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Heart of the Ocean by Heather B. Moore
A dark secret . . . a grieving ghost . . . a handsome stranger . . .
What more could Eliza Robinson want?
Except for maybe her life.
In Heather B. Moore’s enthralling 1840’s historical romance, Heart of the Ocean, Eliza Robinson has turned down the very pretentious Mr. Thomas Beesley’s marriage proposal. As a business partner of Eliza’s father, Thomas quickly discredits the family and brings disgrace to the Robinson name.
While her father scrambles to restore his good name in New York City, Eliza flees to the remote Puritan town of Maybrook to stay with her Aunt Maeve. Although relieved to be away from all- things-male and unforgiving gossip columns, odd things start to happen to Eliza, and she is plagued by a ghostly voice. Her aunt’s explanation? That Eliza is being haunted by a woman who died of a broken heart twenty years ago.
After Aunt Maeve is tragically killed, Eliza's life is put in danger as she tries to uncover the mystery of her aunt's death. She encounters Jonathan Porter in Maybrook, whose presence in the town seems suspicious, yet she finds herself drawn to him. When she discovers that Jonathan’s dark secrets may be the link between the dead woman who haunts her and her aunt’s murderer, Eliza realizes that Jonathan is the one man she should never trust.
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An interview with the author
Tell us a little about
yourself.
I’m the author of ten
historical novels, two non-fiction inspirational books, and a handful of
contemporary women’s fiction and romance. I live in Utah at the base of Mt.
Timpanogos with my husband, four children, and a black cat. I’ve spent several
years living in the Middle East, but prefer to forget the smells.
When did you decide to take
that step that made you a published author?
My first novel published (3rd
book written) had been on submission with a publisher for 10 months. When they
came back and rejected the manuscript, I was devastated. My husband encouraged
me to go in and meet with the managing editor and pitch my book in person. I
did, and they ended up changing their minds. Now, ten years later, I’ve
published twelve books with them and have been grateful for every step along
the way.
Is writing a full-time
career for you? If not, how else do you spend your work day?
Writing is a part-time
career for me. I also own and manage the freelance editing company, Precision
Editing Group. Although writing is my first love, I also do quite a bit of
editing. It’s exciting to help and mentor other writers.
If you had to sum it up Heart
of the Ocean in 30 or less words, what would you say?
A
dark secret . . . a grieving ghost . . . a handsome stranger . . .
What more could Eliza Robinson want? Except for maybe her life.
What inspired the idea behind
your book?
Heart of the Ocean was a very organic book,
meaning I had an idea for a girl coming into a Puritan town and finding out a
dark secret. That was all I had to go on. I didn’t plot in advance, but plotted
as the story unfolded. Then as I started writing, the voice of the past came
up, and I realized that it would be the ghost who is trying to tell her story.
Will you share with us a
short preview of Heart of the Ocean?
(Below are the opening
lines of the book)
“Jump.”
Eliza swung around, searching for the
source of the voice—a woman’s voice. Wind tugged at her wool coat, and streaks
of rain pelted her face. Maybe it’s the wind. Again. It was the same
voice she heard on her walk out to the cliffs. But that’s impossible.
There’s no one here. She turned to face the sea and realized she was only
two steps from the edge of the cliff where the jagged rocks sloped into the
surf dozens of feet below.
“Jump now.”
Eliza backed away from the cliff’s edge,
heart pounding as she peered into the gray drizzle for any sign of the woman. I’m
imagining it . . . or it’s in my head. She shuddered and pulled the coat
tighter around her body.
What message do you hope
readers take away from the book?
I did quite a bit of research
on the Puritans to develop the setting, but the primary purpose of the book is
driven by Helena Talbot, a woman who was shunned by her community and then died
tragically. Many of us experience challenges that are brought on by intolerance
by those around us. So I suppose if I were to dig deeply, I’d say that I hope
that readers will come away with a greater understanding of the historical time
period, the varied beliefs that drove people’s actions, and how the human
condition affects us all.
What has been your greatest
pleasure in writing this book?
I drafted Heart of the
Ocean several years ago, and it was a bit nerve-wracking to open it again
and see if I could revise it in to a publishable book. I was excited to
discover that I still really enjoyed the plot and characters. The greatest
pleasure in writing the book has been bringing Helena Talbot to “peace.” The
story was hers to begin with and remained hers throughout all of the revision
work.
As a multi-genre author,
how do you juggle going back and forth between the different genres? Do you
have a preferred genre?
I’ve written primarily
historical fiction in various eras, from 600 B.C. to the 1900’s. In the past
couple of years, I’ve been switching between contemporary novels, historical
novels, and even a speculative novel. I usually finish a manuscript before
starting a different one, but due to a tight deadline last year, I spent three
days a week on a contemporary romance, and the other two days on a speculative
YA novel. The best thing about it was that I didn’t encounter writer’s
block—and if I was struggling—I could switch stories. I think that historical
is my first love simply because it’s what I enjoy reading the most, and I also
find the research fascinating.
Do you have plans for a new
book? Is this book part of a series?
Heart of the Ocean is a stand-alone
historical romance. Will I revisit the era again? Perhaps something close to
it. I’ve started drafting a novel about my 10th great-grandmother
who was hanged as a witch in Salem Massachusetts during the infamous Salem
Witch Trials. I’ll be able to use some of the research I did on the Puritans
and other religious movements in my new novel.
What do you have in store
next for your readers?
My contemporary romance
Aliso Creek novella series has started its publication schedule. The first
novella, Third Time’s the Charm, was released in December on ebook, and
the second in the series will be out in February 2013, called Picture
Perfect, as part of the Timeless Romance Anthology: Spring Vacation
Collection.
My turn-of-the century
historical romance novella, A Fortunate Exile, was recently released as
part of the Timeless Romance Anthology: Winter Collection.
If my readers enjoy
contemporary romance, then my recent novel Athena, fits the bill. As
part of the Newport Ladies Book Club series, Athena is a sweet and
thoughtful romance.
What type of hero do you
like best?
I like heroes that are
flawed, and understandingly so. When I was working on Heart of the Ocean,
I asked myself what are some drawbacks that Jon had and what did he need to
overcome in order to put his past behind him and move forward into a happier
future.
What type of heroine do you
like best?
My favorite type of heroine
is one who is strong, flawed, and her character journey is believable and one
that readers can relate to.
Do you write your friends
or family members into your books? If so, did they figure it out?
I’ve put in names of
friends or family into my books, but I’m always sure to make sure they are
quite the opposite of the character I created. Or if there are similarities,
then they are “good” similarities. I once named a goat after my nephew—he
hasn’t read the book, but he did hear about it from others. And I named a harem
worker after a lady in my critique group—it was all good though because she
kills off a character named after me in one of her books.
How do you unwind after a
long writing session?
Driving someplace is not a
good choice after I’ve been writing for a while because my mind is quite foggy.
Just doing anything around the house to slowly acclimate into the “real world”
is the best thing before jumping into the car. I’m known to do a lot of U-turns
already, so adding my foggy writing mind to that doesn’t work.
Is there a genre you wish
you could write, but haven’t made the plunge? Which one and what appeals to you
about it?
I’d like to write a
fairy-tale retelling, or maybe a few of them. As a young girl, I loved to read
the Russian ones, as well anything from Hans Christian Anderson, of course.
What are you reading now?
Why did you choose that book?
I’m currently reading The Shoemaker’s Wife by Adriana Trigiani. It’s an interesting historical novel that’s an epic love story between two people from the same Italian village and who both emigrate to America. It’s based on the love story of Trigiani’s ancestors. I chose the book because I heard about it through several different outlets, and I love historical fiction.
What challenges did you
face in getting your first book published?
My first book published was
my third novel written. I went through a lot of submissions, rejections,
revisions, and resubmissions with various manuscripts. When I did finally get a
manuscript accepted, it was almost a two-year process from submission to
release date.
When did you write your
first book and how old were you?
I wrote my first novel at
the age of 30. I had never planned on writing a novel, but I had an idea for a
story that took place during WWII, and the first lines popped into my head one
morning and I decided to see where that story took me.
Quick Answer Questions: (optional and will
be used depending upon # of questions answered and length of answers)
Best Christmas present?
A serger—I was very into
sewing as a teenager, and a serger made me feel like a professional.
Favorite author?
Maeve Binchy, who sadly
passed away in 2012.
Favorite smell?
Lilacs! Or roses.
Favorite quote?
(Let me preface this by
saying that the name “Nathaniel” makes an appearance in Heart of the Ocean
in honor of Mr. Hawthorne.)
“America is now wholly given over to a
damned mob of scribbling women.” –Nathaniel Hawthorne
Is there anything else
you’d like to share with your reader’s today?
Thanks
for the interview and I hope you’ll enjoy Heart of the Ocean!
Author Heather B. Moore
Heather B. Moore is the award-winning author of ten novels, two inspirational non-fiction books, and two anthologies, including The Newport Ladies Book Club Series, A Timeless Romance Anthology, and Christ's Gifts to Women (co-authored by Angela Eschler).
Her historical fiction is published under the pen name H.B. Moore. She is the two-time recipient of Best of State in Literary Fiction, two-time Whitney Award Winner, and two-time Golden Quill Winner for Best Novel. Her most recent historical novel under H.B. Moore is Daughters of Jared (2012 LUW Gold Award of Excellence & 2012 LUW Best Book Trailer).
Blog Tour Giveaway
$25 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash
Ends 1/3/12
Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer http://iamareadernotawriter.blogspot.com and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.
