Q & A with Donna Fasano

Today we have a Q & A with Donna Fasano, an excerpt of her book Reclaim My Heart and a giveaway.

 

Author Q&A

What attracted you to writing in the first place?

I came to writing from my love of reading. While growing up, I lost myself in books in order to escape an unhappy childhood.

What genre are you most comfortable writing?

Romance. I wrote for Harlequin for 20 years, writing sweet romance (as Donna Clayton) and women's fiction/contemporary romance (under my own name). I have self-published some of my back-list Harlequin books. The Merry-Go-Round was never published by a traditional publisher, so I guess that would be my first indie-published book. Reclaim My Heart is the second of my front-list indie-published titles.

How has your upbringing influenced your writing?

I think authors who face a lot of pain and anguish seem to write stories with great depth, with honesty and compassion. It could be that dealing with trauma brings out the best (or worst) in people. I believe that losing my mother at such a young age had a huge impact on me not just as a writer but as a human being. I became, I don't know, more maternal towards my family, my friends, heck, towards everyone I meet... more giving of myself. I'm not sure. But I know that the loss could have made me bitter and angry. I'm just so grateful that the exact opposite seems to describe me.

Where do you get your inspiration and ideas from?

My mind is always on the alert. I take ideas from everything I see, hear, read, experience. I have been known to take a snippet of conversation overheard in an elevator and turn it into a book (Return of the Runaway Bride), or from a location (His Wife for a While), or from a person I met (Taking Love in Stride). So be careful! If you interact with me, you might end up in one of my novels.

What’s your favorite place in the entire world?

I have visited so many beautiful places. The South of France, the rolling mountains of Italy, the Mediterranean Sea, the cobbled streets of Brussels, the red rocks of Sedona, Arizona, beautiful Morro Bay, California, and I spend lots of time in Ocean City, Maryland. I obviously can't pick a favorite. Besides, there are so many places waiting to be seen!

What was your favorite part of this book to write? Which part was the hardest?

I really enjoyed writing the love scenes. In my sweet romances, all the 'spice' takes place behind closed doors. So this was very fun. And which part was hardest? The "kitchen love scene" (naughty pun intended!).

When you were a child, what did you want to be when you “grew up”?

I wanted to be a teacher. My aunt attended college and earned her teaching degree. I always idolized her.

If you couldn’t be an author, what would your ideal career be?

Teacher. I love kids, and I often include them in my stories. I always say that children are very honest and outspoken. Kids inject a great deal of fun into a book.

If you could live inside the world of a book, which book would you choose?

Pride and Prejudice. Love that Mr. Darcy!

Give your fans three fun facts that they may not already know about you.

I love to cook! (I often post recipes on my blog.)

My reading tastes are crazy-eclectic. I read anything and everything.

I'm a little on the chubby side.

Chocolate, vanilla, or strawberry?

Depends. If we're talking ice cream, then vanilla… and I love mine topped with sliced banana and warm caramel sauce. If we're talking cake, then chocolate, and don't forget the fudge frosting. If we're talking milkshakes, then strawberry. Wow, now I'm hungry.

Please tell us in one sentence only, why we should read your book.

I put my heart and soul into this Reclaim My Heart, and I think it shows… in the characters and in the story.

So what’s next for you as an author? Any last words?

I'm thinking of writing a book that revolves around three friends in different stages of marriage, but I'm not sure yet. I've worked very hard on Reclaim My Heart and I'm going to take a few days off. Then I'll get back to work!

I want to thank you for hosting me, and I want to thank your followers for taking the time to read about Reclaim My Heart.

Title:  Reclaim My Heart

 

Author:  Donna Fasano
 

Format:  Paperback and eBook
 

Publisher:  Hard Knocks Books
 

ISBN:   978-1939000200

Genre:  Contemporary Romance

Purchase Now:  Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Apple /  Kobo

 
















About the Book:
Sixteen years ago, Tyne Whitlock cut all ties to her past and left town under the shameful shadow of a teenage pregnancy. Now her fifteen-year-old son is in trouble with the law and she is desperate for help. But reaching out to high-powered attorney Lucas Silver Hawk will tear open the heart-wrenching past in ways Tyne never imagined.

 

Forced to return to the Delaware Indian community where Lucas was raised, Tyne and Lucas are tempted by the heated passion that consumed them as teens. Tyne rediscovers all the reasons she found this man irresistible, but there are scandalous secrets waiting to be revealed, disgraceful choices made in the past that cannot be denied. Love is a powerful force that could heal them both—if the truth doesn't rip them apart.

Kindle Store | Nook Store | Kobo Store

 

 

Excerpt:

Tyne looked out the car window at the lush, green trees flanking the narrow country road.

"You know," she said, "I've been so focused today that I haven't thought about Zach. I wonder what he's doing."

Lucas glanced at the clock on the dashboard. "He's probably cleaning the fish they caught. Or stacking the firewood he collected." He grinned. "Or sitting in a hole trying to figure out how to get out."

"What?" She couldn't tell if he was serious or if he was teasing her. "What are you talking about?"

"Uncle Jasper put me in a hole once."

Tyne couldn't believe her ears. "Lucas. Come on. Don't tease me."

"I'm serious." He lifted one hand off the steering wheel. "First, he made me dig the hole. I spent a whole day with a shovel in my hands. 'Deeper,' he kept saying. 'Deeper.'  And he made me go to sleep next to it that night not knowing what the danged thing was for. 'That is for tomorrow,' was all he'd tell me before sliding into his sleeping bag."

 

Lucas's smile never faltered. "The next morning he told me to jump down into the hole. Which I did, no questions asked. He told me I could have breakfast as soon as I'd climbed out, and then he walked away."

She was quiet, her mind taken up with the idea of Zach out in the woods with Jasper… maybe standing in a hole he'd been forced to dig.

"Nearly three hours later and I was still standing there. Filthy from trying to scale the walls, frustrated as hell that I couldn't."

"Your tone is telling me this is a good memory," she said, "but for the life of me, I don't understand."

He laughed. "Neither did I. And that was precisely the point of why I was in the hole for hours."

She frowned.

"Little did I know, but my uncle was busy in the night. While I slept, he'd angled the sides of the hole so the opening was smaller than the base. It would have been impossible for me to climb out. It'll be impossible for Zach to climb out too."

"Lucas! You are not making me feel any better. Get to the good part, please."

"I just hope he figures it out quicker than I did," Lucas continued easily. "You see, many of those camping tasks will emphasize independence. They're about learning self-reliance. But the hole? The hole is designed to make a man realize there are times when he can't go it alone. He needs others."

Tyne nestled into the seat, crossing her arms tightly over her chest. "My son's out in the woods somewhere, digging a hole," she muttered. Her tone lowered. "Trapped in a hole." She heaved a sigh and shook her head. "Wonderful."

 

 

About the 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 over 3.6 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 #17.

 

What others are saying about Donna's books:

 

"...complex, funny, and realistic..." ~Wilmington News Journal

 

"Excellent!" ~Bookreview.com

 

"Could not help myself from reading excerpts to my husband and friends. This book is well written, the characters are real, everyday folks. It is very easy to identify with them. Donna Fasano is a talented author." ~Elizabeth M. Caldwell on Amazon

 
 

"...a fast paced riotous look at family life today. Donna Fasano is right on target!" ~Donna Zapf, SingleTitles.com

 

Follow Donna Fasano at  Website  |  Facebook  |  @DonnaFaz  |   GoodReads  |  Pinterest

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