One Mountain Away

Published by: Harlequin MIRA
ISBN13: 978-0778313557
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OVERVIEW

Peaks and Valleys

With nothing but brains, ambition and sheer nerve, Charlotte Hale built a career as a tough, do-anything-to-succeed real-estate developer. She’s at the top of that mountain,but her life is empty. Her friends are as grasping and insincere as she has become. Far worse, she’s alienated her family so completely that she’s totally lost touch with her only daughter.

One terrifying day, facing her own mortality, she realizes that her ambition has almost destroyed her chance at happiness.

So Charlotte vows to make amends, not simply with her considerable wealth, but by offering a hand instead of a handout. Putting in hours and energy instead of putting in an appearance. Opening her home and heart instead of her wallet.

With each wrenching, exhilarating decision, Charlotte finds that climbing a new mountain-one built on friendship, love and forgiveness-will teach her what it truly means to build a legacy.


PRAISE

Praise from some of Emilie's favorite bestselling authors: 

"By the end of the story, I was going through tissues at an alarming rate. This is truly a marvelous piece of work.”
—Catherine Anderson, author of Coming Up Roses.  (Signet)

"Complex characters, compelling emotions and the healing power of forgiveness -- what could be better? I loved this book!"
—Sherryl Woods, author of Midnight Promises.  (Mira Books)

"Emilie Richards' compassion and deep understanding of family relationships, especially those among women, are the soul of One Mountain Away.  This rich, multi-layered story of love and bitterness, humor, loss, and redemption haunts me as few other books have."
—Sandra Dallas, author Prayers for Sale and True Sisters. (St. Martin's Press)

"Emilie Richards has written a powerful and thought-provoking novel that will both break your heart and fill you with hope. Richards' characters become your friends, and they will stay with you long after you turn the last page. A beautiful book."
—Diane Chamberlain, author of The Good Father.  (Mira Books)

"Emilie Richards is at the top of her game in this richly rewarding tale of love and family and the ties that bind us all. One Mountain Away is everything I want in a novel and more. A must-buy!"
—Barbara Bretton, author of the Sugar Maple Chronicles. (Berkley)

 Praise from some of Emilie's favorite reviewers: 

"Richards creates a heart-wrenching atmosphere that slowly builds to the final pages, and continues to echo after the book is finished."
Publishers Weekly

'This is much more than a love story although there is certainly that as well, but it’s a lesson to us all that it’s never too late to change and to remember that memories are sometimes flawed by emotions.  If you like the writing of Karen White or Patti Callahan Henry you'll love Emilie Richards."
—Debbie Haupt at the Reading Frenzy

"One Mountain Away by Emilie Richards is mesmeric, lulling you into the lives of its characters so thoroughly that your heart will break and mend, then mull over in amazement for hours afterward."
—Dorine Linnen at Romance Junkies

"Richards continues to amaze and thrill readers with protagonists who realize they need to change and make their lives mean something."
RT Book Reviews, 4 ½ star review


TRAILER

AUTHOR'S NOTE

Real life serves as the best fodder for novels, but not simply isolated incidents. Sometimes everyday life, or the climate of the times, is every bit as suggestive as one newsworthy event.

This moment in history is a difficult one for many individuals and families, and it seems clear that the end isn’t yet in sight. No matter who or what political party is elected in November, change takes time.

Thinking about this, it seemed clear to me that while many people are being helped by organizations and bureaucracies, many more are being helped by individuals who reach out to them. These unsung heroes do everything from stocking food banks to taking in a homeless family. Most of the time we never hear about them.

I’ve always been impressed by the way women, in particular reach, out on a personal level. Hot meals to bereaved families. Rides or grocery shopping for elderly neighbors. Child care for the beleagured. These acts of kindness are even more necessary now, and time after time, women who are suffering themselves still seem to find ways to help others.

I wondered what would happen if a small group of women informally banded together to take chances and reach out in any way they could. What kind of changes could they create? What would motivate them to begin?

The story of Charlotte Hale began to form, a woman whose own mistakes have finally come back to haunt her. Charlotte, who rejects the notion that time is an insurmountable barrier, believes it’s not too late to make a difference. She begins by changing herself and seeking forgiveness. As she does, the world around her changes, too, with far-reaching consequences.

Of course the first real requirement of any novel is a riveting, conflict-driven story, and so first and foremost, I set out to make certain Charlotte had such a story to tell. I hope you’ll think I succeeded.