Today I welcome author Dr. Velma Bagby as she shares her book The CATCH Nobody Wants along with a study guide. She's also offering a free autographed copy of the book (US only), drawn from all who subscribe to her newsletter TODAY ONLY.

Velma, tell us about your book and characters, please.

Thanks, Donna. I feel like I'm in an examination to graduate high school :)

Here we go!

Tell us about your main Character's backstory:

Veronica Dawson a PK (pastor’s kid) frantically searches for potential husbands in all the wrong places—a 32-year-old successful millennial, who is obsessed with getting married because she has already missed her original goal… to be a wife by thirty. Her dad and pastor facilitate classes about dating with intent and have seen many successes of those who applied the principles. Veronica is under pressure as a PK but assumed that if she used her methods, and not her dad’s teachings, she could get to her goal much faster. But two years later, she dumped the five guys she dated, and the sixth was a train wreck. After being seated on their first restaurant date, he pretended to go to the men’s room and left five minutes into the date. Veronica admits that her method of finding a husband had not worked. Frustrated that she missed her deadline, she finally meets with her dad to talk

What kind of research did you do?

Besides researching the scripture, during my years of counseling singles and married couples, over time I saw a pattern. They could have avoided many of the problems I saw had there been proper training or teaching. I recall, a year before I wrote the book, my husband spoke to the single women during his message and said, “If the fish aren’t biting ladies, it’s time to change the bait.” I knew immediately upon hearing his words, that God was showing me what he said will become my next dating-focused book.

I conducted research on fish. I called an expert, my brother, and asked about the fish he loved to catch. As he provided the details about their personalities, bait, etc., I could envision the men with the same behaviors as the fish. As a result, the father in the book is an expert at fishing. He creates five metaphorical stories showing the behavioral similarities between men and fish. He then shares the stories and the women who dated or married them with his daughter during their fishing trip. Four of the stories represent the men Veronica has dated: the Catfish, who enjoys garbage, the Salmon who does not want to get caught, the Sturgeon who likes to nibble, & the Pufferfish, who is beautiful until agitated—all highlight the dating mistakes Veronica continues making even now. The fifth story—the Goldfish—represents the husband she deserves. He is the man God has chosen just for her, and he was standing right in front of her the entire time. 

What funny event or problem happened while you were writing this book?

This was funny to me. Family members discovered I was working on my next book and heard about the topic. They asked if they could become one of the book’s characters. I reminded them that many of the characters were not good people, but they laughed and responded they did not mind. I have over 17 first names of family members and a few friends who were used as characters in the book. In the end, in a small way, this book represents a gift to them.

Tell us a little about you:

Please describe yourself with three words. Friendly, Giving, Fun

What do you enjoy doing for relaxation? Spending time with my grandchildren near the water, walking or on bikes or at the park.

What can your readers expect from you next? A Christian fiction book based on Proverbs 14:1b entitled, The Women Who Tear Down the House

Links to purchase:

Book - https://www.amazon.com/dp/1736857517

Homework Basket (study guide) - https://www.amazon.com/dp/1736857533

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-catch-no-one-wants

https://www.richesinreading.com/product/the-catch-no-one-wants

To connect:

Website: https://drvelma.com

Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/DrVelmaB

Instagram/Author: https://www.instagram.com/drvelmabagby_author

Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/BagbyVelma

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-velma-bagby-85b476125

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18185844.Velma_Bagby

First page of my book:

Five minutes after Veronica Dawson and Michael Logan Sr. sat down for their first in-person date together, he asked to be excused while he dashed to the men’s room. After about fifteen minutes, the server returned with their meal served on a large platter full of crab legs sautéed in butter and garlic, and it arrived attached to an enormous revolving stand that consumed most of the table.

Veronica immediately thought, Wow! This looks delicious. But where is Michael? I hope he’s okay. Let me check on him.

She picked up her phone and dialed his iPhone to check on him, and the system immediately forwarded her call to voicemail, so she dialed his number a second time—the same thing happened. In her third attempt to reach him, she sent a text but didn’t receive a response, and she couldn’t tell if he had received it.

Veronica looked frustrated and thought, What just happened? Let me not get negative, but did he just block my number? There’s only one way to find out.

She masked her phone number, and it showed as an unknown caller after she dialed 67, then his phone number.

After one ring, she heard, “Hello.”

It was Michael.

Dr. Velma Bagby is a 6X Award-Winning Author / Certified Dating/Relationship Coach / Minister (ThD) / Speaker. She has counseled 30+ years, providing pastoral/pre-marriage & marriage counseling, and is a member of the AACC (American Association of Christian Counselors). In her latest book, 14^th, she returns to her love of writing Christian Contemporary Fiction about the dating journey & marriage. She hopes single women will discover the husband they deserve by approaching dating God’s way. Those who register for my newsletter today, will be entered into a drawing for an autographed copy of the CATCH: http://eepurl.com/g9diMX