I’m delighted to be chatting to Becky today. Becky is as lovely and engaging as her stories and it’s been my privilege to work with her and spend time with her at ACFW last year. She’s as genuine as they come! Enjoy this peek into her thoughts as she talks Fall, funny husbands, and the surname Hawthorne! Be sure to enter the giveaway of her exceptional novel, True to You!
The Writer
Please describe yourself in three words (ask your best friend or family if you are struggling!)
Practical Creative Loyal
What’s your favourite season, and why?
Fall! Our summers here in Texas are very long and very hot. I’m thrilled when fall rolls around and ushers in cooler temperatures. I love the changing color of Autumn leaves. Wearing jeans and boots. Celebrating Halloween and Thanksgiving. Drinking salted caramel lattes.
What is the best part of your day?
My husband is funny! At some point, every day, he makes me laugh. Laughing with him is my favorite part of the day. Laughter is the best medicine, amen?
What do you miss most about your childhood?
The innocent freedom of it. I had few responsibilities! What I did have was more than enough time to dream, imagine, play, read.
Which TV talk show host would you like to be interviewed by? Why?
Savannah Guthrie of the Today Show, because she’s friendly and outgoing and because that’s the show I watch for 15 minutes each morning for my daily dose of news.
You are at a fruit market – what do you reach for first?
Honeycrisp apples.
What was the first Christian Fiction novel you read?
Two from Galileeby Marjorie Holmes
What is one author and/or book you always recommend?
Laura Frantz’s Love’s Reckoning.
What book character has stuck in your mind from a book you have read this year?
Ove from A Man Called Ove. He’s a complex, grumpy, flawed, and irresistibly lovable character. From the first page onward, I felt as if I knew him. He’s so authentic and real!
The Book
Exciting Start of a Brand-New Series by a Contemporary Romance Fan Favorite
After a devastating heartbreak three years ago, genealogist and historical village owner Nora Bradford has decided that burying her nose in her work and her books is far safer than romance in the here and now.
Unlike Nora, former Navy SEAL and Medal of Honor recipient John Lawson is a modern-day man, usually 100 percent focused on the present. But when he’s diagnosed with an inherited condition, he’s forced to dig into the secrets of his past and his adoption as an infant, enlisting Nora to help him uncover the identity of his birth mother.
The more time they spend together, the more this pair of opposites suspects they just might be a perfect match. However, John’s already dating someone and Nora’s not sure she’s ready to trade her crushes on fictional heroes for the risks of a real relationship. Finding the answers they’re seeking will test the limits of their identity, their faith, and their devotion to one another.
What was the working title?
I added to a growing list of title ideas as I was writing True to You, but I never did adopt one in particular as my working title. Until my editor and I settled on True to You (shortly before I submitted the manuscript to her), I simply called it Nora’s Love Story.
Describe your book in 5 adjectives
Romantic Faith-affirming Hopeful Humorous Modern
Which character took you by surprise?
Nora. She’s a genealogist and I could envision her book-loving, BBC drama loving personality very well right out of the gate. Even so, through the writing of the story, I got to know her much more deeply. Her emotions and her spiritual journey both surprised me.
What was the latest you stayed up working on this story?
Probably 10:30. My brain usually turns to mush around 9:00pm.
Which character’s name was the hardest to choose? Why?
The surname Bradford (for my Bradford sisters) was hardest to choose. I’d initially given them the last name Hawthorne. When the folks at Bethany House reminded me that Kristi Ann Hunter was writing about a family named Hawthorne I began brainstorming new ideas. It took me awhile to find a last name that felt right. But now that it’s been Bradford for some time, I can’t imagine it being anything else.
What’s something that didn’t make it into the final copy?
Nora adores a fictional British TV drama called Northamptonshire. I wrote script excerpts from Northamptonshire that paralleled the relationship between two of the characters in the show to Nora’s relationship with John. Those excerpts stayed in until the second to last draft. My wonderful line editor suggested I cut them because they might confuse readers and because they weren’t actually, well… necessary. My first instinct was to keep them. I told her I’d see what I thought when I read the story through the next time. I read it through and — low and behold — she was right. They were cute but they didn’t add anything of real value. So I deleted them all.
Thank you Becky! Love having you visit 🙂
Becky’s a California native who attended Baylor University, met and married a Texan, and settled in Dallas. She published historical romances for the general market before putting her career on hold for several years to care for her three children. When God called her back to writing, Becky knew He meant for her to turn her attention to Christian fiction. She loves writing funny, modern, and inspirational contemporary romance! She’s the Carol Award, INSPY Award, and Inspirational Reader’s Choice Award winning author of My Stubborn Heart, the Porter Family series, and the Bradford Sisters Romance series.
Relz Reviewz Extras
All Things Wade @ Relz Reviewz
Visit Becky’s website
Buy at Amazon: True to You or Koorong
June 2, 2017 at 10:24 pm
My husband and my children always know how to make me laugh! =)
June 2, 2017 at 11:50 pm
My children make me laugh, especially my 7 year old. I will miss this age for sure!
June 3, 2017 at 12:23 am
I have a group of girlfriends that whenever we’re together, we are usually given dirty looks because we are laughing too hard or too loudly. Okay confession…it’s normally just ME laughing too hard or too loudly. Since both of you have met me in person I’m sure you know this is not beyond the realm of belief. 🙂
June 3, 2017 at 2:24 am
Thanks so much for hosting me here on your blog, Rel! I truly appreciate it.
June 3, 2017 at 2:35 am
Hands down, the funniest person in my family is my daughter! She is hilarious. I have a list of some of the funny things that she’s said over the years, and it’s fun to reread them. She never fails to make me smile!
June 3, 2017 at 5:12 am
My husband, my toddler, my sister – they all are great at making me laugh. Laughter truly is the best medicine. 🙂
June 3, 2017 at 8:53 am
I am guaranteed to laugh at myself on a regular basis. 🙂 My family loves to laugh and we all take turns being the instigators.
June 3, 2017 at 9:07 am
My younger brothers and sisters. 🙂
June 3, 2017 at 9:28 am
Mostly my grandchildren make me giggle. Especially the littlest ones.
June 3, 2017 at 10:14 am
During the school year, the kids I work with make me laugh. During the summer, I mainly rely on books to make me laugh. There were quite a few times I laughed during my reading of True to You. It’s a fantastic book. I like all of Becky’s books but there’s something quite special about this one.
June 3, 2017 at 10:46 am
My husband as well! He is hysterical 🙂 so thankful for him
June 3, 2017 at 10:53 am
My kids make me laugh, especially my youngest!
June 3, 2017 at 12:53 pm
My grandkids keep me laughing all the time! They all are so funny and have fun personalities!
June 3, 2017 at 1:34 pm
My kids and grandkids make me laugh. We have a pretty crazy family, and when we all get together it’s usually hilarious. Love my family!!
June 4, 2017 at 2:18 am
my husband does a great job of this on a daily basis.
June 4, 2017 at 7:38 am
My sister always makes me laugh. She has a really awesome sense of humor and has a funny way of saying things.
June 4, 2017 at 1:08 pm
My husband is funny without trying to be. He’s good-natured about the funny things that pop out of his mouth when he’s excited and trying to get a point across. He also has ‘auto correct’ on his texts and they are hilarious but sometimes hard to figure out!
June 4, 2017 at 1:30 pm
My husband and my granddaughter ever fail to make me laugh. 🙂 It’s amazing some of what my 3 yr old grad-girl can come up with in her little imagination…and her laugh is just precious!
Thank you for the giveaway & fun author interview, Rel!
June 4, 2017 at 2:50 pm
My best friends make me laugh. Becky is such a nice person at ACFW conference! I have to squeeze in this book. Love the cover
June 5, 2017 at 2:44 am
My Mum makes me laugh all the time – we’re super close and are almost always laughing!
June 5, 2017 at 5:04 am
Although my dad tries hard my mom is unintentionally funny.
June 6, 2017 at 6:43 am
My sisters. 😀
June 6, 2017 at 8:25 am
Probably my grandchildren
June 6, 2017 at 8:33 am
My two toddlers keep me laughing…and also crying!
June 6, 2017 at 9:23 am
My little niece is guaranteed to make me laugh. She is such a joy and to our family. I love to hear her laugh.
June 6, 2017 at 10:23 am
I have a wonderful friend that exudes the joy of the Lord! She is fun to hang out!
June 6, 2017 at 11:55 am
Thank you for the fun interview and a chance to win the book!
My husband makes me laugh at some point every day too!
June 6, 2017 at 12:18 pm
Don’t know if it,s possible to enjoy a Becky Wade book better than I enjoyed her Porter Family series, but I’m willing to give it a try.
June 6, 2017 at 12:20 pm
My husband can still make me laugh after 34 years.
My grandsons make my daughter say things that make me laugh. Sometimes, I take notes when I’m on the phone with her. (we live over 2,000 miles apart)
June 6, 2017 at 12:23 pm
My family, my friend Amanda. My ‘nephews’ Caleb and Isaac. Lots of people make me laugh!
June 6, 2017 at 1:00 pm
I can’t wait to read this book . . . summer reading is the best!
June 6, 2017 at 1:24 pm
My cats always make me laugh, pretty much every day!
June 6, 2017 at 4:20 pm
I always enjoy reading Becky’s interviews. I really enjoyed Nora’s character. I related with her book and genealogy loving personality! 🙂
June 6, 2017 at 9:16 pm
I loved hearing the behind the scenes from Becky’s book! I am so happy I found her as an author. Someone recommended her to me when I was looking for someone “like Tamera Alexander.” I love her books and her spirit!
June 7, 2017 at 3:29 am
My sons and daughter: there is always something to laugh about.
June 8, 2017 at 4:36 pm
I have to admit I laugh really easy. So, I make an amazing audience! In our family, my son is the comedian and sometimes I try hard not to laugh, because it might not always be the most appropriate. My daughter makes me laugh just because she is so good at laughing at herself. She’s a true joy.
June 10, 2017 at 12:52 pm
My brother always gets me to laugh
June 10, 2017 at 1:00 pm
My daughter makes me laugh!
June 10, 2017 at 1:08 pm
my aunt
June 10, 2017 at 1:09 pm
My twin girls are really good at making me laugh
June 10, 2017 at 1:15 pm
My family always makes me laugh.
June 10, 2017 at 1:19 pm
My husband…he has me laughing every single day.