Can you
give us a brief overview of your latest book? Is it part of a series?
I would love to! My latest book is On the Eighteenth of
May, which is the story of a young women, Cass, who walks into a small
village in the Blue Ridge Mountains on the evening of May 18th. She
shares that she intends on staying one year in this place, and then leaving the
following year on the same date. Cass soon meets two precocious children, a caring
and generous business owner, and the Chief of Police from the neighboring town.
Family and loss are parts of many of their stories, but how these themes are
approached or navigated are different for each.
While these people, as well as others, attempt to know and
help her, the history and troubled memories of what led Cass to his place begin
to gradually unfold. As the potential for love and the pathway for healing
begin to become clearer, all will be forced to explore the depth to which loss
and guilt may be felt by the human heart. As the date of departure approaches,
Cass and those around her will be forced to decide how forcefully they are
willing to hold on: to the past, to the pain, and to the person.
On the Eighteenth of May is the story of this single year spent in the small
village of Chimney Rock, and of the people and events that interweave
themselves into and throughout Cass’ journey and her life. It is a story that examines the true
definition of strength, and what it means to be strong in the face of
adversity. It is a story that explores the depths of sorrow, as felt by the
human heart, and the extent to which a person’s mind and soul can absorb or
deflect the pain of that which is lost. It is a story that explores the
perceived helplessness of those within the support structure, and the extent to
which those we love can hinder or accelerate the healing process. Finally, it is a story that reminds us
of the overwhelming power of comforting influences in all of our lives, as our
human souls struggle, against all odds, to survive.
While currently my plan is for this book to stand alone, I
have had quite a few readers ask me for a sequel to the story. This may or may
not happen, dependent on the sales for this one!
Do you have a favorite character?
While I
absolutely love all of the characters, even the ones that the reader won’t
like, my favorite character to write was Lucas Montraine, the Police Chief who
tries and tries and tries his best to help our Cass. I loved writing this
character because he has his own baggage and sorrows and regrets and
discontentment, yet he finds a way to make so many selfless decisions to help
others, including Cass. To me, Lucas represents those initial circles of
support that surround all of us at some point in our lives. The ones who try
and try, despite not knowing what to do. Lucas is a complex character but one,
I believe, who appears to have a very solid core of values and a personality
that leads him to be able to listen, understand, and empathize. He is my
favorite because, as we watch him develop through the story, we come to realize
that Lucas is not changing, it is our understanding of him that is changing. We
come to realize that he is just, put quite simply, a stellar individual, and he
was all along – even though we, as the readers, may not have realized it at
first.
Have you ever had a minor character evolve into a major one? Did that change
the direction of the novel at all?
Yes, that
certainly happened as I was writing On the Eighteenth of May. The
characters of Juney and Jacob, the two little children whom Cass encounters
early on in the novel, were originally intended to serve only the purpose of
triggers regarding Cass’s memories. But as I wrote the story, and a particular
event occurred (readers will remember it from Chapter 13), it became obvious to
me that their role would be so much more significant, especially in terms of
Juney’s role. We see the presence of Juney become more significant as we near
the end of the story, and we find that Cass’s connection to Juney was one we
may not have expected.
Briefly
describe your journey in writing your first or latest book.
I
have never before, in my entire life, tried writing fiction. As a professional
educator, and now a university professor, I have spent a great deal of my life
writing academic pieces. I have published many peer-reviewed articles and
chapters in various journals and books and have very recently published a
handbook on research regarding effective online course design. I had always
hoped to write a novel, but had never quite made or found the time.
In
early 2019, I was busy working on two research articles for my university,
which both happened to fall during a very sad time in my life. Not to go into
too much detail, but one of my family members was very ill, and was lost and
hurting and struggling. And I realized at that period just how sad I was, over
the whole situation . . . over my lack of ability to help in some meaningful
way and over my complete uselessness to make things better. And so, one day I
opened my laptop, but instead of working on the research articles (like I was
SUPPOSED to be doing), I started writing a story. A story filled with sadness.
A story filled with love.
I
absolutely love romance novels, the sweet, simple kind that pack a little
mystery and have characters that I want to root for. This was some of the early
feedback I got from the first reviews that were posted when my novel was first
published – that the characters were people that readers could see as their
friends or neighbors, and that, indeed, many were characters they wanted to
root for.
With this being my first novel, several ideas
combined at once, from different personal experiences or interests. First, as
stated earlier, I was going through a particularly sad time in my life when
this novel was first conceptualized, so that was one impetus for some of the
particularly sad themes in the novel. While the story in the novel in no way
reflects the actual situation I was experiencing with my family member, the mood of the novel certainly does. In
addition, I have visited the Blue Ridge mountain region of North Carolina on
many occasions, and have found that there are few places on earth quite as
lovely as the Chimney Rock and Lake Lure areas, so the setting of the novel,
for me, was an easy choice. Many of the ideas for the most stunning scenes of
the novel (yes, for those of you who have read the novel, I’m talking about
Chapters 27 and 30) were inspired by the beautiful history and stories of the
Cherokee Nation. Their legacy and lore is a key part of the love story that
unfolds On the Eighteenth of May.
The love story that
unfolds on the pages of this novel is certainly a central theme. I tried to
write the two characters in the relationship with a little detail and a lot to
be imagined. I tried to help the reader in getting to know them better and
better as the story developed, but not giving away too much about how they
might react to a particular situation. And, of course, since the novel tells
the whole story through back and forth point-of-views (from each of them) we
get to see a lot more of what each one is thinking than the actual love
interest does. Hopefully, it makes for a captivating yet sad love story that will
hold your attention throughout.
Are you currently under a traditional publishing contract for future books or
do you have manuscripts that you will self-publish? Are you doing both?
I am
currently in the process of writing my second novel, The Broken Bridge, and
look forward to hopefully having it wrapped up and ready to go by the end of
2020. I hope to secure a publishing contract for that one, even though I have
never tried that and will have to "learn” the process. I certainly would
not mind self-publishing again, as I found it very interesting and exciting
when doing so for On the Eighteenth of May.
If you used a graphic designer/publisher’s designer, how involved were you
during the creative process for your cover?
I actually
had the privilege of picking out the design for the cover of my book, which was
very meaningful to me, as the author! The title font and the colors were picked
out for me, but the picture was one I selected and I believe perfectly captures
the story. Of course, you have to make it to the VERY LAST chapter of the book
to recognize the significance, but there are other connections to the cover
photo in the first chapter, the tenth chapter, and many others.
What is your writing process? Do you listen to music or do you like silence?
I usually
work on my novel at two points during the day. First thing in the morning,
while sitting at my local McDonald’s with a large coffee beside of me, and late
in the evening, while sitting on my back deck with a glass of wine beside of
me. The McDonald’s settings are a little noisy, but to be honest, I love the
noise of friends conversing and people seeing each other unexpectedly. I try to
set a finite amount of time to write, like one hour, or else I will allow my
writing to drag on and continue and other things will go undone (like going to
work or taking care of my family!).
I am
currently a university professor, teaching education courses at the
undergraduate and graduate levels. As such, I get LOTS of opportunities to write,
just not the kind of enjoyable writing that comes with publishing a novel.
Therefore, actually getting the time to work on my novel is like a special
treat to me! I cherish it and look forward to it!
Do you outline your story or just go where your muse takes you?
I write the
first few pages, just to get started, then I stop and plan out a very detailed
outline of what is going to happen throughout the book. Then, I write the first
couple of chapters, then write a rough draft of the very last chapter, then
write the chapters in between. Then, by the time I make it to the end, I polish
up and add a lot more to the ending. My outlines tend to get completely out of
control and I do leave a lot on the “cutting room floor”. But, as I write, I
have other ideas for where I want things to go or relationships between
characters, so my outline is constantly changing around the edges, while
staying pretty consistent in terms of the theme and twists.
What have you’ve learned during your self-publishing journey?
The most
important thing I have learned is to REALLY take my time. By the time I was
done writing On the Eighteenth of May, I was feeling VERY DONE with
writing. I was eager to publish the story and hold it in my hands. And so, I
did so, with just one editing run-through by a person I hired for that purpose.
Then, when I held the book in my hand for the first time, and opened the first
page, I immediately started recognizing things that I should have caught but
didn’t. Ways I had described settings or characters. Words misspelled. I felt
frustrated and wondered why I hadn’t noticed these the seven other times I had
read over the manuscript. To be honest, I think by that point, we, as the
authors, have seen the words and phrases so many times, it is hard to pick up
on things that could be better. And so, I went through the painful process of
re-publishing after a major revision. So, when I do it again, or if I ever
advise anyone on self-publishing, I will let them know – take your time.
Read it again and again and again. Make sure it says everything you wish to
say!
Besides Amazon, are there any other sites where your books are for sale?
Yes! Amazon
is currently “temporarily out of stock” on my paperback, but more is being
shipped to them from the distributer. There are also plenty of copies at
Walmart (online sales), Books-a-Million (online sales) and Barnes and Noble, to
name a few. And, of course, e-book editions are available on all of these! I
hope you and your readers will check it out and will let me know what you
think!
BLURB:
On the evening of the eighteenth of May, a young woman named Cass walks
alone into a small village with the intent to stay for exactly one year. Cass
soon meets two precocious children, a caring and generous business owner, and
the Chief of Police from the neighboring town. Family and loss are parts of
many of their stories, and while these people, as well as others, attempt to
know and help her, the history and troubled memories of what led Cass to this
place begin to gradually unfold. As the potential for love and the pathway for
healing become clearer, the date of departure approaches. Cass and those around
her will be forced to decide how forcefully they are willing to hold on: to the
past, to the pain, and to the person.
On the Eighteenth of May is the story of the people and events that are
interwoven throughout Cass’s journey and her life. It is a story that examines the true test of strength in the
deepest depths of sorrow, as felt by the human heart. It is a story that
explores the perceived helplessness of those within the support structure, and
the extent to which those we love can hinder or accelerate the healing process. Finally, it is a story that reminds us
of the overwhelming power of comforting influences in all of our lives, as our
human souls struggle, against all odds, to survive.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Jordan R. Samuel is a former
public school teacher and administrator who enjoys her current work as an
Assistant Professor of Education. She spends her days with her husband and her
three children as she teaches, studies and writes. She immensely enjoys
travelling, and penned many parts of this particular story while relaxing in
the beautiful mountains of North Carolina.
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