Thursday, September 3, 2015

Interview + GIVEAWAY: Beth K. Vogt


Crazy Little Thing Called Love (click on title to see my review) was my first read by Beth K. Vogt, and let me just say that I will be reading more by her soon. It's a character-driven story about relationships and while romance is a major theme, there's nothing fluffy about this story. Here's a brief description . . .

        Marriage is serious business — both for the couple tying the knot and for wedding vendors, with the average cost of an American wedding topping $25,000. As budgets get stretched, so can fraying nerves and already-taut emotions, as captured in Beth K. Vogt’s new Destination Wedding series.
        In the first novel in the series, Crazy Little Thing Called Love (Howard Books/June 30, 2015/ISBN: 978-1476789781/$14.99), paramedic Vanessa Hollister thinks she has moved beyond the pain of her first marriage — a “what-were-you-thinking” teenage elopement — and is planning an elegant destination wedding in Destin, Fla., with her new fiancĂ©. Her dream of an idyllic beach wedding is disrupted, though, with the sudden reappearance of her first husband.

Now enjoy as Beth shares some thoughts in this wonderful interview, compliments of Litfuse Publicity . . .

Q: Crazy Little Thing Called Love is the first book in your new Destination Wedding Series. Tell us a little about where the idea came from and what you’re most excited about for this new series.

I discussed the idea of writing a series with my mentor and friend, author Rachel Hauck, as well as my agent, Rachelle Gardner. I was thrilled Howard Books liked the idea of the Destination Wedding series. So often in contemporary romance novels, the wedding comes at the end of the novel — often as an epilogue. In this series, the wedding is a main plot point. And travel — well, so many people love to read about new places, right? So combining weddings with new destinations — to me, that was a win-win situation.



Q: If you had the chance to plan a destination wedding, where would you go and why?

My destination wedding series focuses on wedding locations in the U.S., so I’m going to pick a site within the 50 states (and because I live in Colorado, that’s ruled out). My husband, our youngest daughter and I vacationed in Bandon, Ore., several years ago with close friends; we rented a beach house. The sunsets and sunrises were lovely, and the town is so quaint. I think Bandon would make a great location for a destination wedding . . . maybe even for a novel!


Q: What was your inspiration for writing Crazy Little Thing Called Love?

I have several friends who met in high school and ended up getting married — and they’ve stayed married, I’m happy to report. When my husband and I were dating, we talked briefly of eloping — very briefly. And I think everyone looks back on their high school years and can think of at least one decision they made, a romantic one or a just a general life decision, and they wonder, “What if?” What if they had done things differently?


Q: You usually have a high-concept question you weave into your stories. What was the main question for Crazy Little Thing Called Love?

I believe a Story Question is what fuels a novel. It’s what your characters are wrestling with from chapter one to the end. And it’s often a question readers might wrestle with too. For Crazy Little Thing Called Love, I focused on this Story Question: What if you realized what you thought was your worst mistake actually was the right choice?


Q: How did growing up in a military family that moves around frequently impact the person Vanessa became?

Remember, as the author I got to plot exactly how Vanessa was affected by being part of a military family; her experience isn’t true for every military child. She moved around a lot and had difficulty forming lasting friendships. This can be a challenge when a family moves every couple of years. The way I summed it up in Crazy Little Thing Called Love is that Vanessa was good at saying hello and goodbye, but she didn’t know how to do the relationship in between.


Q: To grow closer to God, Vanessa starts writing prayers in her journal. What do you do in your own quiet time with the Lord that helps you remain close to him?

Listening to praise-and-worship music has always been an important part of my quiet times. I’ve created worship playlists on Spotify, compiling my favorite songs. A few years ago I discovered the book Praying in Color by Sybil MacBeth. I’m not an artist, but this book, which details how to incorporate drawing into your prayer time, rejuvenated my quiet time. I also like to read my Bible in tandem with a specific book. Right now I am reading Finding Divine Inspiration: Working with the Holy Spirit in Your Creativity by J. Scott McElroy, which a friend gave me for Christmas.


Q: Why did you want to choose a risky profession for Logan’s character? What kind of research did you have to do to represent it well?

I knew Logan needed to be in a profession that was risky because I wanted him to challenge Vanessa to move past all the boundaries she’d put around herself. I wanted to choose something outside the box. So I mulled for a few days — mulling is a huge part of the writing process. And the idea “storm chaser” came to mind. I would have loved to have time to do more research about storm chasing; there’s just never enough time to do everything I want. I’ve read some about storm chasers and have always been intrigued about why someone would run toward a tornado instead of running for safety. And I discovered they are not just thrill seekers. They are scientists, motivated by a desire to understand storms better, to help protect people. I read some books and did research online to understand storm chasers further.


Q: What can we expect from you next?

More Destination Wedding stories! I’m working on another novella and another novel (Almost Like Being in Love) for 2016. I’m intrigued by Logan’s little sister’s story: What happens with Caron and Alex? And there are always other stories perking in my brain, sparked by conversations, news stories and random things I run across in my day-to-day life. Did you know you can rent a bridesmaid? Now how intriguing is that? And I’ve already started a list of “What if?” ideas for other stories.

For more information about Crazy Little Thing Called Love and Beth K. Vogt visit www.bethvogt.com, become a fan on Facebook (AuthorBethKVogt) or follow her on Twitter (@bethvogt) and Pinterest (beth_vogt).


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GIVEAWAY

Congratulations to our book winner, Brenda! And thanks to all of you who visited and shared about this giveaway.

To enter the drawing for Crazy Thing Called Love . . .

1) Please go to my Facebook page and share about this giveaway ("likes" to my FB page are not required, but very much appreciated).

2) The destination wedding theme features prominently in this story. What would be your ideal destination for a wedding or vow renewal?

BE SURE to leave your name and email address in a safe format - [at] and [dot] - for the drawing. Contest ends at midnight PST on Monday, September 7. Winner will be chosen by Random.org and contacted by e-mail. Respond within 48 hours of notification or another winner will be chosen.

Eligibility: US residents

38 comments:

  1. I've heard lots of great things about this book! I think a fun place for a destination wedding would be in Hawaii, but not on the beach. I think doing it on a mountain with w great view surrounded by beautiful trees and flowers! And then we can enjoy the beaches after the wedding ☺️ I just wouldn't be able to stand getting sand in my dress hahaha

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    1. I love your way of thinking, Morgan! Hawaii's mountains would be a beautiful place - I've watched enough of HGTV's house hunting in Hawaii to appreciate that area. Beach weddings make beautiful photos, but I'm not so sure about the sand.

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  2. Forgot my email, sorry! It's mdp94 (at) bellsouth (dot) net

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  3. Ok let's try this again. Looks like my last comment didn't post...
    My destination wedding would be in Italy. I've always wanted to go there and see where my ancestors came from. It's also very beautiful and I love the food too!!!

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    1. I love that you have an Italian heritage, Christina, and hope you get to visit there some day. I collect pictures to use in my jigsaw puzzle computer game, and Italy is one of my favorite locations. What part of the country are your relatives from?

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  4. My ideal wedding spot would be where ever my husband to be was. For me it's not so much location but who I am with that's important to me .
    Deanne Patterson
    Book1Lovingmomma at gmail dot com

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    1. Ah, that's the heart of everything, Deanne. I often think that more attention is given to the ceremony than to the marriage itself. It's fun to imagine beautiful locations, but not a reality for me. I would still choose a traditional church wedding if I had it to do over.

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  5. I think it's fun to read about destination weddings but I don't think I'd like to have one (or encourage my kids to have them), simply because it would be difficult for all my family and friends to attend. I wouldn't want to burden them with the extra expense but wouldn't want them excluded either.
    pmkellogg56[at]gmail[dot]com

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    1. I totally agree with all you said, Pam. Perhaps I should have asked who wishes they could have a destination wedding! While they're fun to read about and these resort areas offer package deals, I would never ask family and friends to take on the expense.

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  6. One place in mind for a vow renewal.....Hawaii on the beach!! We'd all dress in tropical garb with Hawaiian themed shirts & white slacks for the guys and grass skirts & brightly colored shirts for the women. I'd have someone playing the Ukulele as I walk down the aisle & it would be scattered with tropical flower petals. I'd have a tiara made of tropical flowers too & my husband would have one pinned to his shirt. No shoes required (lol)! And lastly, the reception would hold a luau with traditional hawaiian food. I can just picture it in my head now :-)
    Thank you for the chance to win a copy of "Crazy Little Thing Called Love"!
    teamob4 (at) gmail (dot) com

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    1. Trixi, I can vividly see all that you described! That would be so much fun and memorable at the same time. Maybe you'll get to do that one day.

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  7. Sounds like a really fund read. I enjoyed the interview. I have shared the post. My ideal spot for a wedding would be on a beach somewhere.
    abilene_nana(at)yahoo(dot)com

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    1. Beach destinations seem to be the most popular, Ann. I think the pictures would be great, but I'm not sure about all that sand!

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  8. Hmmm. I haven't been married that long so I don't know if I am ready for a vow renewal, but I think a family luncheon on the beach would be fun!

    sydneyjames68 [at] gmail [dot] com

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    1. Isn't it fun to dream, though? I imagine resorts are making a ton of money off destination weddings, but I believe I still prefer my own church, Sydney.

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  9. I'd love to have a vow renewal in my home country of South Africa, in the bush with giraffes and elephants in the distance. I've seen weddings like this and it's been a dream of mine. We got married here in the US and most of my family couldn't make the trip here.

    budfuloski.lisl [at] gmail [dot] com

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    1. That's the down side of destination weddings, Lisl - the hardship on family and friends. But your South Africa idea is intriguing. Would certainly be memorable!

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  10. I'd like to have a vow renewal in my home country of South Africa, in the bush, with elephants and giraffes in the distance. I've seen weddings like this before and it's always been a dream of mine. We got married here in the US and most of my family couldn't make the trip over for our wedding.

    budfuloski.lisl [at] gmail [dot] com

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  11. This book sounds great. I always dreamed of getting married on a lush island setting like in the Caribbean. Thanks for sharing on Literacy Musing Mondays. marykatbpcsc45 at gmail (dot) com.

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    1. An island setting would certainly be beautiful, Mary. Maybe I'm a traditionalist, but I still prefer a church wedding though. Thanks so much for visiting, Mary.

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  12. I love to read about destination weddings and think they are beautiful. However, I agree that I would not want to think my guests had to pay to go to my wedding! My husband and I were married in our hometown church and so were our kids. A wedding in a beautiful English castle would be fun to dream about though!

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    1. Beth, destination weddings seem to be growing in popularity - or at least resorts & vendors are promoting them a lot - but I still prefer a church wedding also. Love your idea of an English castle, though. But just to dream, I've always been crazy about New England, so either somewhere on Cape Cod or Maine's rocky coast (with a lighthouse in the background) would be my choice.

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  13. I would love to do our vowel renewal in Alaska.

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    1. Ah, Alaska! That's a location I can get very excited about.

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  14. I would love a wedding in the mountains. I know most people like the beach, but my love of the mountains runs deep because as a child, my mother adored the mountains. I would much rather have my wedding in a little chapel somewhere in The Great Smokey Mountains. I know that is not much of a "destination," but my dream is to renew my vows there someday. donvelma(at)gmail(dot)com.

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    1. Velma, as much as I love to vacation at the beach, I'm with you on the mountains as a preferable destination site. I live in north Georgia and have visited the Smoky Mountains many times. There's nothing quite like their beauty. I hope your vow renewal dream comes true, Velma.

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  15. To me a wedding or vows renewal in Hawaii would be ideal! As long as it wasn't to hot! I would love to win this book! I did steps 1& 2.
    grandmama_brenda(at)yahoo(dot)com

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    1. Thank you so much for sharing this interview, Brenda. Hawaii would indeed be a beautiful location. Best wishes in the drawing.

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    2. So excited that I won this book! I feel like I will enjoy Beth's book!

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  16. I like Civil War reenactments so something on a plantation would be nice. Would wear period clothing. But I agree it would be hard to get everyone there affordably. gretchen dot bakies at gmail dot com

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    1. What a unique idea, Gretchen! I love it! I live on the south side of Atlanta and every fall they do a reenactment of the Battle of Jonesboro (I used to make cotton candy as a church fundraiser there). I could totally get into the period clothing thing!

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  17. either Hawaii or a southern plantation! Shelia Hall sheliarha64@yahoo.com

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    1. Either of those would be fun, Sheila. Thank you for sharing.

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  18. I would have to pick a beach! I think someplace in the Caribbean would be wonderful! An island that has beautiful beaches and not too difficult to fly to! The idea of this book sounds fabulous!! jkmarko at cox dot net

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    1. Beach destinations sure are popular, Kris. And I think this is a book you would definitely enjoy. Best wishes in the drawing.

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  19. Hawaii or Niagra Falls would be my destination. I love both places. Sally Davison
    sallydav45
    (at) gmail (dot) com

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  20. It was good to read your review as I read another not-so-positive review of this book recently. I appreciated getting a fuller perspective on the book. Thanks for sharing this at Booknificent Thursday!
    Tina

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