Rachel Fordham is a woman with a big heart and love for her foster kids. I love reading her stories, both her fictional ones and the real ones about her life and family. It’s my pleasure to introduce you to her this week, just in time for her newest release, Beyond Ivy Walls. She is graciously providing a giveaway for this interview, so check out the details at the end of the post. But first, let me introduce you to her properly.

Rachel Fordham is the author of The Letter Tree, Where the Road Bends, A Lady in Attendance, A Life Once Dreamed, The Hope of Azure Springs, and Yours Truly, Thomas. Fans expect stories with heart and she delivers, diving deep into the human experience and tugging at reader emotions. She loves connecting with people, traveling to new places, and daydreaming about future projects that will have sigh-worthy endings and memorable characters. She is a busy mom, raising both biological and foster children (a cause she feels passionate about). She lives with her husband and children on an island in the state of Washington.

You can connect with her through:  Website |  Facebook  |  Instagram  |  GoodReads

Now for the fun stuff! I have to admit I am partial to my Fast Five. 🙂 So settle in as I hit Rachel with rapid-fire.

 

CC: Pineapple pizza or candy corn?

RF: That’s a tough one….Pineapple pizza (but neither is very appealing)

CC: Test the waters or dive in the deep end?

RF: Usually test the waters but with writing I jumped in the deep end!

CC: Guacamole or salsa?

RF: Salsa (the fresher the better)

CC: Silly hats or silly socks?

RF: Socks! No need to be the center of attention if I don’t have to be.

CC: Passwords or secret handshakes?

RF: Hmmmm….I have no idea…. my daughters made up a pretty cute handshake the other day.

I love how adorable your girls (and all your kids) are. Let’s dive into the meat of this interview. 

What book has most impacted you?

RF: This is impossible to answer! But I think being read to as a child changed everything. I remember begging for one more chapter. I remember my mom crying while reading the end of Where the Red Fern Grows. Those early memories led to a love of reading and that led to a love of writing. Thanks Mom!

CC: That is so true, and God bless your Momma for instilling such a love of reading in you.

When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?

RF: I think I was always a writer…but didn’t know it. I loved reading and picking apart storylines from a very young age. I loved rewriting endings to movies after watching them. And I loved writing assignments when I was in school. But I always thought I was too ordinary to write a novel. I didn’t give it a try until after having my fifth baby. I needed a creative outlet. One day my husband said, “you read so much, why don’t you write a book.” And so, I did! And haven’t stopped since.

CC: I love your husband’s support and launching you into this madness called writing.

How have you seen God work through your writing journey?

RF: Absolutely! Often as I get to know my characters and put myself in their heads, I gain empathy I didn’t have before. Or a theme in a book ends up being for me. Or a reader will message and what they say will touch my life. The little mercies all along the way have been so beautiful. I feel super blessed for the light I’ve found while writing!

CC: God is truly wonderful in His mercies and working in us and through us in our writing journeys.

Now I’m excited to talk about Beyond Ivy Walls.

Reminiscent of Beauty and the Beast, a recluse and a young woman discover that the scars of life are no match against an act of love.

Iowa, 1903. All of Monticello believes Otis Taylor has been away fostering his musical genius. But the truth is that his father exiled him long ago, rejecting Otis’s appearance and the scars that came with it. Now that he is the last living Taylor, Otis has covertly returned to settle his family’s affairs and rid himself of his past for good. However, he soon discovers that he may not have been the only abandoned Taylor and begins a tireless search for his missing toddler niece.

At twenty-three years old, Sadie West left her family farm and found employment at the Hoag feather duster factory. It isn’t a romantic job, but she’s hardly had a glimmer of romance since her beau went off to college, leaving her with no promise of a future together. Desperate to save money and help her family make ends meet, she trespasses and finds shelter in an abandoned building–and is thrown in the path of the town’s mysterious bachelor.

Otis’s wounds are deep, but as Sadie’s friendship with him grows, she begins to fall for the man beneath the mask. Locating his long-lost niece, however, is more difficult than either could have imagined, and Sadie West may be the key to Otis Taylor finally finding his way home.

Purchase your copy at  Amazon  |  Baker Book House  |  Barnes & Noble

CC: Where did you get the idea for Beyond Ivy Walls?

RF: The ideas for this story came from every direction. I read the Monticello, Iowa newspaper from the early 1900’s and discovered miracle cures, the Hoag feather duster factory and the town’s obsession with roller skating. But those things alone were not enough to build a story around. And so, I added a little Beauty and the Beast, a dose of Jane Eyre and some Light Between Oceans. I’m incredibly proud of the way the ingredients came together. 
CC: Oh that is a lot of fun! I love finding historical tidbits to build a story around!
Who was the most challenging character to create?

RF: Sadie was a lot harder to write than Otis. She comes from a healthy, functioning family. She doesn’t have as much baggage as Otis. It made showing character growth harder. But hard isn’t bad. I love that Sadie has sisters she loves and parents she is proud of. We need more examples of functioning families in literature.

CC: That is a true statement. It is really hard to write functioning families in fiction, but we do so need them. 
Which character was the most fun to create?
RF: I love, love, love writing secondary characters who are more than just accessories. I adored the older couple in this book!
CC: Secondary characters can be so much fun, and they can completely change a story too!
What was some of your favorite research you discovered?

RF:  I reached out to the library in Monticello, Iowa and asked some questions about the Hoag Duster factory. They wrote back that they could do better than old articles, they connected me with a descendent of the original owners. Having a personal contact made researching this book extra fun. 

CC: There is nothing like trying to contact some historians only to find a more personal connection that you can really work into a story. 

 

What do you hope readers will take away from your story?

RF: I hope they close the book with a happy sigh!! It’s always my hope that readers will feel like the time they spent in one of my books was time well spent. I hope they are entertained, uplifted and that they will think twice before judging others. I hope they leave the book a little better than they went into it.

CC: What a beautiful hope to hold on to. I am sure readers will walk away with just that. Speaking of readers . . . 

Which readers will most like your book?

RF: Readers of historical romance who love happy endings, butterflies in their stomachs, and enough depth that it isn’t just fluff. 

And one last question before we end our time:

What animal is most like you?
RF: A night owl…or maybe an early bird. I am guilty of staying up way too late and then having to get up early. Someday…I’ll sleep.
CC: Oh do I feel this one. Left to my own devices, I am definitely a night owl! Too bad life demands use to be morning birds.
Readers, I hope you’ll check out Beyond Ivy Walls and then leave a review on Amazon, Goodreads, and/or BookBub. You wouldn’t believe how important that is to an author.  

Giveaway Info

Rachel is graciously providing one U.S. resident, 18 years and older, with a signed copy of Yours Truly, Thomas–an earlier book of hers that I really enjoyed. Use the Rafflecopter below to enter. Entries open until 11:59 p.m. EST on August 20.

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Reader, what do you know of the Asian front during WWII? What things interest you about this story?

Pin It on Pinterest