I’m so thrilled to be participating in my first blog tour, author Connie Grudzinski’s First Annual Author-Go-Round! Special thanks to my good friend Tracy for inviting me, and to Connie for allowing me to join.
Please join me in welcoming author Eve Connelly for our first interview. Her first novel, Big Hearts, is the story of one woman’s journey from loss to love. Kimber Blackwell has just about everything a young woman could dream of, then in a freak accident on her farm involving snow mobiles and her prized team of working Belgian horses, she loses the baby she’s carrying along with her husband, Tim.
Things go from bad to catastrophic when a crooked lawyer teams up with the parents of the children who were also in the horse drawn sleigh and Kimber is faced with a lawsuit. In the end, she loses everything. Her family farm, heirlooms passed down for six generations all the way from Europe, and her horses. Her only recourse seems to be her last two bottles of pain pills and sleeping pills. “I’m coming Tim.”
But her friends have finally located a pair of her horses and return them to her. Now she must learn to trust, not just herself, but her horses, and she must learn to trust others. Can the love of a horse heal a broken heart?
Eve shared some fun questions she’s had, including some of the ones she fielded at her first book signing at the local library.
Q: What prompted you to start writing? (from the librarian)
A: I don’t remember a day when I didn’t have books. My mom read Little Golden books to me every day and by age four, I was “reading’ those books to my dolls and stuffed animals. When I grew bored of reading the same books, I began telling my own stories.
My father first saw my potential when I was eleven years old and insisted I sit and write an hour a day. Not in a journal, but write a story. He would select a few of my stories and help me polish them up a bit, then send them to a magazine. From there I knew I wanted to write. It just took another forty years to get it right.
Q: Did you take classes to learn how to write? (from a lady sitting near the front)
A: No, I didn’t take formal classes. I did take journalism and technical writing in high school, but quickly discovered I had no stomach for poking into other people’s lives without permission. Later I studied to become a teacher in science and reading, but my biggest boost was joining the online critique group The Next Big Writer. I’ve also attended scads of workshops and conferences.
Q: Is romance the only thing you write? How about thrillers or murder mysteries? (from a lady in a middle row)
A: I mostly write what I love, and that’s horse stories. I am passionate about Hallmark movies and I search out the books which inspired them. After the first book I read, I was hooked for life. More than standard romance, I love the deeper meanings and heartfelt journeys portrayed in Women’s literature. I like to think that’s what I write best. As to thrillers and mysteries – I can’t solve a simple puzzle and I usually get lost in the first pages of a mystery. And most thrillers keep me up at night, and not in a good way.
(but on a side note, I’m eager to see what fellow Author-go-round member, Miracle Austin writes)
Q: If you write romance, you must write about men also. What makes you think you can write what a man thinks or feels?) From a slightly grumpy older man in the back.
A: I didn’t dare tell him that of course I can write a man, I’m married to one, and I raised one, and hey, I’m a woman and we can see right through you. No I didn’t say that. Here’s my answer:
I’m an avid outdoorsman, hunter, fisher, and horse trainer. I’ve ridden my own Harley with a club, and I fly airplanes. I grew up on an airport with firebombers, smoke jumpers, and airplane mechanics. When I wasn’t at the airport, I was at the rodeo. I got a pretty good insight to men back then. Furthermore, I’ve been called ‘sir’ so many times I must play the part pretty well, so I also draw from that. However, my husband and children will vouch for me – I’m all woman.
Big Hearts can be found on Amazon (Kindle or paperback), or you can order a signed copy from the author at www.eveconnelly.wordpress.com or direct email at eveconnellyauthor@gmail.com . Follow Eve on Twitter @Eve_Connelly57
Watch for author Tracy Lawson’s interview next week, and check out all of the fabulous blog tour participants below!
Eve Connelly, Big Hearts, women’s literature. Website www.eveconnelly.wordpress.com email eveconnellyauthor@gmail.com
Tracy Lawson, Counteract and Resist. Website www.tracylawsonbooks.com email: tracy@tracylawsonbooks.com
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Linda Ulleseit, Flying Horse books and more, website: www.ulleseit.wordpress.com email: flyinghorsebooks@gmail.com
Nina Day Gerard, My Brother's Keeper, www.ninadaygerard.com (blog: 'A Fine Romance') email ninadaygerard@gmail.com
Miracle Austin, creepy, scary, horror (books that is, her website is awesome) website: www.miracleaustin.com email: bacardimamba@aol.com
Connie Peck, Belt Buckles and Tiaras, The Black Pony Adventures, website www.conniepeck.wordpress.com email: mrspiddles@yahoo.com