Living The Life You Were Meant To Live

 

Jennifer Deibel             @ThisGalsJourney

One of the themes in my book, A Dance in Donegal, is living the life you were meant to live. Throughout the story, the main character, Moira, finds herself confronted with her own limitations as well as those placed on her by the local villagers. She faces decision after decision in which she must choose if she is going to do what is right, no matter the consequences. In her darkest moments, Moira questions her choice to move to Ballymann, but through her hardships, she comes to realize that she had to endure those difficulties in order to discover a deeper, richer love and joy than she would have ever dared to imagine.


Along with the idea of doing the right thing no matter the consequences, readers will find themes of bravery, love, selflessness, and grace woven throughout the book.



It is my prayer that the picture of God’s grace and love for humanity would be apparent in a very natural and organic way so readers would view how great, wide, deep, and long is the love of Jesus in a fresh way.

I attempted to achieve a rich combination of setting, history, romance and just the right amount of mystery.


In its very early stages, the story was a sweet romance. It still is in many ways, but I knew something was missing. After conversations with a dear author friend, I realized what this story needed—mystery! Once I realized there was more awaiting Moira than even I had known, the ideas flowed and the mystery almost revealed itself to me, rather than the other way around. I never fancied myself a mystery writer, but I really love that aspect of the story, and writing it just might have been my favorite part.


What I love most about the historical romance genre is being able to explore times and places long since passed. Being able to experience what it might have been like to live in Victorian England, or settle a patch of land in pioneer days, or be an Austrian woman during World War II—it ignites my imagination and awakens my spirit.





My main research came from six years of living in Ireland. Other than that, once I started writing, I researched specific dates, places, and/or people to make sure my details were as accurate as possible. I have used several books and websites, as well as lots of questions I asked my Irish friends to ensure accuracy.


I am currently writing another historical novel set to release in Spring 2022. This one is set in Galway City in 1921 and surrounds the legend of the Claddagh ring. After two years in Donegal, my family and I lived in the Galway area for four years, so I am excited to draw on our experiences there to bring the same depth and detail to this new story as I did A Dance in Donegal.



I love connecting with readers! They can find me on Instagram (@jenniferdeibel_author), where I am most active, Facebook (Jennifer Deibel Author), and GoodReads (Jennifer Deibel). And visitors to my website (www.jenniferdeibel.com) can sign up for my monthly author newsletter. 

Jennifer Deibel is a middle school teacher whose work has appeared on (in)courage, on The Better Mom, in Missions Mosaic magazine, and others. With
firsthand immersive experience abroad, Jennifer writes stories that help redefine home through the lens of culture, history, and family. After nearly a decade of
living in Ireland and Austria, she now lives in Arizona with her husband and their three children.


You can find her online at www.thisgalsjourney.com.