Bestselling author with a passion for heart-stopping adventure and sweeping love stories, J’nell Ciesielski weaves fresh takes into romances of times gone by. When not creating dashing heroes and daring heroines, she can be found dreaming of Scotland, indulging in chocolate of any kind, or watching old black-and-white movies. She is a Florida native who now lives in Virginia with her husband, daughter, and lazy beagle.
In this interview, J’nell talks with us about her latest book, To Free the Stars.
FF: What inspired the story in your book?
This story began after watching too many hours of the Captain America Marvel movies when suddenly the question popped unbidden into my head what would happen if the Winter Soldier fell in love? Of course, this story isn’t just about the deadliest assassin imaginable falling in love with the only woman who can match him. It’s not even about secret societies, occults, or globe-trotting spies. At its heart, Jack and Ivy’s story is about two people falling in love and doing whatever it takes to keep that love. I wanted to know how far a person would go to save their loved one from total destruction.
FF: What can you tell us about the main characters in your book?
They’re reckless yet cautious. Passionate yet determined. Their trust is hard to gain, but once achieved they’re fiercely loyal to the end. That about sums up Jack and Ivy in a nutshell. To delve into the nuances—Jack is a natural leader. His confidence draws everyone around him, and he will do whatever it takes to succeed in the mission and keep his team safe. Ivy has a tendency to wear her heart on her sleeve, and when she loves it’s with her whole being. They challenge and respect one another and share a bond that is tested in every way but never broken.
FF: Which character surprised you the most?
It’s always the secondary characters that steal my heart and the scene. Victor codename Victory, waltzed onto the page and refused to be shook off. He was going to be a mere walk on, but he ended up sticking around for a good laugh and to poke holes in all the seriousness involving spy business. Not to mention, he’s quite the romantic when you least expect it.
FF: Why do you think storytelling is such a powerful way to share truth?
People don’t often like to be smacked between the eyes with the harsh truth. Storytelling allows the blow to be softened. It pulls the reader in, spins a world around them, and allows them to view situations from unique angles that they otherwise might not have considered out in the real world.
FF: What can you tell us about your next book?
The Jack and Ivy novels are quite heavy so after I finished writing them, I needed something lighter and carefree. My next novel is about a separated husband and wife who are also competing jewel thieves and is set at the beginning of the Jazz Age as they romp across Europe in search of the same jewel.
FF: How do you get into the right frame of mind to write for your genre/audience?
I took spy training of course! Just kidding. But if I did, you’d never know because it would be top secret. I did, however, have the Captain America movies on repeat since that was where my inspiration came from. There were certain moments in the movies that I really wanted to capture, especially the ones with Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier struggling to rediscover who he truly was. At the end of the day, I wanted to write a story that would excite me by leading me on this wild adventure and I hope that my audience would tag along for the ride.
FF: What do you want readers to take away after reading your book?
To Free the Stars is above all a love story. Certainly, there is action and adventure, suspense and ancient lore, but that is all a mere backdrop to what a man and woman will do for the love burning between them. Their love at first sight is sweet, their vows of marriage admirable, but it is the struggles afterward in overcoming loss, anger, and post-traumatic stress that forges their relationship stronger than it ever could have been. Only through unwavering commitment, forgiveness, and patience can they hope to rebuild the brokenness between them which is a lesson that rings true for readers of today.
FF: What are the biggest challenges for you as an author writing in your specific genre?
To find something that hasn’t been told a hundred times before, haha. There are so many good historical fiction books out there, and so many of them cover the same era or same topic and I always want to find a unique hook that hasn’t been talked about before, or at least not very much. Don’t get me wrong, I love me some spy stories, but what about the female ambulance drivers on front during the Great War? What about the Tin Noses Shop? Or what happened to the Russian white emigres? There are thousands upon thousands of untold stories and happenings throughout history and they need to be recognized.
FF: What authors or books have inspired you as an author?
Gilbert Morris and Kathleen Morgan were the two authors who inspired me to start writing years ago because they opened a whole world of adventure and romance. I still have them on my shelf, but I’ve also added Stephanie Dray, Amor Towles, and Deanna Raybourn. I love the type of stories Stephanie tells; she really knows how to bring humanity to historical people. Amor has an incredible gift with words, the way he spins them is like magic. And Deanna, well, no one does cheeky better than her.
FF: How has your faith or world view impacted the way you tell stories?
All of my stories have themes about love, forgiveness, loyalty, honor, and good triumphing over evil. These are things that we as humans struggle with all the time and it’s important to portray them in all their messiness within stories and to see that through perseverance good will always prevail. As a Christian, this is my deepest held belief and so I try to infuse my stories with my own beliefs and morals but in a more subtle way than copying Scripture onto every page. Through Scripture we are commanded to be a light in a dark world and so my goal is to tell stories that not only fellow Christians will read, but unbelievers as well. I want to tell stories that are accessible to all yet brimming with the truths of forgiveness, loyalty, compassion, and redemption. My highest hope is that a person who has never stepped foot in a church and wouldn’t touch the Bible with a ten-foot pole might pick up one of my books and still receive Christ’s message of love without feeling like they’re being judged or given a sermon—that’s my prayer anyway.
To Free the Stars
A Jack and Ivy Novel Series #2
J’nell Ciesielski
Thomas Nelson
Genres: Historical Romance, Action/Adventure
Release Date: August 8, 2023
ISBN-10: 078524848X
ISBN-13: 978-0785248484
Book Summary:
Ten years have passed since Jack and Ivy, elite operatives for the secret agency Talon, rescued their friend Philip and completed their fateful mission. The 1920s are in full swing as American speakeasies thrive amid Prohibition, and despite the team’s best efforts, the deadly cult, the Order of the Rising Moon, lives on in the shadows. Which is no surprise to Ivy; nothing has gone as she expected since that day after Poenari Castle.
When a wave of assassinations strikes world leaders, intel confirms the Order’s involvement. Ivy holds them responsible for the tragedy that changed her life, and she is determined to find and destroy the villains once and for all—but she must do so before their relentless assassin eliminates his next target. Her.
Except, there’s something oddly familiar about the way he moves, the way he anticipates each of her moves. It’s as if he knows her. But that’s not possible. Is it? Ivy will have to rely on every skill she’s learned if she hopes to survive—and save those she loves. No matter the cost.
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