Blog Tour, Author Interview & Giveaway: Reclaiming Hope in Wishing Bridge by Ruth Logan Herne

 

Welcome to the Blog Tour for Reclaiming Hope in Wishing Bridge by Ruth Logan Herne, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!

ABOUT THE BOOK

 

Title: Reclaiming Hope in Wishing Bridge 

Series: Wishing Bridge #5 

Author: Ruth Logan Herne 

Publisher: Independently Published 

Release Date: October 22, 2022 

Genre: Women's Fiction with romantic elements (clean) 

She swore she'd never come back to Wishing Bridge. 

She needed nothing. No family. No links to a past that broke her heart. Heather Johnstone was successful in her own right, by her own actions. She'd built a pristine life and gave no one the right or opportunity to disrupt it, but then her father called... the one person who'd loved her. Who'd cared. 

And there was no other choice, it seemed. 

She'd go back and face a past that was now tragically changed and fairly unimportant, but that's the thing about growing up. You don't always know what's important until it's too late. 

Hank Reynolds had spent over a decade trying to inspire change. Change in a shrinking town adjacent to Wishing Bridge, and a school district that serviced several towns. Hank took his teaching and coaching seriously. Seriously enough to help no small number of kids find their way to success, but when a tragic flood takes a major toll on the little town of Hopewell, the aftermath stuns the surrounding communities with the loss of life and livelihood. Who can help? Who can help them re-establish the good old days in a place that had lost their grip on good a long time ago? 

Hank knows what the school needs the minute he sees Heather. Northeast Wyoming Central needs an administrator that puts kids first, all the time. Not just when it looks good for a photo op. And when his phone calls bring back more of their high school football teammates, Hank knows something else is happening... Coming back to Wishing Bridge isn't just good for the town and the schools... It's good for the prodigals. 

Because whoever said you can't go home again was wrong and Hank Reynolds intends to prove it, but when Heather's life takes a sudden turn, he realizes something else: sacrificial love means putting others first. Even if it's the person you love more than anyone else on the planet. 

Grab a cup of coffee, a Coke or a spot of tea and join the folks of Wishing Bridge, NY as they gather folks in to help, to love, to fix, to nurture... Welcome back to Wishing Bridge... where prayers and wishes mingle to make dreams come true.

PURCHASE LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon

 

INTERVIEW WITH AUTHOR RUTH LOGAN HERNE

Can you tell us a little about yourself?

I am absolutely living my dream of being a mom and grandmother, writing great stories as a USA Today bestselling author and running a pumpkin farm with my husband and several members of my delightful family. Our lives are hectic, busy and mostly fun, but the reward is seeing readers laugh, cry and sigh over my books and having crowds of happy fall shoppers fill our yard with smiles, wagons filled with pumpkins and happy children!


What do you do besides writing?

So many things! We are blessed to live in a historic farmhouse (always in need of fixing!) with 50 acres that we turned into a retirement dream of a pumpkin farm that is riotously fun!


What was your favorite part of researching for this book?

I love that the Wishing Bridge series, originally contracted with Waterfall Books (Amazon) have taken on a life of their own. Readers love them, share them, talk about them, so when we talk about research for a Wishing Bridge book, it depends on what we’re looking at. The pastoral setting and the great, embracing town is wonderful but the emotions of the humans involved, their paths, their pasts are often hard… and gripping. Writing the guts of the story, the emotions that draw the readers in and leave them remembering the story long after the last page is turned, is my favorite part because I love connecting with readers on that level. Uplifting and empowering women to overcome and be strong is always my end game.


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?

What a great question but gosh… I don’t do any of that… I envision the characters based on certain physical characteristics but that’s not how I see them. I see them through the lens of their journey, their lives, their mistakes. Hard to picture that accurately because photos are two-dimensional and great characters just go deeper. 

(I love that response Ruthie! I feel like that's the way I experience characters in my mind as well but never knew how to describe it like you just did!)

 

What are some songs that you listened to or inspired you while writing your book?

Strike #2!!!! When I’m writing Christmas novels or novellas out of season I use things like Breath of Heaven (Amy Grant) and “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day” (Casting Crowns) to keep my brain in sync with the story, but not for Wishing Bridge. 

What message would you like readers to ultimately take away from the book?

I want readers to see and feel the grace and beauty of God’s timing… and to embrace the opportunities that God sends their way, even if they come disguised. He’s there. He’s got this… we just can’t always see around the bends in the road.


What can we look forward to coming from you in the future?

Great question! I have two brand new Guideposts mysteries that have just been released. “Love’s a Mystery in Sleepy Hollow, NY” and “Love’s a Mystery in Cut and Shoot, Texas”, two wonderful 2-in-1s where I wrote the contemporary stories and Gabe Meyer and Janice Thompson wrote the historical segments…. We had such a fun time working together!

And for 2023 there will be a new mystery series “Whistle Stop Café Mysteries” coming from Guideposts Fiction, “The Lawman’s Second Chance” coming in January, “Kindling Christmas in Wishing Bridge” scheduled for fall of 2023! I am so blessed to be working regularly… God has truly blessed me!

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Multi-published, award-winning and bestselling inspirational author Ruth Logan Herne has worked with multiple publishers and has published over seventy novels and novellas: Basically, Ruthy is living her dream of being a published author and having a great deal of fun doing it! With words to warm the heart and ease the soul, Ruthy takes her readers on the journeys of some unforgettable characters and situations, but in the spirit of being a true Pollyanna at heart, she loves a happy ending! She has a heart for women as overcomers and that spirit of faith and strength shines through every one of her stories. A mother of six with a seventh "daughter of her heart", Ruthy has fourteen grandkids, runs a busy big pumpkin farm with her husband Farmer Dave, and has an absolute love for God, Jesus, her family, country, dogs, chocolate and coffee....

Connect with Ruth by visiting ruthloganherne.com to follow her on social media or subscribe to email newsletter updates.

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TOUR GIVEAWAY

 

(1) winner will receive a lovely book bundle from Ruthy including several books, chocolate, and a $20 Amazon Gift Card... cozy just got a little bit better.

Full tour schedule linked below. The giveaway begins at midnight November 14, 2022 and will last through 11:59 PM EST on November 21, 2022. Winner will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. US only. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.

Giveaway is subject to the policies found here.

ENTER GIVEAWAY HERE

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Follow along at JustRead Tours for a full list of stops!