A little chit-chat with Stephanie Eding

I’m excited to start my blog with an author I enjoy reading. Stephanie Eding. She is a mom of three and an author
of young adult and women’s fiction. I caught up with
her while her youngest was napping to talk about her
​new book, Said No One Ever. 

I love the title! How did the title come about?

Thank you! I actually have to give full credit to my
editor for this one. Titles are a struggle for me, and I
could never come up with anything for it. I just
nicknamed it “Free Range” the entire time I worked on
it because it was my take on a woman who felt trapped
in her own life going free-range for once. I turned the
book in, and Deb had a title for me in no time. Better than
​I could come up with!
​
I really enjoyed The Unplanned Life of Josie Hale and am excited to read your second women’s fiction/romcom book. I love the plot. As someone who knows nothing about caring for a farm, I can only imagine Ellie’s challenges. Where did the inspiration for this story come from? 

Despite the fact that Ellie’s trip goes completely haywire, it’s actually my dream vacation. I started out daydreaming about a quiet space in a tiny home with the gorgeous Montana backdrop and got the craving to turn it into a book setting. I live in a small rural community, but have zero farm experience. That doesn’t stop me from frequently telling my husband we’re selling everything to become farmers. J I had a good time imagining how *I* would handle the chores around the farm and then finding out how it was *actually* done. I’ve also been dying to write a book about a spicy grandmother because I’ve been so blessed by my relationships with my own grandmothers, as well as some other amazing women who treated me like a granddaughter. Marilyn might be my favorite character I’ve written yet!
I know you’re a busy mom, that alone is a balancing act. When do you write, where do you write, and do you have a schedule?

I’ll admit that I’m definitely in slow motion in this department right now. My youngest is 19 months old and into EVERYTHING! My main writing time happens during her naps or if I have any energy left when the kids go down for bed. It’s actually a nice break in my day to light a candle, grab a cup of coffee, and sit at my dining room table to be creative for a bit. There are days when I can’t do it, and I give myself grace then too. Other days, writing time really energizes me and is exactly what I need.

What do you do when you’re not writing? Do you have a hobby or activity you enjoy doing? 

​When the weather is warm, my favorite thing to do is take long walks or sit around a campfire. I could do that every night of my life! During the colder months, I love hot drinks and curling up with my favorite funny sitcoms. Currently, I’m re-watching New Girl because it never fails to make me belly laugh!

What genres do you like to read? What are you reading now?  

I actually read a lot of nonfiction. I love an inspiring biography, (recently read Amy Carmichael’s story, which was incredible!) and self-help books always motivate me. I do mostly audiobooks these days that can follow me around the house while I chase kids and clean. Right now, though, I’m reading Lucy Gilmore’s The Lonely Hearts Book Club that just released, and I don’t want to put it down! Highly recommend!

Thank you Stephanie! 
​

On the back cover...

Said No One Ever 

ELLIE REED’S SELF-ESTEEM can’t take any more of her family’s constant criticism. In a final effort to branch out on her own, she leaves the city to get some fresh air on a farm in central Montana. Barn animals can’t give unsolicited advice, after all. But when Ellie arrives at the Airbnb to her spunky elderly host, Marilyn, getting carted off in an ambulance, Ellie’s attempt at a quiet getaway takes a wild turn.
Suddenly Ellie finds herself the unqualified caretaker of Marilyn’s isolated farm—and all the family drama that comes with it. If only she could convince Marilyn’s handsome and stubborn grandson, Warren Oliver, that she doesn’t have any designs on the property. Caught between two rival men competing for control of the farm, navigating Marilyn’s outrageous requests, and trying to salvage what was supposed to be her new lease on life, Ellie might have to embrace the adventure in order to change her destiny…

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