Jessica Dotta has always been fascinated by the intricacies of society that existed in England from the Regency through the Edwardian era. She writes in a manner that blends past and modern fiction techniques. She lives in the Nashville area and works as a freelance media consultant and publicist. The Price of Privilege trilogy is her debut work.
For more info, visit her website at www.jessicadotta.com.
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Savanna:Â Welcome to The Engrafted Word, Jessica! Congratulations on your newest release, Price of Privilege. It sounds so intriguing! What was your favorite part about writing and growing Julia’s character through this series? Did she surprise you along the way?
Jessica:Â Thank you so much for inviting me!
Julia! Oh my word! It’s crazy to think I carried her with me for over a decade while I worked on this trilogy. I remember once when my daughter (who was still in kindergarten at the time) demanded, “I keep hearing and hearing about this Julia, but I never I meet her! When am I meeting her?”
I think my favorite part about writing Julia is that she makes people angry. Many people want to shake her and force her to take the actions they’d take, but she has no particular reason to trust others, but at the same time hasn’t yet worked out a mature way of handling her affairs. Julia doesn’t make mistakes in a way that are cute and endearing, either. But isn’t that a teenager at heart? Seeing people’s frustration makes me feel that I wrote her realistically. Just like everybody else, she’s not what people want to be, but she’s herself.
I can’t say she necessarily surprised me along the way, because she was very analytical (though not all of her thoughts made it into the books.) As I wrote, she was usually weighing her options, and even though I’m a seat-of-the-pants writer, I generally had a feel for what she was about to do.
Savanna: She sounds like a character readers won’t soon forget! Well done! 🙂
Your writing style “blends the humor of Jane Austen and the dark drama of a Bronte sister”. Which one of their fictional characters still stands out to you the most today and why?
Jessica:Â Definitely Jane Eyre. She is still one of my favorite characters in literature, especially as you imagine how obstinate and hard she would have appeared to the Victorian reading audience, during a time when women were to be soft, demure and yielding.
I love Jane’s uncompromising morality. Her fear of moving forward, but how she continually pushes herself to the next step. I adore the way she was written with gravity and yet humor. She is one of the most striking characters I’ve ever read.
Savanna: I love Jane Eyre! 😉
You’re from the Nashville area, right? If you were giving a tour of the city, where would you take your visitors first?
Jessica:Â Usually I take visitors to the Grand Old Opry Hotel. They have an enclosed courtyard in the center of the hotel, complete with waterfalls and a river. It’s fun to experience. Other than that, I’m likely to take someone to coffee and get to them through conversation. I’m not a good tour guide in that way. I’m much more interested in the people I’m with than where I’m physically at.
Savanna:Â I think all of that sounds great, especially chatting over coffee. Describe your favorite place to write. What’s your ideal setting for inspiration?
Jessica:Â Nowadays I only write at my desk. I find that I’m too easily distracted to write elsewhere. I can’t write facing a window or a television because it pulls me out of the world I’m trying to stay submerged in. There’s almost always coffee at hand. I have an extended playlist of songs, to help keep the mood I’m writing.
The one thing I’d add, if I could, would be an in-ground swimming pool off my office, so when I’m stuck, I could just swim for awhile while I worked it out.
Savanna: Sounds like a perfect idea to me. 😉
What is one of your most unforgettable moments from your writing career to date?
Jessica:Â My first writers conference is still unforgettable to me. I wrote and I worked with critique partners, but I still had doubts that I was really a writer, that I had the talent to succeed. I paid for a professional evaluation of my work and got Deb Raney. I left her feeling affirmed that I was indeed a writer.
Savanna:Â Definitely can’t forget that important moment! Thanks for sharing with us today, Jessica. It’s been great to have you here. Is there anything else you’d like to add? Any upcoming projects you can share with us?
Jessica:Â Thank you, Savanna! I am working privately on a YA novel right now, but have some proposals for another adult novel with Tyndale. We’ll have to see what’s next!
GIVEAWAY!!
Jessica has graciously offered to give away one copy of Born of Persuasion to one lucky winner. Enter below and it could be YOU! 😉
Thanks for entering! Contest is open only in the U.S. and ends July 7, 2015. The winner will be notified by email. Happy Reading, everybody!
What a fun interview!! Thanks so much much for providing this giveaway! Would love to win and read this novel. Thanks.
Hi Sydney! Glad you enjoyed the interview. Hope you get to read this story soon. 😉
PS Totally love anything and everything Jane Austen. North and South is good too!
Great interview! Can’t wait to check some books out by her!
We’re glad you could stop by, Michelle. Good luck in the drawing!
Jane Eyre is probably my all time favorite!
All this talk about Jane Eyre has me wanting to pick up my copy again. 🙂 Thanks for visiting, Dana!
I love Jane Eyre, but I’m reading Villette right now, so that might change… Eleanor Dashwood is also one of my favorites!
Happy Reading, Kathryn! It’s great to see you here.
I totally love Jane Eyre! I’ve read the book many times and have two movie adaptations. Perhaps the best literary character ever! 🙂
I’ve only see one movie version so far. I need to change that, huh? I’ll have to go browse Netflix now. 😉 Thanks for joining us, Rachael!
Jane Eyre is my favorite character in the classics.As much as I like to read I hate to say I’ve never read a Jane Austin book! I know, I know that’s aweful!I have them all in 1 big hardcover and I’m going to read them someday if I live! I’ve read enough about them and I have seen some of the movies to know about them! But I am planning on reading the books!
Hi Brenda! So glad you stopped by. I hope you get the chance to start some of those books soon. There’s nothing quite like reading them for yourself. 🙂 Take your time and enjoy the experience.
Wonderful interview! Thank you for this great opportunity to be a winner. Keeping my fingers crossed!
We’re glad you could join us, Melanie. 🙂 Good luck in the giveaway!
Elizabeth Bennett
🙂 Yep, yep!
I would have to say that Elinor from Sense and Sensibility is my favorite. I haven’t read Jessica’s books yet but I am looking forward to it. Thanks for the interview and giveaway!
It’s been a LONG time since I read Sense and Sensibility. It’s another one I need to re-visit. 😉 Thanks for swinging by, Loraine. Have a great week!
I love Anne Elliot from Persuasion and Elinor from Sense and Sensibility. 🙂
Hi Raechel! I’ve not read Persuasion yet. I need to! 😉
Great interview.
Thanks for stopping by, Kim!
I agree… Price of Privilege. It certainly does sound so intriguing! I’d love to read it. thanks for the giveaway..
I hope you get to read it soon, Deanna!
Savanna, thank you for the fantastic interview with Jessica! I would love to read Born of Persuasion. Thank you for the giveaway.
Hi Caryl! Thanks for joining us. I’m glad you enjoyed our chat. Here’s hoping for a giveaway win! 😉
I can’t wait to read Jessica’s newest novel! Congratulations on the release!
Thanks for visiting, Veronica!
If I go to Nashville again, I’ll have to visit the Opryland Hotel!
Doesn’t that sound like a cool place? It’s always nice to see you here, Joan. Have a great week!
Good interview. Would love to win this book. My email address: happygrammaof3@comcast.net
Thanks, Brenda. Good luck in the giveaway! 🙂
I love the era you write in, I think its my favorite!
I haven’t read any of your books but I am going to put them in my TBR pile. Thank you for the giveaway!
That’s awesome, Karen! I’m so glad you could stop by to enter in the giveaway. Hope you get to read some of Jessica’s books real soon. 😉
I have wanted to read Jessica’s books for a long time, so would love to win one. I enjoy these kind of settings, so challenging to think of all the social restrictions that women faced. Jane Eyre is a classic among classics! rmaney(at)firstarpchurch(dot)org
I love the setting too, Rebecca. It’s great to have you here. Good luck in the drawing.
I would love to win this for my wife.
(FYI: the URL displayed a message on Facebook that the page could not be found)
Sorry you had problems sharing the page, Edward. I tested it and it worked fine. Not sure why it was giving the error. Let me know if you still have problems with it. And good luck to you… and your wife. 😉
I have read Villette but nothing from Jane Austine. My sister is s big fan. I have some of her books to my to read pile.
Hi Sonnetta! You have some happy reading ahead of you. 😉
Love your book covers! Can’t wait to read them, so adding to my TBR stack 🙂
Aren’t they pretty, Danielle? Thanks for joining us. Good luck in the giveaway!
Oh this sounds amazing!! I absolutely love anything Jane Austen!
So glad you could stop by, Abby! Have a great week!
I fell in love with Jane Eyre many years ago! Thank you for this enjoyable interview and giveaway.
Hi Connie! Thanks for visiting my blog and entering in the giveaway. Good luck and happy reading!
I really enjoyed this interview and I absolutely LOVE the cover!!
Glad to hear it, Cheri! Happy Reading!
Hi Jessica! You’re a new-to-me author and I love discovering new writers! I think I’d like to sit with you over coffee and converse too, and take a tour at the Grand Old Opry Hotel. I’m like you, the sites are great, but the person you’re with is more important! You sound like a person I’d like to get to know 🙂
I’m not real familiar with Jane Eyre (gasp) so I can’t really say much on the subject 🙂 I just know I love historical fiction and I do have “Pride and Prejudice” and “Sense and Sensibility” on my Kindle if that’s even the same thing….guess I’d better get to reading those 🙂 Julie Klassen is one my favorite authors of historical fiction. She introduced the Regency period to me and I feel in love 🙂 Your book “Born of Persuasion” sounds like it would be right up my alley!
Savanna, it’s been entirely too long since I’ve been able to participate on your blog! If it isn’t one thing going on in my life, it’s something else 🙂 I have missed it! It’s always refreshing to catch up to you. Thanks for hosting a new-to-me author! Jessica sounds like my kind of author. Blessings to you both and thanks for coming to share about yourself and your book!
Trixi! Hi there, friend. It’s so good to see you back here. I’ve missed you as well and been praying for you. Hope you’re having a good summer so far. 🙂
I’m thrilled to introduce you to Jessica and her great stories. I definitely think these books, as well as Jane Eyre and Jane Austen’s books would be right up your alley. I hope you’ll get to check them out. 😉
Have a great week and hope to talk to you more soon! Hugs!