Interview and Giveaway with Clarice G. James!!!

Hi guys! V. Joy Palmer here! Since we are all friends here, you guys can call me Joy. ; ) And since we are all friends, one of my favorite things to do is talk with my friends, family, the teens I mentor, and everyone else at coffee shops/bookstores. Books and yummy drinks are the perfect combination, after all. So, consider this our virtual coffee shop. I’ll wait a second for you to get your warm drink and a fuzzy blanket before we chat with today’s guest. ;-)

We're going to pry into the private life chat with Clarice G. James! I got to meet Clarice in person a few months ago, and she is so kind! I'm looking forward to our chat! <3

Clarice G. James writes smart, fun, relatable contemporary women’s fiction. Readers are likely to find a thread of romance, a sprinkling of humor, and/or an element of mystery throughout each story. Her novels include Party of One, Manhattan Grace, Doubleheader, and The Girl He Knew. When she’s not writing, Clarice is reading or encouraging fellow writers.

Clarice grew up on Cape Cod and raised her three children there. Eight years after she was widowed, she was blessed to remarry (Ralph) David James. She and David live in Southern New Hampshire. They both enjoy the writing process and host a critique group in their home. Counting their five married children, ten grandchildren, and extended family, they have relatives in eight states. Clarice says, “So, you know what our vacations are like.”

Connect with Clarice on her website, Facebook, Twitter, or via e-mail!

Interview ~

First things first, would you order coffee, tea, or hot chocolate in our virtual coffee shop? Something else altogether? This is possibly the most important question... No pressure or anything. ;-)

Hot black coffee in the morning. No coherent conversation until after the second cup.

Tea and scones at my favorite tea shop while visiting with old friends.

Hot chocolate always tastes best after skating on a frozen pond. (Of course, I haven’t done that since I was sixteen.)   

I like your system! LOL! On to our second most important question: if you could order anything in the world to eat, what would it be?

Veal Oscar, a classic French dish, made with tender veal cutlets, crab meat, blanched asparagus, all smothered in a rich bearnaise sauce. The last time I had this dish was when I worked at a Cape Cod restaurant over 30 years ago—but I still remember the mouthwatering flavors.

 I am drooling. Yeah, that's happening. That sounds AMAZING!!! Where is your favorite place to write, and why is that your favorite place?

My husband built an office for me in our dry and heated basement. That might not sound very glamourous, but the space is decorated in a feminine and colorful style that makes me smile. It’s also quiet, so quiet.

  

That sounds wonderful! And quiet is always good! LOL! Confession time! Do you have an odd habit that is only explained by your bookish, writer tendencies? Safe space. ;-) 

Every Sunday, I edit the church bulletin and the song lyrics … during the service … when no one’s looking.

 Hehehehe! This is one of my favorites! <3 What inspired you to write Doubleheader?

The first novel I wrote was Party of One. The protagonist ANNIE was based loosely on me, and her daughter CASEY had some of the character traits of my daughter. When readers wanted to know more about ANNIE’S daughter,” I decided to give CASEY her own story, and Doubleheader was born. The first edition came out in 2015. The current and updated version includes the 2018 Boston Red Sox World Series Championship. (Don’t worry. The book isn’t really about sports.)

That's so much fun! What led you to write in this genre?

Every one of my books has a little of me in them, so it was natural for me to write contemporary women’s fiction, which is also mostly what I read.

  

That's awesome! I love it when I can see the author's heart in the story! What message do you hope to convey to your readers?

Let go and let God. His plan is way better than anything you can come up with.  

Yes and AMEN!!! <3 Can you tell us a little about your next project?

My fourth women’s contemporary, The Girl He Knew, will be released this September. Set in Plymouth, Massachusetts, Charlie Dawson’s grief over losing his wife to a drug overdose is compounded as he struggles to understand how the girl he knew, the one he married, could have let this happen.

Sounds like it's going to be a powerful story! Do you have a favorite Bible verse or story that inspires you on a soul level?

And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. ~ Colossians 3:17

Love this verse! <3 What are you currently reading? Inquiring minds - mine - want to know. :-)

Between the book club I belong to and the requests I receive to read and endorse books, I read a variety of titles and genres. In the few weeks, I read the women’s historical, The Mending of Lillian Cathleen by Linda Brooks Davis. Linda is such a gifted wordsmith.

Then I followed that up with the heart-wrenching memoir, When Sunday Smiled by Andy M Davidson. Trying to cope with the loss of his first-born son, Davidson hikes the Appalachian Trail to work out his grief.  

Pine Cone Mountain, a romance, by Sherri Gallagher came next. Sherri did a wonderful job creating authentic conflict and tension and realistic resolutions.

I have Devotedly by Valerie Elliot Shepherd and The Baggage Handler by David Rawlings waiting by my reading chair.  

I love your busy TBR!!! I can relate to that life! <3

Thank you so much for hanging out with us and answering all of my prying questions, Clarice!

Giveaway ~

Clarice has generously offered to giveaway one of her published novel's (Doubleheader, Party of One, Manhattan Grace) to a winner in the continental US!

Featured Novel ~ Doubleheader

Casey Gallagher credits her carefully crafted game plan for a solid marriage, a lucrative marketing career in Boston, and the popular sports column, Doubleheader, which she writes with her brother, Griffin McGee. When she discovers her late father, the one man she idolized, had an affair which produced a son he never knew about, Casey’s determined to identify this so-called brother before he sullies her father’s reputation.

For more information about Clarice's other novels, check out her website here!

Rules, Info, and Such ~

The author is giving away one book to a winner in the continental US. The winner gets to choose between Doubleheader, Party of One, or Manhattan Grace.

This giveaway will close on April 17th, 2019, at 12:00 A.M. for all the night owls.

A winner will be drawn within four days of close of giveaway. If the winner does not respond to our e-mails within one week of notification, then a new winner will be drawn in their place.

May the odds be ever in your favor. ;-)

Enter using the handy Rafflecopter here ~

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thanks for stopping by, my writerly, bookish friends! <3 See you next time!

Hugs,

V. Joy Palmer 

V. Joy Palmer is the author of Love, Lace, and Minor Alterations and a member of American Christian Fiction Writers. She is also an avid blogger and co-founder of Snack Time Devotions. In her spare time, Joy is an unprofessional chocolate connoisseur/binger, and she loves acting crazy and drinking coffee with the teens she mentors. When Joy isn’t urging the elves that live in her computer to write, she’s hanging out with her husband, their adorable baby girl, and their socially awkward pets.

Connect with Joy on her website, personal blog, devotional blog, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram!