Interview & Signed Book Giveaway with Author of FAITHFUL, Janet Fox

I'm happy to welcome the very talented and super sweet Janet Fox to my blog for an interview and book giveaway. Janet's book, FAITHFUL, is a beautifully written historical YA novel that's sure to please. For a full description, check out FAITHFUL's goodreads page HERE. The entry guidelines for a chance to win a signed copy of this amazing book will follow Janet's interview below:


What's one thing you hope readers will take with them upon finishing FAITHFUL?

I hope you don’t mind if I mention more than one thing. I hope that readers who have suffered a loss – especially loss of a parent – will take some comfort in Maggie’s discovery. I hope that girls who read FAITHFUL will recognize how difficult it was for a girl in 1904 to have the freedom to choose her own path. I hope that readers are moved.

What about Maggie's character do you think is a product of the time period she lives in, and might change if she were alive today?

At the beginning of FAITHFUL, Maggie is trapped – and feeling sorry for herself, and helpless, and she isn’t sure what she wants. By the end of the novel, she has discovered her inner strength and the core of her that is like her mother. The “prison” in which Maggie is caught is a reflection of her time – men dictated all the terms to their wives and daughters. If Maggie were alive today, she would never have felt compelled to do exactly as her father wishes; she would have walked out on the situation in which he places her. But, then, she might never have discovered the magic of Yellowstone.

Why did you pick Yellowstone as the major setting for this book?

Yellowstone is a place that is close to my heart. And it is a place of natural magic – like another realm, fantastical. I thought that setting a story there could evoke that fantastic element and provide a rich backdrop for Maggie’s transformation.

If you were to travel back in time to 1904, the era of FAITHFUL, what's one modern day amenity you'd want to take with you and why?

Things weren’t so bad in 1904, as long as you were wealthy – wealthy people did have indoor plumbing and electricity and telephones, and even automobiles. But for the poor or even middle class, that was a different matter. If I were poor, what I’d miss the most is indoor plumbing. I can’t imagine using an outhouse at 20 below. I would hate to only be able to bathe once a week and have to haul my water and heat it on a stove before I could bathe, and then in a tub in which the water was first used by my older siblings so the water would already be dirty and cold.

You have already published a non-fiction book called GET ORGANIZED WITHOUT LOSING IT. What's the biggest difference that you've encountered between the publishing process for non-fiction and fiction?

When writing non-fiction it’s acceptable for submissions to be outlines – that is, you create the concept and market that. Only rarely would you write a non-fiction book in its entirety and try to sell it. But fiction requires a complete manuscript, at least for a beginning writer. Perhaps once you’re successful you can sell a fiction concept, but not initially. I sold my non-fiction book from a synopsis and chapter outline; I had to have a complete and well-revised manuscript of FAITHFUL before it sold.

What's your best advice for aspiring writers wanting to be published?

Read. Read constantly and broadly. Write. Write daily and reexamine your writing in craft terms. Learn the key components of craft: character, pacing, voice. Find a critique group and share and be willing to listen. Revise, then revise again. Find like-minded writers and learn from them. Writing is a career; it’s not easy. Most writers do not get rich. If you’re in it for the fame and fortune, good luck. If you’re writing for the long haul and because you love crafting beautiful stories, I promise you will succeed.

Thank you for stopping by my blog for an interview, Janet! To learn more about Janet and her book(s), visit her WEBSITE, BLOG and/or AMAZON PAGE.

For a sneak peek, check out Faithful's trailer, created by Janet's talented son:




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FAITHFUL Signed Book Giveaway Entry Details:
1) You must be a follower of my blog for a chance to win.
2) You will be entered once by reading and commenting about Janet's interview and/or book in the comment section below.
3) You will also receive an extra entry for each online shout-out you give about this giveaway (tweet on twitter, facebook status, and/or blog about it). Be sure to leave links to your shout-out(s) in the comment section of this post.

***That means you have the chance to be entered up to four times in the random drawing, increasing your odds of winning. The lucky winner will be chosen at random from the entries I receive and will be announced on Monday, August 30th. Good luck!***

*Sorry, this giveaway is for US and Canada participants only*

Adriana will receive an extra entry because she was the first to correctly guess the book in this blurred cover image post.

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Are you looking for more interview fun? Check out THIS INTERVIEW with me today over at Unedited.