Allow me to introduce to you the featured author for
April 7th through April 13th
WELCOME
DEBORAH M. PICCURELLI
Deborah, how did you become involved with the subject or
theme of your book?
I actually wrote this
novella years ago for a publisher who put out anthologies. They had advertised
about four different themes they would be accepting submissions for. I selected
one called “A well-kept secret,” wrote the book on about six months, and
submitted on the first day they were scheduled to accept them. The next day, I
received an email explaining they had decided not to publish that particular
anthology. Shortly after, I heard they weren’t doing anthologies at all,
anymore.
Why did you choose to write in your particular field or
genre? If you write more than one, how do you balance them?
I usually write
romantic suspense, and I do because it’s my favorite genre to read. Don’t get
me wrong, I’ll read most any genre, if there’s an interesting story to it, but
I really like a romantic element to what I read (and write). I also really
enjoy suspense. But this novella is pure romance. As explained above, I always
like to have a romantic element in anything I read or write. Also, my answer to
the previous question had much to do with why Love Comes Calling is solely romance.
I have future plans
for some nonfiction books, movie scripts and a TV series, but I can’t speak yet
for how I balance them, because I haven’t gotten that far, yet.
Where did your love of
books/storytelling/reading/writing/etc. come from?
I believe a lifetime
of reading has sparked my love for books. From that sprung the desire to write.
What did you enjoy most about writing this novella?
The characters’
interactions. It’s always about the characters for me, because that’s where all
the fun is, as far as I’m concerned.
How did you come to know the Lord?
It’s funny, because I
don’t remember the Lord not being in
my life, yet, I wasn’t always saved. I grew up Catholic, attending Catholic
school, but they didn’t teach about a relationship with Him. I think I must
have picked up on the right things they did teach, and just naturally developed
one with Him on my own. When my sister, who had just gotten saved herself,
explained about salvation to me, I knew it was the truth, so I then accepted
Christ into my heart.
Who are some of your favorite authors that you feel were
influential in your work? What impact have they had on your writing?
As a new Christian, I
never knew there were Christian books out there. When I found a small rotating
rack (Choice Books) full of them in my local supermarket, I was both astonished
and overjoyed. There were some books there written by Grace Livingston Hill.
Now, granted, she wrote those books years ago, but they seemed to be ahead of
their time. There were stories that touched on pornography, crime, alcoholism,
infidelity, to name a few. But reading those books inspired me to begin my
writing, knowing I could incorporate faith into such stories.
Another
author, Sally John, is my mentor. In my very early stages of learning, I read
some of her books, and contacted her through the publisher (this was just
before the internet explosion).
I told her how much I enjoyed
her books, and that I was an aspiring writer. She so graciously wrote back,
offering to take a look at my writing. From that time on, she has been a
tremendous help to me. We have never met personally, as we live on extreme
opposite sides of the country, but we have said that it will happen sometime.
That situation is not
what normally happens, today. I just happened to be blessed by a truly kind and
wonderful lady who is now my good friend and sister in Christ.
What are some day jobs that you’ve held? If any of them
impacted your writing, share an example.
For most of my
employment years, I held secretarial positions. But what mattered is who those
positions were with. Most of my career was spent working for our county’s Family
Court. While there, I was even chosen to substitute for a clerk who sat in at
hearings to write up docket sheets for the files (I’m really dating myself,
here. They probably use computers, now). I really enjoyed that. After having my
children, I worked part-time, mostly for attorneys. I think that helped me get
into writing suspense.
What process did you go through to get your book published?
This novella had
already been written years before, and just sitting there. I wrote it for a
publisher who had advertised that they were going to be accepting submissions
for novella’s to be put into four different anthologies. Each anthology had a
specific theme. I chose to write for “a well-kept secret.” The day after I
submitted, they emailed me, saying they decided not to publish that particular
volume. Shortly after, they stopped putting out any anthology, at all. This was
one of the most prominent publishers in the Christian genre.
Fast-forward to
summer 2014. I heard Prism Book Group was running a contest. I don’t know what
made me do it, but I decided to enter Love
Comes Calling. I was one of three winners who were invited to submit the
complete manuscript of their books, and, well, here I am with an e-book release
of March 20th!
What do you like to read in your free time?
I read all kinds of
things: First and foremost, I read my Bible every morning, and sometimes at
other times throughout the day or evening. Then, in between all my household,
wifely and motherly duties, I’ll read the newspaper, magazines here and there,
nonfiction Christian books about how to apply Biblical principles to my life,
and in fiction, mostly romantic suspense, but all other genres, too, as long as
it has a good story.
What projects are you working on at present?
I have a few projects
in the research stage, such as, two nonfiction books, a movie, and I have just
begun writing a script for a TV series.
~ ~ ~ ~
I'm so
excited to announce this is the first review posted to Journeys To Joy for a NOVELLA and it's so so worth the exposure!
LOVE COMES CALLING - a Contemporary Novella packs a whollop from the get-go. . .it's a 2-for-1 kind of story too. . Interesting connections between two different couples with an emphasis on FORGIVENESS and the REDEMPTIVE POWER in Christ. .
.wowser this is a good story.
CHARACTERS - realistic, compelling
PLOT - well thought out - realistic
SETTINGS - interesting and real
EMOTIONAL - extremely well done - depth is amazing and then some. . .
ALL SO WELL WRITTEN! I can honestly say, once I started reading, I did NOT stop. . .didn't even get up to eat before I'd finished reading this story. Hard to believe it's not a full-length novel considering all that Deborah conveyed in these pages. I wholeheartedly promote
LOVE COMES CALLING!
~ ~ ~ ~
TWO COMMENTERS CAN
WIN A COPY of
LOVE COMES CALLING- next Monday night.
PLEASE leave a comment. . .leave your email addy so I can contact you if you're one of two winners.
A LINK for purchasing LOVE COMES CALLING will be made available later in the week.
~ ~ ~ ~
Sent
away for protection, hotel heiress Estella Everstone finds herself
living undercover as a lady’s companion named Elle Stoneburner at one of
her father’s opulent hotels in the mountains of Maine—the one she'd
always loved best and always hoped to own one day, Everston. The one
thing she doesn't like about the situation is that her ex-fiancé is in
the area and is set on marrying someone else. Reeling from her feelings
of being unwanted and unworthy, Estella reluctantly forms a friendship
with the gruff manager of Everston, Dexter Blakeley, who seems to have
something against wealthy young socialites with too much money, although
they are just the kind of people Everston caters to.
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