Up Close and Personal with Julianna Deering ♦ Giveaway

Hi, Juliana –welcome to The Diamond Mine of Christian Fiction!. So happy to have a chance to interview you here for my inaugural post!  

Giveaway Alert ♦ Winner’s Choice ♦ Two Chances to Win ♦ Details Below

PEG: OK, Julianna, now that that’s out of the way, let’s chat a while.
How long have you been writing?

JULIANNA: I’ve always been a reader, though I would never, ever have predicted I would end up being a writer. I used to write little episodes of my favorite TV shows when I was growing up (Fan Fiction before there was such a thing!), but it wasn’t until I was in college and bored with my accounting classes that I started writing original characters. I still never really expected to be a writer, but I eventually made my collection of random scenes into a book. At the urging of a friend, I decided to send it to some publishers to see if anyone would be interested. Miraculously, the third one I queried decided they wanted it, and that was my first book, In Honor Bound. My new release, Dressed for Death, is my twelfth published book, and I have five more contracted. I would never have imagined that when I was just playing with stories.

PEG: Has your writing journey been as you envisioned it? If so, tell us a bit about it. If not, how is it different?

JULIANNA: Oh, not at all! I used to think, as many people do, that once an author gets one book traditionally published, that’s the beginning of a slowly but steadily growing career and fan base (and bank account). Not necessarily so. After my first three books were published, I had some setbacks and didn’t write seriously for several years. But, since writing is something that I can’t not do, I eventually started writing again. I am blessed with a wonderful agent who was determined to sell my mystery series no matter how long it took, but I wondered for a very long time if I would ever be published again. Even now, there are no guarantees about what the future will hold for my writing career, but I know I can trust God to do what is best for me as long as I am faithful to His calling.

PEG: I expect that’s the same for most of us. The important thing is, you didn’t quit! Congratulations on that! What sparks your creativity when feeling drained?

JULIANNA: It’s always good to recharge by reading someone else’s books or by watching good drama. It seems especially helpful to read or watch something outside of what you’re working on.

PEG: Oh, that’s funny. That’s the same answer I gave someone when they interviewed me, and it’s true! What have you learned recently about yourself, and how has it affected your writing?

JULIANNA: I’ve learned that there are several genres I’d like to try writing. This hasn’t affected my writing yet, because I have books I need to finish up, but it probably will eventually.

PEG: How much of yourself do you put into your books?

JULIANNANot very much at all. Of course, every writer writes from his own worldview, and I definitely write from a Christian one. I couldn’t do anything else in good conscience, even though I don’t usually have a lot of heavy spiritual content in my stories. But for me, one of the delights of writing is being able to put yourself into the shoes of someone who is not you and making that character convincing on his own.

PEG: Do you write in one place or switch off to different locations? Describe your favorite writing place.

JULIANNA: Apart from taking down notes about any story ideas when they come to me, and that can happen anywhere, I write almost exclusively in my office. It’s wall-to-wall and floor-to-ceiling books.

PEG: Let’s pretend: An anonymous donor has gifted you with a 5-day stay at a place of your choice, and you can bring four other contemporary (not family) with you.
A: Where would you go, and why?

JULIANNA: I’d definitely go to Disneyland and the other theme parks in the area. I’ve never been there and have always wanted to go.

B: Who would you take with you, and why?

JULIANNA: Hmmmm . . . I’d just take four of my friends. I’d want to be comfortable with whoever was with me.

PEG: Love it! First time I’ve received that answer. Some have said Hawaii or an equally desirable place, and a few have said they wouldn’t take anyone! Tell us something about your book.

• Title: Dressed for Death
• Publisher: Bethany House
• Release Date: March 1, 2016
• Genre: Historical Mystery
• Series or Stand-alone: Book Four, The Drew Farthering Mysteries
• Target Audience: Readers of Cozy Mystery, Readers of Christian Fiction, Readers of Historical Fiction

THE BACK COVER ‘BLURB’

A REGENCY-ERA COSTUME PARTY SHOULD BE NO MORE THAN AN AMUSING DIVERSION, BUT IT SEEMS, WHEREVER DREW FARTHERING GOES, MYSTERY—AND MURDER—ARE ON THE GUEST LIST
Drew and Madeline Farthering arrive at a Regency-Era house party at Winteroak House, excited to be reunited with old friends, including Drew’s former Oxford classmate Talbot Cummins. Tal is there with his fiancée, Alice Henley, and though many present seem worried about the couple, nobody is prepared when Alice dies from an apparent overdose. Tal refuses to believe she’d taken the drugs intentionally, and a dark question arises of whether the death is an accident or murder.
The police have their own information though, and Drew is shocked when they arrest someone he’s trusted and admired since his childhood—someone who’s been smuggling drugs into the country for years. Stunned by what has happened, Tal begs Drew to get to the bottom of everything, but Drew’s never felt more unsettled. Questioning his own ability to see people as they really are, Drew doesn’t know who to trust, and he’s not ready for the secrets he’s about to uncover—or the danger he’ll bring down on everyone he holds dear.

BUY LINKS

• Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Dressed-Death-Drew-Farthering-Mystery/dp/076421411X/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=
• Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/dressed-for-death-julianna-deering/1122232789?ean=9780764214110
• CBD: http://www.christianbook.com/new-4-dressed-for-death/julianna-deering/9780764214110/pd/214116?event=GOOGORG

>>>ABOUT THE GIVEAWAY<<<
Winner’s Choice: A print copy of any book in the series (Rules of Murder, Death by the Book, Murder at the Mikado or Dressed for Death), U. S. mailing addresses only, please. BONUS: For one extra entry per commenter, sign up for DeAnna’s Newsltter HERE! and she’ll enter your name for a second chance. Giveaway ends one week from today, Wed. Feb. 16, at Midnight, Central Time.

ABOUT JULIANNA:

JULIANNA DEERING has always been an avid reader and a lover of storytelling, whether on the page, the screen or the stage. This, along with her keen interest in history and her Christian faith, shows in her tales of love, forgiveness and triumph over adversity. A fifth-generation Texan, she makes her home north of Dallas with three spoiled cats and, when not writing, spends her free time quilting, cross stitching and watching NHL hockey. Her new series of Drew Farthering mysteries set in 1930s England debuted from Bethany House with Rules of Murder (2013) and is followed by Death by the Book and Murder at the Mikado (2014), Dressed for Death (2016) and Murder on the Moor (Coming 2017). Also, as DeAnna Julie Dodson, she has written a trilogy of medieval romances (In Honor Bound, By Love Redeemed and To Grace Surrendered) and six contemporary mysteries for Annie’s Fiction. She is represented by Wendy Lawton of the Books & Such Literary Agency (www.booksandsuch.biz).