By Ian Acheson
It’s my absolute pleasure to
introduce Pepper Basham to the ICFW community. Pepper, a historical and contemporary romance author, and I met at last year’s ACFW in Nashville.
I recently read The Thorn
Healer, the third in her Historical Romance “Penned in Time Series” and loved
it. As she is about to release her latest creation, Just the Way You Are, I
posed a few questions to Pepper, which she was kind enough in her busy
schedule to respond to.
Without further ado please
give a hearty international-flavoured welcome to Pepper.
ICFW: In a few words
describe yourself.
PB: "I'm a
Pepper" LOL, okay, sorry - if you have a name like mine, you learn how to
wield it :-) Hmm, loved,
Christian, Mom, writer, positive, helpful, silly, service provider, creative,
busy-brained, insecure, disorganized, compassionate, and long-winded.
ICFW: This is a
global community, and I know you've travelled. Where's your favourite overseas
destination and why? And where'd you like to go next?
PB: I LOVE
England!!! Particularly the rural parts of England and Scotland. Derbyshire is
my favorite spot I've actually visited in England, but I'd love to visit the
Lake District. As far as other places, well, Australia and New Zealand are at
the top of my list as well as Ireland!
 |
| Penned in Time Series |
ICFW: You've
published a lot of novels in a short period of time. Please give us a little
insight into how you do this plus hold down a job and manage a home, hubby and
5 kiddies.
PB: Haha...does
saying I'm diagnosible count? Well, my brain stays in a constant state of
creativity and I LOVE stories. Now that my kids are a little older, it's been
easier to etch out time during waking hours, but I still do most of my writing
in the late evening after they've settled down for the night. Also, I've been
really thankful for a 4 day a week job which allows me to have one week to
focus on marketing/interviews/writing. That's been a HUGE help. I've never
really had that before. My kids are super duper, and some of my BEST
cheerleaders, so having them to cheer me on in this crazy whirlwind helps keep
me going in the middle of the crazy. But job responsibilities are increasing a
bit this year, so I have a feeling I'll be slowing down to two books a year
instead of three (unless God wants something big to happen with the books that
would allow me to back-off on the day job ... and I'm okay with that) I do love
my day job, though.
ICFW: You have a
couple of new stories releasing shortly, well one landed last week (7 March)
Tell us a little about them both.
PB: Yes! I recently
released my first novella as part of a romantic comedy compilation of novellas.
The story is entitled Second Impressions and is a Jane Austen inspired romance
where a Jane Austen fanatic and a straight-laced hotel entrepreneur go the
Bath, UK for two VERY different reasons, and end up falling in love. It's not
smooth sailing at first, but when they get a little dose of Austen magic, the
romance takes off.
And the second
book??? Oh my goodness, Ian, this is my favorite
contemporary romance I’ve ever written! Just
the Way You Are have everything I love best in a novel - romance, humor,
mystery, great kisses, funny kids, delightful banter, and a quirky family. I'm
hoping I can keep up the fun from the first book in the rest of the series
because I really had a great time writing it...AND love to reread it (as weird
as they may sound).
Romantic Times had
this to say about Just the Way You Are:
"Laugh-out-loud
humor combines with stick-your-head-in-the-freezer kisses in this novel of
romance, faith, and a little historical mystery. Too. Eisley Barrett is a
positively delightful heroine, her Appalachian charm the perfect counterpart to
Wes Harrison’s British swoonworthiness. Secondary characters rich with warm yet
unique personalities beg readers to pull up a chair and chat, while the family
history subplot adds more layers of intrigue and romance to the plot. Above
all, the theme of being treasured “as is” rings true and full of grace." —4 ½
stars Top Pick from Romantic Times.
ICFW: What a marvellous review from RT! Britallachian
romance (now that’s a mouthful). Tell us about this unique sub-genre. And how
do go about weaving “grace and humour” through your stories?
PB: Isn't that a
fun word! Britallachian romance is a novel that is basically a fun culture
clash between Appalachia and Britain, with a quirky heroine and swoony hero! The
books can take place all in one locale or the other (or both). I'd love the
opportunity to spend more time in the UK to get a stronger handle of
personalities because I'm an unabashed Anglophile and want to get my characters
RIGHT - but this one has just been super fun and I'm hoping others will enjoy
it too.
The 'grace' part of
my tag is, of course, the Gospel -whether overtly or subtly woven through the
story. I think we're all created for a purpose, and I love showing how
characters find their purposes through the 'grand' story of redemption. The
humour? Well, I hope it shines through in relationships and situations within
the stories.
ICFW: What's up next for you after these 2 releases?
PB: My next novel
releases in November 2017 and it's the second book in the Mitchell's Crossroads
series. It's entitled Charming the
Troublemaker and takes up where A
Twist of Faith left off ... except we get to learn about country-girl,
Rainey Mitchell, and notorious flirt, Alex Murdock, as they fight to save a
clinic without falling in love. It's a fun story with some great kisses and
some even better messages about inner beauty and being truly loved.
ICFW: Having read The Thorn Healer and it being set in your home state, North
Carolina and near Blue Ridge Mountains, I’m intrigued by their beauty. What’s
something you really love about living in NC?
PB: The mountains. I
LOVE these mountains. They're an integral part of my life, my culture, and my
history. It may sound weird, but they bring with them a sense of 'home'. I also
love the fierce loyalty of people in the Appalachian culture and their love for
family. We're a weird bunch, but we're faithful :-)
Thanks, Pepper for sharing with us and being such
fun. All the very best with the novella collection (already an Amazon No 1 across 3 categories) and the
release of Just the Way You Are.
Pepper has also offered one
commenter a digital ARC of Just the Way
You Are. Please leave an email address on your comment if you are
interested in the giveaway. We will draw one
winner on March 20th.
Void where prohibited; the odds of
winning depend on the number of entrants. Entering the giveaway is considered a
confirmation of eligibility on behalf of the enterer in accord with these rules
and any pertaining local/federal/international laws.
Pepper’s Bio:
