Welcome Today's Featured Author
Jennie L. Morris!!!
Drawn in Shadows:
Get drawn into the shadows of the heart.
As a medical student, Mabel Blackwood knows all the
anatomical features of the human heart, yet she’s never felt its racing pace
conjured by the meeting of a single glance until she encountered Henry Grier.
Born amongst the dregs of society, Henry entertains at one of the most
prestigious bordellos on Carlyle Street. Will his unconventional past push away
scholarly Mabel or will Henry’s free soul transform her into something much
more?
A Yuletide Premonition:
Fate remains unwritten when all is given to love.
Jasmine Loveridge has no illusions about her life. With the
spiritualism movement on the rise, she works more than ever, donning her
fortuneteller costume each night to perform for the pinnacles of society at
their Christmas gatherings. She needs the money to care for her brother and ill
mother. After an accidental encounter with Mr. Draven McKellis on Carlyle
Street, she encounters the admired entrepreneur unexpectedly while working a
Christmas party. His penetrating gaze disapproving of her profession from
across a candle-lit table covered in her tools of the trade.
A dangerous premonition concerning Mr. McKellis forces
Jasmine to risk more than her reputation. Obliged to reveal the truth of her
inherited abilities to the skeptical man, Jasmine’s disclosure turns into an
unlikely friendship. Outside the scrutiny of high society, Draven is a man full
of fancy, hopes, and dreams. Jasmine falls for this gentle, inquisitive soul.
But she can never forget her station. Though her heart beats for one man, this
is no fairytale. She expects no happy ending for a Carlyle Street gutter rat,
no Yuletide miracles. A life of a spinster is her destiny.
The Absent Thread:
What happens when the threads of your life disappear,
leaving you a wandering soul?
Dr. Ezra Blackwood, renowned surgeon, has the respect of his
colleagues near and far, but a mystery surgical catastrophe leaves him shaken.
Uncertain of his skill and of his path, he retreats to Carlyle Street and to
The Albion, a place of refuge where the demands of his profession are far away.
Lost, Ezra finds no solace in the drinks and gambling that
so often soothed him. He is a haunted man, unable to forget or forgive himself
for his failure. Not even the arms of a long-acquainted lover can ease his
heart. But a chance encounter with Adelia Barker, owner of Barker’s Bakery and
Café changes everything. The proud, independent woman sparks a fire in Ezra
that he thought lost forever. Her fighting spirit reminds him not everything is
easy, somethings take sacrifice.
But how much will Ezra sacrifice for this woman? Is her
heart worth his life?
Better the Devil You Know:
An immigrant, Fredrick Wolf has to succeed at Morrow Academy
of Anatomy and Science. Not only succeed, he has to prove to his peers that he
belongs, that he isn’t a poor local Dr. Morrow accepted out of pity.
Fredrick is willing to do anything to procure a prime
specimen for their special assignment. Calling upon his uncle, his partner in
crime since their move to England, Fredrick plans to use his uncle’s position
at the local gaol to select the perfect candidate.
But not all prisoners are the usual drunkards or petty
thieves. Some possess dark secrets, especially the man known in Clayton Bridge
as Eugene Wallaby. Biding his time, Eugene sees young Fredrick’s murderous plan
as a means of escape, but only if Eugene can survive the night.
About Jennie L. Morris:
I am Jennie, and yes, I was born in a time when every
other baby girl in America was named Jennifer. I heard the call of writing when
I was a teen and have dabbled for years in the art form. I grew up on a beef cattle
farm in NE Ohio, one of the best childhoods a person can have, and a part of my
heart will always belong to that dreary weathered place. Now I live in rural
Kentucky, among the bluegrass and dazzling horses, with my amazing husband and
our new addition Archie the Boxer.
I'm a huge history buff, with degrees in biology and
anthropology. Since these are some of my favorite topics to learn about and
research, I tend to add them as strong themes in my stories. Medieval European
history is a passion, but who can resist all the lovely books about King Henry
VIII and his unfortunate wives. In truth, I'm a huge Anglophile, and probably
would be right at home living on the isle of my ancestors.
Also, I am an avid tea drinker. My cupboards are filled
with more tea than any one person needs. Some of my favorite blends are Earl
Grey, Chai, anything with cinnamon or peppermint, and I've grown a fondness for
floral teas as I've aged. Usually I'm carrying a mug around the house, with
some sort of tea sloshing inside, animals not far behind begging for treats or
affection.
And last, I've an addiction to perfumes, with a growing
collection of scents. From light and airy to the more gourmand, I like them
all. What I adore about perfume is its ability to fit your mood, even better
than your clothing. Smell can really lift the spirits and inspire some great
writing.
Social links:
Amazon: amazon.com/author/jennielmorris
Website: www.jennielmorris.com
Facebook Readers Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/JLMTeaAndBooks/
GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/JennieLMorris
Leap of Faith: https://leapoffaithpublishing.net/?page_id=709
Interview With Jennie L. Morris:
1. Can you tell us a little about your books?
My
favorite genre to write is historical fiction with a romantic twist. I love a
well-researched book, even if it may take me a day to find the right
information for one sentence in a story, it is well worth it. Drawn in
Shadows and A Yuletide Premonition are both set in a fictious large
city in the 1890’s. They center around The Albion, a hotel on Carlyle St. owned
by Thaddeus Anderton, a man capable of getting anything your heart desires: alcohol,
drugs, a companion or two for the night, whatever you want. These books are
stand alone, created in an open world for Leap of Faith Publishing by
Natalie-Nicole Bates. My three books (one coming out later this year) in the
series have reoccurring characters that probably should be read in order. Drawn
in Shadows, my first book, is about Dr. Mabel Blackwood, a surgical student
and anatomist, whose uncle sends her to The Albion and Carlyle street to hone
her skills at drawing living people instead of cadavers, and to give her more
experience at life. Though this is a romance story, I spent a significant
amount of time doing research on medical techniques and protocols of the time.
I have a huge interest in medical history and diseases, as a biologist and
anthropologist, this was a fun book to write.
The
second book, A Yuletide Premonition centers around Jasmine Loveridge, an
inhabitant of Carlyle Street. Set during the holiday season, this book
highlights the peak of Spiritualism, a fantastic and interesting piece of
history. Jasmine is a true psychic, and to feed her family, she bounces from
Christmas party to Christmas party at rich houses, showing off for the guests. Mr.
Draven McKellis, a silk factory owner on Carlyle street, and skeptic, meets her
at several parties, where a unique friendship form between the two. Fascinated
by otherworldly stories, I wanted to do something different with a paranormal
twist
The
upcoming third book, The Absent Thread, returns to the Blackwood family,
Dr. Ezra Blackwood, Mabel’s uncle. After an unforeseen medical catastrophe
occurs on his surgical table, Ezra begins to question his abilities. For
reprieve, he seeks solace at The Albion, where Thaddeus Anderton, his best
friend offers him a place away from all his responsibilities and to contemplate
his next move. Until an unexpected widow, named Adelia Barker, and the poor of
Carlyle Street need his help.
Better
the Devil You Know was part of a short anthology no longer available. The
premise of the story was for each student at a prestigious medical school in
the 1870’s to obtain a fresh cadaver. My character, Fredrick Wolf, an immigrant
from Germany, wants to prove to his fellow classmates his worth by procuring a
healthy, prime specimen, no matter the cost.
2. What inspires you to write?
A
student for life, I many of my ideas for stories come from topics I’m
researching or articles I’m reading for pleasure. I love to read, though I do
more writing than reading nowadays, except for research purposes, and used to
get inspired by history books. Often true life provides the best material, a
visit to a museum, or a new city, even an old photograph can be material for a
great story.
3. How do you come up with your characters names?
I try to
pick era and regional appropriate names. My characters are often from the
working-class or middle-class, I find it works best when writing historical
fiction to stick to history.
4. If you could be
friends with one of your character, which one would you chose?
Unfair
question! I’ve had a lot of readers say they wished they had an Uncle Ezra
(Mabel’s uncle) and I have a character named Enrique Flores I adore. But I try
to have strong, independent females in my books, each of who I admire and would
like to think we’d be friends.
5. Do you have a release day tradition?
No, I
just get excited that I’m published at all! I tend to call my sisters and tell
my husband, but no traditions.
6. Do you work with an outline, or just write?
Both.
Some books and stories I have outlined, and others are a broad picture. But to
some extent, I have an overall image of what I want to happen. On occasion, the
characters in a book can surprise you though.
7. If your fairy godmother waved her wand and whisked you
away to the location of your choice, which place would you choose?
Europe.
Either Ireland or Germany. My ancestral home is in Germany, a still functioning
farm with distant relatives running it, and I would love to meet them. They’ve
lived in this tiny little village for at least four hundred years, to visit
would be a true experience. Ireland, I’ve always been fascinated by the Celts
and their culture, again, big on genealogy, my mother’s side of the family has
a strong connection to Ireland and it feels like I would be going home in a
way.
8. What writing projects are you currently working on?
Several.
I have a steampunk short story for an anthology, which I love the idea. I’ve
not worked on anything like it before. I’m currently working on a WWII book,
with a twist, to be included in a fellow Leap of Faith, LLC author’s open world
book series. This has been a difficult book to write, not because I don’t like
war books, but I am a stickler for the details. I’m contracted for several
other anthologies, all of which are exciting, one is based on a Victorian
asylum, another inspired by the Brontë sisters.
I have a number of books and short stories coming out this
year. Another Albion book called The Absent Thread (The Albion, Book 6),
Skin Deep Ruins (Dark Carnival, Book 2), and a short story in Perfectly
Poisoned Presents: Bad, Bold and Beautiful called The Black Silence.
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