Shannon here: Hope Toler Dougherty shares her inspiration for her Contemporary Romance, Irish Encounter. Comment or answer the question in this post to enter the drawing for a print copy. Deadline: March 26th, 11:59 pm central time. Here’s Hope:
Inspiration behind Irish Encounter by Hope Toler Dougherty:
In 1993, my husband introduced me to the beautiful country of Ireland—the gorgeous scenery, the sounds of Irish brogue and jaunty music, the smiling faces, the delicious soups and brown bread. In 2000, we took our family on home exchanges to Galway and to Bandon in County Cork. In 2007, we took another one to Blessington in County Wicklow.
Those trips were great fun and provided much fodder for daydreams. One of my daydreams took me back to Galway and introduced me to one of my favorite couples, Ellen and Payne.
In my daydream, a woman in an Irish café scribbled in a journal. A little old man in a tweed vest approached her, introduced himself, and began talking about his late wife. I saw the wooden buttons on his vest and the Irish cap he clutched in his hands. Suddenly another man, dressed in dusty safari clothes, appeared to the woman’s left, lounging at his table and eavesdropping on their conversation.
Unfolding like a movie in my mind, this daydream fascinated me. I wrote as quickly as I could everything I saw and heard in that Irish coffee shop.
Irish Encounter began right then, and the daydream became one of the early scenes in the book.
The love story depicts the second chance romance of Ellen Shepherd and Payne Anderson. Both have painful pasts, but God helps them find happiness in a future neither expected. In the beginning of the story, they enjoyed sampling the delicious breads and soups Ireland has to offer.
If I can’t get a real slice of brown bread in Ireland, the following recipe is the best replica I’ve found this side of the Atlantic. I’ll be baking loaves this week to serve with spinach soup and Irish cheese to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. Let me know if you try the recipe. It’s easy and delicious!
Irish Brown Bread
Straight from Hope’s kitchen – L to R: Irish Brown Bread, Irish Soda Bread, & Sourdough Bread.
Ingredients
2 cups whole wheat flour
2 cups plain flour
1 ½ cups wheat bran
1 cup wheat germ
1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
1 ½ teaspoons salt
¼ cup butter
2 ¼ cups buttermilk
Directions
Preheat oven to 350F. (If you use a baking stone, preheat it also.)
Stir together the first six ingredients. Incorporate the butter into the flour mixture with your fingers or a pastry cutter or fork. Slowly pour in the buttermilk to make a dough and knead five or six times. Shape the dough into a ball and flatten it into a 9-inch disk. Place the disk onto a baking sheet or stone and cut an X into the top of the dough.
Bake for one hour. Cool, covered with a kitchen towel, on a wire or wooden rack for an hour before slicing.
About Hope: Hope Toler Dougherty holds a Master’s degree in English and taught at East Carolina University and York Technical College. Her novels include Irish Encounter, Mars…With Venus Rising, Rescued Hearts, and Forever Music. Her recent novella, “A Hatteras Surprise,” appears in Candy Cane Wishes and Saltwater Dreams. She and her husband delight in visits with their daughters and twin sons. Learn more & connect:
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About the book – Irish Encounter:
After almost three years of living under a fog of grief, Ellen Shepherd is ready for the next chapter in her life, perhaps an adventure during a visit to Galway. Her idea of excitement consists of exploring Ireland for yarn to feature in her shop back home, but the adventure awaiting her includes an edgy stranger who disrupts her tea time, challenges her belief system, and stirs up feelings she thought she’d buried with her husband.
After years of ignoring God, nursing anger, and stifling his grief, Payne Anderson isn’t ready for the feelings a chance encounter with an enchanting stranger evokes. Though avoiding women and small talk has been his pattern, something about Ellen makes him want to seek her—and God again.
Can Ellen accept a new life different from the one she planned? Can Payne release his guilt and accept the peace he’s longed for? Can they surrender their past pain and embrace healing together or will fear and doubt ruin this second chance at happiness?
Can’t wait for the drawing? Worried you won’t win? Interested in Hope’s other titles?
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Question for readers: If you’d be willing to have a home exchange, where would you want to go?
Come back March 18th for Patty Smith Hall!
I pry would want to exchange a home in Michigan Wisconsin with Dakota or Minnesota because I have family that lives in these places
Hello, Kendra. Being close to family is a great reason to have a home exchange! I hope you get to take one some day!
I would want to go to Ireland or England.
Shelia, I’m so ready to go back! We have several Air Force friends stationed in England, and we want to visit them, and Ireland is always a good trip! I hope you get to go!
I would love to visit our family’s castle in Scotland, but I doubt they would agree to a swap with my homey little place in Arkansas. So- how about a place in Florida near the beach. Maybe the family is tired of tourists and would like to come here?
I’ve never been to Scotland, but I’d love to go! We live way out in the country on a farm, but we’re only 5 hours from Washington, DC. We’re 2 hours from beaches and about five from the mountains. Think about what might interest people in your surrounding area. You’d be surprised why people want to travel somewhere. I’ve heard of people swapping because they wanted to attend a wedding or do research in a nearby university. Thanks for reading and commenting!
The only home exchange I can have will be the one I’m in right now.
I have severe allergy’s which result in an asthma attack.
If I could have a home exchange, it would be a house on the beach.
Thanks for entering me in your giveaway.
I understand about allergies, but you can set guidelines about what you need–for example, no smoking, no pets, or whatever. Beaches…yes! Thank you for reading the blog and commenting!
For a start I would not be willing, but if I did, I’d choose somewhere in London.
Yes, Mary. Home exchanging isn’t for everyone, but I agree with you on London!
Hey Hope, glad to have you. I’m not sure. I think a home exchange would make me nervous. How do you find reputable people who won’t destroy your home? If I could bring myself to do it, I’d like to see the Grand Canyon. I’m not much on getting out of the US. I never have and I’m fine with that.
We found several websites and also used a book written by people who’d taken several exchanges. You can visit the sites as a guest and just see what’s offered. If you’re interested, you pay a membership fee to join so that you can access personal information. Then it’s up to you to find a match. Usually if people pay money to join, they’re serious and respectful. We had only positive experiences. Here’s one of the sites we joined: https://homelink.org/en/
I think I would choose somewhere in Europe, maybe I would just start with the UK. At least the language is a little bit familiar=)
Good idea, Patty! I have high school and college French, but I’m not fluent by any stretch. I’m glad you seem interested in home exchange!
I would love to have Hope’s Irish Soda Bread recipe! Reminiscent of a dear family I visited during my school days ~ the young daughters would make soda bread with raisins after church and it was so delicious! We would eat it warm with butter floating down the sides! Y~u~m.
I so enJ*O*Yed this post. I would like to be engaged in the story-telling listening too at the café. Not so sure about a home exchange here in our rural town cottage with little activity, but they would find many books to read and a good church, as I head off to Ireland!
I’m so glad you enjoyed the post, Kathleen. You’d be surprised by what some people want when they travel. A little village might just be the ticket. If you email me at htdougherty4@gmail.com, I’ll send the soda bread recipe! (My son’s name is Lane!)
Thank you, Hope. I have e-mailed you. Kathleen
Living in Ireland for a while would be perfect. I would be a bit nervous about living in a stranger’s home and having strangers in mine, however. That bread recipe looks great!
We had only positive experiences with the three families we exchanged with and still keep in touch through Christmas cards and sometimes social media. I hope you try the recipe! we had it for supper last night and will again tonight!
I have a winner! Kate Finchum won the drawing. I appreciate Hope for being my guest and everyone else for stopping by.