Ten Behind the Scenes Facts About Hope of Azure Springs with a Giveaway!

Posted by abakersp in Spotlights / 12 Comments

the hope of azure springs blog tour

 

ABOUT THE BOOK

 

9780800734732Title: The Hope of Azure Springs
Author: Rachel Fordham
Publisher: Revell
Release Date: July 3, 2018

Alone in a strange town, can she find healing for her new home . . . and herself?

Ada, Mich.—Between 1854 and 1929, the orphan train movement relocated over 200,000 orphaned, abandoned, or homeless children from the eastern United States to rural areas throughout the country, focusing primarily in the Midwest. Since that time, this movement has captured the attention and curiosity of readers. In The Hope of Azure Springs, debut author Rachel Fordham masterfully blends history and romance in her well-crafted tale of a former “train rider.”

Seven years ago, orphaned and alone, Em arrived at a new home in Iowa after riding the orphan train. But secrets from her past haunt her, and her new life in the western wilderness is a rough one. When her guardian is shot and killed, Em, now nineteen, finally has the chance to search for her long-lost sister, but she won’t be able to do it alone.

Sheriff Caleb Reynolds is determined to solve the case and secure justice for Em. But what he doesn’t expect is the hold this strange young woman will have on his heart.

Historical romance readers will be charmed by the town of Azure Springs as they journey with Em to face her past, embrace her future, and rescue what she’s lost.

Debut Author Deftly Combines Orphan Train Tale with Sweet Prairie Romance

LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | iTunes | CBD | Book Depository | BAM!

 


ABOUT THE AUTHOR

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Credit: Kylee Ann Maughan

 

 

Rachel Fordham started writing when her children began begging her for stories at night. She’d pull a book from the shelf, but they’d insist she make one up. Finally she put her love of good stories with her love of writing and she hasn’t stopped since. She lives with her husband and children on an island in the state of Washington.

TO CONNECT WITH RACHEL: website, facebook, goodreads

 

 

 


 

TEN BEHIND THE SCENES FACTS!

 

The title of this makes me feel like I’m in a spy movie or something else exciting. Top Facts! I am excited to be here today and sharing a few pieces of Azure Springs trivia with you. If you think of other things you just have to know reach out to me.

Fact One- This is actually the second manuscript I’ve ever written. The first is tucked away in a file on my laptop begging me to edit it into print before I die.

Fact Two-  The Hope of Azure Springs took me a long time to write. I began the summer of 2015 and then my son became really sick and I closed my computer and did not open it again until November of that year. It was a unique experience writing this book because my life had changed so much during those months.

Fact Three- My kids names are all in this book. Not as main characters but as secondary and side characters.

Fact Four- I did very little plotting before writing this story. I honestly had zero idea how the crime was going to play out until I was writing it! I’m pretty sure I witnessed a miracle when those scenes came together.

Fact Five- I have a soft spot for orphans and foster kids. I was not a foster parent while writing this book but shortly after it was completed I became one. I think if I’d lived back in the days of orphan trains I would have been the one saying, “I’ll just take them all.” And then spent my life cleaning up after them and seeing if I could help them believe in a brighter future ahead.

Fact Six- Since I was still learning the art of writing when writing this book (technically I’m still learning now) this book went through several major edits. I originally received a revise and resubmit from Revell. Caleb’s dialogue was said to be “Yodaesque”. I assure you it’s all been rewritten!

Fact Seven- Margaret was created originally just to keep the plot moving but she ended up being one of my favorite characters.

Fact Eight- I have copies of the old fairy tale books my mom used to read to me and I went to them for ideas of what stories Em could tell Mae and Milly. I have lots of beautiful memories being read those books as a child and now reading them to my houseful of littles.

Fact Nine- I bawled like a baby while writing the scene of Em in Beckford. I’m so curious if other readers will cry of if I was just crying because I had a lot of emotions going on inside me and that was a great outlet.

Fact Ten- My second book- Yours Truly, Thomas features many of the beloved characters from The Hope of Azure Springs. It was beyond delightful returning to a place I love so dearly!

 

Oh my goodness, thank you so much for sharing this with us today!! And….I hope you get to edit that first book 😉

 

 


 

GIVEAWAY

 

The publisher has graciously offered (3) winners each a copy of The Hope of Azure Springs and special Revell swag!

 

the hope of azure springs blog tour

 

Be sure to check out each stop on the tour for more chances to win. Full tour schedule shown below. Complete prize open to US/Canada mailing addresses only. For our giveaway rules and policy, click HERE.

 

ENTER GIVEAWAY HERE


TOUR SCHEDULE

 

For the full tour schedule, click on either of the launch pages below.
(All stops expected to post by 11:00 AM EST)

Launch Page @JustReadTours
Launch Page @JustCommonly

*NOTE: This post contains affiliate links.

12 responses to “Ten Behind the Scenes Facts About Hope of Azure Springs with a Giveaway!

  1. Kay Garrett

    Thank you for the spotlight on “The Hope of Azure Springs” by Rachel Fordham and for being part of the JustRead blog tour.

    Enjoyed reading the behind the scene facts. I’d love the opportunity to read this amazing sounding book.

  2. Ellie

    I loved the guest post! I’m looking forward to reading this book – it’s patiently sitting on my shelf. 🙂

  3. Thanks for the opportunity to enter a giveaway! Would really enjoy winning a print copy of this book! God bless! Lual Krautter krautter12ATbresnanDOTnet