Happy Monday, y'all! Today we have Heather Huffman here as our Pretty Little Indie. Her newest book, Waiting for You, released on May 7th of this year. And wow! I cannot wait to tell you all about it in my review and introduce you to Heather in the interview. Grab some sweet tea and stick around!
Waiting for You by Heather Huffman
Genre: Contemporary Romance
For years, Karise McAlister has been running: from
her family, from herself, and from her dreams. Now
she’s made it, with a successful career and a promising engagement. But when she meets the compelling and creative Aidan Donnelly, his down-to-earth charm provides the wakeup call Karise badly needs. Moving across country to start over, Karise devotes herself to her work, convinced she needs to be independent. But with handsome Aidan just down the road and a mischievous group of friends determined to set her up, Karise must face her concerns about life and romance head-on.
I think that a lot of us can identify with Karise. Whether it be with a relationship, job, or just a mindset, we've all been somewhere that we know we don't belong and aren't happy with. We deserve more. We want more. We need more. From the very beginning of Waiting for You, I saw myself in Karise and bonded with her. She was real. She felt like an actual person, and I think that says a lot about Heather Huffman's writing. Whenever you can inject humanity into your stories, you've done everything right.
The dynamic of the relationships in this book are so wonderful. I loved how everyone had a bond. The relationship between Karise and Aidan was beautiful. It was authentic. I was so happy to have the chance to read their story.
There was a certain something that sets Waiting for You apart. I don't think I could readily supply what that element is. Perhaps it's the characters that seem so real. Perhaps it's my bond with Karise. Perhaps it's the way that Heather Huffman effortlessly blends everything together. Or perhaps it's just Waiting for You as a whole. If you have a soft spot for contemporary romance, I cannot recommend Waiting for You enough.
**I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review with no compensation.
Enjoyable. I thought for a while about this one, wanting a better adjective - something flashier, more interesting - but I keep coming back to this one. I thoroughly enjoyed writing it, I enjoy reading it, and I enjoy spending time with these characters.
2. If you could choose any TV show to promote your book on, which would you choose?
We watch very little television in our house, so I relied on my readers for this one. I was told Ellen because she’s quirky and I’d get a happy dance. That sounds like valid reasoning to me, so I’m going with it.
3. Which chapter of Waiting for You was your favorite to write?
Ack, that’s a tough one. I have three or four that I debated between choosing, but I have to go with the chapter when I get all of the McAlisters in the room together for the first time. These three siblings have such strong yet divergent personalities - I love their dynamic.
4. What advice would you give to aspiring authors?
Keep at it, and don’t be afraid to work hard or think outside the box - all cliche but for good reason. There’s never been a better time to be a writer, if you’re willing to let go of preconceived notions of what that looks like. Modern technology has made getting books to market the easy part; the difficulty is in getting your book noticed in the crowd. Social media opens those doors - for me, that’s been the hardest and best part. I’m a natural introvert who’s most comfortable with my animals. Mingling online was definitely stepping out of my comfort zone, but I’ve made some amazing friends from around the world because of it.
5. Choose one character from Waiting for You that you have to be roommates with for a year. Who and why?
Would it be wrong of me to choose Aidan? In all seriousness, I wouldn’t mind submerging myself in that entire world for a year.
6. You can only read one book (that isn't one of yours) for the rest of your life. Which is it?
The Chronicles of Narnia. There’s so much wisdom and insight beautifully packaged into those pages.
7. Are you more like Karise or Kate?
They’re both a piece of me, in some way, at a different moment in my life. That said, I think Kate’s probably a little closer to home. Her story, Ties That Bind, was my own search for a sense of self-worth independent of others’ thoughts and actions. The friendships she formed in that book were based closely on my own friendship with my editor and then-cover designer. Her sense of order, her inability to leave well enough alone - those are both me through and through.
8. Lastly, what's up next for you? Any projects we should be looking out for?
That’s a good question - what I have planned and what life has planned are perpetually two different things. My hope is to publish a series of short stories centered around Vance Davis, a recurring character from several of my novels. Not only is he a bit of a fan favorite, he’s one of my favorites. The series will reveal more of his story and fill in the gaps between the books. Then, it will finally be his turn to star in a full-length novel.
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Dream Cast
Who would you pick to play your characters on the big screen?
Karise: Camilla Belle
Aidan: Colin O'Donoghue
Kate: Amy Adams
Gavin: Rob Pattinson
Heather is the author of ten novels, including Throwaway, Jailbird, and her latest release, Waiting for You. You can find out more about her family’s adventures as they strive to live off the land, as well as her writing and charitable work on http://www.heatherhuffman.net.
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