Jeanne McWilliams Blasberg joins the Spotlight this week to discuss her latest novel, Daughter of a Promise
Author Name: Jeanne McWilliams Blasberg
Book Title: Daughter of a Promise
Book Genre: Literary Fiction
Release Date: April 2, 2024
Publisher: She Writes Press
Welcome, Jeanne! Please tell us a bit about Daughter of a Promise.
My novel is a retelling of the biblical love story of David and Bathsheba. Full of ambition and desire, this contemporary version is set against the high-stakes world of investment banking. It’s the first time I’ve written a novel entirely in the first person, and I’d like to think my career has been working up fully portraying the inner workings of my heroine, Betsabé Ruiz.
In addition to giving voice to a woman who had none in the original story, I have long held an interest in drawing upon the revelations I had right out of college as a baby banker on Wall Street.
What drew you to writing a modern retelling?
When I began studying the story of David and Bathsheba with its power dynamics and questions around consensual sex, it struck me as entirely modern. By retelling something that was written thousands of years ago, I am able to amplify the timeless nature of the human struggle as well as the individual powers possessed by women.
What’s your favorite part about writing/being an author? What do you find challenging?
I love connecting with readers. I adore attending book clubs and corresponding with people who read my novels. I try to write novels that have an important message, making the conversations are always meaningful and provocative. The challenge of being an author is to stay true to my definition of success, however, it is always tempting to compare myself to other authors.
If you were speaking to someone who hasn’t read your writing before, why should they want to read Daughter of a Promise?
This novel not only offers a page-turning plot but is written in the form of a letter from an older and wiser Betsabé to her unborn son. Its structure leaves room for Betsabé’s introspection as well as maternal pearls of wisdom. In addition to those reasons, my personal opinion is that I’ve given an authentic and spark-filled voice to a young heroine who not considered a main character in the original text.
Fill in the blank: Readers who liked [Title of Book] will also like Daughter of a Promise.
Readers who liked My Dark Vanessa and Assymetry will also like Daughter of a Promise.
What do you hope readers will take away from this story?
I hope readers, especially those in their twenties, come away remembering we all have deep inner wisdom. Getting quiet and tapping into that awareness is paramount to finding one’s path in life.
Where can readers find you?
Jeanneblasberg.com
https://jeanneblasberg.substack.com/
https://www.instagram.com/jeanneblasbergauthor/
https://www.facebook.com/jeanneblasbergauthor
Thank you, Jeanne! Daughter of a Promise is out today.
Daughter of a Promise
A modern retelling of the legend of Bathsheba and David, Daughter of a Promise reminds us how some stories are truly timeless.
Straight out of college, Betsabé Ruiz starts her first job as a financial analyst on Wall Street, where she plans to work for two years to save money in order to pursue her real dreams of becoming a theatre actor. However, she wasn’t prepared for the long hours that keep her from having much of a social life at all, much less taking acting classes. She was even less prepared to find herself attracted to her boss and involved in an illicit relationship.
Written as a letter to Betsabé’s unborn son, Daughter of a Promise is Betsabé’s coming-of-age story from her perspective.
Author bio:
Jeanne Blasberg is an award-winning and bestselling author and essayist. Her novel The Nine (SWP 2019) was honored with the 2019 Foreword Indies Gold Award in Thriller & Suspense and the Gold Medal and Juror’s Choice in the 2019 National Indie Excellence Awards, among others. Eden (SWP 2017), her debut, won the Benjamin Franklin Silver Award for Best New Voice in Fiction and was a finalist for the Sarton Women’s Book Award for Historical Fiction. A Smith College graduate, Jeanne is both a teacher of writing and a lifetime learner who serves on the boards of the Boston Book Festival and GrubStreet. She reviews contemporary fiction for the New York Journal of Books and was named a Southampton Writer’s Conference BookEnds Fellow in April 2021. She splits her time between Park City, Utah, and a regenerative farm in Verona, Wisconsin.