Monday, March 25, 2013

Interview with the Cuffe Sisters and a giveaway of The Heart Knows

Welcome, Sadie & Sophie! We are so happy to have you here this week, and that you have agreed to share a bit about yourselves.

Q: First of all—scones and tea, cookies and hot cocoa, cake and coffee, or tofu and seaweed juice (gack!) ?

S&S: We would've picked the tofu and seaweed if you'd only included blue/green algae for dessert; so we've gotta go with the cookies and hot cocoa - chocolate chip are Sophie's fav!

Q: When did the writing bug first hit you?

Sadie:  I wasn't one of those child prodigies who wrote their first novel by the age of six. My best friend loved to write, and after college we kept in touch by letter (before email). She liked my letters and encouraged me to write. I started writing really bad poetry in my late 20's then moved on to a newspaper column, articles, and eventually novels.

Sophie:  I was always more of an editor than a writer. I love formatting, spelling, grammar, you name it, so I was happy being Sadie's final copy editor.

Q: How does Maine, snow, and/the gorgeous New England Coast play into your writing?

S&S: Our two-book Blood Brothers in Christ series takes place in the western Maine mountains, with a nod to island life. Ironically, THE HEART KNOWS takes place in Kansas, but coming from Downeast Maine impacts the heart of how and what we write. We enjoy writing about rural characters who have outdoor smarts, a strong sense of community, and a can-do spirit.

Q: If you could sit down and interview any person, fictitious or real from any time, who would that be and what is the first question you would ask?

Sadie:  Our great-grandmother who came over on the boat from Ireland. "What was it like to leave everything you knew and start a whole new life?

Sophie:  Laura Bush.  "Would you be willing to write a devotion for our A WOMAN LIKE ME blog?"

Q: Who have been your mentors, and how did they help you most?

Sadie:  Dad was a great writer, but he didn't think so. He gave me a love of words and the realization that I had the freedom and opportunity to try anything. He was our greatest encourager and fan. Also, our grandparents and mother were extraordinary oral storytellers and a lot of their language (vernacular) and rural lore and history give our characters and stories color, authenticity, and heart.

Sophie:  I'd have to say Sadie gave me the nudge to write. I used to transcribe her hand-written articles. We eventually progressed to portable typewriter to electronic typewriter to computer (yay, no more White-out!). When she became a regular contributor to a home school/Christian school weekly-reader-type publication, she encouraged me to submit some articles on spec. They were accepted and we were on our way!

Q:  What do you hope your readers will take away from your stories?

S&S:  That being yourself is the greatest gift to you, God, and others; that faith in Christ brings courage, hope, and wisdom; and that sisters of faith make a difference.

Q: Do you have a question or two you would like our blog readers to answer?

S&S:  1. What would you like to read in a new book?   
2. What's the most attractive character trait you look for in a hero/heroine?

Blurb for THE HEART KNOWS:  When widow Lydia Wainwright faces the empty nest syndrome, she flies the coop. Traveling to Abilene, Kansas, in 1867 to take the position of schoolmarm is daunting but necessary for the independent Yankee woman. But when a train wreck steals her dream, and an injury robs her of her memory, Lydia has no one to turn to, and nowhere to go. Rescued by Drew Spurlock and mistaken for his cousin Minnie, Lydia assumes her role in the Spurlock family as mother to his children and friend to the lonely bitter man. Yet, each day the image in the mirror mocks her, and foggy bits of memory taunt her. Lydia recovers and finds not only has her dream changed, but her heart as well. When she discovers Drew has lied, can she forgive him, or have they both been deceived by a person and a dream that don't exist?
Purchase links for THE HEART KNOWS: 
facebook author page: http://tinyurl.com/9cflp7w

The Cuffe Sisters have graciously offered a pdf copy of THE HEART KNOWS to one lucky commenter who answers one of their reader questions. You can earn extra entries by following this blog, (see follow button on upper right hand side of this page) and sharing on Google+, fb or twitter. Follow the Cuffe sisters' blog for two extra points, for  a total of 7 possible entries.
Drawing will take place March 29th at 8PM eastern, winner announced by midnight.

36 comments:

  1. Welcome Sadie and Sophie! I am so thrilled you have come and shared with us this week. Love your fresh, funny style! And your books sound and look wonderful. You know how much I love Civil War, so we are definitely kindred spirits.
    This is going to be a fun week!

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    1. Thank YOU for having us, Kathy! Someday we may have to try the seaweed juice and tofu... eewwwww. We appreciate this so much - definitely kindred spirits. We feel like Anne Shirley - who knew there'd be so many kindred spirits in the world? Blessings, S&S

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    2. I just love Anne Shirley! Wouldn't it be a dream to get a bunch of us gals together for a writing retreat and take our manuscripts out on the beach like Anne did? Thank God for laptops, because I am too old to chase down flying papers. LOL

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    3. I hear you about the flying papers! And Anne may have kept everything in her head so she could rewrite it, but me? If I forget to hit the save button, I'm dead. It would be wicked fun to get together for a writing retreat on the beach, though. We've always wanted to go to Australia; that would be cool! Sophie

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  2. Great interview! Love those two names! Story sounds interesting. Thanks for sharing the interview, Kathy and keep on writing, Cuffe sisters!!

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    1. Carrie, thanks so much for your encouraging words. Blessings, S&S

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  3. hey, Carrie, Thanks so much for stopping by and saying hey to these great gals. Carrie is in our Civil War loop and is a Hartline Sib, repped by Joyce. One of my favorite peeps. <3

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  4. You two keep my laughing. Strong sense of humor gets us through the tough times in life!

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    1. Amen to that, Linda. And these gals are so fun and full of joy. Thanks so much for stopping by today! Lord bless your Easter celebration.

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    2. You guys are so nice! Humor really does help, doesn't it? So glad you stopped by, Linda! S&S

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  5. loved this posting...thanks for the chance to read this story ;)

    karenk
    kmkuka at yahoo dot com

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    1. Hi, Karen
      So nice to see you here today. Aren't those covers lovely? Desert Breeze does such nice covers. And these books look so good. Love me a Civil War story. :)
      Lord bless and good luck on the giveaway.

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    2. We LOVE our covers - done by Jenifer Ranieri. She's won several Ariana (I think) awards for her cover art - she really is the best! And thanks for taking the time to leave a comment, KarenK. S&S

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  6. I really enjoy Civil War books. I like when the hero or heroine help others naturally without pushing. Thanks for having the giveaway.

    Rose
    harnessrose(at)yahoo(dot)com

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    1. Rose, thank you so much for stopping in. I'm with you--I love anything to do with the Civil War. Good luck on the giveaway.

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    2. We had fun researching for these books - wish we'd known about the Civil War group earlier LOL! And we always love when a hero and/or heroine get to help others. THE SEEKERS has a great hero for helping, but that's not THIS book hahaha. THE HEART KNOWS features the mother of said hero. We love her, too. S&S

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    1. hey, Tammy! My Irish gardening lass! :) So nice to see you here. These gals are from your neck of the woods, in a general New England sense. Good luck on the giveaway and thank you for stopping in.

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    2. Great to see you here, Tammy! Thanks for dropping in - wish we could give a copy to everyone who stops by - but that kinda defeats the whole making-a-living-writing-books thing, doesn't it? Blessings, S&S

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  8. Two of my favorite ladies and writers. Lovely post! You always make me laugh when I need it most. Especially on these snowy Monday's. Write on, sisters.

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    1. I couldn't agree more. They are a ray of sunshine, aren't they? :D Thanks for visiting, L.

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    2. Hey, Linda, great to see you here, too! What? Snow? No - no more snow allowed - and this from two girls who LOVE snow! But there comes a time when enough's enough, right? (Does this mean we're going to be getting snow soon?) Thanks for stopping by! Blessings, S&S

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  9. I really enjoyed this interview. Would love to win their PDF of their book. I am a follower of this blog, and follow the Cuffe Sisters as well. I shared this on my Facebook page. This should be 5 entries. Maxie Anderson mac262(at)me(dot)com

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    1. Thanks, Maxie. You are always so good at sharing! LOL Seriously, I appreciate you helping to spread the word. Five entries it is!

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    2. Wow, Maxie - thanks for following us! And you get five votes - you over-achiever, way to go! We're grateful for your kind words and support. Blessings, S&S

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  10. Oh yes. I forgot to answer the questions. I would like to see how a husband and father would handle losing his wife and children in an accident., or murder? Would he have enough faith in GOD to get him through such a horrible time? How would he handle this? Maxie

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    1. We recently read about Horatio Spafford who wrote "It Is Well With My Soul." His wife and four daughters were on a boat bound for England when they collided with another ship. The three older children were washed overboard and the baby was dragged from her mother's arms. Only the mother escaped, but she and her husband never lost their faith that "It is well. The will of God be done." Good thought for a story, Maxie. Thanks! S&S

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  11. Hi Sadie and Sophie, Nice interview. Good to learn a little bit about you. But I have a question. Have you been to Kansas or spent any time there? If not, how did you research the 1870's Kansas scene?
    For the protagonist, I like one who doesn't normally live that role, but who accidentally gets into a position where he or she must assume a new role. I guess you might call that a relucant hero.

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    1. Hi, James! So nice to have you visit here and say hey to the Cuffe sisters. :D Have a wonderful Easter.

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    2. Hey, Jim, we actually HAVE been to Kansas - our parents were very progressive. We made three cross country trips about five years apart when we were growing up - we were 2(Sadie) and 8(Sophie) on the first one - what an experience! So we had a little bit of an idea for descriptions, but Google was our friend for research - that, and the tourist bureau and old maps. Thanks for your support! S&S

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  12. Great interview. I'd have to say, the most attractive trait to me in a hero is sincerity. He can be a real stinker, but if he's honest with himself and willing to admit when he's wrong, he's got my vote. marji.laine at gmail dot com

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    1. We agree. It's that wee bit of vulnerability that allows the hero to be a sympathetic character that gets us every time. Especially if he's nice to old people and little kids LOL! Nice to see you here, Marji! S&S

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  13. Hi ladies,
    GREAT interview, and I love the author pic of you two! Tough questions you ask -- hmm... favorite character trait... vulnerability coupled with unexpected strength. I would love to read some more early Maine history. Revolutionary War, maybe. Pretty much anything. I've never been to Maine, but when I was about 14 I read a romance set there, and I've been intrigued ever since. God bless!

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    1. Hey, Naomi, thanks for taking the time to answer the questions. Good ideas! In fact, we live in the place where the first naval battle of the Revolutionary War took place. How cool is that?! The colonists captured a British War ship for a short period of time - the Margaretta. Hope you get to come to Maine sometime - it's sooooo worth it! Blessings, S&S

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  14. Congratulations to Rose! your name was selected by Random.org as our winner for the Cuffe Sisters' giveaway!
    Thank you to everybody who left a comment this week. I appreciated each one of you. It has been terrific to have Sadie and Sophie here with us. All the best to you on your new Civil War novel's launch!
    Wishing everybody a blessed Easter.

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    1. The Cuffe sisters thank you all for your kind comments and encouraging words - blessings, all! S&S

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