Christian Fiction Scavenger Hunt Stop #22

Beth VogtAuthors, Beth K. Vogt, books, Fun, Giveaway, scavenger hunt 25 Comments

 

 

Welcome to the Christian Fiction Scavenger Hunt! If you’ve just discovered the hunt, be sure to start at Stop #1, and collect the clues through all the stops, in

order, so you can enter to win one of our top 5 grand prizes!

  • The hunt BEGINS on 3/12 at noon MST with Stop #1 at LisaTawnBergren.com.
  • Hunt through our loop using Chrome or Firefox as your browser (not Explorer).
  • There is NO RUSH to complete the hunt—you have all weekend (until Sunday, 3/15 at midnight MST)! So take your time, reading the unique posts along the way; our hope is that you discover new authors/new books and learn new things about them.
  • Submit your entry for the grand prizes by collecting the CLUE on each author’s scavenger hunt post and submitting your answer in the Rafflecopter form at the final stop, back on Lisa’s site. Many authors are offering additional prizes along the way!

Hi, I’m Beth K. Vogt. On my way to writing women’s fiction, I’ve been a magazine editor for MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers International), written nonfiction, contemporary romance, and juggled life as a mom and military wife. You can learn more about me and my books on Instagram, Pinterest, BookBub, my Readers Group, and my Author Facebook page. My upcoming release is The Best We’ve Been, the final book in my Thatcher Sisters Series:

How can you choose what is right for you when your decision will break the heart of someone you love?

Despite years of distance and friction, Johanna and her sisters, Jillian and Payton, have moved from a truce toward a fragile friendship. But then Johanna reveals she has the one thing Jillian wants most and may never have—and Johanna doesn’t want it. As Johanna wrestles with a choice that will change her life and her relationships with her sisters forever, the cracks in Jillian’s marriage and faith deepen. Through it all, the Thatcher sisters must decide once and for all what it means to be family.

 I thought about writing Johanna’s story while I wrote books one and two, and she was the most challenging sister to write. I can’t wait to tell you more about the oldest Thatcher Sister.

Writing an Unlikeable Character … On Purpose

 

Have you ever met someone who rubs you the wrong way?

It isn’t one thing this person says or does – no, everything about her makes this woman completely unlikeable.

While I don’t like to admit it, there are probably people who have struggled to like me.

Ouch.

In my three-book Thatcher Sisters Series, I wrote an unlikeable character. On purpose.

Let me introduce you to Johanna Thatcher, older sister of Payton, Pepper, and Jillian.

Johanna is your worst nightmare when it comes to “I am the boss of you” older sisters. Yes, she’s smart. Beautiful. And she’s in control – of her life, and everyone else’s.

Think of Margaret Tate, Sandra Bullock’s ultra-thin, stiletto-wearing, micro-managing book editor in the movie “The Proposal.”

 Only Johanna is a thirtysomething pharmacist, with a long-term, long-distance romance and her eyes set on a coveted promotion.

Some of my readers did not like Johanna. At all.

I was okay with that. I knew more of Johanna’s story than my readers did. Yes, she was behaving badly, but I also knew why.

An author-friend of mine said this after she finished reading Things I Never Told You, book 1 in the series,“Johanna doesn’t bother me. There are reasons why she does the things she does – says the things she says.”

The same is true for those real-life unlikeable people we meet – and for you and me, too, when we’re being, um, disagreeable. There are reasons – often unknown ones – for why we act the way we do. Past hurts. Heart wounds.

When we read a book, we let the story unfold, the character arc develop. In the same way, we need to pause before we label someone “unlikeable.” Instead, we need to take time to discover more about them – and hope they might offer the same graciousness to us.

Curious about the Thatcher sisters? I invite you to meet them in Things I Never Told You (Payton’s story); Moment’s We Forget (Jillian’s story); and The Best We’ve Been (Johanna story), releasing this May.

 

Here’s Your Stop #22 Basics:

If you’re interested, you can pre-order The Best We’ve Been on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Christianbook.com, or at your local bookstore! And the e-book of Things I Never Told You, book 1 in the series, is on sale for only $1.99!

Your CLUE to write down: times…

Link to Stop #23, the next stop on the loop: Suzanne Woods Fisher

 

But wait!! Before you go! I’M OFFERING AN ADDITIONAL PRIZE: 3 books to 3 entrants – your choice of copy of one of my Thatcher Sisters Series books. (International winners will automatically receive e-copies.) Follow me on BookBub for a chance to win. Additional entries for following my blog or following me on Instagram. Use the Rafflecopter form below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Comments 25

  1. Pingback: Spring Scavenger Hunt Overview | Lisa Tawn Bergren

  2. I do not have Instagram, but I cannot wait to read Johanna’s story! I’ve been excited for that ever since the first book!

    Reply
    1. Post
      Author
      1. Post
        Author
    1. Post
      Author

  4. I have to say, I love authors who create characters I truly can’t stand! Sometimes unlikeable characters are just “meh”, but when they’re written well… that’s the best. And hearing about Johanna, I guess I can be thankful I don’t have a sister. lol

    Reply
    1. Post
      Author

      Hi, MiMi: I had so much fun tackling Johanna because I had to start weaving her story into books 1 and 2 before she comes centerstage in book 3. (In the series, one sister is the main character, and one sister is the subplot character. They take turns, if you will, in the spotlight.) As I wrote the first two books, readers caught glimpses of Johanna, and I had to make sure she stayed true to who she was — but give enough reasons for readers to stay with me for book 3. And sisters or not, we all have unlikeable people in our lives, right?

      Reply

  5. I’ve been waiting for The Best We’ve been . Glad to see it! I also don’t use instagram but I’ve done the other two. Thanks for being a part of the Scavenger Hunt!

    Reply
    1. Post
      Author
    1. Post
      Author
    1. Post
      Author
    1. Post
      Author

  9. This series sounds so very interesting! All 3 books are on my TBR List. Thanks for participating in the Scavenger Hunt!

    Reply
    1. Post
      Author
    1. Post
      Author

  13. Following you all over! Your books have been on my TBR for a very long time And have such great premises! Thanks so much for being part of the scavenger hunt!

    Reply
    1. Post
      Author

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *