After tackling the monster sized 11/22/63, I was ready for a happy break into a lighter hearted, quick read. I happily pulled Donna Fasano’s Reclaim my Heart up on my kindle & got lost in the characters.
After spending so much time reading books based in the past recently, it was refreshing to read a novel set in the present. Yet I found it so interesting that Donna juxtaposed busy, hectic Philadelphia city life with rural life in Pennsylvania too. It was the rural setting parts of Reclaim My Heart that I couldn’t put down.
The character of the busy mom who thinks she has it all together Tyne rang true for my current life. And I won’t forget the name of the troubled son in the story; Zach definitely sticks out for me. 🙂
You can just picture Mr. Lucas Silver Hawk perfectly by Donna’s great character development. He’s the perfect romantic book hero – big, browney, Native American, successful attorney & yet just flawed enough to draw you in.
Reclaim my Heart was a quick read. Perfect for beach reading, a study break, or wanting to pass the time while traveling {or pumping as in my case}.
Since she was so kind in our email conversations, I asked Donna if she didn’t mind doing a short author interview with me. I tried not to ask questions that would give spoilers!
A little background to get us started if you’re new like I was to getting to know her. USA TODAY bestselling author Donna Fasano is a three time winner of the HOLT Medallion, a CataRomance Reviewers Choice Award winner for Best Single Title, a Desert Rose Golden Quill Award finalist, and a Golden Heart finalist. Her books have sold nearly 4 million copies worldwide and have been published in nearly two dozen languages. Her books have made the Kindle Top 100 Paid List numerous times, climbing as high as #9.
I read in the remarks at the end of the novel how you were writing during the death of your parent, stopped, then picked back up again. What made you pick it back up? Did you change any major plot points based on your family situation?
I had to finish Tyne and Lucas’ story because the characters seemed to take on a life of their own. They kept hounding me until I finished the book. My family situation didn’t affect any of the book’s major plot points. I wouldn’t have set it aside at all if I hadn’t been so exhausted and dejected with my dad’s terminal diagnosis. It was a sad time for me and all my family members.
I connected with Reclaim my Heart from page one loving the name of the son – Zachary as that’s my little boy’s name. Deciding on that was hard for us! How do you come up with character names?
I’ve been writing for about 25 years. I’ve learned that, if I spend a little time “chatting with” my characters, they’ll reveal a lot about themselves. If my characters don’t tell me their names, I’ll search through my book of baby names until I find one that fits. A name has to fit the character, if you know what I mean.
I’m not familiar to the Pennsylvania area that served as a great back-drop for Reclaim my Heart. Sounds like a beautiful part of the country. Is that where you’re from? Or how did you decide to choose that setting?
Although I was born in Maryland, I’ve spent plenty of time in Pennsylvania. I’ve always been intrigued by the Lancaster, PA Amish community. I knew I wanted to included an Amish character in the book, so Pennsylvania seemed like the best location for the story setting.
So far, this is the first novel of yours I’ve read. I liked Reclaim my Heart a lot! What of yours would you recommend next?
Well, it depends on how you’re feeling. If you want a light-hearted, funny romance, I would suggest The Merry-Go-Round. If you want a heart-wrenching read, I’d suggest An Accidental Family. If you’re looking for a romance with a little bit of suspense, I’d suggest The Single Daddy Club: Reece (that’s book 3 of The Single Daddy Club). All of my books are character-driven stories. I like to give my characters plenty of flaws and lots of baggage that needs to be worked through as each story progresses.
What are your favorite authors & books? Do you spend so much time writing that you don’t read much or does your love for writing & reading go hand in hand?
I love many big name authors: Stephen King, Dean Koontz, Barbara Kingsolver, Jonathan Kellerman, Harper Lee, Tony Hillerman, Margaret Atwood, too many to name because my reading tastes are so eclectic. However, I also read some authors that readers might not have heard about before: Hugh Howey, MA Comley, Linda Prather, MD McDonald, Beth Orsoff, William LK, Vicki Tyley, and a slew of other authors. I LOVE to read. Each new book is a brand new adventure.
I noticed you offered the book to me in kindle form. What do you think about the rise in digital media/reading? Are you more of a kindle reader or do you still like to physically hold books?
I held off buying an ereader for a long time, thinking I would never get used to holding a device. I love the feel of a paperback book in my hands. But I was selling lots of ebooks, so I decided I’d better buy and ereader. I finally settled on a Kindle, and I have to admit that I love it. I really enjoy being able to carry around hundreds of books wherever I go.
Kids today love gadgets and technology, so if ereaders encourage them to read, I am all for it! I love the fact that I can download an iBook on to my phone. Or download a Nook book, or a Kobo book, onto my laptop. I think the fact that all the online bookstores–Kindle, Nook, Kobo, and iBooks–offer free reading apps is just wonderful.
If you have other questions/statements you think my readers would enjoy, feel free to add other thoughts!
I’d love to let your readers know that Reclaim My Heart made the USA Today Bestsellers List, and a week later I was contacted by Montlake Publishers and they’re going to publish the book on 11/12/13. I believe that after that date the book will only be available for Kindle, so if there are readers out there who own a Nook, a Kobo, or an Apple reading device, they should download the book before Nov 1st.
Donna loves to keep in touch with her readers. She has a blog of her own at www.DonnaFasano.com where you can sign up for e-mail updates & be the first to hear about new releases. She’s on Twitter as @DonnaFaz & you can find Donna on facebook at www.Facebook.com/DonnaFasanoAuthor.
I was gifted my copy of Reclaim my Heart in exchange for my review. My opinions noted are my own honest thoughts.
