Harvest Moon Blog Tour: Author Interview + Giveaway

 

 

Welcome to the Blog Tour for Harvest Moon by Jenny Knipfer, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!

Title: Harvest Moon
Series: By the Light of the Moon #4
Author: Jenny Knipfer
Publisher: Independently Published
Release Date: November 23, 2020
Genre: Christian Historical Romance

A tale of finding grace and blessing amongst life's hardships

In the wilds of 19th century Ontario, Maang-ikwe, a young Ojibwe woman, falls into a forbidden love, breaks her father’s honor, and surrenders her trust to someone who betrays it. The abuse she suffers divides her from her tribe and causes her to give up what she holds most dear. 

Niin-mawin must come to grips with his culture being ripped away from him. Brought up in a “white man’s” school, he suffers through an enforced “civilized” education and separation from his family. When a man he respects reveals a secret about Niin-mawin’s past, he embarks on a search for the person he hopes can mend the part of his heart that’s always been missing. 

Both Maang-ikwe and Niin-mawin wonder how a harvest of pain and sorrow will impact their lives. Will they find the blessings amongst the hardships, or will they allow the results of division and abuse to taint their hearts forever? 

Fans of historical fiction, Native American fiction, Christian historical fiction, clean romance, and literary fiction will be moved by this deep, heartfelt novel.

PURCHASE LINKS*: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | BookDepository | IndieBound | BookBub

MORE BOOKS IN THIS SERIES

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Jenny Knipfer lives in Wisconsin with her husband, Ken, and their pet Yorkie, Ruby. She is also a mom and loves being a grandma. She enjoys many creative pursuits but finds writing the most fulfilling. Spending many years as a librarian in a local public library, Jenny recently switched to using her skills as a floral designer in a retail flower shop. She is now retired from work due to disability. Her education background stems from psychology, music, and cultural missions.

She holds membership in the: Midwest Independent Booksellers Association, Wisconsin Writers Association, Christian Indie Publishing Association, and Independent Book Publishers Association. Jenny’s favorite place to relax is by the western shore of Lake Superior, where her novel series, By The Light of the Moon, is set. 

 She is currently writing a new historical fiction series entitled,  Sheltering Trees. The first title in that series, In a Grove of Maples,—inspired by the lives of her grandparents in the late 1890’s—is slated for summer of 2021.

CONNECT WITH JENNY: Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter

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Hi Jenny! Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions and giving my readers the chance to get to know you and your new book- Harvest Moon  a little bit better!  I typically like to start these interviews the same way with five random facts about you, but because this is your second time here, let’s mix it up a little. Can you share five random facts about this book or the series as a whole?

1. The whole series started on a steamy night in July over twenty years ago when I took out the garbage at about 10:30pm and saw a red moon rising above our hedge of pine trees.
2. I hadn’t intended on writing Harvest Moon, but after I finished Silver Moon, I realized I had some unfinished business and that Maang-ikwe’s story still needed to be told.
3. Part of the reason I highlight Native American or First Nation culture in Harvest Moon and my other books is because it’s part of my heritage, and I’ve always been interested in that piece of my nationality.
4. Each of my books has an inner storyteller. In Harvest Moon that role is played by a few different characters. I used my storytelling skills when I worked as a children’s librarian. I never dreamed I’d be making up stories to tell through my characters as an author in this series.

What type of research went into creating this story?

💜All of my books in the By the Light of the Moon series were heavily researched. I read many books, and the internet was a valuable source of information. When researching online, I rely on reputable sites such as university, government, or historical societies. The most helpful site for this book was https://ojibwe.lib.umn.edu/ through the University of Minnesota. I learned some of the Ojibwe language and even how to pronounce it through the website. Because of this, I felt confident enough to weave some Ojibwe words and names into Harvest Moon, which gives it an authentic feel.

For Harvest Moon, I’d already read much about the Ojibwe people, for my own interest, before I ever started writing the series. I also have been to the area numerous times that I set Harvest Moon in, so I had good images in my mind to draw from. Still, much in the story had to be left up to my imagination, and I hope I represented the culture well.

You had a few other careers before pursuing writing professionally. What encouragement and/or advice share with other hopeful writers who might feel it is too late to pursue that dream?

It’s never too late to work toward your dream, no matter your age or physical ability or inability. It was when I was the most incapacitated with my health struggles with multiple sclerosis that the world of writing opened up for me, and the dream of being an author became a reality. I took it one step, one prayer at a time and learned everything I could about being an independent author. I’m still learning. My encouragement to you: if I can do it, so can you. ❤️

Can you tell us a little bit more about Harvest Moon?

💜Harvest Moon highlights how the hardships of life can either break us or make us stronger. At the core, it’s a story of an Ojibwe young mother, Maang-ikwe, and her son, Niin-mawin, and their separation and their longing for one another. It’s a deep read, and I shed many tears while writing it. I let the characters tell me their unconventional stories of pain, forgiveness, and love—all against an historic background of the changing times of the 1850’s-70’s for Native populations, clustered around Lake Superior.

I released my inner poet in Harvest Moon, and I hope readers can see the beauty, even in the more heartbreaking portions of the story.

What do you hope readers will take away from the book?

💜With all of my books, my main purpose in publishing my work is to provide not only an entertaining and well-told story but an encouraging one. Life is hard, and difficult things happen to all of us. If I can offer a glimmer of hope, pointing readers to Someone larger than their fears, heartaches, and pain, then I have served a satisfactory purpose.

This is the fourth book in the By The Light of the Moon series. Will those who have not yet read the previous books be able to enjoy this one on it’s own or do they need to read the rest of the series first?

💜Harvest Moon is fourth in the series but works as a prequel to Ruby Moon, the first book in the series. Although I use some of the same characters in both books, events in Harvest Moon happen many years prior to Ruby Moon’s timeline.

Thank you again for taking the time to answer these questions. Before you go, are there any other projects you are currently working on that you can share?

💜You’re so welcome! Thanks for interviewing me and hosting me as a part of the Just Reads tour. 😊

Yes! I have another four-part novel series in the works, plus a novella series. I will be releasing three books in 2021. In a Grove of Maples, a novel inspired by my grandparents and their lives as Wisconsin farmers in the late 1890’s and the first in the Sheltering Trees series, releases July 1st. Under the Weeping Willow, the second book in Sheltering Trees, is planned for November, along with a Christmas novella entitled, Holly’s Homecoming.

My new series is written in a more linear format with only two perspectives, making them an easier read for those who aren’t used to the time fluctuations in my By the Light of the Moon series. I’ve had a great response so far and am eager to get this series into the hands of readers.

(1) winner will receive a $25 Amazon gift card!

Full tour schedule linked below. Giveaway began at midnight March 29, 2021 and will last through 11:59 PM EST on April 5, 2021. Winner will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. US only. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.

Giveaway is subject to the policies found here.

ENTER GIVEAWAY HERE

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