Olivia Newport and Free Books!

In a struggling Amish settlement on the Colorado plain, Abbie refuses to concede defeat to hail, drought, and coyotes, but when she discovers the root of a spiritual divide that runs through the settlement, she faces her own decisions about what she believes.

Today we're featuring novelist Olivia Newport, author of Wonderful Lonesome (Shiloh Run Press, Barbour, September 2014).

In addition to Wonderful Lonesome, Olivia Newport is the author of three historical novels (Avenue of Dreams series), three Amish stories (Valley of Choice series) and Hidden Falls, a 13-episode serialized contemporary novel available in digital formats.

She chases joy in Colorado Springs, where the daylilies and sunflowers in her wild backyard grow as tall as she is.

Please tell us three random things we might not know about you.

--In the last year, I have become enamored with The West Wing, a show I never saw when it originally aired. Thank you, Netflix.

--I have lived in my current home longer than in any other home in my life.

--I’ve discovered I enjoy long drives by myself—from Colorado to Illinois, for instance. I’m as surprised as anyone about that!

I'm with you on the streaming/binging of old shows, Olivia! Very addicting.

Please tell us a bit more about the plot of Wonderful Lonesome.

Abbie Weaver fights for the life of the church she cherishes. Hail, wind, drought, and coyotes are daily enemies to the farming Amish, but the loss they feel most deeply is the lack of a minister. The true reason that even visiting bishops have stopped coming looms as a question that demands explanation.

Ruthanna is pregnant and fearful about her husband’s illness. Rudy is lonely and weary. Willem is fiercely determined to succeed at any cost. Their unfolding responses to daily challenges press Abbie to confront her unbending convictions. Though Abbie loves Willem, his choices put a wedge between them and turn her eyes to Rudy, her best chance to save the settlement.

When Abbie discovers the root of the unspoken spiritual divide that runs through the settlement, and finds herself disagreeing with her own father, the collision of loves and values makes her wonder if she has lost Willem forever.

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

Abbie is tenacious, even indefatigable. But is there a right time to let go? And when do you know when that time has come without letting go of your faith as well?

If you could set your next novel absolutely anywhere you’d like, where would you set it? And during what time period? Why?

I have two projects under contract with established settings, but if I were starting from scratch, I think I’d like to use a small town in a place surrounded by water—a cove, a peninsula, maybe even an island. And I’d like to try something in the 1930s or 1940s, perhaps because these were the decades of my parents’ young adulthoods and I find myself wanting to understand their world better.

Yes, that's a terrific motivator! 

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

The Girl You Left Behind by Jojo Moyes. Actually, I recommend anything by Jojo Moyes. This book I especially loved because she artfully weaves together a story in the past and a contemporary story, filling it with characters who are so easy to feel an attachment to and to admire and to struggle alongside. It’s a great read for someone who likes historical fiction as well as someone who likes contemporary.

I'm sold. I haven't read any of her work, but the covers even make the books look like fun.

What are you working on now?

I just finished the edits on Meek and Mild, the second book in the Amish Turns of Time set that begins with Wonderful Lonesome. So now it’s time to dive in to writing the third one.

Where else can readers find you online?

Find me at www.olivianewport.com, @OliviaNewport, or Facebook.

The book can be purchased in fine book stores and online via the following buttons:




CBD.com


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

What’s the last novel you recommended to someone who knows you well, and what did you say about it?

Thanks, Olivia, for visiting with us and telling us about your novel. Readers, Olivia has offered to give a signed copy of her book to the winner of our drawing on Thursday, September 11. To enter, leave a comment below in answer to Olivia's question, above. "Please enter me" won't get you entered. Leave your email address, in case you win, like so: trish[at]trishperry[dot]com.

Be sure to check out my interviews with Vickie McDonough, Veronica Heley, and Ane Mulligan below. Leave an appropriate comment at the bottom of the post to enter the drawing for a free copy of the book.

Also, I'd love it if you'd connect with me on Facebook. Just click on my name at the right of today's post.

Annoying legal disclaimer: drawings void where prohibited; open only to U.S. residents; the odds of winning depend upon the number of participants. See full disclaimer HERE.