When I was a little girl, growing up as an only child out in the country, I found comfort in books.
Decades have passed, but I haven’t changed much.
Good day or bad, give me a sweet story, a cup of tea, and a Lorna Doone cookie or two. My soul will ease, I will breathe more freely, and I will come away smiling.
I have no interest in horror stories, plots where everyone dies in the end, or quirky literary fiction where I can’t figure out what’s going on. I like sweet stories filled with hope and love.
I look for books that are a haven, a sanctuary, a way to feel like I’m home—safe and warm and loved—no matter what’s going on around me.
So that’s what I work to create in the books I write. All my book are contemporary Christian romance, so of course (of course!) there is a love story. And my characters certainly have problems to face, lessons to learn, and areas where they need to grow.
But the world they operate in—the little, fictional town of Abundance, Missouri—is a place mostly filled with good people, a place that I try to give the best qualities of home.
Home is familiar, so I’m writing a series (I’m currently working on the sixth book), so readers can come back again and again to a place they know. Home is where people know you well, and where you know others well—so people in Abundance often remember stories about each other from high school and they know who’s related to whom. And home is where people care, so people in my books look after their neighbors.
For instance, in my latest novel, Love, Lies, and Homemade Pie, a prequel to the series set in 1980, the heroine of the story is a newcomer to town named Cara. She finds in the following scene that the newspaper editor–who asked her out and is now cancelling their date–truly cares about the people in Abundance.
__________
The phone rang.
“Mayor Findley’s office,” she said, sliding her makeup back in her purse. “This is Cara.”
“Cara? It’s Will. I’m sorry, but I have to cancel.”
“Cancel?”
“We’ve got a big story we’re working on,” he said. “We’ll be late going to press, and I know your lunch time is set.”
“I see.” Cara frowned. She was all too familiar with big stories in the media.
“There was a fire on a cul-de-sac on the west side of town. Three homes destroyed, and three more damaged. A house near the middle had stored gasoline that exploded.”
“Exploded? Wow.”
“It’s a miracle no one was hurt. Anyway, we ripped up the front page. This is important.”
“I…I understand,” she said, trying to sound as if she did. “I guess something like that is big news. You need to report it.” But she didn’t like it. It might not be a story of scandal, might not ruin anyone’s life. Even so, those people were having a hard enough time already. Did they really need their misery plastered all over the front page for everyone to gawk at?
“Yeah, it is big,” Will said. “But within an hour, everyone in town will know about the fire. It’s more about getting the story out because there are eight kids plus their parents who lost everything. We’re running a list of clothing sizes and places where people can drop off donations.”
“Oh-hh.” She hadn’t even thought of that. “I can run out tonight and buy some things for the kids.”
“What?” Will’s voice was muffled. “They need me in the back shop,” he said more clearly. “I’ll call you later.”
Cara hung up, then looked back at her desk.
She’d thought that over lunch she’d get to know Will better.
But maybe, even though lunch was canceled, she’d gotten to know something important about him.
Because she’d learned that in his work as a journalist, Will Hamlin wasn’t trying to make money by reporting on someone else’s misery. He was trying to do good, helping his fellow citizens.
Just the qualities Cara wanted in a man.
_________
About Love, Lies, and Homemade Pie
When a woman who’s keeping secrets falls for a journalist who’s digging for the truth, does the attraction between them stand a chance?
Cara Smith has a whole new life planned—a new name, a new look, and a new hometown in Abundance, Missouri. If she can just avoid questions from that intriguing guy at the newspaper, no one will ever find out about her past.
Will Hamlin, editor of the local paper, can’t help but wonder about the mayor’s new secretary. She’s clearly hiding something—something that could be the big story the newspaper desperately needs to stay afloat. But after Will’s initial inquiries fail to turn up anything, he grows less interested in Cara’s past and more interested in winning her heart with slices of pie and stolen kisses.
When a crime is uncovered at city hall just as Will unearths Cara’s dark secret, the repercussions shatter their romance. Has Cara really left her past behind? Can Will finally find a way to save the paper? And can they each place their trust in God and together find freedom in the truth and overcome the obstacles to their love?
____
Speaking of feeling like home, for me, after living here for more than twenty years, home is Ohio. Do you have a place—whether you currently live there or not—that feels like home? If so, please share in the comments.
I’m giving away a free copy of my book, Love, Lies, and Homemade Pie (one Kindle copy, available worldwide) to someone who comments.
If you’d like to be included in the drawing, please comment by Friday evening, Aug. 30, 2019. One person who comments on this post will be chosen at random, notified by email, and announced in a Sunday edition.
*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.*
And don’t forget, a comment on this post also enters you into the drawing for the great prizes in the Back-2-School Bash! So many chances to win!
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.
Sounds like a fun book! Will definitely is someone worth getting to know better 😉
Hi Sally! SW Michigan feels like home. Love living within a mile of Lake Michigan with its historic lighthouse, independently owned businesses, farms, and restaurants. Our small resort town is the county seat. We have good doctors and a major hospital. We are only a two hour drive from the Windy City Chicago. By Great Uncle Otto and distant relatives helped build many of the neighborhoods in the 1950s.
Enjoyed reading your story Love, Lies, and Homemade Pie. You were spot on with the 1980s setting. Remember the decade well. Best wishes and enjoy your week. Fall is in the air.
Sounds like a place I would love to visit. I like in Knoxville,Tennessee for 62 yrs in the same are . Then I move to Dougalsville, Georgia to be with my daughter and it feels like home to me.
Hi Sally, Will and Cara’s story sounds good, thanks for sharing:) Good question- it has taken awhile, but Victoria feels like home now.
Blessings:)
I moved from my small Kentucky hometown at 17 but always lived within 40 miles of it. At 55, we built a home there and I returned. It’s a very rural area and so when I say hometown, I actually mean county. My dad had 11 brothers and sisters. Nine lived to adulthood and 8 of those stayed in the county to raise their families. Needless to say, I have a lot of relatives here so it will always feel like home.
Hi Sally! Even though we moved long ago, the mountains of N.C. is home to me.
It is so beautiful there and living up on the mountain makes the heavens seem that much more spectacular.
I would definitely like to read Will and Cara’s story. Thanks for sharing. One of the places that has always felt like home is my aunt and uncles kitchen in a small Oklahoma town. On Sunday, my aunt would always fry the best fried chicken in the world. My family would talk & help cook, play dominoes, and have the best time ever.
Oh, wow, the book sounds great!! I feel at home here in my home state of FL, but I also feel at home in GA. My Daddy was born and raised there, and we always went there to visit our relatives. I’m as home there as I am here. At least there, I get to experience the change in seasons, too, which is why I always loved going up there in October!
Home for me is Ohio too. I have lived in my small, college town for many years but I grew up in a larger, college town. I also spent my summers in NH so that feels like my second home.
Thank you! He was a fun character to write!
Hi Renate!
You make me want to visit Michigan!
Thank you so much for your kind words about Love, Lies, and Homemade Pie. It was a blast writing about the ’80s. I don’t think my daughter ever believes me when I tell her all the work that went into big hair!
Hope you have a great week as well!
Hi Brenda,
Tennessee is such a beautiful state! I bet Georgia is even more lovely, though, if you get to see your daughter more often! Family is so important!
Hi Wemble,
I’m glad you like the sound of Love, Lies, and Homemade Pie!
It does take a while for a new place to feel like home. I’m glad Victoria feels right now for you! All the best!
Sherri,
I can’t imagine a situation that would make a place feel more like home! What a blessing to be surrounded by so much family and so many memories! It gives me a warm feeling just thinking about it!
Hi Michelle!
We just drove through the N.C. mountains last week on our way home from a quick trip to Wrightsville Beach. You are so right–those mountains are amazingly beautiful! What a wonderful place to have in your heart as home!
Hi Bernice,
What a wonderful memory of home! I can almost smell the fried chicken! Isn’t it interesting how a specific place, like a kitchen, can be what holds our heart? When I think of the home I grew up in, in southern Missouri, the spot I miss the most is the back yard. All those hours outside playing as a kid, I guess…
Thanks for sharing your memory!
Hi Trudy,
Thanks for your kind words about my book!
What a blessing to have family that made you feel so at home when you visited them in Georgia! It really is the love, I think, that makes a place feel like home.
All the best!
Hi Lori,
A fellow Ohioan! And a fellow college-town dweller! All the students have just returned to our small town. I hope by tomorrow I can visit the grocery store and not have to circle to find parking.
And I would so love to visit New Hampshire. I’ve never been to the Northeast and it is on my list! The pictures look so beautiful!
Thanks for stopping by!
Love this post, Sally! I have two different versions of home – one is “back home” as in NJ where I am from and miss dearly…the other is simply being at home surrounded by my favorite things, my best blanket, a cup of mocha café, and a whole mess of books, lol!
No need to enter me, I have this story already!
Thanks, Paula Marie!
Isn’t is wonderful how we can create a cozy nest wherever we are? Feathered with books, of course!
Thanks for stopping by!
I would love to read this series! I’m a small town Missouri girl! I always found myself in a tree reading a book on the farm! The population of my home town was 140 people and we joked that it probably included cows in that because we weren’t sure we had that many people!
Hi Angela,
I’m originally from Rolla! I love your joke about counting the cows in the population, lol!
Thanks for stopping by today! Have a great day!
Love the picture of that pie on the cover. Makes me hungry.
I’m originally from Flemington!
Your story sounds just like the books I love to read Ones where you can escape to another place and time. A place where you are reminded that goodness and good people still exist. I’d love to read it if I’m chosen. Keeping my fingers crossed
I’m with you: uplifting stories that make me feel good. That’s what I like to read, too! Keep ’em coming!
I volunteer in our Church Library and have for 40 years.
Our readers, me included, will love this book.
Thanks for entering me in your giveaway.
I grew up in a small village in south central Michigan. 850 people. It was wonderful!!! My daughter just bought a house there. She is six blocks from here couse and half a mile from her Papa on our family farm!
Your book sounds great. Thanx for the giveaway!!!!
How cool is that!
Lol, I am fond of pie!
Hi Beth,
We have the same taste in books! Goodness and good people are out there. I think if we get reminded of that in fiction, we notice it more often in real life. Best of luck in the giveaway!
Thanks, Stacey! And thanks for stopping by today!
Janet,
What a gift of service you have given your church library! Wow–forty years! I think you have a real heart for books!
Jennifer,
I bet your village is a such wonderful, close-knit community! What a blessing to grow up there and to know your daughter is there now, too.
Thanks for sharing about your home!
Loved the peek into the book.
After four years if retirement, this feels like home. We have lived many places in our 50 years together.
I do! My getaway place where I can relax on the beach with a good book – cozy little town – Carmel-by-the-Sea! It’s about three hours from us – one day – we might move there ;) A girl can dream, right?
I was born and raised in WV and was in WI twenty years but WV was always home. I’m glad to be home again.
I really enjoyed getting to know Will and Cara. Thanks for sharing
Even though I only lived 5 years in the Finger Lakes region (NY), it was where my husband and I started a life together and it will always feel like home to us.
Hi Paula,
I’m so glad you liked the sneak peek!
I bet after many moves, you know how to make a new place feel like home faster!
Thanks for stopping by!
Natalya,
I like your dream! In my opinion, the ocean is one of God’s most beautiful creations! Wouldn’t it be wonderful to live by the water?
Hope you get to visit Carmel-by-the-Sea soon!
Oh, West Virginia! I only live about half an hour away and so I get to go there often. What a gorgeous, gorgeous place to call home! So glad you are there again!
Hi Priscila,
I certainly can understand how Finger Lakes would call to you! We drove by there a few years ago on our way to visit my aunt and uncle in Binghamton. I’ve wanted to go back for a vacation ever since! And how special to have memories from early in your marriage of such a lovely place!
Thank you so much for your comment!
Hi Sally I Live in Waterloo, Ohio in the country I have always been an Ohioan Your book sounds like a great book and the pie looks so awesome I myself love pie too! Thank you for this amazing post!
For the past 18 years I’ve lived in Virginia. I started out living in California for 14 years then keNtucky for 4 while in high school and 4 years mostly in Tennessee while in college (except during school breaks). After graduating from college I moved to Virginia and have lived in the same area since then. While I do consider this area my home, I don’t think of myself as being ‘from’ here. I don’t really consider myself from CA anymore or KY either, so when people ask where I’m from I don’t have a quick answer.
Hi Sarah! So great to meet a fellow Ohioan! (I’m waving, but you probably can’t see, lol!) Thanks for your kind words about Love, Lies, and Homemade Pie and thanks for stopping by!
Hi Melynda,
The answer of “where are you from” does get tricky doesn’t it? I’ve lived most of my life in Ohio and Missouri and often feel I need to get both places into my answer. I love Ohio but clearly, since all my books so far are set in Missouri, I’ve got part of my heart there.
Thanks for sharing today!
YES! Live by the water and listen to the ocean every day <3
Hi Sally, I haven’t read any of your books yet but I do love a good “comfort” book so will have to check your books out. Love discovering new authors too.
The place that always feels like “home” to me is our holiday home that has been in our family for almost 100 years. It’s on the beach and no matter how often life changes and I move house again a holiday there is like coming home as it holds the memories for so many years and so many family members.
Hi Carolyn,
What a treasure to have a holiday home on the beach that has been in family for so long! That sounds wonderful! Hope you have a great weekend!
I’ve had a love of books ever since I read these words, “Run Spot Run”.
Thank you for your kind words.
I love your idea of creating a home base for readers to return to again and again. It reminds me of the song “The House That Built Me”. I would love to be able to visit my childhood home, but I know it exists only in my memories. I have always loved reading the domestic aspects in books. As a child, I read a book about a girl named Katie John who found an old abandoned house that she would visit. She noted that there was no window over the kitchen sink, but the former owner had hung newspaper clippings over the sink to occupy her/his mind while performing the mundane task of dishwashing. That has stuck with me for years! I wish I could remember the name of the book, I only remember that it was set on the Mississippi River. It’s funny how such odd facts stick in our minds! Thank you for the great introduction to your books!
I too enjoy books that make me feel happy. I do not enjoy horror books or movies. I lived in Georgia for almost 50 years, but moved to another state a few years ago. It still does not feel like home. Thank you for the book preview.