A Cup of Coffee with Author Rachel Fordham

August 2022 – I have another great interview for you. Another talented author I met… well, I first heard about her on Twitter, yes. But I actually met her briefly at a recent event in Florida (RomaDrama 2022 convention) and, since I’ve wanted to know more about her, I invited her for a chat. I present to you author Rachel Fordham.

Rachel writes in the historical romance fiction genre. Her published books include The Hope of Azure Springs (2018), Yours Truly, Thomas (2019), A Life Once Dreamed (2020), A Lady in Attendance (2021), and Where the Road Bends (2022). In 2019, her book The Hope of Azure Springs was selected as Inspy Award Finalist and Nancy Pearl Book Award Finalist.

I confess, although I love romance fiction novels, I haven’t read her books. But she has plenty of fans on social media that praise her writing, so I’m curious and want to know more about Rachel. Here is our conversation:

The name of my blog is Full of Coffee, so first question: do you like coffee? If you do, how do you like it? or do you prefer tea, maybe?

• I am a water girl! So boring, I know, but I haven’t ever been a fan of slowly sipping on drinks. I love my giant water bottle and guzzle away!

You are the first guest I have that doesn’t drink coffee. It’s okay, I live with people who don’t drink coffee. Hey, it’s okay to prefer other drinks, especially if it’s water. Tell me, where did you grow up? Did your childhood have any influence on your interest in reading or writing?

• I grew up in Washington state on ten acres with lots of “scope for the imagination.” I read A LOT as a child. I think all those books and all that land led to a creative streak. My first manuscript takes place in my current town. (But I never published it. Someday!)

It must have been a wonderful childhood. I grew up in a rural area in Puerto Rico, and my favorite hobby was reading, and I did write a few “novels” as an adolescent. Unfortunately, I didn’t save those notebooks. When did you decide to publish your writing? Did it affect your personal life?

• About seven years ago I had a young baby and was feeling a little overwhelmed. I LOVED my life, but was in need of a creative outlet. My husband said, “you read so much, why don’t you write a book?” That started me on my writing journey. I loved writing so much and when I’d written two manuscripts, I realized I was better at it than I had expected and took the brave step to see if I could publish. I homeschool my kids (they’re my number one job and the best job there is), I write and I also do all the book work for our business. I need more hours in my day! 

You have your hands busy! Now, tell me about your first published book. How was that experience of getting your book The Hope of Azure Springs published?

• My first book release was like being pregnant. I was counting down the days, nervous and excited! I felt vulnerable (what if everyone hated it?). I felt excited (I really did this). I had all the feels!
• Unfortunately, when my debut actually released it was not as climatic as I had expected. The same month The Hope of Azure Springs came out, my first foster daughter who had been with me a year and half left. I was so broken-hearted that I didn’t fully soak in writing the book. 
• I look back on that experience and think that God was teaching me humility. Writing a book is really awesome! But family, relationships, my little foster loves are a step up on the priority list and I always want to keep it that way. 

Wow, that is a lesson we all need. I’ll keep it in mind. All of your published books are historical romances. Tell me about your interest in this genre. 

• I’ve always joked I was born in the wrong era. I have always loved history and romance so it felt natural to try my hand at that first. I would love to write other genres as well, but I think historical will always be my favorite! 

Hey, you’ve been doing a great job and fans love your books. Any future project you want to talk about?

• I’m currently working on a story set in the 1920s, a mix of You’ve got Mail meets Romeo and Juliet meets the Jazz era. It’s tons of fun! I also have a couple other projects in the works, so stay tuned!

Wonderful! Can’t wait to see what else you have to show us. Thank you so much for sharing your story with me, with us.

I hope everyone enjoys this interview as much as I have enjoyed writing it. It’s a great opportunity for me to meet all these incredible writers.

If you want to know more about Rachel, you can follow her on Facebook RachelFordhamFans, and Instagram @rachel_fordham.  Also visit her website Rachelfordham.com. And don’t forget to visit Amazon to find her books! I definitely want to read them all.

As a special gift to ALL of my readers, and as a thank you for all of your support to Rachel and me, I have bookmarks to give away! Please complete the contact form to send me your postal address or email me at fullofcoffeeblog@gmail.com. If you live outside of the United States, a pre-addressed, postage-paid envelope will be required. Email me at fullofcoffeeblog@gmail.com.

I’ll keep reading, I’ll keep writing, I’ll keep dreaming! I have some more pending projects to work on. Thank you for reading! It’s time for my tacita de café. Salud!

Para versión en español, vea Fullofcoffeeblog.com/una-tacita-de-cafe-con-la-autora-rachel-fordham/