Always attracted to the concept of writing contemporary stories in historic locations, Annalisa Daughety is delighted to be writing for Barbour’s new Wedding series.
Immersing herself in the sights and sounds of the sultry city of Charleston, S.C. for her seventh novel, A Wedding to Remember in Charleston, South Carolina (Barbour Books), was no hardship. “I really enjoy writing about real places that have a rich history,” she shares. “Writing about Charleston was so much fun. I visited there and learned a lot about the city. Hopefully my book will make readers want to visit—or at least feel like they have!”
Annalisa’s previous novels all feature characters searching for love, and she wanted to approach the romance in this novel differently and write a story about second chances. In A Wedding to Remember, Summer and Luke Nelson fell in love and married, but now find themselves at a crossroads. Their marriage is in tatters and neither knows how to fix it. Shares Annalisa, “Relationships are hard—and for this book I chose to write about some of the struggles involved. Even so, the book has a message of hope and it is a heartwarming story.”
Annalisa is a strong believer in flawed characters—wedding planner Summer Nelson is used to having every part of her own life planned out. A control freak, she has difficulties coping when her life spins out of control. “I try and create characters everyone can relate to—which means they make mistakes and don’t always do and say the right thing.” That said, Annalisa ensures her characters always end up relying on their faith to see them through their struggles. “I hope readers come away from the story uplifted and entertained by Summer and Luke and their friends. Even though the book deals with some tough subjects, there is an overall message of hope.”