It’s the second day of my special series of posts about the great new novella, Candy Cane Wishes and Saltwater Dreams. I hope you are having as much fun dreaming of a white sand Christmas as I am!
Today, we meet Hope Dougherty, and find out about her novella, A Hatteras Surprise.
Jenny: ” Thanks for coming by, Hope. Our readers will love to hear more about you and your book. First, have you ever spent Christmas on the beach? If not, what was the most unusual Christmas you can remember?”
Hope: “No, I’ve never spent Christmas on a beach. My most unusual Christmas was last year, 2020. All four of our children were home, and we came down with COVID. We had mild to moderate symptoms and spent the week in a fog trying to enjoy the holiday but mostly sleeping and watching movies.”
Jenny: “I like reading shorter stories, but they seem hard to write. Was it difficult to keep your story short? Would you like to write about these characters again?”
Hope: “I’d never written a novella before, so I had to learn a new way of pacing the story. Ben Daniels is one of four siblings first introduced in Forever Music. I’m writing about another sibling now in Forever Home, and Ben shows up with Ginny in that story. I love writing about the Daniels’ clan.”
Jenny: “What dessert do you look forward to most this holiday season?”
Hope: “I love baking. For Christmas, I always bake about twelve to fourteen different kinds of cookies. We share cookie plates with friends and eat a ton of them ourselves. I always look forward to our cookie table.”
Jenny: “What is your favorite Christmas carol?”
Hope: “Some Children See Him” is one of my new favorites, especially when it’s sung by James Taylor.
Jenny: ” Did writing about the beach make you want to go there? Any new travel plans on the horizon?”
Hope: “I live about two hours from the North Carolina coast, which makes visiting even for a day pretty easy. I’m planning to attend a writing retreat on Hatteras Island during the week of October 23rd. I began ‘A Hatteras Surprise’ during the retreat there last year.”
A Hatteras Surprise by Hope Toler Dougherty – Ginny Stowe spent years tending a childhood hurt that dictated her college study and work. Can time with an island visitor with ties to her past heal lingering wounds and lead her toward a happy Christmas … and more? Ben Daniels intends to hire a new branch manager for a Hatteras Island bank, then hurry back to his promotion and Christmas in Charlotte. Spending time with a beautiful local, however, might force him to adjust his sails.
Hope Toler Dougherty holds a Master’s degree in English and taught at East Carolina University and York Technical College. Her publications include four novels, Irish Encounter, Mars . . . With Venus Rising, Rescued Hearts, and Forever Music as well as nonfiction articles. A member of ACFW and RWA, she lives in North Carolina. She and her husband enjoy visits with their two daughters and twin sons. Visit her at hopetolerdougherty.com.
Read Hope’s story and the other four in Candy Cane Wishes and Saltwater Dreams. You can find it on Amazon.
What are you looking forward to the most this Christmas? Tell us below, and you could win this pretty ornament. It’s a gift from my Christmas tree to yours!
Thank you for having me, Jenny!
I’m looking forward to my husband reading The Three Trees. He reads it every year at one of our family gatherings. And he gets teary as he reads the end. Every time.