1--What is the title of your latest release?
THE CURIOUS INHERITANCE OF BLAKELY HOUSE
2--What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?
A brilliant young clockmaker inherits an industrialist’s estate, but there’s something odd about the inheritance, and about the eclectic island home full of gadgetry that seems to have a mind of its own.
3--How did you decide where your book was going to take place?
I fell in love with the eclectic, innovative mansion of industrialist William Armstrong. It was the first home to be powered by hydroelectricity at a time when electricity itself was new. Brimming with odd gadgetry and mechanical brilliance, it just glowed with steampunk vibes!
4--Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life?
Absolutely! Sydney is quirky in the best way, and incredibly brilliant. I loved watching her get excited or worked up about something, and even better when she so easily stood her ground and rebelled against a group of men. She’s got an unusual strength. Besides that, she’s head over heels for books, and we could talk stories all day.
5--What are three words that describe your protagonist?
quirky, resourceful, curious
6--What’s something you learned while writing this book?
Honestly? How brilliant my husband is. He’s an engineer and I owe all of the technical aspects of this book to him. One night I sat down and said, Hey Vince. How does alternating current work? You should have seen the man light up! That was the most fun I’d had in a long time, listening to him explain and just hearing the genius pour out of him.
7--Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done?
Both! My stories are always atmospheric and immersive, and I accomplish that by re-reading several chapters before I start writing each day. I naturally smooth and edit as I do that, and then at the end I outline the story from a birds-eye view and really dig into deep editing. That rewrite is where the magic happens, and the real story emerges.
8--What’s your favorite foodie indulgence?
Everything sweet, sadly! Especially cinnamon and chocolate items.
9--Describe your writing space/office!
I sit in the rocking chair where I rocked my babies to sleep, right in the middle of the family room. My kids are either napping or there with me, working on school work. A view of the woods out of every window.
10--Who is an author you admire?
Amanda Dykes, Tessa Afshar, and Mimi Matthews
11--Is there a book that changed your life?
Many! Roald Dahl stretched my imagination, Daphne Du Maurier introduced me to twisty fiction, and CS Lewis got into my head and moved the furniture around.
12--Tell us about when you got “the call.” (when you found out your book was going to be published)/Or, for indie authors, when you decided to self-publish.
I had a three-day-old baby sleeping in my arms and my toddler playing on the floor by my feet, and I remember thinking... now? Really?? I had been submitting my writing for a few years with no traction. Then suddenly, at one conference I got three offers of representation on the spot and my first book went to auction between three publishers. It was very surreal! But my babies and my book career have grown up together, which has made for the most beautiful season so far.
13--What’s your favorite genre to read?
Historical, especially if it can surprise me!
14--What’s your favorite movie?
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels and Pride and Prejudice
15--What is your favorite season?
Whichever one is currently happening! Fall and spring, especially.
16--How do you like to celebrate your birthday?
I love to act like a kid with my kids! Why act your age, especially on the day that number increases?
17--What’s a recent tv show/movie/book/podcast you highly recommend?
Miss Scarlett and the Duke
18--What’s your favorite type of cuisine?
Mexican
19--What do you do when you have free time?
Free time is relative when you have homeschooled kids home all day.... playing with them is my favorite and writing and reading are also pretty great! I also love to play the piano as the kids are going to sleep.
20--What can readers expect from you next?
More historical novels are in the dreaming stage, and possibly some with a different twist!
Gothic Historical Romance About a Female Inventor Set in the 1900s on the Coast of England
A clever young woman, a contested will, and an estate that does not easily give up its secrets.
It is 1901 when clockmaker and tinker Sydney Forrester receives a most unusual inheritance. Blakely House, the island estate of an estranged uncle she's never met, seems almost alive, revealing and hiding its secrets at will. It is filled with remarkable inventions, including an intriguing unfinished automaton Sydney is itching to get her skilled hands on.
The estate is also home to a number of peculiar people--including two men intent on removing this interloper from the island. Convinced that Sydney has something to do with their uncle's death, the late master's nephews contest the will and work against their cousin at every turn.
Sydney finds a sometimes-ally in the estate's butler, an ex-adventurer who ran aground on the island years ago. But when a mysterious man washes ashore with a stunning surprise that upsets everything, Sydney must prove she has inherited the late master's brilliance as well as his property--or someone else will.
Romance | Christian [Revell, On Sale: April 15, 2025, Paperback / e-Book , ISBN: 9780800742980 / eISBN: 9781493448708]
Joanna Davidson Politano is the award-winning author of several historical mystery novels, including a fairytale inspired story, The Truth of Lily Temple, and her most recent, the Curious Inheritance of Blakely House. She loves tales that capture the colorful, exquisite details in ordinary lives and is eager to hear anyone’s story. Old cathedral ruins and ancient houses with stories will always catch her attention, too. When not writing, she's homeschooling or adventuring with her children. She lives with her husband and their kids in a house in the woods near Lake Michigan.
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