Three second loves,
All with a dose of chaos mixed in.
Author: Lindsay Detwiler
Title: Then Comes Love
Genre: ChickLit
Release Date: March 18th
Publisher: Hot Tree Publishing
Sometimes in life, changes can be good…
After losing her husband, her five cats, and her home, Charlotte Noel hates feeling dependent. As Charlotte tries to find her identity in this new stage of life, she comes to realize that drama never ends, dance aerobics can be a war zone, and love is always a possibility.
You never know when a midlife crisis is going to strike…
Charlotte’s daughter, Annie, is going through struggles of her own. Recently divorced, she is feeling frumpy and worn-out. Run ragged, Annie mourns her youth and wonders where her life is headed, all while hoping she can help her daughter Amelia get it together.
Settling down can be overrated, especially when you’re falling for a rock star look-alike…
Amelia is the wild child of the family. Working three jobs, because she just hasn’t figured out what she wants in life, she realizes happiness isn’t always settling down with a steady, dependable man; sometimes it’s about following your true passion and living on the edge.
No matter what age you are, life and love can be crazy…
1. Can you tell us a little about your books?
All three of my books focus on contemporary women’s issues and love.
Voice of Innocence, my debut novel, is about two high school sweethearts who are torn apart by a wrongful conviction. The book is told decades after Corbin’s conviction, when Emma has moved on with her life. When Corbin is proven innocent, though, both wonder if a love from so long ago has truly faded.
My second novel, Without You, is about the idea that married or single, love is complicated. Jenna is married to Camden and seems to have the perfect life. However, the spark has died in her marriage, and she’s wondering if she is really living the life she wants. When she is sent on a business trip to New York City, she decides to take some time for herself and explore a life without Camden. In the same hometown, Violet Streiff owns a bakery. After a horrible breakup with her college sweetheart, she’s feeling forever alone. When Camden, Jenna’s husband, walks into her shop, though, sparks fly. She fights the feelings, not wanting to be a homewrecker. Through the story, complications arise, and life gets messy for all of them.
My latest novel, Then Comes Love, is the novel I’ve always wanted to write. It follows three women in the same family. Charlotte, 80, has just moved to an assisted living center and is struggling with this new stage of life. Her daughter Annie, 50, has just dealt with a messy divorce and is undergoing a major mid-life crisis. Amelia, 32, is Charlotte’s granddaughter and is the wild one of the family. She is struggling to settle down in life and figure out what she wants. The story is told from all three perspectives over the course of a year as the women maneuver life changes and second loves. It deals with heavy issues of aging and identity, but it also has a lot of humor. I would describe the feel of this book as a Nicholas Sparks’ novel mixed with some Janet Evanovich.
2. When did you know you wanted to write a book?
I’ve always loved writing. When I was little, I would write stories and poems in a journal. I even tried to start writing a book in sixth grade. I got serious about it, though, in college. I took a class called The Literature of Health and Healing. We talked a lot about bucket lists and dreams. During that class, I sat down and started writing the draft of what would become Voice of Innocence.
3. Do you work with an outline, or just write?
I use a very basic outline. I usually just jot down ideas of events and characters. Once I get a solid idea formulated, I will roughly outline each chapter. Usually, I just jot down the main “event” that will happen in each chapter.
4. Do you aim for a set amount of words/pages per day?
I am a high school English teacher, so it can be really tough to write during the school year. I do most of my writing over the summer. I aim for a chapter a day when I’m working on a new project. I try to be pretty flexible and just write whenever I get time.
5. Which book has been your favorite to write?
Then Comes Love was so much fun to write. I loved writing from Charlotte’s perspective. It was so different than what I’ve done so far, and there is such a freedom when writing about this age. I also really love the character of Amelia because she is so different from me; she is wild and rebellious, and I loved writing from that perspective. This book has a much lighter tone than my other two, so it was exciting to explore that.
6. For someone who hasn't read any of you books yet, which one would you suggest they read first?
I really think Then Comes Love is my favorite of the three. It has something for everyone, no matter what your age or personality. I also think it’s easy to relate to.
7. What do you do when you are not writing?
I’m a high school English teacher, which keeps me really busy. I typically have my nose in a book when I’m not doing schoolwork. I must also admit I’ve been known to binge on some Netflix shows. I’m obsessed with Orange is the New Black, Reign, Once Upon a Time, and Jane the Virgin.
8. I watched the Book Trailer Without You, it made me want to read the book. Do you make your own book trailers?
Thank you so much! This made my day J I do make my own trailers. It’s actually one of my favorite parts of marketing. I’m definitely not a pro at it, but I love trying to find a way to make the idea for my story visual.
9. Are you doing any Author Signing Events this year?
Right now, I don’t have anything lined up. I just had a book signing at Barnes & Noble last month, but I’m hoping to go back once Then Comes Love is released.
10. What are writing projects are you currently working on?
Right now, I’m working on a story for a summer anthology. I am also finishing up the sequel to Then Comes Love and working on a new novel called To Say Goodbye. I have several other project ideas I’m really excited about.
An high school English teacher, an author, and a fan of anything pink and/or glittery, Lindsay's the English teacher cliché; she love cats, reading, Shakespeare, and Poe.
She currently lives in her hometown with her husband, Chad (her junior high sweetheart); their cats, Arya, Amelia, Alice, and Bob; and their Mastiff, Henry.
Lindsay's goal with her writing is to show the power of love and the beauty of life while also instilling a true sense of realism in her work. Some reviewers have noted that her books are not the “typical romance.” With her novels coming from a place of honesty, Lindsay examines the difficult questions, looks at the tough emotions, and paints the pictures that are sometimes difficult to look at. She wants her fiction to resonate with readers as realistic, poetic, and powerful. Lindsay wants women readers to be able to say, “I see myself in that novel.” She wants to speak to the modern woman’s experience while also bringing a twist of something new and exciting. Her aim is for readers to say, “That could happen,” or “I feel like the characters are real.” That’s how she knows she's done her job.
Lindsay's hope is that by becoming a published author, she can inspire some of her students and other aspiring writers to pursue their own passions. She wants them to see that any dream can be attained and publishing a novel isn’t out of the realm of possibility.
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