The Queen's Many Themes

Over the next few weeks I'm going to be sharing some reader comments about Queen of the Waves, as well as some stories of folks who traveled aboard the Virtual Titanic with me. I just received this very kind note this morning: 

Hi Janice! I just finished your book while my neighbors are partying next door @ 12:30 am. It's now 2:45 and I just finished my review which will go live on 10/9 @ 1 am. I hope you enjoy my review as much as I thoroughly enjoyed your book. 

I really liked the way you used the titantic as the basis of the book but didn't use it to "write" the book. I also really enjoyed the strong scriptural foundation you used and how you didn't "preach" it in the book. I think it will make an ideal gift to give to someone whether they are Christians or not - it's not preachy and will touch everyone's heart. 

Thank you to Tina Peterson, who will post a review on her blog on the 9th. In the meantime, I stumbled across it on amazon and I'm floored to read the following: 

5.0 out of 5 stars I would do 10 stars if I could - it's wonderful! September 30, 2012

By Tina Peterson

Format:Paperback

It was so nice to read a period romance that had a strong female lead character (there are actually 3 of them) and a wonderful hero (who is dashing, kind, honest and has a soft heart - can I hear one big collective sigh?). Our main character is Tessa who in order to escape a drunken, abusive father agrees to assume the identity of Jacquie who in turn is trying to escape an arranged marriage. Jacquie and her mother have decided to send her to America to her Grandmother to get away from this marriage & Jacquie decides to take it one step further and send Tessa to America in her place so she (Jacquie) can marry the penniless man she loves. Our hero is a young man traveling with his mother in Europe. Amidst his concerns that the friendship his mother has with a male "friend" isn't all that it seems to be he ends up meeting Tessa and Iris her ladies maid. They in turn meet Jessie the niece of the minister traveling on the Titantic and the story takes off at that point.

The spiritual theme of Queen of the Waves is learning about the great love that God the Father has for each of us - even in our sin and guilt. Tessa learns that God loves her and isn't the kind of God her earthly father has been shoving down her throat over the years. He isn't spiteful, doesn't hold our wrongs against us and even though we all have sinned or done wrong in His (and the world's) eyes His arms are always open wide to us. Jessie and Nathan both play a part in sharing this love with Tessa in the 4-5 days between the time they meet and the disaster the book is based on.

I think it's time I start keeping a list of my top 10 books that I've reviewed on GivingNSharing and Classic Children's Books. Queen of the Waves would easily make it into the top 3. I thoroughly enjoyed the way Janice Thompson used the story of the Titantic as a basis to share the story of several of the passengers. But she did more than that, she shared a story that is scripturally based, touches the heart and meets the needs of her readers. There is more than one lesson in Queen of the Waves - there is the all abiding love of God, the need for forgiveness & repentance and the reminder to lean on God's strength in times of trouble.

This is a wonderful book for anyone 14 to adult. It would make a great gift for the holidays, to a shut-in, in your church or community library. I also think it would make a great mother-daughter read or for book clubs. The only thing it is missing is book club questions at the back and I would love to see a "letter" from the author that expands a little on the scriptural theme without "preaching". (Or maybe a letter or closing from a strong Christian female leader, someone like Jaci Valesquez or Beth Moore, who could share the gospel in a gentle way. This would be a wonderful way to reach someone who might not be open to being ministered to by an actual person.) It's just a thought and I just threw out a couple of names but you never know who might pick up the book and it would be a great way to close the book with a ministerial touch.

And thanks to everyone who has read the book thus-far. So far, I'm overwhelmed with your kind reception of Queen of the Waves. 

Queen of the Waves Video Trailer

Good afternoon, friends! I've been busy this morning, putting together a video trailer for Queen of the Waves. Please share this with your friends. Enjoy!

Interesting Facts about the Titanic

Friends, enjoy these fascinating facts about the RMS Titanic: 

• In 1898 (14 years prior to the Titanic tragedy), Morgan Robertson wrote a novel called Futility. This fictitious novel was about the largest ship ever built hitting an iceberg in the Atlantic ocean on a cold April night. The fictional ship (named Titan) and the real ship Titanic were similar in design and their circumstances were remarkably alike. Both ships were labeled "unsinkable".
• Two dogs were among the Titanic survivors.
• There were no cats on the Titanic. Cats were often brought on ships as a form of good luck. They also controlled rodents.
• No one ever claimed that the Titanic was "unsinkable". The quote, "practically unsinkable" was taken out of context. In 1911, Shipbuilder magazine published an article describing the construction of the Titanic. The article stated that when the watertight doors were closed, the ship would be "practically unsinkable".
• It was customary to break a bottle of champagne on the bow of a boat when launched. The Titanic launching did not include the traditional bottle-breaking.
• Many of the passengers were not originally suppose to be traveling on the Titanic. Due to a strike, coal was in short supply. This shortage threatened Titanic's maiden voyage and forced the White Star Line to cancel travel on the Oceanic and Adriatic and transfer their passengers and coal stocks to the Titanic.
• There were 13 couples on board celebrating their Honeymoons.
• The lookouts in the crow's nest did not have binoculars. Having binoculars might have prevented the Titanic tragedy.
• The time interval from first sighting of the iceberg to impact was a little over 30 seconds.
• The Titanic sank 2 hours and 40 minutes after hitting the iceberg.
• It probably took Titanic about 15 minutes to sink to her final resting place on the ocean floor. That means that Titanic sank at a rate of 10 miles per hour (or 16 km per hour).

For these and more interesting facts, visit: http://www.titanicstory.com/interest.htm

Queen of the Waves

I'm so excited to debut this new site as I celebrate the release of my much-anticipated novel, Queen of the Waves. 

Here's a blurb about the story:

When pampered Jacqueline Abington decides to elope with the family gardener, she asks another woman to take her place on the much anticipated maiden voyage of the Titanic. Tessa Bowen hails from a poor corner of London but has been granted the opportunity of a lifetime—a ticket to sail to America aboard a famed vessel. But there’s a catch: she must assume Jacqueline’s identity. For the first time in her life, Tessa stays in luxurious quarters, dresses in elegant gowns, and dines with prestigious people. Then a wealthy American man takes an interest in her, and Tessa struggles to keep up the ruse as she begins falling for him. When tragedy strikes, the game is up, and two women’s lives are forever changed.

Most of my novels are comedic/light-hearted, but I've deviated from the norm to write this story about a young woman who boards the Titanic, headed for a new life in America. I hope my readers enjoy Tessa's story. In fact, I've been working harder than ever to ensure a great experience for all involved!

Several months ago I came up with an idea to create a facebook group, a "virtual Titanic" cruise, as it were. To read more about that journey, check out this post. We traveled together, reinacting the sinking of the ship. (I still shiver when I think about that terrible night.) ALL of this was done to commemorate the 100-year anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic. Chilling, really. 

I'm thrilled to see Queen of the Waves release and hope my readers will help me spread the word. Please feel free to share this blog post with your friends. And come back for a visit! I'll be posting a line of Titanic memorabilia/products created by my good friend Patti Lee. They will be available for purchase, so stay tuned!

A special thanks to Audra Jennings of LitFuse Publicity, for posting this press release about Queen of the Waves.