Last week I wrote a little about my character, Jessamine, in my Shaker book, The Gifted. I promised to share an interview I did “with” her when the book released. I enjoy doing character interviews. I need to do two of them for characters from my upcoming release, The Song of Sourwood Mountain. Maybe that’s why I thought of sharing this one. It was fun getting in Jessamine’s head to see how she might answer the interview questions. As we are all very different people with different ways of thinking, so are characters in books. That’s what makes us love the characters who come to life for us when we’re reading. I hope if you read The Gifted or if you think you might read the story, that you will feel that way about Jessamine.
Meet Jessamine Brady from The Gifted.
1. Jessamine Brady, tell me the most interesting thing about you.
Oh, definitely my curiosity, the desire to know about things. My granny liked the way I was always ready to wonder, but after she died and I went to live with the Shakers, my curiosity kept getting me in trouble with the sisters there. Discipline and obedience were more important than wondering about things of the world that might cause me to stray from the proper Shaker way. But how can one stop wondering when there is so much to wonder about in this world?
2. What do you do for fun?
I do so enjoy walking in the woods where I can be among the trees and perhaps throw off my shoes and wade in a creek. It’s a place of beauty with the birds singing over my head, flowers lining my paths and pretty rocks shining in the sunshine. It makes me want to sing or even better, write a story about the squirrel peeking down at me from a tree limb over my head or the butterflies floating along on the breeze.
3. What do you put off doing because you dread it?
Ironing. I hate ironing. The irons have to be heated on the stove and the room gets so hot while one is trying to press out all the wrinkles in a pile of laundry. I can’t help but wonder what is so bad about wrinkles. I asked Sister Sophrena that once and she told me neatness and order were very important and that such could not be had by a sister wearing a wrinkled dress or apron. But I suppose some other Shakers agreed with me about the ironing since they made a cloth that could be washed and then would dry smooth without a thousand wrinkles. If I had the say, everything would be made from such fabric and all the irons used for doorstops.
4. What are you afraid of most in life?
When I was a little child, I was afraid of storms. The noise of the thunder and the lightning streaking down through the sky made me cower behind my granny’s skirts. But then she helped me see the majesty of the storm. Now I more fear the storms of life that can catch one unaware. People leaving by choice or by fate. So sometimes I fear the unknown, but I do know the Lord walks beside me and is ever ready to reach out a hand to help steady me on my path of life. So fears, though they come, do not paralyze me. I walk on with the good Lord’s help to face whatever awaits around the next corner.
5. What do you want out of life?
I want to embrace the life the Lord has given me. I want to love and be loved. I want to write down stories and sing to children. I want to be free to be me.
6. What is the most important thing to you?
The Lord living in my heart, of course. But beyond that, it would have to be the gift of love. Oh, and I must confess how fun it is when stories bubble up inside me from nowhere. The Lord has given me many gifts and for each of them I am thankful.
7. Do you read? If so, what is your favorite type of book to read?
I love to read. The very feel of a book in my hands makes me happy. With the Shakers, I am only allowed to read the Bible or books of Mother Ann’s life and teachings and my school books. I do so miss books of imagination. That’s the kind I most want to read. Books that tell stories, and while they may not be true, nevertheless the words ring true in my heart. The Shakers do not have that kind of books in their village. Maybe that’s why I keep making up stories of my own.
8. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
Only one thing? I have many things about myself that could be changed for the better. Just ask Sister Sophrena. I’m sure she could come up with a long list! But you did say one thing. I would not be so impulsive. I would think before I leaped so that perhaps I wouldn’t continually find myself in a quagmire of troublesome problems.
9. Do you have a pet? If so, what is it and why that pet?
My granny didn’t think a person should own another animal but only befriend them. The Shakers don’t allow pets for even the animals that live among the Shakers must have a useful purpose. They think pets do not. But I would love to have a dog that’s sole purpose would be to make my days happier because of it loved me and I loved it.
10. If you could travel back in time, where would you go and why?
What an exciting thing to imagine! I would travel back to the time when my father met my mother. I would hide in among the fragrant yellow jessamine flowers in the South Carolina garden where he proposed to her and I would witness their love firsthand.
Did you enjoy meeting Jessamine in her own words?
You can check out more about Jessamine’s story in The Gifted. For fun, if you leave a comment, I’ll throw your name in my giveaway hat for a copy of The Gifted. This will be another fast one with a deadline of February 6, 2024 at midnight EST. Remember, you must be at least 18 years old to enter. The prize will be The Gifted. If you’ve already read it, remember autographed books make great gifts.
Comments 37
This interview was very interesting. I have always wondered what the Shakers were like, and it seems, although their life is regimented, that they are really like us, wanting things, but know they have to remain faithful as a Shaker. I can admire that.
Author
The Shaker villages all died out years ago except for a village in Maine where there are 2 Shakers supported by a large Friends organization, Eileen. The Shakers had a very different outlook on how to live, for sure.
I’ve not read this one yet, but it really sounds like an interesting one with Jessamine’s imagination.
Author
Jessamine’s imagination and curiosity about her father really give her problems with her Shaker sisters, Connie.
Author
Diana, Dana, Devoted to Hope, I’m so glad you all thought Jessamine’s interview was fun. Thanks for dropping by.
Devoted to Hope, maybe I’ll share some other interviews my characters have given when their stories were published. I love letting them do their own talking.
I enjoyed reading your interview with Jessimine. I agree about dogs for pets they are great friends.
Author
I’m glad you enjoyed meeting Jessamine in the interview, Brenda. Dogs do make really good furry friends.
I really enjoyed reading this interview! I agree about the ironing! It’s one thing that I try to pass on to my husband if it really needs to be done! Thanks for an opportunity to win!
Author
My husband always claimed he was great at ironing shirts, but he didn’t seem to want to stay in practice after we married. 🙂
I’m glad you enjoyed Jessamine’s interview, Jeanette. Thanks for stopping by.
I love this interview with Jessamine. She is a spunky one. I can only imagine how she’d like to go back in time & see her Mom & Dads courtship. I also love like her the FEEL of a book in my hands (vs kindle in todays tech ways). I enjoy books about the shakers so much. A bit legalistic to me but still like reading about them. . Would love to win!! Thanks for the interview!!
Author
Well, Jessamine would have no knowledge of reading a book any other way, Linda. 🙂 But I, the same as you, enjoy that book in hand although I do read on my Kindle too. I’m glad you’ve enjoyed the stories set in my fictional Shaker village. They were a very different people trying to live in a way that goes against nature for most people. I’m very happy that you enjoyed her interview.
I enjoyed reading the interview with Jessamine and found it interesting. I read The Gifted a while back but I now want to read it again after reading this interview as it just adds to her character. Thank you for this insightful post.
Author
It’s always a nice compliment when a reader goes back to read one of my books again. Thank you for that, Becky. I’m glad you enjoyed meeting Jessamine anew in her interview.
Thank you for sharing I Loved this post and would love to read The Gifted! Have a Blessed Day.
Author
Great, Sarah. So glad you enjoyed getting to know Jessamine. Maybe you will be the lucky winner of her book.
Thank you for this, Ann. It’s wonderful. I have read The Gift
and so enjoyed the interview with Jessamine. I felt her
spirit of hope in it and especially loved her total embrace of life. One
can only imagine the challenges of ironing in those days. I do like to iron –
but in small batches – to smell the freshness and renew my clothes.
Author
Ironing can give a crispness to those clothes, Mary. We used to have to sprinkle the clothes and then put them in a plastic bag. You couldn’t put off ironing then. You had to get it done. But having to heat those irons on the stove had to make ironing much more difficult.
Glad you liked Jessamine’s interview. Happier that you have read her story, The Gifted.
I loved learning about Jessamine! It was very interesting! I would really like to read more about her in The Gifted.
Author
Maybe you will be the lucky winner of the giveaway, Mary. If not, you can still find the book online at many booksellers. There is more information about that on my website.
I think I’m on my last Shaker Book. I’ve really enjoyed each one. I hated history in school. Now, at age 70, I’m getting to learn history in a wonderful way. You are so gifted! (Get the pun?)
Author
I do get the pun, Evelyn. Made me smile. I’m smiling even more that you are enjoying the history I’m threading into my stories. I never cared for history in school either, but it’s been fun learning about history that I can wrap a story around. Thank you for reading my books.
I’m so happy to read this post. I was fairly sure there was a Shaker book you’d written but I haven’t read yet. And now I know it’s The Gifted. Jasssamine sounds like a fun character so I’m looking forward to reading this story. I’m right there with her on ironing. I hate to iron. I avoid it at all costs, but sometimes I have to if the fabric is too wrinkled to sew into a little dress.
Have a great week everyone! 🙂
Author
I’m amazed that you don’t have to iron all the time, Lavon, since you are a seamstress. But good for you making those cute clothes without the ironing chore.
I hope you’ll enjoy reading the rest of Jessamine’s story. That’s where I introduced Sister Sophrena as the Shaker journalist and Jessamine’s Shaker guide. Then I share more of Sister Sophrena’s story in the Shaker Christmas book, Christmas at Harmony Hill. Sister Sophrena is the only character I’ve ever carried over who has a big part in the story. I sometimes sneak in a mention of this or that character, but the others are just a fun mention to let dedicated Shaker book readers know what might have happened to some of the characters.
I enjoyed reading it for the 2nd time. I liked the bit about not liking to iron and their invention of wrinkle free material as today I think there are less people ironing as a matter of preference. Thanks for the posts.
Author
So, does that mean you read it when it was originally published back when The Gifted was first released, Barbara? If so, you have a good memory. I didn’t remember much about it and I’m sure I read it several times. 🙂
And I’m very sure that fewer people iron now than back when. I know I don’t do much ironing when I used to have to iron almost everything back when I first married. I hated ironing my husband’s pants. Now we go with the perma-press.
Interesting…really love her answer about traveling back in time! Fascinating answer.
Author
She did have a great curiosity about her father, Rachael. She only knew what her grandmother told her until… Well, you have to read the story to find out about that.
This is fantastic!!!! I love this!!!!! Now I want to read all character interviews!
This is fantastic!!!! I love this!!!!!
I loved the book and I loved the interview. You certainly brought her to life once again!
Author
That was true for me too, Pamela. I’ve had a lot of other characters fill my head since Jessamine, but reading this made me remember what a sweet character she was. I mean that early scene where she brings a wounded man back to the Shaker village on his horse. Hmm, not exactly what the Shaker sisters were supposed to do.
Yes! I loved the interview.
I loved this chat with Jessamine . I had to Google your mention of the wrinkle-free cloth. I didn’t know that Shakers invented material that would dry wrinkle free!
Author
I had forgotten about the cloth too until I read Jessamine’s interview again. The Shakers aimed to make their work as easy and as perfect as they could. Wrinkle free cloth helped that out.
Thanks for an interesting post. I enjoyed reading it.