Piece By Piece Blog Tour: Author Interview + Giveaway

 

Welcome to the Blog Tour & Giveaway for Piece by Piece by Laura Bradford, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!

Title: Piece by Piece
Author: Laura Bradford
Publisher: Kensington Publishing
Release Date: July 28, 2020
Genre: Christian Contemporary Amish Romance

A grieving mother learns to heal in Amish country, in this heartfelt, beautifully told novel from national bestselling author Laura Bradford.

Danielle Parker is a gold-medal mom—the kind who volunteers in her children’s classrooms, shuttles them between activities, throws legendary birthday parties, and has a remedy on hand for any emergency. Whatever her husband, Jeff, and their children need, Dani is there, always.

Except for one day.

On that day—the day that Dani reluctantly takes some “me time” while her mom and Jeff drive the children to the park—the unthinkable happens. The car crash leaves no survivors. Somehow, Dani gets through the funerals and visits, accepting neighbors’ sympathy and dropped-off meals. All the while, guilt and grief make her wish the accident had claimed her life too. Then a call comes from Lydia Schlabach, an Amish woman Dani befriended in childhood. In addition to condolences, Lydia offers Dani something more: a place to escape to.

In Pennsylvania’s Amish country, Dani’s days take on a new rhythm, marked by the clip-clop of buggies and the bustle of chores. Lydia gives Dani space to mourn, to think, and to realize how long it’s been since she felt like a person in her own right. And with the help of friendships old and new, Dani learns about the ways life continues to surprise us—even after the deepest loss—with joy, love, and second chances. . . .

PURCHASE LINKS*: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Christianbook

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Laura Bradford is the national bestselling author of more than 35 books and stories, including her latest novel, Piece by Piece. Her first women’s fiction novel, Portrait of a Sister, was a July 2018 Book Club Pick for Delilah of Delilah Radio and a Summer Book Club pick for Southern Lady Magazine.

Laura also pens several mystery series including; An Amish Mystery series, the Emergency Dessert Squad Mysteries, the Tobi Tobias Mysteries, and the Southern Sewing Circle Mysteries (written as Elizabeth Lynn Casey). She is a former Agatha Award nominee, and the recipient of an RT Reviewer’s Choice Award in romance. Laura enjoys baking, spending time with her family, and being an advocate for those living with multiple sclerosis. Learn more at: https://www.laurabradford.com/

CONNECT WITH LAURA: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

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Hi Laura! Thank you for taking the time to answer these questions and giving my readers the chance to get to know you and your newest novel- Piece by Piece- a little bit better. I always like to begin these interviews the same way with something fun… tell us 5 random facts about yourself that we WON’T find in your bio!

Hmmmm…

 

1)    My favorite flower is the lilac and I can smell them long before I see them.2)    I’m notoriously “late to the party” when it comes to popular TV shows. I hear the buzz, I know they’re out there, but as I’m not a big TV watcher, I tend to get around to them years later.  Case in point: I’m currently watching The Office.3)    I love to bake. But when I get to put white chocolate on or in something? My absolute favorite!4)    I despise shopping. However, boots and cookbooks are a different story…5)    I adore water parks.

Let’s talk writing! You started writing young and even sent your second book- O’Casey’s Wish- to a publisher at just 10 years old. Can you share what that unpublished story was all about?

O’Casey’s Wish was about a gnome who wanted to have a real town—with a library and a town hall and a store, etc. He even wanted a mass transit system for his fellow gnomes to be able to use to get around the new town. 

Aside from a fantastic story to include in your bio, what did you take away from that experience of having received your first rejection letter at such a young age?

I knew being an author was what I wanted. And I knew I just needed to keep trying.

What was it like after all that time to finally see your first fictional novel in print? 

My first novel (a mystery), Jury of One, was published in 2005. Seeing it—in book from…with my name on it…and a dedication page...   Wow. It was truly a dream come true for the me I was in 2005, as well as the 10 year old me who’d set her sight on a dream.

Can you tell us a little bit about Piece by Piece?

Danielle Parker is the perfect mom. The one who volunteers in her kids’ classrooms, throws the best birthday parties, always has extra snacks on hand to cover the team parent who forgets, etc. But when she loses her family in a tragic accident, she finds herself questioning what kind of mom she really was.

Overwhelmed with grief, Danielle travels to Pennsylvania Amish country to stay on the farm of a childhood pen pal. There, she spends her days reliving a past she can’t change, while trying to navigate an unexpected surprise.

It’s a story of light amid darkness, and hope amid devastation.   

Piece by Piece is-like many of your previous novels- a work of Amish fiction. What drew you to this particular genre?

What I have enjoyed about writing the last few Amish-based women’s fiction novels is the backdrop I use. It is so easy to assume that people who live in such a peaceful place don’t experience the kind of heartache and choices and life-changing moments the rest of us do. Yet they do.

I strive to write journey stories people can relate to regardless of geography or culture.

What do you hope readers will take away from the book? 

I hope readers come away from Piece by Piece with a sense of hope.

It sounds like a fantastic story, and I cannot wait to read it myself. I have found that writers are so often some of the best readers too. If we were to take a look at your own TBR, what might we find there? 

My TBR pile is mostly made up of suspense novels and women’s fiction novels. I like suspense when I’m on the elliptical machine because the need to know what happens next keeps me entertained and makes the hour go by faster. I like women’s fiction because they make me dig into myself a little bit—either because I can relate to the story somehow, or because it takes me on a journey that makes me think and reflect.  My favorite suspense authors? Linda Castillo and Lisa Unger. My favorite women’s fiction author? I’ve really gotten hooked on Kristan Higgins’ last few books and now find myself eagerly awaiting each new release.

Thank you again for taking the time to answer my questions. Before we go, can you give us an idea on what we can look forward to next? Any other projects you are currently working on that you can share?

Absolutely!  First up, I’ll have a short story, The Christmas Program, in the upcoming multi-author Amish Christmas Miracles Collection releasing in November.

Then, next summer, I’ll have two new books out!   Her New Story, an Amish-based women’s fiction novel, and book # 1 in a brand new cozy mystery series with Penguin/Random House.

Readers can stay up on all the news by visiting my website:  https://www.laurabradford.com/    and/or my author page on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/laurabradfordauthor/.

Thanks for hosting me today!

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(1) winner will receive an "Escape Into a Laura Bradford book" tote & winner's choice of Portrait of a Sister or A Daughter's Truth!

Be sure to check out each stop on the tour for more chances to win. Full tour schedule linked below. Giveaway will begin at midnight July 28, 2020 and last through 11:59 PM EST on August 4, 2020. Winner will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. US only. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.

Giveaway is subject to the policies found here.

ENTER GIVEAWAY HERE

 

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