Good Monday Morning
Readers!
Today, Robin E. Mason visits Lagniappe and shares a little about her books, herself, and where she'd like to set a story someday.
Welcome, Robin!
One mother. Two
daughters. One favorite. One not.
When Cassie Barclay is presented with an opportunity – or is
it a curse – she runs with it. She jumps
into a new life, her sister’s life, and although at first, it holds appeal and
promise, she soon realizes sometimes the fairy tale is tainted.
Tessa is a
story of love and trust, hope and faith.
Of lies and betrayal and deceit.
An unsavory heritage, a tragic incident.
Lies unravel, secrets are uncovered, masks removed, and the truth - and love - prevail.
A story of three generations of
women, Tessa is a tale of
family, the nuances, the hierarchy, the enmity.
Tessa
is Cassie’s story.
Tell us a little more about Tessa.
The opening sentence “came to me” while
I was going for a walk in July of 2008. Because I also started college shortly
thereafter, Tessa took a back seat. I graduated in ’13, but no job in my field
opened up, and I set myself back at writing. Within six months, Tessa was
complete and out in the world via Amazon Kindle. The notion of a sequel never
occurred to me until 2 or 3 people asked me, so I set to it. Clara Bess is
scheduled to release in June. As I struggled to get underway with the second
story, 5000 words suddenly moved to the third and final in the series, Cissy,
due out in 2016.
All that said, in the blurb for Tessa,
I included the phrase, “unsavory heritage.” The trilogy moves through
generations of the “unsavory heritage” – illegitimate babies, over and again,
generation after generation, and in the final story, the origin of the “curse”
is revealed.
Without realizing what I was doing –
Holy Spirit knew – I have, in fact, written a story about the power of our
words, and the ugly and far reaching consequences they can have.
That said, Tessa is
the story of Cassie Barclay, the illegitimate daughter of Marni Miller. Born in
1961, she was shunned by her mother because she didn’t know what to do with
her. Cassie grew up knowing her mother’s disdain and disinterest, and when she
was mistaken for her sister, she allowed the deception to continue. Cassie took
the pseudonym of Tessa. Living with a secret, however, is torment.
The series is called, simply, Unsavory
Heritage.
What Bible verse
speaks to you the most?
Romans 12:2 “Be not conformed to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your
mind. Isn’t that what our spiritual journey is all about? Being transformed
into His image!!!
Give readers your brand/tagline and share how you came
up with it.
My brand / tagline is, “Stories by
design.” I have a BFA in Interior Design, and playing on an artist book I made
entitled, Transformation by Design, I
pulled the two together. I believe my stories are, in fact, designed by the Master
Designer. I see places in Tessa that
I never realized the impact of what I wrote!!
Like two very distinct openings for the sequel, which I had no thought
of writing at the time!! but Holy Spirit did!!!
If you weren't a
writer, what would be another dream job?
That’s easy, Interior Designer! Truly, though, I am by virtue of my
degree, and am always open to design concept jobs! Or an actress…..
What led you to
choose the genre in which you write?
It chose me. I didn’t know for genre when I started writing, I just –
wrote.
What is your hope for the readers
of your books?
I hope
my readers connect with my characters. I hope they find in my fictional peeps,
a friend, or something they can relate to. My stories are not pretty, and are
not written as Christian Fiction, but there is a thread of my faith running
through them. I hope readers can see that, and gain hope and encouragement in
their personal circumstances.
Where is one place you want to
visit that you haven't been before and is it a place you'd set a story?
Ireland.
And aye, I’ll be setting a story here someday.
What
can readers who enjoy your book do to help make it successful?
Tell others! Write a review!
What can we expect from you in the future?
The sequel to Tessa, Clara Bess,
releases next month. The third and final book in the series, Cissy, due out
in 2016.
Clara Bess coming soon:
On the day of her 50th
birthday, Clara Bess Caldwell was not basking in the joy of a blissful
Christmas Day winding down. She was not
enjoying eggnog or coffee by a fireplace, nor was she checking a goose roasting
in the oven.
Clara
Bess was at her mother’s house, going through her personal effects, something
she had put off for several weeks. Her
children, her husband, her siblings, had all urged her to wait another
day. To not put herself through this
ordeal on Christmas Day.
“But it
was her birthday, too.” Clara Bess reminded
them.
But Clara
Bess wasn’t at all prepared for what she unearthed at the bottom of her
mother’s keepsake box. Not in with legal
papers, not in her own baby book, not in the safe even.
Clara
Bess read, with shock and no small degree of confusion, the line on her birth
certificate where her mother’s name should be.
It did not read Lily Isabelle Sawyer.
Clara
Bess was adopted.
Where,
then, were the adoption papers?
LIGHTNING ROUND
Plotter, Pantser, or Planser? Plantzer
Pride and
Prejudice or Gone with the Wind? Pride and
Prejudice, with Colin Firth
eReader or Paper
book? Paper
Dogs or Cats? Cats,
I’ve five of ‘em
Birthday Card: Email
or Snail Mail? Snail Mail
Ms. Mason began writing in 1995, and after a few (dozen)
(thousand) hiccups and curve balls, other life projects, including four years
of college, she began working on her debut novel, Tessa in 2013. Ms. Mason has
written posts as a guest blogger, and has to her credit several dozen poems,
several of which are in a recent anthology.
I write Christian-worldview--in
other words, there's no salvation message, but there are plenty of characters
who know the Lord and share His perspective with those who are struggling.
Readers,
thanks for visiting Lagniappe.
I
pray you find
"a
little something extra"
in
each of your days.
Marian
2 comments:
Thanks so much for having me, Marian!
Robin, It's a pleasure to have you here on Lagniappe! Thanks for sharing with readers!
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