Welcome! There's a fun Q&A with the author and giveaway below...
By Laurel Blount
Inspirational Contemporary Romance
Paperback & ebook, 288 Pages
July 1st 2019 by Love Inspired
Summary
He’ll do anything for his daughter…
Even fight to regain an old classmate’s broken trust.
In the three years since her mother’s death, widower Hoyt Bradley’s daughter, Jess, hasn’t spoken—until she suddenly begs him to save her favorite bookstore from closing.
Hoyt is desperate to hear his daughter’s voice again, but he and the bookstore’s pretty owner, Anna Delaney, share a less-than-friendly past.
Working together is complicated enough…but can they avoid falling in love?
Author Interview
Would you tell us a little more
about the main characters in HOMETOWN HOPE?
Sure! Hoyt Bradley--the
diamond-in-the-rough hero--was such fun to write about. The widowed single dad
has one motto when it comes to helping his grieving little girl speak again--Whatever it takes. The trouble is, when
Jess finally does speak she asks her blue-collar dad to save her favorite
bookstore--which happens to be owned by his shy former classmate Anna Delaney.
Anna and Hoyt share a prickly history, and she’d much prefer to keep him at
arm’s length. But Anna’s warm heart goes out to Hoyt’s book-loving little
daughter, so she and Hoyt find themselves teaming up--and stumbling into a very
unexpected romance!
What inspired you to write this
story?
I had an image of the hero--a broad-shouldered bear of a guy, good with
his hands, not so good with words--who’s leaning hard on his faith as he tries
to help his daughter heal from the loss of her mom.
What is your favorite thing about
the book’s cover?
Oh, this cover! What do I love about it? In a
word--everything! I loved this image the very minute I laid eyes on it. The
little girl sitting in a window, awash in that soft light, totally absorbed in
a book---to me, it’s just a beautiful scene.
What part or aspect of this story
do you love the most?
I loved exploring the idea that our biggest blessings
often lie on the other side of some really uncomfortable experiences. Both Hoyt
and Anna have to get way outside of their comfort zones before they find the
hope--and the love--they’re looking for. So many times that’s exactly the way
it works, isn’t it?
What challenged you about writing
HOMETOWN HOPE?
There were several challenging aspects to this story. Writing an
“opposites attract” romance means highlighting the differences between the
starring characters while weaving in the deep underlying connections that are
ultimately going to bring them together. With a widower hero, I needed to
respect Hoyt’s feelings for his late wife while showing how his love for Anna
was completely different--but also every bit as meaningful as the love he’d
lost. And with a cutie-pie like his daughter Jess in the story, I had to make
sure she didn’t completely steal the show!
What are you working on next?
I’m
so glad you asked! (grin) I am just now finishing up my final round of edits
for my fourth Love Inspired book, A
RANCHER TO TRUST. It’s scheduled to be released in January 2020, and it’s my
final book to be set in Pine Valley, Georgia. From the minute organic grocery
store owner Bailey Quinn strolled into the barn in A FAMILY FOR THE FARMER, I
knew she deserved a happily ever after of her very own--and in January that’s
finally going to happen!
Thanks so much for hosting me here
on Wishful Endings--and for asking such wonderful questions! Anybody have any
additional questions? Just ask in the comments and I’ll be happy to answer!
About the Author
Laurel
Blount lives on a small farm in middle
Georgia with her husband, their four children, a milk cow, dairy goats,
assorted chickens and ducks, four spoiled cats and one bossy goose with serious
boundary issues. She divides her time between farm chores, baking, homeschooling
and writing. She's busy, but she's never bored!
HOMETOWN HOPE is Laurel’s third Love Inspired romance. Her debut Love
Inspired novel A FAMILY FOR THE FARMER was the recipient of the 2017
Maggie Award for Excellence in the Romance with Religious or Spiritual Elements
category. This book also received two 2017 Holt Awards of Merit and was a
finalist in the 2017 Carol Awards. A BABY FOR THE MINISTER, her second
Love Inspired, was released in September of 2018.
Whenever she's not working, you can
find Laurel with a cup of tea at her elbow, a cat in her lap and a good book in
her hand. She loves to hear from readers! Drop her an email at
laurelblountwrites@gmail.com or visit her website: www.laurelblountbooks.com
and be sure to sign up for her monthly newsletter!
Tour Schedule
Follow the tour here.
Tour-Wide Giveaway
Be sure to check out each stop on the tour for more chances to win. Full tour schedule shown below. Giveaway will begin at midnight June 17, 2019 and last through 11:59 PM EST on June 24, 2019. Winner will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. US only.
Giveaway is subject to the policies found here.
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