always just commonly

Courtney Wash is back on Just Commonly to chat about her latest release, Just Let Go. Trust me when I say you will not  want to let this one go!  *NOTE:  This post contains affiliate links. Interview with Courtney 1. Hi Courtney! Welcome back to Just Commonly! Before we get started, can you tell us a bit about you, especially for those readers that haven’t met you yet? Thank you so much for having me back! In a nutshell, I’m a wife and a mom to three kids (Sophia, age 17, Ethan, age 14, and Sam, age 10.) My husband and I spent twelve years in the ministry and now own a performing arts studio and youth theatre in Rockford, IL. After writing two scrapbooking idea books, my first novel was published in 2012, and I’ve been writing fiction ever since! 😃 2. What kind of reader will take a special interest in the types of stories you write?  I think a reader who loves small town...

When I start a story, I always begin with thoughts of you, the reader. What can I do to make these characters so irresistible the reader can’t help but fall in love with them? First, I find examples of my hero and heroine so I can describe them accurately to the reader and make them come alive. In Forget Me Not , the third story in the Legacy of Love Collection . My heroine Maddy Donovan is depicted by Kristin Kreuk ( Smallville ), while my hero Gabe Dawson is a ringer for Armie Hammer ( The Lone Ranger ). I like to create a Pinterest board to get my imagination soaring. Here’s the board for Forget Me Not . And here’s an insider secret. I use a screenwriting technique by screenwriter, Michael Hague to develop characters. He says that in order to create reader empathy or identification you must make a character sympathetic. To do that apply two or more of the following: Make the character the victim of some undeserved misfortune. Put the character in jeopardy (in d...

"It took more courage to love in the face of loss than to close onself off out of fear of getting hurt."   (365) Title:   Forever Together Series: Orphan Train Author:  Jody Hedlund Publisher:  Bethany House Publishers Release Date:   May 1, 2018  Genre:  Historical Romance Links*:  Goodreads  l  Amazon  l  Book Depository  l  CBD  l  Itunes  l  BAM! Will the Mistakes of Their Past Cost Them a Chance at Love? Determined to find her lost younger sister, Marianne Neumann takes a job as a placing agent with the Children's Aid Society in 1858 New York. She not only hopes to offer children a better life, but prays she'll be able to discover whether Sophie ended up leaving the city on an orphan train so they can finally be reunited. Andrew Brady, her fellow agent on her first placing-out trip, is a former schoolteacher who has an easy way with the children, firm but...