It Started in Budapest

Click here to purchase on Amazon 

Early reviews from readers:

"Fresh, original, intriguing, and romantic. It Started in Budapest is quite the adventure to read."    -Mandy

"I love a great Gothic romance and this one did not disappoint! The location, the setting, and the ambiance were just perfect."

-Lucinda

"Julie Daines tells a masterful story."

-Emily

"A pleasing read about hope, faith, darkness, and light."

-The Starry Library 

Amazon blurb: 

Molly Cooper is haunted by one simple fact: it is her fault her twin brother, Matthew, has spent his life trapped in a frail body while she has thrived. Deep in her heart, she knows he can’t hold on much longer . . .

In her desperation to save her brother, Molly finds inspiration in an unlikely source: the newly published novel Dracula. When her family embarks on the Orient Express to seek treatment for Matthew in Bulgaria, Molly is prepared to set her plan in motion: she will sneak away from her parents and journey alone to Transylvania, where she will seek a vampire, whose blood can make her brother immortal. Molly’s rash plan is going flawlessly—until she encounters Percy Hunt, a handsome American traveler running from the shadows of his own past. When he discovers Molly’s plan, Percy’s concern for the naive young woman leaves him no choice but to accompany her on her strange quest. But neither Percy nor Molly is prepared for the feelings that quickly grow between them or for the death-defying escapade that awaits.

I really enjoyed writing this book. I have always loved Dracula and when I got the chance to bring some of the beautiful wisdom from Dracula into this story, I couldn't wait to write it. Molly has lived a sheltered yet difficult life, so while she understands hardship and suffering, she is extremely naive to the ways of the world. I loved taking her on this journey where she gets a chance to experience things, to grow up, and to see the good and bad the world has to offer. It is a story about letting go of things you cannot control and finding peace in the worst situations. 

It Started in Budapest is the first book in the "Romance on the Orient Express" series. This is a set of four books, each written by a different, amazing author, and each book about a different young woman who finds her chance at love on the Orient Express. 

The next book in the series is Wrong Train to Paris by my dear friend and talented author, Jennifer Moore. Look forward to it in December!

From Ash and Stone

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"I love love LOVE From Ash and Stone! If you are looking for a book that will make you cry, will make you sigh, will give you hope and healing then this is the book for you!!"

-Kindle and Me Book Reviews.

Lady Margaret Grey of Hartfell wants for nothing. The daughter of a knight, she has a loving family, wealth, and even a secret romance with the blacksmith’s son. But all that is torn from her one fateful night when her home is attacked and her family killed. She is left with nothing but bitterness, an unwavering mistrust of men, and a strange and mysterious curse that allows her to feel the thoughts of anyone who touches her.

Now, after six years away, Margaret is returning home for one reason: revenge. She hopes that by avenging her family’s deaths, she will somehow be freed from her curse. But it won’t be easy. The identities of the raiders are still unknown, she has little left to her name, and traveling alone in the Northumbrian hills during the border wars is dangerous. Matters are further complicated by handsome Angus Robson, a Scotsman whose charm threatens to distract her from her plans. But the raiders are closer than she knows, and Margaret soon realizes that what she believed to be a curse may be the key to finding those she seeks. One touch will reveal the truth . . .

Havencross

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"Captivating. A solid 5 across the board."

"A cross-genre story that could serve as a haven for anyone."

-Foreword Reviews Magazine

When a shocking scandal involving her father spreads through London society, Elaine Cardinham and her parents are forced to retreat to their country home in Cornwall for refuge. But Havencross is no sanctuary for Elaine. She is haunted by the mysterious disappearance of her brother—and the heartbreak she left in her wake all those years ago. 

It has been five long years since Gareth Kemp last saw Elaine—when she rejected his marriage proposal. Her reappearance convinces him of one thing: he has never stopped loving her. To put his feelings for her aside, he focuses his attention on the dangerous smuggling plaguing the Cornish coast. As Elaine attempts to run from her past, she ventures ever closer to a dangerous truth—and Gareth may be the only one who can save her from a deadly finish.

Free Book

Something exciting is coming in May! I'm thrilled to be part of a Regency Romance anthology with two other amazing authors: Jaima Fixsen and Caroline Warfield.

If you want something fun and romantic for the Valentine"s Day week, Jaima Fixsen is offering her book Fair Child for FREE until February 16th.

Here is the link on Amazon.

http://amzn.to/2l7Fz76

Cover Reveal: Willowkeep

Coming in June! I can't wait for this book to come out!

"This is truly one of my favorite manuscripts I have ever read." 

Words of praise from a professional reviewer.

Click here to buy on Amazon

Here's the blurb from Goodreads:

Charlotte Darby’s ship is sinking. Penniless and alone, she is struggling to care for herself and her young sister in the harsh seaport town of Kingston upon Hull. When a solicitor from London brings news that she is the heir to a vast estate in Kent, it seems her days of rough seas are over. Willowkeep is prosperous and grand, far too much for a shipping merchant’s daughter to manage, and she quickly comes to rely on the help of Henry Morland, the estate’s kind and handsome steward.

Henry has worked hard his entire life, but all the money he’s saved won’t be enough to get his father out of debtor’s prison. Henry’s fondness for Charlotte and her sister is only another reminder of his low status and lack of money. Though he is willing to do whatever it takes to keep Charlotte happy and looked after, as the county’s wealthiest lady, she can never be his.

Courted by a charming man of the ton, threatened by those desperate to get their hands on her money, and determined to keep her sister safe from the same fate that cost her the rest of her family, Charlotte turns to the ghost of the beheaded queen, Anne Boleyn, for help. But no matter the size of the fortune, life—and love—are never smooth sailing.

Find out more about Willowkeep on my Pinterest board: www.pinterest.com/juliedaines

Follow me on Facebook for giveaways and prizes: https://www.facebook.com/authorJulieDaines/

Cover Reveal: Eleanor and the Iron King

I'm so excited about this book! It has all the things I love: cool setting, hunky dude, intrigue, a bit of romance, and even a ghost.

Here's a little blurb to whet your appetite.

Eleanor de Lacy is forced into an arranged marriage with her father’s greatest enemy, Brac Goch, the Welsh king. All Eleanor knows of Brac is that he is a ruthless, war hungry man.

Eleanor arrives at the Welsh castle expecting the worst. When the ghost of Brac Goch’s first wife appears and warns her that the Welsh king is not to be trusted, all of Eleanor’s fears are confirmed. 

As the countdown to her wedding day approaches, Eleanor must figure out who is lying, who is telling the truth, who is loyal, and who is the traitor--and most of all, if she can love an enemy king.

Here is the beautiful cover!

Coming August 2015!

See more about Eleanor's story on my Pinterest board: Eleanor and the Iron King.

Published by Covenant Communications, Inc.

Description is also Voice

I keep hearing people talk about descriptive narrative as though it's something different from internal dialogue. I suppose if you're writing some kind of literary fiction from an omniscient POV, it might be. But for the most part--especially in children's and YA fiction--it is the same thing.

Interiority and description are the same. It's all in the POV voice. It's all about what the POV character is thinking. Sometimes they're thinking about their feelings and motivations, sometimes they're thinking about what they're seeing/hearing etc.

All of it needs to be written from the mindset of the POV character.

Remember this poem by Wordsworth?

I wandered lonely as a cloud

That floats on high o'er vales and hills,

When all at once I saw a crowd,

A host, of golden daffodils;

This is good practice to think about description in your own writing. Imagine a huge field of daffodils. Now ask yourself, how would a lonely or depressed person see that field verses an angry person, a betrayed person, or a happy-go-lucky person. Then write the description through their eyes and in their voice.

It's easy to try too hard to write a snarky narrative voice, but then when it comes time for description, wax into an eloquent Dickensesque voice. 

It should be all the same voice. 

All writers struggle with this, so practice and always keep it in mind.