Author Interview: Grace Hitchcock

by Crystal Caudill | May 31, 2023 | Author Interviews

I am so blessed to know Grace Hitchcock. Bless her heart, she has been one of my biggest supporters and I cannot express how grateful I am to her and all her support. I adore her and her books, and it is my pleasure to get to introduce you to her. Grace and I met at my first ACFW in 2016 (I think), and I was so inspired by her kindness and patience with this unpublished author. Now we’re both out in the world, and I am so happy for this opportunity to support her back. Allow me to formally introduce you to her.

Grace Hitchcock is the award-winning author of multiple historical novels and novellas. She holds a Masters in Creative Writing and a Bachelor of Arts in English with a minor in History. Grace lives in the New Orleans area with her husband, Dakota, sons, and daughter. Connect with her online at GraceHitchcock.com.

You can connect with her through: Website | Newsletter | BookBub | GoodReads

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

CC: Sweet or Salty?

GH: Sweet

CC: Print, E-book, or Audiobook?

GH: Audiobook! I used to always be print, or eBook recently, but with a baby, audiobook has been my only option of late 🙂

CC: Coffee, Tea, or Other?

GH: Cafe Latte!

Morning Person or Night Owl?

GH: Morning person, especially when there is coffee to be had!

CC: Favorite Holiday?

GH: Christmas! Now that my kiddos are old enough to appreciate the sparkling lights, Christmas decor, and songs, we love to drive through neighborhoods and point out our favorites. And then, there is the Christmas baking fun!

I’m so not a coffee person, I don’t even know what a cafe latte is exactly, except that latte means it has milk in it. LOL

So tell me, Grace, what does your writing process look like?

GH: After the first whisper of the story in my head, I select names and meet the characters. Next, I write out their story in a detailed synopsis that I use for the first draft. After I get down about 50,000 words, I edit it three times to get the novel up to about 85,000 words and send it off to my publisher! From there, we have a content, copy, line, and proof edits before it goes to press!

CC: I don’t think I could write a manuscript that short if I tried! LOL I love how you know your process though. I’m still working through figuring mine out.

How have you seen God work through your writing journey?

GH: I’d say for certain it is the timing of each book. When I first began trying to get published, I was pitching full-length novels, but Barbour thought I’d do better with starting with novellas. Changing directions and writing novellas taught me how to write tight (given the smaller word count) while giving a full feeling story. Even though it wasn’t my first choice to begin with novellas, it was a great introduction to the writing and publishing world. God knew what He was doing and after my first two novellas were published, Barbour offered me the anchor book in their True Colors series and then, my writing career really got rolling! Time and time again with each offer and contract, His timing was and is perfect.

CC: God is so good. . . and now it makes sense how you can write so tightly. I bet those years of writing novellas really taught you a lot. Which brings me to . . .

Do you have any advice for those who want to write their own stories?

GH: Attending ACFW, the American Christian Fiction Writers conference, was the best move for me as a new writer. Not only do you get to meet those authors you have been reading for years, but you get to sit in their classes and learn from the masters while making lifelong friends and meeting agents and publishers! Going to this writing conference is worth every penny!

CC: I so agree. Honestly, I’ve met almost every single one of my best friends through ACFW. The relationships formed are the kind that you don’t know how you did without before hand.

Let’s dig in to your newest release, The Pursuit of Miss Parish (Aprons & Veils, Book 2).

Love’s gentle promise becomes nothing more than a withered dream.

With dreams of love and a hope for belonging, shy Belle Parish leaves her position as a maid in Charleston to travel to New Mexico with her best friend to become mail-order brides. Colt Lawson’s letters hold great promise and while his devilishly handsome face matches his picture, something does not add up. Discovering his lie only moments before they wed, Belle flees the church and straight into the Castañeda Hotel Harvey House. Giving up the prospect on ever marrying, she dons her nun-like uniform and focuses on her role as a Harvey Girl waitress until a strong, former Texas Ranger rides into her life.

Colt Lawson didn’t want to send that letter to Belle Parish in the first place, but her first response had all but captured his heart. When he is left standing at the altar alone, he is left with two choices—either release his dream of a love marriage, or attempt to win her heart. Wooing her would be a lot easier if that Texas Ranger wasn’t back in town. Who wants a dusty rancher with a past when she could have a shining knight in a Stetson?

Purchase your copy at Amazon

CC: Where did you get the idea for Maeve’s Pledge?

GH: Mostly from research about the Harvey Girls and also inspired by my girlhood favorite books, The Finding of Jasper Holt by Grace Livingston Hill and Janette Oke’s A Gown of Spanish Lace. Originally, I did not have Belle connected to Miss Fairfield, the heroine from book one, in anything but the location of the Harvey House, but in re-writing book one, I discovered that Miss Fairfield’s maid would be perfect for the leading lady of my next book.

CC: I love how God takes our plans and connects them in ways we never imagined.

Who was the most challenging character to create? What made them so difficult?

GH: Colt! When I first wrote The Pursuit of Miss Parish, I only wrote it from Belle’s POV, but during re-writes, I soon found that I needed Colt’s side of the story. He has been a lot of fun to get to know, but he holds things deep within him, and it took a lot of digging to figure out what made him the way he was, but I think that digging not only gave me a much better insight to him, but it brought the story to a deeper level.

CC: That must have been some rewrite. I love how those types of edits reveal things about our stories, though, and build them into better stories.

How did this story affect you as you wrote it? Did God teach you anything in the writing?

GH: Belle is very shy in nature and it takes great courage for her to act. I feel like for years God has been working courage into my heart as an author, much like the courage Belle needs 🙂 Every time I send off a manuscript to my editor, or launch a new book, I have to always turn my back to my fear and trust God to bless my work.

CC: Amen, and I think that’s something I need to think on myself.

I’d love to know a little more about your research. Who were the Harvey Girls?

GH: Whenever I tell people I am writing about a Victorian Harvey Girl romance, they usually assume the Harvey Girls are associated with an old-time saloon, but nothing could be further from the truth. In the 1890s, there were not many respectable jobs for women, so when Englishman Fred Harvey created his chain of fine dining restaurants along the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe railroads, single women without an education, or in need of earning their own way, were given a chance to earn an honest wage without the speculation that they offered anything else but food as a service. With Mr. Harvey’s strict rules about the waitress’s code of conduct, the women were given their independence while still maintaining their good name and place in society under the protective, fatherly arm of Fred Harvey. These extraordinary, brave women became known as the Harvey Girls, the ladies who tamed the Wild West with fine china, good pie, and exceptional service with complete propriety.

While Harvey Houses were built to serve the needs of the passengers on the rail to encourage tourism in the west, the railroad workers and local townsmen also dined at the restaurant, but usually at the lunch counter. At a time when men filled towns and women were scarce, inevitably, a railroad worker or townsman would express interest in marrying a Harvey Girl. In order to marry, she would need to fulfill her work contract or risk paying a fine of a month of salary. The fine was set in place to ensure that Fred Harvey would have enough workers and that he wouldn’t simply train a girl to have her shipped to a town of bachelors and leave him without a waitress.

As you can probably tell, such a set up sends an author’s head to spinning with all the romance that could come from a woman venturing out on her own in a land filled with cowboys, bandits, ranchers, and farmers. The possibilities for romance are endless! There is so much more I could write about these fascinating ladies and their contributions to society, but I hope you enjoyed this taste of history on the Harvey Girls!

CC: I absolutely do. The stories you weave are so fascinating, and I’m so blessed to get to read them. Last question before we hop off!

What animal is most like you?

GH: A Holland Lop bunny. I used to have Holland Lops, and I find that like the bunny, I too enjoy my cozy little home, but given the chance, I’ll dart out for grand adventures 🙂

CC: I love that! I’m definitely settling into the rather be at home feeling the older I get. LOL

Readers, I hope you’ll check out The Pursuit of Miss Parish and then leave a review on Amazon, Goodreads, and/or BookBub. You wouldn’t believe how important that is to an author.

Reader, what was most fascinating to you about the Harvey Girls?

Grace Hitchcock – Giveaway & Endorser Spotlight

by Crystal Caudill | Jan 20, 2023 | Counterfeit Hope

Counterfeit Hope is about four weeks from its release date, and one thing I always like to do leading up to my release day is to take time to put the spotlight on the authors who endorsed my book. Not only did they sacrifice their time to read it, but they also wrote words that touched my heart and encouraged me. These are authors that I respect and look up to. Authors who know their craft, have been writing far longer than I have, and know what makes a good story. To be endorsed by them is an honor that I cannot express adequately.

For the next seven weeks, I am going to continue to spotlight an endorser, share what they have to say about Counterfeit Hope, share more about them, the books they’ve written, and how you can connect with them, as well as give you a chance to win one of their books. At the end of each post, I hope you will leave the author an uplifting note so they may be encouraged just as they have encouraged me.

I am pleased to introduce to you . . .

Grace Hitchcock

Author of The Pursuit of Miss Parish

Grace Hitchcock is the author of multiple historical novels and novellas. She holds a Masters in Creative Writing and a Bachelor of Arts in English with a minor in History. Grace lives in Baton Rouge with her husband, Dakota, son and daughter. Connect with her online at GraceHitchcock.com.

What Grace had to say about Counterfeit Hope:

“With a unique premise and astonishing twists, Crystal Caudill’s Counterfeit Hope is an impressive sequel expertly penned that will leave readers eager for the next book from this fresh voice!”

Grace’s Books

Grace has written a wide range of stories, from historical romantic suspense to romantic comedy to romance and soon-to-be Regency. I can’t list all her books, but her newest and my favorite ones are here.

The Finding of Miss Fairfield (New Release)

When an engagement of convenience becomes anything but convenient . . .

Forced into a betrothal with a widower twice her age, Charleston socialite, Sophia Fairfield is desperate for an escape. But, while her fiancé is away on business, he assigns his handsome stepson, Carver, the task of looking after his bride-to-be. Much to her dismay, Sophia finds herself falling in love with the wrong gentleman—a man society would never allow her to marry, given Sophia was supposed to be his new stepmother. The only way to save Carver from scandal and financial ruin is to run away, leaving him and all else behind to become a Harvey Girl waitress at the Castañeda Hotel in New Mexico.

Carver Ashton has had his life planned out for him since birth, but when he encounters Sophia Fairfield, he glimpses a new life—apart from his overbearing stepfather’s business. But, when the woman he loves disappears before he can express his devotion, Carver abandons all to find her. However, his stepfather has other intentions for Sophia and will stop at nothing until she is his bride . . . even if it is against her will.

Purchase Links for The Finding of Miss Fairfield: Autographed Copy | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

My Dear Miss Dupré

Willow Dupré never thought she would have to marry, but with her father’s unexpected retirement from running the prosperous Dupré sugar refinery, she is forced into a different future. The shareholders are unwilling to allow a female to take over the company without a man at her side, so her parents devise a plan–find Willow a spokesman king in order for her to become queen of the business empire.

Willow is presented with thirty potential suitors from the families of New York society’s elite group called the Four Hundred. She has six months to court the group and is told to to eliminate men each month to narrow her beaus until she chooses one to marry, ending the competition with a wedding. Willow reluctantly agrees, knowing she must do what is best for the business. She doesn’t expect to find anything other than a proxy . . . until she meets a gentleman who captures her attention, and she must discover for herself if his motives are pure.

The White City

Mysterious Disappearances Taint the Chicago World’s Fair
Step into Book One of True Colors, a new series of Historical Stories of Romance and American Crime

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 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 bodyguard.

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

The Gray Chamber

Will Edyth prove her sanity before it is too late?

On Blackwell’s Island, New York, a hospital was built to keep its patients from ever leaving.

With her late parents’ fortune under her uncle’s care until her twenty-fifth birthday in the year 1887, Edyth Foster does not feel pressured to marry or to bow to society’s demands. She freely indulges in eccentric hobbies like fencing and riding her velocipede in her cycling costume about the city for all to see. Finding a loophole in the will, though, her uncle whisks Edyth off to the women’s lunatic asylum just weeks before her birthday. And Edyth fears she will never be found.

At the asylum she meets another inmate, who upon discovering Edyth’s plight, confesses that she is Nellie Bly, an undercover journalist for The World. Will either woman find a way to leave the terrifying island and reclaim her true self?

Giveaway

I am giving away one e-book copy of Grace’s The Finding of Miss Fairfield to someone who leaves an encouraging message for Grace below between January 20th and January 27th. The giveaway ends at 11:59 pm EST and is open to US and international residents legally able to enter (follow your country’s rules). If you want to earn extra entries, use the Rafflecopter widget below. The only requirement to be entered is that you leave Grace an encouraging note on this post. Thank you for participating.

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Please leave Grace an encouraging message below.

Giveaway & Author Interview: Grace Hitchcock

by Crystal Caudill | Aug 16, 2022 | Author Interviews

Today I get the pleasure of introducing you to my friend and fellow author, Grace Hitchcock. We met at the American Christian Fiction Writers conference a number of years ago, and it has been a huge blessing to watch her career blossom and grow. She is a fun and witty author with dashes of suspense depending on which book you read. She’s super talented and I’m so excited to have her on the blog this week.

You can connect with her through:

Website | Newsletter | BookBub | GoodReads

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

CC: Milk or Dark Chocolate?

GH: Dark chocolate!

CC: Print or E-book?

GH: Love the feel of a print copy in my hands and seeing it on my shelf! I recently got a paperwhite kindle and I have to admit, I love that I can read at night again!!

CC: Cat or Dog Person?

GH: I’m allergic to both sadly, so I’m more of a Holland Lop bunny person!

CC: Morning Person or Night Owl?

GH: Totally morning, which is great because my kiddos wake up before six most mornings haha!

CC: Spring, Summer, Fall, or Winter?

GH: Spring! Not only are the flowers bursting all around, but it’s King Cake season in Louisiana 🙂 And if you haven’t had a King Cake before, you should definitely order one! Heavenly.

Now for a couple of fun personal questions:

What are you reading right now?

GH: Currently, I am listening to Regina Jenning’s A Most Inconvenient Marriage and reading Gabrielle Meyer’s When the Day Comes. I recently finished Erica Vetsch’s The Gentleman Spy and LOVED it!!

CC: Oh girl. I can’t rave enough about The Gentleman Spy and The Debutante’s Code by Erica Vetsch! AMAZING. And Gabrielle Meyer’s is on my TBR. I haven’t read Regina’s but I know it is on my shelf. 🙂

What do you like to do when you aren’t reading or writing?

GH: I love to bake! I will take any excuse to make a pie or cake from scratch, or create new cookie recipes. I have been branching out into the pastry world and enjoy the challenge. In my current work-in-progress for Kregel Publication’s, the heroine is a baker, so I have the perfect excuse to try out her Regency recipes as well 🙂

CC: I am a baker as well, except my family rarely eats the types I like to make. LOL I cannot wait to read your book and maybe find a way to sneak to your house and try some of those Regency recipes.

What has been the biggest challenge on your writing journey?

GH: I’d say the biggest challenge is the ever-changing schedule of my writing days. With a Pre-K son, toddler, and almost-here infant, writing time happens in the little moments throughout the day and at night. Being flexible with writing time is difficult, but I’ve learned to focus during those spurts of time and have studied how to become more efficient with my writing speed while leaning heavily on the knowledge that the Lord will give me time and inspiration. I’m ever thankful to have a supportive husband who entertains the kiddos at the end of his work day and makes sure I have time to write each day if I wasn’t able to get to it.

CC: Having a supportive family is so huge, and I could definitely use some of your tips and tricks for focus during those snippets of time.

Let’s talk about your first indie release, The Finding of Miss Fairfield.

When an engagement of convenience becomes anything but convenient . . .

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

CC: What was some of your favorite research in preparing for The Finding of Miss Fairfield?

GH: As an avid Harvey Girl fan, I read just about every Christian Historical Fiction work I could find as well as several non-fiction works on the subject. One of the craziest things I discovered while researching was that Fred Harvey originally had waiters serving in his houses, but one of his managers thought that if the houses were run by waitresses, the male guests eating at the Harvey House would be better behaved. Fred Harvey agreed and thus, the Harvey Girls were created!

CC: That is so cool. It is generally true that men behave better around women. Or at least that used to be true and is still true of my boys. But that may be that they just better behave FOR Mom so they don’t get in trouble.

How did this story affect you as you wrote it? Did God teach you anything through the writing?

GH: It is always funny to me that the themes written about in my novels are reflected in some form in my life. For The Finding of Miss Fairfield, the heroine deals with fear and I found as the release date for this novel approached, I was allowing myself to fall prey to fear as well. There is a healthy fear in writing in wanting to do your best and pushing yourself, but if that fear keeps you from taking a step that you know God has called you to take, there’s a problem. I had to laugh when it came time to send out my ARCs to my street team and NetGalley because I literally put it off for a few hours because I was so nervous about sending out my official first Indie published novel. Closing my eyes in prayer, I hit send. I’m praying the readers will find it entertaining!

CC: That fear can be a killer! You have not idea how proud I am of you for following God’s call and taking that step of hitting send.

How do you select the names of your characters?

GH: Usually I pick the names first and when I find the right name, I at once begin to see the person I am writing about. For this novel, I changed the heroine’s name several times to fit the woman she had become throughout my drafts. The hero’s name has stayed the same though 🙂 I use Names Through the Ages to pick accurate names for the region and the era. It’s an AMAZING resource!

CC: Oh girl, I am so excited about that resource! THANK YOU!!! I cannot wait to use it.

Thank you so much for joining me today and providing all of us with a wonderful distraction. As my final question, I have my usual “Fun Question”.

If you could travel anywhere without worry about cost, where would you travel?

GH: This is a hard one! I have several places on my travel list, but I’d have to say that I want to go back to Paris and from there, I’d take the train and visit all the palaces and castles I could reach, filling a journal of writing research as I went!

CC: Sigh. Paris! One day, and YES to all the castles. How much story fodder there must be in those places!

Thanks for getting to know Grace Hitchcock with me. Don’t forget to check out her book, Miss Fairfield, and answer the question below to let us know where you would travel. Don’t forget to enter the giveaway for an autographed print copy! (Sorry, open to US mailing addresses only.)

The giveaway runs until August 23rd at 11:59 EST. Open to US mailing addresses only due to the cost of shipping.

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Endorser Spotlight: Grace Hitchcock

by Crystal Caudill | Jan 21, 2022 | Counterfeit Love

One of the most nerve-racking parts of being an author is sending your book out into the world for the first time, knowing you can no longer change a single word of your book. Thankfully, the first people to read my novel outside of my critique partners and the Kregel team are endorsers. I am so honored and encouraged by the ladies who read my book and then wrote up beautiful endorsements. For the next few months, I’m going to feature one endorser every couple of weeks. So settle in, hear what they have to say about Counterfeit Love, and then learn about who they are, the books they’ve written, and how you can connect with them. Maybe you will be blessed to discover a new author.

At the end, I’d be blessed if you would leave an encouraging note for this author who has encouraged me so much!

I am pleased to introduce you to . . .

Grace Hitchcock

Historical Romance Author

Connect with Grace:

Website: http://gracehitchcockbooks.com/
My Mailing List: I always tell you about sales, new releases, and some behind-the-scenes bookish news. Join now!BookBub: Don’t want the author news, but want the all the sales and new releases notices? Join now!
GoodReads: Notifies you of all my new releases and you can see what I am reading! Join now!

What she had to say about Counterfeit Love:

“A thrilling romance, a gallant Secret Service operative, and a courageous heroine—Crystal Caudill’s Counterfeit Love is an exceptional tale of tragic loss, healing, and redeeming love.”

—Grace Hitchcock, author of My Dear Miss Dupré and Her Darling Mr. Day

I am so in love with all the different descriptions Counterfeit Love gets in these endorsements. I think Grace encapsulated it perfectly with her words too. I am so blessed and honored. Thank you, Grace! (And I’m shamelessly putting the link to Counterfeit Love here if you would like to learn more or preorder it.)

Grace’s Books

Grace has written several novels and novellas that you NEED to check out. You can purchase them from any major retailer, but here is the link to her Amazon Author Profile where you can grab any of the titles you like.