Author Interview*Tessa Afshar*Book Giveaway

A fantastic book that I love. Here is my review link http://thelifeandtimesofwanda.blogspot.com/2011/03/pearl-in-sand-by-tessa-afshar-review.html Welcome and Greetings Tessa! Thank you for having me on your blog, Trinity Rose. It’s a pleasure being here with you. How long did you write before you were published? I can’t answer this question with perfect accuracy, but I think I was contracted a little over two years after I started the first chapter of Pearl in the Sand, and the book came out eight months after that—a total of three years. It’s the only time as a writer I’m ever going to be spoilt with such an expanse of time. After the first book, the next ones have to be researched, written and edited within a matter of months! Tell us about Pearl in the Sand, the featured book Pearl is based on the story of Rahab, the Canaanite harlot who is famous for having saved Israel’s spies from death. I wrote this story because I love Rahab. A Canaanite harlot actually married one of the leaders of Judah—a man from one of the most distinguished families of Israel. As if this marriage was not in itself utterly astounding, the birth of her son placed Rahab in the lineage of Jesus. Think about that: some of the DNA of this former harlot swam in Jesus’ blood stream! Is there any person who has been a strong influence in your writing journey? I work with Moody Publishing and was privileged to have Paul Santhouse, now Director of Acqusitions, as my editor. Alongside him, I worked with Duane Sherman who helped me with publicity. I wasn’t even on Facebook when I signed my contract, so Duane had to teach me a lot. Both men were incredibly patient and encouraging teachers. I couldn’t ask for better. What message do you want to be clear to your readers? That our profound worth is rooted in the love of our Heavenly Father; a love that never gives up on us. What are some of your likes and dislikes? Your hobbies, interests? Where do you like to vacation? Send me anywhere with a calm, blue ocean, palm trees, warm weather, throw in lots of good books, and my closest friends, and I might never come back. Add some delicious food, and well, now you have me drooling. As to what I don’t like, lack of sleep and physical pain would be at the top of my list. Tell us a little-known fact about yourself that readers may not know. I’m only five feet tall, and I have to stand on tiptoes to reach the higher shelves in my kitchen. How do you spend your writing days? Do you set goals to reach a certain number of words per day? Can you give us a general idea of how long it takes you to write a novel? My novels take about a year, because my genre is historical and good research is time-consuming. I do try to set goals for a certain word count, but I don’t always meet them. What are you currently reading? The Mountains Bow Down by Sibella Giorello. She’s a pleasure to read. Do you grow flowers or vegetables? What are your favorite flowers? I grow flowers and herbs in my tiny boarder garden. I cannot possibly choose a favorite flower. There are so many ravishing ones. What are you writing now? The novel I am currently working on is based on a fictional character named Sarah who is the Senior Scribe to the queen of Persia. She is a genius who doesn’t know when to keep her mouth shut, which continuously gets her into trouble. She solves plots, marries a man who hates her, and finds out that there’s more to life than being good at your job. And by the way, she is Nehemiah’s second cousin. How can readers find you on the Internet? I would love for you to come and visit me on my author page on Facebook. Here is the address: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Tessa-Afshar/337761827820?ref=ts Or you can join me on my website at: Tessaafshar.com And thanks for spending this time with us, Tessa. We wish you much success. Thank you so much. I enjoyed your fun questions. Tessa Afshar is offering her book Pearl in the Sand to one of you followers. Leave a comment with your name and email address. You will not be entered unless you leave a comment AND your email address. Here are the ways to get extra entries: ~Be or become a follower +1 ~Be or become an email subscriber +1 ~Be or become a networked blog follower +1 Contest is only open in the U.S. and void where prohibited. Chances of winning are based on the number of entries and winner is draw from a non-biased third party- Random.org. ENTRY DEADLINE April 30, 2011