Welcome to my tour stop! Check out an interview with the
author and enter the tour giveaway with Celebrate Lit below...
Matching Points
(Driftwood Cove #1)
By Nancy J. Farrier
Christian Contemporary Romance
Paperback & ebook, 313 Pages
September 9, 2020 by River Ink Press
Summary
She doesn’t hold his past against him…can he forgive hers?
Fresh out of prison, Asia Jessup wishes she could change her past and maybe her future. She has no family and no one to turn to. All she has is her newfound faith. She returns to the town where she spent a couple of idyllic summers to find family she didn’t know she had. Her devastating secret won’t bring a joyful reunion. Will it destroy her last hope?
Ian Kittridge has his own thriving restaurant, is a respected business owner, and is active in his community. Thanks to a teenage Asia’s empathy one summer he’d been pulled back from the brink of ruining his life and ending up like his father—a murderer. He is working hard to eradicate the past and rise above the murmurs of “like father, like son.”
When Ian runs into Asia he can’t believe she’s returned to their coastal California town. Although he’s eager to reconnect, he isn’t looking for a serious relationship—he can’t take the chance of becoming his father. Asia is wary of Ian’s friendship because of her shameful past and the sins of her mother and father. As Asia’s secrets quake the family she hoped to find, can she and Ian find their way through the storm, to a peaceful resolution, and look toward the future?
Interview
What inspired you to write Matching Points?
This very clear picture of Asia, my heroine, popped in my head one day. She was standing across the street from a quilt shop much as she is in the opening of the story. I knew she had a story to tell and that something bad had happened to her. I couldn’t get her out of my head.
Over the next few months as I worked on other books, she kept intruding. Other parts of her character and story emerged and then Ian, the hero in Matching Points showed up. His story, as it developed, was also heart wrenching and intrigued me. By that time, I had a good idea of the characters in the book and started making my character backgrounds to see who they all were and what they had to say to me. I fell in love with Asia and Ian and their desire for a family, something they’d never really had.
What challenged you about writing Matching Points?
The main challenge was researching the quilting I am not good at sewing. In fact, my sewing machine and I have this uneasy truce most of the time. Sometimes, we are openly combative. (Smile)
When my daughters were still at home and saw me getting out the sewing machine to do some mending, they would leave. Seriously. They knew I would be upset because that machine would quit working, no matter how careful I was. I can break anyone’s machine just by sitting down in front of it. I once borrowed a machine from a friend who sews a lot. She assured me that machine was in perfect condition and would do the simple job I needed to do. Nope. Didn’t work.
But, Asia, my heroine, was standing across from a quilt shop. That was so clear to me. And, Cinda owned that shop. So, I watched a lot of YouTube videos on how to quilt. Beginner quilting and even some that were more advanced. I also read a lot of accounts about mistakes and bloopers. Some of those ended up in Matching Points.
I do love quilts and admire those who can make them. While writing the book, I bought material and made napkins for my daughters. My sewing machine, although reluctant, behaved enough for me to get them all done. And, I got a feel for sitting at the machine, which helped with the writing. Overcoming something difficult gives a sense of satisfaction and enjoyment.
What’s one of your hobbies or something we might not know about you?
I have a fairly large collection of plants, most of them cactus and succulents. I love growing them. I live in the Sonoran Desert in Southern Arizona but the winter nights get down in the low 30’s, which many of my plants can’t take. So, my husband built me a greenhouse for the cooler winter months to house those that won’t take the chilly nights. He did that because I would bring all those plants inside and our house resembled a jungle. My cats loved it, my husband not so much. I have two plumeria trees that also have to be housed in the greenhouse in the winter.
My daughter recently brought me several flats of echinopsis hybrids from her work. (She works at a world-renowned Garden.) I am so excited to have them and can’t wait to see the blooms. I also have a few cycads from my aunt, and I love them so much. I don’t have the time to spend with my plants, or not as much as I would like. There are always some that need dividing or repotting, but working with them is relaxing and gives me a break from my writing and time to consider the next part of my story.
What advice would you give to aspiring authors?
I would say – WRITE. Even if what you write isn’t great at first, practice is what you need. Read books on writing. Take classes and study techniques. Read authors who are best sellers or those you enjoy and see how they handle those scenes that suck you in. What is their sentence structure like? How do they show their characters emotion? Then, apply that to your writing. Study and practice. Those are two things that every writer needs to do, even after they’ve been published. You still have things to learn. It’s an ongoing process.
Most of all, don’t get discouraged. Or, if you do get discouraged, have some chocolate or ice cream, or something that relaxes you. Then, drag up that determination and get back to writing. Writing is hard work and takes a long time to perfect. It’s also a lonely profession. Make connections through writer’s groups and get encouragement there. You can do this.
When you reach for a book to read, what genre do you grab and what are some of your favorites in that genre?
I love to read and enjoy a variety of genres. My favorites are romantic suspense, thriller, contemporary romance, and fantasy.
I am such a fan of YA fantasy. One of the series I read recently and loved is The Ravenwood Sage by Mogan L. Busse. An excellent series.
Courtney Walsh and Becky Wade are two of my favorite contemporary romance authors. I think I’ve read every book they’ve written. I do enjoy those happy endings and seeing how the characters deal with obstacles and problems as they reach that conclusion.
For suspense, I like Lynette Eason, Terri Blackstock, and Irene Hannon. There are so many more but their books are always good I am always looking for new authors and excellent books
If you follow me on Goodreads, you can see what I read and I usually add a short review. I think I could make this answer into a book telling you about the authors and books I love. The titles and authors keep popping in my head but there isn’t room to put them all here.
What are you working on next?
Right now, I am finishing a Christmas novella set in the Driftwood Cove series. Asia and Ian will be there, as will Cinda. You will see familiar characters and get to know some you’ve only met in Matching Points. It will release in late November or early December.
I’ve also finished the rough draft of the second full length book in the series, which will be out in the spring. I am loving this series and can’t wait for my readers to discover more about the people in Driftwood Cove.
About the Author
More from Nancy
From the moment I first pictured Asia standing across from that quilt shop, I knew I had to tell her story. She carried so much emotional baggage and such longing, but I didn’t know why. Going on that journey to find where she’d come from and why she was here at this place, in this moment, was such a rollercoaster ride.
Exploring the theme of family and how our families impact our past proved both exhilarating and painful. I remember hearing a man say he couldn’t help being the way he was because of his father’s influence. That man was a Christian. My first thought was that he has a new Father and he is to be like Christ. Like God.
This is why both Ian and Asia struggle with the concept of having a parent they were compared to in an unflattering light. Ian couldn’t change what his father did, he could only make his own choices and be a different person. To be like Father, like son. Asia, too, had people assume she would be her mother’s daughter, but she wasn’t. Her choice was to live a different life, despite pressure to be as immoral as her mother.
Our choices are what make us who we are. How we choose to live. How we choose to forgive. How we choose to love. And Who we choose to love and follow.
Exploring these themes in Matching Points kept me on my toes. Seeing Asia and Ian work out their choices and their journey proved exhilarating. I hope my readers find encouragement in the pages of this book and the lives of the characters.
Tour Schedule
Blossoms and Blessings, November 2 (Author Interview)
deb’s Book Review, November 2
Sara Jane Jacobs, November 3
Adventures of a Travelers Wife, November 4
Ashley’s Bookshelf, November 4
Happily Managing a Household of Boys, November 5
Pause for Tales, November 6
Artistic Nobody, November 7 (Guest Review from Joni Truex)
Wishful Endings, November 8 (Author Interview)
Batya’s Bits, November 8
Texas Book-aholic, November 9
Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, November 10
Inklings and notions, November 12
Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, November 13
For Him and My Family, November 14
Locks, Hooks and Books, November 15
Tour-Wide Giveaway
To celebrate her tour, Nancy is giving away the grand prize package of a Kindle Fire 7 and a handmade quilted table runner!!
Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.
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