Welcome to the Blog Tour for Glory Road by Lauren K. Denton with JustRead Publicity Tours! We continue the Glory Road celebration on social media starting March 26.
ABOUT THE BOOK
Title: Glory Road
Author: Lauren K. Denton
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Genre: Women's Fiction/Southern Fiction
Release Date: March 19, 2019
At thirty-eight, garden shop owner Jessie McBride thinks her chances for romance are years behind her and, after her failed marriage, she's fine with that. She lives contentedly with her fiery mother and her quiet, headstrong daughter. But the unexpected arrival of two men on Glory Road make her question if she's really happy with the status quo. Handsome, wealthy Sumner Tate asks her to arrange flowers for his daughter's wedding, and Jessie finds herself drawn to his continued attention. And Ben Bradley, her lingering what-could-have-been from high school days who's known her better than anyone and whom she hasn't seen in years, moves back to the red dirt road. Jessie finds her heart being pulled in directions she never expected.
Meanwhile, Jessie's fourteen-year-old daughter, Evan, is approaching the start of high school and trying to navigate a new world of identity and emotions--particularly as they relate to the cute new guy who's moved in just down the road. At the same time, Jessie's mother, Gus, increasingly finds herself forgetful and faces a potentially frightening future. As all three women navigate the uncertain paths of their hearts and futures, one summer promises to bring change--whether they're ready for it or not.
INTERVIEW WITH AUTHOR LAUREN K. DENTON
What are some songs that you listened to or inspired you while writing your book?
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Can you tell us a little about
yourself?
I have been married to my husband Matt for thirteen years, and we
have two daughters—Kate (9) and Sela (6). I live in Birmingham now, but I grew
up in Mobile, AL, and I miss having such quick and easy access to the water! As
such, I make as many trips south as I can, especially during the warm months.
What do you do besides writing?
When I’m not writing, I’m
picking up stray hair ribbons and Legos from underfoot, exercising as much as I
can (to counteract all the hours I spend sitting on my rear end writing books!),
reading (always reading), and trying to come up with a reason to put off yet
another trip to the grocery store. These days, I’m also preparing for a kitchen
renovation, which means I’m spending way too much time reading reviews on
appliances and wondering if I’ve made the right decision about countertops.
Do you have images you can share
that come close to how you picture your characters? Do you like to find visual
inspiration for your characters before or during your writing process?
I
usually don’t have an idea of what my characters look like when I first start
the book, but gradually, an image comes to mind. Sometimes it’s someone I’ve
seen in a movie or TV show, sometimes it’s a mash-up of people I know. I
usually start flipping around online to see if I can find someone who comes
close to the image in my head. As I was writing Glory Road, I compiled many of the images on a Pinterest board: https://www.pinterest.com/LKDentonBooks/glory-road/
What are some songs that you listened to or inspired you while writing your book?
I don’t actually listen to music as I write, although music plays a big
part in Glory Road. One of my
favorite things about writing books is including things I love in my stories in
the hopes that readers will enjoy those same things. In this book, I loved
including some of my favorite music from over the years. Gus loves old country
music, especially Johnny Cash; Nick shares new musicians with Evan (including
one of my very favorites, Josh Ritter); and Jessie and Ben listen to CDs from
his high school music collection, which just so happens to include many of my favorites
from high school (think Dave Matthews Band, U2, and Counting Crows.)
What message would you like readers to ultimately take away
from the book?
I’d love for this book to help a reader who might be facing an
uncertain future, just as Gus faces uncertainty in her future, yet she’s still
determined to wring as much out of her life as possible. I hope readers can see
Jessie making peace with her history and moving into the next phase of her life
with hope and peace, and feel some of that same hope and peace infusing their
own life.
What can we look forward to coming from you in the future?
I
am working on my next book, which will come out next summer. It’s another story
of women finding their way through seasons of their lives—this time taking
place at an active living community for seniors—and because I love setting
stories in places familiar to me and my readers, I set this one in far south
Alabama, right on the coast.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Born and raised in Mobile, Alabama, Lauren now lives with her husband and two young daughters in Homewood, just outside Birmingham. In addition to her fiction, she writes a monthly newspaper column about life, faith, and how funny (and hard) it is to be a parent. On any given day, she’d rather be at the beach with her family and a stack of books. Her debut novel, The Hideaway, is USA Today, Wall Street Journal, and Amazon Charts bestseller. Her second novel, Hurricane Season, released in April, 2018, and was listed on BookPage's 2018 list of Most Anticipated Fiction.
CONNECT WITH THE AUTHOR: website | facebook | twitter | instagram | pinterest
TOUR GIVEAWAY
(2) winners will each win a print copy of Glory Road.
Follow along at JustRead Tours for a full list of blog stops!
AND
Be sure to stop at the takeover tour, starting on March 26, for more chances to win!
*NOTE: This post contains affiliate links.
