A Question of Honor: Author Interview and Spotlight

This morning, I slept in, feeling all was right with the world. My book was safely out, I just completed a successful week as my church's sub secretary (with my Dad gone at the Shepherd's Conference in California I might add...so I was working at church without someone to help with technical glitches. Thank goodness nothing weird happened...even if it DID take me four tries to get the children's bulletin printed properly. -_-) and THEN I realized that I hadn't scheduled the post I promised you guys yesterday as part of the final day in Jesseca Wheaton's blog tour!! 

So, after a small panic attack, I'm racing to get this post written and published so you all can read it. XD 

Without further ado, here's some info about the book and author to wet your appetite and make you want to read the story. ;)

The gorgeous cover. :)

About the Book:
A Man. A child. A war.
 
When German soldiers invade France during World War II, young Joyanna's perfect world is shattered. In the hands of those who hate her, she battles to comprehend why people can be so ruthless and cold toward those whom they have never met.
 
David Sullivan, pilot in the Royal Air Force, was certain he would never hate, but a painful loss forces him to either reconsider or do the inconceivable—forgive.
He is suddenly challenged by the realization that doing God's will is not easy, but most important.
With the lives of freedom-fighters relying on him, he must learn the difficult lesson that he is not in control, but merely one who must surrender his heart of obedience to One greater. 
 
A sudden turn of events lands Joyanna and David in the same country—but for far different reasons.
When their paths cross, David finds he must make a decision that will affect them both for the rest of their lives.
 
Will he chose vengeance, or will he let his life be ruled by a higher standard? A standard of Honor.

About the Author:
Jesseca is an 18-year old daughter, sister, and a child of God. Her days are spent reading, cooking, spending time with siblings, or playing piano. And writing, of course! At an early age words fascinated her, and her love for the printed page has only grown. She lives with her parents and seven siblings in the sunny state of Kansas, and she’s convinced there’s no place like home.

Jesseca was kind enough to answer my questions and now you lucky folks get to read them!! :D 

1) I know you read a lot of WWII books. Which one helped the most (inspiration/facts/research) in the writing of "A Question of Honor"? 

Just one? I'd have to say Duel of Eagles by Peter Townsend. While it took a while to get into because he went through the history of the Royal Air Force, it was incredibly helpful! Mr. Townsend himself was a pilot in the Battle of Britain, and reading about his firsthand experience was just . . . amazing. It's a book I'd highly recommend if you'd like to read more about the Battle of Britain. :) It was my go-to book during the whole researching and then editing process. 

 

2) Which part of writing "A Question of Honor" was the hardest? Which was the easiest?

This should count as questions 2 and 3. ;) Okay, well, the hardest was writing authentic flying scenes. I have never been in a fighter plane, much less a WWII era fighter. I'm also not a pilot. It took a lot of research to try and figure out the ins and outs of the planes, what the pilots would be worried about, who the machines worked, etc. 

The easiest part was probably either writing Joyanna, or writing the banter between David and Gil. Because they're just awesome. 

 

3) Which part of your story was the most challenging to write (emotionally, mentally, or physically)? 

Emotionally, the hardest part was a scene near the middle of the book when the war really comes home in the character's lives. I won't say anymore because, well, spoilers. ;)

Mentally, again, the dogfights between the planes. I still don't feel I've quite done them justice, but I've done my very best to make sure they reflect some degree of accuracy. 

Physically . . . umm, I don't recall any scene that was challenging to write in this particular way. :) Unless you call attending WWII reenactments and asking questions physically challenging. It was, though also incredibly helpful and fun! 

4) Which character do you relate to the most? (I won't be cruel and ask you which one is your favorite...as an author I understand. B-) 

Micah. Hands down. Micah is literally me, only from a male point of view. I can relate to him in so many different areas, whether it be his slightly sarcastic, dry sense of humor, to his interest in medicine, and the way he notices small details about people. No, he's not a main character in this book, but in the next book . . . well, I'll just say he gets some more time on the pages. ;) 

5) How many Questions of War books are you planning to write? 

Well, the original plan was three books in the series. Than four. Now I'm not sure whether it'll be three or four to the series. I have definite plans for at least two more books, and depending on how they go, there may be one more needed to wrap everything up. Write now I'm just going to take it a book at a time and see where it goes!