Hope Toler Dougherty's Blog, page 7

Fruitcake, Anyone?

My mother’s handwritten recipe for Ice Box Fruitcake.

In “A Hatteras Surprise” from Candy Cane Wishes and Saltwater Dreams, Ben and Ginny help Hazel make her fruitcake. It’s a scene straight from my life because my mother makes two batches every year. Her sister loves these cakes. Here are pictures from our afternoon of fruitcake making this year.

We begin by melting the marshmallows in the condensed milk…slowly so that the concoction doesn’t burn on the bottom of the pan! FYI–we add two bags of...

Is Hang Gliding Your Cup of Tea?

I’m lying on the sand, waiting to take off with the wind!

Have you ever thought about hang gliding?

As a North Carolina native, I’ve been to Hatteras several times, but until last fall, my husband had never visited. Knowing I needed more island research time for the novella, he reserved a bed and breakfast for us in Manteo, home of the Lost Colony, and scheduled a morning hang gliding at Jockey’s Ridge. I’ve always wanted to experience the sport and included a hang gliding scene in my story.

Unf...

Have You Ever Heard of Hurricane Hazel?

Hurricane Hazel blasted through eastern North Carolina in October of 1954. Nineteen at the time, and my father, decades later, still talked about the force of the wind as he pushed against the windows in his parents’ house so that they wouldn’t break. By the time this storm, the only Category 4 hurricane to hit the North Carolina coast, ended, it had killed over 600 people and left billions of dollars of damage from Haiti to Toronto. These numbers show that it was the deadliest and most costly h...

Who was Virginia Dare?

A picture of the Atlantic Ocean, not Virginia Dare.

Virginia Dare was the first English child born in the New World, specifically, North Carolina. Her grandfather, John White, was the governor of the colony on Roanoke Island. The story of her birth and the colony’s fate after John White returned to England for supplies has become the story of The Lost Colony.

When John White returned to Roanoke three years later, the settlers had vanished. White found “CRO” carved into a tree and “Croatoan” on a...

A Hatteras Surprise

Wondering what “A Hatteras Surprise” is all about? Here’s the back cover copy  to fill you in on the story.

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,...

Where is Hatteras?

Hatteras Island is way out off the coast of North Carolina.

For the past few Octobers, I’ve spent a week or at least several days writing with several other authors on Hatteras Island on the Outer Banks. It’s where “A Hatteras Surprise” takes place, and I’m here again this year.

The island is set about 30 miles off the coast of North Carolina. It’s quiet and beautiful and the perfect place for authors to write.

Last year, my publisher asked me to be part of a novella collection set at Christmas ...

Do You Read Local?

Hydrangeas in October? Yes, please, especially if they’re this spectacular blue! The color orange, however, has never been a favorite, but I accept it in autumn. Other times, I do my best to avoid it unless it’s the fruit.

Lately, I’ve been trying my hand at styling pictures for social media like the ones I find so pretty in my news feed. I realized I have lots of fun buttons with cool sayings from years of collecting (way back to college, maybe even high school!), so I’m going to begin using th...

Book Birthday!

Have you seen the book trailer for Candy Cane Wishes and Saltwater Dreams yet? Well, here it is! Happy birthday to my new novella! All the stories are set on beaches at Christmas!

 

Candy Cane Wishes Saltwater Dreams – Video Book Trailer – YouTube

 

I hope you enjoy this trip to the Outer Banks with Ben and Ginny. You can also check in with the Daniels’ family from Forever Music.

Merry Christmas early!

The post Book Birthday! appeared first on Hope Toler Dougherty.

Who’s Ready for a Christmas Novella?

September is here, and that means my new Christmas novella is coming soon! It’ll be up for pre-order on September 14, and the release is September 28th.

It’s a lovely cover, don’t you think? All the stories in Candy Cane Wishes and Saltwater Dreams are Christmas-themed and set on beaches! Fun, right? My publisher, Scrivenings Press, asked me to join four other authors for this collection of love stories. I can’t wait for you to read them!

My novella, “A Hatteras Surprise,” is set on…Hatteras Is...

Happy Birthday Late!

Apparently, Kevin wanted to do chapters for my birthday.

Chapter 1Surprise #1

Kevin booked a birthday trip to Charleston to celebrate my birthday with Hattie. Fun! Then Quinn arrived home hours before we left on Thursday. Surprise!

Surprise #2

We were enjoying appetizers at the restaurant when in walked Anna!

On Friday, we enjoyed the Battery and the City Market and ice cream. We ate breakfast right in the Renaissance Hotel at Vivian Howard’s Handy and Hot. Delicious. Dinner at La Farfalle was ...