Author Interview (and a Giveaway!): Lindsey P. Brackett & The Bridge Between

HAPPY RELEASE DAY to Lindsey Brackett & her new book The Bridge Between! I had the privilege of endorsing this book, and I can’t wait for you to read it too!! Also super excited to have Lindsey here on the blog today to chat about her book 🙂

Lindsey P. Brackett writes southern fiction infused with her rural Georgia upbringing and Lowcountry roots. Her debut novel, Still Waters, inspired by family summers at Edisto Beach, released in 2017. Called “a brilliant debut” with “exquisite writing,” Still Waters was named an INSPY finalist and the 2018 Selah Book of the Year. Her second novel, The Bridge Between, releases in July. Download Magnolia Mistletoe, a free Edisto Christmas novella, with newsletter signup at lindseypbrackett.com or on Instagram and Facebook: @lindseypbrackett.

You can connect with Lindsey Brackett on her website, Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram and Twitter.

SERIES: An Edisto Novel #2
GENRE: Inspirational Southern/Women’s Fiction
PUBLISHER: Firefly Southern Fiction
RELEASE DATE: July 31, 2019
PAGES: 300

After years away, Louisa Coultrie Halloway has returned to Edisto Island as caretaker for the family home. Now she flounders to find her place. When Liam Whiting, a local professor studying tidal creek preservation, invites Lou to join his research team, she welcomes the opportunity for purpose.

David, her ex-husband, has followed Lou and their children to Edisto. As he finds his footing in this new life, their once strained relationship eases into a familiar rhythm—and he hopes for more.

But the past still has a hold on them all, especially in the presence of Grace Watson, whose son intends to marry Lou and David’s daughter. Somehow, Grace and Lou must let the past of a shared love settle between them.

In this idyllic setting, relationships deepen and shift. And once more, Lou finds herself caught between the life she’s chosen—and the love that might be meant to be.

“Lindsey Brackett has penned a story that will hit you in the heart, in that sacred place between the sweet and the bitter. Reminding us that forgiveness is the only way to truly heal tangled thens and broken nows, she weaves a beautiful, sometimes heart-aching, tapestry of two families who stand at the cusp of what was always meant to be. A must-read!”

Carrie Schmidt, ReadingIsMySuperPower.org

Hi my friend! Welcome to the blog!

Lindsey: SUMMER because I freeze in the winter. Yes, I realize I live in Georgia and it’s hardly ever actually freezing but tell that to my cold feet.

Carrie: I love you but I think you’re crazy 😉

Lindsey:  NETFLIX for variety, although I’m about to go Hulu because I have great affection for Veronica Mars. 

Carrie: Ah yes! You know, I get Hulu free with something else (maybe my cell phone? I forget) so I really should figure out how to use it because… Veronica Mars. #allthelove

Lindsey: Do not make me choose. That’s like picking a favorite kid. In our dreams, we have a little mountain getaway cabin and a bigger place at Edisto Beach.

Carrie: haha sorry. I’m the same way. I mean, if i HAVE to choose, I’ll always pick mountains but my dream is to live somewhere that has a view of both.

Lindsey: Forever and ever print. I only read ARCS on ebook if the author is my friend and they ask nicely 🙂 I need prints because I take them to the ocean and the bathtub and the back porch with the dog…

Carrie: I will always love print. But ebooks are so convenient for travel and for reading in bed. Or in the dark.

Q: Around here I like to say that reading is my superpower. If YOU had a superpower, what would it be?

Lindsey: I’m the great connector. Seriously, that’s what my friends say. I dabble in a lot of different creative endeavors, so I have a wide net of people and I love to introduce folks and see a new relationship grow.

Carrie: You are so good at this – yes!!

Q: Tell me some good books you’ve read recently!

Lindsey:

1. Hurricane Season by Lauren Denton who is one of my new favorite go-tos. She writes wonderful southern women’s fiction with really relatable characters and gorgeous settings.
2. Saturday Night Supper Club by Carla Laureano was another beach read this summer. My copy is now soaked with salt water and love. Highly recommend but don’t read it when hungry 🙂
3. Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens is definitely worth the hype—and the hardback investment. The most beautiful prose I’ve seen until…
4. The River by Peter Heller which is totally off-brand for me. Outdoor adventure thriller? Except it’s actually an amazing story of sacrificial friendship written like a piece of narrative poetry. Warning: Triggers such as language and violence.
5. What if It’s True by Charles Martin is my current morning read with coffee and a side of Scripture. Though when Charles Martin writes about Jesus, it’s more like a banquet.

Carrie: I love Lauren & Carla’s books – and loved What If It’s True a lot… very thought-provoking and authentic. Where the Crawdads Sing is on my out-of-control TBR and now I’ll be checking out The River more than I would have before 😉

Q: If I sneaked a peek in your purse right now (which I would never do, I promise!), what would it tell me about you?

Lindsey: I will show you my purse for two reasons. First, it’s a handmade bag I bought at the Bay Creek Arts Market last summer when we were on Edisto. It’s beachy and the perfect sized cross-body bag. Second, I bought a new wallet recently and I love it so much my kids told me I had to stop talking about it. Here’s why: it’s divided into sections! I can now, FINALLY, divide out my cash (we Dave Ramsey), receipts, and coupons. Amazing what a difference this little $20 wallet I bought with a gift card has made in my life.

Carrie: haha that’s awesome!

Q: Which of your main characters is most like you? 

Lindsey: People who know me thought I was Cora Anne from Still Waters, but I’m not. Maybe it’s because I’m older or maybe it’s because I’m finally admitting some things to myself, but I’m identifying most with her mother, Lou, whose story is told in The Bridge Between. Like Lou I feel like I’ve put a lot of dreams on hold to be a “good” wife and mother, but also like her I’m learning that I have to talk to my husband about what I need to feel most like myself—and that communication is changing our 17 year old marriage into the strongest it’s ever been.

Carrie: I love that – communication is so very important.

Q: What is one of your favorite quotes from the book & why do you love it?

Lindsey: I love this one—and I love that a member of my launch team turned it into a meme. “Life’s not fair, but God is good.” He teaches me that almost daily and I need to hear it, believe me.

Carrie: Amen & amen. Something I have learned a lot lately – and cling to daily.

Thank you so much for taking time to talk with me! 🙂 Before we say goodbye for today, tell us what‘s coming up next for you.

Lindsey: At this very moment my next right thing (another book/podcast I love from Emily P. Freeman) is to direct the musical Oklahoma! We open in the local community theater on August 1. After that it’s back to school and back to the work I love—I’ve got a new project out on submission and I’m revamping another, all while holding my breath to see what my next right thing will be!

Carrie: yay! I’m excited to see what comes next for you 🙂

Lindsey Brackett is offering a copy of The Bridge Between to one of my readers! (Print copy, US only / Ebook for an international winner) This giveaway is subject to Reading Is My SuperPower’s giveaway policies which can be found here. Enter via the Rafflecopter form below.

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What about you? What interests you most about The Bridge Between and/or this interview?