WHEN VALLEYS BLOOM AGAIN - Pat Jeanne Davis - One Free Ebook

Welcome, Pat. I'm glad to share your debut novel with my blog readers.

Thank you, Lena, for this opportunity to be a guest on your blog.

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

My protagonist is usually someone like myself passionate about a cause or sympathetic to those in need. She must be out of the ordinary so not very much of myself can I write into her story except my Christian beliefs and outlook on life.

When did you first discover that you were a writer.

I loved stories about writers. Their lives seemed exciting and fulfilled. I could always express myself better in writing and enjoyed writing letters. Sometimes I imagined myself writing a book. It would be many years before I seriously attempted to write for publication.

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

 I especially enjoy historical fiction and non-fiction from early to mid-20th Century, then mysteries, suspense, and courtroom drama. At the moment, I’m reading for research a book titled The Roosevelts and The Royals.

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

With the release of my debut novel, When Valleys Bloom Again, my routines have changed now that I’m busy with marketing and promoting my novel. It’s exhilarating but exhausting as well. So much to learn. I try to relax in my flower garden on nice days and by spending quiet moments with my husband. I also recharge by listening to the words from some of my favorite Christian music.

I love Christian music. How do you choose your characters’ names?

Sometimes from books I’m reading or from films set in the same time period in which my character lived. Other times, I use the name of someone I’ve known.

What is the accomplishment that you are most proud of?

That with my husband, we raised two sons who bless our lives.

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

I love cats for the serenity they bring. My cat Cinnamon is now 14 and still strong and independent. She requires little care and gives so much affection in return. I’d like to age as she has with much dignity.

What is your favorite food?

 Freshly picked veggies that have been roasted and lightly seasoned.

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

Moving on after receiving many rejections on a project. Eventually, I regained my confidence by working on smaller obtainable writing goals and built on those successes.

Tell us about the featured book.

When Valleys Bloom Again is a WWII romance set on the Philadelphia Main Line, in England, and on the battlefield.

As war approaches in 1939 Abby Stapleton’s safety is under threat. Her father, a British diplomat, insists she go back to America until the danger passes. Abby vows to return to her home in London—but where is home? With her family facing mortal danger so far away and feeling herself isolated, she finds it hard to pray or read the Bible. Did she leave God behind in war-torn London too? Abby becomes friendly with Jim, a gardener on her uncle’s estate.

Jim can’t get Abby out of his mind. Did she have a sweetheart in England? Was it foolish to think she’d consider him? He curses his poverty and the disgrace of his father’s desertion and drunkenness haunts him. Can he learn to believe in love for a lifetime and to hope for a happy marriage?

Abby couldn’t know the war would last a long time, nor that she would fall in love with Jim—soon to be drafted by the U.S. Army—or that she’d have to confront Henri, a rejected suitor, determined by his lies to ruin her reputation and destroy her faith in God’s providence. Will she discover the true meaning of home and find happiness with Jim?

Please give us the first page of the book.

London, August 1939

Abby Stapleton slumped back in her seat, any glimmer of hope she’d harbored would soon be extinguished. A crystal chandelier jingled in the draft of an open window. She loved this room with its embossed wallpaper and rich tapestries, vibrant with memories of family. How could she leave all this?

           

Her father folded the newspaper with its glaring headlines, plopped it on the table and parted his lips to speak. Abby forestalled him. “I’m nineteen,” she said, her nerves rubbed raw by the endless squabbles with her parents. Speak low and slow, Abby. “I don’t w-w-want to go.” Her voice, thin and strained, echoed back from the high frescoed ceiling.

“A father can’t ignore his responsibilities,” he said, clasping her hand. “You know Hitler’s taken Austria and Czechoslovakia. Probably he’ll take Poland next.” He furrowed his brow. “And when that happens war with Germany will be unavoidable.” His hand shook, and he sounded as though he’d aged ten years in the space of a few minutes.

Sunlight dispersed through a bay window, washing the brocaded settee on which she and her mother sat, with patches of red and gold. Her mother sidled closer and stroked Abby’s arm, her face taut and pale. “Do as your father says, dear. There are sandbags and barrage balloons everywhere, and gas masks are being handed out.”

Still determined to speak her mind before it was too late, Abby shut her eyes in a silent prayer. Lord, help me to keep my temper. She released her hand from her father’s. “I sh-sh-should be able to decide for myself w-w-whether I want to leave.” Now of all times when she needed eloquence, this accursed stammer bound her up tight.

How can readers find you on the Internet?

Buy link: https://www.amazon.com/Valleys-Bloom-Again-Jeanne-Davis/dp/1948888920/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=154 

Website:  https://www.patjeannedavis.com

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/pat.j.davis.7

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43600391-when-valleys-bloom-again?from_search=true   

Amazon Author Page:  https://amazon.com/author/patjeannedavis 

LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/pat-jeanne-davis-34290422/                   

Pinterest:  https://www.pinterest.com/patjeannedavis/   

BookBub:  https://www.bookbub.com/books/when-valleys-bloom-again-by-pat-jeanne-davis

Thank you, Pat, for sharing this book with us today. I’m eager to read it, and I know my readers will be, too.

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