I'm incredibly pleased today to welcome author Karen Ann Hopkins back to the blog to talk a little bit about Rachel's Deception, the fourth book in her young adult Temptation series. Rachel's Deception catches us up with Noah and Rose while at the same time delving deeper into the life of Noah's little sister Rachel, and I couldn't wait to ask Karen a few questions about how everything plays out. Don't forget to check the bottom of the post for the full list of participating blogs as well as all the details on a fantastic giveaway!
If Rachel could sit down with you and ask you a single question about the way you’ve told her story, what do you think she’d most want to know?
That’s an interesting question. I think Rachel would wonder how an outsider like me knew about the issues she was struggling with in the Amish community. I would tell her that several Amish teens came to me, discussing in detail, their personal troubles living the Amish life. I gathered information from these discussions, and along with my own observations, I was able to write realistic portrayals of the characters and events in the Temptation series.
What one character from another piece of fiction do you think would be a great confidante and dispenser of advice for Rachel with all that she goes through in Rachel’s Deception?
I would like to put Rachel in touch with Dallas in The Outsiders. Why Dallas? Rachel is the type of girl who gets along better with guys, than girls. She’d probably open up more to a male, the same way she opened up to Justin and Micah in the book. The advice Dallas could impart to Rachel is that there are consequences to your actions. He would probably tell her, with a cigarette hanging out of his mouth, that if she lives a dangerous life, she’s going to die young.
What are 3 things about Rachel’s life in the Amish community that people might be surprised by?
1) That Rachel can pick out the boy who she wants to court, as long as he’s Amish.
2) That she’ll begin working, either at the family household and farm, or at an outside Amish business right after she’s finished with eighth grade.
3) That she’ll have to give her parents ninety percent of her income until she’s engaged. At that point the amount will lessen depending on what the family decides.
What was one of the biggest challenges of getting inside Rachel’s head after spending so much time with Noah and Rose?
Noah and Rose are both good kids. Their only problem was falling in love. Rachel is another story altogether. She’s jealous, resentful, and angry at the world. Part of her feelings are attributed to her circumstances of being Amish and having lost her sister, Sarah, in a tornado that she herself survived. She wants to be good, but she enjoys being bad. She’s a very complicated person, and complicated people are more difficult to write than less dimensional people. I worked very hard with Rachel’s character to create a troubled girl that the reader would want to slap at times, but would also like. It’s a fine line. I hope I succeeded.
All the books in the Temptation series have a natural outdoor setting on the cover. Looking forward to the next book, what weather conditions might fit the mood/feel of that story?
The fifth Temptation novel is titled Summer’s Song. One of the POV’s will be Summer Sage, Rose’s best friend, and Sam’s girlfriend. She’s going to have her own adventure. And while we’ll be checking in with Rose, Noah, Rachel, Justin, Micah, and everyone else in the Meadowview Amish community, this one is going to be Summer’s book. Summer is strong, optimistic, and cheerful. I’d like the next cover to reflect her personality, so I’m envisioning a brighter book cover, with the sun shining. She might even be standing in a field full of wildflowers.
Thanks so much for stopping by Karen!
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RACHEL'S DECEPTION
Growing up Amish is difficult…but leaving it behind is even harder.
Noah was Amish...Rose wasn't. Being together should have been impossible. But somehow they found a way to make it work. They are finally a family, but their happily-ever-after is still a long off. Will Rose and her friends be able to force real change?
Karen Ann Hopkins returns with a gripping new book in the YA Temptation series. The powerful family saga continues with Rachel's Deception, as events spiral out of control in the sleepy farming community of Meadowview. And Rachel Miller has her own secrets to hide. Noah’s younger sister has been living a double life. That is, until Justin Cameron, Rose's little brother, catches her in the act. Rachel is not the obedient Amish girl that her sister was, and her rebelliousness takes her to a very dangerous world. A world that only her true friends can help her escape from.
As Rachel questions all she has been taught about love, family, and commitment, Rose discovers what it really means to be shunned. And an evil shadow looms on the horizon, threatening not only Rose, but everyone she holds dear.
THE TEMPTATION SERIES:
Temptation (Book 1)
Belonging (Book 2)
Forever (Book 3)
Audiobook lovers, be sure and order Temptation (you can check out a sample here) which is now available on Audible!
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KAREN ANN HOPKINS
Karen Ann Hopkins resides in northern Kentucky with her family on a farm that boasts a menagerie of horses, goats, peacocks, chickens, ducks, rabbits, dogs and cats. Karen's main job is home schooling the kids, but she finds time to give riding lessons, coach a youth equestrian drill team, and of course, write. She was inspired to create her first book, Temptation, by the Amish community she lived in. The experiential knowledge she gained through her interactions with her neighbors drove her to create the story of the star-crossed lovers, Rose and Noah.
Karen grew up about a mile from Lake Ontario in Upstate New York. She was bitten by the horse bug at the age of five, and after diligently taking riding lessons for several years, was rewarded with her first horse when she turned eleven. The feisty horse's name was Lady, a Quarter Horse-Thoroughbred cross, who became Karen's steadfast companion. Through the years, the constant force in her life was horses. Eventually, she found her place as a riding instructor herself. Before accepting her fate in the barnyard, she worked a short stint as a paralegal, traveled abroad, and guided tourists on horseback riding tours in the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee.
Karen is currently working on her Amish mystery series, Serenity's Plain Secrets, along with the YA paranormal/fantasy series, The Wings of War. Karen is also excited to announce the Temptation series has been optioned for TV by Pilgrim Studios and is available on Audible. More books in the Temptation series are in the works.
Website • Blog • Twitter • Facebook • Goodreads
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GIVEAWAY
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GIVEAWAY
Karen is offering up a fantastic prize pack, with one lucky winner receiving the following:
- $50 gift card (Amazon, B&N or iTunes)
- A complete set of her books (Temptation, Belonging, Forever, Rachel’s Deception, Lamb to the Slaughter, Whispers from the Dead and Embers!)
Giveaway is open INTERNATIONALLY. Please enter via the Rafflecopter form.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
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