Flights of Fancy

Posted on by

Welcome to Jen Turano, a Bethany House author who is releasing her thirteenth novel….Here’s a brief history of her writing.

Named One of the Funniest Voices in Inspirational Romanceby Booklist, Jen Turano is a USA Today Best-Selling Author, known for penning quirky historical romances set in the Gilded Age. Her books have earned Publisher Weekly and Booklist starred reviews, top picks from Romantic Times, and praise from Library Journal. She’s been a finalist twice for the RT Reviewers’ Choice Awards and had two of her books listed in the top 100 romances of the past decade from Booklist. When she’s not writing, she spends her time outside of Denver, CO.

Jen is offering a giveaway of one paper copy to a fortunate commenter…now, I hope you enjoy getting to know her better.

Tell us about your new release, please. Are you one of those who details the plot before beginning to write, or how does the process work for you?

“Flights of Fancy” is the story of Miss Isadora Delafield, an American heiress in possession of an annoyingly determined mother – one who believes nothing but an aristocrat will do as a potential husband for her one and only daughter. When the dastardly Duke of Montrose sets his eye on Isadora, she decides she has no choice but to flee New York until her mother comes to her senses, which sets the scene for all sorts of unlikely incidents when Isadora, oddly enough, finds herself living on a farm, taking on the role of housekeeper to Mr. Ian MacKenzie, a self-made man with more than a few secrets of his own.

The idea for the story came about as most ideas do with two words…What if. In this case I wondered what if, instead of giving into her mother’s wishes, Consuelo Vanderbilt balked and ran away instead of marrying the Duke of Marlborough. Just like that, a series began to take shape and before I knew it, I’d done a proposal for the American Heiress series with Isadora’s story being the first of the trilogy. I do plan out my stories in a lot of detail – mostly because I’m required to turn in a proposal to my editors first. Having said that, though, none of my stories ever turn out the way I originally intend, mostly because my characters always have a mind of their own and they take me exactly where I need to be taken.

What unique aspects about your research can you share with us?

The most interesting research I uncovered with this story revolved around the orphanages in Pittsburgh in the 1880’s. I was intending on using an orphan train as backstory for the children readers will find in the book, but then I ran across this book – “Child Care in Black & White: Working Parents and the History of Orphanages” by Jessie B. Ramey. It was a fascinating read – detailed how many parents used orphanages much like parents use daycare today, and because of that book, I completely changed one of the plot points.

How did you begin writing …and how has this vocation affected you?

Odd as this will probably sound, I never had any aspirations to be a writer when I was younger. My family leans more toward the sciences, and because of that, I never considered writing as a serious choice to pursue as a career. Much to my father’s concern, I decided to major in Clothing & Textiles because I wanted to become a buyer, and even though that was not a career he thought was suitable for me (one of my brothers is a surgeon, the other two are engineers) he figured that since I’d at least be doing a bit of math, it wasn’t a completely horrible major to obtain. I worked in retail for years before my husband and I decided we’d probably need to get around to starting a family. And because I didn’t think I’d win any Mom of the Year awards if I’d continue traveling after I had my son, I gave up my career to become a stay-at-home mom. When my son was in third grade, we decided to try our hand at writing our own book after reading a horrible series about a bird, and that’s when I really began considering pursuing a career in writing. I knew nothing about the publishing industry and certainly needed to improve my writing craft because, even though I’d always done well in English and writing classes, well, I’ll merely say that I had quite a few issues, each and one pointed out in detail by agents who were kind enough to lend me their advice, even if that advice was incredibly painful at times. After about seven failures, I finally landed an agent, and then she very kindly went out and sold “A Change of Fortune” to Bethany House. I’ve been writing for them ever since.

Thanks so much. I’m glad you persevered, and so are your readers.

 

Connect further with Jen at these sites:

www.jenturano.com

https://www.facebook.com/jenturanoauthor/

JenTurano@JenTurano

44 thoughts on “Flights of Fancy”

  2. I have heard great things about this book. I would love to read. The cover is amazing it sounds like a great read. What are you working on now When

    Tighefan42atgmaildotcom

    Reply ↓

  9. Now I’m really curious about how working parents were using orphanages as daycares! I don’t think that I’ve ever heard that historical tidbit before! Thank you for the info and for the chance to win!

    Reply ↓

  10. Uggg! I love Jen Turano ? and can’t wait to read her latest! This interview was amazing! I love hearing of her writing process. 7 failures?! I’m glad she didn’t give up on finding an agent. I probably would of cried with each rejection and may have not tried the 7th time! This is encouraging to not give on your dream!

    Reply ↓

  18. I love historical books where I can except to the place, learn more about the time period and find a cute love story all mixed in. The cover is darling as all of Jen’s books are.

    Reply ↓

  20. I literally, just this morning, told a friend that I need to read this book! I’ve heard such amazing things and it’s definitely on my radar!

    Reply ↓

  21. I can’t wait to read it. I loved “A Change of Fortune,” and am now on book 3 of that series. Thank you for the humor, the history, and the inspirational thoughts you always include.

    Reply ↓

  22. Her books always sound like a lot of fun! I love how she places people into impossible situations and then sits back to let us see how they squirm out of it. It sounds like asomething I would really enjoy reading.

    Reply ↓

  23. I love Jen’s books and I can’t wait to read Flights of Fancy! I never knew that orphanages were basically used as daycares. As an education major, that information piques my interest! 🙂

    Reply ↓

  25. I love stories where women risk doing what is best for them in spite of backlash. What a great review! I’m going to add this novel to my list of must-reads as well as others by Jen Turano.

    Reply ↓

  28. Love, love Jen’s books and have had some teen girls reading them. I loved the interview and appreciate her writing so much.

    Reply ↓

  30. I love the sense of humor I’ve read in your books. Reviews I’ve seen for this are amazing I really can’t wait to read this. ?? Thank you for the giveaway chance.

    Reply ↓

  36. I love history and learning about how things have changed. I wonder how our present will look 50 years from now. You are a lesson in perseverance.

    Reply ↓

  37. I love the blend of history, romance, humor, and wacky characters in Jen’s books. I haven’t read Flights of Fancy yet but I’ve read all the others.

    Reply ↓

  38. What a wonderful interview!!! I love Jen Turano books!!!! Fun, enlightening, inspirational! Her books are always keepers!!! Thanx for the giveaway!!!

    Reply ↓

  43. Hello everyone – just letting you know that Jen’s husband is in a long hospitalization so she hasn’t been able to reply here. But Tammy is the winner…congratulations! Also, I’m glad you stopped by my blog and hope you return soon.

    Reply ↓

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.