BLOGWORDS – Thursday 15 January 2026 – CHAT THURSDAY – T.I. LOWE

BLOGWORDS – Thursday 15 January 2026 – CHAT THURSDAY – T.I. LOWE

CHAT THURSDAY – T.I. LOWE

 

Please give a warm feathered welcome to author and friend, T.I. Lowe

 

rem: Hullo T.I., and welcome. Tell us three random things about yourself.

T.I.:  1. I dislike raspberries in the same way some dislike cilantro. 2. I enjoy putting puzzles together. One is on my dining table almost always so I can work on it during my writing breaks. 3. I ran over my brother with a car when I was in elementary school. Yes, a car. No, I should not have been driving it. He survived though and has held that unfortunate incident over my head to this day.

rem:  Oh  my word!! Ain’t sibling stories, er, uh, fun! What is your favorite quotation and why?

T.I.:  “She turned her cant’s into cans and dreams into plans.” It’s my favorite, because I did just that at age 38 back in 2014 when I finally pursued writing.

 

rem:  I love this! I, too, turned my can’t into my can, also in 2014. I was 55 though. When reading, what makes or breaks a story for you? Your fiction pet peeve?  

T.I.:  I’m not crazy about back story dumps. I’m talking paragraphs upon paragraphs of it. They pull me out of a story. I like when a writer sprinkles back story in organically. Just a little here and a little there.

 

rem:  I agree. It’s like telling a separate story… and now we return you to our regularly scheduled story… What are you reading right now? 

T.I.:  I’m under deadline, so I’m focusing on my own story at the moment. I’m looking forward to reading Joanne Bischoff DeWitt’s new book The Heart of Bennet Hollow when I’m done.

 

rem:  I’ve yet to read her books (I know, shame, shame) but it is on my Kindle. And I’m interviewing her in two weeks! Tell us a little about your writing journey.

T.I.:  I published my first book in 2014 as a promise to my mom. She passed away in 2013, so I knew I needed to keep this promise. Such a scary step, to put my words out there for the world to read, but since then I’ve published over 20 books and am so thankful I was brave enough to keep that promise.

 

rem:  I’m so sorry about your mom. My first book was dedicated to my mom, who passed away in 2000, “because writing is what we shared the most.” I’ve read some of your books and I loved them, so you’re doing something right. What genre(s) do you write and why?

T.I.:  Romance and women’s fiction mostly, but I’m not opposed to trying other genres. I like the freedom to write what I’m led to, no matter the genre.

 

rem:  That’s the great thing—one of the great things—about writing. We’re not locked into a formula. Tell us a little about your latest book? What is your current project?

T.I.:  My next book will release March 10, 2026. South of Somewhere is set on Sullivan’s Island in South Carolina. It’s about a young woman in recovery and her journey to regain custody of her daughter. It’s a story of forgiveness and redemption.

 

rem:  Annnndddd…. It’s now on my must read list! What is YOUR favorite part about the book or why do you love this book? Why should we read it?

T.I.:  I just received a review from Publisher’s Weekly and a part of the review says it best: “Lowe’s character work is nuanced, and she excels at depicting the unglamorous, day-to-day grind of recovery. It adds up to a resonant testament to the power of community to help one make a fresh start.”

 

rem:  Oh, Tonya, that’s so exciting!! Congratulations!  What is one take-away from your book(s) that you hope readers identify with? 

T.I.:  South Carolina’s state motto is “While I breathe, I hope.” rem: I didn’t know that was our state motto… (I also live in SC, in the upstate)  This really sums up South of Somewhere. We can still make a change, turn things around, do anything really, as long as there is breath in our lungs. So don’t give up hope!

 

rem:  Yes, ma’am, there is always hope. One more and then we’ll close. Do you have a life Scripture?

T.I.: I love Hebrews 12:1-2, especially the King James version because it says Jesus is the author and finisher of our faith. Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, ² Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

 

rem:  He absolutely is! Anything you’d like to add?

T.I.:  This has been fun. Thank you for inviting me on your blog!

rem:  I thank you so much for chatting with us today!

 

 

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

T. I. Lowe is an ordinary country girl who loves to tell extraordinary stories. She is the author of 21 novels, including the #1 international bestseller and critically acclaimed Under the Magnolias and her debut breakout Lulu's Café. Her novel Indigo Isle won the prestigious Christy Award in the contemporary romance category and was subsequently named Christy Award Book of the Year. She lives in coastal South Carolina with her husband and family.

 

 

#Blogwords, Chat Thursday, Interview, T.I. Lowe, Joanne Bischoff DeWitt, The Heart of Bennet Hollow, South of Somewhere, Sullivan’s Island, Publisher’s Weekly, While I breathe, I hope, Hebrews 12:1-2