Introducing my client, Rosanna Huffman, and her new release, Hand Me Down Husband.Rosanna, when I first met you, you told me right up front that you weren’t Amish. Not that I would have asked. But now, “Lucy, you got some s’plainin’ to do!” Tell us briefly about yourself.
Lots of people do ask, Linda! Once I had the question, “Are you Amish or Midianite?” And the answer is neither; I am in a Brethren church. Our lifestyle and dress is similar in some ways to the conservative Mennonites. And yes—automobiles, phones, electricity, computers, cameras, etc. are part of our lives. Most of my life was spent in rural southwest Ohio. I am the second oldest of 7 kids in our family—4 sisters and 2 brothers, and while I am not married, I do claim 30+ nieces and nephews. That’s enough to keep anyone busy!
I know you aren’t only a stellar author with your new release, Hand Me Down Husband, but you also knit? And are an award-winning knitter to boot. How did you start knitting?
Actually, I crochet, though I promise there are no hard feeling for being called a knitter. J My maternal grandmother (I was born on her birthday) taught me to crochet when I was six years old. Grandma wasn’t much for reading a pattern; usually she just looked at a crocheted and made hers to match. As a teen I took a Home-Ec class that included crochet and there I learned to follow a pattern. Ever since I’ve been making afghans and doilies. Be sure to check out my afghan page at rosannahuffman.com
Oops. Crocheting. Got it! Just relearned knitting after 50 years for a play, so I think I have knitting on the brain. L
What is a typical writing day like for you? Are you a structured writer or hit and miss?
You had to ask! Structure is not part of my nature. Every couple of months I decide I AM going to do better, and then the real me continues to pop up. Right now I am working full time writing a teacher’s guide for a math textbook that I am also helping to put together and edit. So after 8 hours looking at a computer screen, it takes a LOT of discipline to stare at it for a few more hours to write fiction.
Can you tell us how and why you wrote Hand Me Down Husband?
My favorite genre to read is women’s fiction, and it is my goal to publish in that genre. Hand Me Down Husband was a writing experiment to see if I could actually write a romance. You know…me not being married and all, how in the world could someone like that possibly write a romance? But I did it and even managed to slip in some idea of the life of a single woman at thirty-seven.
Will you share a few snippets of the story with us?
Suzanne:
Suzanne loved her job. This was more than an occupation. This was her life. Not the one she dreamed of as a teenager or even into her early twenties. But she had been blessed with a good life in spite of her unfulfilled dreams.
Mitch:
That guy didn’t have the sense God gave a gnat. Mitch would never consider walking off the field in the middle of harvest. He didn’t want to spend his days in the office while someone else farmed his fields. The ebb and flow of the seasons—spring planting, summer spraying, autumn harvest, winter planning—it’s what he knew best. A rhythm that for fifty years had been as much a part of himself as breathing. A rhythm that had held him together for the past twenty-one months.
I do remember those two characters acting more like colts than a middle-aged man and young woman. The way you have them interact is just downright awesome!
What other interests to you have other than knitting and writing? Gardening. For years I put out a large vegetable garden. Now I’m living in an upstairs apartment with no place for much of a garden. I miss tilling, planting, hoeing, and most of all harvesting. I also love to cook. And eat—whether or not I cooked it!
Sounds like you need window gardens or a balcony garden. My daughter managed a bunch of tomatoes and peppers at hers one year. Not exactly a garden, but lots of fresh veggies! Thanks so much for telling about yourself and your new release, Rosanna. BTW. Rosanna is an absolute peach to work with. It has been a joy to be part of journey as an author.
NOW, HOW ABOUT LEAVING A COMMENT AND YOUR EMAIL ADDY FOR A CHANCE TO WIN AN EBOOK OF ROSANNA’S NEW RELEASE, HAND ME DOWN HUSBAND!!
Don't forget the email addies so I can contact you if I draw your name.
