Interview: Joanne Troppello

 Joanne Troppello

Welcome to My Book Bag, Joanne. Please tell us a little about yourself. Who is Joanne Troppello, friend and neighbor?

Delia, thank you so much for having me here today. I've been married for seven years to the most wonderful guy and my best friend, John. For the past few years I've been blessed to work from home on my writing. I'm a Christian and I love spending time with my family and friends.

It is my distinct pleasure to have you here! How long have you been writing? Was there an "aha" moment when you knew that's what you wanted to do?

I started writing when I was a senior in high school, but didn't publish my first book until 2004. My senior English teacher made class fun and really was the catalyst for me developing a love to write and dreaming that it could be possible one day.

I know you're excited about your book, Mr. Shipley's Governess . Is this a debut novel, and what inspired you to write this book?

My first book, Shadowed Remembrances, is a mystery novel. Mr. Shipley's Governess is my second book. I am a huge Jane Austen fan and love her classic romantic stories. I wanted to write a contemporary love story with a classic feel. Since Jane Austen is my inspiration for this book, I tried to set the tone of the novel to mirror the classic feel of her stories. Like the characters Jane Austen created, the ones that spoke to me most are Emma Woodhouse and George Knightley from Emma. My characters are witty and the storyline is true to life, yet sweetly romantic. I've had readers tell me they felt like they were reading a book from the Regency period, but also knew it was a contemporary story; so I guess I achieved my goal.

It sounds like you set quite a challenge for yourself, and succeeded in making it happen. Isn't it wonderful when readers "get" what you intended? J Do you have a favorite verse of scripture? If so, what makes it special to you?

I have many favorites, but one that has truly given me peace is Jeremiah 29:11-13 , just knowing that God has a perfect plan for my life. 11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. 12 Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. 13 And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.

Great verse with such tremendous promise! What one piece of writing advice has been most beneficial to you in developing your writing career?

The one bit of advice that has kept me going is the scripture from Zechariah 4:10 that God brought to my attention when I first dove into marketing my books. To me, that verse means that I need to trust God to open the doors He wants to open for my life and I shouldn't get one step ahead or one step behind Him. Of course, that's not always easy, but knowing that He showed me this verse pertaining to my writing has given me peace. As my husband always says, Rome wasn't built in a day and neither will my writing career be—persevering and taking one step at a time will see God's work completed.

"Do not despise these small beginnings, for the LORD rejoices to see the work begin, to see the plumb line in Zerubbabel's hand."  (zechariah 4:10)

Staying in step with God is so important! Just for fun…what super power would you love to possess, and why?

Having the power to become invisible would be great. It might come in handy sometime if I am ever being chased by a criminal and need to disappear quickly. Or maybe if life gets too stressful, I'd like to disappear for a while and forget about cooking dinner or folding laundry or cleaning house! lol

Oh, what I couldn't do with that power! :D Where can readers find your books? Do you have a website, blog, etc.?

Blog: http://joannetroppello.weebly.com/blog.html Twitter: http://twitter.com/JoanneTroppello  Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/joanne.kerzmanntroppello 

About Joanne:

Joanne Troppello writes romantic suspense and inspirational fiction and works from home as a freelance writer / marketing consultant. She has two books published. Shadowed Remembrances is a mystery novel and Mr. Shipley's Governess is an inspirational romance novel, published through Wild Horse Press. She is contracted to work for several different companies, to write non-fiction, how-to articles each week. She also works as a consultant for a local medical organization and manages facebook and twitter accounts for different clients. She loves to write and read and spend time with her family.



Excerpt from Mr. Shipley's Governess

Sebastian leaned against the doorframe of the library, amused that Sophie continued reading, oblivious to his intrusion. He watched her scrunch up her face in consternation, engrossed in the book. "So, who do you like better, me or Mr. Knightly?"  He heard her sharp intake of breath. She nearly dropped the book as she turned to look at her intruder.

"Definitely, that would be Mr. Knightly; he doesn't have the habit of sneaking up on me."

Sebastian sauntered into the room and sat in the chair opposite her. "Yes, he's so charming. I hope to someday be like him."

"Hey, don't make fun. He is the epitome of the perfect gentleman."

"Actually, I'm serious."

"What do you mean?"

"I've read the same book as you. It must be a coincidence."

Sophie smiled. "Really…you're just trying to get on my good side."

He leaned forward in mock surprise. "Huh, I thought I was on your good side already."

"That depends on my mood."

"I see. You're all about a woman's prerogative."

"Yes, I live by that rule."

He played along, enjoying the playful banter. "Oh, so you're one of those."

"You'd better believe it. It's my prerogative to change my mind whenever I want."

He fluidly maneuvered his way to the ottoman where her feet rested and he sat down. "I hope you don't change your mind about me."

"Well, that all depends on you."

"I'd better be on my best behavior then."

Sophie got up quickly and before he realized it, she walked across the room to the bookshelf. "So, you really read Emma, too. That's still surprising and sweet."

He followed her. "You're avoiding any serious conversation, young lady."

She moved away, running her finger along the spines of the books. He kept following, backing her into a corner. She leaned her hands against the windowsill and backed up as far as possible. She laughed nervously. "So, tell me again why you interrupted me."

"I did it because I've wanted to do this for a long time now."  He cupped her face, tracing the outline of her lips with his thumb. Then he lowered his mouth to hers and kissed her gently, at first, but soon his fervor matched hers. She put her arms around his neck and moved in closer. Finally, they pulled away from each other, both breathless. "I…I'm sorry."

She touched his cheek. "Don't be. I've wanted you to do that for a long time, too."

He squeezed her hand. "I should get back to work. David's going to wonder what happened to me."

Sophie gave him a flirty smile. "Oh, I'm sure he knows."

"Now try not to compare me too much to Mr. Knightly because there's no contest, really."

As he walked out of the room, he still felt the warmth of her lips on his and the softness of her body in his arms. He chided himself. "Shake it off, man."  Then he walked down the hall in search of his brother.