Monday, September 09, 2013

No Turning Back Guest Post~Giveaway~Spotlight

NTB - Don't Judge A Book By It's Cover
 
Don't Judge A Book By It's Cover
 
By Deanna Jewel
Romance Author
 
    This genre pulled me in as a teenager and I’ve never quit reading them. My favorites are those set in England before the 1800s that show me the life of aristocrats at those wonderful balls where ladies of the ton are escorted by handsome, titled men. I know I’m not the only reader taken in by the intrigue at court with the kings and queens, as well as the love of castles, ships, pirates and royalty.
    This leads me to the reason I wrote No Turning Back! As an author, I wanted to take my reader inside those castle walls or aboard that ship fighting the pirates. All of that is created in the book and readers will be taken back to 1778 to meet my characters and their enemies! The theme in my books seems to be finding love a second time when many go into depression assuming they’ll never fall in love with another person after losing their soul mate. I hope my books change that thought for many readers and that they also fall in love with my characters. Below is a blurb from my historical set in England in 1778.
 
Blurb from No Turning Back:

    While avenging the death of his fiancĂ© years earlier, Nathan learns that he can love again but is he willing to chance another broken heart? Will the woman he wants also learn to love again?
    Vanessa is heartbroken over recent events in her life; she’s also headstrong, flaunts London aristocracy and takes on breeding horses, something unheard of in the society circles of London. She finds herself trying to put the pieces of her life back together, but can she do it alone? With a child on the way, she is forced to do just that - their future depends on her strength. Then a friend offers to help. Dare she trust a man sworn to carry out a vow taken on a death bed? She refuses to accept that his love is true when his honor of sticking to his word is also at stake.
 
Book Fairy:  Now let’s meet the author and get to know her book. Deanna, welcome to our blog and thank you for being here with us today.
     In No Turning Back, readers will feel an emotional pull toward Nathan because you have drawn such a good character, strong and full of emotion. I know as an author there are techniques on how to draw a character that we can feel, and not a cardboard character. Would you mind telling us what you did?
 
 
Deanna:  Thank you for having me here today. Creating Nathan was a pure pleasure. I gave him attributes that I like in men and he respects women like he would respect his mother. I wanted a man who had felt love before; one who would know what and who he was looking for when he found her. Nathan already knew the qualities he wanted in his woman that would make his heart skip each time he glanced at her or held her in his arms. He wanted a woman to spend the rest of his life with, to watch his children grow up with, and to fall deeper in love with as each day passed. Ok, that’s plenty……he just gets me carried away!
 
 
Book Fairy:  Let’s discuss Vanessa, the heroine. Did she speak to you, or was she difficult to reach. Did you ever reach to that stage where a character refuses to talk to you?
 
Deanna: Vanessa was not as easy to write as Nathan was. I did have a hard time figuring out just who Vanessa was. I knew who I wanted her to be, but it’s a bit more involved than that. *smile*
     I wanted to create a woman who knew what she wanted in life and wasn’t afraid to go after it, to take chances, not caring what others might have to say about her. Vanessa is a risk taker and determination is what drives her. She wasn’t prepared for falling in love with Nathan at all. She already had feelings for her childhood sweetheart.
    When I wrote her into Whispers at Ghost Point, she made sure I knew right away what she wanted! That book was so much fun! So was the book trailer, but I love creating them. They can all be watched on my website.
 
 
 
Book Fairy:  When I love a character and feel him/her, I really feel that the author loved that character and poured all her efforts in to make the character that he/she is. Is that true and was Nathan it? I have a feeling Nathan is coming back but don’t know how lol.
 
 
Deanna:  I wrote No Turning Back many years ago but didn’t really have a picture in my mind of how he looked until I found the photo of a young man who just jumped off my computer screen at me. I knew immediately he was Nathan and his photo is on the cover and my website. I was a bit surprised to find out he actually lives in London so to find a character that fit the bill AND lives where my story takes place just blew me away. Once I’d found the picture of Nathan, adding to his character was so easy to do. I won’t say anymore, it’ll spoil it for the readers. I’m still waiting for him to answer my email though…I know he’s read the email I sent him, he just hasn’t decided to reply yet…but one day he will.
 
 
Book Fairy:  It was wonderful to read about the London’s aristocratic society, and I enjoyed how detailed you were in describing the life. What research did you do and what was the best information that you found and said “This piece of info is perfect for my story?
 
Deanna:  I did so much research for this book because I wanted the city just right. I’m sure there are still items that might not be exactly correct but I tried my darnedest to get it right. I’m not a horse person but was lucky enough to meet a woman online who IS a horsewoman and she helped me immensely in getting that part of the book correct. I gave her credit for that in my dedication.
 
Book Fairy:  Tell us about the inside information of your next novel, Whispers at Ghost Point. We like to hear sexy stuff!
 
Deanna:  Well, I can’t write a romance without those warm sensuous sex scenes now can I! I’m bringing back Nathan and Vanessa in my next novel, but 100 or so years into the future from where they were and an ocean away! In No Turning Back, I never stated that he shipped items to the colonies because I just assumed the reader would know that it could happen. In my upcoming novel, Whispers at Ghost Point, the readers will recognize the characters and it isn’t necessary to read NTB to enjoy Whispers. I’ll let them figure out who the ghost in the lighthouse is!
     I won’t spoil things any further than that, just know it will be worth reading to find out how things work out. Can a ghost from Dana’s past ruin her future?
      I also have to start work on the sequel to my Native American time travel, Never Surrender. Readers write me to find out when that might happen. I haven’t even begun to figure out a plot for that one! Just know that it will happen.
 
Book Fairy: Thank you, Deanna, for being here with us; we’re wishing you the best of success. Hope to see more of your news. Until then, take care all and I hope you enjoyed this interview with author Deanna Jewel.
 
Deanna: Thanks so much for allowing me this time with your readers. I do appreciate it. I hope they hop over to my website and surf around. There is a lot to do and several other links to visit. They can also sign up for my newsletter! I pick one winner a month from my newsletter subscribers and one from my blog followers.
 
Find me here:
 
 
Read Chapter 1 of each book HERE
 
CONTESTS:  Get your entry into both contests below. My book tour contest winner will be picked on Oct 14th - click the Rafflecopter contest to be in the Grand Prize drawing - earn more entries by Tweeting and sharing. LEAVE A COMMENT below for a chance to win a $15 gift card by telling us what your favorite historical romance setting is (I love England, Ireland or Scotland in the 1800s). Thank you all for stopping in!
 
 

14 comments:

  1. I love Scotland but I also love anything set during the Civil War. I entered under the name of Virginia

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  2. Virginia and BN, thank you for following along on the tour! I love seeing that you both do that for me! Good luck in the contests! I've not considered writing in the Civil War era but I know many readers love stories set during that time. Thanks again, ladies!

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  3. I don't have one particular setting that I love most, however I love when authors put in interesting details from whatever place/time period the setting is in. One book I really enjoyed recently that did this was set in many places around London in the 1500's it was the second book in the All Souls Trilogy from Deborah Harkness. Really good read! Thank you! kamclauc AT gmail DOT com

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    1. Lhasa, thank you for commenting and stopping in to read my work and check out my books. I do appreciate it. I've not read Deb Harkness but I do love London in the 1500s also!

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  4. A great post thank you.

    I'm happy to read all settings, so long as it fits the story well.

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  5. Mary, thanks for following my blog tour! Good luck in the contests!

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  6. Thanks for getting this to us in your newsletter. Great interview. Thanks for the contest.

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  7. I would have to say my favorite historical romance setting would be Ireland since that is where my ancestors came from. I love the folklore from Ireland!

    colljerr at comcast dot net

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  8. Hi Deanna. Great interview. I loved No Turning Back. I will have to reread again.
    Sue B
    katsrus(at)gmail(dot)com

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  9. I love the time of William the Conqueror. The knights, ladies and pageantry in contrast to the brutality, inequality and poverty is just fascinating.

    blueshedevil32 AT gmail DOT com

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    1. Sebella, I do enjoy that era also! Medieval times just take me back there!

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  10. Lhasa Luma is the winner of the $10 gift card! I'll be in touch to find out where you'd like it to. Thank you all who stopped by and to those following along the blog tour. Don't forget to get your entries in the Grand Prize drawing!

    Ladies, thank you for having on your blog!

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  11. Thanks for the interesting post. Sorry I'm stopping by so late. I love books set in the 19th century England and America best. I'm beginning to enjoy more stories set in the early part of the 20th century too. Thanks for the giveaway.

    kareninnc at gmail dot com

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