Welcome To The Campfire Carol Van Den Hende.

Thank you readers for stopping by the campfire. This is a fun place to learn about new people, chat, and share books. If you're like me then every camping trip has time spent reading around the fire. I'm so sad I have only one trip remaining for this season. That said, the campfire blog will continue to burn merrily.  I hope you enjoy today's chat with ​award-winning author Carol Van Den Hende

Before we get started I want to let our other visitors know I read the book Carol is sharing with us. Here's the link to the Goodreads review if you would like to read it. 
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3567601153 

Hi, Carol. Thank you for joining us today. Can I offer you a refreshment? Coffee, tea, cocoa, wine? The camp fridge is like Aladdin's lamp, you rub it, you get it.
Since I’ve launched and managed some of the biggest chocolate brands in the world, I’d definitely like Cocoa, thanks!

Oh, my! I hope our visitors ask about that gig and how you got it. There goes my attention, let me get my focus back.  Tell us, have you ever camped, or as I call what I do, Glamp.
A confession: when my husband first took me camping in our 20’s, I was enthusiastic to try it. But pretty soon, I found that sleeping on the ground amidst insects, and showering in communal stalls was not for me lol.

And that's where the glamping comes in. King size bed and hot and cold running water. Priceless. So tell us about your latest project. I'm excited for you sharing Goodbye, Orchid today, and also what’s on the horizon. 
Goodbye, Orchid launched a few weeks ago. I’m thrilled that it’s been named one of the most anticipated 2020 fall reads: Buzzfeed l Parade l Travel+Leisure, and Winner: 2020 American Fiction Award l Pinnacle Achievement Award.
This beautiful novel asks “Can love blossom after life changes in an instant?” Inspired by combat-wounded veterans, a portion of profits will be donated to The Heather Abbott Foundation and USA Cares, who support post-911 veterans and their families. 
It’s especially heartwarming to hear how the story has touched military vets:

• As a combat decorated and wounded veteran, Goodbye, Orchid captures the mindset, roller-coaster and daily heroics of my experience after being injured. All around excellence.” 
• —Doc Jacobs, Bronze Star with Valor and Purple Heart-decorated Navy Corpsman, CEO Doc Jacobs Foundation, author There and Back Again
• In this most worthy novel, the protagonists’ lives are shattered and they re-emerge champions A tale of sacrifice and rebirth; heroism is in the details. 
• —SSGT Aaron Michael Grant, author of TAKING BAGHDAD: Victory in Iraq With the US Marines

​Wow! That's amazing. You must be so proud. Do you have a tagline? Life Motto?
“Be the change you want to see” and “Most people overestimate what they can do in one year and underestimate what they can do in ten years.” – Bill Gates

Those are both great sayings. One of the most asked questions I get is "How long did it take you from conception to publication?" What about you?
7 years, so the fact that’s it’s been well-received says that it’s a topic with longevity. That’s a quality I aim for, one that Ryan Holiday espouses in his book “Perennial Seller”

Are there any mentors, authors, or books you would like to give a shout-out to?
Publishing is a team sport so there’s too many to name. I will say that NJRW is acknowledged in Goodbye, Orchid for so many members’ generosity and camaraderie, including yours for hosting authors around your campfire!

Thank you. I don't know what I would do without the support of my local chapter and my "Rose Garden" authors. What does literary success look like to you?
My personal why is to inspire hope and empathy for people and planet, so when my work can do that, then I’ve done my job well. It’s heartening to hear that readers feel more optimistic after reading Goodbye, Orchid, including combat-wounded veterans who inspired the story, and “there are many lessons in this book, one that stands out is not prejudging others.” (Credit: InD’Tale Magazine, from their 5-star Crowned Heart review October 2020) 

Life Hacks for Authors. Do you have any tips, tricks, or anything you specialize in that you would share with others.  
As a career marketer and strategist, my main advice is start with your broader purpose, what makes your brand unique, and clarity of your goals and strategies before jumping to tactics. 
Once you get into execution, stay nimble, strengthen networks, and remember that marketing is an act of creativity!
That's an interesting perspective, one that makes sense. It is creativity. 

Now the fun questions 

1. What do you think the headlines will read 40 years from now? I hope they say “Worldwide party to celebrate the reversal of global warming”
2. What's your favorite candy, cookie, pasta. Since I’ve worked on and visited plants that make M&M’S, DOVE, TWIX, MILKY WAY and more, it’s hard to pick! 
3.  Favorite childhood book? Adventures like The Secret Garden and The Lion, Witch and Wardrobe whisked me to imaginative new lands
4. What’s your go-to coffee order? Black, because the extra calories make me feel guilty 😊
5. What’s your favorite ‘90s jam? I’ve accumulated eclectic knowledge of obscure industrial bands like Prodigy, Nitzer Ebb and Front 242.
6. If you could eat anything in the world right now, what would it be? I’d transport my humorous hubby and I to Castello di Montegufoni outside of Florence, where we’d dine al fresco on the crustiest bread, freshest tomatoes, and chilled prosecco!
7. If they made a movie about your life, who would play you and why?  Lucy Liu, because there aren’t too many Asian actresses with attitude lol

​Carol, it's been a pleasure having you at the campfire. Can I stow away to France with you? :) And before you go, please leave us some information on your book and how readers can find out more about you.

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Rising from ashes is hard.
Giving up the one you love is harder.
 
Thirty-two year-old Phoenix Walker is an entrepreneur who has built an agency with a heart almost as big as his own. To add to his good fortune, he’s falling for Orchid Paige, the beautiful half-Asian marketer who’s collaborated with him on a winning military campaign.
They’ve grown close after months working and traveling together. She’s even divulged the trauma in her past that makes her panic over images of injured vets. He’s trying not to cross their professional boundary.
Their relationship is at a precipice.
Until an accident changes him forever.
Now, he’s faced with the hardest decision of his life. Does he burden the woman whose traumatic childhood makes him feel protective of her? Or does true love mean leaving her without explaining why?  

What people are saying
A richly detailed story of star-crossed lovers...all told with unforgettable heart and insight.
—Caroline Leavitt, New York Times Bestselling author of Pictures of You, Cruel Beautiful World and With or Without You
A book full of soul and heart about love, loss and redefining oneself. I adored this modern, important take on the power of love.  
—Karin Tanabe, author of A Hundred Suns

https://www.amazon.com/Goodbye-Orchid-Carol-Van-Hende-ebook/dp/B08BTJR137/
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54297964-goodbye-orchid  
https://www.bookbub.com/authors/carol-van-den-hende
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/goodbye-orchid-carol-van-den-hende/1137190600?ean=9781646631889 
https://www.booksamillion.com/p/Goodbye-Orchid/Carol-Van-Den-Hende/9781646631889?id=7964592335699
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54297964-goodbye-orchid

https://www.instagram.com/carolvandenhende/
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https://carolvandenhende.com/contact  
https://www.pinterest.com/goodbyeorchid/  
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfd3hQ4FIY53zafnVOlM81Q
https://linktr.ee/cvdh  
Free chapter one by entering your email here: https://dl.bookfunnel.com/sdw0qzrf7q
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