Sunday, February 5, 2012

FEATURED AUTHOR: "Yesterday's Daughter" - by SALLIE LUNDY-FROMMER



YESTERDAY’S DAUGHTER
by Sallie Lundy-Frommer

REVIEWED BY: Books4Tomorrow

OVERVIEW

Yesterday’s Daughter is an emotionally laden vampire romance novel woven with layers of betrayal, love and loss. Grace Stone, who later learns her true identity is Sapphira, is a loner who survives abuse in the foster care system after being abandoned as a child. 

A brilliant student, she escapes from her brutal foster parents as a teenager and creates a life for herself. But, her life is little more than existence; plagued with questions about what she really is, a family that she has never known and the never-ending need to keep her differences hidden. She is alone and lonely, believing it will always remain so until Malachi appears in her life. 

Malachi, a Guardian of the vampire communities, has searched for his life mate, Sapphira, for decades. He refuses to cease searching for Sapphira even though she is believed dead by all. Conflict arises over the decades between Malachi and his family because of his refusals to accept another mate. But his very soul drives him on to continue his search, knowing that he could not exist if Sapphira were not in the world, somewhere.

REVIEW

First off I have to say that the cover of this book is absolutely stunning. And guess what? So is the book!

From reading the blurb, I thought to myself “oh geez, not another vampire love story”. Surprise, surprise! It is another vampire story, but not just any vampire story. It’s a unique tale with a different set of vampires which breaks away from the norm and takes the reader into a wonderful new world with an unusual culture and set of rules, unlike any other vampire novel I’ve read in the past few months.

This author’s writing style is much different to that which I’m accustomed to, and it took me about two or three chapters to get into it; but for me it added to the beauty and style of the book. She also efficiently alternates between the different viewpoints of characters, and thus successfully avoids confusing the reader.

The main character, Grace (Sapphira), lives up to her name and really is a very “graceful” character. She has emotional boundaries that few other characters in the book can breach, but she lets the reader in on her thoughts and feelings, and into her world from page one. The second main character - and Grace’s love interest - Malachi is the epitome of everything we dream to see in the love of our lives. If you’re sick and tired of reading about perfect vampires, then this is the one that will have you falling madly in love with “perfect” all over again. I’m not going to spoil it and tell you why...

What also stood out for me and kept me turning the pages at a steady pace, was the background stories for each of the main role players. I found it fascinating, informative and it helped shape the characters so I could really get to know and understand them as I was following the story.

Why should you purchase this book or add it to your wishlist? Because it’s an action-packed, fast paced, sweet paranormal romance with unforgettable characters and a gripping plot with an ending that makes every minute spent reading this book worth it. And if that isn’t enough, the reader can also look forward to nail-biting intrigue, mystery, tons of secrets and the devil of it all – betrayal. The dialogue is superb and suits the characters and tone of the book perfectly. I won’t think twice giving this book to my dearest friends and family as a gift.

Taking into account that “Yesterday’s Daughter” is Sallie Lundy-Frommer’s debut novel and how splendidly it’s written, I am looking forward to seeing what she will offer her readers next. I found her elegant writing style unique and refreshing, and was left for days after finishing the book, with the same thought going through my mind again and again – this lady can write! 

 


READ more REVIEWS

“Yesterday’s Daughter” by Sallie Lundy-Frommer has 5 reviews on GoodReads. Read it here – http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12878796-yesterday-s-daughter

MEET author SALLIE LUNDY-FROMMER



"I can’t remember a time when vampires have gotten more attention. With shows like True Blood, The Vampire Diaries and Being Human and popular books like the Twilight and Dark Series, it’s seems like they’re everywhere. Vampires have always been my favorite supernatural characters. But why? Why am I fascinated with these fantasy beings? Why are you? My interest drove me to write a book, Yesterday’s Daughter. But I could have written about anything, werewolves, cat people or some other paranormal beings, but I chose vampires. Why, I wrote about vampires? I’m not sure I can fully explain why. Maybe I chose vampires because they exude prowess and majesty. But, that would be an all too simple answer. And when I think about it, I know it’s not a complete answer. But it’s a start. What do you think? Why are so many people so interested in these mythical creatures.

As for me, I was born on a farm in the rural South of the USA to a family of migrant farm workers. At an early age, my family moved to the urban North-East. Now I live in the suburban North-East with my husband and a very large assortment of plants. I hold bachelors and masters degrees in Human Resource Management and currently work in the health care industry."

INTERVIEW with SALLIE LUNDY-FROMMER

Q: What sparked the idea for “Yesterday’s Daughter”?

A: I wish I had an interesting story to tell about how I came up with the idea of writing Yesterday's Daughter. But, in truth, the answer is simple. For quite some time, over a period of perhaps four or five years, I had dreams about these characters.  I dreamt about Sapphira and Malachi. What was interesting about the dreams is over time the dreams built on each other, in sequential order, like chapters in the book. For a longtime I ignored the dreams.  I didn’t know what to do with them.  I didn’t think of myself as a writer and didn’t accept the dreams for what they were, inspiration.  I was busy with my nine to five job; and I was afraid to try to write a book.  I thought of writers as a group of individuals that I wouldn’t and couldn’t be a part of.  But then my employment situation changed; I had more time available.  And the characters wouldn’t be quiet so I started writing, unsure of where it all would lead.

Q: What was the easiest part of writing “Yesterday’s Daughter”?

A: Everything was easy about writing yesterday's daughter once I actually began writing. I think, because the story was in my mind for so long, I’d dreamt about Malachi and Sapphira and their world for so long, that when I started writing it was cathartic.  This story was just waiting to be told and when I started writing, it poured out as if a dam had burst.

Q: If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything in “Yesterday’s Daughter”?

A: No, I wouldn’t change anything about the story. How could I?  I wrote the story as it was told to me. It wasn't mine to finagle with or change.   Malachi and Sapphira trusted me with their story. My job was to report it, to be their scribe.  So, again, I say no.  The story is as it was shown to me in my dreams, as it was meant to be.

Q: If you can have dinner with any of the characters in “Yesterday’s Daughter”, who would it, be and why?

A: I’d like to have a get together with all the characters.  They all have a special place in my heart, but a dinner sounds more intimate, smaller.  So in a more intimate setting I’d just have Malachi and Sapphira over for dinner with my husband and me.  Malachi and Sapphira have been through a lot lately.  They deserve a quiet evening out, carefree, without having to look over their shoulders.  And we all have something in common, a love for music, blues in particular....

Q: Could you tell us more about your next book?

A: What I can tell you is that it's a continuation of Malachi and Sapphira’s story. There are still a lot of questions needing answers. I think the readers would be interested in finding out what happened to Sapphira during the decades that she was believed dead. There's just a lot more to tell. I've barely touched the tip of what adventures, both good and bad, lay ahead for Sapphira and Malachi.

Q: What is your work schedule like when you're writing?

A:  I have to admit it, I don't have a strict writing schedule. I know most writers do, but even when I was writing Yesterday's Daughter, I didn’t.  I just wrote whenever I could.  When I began writing Yesterday's Daughter, I was still working a full-time job. So finding time to write was difficult, evenings, early mornings, weekends; you get my meaning. Although I didn't have a strict schedule, it didn't impede or stymie my ability to produce. Even though I now have more time available to me, I find that setting specific hours to work just doesn't work for me. I've tried that. So, in a nutshell, my writing schedule is I write when it moves me. I don't try to force it, I just write when it comes to me.

Q: What do you like to do when you're not writing?

A: I love travelling, although I haven’t done much of it lately.  When I’m at home, I like to garden.  I have tons of plants and each one has a name.  And yes, I do talk to them.  I enjoy going to bookstores, even if I’m not planning to buy anything.  I just enjoy being around tons of books.  It makes me happy.  Also, I love going to the movies and Broadway musicals.

Q: List four "Good to Know" facts about you.

A: Four facts about me that are good to know, hmm, well the first fact I'm serving up is that I had an  “outie” bellybutton until I was about seven or eight years old. My mom taped a half-dollar piece on my belly button for months. I'm not sure how long. Anyway, when she took the tape off I had an “inie” bellybutton.  Who says old-fashioned remedies don’t work....

My second fact to share is one of my favourite childhood memories.  We lived in a house that had a huge grapevine in the backyard. I loved the grapevine. The green grapes were sometimes sweet but more often sour, which is exactly how I like them, sour, so you have to pucker…  I hope someday, I live somewhere I can have another grapevine.

An embarrassing memory is of something that happened when I was about 11 or 12.   I asked my mother if I can go to the park with my best friend, Betty. She said no. I don't remember why she wouldn't let me go, but the answer was no. I snuck to the park with Betty and we were playing around on the swings and guess what happened? I passed out and when I woke up, I’d hit the ground and my knees were scratched up.  One of my shins was badly cut.  There was no way I could sneak home, no way I could hide that from Mama. I paid for my disobedience, the hard way....

And last but not least, when I was a teenager, more than anything I wanted to be an ice-skater.  I wanted to be like Dorothy Hamill.  But I was a complete spaz with two left feet.  I never learned to ice-skate, but I do love watching the sport on TV...

Q: Do you have a favourite quote you want to share with your readers?

A:  Psalm 46:1 (NIV) God is our refuge and strength,an ever-present help in trouble.

Q: Do you have any advice for other writers?

A: I’m no expert!  Yesterday’s Daughter is my first novel, but the best advice I would give an aspiring writer is to write with all your heart.  Get to know other writers. Surround yourself with those who know the craft.  Join writers’ blogs and websites and then write some more. 

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4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Congratulations on Yesterday's Daughter. I am just commenting to show you some love and support and pray you continue to enchant us with your stories.

Sam

Unknown said...

Thanks Sam,

I really appreciate your prayers and support. I can never have enough good wishes and positive energy sent my way.

All my best,
Sallie

Anonymous said...

May you always be inspired and give us wonderful escapades.Congratulations!!!!! love Chris!!

Unknown said...

Thanks Chris,

Your well wishes mean so very much to me.

I hope you enjoy Yesterday's Daughter.

Thanks again,
Sallie

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