~ FRIDAY FICTION FEATURE ~
BLOG TOUR STOP FOR:
-- 'HOMETOWN HOPE' --
AUTHOR LAUREL BLOUNT
~Post Includes: Book Spotlight,
Excerpt, Author Bio, Unique Author
Guest Post & Giveaway~
BLOG TOUR STOP FOR:
-- 'HOMETOWN HOPE' --
AUTHOR LAUREL BLOUNT
~Post Includes: Book Spotlight,
Excerpt, Author Bio, Unique Author
Guest Post & Giveaway~
Welcome to the Blog Tour & Giveaway for Hometown Hope by Laurel Blount, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!
ABOUT THE BOOK
Title: Hometown Hope
Author: Laurel Blount
Publisher: Love Inspired
Release Date: June 18, 2019 (print), July 1, 2019 (ebook)
Genre: Inspirational Contemporary Romance
Even fight to regain an old classmate’s broken trust.
In the three years since her mother’s death, widower Hoyt Bradley’s daughter, Jess, hasn’t spoken—until she suddenly begs him to save her favorite bookstore from closing.
Hoyt is desperate to hear his daughter’s voice again, but he and the bookstore’s pretty owner, Anna Delaney, share a less-than-friendly past.
Working together is complicated enough…but can they avoid falling in love?
EXCERPT:
She was going to blow this. She just knew it.
“Miss Anna?” Jess wiggled insistent fingers in her direction. The little girl was already holding Hoyt’s hand, but she wanted Anna’s, as well. “Let’s go get some pizza!”
She took Jess’s hand, feeling the little girl’s slightly sticky fingers twine trustingly around her own. Hoyt’s eyes met hers, and he grinned.
That grin had the butterflies in Anna’s stomach multiplying like rabbits. She knew why Hoyt was smiling. Jess was talking. That warm light in his eyes was all about his daughter. It had nothing to do with Anna.
But for a second, standing there, feeling tiny fingers in hers and seeing Hoyt’s face soften in that smile, it sure felt more . . . personal.
It felt like family.
PURCHASE LINKS*: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | ChristianBook
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Laurel Blount lives on a small farm in middle Georgia with her husband, their four children, a milk cow, dairy goats, assorted chickens and ducks, four spoiled cats and one bossy goose with serious boundary issues. She divides her time between farm chores, baking, homeschooling and writing. She's busy, but she's never bored!
HOMETOWN HOPE is Laurel’s third Love Inspired romance. Her debut Love Inspired novel A FAMILY FOR THE FARMER was the recipient of the 2017 Maggie Award for Excellence in the Romance with Religious or Spiritual Elements category. This book also received two 2017 Holt Awards of Merit and was a finalist in the 2017 Carol Awards. A BABY FOR THE MINISTER, her second Love Inspired, was released in September of 2018.
Whenever she's not working, you can find Laurel with a cup of tea at her elbow, a cat in her lap and a good book in her hand. She loves to hear from readers! Drop her an email at laurelblountwrites@gmail.com or visit her website: www.laurelblountbooks.com and be sure to sign up for her monthly newsletter!
GUEST POST SHARED BY THIS AUTHOR:
HOMETOWN HOPE is both my third book for Love
Inspired and the third book I’ve set in the fictional town of Pine Valley,
Georgia. It’s been tons of fun--and a huge privilege to share these stories
with readers, and I’d love to tell you how it all came about.
Back in early 2015, I found out about a
contest being sponsored by Harlequin’s Love Inspired imprint. The contest was
called “Blurb 2 Book”--and the idea was that you submitted your first page and
a blurb for your story. If the editors were interested, you passed to the next
round and provided three chapters and a synopsis. If you kept their interest,
you went to the third round--submission of a full manuscript.
I thought the idea sounded intriguing. I loved
these sweet, contemporary Christian romances so I--and over 300 other
writers--gave it a shot. When it came to choosing a setting for my story, I
decided to follow that age-old advice to “write what you know.” I know Georgia--I’ve lived here all my
life--and I know small southern towns inside and out.
So I created Pine Valley, Georgia, and as my
first book A FAMILY FOR THE FARMER progressed through the contest, I peopled my
new hometown with a cast of interesting characters. I had such fun developing
their personalities--maybe a little too much fun! In late August it happened--I
got “the call.” Love Inspired wanted to buy my book! One of the revisions my
editor requested was for me to pare down the additional characters to keep the
focus on the hero and the heroine.
“But,” she added, “that pastor in the
story--Jacob Stone. He’d make a great hero. Why don’t you write your next book
about him?” So I did. A BABY FOR THE MINISTER came out in September of 2018. By
that time, another potential hero in Pine Valley had caught my
imagination--big-hearted, blue-collar widower Hoyt Bradley deserved his own
story. I mixed him up with shy, scholarly bookstore owner Anna Delaney, and
HOMETOWN HOPE was born!
I’ve dearly loved spending time in this little
Georgia town, and I’m looking forward to one last trip. A RANCHER TO TRUST, my
final story set in Pine Valley, will be released in January 2020. Organic grocer Bailey Quinn was a secondary
character in A FAMILY FOR THE FARMER and
now she finally gets her very own happily-ever-after!
I’ve spent some happy years getting to know
this little town, and it’s going to be hard to say goodbye. On the other hand,
I’m looking forward to new adventures! I’m already exploring backroads looking
for a promising new setting for my upcoming stories. So tell me, where would
you like to see a story set? Up in the mountains? On a working farm? Another
small town with its own unique personality? I’d love to hear!
TOUR GIVEAWAY
(1) winner will receive an autographed copy of Hometown Hope, a $10 Starbucks gift card, a travel coffee mug, and a bar of Milltown soap--which is produced in author's hometown (Dough bowl is not included.)
Be sure to check out each stop on the tour for more chances to win. Full tour schedule shown below. Giveaway will begin at midnight June 17, 2019 and last through 11:59 PM EST on June 24, 2019. Winner will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. US only.
Giveaway is subject to the policies found here.
Follow along at JustRead Tours for a full list of stops!
*NOTE: This post contains affiliate links.
Sounds like a great read.
ReplyDeleteGreat review and blurb
ReplyDeleteSounds really interesting. I can't wait to read.
ReplyDelete