Interview with Valerie Comer

Welcome, Valerie. Glad to have you with us. Tell us about your new book:

Sprouts of Love

Single mom Evelyn Felton takes on a third part-time job managing a greenhouse and garden project for Grace Fellowship. Formerly homeless, she’s thrilled to offer truckloads of fresh produce to the Arcadia Valley food bank.

If only Ben Kujak weren’t running Corinna’s Cupboard singlehandedly, he’d be delighted to be on the receiving end. But Evelyn and her dynamo daughter, Maisie, won’t take no for an answer, even if it means restructuring Ben’s charity.

Soon Ben finds himself wishing they’d transform his personal life, too, but can true love sprout when their pasts collide with the present?

Why do you write the kind of books you do?

I write romance novels because I believe in love! Everyone needs to feel that they matter to someone, and that’s at the core of many of my stories. I infuse my romances with local food themes because that’s the world many people today live in. We’ve become aware that food from a distance has a cost and that what we eat matters to our health and our environment.

What is your current work in progress?

 I’m currently in the midst of writing the next novel in the same series as Sprouts of Love. It will be called Rooted in Love and also takes place in Arcadia Valley, which has become one of my favorite places! The hero is a single dad with precocious six-year-old boys… oh what fun I’m having.

What three things about you would surprise readers?

1. I have a very small garden. We use to grow enough food for several large families, but we are trying to be more realistic and buy more of our food from the local farmers market.

2. Although most of my stories take place in the mountains west, my heart is at the ocean. One of my favorite places on the planet is Vancouver Island with my gaze fixed to the horizon, always hoping to spot a whale!

3. I’m a total introvert, which isn’t the same as being shy. I’m happy enough chatting with strangers, but barely notice if no one suggests we go out for lunch or coffee for weeks or months on end. My idea of a perfect week is stopping for groceries on my way home from church then not leaving the farm until next Sunday!
 
What are your hobbies, besides writing and reading?

 I’d have to say spending time with my hubby. We like to get out for short hikes in our valley, we love parking our small holiday trailer near a mountain stream, and we like to take road trips around the west. Day to day, it may not seem like I have many hobbies, but I do enjoy spending time with my grandgirls: doing puzzles, reading, having tea, and bouncing on the trampoline.

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

Because I write  without an outline, I often don’t know where a story is going until it gets there. This is both terrifying and exhilarating at the same time. I feel very dependent on God’s leading every day when I sit down to write.

Bio

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

Valerie is a USA Today bestselling author and a two-time Word Award winner. She writes engaging characters, strong communities, and deep faith laced with humor into her green clean romances.

Links
http://valeriecomer.com
http://arcadiavalleyromance.com
http://inspyromance.com
http://twitter.com/valeriecomer
https://www.pinterest.com/valeriecomer/garden-grown-romances-set-in-arcadia-valley-idaho/
https://www.pinterest.com/valeriecomer/arcadia-valley-romance/