Joanna Davidson Politano returns with her fifth novel, another historical drama with overflowing with lyrical prose, mystery, and romance. Joanna juggles writing with being a wife, a mum to young children with all the busyness that entails!
Today we meet A Midnight Dance‘s leading lady, Ella – a young woman who loves to dance, but is fearful of where her talent and ability might lead.
Kimberly Duffy, author of A Mosaic of Wings and A Tapestry of Light, has this to say about the story: “Politano has written a story that is at once deeply atmospheric, yet grounded in the universal ache to belong and be loved.”
Thanks to Joanna’s publisher, Revell, we have a copy of A Midnight Dance to give away so enter below for your chance to win!
Over to you, Joanna…
As an aspiring ballerina, Ella struggles to maintain her tenuous place within the ballet company while striving to win the attention of principal dancer Philippe. But she is haunted by thoughts of the tragic story of the Ghost of Craven Street Theater. She can’t deny that her own life mirrors those of the dead ballerina.
The only way Ella can be free of this story is to find the truth of what happened while dealing with her own past. But is she dancing ever closer to the edge of her own tragic end?
Join fan-favorite Joanna Davidson Politano as she spins an evocative tale that combines the opulence of the theater with the splendor of movement and the twist of a hidden past.
Meet Ella
Physical Stats
Height: 5’6”
Hair colour & style: long, dark, and straight
Eye colour: Violet
Dress sense: Plain and modest, a sense of class rather than the
sensuality most dancers would choose
Resembles…
Audrey Hepburn
Public Domain
Can’t live without…
The beauty and symmetry of ballet, and the hope for a future there
Strengths
A passion for dancing that eclipses even her talent; training from a world-famous ballerina long thought to be dead
Vulnerabilities
Fear of heights—all sorts. Including fame and career heights.
Passions
Taking care of those she loves, and bringing a little bit of dance into everyday life—from toe strengthening at the wash house to dancing en pointe down the alley.
What book would they recommend?
The Psalms is where she finds refuge. She almost has it memorized.
Your inspiration for the character
Marie Taglioni, romantic era ballet dancer who changed ballet into the artform it is today, and my little daughter, who has a little ballet in every step she takes.
Background to the story
Connecting with my little girl, who adores ballet, has been the goal of this project, and her sweet enthusiasm has colored the story and made it so much more vivid. We’ve gone to all the live performances we can find, signed her up for classes, and I take notes on what she does best—dancing like you mean it.
Joanna’s daughter ballet dancing
Thank you for sharing Ella (and your sweet daughter!) with us, Joanna!
Joanna Davidson Politano is the award-winning author of several historical mystery novels, including her most recent, A Midnight Dance. She loves tales that capture the colorful, exquisite details in ordinary lives and is eager to hear anyone’s story. She lives with her husband and their kids in a house in the woods near Lake Michigan and you can find her at www.jdpstories.com.
I am really looking forward to this new book from Joanna! I took ballet for a couple years as a child. I loved listening to the Nutcracker Suite. I think that was the first record my parents bought for me.
I have not one ounce of rhythm, and have never taken dance lessons. Despite that, I still ‘bust a move’ every now and then much to the embarrassment of my friends and family or complete strangers who happen to catch me at a stop light. 🙂
I was able to take ballet & tap as a kid…and LOVED it. Sadly, my family could only afford it for 1 year. The rest of my childhood, I would choreograph my own dances & perform them for family. 😁😍 Thank you for sharing this new release with us. I have loved her first 4 books…and, am very much looking forward to this novel!!! 🥰📚
This is an absolutely epic story, one that will keep you guessing until the end. I loved it. My book is an ARC so I would love to have a regular paperback copy for my collection.
She is back!!! Can’t wait to read this book, even though I never took ballet lessons. Love Joanna’s writing style and the fact that this was inspired so close to home for her, will make it even more special!
Now I’m even more excited to read this book! I wish I could have taken ballet lessons when I was little! I did start learning a form of praise dance (which occasionally incorporates ballet moves) when I was about 9yo and now I sometimes teach.
RT @LynetteEason: FINAL DAYS to get Defending Honor for just $4.99 before the ebook increases to its retail price of $7.99 shortly after re…08:55:29 AM October 03, 2022
September 7, 2021 at 10:40 pm
I am really looking forward to this new book from Joanna! I took ballet for a couple years as a child. I loved listening to the Nutcracker Suite. I think that was the first record my parents bought for me.
September 7, 2021 at 11:04 pm
No, I never took any dance lessons. I wish I could’ve though. Maybe it would have helped with my coordination! 😀
September 7, 2021 at 11:25 pm
I have not one ounce of rhythm, and have never taken dance lessons. Despite that, I still ‘bust a move’ every now and then much to the embarrassment of my friends and family or complete strangers who happen to catch me at a stop light. 🙂
September 8, 2021 at 3:47 am
I never took any type of dance lessons as a child. Maybe that explains why I couldn’t dance if my life depended on it. LOL
September 8, 2021 at 4:35 am
I did not take dance lessons as a child, I have two left feet when it comes to dancing.
September 8, 2021 at 5:25 am
Sounds like a lovely book. I always wanted to take dance lessons but never did. I don’t have much rhythm so that was probably for the best.
September 8, 2021 at 6:52 am
I was able to take ballet & tap as a kid…and LOVED it. Sadly, my family could only afford it for 1 year. The rest of my childhood, I would choreograph my own dances & perform them for family. 😁😍 Thank you for sharing this new release with us. I have loved her first 4 books…and, am very much looking forward to this novel!!! 🥰📚
September 8, 2021 at 7:17 am
I never took dance lessons as a child but my sister and I took country line dance classes as adults.
September 8, 2021 at 7:37 am
I never have taken dance lessons, but this book sounds super good!!
September 8, 2021 at 8:46 am
Would love to win this book. I never took any dance classes as a child. Thanks for the giveaway!
Grace Winn
September 8, 2021 at 10:37 am
I didn’t take any dance lessons as a child but would love to win this book. I always enjoy Joanna’s books.
September 8, 2021 at 10:43 am
No dance lessons as a child.
September 8, 2021 at 1:49 pm
Dancing is not a particular interest of mine, but I LOVED this story!
September 8, 2021 at 2:28 pm
This is an absolutely epic story, one that will keep you guessing until the end. I loved it. My book is an ARC so I would love to have a regular paperback copy for my collection.
September 8, 2021 at 9:35 pm
I wish I could have taken ballet lessons but my parents didn’t think I needed to.
September 9, 2021 at 4:32 am
She is back!!! Can’t wait to read this book, even though I never took ballet lessons. Love Joanna’s writing style and the fact that this was inspired so close to home for her, will make it even more special!
September 9, 2021 at 7:30 am
I’ve never been interested in dancing … Except in reading it and then I LOVE dancing!
September 10, 2021 at 12:50 am
Now I’m even more excited to read this book! I wish I could have taken ballet lessons when I was little! I did start learning a form of praise dance (which occasionally incorporates ballet moves) when I was about 9yo and now I sometimes teach.
September 10, 2021 at 6:03 am
I can’t wait for my copy to arrive from Baker! I never took dance myself, but have two nieces who love it.
September 10, 2021 at 12:36 pm
I did! I took tap and ballet in elementary school. Look forward to reading this one.
September 12, 2021 at 12:36 am
That was a luxury my family couldn’t afford but that didn’t keep me from dancing every chance I had. 🙂