My guest today is my wonderful critique partner, awarding-winning author, Jill Stengl. Jill has a new release Until That Distant Day, which I had the privilege of reading for endorsement and LOVED it! Jill is in the midst of her book launch, so please join me as we get to know Jill Stengl and her new historical novel! (She’s doing a great giveaway too – see the picture of it to the right!) First, the book!
Until That Distant Day
by Jill Stengl
Back Cover Description
Colette and her brother Pascoe are two sides of the same coin, dependent upon one another in the tumultuous world of the new Republic. Together they labor with other leaders of the sans-culottes to ensure freedom for all the downtrodden men and women of France.
But then the popular uprisings turn bloody and the rhetoric proves false. Suddenly, Colette finds herself at odds with Pascoe and struggling to unite her fractured family against the lure of violence. Charged with protecting an innocent young woman and desperately afraid of losing one of her beloved brothers, Colette doesn’t know where to turn or whom to trust as the bloodshed creeps ever closer to home.
Until that distant day when peace returns to France, can she find the strength to defend her loved ones . . . even from one another?
“Jill Stengl is one of the rare authors with the ability to transport the reader to another world–a delightfully rich world of scent and sight and sound.” – Kim Vogel Sawyer, bestselling author of Echoes of Mercy
“Award-winning author Jill Stengl has created her greatest work yet in the inspiring and moving Until That Distant Day.” Jill Eileen Smith, bestselling author of the Wives of King David series.
Jill Stengl is the author of numerous romance novels including Inspirational Reader’s Choice Award- and Carol Award-winning Faithful Traitor, and the bestselling novella, Fresh Highland Heir. She lives with her husband in the beautiful Northwoods of Wisconsin, where she enjoys her three cats, teaching a high school English Lit. class, playing keyboard for her church family, and sipping coffee on the deck as she brainstorms for her next novel.
She blogs at Books, Cats, and Whimsy. Do stop by and follow her to keep up with all her writing and reading-related activities!
As part of the tour, I asked Jill this question:
How did you get to know which characters would end up as most important to the story?
My original novella focused on a young woman, her father, and a young man she had known since childhood. As I attempted to enlarge and deepen this basic plot, new characters emerged—an involved back story for these characters and the addition of a family and a villainous brother to the hero. But no matter what plot twists I added, no matter how many thousands of words I wrote, the story remained flat; it was still a genre romance. The characters were cookie-cutter, and their lack of dimension became glaringly obvious as the story grew.
Then Anne Elisabeth suggested I attempt to tell the story from the POV of an outside character, not the romantic heroine. I looked askance at this (over the telephone), but decided to give it a go. And so Colette took shape in my mind and helped me to develop an actual plot. This next draft was sprawling and ended in a mess, yet it bore faint resemblance to the final plot.
The problem, as my brilliant editor succinctly yet kindly pointed out, was that Colette in my mind had not transferred effectively to Colette in the written word. The bones of a good story were there, but they lacked flesh. I went back to the basics, studied the opening chapters of a few of my favorite first-person POV novels, and wrote a few practice scenes as if Colette herself were speaking.
She suddenly sprang to life on the page. And as her personality emerged, I was better able to capture the personalities of the other characters. My next draft still required much rewriting and polish, but since Colette herself had taken charge, the other characters were obliged to snap into shape.
Thanks for a fun question, Jill Eileen. And thanks for being my faithful writing buddy all these years!
You’re very welcome, my friend! It is I who owes you the thanks! My work is better because of you!
As part of Jill’s launch tour, she is giving away a cool prize package and answering questions different from mine. So please be sure to visit all of the websites on the tour listed below. On May 13, the last day of the tour, the winner will be announced. (See the link below for where to see the winner.)
Until That Distant Day is available FOR A LIMITED TIME for just $.99 – HERE!
Until That Distant Day
Launch Tour Schedule
May 5
May 6
May 7
May 8
Letters from Annie Douglas Lima
May 9
May 10
May 11
May 12
May 13 – Giveaway Winner Announced
