Welcome to the Blog + Review Tour for Suddenly Rural Girl by Dann and Kennedy Hurlbert, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!
About the Book
Title: Suddenly Rural Girl:
Author: Dann & Kennedy Hurlbert
Publisher: Kirk House Publishers
Release Date: February 1, 2024
Genre: Young Adult & Middle Grade Contemporary Christian Fiction
After her dad is tragically killed, Dakota Moore’s mom moves her to northern Minnesota where Dak discovers an outcast classmate may be a reclusive miracle worker. She thinks she found him too late. The truth is, she met him just in time. Will Dak discover the miracle worker’s secrets before the next tragedy strikes?
Now, tucked into a secluded A-frame near a beaver-infested creek with her strong Sioux mom and her lisping little brother, Dak faces a new school and a trio of mean girls. Seemingly alone, she buries herself in a design app and self pity until an old blind man, his curly-haired horse named Eyeballs, a quirky dragon-doodling classmate, and a strawberry blonde with delicious sun-kissed freckles give her four reasons to keep on living. Then she decides to do more than just survive; Dak intends to thrive. When tragedy strikes again, she confronts the intriguing and repulsive miracle worker, but he doesn’t help their mutual friend. Learning why will change her life.
Suddenly Rural Girl is a friend and faith-finding journey, featuring a strong, female, multiracial protagonist and is loaded with laugh-out-loud characters and gorgeous northern Minnesota beauty. The magnificent landscapes haunt like William Kent Kreuger’s Ordinary Grace and This Tender Land, and the quick-witted dialogue is reminiscent of Jenny B. Jones’ There You’ll Find Me and In Between books. The combination makes it an excellent YA read with cross-over into Contemporary Christian audiences. The novel also has a companion study guide full of plot-related questions for classrooms and theme based discussion prompts for book groups!
PURCHASE LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | ChristianBook | Bookshop
About the Authors
Dann Hurlbert has BSED in English and Theater Education from the University of South Dakota, an MFA in Digital Cinema from California’s National University, and has spent many years as an educator and professional actor and director. He currently serves as a Media & Design Specialist at Minnesota’s Carleton College. He’s a sucker for the Great Outdoors, Caribou Coffee, and his beautiful wife, and three impressive kids.
Kennedy Hurlbert is a cheerful and creative teenager who inspired much of the SRG story and corrected all her dad’s teen lingo. She enjoys being with friends, whipping up sweet and tasty desserts, and spending time at the lake. Any lake. She loves lakes. Especially the Boundary Waters. But any lake will do. She also likes sports and cuddling with the family Golden Retrievers.Connect with Dann at dannhurlbert.com to follow him on social media and sign up for email updates.
Author Interview
Welcome, Dann and Kennedy! Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions and giving
my readers a chance to get to know you and your new book Suddenly Rural Girl.
Can you share 5 random facts about yourselves/the book?
- I play soccer--a lot. My sister does too, so we're at practice or a game nearly every day. --kennedy
- We started writing the book when I was in 5th grade. --kennedy
- I love lakes, and our two golden retrievers, Boscoe & Aggie (who are named after Saint Boscoe & Saint Agnes . . . the patron saint of boys and the patron saint of girls.). --kennedy
- We both love the Boundary Waters in northern Minnesota . . . and the scenes in the book about the quarry are based on one of our favorite swimming holes.
- I taught film and theater for about 15 years before switching into being a "Media & Design" guru at a college; I'm out of the classroom now, but love helping faculty and students with media related projects. --dann
You wrote this book as a father/daughter team… how did that idea come about?
"My English teacher gave us a writing prompt, so I wrote a one page short story about a scary day in the woods . . . and then asked my dad if we could turn it into a full book. My story became the first chapter of our book, and then we kept going from there!" --kennedy
"It took us about two years to write, but because of our busy schedules, we were mostly only able to write on Saturday mornings together. That became a neat routine. Kennedy and I would wake up early, go to a local coffee shop, and brainstorm, and research, write, and watch our story develop!" --dann
What did that writing process look like for both of you?
"I started with a lot of enthusiasm, but it was taking a lot longer than I thought. Plus, I had soccer and other activities some Saturdays, so my dad kept going when he had time. He'd ask me lots of questions about characters, and he'd ask me to write passages or letters between the two characters, while he kept the plot moving. Then he asked me to review all his writing--especially the texting, to be sure it sounded like something teens would say or text." --kennedy
"For me, I was eager for another creative project, and this was perfect--plus I got to work with one of my daughters on it. I used Saturday mornings to do lots of the writing . . . and while I was sitting in the car while the girls were at soccer practice. : ). --dann
This was your debut novel, congrats! What was it like seeing your words in print for the first time?
"It was weird. I didn't think it would actually happen. And then it was weird seeing classmates and teachers reading it, saying how much they liked it!" --kennedy
What was the most challenging part of bringing this story to life?
Finding the time to write was most challenging. Trying to write a few pages every weekend worked well, but the finished novel needed more time, so we squeezed it in where we could.
The most rewarding?
I think we both enjoyed spending time together on a creative project, and Kennedy enjoyed correcting my teen lingo & texting. "No one texts like that, dad," was heard frequently. It's also been fun to hear such positive feedback and read the reviews from folks who read Suddenly Rural Girl. We appreciate every reader and we're humbled and grateful for the reviews!
If you could describe your main character(s) in just three words each, what would those words
be?
Dakota Moore: a conflicted teen wrestling with faith and friendship
Liam Finnegan: a friendly & cute redhead with bluebird eyes and a gap between his front teeth that is totally charming
Sophia, Makayla and Teagan: were "like some three-headed monster from Greek mythology. One head was snarling, and the other two seemed eager or anxious."
Eyeballs: a horse with a "little white star on his chest surrounded by patches of black and brown hair on his otherwise dark ash body...he also had a wavy mane and curly eyelashes that would make a supermodel jealous. Rather than a smooth, shiny coat like so many horses, his dark hair was a mix of tightly woven curls…almost like an afro."
George Washington Young: old, blind, a pocketful of kindness, all wrapped up in a pair of faded overalls and a smile.
Ms. Bousta: an outgoing and outstanding woman, full-figured and full of bubbly energy with a wardrobe to match
What do you hope readers will take away from the book?
This was something that shapeshifted throughout the writing process. We knew it would be a "faith and friend finding journey," but we discovered lots more important takeaways. For those takeaways to sink in, often readers/students need to reflect on those issues in their own lives, so we developed a study guide and themed discussion questions, which is available as a free download at https://dannhurlbert.com/suddenly-rural-girl. Those key topics include:
- Finding Courage
- Overcoming Obstacles
- The Natural World
- Building Inclusive Communities
Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions. Before you go, where can readers follow along to see what’s coming next?
I try to share regularly about Suddenly Rural Girl updates . . . and about my reading and writing. Folks can find out more or subscribe to my blog at https://dannhurlbert.com/littletips
--dann
Tour Giveaway
(3) winners will win a signed paperback copy (or ebook) of Suddenly Rural Girl!
Full tour schedule linked below. The giveaway begins at midnight July 16, 2024 and will last through 11:59 PM EST on July 23, 2024. Winner will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. US only. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.
Giveaway is subject to JustRead Publicity Tours Giveaway Policies.
Follow along at JustRead Tours for a full list of stops!
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