Under the Same Sky Blog Tour: Author Interview

Today I have Genevieve Graham, author of Under the Same Sky, on my blog for an author interview! I hope that you all enjoy it. My questions are in bold for your reading convenience. :)

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Hey Genevieve! Welcome to my blog! I’m glad to have you here. :D

So, why don’t you tell us a bit about your new book, Under the Same Sky?

Under the Same Sky isn't what you might think, if you base your thinking on the book's beautiful cover. It's definitely not a regular “romance”. It's more what I call “historical adventure” with a sprinkling of fantasy, woven together by a powerful love story. It's not a gentle story by any means. I didn't pull any punches. Andrew MacDonnell is a Scottish Highlander in 1746 and Maggie Johnson is a poor South Carolina girl who has the gift of “the Sight”. Ever since they were children, they have dreamed of each other, communicating, sending their energy through those messages to save the other's life. The mid-18th century was a terrible time in which to live (as were so many times throughout history), especially for a woman. Andrew survives the terrible Battle of Culloden and decides to escape his ravaged country, braving the Atlantic crossing in order to somehow find Maggie, the girl he knows as well as he knows himself, the girl he has never met. When Maggie's life is torn apart by white slavers, Andrew's messages help her survive. But in the end, when her life is threatened again, she needs more than dreams to keep her alive. Andrew is her only hope.


Highlanders, eh?...want to tell us a bit about them, and why you chose to include one in your book? ;)

I became slightly …em … obsessed with Highlanders thanks to Diana Gabaldon's “Outlander” series. The whole time period called to me and I jumped enthusiastically into research. It all seems so exciting—though rugged—and the romance of it all, the loyalty of the clans, the importance of family, well, it was beautiful to me. I am a Scot, though I am a third generation Canadian. So it was exciting for me to learn about how my ancestors might have lived.



Dreams play an important role in your book. Is there any particular reason why, or did the idea just intrigue you?

The idea of communicating through dreams fascinates me. I do believe in psychic gifts, though I don't understand them, and for two people to know their soulmate through this kind of communication seems so compelling to me.


I’m a fan of historical romances, and from what I’ve read...I also love highlanders, so do you have any recommendations of a few more that would be great to read? Or any recommendations in general?

I'm trying to add some of my favourite suggestions to my site, but off the top of my head, I'd definitely recommend these authors: Diana Gabaldon (her Outlander series), Sara Donati (Out of the Wilderness series), Kaki Warner, Penelope Williamson, Jennifer Roberson, Joanna Bourne … there are so many wonderful Historical Romance authors!



Do you have any advice for people who would like to get their book published? And would you mind sharing any writing tips that you’ve learned from experience?

I think one problem is that writers are focused on publishing, not writing. Before you should even consider publishing, the priority must be on creating the best possible book you can create. Create something from your heart, something that will reach out to your readers and draw them in. Make it impossible to put down. Don't wonder … is this popular in the market these days? Personally, I was told by loads of agents that no one was buying historical romance/fantasy genre crossovers. Guess they were wrong! Just write. And write from your soul.

For writing tips, well, I guess I'd probably suggest the same thing. Don't wonder if people will like it. Just write it. And don't stop. Write until you feel it's complete. The story may need changing eventually, the words may need editing, but you can do that in the end. Like I said before: just write.

And read everything, good or bad. Especially bad. Because then you'll know what to avoid.


Thank you so much for stopping by Genevieve, it’s been a pleasure having you stop by my blog and talking to you. :D

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I hope that you all enjoyed this interview, and if you did, don't forget to leave Genevieve a comment.

For instance, are you excited to read her book? 

Or maybe you have a question, and would like to know more. If you do, feel free to ask. :)

Happy Reading!!!

♪♫ Ambur