Saving CeeCee Honeycutt has been one of my favorite books to read this year.  The story is charming, full of fun, lively characters and the setting is one that seemed so real I felt myself relaxing into it and fully enjoying myself.

After posting my review I was contacted by Beth Hoffman and was asked if I would like to host a giveaway.  Of course, my answer was yes! This is fabulous book and I would love to see it get in as many hands as I can!

So, remember that mystery book I posted about last week?  Well.. I not only have one Hardcover of Saving CeeCee Honeycutt to give away.. but I also have the Audio CD as well!

Now – this is also the six month anniversary of The Lost Entwife as a book blog so I’d like to do something a little more complicated for this contest.  I’ve included a form, and if you are a follower already you will get a bit of a bonus (and new followers as well!).  But there’s an extra fun something!  If you send someone this way to enter into the contest (they do not have to be a follower either!) and they enter your name.. you will get an extra entry for the contest for every single one. But that’s not all! If they send someone, not only do they get a point, but you get one as well for sending them!  Sound complicated?  I promise it isn’t and I’ll keep track of things on this end!  And to make things even more exciting, I’m opening this contest internationally!

So without further ado, I’d like to present the author interview for Beth Hoffman – she is a fantastic, fun person and I’m so thankful she was willing to answer my questions!

LYDIA:  The women surrounding CeeCee Honeycutt in Savannah are vivacious and colorful characters. Did you draw inspiration for these characters from any of the women in your own life?

BETH: Aunt Tootie’s personality is based on my great aunt Mildred Caldwell, but the remaining characters were born in my imagination. CeeCee captivated me from the moment she arrived in my imagination, and writing a novel from her youthful perspective was challenging—I had to see through her eyes and carefully listen to her voice at all times. As for the other characters, I wanted the women surrounding CeeCee to possess unique personality traits and quirks. And boy, did they ever! I also wanted them share multi-cultural wisdoms that spanned several generations.

I’ll never forget when Thelma Rae Goodpepper showed up. I was working on a scene where CeeCee and Oletta were talking in the kitchen when a mysterious redhead appeared in the doorway. And when I heard her smoky voice, well, that was a pivotal moment in the novel’s development. Even Sapphire and Miz Obee were complete surprises to me. When CeeCee stepped out on the porch at the old folks’ home, I saw them clearly in my mind, right down to the details of Sapphire’s tattered dress that she had on backward.

LYDIA: I have to admit, one of my favorite parts of the book is the prank that CeeCee plays on Violene Hobbs. As a girl, did you have a “perfect” prank, and if so, would you tell us about it?

BETH: That’s one of the many things I loved about CeeCee, she was much braver than I was at her age. As a child I had an active imagination, and whenever someone hurt my feelings or those of someone I loved, I’d conjure up elaborate plans that always involved searing embarrassment for my would-be victim. But I never had the courage to carry out any of my ideas. I suspect that’s why I had so much fun writing those scenes in my novel; they gave me an outlet, albeit vicarious, to get-even with all the people in my past who were hurtful and mean-spirited.

LYDIA: I have a favorite character (Oletta). I loved her for her resourcefulness, her dedication to maintaining order but keeping a soft heart as well. I even loved her little bit of a jealous spat because it rounded her character out so well. Do you have a favorite as well? If so, who and why?

BETH: With this cast of characters it’s hard to choose a favorite because I truly love them all, but from the get-go Oletta stole my heart in a special way. She’s one of those rare characters that a writer hopes for. Oletta came into my imagination fully realized, and she was so strong and wise that the things she said and did often surprised me. When the scene where Oletta took the letter to the mailbox played in my imagination, I laughed myself sick.

Not only did she become CeeCee’s friend and confidante, but she also taught her that friends could come in varying ages and colors. Oletta was CeeCee’s touchstone during the fragile transition into her new life in Savannah, and Oletta embodied so much of what CeeCee yearned for when she was living in Ohio. What I wasn’t expecting as the manuscript unfolded was how important CeeCee would become to Oletta as well. Their unusual friendship and genuine camaraderie was as easy as breathing and yet profound in its depth and complexity.

LYDIA: I mentioned in my review that your book made me an official fan of Southern Fiction. What made you decide to write your first novel in the genre?

BETH: I love the South for many reasons—its grand architecture, its multi-layered history, and its hospitality. When I was nine years old, I had taken a train from Ohio to Kentucky to visit my Great Aunt Mildred whom I mentioned earlier. She picked me up at the train station and drove me through town, the whole time chattering like a sparrow while I craned my neck to see all the lovely old homes and buildings we were passing. When we arrived at her home and I got out of the car, it was culture shock of the best kind. There I was, a shy little girl from a rural farm area, standing in the shadows of towering trees as I peered up at her massive old Greek revival home. I was awestruck.

My great aunt was an accomplished, highly educated woman, and she was a true Southern lady. I’ve never met anyone more gracious, and I suspect I never will. She always greeted people with a smile that was as warm as it was genuine.

I was impressed by how she used and enjoyed the things she had; even her heirloom china was used for each evening meal. Nothing was reserved for only special occasions. To her way of thinking, every day was special, and it was called LIFE. That was part of her charm.

Everything that I experienced during my first visit to the South made quite an impression upon me, and I promised myself that I’d move there. And sure enough, I did. So, choosing to write a Southern novel was easy for me—it’s not only where I live physically, but it’s in my heart.

LYDIA: My last question is completely unrelated to the book – and more focused on you. I love asking authors this question (and other readers as well!). If you could read any book again for the first time, what would it be and why?

BETH: That’s a tough question. There are actually two that I would love to experience again for the first time. I’d pick Roxanna Slade by Reynolds Price for its incredible sense of place and rich character development, and, I’d pick a fantastic collection of short stories called Southern Fried Women by Pamela King Cable. Her stories capture the soft underbelly of women’s lives in unique and highly entertaining ways. I can’t recommend either of these books highly enough.

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This contest will end June 30, 2010.  The books will not be mailed out until the middle of July however since I will be out of town until July 13, 2010.  Open Internationally and Good Luck!

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