TRIAL BY FIRE - Cara Putman - Free Book

I'm really happy to welcome Cara back to my blog. What are some of the spiritual themes you like to write about?

Now that I’ve written eight novels, I guess the theme would be that God sees us and cares about our day to day lives. In Sandhill Dreams that took the shape of the heroine coming to accept that God would never leave her or forsake her no matter what her circumstances. In Canteen Dreams, the theme centered around the idea of laying down our lives for others and sometimes that doesn’t mean being willing to actually die but serve in the way placed in front of us. In Trial by Fire, it involved the idea of seeking justice and mercy as God commands, when our human instinct is to want revenge.

What other books of yours are coming out soon?

In addition to Trial by Fire, which releases this week, A Promise Born is going on wide release later this fall and Cornhusker Dreams releases in November. A Promise Born is the first book in my Ohio World War Two series for Heartsong Presents. And Cornhusker Dreams is the repackaging of my three Nebraska World War Two novels: Canteen Dreams, Sandhill Dreams, and Captive Dreams. You can learn more about all of my books at www.caraputman.com .

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

Wow! That’s a great question, Lena. I think I would choose Margaret Thatcher. I have admired her for a long time. A woman who broke stereotypes, but did it with grace. And a woman who changed the dynamics of the world in a positive way. I know there is much I could learn from a woman like her.

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

I started writing in third grade – still have that journal. But I don’t think I knew I wanted to write books until I was about 14. I started writing novelists then asking them what it took to write books. I have letters that my mom collected into a scrapbook for me from authors like Janette Oke, Sandy Dengler, Michael Phillips, Frank Peretti and more. It was so fun to look through those letters a couple Christmases ago when my mother gave me the scrapbook. To see the eagerness to learn from the writers that I respected – and their willingness to correspond with me! The thrill came when my sister tracked down Sandy Dengler and connected us again after all these years. I was horrified to realize that Sandy had actually read some of my teenage writings, but so thrilled to be able to send her a copy of my first book and let her know how her kindness to me back then encouraged me to keep the dream. Wow, sorry for that long answer. It just makes me realize how God has blessed me with mentors from the inception of this dream.

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

Hand your dream to God and ask Him what He wants you to do. I have been blessed to receive many acceptance letters from houses, but they have been mixed with “this isn’t quite right for us at this time” letters, too. Ask God whether to continue to pursue the dream. If He says yes, then get back in that chair and write. Many of the published authors are the ones who persevere and work for years. So find another craft book, hunt through the rejection for any hints on what to work on, and keep writing.

Tell us about the featured book?

Trial by Fire is my next book for Love Inspired Suspense. It is a loose sequel to Deadly Exposure, but you don’t need to have read the first to enjoy the second.

Here’s the blurb: Her mother's house was first. Then her brother's. County prosecutor Tricia Jamison is sure she's next on the arsonist's list. But who is after her family? And why does every fire throw her in Noah Brust's path?



Noah can't forgive Tricia. Her failure to protect him on the stand the previous year meant his father's reputation was ruined. Yet every time the firefighter is near her, he's drawn to her again. The vulnerability she hides under her confident veneer surprises and moves him. Torn between Tricia's safety and his own bitterness, Noah belatedly remembers the first rule of firefighting: don't get burned.

Please give us the first page of the book.

Another broken fairy tale sat on her desk.

The phone ringing on her desk pulled deputy county attorney Tricia Jamison from her work. She glanced at her watch. The afternoon had evaporated while she flipped through new case files and absorbed the dashed hopes each one represented. She’d taken the job as deputy county attorney because she’d wanted to help people. But each time another domestic violence case crossed her desk it was hard not to grow discouraged. Too many times the hope of fairy tales and happily-ever-afters had gone horribly wrong. She shook her head and grabbed the phone.

“Tricia Jamison, deputy prosecutor.”

“Trish, this is Caleb. There’s a fire at Mom’s.” Her brother’s voice had an edge of tension she hadn’t heard in awhile. As a police investigator, he usually kept his emotions tightly controlled. He hadn’t sounded so rattled since last year when a stalker set his sights on Caleb’s girlfriend Dani Richards.

Her breath caught in her chest as she shut the file on her desk. “How bad?”

“Don’t know. I heard it on my scanner before Mom called.”

“I’ll leave now.” Her jaw clenched. Images of flames lapping at her mother’s home raced through her mind. The home encapsulated so many memories, both good and bad.

How can readers find you on the Internet?

They can find me at my website: http://www.caraputman.com/;
at my blog http://carasmusings.blogspot.com/;
or at facebook: www.facebook.com/caraputman.

Thanks so much for having me, Lena. It’s always a pleasure to stop by and visit with you and your readers.

And we love having you, Cara.

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