Author Blog Hop: Spectacular Falls

It’s a blog hop! It’s been too long since I’ve done one, and this is all about writing. Although I’m not published as a main author, that’s my goal. Today’s post is all about the people and place that stole my heart and inspired my contemporary romance, Spectacular Falls.

What is the working title of your book?

Spectacular Falls. I’m not against changing it, but for working purposes, this is what I’m calling it for now.

Where did the idea come from for the book?

I fell in love with the real Speculator, New York and the Adirondack Mountains in the early 1990’s. As I walked around the village I could picture these two characters. It took years and many drafts for the story to evolve. Although I fictionalized the hamlet, overall the setting and characters are a tip of the hat to the mountains and the senior citizens I worked with years ago.

What genre does your book fall under?

Contemporary Romance.

actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?

When editing, I picture Ben Affleck as the hero, Ben Regan. Perhaps Emma Stone could be Jenna Anderson.

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

She’s a Rustbelt bred senior center director producing a lot of change for  rural grocer Ben Regan.

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

Time will tell. I’ve been prayerful about every step and my sense is 2013 is when I seek an agent. I’m open to whatever God has. My writing truly is a ministry.

How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?

The first draft probably took a couple months, but I was inexperienced and there is hardly anything left from that first draft.

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

This is apples and oranges because these are established authors, but my writing voice is similar to Kristin Billerbeck and Janice Thompson. I’ve been blessed to have Janice read some of Spectacular Falls, and she was very supportive. When I think about the secondary characters and the village, I remember Jan Karon’s Mitford series. If people receive everyone in Speculator Falls as they have Jan’s wonderful Mitford characters, I would be one blessed writer!

Who or What inspired you to write this book?

The peace and beauty I draw from every visit to the Adirondacks. It is one place in the world where I feel my heart remains even after I return home. The characters were God inspired.

What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?

My life is all about surrender and chocolate, so you will find those things in my fiction, too. Every story will have something a character needs to surrender. For Jenna, it’s the fear she will never belong. Ben needs to surrender anger and unresolved grief.  I love all the characters, they are people I think readers will relate to.

I also have a Pinterest board for Spectacular Falls, as well as the novel I’m drafting now, Untangled.

Here are other places you can find me. I hope you do!

Check Out fellow hoppers. Their posts will go live January 9. Feel free to join!

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