Author Spotlight – ROSETTA D. HOESSLI
Welcome to my blog Rosetta! It’s so great having you here. Thank you so much for taking the time out of your busy schedule to be with us today.
Over to my readers – I usually start out with finding out a little more about the author through their author bio and I’m sure you’ll find this one absolutely fascinating:
Bio
Rosetta Diane Hoessli (called ‘Ronni’ by her friends) has been a freelance writer since 1985, publishing articles in McCall’s, Christian Herald, and many other smaller forums. A winner of national and state-wide writing contests, she has served as senior feature writer, columnist, and executive editor for three (3) regional publications – two in San Antonio and one in Houston, Texas.
Ms. Hoessli also collaborated with New York socialite Jeanette Longoria in Longoria’s self-published book entitled Aphrodite and Me: Discovering Sensuality and Romance at Any Age, co-authored biographical novel Falling Through Ice with Carolyn Huebner Rankin, and edited a book of short stories, Working On the Wild Side, compiled and written by Florida Fish and Wildlife officer Jeff Gager.
Today, Ms. Hoessli focuses most of her attention on writing historical fiction and traveling with her husband, Kevin, in their RV to discover new plotlines, locations, and characters. They reside in San Antonio, Texas with one fur-kid, near their daughter and two grandchildren.
Whispers Through Time is Ms. Hoessli’s first solo novel. You can find out more about her and her work online at: http://facebook.com/RosettaDianeAuthor.
WHISPERS THROUGH TIME Is Rosetta’s new release and so exciting: May I first say I think your front cover is absolutely stunning. So evocative. The moment I saw it I was excited to read between the covers!
Book Blurb :
The only man Sierra Masters has ever loved appears with a proposition that could alter her future. She turns him down, but then after experiencing a foretelling dream, decides to take a risk in order to uncover the truth.
Hunter Davenport realizes the evidence he’s shared with Sierra could indeed destroy her—but it could free her as well. The decision is yanked from her hands when the past and present collide through a historical portal on sacred Native American land. Will she take the gift that is offered? And will Hunter do what he didn’t do twelve years earlier—stand by her? Only time will give them their answers.
I am thrilled you provided more information, the deeper story. Thank you Rosetta: AND I ABSOLUTELY love the front cover!
To an outsider looking in, Sierra Masters has it all. A world-famous historical novelist, she has created the perfect world for herself in the isolated splendor of the Big Bend region in southwest Texas. So, when investigative reporter Hunter Davenport shows up at her secluded compound, his arrival does more than shatter her composure. It rocks her entire world.
Hunter, her former fiancé and the only man she has ever loved, comes with a request she can’t refuse. But then, she’s never been able to refuse him anything. Still, this time his proposition has nothing to do with their past relationship—and everything to do with her future.
Sierra, Hunter says, is not who she thinks she is and he has proof: Four simple photographs dated thirty years earlier. Clearly, the family she has always adored isn’t her birth-family and her real heritage lies some two thousand miles to the north, on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota.
That very night, Sierra experiences a dream unlike any she’s ever had before: a terrified young Indian girl is chased through unfamiliar terrain by a drunken white man driving a white pickup truck. This dream is so vivid and authentic that it’s all she can do to awaken from it, but when she does, she is convinced that Hunter is telling the truth. In spite of her fear of the hold he has always had over her, Sierra agrees to meet him at the reservation, where he is developing a documentary with Nathan Winterhawk, a Lakota Sioux elder.
Together they will search for her birth-parents.
Almost the minute that Sierra and her two closest friends, Skye Parker and Colt Chambers, arrive in South Dakota, she discovers that she has somehow acquired the ability to step through an invisible portal directly into another place and time. She has been given a gift, called simply The Power by the Lakota, enabling her to experience far more than just cold facts about long-past history.
This gift allows her to live it.
When she is hurled back in time to the Massacre at Wounded Knee in December, 1890, the magic of the sacred Black Hills and the splendid moonscape-like terrain of the Badlands feel agonizingly familiar to her. She recognizes and touches her ancestors as they fight for their lives. She feels their hunger, their cold, their torment, their terror. She walks with them from a period more than a hundred years in the past, to a more recent era equally bloody, to the culturally and financially impoverished reality that many reservation Indians remain in today.
Although Sierra is unsettled by the Power and the effect it has on her life, she soon realizes that the Lakota aren’t shocked by it because she isn’t the first person in her family to experience it. Instead, it has been passed down to her through the women in her bloodline. As part of her personal heritage, she is able to connect with the past so completely that she becomes a part of history—witnessing how history lives, breathes, and continues to have an impact on people and their environment hundreds of years later.
As Sierra struggles to deal with what’s happening to her, she’s also struggling with the fact that Hunter is slipping back into his former place in her life. Their passion for one another hasn’t died during their years apart, but Sierra can’t give in to it. She remembers too acutely the pain of losing him twelve years earlier, and the thought of losing him again is more than she can bear. Yet Hunter’s love for her is unwavering. He knows that she’s frightened, although she refuses to tell him why, and he also knows that one day she will need him again. He’s determined to be there when that happens—as he hadn’t been before.
As Sierra grows closer to the Winterhawk family and their many friends on the reservation, she comes to love their culture…her culture. She comes to understand that while they’re a warm and fun-loving people in spite of their difficult circumstances, their immense strength comes from their spirituality and traditions—what Nathan Winterhawk calls The Old Ways. It is Nathan’s battle to bring these ancient customs back to the reservation that ultimately puts Sierra on a collision course with a powerful white man who has made his fortune exploiting the history and political weakness of the Lakota people.
So it is that as Sierra passes through these intertwined realities, a century apart, she learns secrets powerful enough to bring a dangerous sociopath to his knees, long-denied justice to her family, and hope to a troubled land. And because the only man she has ever loved never leaves her side as she walks this difficult path, Sierra realizes that she should never have allowed the pain of their past to alter the fresh promise of their future.
Wow! This must have a wonderful backstory. The history of the Native American Indian has always fascinated me. It seems that history may turn on itself. Can’t wait to read.
Rosetta has given me the chance to find out a little bit of her own backstory and I’m thrilled to be able to share this author interview with you:
Where did you grow up?
I’m a military brat, so I grew up everywhere. But my dad finally retired in San Antonio when I was 13 and I’ve lived here ever since.
Please give a little background – high school, college, what degree, etc
I went to Holmes High School here in SA and spent a year at Sam Houston State in Huntsville studying English and history, then dropped out to get married. We had our daughter within a year and she became my full-time job. I was so lucky to be able to stay at home with her.
Family background – married? children, grandchildren?
I’ve been married for 49 years to my high school sweetheart, Kevin. We have one daughter and two terrific grandkids.
Have you always been a writer?
Now, that’s an interesting question. I’ve always written down stories and I’ve journaled for years, but I never thought about doing it for a living until I was about 26 years old. Then, after a traumatic crisis hit my family, I started writing and sold my first article to McCall’s. I took courses with Writers Digest in article writing, novel writing, and advanced novel writing because it was the perfect way to learn while staying at home with my daughter, who really needed me at that time. I also developed student-mentor relationships with my instructors, which was worth its weight in gold. The more I got into it, the more I knew that writing was what I had to do and I never looked back.
What led to you writing a book?
Nothing in particular really led me to writing a book. I just had an idea and decided to run with it. My goal for that book (which wasn’t very good, of course) was just to finish it. I did that, and then I put it away. (I’d still like to re-write it.) I wrote another book – an historical novel – and got my first agent with it, but nothing happened. Looking back on it, it’s a God Wink that nothing came of it because I learned so much from my agent, who was a wonderful man. Every move I’ve ever made as a writer – freelancing, collaborating, editing, ghostwriting, running publications – has come about because I was given an opportunity and I took it. I’ve been really blessed.
Where’d the idea for this book come from?
That’s a novel in itself! Lol. As background, let me say first that I’m no psychic. I’m not a visionary or a clairvoyant. I’m not even sure I believe in ghosts, though I’m open to that possibility, I guess. But I do have some kind of empathic ability that can come over me seemingly without warning or purpose, and it always revolves around an historical occurrence at a location – sometimes well-known, sometimes not. This has happened to me several times since I was about 8 years old.
Anyway, my husband and I took a trip to South Dakota in 2000 because we were very interested in the scenery, the history, and the Lakota Sioux Indians. While we were visiting Wounded Knee on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, I had an empathic experience at the location of the Massacre of Wounded Knee that was so vivid I was terrified. That same thing happened several times as we toured the state, and by the time we got home, the book Whispers Through Time was nearly fleshed out. But I was too involved in other projects and responsibilities to sit down and write it until 2017. I found my wonderful agent, Susan Perlman-Cohen of Pearlco Literary agency, a couple of years later through my best friend, who is also a writer, and signed with The Wild Rose Press on New Year’s Day, 2021. So, it’s been a long time coming!
What do you like about your main characters?
Sierra Masters and Hunter Davenport, the two main characters, have a long history together, but they’re thrown back together at Hunter’s insistence and against Sierra’s will. Although I plotted this story, they took over and there were times I actually felt I was running to keep up with them. They’re both very strong characters, but they’re far from perfect. I like that. They’re very human and flawed. I didn’t conceive of Whispers Through Time as a series when I first began writing it, but by the time I was finished, I knew they owned it and I had to keep writing. So I’m working on the second book now and it’ll be called An Unforgiving Wind, set once more in South Dakota.
Do you have an affinity for any of your characters? Which one(s) and why?
Actually, I have an affinity for all of them – male and female. But I think the secondary lead, Skye Parker, may be my favorite. She’s part-Comanche, an artist/wildlife photographer, and I modeled her after one of my dearest friends who passed on several years ago. She was part Blackfeet Indian and ran a wolf/wolfdog sanctuary in east Texas. I met her when I was writing an article about her for Ageless Times in the late ‘90s, and she just took up permanent residence in my soul. When I started building characters for Whispers Through Time, I knew she was going to be Skye. Unfortunately, she won’t appear much in An Unforgiving Wind, but she’ll have a huge role in the third book.
The other character I treasure is Nathan Winterhawk. He’s a very gentle spirit with a great sense of humor, but, like many American Indians, he harbors a lot of anger and hostility against the U.S. government. He has a clear sense of right and wrong, understands the importance of history to the present, and his loyalty and love for his family has no boundaries. I based him on several American Indians it’s been my privilege to know.
What was your biggest challenge in completing your debut novel?
Life! Lol! Just finding enough huge blocks of time to be able to focus on a plot I knew was going to be complex. And I really didn’t find that time until I just demanded that everybody give it to me. I hope that makes sense. For years I studied everything I could about American Indians – current situations as well as past – and one day I just knew I had to start writing it and keep on until it was finished. So that’s what I did.
Was it difficult to find a publisher?
I don’t think finding a publisher is ever easy. You just have to believe in yourself and be determined to overcome the self-doubt that always strikes when your work is rejected, and keep sending it out. Whispers Through Time was submitted to several publishers before it found a home, but I’d been in the writing field long enough to know that it was just par for the course. You can’t take it personally or you’ll be crushed.
Did you find the process of getting to publication challenging in any way?
The marketing is the hard part. Social media and technology are more draining than writing a book. But preparing the manuscript for actual publication was fun. I loved working with my editor. We had three sets of editing to do, and every set made the book better. Tighter. She was fabulous. Re-writing is something I don’t mind doing, especially when I can see – and feel – the difference. So, the actual process was fun.
Are you looking forward to promoting your book? Where can readers meet you (any signings or PR events locally)?
I’ve actually been promoting Whispers Through Time through social media since I received my release date, but I’m still learning. The Covid-19 restrictions were terrible when Whispers first came out in 2021, so most of my promotion had to be done online. Then I caught Covid and nearly died, so I wasn’t able to do much marketing until just a few months ago. At this point, we’re just trying to get the word out.
My Facebook page is at www.Facebook.com/RosettaDianeAuthor. You can order Whispers Through Time from Amazon and many other outlets.
Do you have a new book in the works? If so, is it similar in any way to Whispers Through Time?
I’m working on AN UNFORGIVING WIND, the second book in the Whispers Through Time series. Most of the characters from Whispers Through Time will return and the story picks up where Whispers left off.
Who or what inspires you most?
Beautiful scenery anywhere in the world, and big, soaring soundtracks like the one from Dancing With Wolves or Jonathon Livingston Seagull, by Neil Diamond. Also, wonderful story-songs, like Jolene by Dolly Parton or That Summer by Garth Brooks. My creative juices never fail to respond to any of that.
Do you have any favorite authors? If so, please name a few and what you like about them/their work.
My all-time favorite author is Leon Uris, who wrote Exodus, Mila 18, Topaz, and many other fabulous novels. He’s not a particularly great technical writer (grammar, etc.), but he can tell a story and build characters better than anyone else. Another of my favorite writers is Pat Conroy, who wrote Prince of Tides and Citadel, among others. His use of language is poetic, especially his description. I read passages of his work over and over because it’s like music.
Where do you write? When?
I write best late at night in my home-office, when it’s quiet and my phone won’t bother me. I try to keep to a schedule just because my brain just seems to work better than way. But I really work all the time. Most writers do.
Do you have a “day job”? If so, what do you do?
Not anymore. But I’ve been blessed because most of my day jobs have always involved writing. I worked for an insurance company right out of high school and lasted a week. I knew right then I wasn’t going to be a 9-5 person. Lol.
What do you consider the toughest part of bringing a book “to life”?
If you’re talking about the creative process, I’d have to say the hardest part for me is creating characters that are real, flawed, and sometimes unsympathetic. It’s a natural instinct to want everyone to like our characters, but that doesn’t always make a good story. Also, making sure the dialogue fits the character and makes him/her stand apart from the others can sometimes be a trick. But then, when they finally take off and take over, that’s a thrill!
What in your life brings you the greatest joy?
So many things! My husband, my daughter, my grandchildren, my friends, my dogs… Seriously, my husband, I think. We’ve been together for so long and we’re best friends with so much in common – but we give each other a lot of space. We love to travel, and when I see San Antonio in our rearview mirror – well, that’s real joy!
Where (and when) would you go, if money were no object and the journey presents no obstacles? Why?
I’d head out west tomorrow. I’d visit Indian country, the canyonlands, the mountains, the Oregon Trail, and then take a cruise up to Alaska. I’ve been all over the Orient, but I’ve never been to Europe. I’m Norwegian, so I’d love to go to Norway – I have family in Mandal that I’ve never met and probably couldn’t even talk to. I’d love to see the US by train, from one sea to the other.
Why? Travel is my life’s blood, second only to writing. I cut my teeth on it. Most military brats have a serious wanderlust, and I’m no exception. My deepest fear is that the day will come when I can’t travel anymore, so we travel now as much as we can. I actually have a Travel Bucket List on my computer that I add to all the time. The way I’m going, I won’t have time to die until I’m about 120!
What do you do when you hit a snag in your writing process? (snack, walk, visit someone?)
Kevin and I hit the road – usually out toward west Texas – or I head out by myself toward some small town nearby. The secret to curing ‘writer’s block,’ at least for me, is to just free up the chaos in my head. I need to be able to think and talk out loud, so I have to go somewhere that I’m free to do that without worrying that someone is going to throw me into a looney bin. (My daughter would tell you that she grew up thinking everyone’s mother walked around the house, talking to herself.) I guess that’s a little sad.
THANK YOU Rosetta – I feel I know you so much better now- it’s great to know how other authors work, their lives, what makes them tick, and most of all who you are as a person, the person who writes great stories! On the note of talking to yourself – I think most authors have their imaginary friends they talk to. I certainly do! They wake me up at night pushing one another aside, telling me what to write, what to say. Sometimes, if it gets a little silly, I bump them off ;]
Sometimes the flavour of the book is found within the blurb, but I always love to dig deeper and get to know the characters a little more through an extract. Thank you Rosetta for providing this:
Excerpt:
‘As she stood there, drinking in the splendid isolation, Sierra realized she wasn’t isolated at all. Instead, she stood in the middle of an Indian camp that was deathly silent. Even though it was freezing cold, there were no fires flickering within warm tipis. These tipis were ragged and torn. Scarecrow-thin people walked by her, so close she could have touched them, so close she could smell the odors of sickness and filthy clothing, but no one looked her way. Somewhere in the distance but at the edges of the camp came the long, haunting wail of a woman. A woman tortured, heartbroken…
“Sierra, are you all right?”
Hunter’s concerned voice shattered the stillness and Sierra was overwhelmed by an aching sadness as the camp dissipated into a dark and murky fog. As soon as the sunlight returned, she took a ragged breath and reached for his hand.
Hunter intertwined his fingers with hers. “Come on, Sierra, talk to me. What’s going on?”
Sierra fought tears. She had never felt so alone in her life. There was a time when it would never have occurred to her to keep so powerful a secret from him—she had once told him everything. There was a time when his touch would have opened the floodgates to her emotions and she would have blanketed herself in his arms, seeking reassurance and refuge. But not now. She couldn’t trust him now.
Now, she was losing her mind.’
FROM WHISPERS THROUGH TIME, BY ROSETTA DIANE HOESSLI
PUBLISHED BY THE WILD ROSE PRESS
AUGUST 2021
FACEBOOK AUTHOR’S PAGE: facebook.com/RosettaDianeAuthor
Thank you to all who have read this wonderful spotlight on my new SPOTLIGHT BLOG POST
If you are interested in any of my author spotlights, check them out – also please give a shout out in the comments box I know you will get a response from them, and read my reviews on Goodreads – and if you are kind enough please check out my books:
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Meryl Brown Tobin
A delightful interview, Ronni! LB Griffin (Lynn) did a beautiful job presenting you and 'Whispers through Time' and really piquing potential readers' interest. The cover is a beauty - stunning and evocative. Who designed it? Congrats on it winning 3rd place in the July 2024 All Author Cover of the Month!