Interview and Giveaway with Rachel Skatvold, Author of Beauty Within

Just a quick follow-up on the giveaway of the God’s Daughter audiobooks and the Miranda Warning ebooks…the random winners are:

Justin S–audiobook copy of God’s Daughter

Rachel S (my guest today!)–audiobook copy of God’s Daughter

Brian (comment on Goodreads)–Ebook copy of Miranda Warning

BN100–Ebook copy of Miranda Warning

I will email all of you about your win, only I don’t have your email, BN100! If someone doesn’t claim theirs, I will give it to one of the other commenters within a couple weeks’ time. Thank you all SO much for your interest and I hope you enjoy!

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Today, I’m pleased to introduce you to debut author Rachel Skatvold. Rachel’s novel, Beauty Within, releases this week! She is also having a Rafflecopter giveaway of her novel, and you can enter below! I am also visiting Rachel at her blog today here.

Rachel Skatvold is an inspirational author and stay at home mom from the Midwest. She enjoys writing inspirational romance, devotions, encouraging blogs. Other than writing, some of her hobbies include singing, reading and camping in the great outdoors with her husband and two young sons.

Places to follow Rachel:

Website           Facebook           Twitter               Pinterest

Interview with Author Rachel Skatvold

HG: Rachel, so nice to have you on my blog. Congrats on your (soon-to-be-released) novella, Beauty Within. This is the first in the Riley Family Legacy Novellas–tell me more about the Rileys! I love family stories.

RS: Thank you for having me, Heather. I’d love to tell you more about the Rileys. They are a close knit family from the small town of Brimsfield in southern Kansas. Most of them lead simple lives on the family farm when they’re not causing mischief in town or racing tractors for fun. Sometimes they just enjoy relaxing on their back deck while sipping glasses of grandma’s famous raspberry iced tea.

This book follows the story of Sheriff Clint Riley’s oldest daughter, Katherine, who is the only member of the family who has ever ventured far from home. Seven years after marrying her high school sweetheart and moving to Las Vegas against her parents’ wishes, Katherine returns home, widowed with two young children to care for. She hopes for a fresh start but instead is met with blazing small town gossip, a matchmaking mother and a handsome young cop from the city who seems determined to make her life miserable.

HG: I love that title. Can you tell us a little about how it ties in with the themes in this story?

RS: Beauty Within is the name of Katherine’s hair salon but it also has a deeper meaning. As a hair stylist, Katherine’s job is to help others feel beautiful. However, she is inspired by 1 Peter 3: 3-4 and believes that helping people discover their inner beauty is her true calling. As the story unfolds she learns to see the beautiful plan that God has in store for her own life as well.

HG: How long have you been writing? Could you share more about your journey to indie publication–highs, lows, headaches, victories?

RS: My love for reading and writing started when I was very young. However, I never dreamed about publishing anything until my junior year of college. At the time, I thought I wanted to be a teacher but changed my major after realizing how much time I would have to spend away from my two year old son. Soon after, I started writing my first full length novel, Enduring the Flames. After finishing the book I had some interest from publishers but they ended up declining because my platform needed work. I’m still hoping to get it published someday but decided to take a break to work on some smaller projects. From that break, my first novella series bloomed, so that is pretty exciting! Self publishing has been an interesting journey full of challenges and a few tears, however I love the freedom of it and knowing that my books will soon be out there in the hands of readers. It’s all been worth it.

HG: How would you classify this novella? Is this romance? I like that there seem to be many family angles in it.

RS: Yes, my novella is a Christian romance. My stories are sweet and clean romances that also include some suspense, comedy and aspects of faith weaved in. Family also plays a big part since my main character is a single mom with two young children. This puts an interesting twist on the storyline.

Watch the book trailer here:

HG: I know you’re a stay-at-home momma like I am. What is your biggest struggle as an indie author and SAHM?

RS: That’s a great question. I think my biggest struggle is finding the time to write. I have a one year old and four year old, so they keep me running most of the time. I love being a stay-at-home mom though and wouldn’t trade this special time with my kiddos for all the money in the world. However, I’ll admit, lately I’ve become a night owl. It is the only time when the house is quiet with no interruptions. Then, when my oldest son is in pre-school, I try to persuade my toddler to take a nap so I can fit one in as well. That’s my secret to finding enough time to write.

HG: Finally, tell us about upcoming novellas in this series and when they will release!

RS: Thanks for asking! I’m writing Beauty Unveiled as we speak. This is the second book in the series and will focus on Katherine’s free spirited younger sister, Sarah. She’s one of my favorite characters in this series so I’m thrilled to share more of her story. I have a crazy dream to release this one around Valentine’s Day but this date isn’t set in stone yet. I will post updates on my website as the story develops.

HG: Thanks for visiting today, Rachel!

RS: Thank you for having me, Heather. It’s been fun!

Find Beauty Within on Amazon

Find Beauty Within on Nook

Print Edition Available on October 9^th!

***Readers, enter to win a copy of Beauty Within! Winners will be announced at the Rafflecopter link!***

a Rafflecopter giveaway