Welcome back,
Annette. I love your new headshot. Why do you write the kind of books you do?
I’ve always considered myself sort of a history nerd, so
it’s only natural I would lean toward writing historical fiction. In my books,
I focus on a particular historical event and how it might have affected my
fictional characters living in that area.
Besides when you came
to know the Lord, what is the happiest day in your life?
Since the Lord saved my soul, I’ve had several “happiest”
days. One that stands out in my mind being the day my husband Dan asked me to
marry him over thirty-five years ago. I said yes, of course.
How has being
published changed your life?
That’s a funny question, because yes, I’ve reached a major
life goal of mine, and for me, it’s a feeling of great accomplishment. My
husband enjoys introducing me as the published author. On the other hand, I
still have to cook, do the dishes, and wash dirty underwear!
I often tell someone
who is in great awe of meeting a published author that I’m just a woman who
cooks the meals and things like that, who just happens to write books, too. What
are you reading right now?
I have just finished reading, A Highland Pearl by author friend, Brenda B. Taylor. The next book
in my queue is, The Other Side of Freedom,
a young adult historical by another author friend, Cynthia T. Toney.
What is your current
work in progress?
I am currently working on two novellas. The first is a
historical romance that takes place in 1902 Texas . The second is an 1870 Christmas
novella that follows my first novel, Northern
Light.
What would be your
dream vacation?
My dream vacation would be to the upper east coast of the United States .
I’ve always wanted to visit Philadelphia
where our country was founded. I also want to go to the islands off the Massachusetts coastline like Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard where Jaws was filmed!
How do you choose
your settings for each book?
Instead of choosing a setting for my books I choose a
historical event and the place where that event took place. My first novel was
based on the Civil War and its effects on the small town of Bolivar Point , Texas .
My current novel takes place at the same location, but during the Great Storm
of 1900, the deadliest natural disaster to ever hit the United States .
If you could spend an
evening with one person who is currently alive, who would it be and why?
Call me boring, but the person I would choose would be my
husband, Dan O’Hare. Why, because he’s my best friend and the most interesting
man I know and with Dan, we don’t even have to speak to communicate with each
other.
I so understand that.
What are your hobbies, besides writing and reading?
My current hobbies include raising three dogs, Max 12, Jay 4,
and Tris 3. I am also trying my hand at raising a Russian Tortoise, Frankie, named
after the children’s book character, Franklin
the Tortoise. My husband and I built an outdoor enclosure for Frankie to spend
the summer in. Did you know tortoises can live more than 80 years? Next to
Frankie’s enclosure is another one of my current hobbies, fairy gardening.
What is your most
difficult writing obstacle, and how do you overcome it?
I occasionally have writer’s block, but I’ve found that
taking a break and coming back to it usually cures the problem. Another
obstacle is researching the historical novel. Why, because I LOVE history and
I’m easily drawn away from my writing whenever I come across an interesting bit
of historical information. How do I overcome it? I’ll let you know when I find
out.
What advice would you
give to a beginning author?
You have a story in your head you need to get out. Great…do
that. But before you begin writing take steps to educate yourself in the art of
writing. Read, read, read in the genre you plan to write. Read books on the
writing craft so when you do write that book, your readers will believe you
know what you’re doing.
Tell us about the
featured book.
Redeeming Light ~ 1900
Sarah Jane McKinney takes over her father’s cattle ranch on
the Texas Coast after his death. After a harrowing
cattle drive, she sells off the herd saving only the breed stock. Amid this
turmoil Sarah finds herself distracted by her uncle’s young law apprentice,
Frederick Chessher. To court Sarah, Frederick
must end his relationship with a girl in a neighboring town. He leaves Sarah
not knowing that a great storm is brewing in the Gulf of
Mexico . While Sarah and her family seek refuge in the Bolivar Point
Lighthouse, Frederick
rushes back to her. Will he make it to Sarah in time, or will the Great Storm
of 1900 claim him like thousands of others?
Please give us the
first page of the book.
Sarah Jane McKinney had dreaded the coming night for some
time now. The very thought of having to deal with that crotchety old man had
her stomach performing somersaults. On more than one occasion she’d heard Daddy
refer to him as a shyster. And if he was brazen enough to try pulling something
over on Daddy, then taking advantage of a house full of women should be easy as
drawing ants to a picnic.
“Come on, Ginger.”
She clicked her tongue and tugged the reigns. The auburn
mare flipped her head in the direction Sarah indicated. The horse’s russet-colored
mane swished past long dark lashes. Ginger had the glamorous eyes of a pin-up
girl on a Coca-Cola calendar. She nickered and snorted her annoyance at the
restless dog running between her legs.
“Come on, Rex. Mama’s gonna be angry if Maisy May gets out
of her pen and eats up her vegetables, again.” The keen-eyed dog snapped to
attention at the sound of his name. Sarah gestured toward the gate. “Get the
rope.” Eager to please his master, Rex grasped the tattered cords in his mouth
and pulled. The wooden gate swung toward the scruffy dog and latched shut. “Good
boy, Rex.” The milk cow mooed her protest at being shut inside the barn. Sarah
knew firsthand that Maisy preferred the taste of Mama’s homegrown produce to
her store-bought feed. “Sorry, girl, but I’m not drinking any more onion
flavored milk.”
How can readers find
you on the Internet?
www.annetteohare.com
Annette O’Hare-Author Website
www.facebook.com/annetteohareauthor Facebook Author Page
https://amzn.to/2Hk3lVf
Annette O’Hare-Amazon Author Page
www.twitter.com/AnnetteOHare Twitter Page
http://eepurl.com/bEvp61
Annette O’Hare-Author Newsletter Sign Up
Thank you, Annette,
for sharing your new book with us. I’m eager to read it, and many of my readers
love historical romantic novels.
Readers, here are links to the book.
Redeeming Light - PaperbackRedeeming Light - Kindle
Leave a comment for a chance to win a free copy of the book.
You must follow these instructions to be in the drawing. Please tell us
where you live, at least the state or territory or country if outside North America . (Comments containing links may be subject
to removal by blog owner.)
Void where prohibited; the odds of winning depend on the
number of entrants. Entering the giveaway is considered a confirmation of
eligibility on behalf of the enterer in accord with these rules and any
pertaining local/federal/international laws.
The only notification you’ll receive is the winner post on
this blog. So be sure to check back a week from Saturday to see if you won. You
will have 4 weeks from the posting of the winners to claim your book.
If you’re reading this on Goodreads, Google+, Feedblitz,
Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, or Amazon, please come to the blog to leave
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20 comments:
Redeeming Light sounds like a good book to read - I love historical romances! Elaine from Wisconsin
Congratulations on your book. I love historical romance as well.
Love the cover, books sounds good. Lincoln Nebraska.
I love history. I like the way Annette takes a historical event and builds on it. I would like to read about the great flood in Texas. I subscribe to several “ this day in history “ posts and I notice that there were many more catastrophic events that took a lot of people. A lot of people now don’t realize that fact and think that our big weather related tragedies are some kind of anomaly. Of course our communication about these events is mych faster. Thanks for the post. I would love to win. paulams49ATsbcglobalDOTnet . I’m in Missouri.
Annette, Redeeming Love sounds like a great book. I love the way you take actual events in history and turn them into your stories.
Sandy Q TX
Hi reader friends! Thank you all so much for your comments. EJ, Jodie, Kim, good luck on winning the book!
Paula, can you imagine a storm that enormous and intense coming without warning? Here in Southeast Texas, we've been through some terrible storms with plenty of warning, but even so, there are still some that sneak up on us like Harvey last year. That was horrible!
Sandy, Redeeming Love is a book by a much more famous author than I'll ever be! Haha! But thank you for your comment on Redeeming Light. Good luck on the giveaway!
Hey cousin, it just makes me grin from ear to ear to think of you as a writer. I'm with Dan, I'd like to introduce my "Publushed Author" cousin, never gets old. Love you, Necia.
Annette, I so enjoyed your first book and I can’t wait to read this one. The storm of 1900 always fascinated me. I don’t doubt that your story will too.
I loved reading Annette's first book, it caught my attention from the very first page. The only problem was I got nothing else accomplished because I couldn't put it down, but it was totally worth it! I can't wait to read her next one.
I've known Annette for almost 20 years. She is not only an amazing writer, but a beautiful person as well.
Joy from Porter, Texas
Hey Necia! It's great to hear from you on here! Yes, I'm a published author, but like I said in the article, I still have to wash dirty drawers! Hahaha! Love you, cousin!
Hi Anthea! Thanks so much for commenting on the blog. Don't you just love reading about Texas history? I know I do. It's hard to believe the devastation of the Great Storm. I pray that never happens again! Love you, friend!
Oh, Joy, you are so very good to me. You never fail to lift me up. I love you my friend!
This verse goes out to all three of you:
I thank my God upon every remembrance of you. Philippians 1:3
This sounds so familiar( onion flavored milk ) our cows always loved the onions too! Shelia from Mississippi
Such a gorgeous cover. the book blurb made it sound like it could be an intense read. Fun.
Terrill - WA
Shelia, that's too funny! Thanks for stopping by.
Terrill, thanks. I love the covers too! Good luck in the contest.
Annette
Sounds like a really good book, love the cover and great interview! Rose from Floridab
Annette, thank you for the interview! Enjoyed it. Blessings!
Natalya Lakhno from CA
Sounds fascinating!
Caryl in TEXAS
Thank you all for reading my interview. It was a joy working with Lena in putting this all together.
Blessings,
Annette O'Hare
I look forward to reading this book. Thanks for sharing!
Connie from KY
cps1950(at)gmail(dot)com
This is a new author for me! I love that unusual cover. It's beautiful.
Dianna (TN)
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