The following is an interview with Cheryl Hodde, one half of Hannah Alexander, the author of Hallowed Halls, with a bonus giveaway at the end of the interview. |
Hallowed Halls
by Hannah Alexander
Five copies to be won
Contest open to entrants WORLDWIDE.
Contest runs from 3-21 November NZDT
PLUS: Spotlight Author Chat with Hannah Alexander
RSVP for the Facebook Author Chat with
Hannah Alexander on 20 November @ 7pm CST
(21 November @ 1pm NZST)
Hallowed Halls is set in the Missouri River Valley, a lush, gorgeous area where the feel is more laid-back. Grapes are grown along this river in abundance, as are other crops in the rich earth. I've placed another book in this area--A Killing Frost--and found that readers enjoyed the setting. The rails-to-trails state park project of the KATY Trail follows the river across the state.
My fictitious town of Juliet is a small town of 5,000 residents, not including the medical students who attend the medical school. Our physicians and their loved ones are tied to Juliet by family and strong friendships. Though we don't hit the reader over the head with medical issues, there is always a medical thread.
Who are the main characters, and what is at stake for them in this story?
Dr. Joy Gilbert and Dr. Zachary Travis are the hero and heroine in this story as they attempt to work together after a broken engagement. The stakes for Joy are the loss of her career if her former employer presses charges for taking his daughter across state lines, getting her heart broken again by Zack, and losing young Tressa, the ex-boss's daughter, to the same illness that killed her brother. Zack's stake is losing Joy again due to his lack of trust last year.
My antagonist/bad guy former employer, Weston Cline, surprised me the most because, after his heinous behavior in the past year, he shows some redeeming quality, though I can't give that away.
How did the writing of this story impact you as a person or as an author?
I've learned to look to God more often and trust Him with my future, because I have no idea how to control it myself. My actions are finite. His are infinite, and He can bring good out of the worst situations.
I've had this story on my heart for many years, because it's the beginning of a series about former med school classmates. I still get together with many of my former high school classmates several times a year. We were a small class, much like this med-school class. We were close, and we have found over the years that we still like each other. No one loves you more than someone who knows all your weaknesses and still loves you. I'm trying to portray this in these novels, setting the tone with Hallowed Halls.
What would you like your readers to take away from this story?
This story is about healing, and waiting to be healed. I would hope that a reader would understand that God waits for us when we wander away, and when we turn to come back, He's there, still waiting, and with Him comes healing.
Hallowed Halls
(Hallowed Halls #1)
by Hannah Alexander
- Hannah Alexander
- Contemporary
- May 2014
- ISBN: 9780578137070
[Kindle | Amazon | The Book Depository]
When Dr. Joy Gilbert is fired from a lucrative position she hates in the city, she returns to her small hometown to find her former fiancé single, her once vivacious mother struggling financially and physically, and Tressa, the 15–year–old daughter of the boss who just fired her, popping out of the back door of her car. Tressa refuses to return to the city, where her divorced parents struggle emotionally over the death of their son.
When Dr. Zack Tyler sees Joy walk into the ER with the daughter of the man who lured Joy away from him, he’s hesitant, though he’s overjoyed to see her again. Out of compassion, he hires her in the ER so she can support herself and her mother, and their relationship blooms.
Meanwhile, Tressa has blackouts that grow increasingly bad. Joy and Zack rediscover their love for one another as they discover what caused the break–up. Together they work to save Tressa and uncover a rare genetic defect, a mystery that has ravaged decades of Tressa’s family line.
Dandelion Moon
(Hallowed Halls #2)
by Hannah Alexander
- Hannah Alexander
- Contemporary
- December 2014
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When Dr. Myra Maxwell finds herself stumbling through the darkness of a cemetery on a cold winter night, she realizes she doesn't recognize a thing, and doesn't recall how she arrived here. As Christmas fireworks begin, they frighten her. She doesn't know who she is, where she is, or why she's here. She diagnoses herself as a patient in a fugue state, most likely from some horrible experience her mind is working to force her to forget. But why?
Weston Cline is frantic about the woman he loves. She left her psychiatry clinic in the middle of the day on Christmas Eve, and he's heard nothing from her since. When he makes a call to her hometown of Juliet, Missouri, he catches a word or two that convinces him she's retreated to the place she feels safest, and he is determined to drive there tonight and protect her. Unfortunately, her friends, Drs. Joy Gilbert and Zachary Travis are determined to keep Weston away from Myra. He's shown his true colors in outrageous ways in the past year, and they don't want to risk her emotional well-being with his presence. Too bad, because he's going anyway, and he will stand firm with her.
Set at Christmas, Dandelion Moon might well give holiday celebrants a chance to root for the true meaning of Christmas to show itself at least one more time, and to find that miracles really do happen.
Hannah Alexander is the pen name for the husband-and-wife writing team Dr. Mel and Cheryl Hodde. The couple established a pen name that rightfully distinguished the two sides of their writing. Cheryl chose Hannah from the Bible meaning “she delights in the Lord.” Mel chose Alexander, meaning “servant of mankind,” drawing from his career as a physician. After more than a decade of marriage, they have written more than a dozen books as Hannah Alexander and have garnered a Christy award for their work. Mel and Cheryl reside in the Missouri Ozarks, where they like to set the majority of their books. |
ENTER THE GIVEAWAY
Be in to win a copy of Hallowed Halls by Hannah Alexander Five copies to be won Contest open to entrants WORLDWIDE. Contest runs from 3-21 November NZDT Please comment about the novel or leave a message for Hannah Alexander in the blog comments below, then enter the Rafflecopter draw. All entries must be made using the Rafflecopter contest to be eligible for drawing. Winning entries drawn will have their entry options validated before being accepted - if incomplete another entry will be drawn. |
Spotlight Author Chat
with Hannah Alexander
Hannah Alexander on
20 November @ 7pm CST
(21 November @ 1pm NZST)
Soul Inspirationz is hosting Hannah Alexander to celebrate the release of their book, HALLOWED HALLS. Stop by THIS EVENT PAGE on Thursday, November 20th 7pm CST (Friday, November 21st 1pm NZST) to chat with Cheryl Hodde (one half of Hannah Alexander) about small-town drama, medical fiction, and all things writing and reading.
We'll be giving away spot prizes, including copies of the author's new novel, HALLOWED HALLS, and it's upcoming sequel DANDELION MOON, to those who participate.
Hope to see you there!