Rocks and Flowers In A Box Blog Tour: Author Interview + Giveaway

 

Welcome to the Blog + Review Tour & Giveaway for Rocks and Flowers in a Box by Cynthia Hilston, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!

Title: Rocks and Flowers in a Box
Author: Cynthia Hilston
Series: Lorna & Tristan #2
Genre: Historical Fiction
Release Date: December 21, 2019

The wedding bells for Lorna and Tristan Blake toll doom right as the honeymoon begins with an unexpected turn in Tristan’s health. While World War II winds down, Lorna receives a letter from the War Department informing her that the brother she thought killed in action is still alive. She is overjoyed, but his return will dredge up a devastating secret about their parents’ tragic death –a secret that could destroy her new marriage and threaten her husband’s physical and mental well-being. What unfolds is balancing act of keeping the faith and shattering the pieces of the life she’s worked so hard to put back together.

PURCHASE LINKS*: Goodreads | Amazon | BookDepository

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Cynthia Hilston is a stay-at-home mom of three young kids, happily married, and lives in the Cleveland, Ohio, area. Writing has always been like another child to her. After twenty years of waltzing in the world of fan fiction, she stepped away to do her debut dance with original works of fiction. Visit her website for more information.

 In her spare time - what spare time? - she devours books, watches Supernatural and Outlander, pets her orange kitty, looks at the stars, drinks wine or coffee with good friends, and dreams of what other stories she wishes to tell.

CONNECT WITH CYNTHIA: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

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Hi Cynthia! Thank you for taking the time to answer these questions and giving my readers the chance to get to know you and your book-Rocks and Flowers In A Box- a little bit better. I always like to begin these interviews the same way with something fun… tell us 5 random facts about yourself that we WON’T find in your bio!

Hello! Thanks for hosting me. I took Aikido for eight years. I’m left-handed. My four-year-old daughter and I debate over who’s the best Disney Princess. I say it’s Rapunzel. She says it’s Elsa. I go to church every Sunday and have my whole life. I’m working on a psychological thriller, a huge departure from the rest of my books.

Let’s talk writing! According to your website, you had written fan fiction for twenty years before stepping out with our own fictional tales… and I’m curious, what type of fan fiction did you enjoy writing?

Harry Potter all the way! I was super into Harry Potter for years and years. I read and wrote Harry Potter fan fiction for about 10 years. I’ve written other fan fiction as well, but that was my biggest one. It actually all started with Aladdin, but most of those stories aren’t on the Internet anymore.

In the past, I have enjoyed fan fiction myself. I found it to be great practice in developing stories and dialogues using characters that were already established. How did you find your experience writing those helped you in your own fictional writing?

I agree wholeheartedly! It wasn’t only a lot of fun to write fan fiction and put someone else’s characters into whatever scenarios I wanted, it was also great practice for writing original stuff (like you said). My years of writing fan fiction helped hone my ability to write better now.

With three young kids, life must be busy! How do you find the time to write? What does your writing routine look like?

Yes, life is crazy! I usually write when they are at school (or napping when they were younger). I wish I could say I have a strict routine I follow every day, but that’s not the case. However, I do make it a point to write at least two pages or thirty minutes every day.

Can you tell us a little bit about Rocks and Flowers in A Box? What do you hope readers will take away from this book?

Rocks and Flowers in a Box is the second in a series and was my NaNoWriMo project from 2018. It started because a good writer friend asked the question (regarding the first book in the series): What if Chuck didn’t die? When I wrote the first book (Lorna versus Laura), I knew we wouldn’t be seeing the last of Lorna and Tristan, the main characters. I enjoyed writing them and wanted to again. There will be a third book in the series.

I hope readers will take away the power of forgiveness and that there’s hope for redemption for everyone.

For those who have not yet read book one in the series, will they be able to enjoy this one as a standalone or will they need to go back and read book one first? 

This book is written in a way that it can be a standalone. I didn’t want readers to feel obligated to read the first book, but I believe reading the first book will deepen the reader’s understanding of the characters.

I have found that writers are so often some of the best readers too. If we were to take a look at your TBR, what might we find there? 

A never-ending list that’s too long! Right now, I’m reading The Dressmaker’s Gift and How Happiness Happens. I am open to reading almost anything. Most of my TBR pile is World War II fiction.

Thank you again for taking the time to answer my questions. Before we go, can you give us an idea on what we can look forward to next? Any projects you are currently working on that you can share? 

My pleasure! My current project that’s going through edits is a psychological thriller called Murder: It’s All in Your Head. It’s a huge departure from what I usually write and will be published later this year or early next year. I also have another release besides Rocks and Flowers in a Box that’s going live on January 18. It’s a literary novel called Mile Marker 139. I am writing a modern-day romance called The Apple of Erin’s Eye (very loosely based on Jane Eyre), and will write the third novel in the Lorna and Tristan series later this year.

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(1) winner will receive a $25 Amazon gift card!

Be sure to check out each stop on the tour for more chances to win. Full tour schedule shown below. Giveaway will begin at midnight January 24, 2020 and last through 11:59 PM EST on January 31, 2020. Winner will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.

Giveaway is subject to the policies found here.

ENTER GIVEAWAY HERE

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Follow along at JustRead Tours for a full list of stops!

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