On Tour with Prism Book Tours
Author Interview
What was your motivation behind THE DATING CHARADE? Why did you want to write it?
I’m not sure what exactly prompted me to start writing The Dating Charade, aside from the idea popping into my head: Huh, how funny would that be for a couple to have a fantastic first date, tell each other they don’t want kids, and then come home from that date to find three children dropped in their laps each! I suppose several factors came specifically into play in bringing about this idea, however.
First, at the time I wrote The Dating Charade my twins were two and I had a newborn. The idea of the male in this novel, who doesn’t love kids, to get surprised with twin 2yos and a newborn overnight and see how he handles it was fun for me. Who knows, maybe it was therapeutic, watching the guy struggle through my own comedic parenting struggles. 🙂
As for my female, Cassie, she ends up with three children through her work as a director for an afterschool program, and for several years I was the teen coordinator for my YMCA afterschool program. Those teens meant the world to me and we got really close. Some of their home lives were really tough, though, and so in a way I wrote from the perspective of, “What would it have been like if one of my teens, whom I loved so dearly, ended up being put in foster care and split up from her sisters if I didn’t take them in?”
So, I suppose, this was the inspiration behind my story.
What do you hope readers take with them after they’ve read it?
I hope readers come away from the story having laughed and smiled over the crazy antics (some that were plucked directly from my mothering life) but also learned more about the ups and downs of the foster system, some perhaps even finding themselves called to get involved in some way. That’s what happened to our family. After writing this book, we were led to start fostering ourselves and our house recently became officially approved.
What aspect of this story do you love the most and why?
Oh, goodness. I think I just love for this book that I was able to take funny, wild things that happened to me and use it in the story. Some parents scrapbook. Some write in journals or snap a picture for Facebook. I ended up putting it in a book, and it’s delightful to see that book is now entering the big, wide world!
If you could sum the book up in one sentence, what would you say?
The Dating Charade is a romantic comedy twist on The Brady Bunch where two people go on an incredible first date and tell each other they don’t want kids, only to come home and find three kids dropped in their life, each.
Share something about you that is unique - maybe about how/where you write... or favorite snack foods?
I used my first check from the advance on my book first contract (this book, The Dating Charade) to buy my first real writing desk and chair. 🙂 It was a very special purchase for me.
The Dating CharadeBy Melissa Ferguson
Contemporary Romance, Christian
Paperback, Audiobook & ebook, 336 Pages
December 3rd 2019 by Thomas Nelson
Just when you think you’ve met your match . . . the charade begins.
Cassie Everson is an expert at escaping bad first dates. And, after years of meeting, greeting, and running from the men who try to woo her, Cassie is almost ready to retire her hopes for a husband—and children—altogether.
But fate has other plans, and Cassie’s online dating profile catches the eye of firefighter Jett Bentley. In Jett’s memory, Cassie Everson is the unreachable girl-of-legend from their high school days. Nervously, he messages her, setting off a chain of events that forces a reluctant Cassie back into the dating game.
No one is more surprised than Cassie when her first date with Jett is a knockout. But when they both go home and find three children dropped in their laps—each—they independently decide to do the right and mature thing: hide the kids from each other while sorting it all out. What could go wrong?
Melissa Ferguson’s hilarious and warmhearted debut reminds us that love can come in very small packages—and that sometimes our best-laid plans aren’t nearly as rewarding and fun as the surprises that come our way.
(Affiliate links included.)
Tour Schedule
December 2nd:
Launch
Cover Lover Book Review
Paulette's Papers
Reading Excursions
December 3rd:
Candrel's Crafts, Cooks, and Characters
Among the Reads
December 4th:
Tell Tale Book Reviews
Wishful Endings
December 5th:
underneath the covers
The Green Mockingbird
December 6th:
Read Write Breathe
I'm All About Books
December 9th:
Harlie's Books
Backing Books
December 10th:
Angela Walker's Reviews
Faithfully Bookish
Labor Not in Vain
Two Points of Interest
December 11th:
SPLASHES of Joy
Uplifting Reads
December 12th:
Library Lady's Kid Lit
Peaceful Pastime
EmpowerMoms
December 13th:
Heidi Reads...
Christy's Cozy Corners
December 14th:
Grand Finale
Bookstagram Tour
Check out the Bookstagram Tour here!
December 2nd:
@_ebl_inc_
@adventurous.bookworm
December 3rd:
@read_by_a.cave
@fortheloveofchristianfiction
December 4th:
@girlandherbooks
@adventuresofaliterarynature
December 5th:
@hellobookstash
@_coffeecatsandbooks_
December 6th:
@TheReadingCornerforAll
@beautyinthebinding
About the Author@_ebl_inc_
@adventurous.bookworm
December 3rd:
@read_by_a.cave
@fortheloveofchristianfiction
December 4th:
@girlandherbooks
@adventuresofaliterarynature
December 5th:
@hellobookstash
@_coffeecatsandbooks_
December 6th:
@TheReadingCornerforAll
@beautyinthebinding
Melissa Ferguson is an adjunct professor for Bible and religion at King University. She lives in the charming town of Bristol, Tennessee, with her husband, twin toddlers, and baby girl. She used to have hobbies like running and backpacking the Appalachian Trail outside her door. Now her hobbies include admiring the Appalachian Trail out her minivan window while singing "The Itsy Bitsy Spider" en route to the library.
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