Author Interview (and a Giveaway!): Allison Wells & War-Torn Heart

Posted March 18, 2019 by meezcarrie in Allison Wells, Author Interview, Christian, giveaway, historical / 11 Comments

Welcome to the Blog & Review Tour – and Giveaway – for War-Torn Heart by Allison Wells, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!

Title: War-Torn Heart
Author: Allison Wells
Publisher: Ambassador International
Genre: Historical Fiction
Release Date: March 20, 2019

Abigail Walker, a young woman from rural South Carolina, is on the cusp of womanhood, aching to be able to run wild as the younger children do, yet yearning for things she has yet to understand.

Awkward and unsure of herself, Abby is flustered when she meets Harvey Nicholas, a cadet from Clemson College. As summer begins, Abby finds herself constantly in the company of Harvey and falling quickly in love with him.

As rumors of war begin to reach the States, Abby begins to fear what may come for her older brother and Harvey.

Once Pearl Harbor is bombed, the boys are eager to protect their home and the women they love. But will Abby and Harvey’s love be able to withstand distance, rumors, loss, and hurt? Or will the war be what tears apart Abby’s heart?

War-Torn Heart is a kleenex-box book with a story of hope, of love, and of perseverance through World War II, which will make the reader cry, scream, and long for more.

Book Depository | CBD

Allison Wells is a new author, but for the most part she’s a Southern wife and mother. With four active children, she spends most of her time in the car, but when she can she loves to sit down and read or write. Allison is a graduate of Clemson University in the beautiful foothills of South Carolina and she still lives close enough to hear football games on Saturdays.

You can connect with Allison at her website, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter

Hi Allison! Welcome to the blog!

Allison: Tea. As long as it’s ice cold and sweet because I’m Southern. I don’t like coffee at all.

Carrie: I don’t like either one! lol

Allison: Netflix. I’ve never had Hallmark.

Carrie: I would get a lot more done if I didn’t have Hallmark Mysteries lol

Allison: Over! Have you seen the patent for a TP roll? It’s over.

Carrie: So I’m told…. #under

Allison: Oh, mountains any day! The colors, the layers, the beauty of God abounds!

Carrie: Yes! Me too! The mountains are my happy place 🙂

Q: Around here I like to say that reading is my superpower. If YOU had a superpower, what would it be?

Allison: If I had a superpower, I would love to be able to teleport. I would love to visit friends, go on vacation, even just pop over to the grocery store!

Carrie: Considering that all of our family lives out of state, I would very much like this superpower as well!

Q: Who is your favorite book character from childhood?

Allison: My favorite book character from childhood is probably Sarah Crewe from The Little Princess. I so wanted her gumption and tenacity. She was classy, but didn’t mind getting down and dirty when needed.

Carrie: Such a great book!

Q: Writing spaces are as diverse as authors and books. Where is your favorite space to write?

Allison: My favorite writing space right now is in my dining room. We have a family of six, and with four kids, there’s often a mess everywhere. But in the dining room, I can face the wall and not see any of the mess! If I had a perfect space, I would love a “she shed” to go to so I could write in peace and quiet, with some beautiful art on the walls (hopefully that reflect what project I’m working on currently), and I could play music that suited my mood without headphones.

Carrie: I would so love a ‘she shed’ too, a place I could make uber-comfy, with wall-t0-wall bookcases, for distraction-free reading 🙂

Q: What surprised you about your book or your characters as you wrote their story?

Allison: I was really surprised when Abby refused to marry Harvey before he joined the Army. He asked her and she was so tempted to go along with it, but something held her back. I’m sure after he did come home and the situation there, she was really kicking herself for not marrying him before, but you can’t change the past.

I was also shocked at what happens with Emmeline. I don’t want to give it away, but I was definitely arguing with myself and I couldn’t stop blubbering.

Carrie: I am completely intrigued now!

Q: Did you have the whole plot outlined before you started writing, or did you let the characters dictate what came next?

Allison: I did not have the whole plot for War-Torn Heart planned before I began writing. I started with an idea. I wanted a book set sometime in the past near Clemson University. With the rich military history of the college, I went with WWII. The characters and storyline came to me naturally as I wrote. Occasionally something would happen and even I would be shocked. I would have to stop and think over it, but God really directed my hand in how the story would go.

Carrie: What a great experience to have!

Q: What is something God taught you while you wrote War-Torn Heart?

Allison: God taught me to never give up on your dreams. Maybe that’s not a theme of the book, but I began writing it in 2005. I probably didn’t finish it until 2010 or 2011. Since then I’ve completed three more novels. As a stay at home mom, I was to the point in trying to shop my books around where I figured they were just the musings of a bored momma. But I never gave up. I kept trying. Is it hard to find time to write? Yes. Do I sometimes have to rewash laundry because it sits in the washing machine too long? Yes. But I feel that God called me to be a writer and a writer I now am. I could not be more blessed.

Carrie: I love that 🙂

Thank you so much for taking time to talk with me! 🙂 Before we say goodbye for today, tell us what‘s coming up next for you.

Allison: The sequel to War-Torn Heart will be released by Ambassador International by the end of the year, hopefully. When Waves Break follows the story of Abby and Harvey’s twin daughters Eve and Juliette. In the summer of 1968 in Myrtle Beach where their father is a pastor, the twins both experience traumas that makes them question the faith their parents have. This story is definitely grittier than War-Torn Heart, but it focuses on the redemptive love of both family and of Christ. I hope you’ll enjoy it.

TOUR GIVEAWAY

(1) winner will win a print copy of War-Torn Heart (US only)
(1) winner will win an ebook copy of War-Torn Heart (open internationally)

Enter via the Rafflecopter giveaway below. Giveaway will begin at midnight March 18, 2019 and last through 11:59 pm March 25, 2019. Void where prohibited by law. Winners will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen.

Giveaway is subject to the policies found here.

a Rafflecopter giveaway