Book – “Finder Keeper Of My Heart” by Vina Arno

Hello Friends,

I met American romance author, Vina Arno a couple of years ago on email (we live continents apart). She was passionate about her FINDER KEEPER story and wow, she has overcome many challenges on the road to publication. So I’m delighted to welcome Vina to the blog with her second romance novel.

I’m looking forward to reading the story and being transported to the wilderness forest in Hawaii, which is the place where the couple meet and begin their romance. Maybe one day I’ll go to Hawaii for a visit. I like the idea of swimming with dolphins and seeing the great volcano, Kilauea. The eruption has been going on for months, and keeping people safe from this mighty force of nature is a priority.

I asked Vina a question. Here it is, and her answer follows.

Why did you write the story?

FINDER KEEPER is about two young people who find each other while visiting Hawaii and how the place transforms them. In many ways, this novel is my love letter to Hawaii, especially the Big Island. My family and I first visited the island in 2007. We fell in love with the place, and we’ve returned there several times. We’ve also visited other Hawaiian islands, namely Maui, Oahu, and Kauai, but the Big Island remains our true love. The recent volcanic eruption there shows just how fickle nature can be. It made the choice of the Big Island as a setting take on a new significance for me. I feel very privileged to have spent wonderful vacations there.

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The Blurb

EMMA MUNROE, a Juilliard senior, snags a plum role on Broadway a few weeks before her twenty-first birthday. She travels to Hawaii with her best friends to celebrate. When she gets lost in a jungle during an impromptu hike, she happens upon a waterfall—and a naked hunk bathing underneath it.

When she finds out his name is AVERY BELL, she’s dumbstruck. She believes she’s meant to love someone named Avery. It all goes back to a message in a bottle she found when she was nine, a letter written by a soldier called Avery to his sweetheart named Emma. He’d written it in the aftermath of the Pearl Harbor attack during World War II. Since then, Emma has been searching (and saving her virginity) for her own Avery.

But Avery Bell is as mysterious as he is irresistible. Emma learns about his family secrets. In the course of this vacation, an accident and a tragic death will shake both of them to the core. Her singular faith in him—her unwavering belief in love and destiny—proves to be his saving grace.

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FINDER KEEPER OF MY HEART is available now for the Kindle price of $3.87 US.
Here's the link to Amazon.com 

Barnes and Noble

Smashwords

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Vina kindly provided an excerpt of the story.

Emma jogged for the next few minutes. Another brook, then a dry creek, before she faced a second switchback. Shit, she was lost! She slogged along, her legs now aching. Then a faint sound of water. Late July in Hawaii was hot and humid, but the temperature had turned cooler the closer she got to the source of the rumbling water.

It turned out to be a waterfall, partly blocked by overgrown grasses. She descended to the swimming hole and parted the tall weeds with both hands to get a full view.

Omigod! A naked man stood underneath the waterfall, his back to her.

Well, hellooo, hottie. She stood across from him, frozen and mesmerized by his beautiful body—tall build, broad shoulders, toned arms and legs. He braced himself against the water crashing on his face by gripping a boulder with each hand.

All of a sudden, he turned around, his eyes shut. Before she could hide, he stepped out of the cascading water. When he opened his eyes, his gaze shot straight to her. He cupped both hands over his groin.

“I’m sorry!” She swung around. “I’m lost. I need your help.”

 He didn’t respond, and she didn’t dare look. Two, maybe three minutes passed.

“Hello? Are you still there?” she shouted without glancing.

“You can look now.” He stood several feet away, dressed in khaki cargo pants and a burgundy T-shirt marked MIT. He carried his hiking boots, socks, and a backpack.

“I’ve been lost forever.” She puffed out her cheeks and blew a gust of air. “You have no idea how happy I am to see you. I didn’t mean to intrude.”

He was probably a few years older than her. He didn’t appear embarrassed after getting caught buck naked, only annoyed.

“And your name is?” he snapped.

Okay, definitely pissed. “Emma Munroe—like Marilyn Monroe, but with a u.” She wanted to shake his hand, but didn’t get a chance since he perched on a big rock and proceeded to put on his socks and boots. When he rose, his dark eyes bored right through her.

He extended his hand. “I’m Avery Bell.”

“Avery?” She shook his hand, dumbstruck. Omigod! She had waited half of her life to meet someone named Avery—ever since she’d picked up a message in a bottle bearing that name.

He gave her a quizzical look.

She cleared her throat, composing herself. “Avery. I love that name.” My soul mate’s name is Avery. Could he be the one she’d been looking for?

He hauled his backpack over both shoulders. “How can I help you?”

“I need to get out of here.”

“How did you get here in the first place?”

“How did I get here?” she echoed like an idiot. Her self-confidence withered fast. She described the picnic on the beach and the hike up to the trail’s entrance. “I should have stayed put to wait for my friends, but my curiosity got the better of me. I chased the roosters and turkeys, plus I might have zoned out a little bit. I thought I was retracing my steps. I honestly don’t know how I got here.”

He nodded. “You’ve walked about four miles on the trail. Actually, you were probably not on the Muliwai Trail. You probably followed a fake trail. We’re a couple of miles away from Waimanu Valley.”

“You mean Waipio Valley?”

“I mean Waimanu Valley.”

She’d never heard of the place before. He walked up the weedy slope toward the trail.

She followed him. “Can you help me get out of here?”

He stopped, so she paused, too.

He turned his face to her. “I can take you to Waimanu Valley. I’m camping there.”

“Really?” Hope surged in her chest. He’s got to be the one.

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About Vina Arno

I used to be a reporter for newspapers, and later on, for the Associated Press. I have a master’s degree in journalism from Ohio State University. I’m a late bloomer. While working as a journalist—from Manila to Taipei to New York—I realized I wanted to have a voice as a writer. As a journalist, I don’t choose what to write and how to write it. I’m assigned stories to cover and I must follow journalistic rules. As a novelist, I finally have a voice! I write what I want to write.

Connect with Vina

Visit Vina Arno’s website or connect with her on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Goodreads, Google+

Congratulations to Vina for the launch of her book. She has another book being released in 2018 about General Douglas MacArthur breaks all taboos by pursuing his romantic obsession with Isabel Rosario Cooper, a young Filipino actress. Best wishes for the next book.

Enjoy your weekend.

♥ Ashlyn