Teresa Tysinger, Author

New Release From Pepper Basham

You all know that I have a soft, squishy spot for Appalachian life and stories. It will come as no surprise to you, then, that I’m secretly in love with Pepper Basham‘s books! One of my favorite recent reads is Pepper’s A Twist of Faith. Today Pepper is celebrating the release of her newest book Just the Way You Are, a “culture clash between Britain and Appalachia.”

About Just the Way You Are

Just the Way You Are by Pepper Basham Single mom, Eisley Barrett, prefers to keep romance housed within a centuries-old mystery, but when she travels to England to unearth the secret, an actor with a sordid past offers her heart a very different type of discovery.

Wes Harrison has a past he’s ashamed to confess. Suspicious and cynical, he’s managed to avoid romantic entanglements since a tragedy upended his career and life, that is until American Eisley Barrett comes along. Her authenticity and kindness upend his bitter assumptions and send his heart into unscripted territory.

When his past threatens to ruin a second chance at love, can some Appalachian matchmaking and letters from the grave salvage their unexpected romance?

Humor, love, mystery, cute kids, crazy families, and culture clashes make this Britallachian Romance a unique and delightful romantic comedy sprinkled with adventure.

Get Your Copy of Just the Way You Are on Amazon

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My copy of JTWYA is waiting in my Kindle for me to get my eyes on as soon as my crazy pre-release schedule allows me. In the meantime, here’s what people are saying about this much anticipated release into the Christian fiction world.*

“With equal parts side-splitting wit and humor, sparkling romance and two vivid cultures colliding all in the name of Love, Ms. Basham’s latest literary offering will no doubt become a classic in the genre and in new and old readers’ hearts. Just the Way You Are will leave you swooning, happy-sighing and wiping tears away in turn. A truly unforgettable novel!”
– Meghan Gorecki

“Wes and Eisley [main characters] are what propel this story from a light and humorous start to an ending with surprising transformation, romance, and depth. Add in the fairy tale-like England trip, family mystery, and pop culture references and you have the perfect witty romance.”
– CameraCourt

“On a scale of cotton candy to Brussels sprouts, Just The Way You Are by Pepper D. Basham is Lindt Lindor Truffles (my fave is dark chocolate). Chocolate crunch on the outside and creamy goodness in the center, but wait, it’s in book form!”
– Barbara B.

Get Your Copy of Just the Way You Are on Amazon

*These reviews are taken from the reviews for JTWYA on Amazon.

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Author Interview & Giveaway: Laurie Tomlinson

Today is a special day, friends. Not only do I get to introduce you to an author, but one who happens to also be my friend AND my editor for Someplace Familiar! Indeed, Laurie Tomlinson wears many hats. Today, Laurie is kind enough to tell us about herself and her upcoming release through a good, old-fashioned Q&A. Be sure to read to the end for a chance to win a copy of Laurie’s book, With No Reservations.

Welcome, Laurie! Can you tell us a little about yourself?
Yes! I’m wife to a soccer playing engineer, mama to two littles, and small business owner living in Tulsa, Oklahoma. By night, I write stories of grace in the beautiful mess to help readers find beauty and hope in complicated, unexpected places.

We all need stories like that. What is your favorite part of the writing process?
Definitely when I hit the middle section of the story and tap into that deep well of inspiration.

What is your least favorite part?
The other 90% of the time when chocolate is the only thing keeping me from banging my head against the keyboard. 🙂

Ha! I think all of us authors can relate to that! Can you tell us about your latest/upcoming book?
My debut novel, With No Reservations, releases NEXT MONTH and tells what happens when a food blogger leaves her carefully controlled world to help a high profile millionaire-turned-chef open his first restaurant. Their story explores healing and hope when you’ve been stuck for a long time.

You guys, I’ve had an early glimpse at this book and you are going to love it! Laurie, from where did you get the inspiration for With No Reservations?
Well, if I’m honest, it started with food. Is that weird? I knew I wanted to have a food blogger heroine. Then some revelations the Lord gave me about healing while dealing with a chronic illness helped the story develop from there.

Not weird at all! I’m curious, what was the last book you’ve read?
Someplace Familiar by Teresa Tysinger and Wild & Free by Jess Connolly and Hayley Morgan. I recommend both!

(Did I mention Laurie is my editor? Ha!) Who are some of your favorite authors and why?
Katie Ganshert, Carla Laureano, and Kara Isaac. Authenticity is one of my highest values, and their stories, while very different styles, capture that so beautifully.

What’s one piece of advice you’d like to give other writers?
To own their work, watch out for filter words, and remember that a little here and there adds up to a lot!

And just for fun…What’s your favorite movie?
Recent: Hidden Figures
Classic: I will never quit Love & Basketball and 10 Things I Hate About You. Never.

It was so fun getting to know a little about you, Laurie. If you’re interested in learning more about Laurie’s small business go to 1624 Communications. Here’s a bit more and details about With No Reservations.

About Laurie Tomlinson

Laurie Tomlinson visits the Authors' Open House at https://teresatysinger.com. Laurie Tomlinson is an award-winning contemporary romance author and cheerleader for creatives. She believes that God’s love is unfailing, anything can be accomplished with a good to-do list, and that life should be celebrated with cupcakes and extra sprinkles. Her novella That’s When I Knew was featured in the Love at First Laugh collection, and her debut novel, With No Reservations, releases in May 2017 from Harlequin Heartwarming. You can connect with Laurie on her website, Facebook page, and Instagram.

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There can be more than comfort in food…

What could well-known and wealthy Graham Cooper Jr. have in common with a blogger like Sloane Bradley, a woman with secrets she’s kept firmly out of the public eye? That is, besides a love of food. Sloane still can’t believe Cooper’s the chef at the restaurant she’s been assigned to promote. But she’s boiling to prove to him that her “little blog” can put his place on the map. She can also fall head over heels for the guy, who has secrets of his own, it turns out…except for one thing. She can’t get past the post-traumatic stress disorder that keeps her walled up in her home studio.

Available on:

Win a Print Copy of
With No Reservations!

To enter to win a copy of With No Reservations, simply leave a comment on this post telling us your favorite family recipe OR book/movie that has something to do with food. You have until Friday, April 7 to comment. Good luck!

Out and About

I’m up to my eye balls in final edits for Someplace Familiar. That might mean things are a tad quiet in my little blog sphere, but you can find me out and about in a few others places this week:

Tick-Tock Writer’s Block Series

I’m excited to be the guest bloggers today over at Andy Carmichael’s blog for her 10-week Tick-Tock Writer’s Block series. I’m sharing about how procrastination can actually (wait for it) make you a BETTER writer! What–don’t believe me? Come check it out HERE and let me know your take on it.

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Andy and all of us guest bloggers for the series have put together a fun GIVEAWAY package, too. Including a $25 Amazon Gift Card, copy of Someplace Familiar when it releases, and lots of other freebie books from amazing authors. So be sure and enter that, too.

**Indie Releases on RelzReviewz!**

I started my week with a HUGE and unexpected honor. We’re talking dance around the house in my underwear (TMI?) on Monday morning before work when I saw it.

Someplace Familiar was included on RelzReviewz list of upcoming indie releases! next to the likes of Pepper Basham, Tamara Leigh, Jenny B. Jones, Susan May Warren, Ronie Kendig, Sarah Monzon, and my sweet dear writing partner Mikal Dawn. Mikal and I have been critique partners for years and know each other’s stories inside and out. For our debut novels to be releasing the same month is a crazy blessing and I’m so thrilled she made this list with me.

Check out Rel’s post HERE to read all about these amazing coming releases.

Where You Can Find Someplace Familiar

I’ve had several folks ask where they can find Someplace Familiar. Not, it’s not up on Amazon yet, but I’m hoping to have pre-orders set up before too long. In the meantime, you can read more about it and add it to your Want to Read list on Goodreads.

Join the Street Team!

It’s also not too late to join THE GRACE GIVERS, my “street team” helping with the launch of the book through early reviews (i.e. advanced reader copies!), sharing posts, promoting features, etc. If you’re interested in joining, contact me!

That’s all I’ve got for you, sweet friends. Hope you all are well….leave a comment telling me what you’re up to? What are you reading these days? What upcoming releases (besides Someplace Familiar, of course — wink, wink) are you most looking forward to?

You Won’t Remember the Pain: Birthing a Book

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I’ve heard authors compare publishing a book to childbirth. Metaphorically, of course. But on that vein of thought, I think I’m in the throws of birthing pains, friends. Someplace Familiar is my “first born” book. She’s gestated for three years, not counting the decade or so I dreamed of her…the possibility of her.

Like all new mothers, one of my biggest struggles as I wait for the book to come to life is self-doubt. Before I had my daughter eight years ago I worried if I had the capacity to properly care for her – her body, her spirit, her happiness. I could barely handle those things for myself. Oh, self-doubt is a quiet, sly foe.

I came across this quote about birthing from Barbara Katz Rothman that made me stop and think…

Birth is not only about making babies.
Birth is about making mothers –
strong, competent, capable mothers
who trust themselves and know their inner strength.

What if we rewrote this for the circumstance of an author publishing a book?

Publishing is not only about making books.
Publishing is about making authors –
strong, competent, capable authors
who trust themselves and know their inner strength.

No child will grow up perfect and without flaws – it’s not in human nature. Likewise, no book will it make it to the digital or brick-and-mortar shelves without mistakes. There will be typos and sentences that could’ve been written better. We authors must remember that if we focus too much on unattainable perfection of our books we risk missing the lessons we learn along the way about our own abilities and strength.

These talents are God given. Placed upon your for such a time as this, in your lifetime and within your influences. You wrote a book! I mean, that’s huge. What’s more…we authors have worked hard on the books to get them to the point of publishing. No small feat.

My daily prayer as I grit my teeth through these labor pains of publishing is that God will help me focus on the journey, and find joy there where exhaustion and hard work threaten to dissuade me from noticing victory.

Once the book is “born,” my newest baby, I’ll forget the pain it took to get her here. Like my own cesarean scar from eight years ago, the memory of trauma will fade and will be replaced with joy and anticipation of what God will do with her life…how she’ll impact others…how she’ll leave the world different, better, than it was before she came.

That’s my prayer. I’ll forget today’s pain.

Join THE GRACE GIVERS Street Team

Let me start by offering a huge, heartfelt thanks to all of you who showered me with so much support and excitement over the cover reveal for Someplace Familiar.

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I’m so glad you love it as much as I do. Several of you have asked how you can help tell other about the book. I’ve got a fun way for you to jump on board!

Do you know what a street team is? It’s a team of folks passionate about a shared interest who are willing to go to the streets, so to speak, to help promote an event, person, product, or book.

I’m welcoming up to 50 readers to join THE GRACE GIVERS street team to help tell others about Someplace Familiar. Being part of the team would include things like:

Get sneak peek e-book copies
Post reviews
Share posts about the book (I’ll provide images/memes)
Share on your blog
Be part of blog tour before release
Sign up for author newsletter
Engage with me on Goodreads
Exclusive giveaways to street team members
Fun challenges with other team members
Pray for the book’s influence with message of grace
Pray for and get to know new reader friends
And more!

If you’d like to be part of this fun street team experience, now’s the time!