Please welcome Barbara Bretton (@BarbaraBretton) to the blog today!
What name(s) do you write under? If you write under
a pseudonym, what helped you choose that name?
I write under my married name. If I had it to do over again I would
probably use a pseudonym. The world is a far different place today than it was
when I started.
Where are you from?
Born and raised in Elmhurst, Borough of Queens, City
of New York!
What is the name of your most recent or upcoming
release?
I
am thrilled to announce that my Home Front books – SENTIMENTAL JOURNEY (1940s)
and STRANGER IN PARADISE (1950s) – will launch on October 15th for
the first time ever in digital form.
Can you give us an idea of what the story is about? (from the back
cover)
Before they became The Greatest Generation, they were young men and women
in love . . .
It's June 1943. From New York to California, families gather to send their
sons and husbands, friends and lovers off to war. The attack on Pearl Harbor
seems a long time ago as America begins to understand that their boys won't be
home any time soon.
In Forest Hills, New York City, twenty-year-old Catherine Wilson knows all
about waiting. She's been in love with boy-next-door Doug Weaver since
childhood, and if the war hadn't started when it did, she would be married and
maybe starting a family, not sitting at the window of her girlhood bedroom,
waiting for her life to begin.
But then a telegram from the War Department arrives, shattering her dreams
of a life like the one her mother treasures.
Weeks drift into months as she struggles to find her way. An exchange of
letters with Johnny Danza, a young soldier in her father's platoon, starts off
as a patriotic gesture, but soon becomes a long-distance friendship that grows
more important to her with every day that passes.
The last thing Catherine expects is to open her front door on Christmas
Eve to find Johnny lying unconscious on the Wilsons' welcome mat with a heart
filled with new dreams that are hers for the taking.
"This generation of Americans has a rendezvous with destiny."
--Franklin Delano Roosevelt
What genre is it?
Good question! There should be a World
War II category, shouldn't there? Technically they’re being called historical
romance but I’m not entirely convinced that’s accurate.
Where can we find it?
Amazon, Nook, Kobo, iTunes, Smashwords.
When did you start writing, and when did it turn
professional?
I began writing as soon as I was old enough for hold a pencil. My first
sale was a story that appeared in Katy Keene Comic Books when I was nine years
old. I was hooked!
What is your writing process? Do you use an outline,
fly by the "seat of your pants" or some other method?
I was a firm
believer in outlines until somewhere around book ten when I suddenly turned
rebellious and turned into what we call a “pantser.” It makes the writing life
a heck of a lot more difficult but also a whole lot of fun. There’s enormous
joy in not knowing what’s going to happen next.
What or who inspired you to being writing?
I always wanted to
be a writer but if I had to pin down a moment when it became more than a dream,
I would say it was when I first read Little Women. I wanted to be Jo March. (In
some ways, I still do!)
Did you hire or use an editor prior to publishing?
This was
published previously by Harlequin and had the advantage of the full-range of
editorial assistance.
Did you use a graphic artist to create your cover
art? If so, what helped you decide on the cover(s) of your books?
The extremely
talented Tammy Seidick of Tammy Seidick Graphic Design created the beautiful
covers.
Do your characters "talk" to you?
They never shut
up! I envy writers who “see” their stories playing out before their eyes on
some internal movie screen. Not me. I “hear” them . . . all day, all night, for
weeks and months until the book is done. I think in dialogue. I interpret the
world in words and sound.
Who controls a story when you write; you, your
characters or a combination?
My characters control the story. I’m just along for the
ride.
Do you have any projects you’re working on now?
Stay tuned!
How do you feel about publishing in a digital age?
This is by far the
most exciting time in my publishing life. The opportunities for writing success
are endless. I envy young writers who are starting out now. They can take
control in a way we (those of us who have been around a long time) never could.
Do you have any blog tours or upcoming events we
should know about?
SENTIMENTAL JOURNEY – blog tour – October 13-27
STRANGER IN PARADISE – blog tour – October 27-November 10
How can we connect with you?
Sentimental
Journey
Home
Front, Book One
Barbara
Bretton
Genre: World War 2 Romance
Publisher: Free Spirit Press
Date of Publication: October 15,
2014
ISBN: 9781940665078
ASIN: B00MT9H93Q
Number of pages: 347
Word Count: approx. 70000
Cover Artist: Tammy Seidick
Book Description
Before they became The Greatest
Generation, they were young men and women in love . . .
It's June 1943. From New York to
California, families gather to send their sons and husbands, friends and lovers
off to war. The attack on Pearl Harbor seems a long time ago as America begins
to understand that their boys won't be home any time soon.
In Forest Hills, New York City,
twenty-year-old Catherine Wilson knows all about waiting. She's been in love
with boy-next-door Doug Weaver since childhood, and if the war hadn't started
when it did, she would be married and maybe starting a family, not sitting at
the window of her girlhood bedroom, waiting for her life to begin.
But then a telegram from the War
Department arrives, shattering her dreams of a life like the one her mother
treasures.
Weeks drift into months as she
struggles to find her way. An exchange of letters with Johnny Danza, a young
soldier in her father's platoon, starts off as a patriotic gesture, but soon
becomes a long-distance friendship that grows more important to her with every
day that passes.
The last thing Catherine expects
is to open her front door on Christmas Eve to find Johnny lying unconscious on
the Wilsons' welcome mat with a heart filled with new dreams that are hers for
the taking.
"This generation of Americans has a
rendezvous with destiny."
--Franklin Delano Roosevelt
Available at Amazon iTunes Kobo BN Smashwords
Read a Sneak Peek: http://www.barbarabretton.com/sj.shtml