About the Book

Book: The Bookshop of Secrects

Author: Mollie Rushmeyer

Genre: Contemporary Women’s Fiction (Christian)

Release date: October 25, 2022

A collection of lost books holds the clues to her family’s legacy…and her future.

Hope Sparrow has mastered the art of outrunning her tragic past, learning never to stay anywhere too long and never to allow anyone control over her life again. Coming to Wanishin Falls in search of her family’s history already feels too risky. But somewhere in the towering stacks of this dusty old bookshop are the books that hold Hope’s last ties to her late mother—and to a rumored family treasure that could help her start over.

Only, the bookshop is in shambles, and the elderly owner is in the beginning stages of dementia and can’t remember where the books lie. To find the last links to the loved ones she’s lost, Hope must stay and accept help from the townsfolk to locate the treasured volumes. Each secret she uncovers brings her closer to understanding where she came from. But the longer she stays in the quaint town, the more people find their way into the cracks in her heart. And letting them in may be the greatest risk of all…

Click here to get your copy!

About the Author

Mollie writes contemporary fiction with a heart for history. What does this mean exactly? She loves to write inspirational fiction in contemporary settings with fascinating historical elements, people, objects, and stories woven throughout.

A modern girl herself– She wouldn’t want to go a day without modern plumbing and central air! But she’s always felt a special connection to the past. The legacies and lives left behind are like gifts waiting to be unwrapped, and she’s excited to share this blend of history and contemporary living with readers.

A born and bred Midwestern gal, Mollie Rushmeyer, makes her home in central Minnesota with her husband and two spunky, beautiful daughters. She is not only a bibliophile (the dustier the better, in her opinion), she’s a true anglophile at heart. Tea and coffee fuel her travels, by Google maps at least, and her passion for the written word.

More from Mollie

Since childhood, opening up a book unlocked a whole new world for me. Of possibilities and adventure, and made me care for people and places that didn’t exist. Like stepping through the wardrobe into Narnia, books transported me. It was like magic.

As I began dreaming up The Bookshop of Secrets in its early stages, I knew I wanted to create a character who loved books and was in awe of their transformative and transportive power as much as I am. Thus, Hope Sparrow, a human trafficking survivor and ultimate book lover, was born. I also wanted to honor my grandpa, who planted the seed—love of the written word—in my heart from the time I was very young. And so, Ulysses, the owner of Dusty Jackets Bookshop in the story, is based on my sweet grandpa who has since passed away. But I know he’d love this homage to all things literary.

Afterward, I didn’t know if I’d ever write again and I was more terrified of that than not gaining back the full strength of my left arm.

In the middle of writing this book, in 2018, I had a stroke. As with most medical emergencies, it was quite unexpected. I had a hole in my heart (that has been repaired, thankfully). Afterward, I didn’t know if I’d ever write again and I was more terrified of that than not being able to fully move my left arm again. My brain had to make new connections and it was so difficult, still is some days, to be creative. To find the right words.

But God. In the way that only He can, He brought this forgotten story, this project’s finish line that seemed to be at the summit of an insurmountable mountain within reach. I thought I had something to prove to myself. I begged God not to forget my dream to write. Like He could. But in the end, I just had to trust like my character Hope. Trust that He is good even when life hurts and is uncertain.

“Do you know what the opposite of fear is?”

“Bravery? Peace?” Dare she say her namesake, hope?

“The true counterpart of fear is faith. It takes faith to walk into the future, the unknown, with confidence. Secure in the love of the One who created you and those around you outweighs any hardship, real or imagined, that lies on the path ahead.”

I hope following Hope’s journey of healing and love in The Bookshop of Secrets truly blesses you.

Interview with Mollie

Share something your readers wouldn’t know about you.

Okay, this may not be earth-shattering news, but I’m a huge Britophile! I love all things U.K., most especially Scotland and northern England. I studied abroad in Alnwick, England for a whole summer in college and traveled all over England and even a little in the Highlands of Scotland. After that, I was hooked! My family and I had planned a trip to England and Scotland for May of 2020. Well, you can guess how that turned out. Yup, canceled. We do hope to rebook that trip. But in the meantime, I do lots of traveling by way of book research, reading, watching reruns of The Great British Bake Off and any BBC series I can get my hands on, and, of course, writing.

What book is currently on your bedside table?

Oh, did you mean the mountain of a TBR pile, one Hope from The Bookshop of Secrets would be proud of? 😉 I’m currently reading The Extraordinary Deaths of Mrs. Kip by Sara Brunsvold, just finished Hidden Ranch Peril by Michelle Aleckson, and am trying to get to The Librarian Spy by Madeline Martin and Long Way Gone by Charles Martin. And you know? I have a bunch more I didn’t list here. I’ll never outlive my TBR pile, but maybe that’s how it should be.

Does one of the main characters hold a special place in your heart? If so, why?

Ulysses Barrick. He’s the elderly gentleman who owns Dusty Jackets, the overrun bookstore and central setting for the story. He was recently diagnosed with dementia and his mind slowly fades as the story progresses. Hope, the main character, befriends and comes to adore this sweet, fellow bibliophile. When I started writing this character, I based him on my grandpa–the biggest book lover I’ve ever met, including myself, and truly one of the kindest people to ever grace this earth. He passed away before this book, my debut, was contracted. But he was so proud of me and always asked about my writing. I know he’d love the character I based on him.

Where can readers find out more about you and your books?

Let’s connect on social media!

https://www.facebook.com/mollie.rushmeyer and https://www.facebook.com/authormollierushmeyer

www.molliejrushmeyer.com

https://www.instagram.com/molliejoyrushmeyer/

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21798490.Mollie_Rushmeyer

I also do a fun once-a-month newsletter with giveaways, a “Tea & Tomes” section where I do a tea and book pairing, vintage recipe reboots and historical tidbits since I love history, author interviews, and much more. Visit my website to sign up!

Any current or upcoming projects you’d like to tell us about?

Yes! Remember that bit about Alnwick, England? Well, I’m so excited to have another book releasing with LoveInspired Trade set in this quaint little town in the north of England. It’s called The Lost Manuscript and will release in August of 2023. The story is about a university history professor and her estranged husband. They have to work together during a study abroad trip to Alnwick, England. Along the way, they follow clues left by her grandmother, who searched for a rumored lost illuminated manuscript of historical importance before going missing. But the closer they get to the truth about the manuscript, the more they realize her disappearance may not have been an accident.

Blog Stops

Book Reviews From an Avid Reader, October 27

lakesidelivingsite, October 27

Inklings and notions, October 28

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, October 28

Simple Harvest Reads, October 28 (Guest Review from Mindy Houng)

An Author’s Take, October 29

The Write Escape, October 29

deb’s Book Review, October 29

Texas Book-aholic, October 30

Rebecca Tews, October 30

Blogging With Carol, October 30

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, October 31

Inspired by fiction, October 31

Life of Literature, October 31

Because I said so — and other adventures in Parenting, November 1

Lily’s Book Reviews, November 1

Cover Lover Book Review, November 1

Locks, Hooks and Books, November 2

Losing the Busyness, November 2

For Him and My Family, November 2

Ashley’s Clean Book Reviews, November 3

Holly’s Book Corner, November 3

Mary Hake, November 3

Gina Holder, Author and Blogger, November 4 (Author Interview)

Paula’s Pad of Suspense and Detection, November 4

Blossoms and Blessings, November 4

Sylvan Musings, November 5

Lily’s Book Reviews, November 5

A Modern Day Fairy Tale, November 5

A Reader’s Brain, November 6

Book Looks by Lisa, November 6

Babbling Becky L’s Book Impressions, November 7

Truth and Grace Homeachool Academy, November 7

Story Craft, November 7

Through the fire blogs, November 8

Pause for Tales, November 8

Labor Not in Vain, November 8

Musings of a Sassy Bookish Mama, November 9

To Everything There Is A Season, November 9

Lights in a Dark World, November 9

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Mollie is giving away the grand prize package of a eBook or signed paperback copy (paperback U.S. Only) of The Bookshop of Secrets and a $50 Amazon gift card!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

https://promosimple.com/ps/226c7/the-bookshop-of-secrets-celebration-tour-giveaway