Interview with author D.D. Chant, My Review

~THE PROMISE~

A Lady Quill Chronicles Novel

Dear Reader,
I wish to tell you a tale that began with a promise destined to change the lives of many.
When only a child, Lady Adele of Berron lost her family during a dreadful battle 

and was betrothed to a stranger.
Lord Rafe of Valrek, only a boy himself when the battle of Calis raged, 

grew to be a feared warrior and trusted advisor to his King. 

But sadness filled his past and Adele served only to remind him of all he had lost.
However the promise that bound these two together caused great anger to some.
What, Dear Reader, happened in those days of treachery and darkness? Incline your ear that I may whisper the secrets that you so desire to hear......

Lady Quill

~CHECK OUT THE TRAILER!~

~INTERVIEW WITH THE AUTHOR!

My name is Dee Dee, I’m twenty five and I live in a beautiful part of Devon, England with my family. I have a younger sister, Amy who is a brilliant guitar player, some chickens, Duck, geese, pheasants, a cat (that adopted us when we moved in!!!) and some Koi.
Broken City is actually my second novel. My first, as my Aunt so delicately put it, was crazy but in my defence I was only sixteen at the time. On the plus side I learnt a lot (or so I hope) and two years later ‘Broken City’ was finished. Due to the support I have received from everyone I have just started work on the next in the Broken City series! 
I have written another book ‘The Promise’, which is set in Saxon England it’s the beginning of a series and I have just finished my third book which is set in the distant future and is also the start of a series. It will be available for purchase early next year!!!
I really hope you enjoy reading my books as much as I enjoy writing them.

"I would like to thank Dee Dee for giving me the chance to have her on my blog! It has been so great getting to know her. She is a wonderful writer and such a promising author." 

Q: Tell us something unusual about you.
A: I lived in Costa Rica for six months when I was 12! It’s a beautiful country and still my favourite holiday destination!

Q: What gave you your start as a writer?

A: I’ve always loved reading and so one day my Aunt encouraged me to try and write a book, she said I had the imagination for it and that she believed that I could write something good. Without her giving me that push I don’t think I would have had the courage to try.

Q: If you could pick a favorite character (book, movie, show) from your childhood who/what would it be?

A: When I was little my favourite films were ‘seven brides for seven brothers’ (Gideon was my favourite brother) and ‘fort petticoat’ (I love Audie Murphy in that film!!!)Book wise I was a big Enid Blyton fan: the Famous Five would have totally whipped the Secret Seven!!! I also loved Freckles in ‘Freckles’ (Gene Stratton Porter) and Pip in ‘Pip, A romance of youth.’

Q: Who is your target audience and why?

A: I class all my books as YA because there is no sex in them but my readership is actually quite varied.

I think that ‘Broken City’ will appeal to women more than guys purely because the story is told in the first person by Deeta.

‘The Promise’ is historical (Saxon) and is a third person narrative, there is a story arc that ties the series together but each of the books will focus on a different character, but again I think it’s geared toward a female market!!!

I‘m hoping that ‘Fracture’ will appeal to both men and women: three of my Beta readers are men and they enjoyed the story just as much as the girls!!!

Q: Who/What has been your greatest inspiration for The Promise?

A: You know that old song ‘two little boy’s had two little toy’s’??? I was singing it to my baby cousin and the lyrics are really quite beautiful. The song is about an incredible friendship that trumps everything and keeps the ‘two little boys’ of the title together even through the horror of war. It was that song that inspired the friendship of the foster brothers that the story is based on.

 I’ve read a lot of arranged marriage scenarios but I don’t think I’ve ever read one where the hero and heroine were totally committed to making it work and trying to have a good relationship. I didn’t want them to be at each other’s throats but to be awkward about the whole thing.

Q: Are your characters based off of anyone in particular?

A: I sometimes will take a really strong characteristic of someone that I know and then build a character around that but normally the characters kind of build themselves! Often a story will take a completely different route to the one I’m expecting because the character has changed!

Q: Who has been your biggest support in your writing career?

A: My whole family has been hugely supportive, my Mum and Sister in particular, my Aunts and Nana who have given me their honest opinions about my books and my Granddad who listened to me droning on about Broken City for hours.

Q: What has been your biggest challenge in writing?

A: I used to think that writing the books was the hard part but marketing them is much, much harder!!! Which is why Indies are so grateful to people like Jill (and other book bloggers) who are so dedicated to helping us get our books out there: you make a huge difference and I for one can’t thank you enough for it!!!

Q: Where is your favorite place to write and what do you snack on?

A: I find I can write anywhere, a lot of people like peace and quiet but I write best when there is a lot going on around me.

Snack wise: fruit…I would love to eat crisps and chocolate but writing is a sit down job and any food goes straight to your thighs!!!

Q: What advice would you give an aspiring writer?

A: Don’t think it’s going to be easy: I had this lovely image of putting my books up on kindle and them taking off like a rocket, but that doesn’t happen. You have to work hard to get people to notice your book and above all BE NICE!!! It seems like an obvious thing to say but so many authors get upset and are rude to people that they are asking to read their book! People don’t HAVE to read your book, if they do read it they don’t have to like it. A writer has to respect that and be realistic enough to know that it’s unreasonable to expect everyone on the planet to think your book is the best thing since sliced bread!

Also engage with readers on another level: talk about more than your book and they will relax because they know you’re not going to try and ram your book down their throat!!! Lol! People are more likely to buy your book if they like you: fact!

Q:  Currently, who is your favorite author? 
A: Georgette Heyer!!!

Q:  What can you tell us about your upcoming works? 
A: ‘Fracture’ my third book will be out next year!!! It’s the start of a series and I’m really excited about it and I’ll give you a sneak peek at the synopsis
In a world torn apart by war and divided in to three nations Astra struggles to achieve balance. As a child she experienced a horror that caused her life to fracture around her and change everything she’d ever known in an instant. Sixteen years later and Astra has been pressured into a false position by her past taking a stand that enables her to keep her loved ones safe, but the cost is high.
Caught in an intolerable position Astra is loyal to only one thing: the family that loves her. But when a diplomatic mission from the Free Nation arrives for peace talks with the Tula, Astra’s precariously balanced world begins to fracture again.
I’ve also just started on the sequels to ‘Broken City’ and ‘The Promise’!!!

~MY REVIEW OF THE PROMISE~

This was a fantastic read! I don't usually read historical fiction, but I thoroughly enjoyed The Promise. Dee Dee did a fantastic job of creating an intriguing story, reminiscent of  King Arthur's era.

The author has a well crafted writing style and her passion for historical times and writing clearly shows in every chapter. She has taken a Lords and Ladies tale to a new level that really sets her apart from other historical fiction authors.

This story begins with a unique prologue that immediately grabs your attention. 

The dialogue and way of speech is excellent and very fitting for the time portrayed in the story. It did not complicate the writing and the plot flowed along nicely. The reader was able to become a part of the story which is something I really enjoyed. 

The Promise was full of action and constant surprises. It's romance was wonderful and not forced. I like that the romance really blossomed as the story progressed. 

Rafe and Adele make a great couple despite their arranged marriage. The fact that Rafe chooses to hide his identity to Adele really made things interesting. 

This story is more than just budding romance, it also tells of honor and the impact war has on the land and ones soul. Most importantly the impact of ones loyalty to a promise.

This was a great first book in what is sure to be a really great series. I can't wait to read the second book as well as other books from the author. 

To anyone, young or old, who loves a good heart pounding tale of war and love, I highly recommend this book!

IF YOU WISH TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE AUTHOR;

Visit her on Goodreads

She also has a lovely little blog Romance, Adventure & Random Moments

She is a featured author on Buy My Book 

which is a site for a group of indie authors based out of Devon.

There you can see her author page and also buy her books!

The Promise is also available through AMAZON for the Kindle