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Caribbean Accent Book Reviews, Christmas, community, death, Entangled Publishing, faith, family, Flirt line, hope, If You Believe In Me, military, Natalie J. Damschroder, Novella, reunion, small town, soldier
Natalie J. Damschroder is visiting Caribbean Accent Book Reviews today to talk about her novella from Entangled Publishing‘s Flirt line, “If You Believe In Me.”
CABR: Welcome Natalie 🙂
NJD: Thanks so much for having me! I really enjoy reading the reviews here. 🙂
CABR: Thanks! That means a lot.
I loved that Amber has such faith in Kale’s safe return from the war zone in “If You Believe In Me.” (Click on red works for BUY LINKS/Info)
How’d you come up with the idea for the plot? Do you know
someone who went through a similar experience?
NJD: I don’t. This was one of those ideas that leaped into my head. I was
invited to submit a Christmas novella, and I thought about the kinds of movies
that the Hallmark Channel does in December. Reunion romance! Military hero!
Small-town heroine! And he’s racing to get home to her, and she thinks he’s
dead! It really appealed to my inner romantic. 🙂
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CABR: How challenging was it to get into the h/H mindsets?
NJD: Interestingly, I think it was easier to get into Kale’s head than Amber’s.
My editor has more insight into the life of a military family than I do,
and she helped me TONS on the revisions.
Amber’s superstitions came from
her, and I’m incredibly grateful to have her (my editor, that is) on my team.
She makes me better with every word she makes me rewrite. 🙂
CABR: Tell us about your favourite scene in the novella.
NJD: Boy, that’s hard. I have favourite bits in a lot of scenes. To pick an
entire scene, though, I’ll have to go with Kale’s first scene. He and his team
are moving in on a target, and he’s distracted by his frustration at not
being able to get home. His team members are named after some of my family
members who are in the military. My brother, who is active Army, and my
cousin, who was killed during Operation Iraqi Freedom. I won’t spoil things by
saying what happens, but it does complicate Kale’s goal quite a bit.
CABR: That was a truly nail-biting scene. At one point you’re not sure who might end up dead in the shoot out.
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Will we get to read more about Amber and Kale? Perhaps in a novel or as
supporting cast for another couple?
NJD: No one knows this yet, but I do have an idea for a sequel featuring two of
the secondary characters in “If You Believe in Me“, and Amber and Kale would
of course have to appear in that!
CABR: Sweet! Looking forward to that. Hope it features Danny. 🙂
Is this your first published novel or first with Entangled Publishing? Tell us about ‘the call’.
NJD: I’ve had several books and novellas published with other publishers. This
is my second title with Entangled. It’s funny – I sold my first book in 1999,
but the sale of “Under the Moon” to Entangled was the first time I ever got
an actual phone call from the acquiring editor. Entangled was brand new.
They’d quickly rejected my first submission (though did say they’d like me to
revise and resubmit). I offered them a different story to consider, and two
days later, Liz Pelletier called me to make my first multi-book offer.
I’ve had a lot of great experiences with my publishers, but that was one of
the best. 🙂 I’m so lucky to be one of Entangled’s authors and look forward
to publishing many, many more things with them.
TRIVIA
CABR: Chocolate or fruits?
NJD: Oh, man, no contest. Chocolate! LOL
CABR: Clothes and shoe shopping or perusing a book stores as a form of relaxation/fun?
NJD: OMG, please don’t make me go shoe shopping! Clothes shopping is slightly
(but only slightly) less torturous. I could spend a week in a book store, so
definitely that one. 🙂
CABR: OK, no more torture. 😉 Paperbacks or eBooks?
CABR: Both! Since I got my first e-reader a few years ago (a gift from my
husband), I’ve read more e-books because it’s SO easy to buy them. But I always
have print books as well, and go back and forth a lot. I actually find it
easier to get immersed in a print book than an e-book, though not as much as I
did when I first started.
CABR: I totally agree with you about the feel of a paperback and the joy of turning a physical page but eBooks are SO convenient, especially when ordering online or reviewing ARCs (Advanced Review Copy).
Thanks for stopping by Natalie and feel free to visit again when your next book
comes out. 🙂
NJD: Thanks again, Sasha!
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Contact links:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/NJDamschroder
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NJDamschroder
Website: http://nataliedamschroder.com/
Entangled Publishing: http://www.entangledpublishing.com/?s=natalie+j+damschroder&x=0&y=0
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