Please introduce yourself and your book(s)
My name is J’nell Ciesielski and I’m a bestselling historical romance author. I live in Virginia with my husband, daughter, and our very lazy but equally adorable beagle, Daisy. My novels are set during the Great War and WWII and feature characters finding out who they truly are when put to the ultimate test. With themes such as loyalty, honor, and sacrifice coloring the pages, it is love that binds these stories together and ties them up with a happily ever after.Â
Tell us about the characters and relationships in your stories
I love stories about love. May it be passionate, sweet, yearning, at first sight, enemies to lovers, unrequited, or star crossed, give me all the romance! But romances aren’t nearly that breathtaking with two perfectly adorable characters.
My books feature stubborn, hard-headed, and clever women who are forced to sit up and take notice of the equally stubborn and occasionally charming men who come barging into their worlds. Romance may not be the first or even second thing on their minds at first introduction, but as they break down barriers and struggle together to survive the drama of war, what began as a battle of differences becomes a bond forged of trust and love.
What lessons could readers learn about real-world relationships from your novel(s)?
In the real world we’re often led to believe that if a person doesn’t look/sound/act/think like us then there is no way we can find common ground and it’s best to not even try. My novels feature a chauffeur’s daughter and army captain, a socialite and a bartender, and a princess and a surgeon. All different walks of life with unique views on how the world turns, but it is only by truly listening to one another and trying to see things through the other’s perspective that they are able to push past the boundaries and focus on the love and similarities drawing them together.
What real-life relationship experiences, observations or insights have influenced your writing?
I’m fortunate to have a husband that loves me unconditionally and supports me with understanding and patience. We don’t always see eye to eye and we come from different upbringings, but we see each day as the chance to make things better together. To keep trying no matter how hard things get because we are committed to one another. Those are the key parts to a relationship that I want to weave into each of my stories.
Are there any relationship themes or topics you want to cover in future releases?
So many! And the more challenging the better! Right now I’m brainstorming a couple who married in throes of post war celebration but quickly separated once daylight and sobriety dawned. I want to know what it will take to rekindle that romance and bring them back together.