Rose Among Thornes Blog Tour: Author Interview + Giveaway

 

Welcome to the Blog Tour for Rose Among Thornes by Terrie Todd, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!

Title: Rose Among Thornes 
Author: Terrie Todd
Publisher: Iron Stream Media (Heritage Beacon)
Release Date: August 31, 2021
Genre: Christian Historical Fiction

Forgiveness is the deadliest force on earth. 

War might be raging overseas, but Rose Onishi is on track to fulfill her lifelong goal of becoming a concert pianist. When forced by her government to leave her beloved home in Vancouver and move to the Canadian prairie to work on the Thornes’ sugar beet farm, her dream fades to match the black dirt staining her callused hands. Though the Thorne family is kind, life is unbearably lonely. In hopes that it might win her the chance to play their piano, Rose agrees to write letters to their soldier son. 

When Rusty Thorne joins the Canadian Army, he never imagines becoming a Japanese prisoner of war. Inside the camp, the faith his parents instilled is tested like never before. Though he begs God to help him not hate his brutal captors, Rusty can no longer even hear the Japanese language without revulsion. Only his rare letters from home sustain him—especially the brilliant notes from his mother’s charming helper, which the girl signs simply as “Rose.” 

Will Rusty survive the war only to encounter the Japanese on his own doorstep? Can Rose overcome betrayal and open her heart? Or will the truth destroy the fragile bond their letters created?

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

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Terrie Todd is the award-winning author of The Silver Suitcase, Maggie’s War, Bleak Landing, and Out of My Mind: A Decade of Faith and Humor. Her next novel, Rose Among Thornes, releases in August 2021. The Last Piece releases in November 2021. Terrie is represented by Mary DeMuth of Books & Such Literary Agency. She lives with her husband, Jon, in Portage la Prairie, Manitoba, Canada where they raised their three children. They are grandparents to five boys. When she’s not writing, Terrie can usually be found reading, cleaning, cooking, painting, weeding, watering, or watching something. You can follow her at www.terrietodd.blogspot.com

CONNECT WITH TERRI: Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter

Welcome Terrie! Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions and allow my readers a chance to get to know you and your new book Rose Among Thornes.

I like to start these interviews the same way, with something fun to break the ice. Can you share 5 random facts about you that we will not find in your bio?

 

1.    I’m 62 years old.

2.    I’ve never had a cavity.

3.    I took up saxophone at age 54 (and promptly laid it down again at 56!)

4.    For 20 years, I directed a church drama ministry.

5.    I’m such a compulsive list-maker that if I do something that’s not on my list, I add it just for the satisfaction of crossing it off.

 

When did you first discover you had a passion for writing?

In seventh grade when my English teacher, Mrs. Armstrong, praised a short story I wrote. I’ve named at least one character after her.

 

What drew you to creating historical fiction?

The first time I sat down to see if I could write a novel, I decided to place the story in the 1940’s for one lazy reason: it’s easier to get your characters into trouble. (For example, in a contemporary story, if your heroine’s car breaks down on the highway, she can simply whip out her cell phone and call for help.) I’ve since learned that the research required to write good historical fiction is NOT for the lazy writer! But I’ve grown to love it.

What type of research went into writing Rose Among Thornes?

 

Besides watching some great documentaries, interviewing a couple of people whose parents were relocated during the war, and the endless Internet research, I read a stack of about 15 books on the Japanese-Canadian and Japanese-American Internments, on Japanese POW camps, and on sugar beet farming. I listed most of them at the back of Rose Among Thornes.

What was the most challenging part of bringing this story to life? The most rewarding?

Constantly worrying about whether I was getting things right, especially while writing about another culture, almost kept me from writing it at all. The most rewarding part is happening now—people are reading it and sending me messages saying how much it moved them, taught them, and stayed with them.

 

Can you tell us a little bit more about Rose Among Thornes?

War might be raging overseas, but Rose Onishi is on track to fulfill her lifelong goal of becoming a concert pianist. When forced by her government to leave her beloved home in Vancouver and move to the Canadian prairies to work on the Thornes’ sugar beet farm, her dream fades to match the black dirt staining her callused hands. Though the Thorne family is kind, life is unbearably lonely. In hopes that it might win her the chance to play their piano, Rose agrees to write letters to their soldier son.

 

When Rusty Thorne joins the Canadian Army, he never imagines becoming a Japanese prisoner of war. Inside the camp, the faith his parents instilled is tested like never before. Though he begs God to help him not hate his brutal captors, Rusty can no longer even hear the Japanese language without revulsion. Only his rare letters from home sustain him—especially the brilliant notes from his mother’s charming helper, which the girl signs simply as “Rose.”

 

Will Rusty survive the war only to encounter the Japanese on his own doorstep? Can Rose overcome betrayal and open her heart? Or will the truth destroy the fragile bond their letters created?

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

This book sheds light on a long-ignored blot on Canadian (and American) history that readers need to be aware of. But if they can remember the tagline, “Forgiveness is the deadliest force on earth,” it will serve them well in their lives. I used the term deadliest because I believe that when we forgive, the enemy of us all is dealt a fatal blow. I also hope it will encourage parents to never give up praying for their children.

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? 

 

My next novel, The Last Piece, releases November 16, 2021. It’s about a jigsaw puzzle that refuses to be solved through five generations. Here’s the full blurb:

 

Ray Matthew’s dream is to be an artist. But his father’s death during the Great Depression forces him to drop out of art school and support his mother and sister by selling his paintings to a jigsaw puzzle maker. 

 

However, there’s one personal masterpiece Ray vows never to sell: a portrait of his sweetheart, Sarah. When compelled to break his oath, Ray speaks a prophecy over the puzzle— that no one will be able to finish it before he and the love of his life are reunited. 

 

During the next 80 years, the puzzle passes through four different households. Though all are profoundly affected by Ray’s girl at the wishing well, none are aware of the connection between them—until one decision unleashes a peculiar chain of events.

 

When all five journeys converge in visible and invisible ways, each life is strengthened and forever shaped by the lessons offered through one extraordinary puzzle.

 

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(1) winner will receive the winner’s choice of one print copy: The Silver Suitcase, Maggie’s War, or Bleak Landing!

Full tour schedule linked below. Giveaway began at midnight August 30, 2021 and will last through 11:59 PM EST on September 6, 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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Follow along at JustRead Tours for a full list of stops!

 

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