Justine Dell Blog Tour - Recaptured Dreams

Hey everybody.  Today I’m taking part in the blog tour for Justine Dell’s upcoming  book release for RECAPTURED DREAMS. She’s generously agreed to allow me to interview her, which anyone who has read my interviews knows can be an adventure. :)

I first encountered Justine by way of her blog.  I was instantly drawn to her writing style, quick wit, heartfelt advice, and her font.  She sports a pretty cute font.  She’s also very willing to help out and/or offer advice, even going so far as critiquing one of my short stories (the one being published this fall) last year. When the opportunity to host a stop on her blog tour presented itself, I jumped at the chance.  Let’s get straight to it, shall we?

Me: Hey Justine, have a seat and make yourself comfortable.  Would you like a cup of coffee or some tea?

Justine: Yes, tea, please. Iced. YUMMY! It is my go-to drink 24/7.

Me:  I must say, you are absolutely glowing this morning.  You must be excited about your upcoming book release? 

Justine: Excited. Nervous. On the verge of vomiting. When your baby goes out into the world, it’s an amazingly terrifying thing!

Me:  Let me just move this trashcan a little bit closer to you. There. Now, what do you say we start off slow? Tell everybody a little bit about your writing method?  Do you prefer to work in the AM or at night? 

Justine:  Right now I don’t really have a method. I used to, but life grabbed me by the horns and told me to behave and feed my child and dogs on regular basis…so, I write whenever I can spare a few moments.

Me:  Ha! What are those? When you do find a few, do you create your fictional world sitting at a desk, or with a laptop at a corner table in the local coffee house? 

Justine:  A desk, mostly. In a quiet little room. Now, if the daughter has commandeered that station, I move to the laptop, which I find to be way less comfy. But the child wins every time. J

Me:  Did you ever participate in NaNoWri Mo? What’s your opinion of motivational contests like that?

Justine: AH!!! YES! I participated in NaNoWriMo for the first time last November. I did so because I had stopped writing for an entire year and needed something to motivate me. NaNo was the PERFECT thing. I have a problem with stopping what I’m writing because I’m stuck and sometimes I won’t write for weeks at time because I just…can’t. But because of how NaNo works, you have to meet that goal by the end of the month. Because of that, it taught me to write no matter what. Just get the story down…and all that other stuff can be fixed later. It’s an AMAZING thing if you ask me.

Me:  Good advice! What are you're working on right now? Do you work on multiple projects at a time, or are you monogamous?

Justine:  Oh, I’m as monogamous as one can be. Have you ever tried to control six people in your head at once? Eep! Six different *voices* pulling you six different directions. My head is spinning just thinking about it! To truly get into each story, I must stay within that mindset until it’s done. I wish it was different so I could multitask. LoL.

Me:  I'm the same way. Let’s switch gears a little.  You've become quite a popular blogger in this community. From your perspective, how does blogging, or other social media for that matter, impact a writer’s creative growth? 

Justine:   Well, I started blogging because I wanted to, not because I thought I had to. I had met some super great friends on Bransforums and we all kind of moved over to blogging at the same time. I’ve met more great people and developed some wonderful friendships. It takes time and dedication to keep up the work, though, now that writing has become bigger for me than it started out to be. But I think it’s super important to stay connected to your writer friends and readers. Your writer friends give tremendous support and we all have a common goal.

Me:  Great answer. What about the Internet in general?  Do you feel today's writers have a leg up on their predecessors because of the global on-line community?

Justine:  Totally. Although some people have made a super name for themselves without an ounce of blogging or FB or Twitter. That’s when you know you’re awesome. J However, with all the arms of social networking, we begin on a platform before we even have one, if that makes sense.

Me:  Absolutely. I understand you’ve been writing seriously for about three years.  In that time, what’s the one piece of advice that you’d like to share with my readers?

Justine: Never give up. It’s as simple as that. Most famous authors didn’t sell their first, second, or even fifth book. The more you write, the better you’ll get. And if you really want to see your name on the cover of a book…Never Give Up.  

Me:  Why don’t you tell us what the book is about?

Justine:   It’s a tale about two lovers, torn apart by social standing and family pride. When young Sophia Montel is whisked away by her wealthy English family, Xavier Cain thwarts all odds to climb the rungs of society to reclaim his lost love. Obsessed to the point of madness, Xavier spends ten years creating the fashion line he and Sophia had dreamed about, that summer on the beach. And when he finds her again, he’s not letting her go.

Me:  Awwwwww.  Can’t wait to get my hands on it.  I’ll be sure to include your formal blurb at the bottom of this post.

Justine:  This seems like your type of book, DL. I think romance is right up your alley, no? Okay, maybe the wife’s? J

Me:  Hey...I can be a romantic guy! I have the flower shop as one of my speed dials. :) Tell me, what’s your favorite line from the book?

Justine:  Xavier had thought he was in paradise before. He’d been wrong. Sophia was more than paradise. She was the very reason he breathed.  

Me: That’ll give some of my readers a tingle!  This has been a blast. I want to thank you for stopping by and spending time with us today. It was a real pleasure. Good luck with the blog tour!

Justine:  Thanks so much for having me! Only eleven more days and my book will be out in the world!

So that’s it.  If you want to find out even more about Justine you can check out her other tour stops, which you’ll find detailed on her blog.

As promised, here’s her official book blurb:

Blurb:

Ten years, the Atlantic Ocean, and several rungs in society have kept Xavier Cain from having Sophia Montel. Now twenty-seven, he’s spent his entire adult life building a fashion empire that could finally prove his worth to her family. When fate reunites him with Sophia at London’s premiere fashion show, one problem lodges in Xavier’s path: Sophia doesn’t remember him.

The only obstacle that has kept Sophia from Xavier is a horrific car crash that erased her memory at seventeen. She’s spent the last ten years fighting to reclaim a sliver of her past that her mother refuses to help her remember. When Sophia meets Xavier at the London show, however, all her fantasies come to life in one night of passion. Discovering he is the missing link, she is determined to find all the pieces to their love story and her memory.

Xavier wants forever. Sophia wants her memory. If they take this chance, they’ll have to start over. How far are they willing to go get what they want? And when the past catches up to them, can they handle the truths it has hidden?

Justine has generously offered to giveaway one copy of her ebook to somebody who leaves a comment on this post, which she'll pick via a random number generator.  Also, at every blog stop she is giving away TWO Recaptured Dreams bookmarks. Good luck to everyone, and thanks for stopping by. :)