Hi Everyone! I recently read A Date for Daisy by Tara Grace Ericson and loved it! Tara’s one of our newer bloggers here at Inspy Romance, and I wanted to get to know her better and learn more about how she wrote this great book, so I got out my former reporter skills and interviewed her. Here’s how it went!
Sally: Thanks so much for agreeing to talk with me about A Date for Daisy. Can you tell everyone about it?
Tara: A Date for Daisy is the second book in the Bloom Sisters Series. Free-spirited Daisy Bloom is determined to turn her 100-year-old house into a bed and breakfast. The only problem? She knows nothing about renovations.
Enter Lance Matthews, construction guru and business owner. He is determined to tackle this project with his usual methodical, organized approach. His only problem? The beautiful and infuriating homeowner — deeply involved with the project and completely averse to lists, schedules, or any form of organization.
When sparks fly between these wildly different personalities, will they find common ground? Or does God have other plans for each of them?
It’s a sweet, small-town/rural romance with themes of acceptance and family. It will make you laugh out loud and hopefully, appreciate the little things that make everyone different.
Sally: It did make me laugh. It was a very fun book! But it also made me curious–have you ever gone through a remodel? If not, how did you research the experience?
Tara: My husband and I have a habit of buying houses that need a little love. For some reason, we also start those renovations when we have a 6-month old – we have done that twice now! We are both engineers and like the problem solving that comes with renovations, and we don’t like paying for things we can do ourselves. So all of our renovations take months and months. We have now fully remodeled two kitchens and three bathrooms, plus removed walls and installed new floors. Everything that Daisy and Lance do in the book, I was able to use my personal experience – except their first kiss… because I don’t go in crawlspaces. LOL! Daisy is braver than me!
Sally: Wow! That’s a lot of remodeling experience! As I was reading A Date for Daisy, I wondered if you might be a fellow HGTV fan. Are you, and if so, what are your favorite HGTV shows?
Tara: I do love HGTV, though we don’t pay for cable anymore. I love shows like Fixer Upper and Property Brothers where they renovate old houses and show the potential! I also have a lot of fun watching the show Good Bones which renovates houses in Indianapolis, because we used to live there!
Sally: Very cool! I see we have some favorites in common. Another question–the hero of this book is neat and super-organized. The heroine is the complete opposite. I’m putting you on the spot here–is one of these characters more like you?
Tara: Hahaha!! One of the reasons I love this particular book so much is because it draws so many parallels to my own relationship with my husband. I am creative and free-spirited (and more than a little scatterbrained at times) and he is organized and methodical. I cry every time the hero and heroine realize their opposites are the very thing that make them perfect together, because it is exactly how I feel about my real life love story.
Sally: One other thing I was wondering is how many more books are you planning in the Bloom Sisters Series? Do you have other books out or other series planned?
Tara: The Bloom Family has 6 daughters, and each daughter will get a book. With their brother Hawthorne’s story, the series will be 7 books! Currently, the first three (Hawthorne, Daisy, and Poppy) are out, with Lavender coming in September.
My other ongoing project is a multi-author Christmas series called The Heroes of Freedom Ridge. The first book in the series comes out in October.
The first series I wrote is called The Main Street Minden Series and is 4 books, each covering a season in small-town Minden, Indiana. Bloom’s farm is close to Minden, so characters and places from that series make cameos in my current series!
I’m still trying to decide what I will write after the Bloom Sisters all have their story told. I have lots of ideas!
Sally: I was fascinated to learn that you had worked as an engineer before you became a full-time author. Had you always secretly wanted to write? How did you switch from one career to the other when they are so very different?
Tara: I never, ever dreamed I would be an author. Perhaps it was a childhood dream that I let die while my more practical nature steered me toward engineering! But, God had to give me a couple of pretty big wake-up calls before I would listen to him and finish my book. It had started as a time-killing activity while on long flights and in bleak hotels while I traveled 10+ nights of every month. When my husband took a new job and we moved across the country, I told him I didn’t think I was supposed to get a job. God has affirmed that decision many times since then, and He has been so faithful. For my writing, I lean on 1 Thess 5:24 – God who called you is faithful; He will surely do it.
Sometimes it is crazy to realize how different my life is than just three years ago. I worked in operations at a manufacturing facility with 700 of my closest guy friends. My hard hat and steel-toed boots still live in my closet. Last week, I talked with a group of women about writing perfect kissing scenes, haha!
Sally: What’s a typical work day like for you?
I squeeze writing and working in when I can, while chasing my 4-year-old and 20-month-old boys. When I am drafting a book, I try to write 2000 words a day – roughly one chapter. My husband is amazing and I often bow out of bedtime to go work, and sometimes on weekends he gives me the whole day. But mostly, I sneak in words here and there on my phone in Google Docs or work while they are distracted by Sesame Street for 20 minutes!
Sally: Okay, now I’m totally impressed. You can do all that calculus AND you manage to write while chasing two little boys. Wow.
One last question. What’s your favorite thing about being an author?
Tara: While writing is mostly a solitary pursuit, I love the community of Christian authors and readers I have connected with.
My closest author friends chat every day, pray for and encourage one another. We brainstorm together and give feedback on our writing. It is truly a blessing.
Hearing from readers about my books is possibly one of the best feelings in the entire world. I’ve gotten to know several of them quite well. I know some authors don’t read their reviews, because the bad ones sting, but I just love seeing a review where someone said I encouraged them in their faith or prayer life. That’s why I do it. Plus – it’s really, really fun to hold a book you wrote in your hands! ;)
Sally: I agree! Tara, thank you so much for letting me interview you today. It was really fun to learn more about how you wrote A Date for Daisy, about your background, and about your writing life!
Readers, clearly, Tara wrote from experience with all those remodeling scenes. As a reader, do you think you can tell when an author writes from real life experience? What clues give it away? Or have you ever been surprised to read in an author’s note about the lengths they went to in their research? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments.
Tara’s generously offered a free e-book copy of the first book of this series, Hoping for Hawthorne, to one person who comments on this post. The winner will be drawn at random, notified by email, and announced in a Sunday edition. If you’d like to be included in the drawing, please comment by the end of the day on Thursday, Sept. 3, 2020.
*Void where prohibited; the odds of winning depend on the number of entrants. Entering the giveaway is considered a confirmation of eligibility on behalf of the enterer in accord with these rules and any pertaining local/federal/international laws.*
Sally Bayless writes contemporary Christian romance that features compelling characters, real-world problems, and uplifting endings filled with the power of love. She lives in the beautiful hills of Appalachian Ohio and has two grown children. When not working on her next book, she enjoys reading, watching BBC television with her husband, doing Bible studies, kayaking, and shopping for cute shoes. For updates on her writing and a free insider’s guide to her books, subscribe to her newsletter by clicking the newsletter icon below or visiting http://bit.ly/NewsfromSally.
I adore HGTV and all the fixer upper shows Ben and Erin are my latest favorites, as I binge watched all their episodes during April and May!!
I used to like Extreme Makeover Home Edition, but I don’t watch any other shows like it. I have what my cable provider calls “basic” cable, so I don’t get those types of shows. I’d much prefer to spend my time reading! I usually read while watching TV. I can keep track of what happens both places, unless one or the other pulls me in more!
Isn’t HGTV fun? Whether on TV or on a book, the idea of turning a place that’s ugly or doesn’t serve the right purpose into something wonderful is so fun to experience! And so much more pleasant than experiencing it in my own home, lol!
Reading is always (and I think for me will always be) the best! You’re right, there’s nothing like a book!
Sometimes when reading about an author’s research process and all of the sources they used, I wonder how long that process took and if it was longer than writing the book.
Sometimes, when it is a topic or area I am well versed about, other times I would not have the faintest idea, but that’s why it’s fiction. What an amazing time the two of you had in the interview, the joy and fun comes through so eloquently! Thanks.
I love series where people their house renovate. It is cool to see how the house turned out! What a great story, thank you so much for this interview! I like the cover and the title! This book will be definetely on my booklist!
It’s an interesting premise and I love that it came from her experiences. I’ve not really watched much fixer upper shows but I enjoy reading about them. It’s so nice to see something beautiful come out of something that seemed lost.
I haven’t been able to tell because the authors have done a lot of research to write their books. I like to read the acknowledgments to see their research.
If this is the subject I’m an expert in, I usually can tell if author did the homework or had an experience :) Or if the author talks about the place I’ve visited, I can compare with what I know about the place. It’s interesting when authors use different language and I happen to know it – this is where fun begins LOL
I enjoy HGTV too! I think as long as an author does the research that its usually fairly difficult to tell whether they write from experience or just research. Usually I can’t tell, though I do enjoy reading the author notes at the end of books, when included, where they tell more about the research involved or what they took liberties with in their stories.
I agree with the other commenters that I can’t usually tell unless it’s something I know a lot about. I do enjoy when authors share that a scene or story was pulled from personal experience. Also when you guys share some of what you did for research.
Hi Jessica! From what I’ve heard from friends who write historical romance, I think it can. I tried writing a historical once. It took me a month to write three pages. That was the end of that!
Hi Dianne! You’re so right. I really enjoyed interviewing Tara. One day I’d love to meet all the InspyRomance readers and writers in person. Wouldn’t we have a blast?
Hi Marilene! I’m so glad you enjoyed the interview. After I read the book I had one of those moments where I felt I wanted to recommend it to everyone I saw. But I’m barely leaving the house, and my husband sadly wasn’t ready to read a romance. I knew the readers here at Inspy Romance were the people to tell!
Hi Ochegba–there’s something very Biblical, very beauty from ashes, about renovation stories, isn’t there? It really warms the heart when both the setting and the people are transformed.
Hi Lori! I love reading acknowledgments too! I think when I was younger I skimmed past them, but now I recognize how often, whether we are writing a book or doing any type of big project, many people contribute. It’s fascinating to see the web of people who helped make a book I enjoyed.
Hi Natalya! I hadn’t thought about the authenticity of information about setting in a story, but that’s a very interesting point. I remember a TV show my husband and daughter and I were watching recently. The farmhand was shown repeatedly moving the hay from one side of the barn to the other with a pitchfork. (And then back!) The three of us laughed because we thought the writer of the show could have used a little more knowledge about farming. I never saw anyone just moving hay around for fun!
This made me laugh out loud! That’s the same reason historical is a no-go for me as well. You REALLY have to love the research side of it!
Thanks for stopping by, and I really hope you enjoy it, Marilene! Be sure to let me know what you thought. :)
I used to skip the Author Notes, but when I started reading them I felt like I “knew” the author a little more! And extra tidbits about the process are always interesting.
Speaking my language, Sally! This is exactly what I hoped to convey in the book!
Hi Megan! Picture me letting out a little sigh of relief here. I know, personally, I try so hard to get things accurate. I realize fiction isn’t real, but I still want to portray things as honestly as I can and sometimes research is the only way to do it. And like you, I enjoy reading other author’s notes. It’s so fun to get a peek into how a story was created.
Hi Katy! I enjoy knowing when scenes are drawn from real life too. Like learning that Tara did everything but go into the crawl space–it just makes the story more fun! You also make me think that I should write a blog about some of my research. I’ve met some great people because of it! :)
I’m looking forward to reading this series, sometime soon!
LOL that’s funny…I’ve listened to an audiobook recently and in the story the family had a Russian cook, so the narrator pronounced one of the dishes many times AND it was not correct ;)
I just finished Hoping for Hawthorne and loved it! I read Falling on Main Street, from the Minden series, a while ago with similar enjoyment. I’m looking forward to when I can read Daisy’s story as well. I am definitely a Tara Grace fan. I grew up in a small town amidst family farms so the Minden and Bloom family stories make me feel right at home. Add to that the fact that I was a software engineer and am now trying my hand at writing and the circle is complete. I’m pretty sure I’m her brother from another mother! :)
When it comes to recognizing research and authenticity in writing, it only registers with me when it’s something that I know something about and it goes quite astray. I worked in the world of satellites. In the story that I am writing, I am trying to convey the environment with only a minimum of technical details. The setting is intriguing but nobody is likely to know that the satellites being talked about are improbable, or care. It’s the people that matter. The rest is just a way to bring them together. As an aside for the curious, in my story, the satellites are technically correct but they would not be cost effective. Does that matter for the story? I don’t think so, but perhaps others would disagree?
I too enjoy HGTV. We are not home renovators so when we retired and moved we bought a new house and watched it being built. Our former townhouse of 30 years was built in the 70s. There was always something that had to be fixed and then brought up to code. I learned a lot about building codes that way. Our son-in-law is amazing and is always building / remodeling something. The series sounds interesting.
I sometimes watch HGTV. Thank you for sharing.
I think I can really only tell when an author hasn’t been somewhere when they talk of sights or scenery that I know isn’t there. For example, don’t mention all the mountains around Chicago – there are none. :)
Sometimes, it’s hard to tell if it comes from experience or if the author did a great job researching.
I’m so glad you are enjoying the books, Lincoln! It’s great to see another engineer making a foray into writing :)
Best of luck to you! (I’d go for less technical, but accurate… and if you want to make a note about the liberties you took at the end, you can!)
There are a few authors I know of that write books in the career they are in, so you know they are writing from their own experiences. I’ve also had authors do a lot of research, but you would never know they didn’t write from experience because they do a great job with the story.
I’ve been surprised a time or two to learn a writer has no experience with what they are writing about, but I could never tell the difference :-) I love it when a writer can “fool” me!
Honestly, I’ve never pondered that question. I just prefer to read the Author’s Note at the end and see if it was from experience or a thorough research ;)
I always think that authors write what they know and what they have found out from research!
Oops! :)
I’m totally hooked, Abigail, and now waiting for the next one to come out.
Hi Lincoln! You’ve touched on a really hard issue–how to make scientific information understandable to the non-scientist and believable to the scientist. I agree with your goal of minimal technical details. They won’t add anything for most readers. For me as a reader, if your story had an author’s note that said this technology was not yet cost-effective, I would be happy with the story, especially since most tech stuff gets cheaper quickly.
Or is there a way to inoculate the reader to the question? Actually bring up the issue of cost early in the story and somehow say that it doesn’t matter for this company? Like perhaps they are willing to lose money now to get control of the market? That once they have a virtual monopoly, they know they will make money for years to come?
Good luck!!
Hi Diana! I think watching a house get built get done sounds like a great option–interesting and completely within my skill set! :)
Thanks for stopping by, Lucy!
Good point, Arletta! I’m just working with my cover designer for my next book and just asked her to take mountains out of one of the images we are considering using. No mountains in northern Missouri where my books are set either!
Hi Denise! That’s what all authors hope! Great to hear from you!
Hi Trixi! What a great perspective! Thanks for stopping by!
Hi Priscila! That’s the best way to know for sure! Thanks for your comment!
Hi Linda! You’re right! It is almost always a combination of the two for me. Thanks for stopping by!
Maybe your next “post” could be an interactive one via zoom – then you could meet people safely from all over the world! Have a great day :)
This books sounds like it should be in my TBR. Thank you for sharing.
My husband and I went through home renovations last year and those were supposed to be up before our baby boy was born.. it turned out the 3-month planned renovations took 9-months and our baby was 6 months old when we were done. But we’re not brave enough to do them ourselves. The final product was great, but the length of the project was devastating.
HGTV has a lot of fun and interesting shows.
Ooh! That would be fun! I don’t quite know how to do the tech. I will ask my husband. Maybe he will know. :)
Yikes! Nine months of renovations and six of them with a new baby!
I agree, Susanne! Thanks for stopping by!
If an author does extensive research, it can be hard to tell if they are speaking from personal experience or not! I can’t imagine all the work it must take to make sure everything is right in a book before it is published.
I only recognize a failure to research if it’s a subject I’m very familiar with. But, I always love to hear about research authors have done to prepare for books!