A SAINT IN THE ETERNAL CITY - Rosanne Croft - One Free Book

Welcome back, Rosanne. Why do you write the kind of books you do?

If I didn’t write, I’d burst from lack of creativity and living a real life. Jesus freed me from legalistic religion, and I want others to know they can be free, too.

Besides when you came to know the Lord, what is the happiest day in your life?

It really would have to be my wedding day. We had a fast romance, and between being scared and happy and grateful and disheveled all at once, I’d say that day was the happiest of my life. Falling in love is life-changing.

James and I met each other 3 months and 3 days before we married, and we will celebrate 52 years in November. How has being published changed your life?

It boosted my confidence tremendously. I owe a great debt to my first publisher because I think I’d have given up if I’d had to wait much longer.

It took 8 years to get my first book published, and it was 10 years between book 1 and book 2, but look what’s happened since. What are you reading right now?

I read a variety. I started “25 Books Every Christian Should Read,” and though I’ve read a few of them, these are scholarly books, so I’m grateful for the “Cliff’s Notes” contained in the book. Also, I have an autobiography by Vladimir Putin called First Person; An Astonishingly Frank Self-Portrait on my nightstand. I love Russian history and I’m curious about Putin. I just picked up a children’s copy of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight retold by Michael Morpurgo at the library. Because children’s versions are more attractive that adult ones, I love them. They’re more understandable, too.

What is your current work in progress?

It excites me to say that I’m finishing the Believe in Love Series with Book 3, For Time and Eternity. I also resurrected an old manuscript of a children’s fantasy (now called speculative fiction) and I’m having fun re-writing it. The working title is Here There Be Dragons.

What would be your dream vacation?

I’d love to go back to Italy, which happens to be where A Saint in the Eternal City takes place. I would drive around the island of Sicily where I spent time when I was young. If I could combine that with a visit to J. R. R. Tolkien’s and C. S. Lewis’ haunts in Oxford, England, it would be my dream vacation.

How do you choose your settings for each book?

I’m familiar with my settings, Utah and Italy. I lived in both for a time. I wanted to juxtapose the two cultures, one in the New World, the other far more ancient. Contrasting the cultures helped my book.

If you could spend an evening with one person who is currently alive, who would it be and why?

I’d spend the evening with Peter Jackson, talking about how he was able to write a screenplay like The Lord of the Rings so well; how he chose elements to include in the plot and how he achieved such good acting from his actors.

What are your hobbies, besides writing and reading?

Film watching, gardening, cooking, and sewing. If I don’t sew for a few months, I’m itching to make something. I like to do quilted landscapes. I’m a homebody, very domestic, much like a hobbit.

What is your most difficult writing obstacle, and how do you overcome it?

Disciplining my time. I used to think I needed long blocks of time to write, and that’s still what I prefer. But now I take what segments of time I can, between grandchildren, cooking, and running the household. Prayer helps calm my heart to write, and the drive to get it done returns. Also, once I start, hours go by ... so starting is key.

What advice would you give to a beginning author?

Learn to self-edit; it helps your writing in a way that nothing else can. Be teachable; learn from others and be humble about it. Believe in yourself, and in the Lord who gave you the gift. Never give up.

Tell us about the featured book.

A Saint in the Eternal City continues the love story in A Gentile in Deseret; a romance between a born-again Christ follower and a Latter-day Saint. The conflict is obvious—their worldviews are different, their cultures are at odds. But they love each other and pursue the relationship even though they have so much against them. God intervenes and their story becomes one of a spiritual journey for truth.

Please give us the first page of the book.

Chapter One

Missing Utah

Alex Campanaro sank deep into his garden chair, brooding over a cup of dark roast coffee. Outside Rome, his family’s villa reflected the sienna color of the sky this August morning, but the beauty of the ancient house and courtyard had little effect on his mood. Turmoil swept through him like splashing water in the nearby fountain, scattering chaotic drops in every direction. A sudden breeze ruffled the violet flowers climbing the pergola, as well as his wild curly hair. Pumping with energy, he jumped up to pace the cobblestones.

His heart was back in Utah with the girl he loved. How he missed his blue-eyed blonde, Jennalee Young. Their goodbyes at high school graduation resounded in his mind whenever he glanced at her senior picture on his new cellphone. The loss of her pervaded his mind.

She’d told him, “I guess we set ourselves up for hurt like this when we started going out. It’s all so impossible.” I’ll say impossible. Jennalee was right; dating a Mormon girl when he was a sold-out born-again Christian meant obstacles, lots of them. After she’d said it, he’d made a vain effort to quiet her crying.

“Don’t look at it like that. One year, remember? We’ll be back together in a year. I’ll email you, I promise.”  A promise he couldn’t keep since all their plans to communicate were a tangled mess. The pact to meet in a year fractured. Would he ever see her again? Had she totally forgotten what they’d studied in the Bible and gone back to her LDS roots? Maybe she didn’t want him to find her.

On impulse before leaving for Italy, he’d sold his expensive smart phone to buy a plane ticket, unaware he couldn’t relay his new number to her, since her number had also changed. Her parents succeeded in taking over her Facebook account, which she hadn’t seen in three months as far as he could tell. All emails had gone unanswered. The Young family circled the wagons around their daughter, blocking him out.

He had to find her, talk to her, but how could he leave his demanding new job in Italy to go back to Utah? Just then his younger brother Gabe popped outside in his bathrobe, interrupting his worries.

“Hey bro, have you seen my camera?” he asked, squinting in the rich light. “I have to pack it for the trip back to Utah tomorrow.”

How can readers find you on the Internet?

I’m on Facebook, Twitter, and on my website, RosanneCroft.com, which I’m currently building. Recently, I joined LinkedIn. Thanks, Lena, for the opportunity to share with your readers.

I enjoyed the opportunity to feature your new book. I know my readers are interested in reading it.

Readers, here are links to the book. By using one when you order, you help support this blog.

A Saint in the Eternal City (Believe in Love) (Volume 2) - paperback
A Saint in the Eternal City (Believe in Love Book 2) - Kindle

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