Blog Tour: Roman and Jewel by Dana L. Davis (Interview!)

Happy Saturday and welcome to my stop on the blog tour for ROMAN AND JEWEL by Dana L. Davis! Today I am very excited because you can read my interview with Dana, plus I have a pretty bookstagram picture of the book to share with you! Don’t forget to follow along with the rest of the tour and learn more about the book and author too!

Roman and Jewel by Dana L. Davis
Published on January 5, 2021 by Inkyard Press
Genres: YA, Contemporary, Retellings
Pages: 336
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If Romeo and Juliet got the Hamilton treatment...who would play the leads? This vividly funny, honest, and charming romantic novel by Dana L. Davis is the story of a girl who thinks she has what it takes...and the world thinks so, too.
Jerzie Jhames will do anything to land the lead role in Broadway's hottest new show, Roman and Jewel, a Romeo and Juliet inspired hip-hopera featuring a diverse cast and modern twists on the play. But her hopes are crushed when she learns mega-star Cinny won the lead...and Jerzie is her understudy.
Falling for male lead Zeppelin Reid is a terrible idea--especially once Jerzie learns Cinny wants him for herself. Star-crossed love always ends badly. But when a video of Jerzie and Zepp practicing goes viral and the entire world weighs in on who should play Jewel, Jerzie learns that while the price of fame is high, friendship, family, and love are priceless.

If you could trade lives with any character for a day, who would it be and why? What about a week? A month, year, or forever?

I love chocolate and candy so I’m pretty sure I’d trade lives with Charlie and enjoy a nice, long tour of Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory. I’d try not to get in the way of all the terrible kids making bad choices and bide my time until I won the whole prize. Then I’d stay for at least a week! Just eating all the candy I could ever dream of!

What would you do if you spent the day with Zepp and Jerzie? Where would you go to eat, hang out, relax, etc.?

Um…Zepp and Jerzie are in a Broadway show. So I’d totally have them sneak me in backstage! I’d watch them rehearse and see if they could get me comp tickets to the show.

If Zepp and Jerzie were to hang out with characters from other books, who would they be and why?

They would definitely hang out in other Shakespeare retellings or maybe a soapy love story! Always Never Yours by Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka. Want by Cindy Pon and most definitely The first book in the Bridgertons, The Duke and I. I think they’d try to get everyone to relax and act sensible. Especially Jerzie!

What was your favorite bit of research you ended up not using?

I visited Central Station in New York City as I imagined a really cool scene there and wanted to experience it to be able to write about it authentically. But alas…the scene did not end up making the final cut.

What is your favorite quote, scene, or moment from Roman and Jewel?

One of my favorite scenes is the scene with Jerzie and her best friend, Riley where Jerzie explains why Broadway means so much to her and they listen to the song “Maybe This Time” from Cabaret. It’s so cool to me when you finally get to understand what makes something mean something to a character.

What books would you recommend to Jerzie and Zepp?

Hmm. Maybe stories about love! Can’t pass up Summer Days and Summer Nights: Twelve Love Stories. And if that’s not enough for them they can check out Opposite of Always by Justin A. Reynolds. If they’re still hungry for more… Pride: A Pride and Prejudice Remix by Ibi Zoboi. 

Dana L. Davis is a novelist and Hollywood actress with previous series regular roles as: Carmen Phillips on TNT’s Franklin and Bash and modern day mimic Monica Dawson on NBC’s cult series Heroes.

She currently stars on the animated series Star Vs. the Forces of Evil, Craig of the Creek, and She-Ra. Dana has guest-starred in over 20 prestigious primetime series, including 911, Scorpion, Code Black, Grey’s Anatomy, and CSI. She made her film debut in Coach Carter with Samuel Jackson.

In addition to her work on screen, Dana has become a motivational speaker for teens. Her stirring assemblies empower and encourage youth, helping them to redefine what it means to win and lose.

Extremely versatile, Dana is a screenwriter and a trained Violist with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Music from Loyola Marymount University. She volunteers for nonprofits like Empowering Lives International, an organization which provides training, resources, and encouragement to underprivileged East African children.

Dana also created her own nonprofit organization Culture For Kids, LA, an organization which gifts inner city children tickets and transportation to see performing arts shows around the Los Angeles area.

Dana was raised in the Midwest and currently resides in Los Angeles with her 9-year-old daughter.

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What story (fictional or not!) do you want to see get the “Hamilton Treatment”? Let me know in the comments and have a splendiferous day!