Welcome to the blog, Misty. I’m so delighted to have you here today. Congratulations on your upcoming release, Love’s Mountain Quest. Everything about this story draws me in. I’m so excited to read it!

What do you love most about your hero and heroine in this book?

I LOVED writing Joanna and Isaac’s story. They’re definitely some of my favorite characters so far. 🙂

Joanna is such a tough lady. She had left the only home she knew in St. Louis to go west with her husband and young son, but then her husband died from an ax wound that festered, and now she’s struggling to make a life for her 5-year-old son in the little mountain town of Settler’s Fort. Then when she realizes he and the woman watching him have been kidnapped, she goes a bit “mama-bear.” Just like I imagine I would do! 🙂

And Isaac…he’s one of those silent mountain man types (my favorite kind of hero!). I love the fact that he’s so capable, but he’s still working so hard to make up for the mistakes he made in the past. Not only has he still not really learned to forgive himself, but now, it turns out the things he’d done played a part in the kidnapping of Joanna’s son. Pretty tough spot to be in.

It sounds sooo good! Can I just say how much I LOVE the cover too. 🙂

What’s one of the strangest things you’ve had to research for a novel?

Hmm…for the first book in this series, Hope’s Highest Mountain, I did a lot of research into the history of the smallpox vaccine, including how milk maids played a big part in their development. Never thought I’d be researching English milk maids. 🙂 My books tend to have a lot of medical details for some reason, anything from broken bones or diseases to natural remedies. So I’ve become the one my extended family calls when they have a medical question that they’re not quite ready to ask a real medical professional about. It’s surprising how many times they ask about something I’ve spent a lot of time researching. 🙂

How funny! Sounds like your research continues to come in handy then. 🙂

When did you first discover you were a writer?

All my life, I’ve been a true book lover. Give me a good novel, and you probably won’t see me again until it’s finished. I’ve also always enjoyed writing, and tend to express myself best through my written correspondence. In high school, I had a poem published in a commercial poetry compilation book. But I never seriously thought about writing a novel, until about eight years ago.

I was putting together my bucket list, and realized that I really did want to write a novel. So, “Write a novel that’s published” made it near the top! I decided, it’s now or never, and made the commitment to do it. I thought writing a book would be a one-time thing, but as I was writing, I realized how much I loved losing myself in the story. As I neared the end of that first manuscript, a seed for another novel planted itself. From there, things haven’t stopped. 🙂

How has being published changed your life?

Ten years ago, the thought never would have occurred to me that I could be a full-time writer, but that’s been the case for several years now. Writing is hard, but fulfilling in So. Many. Ways. I’m more grateful than I can say that God led me to this path. It wasn’t a direct route, but I’ve learned through the years that when I’m in His will, He’s constantly preparing me for the next step.

What upcoming book(s) are you excited to read this year?

I’m a huge fan of both Karen Witemeyer and Becky Wade, and they both have book 1 in a new series releasing this spring/summer!!! I’m SO excited about them both. I have a long string of authors I auto-buy, meaning I automatically pre-order any book they release, so there’s never a shortage. You can probably relate! 🙂

I definitely can! The list is long and I love it.

Is there anything else you’d like to add? Any upcoming projects you can share with us?

I always love talking about what I’m writing! 🙂 After Love’s Mountain Quest releases on June 30th, book 3 in my other current series will release on September 29th (Light in the Mountain Sky, part of the Call of the Rockies series). I just finished writing that story and I’ve loved ‘living’ back in the days not long after the Lewis and Clark expedition trekked through the Rockies. 🙂

That sounds amazing! Thanks so much for joining us today, Misty! I look forward to reading your upcoming stories.

GIVEAWAY!!

Misty has graciously offered to give away a copy of Hope’s Highest Mountain (Book 1 in her Hearts of Montana series) to one lucky winner. Enter below and it could be YOU! 😉

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thanks for entering! Contest ends June 16 2020 . The winner will be notified by email. Happy Reading, everybody!