Author Interviews--What Do You Want To Read?

(photo credit: www.audio-luci-store.it via photopin cc)

I was interviewed on Anna Del C.'s blog today and I mentioned a few things people might not know about me---like who has made the greatest difference for me as a writer.  (You can read the interview here)

But as I was thinking about it today, I wondered, do readers have something specific they'd like to read about in interviews? Do they ever feel redundant? What's the best interview question you've ever seen asked and answered?

I was trying to think of one since I've done a lot of interviews.  All I can think of is the hard ones like which writer has influenced your career? What's one thing you love about writing (I can't pick one!) What's your favorite book (Again, can't pick one!) and other questions like that. (Yeah, I know, it doesn't seem hard at first, but it really is!)

So, what do readers really want to know?

Book Review: As You Are

Today I want to tell you about Sarah Eden's book, As You Are.  This is another installment of the Jonquil brothers and even gives me an update on my favorite couple, Lord and Lady Cavratt.  Sigh. Still love them.

Anyway, this book is about Corbin Jonquil who has been admiring the new widow in the neighborhood from afar.  Well, the closest he's gotten is sitting behind her in church.  He thinks of all the things that he might say to her, but when it comes right down to it, he's so incredibly shy he can't speak to her beyond a sentence or two.  This character trait is so well-written I seriously felt sorry for him.  He stutters and is so painfully shy it's painful to read!  But he has a heart of gold and loves his family, his horses, and his staff.

Clara Bentford is trying to keep a low profile, but with all the tongues wagging she's the object of curiosity. She's so grateful when Mr. Jonquil saves her from a flurry of questions she'd rather not answer, but when she invites him for tea to express her gratitude, he acts like he disapproves of her and is very aloof. But there's something about him and the more she gets to know him, the more of a puzzle he seems.

I loved their stories---individually and together---and how genuine it seemed with these two lonely people trying to overcome their obstacles and find love.  Ms. Bentford's backstory was particularly difficult to read because of its realism, especially in the parameters of the times when women were little more than belongings to some.  I loved that she'd overcome so much, though, and it really fleshed out her character and added a layer that drew me to her.

There were some very tender moments, some really great dialogue, and an excellent backdrop of the Jonquil family.  I loved that we got an update on all the other brothers, and that there were some fun scenes with the family we've previously met. I really hope we see Jason's story at some point. And Charlie's. As you can see this is a family I would like to read about for a long time to come!

A definite two thumbs up from this Sarah Eden fan!

Here's the back copy:

A horse breeder by trade, Corbin Jonquil is more at home in the stables than in the ballroom of his sprawling estate. Corbin is the quietest of the Jonquil brothers and has always faded into the background, contentedly unnoticed. When a mysterious young widow, Mrs. Clara Bentford, moves into the neighborhood, however, Corbin quickly comes to realize that being noticed has its advantages. But how to catch the eye of the lady?

According to his brothers, Corbin need only make a few simple changes to transform himself into the object of any woman's desire - dubious advice, indeed. Following a series of misadventures, Corbin and Clara slowly lower the facades behind which they've been hiding, leaving Corbin shocked by the horrors that haunt the woman he's coming to care for so ardently. When the menace of Clara's past threatens to tear them apart and tensions mount, will the couple have the courage to fight for the promise of forever?

Saints and Soldiers: The Void (And a Giveaway!)

As many of you know, today is the 70th Anniversary of D-Day.  D-Day marked the turning point of World War II when the Allied forces (from what I always understood it was mostly U.S., Canadian, and British forces that day) landed on Normandy Beach in France and began their liberation of the French people. The Allies kept going, of course, and stopped the German war machine, eventually defeating the Third Reich.

In commemoration of D-Day, today I want to tell you about a movie that is coming out on August 15th.  It's another installment of the Saints and Soldiers series and is about a U.S. tank crew that discovers a platoon of Germans lying in wait to ambush the Allied supply trucks.  It sounds like a great military suspense!

Here's the official press release about it:

Saints and Soldiers: The Void in theaters August 15th

Germany, May 1945, the twilight of WWII. On a final mission deep in the Harz mountains a U.S. tank crew discovers a platoon of Germans, including three infamous Panzer tanks, preparing to ambush allied supply trucks.

Before the war, private Jesse Owens, was a product of segregation and racial discrimination. Forced by law to ride in the back of the bus and disenfranchised from the political process. Now, Owens fights the greatest tyrant in history, knowing the tyranny of racism will be waiting for him back home if he can survive the war.

With a deadly game of cat and mouse quickly unfolding, Owens and his predominantly white tank crew find themselves out-gunned and out-manned by the German Panzer tanks. Several in Owens’ crew are reluctant to put their faith in a black tank driver despite their dire circumstances. As the German tanks bear down on his unit, Owens has to fight for freedom on two fronts. With tension and fear beginning to manifest Owens knows they must put aside their differences to stop the enemy from their deadly plan. Knowing that a victory over the Nazis means a victory for racial justice, Owens and his men find a way to work together to save hundreds of lives in a desperate battle against the greatest odds they have ever faced.

"As we approach the 70th anniversary of D-Day, we pause to honor those who demonstrated unselfishness and commitment to freedom. The tradition of unselfishness continues today. God Bless those then and now who serve our country." ~ Adam Abel, Producer

"During the original SAINTS AND SOLDIERS film festival run around the world we were honored to meet many WWII Veterans in person. It has been 10 years now. Many of those Veterans have passed. For those WWII vets remaining and all men and women of the armed forces since we salute you. The SAINTS AND SOLDIERS movies are intend to honor you."

~ Ryan Little, Director

"Our reason for making SAINTS AND SOLDIERS: THE VOID was to explore the story of those African American soldiers who fought for freedoms abroad they didn't entirely enjoy at home. We learned from their stories freedom is and was worth the fight...regardless of race."

~ Adam Abel, Producer

You can read more about Alex Boye and Matt Meese being cast in the movie here (and see an international trailer!)

Here's the teaser:

And a giveaway!

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Switching Genres--Can A Writer Do It Successfully?

I was talking to an editor friend of mine today about what genre I read most.  Right now (and for probably the last year or two) it's been historical fiction.  I really enjoy the regency period and all the different rules of society that were in place then.

I was wondering to myself if my editor friend thought that since I write suspense, I should read suspense.  I mean, isn't it generally accepted that the best writers are really good readers?

But as I thought more about this, I decided that nowhere does it say you have to be well-read in the genre that you write. I can glean the same information about rhythm, dialogue, setting etc., from a historical as I can from a suspense.  Granted, suspense has different beats to it, but the basic structure is very similar from the writing aspect.

So, my conclusion is, I don't have to read a lot of suspense to be a good suspense writer myself.  And I also realized that I might want to write a historical sometime.  Even typing that scares me a little, because I have always written romantic suspense and I'm comfortable there.

But maybe I'm closer to the time where I want to shake things up.  Change genres.  Write a historical! *covers mouth*  But not today.  It's still a bit too scary.

What do you think? Can writers successfully switch genres and write something completely different?

Word Count Wednesday (And A Weird Writer Problem)

So, in coming out of my slump, I've been doing A LOT of preparation in anticipation of my book RING AROUND THE ROSIE being released at the end of the month. Woohooo!

The problem is, when I was in my writing slump, I didn't really take all my critique group's notes and make the changes as we went along. I was struggling, down in the dumps, whatever you want to call it, so the critique group notes just piled up on my desk.  All twenty-one chapters worth.  That, my friends is a big problem.

Do you know why that is a problem?  Because when you are dealing with multiple critiques and you haven't done it as you've gone along, you have a BOATLOAD of notes and changes and even an organization issue in trying to figure out which critique partner said what for which chapter so you can figure out if what they said there has any bearing on previous chapters . . . well, you get the picture.  My living room floor is currently covered with paper piles while I sort it all out.  Bad Julie. (I know, I know, I have weird writer problems.)

The good news is, I'm plowing through all the changes and I'm SO HAPPY to be writing again. There is something really happy about writing. I'm glad I'm a writer.

Since I'm making changes and not much else, my word count has been small, just over 2000, but I love how the story has been shaped and molded and I can't wait to see what you think of it!

How did you do this week?

How We Do Our Family Summer Book Club

Summer is here! Isn't it crazy! Lazy days at the pool, roasted marshmallows, summer evenings swinging in the porch swing with my husband and a tall glass of lemonade.  Ahhhh. I love summer.

One thing our family does in the summertime is to have a Family Book Club.  When I first started this, we all read the same book and it took forever and some of my kids didn't like it because they didn't like the book and (gasp!) I had a child who didn't like reading.  So I thought and I thought and I thought. (Too much Winnie the Pooh? Haha)  How could I make this fun?

So, this is what I came up with and what has worked for our family for the last few years.  Everyone gets to choose a book---whatever book they want.  From my oldest child still at home to the youngest.  And as you can imagine we have a wide range of choices from Captain Underpants to Star Wars to short autobiographies about basketball stars.  But that's okay, everyone is reading a book! Hooray!

We each have a week to read our book. (And yes, I read a book, too.)  Then, on Saturday afternoon we gather for ice cream and go around the table and discuss the books we read.  Each person tells the title, what the book was about, and their favorite parts (and not so favorite parts.)

I've learned a lot about a wide range of books by doing this. I had one of my kids read the How To Train Your Dragon series. So awesome and even better than the movie! I've learned a lot about Michael Jordan and John Stockton and even memorized the little book about this kid who goes to the zoo because that was a particular favorite of a child learning to read. (And they read it every week for a few weeks. Usually we have a no repeat rule, but we made an exception here.)  I've also learned a lot about my kids and what they like in a book.  It's a really fun way to encourage summer reading and have a lot of laughs in the process.

Do you do summer reading? How do you do it?  What's on your to-read list?

Book Review: Miss Armistead Makes Her Choice

Today I'd like to tell you about a regency romance, Miss Armistead Makes Her Choice by Heidi Ashworth.

This book is reminiscent of Jane Austen's style with witty dialogue, great historical setting and detail, and some fun twists and turns on the road to love.

We are first introduced to Miss Armistead, a young woman who has come from India to England to get ready for her marriage to a Mr. Cruikshank.  While she is in England, her carriage breaks down and she is forced to knock on a gentleman's door and ask for assistance.  This certain gentleman, a Mr. Lloyd-Jones is cynical of women and their trustworthiness since he's just had to cry off his engagement to a woman who wasn't what he thought she was.  He isn't very kind to Miss Armistead at first, but soon becomes intrigued with her forthright manner.

I loved the interactions between Miss Armistead and Mr. Lloyd-Jones.  Their attraction is forbidden of course, since she is betrothed and he has promised his best friend to avoid all entanglements of the heart.  This makes it easy for them to be in one another's company since they feel safe that nothing emotional will happen between them.  But sometimes it's hard for the head to rule the heart when you meet the person you know you were meant to spend your life with.

I won't tell you how it all ends when Miss Armistead's betrothed eventually comes to England, but it is heart-wrenching and wonderful all at the same time.  A really well-written story that I enjoyed immensely. If you like historical romance, this must go on your to-read list.

Here's the back copy:

Miss Elizabeth Armistead, India born and raised, is happily betrothed to British soldier, Duncan Cruikshank. When she arrives in London a month prior to the wedding she meets Mr. Lloyd-Jones and soon finds that he has invaded even her dreams. Besides Duncan, Mr. Lloyd-Jones is the only man who makes her feel as if he sees past her exceptional beauty to the person within. Her mother would prefer Elizabeth marry the rich and well-connected Mr. Lloyd-Jones while his sister is ecstatic that he is now free to woo Miss Armistead since he has broken off his engagement to the disgraceful Cecily Ponsonby. However, Elizabeth's commitment to the man she promised to marry is at odds with the likes of Mr. Lloyd-Jones who has cried off from one engagement already. How can she betray the man she believes to love her for her virtues so as to indulge her love for a man she fears she cannot trust?

Jaded and betrayed, Mr. Colin Lloyd-Jones and Sir Anthony Crenshaw make a solemn vow to avoid the Marriage Mart for the duration of the London season. When Sir Anthony is called away on a journey in the company of his grandmother's ward, Miss Delacourt, Colin finds he cannot abide by their agreement, especially when his father expects him to squire his sister to society's endless balls and routs. When Colin encounters the breathtakingly beautiful Miss Elizabeth Armistead, he is intrigued by her lack of fascination for his great standing in society, family fortune, and captivating charm. When he learns that she is already betrothed, he feels himself safe from hurt in her company until he discovers the secret she has been guarding, one that threatens to batter his vulnerable heart all past mending.

You can get your copy here