Friday, September 27, 2013

Autumn Bash ~ Celebrating with Jessica Dotta!

Today's guest is Jessica Dotta, author of Born of Persuasion. From the absolutely lovely package Jessica sent me - an ARC of her debut for review, with a wax seal and other fun designs on the brown paper it came in - I saw that Jessica is a creative, thoughtful, and meticulous person. I'm excited to read Born of Persuasion! I imagine it showcases these awesome aspects of Jessica's personality. =) Read on to learn more about her and her book...

***

Amber: Welcome, Jessica! What does autumn mean to you, in your writing career and in your life? Is there something you especially love about the season?

Jessica: I write better during Autumn, more so than other season! There's something about this time of year that woos me to write.

 When I was younger, there was a living historical farm in my area. Each year, they'd have a Harvest Time Festival where I would spend the entire day wandering about the property. I can still remember the clackity-hum of the spinning wheel, the scent of lye being boiled to make soap, the charred smell of burning wood as scrabble was cooked over open fires in cast iron pots, and the stickiness of pulling taffy.

During the festival, we were invited to dip wicks melted fat and wax, to harvest apples, to draw water from a well—so for a full day each year, I wandered in the late 1700's/early 1800's. I loved every minute of it. Perhaps that's one reason why when frost comes and the wind grows brisk, I feel drawn to withdraw and write the past alive.

Amber: That's so neat! Sounds like a memorable season, for sure!

If the hero of Born of Persuasion was invited to a harvest party, what would be his reaction? If he decided to go, what would he wear and how might he get involved?

Jessica: He would not become caught up in the gaiety of the party, but remain on the fringes, observant.

Amber: Intriguing... ;) What about your heroine? What is her favorite part about autumn in her hometown?

Jessica: Her home was isolated from the village and surrounded by tall grass. In the autumn, she would have relished long, winding ramblings through the countryside, and then coming home with numbed fingers and cheeks, ready to spend an hour in the kitchen, sipping a bowl of broth, while the maid-of-all-work, Sarah, told stories as she blackened the stove or cored apples.

Amber: Sounds lovely!  Could you share a snippet from the book?

Jessica: Here's a tea scene from Chapter One...

 
~ Excerpt from Born of Persuasion ~ 

“I am quite vexed with you.” Mrs. Windham placed a slice of lard cake on a plate. She eyed my dress hanging loosely over my frame, then added another sliver alongside a gooseberry tart. “Why did you not tell us your mother was ailing? Had I knowledge, I would have visited before she passed; indeed, I would have.”

My hand faltered as I reached for the plate. While I’d known the topic of Mama’s death was unavoidable, I had not expected it so soon.

“Mama.” Elizabeth cast her mother a disapproving look over the rim of her teacup. “You can scarcely blame Julia for it.”

“Blame Julia?” Mrs. Windham dabbed her eyes with the corner of her gardening apron. “What a notion, child.” Then to me, “Did she linger in much pain? Did she send me remembrances? Did she call for me in her deep despair?”

Tightness gathered in my chest as I sought for an explanation, knowing full well the Windhams wouldn’t be fooled into believing Mama had pined herself into an early grave over my father’s death.

I placed the plate on my lap, then set about tearing the cake into bite-sized pieces. “She called for no one. The cholera took her quickly.”

Elizabeth froze, midsip, as if detecting my lie. Mrs. Windham frowned, but I wasn’t certain whether she sensed deception or simply disliked being robbed of the notion that Mama had died crying out for her.

Mrs. Windham turned toward the window, pressing her lace handkerchief against her mouth. “Well, if you’re going to try to spare me, I am sure there is nothing I can do.” Her voice trembled. “I have lost my dearest friend, but why should anyone consider me?”

A long silence ensued, during which Elizabeth frowned and I twisted my cup in its saucer. We both knew trying to start a new conversation would be useless until her mother had been properly indulged.

After a minute, Mrs. Windham’s mouth puckered. “Humph. Well, do not think yourself cleared on all accounts. I am even more outraged you agreed to have this . . . this guardian. I scarcely believed my own ears when I heard the tidings. Nothing, no, nothing, could have made me believe you would choose this person over me. Whatever are you thinking?”

I tore the cake into yet smaller pieces.

Elizabeth darted an apologetic look at me, wrapping her hands about her cup. “Mama, you can scarcely blame Julia for whom her parents selected as her guardian.”

“What else am I to think? Especially when Lucy wrote me a mere month before her death begging me to care for Julia should this very thing happen. Well, all I can say is that Julia has certainly made it clear whom she prefers. Surely this person has no tie, no claim over you. I never heard of such an odd thing in all my life. Not give a name, indeed! And that man who came. That rude man! Is it so unreasonable to assume your guardian would have taken it into account that I have a daughter, and as such made allowances? See if I merit approval. Of all the insults.” She snorted into her half-empty cup.

I shot Elizabeth a questioning look. She’d not written anything about my guardian sending someone to Am Meer. Instead of meeting my eyes, her gaze drifted to the open windows.

“I never met such a rude man as that Simon.” Looking at my untouched food, Mrs. Windham fluttered her handkerchief at it. “Indeed, I wish we’d begun dining amongst higher spheres before I listed our acquaintances. That would have swept the smug look off that Simon’s face.”

Elizabeth let out a short sigh. “His name was Simmons, not Simon.”

“I think I should remember better than you, missy. I tell you it was Simon, and I cannot imagine a more disdainful or trying butler.”

“Butler?” I asked, more perplexed than ever. “Are you saying my guardian’s butler came here?”

“He was no butler; trust me,” Elizabeth said.

~ End of Excerpt ~

Amber: Love the sense of mystery! Thanks for sharing with us today!

***



Giveaway!

Jessica is giving away a paperback copy of Born of Persuasion! Here are the rules:

  • Leave a comment with your e-mail address (required). Let us know what you think of this introduction to the hero and heroine of Born of Persuasion!
  • This drawing is open to residents of the U.S. and Canada only.
  • One winner will be randomly drawn using the List Randomizer on Random.org, and will be announced on this blog on Saturday, September 28th.
Tomorrow all of the winners from the Autumn Bash (as well as the winner from Sandra Leesmith's cover reveal) will be announced! Good luck!

22 comments:

Unknown said...

I am fully intrigued by this introduction. Your heroine Julia appears to be a lovely girl who does not understand who really will be her guardian and surprised at the mystery surrounding her guardian. The identity of the hero is left totally to my imagine at this time but based on your comment he prefers to observe before he commits to revealing who he really is. I can't wait to read this book to find out who the characters really are. mcnuttjem0@gmail.com

Anna said...

Wow! This is great!! I LOVED Julia. :)

anna.baber@buc.blinn.edu

Amy C said...

Sounds like a captivating read! Been wanting to read it.
Campbellamyd at gmail dot com

Jessica Dotta said...

Jackie, thank you SO much! The question about the hero was hard to answer, because I don't reveal all in this book. As for Julia, I shared some of her life prior to the opening of the novel. She starts broken, but the fun is seeing her heal over the stretch of the trilogy. Appreciate your comments!

Jessica Dotta said...

Anna, thank you SO much!

Jessica Dotta said...

Yay! I'm so glad to hear that, Amy! I'm wishing all of you luck!

Heidi Reads... said...

Interesting... I'm so excited to read the story! Thanks for sharing the sweet interview!

colorvibrant[at]gmail[dot]com

Patty said...

I'm very interested to know who this Simmons is! Seems Julia has an interesting time before her... Would love to read her story!

pattymh2000(at)yahoo(dot)com

Anonymous said...

I can't wait to get to know Elizabeth and Mrs. Windham better, they sound like such fun!

Thanks for the excerpt!

-Kelsey P.
tunababe_3@hotmail.com

Anonymous said...

I loved it. would love to win. Angelachesnut246@gmail.com

Unknown said...

Excellent interview. I am intrigued by what's been said about the hero and heroine. The excerpt was great and caught my attention. I'm hooked and can't wait to read this book. Thank you for the opportunity to participate in this giveaway. Please enter my name.
Barbara Thompson
barbmaci61(at)yahoo(dot)com

Melody said...

It seems that many of the hero's stand on the outside looking in with the lady's part of the party fun.

missionwife AT hotmail DOT com

CentralEast2 said...

The introduction make me want to read more of the book and find out more about them. centraleast2 at gmail dot com

Susan Johnson said...

I liked the excerpt. I wanted to read more.

susanmsj@msn.com

Cathy said...

I think I'm going to like these characters! Looking forward to reading this book. : )

Thanks for the giveaway!

sunshine6892 at hotmail dot com

Anonymous said...

Oh my goodness it sounds amazing!! I so would love to win it! Great interview by the way!

sylvesternator(at)yahoo(dot)com

Tales of Whimsy said...

Sounds like one I might enjoy on audio. Great post as always darling.

Sheri said...

I thoroughly enjoyed this introduction to the hero and heroine of Born of Persuasion. It sounds great and I look forward to reading this book. By the way, it has a beautiful cover!!

Sheri

hspruitt {at} frontiernet [dot] net

Susan P said...

Sounds like a good one!
lattebooks at hotmail dot com

Amber Holcomb said...

Sounds like the premise of this story has intrigued everyone! :) Gotta love a good mystery - and good writing!

Thank you all for your comments & thoughts - and thank you, Jessica, for being my guest today!

Winner will be announced soon!

~Amber

Cherie Hamby Kasper said...

That's just not fair..oh, I guess it is. But anyway, I would love to find out what happened in the rest of the story.
ckasper49(at)gmail(dot)com

Amber Holcomb said...

Cherie,

Since you left a comment on the winners post, I'm guessing you know that this giveaway is over... But I appreciate you stopping by to read the post still, and I hope you get to find out what happens next sometime! :)

~Amber