Julia Firlotte Author Interview.

Today, I am welcoming author, Julia Firlotte to my blog, and sharing my review of her debut novel, Trust in You.

Thank you for stopping by, Julia. I was fortunate enough to read an ARC of your book, but for those who haven’t read it, tell us a little about Trust in You.

Trust In You is a first love summer romance that falls into the romantic suspense genre. There are many clues throughout Trust In You which elude to the plot for the next novel, but the main point to take away is that it’s a love story which will keep you wanting to know what happens next and is the first in a series.

During the writing process, who became your favourite character and why?

My hero, Adam, is my favourite character because he possesses all of the characteristics I would find attractive, oozing confidence and charm but underneath there’s unshakable qualities of fidelity, bravery and integrity, despite what the reader might be deliberately lead to think. He always puts my heroine Ella first, and that’s always important in a relationship.

As well as the developing romance, your novel explores some dark themes. How, as a writer, have you balanced those across the story?

The novel started out quite differently; in the first draft, it was a much darker story where I wanted my hero Adam to be a genuine bad-boy you loved to hate. It was originally a bully romance (as opposed to dark romance), which centred around a land dispute; As the characters developed though, I listened to them and also to the feedback from my wonderfully supportive beta readers and found that Adam was simply too bad for the reader to like and so I adapted the story accordingly.

It’s made it a far better novel, although I would still like to write a bully-romance in the future and respect the finesse authors such as Cara McKenna are able to bring to storylines which could otherwise easily tip that delicate balance. I’ve weighed the darker themes in the novel by my heroine’s very human and normal reactions to them, also underpinning the story with integral qualities such as respect and consent.

Which authors or novels have influenced you?

Oh, where to start! I read all genres of romance but also enjoy other genres such as Charlaine Harris, Phillipa Gregory, Catherine Cookson and Colleen McCullough, but if I had to choose certain influencers for Trust In You, it would be these: Jaine Diamond, I’d choose any day of the week, because of the powerful chemistry, humour and perceptive insight she never fails to deliver, particularly of her male characters’ reactions to situations displayed through body language. Ryan Kendall and Chystal Kaswell also do this extremely well. I’d choose Silvia Day for the dark charisma of Gideon Cross and also Jamie McGuire and for the tension and ‘bad-boy you’ve just got to love’ in Beautiful Disaster and EL James for the innocence and inner strength of Anastasia Steel.

How will you be celebrating the release of Trust in You?

I’m extremely grateful to The Glorious Spa for hosting my Valentines Themed pre-launch event titled A Glorious Love Story where journalists and new readers will receive an advance copy of my novel in order to raise awareness prior to it going on public sale via Amazon on April 6th 2020. That’s my main launch event and what better way to learn about a wonderful new book than over a glass of bubbles while receiving an exceptional treatment. I am also collaborating with Chichester Music Academy who are producing the song my heroine Ella has written for post-launch promotions, something I’m very excited to share with my readers via my website in the months to come.

What is the top tip you’ve learnt, in bringing your book to publication?

Firstly, if you find yourself skim-reading sections while reading through your manuscript, it’s not going to grab your reader’s attention. Secondly, always plan your book project with additional time and budget, you’ll likely often need more of both.

Finally, here’s five quickfire questions for fun.

Beach or mountains? Beach
Ebook or paperback? Both! I’m a bookworm!
High heels or trainers? Heels if there’s no walking involved, otherwise trainers!
Cake or crisps? Cake, it’s one of my five a day!
Cinema or Netflix? Cinema, because there’s more access to popcorn!

About the book:

The blurb:

A first love summer romance full of intrigue, lust and lies.

From the moment she met him, Ella Peterson had questions. As always, though, she’s too shy to ask.

Older and sexy as hell, mysterious Adam Brook soon sweeps sheltered Ella off her feet; but is he as perfect as he appears to be, or is there more to him than he’s telling her?

Ella’s world has already turned upside down after moving from England to rural Kansas. She and her sisters were hoping for a more secure future, but instead find that life can be tough when jobs are scarce and the stakes often higher than anticipated.

When events spiral out of Ella’s control, she learns the person she needs to rely on most is herself and her instincts on who to trust in the future.

It’s just that her instincts are screaming at her to trust Adam; it’s what he tells her that makes that a problem.

This is the first book in the Falling for You series and ends with a ‘happy for now’ conclusion.

Genre: Contemporary Romance | Dark Romance

My review:

While I read erotic fiction and lots of romance novels of all kinds, I don’t generally read dark romance, and so this was an interesting first for me.

The characters are well-drawn, and the settings are described with detail, enabling you to clearly visualise them. The romance starts slowly, but becomes more dramatic and intense as the book progresses. The story contains some darker, threatening situations that took a moment of adjustment in my mind – especially as the female lead is young and inexperienced (I can’t help myself, I am the mum of three girls). Nevertheless, the author achieves balance with lighter moments and plenty of likeable characters too.

In a manner reminiscent of Sylvia Day’s Crossfire series, I read to the end, with impending awareness that all was not going to be resolved by the close of the novel. And while I stomped my feet, I am aware there’s more to come; Trust in You is the first in a trilogy and is not intended as a standalone story! I’ll just have to wait for the next 🙂

Buy the book here | Also available at Barnes and Noble and coming soon to iBooks.