A Chat with author Jo Huddleston ♦ Plus Giveaway

 
I am so pleased to have had an opportunity to interview multi-published author Jo Huddleston. She and I have been interacting online through email and blogs for some time now. Let me share a little bit about Jo before we get started.

Jo Huddleston is an Amazon Bestselling author of books, articles, and short stories. Novels in her West Virginia Mountains series and her Caney Creek series are sweet Southern historical romances. Her novels are endorsed by Amanda Cabot, Cara Lynn James, Sharlene MacLaren, and Ann Tatlock. The redeeming story of God’s pursuing love is the foundation of her novels, and in them you will find inspiration, hope, and gentle stories that are intriguing and entertaining. Jo is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and the Literary Hall of Fame at Lincoln Memorial University (TN).

Welcome, Jo, let’s introduce you to all these wonderful Miners!

Peg: What five words best describe you?

Jo: Hopeful, enthusiastic, positive, nurturing, creative

Peg: Those are great attributes! What was your first job?

Jo: At age sixteen, I had a summer job as a secretary in an insurance agency office.

Peg: Outside of writing, what do you do just for you?

Jo: I read for pleasure.

Peg: What’s the first thing you do when you wake up in the morning—besides shower and brush your teeth. that is. ☺
  
Jo: If I have an ongoing writing project, I get up before anyone else in the house and work on it. If I don’t have a project, I have breakfast first thing.

Peg: What’s the #1 thing on your bucket list?

Jo: That would be to visit the Grand Canyon.

Peg: I hope you make it some day. It’s magnificent. What is the craziest thing you’ve ever done?

Jo: I successfully sailed a paper airplane to land on the teacher’s desk in high school. I didn’t get caught by the teacher.

Peg: Ha! What does ‘networking’ mean to you? How important is it to new writers?

Jo: Networking to me is connecting with others by spoken or written word. Writing is a solitary endeavor and writers need to interact with other writers to remain sane. J If a writer wants to write for publication, networking is necessary to get the word out about yourself and your work.

Peg: Do you have a pet, or pets? If so, tell us about it/them.

Jo: We had a black cocker spaniel that lived 14-1/2 years and, according to the vet, died from complications of doggy dementia 8 years ago. At the time, that was one of the hardest things I’d had to deal with. We didn’t get another pet—I didn’t want to go through that awful pain again.

Peg: Oh, that must have been hard. I’m so sorry. What sparks your creativity when feeling drained?

Jo: I’ve never had “writer’s block.” I’ve never had to spark my creativity. I write a lot of emails and blog posts and that probably keeps my creativity primed.

Peg: Do you listen to music when you write, or are you one who prefers complete silence?

Jo: I don’t listen to music when I write. I sometimes hum—does that count?

Peg: LOL, let’s say it does. I usually have Pandora going and I hum along, too. Describe your ‘typical’ day.

Jo: I don’t have a real job outside the home, so I can set my daily schedule and pretty much stick to it. Mornings are for creative writing and afternoons are for marketing, promotion, online courses, and reading writing craft books. Late afternoons and evenings I read for pleasure.

Alrighty then, let’s talk about the book we’re featuring:

 

• Title: Promise Me
• Publisher: Forget Me Not Romances, a division of Winged Publications
• Release Date: March 2016
• Genre: Christian Historical Romance (Sweet Southern Historical Romance)
• Single title or series: Book 3 in the West Virginia Mountains series
• Target audience: Teen through Adult
• Purchase link(s): http://amzn.to/1MWyAl1

Give us the back cover blurb or brief synopsis:

When war calls…faith is tested
In 1960, civil discord in Vietnam fills the news. After his college graduation, Patrick Fitzgerald plans to join his daddy’s South Carolina accounting firm. But Uncle Sam may have another position in mind for Patrick—in the U.S. Army. His family’s affluence would be no match for the persuasion of the military draft.
Adriana Montagna’s papá ekes out a living as a coal miner in the mountains of West Virginia. Can a lasting relationship form with Patrick, or will his wealth become a barrier between them?
Meanwhile, the fiber of America’s unity stands on the precipice, while its youth fight a no-win battle on foreign soil. What good can a young couple hope for at such a time as this?

Where can folks find you on the Internet (social media links)

• Website and blog (Read novel first chapters here): http://www.johuddleston.com
• Sign up for Jo’s mailing list: http://bit.ly/1ZFaZwG
• Inspirational blog: http://bit.ly/1QAPRnr
• Facebook author page: http://on.fb.me/1pvJQiQ
• Facebook personal page: http://on.fb.me/1Ubic69
• Amazon author page: http://amzn.to/1SxafIK
• Goodreads: http://bit.ly/1QAPtFv

-->>> Jo is offering one eBook copy of Promise Me to our blog readers. To enter, all you have to do is leave a comment below with your name and email address (so we can contact you if you win). A minimum of 5 (five) comments is required. Ends June 8, 2016. Be sure and tell your friends.


Thanks, Jo, for being my guest interviewee here on the Diamond Mine. --