DAUGHTER OF DEFIANCE - Heather Blanton - One Free Book

Today’s interview is with the author of book 6 in the Thanksgiving Books and Blessings series.

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

Though my relationship with Jesus has definitely tempered me, I still can be a bit confrontational and strong-willed. So you see that in my heroines. They don’t back down or run from a fight.

What is the quirkiest thing you have ever done?

Well, I get ribbed a lot by my friends because they know at 9:00 pm I like to be done. Done with everything. The kitchen is closed. Mom is in her jammies. (Man, remember the days when we were getting ready at 9:00 pm to go out for the evening?) Anyway, once I’m officially done, I have a glass of wine and a bowl of popcorn. I love popcorn. I mean, I really like it. I will starve all day if I have to to make it to that buttery goodness.

When did you first discover that you were a writer?

When I was about five years old and the Funky Phantom went off (this was my favorite cartoon). I didn’t want the show to be over, so I wrote my own adventure. My mom typed it up for me. I also remember pretending to be a reporter—who knew I could have made a career out of that. Pretending to be a journalist, I mean (said the snarky conservative). I coulda made it to CNN.

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

I love a good, simple Western, a romcom with truly believable characters, time travel where the heroines adapt quickly, and gothic horror. Yes, I am a huge Edgar Allan Poe fan.

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

Sanity? I know not of what you speak. I live in a house with three boys, ages 15, 18, and 57. There are teenagers EVERYWHERE! I lose myself in my stories. Sometimes I find my way back.

How do you choose your characters’ names?

Wish I had some awe-inspiring answer here. Usually, names pop into my head, unless I’m looking to pay homage to someone in particular. But it is weird because sometimes there they are, name and all, as if this character really exists somewhere in the universe.

What is the accomplishment that you are most proud of?

Pride is a dangerous thing to dwell on, but I would have to say that I’m really blessed I was available when a young girl I know ran away from home and was suicidal. I reached out to her, became her mentor, and now she is in the National Guard. She is thinking seriously about active duty, though, because she loves the military life so much. I can be a bit withdrawn and a loner, but I put that aside to help her. God is good. I’ve been very blessed by the experience.

I love those God happenings. If you were an animal, which one would you be, and why?

A cat. Because I can be a bit withdrawn and a loner. LOL

What is your favorite food?

I eat from my favorite four food groups—popcorn, wine, pizza, coffee

What is the problem with writing that was your greatest roadblock, and how did you overcome it?

There have been a couple of stories that I just felt like I was floundering on. Just couldn’t pull a cohesive plot together. And the more I wrote, the worse it got. I won’t say which stories I’m referring to. I improved them, but not to my complete satisfaction. Sort of like making a bed and leaving a big wrinkle in it. I intend over the next several months to finish smoothing out these books.

Tell us about the featured book.

Daughter of Defiance picks up a story line from my book A Promise in Defiance (book 3 in my Defiance series). In A Promise, I had a character finally get the full impact of her very bad choices—people died because of her. Daughter of Defiance opens with this character going home to her mother whom she hasn’t seen in fifteen years. When life gets so bad all you want is to die, you either give in to the darkness or make one last gasp at hope. At home. It’s a sort of prodigal-child tale.

Please give us the first page of the book.

“Murder ain’t anything she should get away with.”

The campfire popped and crackled, punctuating Oscar’s defiant tone. The two other men with him—Lawrence and Charlie—nodded, the flames painting all three in an uneasy mix of light and midnight shadows.

“And she won’t,” Oscar continued, waving his bottle. “I ain’t backing off now.”

“What if she ain’t there?” Charlie asked as he languidly settled on his bedroll. “If she ain’t, I’m probably done following you two around.” He sounded bored and a little sleepy. “This has been a long row to hoe.”

“Then be done,” Oscar spat, sloshing a little whiskey in the fire. It flared ferociously, the light illuminating the trio for an instant. He contritely pulled the bottle closer to his chest and spoke more calmly. “We don’t need you. You invited yourself along anyhow.”

“True, I did. I was curious to see if you two could find her. But this road is gettin’ long. Summer is comin’ to an end.”

“It ain’t over yet,” Lawrence said, the certainty in his gravelly voice a harbinger of death. “Long as Jamie lies at the bottom of that mine, we’ll keep looking.”

“Well, I will say,” Charlie began as he turned his back to his comrades and folded his arms for warmth, “If you two do find Delilah, I sure wouldn’t want to be in her shoes.”

Nice way to hook the reader right away. How can readers find you on the Internet?

I’m right here:
https://www.facebook.com/authorheatherblanton/

https://twitter.com/heatherfblanton

My newsletter: https://www.subscribepage.com/z8i1i3_copy

My website:  https://ladiesindefiance.com/

Thank you, Heather, for sharing this book with my blog readers and me. I’m eager to read it.

Readers, here is a link to the book.

Daughter of Defiance (Thanksgiving Books and Blessings Book 6)

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