Hope Callaghan Interview

Q: Let me start with asking you to tell us a little bit about yourself.
A. I write clean fiction books, and almost all are Christian Mystery and Cozy Mysteries. I’ve written more than seventy books (and counting) in six series.

I was born and raised in a small town in West Michigan and now live in Florida where shoveling snow is a distant memory. My husband, Mitchell, and I are the proud parents of three grown children.

When I’m not writing, I enjoy trying new recipes, tweaking them to make them my own, traveling (cruise ships being my favorite form of travel) and reading books that are both funny and uplifting.

Q: When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?
A. I’ve always loved reading and got that love from my mom. I was in my late forties when my husband convinced me that I could tell a good story. I’ve been working on perfecting my storytelling since.

Q: Could you give us the highlights of your professional writing career including how you got your first writing break?
A. The Garden Girl’s Series was my first cozy series. I enjoyed reading cozies, but at the time most of them featured younger characters. I thought it would be fun to write about someone closer to my age. I released the first book, Who Murdered Mr. Malone? in 2014 and immediately began receiving emails from readers asking for more.

Q: Would you tell us about your current book release Divine Christmas?
A: Divine Christmas is the fifth book in my Divine Series. In a nutshell, it’s about second chances, how a strong female character, Joanna Pepperdine, uses a tragic event in her own life to create an opportunity for women who are recently released from prison. Jo is determined to create wonderful Christmas memories for her farm’s six female residents.

During a local business owner’s meeting, she has words with another business owner. Hours later, he’s found dead, and Jo is at the top of the suspect list.

Writing Divine Christmas brought back memories of my own childhood Christmases…stringing popcorn, making paper chains, hanging tinsel and making stockings. It was a trip down memory lane for me.

Q: Where did you get your inspiration for Divine Christmas?
A: I wrote what I envisioned a “Divine” Christmas to be.

Q: What is the main thing you hope readers remember from this story?
A: That there are good people in the world, people who care and have true compassion, particularly for those who are considered society’s outcasts.

Q: What inspires you to write?
A. Everything and everyone around me. I can find inspiration in everyday events. I wrote an entire story based on someone Mitchell and I met on a cruise ship elevator.

My characters also inspire me. In fact, I really wish they would stop waking me up in the middle of the night to share their ideas ?.

Q: Would you share with us what you are working on now?
A. A new Garden Girl’s adventure. Ruth, one of the characters, is hosting a surveillance / alien enthusiast convention, turning the small town of Belhaven upside down.

Q: When you’re not writing what do you like to do?
A. This is really a tough one since I work seven days a week. Travel. I love to explore new places that help inspire me.