| She craves roots. He seeks adventure. Will finding one mean leaving the other behind? Allyson Kincaid needs roots. After being born and raised on the foreign mission field, all she wants is home and hearth on American soil. Finally past the break-up with the man she’d thought was the love of her life, she’s ready to put herself back out there. Too bad the first guy who’s made her pulse skip in nearly two years dreams of a life spent in foreign missions. She respects and supports his calling but knows it’s not one she shares. When self-described vagabond Zane Carpenter relocates to Arlington, Texas, his only thought is to meet his obligation with Becker Ministries then move on to a foreign mission assignment, his dream and goal for the past several years. But working so closely with Ally in student ministry has his heart feeling things he’s never experienced. He’s ready for a future with her, until she makes it clear she doesn’t share his calling to the mission field. A trip to her father’s Guatemalan mission changes everything when one stays and one leaves. Can she make a place on foreign soil, or will he find a home in Texas he didn’t even know he was looking for? |  |
Genre: Christian Contemporary Romance
Release date: June 25, 2024
Release date: June 25, 2024
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Interview with Lori
What was the inspiration for this book?
- When Allyson showed up in Love’s True Calling and tried to win Wyatt back, I don’t think she made the best impression on readers, since they were pulling for Wyatt and Harper. But I knew there was more to her than that, and I so wanted her to have her own happily-ever-after. However, the concept I first came up with for her was a completely different story. But then Zane showed up at the end of Love’s True Calling and I knew he was the guy for Ally. So I threw out the original concept and started over. They were really so much fun to write, even if I did shed a few tears during their more heart-rending moments.
What drew you to write in this particular genre?
- I’ve always enjoyed reading clean romance, so when I started writing, it was a natural choice. I don’t enjoy books that leave me feeling sad or grieving for a character I’d just spent hours and days living with. With romance, you know there’s a happily-ever-after ending. The challenge in that is, because readers know from the start that a book is going to have a happy ending, the writer has to make the journey through the story compelling enough for them to stay for the whole ride.
How did you name your characters?
- If I hear a name I like, I’ll make a note of it on a spreadsheet of names that I’ve either used or that I’m keeping for future characters. I also look through baby name lists to find names for characters, especially if I need something from a certain ethnic group. Thing is, I can’t just name a character anything and leave it at that. It sounds weird, but I’ve had characters in the past “tell” me that’s not their name. Ally was one of those characters. When I wrote her into my first book, her name was Melanie. And she was not a fan. I don’t know why. I love that name. But it didn’t fit her. I was spending the weekend with a writer friend at her home, and over dinner, I was lamenting that “Melanie” didn’t like her name but I was having a hard time coming up with something, only that I felt like it started with a vowel. My friend’s husband suggested ”Allyson” and the rest is history. So that’s kind of a fun story. And thinking back over that, I wish I’d put him in the book’s acknowledgements. So, thank you, Joe, for coming up with Ally’s name.
Tell us something funny, sad, embarrassing, whatever, that happened involving this book.
- I’m what is referred to as an intuitive writer. In less formal terms, that just means I write by the seat of my pants. I do plot the five major plot points of the story, then write scenes that take the story from one to the next. The fun of being a (mostly) intuitive writer is that sometimes things happen I wasn’t expecting. There’s a scene in the story when Zane is face to face with someone he hasn’t seen in nearly two decades, and what I had originally thought would be his reaction turned out to be the exact opposite. It took me totally by surprise, and I actually cried while writing it. I could feel what he felt at that moment, and it undid me. I love it when that happens.
Share with us a thought, Bible verse, whatever is on your mind/heart.
- In the story, Zane wrestles with a huge decision. Either way he decides to go could be a good thing. He’s not having to choose between good and bad. Just needs to know which way God would have him move. He recalls what it says in Proverbs 16:3: “Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans.” Just knowing he could honor God either way he went brought him the peace he needed to make his decision. And it ended up being life-changing in so many ways. Sometimes it’s not one way or the other that God would have us go. They could both be perfectly fine decisions and He would be glorified either way. What’s important is that whichever way we decide to go, we commit it to Him and let Him direct us down the path.
More from Lori
Do you ever wish you had a second chance to make a first impression? I know I have.
And I can’t help but think that Allyson Kincaid, the female protagonist in my upcoming novel, Love’s True Home, would desire the same thing. Her first appearance in Love’s True Calling, Book One of the True Calling Series released last year, may not have painted her in the best light. But who could blame her for acting from a broken heart, trying to win back the man she thought was the love of her life? I knew from the moment she stepped off the page in chapter thirty-one she needed her own story. Her own true love. Her own path to finding her true calling. And I hope readers will give her that second chance to win their hearts.
As I set out to get to know her better, I found she had a lot to tell me. Much of her history was spent growing up on foreign mission fields across Central America, leaving her feeling rootless and without a place to call home. Until she came to Arlington ten years ago and found exactly what her heart longed for. Now her dream is to settle right there in Arlington, get a house someday—and a dog, of course—and grow her roots in rich, Texas soil.
Over a brainstorming session with a close writer friend, I mapped out an entire story concept for Ally, with a handsome missionary love interest. Then Zane Carpenter popped up in the last few chapters of Love’s True Calling and I knew he was the guy for Ally. Out with the old story and in with the new.
Getting to know Zane was a kick, even if he has enough of his own heartbreak in his history. His sense of humor, extrovert adventurer personality, and deep love for the Lord had me hooked from the beginning. Except for the myriad friends he’s made in the half-dozen places he’s lived over the past thirteen years, Zane’s alone in the world. And until meeting Ally, he was okay with that. Traveling here and there for new opportunities, new adventures, meeting new people. With a foreign mission assignment being his ultimate dream.
But what happens when the girl who’s been-there-done-that as a missionary kid and has no intention of leaving Texas meets a guy who sweeps her off her feet, only to find out his goal is to work in foreign missions?
Come along for the ride as Zane and Ally discover more about themselves, each other, the Lord they both wholeheartedly long to serve …
And the true meaning of home.
And I can’t help but think that Allyson Kincaid, the female protagonist in my upcoming novel, Love’s True Home, would desire the same thing. Her first appearance in Love’s True Calling, Book One of the True Calling Series released last year, may not have painted her in the best light. But who could blame her for acting from a broken heart, trying to win back the man she thought was the love of her life? I knew from the moment she stepped off the page in chapter thirty-one she needed her own story. Her own true love. Her own path to finding her true calling. And I hope readers will give her that second chance to win their hearts.
As I set out to get to know her better, I found she had a lot to tell me. Much of her history was spent growing up on foreign mission fields across Central America, leaving her feeling rootless and without a place to call home. Until she came to Arlington ten years ago and found exactly what her heart longed for. Now her dream is to settle right there in Arlington, get a house someday—and a dog, of course—and grow her roots in rich, Texas soil.
Over a brainstorming session with a close writer friend, I mapped out an entire story concept for Ally, with a handsome missionary love interest. Then Zane Carpenter popped up in the last few chapters of Love’s True Calling and I knew he was the guy for Ally. Out with the old story and in with the new.
Getting to know Zane was a kick, even if he has enough of his own heartbreak in his history. His sense of humor, extrovert adventurer personality, and deep love for the Lord had me hooked from the beginning. Except for the myriad friends he’s made in the half-dozen places he’s lived over the past thirteen years, Zane’s alone in the world. And until meeting Ally, he was okay with that. Traveling here and there for new opportunities, new adventures, meeting new people. With a foreign mission assignment being his ultimate dream.
But what happens when the girl who’s been-there-done-that as a missionary kid and has no intention of leaving Texas meets a guy who sweeps her off her feet, only to find out his goal is to work in foreign missions?
Come along for the ride as Zane and Ally discover more about themselves, each other, the Lord they both wholeheartedly long to serve …
And the true meaning of home.
 Lori DeJong | Lori DeJong is a contemporary Christian romance author who enjoys penning stories full of grace and the redemptive power of God’s love that inspire others to hope regardless of circumstance, find joy in the moment, and grow in their faith. She resides in Georgetown, Texas, with her husband and two fur-babies and is the mother of one grown daughter. Lori’s debut novel, “Love’s True Calling”, is the 2022 winner of the ACFW Genesis Award for Romance, a double finalist in the 2024 Selah Awards, and was released in June 2023. “Love’s True Home” is the second book in the True Calling Series and releases on June 25, 2024. |
It's Time For A Giveaway!
To celebrate her tour, Lori is giving away the grand prize package of
a $50 Amazon gift card and copy of the book!!
a $50 Amazon gift card and copy of the book!!
Click below to enter. Be sure to comment on this post before you enter to claim 9 extra entries!
Blog Stops
Texas Book-aholic, July 10
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lakesidelivingsite, July 12
Back Porch Reads, July 13 (Author Interview)
Devoted To Hope, July 13
Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, July 14
Library Lady’s Kid Lit, July 15 (Author Interview)
Holly’s Book Corner, July 16
Simple Harvest Reads, July 17 (Author Interview)
For the Love of Literature, July 18 (Author Interview)
Mary Hake, July 18
Cover Lover Book Review, July 19
Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, July 20
Tell Tale Book Reviews, July 21 (Author Interview)
Pause for Tales, July 22
Stories By Gina, July 23 (Author Interview)
Locks, Hooks and Books, July 11
lakesidelivingsite, July 12
Back Porch Reads, July 13 (Author Interview)
Devoted To Hope, July 13
Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, July 14
Library Lady’s Kid Lit, July 15 (Author Interview)
Holly’s Book Corner, July 16
Simple Harvest Reads, July 17 (Author Interview)
For the Love of Literature, July 18 (Author Interview)
Mary Hake, July 18
Cover Lover Book Review, July 19
Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, July 20
Tell Tale Book Reviews, July 21 (Author Interview)
Pause for Tales, July 22
Stories By Gina, July 23 (Author Interview)
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