Tuesday, March 14, 2017

My chat with Britallachian Romance Author, Pepper Basham + Giveaway

By Ian Acheson

It’s my absolute pleasure to introduce Pepper Basham to the ICFW community. Pepper, a historical and contemporary romance author, and I met at last year’s ACFW in Nashville. 

I recently read The Thorn Healer, the third in her Historical Romance “Penned in Time Series” and loved it. As she is about to release her latest creation, Just the Way You Are, I posed a few questions to Pepper, which she was kind enough in her busy schedule to respond to.

Without further ado please give a hearty international-flavoured welcome to Pepper.

ICFW: In a few words describe yourself.

PB: "I'm a Pepper" LOL, okay, sorry - if you have a name like mine, you learn how to wield it :-)  Hmm, loved, Christian, Mom, writer, positive, helpful, silly, service provider, creative, busy-brained, insecure, disorganized, compassionate, and long-winded.

ICFW: This is a global community, and I know you've travelled. Where's your favourite overseas destination and why? And where'd you like to go next?

PB: I LOVE England!!! Particularly the rural parts of England and Scotland. Derbyshire is my favorite spot I've actually visited in England, but I'd love to visit the Lake District. As far as other places, well, Australia and New Zealand are at the top of my list as well as Ireland!
Penned in Time Series

ICFW: You've published a lot of novels in a short period of time. Please give us a little insight into how you do this plus hold down a job and manage a home, hubby and 5 kiddies.

PB: Haha...does saying I'm diagnosible count? Well, my brain stays in a constant state of creativity and I LOVE stories. Now that my kids are a little older, it's been easier to etch out time during waking hours, but I still do most of my writing in the late evening after they've settled down for the night. Also, I've been really thankful for a 4 day a week job which allows me to have one week to focus on marketing/interviews/writing. That's been a HUGE help. I've never really had that before. My kids are super duper, and some of my BEST cheerleaders, so having them to cheer me on in this crazy whirlwind helps keep me going in the middle of the crazy. But job responsibilities are increasing a bit this year, so I have a feeling I'll be slowing down to two books a year instead of three (unless God wants something big to happen with the books that would allow me to back-off on the day job ... and I'm okay with that) I do love my day job, though.

ICFW: You have a couple of new stories releasing shortly, well one landed last week (7 March) Tell us a little about them both.


PB: Yes! I recently released my first novella as part of a romantic comedy compilation of novellas. The story is entitled Second Impressions and is a Jane Austen inspired romance where a Jane Austen fanatic and a straight-laced hotel entrepreneur go the Bath, UK for two VERY different reasons, and end up falling in love. It's not smooth sailing at first, but when they get a little dose of Austen magic, the romance takes off.

And the second book??? Oh my goodness, Ian, this is my favorite contemporary romance I’ve ever written! Just the Way You Are have everything I love best in a novel - romance, humor, mystery, great kisses, funny kids, delightful banter, and a quirky family. I'm hoping I can keep up the fun from the first book in the rest of the series because I really had a great time writing it...AND love to reread it (as weird as they may sound).

Romantic Times had this to say about Just the Way You Are:

"Laugh-out-loud humor combines with stick-your-head-in-the-freezer kisses in this novel of romance, faith, and a little historical mystery. Too. Eisley Barrett is a positively delightful heroine, her Appalachian charm the perfect counterpart to Wes Harrison’s British swoonworthiness. Secondary characters rich with warm yet unique personalities beg readers to pull up a chair and chat, while the family history subplot adds more layers of intrigue and romance to the plot. Above all, the theme of being treasured “as is” rings true and full of grace." —4 ½ stars Top Pick from Romantic Times

ICFW:  What a marvellous review from RT! Britallachian romance (now that’s a mouthful). Tell us about this unique sub-genre. And how do go about weaving “grace and humour” through your stories?  

PB: Isn't that a fun word! Britallachian romance is a novel that is basically a fun culture clash between Appalachia and Britain, with a quirky heroine and swoony hero!  The books can take place all in one locale or the other (or both). I'd love the opportunity to spend more time in the UK to get a stronger handle of personalities because I'm an unabashed Anglophile and want to get my characters RIGHT - but this one has just been super fun and I'm hoping others will enjoy it too. 

The 'grace' part of my tag is, of course, the Gospel -whether overtly or subtly woven through the story. I think we're all created for a purpose, and I love showing how characters find their purposes through the 'grand' story of redemption. The humour? Well, I hope it shines through in relationships and situations within the stories. 

ICFW: What's up next for you after these 2 releases?

PB: My next novel releases in November 2017 and it's the second book in the Mitchell's Crossroads series. It's entitled Charming the Troublemaker and takes up where A Twist of Faith left off ... except we get to learn about country-girl, Rainey Mitchell, and notorious flirt, Alex Murdock, as they fight to save a clinic without falling in love. It's a fun story with some great kisses and some even better messages about inner beauty and being truly loved.

ICFW: Having read The Thorn Healer and it being set in your home state, North Carolina and near Blue Ridge Mountains, I’m intrigued by their beauty. What’s something you really love about living in NC?

PB: The mountains. I LOVE these mountains. They're an integral part of my life, my culture, and my history. It may sound weird, but they bring with them a sense of 'home'. I also love the fierce loyalty of people in the Appalachian culture and their love for family. We're a weird bunch, but we're faithful :-)

Thanks, Pepper for sharing with us and being such fun. All the very best with the novella collection (already an Amazon No 1 across 3 categories) and the release of Just the Way You Are.

Pepper has also offered one commenter a digital ARC of Just the Way You Are. Please leave an email address on your comment if you are interested in the giveaway. We will draw one winner on March 20th.

Void where prohibited; the odds of winning depend on the number of entrants. Entering the giveaway is considered a confirmation of eligibility on behalf of the enterer in accord with these rules and any pertaining local/federal/international laws.

Pepper’s Bio:

Pepper Basham is an award-winning author who writes novels inspired by her love for history and the Blue Ridge Mountains. Her Penned in Time series has garnered recognition in the Inspys, Grace Awards, and the ACFW Carol Awards. Her contemporary romance novel, A Twist of Faith, received 4-stars from Romantic Times, and most recently, her newest release, The Thorn Healer, received a Top Pick from RT with 4 ½ stars. Her newest contemporary romance, Just the Way You Are, releases in April 2017. You can get to know Pepper on Facebook, or over at her group blog, The Writer's Alley, or Instagram

31 comments:

  1. How fun to have Pepper here! Thank you, Ian. Pepper, I still don't know how you do it. That's a lot of writing! Congrats! What does your writing time look like when it comes to editing and writing? Mine is 20% creating and 80% editing. Do you edit a lot, or do things come out of your brain pretty and polished? Thanks for being here with us :)

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    1. Hi Patricia!! So good to see your pretty pic on this site! Um...well, I'd say my creating/editing is 50/50, if you mean actual writing-creating? A lot of my 'creating' doesn't happen in front of a computer because I daydream about my characters throughout the day so when I DO have time to write, I'm ready for them :-)

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    2. Hi Patricia, I thought it'd be fun to have Pepper along. I'm amazed at Pepper's productivity. Incredible how much she's able to create amongst all her other responsibilities. I'm a little in awe of her, frankly.

      Thanks for giving Pepper some El Paso love and making her feel welcome.

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    3. Ian, I think it might be a touch of ADHD :-)

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  2. And Ian, thanks so much for having me on today!! I see Val! Hi Val! And Kara! and Eva! Sandra and Marion! And some new faces I've not had the opportunity to meet yet :) Thank you all!

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  3. I haven't read any of your books, but would definitely love to add them to my TBR list. They all sound great!

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    1. Thanks, Susanne. I really love story creating. :-)

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  4. How lovely to meet you, Pepper--always delighted to meet a sister Anglophile! Your covers are *gorgeous*! Congratulations!

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    1. Thanks for the kind words, Donna. I do love my covers!! And YES - Anglophiles unite! :-)

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  5. Thank you for the interesting interview Ian and Pepper.
    Pepper I agree with you, Derbyshire is a beautiful county to visit. We've been there twice. My husband was born there in Willersly Castle as his mother was evacuated there during World War 2. And if you go to Cromford, be sure to visit Scarthin Books- such an amazing book shop, a veritable maze of bookshelves.
    Please enter me in the draw for Just As You Are. My email address is ruthanndell2@gmail.com

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    1. Oh Ruth! Sounds like your husband has a great story to tell about him mum!! When my family and I were in England last summer we visited a different bookstore every day. It was a true delight. The bookstores were so much better than the ones here in the states (IMO)

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    2. Love that the 2 of you have a connection through a common interest in Derbyshire. And bookstores.

      We really do live in a small world don't we?

      Ruth, thanks so much for popping on to comment and trust your writing is going well.

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  6. Lovely interview! Wouldn't expect anything less from the two of you :) I've had the pleasure of reading Pepper's Just the Way You Are and it's super fun!

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    1. How lovely to have you pop along, dear Rel. I'm so pleased you've already read Pepper's new one. I'm looking forward to landing on my Kindle in a few weeks time.

      :)

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    2. YAY!!! Thanks for stopping by, Rel!!! (and thank you for reading JTWYA :-)

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  7. That's a great review from RT, Pepper. Congratulations! It's great to hear more about you and your novels.

    Ian, thanks for the interview!

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    1. It is a great review isn't it, Iola! Thanks for saying hi.

      Bless,

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  8. Great interview Ian and Pepper! I love England, loved seeing Bath and Derbyshire and parts of Scotland and Ireland when I visited in 2015. That's a very impressive balancing act, Pepper - wow! Looking forward to reading 'Second Impressions' soon :)

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    1. Thanks, Carolyn. Another Derbyshire fan. Funny, I never considered visiting that county. Cotswolds, Lake District, Bath, Oxford, yes ... but Derbyshire? But 3 of you love it so must be special.

      I'm about to dive into Second Impressions this weekend. Bound to a fun read.

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    2. It has mountains. I'm outrageously fond of mountains ;-)

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    3. Okay, it's really just rolling hills, but I'm fond of those too :-) My Scot-Irish descent....

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  9. Loved, loved, LOVED this interview!! And "Britallachian" is such a fun word! I enjoy all kinds of books, but Pepper's need a category all of their own! Not only have I read her books, but I enjoyed them so much I have reread them and listened to them on Audio - 4 times while I was busy during the Christmas season. I don't need to be entered, because I have already pre-ordered.

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    1. Hi Becky, seems like you're a big fan of Pepper's stories. "Britallachian" is something special isn't it. I especially like it as it includes the first 3 letters of my surname surname and then christian name - achian ... Ha ...

      Thanks for popping over and saying hi.

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  10. What a fascinating interview! Pepper's intensity and love of life comes through so clearly. And thanks, Ian, for introducing me to these books.

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    1. Pleasure, Jan. Pepper is a delight and this comes out in her stories.

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  11. Thanks for sharing this fun interview, Ian! I definitely need to check out your books, Pepper. contact (dot) harris (at) gmail (dot) com.

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    1. Always a pleasure, Lisa. I'm glad you enjoyed 'meeting' Pepper. I hope one day the 2 of you might meet at an ACFW gig.

      Bless,

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  12. Just the Way You Are sounds wonderful. It is good to have more choices in quality, contemporary romance that is not suspense. The setting of England is the icing on the cake. Just perfect.

    nina4sm/at/gmail/dot/com

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    1. Have you tried Kara Isaac's novels, Sylvia? She writes wonderful contemporary romance too.

      Thanks for popping over. Pepper's novels are excellent and full of her joy and passion.

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  13. So Pepper has elected a winner of the digital ARC of her new release ... drum roll please ... Lisa Harris!

    Congratulations, Lisa.

    Pepper will be in touch shortly. I'm sure you'll enjoy discovering Pepper's stories.

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  14. Fantastic! Can't wait to read your story, Pepper, and thanks for hosting, Ian!!

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