Dear readers, I am excited to take a moment today to introduce an up-and-coming fantasy novelist to you. Jennette Mbewe, to celebrate the release of her short story, Desert Rose, is here today for an interview . . . and a particularly generous giveaway from her publisher! Be sure to check below for the details. But first, let's meet Jennette and learn about her writing!


Can a desert princess find love with a foreign king?
Johari lives in the shadow of her beautiful sister until a foreign king notices her, but in her haste to prove herself worthy of affection she finds herself compromised and on a difficult journey to make things right.    Welcome, Jennette! I am excited to have here on the Tales of Goldstone Wood blog. Would you mind telling us a little about yourself? Hobbies, personality . . . tea or coffee?  Jennette: Sure, but first I want to say thank you so much for doing this interview, Ms. Stengl. I am so honored and humbled, I just want to fall on my face before God, because it is all Him—not me! Thanks!  
Now, a little about me…let’s see. For starters, I’m married to a man who believes in me and supports me in my writing endeavors. We have two precious blessings from God. Sam is four and Ariah is two, and needless to say, they keep me busy. I don’t know about hobbies, but I do love to create whether its painting, drawing, writing, baking, sewing, hammering, scrapbooking, etc. I love to collect rocks. When I was a child, I would help my dad “pick rocks” to prepare the fields for planting, and he would tell me what the rocks were. I ended up collecting all the agates I could find, and now I have them in jars sitting atop my kitchen cabinets. Speaking of tea or coffee. I have a similar story to yours, Ms, Stengl. I loved coffee until my husband, who is from Zambia, Africa, introduced me to English Breakfast Tea with cream and sugar. I converted. Although, I still love the smell of a coffee shop, especially it’s inside a bookstore, and I still do coffee every now and again.   What led you into the writing life? Were you always a storyteller?   Jennette: That is long story, but I’ll keep it brief. I loved books as a kid even before I could read. If you’d have asked me at eight years old what I wanted to be I would have told you an author. I had written and illustrated and stapled together my very first story about a missing cat who finds a home. I even had an author’s portrait drawn on the back. But life happened and the dream was swept under a rug and forgotten for many years. I continued to write in my journal to express myself, and in a way writing became my lifeline. Then in 2003, I was reading through the parable of the talents, and God asked me: What are you doing with what I gave you? And I was like: What did you give me? And the word writing formed in my mind’s eye. So I started putting one foot in front of the other, and my dream was rebirthed. Tell us a little about your new short story, Desert Rose. How long have you been working on it? Is it part of a bigger project? Jennette: Desert Rose is a story of a young woman who lives in the shadow of her beautiful sister until a foreign king notices her, but in her haste to prove herself worthy of affection she finds herself compromised and on a difficult journey to make things right. Her story is set in the world of Nälu thirty years before the first book of my fantasy trilogy. I’ve been working on it for about three months: writing, exchanging critiques, polishing it, submitting it, and then polishing it some more.  Can you pick a favorite character from this new story?   Jennette: Johari. She is naïve and makes mistakes, but she is determined to do what she thinks is right.  What inspires your work? Where do you turn when you need a renewal of inspiration?   Jenntte: Life. Anything and everything. I’ll see or hear something, and an idea will spark. Movies and books inspire me too. I love going outside and letting my thoughts to wander, but often times it’s while I’m washing dishes or folding laundry. Ha! Not sure about the renewing my inspiration yet. At the root of everything, my writing, my life, parenting, etc, is my philosophy: seek God first, and everything else will fall into place. So, I think my “renewal of inspiration” flows from that as well. I’m still learning.  What are your favorite and least favorite parts of the writing process?  Jennette: I love almost every aspect of the writing process from the birth of an idea, to brainstorming, to writing it, to editing it. I think the least favorite part would be the battles I have to fight in my mind that hinder me from being productive. Sometimes the alone aspect comes into a close second as a least favorite. When I’ve stumble upon a problem in my story, I wish I had a clone, so I could bounce ideas off and discuss the possible solutions.  If you were forced to pick a single favorite author, who would it be?  Jennette: Oh, this isn’t a fair question. Would it be improper to say Anne Elisabeth Stengl? I love the Harry Potter novels. J. K. Rowling’s creativity, red herrings, the interwoven plots amaze me and challenge me to think outside the box. Nothing really topped them, until I discovered the Tales of Goldstone Wood with the creativity, the interwoven plots, the allegory. And I was like: this is published by Bethany House?! Awesome! (*grin* Thank you, Jennette!)  So what is next on your publishing horizons? Can we look forward to more fiction from you soon  Jennette: Yes! I am so excited to announce that Secrets Kept, book one of the Hidden Dagger Trilogy has been contracted. Eek! There will be other short stories coming as well between now and when the book is published. (Huge round of applause for Jennette, everybody!!!)  What are you actively writing right now?  Jennette: Right now, I am writing another short story set in the world of Nälu, but this time it has to do with the merpeople and dragons.  Would you share a short snippet from Desert Rose? Jennette: Yes! I hope you all enjoy it.  SELECTION FROM Desert Rose  Shades of night slipped between the trees. Her knees ached, and her feet began to tingle, so she repositioned herself and sat cross-legged. The hair on the back of her neck stood up, and she shivered. She wrapped her arms around her belly. She should return to the keep, yet she lingered. Johari’s abdomen tightened. She exhaled through her nose. She couldn’t leave now. It was too late. She opened her eyes, but her vision darkened. The trees beyond her disappeared into a black abyss. Branches like grey spider webs stretched above her, crisscrossing against the starlit sky. Had it grown so dark so quickly? She blinked her eyes. Why couldn’t she see?  A shadow broke from the abyss and slid toward her.  Johari focused on the gliding form, but it wavered like a mirage. An icy chill encompassed her; her breath slipped through her lips in a fog. Johari shivered.  “No moon tonight, but the stars are bright,” the woman said. Johari sniffed the air, but the woman had no scent. “Who are you?” “I am nothing to you, but everything. I am a priestess of the Nuja.” She came closer, cloaked in tattered shadows, weaving on her feet.  “Are you drunk?” “Nay.” She pointed to the heavens. Ribbons of blood dribbled down her pale arm. “The stars are bright tonight.” “Yes, so you have said.” Johari glanced around. Why had she run out here beyond the protection of the king? She eyed the woman’s arm. “Are you hurt?” “Death is written in the stars.” She lowered her arm.  “Death is a constant. I do not need a star to tell me that.” “Silence.” She lurched forward. “The underworld groans as a woman in labor. It hungers for the death of this child. The queen will have her way.” A contraction seized Johari. She grasped the tree roots. Not now. Not here. cd  What a thrilling excerpt!!! I hope all of you readers are as excited to read this story as I am now. And guess what? Jennette's publishers are also excited for you to read it, and they are offering such a generous deal. Anyone who leaves a comment on this post can email me ([email protected]) and receive a coupon to download Desert Rose FOR FREE! That's right! Just leave a comment, email me, and I will send you the coupon and link you need in order to claim your free copy of this exciting new fantasy! There is also a fun Grand Prize giveaeway for one lucky winner. Be sure to enter your name below for a chance to win goody prize packet, including a metal bookmark. Be certain to follow Jennette on facebook, and also visit her blog: http://jlmbewe.wordpress.com/. You can also check out her exciting book trailer here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5uyjdN8o3Gk. And to you bloggers out there: Share this bookcover and description, and consider inviting Jennette to come do an interview on your blog! http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/0cd5246/" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway