Author Interview + Giveaway / / The Doctor's Lady By Jody Hedlund

Good Morning Literary Maidens!
Today The Literary Maiden gals are super excited to have author Jody Hedlund stop by our blog for an author interview and special book giveaway! Both of us girls are big fans of Jody's novels, The Preacher's Bride, The Doctor's Lady, Unending Devotion, and A Noble Groom; and are looking forward to her upcoming novel, Rebellious Heart which will release in September. We hope you enjoy this fun interview with Jody, and that you'll enter our giveaway!

~The Literary Maidens {Madi & Bethany}

 

 A u t h o r   I n t e r v i e w 

W i t h    M r s .   J o d y    H e d l u n d

 

The Literary Maidens :: Hi Jody! Welcome to the Literary Maidens blog! Could you tell us a bit about yourself?

 

Jody :: I've been married to my college sweetheart for over twenty years, and we have five children ranging in ages from 15 down to 7. Between homeschooling and running our kids to activities, we're crazily busy! We live in central Michigan and so take our summers very seriously, considering at least 6 months of the year are cold and overcast. 

I've been creating stories for as long as I can remember but began taking my writing seriously after I got married. Once I started having babies, I took a hiatus from writing. The time away from my writing really enriched me. The first book I wrote after my break was The Preacher's Bride.

When I'm not homeschooling or writing, you might find me sneaking in some pleasure reading. And you'd definitely find me eating chocolate and guzzling coffee!

The Literary Maidens :: Could you tell us a little bit about your book "The Doctors Lady"?

Jody ::

Priscilla White bears the painful knowledge that she’ll never be able to be a mother. Having felt God’s call to missionary work, she determines to remain single, put her pain behind her, and answer God’s call.

Dr. Eli Ernest wants to start a medical clinic and mission in unsettled Oregon Country. He’s not interested in taking a wife because of the dangers of life in the west and the fact that no white woman has ever attempted the overland crossing.

But then Priscilla and Eli both receive news from the mission board: No longer will they send unmarried men and women into the field. Left scrambling for options, the two realize the other might be the answer to their needs.

Priscilla and Eli agree to a partnership, a marriage in name only that will allow them to follow God’s leading into the mission field. But as they journey west, this decision will be tested by the hardships of the trip and by the unexpected turnings of their hearts.

The Literary Maidens :: Where did you get your inspiration for this book?

 

Jody :: This book is inspired by the true life story of Narcissa Whitman, the first white woman to brave the dangers of overland trail and travel west. In 1836, she married Dr. Whitman, and then the next day left her childhood home and would never return for the purpose of starting a mission among the Nez Perce natives.

It was my hope in this story to bring Narcissa Whitman to life. This heroic woman has often been ignored and at times even disparaged. In reality, she exuded incredible courage to attempt a trip many proclaimed foolishly dangerous. It was called an “unheard-of-journey for females.” Because of her willingness to brave the unknown, she led the way for the many women who would follow in her footsteps in what would later become known as the Oregon Trail.

The Literary Maidens :: Where are you in the process of your upcoming new release "Rebellious Heart"?

 

Jody :: A couple of weeks ago I completed my last set of edits known as the Galleys. I sent that back to my publisher and now they'll be making their last changes to the book as well. And very soon, they'll begin sending the book out to reviewers. My work is done on the book . . . until it releases, and then I'll be busy again doing interviews and helping to promote it.

The Literary Maidens :: Out of all your books, do you have a personal favorite?

 

Jody :: That's a hard one because I fall madly in love with all of my books as I'm writing them! I think they're all SO wonderful–until I beginning editing and then I loathe them. While I can't pick one book, I can say that one of my favorite heroes so far is Carl from A Noble Groom because he's so sweet and caring and funny.

The Literary Maidens :: What is something the average person doesn't know about you?

 

Jody :: I have most of the songs of Sound of Music memorized (due to watching it every year as a child). Now, whenever I watch the movie, I belt out the songs at the top of my lungs, much to the listening pleasure of my children. *Grin*

The Literary Maidens :: Do you have any writing quirks?

 

Jody :: I don't have too many quirks, other than needing a cup of coffee on hand while I'm writing

(especially in the morning!).

One of the things I like to do to help me keep on track with my writing is give myself half hour word count challenges–a specific goal of how many words I can get written in a thirty minute time span. Doing these mini-challenges keeps me from getting too distracted by other things while I'm in a writing mode.

The Literary Maidens :: Where do you usually write?

 

Jody :: Most days I sit in the kitchen or dining room where I’m able to keep my eyes and ears on all that’s going on around me. That way I can see when the dog is about to eat another sock, put a halt to my youngest riding down the steps in laundry baskets, and make sure my children are practicing piano diligently (rather than getting up to get a snack every few minutes). Of course, this is all hypothetical. None of this ever happens. And my writing time is always quiet and peaceful as my children go about their work without needing any of my intervention. *Wink*

I actually do my best writing in my office, which is upstairs away from the noise and chaos. But I don’t get to retreat there very often, just a few times a week for extended writing time.

Most of the time, I plug in headphones, put on Pandora, and write no matter what’s going on around me. I’ve had to learn to just do it and not wait for the perfect moment.

The Literary Maidens :: When did you decide to be an author, and what inspired you to write?

 

Jody :: I’m pretty sure I was born with a pen in one hand and a notebook in the other. Since my earliest days, I loved making up stories and writing them down. The passion followed me into adulthood. And after many twists and turns along the path, I’ve finally been able to channel that passion into a full time writing career.

My mom was the most influential person in my writing career. When I was young, she helped facilitate my love of writing by reading aloud to me, giving me good books to read, and providing the kind of environment that fostered my creativity (in fact we didn’t have a TV for a number of years). She always believed in me, encouraged me to pursue my dreams, and rode alongside me cheering me on.

The Literary Maidens ::  Is there anything that you would like to share in closing?

 

Jody :: I love hearing from readers! Make sure you stop by one of these places and say hello!

I hang out on Facebook here: Author Jody Hedlund

I also love to chat on Twitter: @JodyHedlund

My home base is at my website: jodyhedlund.com

 

   / / T h e    G i v e a w a y / /

Today we are delighted to be partnering with Jody for a giveaway! One blessed winner will receive a copy of The Doctor's Lady by Jody Hedlund. To enter this giveaway, use the RaffleCopter entry form below. Open to the U.S. and entries will be taken until June 24th, 2013. After the giveaway ends we will pick a winner using Random.org provided on RaffleCopter and will notify the winner via email. The winner's name will also be announced on the below giveaway entry form. Before you start entering, we'd like to sincerely thank Jody for letting us interview her as well as for helping make this giveaway happen! Thanks a million, Jody!

 

~ The Literary Maidens

 

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway