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Sunflower
by Jill Marie Landis
Analisa, a strong,
independent immigrant from Holland, is a woman with a tragic background who
stumbles upon a half-dead stranger on the doorstep of her sod house on the Iowa
prairie.
Caleb Storm is a man whose mixed heritage challenges every feeling in
her battered heart. And yet, their love is as inevitable as the sunrise—as
powerful as the prairie winds.
EXCERPT
It was gentle that first
kiss, as gentle as water in the creek sliding over smooth stones. Caleb’s lips
touched Analisa’s for a moment and then drew away, only to return a heartbeat
later and linger this time. She let his lips capture hers without returning the
kiss as yet, merely savoring the close contact. As this sweet kiss ended, he
wrapped his arms around her, pressing his palms into her shoulder blades,
enfolding her against the hard wall of his chest.
“I want you, Analisa,” he
whispered.
And suddenly she knew it
was not a dream. . .
Get Lost in a romance from Jill Marie Landis
With her
first novel, SUNFLOWER, Jill Marie Landis won the Romance Writers of America's
Golden Heart and the Golden Medallion Award for Best Historical Romance, RWA’s
precursor to the RITA. Her novels WILDFLOWER, ROSE and JADE, confirmed the promise
of her unique talent for rich detail and characterization. COME SPRING, winner
of the "Best Romance Novel of the Year" RITA award, was hailed by
such celebrated authors as Julie Garwood and Linda Lael Miller, while PAST
PROMISES earned the praises of Amanda Quick. UNTIL TOMORROW, AFTER ALL, LAST
CHANCE, DAY DREAMER, JUST ONCE, BLUE MOON, GLASS BEACH and THE ORCHID HUNTER.
Many of these titles are already available in eBook format and the rest will
soon be re-published for a whole new generation of readers to enjoy.
JILL
MARIE LANDIS writes novels that earn distinguished awards and slots on such
national bestseller lists as the USA TODAY Top 50 and the New York Times Best
Sellers Plus. She is a seven-time finalist for Romance Writers of America's RITA
Award in Single Title Historical and Contemporary Romance as well as a Golden
Heart and RITA Award winner.
She resides in Hawaii with her husband. When she's not writing or sitting on
the beach reading, she enjoys visiting with family and friends, raising
orchids, working in her garden, occasionally quilting, but most of all dancing
the hula.
Some of
her recent releases include two new historical romance novellas included in BE MY VALENTINE, the Irish Angels Series, inspirational historical
romance from Zondervan, and MAI TAI ONE ON, TWO TO MANGO, and THREE TO GET
LEI’D, the first three titles in her hilarious “Tiki Goddess Mysteries” set in
Hawaii from Belle Books.
E.E. Did you get lost in the writing of
your first published novel?
JILL: I definitely got lost writing
SUNFLOWER. I had finished an entire novel that received a lot of good
rejections (yes, there are such things) and so I started SUNFLOWER, my second
novel project. I started writing it in a fiction writers’ workshop held
evenings at a local community college, before I’d ever heard of RWA. I had just
quit teaching kindergarten full time and decided to pursue my dream of writing
and selling a novel. I hadn’t thought past writing one book and certainly never
planned on having such a wonderful career as a working writer.
To all
those who aspire to write, here’s my advice: get to the end of your first book
no matter what. I learned so much writing that first novel, even though it
never saw the light of day. Back when I started, self-publishing was not what
it has become today. Rejection was something we all came to know well and
survived.
E.E. What led you to choose the
historical romance genre?
JILL: Quite a few things started me on
the path to writing historical romance. I have a Bachelor’s Degree in History
and I love history and can get lost in research books. When I was teaching full
time I started reading bags of paperback historicals. Talk about getting lost!
Devouring the old “bodice rippers” (I know I’ll hear about that from somebody)
is how I spent every minute of my spare time. The “greats” started writing back
then. Some of my favorites were Kathleen Woodiwiss, Jude Deveraux, and Laurie
McBain. If you haven’t read these authors or heard of their books you are
really missing something. Run, do not walk, to look them up.
E.E. Have historical romances changed
much since those classics were written?
JILL: Historical romances have evolved
in many ways over the years but of course the books of today (forty years later
in some cases) have the same elements. The classic romances are longer than
today’s novels. The required word count had to be 150,000 instead of 100,000 or
less, so the writing was denser and more textured. The heroes were definitely
“Alpha” males and not a bit politically correct. They were mostly dark and
tortured and brooding, and yet they were all eventually tamed by the heroines.
Eventually.
GOTTA ASK: So which of these classic “old
school” historicals were your very favorites and which would you recommend to
readers who have never read them?
GOTTA ANSWER: Before I answer let me just say
again, these books are not watered down or politically correct. They are raw
and gritty and yet they aren’t what are considered erotica, either. My three
favorites (though it’s hard to narrow them down) are “The Wolf and the Dove,” a
medieval by Kathleen Woodiwiss. I’ve read that title over and over for years. I
also re-read Woodiwiss’ “The Flame and the Flower” and “Shauna.” Jude Deveraux’s
“The Black Lyon” is one I remember as a page-turner. Also Laurie McBain’s
“Moonstruck Madness” and “Devil’s Desire.” If you love to get lost in a book,
I’d definitely give these titles a try.
FIND JILL MARIE LANDIS
Website: www.jillmarielandis.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/jill.m.landis
Facebook: www.facebook.com/JillMarieLandisAuthor
Twitter: www.twitter.com/JillMarieLandis
ORDER JILL MARIE’S CLASSIC
REISSUES
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www.jillmarielandis.com for the complete list of titles and links. While you’re
there, sign up on the HOME page for her newsletter to get the latest news on
new releases.
Get Lost (again) with your favorite historical romance
How old
were you (or what year was it) that you read your first romance? What was the
title? Have you ever re-read it? Do you still own a copy?
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