WELCOME AUTHOR LAURA V. HILTON

WELCOME AUTHOR LAURA V. HILTON
Thursday, February 23, 2017 by Patti Shene

FEATURED BOOK: Patchwork Dreams (Book 1 of The Amish of Seymour Series)

AUTHOR: Laura V. Hilton

Publisher: Whitaker House

Genre: Amish - contemporary romance

Series or stand alone: 1st book in stand-alone series

Target age: Teen to adult

IT IS A PLEASURE TO WELCOME AUTHOR LAURA V. HILTON BACK TO THE OVER 50 WRITER. LAURA SHARES HER EXPERIENCE OF LANDING HER FIRST CONTRACT.

LAURA IS OFFERING A GIVEAWAY! SIMPLY LEAVE A COMMENT BELOW TO ENTER THE DRAWING FOR A COPY OF PATCHWORK DREAMS.

I was asked to write about landing my first writing contract. It’s been about twenty books ago, but I still remember that phone call.

I was sleeping. I am not exactly a night owl, but definitely not an early bird. It was about seven o’clock in the morning and the phone rang.

I rolled over, picked it up, and looked at caller ID. My agent. I answered.

“Hello?”

She said a few things I don’t remember. Pleasantries. Then, “It looks like it’s going to happen. We have requests for the full from Harvest House, Revell, Thomas Nelson, and an offer from Whitaker House.”

“Okay.” I didn’t squeal. I am so not a squealer. I think I surprised her. There was a pause as if she was processing the lack of a squeal. I felt kind of guilty for not responding correctly.

“I think a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush, you know?” she said.

I smiled at the cliché and agreed.

“Give me a few days to go over the contract, and then I’ll send it to you.”

That same day I received notice that my uncle died. My only uncle. I was sad, especially that he would never see this book. He was so supportive of my writing and wanted to buy all my books to put in his church library. (His wife has done that.) We were on the way to Michigan when the contract came. I went to the hotel business office to print off the contract so my husband and I could look over it and sign.

That was when it became real. It was one thing to get the call. Quite another to get the contract. I think I might have managed a tiny squeal, but I felt it was expected. I probably sounded no louder than a mouse’s squeak. I did bounce all the way to the pool where my husband and children were swimming to wave the printed contract.

It was real. And that was when the panic hit. All I had was a blurb. A synopsis. And three chapters. That was all. Except the deadline. I had that too. Six months. Could I do it?

I thought of all the people who write eight thousand or more words a day. Sure. No problem. Except I forgot to consider I homeschool five children… I’m a pastor’s wife. I don’t have all day to sit and just write.

And I was recovering from breast cancer. I was still bald from going through treatments. I had radiation and more chemo to get through.

But a friend (who was not affected by chemo brain) helped me figure out that if I wrote five hundred words a day it would be done before deadline and I’d have time to edit.

Yes! Five hundred words a day is doable!

I’ve tried to keep that in mind with every book since. Some days I get more words. A lot more. Some days I get zero. It equals out.

I dreamed of being a writer since I was a little kid, probably in third grade. And while I was not twenty-something when it became a reality, I was and am so glad it finally did.

Blurb for Patchwork Dreams

Becky Troyer has committed the ultimate sin, and finds herself on the edge of her Amish community. Jacob Miller believes he was sent to the Old Order Community in Missouri to help out a distant cousin. Instead, he discovers he was part of an arranged swap--sending men from his Pennsylvania district to the Missouri district to bring new blood into the Amish community. Becky dreams of marriage, but doesn't dare hope that anyone would choose her--not with her history. Can God use the lies that have affected Becky and Jacob to bring them together? Or will Jacob rebel and head home to his first love?

DON’T FORGET TO LEAVE A COMMENT TO BE PLACED IN THE DRAWING TO WIN A COPY OF PATCHWORK DREAMS BETWEEN NOW AND SUNDAY, MARCH 5TH MIDNIGHT MST.

Laura V. Hilton is an award-winning, sought-after author with almost twenty Amish, contemporary, and historical romances. When she’s not writing, she reviews books for her blogs, and writes devotionals for blog posts for Seriously Write and Putting on the New.

Laura and her pastor-husband have five children and a hyper dog named Skye. They currently live in Arkansas. One son is in the U.S. Coast Guard. She is a pastor’s wife, and homeschools her two youngest children.

When she’s not writing, Laura enjoys reading, and visiting lighthouses and waterfalls. Her favorite season is winter, her favorite holiday is Christmas.

Connect with Laura online

Blogs: Laura V. Hilton & Lighthouse-Academy

Twitter

Facebook

Pinterest

Purchase Laura’s books:

Amazon

CBD

Barnes and Noble

Deeper Shopping

Comments

Patti Shene From SE Colorado At 3/7/2017 1:02:31 PM

Hi Jacqueline. Thank you so much for your words of encouragement and support to Laura. I appreciate you stopping by!

Jacqueline Gillam Fairchild From Dunlap, Ill At 3/7/2017 12:56:19 PM

Dear Laura: There is something so encouraging about your interview. I am sorry you had to suffer through cancer but your contract was a little winged prayer to help you out. And your success has simply grown. Congratulations for all your hard work. Jacqueline

Patti Shene From SE Colorado At 3/5/2017 5:58:32 PM

Hi Robin! So glad you stopped by and let us know you were here.

Robin Dill From Kansas City Missouri At 3/5/2017 5:43:39 PM

I just love reading books from my home state. Wonderful writer

Patti Shene From SE Colorado At 3/4/2017 11:47:28 PM

Linda, thank you for stopping by and letting us know you were here!

Linda Palmer From Wamego, KS At 3/4/2017 11:42:51 PM

I love Amish fiction. I enjoyed hearing about you on Patti''s blog. Would like to read your book.

Patti Shene From SE Colorado At 3/4/2017 10:51:22 PM

Hi June. Thank you for stopping by and leaving a comment.

June From Kansas At 3/4/2017 10:48:17 PM

I will be looking forward to reading your book.

Patti Shene From SE Colorado At 3/4/2017 9:57:32 PM

Hi Gail! Always good to see you here, my friend! Thanks for stopping by!

Patti Shene From SE Colorado At 3/4/2017 9:56:00 PM

Hi Kathy! Thank you for stopping by and letting us know you were here.

Gail kittleson From Iowa At 3/4/2017 9:54:05 PM

Great to read about your beginnings, Laura.

Kathy Jacob From Virginia At 3/4/2017 9:48:23 PM

Another book by Laura V. Hilton! I''m a fan!

Patti Shene From SE Colorado At 2/24/2017 10:53:28 AM

Hi Cleo. Thank you for stopping by and leaving a comment. Part of the purpose of this blog is to promote authors and their work, so I''m thrilled that you will be further advertising Laura''s work.

Patti Shene From SE Colorado At 2/24/2017 10:51:57 AM

Hi Elaine. Thank you for stopping by and leaving a comment for Laura. I''m excited for you and that next novel. I''m still struggling with pre-Freshman year! All the encouragement from all of you writers is a great help!

Patti Shene From SE Colorado At 2/24/2017 10:49:23 AM

Hi Tina. Sorry it took me so long to reply. Glad you liked the interview Thank you for stopping by.

Cleo Lampos From Oak Lawn, IL At 2/24/2017 9:09:59 AM

I will be posting this book on my Pinterest page. Will probably purchase it from amazon. Love quilt stories.

Elaine Stock From NY At 2/24/2017 4:01:34 AM

Laura, I enjoyed learning more about you. As an author facing my sophomore novel I find great encouragement by your words. As a friend (how I see it) I''m cheering for you. God bless.

Tina Wyatt From Adamsville, Al At 2/23/2017 4:57:15 PM

This is a good interview. It was nice to read about how Laura got her start.

Patti Shene From SE Colorado At 2/23/2017 3:40:19 PM

I agree, Maryann. I love to read stories of how writers first got started on their journey. Thank you so much for stopping by and leaving a comment.

Maryann Skaritka From Coram, NY At 2/23/2017 3:21:04 PM

How wonderful to read about Laura''s first writing contract and how God fulfilled the writing desire of her heart in his time. I would love to read her book.