Friday, April 14, 2023

A Novel-Tea Evening with Authors: Q&A with Susie Finkbeiner + A Giveaway

 

A Novel-Tea Evening Blog Tour Sign Ups JustRead Blog Tour

Welcome to the Blog Tour for A Novel-Tea Evening with Authors including Lynn Austin, Susie Finkbeiner, Jocelyn Green, Laura Frantz, Kate Breslin, Amanda Barratt, and Joanna Davidson Politano, sponsored by JustRead Publicity Tours!

You are Invited

A Novel-Tea Evening with Authors
September 2, 2023 at 7 p.m. 
Palmer House Hilton Hotel, Chicago

Join us at 7 p.m. on Saturday, September 2, at Chicago’s historic Palmer House Hilton Hotel for a tasteful evening with tea and talk of books, writing, history, and the power of story. Emceed by Chris Jager of Baker Book House, seven novelists will share what inspires them, tales from the research files, what they’ve learned on the journey, and their hope for readers.

Learn More about A Novel-Tea Evening with Authors


About the Authors

Lynn Austin

LYNN AUSTIN, whose titles include Long Way Home, Chasing Shadows, and If I Were You. Connect with her at LynnAustin.org.

Amanda Barratt

AMANDA BARRATT, whose titles include Within These Walls of Sorrow, The White Rose Resists, and My Dearest Dietrich. Connect with her at AmandaBarratt.net.

Kate Breslin

KATE BRESLIN, whose titles include In Love’s Time, As Dawn Breaks, and Far Side of the Sea. Connect with her at KateBreslin.com.

Susie Finkbeiner

SUSIE FINKBEINER, whose titles include The All-AmericanThe Nature of Small Birds, and All Manner of Things. Connect with her at SusieFinkbeiner.com.

Laura Frantz

LAURA FRANTZ, whose titles include The Rose and the Thistle, A Heart Adrift, and Tidewater Bride. Connect with her at LauraFrantz.net.

Jocelyn Green

JOCELYN GREEN, whose titles include The Metropolitan Affair, The Windy City Saga series, and The Mark of the King. Connect with her at JocelynGreen.com.

JOANNA DAVIDSON POLITANO

JOANNA DAVIDSON POLITANO, whose titles include The Lost Melody, A Midnight Dance, and The Love Note. Connect with her at JDPStories.com.

Purchase Tickets to Attend A Novel-Tea Evening with Authors



Featured Book



ABOUT THE BOOK

Title: The All-American
Author: Susie Finkbeiner
Publisher: Revell
Release Date: July 11, 2023
Genre: Christian Historical Fiction

"An absolute winner."--Tosca Lee, New York Times bestselling author


It is 1952, and nearly all the girls Bertha Harding knows dream of getting married, keeping house, and raising children. Bertha dreams of baseball. She reads every story in the sports section, she plays ball with the neighborhood boys--she even writes letters to the pitcher for the Workington Sweet Peas, part of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League.

When Bertha's father is accused of being part of the Communist Party by the House Un-American Activities Committee, life comes crashing down. But dreams are hard to kill, and when Bertha gets a chance to try out for the Workington Sweet Peas, she packs her bags for an adventure she'll never forget.

Join award-winning author Susie Finkbeiner for a summer of chasing down your dreams and discovering the place you truly belong.


"A true home run from start to finish!"--Katherine Reay, bestselling author of The London House and A Shadow in Moscow

"A deeply moving must-read."--Jennifer L. Wright, author of If It Rains, Come Down Somewhere, and The Girl from the Papers

"Pitch perfect. If you enjoy fiction that makes you think and makes you feel, this book is for you."--Katie Powner, author of Where the Blue Sky Begins

"Susie Finkbeiner has mastered the art of writing family stories that tenderly balance heartbreak and hope."--Amanda Cox, Christy Award‑winning author of The Edge of Belonging and The Secret Keepers of Old Depot Grocery

PURCHASE LINKS*: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository |Bookshop.org | Christianbook  | BookBub


ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Susie Finkbeiner is the CBA bestselling author of All Manner of Things, which was selected as a 2020 Michigan Notable Book, as well as Stories That Bind Us, The Nature of Small Birds, and other novels. Susie and her husband have three children and live in West Michigan. 

Connect with Susie by visiting susiefinkbeiner.com to follow her on social media or subscribe to email newsletter updates.


Interview with Susie Finkbeiner


Welcome, Susie! Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions and allowing my readers a chance to get to know you and your new book The All-American

I like to start these interviews the same way, with something fun to break the ice. Can you share 5 random facts about you that we will not find in your bio? 

1. My favorite flavor of ice cream is Mackinac Island Fudge, particularly from Quality Dairy (a creamery in my hometown of Lansing, Michigan). This, my friends, is peak Michigander.

2. I own 8 copies of The Grapes of Wrath.

3. My fantasy football team, Susies Sweeties, has won my family league for two years running, even though I know very little about professional football.

4. I was in a rock band in high school that never played a single show. 

5. I started my professional writing career as a playwright. I wrote and produced seven full length plays in community theater before starting my first novel. 

When did you first discover you had a passion for writing?

I suppose I was in middle school when I first started writing. I wrote poems about boys and little skits for my friends and I to film (somewhere out there is a very cheesy movie that I wrote and acted in with my friend Rebecca). It was in high school, though, that I got more serious about writing even if it wasnt until much later that I realized that I could make a career out of it. 

What drew you to historical fiction? 

I love history. Researching and discovering little tidbits of stories is one of my favorite things. 

What type of research went into writing this story?

For The All-American I needed to do a lot of reading about the All American Girls Professional Baseball League (which ran from 1943-1954), specifically the latter years. It was fun to find stories in the players’ own words. They were a spunky lot! 

But I also had to learn about the second wave of the Red Scare, particularly as it played out in the Detroit area, where my story is partially set. I had access to newspapers from 1952, which was especially helpful. 

Can you tell us a little bit more about The All-American

 

Its a coming of age story about the Harding sisters — Bertha and Flossie — navigating life after their father is accused of being a member of the Communist Party. In the midst of the upheaval, Bertha gets a chance to follow her dream of playing professional baseball on the Workington Sweet Peas team and Flossie learns what it means to be a friend and see the good in everything. 

What was the most challenging part of bringing this story to life? The most rewarding?

 

Its embarrassing to admit, but in the middle of writing this novel I experienced burnout. Id sit down to write and my entire body and mind would lock up. No matter how hard I tried, I couldnt get the words out, even if the story was fully formed in my mind. I was so fortunate that my publisher was understanding and gave me a major extension that allowed for me to rest and restore my mind and soul so that this story could be the best I could make it. 

 

Hands down, the most rewarding part of writing this story was getting to know the characters. Flossie and Bertha have taken up a deep part of my heart. Writing in their voices was such a pleasure. 

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

 

Its been a rough couple of years for everyone. I cant think of a single person who didnt confront some major adversity in their work, family, church, etc. over the last bit. What I would love for readers come away with is a sense of hope that even if were knocked down, wounded, grieving, that life had good left in it for us. That God is attentive and works toward the good of those who love Him. That we were built to be resilient. 


Tour Giveaway

(1) winner will receive a tote bag, one bag of Pride and Peppermint Novel Tea, plus a $20 egift card to BakerBookHouse.com!

JustRead A Novel-Tea Evening Giveaway 

Full tour schedule linked below. The giveaway begins at midnight April 12, 2023 and will last through 11:59 PM EST on April 19, 2023. 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 JustRead Publicity Tours Giveaway Policies.

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