Constructing Promises - A Look At Sara's Promise by Deanna Sletten

I am pleased to be welcoming author Deanna Sletten this week whose latest release Sara's Promise hits the shelves and promises to deliver a heart felt and fully realized story that will appeal to lovers of fine romantic fiction. 

Deanna Lynn Sletten writes women's fiction novels that go beyond the basic romance novel. Her stories dig deeply into the lives of the characters, giving the reader an in-depth look into their hearts and souls. Deanna has also written one middle-grade novel that takes you on the adventure of a lifetime. 

Deanna started her writing career in the early 1990s writing articles for parenting publications and local newspapers. Over time she transitioned to writing for blogs and websites and was a contributing writer for the women's website, She Knows. In November 2011, she changed course and put all her energy into novel writing and hasn't looked back since.

Deanna is married and has two grown children. When not writing, she enjoys walking the wooded trails around her northern Minnesota home with her beautiful Australian Shepherd or relaxing in the boat on the lake in the summer.

So, onto the guff about Sara's Promise.


Do you believe in soul mates?

William Grafton had the perfect life with his lovely wife, Sara, and two teen-aged children. But one day his perfect forever was shattered when Sara died suddenly, leaving him alone to raise his children and wonder how he would ever get through life without his soul mate. Five years later, he finds himself looking into a familiar pair of blue-green eyes that remind him of Sara. The woman is the exact opposite of his late wife, yet he finds he is drawn to her. But after a few strange occurrences, he begins to wonder–are these just coincidences or has his Sara come back to him as she once promised in the form of this new woman?
  

Annie Paxton doesn't believe in soul mates or fate. She had watched her father die of a broken heart after her mother passed away and has since cast away any fairy tale ideas of love. Then she meets the man who has been haunting her dreams and she begins to see love in a whole new light. But her dream man is still tied to his deceased wife, and Annie doesn't know if he will ever be able to break away from his past. As strange occurrences unfold, Annie wonders if William could ever truly love her for herself and not for the traits that remind him of Sara.

Were William and Annie brought together by fate, coincidence or by Sara keeping her promise?


Excerpt:

William Grafton stood staring out the window of his fourth floor office in Beaverton. The photographer was late. He checked his watch again. Okay, so she was late by only two minutes, but she was late just the same. He had better things to do than wait. It only made him brood more about having to waste the time to retake the photos that were done two months before. It wasn't his fault some idiot at the magazine had lost the photos, yet he seemed to be the one paying for it.

Irritated, he turned from the window, smoothing down the sleeve of his suit jacket over his gold watch. In his navy suit, cream shirt, and pinstripe tie, he looked every bit the business man that he was, partner in his own architectural firm Grafton & Hanover for seventeen successful years. They had offices in Beaverton and Portland to handle all the business that came their way. The town of Beaverton had grown increasingly in size over the past twenty years, and firms were needed to build condos, apartment buildings, banks, shopping malls, and office buildings. But playing the part of business man was not his style. He much preferred his den at home to working in this sleek office, leaving the paperwork and appointments to his secretary and accountant to handle, and coming in only when necessary. Over the past five years, he'd pulled himself almost entirely out of the commercial end of the business, leaving the large building projects to his partner, Jeffrey Hanover, and their staff. He preferred working with individual home owners, helping them draft the homes of their dreams. 

William ran a hand through his thick, black hair that he wore slightly long. A touch of gray tipped the ends now, but he was forty-four, and that was to be expected. And if age hadn't grayed him, then his children had, especially his daughter, Sandy. That's why he'd preferred working at home all these years, so he could try to watch over them and try to fill the gaping void in their household. But it had been too big a job, bigger than he'd ever imagined.

Four minutes late. How much longer would he have to wait? He paced the floor, wondering where she was. He usually didn't mind the publicity or the time it took to show off his work. Having photos of the homes he designed appear in a publication like Architectural Home always brought prestigious clientèle his way. But having to waste his time redoing something because of someone else's stupidity irked him. And her being late irritated him more. He'd give her five more minutes, and if she didn't show, he was out of here.

Purchase Hub for Sara's Promise

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Deanna's Amazon Author Page is here

Giveaway!

In celebration of Deanna's new book release she is having a giveaway! Leave a comment on this site to have your name entered in the drawing for one of four prizes: Two $25 Amazon Gift Cards and 2 paperback copies of Sara's Promise. Be sure to include your email address so we can contact you. You can enter at each site of the blog tour for more chances to win! Giveaway starts December 10th and ends December 17th at midnight. Winners will be contacted December 18th after noon. 

Follow the tour schedule at Deanna's Official Site. 

The Road To Freedom - Conversations With T.M. Souders.

I'm really pleased to be featuring author T.M. Souders this week. I first met Tia around a year ago when we were participating in some cross promotion activities for our respective novels "The Hambledown Dream" and "Waiting On Hope". At the time, I reviewed Souders' "Waiting On Hope" describing it as an engaging and absorbing work with fully realized characters, dense and intelligent plotting and romantic as well as dramatic tension. I also observed that it didn't walk a traditional path towards absolution - a quality that I found really satisfying in her work, so I was assured that Tia would take that approach to her writing forward. 
  
And, true to form, Tia hasn't disappointed. This past Monday, September 17th Tia's new novel "Freedom Road" hit the shelves on Amazon and already, the buzz is that Souders' has delivered yet another richly imbued tale filled with all of the ingredients that made (and continues to make) "Waiting On Hope" such a hit with fans. I have to admit to feeling a sense of kin-ship with Tia in her efforts to translate music to the page in a literary sense and I think that she totally has the smarts to do it well.

So the guff on Freedom Road is thus:


Since the tender age of eight, music served as Samantha Becker’s source of solace against her father’s tyranny and her mother’s alcoholism. Now at eighteen, her only dream is to study classical guitar at Juilliard. But when her father’s careless actions lead to an “accident,” which threatens her ability to play the guitar, Sam becomes despondent. Losing all confidence in her future, Sam hides behind the emotional barriers that have protected her for years.

Just when Sam has given up, two unexpected people enter her life, giving her the confidence she needs, and forcing her to evaluate all she’s ever known. Battling her father’s plans for her future, band mates using her for personal gain, and a permanent injury, the odds are stacked against her. With auditions approaching and time running out, Sam must relearn to play the guitar, or be destined to give up her dreams forever.


In some early conversations with Tia, the research curve on this novel was a huge step up from her previous work, such that she was required to explore music and guitar in order to bring a sense of realness to the page and her protagonists' journey. Tia revealed to me her limited musical experience which presented some challenges.

"I played the violin when I was younger for about a year, grinding away with my bow, until I moved on to something else. Thus, writing Freedom Road was a bit of a challenge for me. I knew little about the guitar, so everything put into the book relied on my research. I wish I had more personal experience with the guitar. I've always been awed by those who play and, frankly, a bit envious. 

Okay, a lot envious. 

This particular book, in general, was a struggle for me. It took me three complete rewrites, front to back, to get it right, and that doesn't include revisions and edits. I have to say I was inspired by my own character though. I now have a beautiful black guitar waiting for me to play it. So far, I've only self-taught myself to the extent of Amazing Grace. Now, if only I could just stop writing and find the time to take lessons!" 

- T.M. Souders.

An additional challenge for Tia was portraying a young musician who has to overcome significant physical challenges in order to chase her dream. During the research process, finding people cognisant of disability and music  - even those for whom guitar is a daily passion - was an almost insurmountable problem.

"In my novel, the main character has an accident which leaves her with one less finger on her fretting hand," Tia says. "I tried calling local guitar shops for advice and information on what a person would do if they were missing one of their fingers, but honestly, they were of little help. None of the instructors had experience with teaching someone with a missing digit. Most of my knowledge of the guitar and playing came from information I found through tons of research on the internet. When it came to my character, Samantha playing in some of the more vital scenes to the book, particularly the last scene, I had to figure out a way to “show” her playing through words, which was certainly difficult. I think music, in essence, has so much emotion tied to it, and those who play like the character in my book have so much passion, that I pulled on her emotions for the descriptions of the music she played." 

- T.M. Souders.

T.M. Souders was born in Johnstown, Pennsylvania and grew up in the suburbs outside of Pittsburgh. She graduated in 2004, from Youngstown State University, with a degree in Psychology and minor in Women’s Studies. She is the author of best-selling women’s fiction novel, Waiting on Hope, as well as the novelette Dashing Through the Snow and the newly released young adult/crossover novel, Freedom Road. In her spare time, when she is not writing, she is an active volunteer for the World Literary Cafe, a site dedicated to authors and readers. T.M. is an active presence on the Twitter-sphere and is an engaging presence, readily interacting with authors and readers, discussing trends in the digital marketplace and is happy to act as a sounding board in the exchange of opinions and ideas. Oh - and she has a really infectious smile - doesn't she?? I mean, seriously! She currently lives in rural Ohio with her husband and children.

Purchase "Freedom Road" here.

Purchase "Waiting On Hope" here. 

Connect with T.M. Souders here.

Tweet with T.M. Souders here. 

DFA.