About The Book

Book:  The Dollmaker’s Daughter

Author: Izzy James

Genre: Historical Romance

Release date: July 16, 2021

Forgetful scientist Simon Morgan lost his chance with Amity Archer ten years ago. He knows there is no hope…until a sea captain trades a meal for an ancient stone reputed to have the power to give him his heart’s desire. Immediately after pocketing the stone, Simon runs into Amity. Did the ancient artifact cause this chance encounter or was it mere coincidence?

Like her favorite travel writer Mrs. Peabody, Amity Archer yearns for adventure, but she’s horrified when her father asks Simon Morgan to escort her on her first real adventure.

With Amity’s Aunt Clementine as a buffer between them, will Simon be able to prove that his love for Amity is real? Can Amity show Simon that her love for him has nothing to do with a so-called magical rock?

Click here to get your copy!

About The Author

Izzy James lives in coastal Virginia with her fabulous husband in a house brimming with books.

More from Izzy

I am a Geographer by degree. So maps and the shapes of the earth fascinate me. It keeps me looking at the ground. Where I live in Virginia we still travel the imprint of colonial roads. Former villages have been swallowed by large urban areas, but the land is still there. Amity Archer travels these roads on the adventure to love in The Dollmaker’s Daughter.

It makes The Dollmaker’s Daughter special to me. I have traveled the roads Amity and Simon cover many, many times. The research for this book kept me up nights reading true accounts of traveler and taverns in colonial times.

Q&A with Izzy James

Many authors say that they have always been a writer — making up stories as a child. When did you first become a writer?

I have always been enthralled with stories. In elementary school I adapted some lesser known, at least at the time, fairy tales into plays for a couple of school productions. To my astonishment they were well received. It was then that I started writing my own stories using other writer’s characters from my favorite television shows and books. By Junior High School a couple of friends and I swapped reading each other’s stories. Since then there have been tales coming to life in my mind. 

Why did you choose the romance genre?

I did not start reading romance until I was in my thirties. The reason I love them is two-fold. Firstly, they are hopeful. A happy ending is a requirement in the genre and I like that. There are enough real-time, real-life rocky roads. I don’t need or want to experience them in my entertainment. Secondly, I believe in marriage and families. These values are on display and reinforced in Christian Romance. 

So while Romance often gets poo-pooed in more literary circles, I find they share my values. I often find more literary things, while thought provoking and sometimes interesting, don’t share my optimism.

Were there any obstacles you faced in your journey to publication?

Sure. Success at anything is not a guaranteed thing. I think the biggest obstacle I faced was my own fear of not being worthy. I got some positive feedback from a contest I entered twenty years ago. It absolutely freaked me out and I didn’t write anything else for a few years! 

The key for me was of course, is to keep my eyes on God, for He has not given us a spirit of fear. I did not then and do not now want to sit in my chair at age 85 and wish that I’d been more faithful, or more bold, or more of anything really. I mean God can’t bless a book if I don’t write it. Right?

So after about ten years, I sat down at my keyboard and wrote a novella. I entered it in a contest and it won. And my journey started.  

What types of research do you pursue? Books, on-site visits, etc. 

Each of my books is different and requires the answers to different questions therefore, I use whatever resources are available. The Dollmaker’s Daughter takes place in areas that live in. I constantly traverse the same roads that Amity and Simon encounter, so I didn’t have to travel far, but I did research in person at libraries and online at the National Archives. The Library of Virginia’s research team has always been helpful for anything I need. 

For last year’s Christmas novella, Garrett: A Yorktown Christmas Time Travel Novella, I interviewed and was helped by the Yorktown GIS office to interpret maps from Colonial times. 

For the book I’m currently working on, I’m going to the Wilderness Road. 

So basically, I’ll do whatever I need to get the history right, travel, interviews, and I read all the time. 

What do you want your readers to take away with them after finishing one of your novels?

I want them to know that God is real. That He loves them and that He is still working in the lives of men and women now. Miracles are not a thing that only happens in the Bible. The God of the Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob cares about your bad hair day and your great hair day! 

Blog Stops

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, August 7

By The Book, August 8 (Author Interview)

Connect in Fiction, August 8

Inklings and notions, August 9

Musings of a Sassy Bookish Mama, August 10

Abba’s Prayer Princess, August 11

Locks, Hooks and Books, August 12

Beauty in the Binding, August 13

Ashley’s Clean Book Reviews, August 13

For Him and My Family, August 14

Texas Book-aholic, August 15

Connie’s History Classroom, August 16

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, August 17

A Modern Day Fairy Tale, August 18

deb’s Book Review, August 19

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, August 20

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Izzy is giving away the grand prize package of an eBook copy of The Dollmaker’s Daughter and a tea cup!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

Tags: historical romance fiction, Izzy James