Monday, July 28, 2014

A Plethora of Pictures with Jody Hedlund

Behind the Scenes of Captured by Love Blog Tour



Please join me in welcoming author Jody Hedlund! She's visiting as part of her blog tour for her latest book, Captured by Love.

Jody's giving away a paperback copy, so check out the Rafflecopter giveaway below.



A Plethora of Pictures for Captured by Love

I admit, I am a Pinterest addict! Okay, so maybe not an addict, but this Pin is very true of me.

 

One of the things I like to do the most on Pinterest is create novel boards for each of my novels. What are novel boards?

Basically, they're boards that summarize the characters and events in a novel via pictures and  snippets below each picture.

Novel boards are a great way to give readers a glimpse of the story before they read the book. I use pictures to briefly tell the sequence of the story and give the readers some ideas of what takes place in the book (I try not to have spoilers!). The pins are a way to hopefully intrigue a reader, to get them interested, even excited about the story.

The novel boards can also be a place readers can go after finishing the book. Often if a book really resonates with a reader, they'll search out the author's website and want to learn a little more about the author and the book. The boards of pictures can give more insight into the research, setting, and characters.

Of course my novel boards aren't perfect. It's not always easy to find pins to match the story. And it's also challenging to get them in story order (since Pinterest still doesn't allow you to reposition pins on individual boards once you've pinned them).

But I'm also learning that with each book I write, (while I'm in first draft mode), to bookmark pictures and even pin some onto one of my Secret Boards, so that I have them closer to the book release when I begin putting the board together.

All that to say, I invite you to stop by my Captured by Love Novel Board and take a look at all the various pictures that will hopefully bring the story to life in a different way for you.

To whet your appetite, here are some of the pictures that I picked to represent my story.

The story opens on a foggy morning in the spring of 1814. After a long isolated winter, the residents of Michilimackinac Island are starving. Angelique is sneaking food to her friend Miriam when she's confronted by a British soldier who demands that she hand over her early morning catch of fish.

 

(Photo credit: Flickr Mike the GForcers)

The long winter has just ended and spring is starting to bloom. A wide variety of lilacs grow in Mackinac Island. Angelique and Miriam both love this fragrant flower.

 

(Photo credit: Flickr knitting iris)

When the British forced many of the American men to leave the island, the farms and fields fell into disrepair. Miriam's farm is overgrown with weeds and has remained unplanted since her son Jean left to fight with the American forces.

 

(Photo credit: Flickr Leon Reed)

Angelique has helped keep Miriam and other residents from starving during the winter by fishing. Her canoe (like most canoes at the time) was a birchbark canoe. 



(Photo credit: Flickr Shannon Mills)

Additional British troops have landed on the island in preparation for an inevitable battle with the Americans who want to retake the island.

 

(Photo credit: Flickr Gary Strong) 
 

Native Americans are arriving on the island too. As allies with the British, they've come to receive their annual "gifts" from the British as well to aid them in battle in a potential American invasion of the island.














 
(Photo credit: Flickr ryanophilly)


These are just a few of the pictures on my Pinterest board for Captured by Love. Make sure you head over soon to check out the rest!

Well, that's all, dear friends! We've come to the end of the behind-the-scenes tour of Captured by Love. I hope you've enjoyed learning more about the making of the book. And now if you haven't already read it, pick up a copy and enjoy!

Do you enjoy seeing pictures of things in novels? Does it help bring the novel to life? Or would you rather leave the story to your imagination?

Thanks so much for sharing with us, Jody!

Find Jody at her website and on Twitter, Facebook, and Pinterest.


My Review of Captured by Love 

Captured by Love is another Jody Hedlund classic – it offers a wonderful plot rich in detail, carefully orchestrated to engage and entertain the reader.  Although the characters reside in a different era, they are authentic and relatable, facing obstacles not so different from our own. Hedlund shares a lively and stirring tale full of surprises and adventure, love and redemption. Historical fiction fans will not be disappointed; it’s a great read.

Don't forget to check out the Rafflecopter giveaway below.

Do you have any questions for Jody? What are you reading this week?

Happy reading and writing,

Karen




a Rafflecopter giveaway

31 comments :

  1. What a great post! Captured by Love sounds so interesting, and the photos are getting me more excited to read it. ;) Thanks for the chance to win!

    lubell1106(at)gmail(dot)com

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  2. I'm not on Pinterest, but I can see how the photos could be helpful for both readers and the author.

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  3. As a writer, I try to use storyboards to flesh out my fiction stories. Pinterest is a good resource for that. I am excited to read Captured by Love. Thanks for the blog tour, Jody. I have enjoyed getting to know you and your novel.

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  4. I've never made boards for my books. I should do that.

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  5. As a reader, I do enjoy the boards for helping me picture the setting both in time period and place, especially when the book takes place in a location or era with which I am less familiar. The characters, on the other hand, I prefer to imagine.

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  6. Since I'm not a fiction writer, this is an interesting, behind-the-scenes look at fiction writing. Thanks for pulling back the curtain, Jody. Thanks for hosting, Karen.

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  7. Elyssa,
    It's nice to meet you! Appreciate you stopping by for Jody's post. Hope you enjoy the book! :)

    Alex,
    I agree. And even for those not on Pinterest, photos are a great tool to help the process along. :)

    Loraine,
    It is a great tool, isn't it? We have so many great resources available now. It's great to meet you! :)

    Diane,
    II haven't either yet. Worth a try, I'm thinking! :) If you do it, let me know how you like it.

    Rachel,
    I think I agree about the characters. I love the story board idea. It can really help bring things to life. Glad you stopped by. It's great to meet you! :)

    Rhonda,
    I wonder if this might be a useful idea for non fiction too. I can just imagine some of the boards your articles could produce! :) That might be fun. Thanks for hopping over!

    Happy reading,
    Karen

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  8. HI Everyone! Thank you all for stopping by Karen's blog today! I'm enjoying reading all of your thoughts about Pinterest boards and pictures regarding stories! I know from a writer's perspective both music and pictures really help a lot as I'm writing to inspire my creativity!

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  9. I enjoyed this blog and the photos. Thank you for sharing here. I'd love to win a copy, for, as a former history teacher, this is one of my favorite time periods. What a good-looking cover, too!

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  10. I love it when authors have Pinterest boards. Jody, your novel boards are always wonderful to view. I love seeing the characters, as well as, the locations you pin. It makes the novels come to life so much more.

    nina4sm/at/gmail/dot/com

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  11. I guess I usually just leave the settings, characters etc. to my own imagination! I did enjoy see that picture of the lilacs that you posted... I grew up in MI and we had them in our backyard. I miss them.

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  12. I love Jody's Pinterest board! Thanks for sharing - I'd love to win her newest book (it's the only one of hers not yet on my shelf).

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  13. Jody,
    It's always a pleasure to have you visit. I like this topic too - so interesting! :)

    Janice,
    It's great to meet you! So glad you enjoyed the post. If you don't win the book, hope you can read it soon.

    Sylvia,
    I think you are right. It does expand the story somewhat to see what the authors have in mind! Great to meet you! :)

    Patty,
    We are so used to getting these images from such great writers, aren't we? I sometimes like to compare their pictures to the images I get in my head. Nice to meet you!

    Heather,
    Her boards are interesting, aren't they? It's nice to see what authors share in this respect, isn't it? :) Great to meet you!

    Happy reading,
    Karen

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  14. I love Pinterest! One of the best sites on the web!

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  15. I'm not on Pinterest because I've heard about how addicting it is! I have been to Mackinac Island in the Upper Peninsula and thought it was beautiful. It would be fun to read a book based around that area set in a historical time period.

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  16. Thanks for this interesting feature. A great site which I enjoyed very much. saubleb(at)gmail(dot)com

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  17. Thanks for the chance to win! I love all the pictures posted...makes me even more excited to read the book. There's no doubt in my mind that Captured by Love will be just as amazing as all of Jody's other books!

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  18. I often wondered why authors had "book boards." Thanks for sharing, Jody.

    I'm reading your book, Rebellious Heart. I'm halfway through it and enjoying the story.

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  19. R Merr,
    It is a great site, isn't it? Nice to meet you! :)

    Elise,
    You can get caught up on Pinterest and lose track of time, that's for sure! :) Hope you get a chance to read Jody's latest! Good to meet you.

    Traveler,
    You are welcome! Glad you stopped by! Always nice to meet a new friend. :)

    Emily,
    I think you are right. This one is another winner! Good to meet you. :) Thanks for stopping by.

    Susan,
    I think you will enjoy this one too. You may be able to read it sooner than you think! :)

    Happy reading,
    Karen

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  20. I have a blast on Pinterest! Novel boards are some of my favorites! I always like seeing what the author envisioned. Thanks for the giveaway! I love Jody's books- all 5 star reads :)

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  21. That's a very cool idea. I deleted my Pinterest a year ago because I worried about copyrighted photos and it was also a timesuck. I can do something similar maybe on my Instagram or blog.

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  22. Heidi,
    Pinterest can be fun, that's for sure. :) I got lost on there last night actually. Lol Good to meet you!

    Medeia,
    That is a concern, and something to be aware of. The Instagram or blog idea is a good one! Thanks for sharing it. :)

    Happy reading,
    Karen

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  23. What a great idea for using Pinterest! I love it. I also enjoyed seeing Jody's board. Thanks for that.

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  24. I look forward to checking out Jody's boards! Pintrest can really suck me in. :) I loved seeing the pictures she shared with us that go with Captured by Love. Sounds and looks like a great book. Excellent cover. Wishing Jody the best of luck!
    ~Jess

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  25. Great post. I use Pinterest to create novel boards, too--it's a nice tool to give me a better view of the historical period's fashion, architecture, setting, etc. And of course, Pinterest is a LOT of fun for other things too. Easy to spend hours on it.

    Jody's books are such treats. Thanks, Karen!

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  26. Lee,
    I know, it's a good one, isn't it? Fun to see what the author is thinking and how it compares to what we might think while reading. :)

    Jess,
    Hope you enjoy the boards! I know what you mean. I got sucked into Pinterest just last night! :) I'm with you - love the cover!

    Susie,
    I need to look up your boards on Pinterest. Now that Jody's shared hers, would like to check others out, you know? I agree, Jody's books are a treat to read! :)

    Happy reading,
    Karen

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  27. I casually flit in and out of Pinterest. I know I should get in and really utilize it, but there are so many hours in the day, right?

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  28. I don't understand what Pinterest is all about, sorry.

    www.modernworld4.blogspot.com

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  29. Crystal,
    I know - there are so many uses for Pinterest! And only so many hours in the day. I guess it's a matter of priorities, right? :) And cheese, of course.

    Gina,
    No worries. Basically it's another social media tool that a lot of people like, but not necessarily for everyone. It took me a little while to get the hang of it! :)

    Happy weekend,
    Karen

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  30. Karen,

    Thank you for hosting Jody. Hope you are doing well, my friend.

    Jody, your Pinterest board had me at Olivier Martinez. :-) What a wonderful use of Pinterest. Not to make everybody gasp, but I don't go on Pinterest usually. I've never considered it my thing. However, now that I know it contains Novel Boards, I will peruse the site more often. Thanks for the tip!

    Your book sounds like a great read. Best of luck to you.

    Janette

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  31. Janette,
    Good to see you! Hope all is well. I enjoy Pinterest, and I love Jody's idea too. I find that it is often what's "cut" from the social media schedule when I am pressed for time. Which is often. :) So I hear you, and understand completely!
    Have a wonderful week,
    Karen

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Thanks for stopping by and sharing your thoughts. Have a blessed day!