Lost And Found Faith

Welcome to the Blog + Review Tour for Lost and Found Faith by Laurel Blount, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!

ABOUT THE BOOK

Title: Lost and Found Faith
Author: Laurel Blount
Publisher: Love Inspired
Release Date: August 24, 2021
Genre: Christian, Contemporary Romance
A terrible tragedy nearly broke him. Can love put him back together again? Widowed history teacher Neil Hamilton has lost his way—at work, with people and even with his faith. But Neil’s shut-down existence is disrupted when a small toddler and his would-be foster mother, vibrantly pretty Maggie Byrne, come crashing into Neil’s yard and his life. Can this absentminded teacher find himself again…and take a chance on love, too?

From Love Inspired: Uplifting stories of faith, forgiveness and hope.

ALSO AVAILABLE

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Award-winning author Laurel Blount writes inspirational romances full of grit and grace—with characters who’ll walk right off the page and into your heart! She lives on a farm in Georgia with her husband, their four fabulous kids, and an assortment of ridiculously spoiled animals.

A enthusiastic multi-tasker, Laurel writes for both Berkley/Penguin Random House and Love Inspired/Harlequin. She’s the recipient of ACFW’s Carol Award, The New England Reader’s Choice Award and GRW’s Maggie Award. She’s represented by Jessica Alvarez of Bookends Literary Agency. Lost and Found Faith is Laurel’s sixth book—and five more stories are in the works! Stay tuned!

CONNECT WITH LAUREL: Website | Facebook | Instagram

Q & A with Laurel Blount!

Which of your Published or Unpublished books is your favorite, and why?

Wow—that’s like picking my favorite child! Honestly, I can’t choose. Each one of them has a special spot in my heart.

How do you pick your character’s personalities or looks?

I love creating characters—definitely my favorite part of writing. Personalities usually come to me focused around one particular trait and situation. Like, I’ll think—what about a man who has a beautiful heart, but always manages to say the wrong thing? (Abel Whitlock, A Family for the Farmer) Or what about a woman who splashes love and cheerful optimism around her community like confetti, but finds herself rejected by the little boy she desperately wants to adopt? (Maggie Byrne, Lost and Found Faith)

For looks, while the book is still in its earliest stages, I usually search for images on the Internet until one grabs me. Then I print that image out and that becomes the visual for the character in my mind.

What is your favorite genre to read? What is your favorite genre to write? And why are they your favorites?
I hopscotch around in my personal reading. My favorite genres are inspirational romance, women’s fiction, suspense, cozy mysteries—and of course, anything written by a friend. Those always top my TBR list! As long the book’s uplifting and well-written, count me in!

I love writing inspirational romance. I think falling in love is one of the sweetest and most challenging times in any person’s life, and it’s such fun to walk with my characters through that season.

What inspires you the most?

God manages to find a way to inspire me every day! And also—people! I find people fascinating. Just about everybody has a story to tell, a hidden talent, a confession to make, or a passion to share. I love talking to people and learning about them, their opinions, relationships, hopes and dreams. I always leave those conversations inspired!

Once an idea takes root, how long does it take you to write it down? Do you use outlines?

I do use outlines, but I often veer off the path I’ve mapped out. I’m definitely a ”plantser,” and some of my favorite scenes weren’t in my original plan. For that reason I try to be open to “off-roading” when an interesting plot twist occurs to me.

Book timelines vary for me—some books just take longer than others. I’ve written a whole book in about six weeks, and I’ve written one in eight months. It depends on a lot of factors—the book itself, what’s going on in the other parts of my life, how many other writing projects I’m juggling, etc.!

Do you have a favorite author? Or someone whom you would say has influenced your writing style?

Hmm. That’s a good question! I’ve learned so much from so many authors. From L.M. Montgomery, I think I learned the importance of making characters feel “real” to the reader—who’s more real than red-headed Anne Shirley? From a workshop led by author Virginia Kantra, I learned the importance of deep point of view, and how it brings immediacy and depth to a story. From my author buddies both Love inspired and others, I have learned many nitty-gritty truths about the craft itself—about writing through the storms of life, about the importance of meeting deadlines with integrity, about supporting fellow authors, and being gracious and professional at all times. There are so many other authors I’ve learned from, and that list continues to grow!

What are your hobbies other than writing?

I enjoy baking, canning, gardening, cheesemaking, reading, traveling, teaching, long talks with friends, antiquing…I may have too many interests!

Do you have a genre that you would never write?

As my grandmother would say—never is a long day. ? My love of variety means that I wouldn’t necessarily rule out any genre. I will say this, though, I wouldn’t want to write anything that goes against my Christian faith.

What is one thing you would say has had the greatest impact on your writing?

I think I’d have to say my own personal life experiences, filtered through the lens of my Christian faith. That unique combination has flavored my writing like a spoonful of sugar flavors a cup of tea.

Lastly, what was your favorite book growing up?

The Velveteen Rabbit! I still love that story with all my heart. And now that I’m getting older, the Skin Horse’s passage about love’s impact seems even more comforting! Maybe some of my outer beauty has been “loved off” but, thanks to my kind and merciful Lord, I believe I’ve become a bit more “real” over the years.

Thanks so much for stopping by Laurel Blount! I loved getting to know you a bit better! and I hope we can meet in person someday!

Sincerely,
The Travelers Wife

TOUR GIVEAWAY

(1) winner will receive an embroidered dishtowel with Maggie’s favorite saying “The kitchen is the heart of the home” and a $25 Amazon gift card!

Be sure to check out each stop on the tour for more chances to win. Full tour schedule linked below. Giveaway began at midnight August 23, 2021 and lasts through 11:59 PM EST on August 30, 2021. 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

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