Beth Hoffman

About author, Beth Hoffman:  Beth Hoffman is the internationally bestselling author of Looking for Me and Saving CeeCee Honeycutt. Before beginning her writing career, she was president and co-owner of an interior design studio. Beth lives, along with her husband and their four-legged fur-kids, in a historic Queen Anne home in Kentucky. Her interests include the rescue of abandoned and abused animals, nature conservancy, birding, historic preservation, and antiquing.

Thoughts On Writing – with New York Times bestselling author Beth Hoffman

When you begin a novel do you follow an outline? Every writer has his/her own method, and what works for one would be disastrous for another. I never construct an outline. Once I have personality sketches of the main characters and a general idea of what kind of journeys and obstacles will be encountered, I’m ready to dive in and write. For me, the only way creative alchemy can occur is when I get out of the way and give my characters freedom to come alive on the page.

What advice would you give aspiring authors? Don’t wait for the muse to show up. Just write. Write every day. The muse will come and go, but without discipline you’ll just be spinning your wheels. Reading is vital. When we saturate our minds with all sorts of imagery, dialogue, and storylines, our imaginations remain fertile and sharp. Once you’ve reached the finish line of your manuscript’s final edit, you’re still not done. Let your work sit for at least a week and then read the story out loud. This is one of the best ways I’ve found to pick up any bumps that need smoothing. And finally, get rid of the adverbs!

What is your favorite part of the writing process? I especially enjoy crafting characters and dialogue. There’s something magical about hearing the voices of my characters in my mind. I know it sounds crazy, but I even enjoy editing. It’s a lot like ironing: the thought of it is daunting, but the end result is always worth the effort.

You left a successful interior design career in order to write. Any regrets? It’s the most empowering decision I’ve ever made. Though I loved design and always will, it knew it was time for me to reach for my long-held dream of writing a novel. Sometimes we just have to take an empty-handed leap into the void. And even if my dream to write didn’t pan out in a positive way, I’m not inclined to harbor regrets. I try to view my experiences (the good and the not-so good) as required classes in the University of Life.

**Contact Beth: Website   Facebook   Twitter

“Looking for Me” by Beth Hoffman

A Southern novel of family and antiques from the bestselling author of the beloved Saving CeeCee Honeycutt

Beth Hoffman’s bestselling debut, Saving CeeCee Honeycutt, won admirers and acclaim with its heartwarming story and cast of unforgettable characters. Now her unique flair for evocative settings and richly drawn Southern personalities shines in her compelling new novel, Looking for Me.

Teddi Overman found her life’s passion for furniture in a broken-down chair left on the side of the road in rural Kentucky. She learns to turn other people’s castoffs into beautifully restored antiques, and eventually finds a way to open her own shop in Charleston. There, Teddi builds a life for herself as unexpected and quirky as the customers who visit her shop. Though Teddi is surrounded by remarkable friends and finds love in the most surprising way, nothing can alleviate the haunting uncertainty she’s felt in the years since her brother Josh’s mysterious disappearance. When signs emerge that Josh might still be alive, Teddi is drawn home to Kentucky. It’s a journey that could help her come to terms with her shattered family—and to find herself at last. But first she must decide what to let go of and what to keep.

Looking for Me brilliantly melds together themes of family, hope, loss, and a mature once-in-a-lifetime kind of love. The result is a tremendously moving story that is destined to make bestselling author Beth Hoffman a novelist to whom readers will return again and again as they have with Adriana Trigiani, Fannie Flagg, and Joshilyn Jackson.