Aransas Evening

Sequel to Aransas Morning

by

Jeff Hampton

Genre: Contemporary Literary Fiction

Publisher: Jeff Hampton, Writer

Publication Date: October 4, 2018

Number of Pages: 346 pages

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Life in Port Aransas was looking breezy and bright for Sam and his friends at the Dream Bean coffee shop. Shelly and Dave were talking marriage, Allie and Bo were tightening their family ties, and Sam was welcoming newcomers to town and falling for a new singer at the Sea Garden. But storms are never far away on the Texas Gulf Coast, and there would be none more destructive than Hurricane Harvey. Would Sam and his friends survive Harvey’s awful fury? And would life in Port Aransas ever be the same again? Find out in Aransas Evening, the sequel to Aransas Morning by Jeff Hampton.

Praise for the Aransas Series

–    “Hampton’s characters pulled me in; hook, line, and sinker.”

–    “The pace of the book is slow and easy, and I slipped into its rhythm like the ebb and flow of the water lapping against the shoreline.”

–    “A lovely story about community, and how family isn’t always the one you are born into.

–    “Isak Dinesen once wrote, ‘The cure for anything is salt water: sweat, tears, or the sea.’  Jeff Hampton has illustrated that with grace, elegance, and excellent coffee.”

│ Author Website │ Amazon │ Etsy  │

Today we are thrilled to have author Jeff Hampton join us on StoreyBook Reviews to answer some questions that inquiring minds would like to know the answers!

What made you decide to write a sequel? Any unexpected hurdles in doing this?

I honestly thought I was finished after writing the first book, but then the characters began “speaking” to me again, and I had to find out what would happen to them next. The biggest hurdle was that I was almost finished with the sequel when Hurricane Harvey hit the Texas coast and devastated Port Aransas. I couldn’t ignore it and not write it into the story, but I also had to be patient and wait to see how the real town and people would react to the storm before I would know how my characters would respond.

What was the hardest part of writing this book?

Weaving a historic event like Hurricane Harvey into a fictional storyline and into the lives of fictional characters required patience and caution. It also required respect for the real people who were coping with the real aftermath of a devastating event.

What did you enjoy most about writing this book?

I enjoyed spending more time with characters that have really become like family to me. And I enjoyed introducing some new characters to the mix and seeing how my family would react and seeing if these new friends would become family in their own right. Some did, and some didn’t.

Did you first experience rejections when submitting any of your manuscripts for publication?

Oh my gosh, absolutely. I was told, and I’m still told, that my type of stories aren’t selling. My response is, “Well, I’m writing them because that’s what I like.”

Why did you decide to self-publish?

It’s pretty simple: My first publisher ceased business, new publishers weren’t interested in my books unless I was willing to pay them to be interested, and the timeframes for publishing with them were either too slow or too fast. So, I decided to do it my own way.

How has your formal education influenced or impacted your writing?

My formal education included creative writing and journalism, which are opposite sides of the same coin. There is narrative and literary phraseology on one side, and facts, details and direct quotes on the other side. So, I’m constantly flipping that coin and employing techniques from both sides.

What do you think most characterizes your writing?

I believe my training in journalism gives me a certain economy of words. I try to say more with less, and I try to let readers fill in some of the descriptive blanks with their own imaginations.

What projects are you working on at the present?

I’m stepping away from fiction for a while to focus on a collection of essays that are focused on the theme of community – community in its many forms. I suppose that should not be a big surprise because my fiction generally has been about community.

What’s changed for you as a writer since writing your first book?

I have lived more and experienced more and all of that adds to the depth of knowledge and emotion that I have to draw from.

Jeff Hampton has based his life and career in Texas writing for newspapers, magazines, businesses, and institutions. His interest in observing the people around him has led him to write essays, short stories, and novels that explore relationships and communities in their many forms. Aransas Evening is his sixth book, following Aransas Morning, Grandpa Jack, Jonah Prophet, When the Light Returned to Main Street, and The Snowman Uprising on Hickory Lane.

║ Website ║ Goodreads ║ Twitter ║ Instagram ║ Amazon Author Page ║

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GIVEAWAY!  GIVEAWAY!  GIVEAWAY!

Grand Prize Winner: 

Signed Copies of all six of Jeff Hampton’s books

2 Winners:

Signed Copies of both Aransas books + Grandpa Jack + a pack of Texas Themed note cards

2 Winners:

Signed Copies of Aransas Evening & Grandpa Jack + a pack of Texas Themed note cards

JANUARY 17-26, 2019

(USA only)

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