Welcome, Readers! I have another fantastic author for you to meet – Author Becca Hart. I came across her in this wide world of the internet through a connection on my blog. And, finding out she writes clean Romantic Suspense, I was happy to host her on the blog. She is here talking about her work, her process, and even has offered a giveaway! So, keep reading and check out the featured novel!
Hello, Becca! Welcome to my blog. Thanks for being here. First, can you tell us a little about your novel?
Against All Odds is a Christian romantic suspense novel about the growing love of Elizabeth Seymour and Dr. Gilbert Callahan in the face of a dangerous game of revenge from the sister of the man Elizabeth shot in self-defense two years ago.
What was the inspiration for Against All Odds?
One of the biggest inspirations for it was Lori Wick’s Sophie’s Heart. Though that novel isn’t a romantic suspense, I was intrigued by the growing romantic tension between the main characters in their unique situation. Pride and Prejudice helped inspire it as well, though Elizabeth and Gilbert get along better than Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy.
Oooohhhh…. Pride and Prejudice… one of my favorites!
Tell us…did you always want to be a writer? If not, what did you want to be when you were a child?
Before the age of 15, at one point in my life, I wanted to be a baseball player! Hey, there were once whole teams of women playing the sport during the Second World War. After that, I wanted to be a medical doctor, given my love of science and helping people. However, despite my extroverted nature, I realized I’m an artist at heart, and I love writing too much to do anything else.
Interesting…you don’t hear of many girls dreaming of being a baseball player! Right on!
When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?
When I was 15, we had a free day in gym class, and as was my wont to do in those days, I started wandering around and daydreaming, pictures and stories swirling around my head. I’d already been writing for a couple of years by then, with friends and on my own, but it was just something fun to do. That day in the high school gym, I came to the rather sudden realization that it was no longer just “something fun”—I wanted to keep doing and do it for the rest of my life. The writing bug had officially bitten me!
And, as I’m sure you’ve come to realize…there are things about the whole writing thing that we love and things that we don’t love as much. What part of the writing process do you dread?
This may sound odd, but I believe it’s writing the second draft I most dread. By then, I’m trying to get the story tied down and I often find quite a bit rewriting that needs to be done. My brain’s going a mile a minute, trying to figure out if this thing or that will really work and how. If it won’t, I wrack my brain, pull out my hair, and endure many sleepless nights trying to figure out what to do instead (this is one of the places having a writer’s group can really help).
That’s a good point. More eyes on the manuscript…more creative minds…
Do you have any suggestions to help me become a better writer?
The biggest one is to persevere. Keep plugging away at it, keep practicing. Get into a writer’s group and allow them to critique your writing. Stay open to good, constructive advice, but remember that it’s your work and you can do whatever you want to.
I set a mood when I write with music and the like. I am always curious if other authors do… What kind of music, if any, do you listen to when you write?
It depends on what I’m writing, and I don’t typically do so. I usually only listen to music when I write if I’m trying to get unstuck from writer’s block or just trying to make the images and words swirling around in my head coalesce into something. When I do listen to music while writing, it’s not stuff I can dance to (too distracting). Sometimes, it’s somewhat depressing and maudlin and other times it’s just slow and instrumental.
Just for curiosity’s sake for my readers… How long does it take you to write a book?
That’s a little hard to say. Against All Odds took between five and ten years, whereas the novel I just finished only took less than a year once I buckled down and started writing.
This, too, I know is so different from writer to writer. Sometimes, it takes a while, sometimes the story seems to “pour” out of you and onto the page.
Do you have any current projects you’re working on? Care to share?
I often break my own promise to myself here—that is, not to work on more than one thing at a time. Truthfully, while my current romantic suspense novel is on the front burner, I’m technically working on four projects at once, counting that! This newer romantic suspense novel features an invisible stalker, much like the one I just finished and sent to the editor.
I tend to do that, too. Work on more than one thing at a time…it can be stressful! Thanks for chatting with us and sharing a little about your process and your work. And, without further ado, we will dive right into Against All Odds…
Against All Odds
Two years after a violent break-in left Elizabeth Seymour widowed and with blood on her hands, she’s finally starting over in the little town of Avalon, Ohio, with her daughter, Haley. She has the house of her dreams, a good church, and friends she can rely on. Everything seems to be falling into place—until she receives a threatening note from Veronica Sadowsky, the sister of the man Elizabeth shot, the same woman who tried to ruin her life once before. This time, though, Veronica won’t stop until she gets revenge.
When Elizabeth’s home goes up in flames, she turns to family friend, Doctor Gilbert Callahan, a widowed father of three. He invites her and Haley to stay with his family. As Veronica draws Elizabeth into a game of increasing stakes, she and Gilbert only grow closer, learning to trust and rely on one another. But Elizabeth’s presence in Gilbert’s home endangers his family and creates tension with his oldest son. Preserving peace in the house is hard enough, but when Veronica comes after Haley, Elizabeth will risk everything—including her life—to get her child back.
Enjoy an Excerpt
Elizabeth grabbed the mail, calling a quick hello to Mr. Helmheckle next door.
A plain white envelope rested on top of a store ad. Her brow furrowed. What was this? She tossed the bills and ads on the end table and tore the strange envelope open. Who would send her a single folded piece of notebook paper?
There were two typed sentences: ‘You thought you could hide? No, I’m watching you.‘
Her feet rooted to the carpet.
God, no. She stumbled back onto the arm of the chair. She stared at the words till they blurred. Not here. Why here? It was supposed to be over. Avalon was a safe haven. Her eyes slid closed. Lord God, why’s this happening again? How had Adam Sadowsky’s sister, Veronica, found her again? Granted, Columbus was only an hour’s drive, but still. She hadn’t wanted to go too far away from Dad and Darlene, not to mention her sister, Jenna.
Her throat felt like it was clogged with peanut butter. She tried swallowing. It can’t be…
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More About the Author
A wife and mother of two, I felt the calling to be a writer at the tender age of fifteen. I wrote a few things before that for school and got one of my stories published in The Cauldron, my high school newspaper. Later on in life, I got another short story, “The Drive,” published in the Diverse Voices Quarterly. I went onto to earn my Associate of Arts degree in English from Pikes Peak Community College in 2013. All that time, I’ve worked as hard as I can to learn my craft but learned even more during the editing process of my novel. Against All Odds isn’t the first novel I’ve ever attempted writing, just the first I’ve gotten published. Born and raised in a small town in northeast Ohio, I make my home in southern Colorado in the shadow of the Rocky Mountains with my husband, rambunctious kids, and a crazy cat.
Connect with Becca and her work
Website – beccahartauthor.wordpress.com
Facebook – www.facebook.com/beccahartauthor
Twitter – @BeccaHart16
GIVEAWAY!
Author Becca Hart is offering 3 (three) free digital copies of Against All Odds one each to the first 3 (three) people to comment on the post and ask a question not among the interview questions. So, get those fingers ready! You can find the button to comment usually at the top of the post. Best of luck!!