Interview with Pepper Basham #6 + Giveaway

About the Author

Pepper Basham is an award-winning author who writes novels inspired by her love for history and the Blue Ridge Mountains. Her Penned in Time series has garnered recognition in the INSPYs, Grace Awards, and the ACFW Carol Awards. Her contemporary romance novel, A Twist of Faith, received 4-stars from Romantic Times, and most recently, her newest release, Just the Way You Are, received a Top Pick from RT with 4 ½ stars. Her newest contemporary romance, Charming the Troublemaker, releases in November 2017. You can connect with Pepper over at her group blog, 

​GOODREADS | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | PINTERST | INSTAGRAM
​AMAZON | THE WRITER'S ALLEY | WEBSITE

Interview

Fun Questions

1. What is your favorite dessert?
I think this is an unfair question when there are so many wonderful desserts in the world, BUT if I was hard-pressed to answer...I'd choose the Sogno Di Cioccolata from Carrabbas. Oh My GOODNESS! It's called The Chocolate Dream for a reason.

2. What is your favorite beverage?
Tea.  Hot or cold. Always sweet. 

3. What is your favorite movie and/or TV show?
No way to answer this!! I love too many. ONE of my favorites is Masterpiece Theater's Jane Eyre. I love Austenland too. And Tangled. And.... the list can go on. Right now, I'm enjoying The Good Doctor on TV and I'm an avid Agents of Shield junkie :-)

4. Where is your favorite place to go on holiday?
Anywhere as long as my family is with me.

Author Questions

1. What did you want to be when you grew up? Did becoming an author ever cross your mind?
HAHA!! Well, I've been writing stories as long as I could draw/write, but I didn't know I wanted to be a writer until later. One of my first (and lingering) professional goals was to be a pediatrician - Dr. Pepper :-) My Granny called me a 'writer' when I was ten, but to see it as a REAL profession...well, I didn't even consider that until I was in my mid-twenties, even though by that point I'd written several novel-length stories (that will remain in the drawer of forgetfulness)

2. What authors do you enjoy? Do these authors inspire your own writing?
WOW! Another question with LOTS of possible answers: I love Laura Frantz lyrical writing style. So beautiful. I love Siri Mitchell's fun yet poignant style. I enjoy Denise Hunter's contemporary voice and themes. I've recently fallen in love with Roseanna White's snappy style and beautiful prose. I think reading any well-written, thoughtful novel is inspiring to an author because our minds are in constant 'story-mode', if we want to grow as authors, I guess. Or so that's what my mind is doing :-)

3. When you are not writing, what other 'hats" to you wear?
HA! Colorful ones :-) I'm a mom, wife of a music minister, a speech-language pathologist/autism specialist, choir singer, praise team singer, book cover creator, author encourager, amateur baker-wanna-be, Jesus lover, and an excellent chocolate-taste- tester!

Book Related Questions

1. What inspired the idea for the Mitchell's Crossroads series?  What in particularly inspired the idea for Charming the Troublemaker?
I LOVE small towns and I was watching My Fair Lady one day when I wondered (dangerous for writers) "What would Henry HIggins be like as a speech-language pathologist?" Then I thought...oh, SLPs weren't even around in Henry Higgins' time. So...what if I changed the time period?? And there you have it! Once I began brainstorming the small town, the characters starting emerging out of the "word" work, so to speak, and this family materialized...and  had the 'feel' for my awesome extended family in the Blue Ridge. Charming the Troublemaker became an extension from book one. I was halfway through writing ATOF when Alex popped back onto the page and I wondered...um...what is he all about? So I had to find out! :-)

2. What do you want readers to take away from reading Charming the Troublemaker?
Don't check your phone while driving down a muddy country road! LOL (Just kidding). God sees us as loved, even when we're broken or bruised. He measures success in a very different way than we do, at the heart-level, and when we belong to him, we're loved. Infinitely. No strings attached. It's all about HIM.

---

3. What is your current WIP? What can you tell us about this project?
Okay, well, I have a few things in the works right now.
I'm most excited about my new Barbour contract to write the last book in the My Heart Belongs In...series due to arrive in January 2019. My story is My Heart Belongs in The Blue Ridge and it's a fictionalized version of a family history story about a wounded teacher from England who comes to teach in Appalachia (think Christy role-reversal). And...there MIGHT just be a shotgun wedding, or something awful close to one.

I'm also working on the second Pleasant Gap book  - which will be Julia Jenkins' story. Interestingly, this is the first book where both of my main characters are introverts, so that's new for me. As you probably know, I'm not a super-introverted sort of person :-) I love the way their story is coming along though and can't wait to share it with readers!

I also have two novellas coming out in 2018 - a WW2 espionage-romance and a rom com :-)

I'm gonna be really BUSY!!!!

---

Giveaway

a Rafflecopter giveaway