Forever Free, Book Four of the Forever Series, available now!

My friend, Hope Toler Dougherty, is one of the nicest people you’d ever want to know. Her books are award-winning and terrific to read.

Here is a peek at her newest book in the Forever Series, Forever Free:

Phoebe Sinclair combines her love of flowers and teaching to nurture a cut flower business on her grandfather’s land. She’s got her hands full growing the farm, growing her customer base, and dealing with her growing attraction to the aloof man who’s volunteered to help make her farming dream come true. Can she focus on her main job, or will a pair of yearning eyes and a hurting heart divert her worthy goals?

Heath Daniels has resigned himself to a life of singleness as he watches his siblings couple up and set wedding dates. Tracking their happiness, however, is more difficult than he expected. A real struggle, in fact.

Feeling the old troubles from his college years creeping back to tempt him, he’s propelled to volunteer for manual labor, leaving him exhausted every day, but out of danger. His additional hours of agri-business, however, lead to different struggles with an intriguing farmer. Does he have the strength to resist old temptations as well as a beautiful new one too?

Hope blessed us by answering some questions today:

Is there someone who inspired your writing?

My third grade teacher wrote “excellent” on a paragraph I wrote. I can still see her handwriting at the top of the page. One of my English professors read a funny piece I wrote to the class and laughed at the end. Oh, wow. I loved that. Another one read aloud a paragraph, then sighed and said, “Isn’t that nice?” Oh, my stars. Those confirmations gave me a taste of writing for an emotional response and inspired me to keep at it.

Do you have a funny memory you’re willing to share with us?

I love to cook and have been cooking and baking for a long time now, but early in my marriage to my Pittsburgher husband, I saw a jar of mincemeat on the grocery store shelf. Although I’m southern and had never eaten one, I’d heard of that kind of pie and thought it’d be cool to make one for supper.

When I served it with a big smile and probably a “ta da,” my husband just kept staring at it. “It’s mincemeat pie!” I was so proud of it. “I know,” he said, “but what’re we having for dinner?”

“Mincemeat pie.” Hello. I’d already told him.

“Yeah, but…” he couldn’t hide his confusion. “This is mincemeat pie. It’s…dessert.”

Okay. I knew it smelled sweet, and I didn’t see any meat, but…thank Goodness for cheese and crackers and leftovers and an understanding husband.

What are you working on right now?

I’m working on my eighth story. I have about 10,000 words, but I’m not really sure about where it’s going except for the happily ever after since it’s a romance!

Tell us about your next writing project.

The new story is set on a North Carolina beach. I think the first two chapters are funny, but I haven’t shared it with anyone else yet to determine if I’m right.

How do you relax and recharge when you step away from writing?

I love baking, reading, listening to live music, playing the piano, crocheting, sending and receiving real mail, and spending time with my family, of course.

Describe what you feel is the hardest part about writing.

The hardest part of writing is sticking with it to the end—all the rough drafts during the writing process and then the editing process. The hardest part of the journey is the marketing aspect.

What do you find is the greatest blessing of being a writer?

When I first began writing, I never thought about the people I’d meet. I’ve enjoyed meeting wonderful people and count them among my dearest friends now. Those relationships are a surprise and true blessings.

Which book or book series have you recently enjoyed reading?

I recently read Wuthering Heights for the first time. I always thought it was a tragic romance. Oh, my stars. It’s more a tale of psychological and physical violence than romance in my thinking.

Who are your favorite authors?

Becky Wade, Karen Witemeyer, Shirlee McCoy, Gertrude Chandler Warner, Laura Ingalls Wilder, Lucy Maud Montgomery, Liane Moriarty, Anne Tyler, Pat Conroy, and Kaye Gibbons.

What’s your best advice for other writers?

Pray before and during the writing process. Read, read, read in your genre and writing craft books. Write as often as you can. Don’t wait for the perfect time. Connect with other writers.

If you could have an unlimited supply of money for the rest of your life, what would you do with it?

When I ask questions like this one, I don’t want people to be noble and answer something like “feed the world” although that would be wonderful, wouldn’t it? I want people to answer what they’d buy for themselves, so…

I’d buy a private plane and hire a pilot so that I could travel anytime and anywhere and not worry about delays, cancelations, and contagious diseases.
I’d hire a housekeeper to clean my house every other day.
I’d have watermelon flown to me no matter the season, so that I could eat it all year.
I’d donate plenty of money to my local public library so that we wouldn’t have to fundraise ever again.
I’d donate to my church so that the pastors and staff could be paid according to their education and skills.

Is there someone who has inspired you positively or negatively?

This may sound strange, but my children inspire me. They aren’t afraid of doing hard things, and they go after their dreams. I always want to make them proud.

If you could be any fictional character, who would you be and why?

I would love to be Jessie, the oldest sister in the Boxcar Children series. She and her three siblings had such fun adventures together in the boxcar and then found a stable family with their grandfather.

If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you want to go and why?

I’d love to go to Greece (for the scenery and food). I’d love to go back to Italy (for the scenery and the food) and always Ireland.

Biography:

Hope Toler Dougherty holds a Master’s degree in English and taught at East Carolina University and York Technical College. Her early novels are Irish Encounter, Mars…With Venus Rising, and Rescued Hearts. Her Forever series includes Forever Music, the novella, “A Hatteras Surprise,” featured in Candy Cane Wishes and Saltwater Dreams, Forever Home (winner of AWSA’s 2023 Romance Novel of the Year), and Forever Free.

She and husband Kevin delight in visits with their two daughters and twin sons, especially at home in North Carolina.