Author Interview (and a Giveaway!): Mollie Rushmeyer & The Bookshop of Secrets

Welcome to the Blog Tour for The Bookshop of Secrets by Mollie Rushmeyer, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours! I’m so excited to have Mollie on the blog today to chat about her book which I can’t wait to read!

THE BOOKSHOP OF SECRETS by Mollie Rushmeyer
GENRE: Contemporary Inspirational Romance
PUBLISHER: Love Inspired Trade
RELEASE DATE: October 25, 2022
PAGES: 362

A collection of lost books holds the clues to her family’s legacy…and her future.

Hope Sparrow has mastered the art of outrunning her tragic past, learning never to stay anywhere too long and never to allow anyone control over her life again. Coming to Wanishin Falls in search of her family’s history already feels too risky. But somewhere in the towering stacks of this dusty old bookshop are the books that hold Hope’s last ties to her late mother—and to a rumored family treasure that could help her start over.

Only, the bookshop is in shambles, and the elderly owner is in the beginning stages of dementia and can’t remember where the books lie. To find the last links to the loved ones she’s lost, Hope must stay and accept help from the townsfolk to locate the treasured volumes. Each secret she uncovers brings her closer to understanding where she came from. But the longer she stays in the quaint town, the more people find their way into the cracks in her heart. And letting them in may be the greatest risk of all…

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Hi Mollie! Welcome to the blog!

Mollie: I’m definitely a cat gal. We have the absolute sweetest, snuggliest rescue kitty named Brooks and our family was not complete until he came along.

Carrie: awww i’m a dog person, hands down (or paws down, I guess lol), but that’s really sweet ♥

Mollie: I love both! I don’t know if I can choose. I will just say that coffee is like water, a must-have. Tea is like a treat to me and makes me think of Great Britain, which I love. I’m a total Britophile!

Carrie: i wish i liked tea because it IS so British & I love feeling British haha

Mollie: I have to go with Netflix. There’s more variety, including Hallmark-esque Christmas movies. Plus, I can watch The Great British Bake-Off, which is a favorite in our house.

Carrie: You’re the 2nd author to mention that show in so many days…. I definitely need to check it out soon!

Mollie: There’s just something magical about opening up a new or used paper copy of a book. Nothing beats that smell! So, print copies will always be my first choice. Though, I will say I tend to read through books faster on my Kindle because I can see how many minutes are left in the chapter. I find myself saying, “Well, it’s only __ more minutes in this chapter. I have time for one more…” 🙂

Carrie: I’m right there with you – in both cases lol (Plus with kindle I can enlarge the font to an obnoxious size to reduce eye strain)

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

Mollie: I don’t know if my husband would agree it’s a “superpower” as I may drive him crazy on occasion with this! But I would say it’s to analyze every movie/television show for its plot holes, character arcs (or lack thereof), and, most importantly, any potential romance. Yes, even action movies. Yes, even among the contestants on The Great British Bake-Off. I’m always looking for that spark of romance. And I think/hope analyzing these down to every little plot point and shared glance will help me become a better writer.

Carrie: i love that!! (And I’m a sucker for those shared glances too)

Q: Other than the Bible, what are five of your most cherished books?

Mollie: Going back to childhood and the books my grandpa recommended—who was the ultimate book lover and first sparked my love of the written word—I have to start with The Lion, the Witch, & the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis and A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle. These stories captured my imagination as a child and the deeper meanings settled in as I reread them as an adult. Really, I could say the entire series that accompany both books as well. A more recent one that I loved was When the Day Comes by Gabrielle Meyer. It’s a story that sticks with you, both because of the characters and its unique premise. This is non-fiction, but Susie Larson’s Your Beautiful Purpose. It’s special to me because I read it at a time when I desperately wanted to be a writer, but was unsure of whether that was God’s plan for me. It was a prayerful journey through that book and since then as God has led me to where I am now. I’ve reread sections of that book over time and am always taking away something new. Last but not least, Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. I love her works and learning about her life. This story was the first of hers I ever read and will always hold a special place in my heart.

Carrie: what a fabulous list!!

Q: Writing spaces are as diverse as authors and books. Where is your favorite space to write?

Mollie: Since I am easily distracted by noise and movement, I would say my favorite place to write is in my office at home. When I want to come out of my “writing cave,” I love to visit my friend Michelle Aleckson and we write together at her house or in a coffee shop. But if I need to hunker down and really smash out some words, I am most productive in my quiet little sanctuary in our downstairs. It has a nice big window to stare out of when I need to conjure up that perfect word from thin air ;), and is light and bright yet calming. It’s my own writing oasis away from the laundry, dishes, and all of the chores taunting me in the rest of our house!

Carrie: that sounds like a lovely place to write!

Q: Which character in The Bookshop of Secrets was the most difficult to write? 

Mollie: The bookshop owner and Ronan’s grandpa, Ulysses, was most difficult to write. I based his character and his love of literature on my grandpa who passed away. I just wished so much I could show my grandpa this book and the sweet character he inspired that at times, it was painful to write.

Carrie: awww i imagine it was ♥

Q: If Hollywood wanted to produce The Bookshop of Secrets as a movie, who would you want to be cast as the lead roles? 

Mollie: I would pick Daisy Edgar-Jones, who was just in Where the Crawdads Sing book-to-film adaptation. She seems to have the vulnerability and bookishness to play my main character, Hope Sparrow. And I would choose Henry Cavill as her love interest, Ronan Barrick. He sort of has that strong yet sensitive thing going with a sense of humor. Is it a coincidence they both happen to be British?

Carrie: you had me at Henry Cavill! (Secret fact about me – my Waze app is set to a British male narrator and I call him Henry lol)

Q: What is something God taught you while you wrote The Bookshop of Secrets?

Mollie: I was in a season of learning—I would say hard lessons though I know God supplies sweetness even in bitter circumstances—while writing this book. There were wonderful surprises at the time, like I had signed with my amazing agent, Cynthia Ruchti. But I had also just come through a trying medical issue months prior to writing on this story. As I worked on Hope’s story, helping her to understand the healing (the deep inside kind) and God’s goodness even when life hurts, I felt Him whisper the same loving message to my own heart. What Hope ultimately finds is something more valuable than the antiquarian first edition books she’s looking for throughout the story and I’d like to think I was reminded alongside her where true Hope comes from.

Carrie: amen 🙂

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.

Mollie: I have another book coming out with Love Inspired Trade, part of Harlequin, a division of HarperCollins Publishers, called The Lost Manuscript. It’s about a history professor working with her estranged husband to search for a famed lost illuminated medieval manuscript… a manuscript that may have led to her grandmother’s disappearance. It releases next August 2023, so stay tuned!

Mollie Rushmeyer writes contemporary romantic fiction with a blend of modern settings and fascinating historical elements. A born and bred Midwestern gal, Mollie makes her home in central Minnesota with her husband and two beautiful daughters. She is not only a bibliophile (the dustier the better, in her opinion), she’s a true Britophile at heart. Tea and coffee fuel her travels, by Google maps at least, and her passion for the written word.

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

(1) winner will receive a $25 Amazon gift card.

Full tour schedule linked below. The giveaway begins at midnight October 4, 2022 and will last through 11:59 PM EST on October 11, 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/CAN. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.

Giveaway is subject to the policies found here.

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This giveaway is hosted by JustRead Tours, not RimSP
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What about you? What makes you want to read The Bookshop of Secrets by Mollie Rushmeyer?