About THE BOOKSHOP OF HIDDEN DREAMS

The Bookshop of Hidden Dreams

THE BOOKSHOP OF HIDDEN DREAMS, the 4th book in the Dove Pond Series, will be hitting the shelves next week. I've had the idea for this book for a long time. I wanted to write a sort of modern day search/quest to uncover the mysteries behind a long-ago love story.

With this in mind, I plotted, planned, and then planned some more. I had pages and pages of notes. When the time came, I wrote.

And edited.

And edited.

And then edited some more.

To be honest, this was the hardest book I've ever written.

I had many objectives for this story. For one, I wanted to reader to fall in love along with Sarafina and William in the 1890s. But I also wanted readers to understand the struggles Tay Dove is going through in the present day after being betrayed.

Lack of trust is painful, especially when you discover you lack trust in yourself, which is the ultimate cost of betrayal. If you haven't experienced this yourself (and I hope you haven't) then I hope you'll understand it better when you read the book.

I also wanted to showcase the town of Dove Pond, which is every bit as much a character in these books as the people in them. And this story allowed me to do just that.

I was born in--and grew up in--a small, southern, mountain town and I know the rich flavors of the people who live in these sorts of places. I know how they love warm weather, going barefoot, and music that makes you want to tap your toes. I know the amazing taste of apple pie moonshine, how a slow drawl can cut to the bone if you really want it to, and why owning a bait shop is the dream job for a lot of very happy and laid-back people. I grew up in these environs and, although I moved north after getting married to my guy, I'll never forget where I came from.

I hope you enjoy Taylor Dove's story, her search, her struggles, and your time in Dove Pond. And rest assured that I worked hard--VERY hard--to bring you a story that I can honestly say I love.

Here's to good reading!

All the best,
Karen

THE BOOKSHOP OF HIDDEN DREAMS