Book interview - Our Saving Grace by J.R. Bloodsteel

Please tell us a little about the book

Let me share with you the summary printed on the back cover of the book.  Hopefully, this will provide some insight into the story:

“Through trials and tribulations, life does not stop moving.  Lieutenant Savannah Warner has learned this the hard way.  Finding herself getting lost in her daily life, she knows it is time for a change.  After making the choice to move out of the city, the chain of events that follow can only be considered as fate intervening.  When she signs the contract on her new home, she is unaware of the fact she is singing up for an entirely new life.  While still trying to deal with the past, the future is coming at her full force and showing no mercy.  With her German Shepheard, Ace, by her side, Savannah’s brooding Landlord, Brady Beauregard, gives her a run for her money.  She finds herself constantly stepping out of her comfort zone to accommodate for this new chapter in her life.  How will fate play a role in all of this?  Savannah and Brady will quickly learn that there’s a far deeper meaning as to why their paths were destined to cross.”

Where did the inspiration come from for your book?

Our Saving Grace came about in 2020, during a time in my life when I was trying to figure out where I wanted to go in the world.  I remember thinking to myself, “How interesting would it be if I moved out of Florida, went to northern Georgia, rented a house that was in shambles, and irritated the landlord enough to where he just fell in love with me?  That would be a great story to tell our kids!  Oh wait, that would make for a good book…” and the rest is really history!  I’m a hopeless romantic and I’m always looking for the next story – it’s a terribly fun habit.  From there, it was just plotting out the characters, the how and why, and trying to give structure to an invisible story that was living rent free in my head.

How did you find the experience of writing this book?

Writing Our Saving Grace was… I suppose you could say enlightening.  I won’t get into the hours, days, and months of procrastination.  While I started the first draft towards the end of 2020, I stopped working on it for a handful of months because I felt like the story wasn’t going anywhere.  I felt like I was running around in circles and the book was going to be a giant failure.  Needless to say, when you reach the point of wanting to rip your hair out, it’s probably best to take a few steps back and let the plot simmer.  While I wasn’t working on the book itself, the story was still rolling around in my head, slowly building.

Fast forwarding to July of 2021, I found myself wondering what the hell I was doing with my life, and I knew I needed to finish the story.  By this point, I’d been hit with so many bricks in my personal life, finishing the story became my therapy and mission.  All my free time went into writing and working, creating this thing.  By September, the first draft was done.  While it’s changed since the first draft was written, the experience was like nothing else I’d ever felt in this world.  Finishing it was incredibly rewarding, but in the same breath, I still haven’t let myself celebrate.  I’m already working on my next publication.

Did you draw any inspiration from any real life people with any of your characters?

I did!  As I mention on my Acknowledgments page, the character Lyn was loosely based on my grandpa.  He worked in law enforcement for years and there was no one else I wanted to see in my mind when I was creating the character.

The character Crissana was also loosely based on a friend of mine.  I promised her many, many, many years ago that I would include her name in something after she asked me to.  Never break your promises!

If you could say anything to readers of this book then what would it be?

I know it’s not perfect.  I’m a self-published author who never had the finances to hire a team to make it perfect.  It was me and my editor, who just so happens to be my mother, working endless hours to get it as good as we could.  This book is truly a labor of love and I hope they can overlook the small errors that I’m sure are there.

Other than that, I would say thank you.  My readers are the reason why I write, and they are so important to me.  I hope people are able to take something away from the story and apply it to their own lives – be it Savannah’s determination, Brady’s love for the people in his life, or Austin’s go-getter attitude.

Are there plans for more from these characters, or is it a stand alone piece?

Oh, absolutely!  I’m not sure when, but I think there’s still quite a bit of story left to be told.  When I finished the book, I made sure to wrap up the end, but I left a few things here and there for people to wonder about.  Without throwing any spoilers in here, I think there’s still a lot left to explore in Savannah and Brady’s lives.  I’m also looking forward to diving into Austin’s story a bit more - I believe there’s still much to explore with his life.

Where can we purchase your book?

Our Saving Grace is currently available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Books-A-Million!

Please tell us where readers can connect with you and find out about any new book releases too.

Twitter: @J_R_Bloodsteel

Instagram: @J_R_Bloodsteel

Facebook: J. R. Bloodsteel

My website: BloodsteelBooks.com

My email: BloodsteelBooks@gmail.com

I’m on various social media outlets, but I check Twitter and Instagram daily, as well as my email.  There is a spot on my website where you can sign up for my readers list, too.  Everyone who subscribes will always get updates before anyone else!