LOVE THINE ENEMY - Louise M. Gouge - Free Book

We haven't seen Louise on this blog for a long time. Welcome back, Louise. What are some of the spiritual themes you like to write about?

My favorite theme is God’s amazing grace. In all my stories, I try to bring out the eternal truth that God has completed all the work necessary for our salvation. When Jesus said on the Cross, "It is finished," He meant finished. We have only to believe in Him as the sacrifice for our sins, and we have eternal life with Him. Once we accept that salvation, we should to tap into that same grace of God to grow into the people He wants us to be. Those are the themes I love to write about. One of my favorite songs from childhood is, "I love to tell the story … of Jesus and His love." It’s a lifelong passion of mine.

A wonderful passion! What other books of yours are coming out soon?

The next book in my Revolutionary War series is The Captain’s Lady, a Love Inspired Historical due to be released in March 2010.

If you could spend an evening with one contemporary person (not a family member of yours), who would it be and why?

Oh, dear, this is a hard question. I’ve reached the point in my life where I feel a certain contentment and don’t ache to be in another place or with another person other than the ones around me. God has been so good to me. While we don’t have much materially, we do have each other. No doubt, my feelings come from my husband’s recent bout with cancer, his making it through surgery and treatment, my widowed daughter and grandchildren sharing our home, and our sons doing well in their careers. To me, this is what life is all about.

How long have you known that you wanted to be novelist?

I have always had an active imagination, creating stories very early in my childhood and writing term papers in the forms of plays and short stories. When my children were growing up, I invented bedtime stories and songs, and also wrote many church plays. Then, at the urging of a friend, I began my first novel, a contemporary romance. It was so much fun that I decided to keep writing. I’ve been writing since 1984. I sold that contemporary romance in the early 90s, and it came out in 1994. But before I tried to sell it, I went back to college and earned a creative writing degree so I wouldn’t embarrass myself when I submitted it to editors.

What can you tell authors who have been receiving only rejections from publishers?

Writing is only partly about your dreams. Book publishing is a business. Editors know what they’re looking for, what will sell, and what their publishing house needs. Since I want to sell my stories, I need to hone my writing skills and then find out what’s working in the book market these days and aim my writing in that direction.

Tell us about the featured book?

Here’s the back cover blurb. It encapsulates everything about the characters and conflicts:

The tropics of colonial Florida are far removed from America’s Revolution. Still, Rachel Folger’s loyalties remain with Boston’s patriots. Handsome plantation owner Frederick Moberly’s faithfulness to the Crown is as certain as his admiration for Rachel—but for the sake of harmony, he’ll keep his sympathies hidden. After all, the war is too far distant to truly touch them...isn’t it?

A betrayal of Rachel’s trust divides the pair, leaving Frederick to question the true meaning of faith in God and in country. Inspired by Rachel to see life, liberty, and love through His eyes, Frederick must harness his faith and courage to claim the woman he loves before war tears them apart.

Love Thine Enemy, LIH July 2009, ISBN - 13: 978-0-373-82815-9
　
Please give us the first page of the book.

Through the window of her father’s store, Rachel watched the Englishmen ride their handsome steeds up the sandy street of St. Johns Settlement. Their well-cut coats and haughty bearing – as if they owned the world – made their identities unmistakable.

"Make them pass by, Lord," she whispered, "for surely I’ll not be able to speak a Christian word to them if they come in here." She glanced over her shoulder at Papa to see if he had heard her, but he was focusing his attention on a newly-opened crate of goods.

Rachel turned back to the window. To her dismay, the two young men dismounted right in front of the store. One snapped his fingers at a small black boy and motioned for him to care for the horses.

Her dismay turned to anger. How did they know the boy could take time to do the task? Did they care that the child might be beaten by his owner if he lingered in town?
　
I love the hook. I'll have to move that book up on my to-be-read-list. How can readers find you on the Internet?

http://www.louisemgouge.com/

Thank you, Lena, for inviting me to be a guest on your blog!

And thank you, Louise, for spending this time with us. I really miss seeing you since you no longer come to this area to visit your daughter's family.

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