Interview with Valerie Comer and giveaway!!!!!

Answer Valerie's question to be entered for a giveaway. Include contact information.

 Welcome! Glad to have you join my blog today, Valerie!

Why do you write the kind of books you do?

Every author writes from who they are, from what they've experienced. That's not to say that we write only what we know, but that we explore outward from the sum of our being.

I've spent over half of my life living on a farm. My mom and my mother-in-law both gardened, canned, baked bread, and cooked from scratch, so real food and local food have been part of my husband's and my life since we were young. The older we get, the more important it's become to know the quality of our food and where it comes from, for us, our adult kids, and our grandchildren.

Thus, it only seems natural for me to write farm lit http://farmlit.com to share the mindset with others, especially now that there's a renewed interest in heirloom tomatoes, farmers' markets, and grass-fed meats. I add romance to the mix, because I think everyone's life is better with the right person beside them! And I can't not write from a Christian worldview and stay true to myself and my Savior.

What are your hobbies, besides writing and reading?

As you may have gathered, the outdoors is important to me. Keeping up with my garden and yard is a big job but provides a great change of pace from sitting at the computer.

My husband and I live in one of the most beautiful places on earth, the southeastern corner of British Columbia, Canada, and we love to pull our little holiday trailer up beside a mountain creek and recharge for a few days.

Day to day, my favorite moments are those spent with one of my three small granddaughters, who love to be tickled, read to, and played with. Sometimes we all bounce on the trampoline together, and Grandma gets her workout!

What is your most difficult writing obstacle, and how do you overcome it?

I've written ten complete novels thus far, and I still struggle with plotting. I've figured out that I can't outline and I can't just "wing it," but exactly what level of fore-knowledge works for me is still a mystery. I'm getting a little closer to figuring out a method that works for me with each story, though.

What advice would you give to a beginning author?

Relax. Take your time. Learn. Writing well is not a sprint, but a marathon. Don't type "the end" on your first novel and then upload it to Amazon ten minutes later. Let the story rest, then fix it, then send it to a critique group, then fix it again—maybe a few more times. Don't be in an all-fired hurry!

I'd also suggest they swing by my writing website To Write a Story http://towriteastory.com and sign up for the free fiction writing course via email. It takes new-to-intermediate writers through planning, plotting, writing, editing, publishing, and marketing. I also blog once a week on one of those topics.
 

Tell us about Raspberries and Vinegar – a brief blurb:

Sweet like Raspberries. Tart like Vinegar

Josephine Shaw: complex, yet singleminded. A tiny woman with big ideas and, some would say, a mouth to match. But what does she really know about sustainable living as it relates to the real world? After all, she and her two friends are new to farming.

Zachary Nemesek is back only until his dad recovers enough to work his own land again. When Zach discovers three helpless females have taken up residence at the old farm next door, he expects trouble. But a mouse invasion proves Jo has everything under control. Is there anything she can't handle? And surely there's something sweet beneath all that tart.

What one question would you like us to ask your readers?  giveaway must be digital. Open worldwide.

What's one food that you think is worth growing yourself or buying/foraging locally?

For me, one is raspberries, because they have such a short shelf life and thus are expensive, and another is tomatoes, because there's nothing in the world like a sun-ripened tomato. Yum!

While you were writing Raspberries and Vinegar, do you think it mattered where the book was set?

Very much so! First, because it's a book about farming and gardening, it needed to be set in a place where I understood the climate and growing conditions. I chose northern Idaho, as it's similar to where I live across the border. But Idaho is more on-the-ball with local foods than the setting I required, so I erased the state (sorry, Idahoans!) north of Coeur d'Alene and created what I needed.

Will we know what happens to your character after the end of the book?

Yes! Raspberries and Vinegar is the first in a three-book series. You'll meet Jo and Zach again in the other volumes, which continue with Jo and her friends' makeover of a rundown farm and include the romances of the other two participants. Wild Mint Tea will release in March 2014, and the final book, Sweetened with Honey, is scheduled for December 2014.

When you’re working on a project, how do you keep the immensity of it from getting you down?

How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time! It's the same with writing a novel. I set daily and weekly goals to keep the bites a manageable size.

Where can readers find you online?

 Connect at:

·                     Website: http://valeriecomer.com

·                     Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/valeriecomer.author

·                     Twitter: http://twitter.com/valeriecomer http://twitter.com/towritestory

·                     Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/valeriecomer

·                     Blog: http://valeriecomer.com/blog

·                     Writing Blog & Free eCourse: http://towriteastory.com

Purchase links at: http://www.choosenowpublishing.com/posts/books/raspberries-and-vinegar-farm-fresh-romance/

Valerie Comer’s life on a small farm in western Canada provides the seed for stories of contemporary inspirational romance. Like many of her characters, Valerie and her family grow much of their own food and are active in the local foods movement as well as their creation-care-centric church. She only hopes her characters enjoy their happily ever afters as much as she does hers, shared with her husband, adult kids, and adorable granddaughters.

Valerie writes Farm Lit with the voice of experience laced with humor. Raspberries and Vinegar, first in her series A Farm Fresh Romance, released August 1, 2013. Visit her at http://valeriecomer.com.