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You guys! Guess who is on the blog today? YES! Rachel Hauck! She agreed to be interrogated! As always, my book bestie and I chose to interview together because we bring a special kind of cray-cray to our interviews. I mean, who wants boring interviews? I don’t! Not everyone is our special breed of insane. Who else would ask an author what her favorite cheese is? Fizzy and I decided these were important questions. Anyone can ask the boring questions. We’re aiming for the quirky. So, we were beyond thrilled (and maybe a little nervous) when Rachel agreed to be initiatied onto our wall of weird.
Welcome Rachel! We’ll try to go easy on you. (I may or may not be lying about that.)
The Love Letter releases June 12, 2018
Fizzy: We’ll try to be gentle and ease you into the fizzified life slowly. Try being the operative word here. Starting with the basics, share a little about yourself. Life stuff, pets, hobbies, guilty pleasures?
Rachel: I’m a sports loving, worship leader, writer and wife! Hubby and I are going on 27 years of marriage. No kids. But we’ve had our share of fur babies, the current being an indoor/outdoor cat named Hepzibah. We also have what I call OPKs: Other People’s Kids. We worked in youth ministry for 20 years and adopted a few kids as our own.
I love a good romantic, well told story. I am opposed to overhead lighting in any and all situations. I prefer to sleep in a deeply cold room but I love the beach and heat of Florida. I hate when things are broken or not “right.” I have to fix them RIGHT AWAY! LOL Probably a kid or two would’ve cured me of that! I enjoy working out then going straight to breakfast!
Fizzy: Notes to self, NEVER share a room with Rachel, or even a next door room because cold. I still have blankets on the bed and summer has deeply entrenched itself in the Ozarks.
Kristin: Fizzy forgot the really important question so I must interrupt to ask. Dark chocolate or Milk Chocolate? And as our friend, we assume you drink coffee. So, tell us how you drink it!
Rachel: I’m milk chocolate all the way. And girls, I’m not a coffee drinker! Oh no! I weaned myself from caffeine a few years ago but I do enjoy Diet Coke now and then.
Fizzy: *blink* *blink* *blink* Milk chocolate and no coffee? I’ll pray for you.
Kristin: I have no words. There are none.
Kristin: We all know that you’re a royal watcher so tell us your favorite prince. William or Harry?
Rachel: Oh that’s a tough one. Can I call foul? I really admire them both for their personalities and what they bring to the royal family. But I’m a bit partial to Harry. He just seems so honest and real and free.
Kristin: I like Harry as well. I mean, I like them both but Harry seemed a bit sad and lonely over the years. So, I’ve just felt for him.
Fizzy: I feel like since this is your first ‘real’ introduction to our readers we should focus on the books, all the amazing pages of words to be savored. That being said you have written serials, stand-alones, split time, and even a few novellas. Which is your favorite to write?
Rachel: Each book is a challenge in a way but I love tackling something new. When I wrote with Sara Evans, the stories were more women’s fiction with a continuing character. I’d never done that before and found it super fun. You know the characters so well after the first book and it’s fun to spend several books with them.
I do love split time because it’s so interesting to investigate the past and try to reflect it in the future. Then again, novellas are quick and simple. It’s all my favorites I guess.
Kristin: Look at Fizzy, asking all the bookish questions. I still want to talk about the royals! Did you watch the royal wedding and did you have a favorite outfit?
Rachel: I did watch! Of course. I was at an event in Reno, Nevada so I woke up at 2:00 a.m. to tune in to the action. I was so tired on the flight home but it was worth it.
My favorite outfit was Meghan’s second dress. Very classy and elegant. I also liked Gina Torres’s outfit. Everyone looked so fancy. I think we need to wear hats in America!
Fizzy: I LOVE the hats, well some of them. Some are so classy and oldword and then some just frighten my senses. But, but um this book isn’t about the royals, Kristin. Focus here. . .
Kristin: Shush, Fizzy. I need to know! We have at least another couple questions to ask. We’ll get to the book in a minute!
Rachel: Haha. I’m always willing to be in the middle of this kind of argument!
Kristin: Don’t worry, we have these all the time. Stick with us long enough and you can refereereferee. (Oh my goodness! She tried to correct my spelling while I was still typing in Google Docs and she did this! REALLY?! Fizzy, I’m leaving this refereereferee mess…it’s all on you.)
Fizzy: Your minute is up Kristin. ‘The Love Letter’ releases on the 12th. From your perspective, as the creator and all, what do readers have to look forward to? What was the biggest take-away for you while writing it?
Rachel: Wow, such a loaded, great question. For me, it was about the persistence of love. Unfulfilled love of the past finds the descendants the parted lovers and settles on them. The story is also about really following Jesus. Even the love of our heart must be submitted to him. When He beckons us, even what we believe we want or can’t live without pales in comparison. But, be assured, the story is not preachy. It’s a contrast of all kinds of love.
Fizzy: I agree on not preachy, it was so seamless...it’s well, I’ll save those thoughts for the review.
Kristin: Can you tell us a little about the characters in The Love Letter? Do you have a favorite character and can you share why? (I think I cheated by asking multiple questions here.)
Rachel: It’s hard to pick a favorite character but I think it would have to be the historical hero or the contemporary one. Hamilton vs. Jesse. They are both flawed and broken but desiring to be honorable and noble.
Fizzy: Think outside the box for a minute. Everyone has their get out of jail free card, so to speak. We call it a #FizzifiedAlibi. What is yours?
Rachel: Can you explain. Not sure I understand this one. : ) I’m happy to answer if you give me a bit more… xo
Fizzy: *hangs head in shame* I have failed! No worries, stick around and we will show you the world.
Kristin: Fizzy, I believe that one was off topic. Just sayin’.
Rachel, what she means is, if you or I end up in jail together, what alibi are we going to give so that Fizzy can back us up. It must be crazy and outlandish because that’s just part of the fun :-) Fizzy is always the alibi! Because you have never had a best friend until you have one that would be willing to help you hide a body!
Kristin: I have one last question about ‘The Love Letter’. This story is a dual timeline set in modern day and a century earlier, during the Revolutionary War. Why did you choose this era? Is it simply a personal interest or for sake of the story?
Rachel: It started with the British television show Poldark. I loved the show, the character Ross Poldark and I wondered what an American version of his story would be. Author Debbie Macomber suggested using the word “Light” as con tasting name. So I chose Lightfoot. Hamilton Lightfoot. Then I looked into battles in the south and chose the pivotal Battle of Cowpens in upcountry South Carolina. It’s a really fascinating battle and changed the tide of the war for the Continentals.
I then went to Hollywood to as a contrast and created actors and a movie to “show” the story of the Love Letter in modern times. It was really fun.
Fizzy: Feel free to throw in anything else you’d like to share with our readers :D
Rachel: I love hearing from readers so shoot me a letter when you can! It means so much.
Kristin: By shoot do you mean snail mail or blast it out of a cannon or…?
Never mind, you don’t have to answer that one!
Thank you all for reading our off-the-wall interview with the lovely Rachel Hauck. Rachel, thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to have some fun with us today. I look forward to sharing my review of The Love Letter tomorrow in celebration of release date! Hope to see you back on the blog with us again soon!
About the Author:
Rachel Hauck is an award winning, New York Times, USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author.
Her book The Wedding Dress was named Inspirational Novel of the Year by Romantic Times. She is a double RITA finalist, a Christy and Carol Award Winner.
Rachel sits on the Executive Board for American Christian Fiction Writers, and is the comical sidekick to Susan May Warren at the amazing My Book Therapy. She is a worship leader and speaker.
A graduate of Ohio State University with a degree in Journalism, Rachel is a devoted Ohio State football fan. She lives in sunny central Florida with her husband and ornery cat.
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