Interview with Jocelyn Green & GIVEAWAY | The Engrafted WordAward-winning author Jocelyn Green inspires faith and courage in her readers through both fiction and nonfiction. A former military wife herself, she offers encouragement and hope to military wives worldwide through her Faith Deployed ministry. Her novels, inspired by real heroines on America’s home front, are marked by their historical integrity and gritty inspiration.

Jocelyn graduated from Taylor University in Upland, Indiana, with a B.A. in English, concentration in writing. She is an active member of the Christian Authors Network, the Advanced Writers and Speakers Association, American Christian Fiction Writers, and the Military Writers Society of America.

She loves Mexican food, Broadway musicals, Toblerone chocolate bars, the color red, and reading on her patio. Jocelyn lives with her husband Rob and two small children in Cedar Falls, Iowa. Visit her at www.jocelyngreen.com.

———————————————————————————————————————–

Welcome to The Engrafted Word, Jocelyn! It’s wonderful to have you here and CONGRATULATIONS on your newest release, Yankee in Atlanta!  I’ve been anxiously awaiting its arrival for quite some time. 😉

Savanna:  In writing Yankee in Atlanta, did you ever uncover a piece of history that really surprised you?

Interview with Jocelyn Green & GIVEAWAY | The Engrafted WordJocelyn: Oh yes, plenty. Here’s one: I learned that The Children’s Aid Society in New York City operated “orphan trains” for decades, sending orphans and half-orphans (one parent living) from NYC to adoptive homes in the West, mostly Iowa, Illinois, Indiana for a while, since the railroads didn’t get much further than that until after the Civil War. An agent would ride the train with a group of orphans, then clean them up and set them on the train platform or in a church and people would come in and choose a child to take home. Sometimes it worked well for everyone, but there were sad stories about children not being treated right in their new adoptive families, too. I learned that at least thirteen orphans were adopted this way right here in my home town of Cedar Falls, Iowa.

Savanna: Wow!  I can’t imagine.  That’s what’s so fascinating and overwhelming about digging into history… there will always be more to find and be surprised by.

From your experience, which is harder to write – fiction or nonfiction? Can you tell us why?

Jocelyn:  Fiction! It’s harder because it’s so much more open-ended. I could take a story an infinite number of directions, and it’s up to me to choose the right path. This is fun, but also requires more thinking than just recording someone else’s story. The other aspect that is challenging to me is getting the pacing of the story right. My nonfiction books are broken up into chapters, or devotionals, ranging from 600 words to 2000 words in each separate section. Holding a reader’s attention for 100,000 words or longer is harder, I think.

Savanna:  Of all the places you’ve traveled to for researching your novels, what has been your favorite location to visit so far and why?

Interview with Jocelyn Green & GIVEAWAY | The Engrafted WordJocelyn:  Gettysburg, hands down. I’ve traveled quite a bit for these novels, but Gettysburg offers the fullest time-traveling experience if you can get there when it’s not totally clogged with other people. History is preserved so well here, including the battlefields and special places in town, too. If you go, you must visit the Seminary Ridge Museum and The Shriver House Museum. There are several other places you’ll want to go, but these are truly must-see sites!

Savanna:  I had the opportunity of visiting Gettysburg for the first time last year myself and it truly is incredible.  I had just finished reading your novel “Widow of Gettysburg” shortly before our trip and it added SO much to the whole experience.  Gotta love the Lord’s perfect timing. 😉   

On your website you’ve shared some of your favorite verses. Can you tell us one of your favorite quotes?

Interview with Jocelyn Green & GIVEAWAY | The Engrafted WordJocelyn:  The first one that pops into my head is this:  “We don’t know until tried what we are capable of.”  A woman  named Sarah Broadhead said this. She was an ordinary  housewife living in Gettysburg during the battle, and found she could endure and do extraordinary things.

Savanna:  I remember that one from your previous book.  Very fitting.  So after this series is finished, what are your writing plans?

Jocelyn:  My plan is to find new material for future novels while teaching history to my second grader! I just started homeschooling this year, and I love going through world history with my daughter. Every time I learn something new, I wonder if I could bring it to life in a novel.

Savanna: That’s awesome! Thanks for sharing with us today, Jocelyn. And have fun celebrating your latest book launch!  How can readers connect with you further?

Jocelyn:  Thank you, Savanna!  They can visit me on my website and Facebook and Pinterest.

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!!

Jocelyn and her publicist have graciously offered one lucky winner the first 3 books in the Heroines Behind the Line Series, which include Wedded to War, Widow of Gettysburg, and Jocelyn’s newest released – Yankee in Atlanta.  Yep, a 3 BOOK GIVEAWAY! You don’t want to miss this!

Interview with Jocelyn Green & GIVEAWAY | The Engrafted WordHOW TO ENTER:

-Leave your name and email in the comments below. (You MUST include your email to be qualified)

GET EXTRA ENTRIES:
(Be sure to tell me in the comments below)

-Subscribe to The Engrafted Word

-Like The Engrafted Word on Facebook

-Share this Giveaway on Social Media

 

Thanks for entering! Contest is open only in the U.S. and ends June 10, 2014.
Winner will be notified by email.

————————————————————————————————————————-