Andrea Hurst's Blog
July 31, 2014
AN INTERVIEW WITH ANDREA Part 2
"Finishing a book is just like you took a child out in the back yard and shot it."-Truman Capote
Do you feel writing is an emotional experience?
With Always with You, it was an extremely emotional experience. The idea came to me in a dream—a very powerful dream. It must have resonated with me deeply because I had to write that story. The story flowed out of me in just a matter of months. I sat down and started writing in first person, present tense, which I’ve never done before. I could basically hear Cathy’s voice telling me the story. And I really reacted to it as if I was hearing it, because I found myself very sad in parts of the book. Just thinking about the book today, it’s still a very emotional experience.
But Always With You is written in third person. Why the switch?
My beta readers, on the first edition, did not like Cathy when it was written in first person. And there was no point of view for Jamie so they couldn’t tell how he was feeling. I had to put it in third person and add Jamie’s point of view—it was a complete rewrite.
But it was very hard to finish that book because the characters still have not left me. I had people tell me they would like to have a sequel and right away the ideas just started spinning and I could really see them, and feel where the book would go next. I didn’t want to leave those characters because I was just so invested in them. And I would like to go back.
Does that mean readers can expect a sequel to Always With You?
I am considering it. Maybe.
What was it like finishing The Guestbook?
Finishing The Guestbook was a whole different deal. It was my first novel and I wrote it in spurts over years. It never seemed like I would finish and what spurred me on was finally making writing—my own writing—a priority and giving myself a goal.
How did you decide to make it a priority?
I thought about my goals in writing and the one thing I wanted to do before I die and it was clear to me that the answer was: finish The Guestbook. And once I saw that, I thought, why not put it as the top priority in my life. But it was very hard to finish that book.
Is it difficult to let go when you finish a novel?
Part of finishing a book is knowing when to let go. What I learned with The Guestbook is: It’s never, ever going to be perfect and you just have to know when to let go.
Thank goodness for my beta readers and editors because each edit polished both books and helped guide me toward a marketable product.
Questions for the Readers:
As a reader how do you feel about sequels to books you enjoy?
July 10, 2014
AN INTERVIEW WITH ANDREA Part 1
Tess Klingenstein speaks with Andrea Hurst about her experience as an indie-published Commercial Women's Fiction author in a series of interview installments.
One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well.
-Virginia Woolf
Food and recipes play a big role in both The Guestbook and Always With You. Does cooking play a big role in your life at home? Did you feel there was risk in being so food focused?
Many people have said reading my books make them hungry and many have thanked me for the recipes. A few people have commented that there’s too much food mentioned. I figure there’s always going to be parts of a book readers can skip if they want to. I personally love reading about food—and fine dining as well.
The Guestbook:
For The Guestbook, it definitely was part of the plan to include the recipes because the main focus of the book is the bed and breakfast and Lily who is a trained chef. One of the things prominent in the story is the brownie recipe, and I thought a lot about if I should include the recipe or have readers come to the website for it. And then I thought, if I had read a book about brownies, I would want a recipe at the end.
Actually my first published book was a cookbook—Everybody’s Natural Foods cookbook, so I do have a strong background in that area. One of my passions is great food in wonderful surroundings, so it made sense to put it all together in my stories.
Always With You:
With Always With You, the food was, of course, a main part of the plot because the main character, Cathy, owns a health food café. I actually owned a health food café, myself in 1977 called Over the Rainbow in Petaluma, CA, so, in that way, I had some experience with it. In 1977, health food was a big part of the culture and it was easy to remember the recipes I had made in my café.
I didn’t feel that Always With You was as food centered as The Guestbook, although the more I think about it, the man she is in love with is a chef, so where else could I go but food—which is where I generally end up. In Always With You, food was part of Cathy and Jamie’s shared passion and something that they bonded over. It was a big part of both of their lives and brought them closer together.
If more of us valued food and cheer above hoarded gold, it would be a much merrier world.
-J.R.R. Tolkien
Here’s a romantic lunch recipe that Cathy and Jamie would have used for a picnic on the river in the 1970s:
4 boneless chicken breasts
3 stalks celery, chopped
½ small red onion
Handful chopped red grapes
½ cup mayonnaise + 3 Tb yogurt
½ cup dried cranberries
½ t. garlic
1 Tb orange juice
2 tsp curry (or to taste)
2 papayas, halved
Sea salt to taste
1. Skin and chop chicken into cubes.
2. Saute in butter until tender.
3. Add the remaining ingredients (except papaya) to the chicken cubes.
4. Mix and chill.
5. Serve in ½ papaya
One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well.
-Virginia Woolf
Food and recipes play a big role in both The Guestbook and Always With You. Does cooking play a big role in your life at home? Did you feel there was risk in being so food focused?
Many people have said reading my books make them hungry and many have thanked me for the recipes. A few people have commented that there’s too much food mentioned. I figure there’s always going to be parts of a book readers can skip if they want to. I personally love reading about food—and fine dining as well.
The Guestbook:
For The Guestbook, it definitely was part of the plan to include the recipes because the main focus of the book is the bed and breakfast and Lily who is a trained chef. One of the things prominent in the story is the brownie recipe, and I thought a lot about if I should include the recipe or have readers come to the website for it. And then I thought, if I had read a book about brownies, I would want a recipe at the end.
Actually my first published book was a cookbook—Everybody’s Natural Foods cookbook, so I do have a strong background in that area. One of my passions is great food in wonderful surroundings, so it made sense to put it all together in my stories.
Always With You:
With Always With You, the food was, of course, a main part of the plot because the main character, Cathy, owns a health food café. I actually owned a health food café, myself in 1977 called Over the Rainbow in Petaluma, CA, so, in that way, I had some experience with it. In 1977, health food was a big part of the culture and it was easy to remember the recipes I had made in my café.
I didn’t feel that Always With You was as food centered as The Guestbook, although the more I think about it, the man she is in love with is a chef, so where else could I go but food—which is where I generally end up. In Always With You, food was part of Cathy and Jamie’s shared passion and something that they bonded over. It was a big part of both of their lives and brought them closer together.
If more of us valued food and cheer above hoarded gold, it would be a much merrier world.
-J.R.R. Tolkien
Here’s a romantic lunch recipe that Cathy and Jamie would have used for a picnic on the river in the 1970s:
4 boneless chicken breasts
3 stalks celery, chopped
½ small red onion
Handful chopped red grapes
½ cup mayonnaise + 3 Tb yogurt
½ cup dried cranberries
½ t. garlic
1 Tb orange juice
2 tsp curry (or to taste)
2 papayas, halved
Sea salt to taste
1. Skin and chop chicken into cubes.
2. Saute in butter until tender.
3. Add the remaining ingredients (except papaya) to the chicken cubes.
4. Mix and chill.
5. Serve in ½ papaya
June 17, 2014
June 4, 2014
Soul Mate Month
Right now on my Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/andreahursta..., I am celebrating soul mate month with my fans. Here we are talking about soul mates in connection with my newest novel, Always With You.
In Always With You, the main character Cathy falls in love with a married man, Jamie. Jamie is not just married, he is married to Cathy's friend Pam and has a child with Pam.
Cathy and Jamie are soul mates, but it does not make their love easy. Finding your soul mate does not necessarily lead to happily ever after and Always With You explores this.
Come join us on my Facebook page to discuss soul mates and what they mean. Every day till June 10 we will have a giveaway and there is also a grand prize giveaway.
In Always With You, the main character Cathy falls in love with a married man, Jamie. Jamie is not just married, he is married to Cathy's friend Pam and has a child with Pam.
Cathy and Jamie are soul mates, but it does not make their love easy. Finding your soul mate does not necessarily lead to happily ever after and Always With You explores this.
Come join us on my Facebook page to discuss soul mates and what they mean. Every day till June 10 we will have a giveaway and there is also a grand prize giveaway.
February 14, 2014
New Novel, Always With You
My new women's fiction novel,
Always With You
, is reminiscent of the exploration of conscience found in Bridges of Madison County, and the passionate and often tear-jerking love stories of Nicholas Sparks. New York Times bestselling author of
On the Island
, Tracey Garvis Graves, said, “Always With You is the bittersweet and poignant love story of a woman trapped between temptation and the ties that bind.”
In Always With You, Cathy has buried herself in her work and kept men at arm’s length since the devastating failure of her short-lived marriage. But when an old high school friend, Pam, brings her family for a short stay, Cathy’s stone walls begin to crumble when she meets Jamie. Jamie, whose compassion and warmth slowly break down her defenses. Jamie, whose devotion to his four-year-old daughter melts Cathy's heart and makes her desperate for a family of her own. Jamie… who is married to Pam.
A profound love that transcends time and place is impossible to resist. But is love more important than friendship? Are loyalty and fidelity an anchor or a chain? In the end, it’s all about choices – tough ones that can break hearts. Now Cathy must delve into the deepest places of her heart and ultimately decide the future for them all. “Only dangling threads of Cathy’s pride remained. Love took prisoners no matter what the circumstances; it broke open the heart with no regard for consequences.”
New York Times bestselling author Melissa Foster called Always With You “an emotional exploration of the power of love and all its consequences,” and said that “Hurst captivates from page one, and keeps you hooked until the very last word.”
Read an excert here.
Also The Guestbook has been released in audio format. Buy it here.
In Always With You, Cathy has buried herself in her work and kept men at arm’s length since the devastating failure of her short-lived marriage. But when an old high school friend, Pam, brings her family for a short stay, Cathy’s stone walls begin to crumble when she meets Jamie. Jamie, whose compassion and warmth slowly break down her defenses. Jamie, whose devotion to his four-year-old daughter melts Cathy's heart and makes her desperate for a family of her own. Jamie… who is married to Pam.
A profound love that transcends time and place is impossible to resist. But is love more important than friendship? Are loyalty and fidelity an anchor or a chain? In the end, it’s all about choices – tough ones that can break hearts. Now Cathy must delve into the deepest places of her heart and ultimately decide the future for them all. “Only dangling threads of Cathy’s pride remained. Love took prisoners no matter what the circumstances; it broke open the heart with no regard for consequences.”
New York Times bestselling author Melissa Foster called Always With You “an emotional exploration of the power of love and all its consequences,” and said that “Hurst captivates from page one, and keeps you hooked until the very last word.”
Read an excert here.
Also The Guestbook has been released in audio format. Buy it here.
August 8, 2013
Read a Romance Month
This month of August is Read a Romance Month. http://www.readaromancemonth.com/
So what makes a romance book a great read? There are many different reasons to read romance books. One of the reasons I read them is because it is a great escape. The world is often a difficult place, full of stress, and these books take me to a happier place that always has a happy ending.
One of my favorite romance authors is Nora Roberts, and so I was excited when some of my readers dubbed me Moral Roberts. She meant the romance of Nora Roberts but a lot less sex! My favorite books by her are The Gallaghers of Ardmore Trilogy. This is a wonderful story about three Irish siblings who fall in love. If you haven’t read it I definitely recommend it. Thanks Nora Roberts for helping to inspire me to write romance.
To help celebrate Read a Romance Month I am posting all things romantic on my Facebook this month. Romance means chocolate, walks on the beach, sunsets, wine, roses, and much more. Come check out my Facebook this month for great photos and fun. https://www.facebook.com/andreahursta...
So what makes a romance book a great read? There are many different reasons to read romance books. One of the reasons I read them is because it is a great escape. The world is often a difficult place, full of stress, and these books take me to a happier place that always has a happy ending.
One of my favorite romance authors is Nora Roberts, and so I was excited when some of my readers dubbed me Moral Roberts. She meant the romance of Nora Roberts but a lot less sex! My favorite books by her are The Gallaghers of Ardmore Trilogy. This is a wonderful story about three Irish siblings who fall in love. If you haven’t read it I definitely recommend it. Thanks Nora Roberts for helping to inspire me to write romance.
To help celebrate Read a Romance Month I am posting all things romantic on my Facebook this month. Romance means chocolate, walks on the beach, sunsets, wine, roses, and much more. Come check out my Facebook this month for great photos and fun. https://www.facebook.com/andreahursta...
July 13, 2013
Visit to the Lavender Farm
Today I visited the Lavender Wind Farm on Whidbey Island with some friends. The fields of lavender were all in bloom and it looked and smelled amazing.
The farm not only grows lavender, but it also creates products with it such as candles and amazing goat’s milk soaps. While we were there, we ate some Lavender Caramels, which were delicious and we bought Lavender Chocolate Chardonnay ice cream.
In my novel The Guestbook Lily mentions a Lavender Orange French Toast. This amazing recipe is in the back of the book and included below as well. I find that lavender is a magical ingredient when used in recipes from brownies to savory. The Farm makes the best lavender chocolate chip cookies that are totally addictive.
www. Lavenderwind.com
Lavender Orange French Toast
Egg Mixture:
1 loaf egg bread (Challah works great)
10 eggs
½ cup of half and half
1 Tbs. sugar
½ tsp. cinnamon
2 Tbs. orange zest
1/8 tsp. culinary lavender
1 tsp. vanilla
Whisk 10 eggs in a bowl and beat in half and half, sugar, cinnamon, orange zest, culinary lavender, and vanilla. Prepare filling.
Filling:
1 Tbs. fresh orange juice
2 8-oz packages of cream cheese
½ tsp culinary lavender
4 heaping Tbs. orange marmalade
Take 1 slice of bread. Spread generously with cream cheese mix and put another slice on top. Then soak in egg mixture. Grill on medium heat in skillet with generous amounts of butter. Grill both sides. Smother in syrup.
Syrup Mixture:
1 cup real maple syrup
2 tsp. orange zest
1 tsp. fresh orange juice
½ tsp. culinary lavender
Heat syrup before serving then add other ingredients, stir and serve.
The farm not only grows lavender, but it also creates products with it such as candles and amazing goat’s milk soaps. While we were there, we ate some Lavender Caramels, which were delicious and we bought Lavender Chocolate Chardonnay ice cream.
In my novel The Guestbook Lily mentions a Lavender Orange French Toast. This amazing recipe is in the back of the book and included below as well. I find that lavender is a magical ingredient when used in recipes from brownies to savory. The Farm makes the best lavender chocolate chip cookies that are totally addictive.
www. Lavenderwind.com
Lavender Orange French Toast
Egg Mixture:
1 loaf egg bread (Challah works great)
10 eggs
½ cup of half and half
1 Tbs. sugar
½ tsp. cinnamon
2 Tbs. orange zest
1/8 tsp. culinary lavender
1 tsp. vanilla
Whisk 10 eggs in a bowl and beat in half and half, sugar, cinnamon, orange zest, culinary lavender, and vanilla. Prepare filling.
Filling:
1 Tbs. fresh orange juice
2 8-oz packages of cream cheese
½ tsp culinary lavender
4 heaping Tbs. orange marmalade
Take 1 slice of bread. Spread generously with cream cheese mix and put another slice on top. Then soak in egg mixture. Grill on medium heat in skillet with generous amounts of butter. Grill both sides. Smother in syrup.
Syrup Mixture:
1 cup real maple syrup
2 tsp. orange zest
1 tsp. fresh orange juice
½ tsp. culinary lavender
Heat syrup before serving then add other ingredients, stir and serve.
July 9, 2013
Q&A with Andrea On Writing
Curious about Andrea's writing process?
Earlier this year, Andrea answered questions about her debut novel The Guestbook. Check it out below!
Q: Can you tell us something interesting about your writing process?
A: My process has been different for each book, but there is always one main event that inspires the story and everything moves from there.
My latest book came from a dream. It inspired the characters, and with this novel, the main protagonist, Cathy, just started talking to me in first-person present tense and told me her story in 42,000 words. After that, I filled in the story through research, world-building, and some personal memories.
Q: What part of the writing process is the easiest/hardest for you?
A: Writing the first draft, when everything is flowing and I don’t have to engage my left brain as much, is easier. The hardest part for me is anything that requires precise detail work, such as line editing.
Q: Who is your favorite character (that you’ve written)?
A: Cheesy as it sounds, that’s like choosing a favorite child. I spend months, sometimes years, with each character, and each is special in his or her own way.
Q: Is there anything you’re working on now?
A: I’ve just completed a draft of my new women’s fiction novel, Always with You, which takes place in the 1970s on the Russian River in California. I describe it as Bridges of Madison County meets Ghost with a twist.
I’m also working on the second book in my Madrona Island Series, Tea and Comfort, which features Kyla, the mysterious and beautiful tealeaf reader and herbalist.
Q: Where did the idea for your book come from?
A: A few years ago, I was at the Farmhouse Bed and Breakfast on Whidbey Island with a good friend. Every spare moment she got, she was reading entries in their guestbook. Finally, I asked he what was so fascinating, and she said that she loved hearing about other people’s lives, experiences, loves, and adventures. In that moment, the story just took hold of me and never let go.
Q: Are any of the characters inspired by someone in real life?
A: Yes. The elderly sisters, Betty and Shirley, who live next door to Lily, are based on some very dear friends. All the other characters are fictitious, but have qualities of people I have known.
Q: Do you follow a writing schedule, or just write whenever you get the chance?
A: Every Wednesday, I go down the Coupeville Pier and join the group of writers at a coffee house that overlooks Penn Cove. We call ourselves Just Write. Writing can be very isolating, and I find the company of other writers to be very supportive.
The rest of the week, I try to write as many days as possible around my busy schedule as a literary agent, developmental editor, and instructor.
Q: Do you listen to music while you write, or do you prefer quiet?
A: I really prefer quiet when I’m writing, but I enjoy music when I’m thinking and imagining the book.
Q: If you could jump in to any book and live there, which book would you choose?
A: I wouldn’t mind living in my first book of the Madrona Island Trilogy, The Guestbook. Lily lives in a beautiful bed and breakfast with the love of her life, wonderful friends, and great food. Who could ask for more?
Find the original March 2013 interview on The Twigasm here:
http://thetwigasm.blogspot.com/2013/0...
Earlier this year, Andrea answered questions about her debut novel The Guestbook. Check it out below!
Q: Can you tell us something interesting about your writing process?
A: My process has been different for each book, but there is always one main event that inspires the story and everything moves from there.
My latest book came from a dream. It inspired the characters, and with this novel, the main protagonist, Cathy, just started talking to me in first-person present tense and told me her story in 42,000 words. After that, I filled in the story through research, world-building, and some personal memories.
Q: What part of the writing process is the easiest/hardest for you?
A: Writing the first draft, when everything is flowing and I don’t have to engage my left brain as much, is easier. The hardest part for me is anything that requires precise detail work, such as line editing.
Q: Who is your favorite character (that you’ve written)?
A: Cheesy as it sounds, that’s like choosing a favorite child. I spend months, sometimes years, with each character, and each is special in his or her own way.
Q: Is there anything you’re working on now?
A: I’ve just completed a draft of my new women’s fiction novel, Always with You, which takes place in the 1970s on the Russian River in California. I describe it as Bridges of Madison County meets Ghost with a twist.
I’m also working on the second book in my Madrona Island Series, Tea and Comfort, which features Kyla, the mysterious and beautiful tealeaf reader and herbalist.
Q: Where did the idea for your book come from?
A: A few years ago, I was at the Farmhouse Bed and Breakfast on Whidbey Island with a good friend. Every spare moment she got, she was reading entries in their guestbook. Finally, I asked he what was so fascinating, and she said that she loved hearing about other people’s lives, experiences, loves, and adventures. In that moment, the story just took hold of me and never let go.
Q: Are any of the characters inspired by someone in real life?
A: Yes. The elderly sisters, Betty and Shirley, who live next door to Lily, are based on some very dear friends. All the other characters are fictitious, but have qualities of people I have known.
Q: Do you follow a writing schedule, or just write whenever you get the chance?
A: Every Wednesday, I go down the Coupeville Pier and join the group of writers at a coffee house that overlooks Penn Cove. We call ourselves Just Write. Writing can be very isolating, and I find the company of other writers to be very supportive.
The rest of the week, I try to write as many days as possible around my busy schedule as a literary agent, developmental editor, and instructor.
Q: Do you listen to music while you write, or do you prefer quiet?
A: I really prefer quiet when I’m writing, but I enjoy music when I’m thinking and imagining the book.
Q: If you could jump in to any book and live there, which book would you choose?
A: I wouldn’t mind living in my first book of the Madrona Island Trilogy, The Guestbook. Lily lives in a beautiful bed and breakfast with the love of her life, wonderful friends, and great food. Who could ask for more?
Find the original March 2013 interview on The Twigasm here:
http://thetwigasm.blogspot.com/2013/0...
