Joanna Davidson Politano is our guest today.

She wrote a book called A Rumored Fortune, and she’s here to share the story behind her story.

Tressa Harlowe’s father did not trust banks, but neither did he trust his greedy extended family. He kept his vast fortune hidden somewhere on his estate in the south of England and died suddenly, without telling anyone where he had concealed it. Tressa and her ailing mother are left with a mansion and an immense vineyard and no money to run it.

It doesn’t take long for a bevy of opportunists to flock to the estate under the guise of offering condolences. Tressa knows what they’re really up to. She’ll have to work with the rough and rusticated vineyard manager to keep the laborers content without pay and discover the key to finding her father’s fortune—before someone else finds it first.

Award-winning author Joanna Davidson Politano welcomes readers to Trevelyan Castle, home of the poorest heiress in Victorian England, for a treasure hunt they’ll not soon forget.

Learn more and purchase a copy.

What inspired you to write this book?

I’m so glad to talk about the story behind A Rumored Fortune because it’s such a personal book for me. It originated about eight years ago when I dated this guy I just didn’t understand. I made him a character in the novel, threw him into difficulty, and watched him interact with people. This hero was bold and opinionated, often very blunt, and the gentle-hearted heroine couldn’t stand him. At first, anyway. Then she discovered an immensely interesting layer just under the surface, and he became more tolerable. Interesting, even.

I threw this mess of characters and relationship dynamics onto the page and untangled it as I dated this guy in real life, trying to decide if it should continue. How could this ever work? What was it that actually drew me to this polar-opposite guy?

The story pieces came together as real-life progressed, and I ended up falling deeply in love with and marrying the man on whom I based this novel hero. (More on this story is in the pre-order bonus material—Check out jdpstories.com/bonus/ for this pre-order special). In the meantime, I set the book aside and wrote a few others. Contracts came, and so did babies and a fixer-upper house. We entered survival mode and those reasons for marrying were smoothed over and worn down by the demands of daily life.

Then my publisher asked for book ideas, so I dusted off this very personal, very special story, which became A Rumored Fortune. In writing it, I took time to dig back into the “why” and “how” of our real-life relationship and, amidst the chaos of family life, I once again untangled the love story that connected me to the man I love deeply. I dug into his heart and rediscovered the treasure in its depths, and I cannot even tell you what a priceless experience that has been.

What a wonderful story! Thanks for sharing it.

Joanna Davidson Politano writes Victorian-era novels of mystery and romance, including her debut Lady Jayne Disappears.

She loves tales that capture the colorful, exquisite details in ordinary lives and is eager to hear anyone’s story.

She lives with her husband and their two babies in a house in the woods near Lake Michigan.

Follow Joanna on social media:

Website – www.jdpstories.com

Facebook – www.facebook.com/joannadavidsonpolitano/

Twitter – https://twitter.com/politano_joanna

Pinterest – https://www.pinterest.com/sunshine39n/

Joanna is giving away a copy of A Rumored Fortune. Follow the directions below to enter.

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