The Writers Alley: Behind the Scenes of Robin E. Mason's Tessa + GIVEAWAY

Today we're helping our Alley Pal Robin E. Mason celebrate the book birthday of her debut novel, Tessa! Here are some fun, behind-the-scenes facts you may not have known about this special book from the author herself. Take it away, Robin!

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The first sentence of this story came to me in July 2008 while I was taking a walk.
In June of that year, Father God had told me to go to school for my degree in Interior Design. Little did I know how valuable all.that.art.history would be to my story!
I loved art history so much I almost added it as a minor.
Tessa is set in western New York State. Why, I’ve no clue, except it’s what the story demanded. I have never been there.
I Googled maps of the area and situated the town of Sunset Valley north of Salamanca and Allegheny State Park. The town of Kcynia was so named for the Polish immigrant ancestry, and was located west of Sunset Valley at Mayville on the north end of Chautauqua Lake.
I wrote Tessa without regard to—truly in ignorance of—genre, Christian Fiction or otherwise.
A sequel hadn’t occurred to me as I wrote her story. It was only when asked that I found two specific spots that pointed directly to the second book. And the series was born, the name of which just happened to be in the blurb.
I thought for the longest time that, because I didn’t plot and outline, I was doing it wrong! Only when I began to tap into this amazing industry did I learn there are others like me and we have a name—Pantzers!
I type by touch, sometimes with my eyes closed, and in the scene when (*no spoilers*) dies, I was so IN the scene I nearly hyperventilated!
One of the characters is a behinds-the-scenes prayer warrior. I had no clue when I first met (wrote) this person, and was delighted to make the discovery about 2/3 of the way through the story!

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ABOUT THE BOOK

One mother. Two daughters. One favorite. One not.

When Cassie Barclay is presented with an opportunity – or is it a curse – she jumps at the chance. She takes on a new life, her sister’s life, and although at first, it holds appeal and promise, she soon realizes sometimes the fairy tale is tainted.

Assuming the name of Tessa, Cassie moves into the life that was her sister’s, and faces first one realization then another, one disappointment after another. Stepping into Connie’s life does not automatically grant her all that Connie had or was. But it does deny all that she had and was as Cassie. As herself.

Just when she believes her life is on an even keel, something comes along to ripple the waters and remind her of her secret. Until the day she gets a phone call that rips her world apart. Who is the mysterious caller? And who knows her secret?

Tessa is now available on Amazon!