Interview with Author Joanne Bischof

A dear author-friend of mine releases her latest novel today!

I’m currently reading To Get to You and loving it. I love this author-lady who has answered so many of my writerly questions and blessed me with so much advice. I love this story, too, and below you can read the description–wherein lies proof I think you’ll love it, too. Happy Release Day, Joanne!

Purchase on Amazon // Add to your To-Read list

To get to the girl he loves,
Riley Kane must head off on a road trip with the
father he never knew. Then pray for a miracle.

Most teens would love to have a pro surfer for a dad. Just not Riley. Abandoned as a kid, he hates the sound of the ocean and the man who gave himself to it.

When the eighteen-year-old learns that his best friend is stranded at a New Mexico hospital as her father fights for his life, Riley hits the highway to head east. But when his Jeep breaks down before he even leaves California, he must rely on the one man he despises to get to the girl who needs him the most. And when it comes to the surfer with the Volkswagen van and dog-eared map, a thousand miles may–or may not–be enough to heal the past.

A story of new beginnings and second chances.

Doesn’t that sound like the perfect late-summer read? I highly recommend To Get to You by Joanne Bischof.

Interview

Rachelle: When you and your husband are in the car, do you usually sit shotgun or in the drivers’ seat?

Joanne: It depends on the GLRF (Getting Lost Risk Factor – Okay…I just made that up ;) ) I’ll drive if it’s going to church or something familiar like that and he drives everywhere else. I get lost really, really easy. I had to drive about 8 hours through California this spring for a writers retreat and had to call him several times along the way. The guy is such a champ, he’ll pull up google maps, figure out exactly where I’m at, and help me get on my way!

I’m glad I’m not the only one who is directionally challenged! I’m definitely going to be referencing the GLRF in the future. :) So, how did Riley’s story begin? (An idea, a song lyric, a dream?)

Riley’s story began with a short story that I wrote called “The Balsam Walk” that is a part of the 21 Days of Christmas collection. At first, I had set out to write a historical short story and even wrote most of that by hand in a notebook while my family and I were on vacation at Lake Tahoe. When I finished the historical short, it was just so bad that I decided to scratch it out and try again… which leads me to your next question!

Fun stuff! What helped you decide to jump into the contemporary fiction pool?

This is where I decided to try my hand at contemporary fiction. There was something about it that just seemed easier. I thought to myself – for this, why not just write what you know? What I know like the back of my hand is Southern California. So I set that short story there. Maybe it was the fact that we were driving home from Tahoe, but I guess ‘road trip’ was on my mind and that played a big role in building that short story into a full length novel.

I confess, that I’ve never been overly fond of California. This series has really helped me dig deep and see what there is to love about my home state. I drew on things that I know – a day at the beach, driving down the Pacific Coast Highway, really, really good Mexican food, or growing up around surfers and skateboarders. Sharing the essence of California not only allowed me to fall in love with The Golden State, but I hope by sharing my comfort-food-for-the-soul-memories in To Get to You, it will give readers a fun tour of this place.

Fantastic. Loving this story, Joanne! Okay, serious question, LOL: what type of Oreo is your favorite? (Traditional, double-stuffed, birthday cake, peanut butter) ;

Oooh… traditional!

Excellent answer. ;)

About the Author

Christy Award-finalist and author of Be Still My Soul and Though My Heart is Torn, Joanne Bischof has a deep passion for Appalachian culture and writing stories that shine light on God’s grace and goodness. She lives in the mountains of Southern California with her husband and their three children.

Find Joanne: Facebook // Twitter // Pinterest // Website

Read my reviews of Joanne’s other books: Be Still My Soul, Though My Heart is Torn, My Hope Is Found, and This Quiet Sky

Disclosure: I had the privilege of reading this book already due to the generosity of the author (love her!). But I would have read and reviewed it anyway, it’s that good. Read my full disclosure here.