Good morning, Joann! It’s so nice to have another small business owner at Character Cafe!

Thank you, Amy. Unfortunately though, my father is making it very clear that he is the owner who calls all the shots at our family’s general store. He hasn’t been very keen on trying out any of my ideas for making changes.

That’s hard. Especially when you seem to carry much of the load in running the place. It appears that both your father and sister haven’t been feeling well lately.

You noticed? Maybe everyone can tell that my father isn’t well. He’s always tired and I have to force him to eat at times. I don’t know what’s ailing Barb. She’s always pale and sick to her stomach these days. Plus I don’t understand why she’s wasting her time dating Charles.

Why do you say that? He seems a nice enough guy?…

Charles does something with radar in the military. Barb would never adjust to military life, moving from place to place. Plus, she always promised me that the two of us will one day take over the store together. Though, her heart doesn’t seem into the store lately. She seems down, and I can’t figure out why.

Tell me about your own love interest. Nathan. I’ve seen him helping out in the shop quite a bit lately. I must say, he seems very taken with you. Here’s some of my favorite Nathan-ish quotes from your book:

Nathan is my best friend, and I’ll admit at one time I dreamed of marrying him. But that was before he went off to college and he made it clear that he didn’t want to be committed. He saw other girls during those years. He seems to want to spend time with me now that he’s back home but I don’t know how serious he is. So, I’m just focusing on the store and proving how capable I of running a business to my dad.

Well, from my perspective, Nathan seems sweet on you. I love the way he tried to cover up that the mock cherry pie you made him was a failure. That was very sweet. But I also understand why you wouldn’t want to make assumptions if he broke your heart before.

He didn’t break my heart. I just focused on the store. About the pie… that was really sweet. [laughs] Trust me to make a spectacle of myself over that pie. I still don’t know what I did wrong. I must have forgot to put the sugar in.

I know you are worried about Nathan being drafted for the Vietnam War, too. What a hard time the 1960s were for so many families across our nation.

Yes. Some men are getting married to avoid the draft. If Nathan asked me to marry him for that reason, I’d definitely do it to save him from going over there. I can’t bare the thought of losing him.

Tell me about Mrs. Canfield’s Cookery Book.

I love that book! Charles borrowed it from his mother’s cookbook collection, I believe. He thought it would be helpful to my sister, but I’ve been using it all the time, and even adding some little notes here and there to encourage her.

It sure seems like you get much more than recipes from the cookery book. I love how different scriptures and quotes added by Mrs. Canfield were helpful when you needed wisdom.

Yes, especially Proverbs 3:5,6. Trusting God instead of trying to figure out every detail on my own has certainly been a lesson I needed to learn.

In honor of your mock cherry pie, I’d like to give you a slice of our cherry coffee cake from The Forked spoon. It’s delicious and it’s on the house. https://theforkedspoon.com/cherry-coffee-cake-recipe/

Thanks, Amy. Maybe I’ll try to make it for Nathan to redeem the mock cherry pie debacle!

I looked up drinks that were common in the 1960s, and a big thing was “fuzzies.”

Oh yes, we sell the little tablets that add flavor and fizz to your drinks at our store. My favorite is the cherry.

Well, if you like cherry fizzies, you will love the Bing Cherry tea we have here at the cafe. https://www.harryanddavid.com/h/gourmet-foods/tea/964135

Thanks for joining us today, Joann. Readers, you will love Joann’s story. I so enjoyed this tale of a young woman in the 1960s trying to prove herself to her father so that he won’t sell the family general store. The characters came alive and the angst felt so real as Joann struggled over whether marrying the love of her life might force her to give up her dreams. With the Vietnam War in the background threatening to take her young man away any day, I felt an urgency for Joann to make the right choice. A very well written and engaging novel!

About the Book

Book: Joann: Apron Strings Book Five

Author: Donna Jo Stone

Genre: Inspirational Historical (1960s) Romance

Release date: May 15, 2024

One cookbook connects them all…
Joann ~ Book Five in a string of heartfelt inspirational stories, featuring different women throughout the decades from 1920 to 2020.

Twenty-four-year-old Joann Kincaid’s life ambition is to one day run the family’s general store in Pecan Grove, Louisiana. It’s 1965 and the times may be a-changing, but Joann’s father is stubbornly hanging on to old-fashioned views about what he wants for his daughter. She’s just as determined to prove she’s a capable businesswoman.

In the past, she entertained romantic dreams alongside her vision for the store but discarded those notions when her high school sweetheart, Nathan, left for college. Now he’s back to reestablish his family’s farm—and a relationship with Joann. She still loves him but isn’t sure she can trust him.

As the conflict in Vietnam escalates, there’s a real possibility Nathan could be drafted. Should Joann pursue her lifelong dream to continue her family’s legacy? Or give Nathan a chance to prove he’ll be her true and committed love before it’s too late for them?

Click here to get your copy!

About the Author

Donna Jo Stone writes southern-flavored novels for the inspirational and general market. Her stories are often about people facing tough times. Not all of her books have romance but when they do, the romances are sweet. No graphic language, sex, or violence, just plenty of heart-tugging emotion with endings that leave readers with a sense of hope.

More from Donna

Joann: Apron Strings Book 5 is part of the Apron Strings series, a multi-author project. When Jenny Knipfer, the organizer behind the project, approached me about joining the lineup of authors, I was immediately intrigued. An old cookbook passed down each decade to a new character? Small towns? Romance? Sign me up!

The books in this inspirational series are connected by one single cookbook, Mrs. Canfield’s Cookery Book, as it passes from character to character. The cookbook contains more than recipes. Through time, women have penned encouraging words, quotes, and scriptures in the margins. There are eleven books in the Apron Strings series—one for every decade from 1920 to 2020. My novel, Joann, takes place in the 1960s.

One of Joann’s specialties is a popular 60s favorite, Jello with Dream Whip. No recipe needed there. Joann uses recipes from Mrs. Canfield’s Cookery Book, but she would’ve relied on a cake mix every now and then, such as in the recipe at this link, Joann’s Easy Blueberry Pound Cake. https://donnajostone.wordpress.com/2024/04/24/from-the-apron-strings-kitchen-joanns-easy-blueberry-pound-cake/

Another name for this should be Disappearing Blueberry Pound Cake, because that’s what happens when I make it! This cake has become a family favorite. As far as how Joann’s cooking attempts using Mrs. Canfield’s Cookery Book come out, you’ll have to read the novel to see. In the back of my novel there’s another recipe, one that would’ve appeared in Mrs. Canfield’s Cookery Book. All of the Apron Strings books have a recipe or two (or more) in the back.

Parts of Joann’s story are fun and lighthearted, but she also faces serious issues during uncertain times. I hope readers enjoy reading Joann, but also hope they come away from her story with a deeper understanding of the comfort that comes from trusting God with the future.

Blog Stops

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, August 14

Stories By Gina, August 15 (Author Interview)

Mornings at Character Cafe, August 15

Texas Book-aholic, August 16

Simple Harvest Reads, August 17 (Author Interview)

Locks, Hooks and Books, August 18

For the Love of Literature, August 19 (Author Interview)

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, August 20

Tell Tale Book Reviews, August 21 (Author Interview)

Connie’s History Classroom, August 22

Blossoms and Blessings, August 23 (Author Interview)

She Lives To Read, August 24

A Modern Day Fairy Tale, August 25 (Author Interview)

Pause for Tales, August 25

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, August 26

Guild Master, August 27 (Author Interview)

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Donna is giving away the grand prize package of a $50 Amazon gift card and a copy of the book!!

(Paperback for a US winner only. eBook if winner is international)

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

https://promosimple.com/ps/2dda6/joann-celebration-tour-giveaway