Rachel Rassano with Duty & Word and Deed

Hello Dearest Readers!

Today, I am so pleased to introduce to you Rachel Rassano from Rachel Rassano’s Words, a weathered veteran in the world of indie publishing, a friend, mentor and so much more. I first met Rachel via her blog (Thanks to Elizabeth E.), where she was writing the story of Wren (now available for purchase!!!!!). I fell in love with her style of writing sweet clean romances. I tend to avoid romance as a general rule, but Rachel has such a sweet touch with it I didn’t really even notice it was romance. This led me to reading a few more of her books, a few web chats and creating a dear friend who had great wisdom about launching into the world of self-publishing and cover design, both of which she does fluently.

For this giveaway, I am super excited about her books. I had a chance to beta read for Duty and enjoyed it very much, I know you will too. It’s a lovely story set in fictional medieval lands–another reason I love Rachel’s writing. Then her lovely short story Word and Deed, this is a super fun quick read, with a great deal of adventure and fun suspense that I am sure you will love! If you love romance–you will LOVE RACHEL’S BOOKS FOREVER!!!!!

Enough of my babbling…Rachel Rassano in her own words…
What do you love about writing?
I love creating characters and worlds, playing with words and situations, and never knowing what is going to happen next. I write my stories a bit how my readers read them. I meet the characters and discover things about them at about the same time in the story that the reader does. Dialogue becomes a conversation between me and the characters. Writing is a challenging adventure with vast rewards, the greatest of which is a story to share with my readers.
Was there ever a couple in your stories that you were not planning on ending up together but finally ended up writing in?
While writing Wren: A Romany Epistle Novel, Wren and Tourth were not my first choice as the main couple. When I first sat down to write, Arthus and Wren were to be a pair. I got eight chapters into the novel and realized that my two main characters were not going to end up together. Wren was interested in a character that had just been introduced, Tourth, and Arthus wanted to court Tourth’s sister, Kat. I ended up rewriting the whole novel from scratch.
On a different kind of love, what is your favorite bro-mance or sisterhood in a novel?
In the Novels of Rhynan series, I am really enjoying the brotherly friendship between Tomas Dyrease and Simon Cordale. The two come from drastically different backgrounds. Tomas is an illegitimate son of a wandering healer woman, and Simon Cordale is the son of an earl with an ancient family name. The two should have never rubbed shoulders, but they did. Simon became the older brother Tomas never had, someone to guide and help him along in life. Meanwhile Tomas became the replacement for the brothers Simon lost. Bound by war, shared experiences, and common ideals, the two of them have forged a friendship that withstands seasons of plenty and famine. Their friendship is a thread I hope to stumble over repeatedly as I write the next stories in the Novels of Rhynan series.
What confession/ proposal or wedding touched your heart?
I love the scene in Duty where Tomas convinces Brielle to marry him. It isn’t particularly romantic. He asks her question after question, knocking down possible reasons for her to say no. Then he tells her why he wants to marry her beyond the obvious motivations of the proxy wedding and the king’s orders.
“I am a soldier, a man accustomed to grueling marches, meager fare, and long, cold nights sleeping in the dirt. Alive by the strength of my sword arm and the speed of my feet, I need a wife who can stand at my side, not cower behind me. The more I know of you, the better suited you appear, my lady. Should you have me, I would willingly take you to wife.”
Summing up in his direct fashion, he concludes: “Then I suggest a solution. We marry. I will give you protection, children, and companionship. I believe we can hope for at least friendship, but…” He studied her face. “…I haven’t completely given up on the possibility of more. What do you say?”
Do you have a favorite couple of those you’ve written? Why?
I can’t say I do. Each of the couples I have written have been very different from the others. They play off each other in different ways that I (and hopefully my readers) enjoy. The sword fight between Wren and Tourth (Wren),Tomas’ directness with Brielle (Duty), Dentin’s tenacious pursuit of Elsa (Honor), and the fast paced conversations between Verity and Byrn (Word and Deed), each couple remains special to me in their own way. They are like old friends that I have known forever.
What is your definition of love?
1 John 4:10 “In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.”
1 Corinthians 13:4-7 “Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”
Every act of love is a reflection of the perfect love Christ demonstrated for us on the cross. I am honored to reflect Christ’s love in my writing whether it is romantic love or friendship.
Author’s Biography
Rachel Rossano is a happily married homeschooling momma of three. Midst the daily chaos of mothering and teaching, she plots and daydreams about high adventures and romance. Then at nap times and after the children are tucked in for the night, she captures her stories on the page to be enjoyed time and again. Check out her work on her blog: http://rachel-rossano.blogspot.com/

Amy Dashwood & Only A Novel

Hello Dearest Reader!

I am so excited about the giveaway, and I am super excited that I get to introduce you to one of my very favorite of very favorite authors. Miss Amy Dashwood of Yet Another Period Drama and The Quest for Stories two absolutely delightful blogs that I suggest you go and follow at once! Make haste, make haste! For there you will find Miss Amy Dashwood’s brilliance, wit, wisdom and dear stories.

For this giveaways she is offering her novel and one of my favorite stories that I have read over and over and over again. Only A Novel. It’s truly a little wonder of delight, wit and humor that will warm your heart and tickle your funny bone until everyone (your family and even you coworkers in the lunchroom) will beg you to read aloud. It has the sweetest touch of romance, realistic growing up and such a cast of lovable characters. (There is one character who I almost squeal when their name appears on the page. Their initials are R.B. shh, don’t let any of my characters know!) This is one of my go to books when it comes to giving a good book to a friend.

However, enough babbling I want to introduce you to our wonderful Miss Amy Dashwood…

What do you love about writing?
I read a quote somewhere once that said, “I do not love writing; I love having written.”  I don’t remember who wrote that, but it definitely struck a chord with me– I love rereading something and thinking, “this is good, I feel accomplished, this came out the way I wanted it to,” but I don’t really like the struggle of getting the words onto paper and making them flow the way they do in my head.  The accomplished feeling that accompanies getting it right is a rare thing, indeed, but when it does come it’s like that famous ninth cloud. 
Who is your favorite book couple ever?
Oh, dear, you would ask this.  I find it very hard to choose favorites in general, and when it comes to favorite fictional characters it’s just as bad as trying to pick a favorite family member.  Maybe Emma and Mr. Knightley from Emma?  They’re just so perfect together.  They understand and put up with each other’s quirks and failings, they have the same sense of humor, they feel comfortable and safe with each other… it’s basically the ideal relationship.
What is your favorite “first meeting” between a story couple?
Hmmm, now perhaps this is a little easier to answer. 🙂 *thinks for three hours* Um, scratch that…
Well, all right, I suppose I’ll go with Anne and Gilbert in Anne of Green Gables.  That’s probably the most hilarious first meeting of all time– the slate incident, that is.  And it totally counts as the first meeting because in the book it happened on the same day that they met, so it’s still legitimate.  Second place might go to Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy, if only for the “tolerable, but not handsome enough to please me” line.   Heehee.
What couple did you ship, only to be disappointed?
Enjolras and Eponine in Les Miserables.  THEY NEED TO BE TOGETHER.
What couple ended up together, but you wish they hadn’t?
I tend to be a very canonical person, if that’s even a thing… if the book says it, that’s that.  Off the top of my head, I’m having a hard time thinking of a couple I wish hadn’t gotten together.  As far as protagonist-couples go, that is.  People like Lydia Bennet and George Wickham don’t count.
What confession/ proposal or wedding touched your heart?
Oh, so many. SO MANY.  The second proposal/confession of love in Jane Eyre, the entirety of chapter 49 in Emma, practically every time Sir Percy and Marguerite get soppy with each other, heehee, Jo and Professor Bhaer’s discussion under the umbrella, that scene at the very end of Rilla of Ingleside when Ken comes back… yeah, I could be here all day.
On a different kind of love, what is your favorite bro-mance or sisterhood in a novel?
I’ve always loved the friendship between Cordy and Chrys in Carol Ryrie Brink’s Two Are Better Than One… a darling book that’s often overlooked where classic children’s literature is concerned. 
What book really illustrates the love of God for us in a way that caught your attention?
(I assume we’re taking the Bible as the obvious answer here, and talking about other books in addition to that?)  The first book that did that for me was probably The Hiding Place by Corrie ten Boom, which is just about the best book ever for showing how He cares for us and leads us through trials without ever abandoning us.  Stepping Heavenward by Elizabeth Prentiss is also a great reminder of how patientGod is with His wayward children!
What is your favorite form of love to write into your own books?
I’ve written a few romantic bits in my own stories but my favorite kind of relationship to write is that between siblings… I have a three amazing sisters and one fabulous brother with whom I’m really close, and I feel there’s a tremendous dearth of books these days that portray healthy, loving sibling relationships.  Someday I want to write a book about a really close friendship between two girls (I happen to have the best friend in the whole world, so I have lots of source material), which hasn’t come about yet since I’m still working on other projects, but it’s definitely a subject close to my heart.
Do you have a favorite couple of those you’ve written? Why?
Rodney and Elizabeth from Only a Novel— I had so much fun developing their relationship and getting them to like each other and finally fall in love.  Plus they’re funny because he has an overdeveloped sense of humor and she has rather an underdeveloped one, so they balance each other out brilliantly.  😛
Was there ever a couple in your stories that you were not planning on ending up together but finally ended up writing in?
Ditto to the above question.  Heehee.  I never intended to have a love interest in Only a Novel, but once Rodney popt up and made his presence known, I started to think maybe he and Elizabeth ought to be a Thing.
Do you find it harder or easier to write romantic love or friendship love in your books?
Definitely friendship love– I’ve enjoyed that in large doses throughout my life, whereas I have yet to fall in love in a romantic way.  And though I strongly advocate that you do not need to have lived through something in order to write about it (otherwise there would be no such thing as fiction) it’s definitely easier to write from experience.
Do you have a favorite friend pair in your books?
Sylvia Lemmins and Celia Rochester in my unfinished novel How It Began With the Rocehsters, I do believe. 
Favorite love story you’ve written?
Rodney and Elizabeth’s in Only a Novel is the only one so far, so by default it wins!
What is your definition of love?
This may seem like taking the lazy way out, but really I couldn’t possibly express it better than Paul did in 1 Corinthians 13– love is patient, love is kind, it does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud… it always trusts, always hopes, always believes and never fails.

Thanks so much for inviting me to this interview, Jessica and Elizabeth!
Miss Amy Dashwood is a daughter of the King of Kings, a scribbler, a Janeite, a homeschool graduate and a bookworm.  She began writing at age seven, as a preventative measure so she’d never run out of books to read.  Stories are her passion, but she also finds time to dabble in other interests (musical theatre, historical costuming, and tea in a teapot, to name a few).  She believes in windy walks, long period dramas, pretty clothes and the power of words. You can find her at Yet Another Period Drama Blog or The Quest for Stories.


Valentine Book Lover Link Up!

Since we are going to be asking the authors questions until Valentine’s day! I thought it would be a great time to ask all of you some! So here you go, feel free to link up at the bottom so we can see your answers!
What book do you love but everyone else seems to hate (or dislike)?

What book does everyone else seem to love, but you just can’t get into?

Love in books—love or hate it?

What is your favorite friendship/brotherhood/sisterhood in a book?

Do you “ship” couple when you read? What are some of your favorite ships—that sailed or didn’t?

Do you still exchange Valentines?

Your favorite Valentine gift, chocolate, flowers or something else? Chocolate, dark, milk, white—other?
Your personal views on Valentine’s day?

Favorite sweet Read?
Favorite fairytale and why?
Favorite romantic gesture in a book?
Do you have a favorite “romantic movie” for that you like to watch?
Favorite Literary couple and why?
Favorite opinion about love from a Character? (like Jo in little woman…to her it was an awful idea).
Favorite quote about love? 


Book Lover Giveaway

Hello Dear Readers,

A few months ago the wonderful Authoress Elizabeth Ender and I were storming up ideas for a fun giveaway, so we decided we’d give away our books–then some more.

However if it was fun just for the two of us, wouldn’t it be more fun if there were…more of us? After all, don’t we all just love, adore, and drink in books?

So we contacted some of the MOST BRILLIANT AUTHORS that walk the face of this earth, and received a wonderful response. They even let us pester them with a million questions about books, love, love in books and out, some even volunteered to write up some wonderful guest posts, I am really looking forward to getting to know these marvelous authors even more. I know you will find some to be kindred spirits.

I am so thrilled to be offering you a beautiful selection of books that covers a vast variety of genres, interests and that will assuredly peak your interest and warm your book loving heart. A giveaway, that I want to break all of my own rules and enter…

So without further ado I give you!!!!!!
Jessica Greyson

Rewards that aren’t pictured include a 5 dollar Starbucks gift card and a wonderful little booklight!

Don’t forget to enter and spread the word!!!! And I beg you to leave one blog comment with all of your entries–or I shall not be able to find all of my mail in your beautiful comments and entries! Thanks!
This is open to USA residents only due to the high cost of international shipping. Thanks for your understanding
a Rafflecopter giveaway