I'm excited to announce the blog tour for The Language of Love by Nancy Christie. This book is perfect for readers who enjoy stories about love and relationships—some sweet, some poignant, and some heartbreaking in their depiction of the fragility of love.
Today, we're sharing an interview with author and giving you a chance to win a copy of the novel.
Before we interview the author, here's a bit more about the book:
The Language of Love and Other Stories is about all types of love relationships: the ones that exist between parent and child as well as between generations, the bonds that grow between new lovers as well as those that exist between long-settled couples. The 20-story collection explores all the stages of love: the tenuous yet exciting beginning, the calmer, more mundane phases, the uncertain periods, and finally the ending—sometimes anticipated, other times devastatingly unexpected. It’s about whom one loves, how one loves, and what one does when the love is reciprocated, rejected or over.
PUBLISHER: Unsolicited Press
ASIN: B0DG333HWN
ISBN-13 978-1-963115-28-4
Print Length: 208 pages
You can purchase a copy of the book on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Bookshop. Don't forget to add it to your GoodReads reading list.
About the Author, Nancy Christie
Nancy Christie is the award-winning author of two novels, Reinventing Rita and Finding Fran—the first two books in her Midlife Moxie Novel Series; four short story collections: The Language of Love and Other Stories, Mistletoe Magic and Other Holiday Tales, Traveling Left of Center and Other Stories and Peripheral Visions and Other Stories (all from Unsolicited Press); two books for writers: Rut-Busting Book for Authors and Rut-Busting Book for Writers, and the inspirational book, The Gifts of Change (Atria/Beyond Words). Forthcoming books include Moving Maggie, the third in her Midlife Moxie Novel Series that is scheduled for release in 2025.
Her short stories and essays have appeared in numerous print and online publications, with several earning contest placement.
The host of the Living the Writing Life podcast and the founder of the annual “Midlife Moxie” Day and “Celebrate Short Fiction” Day, Nancy teaches writing workshops at conferences, libraries, and schools. She is a member of the American Society of Journalists and Authors (ASJA), the Florida Writers Association (FWA) and the Women’s Fiction Writers Association (WFWA).
- Interview by Nicole Pyles
WOW: I'm so glad to have you with us again for another blog tour! Congrats on your short story collection. Tell us about what inspired this collection of stories.
Nancy: I had already completed a holiday collection, Mistletoe Magic and Other Holiday Tales, that was released in December 2023 by Unsolicited Press, and I liked the idea of having a collection tied to a specific season or holiday. And given that Valentine’s Day falls in February, which is not only my birth month but also kind of a dead month in terms of book events, I decided to treat myself to developing a new collection as a birthday present from me to me! That’s how The Language of Love and Other Stories came about.
WOW: What a wonderful gift! For some reason the song that comes to me is, "What the World Needs Now" and love is definitely it! What kind of love is depicted in this collection?
Nancy: While love is the overarching theme, I wanted to move beyond romantic love and explore all the other forms of love that exist. So there is the love between a parent and young child, between an adult son and his older mother, between couples who have been together for years as well as between two people who have reunited and may possibly be rekindling their romance.
The collection captures every stage of love, from the exhilarating beginnings to the quiet, routine phases, the uncertain times, and the heartbreaking endings—whether anticipated or shockingly sudden. It’s a journey through whom we love, how we love, and how we cope when love is returned, unrequited, or lost.
WOW: That's a wonderful combination of love found in this collection! What was your technique in compiling these stories?
Nancy: I started by identifying the categories I wanted to explore, then looked in my ever-growing collection of published and unpublished work to see what might fit. Then I started writing additional stories to round out the collection.
One of the stories, “With Any Luck,” features a secondary character who is also in Moving Maggie, my next Midlife Moxie novel. And “Charley and the Cupid Caper” brings back the duo from Adams Investigative Service who first appeared in Mistletoe Magic in “Charley Catches the Christmas Spirit.”
And while “Henry, Hortense and the Halloween Party” is set in October, it is still a love story, featuring both human and otherworldly couples!
There were times when I wondered if I’d be able to develop enough stories in time to meet the deadline—I usually build a collection around already written stories—but I pulled it off!
WOW: You really did! Were these stories written at different times in your life? What was your process in getting them ready for publication?
Nancy: A few of the stories were written quite some time ago but never published. But most of them are relatively recent—written in the past decade or so. As for my process, the first thing I had to do was any minor updates on the older stories to make them fit the current timeframe. Then, I shared some of them with my writing group and a few beta readers to get their feedback. But on the whole, it was the same as any of my fiction: write, edit, revise, re-read, edit, revise—an ongoing process until I am pretty sure they are ready to go.
WOW: Sounds like a smooth process! Who is this collection of stories ideal for?
Nancy: Because the characters run the gamut in terms of ages and generations, the readership would be anyone from young adult to Boomers. The ideal reader for this collection would be someone who wants to explore heartfelt emotion, who seeks to gain an understanding of what love is or could be, and how love impacts both the giver and the recipient, who is perhaps struggling with a love relationship of their own and is looking for a new perspective.
Or someone who just enjoys love stories!
WOW: That should appeal to all of our readers! What do you hope people walk away with feeling after reading your stories?
Nancy: A sense that each love relationship has stages of ebb and flow, an understanding that not all love relationships end with “happily ever after” and yet, despite the heartache, are still worth experiencing, and that the memories of real love can sustain you, remaining even after the person you loved so dearly is gone.
WOW: What a beautiful message. What are you working on now that you can tell us about?
Nancy: I am getting ready to release my third Midlife Moxie novel, Moving Maggie, while in the early stages of writing my fourth, Transforming Tessa. And of course, scheduling book tours and book club visits and doing interviews such as this one and all the other tasks that go along with marketing yourself as an author!
I love meeting people, talking about my books as well as listening to their life experiences so I am definitely eager to get back out on the road in May! If anyone would like me to visit their book club or be part of an event (virtual or in real life), they can contact me through my website, www.nancychristie.com. I’m always up for a chat about writing!
WOW: I hope readers do reach out to you! Thank you for your time and I hope you enjoy your tour.
---- Blog Tour Calendar
January 13 @ The Muffin
Join WOW as we celebrate the launch of Nancy Christie's blog tour of The Language of Love. Read an interview with the author and enter to win a copy of the book
January 14 @ Rosh's Reviews
Learn more about The Language of Love in today's review.
January 15 @ Frugal Freelancer
Join Sara's blog for a spotlight of The Language of Love.
January 20 @ The Book Mistress
Check out Nancy Christie's interview at Tracey's blog.
January 21 @ Words by Webb
Visit Jodi's blog for a review of The Language of Love by Nancy Christie.
January 22 @ Mari's Journaling Power Blog
Find today's spotlight of The Language of Love at Mari's Journaling Power Blog.
January 23 @ What is That Book About
Learn more about The Language of Love in today's spotlight at What is that Book About.
January 28 @ Life According to Jamie
Visit Life According to Jamie for their review of The Language of Love.
January 30 @ Beverly A Baird
Find out more about The Language of Love in today's review at Beverly A Baird.
February 1 @ A Wonderful World of Words
Read today's spotlight of The Language of Love at A Wonderful World of Words.
February 3 @ Lisa Haselton's Reviews and Interviews
Join Lisa for an interview with author Nancy Christie.
February 5 @ Just Katherine
Check out today's review of The Language of Love at Just Katherine.
February 6 @ Deirdra Eden
Find the latest spotlight of The Language of Love at Deirdra Eden.
February 8 @ Boots Shoes and Fashion
Visit Boots Shoes and Fashion to read an interview with Nancy Christie, author of The Language of Love.
February 10 @ Just Katherine
Read an excerpt from The Language of Love at Just Katherine.
February 12 @ Kaecey McCormick's blog
Join Kaecey to read an excerpt of The Language of Love.
February 13 @ Caitrin C. King's blog
Visit Caitrin's blog for a review of The Language of Love.
February 15 @ Jill Sheets' blog
Visit Jill's blog for an interview with author Nancy Christie about her book The Language of Love.
***** BOOK GIVEAWAY *****
Enter to win a print copy of The Language of Love and Other Stories by Nancy Christie! Fill out the Rafflecopter form below for a chance to win. The giveaway ends January 26th at 11:59 pm CT. We will randomly draw a winner the next day via Rafflecopter and follow up via email. Good luck!
0 comments:
Post a Comment