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​1. Who are some of your favorite Regency authors? Do these authors inspire your own writing?
I love Jen Geigle Johnson, Sarah Eden, Jennifer Moore, Elizabeth Johns… And I am constantly meeting more lovely writers who love the same ears I do! I am inspired by so many authors, but in my time period and outside of it! The best inspiration of all, though, has to be Jane Austen.

2. If you could go to tea with one of your characters, who would you go with and why?
Oh, I think I would want to go to tea with Charlotte Wright. She doesn’t hold anything back, and I bet she has some fantastic stories!

3. What inspired the idea for The Spinster and I?
I had created a group of spinsters that had gotten to that point in their lives for different reasons. This particular story starred a girl who was painfully shy and wanted nothing more than to remain unnoticed by the world, and I wanted someone to notice her in a way that would actually work for her. He just so happens to be the most unlikely candidate, which makes it so deliciously fun!

4. What did you as an author take away from writing The Spinster and I?
I think the biggest thing I took away was that we need to look beneath the surface in everyone. There is so much more to a person than what we can see.
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5. What is your current WIP?  What can you tell us about it?
My current WIP is part of the Spinster Chronicles series, and I can tell you that it is a VERY interesting pairing, and it is set at Christmas!

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1. What top 5 books do you currently have on your TBR pile?
I recently read Making Faces by Amy Harmon, and ALL of her books are now on my TBR pile.

2. If you could travel anywhere in the world for book research (expense covered for you by an anonymous donor), where would you go and why?
I would go to England! I've been dreaming of traveling there ever since I wrote my first book. To see the places I wrote about and to be inspired by new places would be so much fun. Ireland is another place I've always wanted to go to. I think it could definitely spark some book ideas. 

3. If you could go to tea from one of your characters from A Convenient Engagement, who would it be and why?
I would have to choose Aunt Margaret. She is my heroine's aunt that travels to Brighton with her. She was such a fun character to get to know. She's spunky, funny, and really kind-hearted. 

4. What inspired the idea for A Convenient Engagement?
I was researching online and came across a strange practice that took place in Brighton. The waters were believed to hold a cure for certain ailments. The town employed 'dippers,' people that would stand out in the ocean and repeatedly dunk visitors under the water to 'heal' them. I thought it was so interesting! In the book, one of the characters is drawn to Brighton with hopes of being healed by the waters. The rest of the story developed from that initial idea. 

5. What did you as an author take away from writing A Convenient Engagement?
My books always carry a similar theme: Love conquers all. This story taught me a lot about friendship and courage as well. 

6. What is your current WIP?  What can you share with us about it?
I'm working on the second book in my Brides of Brighton series. You will see characters from A Convenient Engagement, but each story in the series will stand alone. Book 2 is titled Marrying Miss Milton and will release at the end of November!

Pepper Basham is an award-winning author who writes historical and contemporary romance novels with grace, humor, and culture clashes. She’s a Blue Ridge Mountain native and an anglophile who enjoys combining her two loves to create memorable stories of hope. Pepper is also a mom of five, a speech-language pathologist, and a lover of Jesus and chocolate. She resides in Asheville, North Carolina with her family.

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1. What top 5 books do you currently have on your TBR pile?
It’s been VERY tough to read since the beginning of the school year starting in August, so I have the SAME books on my TBR pile that I’ve had for a few months. A Name Unknown by Roseanna White, Impossible Saints by Clarissa Harwood, The Lacemaker by Laura Frantz, The Last Castle by Denise Keirnan, and The Prodigal God by Timothy Keller.
 
2. If you could travel anywhere in the world for book research (expense covered for you by an anonymous donor), where would you go and why?
Always the UK! I have this fascination and heart-love for that part of the world, AND since I love placing my books there, I’d love to stay for a while and really absorb the culture.
 
3. What inspired the idea for When You Look at Me?
I wondered what it would take, what sort of love, to help a broken woman heal. And as I brainstormed the possibilities, the whole idea of including two introverts who connect and communicate through music came to mind. Hopefully that will come across. 😊
 
4. What did you as an author take away from writing When you look at Me?
I love this question! It seems that God always has me writing books at just the time I need to learn something myself. This book is about being brave and stepping out into your dreams. There are some transitions going on in our family right now, and in my writing world, so it’s been a reminder that God dreams bigger for us than we can dream on our own – that His love is MASSIVE and POURED out on us – so we can trust His plan for our lives. His dreams for us.
 
5. What did your writing process for When You Look at Me look like?
Frantic? 😊 I write out of order so my process is kind of wonky. I had a few scenes in the middle written before I even had chapter two – and…it’s really important (as weird as it sounds) for me to write the kissing scene pretty early on in the process to know that ‘connection’ between them.
 
6. What is your current WIP?  What can you tell us about it?
I’m diving into a wonderful novella that takes place in 1913 Asheville, NC, particularly the Biltmore Estate. It’s an upstairs-downstairs romance with a little Cinderella-touch. ​

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​1. Who or what inspired you to become an author?
I’ve always been a writer. It has just always been something I do. From my first short story at the age of 7, I’ve been writing stories. But it was my friend Kelly Blewett who convinced me I could be an author. We were co-workers about ten years ago, and one day I told her about this story idea I had. But then I said, “I’ll never finish it.” She said, “Yes, you will.” And so she proceeded to ask me every day if I’d written the night before. I got tired of telling her that I hadn’t, so I set up a calendar and set about writing my book. I finished that book in three months, and it became my first published novel, The Kidnapping of Kenzie Thorn, in 2009. I was so gratefully for Kelly’s support and help that I featured her puppy Henry in the book, and I’ll be forever grateful for her encouragement.

2. What top 5 books do you currently have on your TBR pile?
I want to read all the books! It’s so hard to narrow it down to only five, but the ones I’m most excited to pick up are:
The Story of With by Allen Arnold – A book about learning to create with the Creator
Sons of Blackbird Mountain by Joanne Bischoff – Because Joanne.
More Than Meets the Eye by Karen Witemeyer – Because I love her books. They’re so fun yet filled with deep truths.
Once Upon a Laugh – This might be cheating because there are 8 novellas in this contemporary rom com collection, but with so many great authors like Pepper Basham, Jessica Patch, and Betsy St. Amant, how could I not love it?
Matchmaking for Beginners by Maddie Dawson – I’ve heard wonderful things about this general market contemporary romance novel, so I’m so excited to get to dive into it.
 
3. What inspired the idea for A Sparkle of Silver?
A trip to Hearst Castle with my dad in 2010. It was his idea to tour the grand estate, but when we got there, my writer brain ate it up. It was such a fascinating place, and I immediately dreamed up an idea about a woman who played one of the period actors at a similar house.

4. What did you as an author take away from writing A Sparkle of Silver?
Every book I write is a reminder to myself that God is with me. I’d never get through a whole book without Him lifting me up and carrying me through, and He is so faithful. If I ever doubt, I need only look back at my writing seasons and to see that He is with me.

5. What is your current WIP?  What can you tell us about it?
I just finished writing A Glitter of Gold, book two in the Georgia Coast Romance series. It’ll release sometime next summer—probably August—and involves a shipwreck, a two hundred and fifty year old journal, and a woman who gives pirate tours in Savannah for a living. I adored writing it, especially the journal sections set in 1759, and soon I’ll get to work on the editing phases.

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1. What do you like to snack on when you write?
You mean what do I really want to snack on or what do I grab instead that I know is healthier? *grin* What I really like is caramel M&Ms. What I usually eat is nuts or string cheese.

2. What book have you read recently?  Would you recommend it?
I’m currently in the middle of the newest book in Tamara Leigh’s Age of Faith series. I would recommend all of her books. She has an expressive way with words and plots that keep you flipping pages. And who doesn’t love knights, ladies, and castles?

3. What did the writing process for Eternity Between Us look like?
This book ended up taking much longer than my books usually do, and I found myself not really knowing what the core of my heroine’s issues were until *gasp* I was doing final edits. That was pretty stressful. I’ve never done that much of a rewrite (deleting scenes and reworking others) so close to publication, but I think the story is stronger for it.

I started playing with the idea of this book back in April of 2017. I finished writing it that November. Then it got put aside as I finished up the two novellas I was trying to get out, and after a string of other little difficulties, was finally ready to turn in at the end of September. I’m thankful I had what I thought was a lot of extra time built into this schedule, because I ended up needing every day of it.

4. What inspired the idea for Eternity Between Us?
This story is heavily inspired by the first-hand Civil War accounts of Belle Boyd, Rose O’Neal Greenhow, and Louisa May Alcott. I took their tales and personal opinions and weaved them into my plot, drawing inspiration from the lives of women who lived in that era.

5. What did you as an author take away from writing Eternity Between Us?
Every book I feel like I learn something, and somehow, end up working through some of my own hang-ups in the process. In this book Evelyn really struggles with feeling like she doesn’t belong and goes lengths for people to like her. As I’ve often struggled with feeling out of place myself, I had to take the journey right along with her. But isn’t God great in that he uses the circumstances of our lives, or even made up characters, to teach us to continually rely on him more?

6. What is your current WIP?  What can you tell us about it?
I currently have two projects underway. The first is the third book in my Ironwood series, featuring the daughters of the two main characters in The Whistle Walk. The second is a turn of the century story set at a horse farm in Mississippi. 

Joanna Davidson Politano freelances for a small nonfiction publisher but spends much of her time spinning tales that capture the colorful, exquisite details in ordinary lives. Her manuscript for Lady Jayne Disappears was a finalist for several contests, including the 2016 Genesis Award from ACFW, and won the OCW Cascade Award and the Maggie Award for Excellence. She is always on the hunt for random acts of kindness, people willing to share their deepest secrets with a stranger, and hidden stashes of sweets. She lives with her husband and their two babies in a house in the woods near Lake Michigan and shares stories that move her at https://jdpstories.com/​. 

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1. If you could travel anywhere in the world for book research (expense covered for you by an anonymous donor), where would you go and why?
Italy! I've always wanted to set a book there and visit, too. My husband's family is from Italy and it seems so rich and beautiful there, full of family and life. Although, I definitely wouldn't turn down a trip to Scotland or England!

2. What does a "day in the life of Joanna Politano" look like?
Lots of little socks on the floor, smears on the table, and muddy footprints. My life is full--in a good way. I'm a stay-at-home mom with a writing hobby on the side, so most of my day is full of muddy, bug-filled, tree-climbing adventures with my kiddos. Before my kids are up I saturate myself in God's presence, and that's a necessary part of my day. Then the kids and I are up and singing songs, like "this is the day," and we have tons of fun together with interesting talks and inspired tea parties. After lunch comes naptime and when I tuck my babies in bed, I curl up on the couch and fall down my little rabbit hole into a story world. I pack as much writing as i can into naptimes, then I get sucked back up to reality when the kids wake up. We have family time when my husband comes home, then when the kids are tucked in bed again, it's back to writing, often while sitting beside my husband. 

3.How did you decide that you wanted to write historical/mystery novels?
I write the type of books I like to read, so when I was infatuated with Daphne Du Maurier, Martha Grimes, Wilkie Collins and others, I guess that's just naturally what came out of my brain! It's hard for me to write a book without a mystery thread, because I'm not sure what else will pull me back to the story every day. If I'm not pulled in, I certainly don't expect readers to be, either!

4. What did your writing process look like for A Rumored Fortune?
Honestly, this one was more frustrating and wheel-spinning than other books. I had to understand how to live well outside of writing in order to write well, and with a newborn and two year old on top of a contract, that was hard to do. Sleep wasn't happening, and creativity felt scarce. As I wrote about branches connecting to the vine as their source of life and a heroine connecting to her true vine, I found my way back to the life source I truly needed and quenched my heart. I started this book by researching vineyards, both in practical terms and in Scripture. I looked carefully at how it fit together and how the practical study peeled back the layers of the Biblical parables concerning vines. I based my story journey around that research, and wrote a (very bad) first draft. I then sent it off to my first reader who totally upended the plot and made me change direction and rewrite about 80% of it. This process felt like the necessary pruning vines undergo, removing useful and good things to make what's left more effective. It took a lot of work, but the story finally came together!

5. What inspired the idea for A Rumored Fortune?
This book is actually the combination of two true life stories--a family friend's missing treasure story, and my own personal love story. I wove them together because they had a connection in real life, too. 

6. What did you as an author take away from writing A Rumored Fortune?
This book brought me much precious time with God, untangling the truths concerning vines in Scripture, then battling to get this story to lay flat on the page and cooperate. It was a battle, but I ended up with more than a completed book. I gained intimacy with God that has rippled onto my entire life.

7. What is your curent WIP?  What can you tell us about it?
My next book coming up, which is just now turned into my editor, is about a rag girl who stands in as a replacement for a wealthy lady, and comes to find out the scary truth about the woman she's impersonating. There's a really fun book-based romance in there too, with a couple who leaves secret messages for each other through books. That was immensely fun to write--well, this whole story was--and I can't wait to share it with readers next summer!

Joanna Davidson Politano freelances for a small nonfiction publisher but spends much of her time spinning tales that capture the colorful, exquisite details in ordinary lives. Her manuscript for Lady Jayne Disappears was a finalist for several contests, including the 2016 Genesis Award from ACFW, and won the OCW Cascade Award and the Maggie Award for Excellence. She is always on the hunt for random acts of kindness, people willing to share their deepest secrets with a stranger, and hidden stashes of sweets. She lives with her husband and their two babies in a house in the woods near Lake Michigan and shares stories that move her at https://jdpstories.com/​. 

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1. What is your favorite dessert?
That's like asking me to pick a favorite book! Oh my, can I say all of them? Alllll the desserts! I have a terrible sweet tooth that I regularly indulge :)

2. What is your beverage of choice?
Ok now my oddities come out--Pink grapefruit juice! It's my guilty pleasure :) 

3. What is your favorite movie and/or TV show?
Ooh, Charade! I love, love, love how that movie constantly surprised me. I also loved several movies based on classic books--Our Mutual friend, A Good Woman (Lady Windemere's Fan), and Little Dorritt. I could watch those over and over!

4. Where is your favorite place to go on holiday?
Anywhere my husband is <3  We went to Scotland on our honeymoon, and I'd go there again in a heartbeat. Anywhere we can explore old ruins and beautiful countryside.

1. Who or what inspired you to become an author?
Actually, I think it was just my addiction to stories in general. Movies, books, personal anecdotes and backstories... it all drew me. I just love to sit down with someone I know (or THINK I know) and hear their story, seeing new layers open like flower petals. 

2. What did you want to be when you grew up? Did becoming an author ever cross your mind?
I think my childhood ambitions ran the gamut from lawyer to Biblical counselor. Now I get to write stories and stay home to play with my babies. Turns out that "growing up" looks a lot like childhood, so I'm not sure I ever really grew up :) 

3. Who are some of your favorite authors?  Do these authors inspire your own writing?
Oh so many! I love everything written by Kristy Cambron, Lori Benton, Joanne Bischof, and the Thoenes. Reading their stories make me so excited for books and imaginary tales and weaving word pictures. 

4. When you are not writing, what other activities do you enjoy?
I love playing with my kiddos more than anything, and they're my "day job" so I do a lot of that! We climb trees and play trucks on the floor and have long, involved games of pretend. I also love playing the piano and singing praise music at the top of my lungs with them. Outside of that, I have a great group of friends I love being around.

1. This is your debute novel and you are publishing with Revell.  Who helps represent you and your books and how did you become involved with Revell?
Yes, Revell has blown me away! I've loved writing for them and I'm proud to be one of their authors. They are gracious and talented and lots of fun. I'm represented by Tamela Hancock Murray of the Steve Laube agency, and I owe my involvment with Revell to her. She made the connection and showed them my proposal and worked out all the details. 

2. What inspired the idea for Lady Jayne Disappears?
Well, a combination of things. First, I ran across a brief story about the three Bronte sisters approaching their publisher to inform him that they were the famous Bell brother writers (their pen names) and it took a while to convince him that these shy girls were those famous "male" authors. I loved that image! Second, I remembered writing stories anonymously as a kid and having them get passed around the class without anyone knowing who wrote them. I wrote about the people in my class and had a lot of fun giving the shy, overlooked kids superpowers and putting bullies in their place. So out of those things came a story about a girl who published stories about her family under a pen name and caused a lot of chaos in the household. 

3. What do you want readers to take away from reading Lady Jayne Disappears?
I want them to take an eternal perspective on their purpose, their life journey, and even their identity. My hope is also that people will start to shift their focus off of what people think of them and more onto what God is asking of them, and who God defined them to be. We will always notice what people think of us, but that should be in our peripheral vision, with God looming much larger in our sights than the opinions of others. God should be the "finish line" we're staring at as we work and serve and live, nothing else. 

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1. Whom or what inspired you to become an author? 
Becoming an author was one of those weird things. I never aspired to become a writer, in fact, it never entered my mind. To me, authors were odd creatures, very glamorous of course, and coming from a household of less than artistic types, writing wasn’t even on my horizon when I went off to college. With that said, though, I also wrote – whether it was skits for my sorority or turning in ten pages in my English classes when three would have sufficed. Then, when my son was in third grade, we read this awful series about birds. After book number six, he decided we could write a better story together, so that’s what we did. That book never went anywhere, but it was just so much fun to write that I started dabbling with other genres. Seven books later, I finally landed an agent, and I’ve been writing ever since.

2. What did you want to be when you grew up?  
I’m pretty sure I was convinced I was going to be a movie star. The only problem with that was I can’t act and get horrible stage fright whenever I’m in front of people.
 
3. What authors do you enjoy?  Do these authors inspire your own writing? 
I enjoy too many authors to count, from Lisa Wingate to Susan Elizabeth Phillips, John Grisham to Julia Quinn, and the list goes on and on. I tend to stay away from historical when I’m writing a first draft because I find myself mimicking those stories and lose my voice.
 
4. If you could travel anywhere in the world for book research (expense covered for you by an anonymous donor), where would you go and why? 
I’d go to Scotland because it’s gorgeous there and I do have some Scottish ancestry. Not sure I’d get my research done, but I imagine something in the landscape would bring about all sorts of new story ideas. 
 
5. If you could go to tea with one of the characters from Caught by Surprise, who would it be and why? 
I’d like to go to tea with Mercy Miner because she’s just such an unusual sort – has lived a life of service and is only now finding her way. 
 
6. What inspired the idea for Caught by Surprise? 
I’ve been wanting to do a full-length friends to something more story and decided “Caught by Surprise” would be the perfect time to try that out. And then, after I read about A.T. Stewart getting his body stolen and held for ransom, well, the plot just took off from there. 
 
7. What inspired the idea for the Apart from the Crowd Series?  How did this become a 3 book series? 
The Vanderbilt family left quite the mark in the Gilded Age, and I’ve read numerous books on that family and the privileged life all of them led. However, I was always bothered by the idea that Alva Vanderbilt forced her daughter, Consuelo, to marry the Duke of Montrose, even thought Consuelo didn’t want to marry that man because she was in love with someone else. That got me to thinking this – What would have happened if Consuelo refused to marry the duke? That’s when the idea for the series was formed. Since I always write series, I developed three grand American heiresses, and…”Apart from the Crowd” began to take shape. 
 
8. When you are not writing, what other "hats" do you wear? 
I used to spend most of my time being Dom’s mom, but since he did the unthinkable and grew up, and is in his last year of college, I don’t really have much to do as a mom these days – which is very weird. One minute you’re spending all your time at the playground, school events, pools, and the zoo, and the next, well, you’ve been abandoned. These days my husband and I spend a lot of our time meeting our friends out for dinner and concerts, and then I like to work out in the yard. I love cutting grass, although I could do without operating a weed-whacker. Those things always give me trouble.  

Enter the giveaway HERE.
Ends 8/6/2018.

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1. What is your favorite dessert? Cherry pie

2. What is your favorite beverage? Coffee

3. What is your favorite movie and/or TV show? 
Arrow (The Green Arrow) on the CW
​
4. Where is your favorite place to go on holiday?
Rome. I love Rome with a passion.

1. What did you want to be when you grew up?
A famous pop star  - LOL  Did becoming an author ever cross your mind? Yep. That too! LOL I sorta wanted to be everything.

2a. What authors do you enjoy?
I enjoy a wide variety of authors. I am a huge fan of Jocelyn Green, Kara Isaac, Cara Putman, Colleen Coble, and then several in the General market too: Kerri Maniscalco, Simone St. James, Susannah Kearsley . . .

2b. Do these authors inspire your own writing?
I think I’m inspired by all of them in one way or another. I’m always learning and gleaning from what other authors have to teach me.

3. When you are not writing, what other "hats" do you wear?
I am a full-time Director of Employee Sales & Development. I also have two littles and a husband. I like to bow hunt (haven’t had much time lately, though!).

​1. What inspired the idea for The House on Foster HIll?
The question “If walls could talk, would I listen?” And musing on all the sights walls have witnessed and how those images are trapped within old homes and abandoned places.

2. What do you want readers to take away from reading The House on Foster Hill?
I’d like them to take away a satisfying read! LOL I mean, who wants to close a book and be all, “whew, glad that’s finally done”! 😉 LOL! But also, I’d like them to take away a new or renewed perspective of Hope. Hope that is lasting and eternal.

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​1. Who or what inspired you to become an author?
Honestly, it was always something I wanted to do, but never got around to. It wasn’t until my husband went back to school for his MBA after we had five kids (while continuing to work full time) and I was left alone in the evenings after the kids went to bed while he did homework. I guess I was ready to use my brain again after taking care of babies for a decade. One night I sat down and just started writing. I didn’t come up for air until, three months later, I had a full-length novel.
 
2. Who are some of your favorite authors?  Do these authors inspire your own writing?
Maggie Stiefvater is at the top of the list. When I read her words, they inspire me to twist reality and see things in a new light. I also love Marissa Meyer and AG Howard. 
 
3. What top 5 books do you currently have on your TBR pile?
1) Speak Easy, Speak Love by McKelle George
2) Seeking Mansfield by Kate Watson
3) Migon by PC Keeler
4) The Rose Queen by Alison McBain
5) a craft book—The Emotional Craft of Fiction.
 
4. If you could go to lunch with one of the characters from The Windfall App, who would it be and why?
I’d go out with Marina’s grandma, who Marina calls Popo (the Cantonese word for maternal grandma). Popo is a strong woman, but her strength is tempered with kindness. And her belief in all sorts of good luck charms makes me giggle. We wouldn’t go out to lunch, though. We’d go to The Cookie Crumb, her favorite place for a treat.
 
5. When you are not writing, what other "hats" do you wear?
I have five kids, so I’m a taxi driver, psychologist, nurse, life coach, cook, maid, etc, etc, etc. I also work part-time as an orthodontic assistant, where I take a break from torturing fictional teens and do it to real ones instead.
 
6. What inspired the idea for The Windfall App?
I heard a radio add for the state lottery where the prize was a large sum of money every day for life. My first thought was, Holy cow, that’s a lot of money. And then I started wondering—if an eighteen-year-old won, would the state really be willing to pay out that much money for the rest of that person’s life, or would they find some way out of it, through whatever means necessary?
 
7. What did you as a writer take away from writing The Windfall App?
A new appreciation for the culture I was writing in. Marina is half Chinese—her mother and grandmother emigrated from Hong Kong, and her mother married a Caucasian man. So Marina has a rich cultural history, which I really love. I enjoyed working with several close friends to get the details right, and I learned a lot in the process.
 
8. What is your current WIP?  What can you tell us about it?
I’m currently working on another YA contemporary that I’m really excited about. It’s about a girl who reinvents herself by starting a roller skating gymnastics team after a scandalous picture of her goes viral and destroys her reputation. Never heard of roller skating gymnastics? Search The Moxi Skate Team and prepare to have your mind blown. You’re welcome!