screenshot170 I love social media.  I love reconnecting with people I knew in school. and I love when I learn that people I know have done something really cool like publish a book.  I went to high school with Sara Rishforth, and she has just published her first book, Adventures in Dating.

Kari Covington left it all to settle in Alaska. Charleston had been home: friends, school, family, and her past. But a fresh start to her personal and love life is what she needs. The Final Frontier is nothing like the “Good Ol’ South,” which suits Kari just fine. She can create a new life, start a career, find love, and seek the adventure she craves. 

Eager to embark on her new journey and with so many rugged eligible men, Kari sets out to meet “The One.” A string of bad dates tests Kari’s optimism as winter closes in. With no one to keep her warm, Kari relies on cooking, baking and her new best friends. Weekly calls from Mama call her back to the life her family planned. 

No one said looking for love was easy… 

I really enjoyed the book and think fans of Chick Lit will find it a great summer read.

Sara took the time to answer a few questions from me, and has offered to give away two copies of her book, so leave a comment and I’ll choose two winners at random- US Residents only, please.

TBF: I never knew that you were a fiction writer. Were you writing back in high school, other than yearbook or journalism? 

SR: My first memory of writing is a play I wrote in the fourth grade, and it was about a boy calling my friend a rude name.  Also, I have to laugh about the editorials I wrote for the high school newspaper, like why girls could wear skorts to school, but not shorts.  Hot topic at the time!

 

TBF: How much of Adventures in Dating is autobiographical? 

SR: Probably about 80%. I had many bad dates in Alaska.  I also ate a lot of nachos and made dear friends.  One of the main characters in the book now lives here in Bend.

 

TBF: Related to Question 2, like Kari, you moved from the Deep South to Alaska.  What drew you there, what was the biggest adjustment you had to make, and what did you miss the most while you were there?

SR:My move was really a rebellious decision.  I was desperate to leave Greenville, so I applied to three national parks.  Denali National Park hired me, so I bought a plane ticket and packed my rolling suitcase full of inappropriate clothes and was off and running.  The amount of snow was crazy!  It hardly snowed in South Carolina, just icy every now and then.  I missed my parents.  My brother was diagnosed with stage four cancer during part of my time in Alaska, so I moved back for a year to help out, but I headed back to Alaska once he was given the thumbs up.

 

TBF: What has been your biggest lesson learned as a first-time published author?

SR: I learned writing the book was the easiest part of the whole process.  I also learned I’m better at marketing other people than myself.  Turns out, I’m quite shy.

TBF: What’s in your to-be-read pile? 

SR: I’m working my way through a pile of books from a friend.  Seabiscuit by Laura Hillenbrand, Truth & Beauty by Ann Patchett, and A Southern Girl by John Warley.  I’m always looking for book recommendations.

TBF: Any  writing projects on the horizon? 

SR: I’m working on a second book.  It is favorite recipes and food memories.  Testing recipes and leaving food on my friends’ porches is super fun!

TBF: You’ve left Alaska now, but are still in the Pacific Northwest. What has kept you in that region?

SR: I love the cooler weather and friendly people.  The hospitality reminds me of the South.  Although I miss my family terribly, I love Bend.  

TBF: What was the best piece of advice you were given while you published this book? And what piece of advice took you by surprise (like maybe you were skeptical when you heard it, but are glad you took it to heart). 

SR: Honestly, I don’t think anyone gave me advice.  Everyone was supportive and just kept asking about my book.  No one would let me forget about it, even though I let it sit on my computer for three years after I wrote it.

TBF: What is your funniest/most memorable misadventure in your dating past?

SR: I went out with a guy I nicknamed Hiking Boy.  All of our dates were hiking, and we hiked 13 miles in one week.  Finally, I asked him, “Would it kill you to buy me a meal?”

TBF: Do you use a Day-Timer, like Kari does, or am I really the only person left who supplements any electronic calendaring with a paper calendar? 

SR: I’m all about a paper calendar.  It’s super handy and keeps me organized.  I do admit to using Outlook at a past job, but I always wrote everything down in my Day-timer, too.

Sara, thank you so much for sharing your book with me, and taking time to answer my questions.  And don’t forget, two commenters will be chosen at random to receive a copy of the book.