I’m a work-from-home mom of one super cute baby girl (pictures to prove it) and I write novels. I married my hero Vince, who is my love and my polar opposite. I write, he tears it up with the red pen. I break cars and other mechanical things, he puts them back together. He’s nailed the “speak the truth” thing, and I bring the “in love” part. But the real spark to our marriage is that he does not like chocolate and I…  like it a normal amount. We love and live from our little house in the woods near Lake Michigan, which is undergoing a constant renovation. For more, visit https://jdpstories.com/

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Welcome to the blog, Joanna. I’m so excited to have you here today. Congratulations on your upcoming debut release!

Thank you! I’m honored to be on a blog I’ve enjoyed so much as a reader.

🙂 If readers could only take away one lesson from this story, what do you hope it would be?

I want to reassure readers of one truth—if you don’t always feel like you fit in well, that’s ok. In fact, that’s GREAT. Because the truth is, we live in a very broken world. If we fit into that sort of place well, then we are the wrong size. People tend to hide this struggle, feeling out of place in their world, but it’s so common. And it’s SO OKAY. Creatives like my heroine often stifle their gifts and uniqueness to conform to what they see around them, but God can do a lot with a person who knows his or her identity and uses it well, rather than looking like everyone else.

Beautifully said. I am so excited to read this book!!

Tell us a little about one of the characters you’re most excited for readers to meet.

The one who stands out to me in Lady Jayne Disappears is the family matriarch, the heroine’s aged aunt. She’s prickly and bitter, a wrinkled old lemon dressed in gorgeous black lace and red taffeta. However, she embodies a truth that is dear to my heart—there is so much more to a person than what we first see on the surface, and there is often great value that’s buried under a mountain of surface-level flaws or misconceptions.

Without giving too much away, can you share a favorite scene or quote from your book?

Certainly! Here’s a snapshot from the heroine’s first formal dinner in the new home she does not fit well:

“A young lady who is not dying for dresses?” Garamond spoke up, mouth dotted with garnish. “Is she broken?”
“Really, if you only give me access to a library, I shall be more than happy to amuse myself. Reading makes me forget that I’m wearing anything at all.”
A fork clattered and someone choked on a bite and Aunt Eudora leaned back and rolled her eyes. The other diners fell silent.
My already-warm face heated even more. What, were ladies not even to like books?

LOVE it!! 🙂

What book(s) are you in the middle of reading right now?

I’m reading a public domain book published in 1881 about raising vineyards (hello, research!) and a guidebook on a castle that has utterly fascinated me. Currently on my nightstand, though, would be the very beautifully written Mistress of Tall Acre by Laura Frantz and Honor Redeemed by Christine Johnson.

Sounds like a great combination to me! 😉

You had your second baby just a few weeks before I had mine. 🙂 He’s so cute! What’s a few of your favorite childhood books you enjoy reading to him?

Thank you! I’m pretty smitten with him myself. Hm, books… I’m such a sucker for Dr. Seuss books. I can read those all day! I’ve also discovered a new author called Mo Willems. Simple stories that manage to surprise me and make me laugh.

Oh, I love Dr. Seuss books. I haven’t heard of Mo Willems, though. I’ll have to look him up now. 😉

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

Of course! I’m very excited about my next book which is set in an English vineyard and the castle that goes along with it. The storyline is based on that of a longtime family friend whose family story of a buried fortune that was never found absolutely captivated me… and the romance thread is based on my own romance with my husband, who is the last person I ever thought I’d marry when I met him. It’s set to release in summer 2018!

That sounds amazing! 🙂 Can’t wait!! Thank you so much for joining us today, Joanna. I look forward to following your publication journey from here. Have a blessed day!

GIVEAWAY!!

Joanna has graciously offered to give away a copy of Lady Jane Disappears. Enter below and it could be YOU! ;)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thanks for entering! Contest is open only in the U.S. and ends September 15, 2017.  The winner will be notified by email. Happy Reading, everybody! 😉