Welcome to the Celebrate Lit Bog Tour for Hosea’s Heart by Linda Wood Rondeau. I’m pleased to be chatting with Linda about her book today!

About the Book

Book: Hosea’s Heart

Author: Linda Wood Rondeau

Genre: Contemporary Women’s Fiction

Release date: 2018

How much should a wronged husband forgive?

Aubrey Beaumont has spent the last fifteen years in search of his runaway, drug-addicted wife. Now a respected Silver Spring pastor and chaplain, ready to give up and move on, his life takes unexpected turns when she suddenly contacts him. Terminally ill and having found faith, she begs Aubrey’s forgiveness. How can he overlook her past prostitution and liaison with one of Washington’s most vicious drug lords?

Grateful for a chance at reconciliation, Joanna Beaumont prays that her seemingly wasted life might serve some purpose in her final days. Perhaps her testimony against her former lover’s cartel will bring her the peace she craves.

Joanna and Aubrey’s paths will crisscross the Capital District’s underworld where they discover how God weaves threads of failure into tapestries of hope.

Click here to get your copy!

About the Author

A veteran social worker, Linda Wood Rondeau has earned critical acclaim for her heart-warming stories of deliverance and forgiveness. The author now resides in Hagerstown, MD with her husband of forty years. Active in her local church, she enjoys playing the occasional round of golf, a common feature in many of her books. Readers may contact the author through Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, Pinterest, and Instagram or visit her website: www.lindarondeau.com.

Interview from Linda

Let’s welcome Linda Wood Rondeau. Thank you for joining us today for a Q&A.

Q: What advice would you give your pre-published self?

A: When I first felt the call to write, I was overly confident in my writing ability. In my social work career, I was heralded for my client notes, social histories, and the training procedures I developed for staff. I was told I was articulate and was able to write my notes so staff could actually visualize my clients. I wrote original scripts for church productions and was a writing hobbyist. Since I was an English major and had enjoyed some writing success in my profession, I thought I knew all I needed to know about writing. I soon learned I didn’t know “jack” about writing professionally. Consequently, my road to publication was thorny, and I had a lot of ego bruising along the way. Even though I had an agent early on, I did not publish my first book until eleven years after I decided to write professionally (I did publish short works, however, along the way.) I would tell my younger self not to rely on what I thought I knew. I would tell myself to be more involved with writing groups, critique groups, and attend conferences, before I tried to meet with editors and publishers. Humble pie, while helping one to grow, is bitter to taste.

Q: Do you have writing preparation quirks?

A: Several. First of all, I need to write in my office. My laptop is portable, but apparently, I’m not so portable. I’m the most comfortable in my office chair and with my large monitor. I feel more professional. When I go to my office, I feel as though I’m going “to work,” I must be dressed, my hair combed, and “look the part.” Secondly, I can’t start thinking creatively until I do a few mundane tasks: check my email, and quickly browse through Facebook, my main Social Media outlets. Checking my email and messages helps me to know how to rearrange my preconceived day, if necessary, to meet an unexpected obligation. For writers, these things happen frequently. Thirdly, I play word games, solitaire, and Mahjong. These are wonderful exercises to clear the mind, train me to focus, and enhance problem solving … all skills needed for the fiction writer. Once I’ve completed my routines, I’m able to free my creative spirit to do its thing. I do these steps each time I sit to write, which might be several times during the day. I also need to do this when I’m ready for marketing tasks.

Q: Do you have a favorite setting?

A: The majority of my novels are set in the Adirondack region. I spent most of my working years in Northern New York and came to greatly appreciate the area for its beauty and historical significance. Primarily set in the Capital District, Hosea’s Heart is an exception. When I first penned the book, I lived in Florida during the early years of my retirement. However, I visited my son who lived in Washington, D.C. who showed me the good and the bad parts of the area for the purposes of this book. I also visited Brattleboro, Vermont, my hero’s hometown and learned the city, known for its artistic influence, is much different than the rest of Vermont. I enjoyed the fusion of the two settings. I now live in Maryland, about one and half hours from D.C. I may set more books in this fascinating area.

Q: Who was your favorite character to write?

A: I am hard pressed to pick a favorite out of my main characters in Hosea’s Heart. I see myself in all of them, even the male characters. But perhaps, my favorite is a secondary character, Percy Logan. I love his spunk. Even though he is in the early stages of dementia, he turns his life over to God. His end is better than his beginning. He struggles to make up for the lost years with his estranged daughter. Sometimes the aged babe in Christ can demonstrate more spiritual wisdom than the one who has walked with the Lord his whole life. Perhaps the most difficult character for me to write in Hosea’s Heart, was Joanna. As a social worker, I understood the personal struggles of the addicted soul. I wanted to show the tragedy of Joanna’s circumstances and her fear she’d come to the Lord too late to find a purpose for her life. I wept for her as she pleads with God to let the little time she has left on earth to have meaning.

Q: What novel are you working on now?

A: I am pleased to report I have four novels under contract at this time. Actual release dates are uncertain at this time.

First up is Wolf Mountain Legacy, an Adirondack Romantic Suspense.

A widowed high school history teacher, on leave for mental health problems, is hired as a research assistant by her former lover and college professor, on sabbatical to write a history of Adirondack Railroads. The research begins to unravel the 150-year-old mystery of the death of a railroad tycoon who died as a result of a suspicious fire that destroyed his Wolf Mountain estate. Marci is convinced she and Blake are being followed. But no one sees these people but her.

Second: The Ghosts of Trumball Mansion

Set between Manhattan and New Haven, Connecticut

A romance writer and her estranged publisher husband spend a summer together in their historic Connecticut estate. The closer the couple come toward a reconciliation, the more virulent the unexplained “ghosts” become, as if the house is determined to prevent their reunification.

Third: G.L.I.C.K (a middle-grade science fiction)

Three earth children befriend a stranded alien, a sort of cosmic librarian sent to study Earth’s culture.

Fourth: Jolly Angel, a contemporary novelette expected to release in October. A young woman flees her abusive New York City home in hopes of starting a new life in Northern New York only to find her problems are compounded by an unwanted pregnancy.

Thank you for hosting me today.

Linda, you’re welcome! Thank you for joining us and providing such interesting answers.