Holly is a Wisconsin writer like me. We met by chance on Twitter. Go Wisconsin!
Author Bio
Holly Tierney-Bedord is the author of over twenty books including Kindle
Unlimited All-Star winner Sweet Hollow Women. She lives in Madison,
Wisconsin.
Tell us about yourself.
I’m the author of over twenty books in a variety of genres. I’m also a miniaturist (I “flip” dollhouses and make mini furniture and décor). I write about that as well. I live in Madison, Wisconsin.
When did you know you wanted to be an author?
I’d have to say since I learned how to write I’ve wanted to be an author. I’ve always loved writing and creating little “worlds.” As a kid, I thought I’d grow up to be a fashion designer, greeting card designer, artist, interior designer, writer, or about twenty other things. I’ve always loved having creative projects to work on. Most of these career choices aren’t very practical, yet they weren’t as crazy as they probably seemed because the kinds of things I loved as a kid are still my favorite activities today.
What genres do you like to read? Are these the same genres you write in?
I like to read all kinds of books. For the most part, I like to read authors who write in the same genres I write, but that covers lots of kinds of books. One difference, though, between what I write and what I read is that I write mainly fiction and about 40% of the books I read are non-fiction.
Is your book for adults, young adults or children?
Most of my books are for adults, though some of them are for everyone.
What is your current release or project?
My new release is called Little Miss Eyes of Blue. It’s the prequel to my novel The Woman America Loves a Latte. It was a bit of a tough book to write since the main character’s upbringing is so sad and difficult.
The book I’m currently writing is a much lighter romantic comedy. It’s part of a series I’m writing with several other authors. It takes place on a cruise ship. It’s fun and refreshing to write something funny and lighthearted again.
Tell us about the key characters
The key character in Little Miss Eyes of Blue is a young girl named Veloura. Despite the rotten apples life hands her, she’s tough, determined, more intelligent than people expect, and very good-hearted.
What is your blurb or synopsis of the book?
Since Little Miss Eyes of Blue goes with The Woman America Loves a Latte (The two books are stand-alones, but I actually recommend a person read The Woman America Loves a Latte first, even though it takes place after Little Miss Eyes of Blue) here are both blurbs:
Little Miss Eyes of Blue:
Veloura is off to a rough start in life.
While her parents aren’t often there for her, the kindness of strangers, friends, and teachers helps to make up for what she’s missing at home, and opens her eyes to the vast potential in the world around her and within herself.
This book is the prequel to stand-alone thriller The Woman America Loves a Latte.
The Woman America Loves a Latte:
From the Kindle All-Star Award-winning author of Sweet Hollow Women comes a quirky thriller for fans of Megan Abbott, Liane Moriarty, and Carl Hiaasen.
Veloura has never stood a chance. Orphaned as a teen, she’s settled for a life of low expectations. She spends her days sprucing up the shack of a has-been bull rider and washing hair down at the local salon. But when it turns out her fiancé doesn’t have her best interests at heart, she’s forced to come up with a new plan for herself.
An opportunity to be the spokesperson for a coffee chain means a bright future could be hers, if only she can stay ahead of her dark past.
Share an excerpt
Marla Merkowerowitz put the furniture polish in the caddy beneath the kitchen sink and tossed the dust rag into the laundry basket. She sat back down at the kitchen table and lit a cigarette. Her daughter Veloura was still napping, but Marla had a feeling that wouldn’t last for much longer. Not today, not tomorrow. Just shy of two years old, Veloura would rather play and talk than sleep. Even as a baby, she’d always been too afraid of missing something to sleep through any substantial portion of the day.
Marla’s husband Paul was at his new job at the candle factory. He was just starting his second week and already he was complaining. The night before, he’d told her, “I can’t take it. All the scents. Vanilla. Peach. Pine. Strawberry. More vanilla. It’s making me sick. It’s going to cause me cancer.”
“That’s crazy,” Marla had told him. Then she’d laughed at the hypocrisy of it. Like just about everyone they knew, they were both heavy smokers. Now he suddenly cared about getting cancer and thought candles were going to cause it?
The thing about Paul was that he was lazy.
No, Marla realized, that wasn’t the thing about Paul.
Laziness was a thing about Paul. A thing she could have tolerated if he was the one.
But he wasn’t. He wasn’t the one. The One. That one significant, complementary piece of the puzzle.
And it hurt to know that. To even think it. And so she tried not to, but this was the reality she was living in. It was as real and pervasive as a black storm cloud forever overhead.
She could wear his ring and raise his child, sign his name and sleep in his bed. All these things they shared, didn’t that make them fifty percent hers? Or, actually, a hundred percent hers and a hundred percent his. Well, that was even worse because it meant not being able to give it all back.
Do you have a favorite scene?
Not really.
What advice would you give a beginner?
Read a lot and write a lot. Something I learned to do in grade school was to “free write” where you sit down and write anything for a certain amount of time (usually just 3-10 minutes). Keep writing, even if you’re just writing things you see around you in the room, how you feel, something on your mind that’s bothering you, etc. This is a great exercise because it teaches you that you don’t have to have a plan or a point to get started.
Social media links:
Facebook https://facebook.com/hollyrecommends
Twitter https://twitter.com/HollyTierney
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/authorhollytierneybedord
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/holly-tierney-bedord
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6433388.Holly_Tierney_Bedord
Blog link: www.hollytierneybedord.com
www.hollyrecommends.wordpress.com
Purchasing links (Amazon) https://www.amazon.com/Holly-Tierney-Bedord/e/B00M3C9W3E