Hello, Whispers in Purple readers! Author Georgiana Daniels has graciously consented to answer some interview questions and share with us some insights into her life and her book, Shadows of Hope. AND ... a giveaway.
Welcome,
Georgiana! We’re spotlighting your book Shadows
of Hope. Please give us the back-cover story.
Thank you so much for
having me on your blog today, Peggy! I’m excited to visit with you. Shadows of Hope delves into a marriage
that’s disintegrating and what it looks like from three very different points
of view.
Crisis
pregnancy worker Marissa Moreau suspects her husband is cheating, but little
does she know how close to home her husband’s infidelity hits. College student
Kaitlyn Farrows is floundering after a relationship with her professor leaves
her pregnant. Soon she lands a job and a support system at the local pregnancy
resource center and things seem to be turning around.
But when Marissa and
Kaitlyn become friends, neither one knows they share a connection—Colin,
Marissa’s husband and Kaitlyn’s former professor. When their private lives collide,
the two women must face the ultimate test of their faith and choose how to move
forward as they live in the shadows of hope.
Oh, my! Reminds me of the line from Tale of Flodden Field by Sir Walter Scott: "O, what a tangled web we weave when first we practise to deceive!"
What inspired you to write Shadows of Hope?
Examining the way
people’s faith is affected when they face the worst thing they can imagine
intrigued me. Every Christian will, at some point, be confronted by tragedy or
heartbreak. The question is, will their faith be strengthened or lost?
How
did you come up with this story?
Nugget of truth: I’m a
slow, slow writer. I started Shadows of
Hope so long ago that I don’t remember the precise spark that came to me. I
do know that trying to come up with the worst situation I could fathom
eventually evolved into this story. Because my marriage and family are a
treasure, I can’t imagine a more heartbreaking scenario.
While I haven’t
personally experienced what my main character, Marissa, does, I have
experienced those emotions at other points in life. I was able to draw on
betrayal and profound disappointment, and hopefully convey the full range of
emotions that way.
What
surprised you the most during the writing of this book?
I was surprised by how
easy it was at times to write the POV of the antagonist. He’s someone I don’t
identify with at all—nor would I want to—but some of the things that went
through his mind just rolled off my fingers. And I was like, I can’t believe he
just thought that!
For example, he
doesn’t believe he’s really been unfaithful to his wife in the ways that really
matter. Seriously? Dude, you’re having a baby with someone else! But there are
people who will justify their bad behavior and make it everyone else’s fault.
That’s real life.
For sure!
What
kind of research did you have to do, if any?
Some authors love
research and taking little detours while they dive into different topics. I
want to be one of them, but I’m not—at least not yet. Once I hit that phase,
though, I have a feeling I’ll be spinning off in all kinds of directions.
This wasn’t a research-heavy book, thankfully, but there were a few bits I didn’t have a clue about,
like how professors achieve tenure and how academia works in general. It wasn’t
a huge part of the story, but I wanted to get it right. Also, I needed to know
a bit about ultrasounds and what kind of training someone would have in order to
do that type of work.
What
do you hope readers will take away from this book?
My prayer is that
readers will come away realizing that no matter what they’re going through, no
matter how big the tragedy, they can trust God. Their faith might look
differently than it did before, but that’s okay.
Through reading about
a character who faces a horrible situation and comes out with a stronger faith,
I hope readers will say, “I can do that too!”
God will use every
trial we face to make us more like Christ if we’ll let Him.
Amen! If
you had a choice, what would be your ideal writing place?
So many possibilities!
I’d like to be in a cozy nook, filled with books and the smell of books, curled
away with pen and paper while lightning flashes across the sky. Thunder crackles
and rain beats against the window while I delve into my story.
Oh, I like the image of that. Sounds like my kind of place. I love thunderstorms.
So, what is your actual writing place like?
Well, I live in sunny
Arizona and my laptop is surround by the kids’ school books. I’m pretty much
praying the coffee doesn’t spill because there’s just enough space on the table to keep it next to me. How’s that
for living the dream?
What
ministries are you involved in … and why?
Since we just
moved…none! At our last church, our family’s favorite ministry was helping out
at the food center—that was an incredible blessing! Our church also contributed
to Knitted Knockers, so I spent quite a bit of time knitting. After we settle
in next month, I’d love to get back into the food center/feeding the hungry
because that’s an area of need that keeps tugging our hearts.
What
talents do you have, aside from storytelling, that is?
Knitting—I adore
playing with yarn! Did you ever see the commercial where the kid is covered
head-to-toe in a giant piece of knitwear because they’d just received a package
from Nana? That’s probably how my family feels.
Perhaps once our two
younger girls are on their own I’ll have more time to develop other talents
since there are so many things I’m interested in trying.
One area where I’m not
skilled: cooking. There, I said it. The secret is out!
Did
you have/do you have a day job? How did it influence what, or how, you write?
I haven’t had a
regular day job in 13 or so years, but I never know what tomorrow holds. Prior to
homeschooling the kids, I had some great careers that I enjoyed. I was a stock
broker, and before that I was in retail management. (It’s rumored I could
occasionally be heard crooning out a tune over the intercom before the store
opened.)
Those careers were so
long ago that I’m not sure they can be said to have influenced much of my
writing. But I’ll tell you this: part of being a new broker was going
door-to-door to build the business. I learned a ton about how to handle
rejection—a handy skill to have as a writer!
Definitely! Finally,
tell us about your next project.
I wish I knew, Peggy!
I have a project I’ve been working on, but I’m a bit stuck at the moment. It’s
research intensive, and as I mentioned previously, that’s not my forte. It’ll
be a while before another book actually hits the shelves.
The thing is, I’ve
made peace with that. Maybe someday I’ll enter a season of life that allows me
to shift priorities, but right now homeschooling the kids as they finish middle
school/enter high school tops the list.
Thanks,
Georgiana. It’s been a pleasure visiting with you.
I’ve enjoyed our
visit! Thank you so much for having me here. I do hope to meet you in person
one day!
Here's a little bit more
from the back cover:
A
story of hope in the aftermath of inconceivable betrayal and broken dreams What if. . .. . .you struggled with infertility but
unknowingly befriended your husband’s pregnant mistress?
What if. . .. . .the woman you were seeing behind your
wife’s back gets pregnant, threatening your job and marriage?
What if. . .. . .your boyfriend never told you he was
married and you discover you’re pregnant?
Abouit Georgiana:
Georgiana
Daniels resides in the beautiful mountains of Arizona with her super-generous
husband and three talented daughters. She graduated from Northern Arizona
University with a bachelor's degree in public relations and now has the
privilege of homeschooling by day and wrestling with the keyboard by night.
She
enjoys sharing God's love through fiction and is exceedingly thankful for her
own happily ever after.
Social
media:
Buy
links:
Amazon
About the Giveaway:
Georgiana is offering a free print copy (US Only) of Shadows of Hope to one of this blog's readers. To enter, simply leave a comment below with your name and contact information (in case you're the winner) and tell us why you'd like to win this book. You'll get a second entry if you become one of my follower (see sidebar) and mention it in your comment.
Giveaway ends one week from today, Wednesday, April 18, at Midnight CDT.
We hope to hear from you!
Georgiana, thank you so much for being my guest this week. It's been a pleasure learning about your book, and something about you, too.
Crisis
pregnancy worker Marissa Moreau suspects her husband is cheating, but little
does she know how close to home her husband’s infidelity hits. College student
Kaitlyn Farrows is floundering after a relationship with her professor leaves
her pregnant. Soon she lands a job and a support system at the local pregnancy
resource center and things seem to be turning around. 
Georgiana
Daniels resides in the beautiful mountains of Arizona with her super-generous
husband and three talented daughters. She graduated from Northern Arizona
University with a bachelor's degree in public relations and now has the
privilege of homeschooling by day and wrestling with the keyboard by night. 
Set in 1930’s and 1940’s
Newfoundland, this story is as rugged as the island setting. Years of
struggling to survive in a harsh environment have created a unique group of
people, isolated by the miles of ocean surrounding them who long to connect
with each other. Laura, motherless since she was 12, has sought her father’s
love and attention ever since; however, his heart is buried with his dead wife.
He has nothing to give. Richard, the son born of a backseat liaison sure to
anger her father, stands between the life Laura thinks she wants and the life
she will be relegated to in the small town of Carbonear. So she does the
unthinkable—she leaves him. Richard grows up thinking Laura is his sister, only
to learn when he is a teenager that she is his mother, that his father is
really his grandfather, and that the woman he calls Mom isn’t even related to
him by blood. But instead of destroying him, Richard sets out on a journey to
prove he is wanted and he is part of a family that would love him if they
really knew him. In the process, he finds everything—and more—that he longs
for.
Kass Fogle is a Contemporary Christian Author, Speaker
and Blogger who lives with her husband and two teenaged children in
South-Central Illinois. She is working on her first novel, Ruth's Garden and
when she is not working the day job you can find her at the local coffee house
writing, at home baking, hanging out with family or causing trouble with her
tight group of girlfriends. Kass is also a raging Football Mom.
Toni Shiloh is a wife, mom, and Christian fiction writer.
Once she understood the powerful saving grace thanks to the love of Christ, she
was moved to honor her Savior. She writes to bring Him glory and to learn more
about His goodness.
Michelle Thomas has it all.
Beautiful and successful, she’s just opened her own law firm in Freedom Lake.
What more could she want? When her old flame rolls back into Freedom Lake,
she’s intent on ignoring him. But how can she give the widower and his precious
twin girls the cold shoulder?
