Mini-view with Pepper Basham (A Match for Emma)

About the Author

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. You can connect with Pepper over at her group blog, ​

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The Interview

1. What inspired the idea for A Match for Emma?
I kind of set Emma up from the very first book to play this role in the series, but I had no idea how deep her character growth would go until I got into writing this story. My goal of this series has been (up to this point) loosely base my novels on classics (VERY loosely in some cases), so it made perfect sense to take my waitress matchmaking Emma and sprinkle her story with Austen-fun.

2. What did you as an author take away from writing A Match for Emma?
Pride blinds and breaks. It's so easy to justify our actions too, especially when pride is the roots behind those actions. But I was also encouraged with the reminder that God is in the heart-changing business and he loves us much more than to leave us in our blindness, but wants to transform us into people who love well.

3. How does A Match for Emma tie in with the other stories in the series (A Twist of Faith and Chariming the Troublemaker)?
Well, Emma is the little sister, so you still get a few bits of time with the other characters - especially Rainey and Trigg (and, of course, Mama Mitchell). Emma gives us a look into the heart of a youngest sibling and how the losses of those around her have impacted her choices. 

4. What is your current WIP?  What can you tell us about it?
​I am working on my new Barbour True Crime novel called The Red Ribbon. (I'm also working on a historical romance set in Egypt and a contemporary romance set in a new town). The Red Ribbon looks at the Courthouse Massacre of 1912 that happened in my hometown community of Hillsville, Virginia. It places us in Appalachia with a journalist-wannabe heroine and her friend, the hero, as they get pulled into the political conflict which leads up to the courthouse shootout. Interestingly, it all started with a kiss.

5. What is your favorite thing about fall?
Ah, you probably know this answer! #MYMOUNTAINS. I love these Blue Ridge Mountains all adorned in their autumn colors! And, I'm a big fan of cooler weather...snuggly, book-reading, hot tea drinking weather :-)