WAR OF THE HEART - Jenna Victoria - One Book Giveaway

Welcome, Jenna. Tell us how much of yourself you write into your characters.

To be truthful, not much of myself, but happy memories or habits of beloved relatives usually appear somewhere. For example, my Grammy, who was the prayer warrior in our family, wrote letters with a wooden ruler laid flat on the paper at the base of the line she was writing on...it kept her cursive ramrod straight across the bottom. She would then add the loops below the line (g's, j's, y's) afterward. Louise Martin's Gran in my book, War of the Heart, did the same thing.

What is the quirkiest thing you have ever done?

Renewed my wedding vows in a hot air balloon overlooking the Idaho side of the Grand Teton Mountains.

Sounds exciting. When did you first discover you were a writer?

When I got my first child library card and discovered the miraculous way books can transport us into incredible worlds.

Tell us the range of the kinds of books you enjoy reading.

I enjoy romance, both sweet and Christian, cozy mysteries and romantic suspense. I have a rather large list of British police procedural mystery authors that I follow and always buy their next book. I adore detective series with certain teams or partners always featured - no matter how many books there are, it gets added to my To-Be-Read pile.

How do you keep your sanity in our run, run, run world?

Doing my best to feed my mind with finer thoughts. Philippians says, "Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things." I try to block out things that do not fit that instruction. My author tag line is "fiction that feeds your faith," so I believe this is a key to a strong Christian walk.

I’ve judged what movies to watch, what TV shows to watch, and what books to read by that verse for a long time. How do you choose your characters’ names? 

I start with the "what if?" question. Once I have that, the first main character names usually pop into my head. Then I tweak them to make sure there aren't any other characters with same first letter, are true to the dates of the story, and are representative of their inner characteristics.  One thing I do every so often is sit through those long movie credits - lots of great names to choose from and jot down in the notes app in my smart phone!

James and I stay for the credits for most movies we go see in a theater. It’s hard to read them on out TV. What is the accomplishment that you are most proud of?

Signing my first book contract, and getting 25 5-star reviews out of the gate for that debut story.

If you were an animal, which one would you be, and why?

A lamb. A favorite childhood memory is a color Easter print of Jesus gently carrying a lamb in His strong arms. "Carry Me!" I wanted to say. Of course, I learned He does, every day, in a non-corporal way.

What is your favorite food?

Pizza, hands down. I always said if God ever put me in a situation where I had to choose a "last meal" - pizza would win over the finest steak or free range chicken!

I’d want prime rib and lobster, because I don’t have them very often. What is the problem with writing that was your greatest roadblock, and how did you overcome it?

Being consistent in actually writing words down. I've not totally overcome it, but I am doing better once I linked "obedience" to my calling to be a faith-centered writer.

Tell us about the featured book.

In War of the Heart, a vintage snow globe sends Boston dress designer Louise Martin and British B and B owner George Walker back in time to London, December 1940, where they race against the clock to reconcile a feud between their families and solve a 75-year-old mystery. As Louise relies on God and on George for guidance, friendship then love. Will the future George envisions strangle her own dreams? Will their love survive generations of mistrust, the Blitz and being stranded in wartime 1940, possibly never to return to their former lives? 

Please give us the first page of the book.

Current Day - December 10

Boston, Massachusetts: USA

"Me Dad was no choir boy, but he never did what they said. Never."

Thomas Martin reached up from the bed and gave his daughter's arm an urgent tug. "You've got to convince them, pet. Tell them, a'right?"

What was up with him tonight?

"Shush, Dad, it's okay. Rest now."

Pet. Although it was better suited to his family roots in working-class London rather than his own birthplace an ocean away in Massachusetts General Hospital, Dad's use of slang was comforting and familiar. He'd often use "pet" or "luv" or repeat phrases learned at the knees of his mum and dad. Because they'd all shared this house, so did she. Her grandparents strove to keep their British traditions intact, even as they embraced life in America. This gave her father, then Louise herself, strong ties not only to the past but also to a country neither of them had ever set foot in. Why Giles and Evelyn Martin never returned to London in seventy years always remained a mystery to her.

She asked them once, as a teenager. Her Gran and Grandy met one another's gaze, and Louise saw sadness reflected there.

Then Grandy turned gruff. "Don't be a nosy parker, girl. What's past is past." As usual, she obeyed without question. With both of her grandparents gone now, and her father too ill to discuss something that obviously distressed him, she would never know the answer.

How can readers find you on the Internet?

Amazon Author Page

https://www.amazon.com/author/jennavictoria/

Twitter    

www.twitter.com/jennavictori

Facebook  

www.facebook.com/jennavictoriaauthor/

Email

jenna@jennavictoria.com
Website

http://www.jennavictoria.com

Heroes of Song Personal Blog   

http://www.jennavictoria.com/category/blog-heroes-of-song/

Book Review Blog  

http://www.jennavictoria.com/category/on-jennas-shelf-reviews/

Instagram  

www.instagram.com/jenna_victoria_author/

Thank You, Jenna, for sharing this new book with us.

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

War of the Heart (A Snow Globe Christmas) - Paperback
War of the Heart (A Snow Globe Christmas) - Kindle

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