Blooms of War
In war, she fell in love.
Vera Betts shouldn’t be falling in love with the enigmatic doctor she suspects of espionage. Reeling from her family’s betrayal, she’s faked her nursing credentials, invented a new name, and run away to the frontlines of the French battlefield. Four years into the Great War and she knows who she is and what she’s meant for—to save the living and sit vigil by the dying. When the cagey-yet-earnest Dr. Nicholas Wallace arrives, so do mysterious explosions destroying hospitals. Even as Nick raises her suspicions, he lowers her defenses. He wants the war to end. Are his acts of sabotage politically motivated or a desperate attempt at peace?
In peace, she fell apart.
A year later, Vera is back with her oppressive family, living under her real name, and Nick is on trial for murder. Trapped in grief and guilt, she cannot speak about the past and does not believe in the future. With Nick refusing to defend himself, she ventures to London to understand why he is so willing to embrace the hangman’s noose. Who is he trying to protect? What secrets does he plan to carry to his grave? And why does Nick insist upon hiding her true identity? To save the man she loves, Vera must tear open the past and confront the tragic price for peace.
Purchase Links
US - https://www.amazon.com/Blooms-War-Evocative-Emotional-Story-ebook/dp/B08CY87LW9/
Author Q&A
Author Q&A
1. What would you consider to be your Kryptonite as an author?
DEADLINES. I am not good with them. They send me into a panic. And they cause writer’s block. I cannot write a single word if I think that I have to finish a certain number of pages by a certain time.
2. If you could tell your younger writing self anything, what would it be?
Do it sooner! Sit your bottom down into a chair and write your heart out. Don’t be afraid of failure or critics, or humiliating yourself. The world is full of one star reviews. But it is also full of readers hungry for words. I get the loveliest, loveliest notes from readers who thank me for writing my books. I want to kiss those readers – they are the reason I write. Whatever you write, there is a reader waiting for you.
3. What book do you feel is under-appreciated? How about overrated?
Honestly, historical romance. People refer to the genre with a snide “bodice ripper,” but if you are reading any of today’s writers—Scarlett Peckham, Meredith Duran, Bev Jenkins—what you’ll discover are gorgeously written stories about female empowerment in a time period when women were constrained; women embracing sensuality and sexuality; and racial diversity. Plus, the research that went into these books reflects fierce intelligence and attention to detail.
4. Favorite childhood memory involving books?
My father read to me almost every night. Even when he travelled—and his travels often involved foreign continents—he would call me at bedtime to read a book to me. No matter whether it was time for a business meeting in his port of call or 2 a.m., he would ring to read Lord of the Rings to me. It gave me a love of books, a connection to my dad, and a sense of confidence that I was loved.
5. Did you want to be an author when you grew up?
When I was twelve, at the dinner table my father asked me what my plans were for the future. I informed him that I was going to marry rich and live in the Bahamas. I don’t know where the idea came from. I don’t even like the Bahamas. I prefer mountains and cold weather. Anyhow, my father was outraged. He grounded me for a month. He took away my phone. And he informed me I had three career choices:
Writer, lawyer, nun.
Writer really seemed the best option.
6. What is your most unusual writing quirk?
When I was in college, I had to write naked. I assure you, I grew out of that habit. Besides, I was writing essays. As a full-fledged write, I think my one quirk is music. When I read, I can almost always match a chapter to a song. And when I write, I often need a song as the portal that gets me into the scene to write the words.
When I wrote Blooms of War, one song that was on constant repeat was Kate Bush’s “Women’s Work.” It’s a song about giving birth, but it’s also a song about a woman’s courage. As the heroine of Blooms of War is a nurse on the frontlines of WWI France, whenever I saw her triaging a patient, the song burst into my head.
7. How long, on average, does it take you to write a book?I wish, I dearly, dearly, dearly wish, I could say six months. Even nine. But no, it takes me a full twelve months. I have starts and stops. I need time for research. I need to let plot points simmer. I am not a plotter.
8. What book do you wish you had written?Not a book but a TV series. First, let me confess that I am a fiend for Korean Drama. And I have feasted upon and rewatched and rewatched and rewatched Crash Landing on You (It’s on Netflix in America). The sheer romanticism, the life or death drama, the beautiful leads, and the fact that every single character gets a story arc…It is a work of art. And I cried. Every. Single. Episode.
9. What is your favorite genre to read?
I really enjoy historical women’s fiction – books by Beatriz Williams and Suzanne Goldring. I find my go to genre, however, is poetry. I appreciate that in a busy, busy world, poetry is elegant and short. Every turn of phrase is nuanced and glows. It’s the equivalent of waking up each morning to a sunrise or searching the stars at night. Poetry just does something for my soul.
I really enjoy historical women’s fiction – books by Beatriz Williams and Suzanne Goldring. I find my go to genre, however, is poetry. I appreciate that in a busy, busy world, poetry is elegant and short. Every turn of phrase is nuanced and glows. It’s the equivalent of waking up each morning to a sunrise or searching the stars at night. Poetry just does something for my soul.
Author Bio –
Writer of lush, historical happily-ever-after tales, Suzanne Tierney believes in true love. But she takes delicious pleasure in making her characters fight, flutter, and find their way to each other. Her books have won numerous awards and she has twice been a Golden Heart Finalist® with the Romance Writers of America.
Suzanne grew up in Oregon, adulted in the San Francisco Bay Area, and somehow ended up in Florida, where she is very much a cold-water fish learning to navigate humid, salty seas. She loves chatting with readers.
Social Media Links –
Instagram: @notajaxgirl
Twitter: @notajaxgirl
Website: suzannetierney.com
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