After fleeing impending war in England, nineteen-year-old Abby Stapleton works to correct her stammer and to become a teacher in America, only to discover this conflict has no boundaries and that a rejected suitor is intent on destroying her name, fiancé, and fragile faith.Before we meet today's author, I want to announce that the winner of the free copy of Where I Was Planted, by Heather Norman Smith, is:
sarahtaylor601973@...
Congratulations! We'll get your book right out to you. I encourage readers to keep commenting and/or subscribe at right (above my list of books) in order to learn about new releases! U.S. subscribers are entered in the drawings a second time when they comment.
And now let's chat with novelist Pat Jeanne Davis, author of the historical inspirational romance novel, When Valleys Bloom Again (Elk Lake Publishing, Inc., February 2019).
Pat Jeanne Davis lives in Philadelphia with her British-born husband, John. They have two grown sons. She enjoys flower gardening, genealogy research and traveling with her husband.Pat has published essays, short stories and articles online and in print. She has a keen interest in twentieth-century American and British history, particularly the period of World War II. Pat’s father-in-law served in the British Eighth Army during the war. When Valleys Bloom Again is her debut historical romance set in that era.
She is a member of the American Christian Fiction Writers and the Historical Novel Society. Pat loves to hear from her readers.
Please tell us one random thing we might not know about you.
I became a mom for the first time at age 46.
Wow, I know that has its blessings and challenges! I was 38 when my second child was born, and I could tell a real difference in my energy level from when I became a mom at 25. But I know the renewal your life no doubt underwent, as did mine, having a child a little later in life.
Please tell us a bit more about the plot of When Valleys Bloom Again.
As war approaches in 1939, Abby Stapleton’s safety is under threat. Her father, a British diplomat, insists she go back to America until the danger passes. Abby vows to return to her home in London—but where is home?With her family facing mortal danger so far away and feeling herself isolated, she finds it hard to pray or read the Bible. Did she leave God behind in war-torn London too? Abby becomes friendly with Jim, a gardener on her uncle’s estate.
Jim can’t get Abby out of his mind. Did she have a sweetheart in England? Was it foolish to think she’d consider him? He curses his poverty, and the disgrace of his father’s desertion and drunkenness haunts him. Can he learn to believe in love for a lifetime and to hope for a happy marriage?
Abby couldn’t know the war would last a long time, nor that she would fall in love with Jim—soon to be drafted by the U.S. Army—or that she’d have to confront Henri, a rejected suitor, determined by his lies to ruin her reputation and destroy her faith in God’s providence. Will she discover the true meaning of home and find happiness with Jim?
What is it about Abby that will make your readers care about her?
Abby has a lovely singing voice and attends the Royal Academy of Music. She also loves children and hopes to become a teacher. After she is uprooted from her home in England and sent to America, she works to overcome her speech impediment, attends a teachers college, graduates and then uses her skills in the war effort.
Let’s fantasize—your publisher is sending you to explore the history and setting for a new novel. Where are they sending you? Why there?
It’s 1913 and my publisher is sending me to Philadelphia. My assignment is to uncover the extensive corruption in local government where the same political party has been in power for decades.
What are you working on now?
A novel set in the Progressive Era, a time of social reform and the continued struggle for the right of women to vote. (A brief synopsis below).
In 1910, Marcella Whitney is sent abroad by her parents to be educated. Raymond, her intended in a prearranged marriage, agrees to wait until she returns from her studies. While studying in London, she takes up the cause of the suffrage movement, going against the social expectations of her family. Is working for social reform her Christian duty too? The absence from Ray gives Cella time to discover she doesn’t want to be a society wife.
On returning to Philadelphia, she learns Ray and her father are in negotiations with a client who intends to tear down the settlement house in which she is about to assume full responsibility and to erect a brewery in its place. When she stands against them and opposes a determined and vindictive brewery owner and a corrupt local government, her father threatens to disown her. Ray issues an ultimatum.
Will Cella’s commitment to social reform and in improving the lives of others forever separate her from her parents and ruin any chance of marriage?
Your various historical settings are so interesting. Makes me want to write more historical fiction! I love the choices you've made so far.
Where else can readers find you online?
Website: www.patjeannedavis.com, where you can subscribe to my newsletter.
Goodreads
Amazon Author Page
BookBub
The book can be purchased online via the following button:
Finally, what question would you like to ask my readers?
If you could return to a bygone era, in what historical period would you like to live and what fascinates you about that time in history?
Thank you, Pat, for visiting and telling us about yourself and your novel. Readers, Pat has offered to give away a free copy of her book. To enter, leave a comment and your email below in answer to her question, above. "Please enter me" won't get you entered. Remember that U.S. subscribers are entered an additional time in each drawing. The drawing is done by email, so leave your email address, like so: trish[at]trishperry[dot]com.
Only United States residents are eligible for the drawing, but anyone can subscribe to the blog posts via the GDPA-compliant Feedblitz box above my list of books, at right.
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Annoying legal disclaimer: drawings void where prohibited; open only to U.S. residents; the odds of winning depend upon the number of participants. See full disclaimer, GDPA notice, and my Disclosure of Material Connection HERE
12 comments:
Trish, many thanks for inviting me to visit on your blog and talk about myself and my writing. I look forward to connecting with some of your readers here.
I was born in 1954 but I would love to be an adult during the 50s and early 60s. I love the dress style, the music and the seemingly easy lifestyle. Also all the cool shows like I Love Lucy and the early episodes of the Andy Griffith Show. I would love to live in Mayberry and wear Lucille Ball’s wardrobe from I Love Lucy.
tumcsec(at)gmail(dot)com
I think I would like to visit the Revolutionary War era . I’d like to be a part of the founding of our country and discover just what the Founding Fathers really meant by some of the things in the Constitution. I’d like to get it from the source instead of someone’s interpretation.
Besides, I like the fashions and the furniture and handmade items.
Hi Gail, I remember my mother wearing A-line dresses and the pillbox hats that Jackie Kennedy made so popular during her husband's presidency in the early 60's. You probably remember those too. My mom always wore a hat and gloves to church and to her office job in the big city. I never liked hats and yet my favorite historical period is the early 20th century when every woman wore a hat and very large and elaborate ones at that. I,too, remember Lucy and the Andy Griffith Show. Thank you for commenting here. Good luck on the drawing for my novel.
Hi Paula, I live in Philadelphia, the birthplace of America's independence and a city rich in history. Valley Forge is very close to us too. I think some of us living here at times don't appreciate the significance of our city's place in history. I espeially admire Betsy Ross, whose life was very difficult, for the sacrifices she made and the risks she took in serving the cause for liberty. Betsy was a skilled seamstress. I can only imagine what finery she must have created. Thank you for stopping by and leaving a comment for me. All the best in the drawing for my novel.
Hi , I enjoyed reading this blog, this book sounds like a very good read, and the cover is Beautiful! I would love to read this book. I think I would love to live in the 20's , I think the roaring twenties was a pretty neat time. I enjoyed learning more about this awesome author. God Bless you all.
I do think the era before the Revolutionary War would be fascinating. The idealistic formation of a new country and the demand for independence--wow. I'm a wimp, though, so I think the time of the war itself would be terrifying!
Alica, thank you for stopping by and leaving an answer to my question. In 1920, women finally won the right to vote. They also continued to enjoy more personal freedom that was long overdue to them. Thank you for your kind words for my book and the cover. May God bless you too.
Trish, I'm with you there. I can well imagine the tension in a household where some members were sympathetic to the colonists cry for freedom from the British and other members wanted to remain loyal to the mother country. Too many families were divided over this.
interesting interview
bn100candg at hotmail dot com
I think that WWII era would be a very interesting time to be alive. It was a very difficult time period but it also was a time of helping others who were in grave danger for many.
Thank you, Beverly, for stopping by. So many throughout Europe and elsewhere suffered during those dark days of WWII. Thank God people in nations that enjoyed freedom and cherished democracy came to their rescue.
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