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
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Featured 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, Susie’s 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 wasn’t 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?
It’s 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?
It’s embarrassing to admit, but in the middle of writing this novel I experienced burnout. I’d sit down to write and my entire body and mind would lock up. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t 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?
It’s been a rough couple of years for everyone. I can’t think of a single person who didn’t 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 we’re 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!
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.
Follow along at JustRead Tours for a full list of stops!
great interview! thanks for being on the tour :)
ReplyDeleteThis is one I want to read :)
ReplyDeleteIt looks like a good read. Thanks for the wonderful giveaway!
ReplyDeleteThank you for hosting!
ReplyDelete