Hope Beyond the Waves – Blog Tour w/ Review & Giveaway

Posted July 28, 2022 by thebeccafiles in / 10 Comments

Welcome to the Blog Tour for Hope Beyond the Waves by Heidi Chiavaroli, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!

ABOUT THE BOOK

Title: Hope Beyond the Waves
Author: Heidi Chiavaroli
Publisher: Hope Creek Publishers, LLC
Release Date: June 28, 2022
Genre: Christian, Dual Timeline Fiction

From award-winning author Heidi Chiavaroli comes a sweeping dual timeline story that explores hope and enduring love in the midst of the impossible.

Massachusetts, 1993

After making a grievous mistake that will change her life forever, Emily Robertson is sent away to live with her grandmother on Cape Cod. When Emily finds a timeworn photograph buried in a drawer, she realizes her grandmother has concealed a secret even bigger than her own. Will convincing Gram to reveal their family history help Emily make the most important decision of her life or will it prove her parents right—that family scandal is better off buried and forgotten?

Massachusetts, 1916

Atta Schaeffer plans to marry the man of her dreams and whisk her little sister away from their abusive father. But when she is diagnosed with a dreaded malady, Atta is forced into a life of exile, leaving her sister in harm’s way.

On Penikese Island, Atta’s best hope lies with Harry Mayhew, a doctor who seeks a cure for his patients at any cost. But when experiments fail, Atta runs from Harry—and from God. Can she return to her sister before it’s too late? Or will her illness consume both her body and soul?

A testament to faith and love, Hope Beyond the Waves is the raw account of the journey of two generations of women running from desperate situations toward irresistible hope.

ALSO AVAILABLE

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Heidi Chiavaroli is a writer, runner, and grace-clinger who could spend hours exploring places that whisper of historical secrets. Her debut novel, Freedom’s Ring, was a Carol Award winner and a Christy Award finalist, a Romantic Times Top Pick, and a Booklist Top Ten Romance Debut. Heidi makes her home in Massachusetts with her husband and two sons.

Connect with Heidi by visiting heidichiavaroli.com to follow her on social media or subscribe to email newsletter updates.

AUTHOR INTERVIEW

What is something other than writing or reading, that you like to do in your spare time?

I love to hike in the woods or walk anywhere near the water. It’s so calming to me and I find it great food for my creative spirit!

What is your favorite part of the overall writing process?

Oh, that’s a tough one. I think there’s something special about the very start of a story—the seed of an idea. The possibilities are endless and what the story can become is limitless. I love that.

How was this story born in your mind?

Eleven years ago, I stumbled upon the book Island of Hope by I. Thomas Buckley. When I learned the smallest of Massachusetts’ Elizabeth Islands had been home to a leper colony a century earlier, I was bewildered. Leprosy? In 20^th century New England? Wasn’t leprosy a thing of biblical times?

This, of course, sent me on a research frenzy. I felt compassion for these “outcasts”—not only sick, but ripped away from the lives they knew…forever. I couldn’t get these real people out of my head, and that compelled me to create Atta, a nineteen-year-old woman planning a wedding and a life—until she receives an unimaginable diagnosis. I wanted to show hope in the darkness, love in the unimaginable. This story wouldn’t let me go!

I’ve seen you mention online if you could have only written one more novel this one would be it. What makes you say so?

Partly it’s because of the history I have with this story. I invested so much time and research into this novel, saw it win the 2014 ACFW Genesis contest in the Historical category, and always felt it was the story of what God had done for me. Yet I went on to get contracts for other books while this one sat dormant in my computer. When I turned forty, I decided it was time to rework this story into a dual timeline novel—one that offered hope in the midst of the impossible.

I think it’s safe to say that leprosy is something most of us have only ever heard about from the Bible. Would you say the research was any harder for you with this book and/or can you share something that surprised you that may have not made it into the book?

Reading the stories of people who suffered this disease was difficult, but gaining the research was not. It turns out, particularly in early 20^th century America, there were many cases of leprosy. I even read a couple of memoirs of those who suffered the ills of the disease in more modern times. My main character was modeled after one such account. The woman simply had a small rash on her leg and was diagnosed with leprosy and sent away. I couldn’t fathom how horrible this must have been! Fortunately for her, she was alive when treatment options became available.

You do an incredible job of creating realistic characters. Do you ever get emotional when writing some of the tougher scenes?

Oh yes! My characters are, in a very real sense, my “babies,” and so putting them through tough things always gets me emotional. But the benefit of wielding the pen is that I know the story will not end without a reason to give them—and my readers—hope in the end.

What is something you wish readers would take away from your writing?

Compassion and empathy. The ability to put themselves in another’s shoes. I believe this is one of the most powerful reasons we have to read a story. We live in a divided world—what would it look like if we could all grow empathy for “the other side?” I believe the power of story allows us to do that, and I hope my readers will come away from my stories with not only a sense of impossible love, but a growth of compassion.

Are you able to tease about anything you might be working on next?

The urgency I felt to release Hope Beyond the Waves came to me at a rather inopportune time, as I was in the middle of writing a modern-day series I’m completely enjoying. The Orchard House Bed and Breakfast Series is contemporary fiction with a Little Women twist. The first four books are already out, but I’m looking forward to releasing three more in the series, hopefully later this year!

TOUR GIVEAWAY

(1) winner will receive a Handmade French Market Seagrass Bag, hardcover copy of Hope Beyond the Waves, and Ocean-Lover Bookmark!

Full tour schedule linked below. The giveaway begins at midnight July 25, 2022 and will last through 11:59 PM EST on August 1, 2022. Winner will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. US only. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.

Giveaway is subject to the policies found here.

ENTER GIVEAWAY HERE

Follow along at JustRead Tours for a full list of stops!