Inspirational Romance Interview ~ To Die Once

Please welcome debut author Miranda Uyeh to the BB! Miranda blogs at To Be A Person, and she offers authors assistance in putting together blurbs (etc.). She loves stories, and I'm thrilled that she's here to share a little more about her own story with you!

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Amber: So exciting this day is finally here, Miranda! Congratulations on the upcoming release of your poignant debut later this month. Knowing your love of poetry, could you describe the premise of To Die Once to my readers in the form of a poem?

Miranda: Thank you for the sweet, warm welcome! My, you’ve caught onto something I hoped would be a surprise! You didn’t put me on the spot at all, as I’d already planned to release seven Sunny Sunday Poetry special features for the seven weeks the tour will run. Yep. Seven poems in all! The first Sunday, April 6th [yesterday] will feature the love and friendship poem stories (Part 1 and 2) of To Die Once), and I’m so excited! The rest of the Sundays will tell the story from Jennifer, Rodrigo, Stefano, Chidi, and Jacob’s points of view, and finally, a wrap-up on the beauty of God’s grace. For a snippet, I’ll give the first and second verses of poem 1 and the third and fourth verses of poem 2. Here it goes!

This is a love Story 

Not one full of Glory 

Diced with thorns, but not Gory 

Oh, just listen to the Story … 

Two unequally yoked Hearts 

Come together as hinged Carts 

At first it seemed pretty like the Arts 

But soon came along piercing Darts … 

(Verses 1&2, Part 1, To Die Once Poem Story) 

We love God, we love songs, and this way we’ll Stay 

We’ll sing along hymns and then we’ll Pray 

No need to worry about a party, we’ve got much to Say 

But we wouldn’t mind those fruity drinks on the Tray! 

But lo, one day a man walked In 

His eye, Jennifer caught like a Pin 

He vowed then that her heart he’d Win 

Even if it meant plunging her into Sin … 

(Verses 3&4, Part 2, To Die Once Poem Story) 

I hope this piques your curiosity! Poem 1 has 10 verses in all, and poem 2 has 11. You’re welcome to stop by at my blog for the full versions!

Amber: How fun that you already had this in the works! [Readers, you can find the first poem post HERE. And stop by Miranda's blog in the coming weeks for more!] 

You know my love and appreciation for flower themes in stories. :) Tell us, what is your favorite flower? What role do flowers play in your debut? 

Miranda: Yes, I know how much you love flower-themed stories! ;) My favorite flower is the rose. One of the reasons I used it in this story is because it symbolizes love/romance, which I wanted to delve deeply into. As beautiful, intense, and delicate as the petals are, so can love be. Surprisingly, on the very same stalk you find these petals, you also find the thorns. But that doesn’t stop the flower from turning out beautiful at the end of the day. It is able to grow alongside, survive, and even flourish despite the presence of the thorns for the rest of its natural life. The thorns will never have the power to stop the rose from being the beautiful flower that God intended it to be. So it is with love.

More importantly for the story theme, I wanted the rosebush to be a symbol of hope to the characters, something they could always look back on and remember that no matter how dead something/someone may appear, it is possible to bring them back to life by the power of God’s grace. Each had to learn to NEVER give up on love and life, even in dark times.

Amber: Great thoughts, my friend. So which of your characters are you most eager for readers to meet? Which character’s story resonates the most with you as the author?

Miranda: Wow! Lovely question. Intimate too. *softly smiling* I can’t wait for readers to meet Rodrigo! The guy’s a complex mix of many things. He’s intelligent, but cunning; he’s sleek and very stubborn—wouldn’t take no for an answer! It was these traits that led him (and Jennifer) into a lot of trouble, one he finally realized that neither of them could get out of without God’s great mercy and healing grace. He simply had to learn that he couldn’t always have his way. He’s a major part of the reason I titled this book To Die Once.

Jennifer and Chidi resonate with me in a lot of ways. I really can’t choose one over the other. I guess it’s the reason I put them together as friends. While Jennifer has a heart for adventure and love, Chidi plays the role as Jennifer’s voice of reason. Chidi’s passion for God and common sense rule her world, even her personal dreams. Merge these two characters together … equals me! I recently took a quiz that confirmed it—the Jane Austen Character quiz? I ended up being Elinor Dashwood! Posted the button on my blog’s sidebar too. :)

Amber: Nice! I confess I'm excited for your readers to meet the complex and intriguing Rodrigo, as well. :) 

The journey to publishing a book is often a long and difficult one. What helped you to hold onto your passion for To Die Once when challenges arose? Based on your experiences so far, would you say the journey has been worth it? 

Miranda: The word “often” in your question consoles me a lot because at some point I seriously started to wonder if there was some sort of conspiracy somewhere to keep me from being published! Yeah, I know, it’s a crazy thought! But don’t worry. I finally calmed down and became reasonable about it. It is often said in this industry that “writing ain’t for the faint of heart.” There are other authors out there that go through their unique struggles on their journey to being published, and afterwards. It truly has been worth it. I’ve learned to relax and not panic even in the worst of situations where there seems to be no hope at all. I just need to take it to God in prayer. He’ll make a way where there seems to be no way. This journey has taught me to trust God on a far deeper level than I ever did before.

Amber: I so agree. God really does provide all we need to walk in His will. It's been encouraging to me to see things come together for you! Now, what’s next for the “Child of Grace” series and for your blogging? 

Miranda: It is my good pleasure to let you know that I’ve started working on book #2, To Lie Once. This story centers on Jennifer’s sister, Joyce—“a good girl gone bad” story. I’m so excited! This time, we’re going to Paris! And a little bit more of Nigeria. Stay tuned! ;)

As for my blog, there will be more entertainment (music/movies) and spiritual-themed posts.

Amber, it was nice of you to have me today! I truly enjoyed answering these questions. Let’s do this again and again, yes?

Amber: Yes, let's! ;) Great to have you here, and looking forward to seeing where God leads you next!

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Miranda A. Uyeh is an assistant lecturer at a local college in Makurdi City, Nigeria, where she teaches two geology courses. Her love for books goes as far back as when her father placed Disney's Rapunzel in her hands - her very first storybook! By the time she was thirteen she knew she was going to be a writer. You can find Miranda on her blog where she shares her love for books, entertainment, and Christian spirituality with her readers. Miranda holds a B.Tech (Hons) in Applied Geology from ATBU, Nigeria. To Die Once is her debut novel, #1 of the Child of Grace book series.

You can also connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Goodreads, and Google+.

About To Die Once

"Two men, one woman, a rosebush … 
… a terrible past, an uncertain future 

Jennifer, a woman unexpectedly trapped in a path of love and passion against everything she believes.

Rodrigo, a man set to get what he wants at the cost of what matters most.

Stefano, a man with a past, a story to tell and passion to offer.

Chidi, a friend in need, a friend indeed. Or not?

From a culture where good girls follow the norm and live as they’ve been told, Jennifer is no different from any other girl until by happenstance, she meets and falls in love with Rodrigo, a man who’s handsome, rich and foreign. Different. She has no idea who he is or what he does, and is swept into a world of romance and passion. It is not long before she discovers a shocking truth that shakes both her world and his.

Then he is gone.

Stefano shows up at a time when Jennifer has made up her mind about the rules of life. He thinks she’s beautiful and is in love with her. In a bid to convince her to give him a chance in her life, old memories once buried are brought to life. And the events that follow don’t leave anyone unaffected by the truth of the past that was left unsettled.

Meanwhile, Jennifer with her friend Chidi, find themselves on a self-discovery journey that has one of them raising questions.

Some just have to ask, where is God in all this?

… an inspirational romance, from Lagos to Italy."

Giveaway!

You can be one of 10 readers to win an e-copy of To Die Once each week of the blog tour (making a total of 70 ebook winners in all)! Visit Miranda's Facebook page to enter, or enter using the Rafflecopter form below:
a Rafflecopter giveaway
(Note: The giveaway is open internationally and is not hosted by The Borrowed Book. Winners will be emailed their prizes after the blog tour concludes.)