Always You with Jennifer Rodewald q&a

Hello, reader friends! In honor of her new release Always You, Jennifer Rodewald is joining us for a quick chat! Yay for author friend fun!

 

q&a

Share five favorite words or phrases.

J: “For the Love.” (My daughter likes to finish this for me with, “of sanity?” She’s adorable.)
“Be your best weird self.” (To my kids. They love me.)
“Awesome.” (Usually used in the sarcastic sense, which is probably not good.)
“Chilipeeps” or “Chilipeppers”… as in this is what I call my kids as a group. I love those guys.
“I made coffee…” (Spoken to me, of course. This is my love language.)

B: You are such a cool mom, your kids should absolutely love you! Good for you for engaging in positive self-talk, by the way!

Share five bookish favorites.

J: book – Eric Liddell: Pure Gold: The Olympic Champion Who Inspired Chariots of Fire by David McCasland
book – Me, Myself, and Bob by Phil Vischer
book – The Redeeming by Tamara Leigh
scripture – Psalm 103:1-5, 22 “Bless the Lord, oh my soul, and all that is within me, bless His holy name. Bless the Lord, oh my soul, and forget none of His benefits. Who pardons all your iniquities. Who heals all your diseases. Who redeems your life from the pit. Who crowns you with lovingkindness and compassion. Who satisfies your years with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagles… Bless the Lord, oh my soul!”
book quote – “Life is tricky. God gave us all the freedom to choose, and with that gift comes the freedom to choose poorly. But as I think you’ll see in my story, God has an uncanny ability to redeem our mistakes.” –Phil Vischer, Me, Myself, and Bob.

B: This is a great variety and it makes me smile!

What book(s) are you reading right now?

J: I just finished The Theft of the American Soul by Phil Robertson, as well as a couple of writing (craft) books by Elana Johnson. I’m in the middle of listening to the audio version of Mimi Matthew’s A Modest Independence (loving it). I’ll be starting Hands of Grace by Brenda S. Anderson later this week, and a reader just recommended Lysa TerKeurst’s Trustworthy study, so I’ll be ordering that this week as well.

B: More variety! You rock, my friend! I’ve enjoyed some Robertson books and a couple from Mimi Matthews, too!

What is your favorite activity or hobby not related to books?

J: I love pickleball, though I’ve got some chronic back issues that have limited my playing time over the last year or more, which is a bummer. With that, though, I’ve gone back to swimming (something I did in college, though not competitively), and have been enjoying that (as well as the back relief that comes with it!) ?

I’m also a gardener and am learning how to grow simple veggies with deep water culture hydroponics, so that’s been fun! Most of my time, however, goes to chasing my four teenage kids’ activities (we’re just finishing up swim season, and are heading into track), which I LOVE doing.

B: I haven’t played pickleball since high school but it was the ONLY sport I ever enjoyed participating in.

What are some of the challenges you faced while writing Always You?

J: Lauren is a different type a heroine for me (she’s a much softer, likable woman than most of my female leads)—that wasn’t really a challenge though. It was just different, and that proved to be really fun.

The biggest challenge, I think, was that I’ve never been to Lake Tahoe, which is the setting for Always You. I was totally bummed out that I couldn’t go for an exploration visit. I had to do my research all via Google, and the more I looked into lodges and activities and geography and… well, everything, the more I wished I was right there. Such is the life of a writer mom, though. ? I’m sure I didn’t do the place justice, so apologies in advance for that. Hands-on research just wasn’t realistic for this one, in this particular season of my life.

(Side note: I HAVE flown into the Tahoe airport, en route to Washington. That first scene of the book… while I didn’t puke on anyone, the getting sick part was totally autobiographical. You’re welcome for me sharing. ?)

B: I’m glad you did not puke on anyone! Lake Tahoe is on my bucket list, too! Browsing pics for that spot was no hardship! ?

What is your next release and/or what are you working on now?

J: Currently I’m working on book 2 of the Big Prairie Romance series (book 1 came out in January—When I Come Home Again. Book 2 is When I Lost My Way, and it’s coming along). This book will come out in late summer, if I remember correctly. Before that, however, my second Potters House Book will release in June, and it’s also a Murphy Brothers Story. It’s called In Spite of Ourselves, and features Matt’s younger brother, Jackson, and… uh, his Vegas marriage. I love it and am anxious to send that one out into the world!

B: Yay!!! I’m so excited for more Big Prairie! My review of When I Come Home Again is coming soon (as soon as I get my act together) and I loved it! Eeeep! In Spite of Ourselves sounds soooo good, too!!! Thank you for chatting with us, Jennifer!

J: Thanks so much for having me on Faithfully Bookish, Beth. ❤ It’s a pleasure to be invited!

 

 

giveaway

Thanks to the generosity of the author, we have a copy of It Will Be Forever by Jennifer Rodewald for one fortunate Faithfully Bookish reader!

US only | ends 3/4 | complete giveaway rules

enter giveaway here
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Join our chat by sharing your thoughts in the comments!
I’ve already preordered my copy of Always You by Jennifer Rodewald!
Are you adding this title to your tbr, reader friends? Y’all need her books in your lives!!