Interview with Dawn Crandell  & GIVEAWAY  | The Engrafted Word————————————————————————-

Dawn Crandall writes long inspirational historical romantic suspense from first person point of view. She has a BA in Christian Education from Taylor University and lives in northeast Indiana with her ever-supportive husband, her three cats [Lilly, Pumpkin and Clover] and their newest addition, a little baby boy.

Find out more information about her debut novel, upcoming books, and more at http://www.dawncrandall.blogspot.com/.
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Savanna:  Welcome to The Engrafted Word, Dawn! And Congratulations on your debut release, A Hesitant Heiress. I gotta say…  I LOVE the book covers for your upcoming series. 😉 They’re beautiful!

So what first drew you to writing long historical romantic suspense?

Dawn:  I seem to be a bit long-winded when I write. I’ve tried to think up a short story, but I end up wanting to make it too complex to be short. So I write long stories. And I really didn’t know I was writing suspense until it was finished. Being that I write from first person point of view, the reader ends up learning everything along with the heroine–both of them taking the same journey through the book, finding the answers to their questions together. And I can’t help but write love stories. I love starting with a heroine and hero who simply NEED to be together. I start with the heroine and then go about discovering just what kind of hero would best suit her.

Interview with Dawn Crandell  & GIVEAWAY  | The Engrafted WordSavanna:  Was it a challenge or relatively easy to write from first person POV? Can you give us a few pros vs cons, maybe?

Dawn:  I think it’s easy! It just comes naturally for me, and writing third DOES NOT. Most people tell me they don’t like to write first person because they only get to be in the head of one character and they have a hard time getting the reader to understand where the other characters are coming from… but those are my favorite things about it! I love writing a heroine that makes the reader feel completely absorbed into the story. I want her story to be the reader’s story as well when they’re finished with the book. And I LOVE having the reader get to know and trust (or not!) the other characters in the book alongside the heroine.

Savanna: I just finished your book and I really enjoyed experiencing the story through Amaryllis’ perspective. 😉 First person POV really seems to draw the reader in.

I loved reading on your website how the verses you’d long ago picked out for your first heroine have become theme verses for you too. Do you have a verse picked out for each of your other novels in The Everstone Chronicles as well?

Dawn:  Amaryllis’s verse is: Ephesians 3:20 ~ “Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us…”

Meredyth’s verse is: Jeremiah 29:11 ~ “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you. And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.”

Estella’s verse is: James 1:17 ~ “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change…”

Interview with Dawn Crandell  & GIVEAWAY  | The Engrafted WordSavanna:  Great verses! I can’t wait to read the other two stories. 😉

Are there any similarities between being a first-time mom and a debut author? Your little boy is absolutely precious, by the way! 2014 is certainly shaping up to be an exciting, busy year for you. 🙂

Dawn:  I guess there are! For the most part, you have no idea what you’re getting into when you begin the process for either one! They both bring immense joy, but it’s a bit terrifying to not know exactly what you’re doing. They are both very emotional things to go through. The one very different thing about the two is that one is so privately mine (Rhett), and the other, which has been solely mine for the last four years is now anyone’s who wants it. It’s kind of strange to have my book-baby go out into the world. Maybe this is what it will feel like when Rhett goes off to college in eighteen years?

Savanna: You are also actively involved with ACFW. What are a few of your favorite things about this organization?

Dawn: My first favorite thing was the Scribes email loop. I didn’t have a critique partner when I wrote most of The Hesitant Heiress–but by the time I was nearing the end, I felt that I needed one desperately! It was a lot of work to find manuscripts that I enjoyed critting, but I eventually met my crit-partner, Susan Tuttle, through the group.

Another favorite thing is the national conference. I went to my first conference in 2011 right after I joined, and have been back every year since. I didn’t know what I was doing at that first conference. I felt like a lost little kitten and completely out of my league. But it was the best thing my husband ever *made* me do! The thought of meeting with agents was absolutely terrifying!! I was about to cancel them when I went to my paid-critique appointment and received glowing remarks from historical author Andrea Boeshaar. God knew I needed that encouragement!!

Savanna: Do you enjoy reading multiple different genres? If so, can you name a book you’ve recently read set within your own genre and another set outside your genre?

Dawn:  I mainly read historical romance, but I also read contemporary romance most often now, since that’s what my crit-partner writes. I haven’t read nearly as much (as I usually have) in the last year since being pregnant and having my baby… but I must say some of the ones I’ve read have fortunately blown me away–the historical romance was Burning Sky by Lori Benton and the Contemporary Romance was Dear Mr. Knightley by Katherine Reay.

Interview with Dawn Crandell  & GIVEAWAY  | The Engrafted WordSavanna: Can you share with us a little bit of the journey of how you first got connected with your agent?

Dawn:  Well, I went to those two agent appointment at the 2011 ACFW conference after all, receiving two requests for partial proposals. I’ll admit, when Joyce Hart asked me to send a partial, I actually asked her what that meant! I was so green!! So I took the month after conference, discovered what a proposal entailed, and wrote it with the goal that I would have it sent out by November (because I’d been told that 80% of the requests from conference are actually not sent in because of nerves!). So I sent it on November 1st and by November 8th I had offers of representation from both of them. I chose Joyce Hart because it was obvious that she loved my book very much.

Savanna: Is there anything else you’d like to add? Any upcoming projects you can share with us?

Dawn:  I have lots of series ideas, book ideas to go with, and I even have an idea for a fourth book that goes along with The Everstone Chronicles—I could actually keep writing about different characters in this series forever. 🙂

Savanna:  Sounds great to me, Dawn!  Thank you so much for joining us today!

Readers, be sure to visit Dawn’s website and connect with her on Facebook and Twitter.

There are downloads, sign-ups, and freebies—valuable resources that I hope stir your passion for God and His Word. So take your time. Look around. Visit often. – See more at: http://www.mesuandrews.com/#sthash.h5gue3da.dpuf

GIVEAWAY!!

Dawn is giving away prizes every week of her 6 week blog tour.  Leave a comment below to be entered to win the following:

THE FIVE WEEKLY PRIZE PACKS: a $10 Amazon Gift Card, an eBook of The Hesitant Heiress, a mug with all three book covers and a moleskin journal.

THE GRAND PRIZE (at the end of week six): a Kindle Fire, a $10 Amazon Gift Card, an eBook of The Hesitant Heiress, a mug with all three book covers and a moleskin journal.

THE HESITANT HEIRESS – E-BOOK VERSION

Interview with Dawn Crandell  & GIVEAWAY  | The Engrafted WordHOW TO ENTER:

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Thanks for entering! Contest is open only in the U.S.  Winner of the eBook version will be notified by email.  Winners of the Prize Packages will be announced on Dawn’s blog.

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If you missed my review of The Hesitant Heiress, you can read it here.