Speculator
Falls is a Wonderful Place
Character
Interview with Jenna Anderson from Entrusted by Julie Arduini
Julie Arduini:
My thanks to Peg for letting me post today. My timeless book is Entrusted.
This is my first book, and my baby. I thought I would share a bit about the
setting, but through the heroine’s eyes. Please welcome the newest Speculator
Falls resident, Jenna Anderson.
JENNA: Thank you. I’m
happy to show off my new zip code. What would you like to know?
JULIE: Explain to the
readers the difference between your old life in Ohio and your new one in
Upstate NY.
JENNA: How much time do
you have? Everything is so different. I was grew up in the suburbs of
Youngstown, Ohio, and graduated college from the area. I was an activities
director at a local home for senior citizens, but I longed for more. I answered
an ad I found in a magazine, and after one phone interview, I was on my way to
the Adirondack Mountains of Upstate NY. The region is so rural that there are
no traffic lights in the entire county. The census bureau labels it frontier
land. When I passed the library at night, I noticed a lot of cars in the lot.
When I asked why, my new friend Will told me that they were people trying to
access Wi-Fi. Everything is so different, but in a good way.
JULIE: What’s it like
joining a new community that’s already established?
JENNA: Hmmm. Not as
easy as I thought, but I’m tough. The senior center where I work is a loyal
family, but they have been so kind. I have one curmudgeon who tries to give me
a hard time, but I know he cares about me and is glad I’m there. Now,
councilman Ben Regan, he’s been less than welcoming. He feels locals stick
together and that I don’t belong. Like I said, I’m tough.
JULIE: What’s your
biggest challenge at the senior center?
JENNA: Funding. The
building is older and we’re cramped for space. There are activities I’d like to
bring to the center that keep them fit in mind and body. Those things cost
money. I’m preparing a budget proposal for the council. I hope Ben will be absent
for that meeting
JULIE: What do you want
everyone to know about Speculator Falls?
JENNA: It’s often
mispronounced as Spectacular, and I love that, because the entire area is
exactly that. You won’t find air any fresher. The people are wonderful and help
each other out. I hear winters are tough, but I’m ready. They tell me most
people leave after Labor Day. But whenever you’re able, I hope you do.
JULIE: Thank you,
Jenna! You really have fallen in love with your new life.
JENNA: I have. If you
need a place to vacation, the Adirondack Mountains are a great destination.
Julie here: A couple years ago I was able to travel to the real Speculator on the southern end of the 1 million acre parcel of land called the Adirondacks. I spoke to residents at the library and many confessed even though they lived in the area, they thought Speculator Falls was real. What I did was create a fictional town to honor the real Speculator. My heart will always belong there, and with Entrusted. I hope you check it out!
Julie Arduini loves to
encourage readers to find freedom in Christ by surrendering the good, the bad,
and ---maybe one day---the chocolate. She’s the author of the contemporary
romance series SURRENDERING TIME, (Entrusted, Entangled, Engaged,) as well as
the stand-alone novella, MATCH MADE IN HEAVEN. She also shares her story in the
infertility devotional, A WALK IN THE VALLEY. Her latest release, YOU’RE AMAZING,
is a book for girls ages 10-100, written with her teenaged daughter, Hannah,
and is book 2 in their SURRENDERING STINKIN’ THINKIN’ series. She blogs every
other Wednesday for Christians Read, as well as monthly with Inspy
Romance.
She resides in Ohio with her husband and two children. Learn more by visiting
her at http://juliearduini.com, where she invites readers to
subscribe to her monthly newsletter full of resources and giveaway
opportunities.
Thank you, Peg, for letting me visit with Jenna!
ReplyDeleteMy pleasure, Julie. Always happy to have you here. Blessings ...
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