A few weeks ago, Anne Elisabeth Stengl (my publisher for The Windy Side of Care in Five Glass Slippers ) inquired as to whether I might be willing to ask a question of her mother, author Jill Stengl, and participate in an internet-wide blog tour for the release of her novel, Until That Distant Day. Being the obliging creature that I am, I said yes. Being the prompt creature that she is, Anne Elisabeth soon sent me an email with all the bits and pieces I'd need to host Jill on The Inkpen Authoress. And that, my dears, is the story of today's post. But first, let us hear about the book!
Colette
and her brother Pascoe are two sides of the same coin, dependent upon
one another in the tumultuous world of the new Republic. Together
they labor with other leaders of the sans-culottes to ensure
freedom for all the downtrodden men and women of France.
But
then the popular uprisings turn bloody and the rhetoric proves false.
Suddenly, Colette finds herself at odds with Pascoe and struggling to
unite her fractured family against the lure of violence. Charged with
protecting an innocent young woman and desperately afraid of losing
one of her beloved brothers, Colette doesn’t know where to turn or
whom to trust as the bloodshed creeps ever closer to home.
Until
that distant day when peace returns to France, can she find the
strength to defend her loved ones . . . even from one another?
"Jill
Stengl is one of the rare authors with the ability to transport the
reader to another world--a delightfully rich world of scent and sight
and sound.” – Kim Vogel Sawyer, bestselling author of Echoes
of Mercy
“Award-winning
author Jill Stengl has created her greatest work yet in the inspiring
and moving Until That Distant Day.” Jill Eileen Smith,
bestselling author of the Wives of King David series.
And now that we have hurled formalities at one another, I will let Jill answer the question I fed her! I asked Ms. Stengl:
"Have you ever begun a story and realized someone else has already done something quite similar and you had no idea? If so, how have you worked to make yours different?"
Yes,
I have, but my discovery came too late for revision! Heartsong
Presents books, at that time, were mailed out to subscribers, four
each month. One month after one of my stories released, a historical
by a better-known author came out, another western with a main
character whose history was nearly identical to my hero’s history.
Naturally, the two books blended together in readers’ minds. The
short-romance genre offers little scope for originality. I always
struggled to find ways to make my work stand out in the crowd.
Occasionally I was successful; more often I was not.
After
many years of writing, reading, and observation, I believe that
characters make the difference. I can invent a great plot, a fabulous
setting, and even a strong story outline; but if my characters are
cookie-cutter, my story will sound exactly like dozens of other books
out there. Readers might enjoy it at the moment, but they will forget
it entirely within days. After all these years I am finally learning
how to write characters that think, speak, act, and react like real
people instead of behaving like puppets acting out my plot. It is
much harder to write a novel than it used to be, but I am far more
satisfied with the result. There is always more to learn, and of
course I’m hoping the next book will be even better!
Great
question, Rachel! Thank you so much for joining my blog tour.
Jill Stengl is the author of numerous romance novels including Inspirational Reader's Choice Award- and Carol Award-winning Faithful Traitor, and the bestselling novella, Fresh Highland Heir. She lives with her husband in the beautiful Northwoods of Wisconsin, where she enjoys her three cats, teaching a high school English Lit. class, playing keyboard for her church family, and sipping coffee on the deck as she brainstorms for her next novel.
She blogs at Books, Cats, and Whimsy. Do stop by and follow her to keep up with all her writing and reading-related activities!
And, dear readers, until May 12th, the Kindle version of Until That Distant Day is only .99 so if you are fond of reading on Kindles (as I know many of you are), do drop us a line!
There is a lovely giveaway going on as well, so please rummage about the Rafflecopter below to see the many ways you could win. French Revolution books always give me a thrill--ever since The Scarlet Pimpernel--so I would be quite anxious to win a copy myself. Also, Harney & Sons tea is spectacular.
And just so you don't miss any of the other stops on this tour, I am posting the tour schedule below. Find a stop near you! Bus Fare only .50 a pop. ;)
Until
That Distant Day
Launch
Tour Schedule
May 5
May 6
May 7
May 8
May 9
May 10
May 11
May 12
May 13
– Giveaway Winner Announced
Posts
7 comments:
Sounds like fun! I love books set during the French revolution.
I like the question that Rachel asked for that is something that occasionally comes up for writers. Even Helen Keller had to face that once. The setting and the fact that it focuses on a number of relationships, not just romance (something I learned on Joy's blog) appealed to me.
And the cover is really pretty.
"The next book"... I like the sound of that, Mrs. Stengl! :)
Thank you for taking part in the blog tour, Rachel! I am so excited to share my mother's beautiful book.
This is a very good question, Rachel, and I love Mrs. Stengl's insightful answer.
Thanks to all for the kind comments! And Hannah, I'm glad you're eager for a sequel. ;-)
Post a Comment