Susanna's Hope #Giveaway with Katt Anderson

Yep, we've got a surprise giveaway going on today! :) Katt Anderson has dropped by for an interview and to giveaway a copy of her new release Susanna's Hope to one of today's commenters. (Be sure to leave your email with your comment, so we can contact you if you win.)

Okay, enough with the commercials. Let's get on with the interview... :)

Tell us a bit about yourself.

I’m a wife, mother and grandmother. My children are grown, but live within an hour and a half of us. We moved to Kentucky from East Tennessee to be close to them. My husband and I are both active in church and I love teaching my third and fourth grade class on Sunday mornings. We like to travel and enjoy life. I love to read and write. My husband and I have our own publishing company, Mantle Rock Publishing. We will be publishing a book by Nicola Furlong in May and we’re very excited about it.

Congratulations on your newest release! What is your story about?

Susannah’s Hope is set in the mountains of East Tennessee in the early 1800’s. There is a race of people in the mountains of what is now Hancock County, Tennessee, who are called Melungeons. It is a mixture of Mediterranean, Native American, Negro and Caucasian. The book is set in a community of Melungeons. The white people hated anyone of a different race at that time. This is a love story between a Caucasian woman and a mixed race man. How she overcame her prejudice and fell in love.

Where did you get the inspiration for your story?

When my daughter started searching our family tree, we traced back to the McGinnis family in Hawkins/Hancock Counties, Tennessee. With other family researching, we found my great-great-grandmother had five children, but no husband. She was a black-sheep at that time because her father was the first preacher in the area. The man that fathered her children was a Melungeon. This is my heritage.

Do you have a favorite scene in the book? If so, can you tell us a bit about it?

My favorite scene is in the beginning. Susannah is a brat! Her family was wealthy and prejudice. There is a terrible spring storm that floods the creek behind the store. Her father drowns and she almost follows him. She ends up in the house of a Melungeon woman who is a healer. The doctor is a handsome mixed-race single man. She wakes up in Mary Gibson’s house and realizes she is in a Melungeon home. She believes they’re dirty and will steal you blind, as her father and grandfather had told her. She tells the doctor, Val Minor, she wants to get out of “this hovel.” I loved making her likeable. She finally realize God made everyone and we should not be prejudice.

What do you plan to work on next?

At this minute, I’m working on a contemporary mystery. It’s different and refreshing to have something in this day and age. I don’t have to research how people did things. Since Susannah’s Hope is the second in the Melungeon Series, I will be working on Emily’s Faith very soon. I still have a little more to learn about the Trail of Tears. I live a few miles from where the Indians were forced to march.

Where can readers connect with you? Where can readers buy your book?

I can be reached through my website, www.kattanderson.com, or my blog, www.kattscribbles.blogspot.com, or through the publishing company, www.mantlerockpublishing.com.

Susannah’s Hope can be bought at Amazon in both ebook and print, Barnes and Nobles where it is in the Nook and print, and most any book store in the US and Europe. It can be bought for an iPad, Kobo and other electronic devices.

Last but not least, apart from writing, what is your favorite creative outlet?

Through the years, I’ve done a lot of creative things. I’m a tole painter, scrapbooker, seamtress, storyteller and knitter. I don’t crochet. I’ll leave that to my husband who is very good. I love to tell my kids at church Bible stories and put a little imagination in it. Loving history like I do, I dig into the history of that time. They seem to enjoy it. Last year at Vacation Bible School, I was sorcerer. In the spring and summer I enjoy my flowers outside my kitchen window.

Don't forget to leave a comment with your email address for a chance at the giveaway! If you don't win this drawing, don't fret. A comment on any of this week's posts will enter you into the drawing for this week's prize. Check out our Prizes Galore page for more info.