Interview with author Dana Pratola

So happy to introduce Dana Pratola to you all. To start, I will have her introduce herself:

God gave me a passion to write Christian Romance. These books don’t contain explicit sex scenes, but my characters have real desires, struggles and choices to make. A lot of the time they make the wrong ones. No subject is prohibited, but good always triumphs and God is glorified.

In my personal life, He has also blessed me with a wonderful husband and three dynamic children, all of whom are destined to make wide, colorful splashes in this world. We share our New Jersey home with three dogs. I have no hobbies to speak of, unless you include writing. I don’t.

Where did the inspiration for your latest book come from? 

 

My latest book, K-I-S-S-I-N-G sort of popped into my head one day. I wanted to write a story involving a treehouse and since it’s romance, I needed a couple to occupy the treehouse, so I came up with Caleb Sage and Winsome Woodbead. He’s a reluctant hero and she’s just escaped a violent relationship with someone. I figured they’d need a little beauty and peace in their lives, so I gave it to them, in a custom designed, state of the art treehouse, lol.

 

 

How does your faith and spirituality work in with your writing? 

 

It’s such a huge part of me, that if my characters aren’t overtly talking to or about God, as they are in my faith-based books, then even if a character isn’t a believer, they can often be found acknowledging God’s existence, or asking the questions everyone asks at some time. Is there a God? Does He love me? Somewhere I try to answer those. Yes! And Yes!

 

What do you want readers to come away with after reading your books?

 

Always the same thing – the knowledge that second chances are for everyone and that God doesn’t do things the ways we do. He looks at the heart, not outward appearances, or past mistakes. Not even present or future mistakes!

 

 

What is one of your favorite scenes in THE COVERING?

 

One of my favorite scenes is where Gunnar kisses Haven, then immediately tries to convince her it was a bad idea, because he more or less scared himself with his reaction, lol.

 

     Gunnar could have sworn her bones liquefied as she melted against him, into him. This was risky. It should stop. She was like a drug, the feel of her an addiction, and he feared if he didn’t break it off now, there would be no going back. He drank in a few more seconds before levering her away.

     His own ragged breathing drowned out the sound of hers, but her mouth opened and closed, evidence that she too struggled to form a coherent sentence. Desire snapped in the air between them, and he turned away before it could draw him back.

     What was he thinking, kissing her that way? He wasn’t—that was the problem. He hadn’t recognized how close he was to flashpoint and had allowed emotion to rule. Normally the emotion was anger. It was familiar, safe, he knew how to direct it, what to expect in retaliation.

     But this…altogether different. In the short time he’d known Tessa, she had infiltrated his core needs, forcing him to reevaluate his objectives, making him realize he still wanted things he’d long ago dismissed as impossible: a home, children, stability. Consequently, he feared things he hadn’t before: isolation, failure, dependence. It was too much, too soon.

     He hadn’t lied to her mother, he hardly knew her. Yet she had already influenced him in ways he couldn’t express. What would happen over time, six months maybe, when he became more attached and unable to let her go?

     When Tessa finally realized who and what he was?

     “We can’t do this,” he told her, looking back. Tessa stood frozen, catching her breath. “I won’t get us into a situation we’ll regret.”

     “But...."

     “You’re not ready for this.” The light of battle sparked to life in her eyes,

dissipating the haze of longing. “Neither am I.”

     “Because I’m a virgin,” she said, disgusted.

     “Yes.” He snapped the word out, but hearing the harshness of it, softened his tone. It wasn’t her fault he wanted her. Nor was he pushing her away because of her inexperience—at least not in the way she thought.

     “You’re innocent and I’m not. In any sense of the word.”

     Tessa crossed her arms. “So it’s your plan to keep turning me on and off like a light switch until when? Until you’re bored or decide to move back to your house?”

     “I didn’t mean for this to happen.”

     “You want me.”

     It was a simple statement. He couldn’t have said why it sounded like a threat. “I do. But it’s not going to happen.”

 

 

When you are stressed, maybe a deadline’s approaching too fast, what is your favorite snack food? Or so you have another way to cope?

 

I eat more CheezIts than I should. Mainly I cope with prayer and caffeine. Not always in that order :/

 

 

If time and money were not a concern, what one skill would you like to learn?

 

I can’t say I’d like to “learn,” as much as just wake up one day and be able to play piano. Or sing. That idea was actually the basis for VOICE of TRUTH, where Sophia discovers one morning that she’s been blessed with an amazing voice. Hey, God can do anything. I’d like to be able to swim, too, lol.

 

 

What are you working on next? 

 

I always have at least 5 books going, but I’m trying to narrow my focus to a story about a woman whose job it is to break bad news to people. It’s my first, 1^st person story, so I’m learning as I go :D

 

 

What do a woman of faith and a heathen biker have in common? The devil, of course. Tessa is moved to intercede for a man she's never met. When they do meet, she's stunned. Gunnar is gorgeous, charismatic, and driven. He's also hostile, self-destructive, and an unbeliever... and she's drawn to him like no other. The temptation she feels is as dangerous as it is alluring. She wants to stay away, but God has other plans. He reveals the devil's intent to destroy Gunnar, and commissions Tessa to keep him covered in prayer. Can she rely on God to keep her from falling... in love, and into temptation? Or will the devil claim them both?