BLOGWORDS – Thursday 15 August 2019 – CHAT THURSDAY – AUTHOR INTERVIEW – HOPE TOLER DOUGHERTY
CHAT THURSDAY – AUTHOR INTERVIEW – HOPE TOLER DOUGHERTY
“Trading guilt and misery for God’s grace and mercy.”
“I don’t present the Gospel message in my books, but God is evident throughout the stories. My characters struggle with everyday problems, pray to and receive strength and wisdom from a loving God.”
Please join me in giving a feathered welcome to Hope Toler Dougherty.
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rem: Hullo, Hope, and welcome to my little nest. Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
HOPE: I was born in North Carolina. I lived in Pittsburgh, PA, with my husband and family for 14 years before moving back to NC in 2004. We built a house on land my great-grandfather owned.
rem: Oh, I love that—living in a family home! Tell us three random things about yourself no one knows.
HOPE: I would love to play the banjo in a Bluegrass band. Teenagers scare me. I would love to work in radio.
rem: Teenagers are scary creatures!! And Bluegrass is such fun music! Do you have a favorite Bible verse? And why is it a favorite?
HOPE: One of my favorites is Ephesians 3:20 “[God] is able to do immeasurably more than we can ask or imagine.” God is big, and He knows what’s best for us.
rem: Oh, yes, ma’am, He surely is and does! What is your favourite quotation and why?
HOPE: I’m not sure the author of this quotation, but I really like it. “Amazing things happen on the other side of fear.” Too often we miss things because fear holds us back. I’m trying not to let that be my legacy.
rem: And how sad it is when we let fear hold us back from the good things Father God has for us! What’s the most random thing in your bag or on your desk?
HOPE: A ball of cotton yarn and a crochet hook. I like making wash cloths to give people if I’m stuck in a meeting.
rem: How fun is that! I used to crochet but haven’t in an age! If you could spend an evening with a fictional character, who would it be and why?
HOPE: Jane Eyre!! She’s so fearless. She’s so confident in who she is and what she believes.
rem: Great choice! Take me with you. What do you think is significant about Christian fiction? How has being a novelist impacted your relationship with Christ?
HOPE: Christian fiction has a purpose beyond simple entertainment. CF offers hope which is what God offers us. My relationship with Jesus Christ is more mature. He’s taught me so much about Himself as well as about myself.
rem: I love how the two intertwine—our writing and our identity in Him. When reading, what makes or breaks a story for you? Your fiction pet peeve?
HOPE: Preachiness. (rem:AMEN SISTER!) Boring dialog. Sloppy editing—when something happens on Saturday in one chapter and it’s Sunday in the next, when gas logs are mentioned in one chapter and ashes in the fireplace are described in the next.
rem: Yes, yes, yes!! Drives me batty! (and yes, my inner editor goes bonkers, looking to see if I missed a clue or reason it would change… ) What are you reading right now?
HOPE: I just finished The Wife Between Us for our book club. I also read Educated and Where the Crawdads Sing this summer. I’m looking forward to reading Heart on the Line by Karen Witemeyer, but I have tons more on my bedside table, on the floor beside my bed, on my desk, on the floor beside my desk…
rem: Oh, so your TBR is about like mine… You flew a plane!! I may or may not be insanely jealous! (I am! hee hee) Tell us about that experience.
HOPE: While I was single, I decided to take flying lessons. I loved the experience and soloed a Cessna 150 a few times, but I never earned my pilot’s license. So much math, and science, and physics!
rem: Well darn! That would have done it for me too! As a speaker, what topics do you present? What is your favorite?
HOPE: I’ve spoken on God’s gifts and lessons from my writing journey, different aspects of writing a novel, the idea of changing career paths, the inspiration behind each of my novels. I can adapt my presentation to the audience. I’m not sure I have a favorite topic. I just love interacting with audiences.
rem: One day, I’d love to attend one of your presentations. In a blog post titled, “Doing the Hard Things… Again,” (25 June 2018) you quoted, “If children don’t learn to do difficult things while they’re growing up, how will they do hard things when they’re adults?” I so, so agree with this. What does this quote mean to you and how do we implement it in the lives of our children?
HOPE: First of all, thanks for reading some of my posts! That one is one of my favorites, by the way. We live in a fallen world, so life is hard. We’re not preparing our children for real life if we rake every stone from their path. Parents teach grit by making children honor a commitment to a team by finishing the season, by writing thank you notes, by taking swim lessons even if the water is cold, by apologizing if they’ve messed up, by speaking to the college professor if they’ve bombed an exam. Parents then encourage, support, and pray for them.
rem: I love your answer as much as I loved the original post. (and it was my pleasure reading through [some of] your past posts!) I read your post about the inspiration for Rescued Hearts. What are the “what if” moments for an author?
HOPE: The “what ifs” are ideas that float into my mind, and I begin wondering. They help me contemplate possibilities.
rem: The most powerful tool in an author’s arsenal! #winkwink Tell us a little about your writing journey.
HOPE: I’ve always enjoyed writing and sporadically published non-fiction pieces but never wrote fiction because I didn’t think I could. In 2009 when our oldest daughter prepared to leave our nest (!), a daydream about Ireland came to me and wouldn’t go away. I started writing Irish Encounter then, began attended writing conferences and started writing a new project, met my agent in 2013, signed contracts in 2014, and had two books published in 2015.
rem: So literally, your dream came true! Fictionally speaking… What are your top 3 recommendations for a new writer? What 3 things would recommend not doing?
HOPE: 1. Read all kinds of books, especially the genre you want to write and also writing craft books. 2. Write every day. 3. Attend writing conferences to take classes and to meet other writers. (And for a bonus one—PRAY!) 1. Don’t compare yourself with other writers. God blesses people differently. 2. Don’t let discouragement derail your dreams. 3. Don’t give up.
rem: YES to pray for one another. OUCH to write every day… (I’ve had a rough spell for a long while… ) How do you choose your characters’ names?
HOPE: Naming is such a hard thing for me. My family sometimes took weeks to name a pet! I have a baby name book, and I sometimes try out several names before I choose the right one. I think about the character’s age and the possible reasons behind a name.
rem: Oh my! I’m totally the opposite—usually, though not always, when I meet a character I know their name! Do you think of the entire story before you start writing?
HOPE: No. I try to fill out character sketches as much as I can before I begin, but I’m a seat-of-the-pants writer. I like being surprised at my laptop.
rem: With my first novel I just sat and wrote… Seven books in, I now have reams of notes on who’s who and who likes what, etc. Tell us a little about your latest book? What is your current project?
HOPE: My fourth manuscript is under contract for a May, 2020, release. (rem:YAY) It’s the story of Josie and Ches…A college professor is good at nurturing. An attorney is good at keeping secrets. When their lives intersect, sparks fly, changing hearts and lives forever.
rem: What is YOUR favorite part about the book or why do you love this book? Why should we read it?
HOPE: I love the texting scenes between Josie and Ches and the sibling interaction with Josie and her three brothers I explored the idea of emotional affairs in this story. With the ease of finding old boyfriends and girlfriends on the Internet today, we need to be aware of and discuss emotion affairs.
rem: You are so right! So often we forget about the emotional connection when the official relationship ends. Please give us the first page of the book.
HOPE:
Josie Daniels blew a hot breath into the neck of her white collared shirt, desperate for any kind of breeze. Summer heat in Charlotte wilted tough people in billowy seersucker. Her Park ‘n Go uniform, navy blue chino pants and an oxford cloth button-down, could stifle the hardiest of constitutions. She wiped a final sweep across the headlight of an SUV, and Kenny, her co-worker, grabbed her attention.
“Hey, Josie.” He nodded to the car eating up the entrance ramp. “Your turn.”
A new Lexus Sport Coupe prowled through the parking lot just this side of speeding and jerked to a stop in front of her. Leaving the car idling, the driver jumped out and motioned to her. “Get in. I’ll be back.”
Nice manners. But accompanying travelers up to the drop off and driving their cars back to park them for the duration of the trip was her extra job for the summer, so she’d work hard to tamp down any miffed feelings.
The air conditioner, blowing at full blast, chilled the sheen of perspiration on her face. Sitting in rich cars with icy air added to the perks of working at the Park ‘n Go. Every business person who dressed in several layers, long sleeves, and long pants despite the heat had to keep the A/C pumping all the time.
What a sweet ride. Leather seats, of course. Still smelled new, for heaven’s sake. A bottle of ibuprofen in a cupholder. Interesting. A screen in the middle of the dashboard. Cool.
Her brothers would choke when she told them she drove a brand new—
The driver slid into the seat and buckled the seat belt. A light fragrance of a pleasant aftershave wafted her way. Score one point for not wearing an obnoxious amount of cologne. Good job, Mr. Hot Shot Something.
rem: Oh what a fun scene! What is one take-away from your book(s) that you hope readers identify with?
HOPE: God is big, and His plan for us is always better than our plan. In the middle of God’s will is the best place to be. When I pray for the safety of my family every day, I also pray that we stay in God’s will.
rem: Couldn’t agree with you more! Anything you’d like to add?
HOPE: Thanks for having me on your blog. You asked some interesting questions!
rem: My pleasure, Hope. Happy to have you visit my little nest!
https://hopetolerdougherty.com/
https://www.amazon.com/Hope-Toler-Dougherty/e/B00X62XX7Q
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https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13941031.Hope_Dougherty
“Sometimes the writer’s life borders on the lonely side–unless you count spending time with imaginary characters, that is… Spending time with other writers, especially Christian writers, is always such an encouragement, and spending that time at a beach (with lots of chocolate)? All the better!”
GIVEAWAY
Hope is offering an e-copy of Rescued Hearts, or a print copy to a U.S. reader.
Winner will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen.
Giveaway will begin at 12:oo A.M. on Thursday 15 August and end at 12:oo A.M on Thursday 22 August. Giveaway is subject to the policies found on Robin’s Nest.
RAFFLECOPTER
ENTER GIVEAWAY HERE
“Can I worship in jeans or shorts or pajamas? Yes.
Have I done it? Yes—beside Niagara Falls, around a campfire, at my desk. The Red Rock State Park in Arizona brought me to tears contemplating our Creator.”
this is a wonderful post today. welcome Hope. I love that verse also. I used to crochet lots of baby blankets. I love that quote about fear.
quilting dash lady at comcast dot net
Hullo, Lori! so glad you popped by today!
Hi, Lori! Thank you for stopping by and for your kind words! I hope you get back to crocheting!