An Interview with Author Joy Ross Davis....
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S.J.: Joy, angels seem to play an important part in your books. Can you tell us a little bit of how that came about? What was your inspiration for your debut novel Countenance?
S.J.: Your work, Joy leans toward the paranormal suspense,
where you bring angels, dark spirits, and humans alike into vivid life. What is
your inspiration for your stories?
S.J.: What writer inspired you most and how?
S.J.: All right, Joy, if you could give just one piece of
important writing advice to an aspiring writer, what would it be?
Hello-Hello and how are you today? Let's hope everyone is
doing well and happy! Welcome back to my blog where I try to share whatever I
think may interest you. Today is the
first time I interview a fellow author. And with me this very first time is
inspirational author, Joy Ross Davis.
Joy has graciously accepted me into her domain to take up
some of her writing time to talk about her writing and her debut novel,
Countenance. So please, without further ado, let us welcome Joy to the pages
here.
Thank you Joy for spending time with us. Shall we begin....?
S.J.: Joy, angels seem to play an important part in your books. Can you tell us a little bit of how that came about? What was your inspiration for your debut novel Countenance?
Joy: Angels play a part in each one of my books.
I’ve really always been fascinated by them. As a child, I believe I had an
encounter when lightning struck at my feet and I was “saved” by a beautiful
angel who told me to run, run away. I ran, but when I looked back, there was
nothing except seared grass. So, that encounter has given me a special
fascination with angels.
As for the
inspiration for Countenance, it came about when I was a full-time caregiver for
my mom who suffered from dementia. I had taken a break and gone onto our back
patio. As I was standing outside, I heard a loud and clear voice that said,
“Countenance.” After a few minutes, I heard the same voice again. I had no idea
what it meant, so I got out my Bible and looked for references to the word
“countenance.” I found this verse: “His countenance was like lightning; his
raiment white as snow.”
By the next morning, I had the story in my head.
By the next morning, I had the story in my head.
Joy: Actually,
with the exception of Countenance, the inspiration for almost all of my stories
is photographs. I can see a photograph and from that will sometimes come a
story that just pops into my head. I know the character, the name, the title…it
happens without warning and at times when I least expect it.
S.J.: Joy, will you tell us what do you love most about
being a writer? Least?
Joy: What I love most about being a writer is
simply being a writer, being able to tell the stories that come into my head
and have people respond to them. I have to admit that the intense struggle of
getting a story onto paper is worth it after reading one really good review!
What I like least
about being a writer is simply not being able to make a living at it. Most of
my stories are from .99 to $2.99 on Kindle now, with Countenance at $6.99. It
takes an enormous amount of sales, given that I have an agent and publisher, to
make money at writing.
Joy: Oh, most definitely I was inspired by Stephen
King and John Updike earlier in my life. I was fascinated by Stephen King’s
ability to frighten people with his words and to tell a story. John Updike, to
me, wrote some of the most beautiful sentences I have ever read. Later, I was
inspired by Agatha Christie and Sigrid Undset (Nobel Prize winner). Both of
these women write with such clarity and such intrigue that I adore reading
their works. I have the formal style
that Agatha Christie used in her writing, and no matter how hard I try, I
simply can’t write any other way.
Joy: The best
advice I could offer is simply to stay with it and get the writing done. Just
get it done. Later, hiring a good editor is a must. But first of all, the
writing has to be finished. I think that to be a good writer, a person has to
be obsessed with it, obsessed with the burning desire to get those words on
paper.
S.J. Okay, Joy, I'm going to make you think here. What is a favorite book you enjoyed reading and would recommend without
hesitation? Why?
Joy: Oh, there
are so many! But, I will choose one of my very favorites, Kristin Lavransdatter
by Sigrid Undset. I would recommend it to anyone. This is a magnificent story
of the life of a girl from a prominent family set in the 1400s in Medieval
Norway. It is a trilogy and was released first in 1920, with each story in the
series released the next year. I have all three combined into one long novel.
The writing is glorious, and the story is both compelling and heart-wrenching.
At 1100 pages, it is a masterful tale written in elegant language. I don’t
think I will ever forget the girl named Kristin Lavransdatter!
That is it for today. Thanks for stopping by. I hoped you enjoyed the interview and that you will consider adding Countenance to your reading list. I know I have. A book excerpt and Synopsis follow the purchase links. I’d like to thank Joy again for
spending time with us and telling us of her views on writing and about her
debut novel, Countenance available from online stores everywhere. Here are a few
links to find and purchase it: And don't forget to check out Joy’s Webpage at: ww.joyrossdavis.com:
S.J. In closing, Joy, is there anything new on the
horizon for your fans to know about?
Anything we should watch out for?
Joy: I’ve just signed a three-book
contract with Oghma Creative Media based out of Arkansas! I’m very excited to
be working with this group of people and their awesome authors. My novel, The
Legacy of Preacher’s Cove, will be released in 2015. This is the first novel I
wrote, and after making some necessary improvements, I submitted it to Oghma,
and they accepted it for publication.
Links to COUNTENANCE:
But before we go, we can’t leave without sharing a bit of
Countenance for you to explore. Fortunately, Joy has shared a short excerpt and
a synopsis of Countenance for you to enjoy. Take a breath and take a trip with her with reading just a bit….
Synopsis of COUNTENANCE:
Nealey Monaghan’s life is turned upside-down when a grisly multiple
murder/suicide takes away her children, husband, and sister all in one night.
Her faith, once something she held so dearly, is also a casualty. Numb to the
world, Nealey is taken in by her charmingly eccentric Aunt Sylvie, cookbook author
and proprietress of the Playhouse Inn
Bed and Breakfast in the hills of Tennessee. Hoping to help her niece find
purpose and meaning in her life again, Sylvie makes Nealey a co-owner and begins
teaching her the tricks of the trade…and the secrets of the house. But nothing
is what it seems at the Playhouse Inn, and the arrival of a mysterious new
guest has Sylvie’s friends and staff on guard, as this is a place where magic
exists, and secrets must first be unlocked before the dead can rest and the
living can truly heal.
"In Countenance, debut novelist Joy Ross Davis creates a
suspenseful yet heartfelt story full of intrigue and unexpected revelations,
where magic is made in the kitchen and angels can fall in love. Her memorable
characters inhabit a home that is more than it seems, unwittingly preparing for
a final showdown where forces battle for
the souls of both those who reside there and the dead who cannot move on to the next realm."
Short excerpt from
COUNTENANCE: Read on….
Chapter 1
Sylvie Wolcott sliced the last of her winter apples,
gathered the peels, and dropped them into a pot of boiling water sweetened with
a bit of clear corn syrup. In a smaller pan, she poured a cup of Aberlour
scotch, taking a little nip first to test its taste. A second sip confirmed her
choice.
“Delightful,” she said.
Into the pan with the scotch went a stick of softened
butter. From a tin on the shelf by the window, she withdrew a pinch of golden
powder.
“Ah, my special ingredient,” she said and sprinkled it over
the simmering mixture.
She leaned forward and inhaled the delicious aroma.
“Perfect,” she said. “Double crust apple butterscotch pie.”
She squeezed her hands together and smiled. “Oh, I believe
my readers will adore it.”
Sylvie walked to the pantry to get the brown sugar and
opened the big double doors. From one of the two head-high built in shelving
units, she spied the sugar and lifted it off the shelf. When the subtle scent of flowers wafted into
the pantry, she hesitated. Jasmine?
Sylvie shrugged then closed the doors.
Something on the floor by the kitchen entrance caught her
attention: her suitcase, her favorite Louis Vuitton. The bulges in the sides
told her it was fully packed.
“What on earth is that doing down here?”
Atop the suitcase was a cream colored envelope with the word
“Sylvie” written in script.
Sylvie picked up the envelope and took out a sheet of paper.
“Sylvie,” it read, “you must go to Nealey. She needs you. Go
quickly.”
“My sweet Nealey,” Sylvie said. “What could be wrong?”
Sylvie turned the paper over but found nothing on the back.
She glanced around the room for any sign of who could have left both her
suitcase and the message.
The aroma of the cooking apples brought her to the stove
again.
“Oh, dear, I hope they’re not overcooked,” she said as she
turned off the burners.
Once again, she read the message.
“Go to Nealey. Go quickly.”
A rap at the kitchen door startled her.
“Miss Sylvie,” her driver said, “the car is parked out
front. Whenever you’re ready, we’ll leave.”
For a moment, Sylvie simply stared at him.
“But how did you know I needed to leave? Who told you to
bring the car around?”
He hesitated for a few seconds.
“Well, you did, Miss Sylvie, about an hour ago. You said we
needed to go immediately to Kentucky to see Miss Nealey.”
“No, I didn’t tell
you that. I’m certain I didn’t.”
“But you phoned me,” he said, then pointed to the envelope.
“There’s another one of those on the back seat of the car, Miss Sylvie.”
Sylvie wrung her hands.
“I’ve been in the kitchen since dawn working on this new
recipe. Don’t you think I would remember if I’d phoned you? Oh, dear. Something
is not right.”
The driver lowered his head.
“It sounded like you, Miss Sylvie.”
Sylvie took off her apron and laid it across the chair.
“Mercy,” she said. “I wish I knew what was happening. If
there’s the slightest chance that my Nealey is in harm’s way, I must go to her.
So, I will simply trust this message. It certainly isn’t the first time the
unexplained has happened at this inn, and I’m quite sure it won’t be the last.”
Thanks for visiting with us. Joy, please return any time you want. It was fun. Until next month...stay safe. Be happy. Show compassion. Smile.
Thanks for visiting with us. Joy, please return any time you want. It was fun. Until next month...stay safe. Be happy. Show compassion. Smile.
Regards,
S. J. Francis
In Shattered Lies: "It's All About Family." Coming in 2015 from Black Opal Books.
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