Beth Vogt and Free Books!

How can you choose what is right for you when your decision will break the heart of someone you love?

Before we chat with today's author, I want to announce that the winner of the free copy of Tara Ross's contemporary YA novel, Fade to White, is:

duhpaynes@...

Congratulations! We'll get your book right out to you. I encourage readers to keep commenting and/or subscribe at right (above my list of books) in order to learn about new releases! U.S. subscribers are entered in the drawings a second time when they comment.

And now let's chat with novelist Beth Vogt, author of the new women’s fiction release, The Best We’ve Been (Tyndale House Publishers, May 2020).

Beth K. Vogt believes God’s best often waits behind the doors marked “Never.” Having authored nine contemporary romance novels and novellas, The Best We’ve Been, the final book in Beth’s Thatcher Sisters Series with Tyndale House Publishers, released May 2020. Other books in the women’s fiction series include Things I Never Told You, which won the 2019 AWSA Award for Contemporary Novel of the Year, and Moments We Forget.

Beth is a 2016 Christy Award winner, a 2016 ACFW Carol Award winner, and a 2015  RITA®  finalist.

An established magazine writer and former editor of the leadership magazine for MOPS International, Beth blogs for Learn How to Write a Novel and The Write Conversation and also enjoys speaking to writers group and mentoring other writers.

Please tell us one random thing we might not know about you.

For years, I had a secret desire to skydive. It was a way to confront my fears in a big way – just jump out of a plane, right? But since having back surgery, I’m thinking my surgeon would say no to that. And the reality is, I’ve confronted a lot of my fears through my writing.

Wow, that's quite a head-on approach to confronting one's fears! I know sometimes writing can feel just as daring, though.

Please tell us a bit more about the plot of The Best We've Been.

Having abandoned her childhood dream years ago, Johanna Thatcher knows what she wants from life. Discovering that her fiancé was cheating on her only convinces Johanna it’s best to maintain control and protect her heart.



Despite years of distance and friction, Johanna and her sisters, Jillian and Payton, have moved from a truce toward a fragile friendship. But then Johanna reveals she has the one thing Jillian wants most and may never have—and Johanna doesn’t want it. As Johanna wrestles with a choice that will change her life and her relationships with her sisters forever, the cracks in Jillian’s marriage and faith deepen.

Through it all, the Thatcher sisters must decide once and for all what it means to be family.

What is it about Johanna that will make your readers care about her?

It would be easy to just label Johanna a control freak, someone who has to hyper-manage her life and everyone else’s life, too. But there’s more to Johanna than that – more to her story. And isn’t that true for all of us? Don’t we all want to be understood for more than just our surface actions? To be truly seen and understood?

Definitely. And control freaks don't usually choose to be such. The story behind that behavior can be very interesting.

Have you ever written a novel with a seasonal (or holiday) setting/theme? If you had to choose a seasonal or holiday setting, which would you choose? Why?

My novella, A November Bride, is featured in the Autumn Brides section of the Year of Weddings novella collection. I wove in the Sadie Hawkins holiday, and had a lot of fun with it.

A lot of readers love Christmas stories, and so I’ve thought of writing one, but as women’s fiction author, it would have a complicated family relationship vibe.

Some of my favorite Christmas-themed stories have involved complicated family relationships! I still remember lying in the tub, reading The Christmas Shoes, crying like a baby. 

What is the last novel you read that you would recommend?

I’m trying to read more in 2020. Not being on a specific deadline plus the COVID19 social distancing requirement has helped with that goal. Susan May Warren’s Way of the Brave was a page-turner and I laughed out loud while reading Jenny B. Jones’s Enchanted Events Mystery Series . She writes the most unpredictable plots and characters.

What are you working on now?

I’m mulling over two different stories, both women’s fiction. One has a bit more humor in it, and one, well, it just may be the most challenging novel I’ve written. Mulling is an important part of the writing process for me. It requires a lot of walking around my house and also Face Timing with my friend and mentor, Rachel Hauck, to toss around ideas while I consider possible plot lines.

Rachel is a very giving author. What a great brainstorming partner!

Where else can readers find you online?

Website/blog
Instagram
Facebook
Twitter
Pinterest
Goodreads
Amazon Author Page
BookBub
My Dream Readers


The book can be purchased online via the following button:



Readers, if you would like to read a sample from the book, click HERE

Finally, what question would you like to ask my readers?

Have you ever had to make a choice that you know would hurt someone else? How were you able to make the decision?

Thank you, Beth, for visiting and telling us about yourself and your book. Readers, Beth has offered to give away a free copy of her book. To enter, leave a comment and your email below in answer to her question, above. "Please enter me" won't get you entered. Remember that U.S. subscribers are entered an additional time in each drawing. The drawing is done by email, so leave your email address, like so: trish[at]trishperry[dot]com.

Only United States residents are eligible for the drawing, but anyone can subscribe to the blog posts via the GDPA-compliant Feedblitz box above my list of books, at right.

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Annoying legal disclaimer: as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases; drawings void where prohibited; open only to U.S. residents; the odds of winning depend upon the number of participants. See full disclaimer, GDPA notice, and my Disclosure of Material Connection HERE