Welcome Author of: Doubting Thomas – Elizabeth Rose

WELCOME

OUR

AUTHOR:

ELIZABETH ROSE

SHE WROTE:

Rad-Reader:  Where did you come up with the concept for this story?

Elizabeth:  This story is based on things in my own life. I grew up going to Michigan to visit my grandparents on the lake. We went fishing, played Canasta, built a house – all these things you will find in my Tarnished Saints Series. The Bed & Breakfast from Doubting Thomas is actually my parents’ house and they still live there. So much of the setting and some of the incidents in the series are taken from my own experiences.

Rad-Reader:  How did you develop Thomas as a character?  Is he someone you knew or many someone’s rolled into one?

Elizabeth:  While a lot of the characters from the series are modeled after people in my family or that I know (don’t tell them), Thomas is a character all his own. I wanted a rugged man who grew up in nature, but also someone who has a gentler side along with his sense of survival. Thomas has had his share of problems, and prays for an angel to help him. He and his 11 brothers are sons of a preacher, but far from saints. They are nothing but trouble!

Thomas is a single father of 6 young boys, living on very little, and dealing with demons of his own. His first wife has died and his second wife has just been murdered. Now the town is accusing him of being a killer and this only makes things worse for Thomas.

Rad-Reader:  Angel was Thomas’ breath of fresh air why did he keep her at arm’s length?  And fight her when the kids liked her?

Elizabeth:  At this point, Thomas doesn’t trust anyone. He’s trusted his second wife, Fawn, and that proved to be a horrible mistake. When Angel shows up, he figures she is a reporter or someone who is going to cause him trouble. His suspicions prove to be right when he learns she works for Child Protective Services.

The last thing he wants is for his children to be taken away from him.

Rad-Reader:  Why did he tell the boy’s women were evil?  Wouldn’t that mean their mama was evil too?

Elizabeth:  His first wife, Brianne, was the love of his life. He’s never said anything bad to the kids about her. What has tainted his opinion is his relationship with Fawn.

Rad-Reader:  When Thomas got upset he would lash out in a mean way toward Angel.  Why?

Elizabeth:  Being mean is not his intention. Pushing everyone away makes him feel secure. He’s opened his heart and been vulnerable in the past. He’s given so much to townsfolk and residents of Thunder Lake, but now they’ve turned against him. You can’t blame him for not wanting to open up to anyone.

The Taylor Twelve have also been raised by their hard-nosed preacher father. Readers should pick up a copy of the FREE Tarnished Saints’ Christmas – the prequel to the series and you will understand what it was like to grow up with someone like Webster Taylor. The book is from Thomas’ point of view when they were all children. Events in the prequel foreshadow things that will happen in each of the boys’ lives.

Rad-Reader:  When Angel slapped him at the sheriff’s office was that a turning point for Thomas?  Or was it just sealing what he already knew but didn’t want to admit?

Elizabeth:  Thomas is running scared at this point and feels as if Angel has him backed into a corner. He doesn’t like to be told what to do, and while Angel is offering him a solution to his problem, he sees it as being forced into a relationship with another woman – the last thing he wants at this point.

I don’t want to say too much because I don’t want to give away any surprises to the readers, so I’ll just leave it at that.

Rad-Reader:  Why did Thomas allow his pride to take so much from him?

Elizabeth:  Thomas is the eldest of the 12 brothers. He feels a lot of pressure being in this position, especially after his parents both pass away. He’s had to grow up fast, and he’s pretty much serious about everything – not at all like his goofy, carefree brother, Levi.

Thomas has lost a lot over the years, and he’s often looked to the bottle to help ease his mind. But after the murder, he gives up drinking. Now he has to face everyone, everything, and raise a family all alone. His brothers have all up and disappeared, and the only brother that he knows the whereabouts of is Levi – in jail.

So you see, Thomas feels that he has very little left in his life, and he won’t lose his pride too.

Rad-Reader:  Angel just walked away from her old life when was she planning on settling that all straight?

Elizabeth:  Angel is a widow and has a child of her own. She’s looking for a change in life. And while she has a good job and security, when she sees that Thomas might lose his kids, it hits her hard. She loves kids and would do anything she could to help keep the boys with Thomas instead of having them go to foster homes. She is willing to give up her life as she knows it, if it means helping those less fortunate. But what she does is very bold, and takes a lot of courage.

Rad-Reader:  Thomas grew up in that town why had everyone turned their backs on him?  Was he that bad as a youth?

Elizabeth:  The boys were all mischievous, as you’ll see in the prequel. Yes, the town all likes the Taylors, but when Fawn is found shot and bleeding in Thomas’ barn, they start to panic.

The bullet that killed his wife came from his gun, although the murder weapon can’t be found. And Thomas was the one to find his wife’s bloody body. People gossip. Thomas is known to hunt and also be gruff at times, so they don’t know what to think at this point.

Rad-Reader:  My favorite part is where you talk about Thomas praying for an Angel and him having so much hope that he thought he got her.  That when in the woods, he comes upon her and she says, how do you know I’m not?  Did you come up with that on your own?  It’s stuff we joke about at our house. People are always looking for the grand gesture not the simple joy of a woman who can bring a smile to your children’s faces.

Elizabeth:  I can’t take credit for what my characters say or do. I just write, and let them control the story. It sounds odd, but lots of times I don’t even know what will happen when I get to the end of a chapter. I just keep writing, and it’s like watching a movie as my story unfolds.

And yes, oftentimes we are looking for something that we’re too blind to see is already right there.

Rad-Reader: There is still hope for me and my writing then. That is just how I write too. I can't outline for the life of me. So, glad to hear you say that. ;)

Rad-Reader:  CPS where Angel’s friends who yes were there for the protection of the children as was Angel.  But they acted like they couldn’t trust their old friend’s judgement.  When clearly her boss had wanted her to come back to work.  Why was that?

Elizabeth:  Like I said, gossip travels fast. And while working for Child Protection Services, certain things cannot be taken for granted. Sometimes when one thinks with their heart instead of their head, it can get them in trouble. It’s not that they don’t trust her judgment, they just need to do things by the book. Since the killer has yet to be found, they are just very cautious.

Rad-Reader:  Why did Eli like shoes, clothes, closeness, or bathing?

Elizabeth:  Eli is a complicated child. He’s the only one of the boys whose mother was Fawn. He’s seen her bloody, dead body, as did the rest of the boys. But it affected him more, and he stopped talking after her death. Imagine what it would do to a child of six to see their mother’s dead, murdered body.

Rad-Reader:  If Thomas knew he was losing his kids or a chance of.  Why didn’t he let Angel use her own money to help him?

Elizabeth:  Ah, and there is that Taylor pride again. Thomas felt like he should be able to fix things on his own.

Rad-Reader:  If your book was being made into a movie who would you have play…?

Thomas:  Chris Pine

 https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/ac/ad/70/acad7091181ad6a3a2a45e9cc4e5bf91.jpg

Angel:  Blake Lively

 http://www3.pictures.stylebistro.com/fp/Celebrities+At+The+Today+Show+P-AwZHnW05Tl.jpg

Elizabeth:  Those are good choices, and of course if . . . I mean when . . . my Tarnished Saints Series gets made into a movie or mini-series on TV, I’ll take whoever they give me. But in my head, I’m thinking along these lines:

Thomas:  Possibly Colin Farrell, or John Stamos with longer hair. (Ok, I have to say John because I’ve had a crush on him since he played Blackie on General Hospital.
Colin: https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/ae/80/06/ae800637bc57aa3c8a85cd202c485485.jpg
John: http://ll-media.tmz.com/2015/07/24/0724-john-stamos-years04-300w.jpg

Angel:  I’m going with someone like Reese Witherspoon http://www.speakerscorner.me/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/reese22.jpg or Kirsten Dunst. http://i.imgur.com/gDsfE7u.jpg

Rad-Reader:  What song out there best describes your book or the two main characters relationship?

"Please" - Aaron Lewis

Thomas's struggle with the town & their judgement of him.

"In Case You Didn't Know" - Brett Young

When Thomas finally resolves himself to Angel being the one.

Elizabeth:  The song that sums up this story would have to be: Angels Among Us by Alabama

Rad-Reader:  When did you know you wanted to be a writer?

Elizabeth:  I always liked to write, but did so more in high school. Some of my friends and I would write stories and then pass them to each other in the hallway to read and critique during our next class.

Rad-Reader:  If you could talk to the teen Rose what would you tell here?

Elizabeth:  I’d say, start your writing career earlier and don’t get caught up in everyday working for an employer. I’ll tell you, I LOVE being my own boss, and my teenaged self would have too.

Rad-Reader:  What is your next project and when is it coming out?

Elizabeth:  My next book to be released is a medieval romance. It is Book 2 of my Legendary Bastards of the Crown Series called Ruthless Knight. It should be out mid-February.

BOOK 1 BOOK 2

And I just wanted to say that Hired Heart has just been released. It is part of a multi-author series, but some of my characters from the Tarnished Saints Series show up in the book as secondary characters. I don’t want to give away who they are, but I will tell you that there are five of them.

Rad-Reader:  Where can our readers buy your books?

Elizabeth:  Right now, Tarnished Saints’ Christmas is free on amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, and Apple.

Otherwise, at this time, my books are exclusive to amazon. If you are a Kindle Unlimited member, you can read them all for free.

Rad-Reader:  Where can our readers find you on the Web?

Elizabeth:  My website is http://elizabethrosenovels.com  I encourage readers to stop by and check out my books. I write small town contemporary, medieval, western and paranormal romance, so I have something for everyone. I even have some sweet romances, if you don’t like the spice. Please sign up for my mailing list while there, to find out about new releases and sales.

My facebook author page is under Elizabeth Rose – Author (don’t forget the dash.) There are other authors with the same name, but my books will all have a rose by my name on the cover.

Readers can also follow me at twitter using @ElizRoseNovels.

Thanks for the interview, I enjoyed it. I love to hear from my readers, and they can contact me at ERose@elizabethrosenovels.com.

                                                          

Elizabeth,

We can't thank you enough for being with us. Your books were a pleasure to read. I read Tarnished Saints Christmas which gives you a little history on all twelve brothers as told by who other than Thomas himself. What a fun way to find out they were no saints at all. So worth the read. We sure hope one of you took the time to follow the contest rules. You see because if you did the first one will win this book but now the Second, will win Tarnished Saints Christmas.

So, hurry on over to Elizabeth's Facebook Page:

"Elizabeth You Rock!"

https://www.facebook.com/elizabeth.krejcik?fref=nf&pnref=story

1Rad-Reader Facebook:

"Elizabeth You Rock!"

https://www.facebook.com/booksreviewedauthorstoo/