Hi, guys! V. Joy Palmer here! Since we are all friends here, you guys can call me Joy. ;-) And one of my favorite things to do is talk with my friends at coffee shops then head to the bookstores. Yes, plural. After all, books and yummy drinks are the perfect combination! So consider this our virtual coffee shop. I'll wait a second for you to get your warm drink and a fuzzy blanket before we chat with today's guest. <3
Today we are going to pry into the private life of CHAT with Kristen Hogrefe Parnell, author of Take My Hand!
Kristen Hogrefe Parnell
writes suspenseful fiction from a faith perspective for women and young adults.
Her own suspense story involved waiting on God into her thirties to meet her
husband, and she desires to keep embracing God’s plan for her life when it’s
not what she expects. Kristen’s books have won the Selah
Award and the Grace Award, among others. An educator at heart, she also
teaches English online and enjoys being a podcast guest. Kristen lives in
Florida with her husband and baby boy. Visit her online at
KristenHogrefeParnell.com.
Connect with Kristen on her website, newsletter, Facebook, Instagram, BookBub, Goodreads, Pinterest, and Twitter.
Interview ~
This may be the most important question I ask -- no pressure or anything, LOL!
*drum roll*
What are you drinking in our virtual coffee house? Coffee? Tea? Hot chocolate? Something else altogether?
All three, please! I like to start the day with a cup of coffee (decaf, at the moment, thanks to my newborn) and enjoy tea during the day. As our evenings are becoming cooler, hot chocolate is a treat too.
We're in similar seasons with that decaf start to the day. Congratulations! If you could order anything in the world to eat (we can dream, can't we?), what would it be?
One of my husband’s and my favorite restaurants
is Brick Oven Pizza, a restaurant in Beech Mountain, North Carolina that my
characters visit in my novel, Take My Hand. Their pizza crust is unique
because it’s almost like a pretzel. So delicious!
Wow! Sounds delicious! Where is your favorite place to write, and why is that your favorite place?
Right now, it’s at my desk between my newborn’s
naps (simply because everything is in place for me to be the most productive in
the least amount of time).
I definitely understand! Do you have an odd habit that is only explained by your bookish, writer tendencies? Safe space. ;-)
I have so many lists!! I don’t think that’s a
habit reserved only for writers, but being a list-maker and goal-setter is
something I do with my writing as well.
That's a good one! What inspired you to write Take My Hand?
While my husband James and I were dating, our church group planned a ski trip to Beech Mountain, much like the one Reef and Kaley embark on in this story. Born and raised in Florida, I had never seen fresh snow fall, let alone attempt to ski in it. Writing Kaley’s frustration with the learning curve is something I came by honestly.
James taught the other new skiers and me the basics, and I felt so special to be his girlfriend and have such a thoughtful date. Later, when my writing imagination kicked in, I began to wonder, “What if James and I hadn’t been dating but had broken up? How awkward would that experience have been?” Awkward on steroids. Then the suspense lover in me began to spin the story of Kaley and Reef as well as a celebrity villain that no one would suspect. And so, this story was born.
How fun! What led you to write in this genre?
“Life happening” led me to write romantic suspense. While I still enjoy writing young adult fiction, I also felt a tug to write for women as I navigated my dating years, then marriage, and now family life.
It's great to write in a variety of genres! What message do you hope to
convey to your readers?
My character Kaley learns that although she can’t control what happens to her, she does get to choose her response. I hope that message encourages readers in whatever circumstances they find themselves.
Wonderful message! Can you tell us a little about your next
project(s)?
The sequel to Take My Hand is coming next
November! It will follow the same church group of single adults but focus on a
different couple. If you love Kaley and Reef from Take My Hand, you’ll
be glad to see them as secondary characters in the story as well.
Love that premise! Do you have a favorite Bible verse or story that inspires you on a soul level?
Isaiah 30:18 says, “Therefore the Lord will wait, that He may
be gracious to you; And therefore He will
be exalted, that He may have mercy on you. For
the Lord is a God of justice; Blessed are all
those who wait for Him” (NKJV). This verse spoke to me while we were
trying to start a family and having to wait longer than expected. The idea that
God waits for our good doesn’t seem to make sense to us, but He truly does ask
us to wait with our best interests at heart.
So true!
I’m currently reading Eva Marie Everson’s The
Third Path, which challenges us to ask ourselves questions that God asked
people in the Bible. Thanks to my newborn, I’m making slow progress, but as a
result, I’m savoring it more.
That sounds really interesting!
Thank you for answering all of my prying questions, Kristen!
Check out Kristen's new release, Take My Hand!
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