RESERVATIONS FOR TWO - Hillary Manton Lodge - One Free Book

Welcome back, Hillary. Why do you write the kind of books you do?

I like to write the sorts of books I prefer to read – fiction, for starters, but also stories of women navigating their lives, sorting out issues of faith and family, and eating really great food.

Besides when you came to know the Lord, what is the happiest day in your life?

Marrying my husband was pretty great. I was anxious all day, getting ready and doing the photos, but the minute I walked down the aisle and saw Danny on the other end, my brain flipped and I loved every second. My favorite people were there, and Danny was there, and I had a really great dress on, and we were getting married while listening to our favorite music – such a wonderful day.

How has being published changed your life?

So many ways, but one of my favorites is how it’s connected me to authors all over the country. My husband and I travel quite a lot, and it’s fun knowing that wherever his job – or mine – sends us, there’s often another author in that area to connect with over coffee. 

What are you reading right now?

I’m reading the Advanced Readers Copy for Carla Laureano’s new novel London Tides – so ready to make a trip to Scotland!

What would be your dream vacation?

A tour of European castles, preferably spread over a couple of months.

How do you choose your settings for each book?

The setting depends on the book. In my first two novels, I needed a place in Oregon where you could, conceivably, find an Amish population. I love setting stories in Oregon because it’s been my home for most of my life, so I can really allow the characters to exist in their surroundings. With the Two Blue Doors Series, I knew that I wanted to have a story set in a thriving restaurant scene – I never considered setting it anywhere but Portland.

If you could spend an evening with one person who is currently alive, who would it be and why?

Anne Lamott – I love the way she looks at life, faith, and writing.

What are your hobbies, besides writing and reading?

Photography and cooking, though the cooking has been less of a hobby and more of a job while writing the Two Blue Doors books. I’ve done a lot of the promotional graphic design for the series, which I’ve enjoyed. I like to make pretty things – whether it’s using a computer, knitting needles, or jewelry pliers.

What is your most difficult writing obstacle, and how do you overcome it?

Recognizing writer’s block when it’s happening can be hard for me. I’ll be struggling without realizing how hard I’m struggling. Once I figure it out, I can step away and untangle whatever’s giving me pause, usually a sticky plot point or getting to a section that needs to be outlined in better detail.

What advice would you give to a beginning author?

Place a high value on self-care. It’s easy, when you’re on contract, to throw everything into each book. But writing is sneakily tough, emotionally, physically, and often spiritually. It’s important to exercise, get fresh air, see friends, to eat nutritiously. It can be hard to leave your writing hobbit hole behind, but keeping your body healthy will keep your mind limber and the ideas flowing.

Tell us about the featured book.

Reservations for Two is the continuing story of Juliette D’Alisa, food writer turned restaurant manager. It picks up seamlessly where the first book leaves off – Juliette’s visiting the family chateau in Provence, trying to gather clues about her grandmother by exploring the house and interviewing her French family. She succeeds in uncovering letters between her grandmother and great-aunt written on the eve of the Nazi Occupation. While she finds answers, Juliette also finds new questions.

And one of those is how to make a long-distance relationship with Neil McLaren work in real life. Her life in Portland has its own challenges – her mom is sick and she’s got a restaurant to open. Neil and his research live in Memphis. Juliette and Neil love each other, but have difficulty making it work when they’re separated by both distance and culture. They have to figure out if it’s a love that they could rearrange their lives to maintain, or simply a chapter in their personal histories.

Of the books I’ve written, Reservations for Two has certainly been the most challenging. But I also feel it’s one of the most rewarding – I really love the way the characters grow and change.           

What is your current work in progress?

I’m working hard at the third book in the Two Blue Doors Series – haven’t finalized the title yet. It’s been amazing to start tying up all of the strings! I don’t want to say too much about it before readers have a chance to get their hands on book two, but I’m very excited about book three – it’s shaping up to be one of the most romantic books I’ve written.

Please give us the first page of the book.

Readers can read the full chapter here - http://waterbrookmultnomah.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/Reservations-for-Two.pdf

How can readers find you on the Internet?

I can be found all over. Readers can visit my website at www.hillarymantonlodge.com to find my blog and connect with me via Facebook Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram.

Thank you, Hillary, for sharing this new book with us.

Readers, leave a comment for a chance to win a free copy of the book. Please tell us where you live, at least the state or territory. (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.

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PLAIN JAYNE - Hillary Manton Lodge - Free Book

Welcome, Hillary. Tell us how much of yourself you write into your characters.

How much of myself winds up in a character depends on my character – I’ll pull more from my experiences and personality quirks for the female characters. The guys tend to be similar to the ones I grew up around.

I gave Jayne my fear of ovens and a certain amount of my sense of humor. But in many ways she’s very, very different. For instance, she could pack everything she needs for a trip in a small bag. In contrast, I could pack everything I need in a small steamer trunk.

What is the quirkiest thing you have ever done?

Very difficult to say. In first grade, I changed my name often. Some of these names were completely made up, but I took them very seriously. My teacher (bless her heart!) never said a thing about it, only noted when she was grading papers that the name not on her roster was always me.

There have been other moments of quirk, but I’m going to stick with this one for now.

When did you first discover that you were a writer?

The moment of affirmation came in my teens. I’d always written, always told stories. When I was fifteen, I think, I went to my first Oregon Christian Writers conference and connect with Bonnie Leon. She read the manuscript I had at the time and told me it was publishable. That moment changed everything, I think. It made writing for publication seem like an attainable dream.

Tell us the range of the kinds of books you enjoy reading.

It’s quite the range. I love books about food – Sarah Addison Allen’s books, Nicole Mones’ The Last Chinese Chef, Siri Mitchell’s Chateau of Echoes. Most anything by Juliet Marillier. C.S. Lewis, naturally. I enjoy YA, because I can read it without expending too much mental energy. I love books based on fairy tales. I’ve read a lot of fiction by Indian authors.

I love novels based on fairy tales, too. And movies about them. What other books have you written, whether published or not?

In 2007, I finished my first novel, Divine Discontent. It focused on musicians and artists and hippies in my hometown, I loved it. I hope it’ll be released some day when contemporary fiction starts selling better.

How do you keep your sanity in our run, run, run world?

I try to shut out the world as much as possible. It helps to not fall behind schedule, in writing. That’s when things really start getting crazy.

How do you choose your characters’ names?

I’m a little obsessed with names. I’ll have a very firm idea of who the character is and what they’re like; the name has to fit that. I keep lists of names that I like, but it’s tricky sometimes. When I wrote Divine Discontent, I named the main female character Livy because it sounded different and simple at the same time. I named the main male character Mark Firth; a name I was completely proud of, because he was a drummer; Pro Mark and Vic Firth are the names of two different drumstick companies. Then I got the idea that Livy’s character was quite bitter, and I thought her name should reflect that. I thought about naming her Mara or Mari, which both mean bitter. That meant I had to change Mark’s name – but I couldn’t! He was Mark. Nothing else worked, nothing else fit. So in the end, he was Mark and she was Livy, and I was okay with the fact that her name meant “of the olive tree.”

In Plain Jayne, I came up with the title, and fit a character around the name.

However, for my next book, Simply Sara, the publishing committee had a say in that character’s name, because whatever her name was would be in the title as well. We went through a few incarnations before they settled on Sara.

What is the accomplishment that you are most proud of?

Finishing Divine Discontent was a very big deal – after trying for years and years to find a project I could bring to completion, getting to the final page of DD meant a lot to me.

If you were an animal, which one would you be, and why?

I had to ask my husband to help me with this. He says llama. They’re loyal, protective of those close to them, have soft, knittable fur, and let’s face it, get a little unpredictable when provoked.

What is your favorite food?

I really love beef stew over egg noodles.

What is the problem with writing that was your greatest roadblock, and how did you overcome it?

I don’t tend to plan ahead much, and synopses are a headache. I finally learned to storyboard, being a little looser with the concept, and then writing micro-synopses at the top of each chapter, sort of like Winnie the Pooh. It’ll read something along the lines of “Chapter 12, in which Sara bakes something, argues with Will, and starts a minor kitchen fire,” or something like that. It’s really helped me to maintain focus on where each chapter is going.

What advice would you give to an author just starting out?

Don’t pressure yourself to write like anyone else, to use certain words, or write about the themes you think you have to write about. Write about what’s close to your heart, using the voice God has given you. Push yourself to write the best book you can; don’t try to publish it until it’s the very best work you can put forward.

Tell us about the featured book.

With Plain Jayne I wanted to write a different kind of Amish novel. Jayne Tate likes to think of herself as a fearless modern woman, but the truth is that she’s hiding from her past and limiting herself as to who she thinks she has to be. Experiencing Amish life shakes up her perceptions of life, of family, of herself.

In the midst of this is Levi Burkholder, who I think is special because he sees Jayne for who she is, not how she tries to present herself. But he’s complicated, and he has secrets, and his approach to family is the opposite of Jayne’s.

Please give us the first page of the book.

I actually don’t have it. But you can read the whole first chapter here –
http://www.harvesthousepublishers.com/texts/excerpts/9780736926980_exc.pdf

How can readers find you on the Internet?

I’m all over the place. My web address is hillarymantonlodge.com. I also maintain a separate blog on AmishReader.com. Readers can follow me on Twitter and Facebook as well.

Thank you, Hillary, for spending this time with us.

Leave a comment for a chance to win a free copy of the book.


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 6 weeks from the posting of the winners to claim your book.

If you’re reading this on Feedblitz, Facebook, or Amazon, please come to the blog to leave your comment. Here’s a link.

http://lenanelsondooley.blogspot.com/

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