A research librarian and associate professor, Elizabeth Camden has a masterβs in history from the University of Virginia and a masterβs in library science from Indiana University. She has published several articles for academic publications and is the author of four nonfiction history books. Her ongoing fascination with history and love of literature have led her to write inspirational fiction. Elizabeth lives with her husband in central Florida.
Learn more at http://elizabethcamden.com/
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Welcome to the blog, Elizabeth. I’m so honored to have you here today. Congratulations on your upcoming release, A Daring Venture. This book looks amazing!! And that cover is GORGEOUS! π
What do YOU love most about this book?
I love the romanceβ¦.Nick and Rosalind are complete opposites, yet they get along like a house on fire. A lot of times romance novels will feature a couple in which one partner is deeply wounded or damaged in some way. Not here. Both Nick and Rosalind have been tested by tragedy, but they are both confident and successful people who immediately sense the off-the-charts chemistry flaring between them. The conflict comes in that they stand on opposite sides of a life-altering court case, so the stage is set for a bang-up rivalry between two people who are quickly falling in love with each other.
I’m completely hooked! I can’t wait to meet them. π
What first inspired the story? Was it a character, a historical event, a setting?
I read about a fascinating court case in 1908 that had so many twists and secrets that I knew it would be a great event to build a novel around. This case changed the way water is delivered to most households in the United States. It rendered diseases like cholera and dysentery a thing of the past, so it actually effected almost everyone living in America todayβ¦.and yet, very few people have ever heard of it.
The novel is about Nickolas Drake, the newly appointed Commissioner of Water for the state of New York. He has sided with the plaintiffs in the court case, but falls madly in love with Dr. Rosalind Werner, an expert witness for the other side. Let the fireworks begin!
Although this is the 2nd book of a trilogy, it can easily be read on its own.
What do you hope readers will take away from A Daring Venture?
Most of all I hope people simply enjoy a deeply emotional love story. Both Nick and Rosalind have a lot of tragedy in their past, but rather than becoming embittered, they were inspired to become stronger people. I loved watching their natural sense of resilience power them through the challenges that get thrown at them. There are also a lot of ethical questions in the novel. Although Nick and Rosalind are fictional characters, the court case was real, as is the daring scientific quandaries it raised. There were no easy answers in this case, and it really throws a wrench into the romantic relationship between the lead characters.
What’s one of your favorite book covers?
Iβve been pretty lucky with my book covers, but my favorite so far is for A Dangerous Legacy. In addition to being an intriguing cover, it captures the tone of the book perfectly. I have to admit, when I first saw it I balked. The heroine is a middle-class woman who works as a telegraph operator, and yet weβve got this very glamorous woman with a pearl choker on it. Now granted, the subject of that novel is a $40 million dollar inheritance, but Lucy grew up middle class, and I didnβt want readers to feel deceived of they thought this book would be about a high-society lady, so I had to explain those pearls! I re-wrote a subplot to make a grand pearl necklace part of the disputed inheritance, so it all worked out well in the end.
Oh wow, fascinating! Love hearing little behind-the-scenes like this. π It’s a stunning cover!
Whatβs something your readers would be surprised to learn about you?
I got married late (thirty-five, to be precise.) Children werenβt in the cards for me and my husband, so I threw myself into my career. This is why most of my novels feature working women, since the domestic scene is simply something I donβt have much familiarity with!
You’ve been blessed with several book babies! π I love how authors’ lives influence the rich variety in the stories we read. Thank you so much for sharing with us today, Elizabeth! Is there anything else you’d like to add? Any upcoming projects you can share with us?
The third novel of the Empire State trilogy will release sometime in mid-2019. Itβs called A Daring Hope and has the most gorgeous cover of the trilogyβ¦.Iβm sorry I canβt show it to you yet, as I still have to keep it under wraps for a few more weeks. Looking forward, I just signed a contract for another trilogy. This one will be set in Washington D.C., which is one of my favorite cities to write about. There is so much potential for political intrigue, high society glamor, and daring visionaries. I plan to include it all!
That’s wonderful news all around, Elizabeth. Congrats on the new trilogy too! We can’t wait to learn more. Have a great summer!
GIVEAWAY!!
Elizabeth has graciously offered to give away a copy of A Daring Venture to one lucky winner. Enter below and it could be YOU!
Thanks for entering! Contest is open to US residents only. Contest ends July 10, 2018.Β The winner will be notified by email. Happy Reading, everybody!
Oh I just love Elizabeth Camdenβs stories!! This one sounds absolutely wonderful.
We are spending our entire Independence Day with family; community breakfast, parade, games, BBQ and fireworks!!
That sounds perfect, Terressa. Hope you had a great time! Good luck in the giveaway too. π
Love Elizabeth Camden! thanks for the chance to win.
We are hanging out with friends for July 4.
So glad you could join us, Candice. Hope you had a great holiday. π
Read!! Lunch at a friend’s (Mary).
Sounds like a fun day to me. π Thanks for stopping by, Joan.
I’m sure my July 4 plans will include reading. I don’t have much planned. Thanks for this interview with Elizabeth and the book giveaway. I love her books. All her book covers are lovely.
Sometimes a quiet, relaxing July 4th is just the solution to a busy summer. I’m glad you stopped by, Pam. Hope you get to read this lovely book soon. π
For the 4th of July our family is going over to my husband’s brother and his wife’s house for food, games and fireworks! I love hanging out with family! π I can’t wait to read A Daring Venture! Thanks for a chance to win a copy!!! π
Thanks for stopping by in the middle of such a busy week, Alison. Your July 4th plans sound like a great time! Good luck in the drawing.
I plan on resting. Still trying to get over a bout of walking pneumonia.
Awww, sorry to hear that, Stephanie. Hope you’re feeling better soon!!
Hanging with the in-laws in the Midwest, shooting off fireworks and eating watermelon!
Sounds like the perfect summer day! π Thanks for visiting, Heidi.
We are actually traveling on July 4 but will always remember what the day means.
Definitely! We should never forget that. Thanks for sharing, Melanie.
Besides just being together, our only plan is watching the fireworks! π
Hope the fireworks were beautiful, Jordann! π
I plan on staying home and reading. I enjoyed your interview.
I’m glad you could join us, Barbara! Hope you have a great week. π
We plan to grill food and be sorta lazy. Thanks for the giveaway!
We were lazy here too, Brenda. A nice day at home together, though, was very refreshing. π
Elizabeth Camden is one of my top ten favorite authors. We have no plans for the fourth, just mowing grass and working in the garden. Iβll grill chicken and corn later and make macaroni salad. I made blueberry and blackberry pies yesterday. The berries are doing well. Have a blessed fourth.
I love the sounds of that, Lucy. I worked in my garden some as well. π Hope you get to read Elizabeth’s latest real soon. π
I plan on staying in the air conditioning due to Excessive heat advisory for the past several days. I hope everyone has a great and safe 4th. Thanks for the giveaway opportunity and good luck everyone.
Yes, it’s been terribly hot here in Missouri too. Definitely feels like summer, huh? π Thanks for stopping by, Debbie.
I love Elizabeth Camdenβs books! Thanks for the giveaway. Fourth of July, weβll be hanging out with family and relaxing.
Hope you had a great holiday! Good luck in the drawing!
Elizabeth is a new author to me. New latest book sounds wonderful. Very pretty cover. I plan to read today and watch fireworks this evening,
Isn’t the cover gorgeous? So glad you could stop by, Bonnie. π
We celebrated last night, July 3rd, since everyone has to get up and go to work early (my son gets up at 1:00 A.M. to go in) on Thursday. So today we will stay home and maybe have a couple of the grandkids over to go swimming. Plus I spend a lot of time thinking about my brother who would be turning 68 today but instead is watching me from above, he’s been gone 9 1/2 years now!
wfnren at aol dot com
I’m glad to hear you had some quality family time, Wendy, and remembered your sweet brother. Hugs to you!
Love these books.
Good luck in the giveaway, Virginia!
Hi Savanna! We took a motorcycle ride to my parents’ house for a visit and are having friends over for supper!
Fun!! So glad you could stop by, Cynthia. Hugs to you!!
I’m waiting for my daughter and her boyfriend to come over. we are having a barbecue. Happy 4th of July!
A barbecue sounds delicious, Linda!! π
Thank you Savanna!
We went to a local minor league baseball game last night with fireworks after the game. Our team won and the fireworks were great!
Today family is coming over for dinner.
Yay for a winning ball game and fireworks, Patty. Thanks for stopping by. π
relaxing at home; watching my 26 month old grandson while his parents celebrate their 9th anniversary..
So sweet, Barb. Making memories. I love it! π
Relaxing at home with my Hubbie. Donβt have fireworks where we are because we have a huge fire burning right across the valley from us. We live in the mountains of Colorado.
Oh my, Faith! I hope they get the fire under control soon! Take care.
Every year we have food and fellowship at our church with watching the fireworks later! Since it’s located practically on the beach, we get a great view π We always have so much fun!
I first discovered Elizabeth’s writing when my sister-in-law passed her book “Against the Tide” to me. I fell in love with it!! I’m definitely hooked and want more…I know, rabid readers are never satisfied, especially when they find really good authors and their books! That’s a very good thing, in my opinion π
Thank you for the fun interview and giveaway chance, Savanna!
That must have been lovely, Trixi. What fun!! So glad you could join us. I hope you get to read Elizabeth’s book SOON! π
My plans are to stay in the air-condition and read and watch a ballgame. Also watch Macy’s fireworks.
Marilyn
Talk about a nice and quiet and fun way to spend the day. Thanks for sharing, Marilyn.
We celebrated with a nice family picnic at camp. We got a little rained out, but still had a great time!
Aww, Amanda, I’m so glad the rain didn’t completely ruin your fun plans. Good luck in the giveaway!
Spending time with family and then fireworks.
The perfect mix of July 4th fun! π Thanks for stopping by, Arletta.
The extreme heat kept us from being outside very long at a time. It was just my husband, daughter, 4 year old granddaughter and myself.
Yeah, it’s been terribly hot and dry here too, Connie. I’m glad you still got to spend it with your family, though. Blessings to you!
We spent the day at our cabin with my daughter and her family. Thanks for the interview and giveaway!
What a lovely day that must have been. Good luck in the giveaway, Winnie!
My daughterβs birthday is July 4th, so we got together for cake and ice cream.
Ohhh, fun!! My grandma would always make homemade ice cream on the 4th. Sweet memories. π
I stayed home and relaxed by catching up on reading. It was too hot to be outdoors.
I know the feeling! I think you chose wisely, Sonnetta. π
I stayed home this year. π
Nothing wrong with that, Cheryl. We did too, actually. π It’s my favorite place to be, after all!
For the 4th we just met a cousin and her husband, who live about 50 miles from us, at an in-between point for brunch and a good visit. Nice and relaxing. Very interesting background on this story!
That sounds lovely, Cathy. Thanks for visiting!
We watch the fireworks on television and stay indoors.
I have asthma and can’t be outside when the fireworks are going off.
Oh my! You were wise, then, Janet, to stay inside. That smoke can get pretty strong after fireworks. Glad you were still able to enjoy it. π
Thank you, Savanna, for the interview and giveaway. On Wednesdays I always have lunch with one of my friends. Since July 4th was on a Wednesday and neither one of us had any celebratory plans, we decided to go out for lunch as usual. We splurged a bit more than usual and went to Red Lobster. Neither of us had been there for quite some time. We really enjoyed it. Blessings…
What a sweet time with friends! I’m so glad you could join us, Kay. Have a great summer!
Since it was raining on July 4th, I enjoyed the day by reading.
I’m excited to read A Daring Venture!
Awww, that’s too bad it was raining, Caryl, but YAY for more reading time!! π
Absolutely nothing. A lazy day.
Hey, nothing wrong with that! In fact, my day was pretty much the same, Cheryl. π Blessings to you!