Hallo, Hallo dear hearts!
If you are arriving on my blog curious about where my *book review!* for “A Moment Forever” went off too, I made the conscious choice to ‘invert’ my blog tour days this week, as I needed a bit more time to finish my readings of the novel! I had some pretty epic tech issues this month (courtesy of my resident lightning storms! a summer exclusive!) which pushed my deadlines into each other inasmuch as created a lot of ‘downtime’ from all the frustrative non-connectivity I was experiencing!
Ergo, you will happily be delighted to find out I’m posting my lovely conversation with a fellow Janeite whose an antique & letter-writing loving Historical novelist! Give a warm welcome to Ms Gardiner, today!
As you know, I appreciate getting the chance to speak with the writers of whom I am reading throughout my readerly adventures here at Jorie Loves A Story! It provides a gateway to entreat into the ‘behind-the-book’ scenes of how stories are crafted and created inasmuch as giving me a chance to ask direct questions about a writer’s personal approach to their story-telling style! I have a soft spot for Historicals (ahem! not a shock, eh?) and especially for war dramas wherein we get to re-live a particular period of where living memory & history collide. I have the tendency to focus on the World War eras of the 20th Century, however, I have been trying to expand outside of it as well. More on this will be revealled in September when I share my readings of “The Bridges of Constantine” & “Chaos of the Senses”.
Right now, what I found so wondrously curious is how a writer who loves digging into the after canon sequels of Jane Austen’s world & characters has found a way to ‘treat’ one of her creative stories within that world to a ‘new’ conceptionalised historical drama set during WWI.I. It’s quite the premise for sure, and as you will see, my own inklings to learn a bit more about the writer & the story’s layers inspired most of this conversation!
I look forward to reading your commentary in the threads below this post & if your on the blog tour, I look forward to visiting your posts after I conclude my own readings of the novel! Til then, I hope this conversation itches out a bit of your own curiosity about Historical dramas & the timelessness of reading stories of love & courage!
This also marks my *first!* novelist I am hosting from a Small Press being featured by Poetic Book Tours, as I started hosting their poets! The added blissitude for me, is finding the writing duo behind Vanity & Pride Press, as I will be featuring one of their Austenesque sequels lateorn in *October!*
In the summer of 1992, a young writer is bequeathed the abandoned home of a great-uncle she never knew. The house has a romantic history and is unlike any home she has ever seen. Juliana Martel felt as though she stepped into a time capsule—a snapshot of 1942. The epic romance—and heartache—of the former occupant unfold through reading his wartime letters found in the attic, compelling her on a quest to construct the man. His life, as well as his sweetheart’s, during the Second World War were as mysterious as his disappearance in 1950.
Carrying her own pain inflicted by the abandonment of her mother and unexpected death of her father, Juliana embarks on a journalist’s dream to find her great-uncle and the woman he once loved. Enlisting the reluctant assistance of a man whose family is closely related to the secrets, she uncovers the carefully hidden events of her great-uncle’s and others’ lives – and will ultimately change her own with their discovery.
This story of undying love, born amidst the darkest era in modern history, unfolded on the breathtaking Gold Coast of Long Island in 1942. A Jewish, Army Air Forces pilot and an enchanting society debutante—young lovers—deception—and a moment in time that lasted forever.
A Moment Forever is an evocative journey that will resonate with you long after you close the book. Romance, heartache, and the power of love, atonement, and forgiveness transform lives long after the horrors and scars of the Second World War have ended.
Jorie, I am so happy to be here and to share with you and your followers a little about myself. Your questions were so thought provoking! Thank you for the invite and being part of A Moment Forever’s blog tour.
Likewise, I am thankful I was able to anchour my reflections on behalf of my first reading of one of your novels with this conversation! I appreciated getting to ask questions pertaining to your
writerly life & sharing a bit of extra insight with my readers & the visitors of the tour, alike!
How did you create the tagline of “The 1940s Experience” when you set out to blog and create your online niche? Was it motivated by the stories you wanted to tell or was it due to a passion for the era ahead of writing stories set during its decade?
Gardiner responds: The tagline sort of came from several avenues. Since the heart of my WWII romance novels focus on the American home front (specifically New York City), I wanted to bring the reader into my research world, into the day-to-day life that their parents or grandparents more than likely experienced. Couple that with my venture, beside my husband, into WWII reenacting, it seemed an appropriate tagline. As I make the past come alive for me, I truly enjoy sharing it with my readers, real experiences of real people in The Greatest Generation.
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