Journey's To Joy presents ~ First ever novella ~ LOVE COMES CALLING

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 20^th!

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.

~ ~ ~ ~