Author Jody Hedlund ~ And a Six Author Giveaway!

Today I'm welcoming Jody Hedlund, author of the new release, Rebellious Heart. Jody is the first of six authors I will host on my blog every Wednesday for the next six weeks. At the bottom of this post I'll tell you how you can win a fun gift basket from these six authors!

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Gabrielle: Welcome to my blog, Jody. I'm so happy to have you as a guest today. I don't know if you know this, but you were one of the first bloggers I came across when I started to pursue publication. I saw you on a Bethany House Book Banter and found your blog soon after. I quickly read all of your books and have been a huge fan ever since. Thank you for the invaluable knowledge you share on your blog and the beautiful way you craft you novels! Both make me a better writer.

For readers who might be "meeting" you here for the first time, can you give us a quick history lesson on your publication journey?

Jody: Like many writers, I’ve been writing since my childhood days. I always loved telling stories. However, as I began my college years, I quickly realized that creative writing wasn’t a career track that would help pay the bills. For a time, God moved me into social work.

                                                                       
While I was working all those years, I was still writing and submitting manuscripts. I took a seven year break after my twins were born. Then when my youngest was a baby, I finally started writing again. The first book I wrote after my hiatus was The Preacher's Bride.

 

During the time that I began querying The Preacher’s Bride, Rachelle Gardner was a fairly new agent (I think she’d been an agent about a year). When my query came in, she liked my story and sample chapter and subsequently requested to see the full manuscript.

Like most unknown writers, my manuscript went into the TBR slush pile where it languished. However, while waiting for her to get to it, I didn’t sit around idly twirling my thumbs. I worked hard during those months and went on to write another book.

After two manuscripts finaled in ACFW’s Genesis contest (one of them The Preacher’s Bride), I re-contacted Rachelle to let her know. She pulled my manuscript to the top of her slush pile, read it, and offered me representation within a couple of days. She went on to land me a three-book contract within a few month’s time.

Gabrielle: The Preacher's Bride was the first book I read by you. I know many of your novels are inspired by real life characters (I personally think those are the best kind!). Rebellious Heart is modeled after John and Abigail Adams' story. Did you always know you wanted to write historical romances and tell these stories? 

Jody: I've always loved history. And I've always loved reading historical romances. But it wasn't until I began homeschooling my children and teaching them history that my imagination turned on and I began to see story possibilities in everything we were reading and learning.

During the course of our history lessons, I began to learn a lot about some of the great heroes of the faith. I was particularly fascinated by the wives of these great heroes, especially those who were long forgotten by our modern world, women who had stood by their husband’s sides during dangerous times and had helped shape those men into the heroes they became. I wanted to bring these women to life for our modern generation.

Gabrielle: I love that you've found a way to tell their stories. There are so many men and women who have shaped the history of our faith. One of the things I admire most about your writing is that you travel to many different time periods and settings to tell these stories. Your first novel, The Preacher's Bride, was set in England in the 1600's, and your latest release, Rebellious Heart, is set in Massachusetts in the 1760's. How long does it take you to research a new novel? When do you feel you have enough information to start writing?

Jody: Yes, since I write historicals set in various places and time periods, research is an integral part of my writing process. With many of my books, I'm starting from scratch and having to collect all new research on a new time period (like I did with Rebellious Heart set during the colonial era). With those books, I usually have to spend a little more time on my research, anywhere between 6-8 weeks reading biographies, getting a feel for the time period, and digging into the meat that will comprise the plot of my book.

I start writing once I have a really good feel for the setting, characters, and plot. I may not know all the details of the time period, but it's alive in my mind. Once I start writing the first draft, I have to stop from time to time to do a little more research, particularly if I switch settings within the story. But usually, if I don’t know something, I’ll highlight it and then do more research during my editing phase.

Gabrielle: As you know, I also write historical romances, but besides writing we have many other things in common. We both live in the upper Midwest (you in Michigan and me in Minnesota), we both have a set of twins (although yours are teenage girls and mine are three-year-old boys) and we both homeschool our children. I love that you are a full time mom and writer, living your dream out in front of your children. Could you share with us a peek inside a typical day in the Hedlund house? And what is your best piece of advice for other moms out there who are pursuing publication?

Jody: During the school year, a typical day consists of doing school from 7:30 to about 2:30. Then my kids have afternoon activities which this fall includes football, soccer, swimming, dance, music lessons, youth group, and more. Between the five of them, I'm usually running someone somewhere! (My oldest just got his driver's license and is able to drive himself to his work and activities, so that helps a little!)

I try to squeeze in writing in the afternoons after we're done with school (when I'm not driving to an activity!) and then in the evenings after my youngest are in bed. I'm also able to carve out  some writing time a couple of mornings a week when my husband is home and does the homeschooling (and my mom also comes over once a week in the morning to help). And then of course, I try to work most Saturdays when I'm not at a football game or another of my children's activities!

My encouragement to moms pursuing publication is that it is possible to juggle being a mom and writer. It’s NOT easy, but it is possible! We should try to set aside a little bit of time to write every day (even if it's not at the same time every day). We may have to write in small spurts. And we can't let interruptions derail us. Even if we only write 300 words a day, it's something. Before we know it we’ll have completed the first chapter, then the first half of the book, and finally we’ll have a finished book in front of us.

Gabrielle: Thank you for your advice. I agree, juggling all our responsibilities and dreams is not easy, but it's possible.

On a lighter note, summer is quickly fading into fall, bringing with it a wealth of new activities and events. I'd love to know: What is your favorite season of the year, and why?

Jody: Since I was born and lived most of my life in the Midwest, I love each season in its own time. I savor every single second of summer. But by the time it's is done, I'm ready for the glory of fall. And then when we get our first snowfall and bitterly cold weather, I'm eager for the beauty of winter. But of course, by the time spring rolls around, I'm anxious for the first glimpses of green and warmer weather.

Gabrielle: Thank you for taking the time to visit with us today, Jody! Jody has graciously agreed to give away a free copy of her new release, Rebellious Heart, to one of the blog readers who comments on this post between now and Tuesday, October 1st at 11:59 p.m.

A QUESTION FOR MY BLOG READERS: What is your favorite season of the year, and why?

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From the Back Cover:

 

Massachusetts, 1763

A Love That Would Shape History Forever

Because she's a woman, higher learning was always closed to Susanna Smith. But her quick mind and quicker tongue never back down from a challenge. And she's determined to marry well, so she'll be able to continue her work with the less fortunate.

Growing up with little to his name, poor country lawyer Benjamin Ross dreams of impacting the world for the better. When introduced to the Smiths he's taken by Susanna's intelligence and independent spirit, but her parents refuse to see him as a suitor for their daughter.

When the life of a runaway indentured servant is threatened, Susanna is forced to choose between justice and mercy, and Ben becomes her unlikely advisor. But drawing closer to this man of principle and intellect lands her in a dangerous, secret world of rebellion and revolution against everything she once held dear.

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Jody Hedlund is an award-winning and bestselling author of inspirational historical romances. As a busy mama-writer, she has the wonderful privilege of teaching her crew of 5 children at home. In between grading math papers and giving spelling tests, she occasionally does a load of laundry and washes dishes. When she's not busy being a mama, you can find her in front of her laptop working on another of her page-turning stories. She loves reading almost as much as she loves writing, especially when it also involves chocolate and coffee.

  

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 Six Authors, One Grand Prize!

The Grand Prize:
A $25 Amazon eGift Card (not pictured) from Gabrielle Meyer
A stationary and notepad set from Jody Hedlund
A handmade jewel bookmark from Laura Frantz
A multi-colored peacock necklace from Wendy Paine Miller
A copy of the movie Christmas in Connecticut from Melissa Tagg
Book one in the Cadence of Grace Series & a worship CD from Joanne Bischof
A black & brown scarf from Heather Day Gilbert

Over the next six weeks I will be hosting six authors on my blog. Each author has agreed to offer a free copy of their newest release, as well as an item for a grand prize drawing at the end of the six weeks! To be entered to win a free copy of each book, all you need to do is visit my blog weekly and comment on each author's post. A random winner will be chosen each week. To be entered to win the grand prize, visit my Rafflecopter below and follow the instructions. If you do each thing listed you'll earn 45 chances to win the grand prize! Don't forget to visit here each Wednesday to earn more chances!

 



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