About the Book

Book: Forever Free

Author: Hope Toler Dougherty

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Release Date: January 24, 2024

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, but out of danger, at the end of every day. 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?

Click here to get your copy!

About the Author

Hope Toler Dougherty holds a Master’s degree in English and taught at East Carolina University in Greenville, NC, and York Technical College in Rock Hill, SC. Her early novels are Irish Encounter, Mars…With Venus Rising, and Rescued Hearts. Her Forever series includes Forever Music, Forever Home, and the novella, “A Hatteras Surprise,” which is featured in Candy Cane Wishes and Saltwater Dreams.

A chronic volunteer, she’s a member of ACFW, NC Writers’ Network, and Triangle East Writers. She and her husband live in North Carolina and look forward to visits with their two daughters and twin sons.

More from Hope

A few years ago, I decided to write a series since readers enjoy reading stories with familiar characters. Four siblings came to mind, perhaps because I have four children, and the Daniels family from Charlotte, North Carolina, burst onto my computer screen.

I’ve loved spending time with Ben, Heath, Sam, and Josie for the past several years and sharing how three of them found their happily ever after.  One, however, always appeared on the fringe of the story, participating, yes, but always a bit set apart from the family.

Heath Daniels is the second oldest sibling, the middle brother between Ben and Sam. Readers will discover him first in Forever Music and then in a larger role in Forever Home, but he never disclosed too much about himself in those stories.

Before I began the series, I didn’t know to plan key plot points and goals for each story as well as the whole series. As a panster, I wrote each story as it came to me or as I needed to like, for instance, the novella, “A Hatteras Surprise.”

When it came time to write Heath’s story, I hardly knew him. I wasn’t sure about his backstory, his occupation, tastes…nothing. He grudgingly released those missing pieces bit by tiny bit.

At the beginning of Forever Free, Heath feels like the black sheep in the family. In the high achieving Daniels clan, he’s the one who dropped out of college, the one who struggled with substance abuse, the one who feels less than. With all his siblings coupling up, he’s staring at a single future because of old misguided beliefs.

Guilt from an early tragedy along with bad choices play important parts in Heath’s personality. Phoebe Sinclair has her hands full nurturing her cut flower farm, plus she has to deal with a cute, but distant employee, the mysterious Heath.

I enjoyed getting to know Heath and watching his growth from the sullen, misunderstood character to the confident businessperson who wants Phoebe to achieve her dream. I hope you’ll enjoy his story, too.

Here’s a recipe Phoebe bakes for her grandfather in Forever Free. I’m not sure why it’s called Swedish Nut Cake, but I’m sure it’s delicious.

Swedish Nut Cake

Ingredients for cake:                                       Ingredients for icing:
2 C flour                                                          1 8 oz pkg creamed cheese
1 ¾ C sugar                                                     1/2 stick butter
2 eggs                                                              1 t vanilla
2 t baking soda                                                1 ½ C powdered sugar, sifted
1 t vanilla
½ chopped nuts
1 20 oz. can crushed pineapple with juice

Directions:
Mix all ingredients for cake and bake in a greased 9×13 pan at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes. For icing, mix all ingredients and frost the cooled cake. Store in the refrigerator.

Interview with Hope

Where do you get your information or ideas for your books? 

Ideas come from different places for me and usually come first with characters, then the story. For my only romantic suspense, the idea came while I rode my bike on property near my house. I pedaled by the abandoned house and started wondering what if scenarios about the house. I spooked myself with the questions, but a few days later when the characters wouldn’t stop talking, I began what became Rescued Hearts. 

What do you like to do when you’re not writing? 

I like to cook, especially bake. I love to read and play the piano. I love crocheting and crochet with a group of dear friends at church every week. I love writing and receiving real mail. Of course, I love spending time with my family. 

What was one of the most surprising things you learned in creating your book? 

When I wrote Forever Home, I discovered that many radio stations play recorded programs for the overnight period. It’s more cost effective than paying people. It’s common practice for small stations but also some larger ones, too. I was surprised and also a bit saddened. 

Do you have any suggestions to help someone become a better writer? If so, what are they? 
 

Read, read, read in your genre and writing craft books. Write every day. Connect with other writers. Ask for real critiques from people other than friends and family. Pray, pray, pray for guidance. 

What’s your favorite part about being a writer? Research? First Draft? Editing? 

I love researching because I get to buy books! I love learning new things. I also love the rough draft part sometimes because I can allow myself to make mistakes. I try to remember that rough drafts don’t need to be perfect, just written. I enjoy being a pantser. I love the surprises that happen when I’m not sure where I’m going at the beginning of a writing session, and then suddenly, some new thought pops into my brain. That’s fun. 

Blog Stops

Pause for Tales, March 6

Gina Holder, Author and Blogger, March 7 (Author Interview)

Simple Harvest Reads, March 8 (Author Interview)

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, March 8

For the Love of Literature, March 9 (Author Interview)

Texas Book-aholic, March 10

Tell Tale Book Reviews, March 11 (Author Interview)

Life on Chickadee Lane, March 12

Blossoms and Blessings, March 13 (Author Interview)

Locks, Hooks and Books, March 14

Artistic Nobody, March 15 (Author Interview)

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, March 16

Back Porch Reads, March 17 (Author Interview)

The Lofty Pages, March 17

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, March 18

Where Crisis & Christ Collide, March 19 (Author Interview)

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Hope is giving away the grand prize package of a $75 Amazon gift card and a set of the 4-book Forever Series!!

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/2a551/forever-free-celebration-tour-giveaway