Interview with Emily Sue Harvey!

To continue the BOOK TOUR fun, here's my interview with the author of Flavors, Emily Sue Harvey:


1) What was the inspiration behind Flavors?

The inspiration behind flavors was my desire to reconnect with that inner child I knew so well at one time. We all have one. And we don’t know how much that in-your-face pest means to us until he/she has finally been driven away so many times by embarrassment and irritation that she is reluctant to reappear. And we discover that we’re not as happy about that absence as we thought we’d be. The grief we feel is real. And then somewhere along the way, while reminiscing about long ago days when life was more simple and it was easier to love everybody and forgive just about anything--when we could hold a grudge only until something ridiculous happened that made us laugh, in the midst of those musings, that darn MIA child pops up again. And for at least a little while, we are complete.

2.) What's one thing you always have by your side when writing?

Research notes, cold water, and sometimes, my Chihuahua, FiFi.

3.) Is Flavors a continuation of one of the characters in Song of Renewal, or is it completely different?

No. Sadie Ann Melton is completely different from any characters in Song of Renewal.

4.) What are some of your favorite books that you can recommend to us?

I devour books constantly so to remember every selection is almost impossible. But some titles and authors do withstand the memory test of time. Some masterpieces I recommend are Pat Conroy’s Prince of Tides, and Beach Music…Ann Rivers-Siddons’ Peachtree Road, Colony, and Outer Banks…Francine Rivers’ Redeeming Love.

5.) Can you tell us a little about your upcoming novel, Homefires?

Homefires is set in the Deep South’s Bible-belt on the eve of unprecedented moral changes. It is the story of Janeece and Kirk Crenshaw, a couple married just out of high school and ready to set out to make a life for themselves. When Kirk receives the “high calling,” Janeece’s world changes in a heartbeat. Yet, she still has his strength to lean on. So, bravely, she becomes the pastor’s wife, who keeps the homefires burning while her man goes out to save the world. It shows the good, bad, and ugly of living in a glass house. It shows both the vulnerability and the strength of the “called.” It is a life marked by tragedy, the most heart-rending being the death of one of their children. And it is a life marked by challenges to their church, their community, and most decidedly to their marriage. As the fullness of time makes its impact on their union, Kirk and Janeece must face the question of whether they have gone as far as they can together. Can their love stand the test?

6.) What can we expect from you after Homefires's release?

I’m completing a novella entitled Space. In it the Stowes, Deede and Dan, and their twenty-nine-year-old divorced, recovering drug addict daughter, Faith, each struggle to eke out their own personal niche of space. Only thing, any way they turn, they crash into each other. The skirmishes are vicious at times. Faith, their “miracle child” has disappointed her parents in every way possible on her disastrous, self-destructive odyssey of drugs and crime. She’s squandered everything, husband, home, reputation and worst of all, Deede and Dan’s precious granddaughter, Maddie. In the wake of Faith’s cyclonic spree that winds her up back home, Deede and Dan struggle to get on the same page in dealing with the tragic aftermath. Therein lies the crux—they cannot agree on ‘when’ throwing one’s wayward offspring out on the street is justified. Are Faith’s efforts to change enough? Or it is too little too late? Will they ever find a solution that will heal their family? That will give them each their own peaceful niche?


Following Space, another full-length novel entitled Unto These Hills, will be released. Set on Tucapau, South Carolina’s Mill Hill, this story features a delightful mill hill heroine named Sunny Acklin. Her worst fears—disgrace and an illegitimate child—impend after a sinister, faceless rapist destroys her dreams. Abandoned by Daniel, desperate Sunny marries Walter, who saves her reputation. Later, her sacrifice becomes a rotten albatross: her daughter hates her and Sunny cannot forget Daniel. Sunny still wonders, who fathered my child? When the shocking answer comes, it threatens to obliterate her. Will Daniel’s return to Tucapau compel life to give Sunny a second chance?

7.) What are some of your favorite pastimes when you're not reading or writing?

I love life and I’m into the moment. After reading, I especially savor movie-watching. Some of my favorites are Somewhere in Time, Saturday Night Fever, and Grease. Among the funny and ludicrous: Dumb and Dumber, Napoleon Dynamite, and Talledega Nights. I’m also a music lover. I love all kinds as long as it’s well done. Favorite all time tunes include Claire de Lune, "Out of Africa", "Dances With Wolves" (anything of John Barry’s), "If I Could Just Hold You Once More", "The Holy City" (anything by Dino Kartsonakis), and a gazillion more. But my very best-est pastime is tussling with my grandkids any time I get the chance. What a joy!
 
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Thanks so much to Tracee, for asking me to review this, and to Emily Sue for kindly answering my questions!
 
Happy Reading! :D