Interview with Libby May!

by Eliza Noel - Saturday, October 19, 2019

Today, I'm honored to be part of the Dewdrops & Butterflies blog tour. I can't wait until I have enough time to read Libby May's debut novel!!!

Hi Libby! I'm so happy to have you here on my blog. Can you give me the synopsis for your debut release, "Dewdrops and Butterflies"?

Hey Eliza! I'm so happy to be here! Sure!

“I smiled and acted like I was supposed to be there. It was amazing how much people assumed by a simple glance. An outfit, an expression, a tone of voice. Anyone could pretend to be anything. Today, I was a rich girl.”

Thirteen-year-old Rose Wells is determined to make it on her own. Running from authority one last time, the forest has become her home and the cafe her source of food. Fear driven determination will keep her here as long as she can help it.

But not everybody is okay with that. Alex and Jenni Johnson will do whatever they can to find their foster daughter and bring her home, longing to give her the genuine love she’s never known.

Over the course of a single summer, hearts are broken, scars exposed, friendships blossom, and ultimately a greater truth is learned.

A greater God is understood.

What originally inspired this book?

Ooo one of my favorite questions because I know the answer to it! Dewdrops and Butterflies was inspired by the song "When She Cries" by Britt Nicole. I was praying for several months about God guiding my heart to a story He wanted me to write, and even as the original story has grown and shaped itself a little differently to this final draft, the roots are still there and its amazing to look back and listen to that song and remember when I first heard it and knew that was the new story, and that it was going to be the first novel that I publish.

I loved your purpose for this book that you shared on your blog. Could you share it with my readers?

Of course! The purpose of this book is to inspire girls of the honest truth of God, and to provide wholesome, entertaining and challenging fiction that doesn't revolve around junior high and high school drama or romantic topics. Finding a good clean fiction that glorifies God but is still a quality fun read is a challenge! I know because I still search for it all the time and when I find one it's like a jackpot. I wanted to write something that my younger sister, who's now 15 and finished this book in three days, could read and enjoy, but that I as an older sister would approve of and encourage her to read. I want my sister to me inspired to love God and also to love reading, and that's why I wrote this. For other sisters and girls that like good clean fiction!

How long did this book take you from idea to publishing date?

Wow what a good question! So September 10th was actually the two year mark from the day that I started writing Dewdrops and Butterflies. October 16th will be two years, one month and six days from when the first words of this story were penned on paper.

What are your top three favorite books?

Of course you have to ask. Alright so let me see. I'm going to pick by genre (and also assume that the Bible is a given ;)). My absolute favorite nonfiction book is The Pursuit of God by A. W. Tozer. That book changed my life and gave me a purpose in my Christian walk. I encourage every single young person to get their hands on a copy and try and absorb as much of it as they can!

My favorite contemporary Christian Fiction book is the tried and true Starring Me by Krista McGee. (Also I'm going to sneak in Life Just Got Real by Sadie Robertson)

And my favorite Historical fiction/romance at the moment (they change from time to time XD) is The Lady and the Lionheart by Joann Bischof. I highly recommend Mrs. Bischof's work!!!

Who are your biggest supporters?

My biggest supporters in my writing pursuit are my parents, my dad always pushing me to never give up and my mom reminding me how important good literature is. My sisters, who give priceless input and stay my best friends through everything. And Penny Wood at the beginning of this process and Lilah Mast at the end. I could not have done it without any of these people.

What's next for you in your writing journey?

Why thank you for asking! The second book, although it is not a sequel, continues with the same characters four years after the end of Dewdrops and Butterflies! A minor character in this book, Jake Jett, is actually the main character of this next book, Playgrounds and Black Markers! This coming November for NaNoWriMo I'm going to be dedicating myself to typing up the 165k of handwritten words from 8 different journals so I can start the editing process and get ready to publish that one XD.

Thank you once again for stopping by! Where can my readers follow you online?

It was my pleasure! You asked such fun questions! You can find me on my blog at Geoturtle.com and on Instagram @libbymay117 and Facebook as Libby May!

Libby has some giveaways going on on her blog and Instagram so make sure you go check those out :)))