Join me in welcoming Hope Toler Dougherty as we talk about her new release!
Christina: What is your book called?
Hope: Beach House Rescue
Christina: When was it released?
Hope: June 23, 2026
Christina: Can you share your book blurb with us?
Hope:
Two strangers. One beach house. Zero plans to share it.
Tessa Trask expects a quiet summer restoring a friend’s beach house—not waking up to an intruder and defending herself as best she can. Wyatt Henry isn’t a burglar, though. He’s just as surprised to find her there—and just as determined to stay.
Under protest, the two agree to an uneasy truce. Tessa is creative and spontaneous. Wyatt is disciplined and guarded. Keeping their distance should be easy…until a surprise visitor arrives and turns their temporary arrangement into something far more complicated.
As sun-soaked days lead to deeper conversations, irritation softens into a fragile peace and grows into something worth protecting. While Tessa begins to trust God’s leading for her future, Wyatt wrestles with a past that makes trust feel dangerous.
Are their growing feelings worth the risk—or is walking away the only safe choice?
Christina: That sounds like a great beach read this summer. What inspired you to write this book?
Hope: We live about two hours west of the Atlantic Ocean. It’s very easy to visit for the day and drive home after dinner. Several friends have places on the coast, so the beach is an easy thought for a location.
I’m not a napping person. In fact, I feel worse after I sleep in the middle of the day. The idea of someone who isn’t a napping person waking up to find an intruder in her house intrigued me, and I started playing around with the idea.
Christina: What’s your favorite part of your writing process?
Hope: I love researching because I get to buy books! I love learning new things. I also love the rough draft part sometimes because I can allow myself to make mistakes. I try to remember that rough drafts don’t need to be perfect, just written. I enjoy being a pantser. I love the surprises that come when I’m not sure where I’m going at the beginning of a writing session, and then suddenly, some new thought pops into my brain. That’s fun.
Christina: Can you share any challenges you faced during the research or writing process?
Hope: This book is my first book with a young, teenaged character. I had to be careful with her voice. I wanted her to sound authentic and use some slang, but I didn’t want popular slang which changes so quickly to date the book after only a year or so. I also didn’t want my younger readers to think “An old person tried to sound like a teenager.” I tried to walk a line between what words worked and which ones didn’t.
Christina: How do you develop your characters? Do they come to you fully formed, or do they reveal themselves as you write?
Hope: They usually come to me mostly formed in my mind, but I do complete character worksheets about both main characters so that I can know them better. The secondary characters usually show up in the scene fully formed. I know exactly who they are, what they like, what they sound like, everything.
Christina: If you could give one piece of advice to budding creatives, what would it be?
Hope: First, pray for guidance. Try to write something every day. Your journal, real letters, emails…all these kinds of writing count. Read your genre and writing craft books, too. Connect with other writers. Seek real critiques from people other than friends and family.
Christina: Great advice! Can you describe your writing routine?
Hope: While I’m writing the first draft, I aim for 1500 words a day. I divide that goal into three segments and try to take breaks when I reach 500 words. During that draft, I’m concerned mainly with the story and write a lot of the dialog. On later drafts, I add the accessories that help make the scene clearer for the reader—what the characters are doing, wearing, and what smells might be in the scene. I add layers incorporating the senses.
Christina: What do you hope readers will take away from your book?
Hope: One of the characters encourages Tessa, the main character, not to let the familiar diminish the extraordinary. I think that’s an important idea for all of us. We sometimes look for the shiny without realizing that every day miracles are happening all around us if we’d open our eyes to see them.
Christina: What has been the most rewarding part of your publishing journey?
Hope: I’ve really learned to trust God for the next scene or paragraph or even sentence. I love seeing how He helps me throughout the whole writing process. I’m also grateful for all the fantastic friends I’ve made during the past twenty-five years.
Christina: Now, a fun question. Can you name something quirky in your workspace?And can you give a little backstory about said item?
Hope: I have a Dolly Parton doll that sticks out of my notecard box. I pretend that she’s my muse sometimes because she’s looking out over my laptop. My husband brought it home from a business trip because a salesperson had talked him into buying it for me. The doll is completely non-essential to my writing, but having her there amuses me.
Christina: That’s great! What is your favorite snack to get your creative juices flowing?
Hope: It used to be Cheez-its until I read about all the preservatives in those little square crackers, but I still have a box in my pantry if that tells you anything. I really love cherries when they’re in season. I always buy chocolate-covered peanuts when my local grocery store puts out Christmas candy (usually right after Halloween). I love them, so I’ll also buy them after Christmas, too!
Christina: What childhood story has stuck with you through adulthood?
Hope: I loved the original Boxcar Children series by Gertrude Chandler Warner. I love how the siblings stuck together and managed on their own in the boxcar until their grandfather found them.
Christina: Those are good books! What book are you reading right now?
Hope: Theo of Golden by Allen Levi for my book club. I just finished The Correspondent by Virginia Evans. I highly recommend both books.
Christina: If you could have dinner with any author, living or deceased, who would it be and why?
Hope: Besides writing thousands of songs, Dolly Parton has authored several books including Run, Rose, Run with James Patterson. I’d love to sit at the table with her and just listen to her stories.
Christina: If your book was made into a movie, who would you cast as the main charactes?
Hope: Maybe Zoey Deschanael for Tessa, but with short, loose brown curls. Maybe Austin Stowell from NCIS Origins for Wyatt.
Christina: You just won free tickets to anywhere in the world! Where are you going? And who are you taking?
Hope: Back to Galway, Ireland, and I’d take my family! Galway is one of my favorite cities, and we spent three weeks there on a home exchange back in 2000. It was a wonderful experience, and I’d love to spend more time there with my favorite people.
Christina: Because every author is asked this question, are you a Plotter or Pantser?
Hope: I’m a Pantser. With romance, I know the main outline: the characters meet and are intrigued. They become more interested, then they have a conflict. Finally, they work it out and live happily ever after. Beyond that outline, I don’t know what will happen when I begin.
Christina: What are you looking forward to over the next few months?
Hope: We’re adding a member to our family! Lane, our son, is getting married in August, and we’re looking forward to the brand-new chapter for us.
Christina: That’s exciting! Congratulations!
Thank you Hope for meeting with us today and sharing more about your writing life.
Hope Toler Dougherty holds a Master’s degree in English and taught at East Carolina University and York Technical College. She’s written seven novels and one novella. Forever Free, won the Faith, Love, & Hope Reader’s Choice Award for 2025. Beach House Rescue is her newest release. She and her husband live in North Carolina and delight in visiting their two daughters and twin sons.
To learn more about Hope and her books, visit her here:
https://hopetolerdougherty.com/
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