Faithful by Janet Fox Blog Tour

Summary: Sixteen-year-old Maggie Bennet’s life is in tatters. Her mother has disappeared, and is presumed dead. The next thing she knows, her father has dragged Maggie away from their elegant Newport home, off on some mad excursion to Yellowstone in Montana. Torn from the only life she’s ever known, away from her friends, from society, and verging on no prospects, Maggie is furious and devastated by her father’s betrayal. But when she arrives, she finds herself drawn to the frustratingly stubborn, handsome Tom Rowland, the son of a park geologist, and to the wild romantic beauty of Yellowstone itself. And as Tom and the promise of freedom capture Maggie’s heart, Maggie is forced to choose between who she is and who she wants to be.

My Thoughts: Well, first off, this is one of those books you have to read to fully understand how beautiful it really is! I can't really say it with words. We are introduced to Maggie who lives in the early 1900's. She is 16 years old and is just trying to find herself. Everything she has always believed in begins to change and she has a hard time understanding it. She is what you would considered privileged but really, she just wants to have a nice family; a better family life. We learn so much about all the characters throughout the book, her mom, her dad, Tom, Mr. Gale, Mr. Grebull, Kula, etc. Each one has their own significance. I really liked Tom. He was probably my favorite character besides Maggie. I liked Maggie a lot. I could really relate to her.

I loved the way I felt throughout this book. I felt like I was visiting Yellowstone and even though I couldn't see the scenery, I felt like it was beautiful.
Honestly, this is one of those books you have to really read, sit down with a cup of hot chocolate and just let yourself go and devour it.

Overall: Beautiful and a story about strength and redemption.

Cover: Come on, tell me that isn't one heck of a cover? Its beautiful!

What I'd Give It:

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I had the luxury of interviewing Janet a little bit!


1. What books have most influenced your life most?

When I was young I loved fantasy. The first books I remember reading over and over were the Narnia books (C.S. Lewis) – and my favorite of those was Voyage of the Dawn Treader. Then I graduated to Nancy Drew. I loved trying to solve those mysteries myself! I think I read the Lord of the Rings trilogy six or seven times when I was a teen. Now my favorites range from dystopian to historical and everything in between.

2. What was the hardest part of writing your book?

The waiting for an editor, once I was finished writing! Seriously, writing is hard work. Especially the middle of a novel – you think you have a great idea, a great character, you start writing, and then up pops the middle. What does your character do next? What if she does this? What if she does that? It’s a bit like playing chess. You have to be able to see several moves in advance in several different directions and then choose the one that feels right, that feels like a winner.


3. Do you have any advice for other writers?

Write every day. At least one page, write every day. Read every day, in as many genres as possible. Send your work out. Agents and editors will not come to your door asking for your latest manuscript. Finish the work and send it out, and if it comes back, try to find out (by asking others) why it isn’t working. Fix the problems and try again. Study the craft of writing. You wouldn’t expect to play Carnegie Hall without lots of practice; don’t expect to get published without lots of practice.


4. What genre do you consider your book(s)?

Faithful is young adult, but it crosses into middle grade, because as historical fiction, I kept it relatively clean. Young women of 1904 were expected to be innocent. On the other hand, in my novel, Maggie is threatened with an enforced early marriage to a man she detests. So the audience that might appreciate Faithful includes adults.

5. While you were writing, did you ever feel as if you were one of the characters?

All the time. I tend to get lost inside my characters while I write. I try to slip deep inside their brains. I know it’s working when I go back and read what I wrote and think, where did that come from? Then I know I was truly inhabiting my characters. Honestly, I can’t imagine writing any other way.


6. Did you pick out the book cover, or someone else? What do you like most about it?

I had some ideas about the cover, which I shared with my editor. Jeanine Henderson did the design, and what a job she did, taking my meager ideas to a new level. I love it. What I like most is the colors – it captures the dominant colors of Yellowstone – the green grass and trees, the blue sky. It captures the wind, and the geyser, and the spaciousness of the landscape. It’s a cover that makes me think, “Ahhh!” every time I see it because it resonates with longing.

Be Sure To Check Out The Next Interview On The Tour Tomorrow, Interview by the blogger of He Followed Me Home!!!