Interview and Giveaway with Author Eva Maria Hamilton

Today I'm pleased to introduce you to a very special author, Eva Maria Hamilton. As many of you know, I do an interview on Making Home Work once a month, but this month's interview is extra exciting for me!

Eva Maria Hamilton spent years studying people from all different areas of academia and brings that understanding of the human condition into each of her written pieces. An advocate for lifelong learning, Eva Maria Hamilton studied in both Canada and the United States, earning a diploma in Human Resources Management, a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology, an Honors Bachelor of Arts Degree in History, and a Master of Science in Education.

She's also a debut author with my publisher, Love Inspired Historical. Since I'll be launching my own debut novel in exactly one week, I wanted to draw special attention to her. Congratulations Eva, on the release of your debut novel, Highland Hearts!

Hi, Eva! And thanks for being with us today. Why don't you start by telling me about your family. How many children do you have, and how old are they?

I live in Southern Ontario, Canada (halfway between Toronto and Niagara Falls) with my husband of over twelve years and our four - almost five - year old daughter. I have a love of learning and have spent many years in university getting numerous degrees and taking courses in just about every field of study. I home school our daughter and of course the main reason why I’m here today is because I write for Harlequin’s Love Inspired Historical line.

That's great Eva, I have a five year old, and am planning to home school him in the fall. I hope that's going well for you! Why did you choose to work from home rather than find a job elsewhere?

Ever since my husband and I started dating our goal was to do something that allowed us to work from home and we have been working extremely hard to pursue that dream ever since.


And what a great dream to have, not only for you, but for your husband as well. What is the most challenging aspect of working from home while raising children?

The most challenging thing about working from home while raising children and homeschooling would have to be finding time to do everything. That said, flexibility is key. We all try to go with the flow.

Ah yes, I'm afraid I could use a few lessons in flexibility myself. Did you ever get your children involved with your home business? What advice would you give mothers thinking about having their children help with their business?

My daughter is almost five so there hasn’t been a lot of opportunity yet. But she does help whenever she can. For example she helped me bake that first batch of cookies that I am sharing on this blog, she’s helped count out bookmarks and she will play quietly if she knows Mommy and Daddy have something urgent to work on. As for advice, when I was young I helped my mother with one of her home-based businesses and that experience and time spent with loved ones is priceless, so I say go for it.

What challenges did working from home present to your marriage, and how did you compensate?

One of the challenges I think people working from home face is separating time between work and leisure. There seems to be a tendency to work nonstop at home instead for example, clocking out of work at an actual time when you have to leave your office. But like anything else it’s a learning process and every couple needs to find something that works for them.

Wow, you really have some great advice about working from home! If you could start all over again, what would you do differently? What would you do the same?

The only thing I would do differently is tell myself not to worry. Everything will, one way or another, turn out okay. It is actually really good advice to tell ourselves right now.

Is it worth it? What keeps you home instead of having an outside career?

It most definitely is worth it for us. We’ve settled into a nice routine and lifestyle that makes us happy and keeps us fulfilled. It may not be for everyone but it works for us.

Thank you so much for being with us today, Eva! Eva will be back with us again on Wednesday, sharing a recipe for Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Raisin Cookies. So make sure to stop back by!

For a chance to win a copy of Highland Hearts please answer the following question from Eva: "Since I am always looking for new names for characters, what are some of your favorite Scottish names, both first and last names, male and female?"