Judy Croome and "Dancing in the Shadows of Love" Giveaway!

Today we have South African author Judy Croome visiting and she has copies of her novel, DANCING IN THE SHADOWS OF LOVE to giveaway to three lucky commenters!

Judy Croome lives and writes in Johannesburg, South Africa. Her short stories ‘Born Beneath a Balsamic Moon’ and ‘Heroes Day’ have been published in ITCH magazine. Other short fiction and poetry appeared in “Notes from Underground Anthology.”  She was recently shortlisted in the African Writing Flash Fiction 2011 competition.

If you could choose only one time period and place to live, when and where would you live and why?

Regency England. My choice is probably influenced by my love of Georgette Heyer and Jane Austen romances, but the easy grace of life in those times strongly draws me. The reality of the era (especially if you weren’t an aristocrat) was probably grim, but those times strike me as being perfectly balanced on the cusp between a mellow, bucolic existence and an exciting period of social transformation. There was time to enjoy the beautiful and gracious things in life, and yet the promise of technology was already beginning to ease the physical hardships of life.

Do you draft your stories in longhand or on computer? 

First draft is always in longhand, in pencil. Then I transfer it onto computer and do all my edits on computer. If I try to write the first draft on the computer I get too easily distracted by the temptations of the internet and email and, more importantly, when I write in longhand, I feel closer to the words I write.

What single thing would you do to improve the quality of your life?

I’d lose weight. I went on my first diet when I was fourteen, and developed an eating disorder in my mid-thirties. I’ve finally accepted I’ll never have a svelte body like Kate Moss, but I can be a healthier weight than I am now. Since I’ve gained so much weight I’m not as energetic as I used to be and I can’t do as much in each day (I used to only sleep 4 or 5 hours a night; now I puff and pant my way through the day and need at least 8 hours sleep) So, yes, losing weight would dramatically improve the quality of my life on both an emotional and physical level.

Tell us about “Dancing in the Shadows of Love”

Author Jesse Hanson summed up the novel well when he said, “The Court of St Jerome is a spiritual enclave that proves to be the point of convergence of the principal characters, three of whom are women of diversely troubled backgrounds. All three are seekers of love, but to find or obtain love, they must first learn what true love is. The lessons are often exquisitely painful; and they are, I think, uniquely feminine lessons. Ultimately, each of the three characters learns the lessons she needs to learn. Do they find love, any or all of them? Well I won't say. Is it a love story? Yes. Is it a unique love story? I do think so. It is worth reading. I recommend it to those who are interested in exploring the question: What is love anyway?” 

How did you come up with the title?

That’s a long story! When I started writing it I called it “Albino Blues,” but the supervisor for my Master’s degree didn’t like that title. After some serious brainstorming, we finally agreed on the title “And the Sea Looked.” I liked that title because the sea/ocean is one of the major symbols in the book, meant to represent a neutral, non-judgmental and ever-present Divine Presence that watches over our lives.

But when I was struggling to place my book with an agent or publisher and, despite receiving many good comments about the book, getting nothing but rejections, I treated myself to a visit to a psychic (with a father who was born with a caul over his head and who is a gifted dowser, of course I visit psychics!) and she channelled a message from my Ouma (grandmother), who said “The name is wrong!”  

I was attached to “And the Sea Looked,” so I had quite a struggle finding a new title before realisation hit me. I’d always known the painting that I wanted to use for the cover was “Man & the World of Stars” by Wenkidu and, one day I looked at it and realised what my new title should be: the painting shows three women dancing as they reach up to the Divine Presence in the sky above them. And my final title was born: “Dancing in the Shadows of Love.” Third time is the lucky charm!

Where can we find out more about “Dancing in the Shadows of Love”?

You can watch the book trailer, read an interview with the cover artist Wenkidu or read chapter one on the dedicated blog “Dancing in the Shadows of Love.”

Judy, thanks for visiting us and sharing about Dancing in the Shadows of Love!

Nas, I enjoyed my visit over here at your blog! I'll be drawing the names of three readers, who will each win a print copy of my novel “Dancing in the Shadows of Love.”

Thanks for this fantastic giveaway, Judy, now where can readers find you?

Readers can chat with me on Twitter and befriend me on Facebook.

Judy Croome’s unusual novel “Dancing in the Shadows of Love” is available as both a print and eBook from Amazon.com, and as an eBook from Kobo, Barnes & Noble and Smashwords.