Monday, August 20, 2012



Mackinac Island. It’s a magical place that allows you to step back in time from the moment you first step off the ferry. Authors Cara Putman and Melanie Dobson have teamed up for a tour of the island, now and then. Comment at each stop for a chance to win a copy of one of their books set on Mackinac Island. You’ll find the list of stops here. Share the tour on twitter, Facebook, pinterest and other places, and you’ll gain extra entries for the grand prize of a copy of each of their books and a 5 slice box of Murdick’s Fudge, straight from Mackinac Island. Just be sure to email Cara at cara@caraputman.com, so she can record your entries.


Growing up in Ohio, I always wanted to visit Mackinac Island where there are no cars, where I could freely walk and bike and explore. Researching and then writing Love Finds You in Mackinac Island, Michigan was truly a dream come true for me. From the moment I stepped off the ferry and heard the clip-clopping of horses’ hooves along the island’s historic Main Street, I was transported back a good hundred years. Pronounced “Mackinaw” like Mackinaw City (but spelled differently so the post office could differentiate between the island and town), Mackinac Island is a place that time seemed to forget. The diverse history on this island goes back hundreds of years, when Native Americans considered the island the home of their Great Spirit and local tribes gathered there each summer to fish. In the 1700s, lucrative French and American fur companies made their homes and millions of dollars on Mackinac until the British took over during the War of 1812 and held the island for three years before returning it to the United States. Then, in 1819, the first steamship of tourists arrived. The tourists have never stopped coming.

I didn't grow up aware of Mackinac Island. I wasn't even sure what I was getting into the first time we drove the ten hours from Lafayette, Indiana to the tip of Michigan's mitten. I knew is it took a long time to reach this tiny dot on the map. It didn't take me long to learn the island had worked hard to preserve a feel of days long ago. It took even less time to fall in love with this retreat. We've stayed at the Grand, in B&Bs and in Mackinaw City. Each time, I couldn't wait to reach the island and explore its roads, shops, and Fort. It was only natural that it became the perfect place to set a contemporary romance.

A Wedding Transpires on Mackinac Island Join attorney Alanna Stone as she returns home despite her determination to never set foot on Mackinac Island again. Once again in close proximity to Jonathan Covington, her first love, she vows to protect her privacy and her heart from the man who still makes her pulse race. But when her worst fears are realized and history repeats itself—landing her in the midst of a murder investigation—Jonathan may be her only hope. Will they be able to lay aside the past and let God heal their hearts, or will reconciliation come too late?  Read the first chapter here.
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Love Finds You on Mackinac Island It’s the height of the Gilded Age, but Elena Bissette’s family has lost most of its fortune. The Bissettes still own a home on fashionable Mackinac Island, and they spend summers there in hopes of introducing Elena to a wealthy suitor. Quickly tiring of the extravagant balls at the Grand Hotel, she spends her days walking along the island’s rugged coastline. There she meets Chase, a young fisherman who invites her to watch the ships from an abandoned lighthouse. The two begin to meet there in secret, hoping to solve a decades-old mystery. Meanwhile, Elena’s mother contrives introductions between Elena and the island’s most eligible bachelor, an elusive millionaire named Chester Darrington. When Elena’s two worlds unexpectedly collide, she will be in for the surprise of her life. Read the first chapter here.

18 comments :

  1. My family visited when I was a kid, and we loved exploring on bikes and eating fudge (only makes sense to ride off the calories from the fudge!)

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  2. I greatly enjoyed visiting Mackinac Island years ago, and would love to return thru these wonderful books.

    Karen Schulz
    aregeeetee5162 at yahoo dot com

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  3. Mackinac Island is a great place...I never expected to like it as much as I do! Thanks for hosting us, Lisa!

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  4. Mackinac Island is a place I want to go back to. My last visit was years ago. I still think about it though and hopefully some day my husband and I can go there. The fudge...what can I say, oh my, so yummy!

    Thanks for this tour and wonderful giveaway!

    Blessings!
    Judy
    sweetpea.judy(at)yahoo(dot)com

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  5. Thanks for your part in the tour, this island sure looks like lot of fun and history to be learned. Never been and hope someday to see.
    next best is reading and seeing through the authors eyes.
    Paula O(kyflo130@yahoo.com)

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  6. I've lived in Michigan all my life and have been to Mackinac Island many times. That's part of what makes these two books so special to me. I like winning print books of Amish/Christian fiction. Thanks for offering this giveaway.
    Nancee
    quiltcat26[at]sbcglobal[dot]net

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  7. The fudge is so rich and yummy. And so many flavors. There's no way to sample them all without racing around the island several times on bikes to work off the calories.

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  8. Mackinac Island seems like the perfect "get away" spot. I've never been able to visit but would love to. For now, I'll have to be content to read about it. Both these books sound like ones I'd really enjoy so it would be terrific to win this giveaway. The fudge is a definite bonus! Thanks for the chance.

    pmk56[at]sbcglobal[dot]net

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  9. Can't wait to read these books and be transported to this wonderful place

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  10. The books and fudge both sound great! :)

    laurelprincess12 at gmail dot com

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  11. I like the layout of your blog post. Very pretty and readable! I like how you have inserted photos. I would like to be put in the drawing for Melanie's book. Thank you. Kathleen
    lanehillhouse[at]centurylink[dot]net
    (I have Cara's book.)

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  12. How wonderful to pair to books that take place at one of Michigan's finest spots -- Mackinac Island. I have found memories of it from frowing up in the Detroit area, though I now live in the South. Just thinking about it brings back the memories of those fudge samples! YMMM!

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  13. I, too, grew up in Michigan, but it wasn't until after I married and moved to Texas that my husband and bothered to make a trip to Mackinac Island. What a treasure!! My sister-in-law got married there, so we stayed several days in one of the hotels on the island. No electronic key cards there! They still had fancy brass skeleton keys for all of the doors. And the fort! What a treasure trove of history. I intend to go back soon, next time I'm home visiting family. :-)

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  14. I would so love to rent a horse and tour the island that way!
    jennydtipton[at]gmail[dot]com

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  15. thanks for chance to win this set of books.

    ABreading4fun [at] gmail [dot] com

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  16. Lisa, what a cool story. We've stayed at the Grand, a wonderful B&B and in Mackinaw City. The old keys are fun.

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  17. These sound like lovely stories.

    bn100candg(at)hotmail(dot)com

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  18. . We've long been inspired by urban art and have finally created a collection that pays homage to this secret addiction of ours!

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