Interview with Kathryn Springer and Book Giveaway

Today I'm welcoming a new-to-me author, Kathryn Springer. Kathryn and I are represented by Books & Such Literary Agency. I'm excited to get to know Kathryn better and to share her latest release, Dandelion Field, here on my blog! Please help me welcome Kathryn.

~ ~ ~ ~

Welcome to my blog, Kathryn! I’m thrilled you stopped by to visit today and talk about your newest release, The Dandelion Field.

 

Thank you for inviting me, Gabrielle! I’m excited to be here, too!

 

For readers meeting you here for the first time, can you tell us a little about yourself and your publication story?

 

I’m a small town Midwestern girl:) My husband and I are empty-nesters now, but I started writing when our youngest child napped in the afternoon. Short stories fit best in that season of my life (probably because I only had short amounts of time to myself!) and I wrote several dozen stories that were published in BRIO magazine for teen girls. When our son started kindergarten, I half-teasingly said to my husband, “I suppose you want me to get a job now.” I’ll never forget that conversation or his response. He suggested I stay home and write a book because that’s what I’d always wanted to do. His support and blessing gave me the courage to try. HQN Love Inspired (then Steeple Hill) published my debut novel, Tested by Fire, twelve years ago. I’ve written 21 books for LI and recently made the foray into long contemporary romance with The Dandelion Field.

 

I also started writing when my youngest were napping (they are twin boys and were two years old at the time).

Can you give us a brief synopsis of The Dandelion Field and a sneak peek at your next release? 

 

I’d love to! After Raine’s dad walked out, Ginevieve Lightly has never stayed in one place very long. When the car dies in Banister Falls, Wisconsin, Gin promises her daughter, Raine, they can stay there until she finishes her senior year of high school. Gin will do anything to make sure her daughter has a bright future, but that future is compromised when Raine reveals she’s pregnant.

 

Dan Moretti has lived in Banister Falls all his life. After losing his best friend while fighting a fire, Dan has devoted himself to helping guide Cody, Max’s son, through life.

 

When a small town scandal erupts, Dan’s loyalty to Cody and his mom, Evie, is put to the test when he finds himself drawn to Ginevieve Lightly. Dan makes his living coming to the rescue but the independent waitress is used to fighting her own battles. Can Dan convince a woman who doesn’t believe in happy endings to take a chance on a new beginning. . .with him?

 

A sneak peak at my next release. . .I am SO EXCITED to be finishing up The Hearts We Mend! It will be released in March of 2016, so be sure and watch for itJ Readers get to know Evie Bennett in The Dandelion Field but there’s so much more to her than meets the eye. Evie was widowed at the age of twenty-five and she never expected to find love again—but then she never expected a man like Jack Vale to walk into her life.

 

I’ve heard that some authors need a special environment to write (music, comfy chair, coffee shop, quiet room, desk, etc.). Do you have a special place you like to write?

 

I wish I was one of those writers who take their laptops to Starbucks (although the closest one is 45 minutes away!) but I’m at my most creative when I’m sitting at my desk. We live in the country, so it’s very quiet and peaceful and I have a beautiful view out my window. Our black lab, Bailey, and a calico cat named Sophie are my “office mates”. Sometimes I find them waiting for me at the top of the stairs if I’m late getting started in the morning!

 

My closest Starbucks is over thirty miles away. :)

What authors and stories have most influenced your writing?

 

I’ve always been a voracious reader (billboards, books, cereal boxes. . .) so it’s difficult to single out specific authors that have influenced my writing. I would have to say that all Christian writers owe a debt of gratitude to Janette Oke, though. Her book, Love Comes Softly, was a groundbreaker in Christian fiction. I was in high school at the time and I read her books as fast as they came out. Another one that immediately comes to mind is Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers.

When I was asked to sum up The Dandelion Field in one sentence (so hard for a writer!) it was, “God can turn the pieces of a broken past into a beautiful new beginning.” The key ingredient in the stories that influence my writing and the ones I love to read is hope.

We do owe a debt of gratitude to Janette Oke, and Francine Rivers. Both women have also influenced my writing.

Thank you for answering my questions, Kathryn! It’s been a pleasure having you visit my blog!

Your Turn Readers: What authors have had the greatest influence in your life?

Kathryn has agreed to give away a signed copy of The Dandelion Field! Please enter the Rafflecopter below for your chance to win.

*The winner of After a Fashion, by Jen Turano from last week's blog post by guest Courtney Phillips Ballinger is: Vicki Geslak! Vicki, I'll be contacting you soon!*

 

About Kathryn:

 

KATHRYN SPRINGER is a full-time writer and the award-winning author ofFront Porch Princess. She won the ACFW 2009 Book of the Year award forFamily Treasures. Her most recent book,The Soldier's Newfound Family, hit the New York Times best-seller list in November 2012.

Kathryn grew up in northern Wisconsin, where her parents published a weekly newspaper. As a child she spent many hours sitting at her mother's typewriter, plunking out stories, and credits her parents for instilling in her a love of books-which eventually turned into a desire to tell stories of her own. Kathryn has written 19 books with close to two million copies sold. She lives with her husband and three children in Marinette, Wisconsin. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway