It's Throwback Thursday and an interview with guest author Judythe Morgan
Welcome, Judythe. Thank you for spending this time with us so we can get to know you. Ready? Let's go.
How long have you been writing?
I’ve been telling
stories all my life. I focused on writing when all my chickadees flew the coop.
I finished my first full length novel in the late nineties and started
collecting reject letters from publishers and agents. Rightly so. I had zero
craft skill. I knew nothing of POV, scene structure, characterization, GMC…all
the stuff that writers use to craft remarkable stories.
I began to study
and learn. I went to writers’ conferences and retreats. I joined writer
organizations and worked with critique partners. My writing improved. Stories
began to sell to magazines and, when I entered winning writing contests, my
manuscripts started to final and win.
Then in 2012 I
held my first published novel in my hand and, as the saying goes, “the rest is
history.” My latest book released in May 2020. You can find my complete book list
on my website judythemorgan.com
How do you go about finding names for your
characters?
Naming characters
is tricky. Much harder than naming your pet. Once you get to know the
characters, the name you select may not fit. The beauty of word processing is,
if that happens, you can do a search and replace and change the name quickly.
I’ve had to do that a few times. As I wrote I got to know the character and the
name just didn’t fit.
Sometimes I use
the names of friends, family, and acquaintances. Always with permission, and usually
with spelling twists or sound alike names if a story character will have too
many of the same traits. I don’t want to risk offending anyone.
I’ve discovered
most people love to have characters named after them. Especially when I acknowledge them
in the book.
Besides writing, what other hobbies do you
enjoy?
You might say I’m
an eclectic, or maybe it’s attention deficit disorder. I love to do a lot of
different things. I cook, I sew, I play bridge, I work jigsaw puzzles, I
garden, I play the piano, I sing. And, I read. There’s always a book or my iPad
with the Kindle app nearby.
When reading, what is your favorite genre?
Romance,
specifically contemporary, historical, or military would be the obvious answer
but truthfully, I read across genres—mysteries, women’s fiction, biographies,
or memoirs. I hear about a new author and I’m always willing to give them a
try no matter what the genre.
About Your Book:
Title: Claiming
Annie’s Heart, An Irish Romance
Author: Judythe
Morgan
Publisher: The
Danfield Press
Release Date: 2014
Genre: Romance
Series/Stand-Alone:
Stand Alone
Target Audience:
16+
What take-away value do you want readers
to gain from your novel?
I want readers to see the
underlying themes of forgiveness and second chances of my stories. I do believe
strongly in both values.
What can we expect to see from you in the
future?
I’m currently
working to complete the Fitzpatrick Family series. Next novella is scheduled to
release in December then the remaining three in 2021.
From the back cover of Claiming Annie’s
Heart:
An Irish Love Story
Annie Foster stays in Ireland after
boarding school to nanny a widower’s infant daughter. Five years later, the
widower proposes.
Weeks before the
wedding, Chad Jones, her first love who she believed deserted her, arrives in
Belfast on an undercover assignment probing her fiancé’s connection with IRA
terrorists.
Chad’s determined
to change Annie’s mind because he’s never stopped loving her.
Who will claim
Annie’s heart?
EXCERPT
Annie Foster glanced toward the flash
of light when the door into Murphy’s Pub in Belfast, Northern Ireland, opened
and the dark shadow of a man moved to a stool at the bar. She shivered at the
rush of cold air from the unusually chilly July night, but her attention remained
focused between the dark oak bar and the seisiún
table. Seated with the musicians, four-year-old Emma lip-synced along with
her. Behind the bar, her fiancé Pearce Murphy pulled the Guinness tap to build
a pint.
Her fingers glided over the upright
piano keys. Her voice echoed through the still, quiet pub with the final chorus
of the ancient ballad, “For
she lived to hope and pray, For her love in Botany Bay, It's so lonely round
the fields of Athenry.”
Annie rose slowly. Her body
weighted by emotions stirred from the words she sang. She’d been lonely once - waiting,
hoping, praying. Not anymore. With a smile at Pearce, she headed to Emma.
She’d only taken two steps when
the man who had entered swept her off her feet. She struggled against his arms,
pinning her loosely but firmly to a body hard as a slab at Stonehenge. His lips
sealed over her startled scream. As the kiss softened, a mist of familiarity
fogged her brain.
Before she could sort through the
haziness, a familiar Irish brogue called out, “Get your hands off me lass.”
Pearce yanked her from the man’s arms.
The unmistakable crack of fist meeting flesh shot through the air, and the
stranger tumbled backward, knocking over a chair as he fell. Blood spurted down
his chin and splattered onto his shirt.
Pearce reached down to haul the
man to his feet for another go. Annie clutched at his forearm. “Pearce, stop
it! I’m fine.”
Emma appeared beside her father.
Her hazel eyes saucer-like on her pudgy face. She tugged on his other arm. “Da,
you broke his nose.”
Pearce twisted from their joint
restraint, showing no remorse. “He’s touching our Annie again, I’ll do it again.”
The stranger pulled himself up and
swiped at the blood running down his chin. “She’s my fiancee. Annie, it’s me.
Tell him.”
The deep baritone voice saying her
name carried a familiar cadence. Its resonance danced a jig in her ear, and her
heart skipped a beat. Annie swayed. “Chad?”
Chad lifted her hand to his lips, kissing
her fingers. “I’d given up on finding you, my Annie.”
“Too late, you are,” Pearce said.
Annie shot her friend Molly a
frantic help me glance.
Nodding, Molly linked her arm
through Pearce’s. “We’ll be needing you. Liam wants another of your special
Murphy’s.”
Pearce jerked from Molly’s grip
and motioned the crowd away. “Enough already. Everyone back to your places.” He
stomped to the bar.
Emma scooted closer, hugging
Annie’s waist. Her eyes glistened with tears. Her lips puckered in a pout. “She’s
not yours. She’s mine and Da’s.”
Annie slipped her hand from
Chad’s, gave Molly a grateful nod and crouched to hug Emma. “That’s right,
sweetie. I’ll always be yours.”
Chad’s gaze flickered from Annie
to Emma. “She yours?”
Aware of every eye in the pub watching
them, she tipped Emma’s chin upward. “Sweetie, you go help Molly and your Da.”
Emma’s shoulders straightened as
though she might protest, then dropped with a weighty sigh. Her posture and
stride mimicked her father’s as she walked away.
Annie motioned to Chad. “Come with
me. Let’s put some ice on your nose.” Pearce’s hazel eyes, shadowed by angry disbelief,
tracked them as Annie led the way behind the floor-to-ceiling, age-darkened,
oak bar. She kept her back stiff, her pace steady down the narrow hallway to an
iron spiral staircase and up the steps to her apartment above the bar. Inside,
her body shivered, trembled, quaked with questions. How had Chad found her and
where had he been?
She took a deep breath, exhaled
slowly, opened the door, and pointed to her kitchen table. “Sit down. I’ll get
some ice.”
He flinched when
she placed an ice-filled washcloth against his nose a few moments later. “Hold
it there.”
She sat across
from him, analyzing the man, looking for the college student she’d known and
loved. The years had left their mark on him. Gone was the sun-lightened, blond
hair she had run her fingers through, replaced by a dark, burnished-gold color.
A few lines etched across his forehead and around his eyes. A shadow of sadness
darkened those clear, sparkling blues that so often plagued her dreams. A
faint, narrow, pink scar line extended up his whisker-stubbled cheek. From
what, she wondered.
“Annie.”
“Chad.” They
spoke at once.
“You first,” he said.
Mountains of memories rose in her
head. Times spent sharing their deepest wants and desires. Times he’d been her
comfort and hope. How she had missed him and longed for him to return for her.
Finally, she’d accepted he was
gone. She’d never expected to see him again.
Purchase Links:
Judythe Morgan was an Army brat then Army wife. She’s
traveled a lot. Her start-and-then-move-again careers include teacher, antiques
dealer, former mayor's wife, sometimes-church pianist, and award-winning
author. Her life has rarely been dull or without an Old English Sheepdog at her
side.
Her varied experiences fill her stories with authentic
characters, exciting settings, and compelling plots. Her writing’s won multiple
writing contests. Check https://judythemorgan.com for details.
Besides fiction, she writes a weekly blog at www.judythewriter.com with her urban farmer daughter, Chicken Wrangler Sara.
Judythe is offering
one winner their choice of hard cover copy of Claiming Annie’s Heart
(U.S. address only) or eBook. To enter, simply leave a comment below with your
name and contact information, in case you’re the sinner. Giveaway ends one week
from today on Thursday, September3, 2020, at Midnight, Central Time.
