I hope I see more books in my future. I love the process of
having an idea float into my mind, developing the idea, polishing it, and then
sharing it with others.
Tell us a little
about your family.
My husband and I live in North Carolina and have four grown children.
Our oldest daughter lives in NYC and worked in fashion until Covid-19 hit. Now
she’s sewing masks and looking for another job. Our second daughter taught
elementary school, but now she’s set to study law in the fall. She wants to affect
change in education policy. Our twin sons are First Lieutenants in the Army.
One is stationed at Ft.
Hood , and the other
serves at the Texas/Mexico Border through October.
Has your writing
changed your reading habits? If so, how?
I read more romance now than I ever have, and I try to read
with a discerning/questioning eye. (How did she do that? Why did she use that
scene?) I’m reading to learn instead of for entertainment only.
What are you working
on right now?
Josie Daniels’ from Forever Music has three brothers. I
have a few chapters written about one of them, but the words have stopped. I’m
hoping to get back to the story this summer.
What outside
interests do you have?
I love traveling, listening to live music, crocheting,
cooking, playing the piano, and reading, and I serve on several church and
community groups.
How do you choose your
settings for each book?
For me, the setting comes from the plot. The characters
usually come first, then the plot, then the setting. My last two books have
been set in Charlotte , North Carolina , where my husband and I met.
I suppose I get a lot of material from thinking about that time and place when
we were young and dating.
If you could spend an
evening with one historical person, who would it be and why?
I would love to spend an evening with Corrie Ten Boom. What
an inspiring person! She endured incredible hardships in the concentration
camps during WWII, but she overcame all bitterness, anger, disappointment, and grief
and was able to forgive the people who imprisoned her. Even in the midst of
hard-to-imagine cruelty, she looked to God to strengthen her and grow her
faith. She’d be fascinating.
I’ve also been
fascinated by her. What is the one thing you wish you had known before you
started writing novels?
I wish I had known about the marketing and promotion
involved and the business side to writing. I wish I would have paid more
attention then and created a business plan.
What new lessons is
the Lord teaching you right now?
He’s teaching me He is sovereign.
What are the three
best things you can tell other authors to do to be successful?
Write every day. Read in your genre, in other genres, and
writing craft books. Attend writing conferences for classes and to meet other
writers. Bonus: PRAY.
Tell us about the
featured book.
Forever Music highlights the current topic of emotional
affairs. With the prevalence of social media, finding lost loves is sometimes a
matter of clicking through a few websites. Hello emails can lead to flirty emails
which can escalate to relationships.
The Josie Daniels and Ches Windham story uses quirky family
support and humor to contrast a topic that can sometimes result in dark
consequences even for Christians who seek God’s guidance but may not employ it.
Please give us the
first page of the book.
Anticipation for the evening revved Josie Daniels’ heart
rate as much as discovering original sales tags on a thrift store find. She
surveyed the ballroom glittering with lights and flowers and people in sparkly
dresses and suits. Three musicians played James Taylor’s “Carolina in My Mind” on a piano, guitar, and
cello. Nice. In a couple of hours, the wait would be over, and she’d have a
promise, if not a check, for thousands of dollars in her hand.
How many thousand remained a mystery.
Instead of a little black dress, she wore a little navy
dress with a boat neck and a scoop back. Her ears featured dangly diamond
earrings borrowed from her mom’s jewelry box, a twenty-fifth wedding
anniversary gift from her dad.
A tennis bracelet,
graduate school graduation present from her grandmother, encircled her wrist.
The ends of her hair curled exactly the way it did on a good hair day thanks to
a quick shower after teaching her last class, so she left it down, framing her
face.
Yep. She felt confident. She could hold her own in this room
full of downtown Charlotte
lawyers and bankers and business people. So, what if she found her dress on the
clearance rack?
How can readers find
you on the Internet?
I would love for readers to connect with me! I’m easy to
find on social media through the links on my website www.hopetolerdougherty.com
.
Thank you, Hope, for
sharing this new book with us. I can hardly wait to read it. I haven’t read one
on that topic.
Readers, here’s a link to the book. It's on pre-order right now and will release on May 19.
Forever Music
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, Feedblitz, Facebook,
Twitter, Linkedin, or Amazon, please come to the blog to leave your comment
if you want to be included in the drawing. Here’s a link:
I am so excited to read Hope’s new book. I have preordered a digital copy, but I am also hoping for an autographed print copy, as well. Maybe I’ll get lucky!
ReplyDeleteGreat hook. Would love to read the book. Pam from Iowa.
ReplyDeleteMarla, thank you for stopping by and for preordering! Maybe you will get lucky!
ReplyDeletePam, I'm glad you like the hook. They're difficult to get just right. Thanks so much for reading the post!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the interview of Hope, telling us about her new book! I'm looking forward to reading it! I've also pre-ordered, so if I win, I can share the other one with a friend!
ReplyDeleteAlyce from NC
Spending an evening with Corrie Ten Boom would be an exciting experience. Thank you for sharing this interesting interview. Blessings from WV
ReplyDeleteThank you, Melanie. I appreciate your comment!
ReplyDeleteAlyce, thank you for reading the interview and for preordering!
ReplyDeleteLucy, I'm so glad you're a fan of Corrie Ten Boom, too! Thank you for reading and commenting!
ReplyDeleteThis looks really good! Didn't want to stop reading after just one page. Can't wait to read this!
ReplyDeleteAbigail in VA
Abigail, what a wonderful comment to read first thing in the morning! Thanks so much!
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteBeautiful interview with a beautiful author! Hope has been used by God to put pen to paper and create something beautiful as her books are a gift that keep on giving, just like the author! I am so looking forward to sitting down with a cup of tea and reading Forever Music as the 1st page drew me in quickly! Emily Willard from Pitts., PA
Beautiful cover. Thanks for the chance from FL.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much, Emily, for your sweet comments!
ReplyDeleteI like the cover, too, Nancy! Thank you for reading the post!
ReplyDeleteThe first page reading sounds lovely and I can feel for the lady's "clearance rack dress" and anticipation for what is to come. And I was captured by the word "music" in the title!
ReplyDeleteVera in the center of North Carolina.
Enter me in your awesome giveaway!!
ReplyDeleteConway SC.
I enjoyed reading the first page and it was a great interview!
ReplyDeleteBeth from IA
Vera, thank you so much for your kind words! I love shopping clearance racks because it's like a treasure hunt! I live about an hour east of central NC--just FYI!
ReplyDeleteSharon, glad you could stop by to enter the drawing!
ReplyDeleteBeth, I'm glad you enjoyed the interview. Thank you for stopping by!
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like a great read! Thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteConnie from Kentucky
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