Comedy, Inspiration, and Romance with Author, V. Joy Palmer!

Welcome to one of our own today! I’m super pumped to be interviewing V. Joy Palmer this week and introduce you to her new release, Weddings, Willows, and Revised Expectations. Joy is gliding in her favorite dream world with her second release! And it's all set in an antique store. Intrigued? Grab your cat eye glasses, adjust your pillbox hat, and don those vintage lace gloves. We're on a roadshow towards Joy's joy!

PT: Let’s start with the nuts and bolts. Tell the readers your genre.

VJP: I write inspirational romantic comedy. My heart is to make readers laugh and swoon while sharing God’s love. <3

PT: You have such a witty, funny way for writing. How did you come to the point of choosing your genre, or did it choose you and how did that happen?

VJP: Thank you so much! I fell in love with Erynn Mangum and Jenny B. Jones’ stories. When I started to search for other books like theirs, I was heartbroken to find so few within CBA. It was around that time that I heard the saying, “If you don’t see the book you want on the shelf, write it.” I had tried my hand at some other genres, but once I realized that I wanted to write the kind of stories that I love to read, then my voice came out with a…well, a Tap, tap, tap! on the keyboard. LOL!

PT: Was the first book, Love, Lace, and Minor Alterations based on a real story or a total fabrication? What about your new one?

VJP: Well, I like to binge-watch wedding reality shows, and that’s certainly played into both stories. But Love, Lace, and Minor Alterations was really born when I was single and frustrated with the man who is now my husband (and who thankfully has a good sense of humor), and Izze (my main character) started chattering in my head one day. While it’s not autobiographical, our love story is the story behind the story. <3

Like my first book, Weddings, Willows, and Revised Expectations has pieces of my love story and personality, but I also poured a lot of heartache and emotion into the story. While I wrote, waves of trauma crashed into my friends, my family, and my heart. The situations were different from my characters’ journey, but the emotions and healing process were the same. I rediscovered my worth in God though Apryl and Chance’s story, and I hope this story of my heart can do the same for its readers. <3

PT: Now, the first book was set in a wedding dress store. This one is based in an antique store, Are the two novels a series? How did you come up with using an antique store?

VJP: Weddings, Willows, and Revised Expectations is the second book in my contemporary romantic comedy series from WhiteFire Publishing and the sequel to Love, Lace, and Minor Alterations. However, it functions as a standalone, so you do NOT need to read my first book to enjoy this one. However, there are some jokes and things that will make you grin if you have! :-D

There’s actually a building in my town that inspired me to use an antique store in Weddings, Willows, and Revised Expectations. This building has two separate business: an antique store and a mechanic for antique cars. My hubby and I were walking into town for ice cream (cake batter) one day, and I started wondering how that setup happened. It sparked an idea that tapped into my love of all things vintage and wedding reality shows. ;-D

Here's the Blurb:

Seventeen years after being orphaned, Apryl Burns and her twin sister Courtney have their own expectations for life. While Courtney continues to shine at everything, Apryl holds fast to the mantra that as long as her potato chip stash remains intact, then she’ll be fine.

But when their beloved grandmother ends up injured and unable to manage her struggling antique store, Courtney makes it their mission to revamp the business and save what’s left of their family’s legacy. Despite rampant doubts in her abilities, Apryl finds herself trapped under the weight of family loyalty as they transition to a wedding venue decorating service. Soon she’s forced to ask (translation: blackmail) their grandmother’s renter/handyman, Chance McFarland, for help, an arrangement that is made even worse by the fact that Chance is her former (ahem, and current) crush.

Chance knows a few dozen things about family loyalty, which is why he begrudgingly agrees to Apryl’s insane plan. While Apryl claims they’re archenemies, the girl Chance only glimpsed in their teens starts to emerge, stealing what remains of his heart.

But expectations are a powerful thing. Amidst the glamorous weddings and swaying willows, can those old expectations be revised into something new?

Read the first two chapters of Weddings, Willows, and Revised Expectations here: https://read.whitefire-publishing.com/weddings-willows-and-revised-expectations/

 PT: Tell 5 things fast about V. Joy Palmer that have nothing to do with writing:

VJP: 

I love scarves, and I’ll even wear light scarves in the summer. 

I consider myself fluent in Gilmore Girls. 

I’m obsessed with bookish merch like candles, mug rugs, and book sleeves. 

I live and breathe coffee, but chai lattes are my go-to drink in new places. 

I love to go for walks, especially in autumn and spring.

PT: Do you write on a laptop or PC?

VJP: I’ve always written on a laptop. I love being able to write anywhere, and I’ve discovered that I work best outside of the house. There’s too much to clean at home... Excuse me while I continue to avoid mopping the floor…

PT: What’s on the screen right now? A new book? Editing? Marketing? Or all of the above? Or other?

VJP: I’ve been pretty focused on marketing for Weddings, Willows, and Revised Expectations and the teetering TBR pile that comes with being a reviewer. I have started working on a new story, but it’s slow going at the moment – much to the dismay of my awesome readers! <3

PT: Favorite color, food, and chair to write in?

VJP: My favorite color is purple. I have a lot of favorite foods, but they usually consist of chocolate, cheese, and/or potato. Not all together.  ;-) My favorite writing chair is at my favorite coffee shop (where I do a big chunk of my writing). It’s like a padded bench seat. It’s all soft and squishy – which is perfect for when I’m in a writing haze for four hours – but the straight back keeps me from falling asleep! LOL!

Ah. And there you have it. I picked up a few treasured nuggets of knowledge on our vintage search to know Joy a bit better. Generous to a fault, she is offering an international giveaway of Weddings, Willows and Revised Expectations! If you're new here, just leave comment with an email and we will choose a person at random.

More about Joy~

V. Joy Palmer is the author of Love, Lace, and Minor Alterations and a member of American Christian Fiction Writers. She is also an avid blogger and co-founder of Snack Time Devotions. In her spare time, Joy is an unprofessional chocolate connoisseur/binger, and she loves acting crazy and drinking coffee with the teens she mentors. When Joy isn’t urging the elves that live in her computer to write, she’s hanging out with her husband, their adorable baby girl, and their socially awkward pets.

Even MORE about Joy~

•           Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/VJoyPalmer/

•           Twitter - https://twitter.com/VJoyPalmer

•           Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/vjoypalmer_author/

•           Pinterest - https://www.pinterest.com/vjoypalmer/

•           Goodreads - https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15367051.V_Joy_Palmer

•           Website - https://vjoypalmer.com/

•           Author blog / Joy's Blog - http://vjoypalmer.blogspot.com/

•           Snack Time Devotions Blog - http://snacktimedevotions.blogspot.com/

•           Amazon Author Page - https://www.amazon.com/author/vjoypalmer

(Wink) VJP: And I do author interviews on this lovely group blog ~

•           The Diamond Mine of Christian Fiction - http://diamondsinfiction.blogspot.com/

If you can't wait to see if you win, you can purchase her book here and now:

Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Books-A-Million, WhiteFire Publishing’s READ Store

Thanks for reading!