Sometimes, you discover an author and read every one of her books you can get your hands on. Because they're that good. Janet Ferguson is one of those authors for me. I found her through a freebie on one of her stories, won another one in a giveaway, and then I was hooked. Her tales are sweet and fun, with characters to root for and settings you want to visit. And today, I get the pleasure of introducing Janet to you. Make sure you read all the way to the bottom to find out more about her newest book set to release later this month. Hi Janet, most of your recent books have been set near the coast in Georgia and the gulf (including my favorite--St Simons Island, GA). Do you have a favorite beach you've visited? Why? It’s so hard to choose just one! I’ve loved all of them. The beach I end up going to most often is Fort Morgan, Alabama. It’s fairly close—four hours or so—and it’s a little less crowded and less commercialized on the peninsula. I usually go in the fall, and the temperatures are mild, but the Gulf is still warm. The butterflies migrate through the area sometime in October. Sometimes, I’m blessed to be there to see them. Ooh! I need to check that beach out. It sounds amazing, and I love butterflies. What is it about the beach that makes you long to set stories there? I love the beach. It’s like God opens a treasure chest and sprinkles prizes around for us to find. Shells, porpoise, heron, sand dollars, starfish, sunsets, the ocean breeze, sea turtles, glowing jellyfish, the stars, and the waves as constant as His love, and so much more. This newest book coming out includes a marine biologist. What was the most interesting thing you discovered when you were researching that occupation? I learned so much about manatees, since that is my marine biologist’s focus. They are truly gentle giants. I went to swim with them in Florida. I didn’t realize they migrated from Florida during the warmer months to Alabama, Mississippi, and Texas. They need to return home before winter, though, or they risk cold stress. Occasionally, they have to be rescued. The creatures also are recognized individually by their scars that often come from boat strikes. I know this book ties in with your Coastal Hearts stories. Will we see any of the fun characters we've gotten to know in those books repeated in this one? We see one character from the previous books, but not until the very end. It’ll be a surprise! Surprises are fun! Can't wait to see this one. If you're like me, you always have an idea for a future story percolating. Can you give us an idea of what we can expect to see in the future from you? My next novel percolating is called Holding onto Hope. These characters will come from Healing Skye, and I plan to have them travel from Dauphin Island, Alabama, to Wyoming for a wedding. Wyoming is about as far from the beach as you can get! Sounds interesting, though. Which one of your characters has been the hardest for you to write thus far? Wow! Hard question. Right now, I feel like Skye from Healing Skye was the most difficult. Partly because of her tough childhood and past, partly because of the research. But maybe because I just finished all the editing, ha! Edits always make a book feel harder than the writing part. I can empathize with that. Okay, I always end with this question: can you leave us with one random fact about you that very few people know? Hmm, depends on how well someone knows me. I’m deaf in my right ear, so I’m always circling people to get them on my good side so I can hear them 😊 Sounds like we're a matched set! I have some hearing loss in my left ear! Thanks so much for sharing with us today, Janet. I can't wait to read your story. People can’t be trusted. Animals always made more sense than humans did to marine biologist Skye Youngblood. After her mother’s suicide, she left Alabama and never looked back. These days, she pours her heart into protecting nature’s sea creatures. When she returns to Dauphin Island, Alabama, for a temporary manatee migration study, her dark past is much too close. She can’t let her guard down. But how can she keep her heart hidden when a kind man with a genuine smile makes her want a fresh start? Charter fishing pays the bills for widower Pete Thompson and his little girl, but like his father, a pastor, Pete can’t help but fish for men. Only, after growing up under constant scrutiny as a preacher’s kid, Pete’s ways are a bit more unconventional. And the bulk of his life revolves around raising his precious daughter. When he witnesses the car wreck of a new marine biologist on the island, it doesn’t take a genius to see that more than just her physical pain needs tending. Pete feels called to help Skye find true healing, but he’s navigating dangerous waters. And he’s not at all sure he’ll walk away unscathed. Preorder for only $1.99! Check it out here. Janet W. Ferguson is a Christy Award finalist and the FHL Readers Choice Award winning author of realistic inspirational fiction. An avid reader, she loved books so much she found a job as a librarian so she could be around them all day. Then she turned that love of story into writing faith-filled novels with characters who feel like best friends. You’ll laugh and cry as the quirky heroes and heroines chase their happily ever after.
Janet and her husband live in Mississippi where they say y’all a lot, and she forces him to visit the beach as often as possible. They have two grown children, one really smart dog, and a cat that allows them to share the space. Get a free novella https://www.janetfergusonauthor.com/get-a-free-novella.html
1 Comment
Janet Ferguson
12/6/2021 02:33:46 pm
Thank you so much for having me! Yes, we'd be a pair with that ear thing, especially if we had to wear masks!
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This is a place for me to tell you about what I'm writing, talk about the process or where some of my ideas came from, or even have other authors come in and talk about their books.
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