I am so excited to share with you this interview with Grace Hitchcock. Her book, The White City has become a new favorite of mine. It’s one of those books I’m going to force everyone I know to read books. So I’m going to give away a print copy to one happy commenter below. Be sure to answer the Fun Question with your email written in this format name (at) place (dot) com. 😉 Don’t worry, I’ll remind you at the bottom. Now on to meet this amazing author!!

Grace Hitchcock is the author of The White City and The Gray Chamber from Barbour Publishing. She has written multiple novellas in The Second Chance Brides, The Southern Belle Brides, and the Thimbles and Threads collections with Barbour Publishing. She holds a Masters in Creative Writing and a Bachelor of Arts in English with a minor in History. Grace lives in southern Louisiana with her husband, Dakota, and son. Visit Grace online at GraceHitchcock.com. For author news, sign up for Grace Hitchcock’s newsletter here.

Crystal: I am so excited to have you here, Grace! Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to answer our questions!

Grace: Thank you so much for having me here.

FastFive

Sweet or Unsweet Tea?

Grace: While I never drink iced tea, I adore hot tea with a ridiculous amount of sugar! One lump or Two? Better make it Three or Four.

Crystal: I’m with you on the iced tea, but no sugar for me. Sometimes honey, but not sugar.

Beach Vacation or Mountain Getaway?

Grace: Beach vacation! Nothing is more relaxing to me than a salty breeze and the sound of the waves.

Crystal: After this winter, I could go for a beach break.

Homebody or Love to Travel?

Grace: Both! I love to get out on little adventures throughout the year, but home is always my favorite.

Crystal: I bet it is hard traveling with a toddler, too. It’s been a while, but I  remember it being tiring.

Morning Person or Night Owl?

Grace:  Morning person☺ Turns out my little toddler is quite the morning person too.

Crystal: Then it is a good thing you both like mornings!

Bookmark or Dog-ear Pages?

Grace:  I winced at the question haha bookmark all the way! I even hesitate to dog-ear printed out articles I’m studying!

Crystal: I definitely cringe asking the question. So you’re in good company.

Writing & Life

What are you reading right now?

Grace: I just finished Unblemished by Sarah Ella! Soooo good and I am dying to read book two now, but have to get it at my library. I pre-ordered Flights of Fancy by Jen Turano and am loving it!

Crystal: I’ll have to check out Unblemished. I’ve never heard of it, but I know Jen’s books are always good for a laugh.

What has been the biggest challenge for you on your writing journey?

Grace: I would say finding balance with motherhood! As my baby grows, my writing habits continually change. When I wrote The White City, my baby gave me three naptimes during which I could write and catch up on household needs…and now, we are down to one precious nap a day. Heaven help me when I lose that one nap haha but for now, I’m holding onto it as long as I can.

Crystal: Oh, if only we could nap that many times in a day and still be productive. LOL

While attending the Chicago World’s Fair in 1893, Winnifred Wylde believes she witnessed a woman being kidnapped. She tries to convince her father, an inspector with the Chicago police, to look into reports of mysterious disappearances around the White City. Inspector Wylde tries to dismiss her claims as an exaggeration of an overactive imagination, but he eventually concedes to letting her go undercover as secretary to the man in question—if she takes her pistol for protection and Jude Thorpe, a policeman, for a bodyguard.

Will she be able to expose H. H. Holmes’s illicit activity, or will Winnifred become his next victim?

Questions about The White City

Which character was the most fun to create? What makes them fun?

Grace:  Winnifred Wylde from The White City! With her character, I gave her the love of reading and a romantic, fun spirit. She isn’t afraid to be silly, but can be serious. Also, I gave her my sweet tooth, which gave me the perfect excuse to eat some inspirational chocolate as I wrote.

Crystal: I loved Winnifred, and her name is so uncommon now that I smiled every time I read it.

What was some of your favorite research you discovered while preparing for The White City?

Grace:  I loved studying all about the World’s Fair and the exhibits they had! I found an amazing map that showed me the exact layout of the fair. (If anyone wants to see it, I have in on my Pinterest board!)  I’d say my favorite part of the fair was researching for the Ferris Wheel scene. I had no idea the wheel could house 50 people per car! Could you imagine being suspended in the air with all those people crowding in about you with no deodorant on a hot summer day?

Crystal: I certainly can’t, but if it is anything compared to being stuck in a car with a teenage boy after a sweaty sport on a day he forgot deodorant, I don’t want to!

Do you have any upcoming projects, releases, or sales?

Grace: I can hardly believe that The White City is out in the wild!! Now, I’m planning for the release of my next novella, “The Bridal Shop” in Thimbles and Threads from Barbour Publishing, in July 2019. This story is about Alice Turner, a young bridal shop owner who snubs marriage…until she meets a handsome groomsman named Giles Clayton who attempts to change her mind.

I’m currently working on my next True Colors book for Barbour called The Gray Chamber, a tale of an eccentric heiress wrongfully committed to the notorious Women’s Lunatic Asylum on Blackwell’s Island. Coming January 2020

Crystal: Oh, yay!!! I am so excited about The Gray Chamber! And I had no idea about the next novella. Now my TBR pile has gotten a bit taller.

Fun, Zaney Question of the Day

As a writer, what would you choose as your mascot? Why?

Grace: A Holland Lop Bunny! Bunnies have always been my favorite pets with their sweet personalities. I’ve had four in the past and hope to have a few more in future years!

Crystal: Oh fun! I’ve only seen bunnies out in the wild and at one friend’s house. They look so soft. Thank you so much for sharing so much for talking books with us! I truly appreciate it.

Readers, enter to win your own copy of The White City by commenting your answer below. Be sure to leave me your email address in this format: name (at) place (dot) com.

This contest will end on March 12th, 2019. The winner will be announced on this page and then contacted via the email address provided.  (Restricted to U.S. Residents, 18 and older, only.) The winner will be picked through a random name picker. Best of luck! You’re going to LOVE this book.

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