Friends, I’m so pleased to feature award-winning novelist Beth K. Vogt on the blog today. I often find myself just as interested in the story behind the story as I am in the book itself. I found this interview with Beth to be especially illuminating. I hope you do too!

Beth, welcome! Let’s begin at the beginning. What inspired you to write The Best We’ve Been, book three in the Thatcher Sisters series?

I’ve been thinking about writing Johanna’s story from the very beginning of this series, back when I knew her story wouldn’t be fleshed out until book three. I also knew that readers weren’t going to like Johanna based on how I introduced her at first—who she was, how she treated her sisters, Jillian and Payton. But Johanna had reasons why she acted the way she did, and The Best We’ve Been is when Johanna comes center stage so that we can begin to truly understand who she is.

What real-life themes do you bring out in this third and final book in the series?

We all face choices in our lives. Some choices are simple. And some . . . some are so, so complicated because they not only affect us but they also affect people we care about. I also examine how life can fall apart so quickly, along with our facade of control. The unexpected events that change us in ways we never imagine. And then there’s a theme of second chances—are they possible? Is it always wise to give someone a second chance?

How do you expect the novel to resonate with your audience? What are you most excited for your readers to experience through reading this story?

One friend who read The Best We’ve Been told me that she’d experienced something Johanna goes through in the book—and that what I wrote brought it back for her, that it was emotional for her. I write about real life and I want my readers to be drawn into that—to struggle with the questions my characters are asking, the choices they are faced with. I also wove some of my life experience in the book, too, because authors write what we know, which for me means I sometimes write what I’ve lived. There’s humor in this book and there’s heartache—and I want my readers to embrace both.

What truths do you hope readers will take away from The Best We’ve Been and the series as a whole?

I’ve always told my children that family is a mandatory formation up to a point—and then they have to choose to have a relationship with one another. This is played out within the Thatcher family. They are sisters, but at the beginning of the series, they don’t have a relationship with one another. In The Best We’ve Been, I hope readers see that “the best” doesn’t always mean you get what you hoped and prayed for—but what you have can still be good.

What is it about Johanna’s story that you think women will relate to?

They will relate to how Johanna walked away from a dream. How her heart was broken by someone she loved. How she’s been misunderstood. How her life has taken a very unexpected turn—and she can’t admit that she’s scared.

How do you hope that this book brings healing and refreshment to complicated family relationships?

I always write books about messy relationships because, well, I understand them. I’ve lived them. And I don’t always tie things up with a nice, neat bow at the end in my books—but there’s always hope. Always the truth that God offers us more than just the mess we might see right now. We don’t have to pretend to have all the answers.

What is one thing you learned about yourself through writing this book?

As I’ve written this series, I’ve been reminded again and again that life doesn’t have to be perfect to be good.

Thank you, Beth! It’s been a pleasure having you with us today.

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About the book: How can you choose what is right for you when your decision will break the heart of someone you love?

Having abandoned her childhood dream years ago, Johanna Thatcher knows what she wants from life. Discovering that her fiancé was cheating on her only convinces Johanna it’s best to maintain control and protect her heart.

Despite years of distance and friction, Johanna and her sisters, Jillian and Payton, have moved from a truce toward a fragile friendship. But then Johanna reveals she has the one thing Jillian wants most and may never have―and Johanna doesn’t want it. As Johanna wrestles with a choice that will change her life and her relationships with her sisters forever, the cracks in Jillian’s marriage and faith deepen. Through it all, the Thatcher sisters must decide once and for all what it means to be family.

Buy the book here.

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About the author: Beth K. Vogt is the author of ten contemporary romance novels and novellas. She is a 2016 Christy Award winner, as well as a 2016 ACFW Carol Award winner, and a 2015 RITA finalist. An established magazine writer and former editor of the leadership magazine for MOPS International Beth blogs for Novel Academy and The Write Conversation and also enjoys speaking to writers groups and mentoring other writers.

Connect with Beth: Website | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook

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Thanks to Tyndale House for providing me a free copy. All opinions are mine.