been happening to her. Is it a just stress and/or coincidence, or is someone really trying to hurt Catalina?
I enjoyed this fiction novel even though it does not neatly fit into any one genre. Catalina and Bertie are both strong women going through different life decisions in this story, but they also click as friends. Ms. Coy gives a complete description of scuba diving including all the beauty and danger involved that paints a picture and is not an information dump. The family members of both women are fully fleshed and realistic. The tragedy in the first part of the story ties into the suspense in the last third of the book. It is easily figured out and I was not completely sure if I liked the addition of this sub-plot, but I kept turning the pages.
Ms. Coy has written an entertaining novel and it is worth the read.
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Author Bio and Social Media Links
Award winning Janice Coy is the author of five suspense novels. Her work is also published in four anthologies. She was a finalist at the San Diego Book Awards Association annual contest. She’s received the IndieReader Seal of Approval. A former journalist, Ms. Coy has received several awards for her reporting including a national award for best feature story in a community newspaper.
Ms. Coy is an advanced certified scuba diver; she’s run five half-marathons and summited Mt. Kilimanjaro. She lives in Southern California with her husband.
Website: http://janicecoy.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Janice-Coy-182435188445057/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/janicecoyauthor/
Buy Water’s Fine: Suspense Novel by Janice Coy
Praise Water’s Fine: Suspense Novel by Janice Coy
“I just finished The Water’s Fine by Janice Coy which means I am must bid farewell to the characters I have become attached to and I must close the cover on a plot that kept a firm grasp on my attention and continued to surprise. The act of reading this book can cause laundry to pile up, dust to gather and dirty dishes to dry crusty because one cannot stop reading from chapter to chapter – – from scuba action, to mystery, heartache, friendship, suspense and self discovery.
The author is artfully descriptive in all areas of scene and character development which draws you in and holds you! In fact, I would like to invite you to do a little scuba diving and not get wet? Slip on those fins, adjust your mask, get your regulator set and start reading The Water’s Fine.”- Kjans, Amazon
“Oh wow, what a well written book! Being someone who thinks that scuba diving is too scary to try I was drawn in by the author’s imagery. It captured all the anxiety of “breathing underwater”, the suspense of what dangerous creatures you could encounter as well as the absolute beauty and serenity you could feel while exploring the deep blue sea. I fell in love with her characters and was sucked into the mystery and suspense and enjoyed joining them on their journeys of self discovery, life and loss. I really enjoyed this book.”-Amazon Customer
Praise Smallest of Waves by Janice Coy
“Thanks to Coy’s descriptive, immersive world, the waves of Agave Beach leave a distinct impact in The Smallest of Waves. – Indie Reader
“A seaside mystery with an appealing heroine…Coy uses her beachside setting well, contrasting Agave Beach’s innocent sand castles and clueless tourists with the mysterious ocean – so foreign with its dark depths, sharks, kelp forests, and sea caves.” Kirkus Reviews
2017 Finalist San Diego Book Awards Association
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Giveaway
This giveaway is for the winner’s choice of one print or ebook copy of the book. Print is open to Canada and the U.S. only and ebook is available worldwide. There will be 3 winners. This giveaway ends February 27, 2020, midnight pacific time.
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