Genevieve Vandermere-Anderson lives in an elite world carefully crafted by her stepfather. While other girls her age revel in the freedom of their first summer break from college, Genevieve has no choice but to return to her childhood home in Hilton Head, South Carolina to play sidekick to her vindictive stepfather. Forbidden from social media and isolated from her peers, she returns home disheartened and oppressed by the actions of her past, governed by secrets.
Though she is fearful of the repercussions, Genevieve decides it is time to start making her own choices. She sneaks out of her fortified house to attend the annual beach bonfire. There she meets a handsome stranger and follows him to an abandoned boathouse hidden in low country marshes. Little does she know that this small act of rebellion will be the catalyst for unraveling the truth about her regretful past, and the layers of deception her stepfather has masterminded.
When she begins to investigate the boating accident that tragically killed her mother and two other people, she discovers that her stepfather's suspicious behavior and control tactics are all part of a greater agenda.
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Interview with Jana D. Barrett
What inspired you to write The Boat House?
I love to travel! Fresh scenery, people, food, and the adventures I encounter on my travels keep me busy jotting down notes, ideas and character sketches. The Boat House is set on Hilton Head Island, which is one of my favorite places in the United States. The low country marshes offer a vivid and mysterious backdrop that’s teaming with interesting wildlife, wildlife that sets a primordial tone of good v. evil.
As a parent of a toddler, I’m granted the gift of unabashedly watching people, lol. People watching appears less creepy, when you have a cute, curious toddler trying to figure out life through observation! I enjoy observing humanity in all its beautiful and peculiar manifestations!
Can you tell us a little bit about what you have planned for the future?
I am currently working on a romance, mystery novel entitled White Balance. The title is a photography term, and I use the term as an allegory throughout the novel (think the varying shades of good and evil!)
This story is spookier than The Boat House, and I’ve really enjoyed upping up the ‘scare factor’, as well developing new characters.
In White Balance, main character Greer Aspen procrastinates returning home to settle her late grandfather’s estate. In fact, she’s waited so long, that the county has petitioned to condemn the historic home! Legally she is forced to return after her uncle who ran a reform school at the historic site, tragically dies in a mysterious fire.
Greer’s intentions are to sell the estate and wash her hands of her last family connections, but things don’t go quite as she planned. She meets a frustratingly cocky, albeit handsome lawyer who seems to have an uncanny insight into the reform school’s sordid history, as well as an enigmatic arson investigator who suspiciously shows up every time Greer finds herself in a pickle.
Mysterious things begin to happen that put Greer’s life in danger, when she starts investigating what really happened the night of the fatal fire. As she begins to put the pieces together she uncovers a dark family secret that could also be a motive for murder!
The deeper Greer dives into solving the mystery, the more dependent she becomes on the new people in her life. At every turn she is left wondering. . . who can I really trust?
Can you tell us a little bit about the characters in White Balance?
Beckett is a handsome young South Carolina Lawyer straight out of law school. Due to a family illness, he has recently taken over his father’s practice in Beaufort, but he makes no bones about his resentment towards the obligation. But, we find out the chip on his shoulder isn’t just due to frustrating family responsibilities; Beckett has a secret that he battles to keep from revealing. It doesn’t help that his first client, Greer Aspen, brings out a side of him that threatens to set his secret free.
Tinsley is a petite, curvy blond with a free spirit. On the opposite side of the social scale than Greer, a life of fighting for what she wants has fostered her spitfire attitude and disregard for authority. Tinsley isn’t afraid to say what she thinks or fight for what she believes in. At her core she is a loyal friend with a genuine heart.
Damion is a young arson investigator who walks Greer through the details of the fire at Aspen School. Intelligent and intense, he is unapologetically an alpha male. He quickly takes more than professional interest in Greer. But are his motives sincere?
You know I think we all have a favorite author. Who is your favorite author and why?
I have so many favorite authors in various genres! I read everything from biographies to fun, flirty beach reads!
My favorite mystery author is hands down Daphne Du Maurier. There is this intrinsic haunting undertone in her mysteries, and a psychological element that keeps you second guessing yourself – just when you think you’ve figured things out!
I also really adore Sue Monk Kidd. Her novels always have so much heart, peppered with so many nuggets of genuine truth in them!
I love a good psychological thriller! Mary Kubica is a current favorite in this genre!
If you could time-travel would you travel to the future or the past? Where would you like to go and why would you like to visit this particular time period?
I would like to fast forward fifteen years (assuming I could return immediately!). I have a daughter who will at that time be a woman, not a little girl anymore. Given the digital advances and political and racial climate of our present day – and the threat to Women’s rights in our country, I would like to experience firsthand the struggles the world- specifically women will encounter in 2033, so that I could most adequately prepare my daughter to be the strong, intelligent, kind, moral woman I pray she grows up to be!
Do you have any little fuzzy friends? Like a dog or a cat? Or any pets?
I have an energetic Siberian Husky named Blizzard! (Like most big dogs) he thinks he thinks he is a lap dog and enjoys throwing all 80lbs of himself onto anyone who will rub his ears.
We recently acquired a kitty! March of last year someone left a kitty in a pet crate on our property. We were appalled that someone could be so cruel! My four-year-old daughter helped me gain her trust and named her Winter. She’s a great addition to our family 😊
Thanks for taking time out of your busy schedule to visit with us today.
Thank you so much for featuring me on your blog! It has been a pleasure!!!
About the Author
Jana was born and raised in Charlotte, North Carolina. An avid reader, she loves to travel, cook and try exotic foods. She is a self- proclaimed 'city girl' who fell in love with a country boy. Jana, her husband and their daughter live on a retired pasture, with a lovely farmland view. An animal lover she has Siberian Husky named Blizzard, a barn kitty named Winter and an impolite group of wild turkeys.
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1 comments:
Ooo, this story sounds intriguing, & I also really enjoyed the interview! Thank you! :D
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