TO DANCE ONCE MORE - Sherri Wilson Johnson - Free Book

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

There is a part of me in every one of my heroines and maybe even a little bit in my heroes, too. My heroines strive to live a life of purity, no matter what time period. This is something I am passionate about.

What is the quirkiest thing you have ever done?

I put a bark collar on my throat and barked to see if it would work because my Labrador would not stop barking. I was convinced something was broken with the device. I quickly discovered it was not broken.

When did you first discover that you were a writer?

When I was about eight years old I began to enjoy creative writing class in school. All throughout high school I devoured the assigned novels and wanted to write stories like them.

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

I love romances, legal mysteries, suspense, the Bible, of course. I prefer to read Christian fiction but I do enjoy non-Christian literature as long as it is appropriate.

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

I spend time praying and studying my Bible. I stay up late at night and read or write when the house is quiet. That keeps my mind feeling balanced. I turn down invitations if I’m too tired or overwhelmed and I put time with my family before time with others. I do not over-commit myself.

How do you choose your characters’ names?

Some character names just come to me. Many of them, however, are the result of much research. I try to find names that have meanings similar to the personalities of my characters.

What is the accomplishment that you are most proud of?

Besides becoming a published author, I am most proud of the family I have. I don’t mean that in an arrogant way. I have been married since 1988 and have two children who are seeking God’s will for their lives. What more could I ask for?

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

If I could be any animal, I suppose I would be a dolphin. I love the ocean. I love to swim in it and to play in it. However, I am a bit afraid of sharks. Being a dolphin would allow me to play all day and swim around and to never have to fear sharks.

What is your favorite food?

Pizza, hands down.

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

The greatest problem I encountered in writing was coming up with a plot that was strong enough to carry the reader through to the end. My first novel did not even have a plot by the time I completed it—the first time. I overcame the problem by writing and rewriting and also by reading lots of good books.

Tell us about the featured book?

When Victorian debutante, Lydia Barrington, accidentally discovers that her father has promised her to the son of an unscrupulous businessman in payment for his own debts, she must make the biggest decision of her life…to concede or to fight. To Dance Once More explores the possibilities for a young woman, who longs to find God’s will for her life, yet is faced with a decision that will change her life forever. If she follows her heart, she disobeys her father; if she abides by her father’s wishes, she betrays herself.

To Dance Once More is a special project originating from my love of pure romance, and inspired by the love stories of my ancestors. It sets out hoping to prove that true love still exists. I candidly speak of the purity of not only the heroine, but also the hero, and wholeheartedly desire to point others to Jesus through my words. It is set in Victorian Florida, which is a combination of two of my favorite things—the beach and Victorian times. Of course, there has to be more to a novel than just the romance and so there is betrayal, sacrifice and a bitter enemy that Lydia must overcome.

Please give us the first page of the book.

Chapter One

April 6, 1886

The warm sun beamed through the lace curtains covering the whitewashed windows of Lydia Jane Barrington’s bedchamber. Her home at Live Oaks Plantation sat on the outskirts of Gulf Resort, Florida, a modern, bustling port. Outside, the mourning doves cooed, and the bushy-tailed squirrels scampered about the lawn. Chickens clucked while they pecked at the ground eagerly gathering corn kernels. In the distance, cows mooed, waiting for the farm hand to milk them, unaware that summer waited patiently for its chance to scorch the land.

A salty breeze blew across Lydia’s porcelain face and called her from her deep slumber. Her curtains rose with the breeze and jerked down quickly, slamming back against the windowsill. She stretched with a yawn, and as morning nudged her, languorously she opened her eyes. She slid from her bed, cast the covers onto the floor, and sauntered across the sun-drenched room. Her crystal blue eyes sparkled like the sun on the ocean in the morning. Her hair, an auburn-colored cascading waterfall, was a gift from her mother’s side of the family. She went to the window and, pushing back the curtains, looked out at the plantation. The moss-draped live oaks and the towering cypress trees painted shadow puppets on the ground. The sun shone on the land as far as Lydia could see.

Lydia put on the pastel-blue cotton dress her Aunt Rebecca had made for her, then gazed out her window and drank in the scenery. As a child, she had stared out this same window and dreamed, like most young girls, about being the lady of her own manor with many children. However, over the past year, during moments like this, she wondered what else the world had to offer beyond what her eyes could see, away from this vast estate. She did not want to be like all the women she knew who seemingly disappeared in the shadows of their husbands. She feared most of all a betrothal to someone whom her father chose for her; forced into a loveless relationship simply to increase her father’s money pouch. To her, that was nothing more than slavery, and slavery no longer existed, thanks to the Civil War.

She wanted to travel and see the entire world, not simply entertain guests who had come from exotic locations around the world. She knew in her heart that there must be a higher purpose for her life. Therefore, she vowed that she would find her way in this world, like the women about whom the new governess, Kathryn, had taught her.

Soon she descended the oak staircase, ten-feet-wide and slightly curved, and headed for the sweet-smelling breakfast room, where her family gathered for the morning meal. Isabel Ann, the cook, with a delightful smile across her dark, round face, placed the steaming food on the twelve-foot-long oak table, hewed from one of Live Oak’s old trees.

Lydia found her seat next to Kathryn. As usual, she reached for a nibble of biscuit and instantly received a scolding from Isabel Ann as her father, Archibald, began his prayer of thanks. This mirrored almost every other morning Lydia had experienced, except that this morning marked her sixteenth birthday.

“You and Nathan have a good day in the fields, Archibald. Eliza and I are going to prepare the house for tonight’s birthday festivities. Josie, Alexa, and Lydia, you young ladies get off to school now,” Rosalyn, Lydia’s mother, said as she gracefully rose from her seat at the table.

“Oh, Mother, do I have to go today? It is my birthday after all,” Lydia protested, twisting sideways in her chair to face her mother.

“Yes, of course you do. Nathan is working today, and so will you. Now run along,” Rosalyn said, dismissing her with a wave of her delicate hand. Her eyes sparkled with love for her animated daughter.

Lydia’s father looked on in reserved silence. His dark eyes, in contrast to Rosalyn’s, seemed like coal dust. “A good education is something to be appreciated, Lydia,” Archibald chastised in his firm but loving way.

“Yes, Father.” Lydia stood up from her chair and excused herself.

How can readers find you on the Internet?

www.sherriwilsonjohnson.com

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Author-Sherri-Wilson-Johnson/138396456193536

http://www.oaktara.com/sherriwilsonjohnson

http://www.sherrijohnsonministries.com/

https://twitter.com/#!/swj_thewriter

http://sherrijinga.wordpress.com/

Thank you, Sherri, for this peek into your life and your book. I love your cover and your story premise.

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To Dance Once More


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