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Thursday, September 20, 2018

#ThursdayThoughts with Zoe McCarthy!

Good Morning Friends,

It's been quite a while since my guest today has visited us. Back in 2015 Zoe was in our spotlight with her book, Calculated Risk. Today she is sharing some thoughts with us and a peek into how her newest book, The Putting Green Whisperer came about so please give her a great big WELCOME!

Thank you, Pam, for hosting me on your blog.

Why Would Anyone Who’s Indifferent to Sports Write a Sport Romance?

Ten years ago, I knew I would write romance stories. But I’d have laughed if anyone had asked if I’d write a romance with a golf backdrop.

As a child living in Haiti, I dreamed only of being a cowboy. Living in the tropics, I was a good swimmer, so in middle school, my mom forced me to swim on Miami, FL summer swim teams. As a teen, I lived on the Guantanamo Bay, Cuba Naval Base and in Westfield, NJ. In both places, romance filled my mind more than sports. At the University of South Florida, I was crazy about a guy on the golf team, so I took a golf class. I made a C in the course and my crush fizzled.

Then when my boys were in pre-school in Lynchburg, VA, my friends played tennis. I latched on to the sport for social reasons. I became a good player. So, if I was to write a sports romance it should have had a tennis backdrop.

I preferred most anything over watching sports. The only time I showed interest in football was when I joined an office pool. I’d pick teams by whether I’d lived in their state or had another connection. For example, I’d choose the Seattle Sea Hawks, because I’d sat through one of their games when I lived in Topeka, KS. I won the pool twice on this strategy. Basketball? I shuddered at the sneaker squeaks when my husband watched Wake Forest basketball on TV.

So, why did I write a golf romance?

Part of the answer comes from the writer’s advice, write what you know. My husband loves golf. My sister-in-law is a director of children’s golf programs. My father-in-law still plays golf in his eighties. My sister and my brother-in-law play lots of golf. Every spring, we join them at what is now the Wells Fargo Championship golf tournament. Golf is the one sport quiet enough that I’ll watch it on TV with my husband. I own clubs and have played the sport. I’ve learned a lot about the sport and the pros, and I admit I’ve grown to enjoy watching the sport—while I crochet or knit.

But here it the real reason I wrote The Putting Green Whisperer.

John and I joined my sister and my brother-in-law at a PGA seniors golf tournament in Conover, NC. My sister and I watched the over-age-fifty golfers putt on the fifteenth green. In one group, a male and a female caddy stood side by side on the edge of the green with their backs to us. The two tanned caddies talked quietly while their players prepared to putt. He was tall, and she was petite with her blond ponytail protruding from her pink ball cap. My heart experienced a sappy moment, and romantic what-ifs cluttered my mind. I turned to my sister, pointed at the caddies, and said, “My next book will be about those two caddies.”

Wow....it's always amazing how stories come about isn't it! Thanks for sharing Zoe.
About Zoe:
A full-time writer and speaker, Zoe M. McCarthy writes contemporary Christian romances involving tenderness and humor. She is the author of The Invisible Woman in a Red Dress, Gift of the Magpie, and Calculated Risk. Believing opposites distract, Zoe creates heroes and heroines who learn to embrace their differences. Zoe and her husband live in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. Find out more and connect with Zoe by visiting her website. The Putting Green Whisperer can be found at Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

Hope you enjoyed today's post and that you'll check back often for more Tuesday Treasures, Thursday Thoughts and Saturday Spotlight.

Until next time take care and God bless.
PamT


21 comments:

Zoe M. McCarthy said...

Thank you, Pam, for hosting me on your Thursday Thoughts and allowing me to tell the story of why a person who's not a sports fan wrote a love story about two golf caddies, Shoo and Allie.

Sally Shupe said...

Hi, Zoe! Great interview! Might there be a tennis romance coming up?

Mary Manners said...

I absolutely LOVED The Putting Green Whisperer, Zoe. Thanks for writing another wonderfully engaging story!

Alicia Dean said...

I love sports, used to play a lot of golf, but haven't in years. Sounds like an excellent read, and I enjoyed finding out how the story came about. Best wishes!!

Diane Burton said...

I know how to play golf, even took lessons. I never lost a ball because it never went very far. LOL This sounds like a cute story. Best wishes.

Zoe M. McCarthy said...

Sally, you may have planted a seed.

Zoe M. McCarthy said...

Mary, thanks for your thoughts on the Putting Green Whisperer. I LOVED them.

Zoe M. McCarthy said...

Alicia, I like to hear when women love sports. When I go to the PGA Wells Fargo tournament, I see almost as many women there as I do men. Almost. I think, "Would those women like to read a love story that started on a golf course?"

Zoe M. McCarthy said...

Diane, I don't play much, but I have a husband who watches my ball and knows exactly where it goes. I don't have a clue. I truly enjoyed writing Shoo and Allie's love story.

Jacqueline Seewald said...

Hi Zoe,

I love the inspiration for your sports romance. I don't think you have to enjoy golf to appreciate it. Best wishes!

Kelly Goshorn said...

Hmmm, in all our conversations, I don't think I ever knew you grew up in Haiti! How interesting. I love how the spark for a story can come from the most random of places!

Vicki Batman, sassy writer said...

So loverly to learn more about you and your work. Very funny about golf.

Kara O'Neal said...

Hi! I loved learning about your inspiration. Lovely post!

Zoe M. McCarthy said...

Jacqueline, you made me think of a novel I read in which everyone rode motorcycles. I'm no into motorcycles, but I enjoyed the story.

Susan Coryell said...

What a nice post! I live at Smith Mt. Lake--very near Lynchburg and I learned to golf at the ripe old age of 55. Lovely sport for fresh air, socializing and sometimes even for putting--though I claim most of my shots on the green are "puttiful." Good luck with your sports romance!

Stacey Weeks said...

I love that looking at two people sparked an entire book. I also play the "what if" game :-) BTW: I LOVE the book cover!!

Zoe M. McCarthy said...

Hi Kelly, I guess we all have some interesting stories in our past. We'll have to have a retreat and share them. Thanks for coming by.

Zoe M. McCarthy said...

Vicki, thanks for reading and stopping by. Hopefully my funny golf stories came through in the Putting Green Whisperer, thought not the same ones!

Zoe M. McCarthy said...

Kara, I love when my inspirations knick me on the head (er heart) like for The Putting Green Whisperer.

Zoe M. McCarthy said...

Susan, I lived in Lynchburg for 5 years. Loved your puttiful.

Zoe M. McCarthy said...

Stacey, I love the cover too. Cover designer caught the feel of the caddies and the whole story/ Thanks for stopping by.