I am happy to help to kickoff the blog tour for In The Land of Milk and Honey by Nell E.S. Douglas. This is Nell’s debut novel, I also got a chance to ask Nel some questions. Check out the interview. Giveaway: $10 Amazon gift card and a kindle copy of this book.
In the Land of Milk and Honey
Nell E.S. Douglas
Publication date: January 17th 2018
Genres: Adult, Romance, Suspense
When Gabrielle “Bree” Valentine awoke in a hospital bed with a newborn baby, she centered herself and rebuilt. Bree didn’t think about her mental breakdown, lost memories, or the features of a stranger emerging daily in the face of the son she is raising alone. Five years later, on a weekend in the Hamptons, a chance encounter with a man unlike any other jars her—bone deep. Daniel Hawthorne Baird II, wealthy, dangerous, British aristocrat, gravitates to Bree like caviar on crostini. In his relentless obsession with Bree, their lives entwine despite Bree’s resistance. With the unconditional support of friends she calls ‘family’, Bree confronts the most difficult questions of her life. Unearthing the painful mysteries behind who fathered her child, who the real Daniel Baird is, and the irrepressible desire driving her towards a man destined to be the end of them both.
💬 Author Interview 💬
Nell thanks for taking the time to answer these few questions.
S: How did publishing your first book change your writing process, when writing In the Land of Milk and Honey?
N: Thank you for having me. If I understand the question, you’re curious how my freshman experience impacted my sophomore one. In the Land of Milk and Honey is my first published novel. The knowledge it was going to be published didn’t alter it.
S: What kind of research did you do when writing In the Land of Milk and Honey and how long do you spending researching before beginning to write a book?
N: Over the course of writing In the Land of Milk and Honey I did quite a bit of research. I visit NYC and drew on those visits for descriptions. In my home state of Florida I visited an incredible salvage woodworking warehouse full of artists making cool pieces. I was able to familiarize myself with it for my main character, Bree, who is a woodworker/furniture maker based in New York. My Byronic hero, Daniel, is a financial magnate and I quizzed people I knew in the field for direction on his character. Instagram and the internet are ultimately the best resources.
S: What did you edit out of In the Land of Milk and Honey?
N: Haha, if I told you I’d have to kill you. Kidding. What I didn’t use may come out in successive works. So, no secrets. Stay tuned by following my Instagram and Facebook pages.
S: Do you read your reviews? How does reviews affect your writing process?
N: I don’t seek them, but if I’m linked them I have. Nothing makes your heart burst like five stars. A lackluster review must be taken in stride. Romeo & Juliet is a three star read on Goodreads. Not placing myself in such high company but if a masterpiece like that takes punches we’d be setting the stage for disappointment by expecting a work to be for everyone. I love feedback and interaction with my readers on social media and their responses sink in. How can they not when they’re delivered in such love?
S: Like you Pride and Prejudice is one of my all time favorite.. What authors did you dislike at first but grew into loving?
N: This is a super interesting question because I didn’t love P&P at first. I read it in school and wasn’t connecting. Later, I read it for pleasure and was officially an Austenite. She’s not an author but the same thing happened with Joni Mitchell. I didn’t get her music. Then one day California came on in an elevator. A song I’d heard a hundred times playing as background Muzak at work. And I fell in love with Joni in the elevator. Seasons of life.
S: What is the most difficult part of your artistic process?
N: Getting my butt in the chair. Every writer knows the classic Jodi Picoult quote “You can always edit a bad page. You can’t edit a blank one.” So true.
Thanks again or taking the time to answer my questions
My pleasure!
Author Bio:
Nell E. S. Douglas has possessed a deep, abiding love for written words since childhood. The transition from reader, to writer, was a natural one. Her first stories, penned on the lined pages of class notebooks, were inspired by her mother’s poetry and epic tales of travel, and a professorial inquisitiveness inherited from her father. Following college in Florida, Nell exited the world of pure imagination, and entered the one of business, successfully establishing a career in sales, and developing a cup-a-day habit (of coffee). Today, Nell writes everything from story ideas to essays during the spaces in-between domestic goddessing, and contributing as a managing partner to a thriving small business. Nell resides in Florida, with her husband and their children, passing on the traditions of her mother, and sinking her feet in the sand whenever possible.
Her favorite books are Pride and Prejudice, and To Kill a Mockingbird. Her favorite movies are Gladiator, anything by Scorcese, The Time Traveller’s Wife, and Bridesmaids.
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