A RELUCTANT QUEEN - Joan Wolf - Free Book

To celebrate Joan Wolf’s debut Christian Fiction title, A Reluctant Queen, Joan and her publisher, Thomas Nelson, have teamed up to give away A Reluctant Queen prize package worth over $150!

One grand prize winner will receive:

* A brand new Latest Generation KINDLE with Wi-Fi and Pearl Screen

* A Reluctant Queen by Joan Wolf (for KINDLE)

To enter, just click one of the icons below. But, hurry, the contest ends on June 20th. Winner will be announced on June 21st during Joan’s A Reluctant Queen Book Club Party on Facebook (details below)! Hope to see you there – bring your friends!

Join the fun on June 21st! 

Joan will be wrapping up the blog tour and Kindle giveaway promotion during her A Reluctant Queen FACEBOOK party on her FB author page. During the party she'll announce the winner of the Kindle, host a book chat discussion, test your trivia skills (Is Esther's story in A Reluctant Queen fact or fiction?), and more. Don't miss this chance to meet the author and make some new friends!

JOAN, WELCOME TO MY BLOG. HOW MUCH OF YOURSELF DO YOU WRITE INTO YOUR CHARACTERS?

     I don’t think I write myself in at all, but my husband tells me he can hear my voice every time my heroine speaks.  So I guess there’s more of  me than I think.

THE QUIRKIEST THING I’VE EVER DONE.

     Buying a crazy horse because I liked her face.

WHEN DID YOU FIRST DISCOVER YOU WERE A WRITER?

     When I sat down to try to write my first book.  I had taught creative writing in high school for a number of years but I had no idea if I had it in me to write a novel.  So, while the baby was napping, I gave it a shot.  I not only managed to write an entire novel, but I got it published too.

THE RANGE OF BOOKS I ENJOY READING

            I only started to read Christian romances recently and I particularly like the ones that have strong female characters.  I also love to read British detective novels.  They always have such interesting characters and they’re not too bloody.

HOW DO I KEEP MY SANITY IN THIS RUN RUN RUN WORLD?

            I try to find a time each day for quiet reflection and prayer.  It helps me to focus on what is really important in life and pushes the other stuff into the background.

HOW DO I CHOOSE CHARACTERS NAMES?

            In my recent biblical romances, which are set in the distant past and in a different culture, I try to collect a list of appropriate names from the Bible and, of course, there is always Google.  Unfortunately, in Esther’s time I can’t call anyone Kimberly or Michael.

WHAT IS THE ACCOMPLISHEMENT I AM MOST PROUD OF.     

            That’s easy.  My children.  Both of them have grown into wonderful, caring adults and it doesn’t hurt that they are still devoted to their parents.

WHAT ANIMAL WOULD I CHOOSE TO BE.

            Any animal that belonged to me - a horse, a cat, a dog.  If I were any of them I know I’d be treated like a princess.

WHAT IS MY FAVORITE FOOD?

            Anything with chocolate.

MY BIGGEST WRITING ROADBLOCK AND HOW I OVERCAME IT.

             I suffered with chronic daily headache and migraines for years, but I always managed to function.  During the time I was writing my last three books (before Esther) the headaches had gotten so bad that I had to tape a piece of cardboard over my left eye because of the pain that kept stabbing behind it.  I wrote the books and they were not my best work.  I was not happy with them but they were the best I could do at the time.  Everything changed when my headaches were cured and that is when I turned to Christian publishing.

THE FEATURED BOOK: A RELUCTANT QUEEN

            In the Persian Empire of 485 B.C. the Jewish population faces the threat of total extermination.  One woman stands between her people and annihilation: Esther.  This book tells her story, the story of a girl who marries a king and falls in love with him.  The story of a king who loves his wife but doesn’t know the truth about her.  The story of an evil man who betrays his beloved king because of racial hatred.  The story of a love that triumphs over hate because a woman stands up for her God.

READERS CAN FIND ME: on my webpage: joanwolf.com, on my email joanwolf190@sbcglobal.net, and on my facebook page.

FIRST PAGE OF A RELUCTANT QUEEN:

Esther rose early as usual. She dressed in her brown robe and overtunic, fitted her veil over her long black hair, and went out to the courtyard behind her uncle’s house to begin making the day’s bread—more than she and her uncle needed because she gave some to the old women in their community every day. By the time Mordecai came into the courtyard, she had kneaded the dough and set the loaves out to rise.

            “Tired, Uncle?” Esther asked in a teasing tone as she saw Mordecai yawn. “The Great King’s feast kept you late last night.”

            Mordecai smiled ruefully. “Far later than I care to be out, chicken. But I had no choice. All of the palace staff was invited and the Head Treasurer would have noticed if I did not appear for the king’s birthday.”

            He took a seat on the bench at the small table in the courtyard and Esther began to assemble their breakfast. The plates contained dates and figs and slices of yesterday’s bread, which Esther had warmed in the outdoor oven. She fetched cups of water from inside the house, Mordecai said the blessing over the food, and silence fell as they ate.

            Esther waited until her uncle had finished before she spoke again. She and her friends were all curious about the new king, Ahasuerus, who had only recently arrived in Susa, the capital of the Persian Empire. It had been a huge surprise two years ago when the old king, Darius, had chosen him over his other son, Xerxes, and it made him an intriguing figure. But the real reason for the girls’ interest was the gossip they had heard in the marketplace that the king was the most handsome man who ever lived.

            Unfortunately, the Jewish girls who made up Esther’s circle would probably never have an opportunity to see this paragon for themselves, but they hoped that Esther’s uncle might have seen him at the feast.

“Did you get to see the king, Uncle?”

Thank you, Joan, for being on my blog.

Readers, leave a comment for a chance to win a free copy of the book. Please tell us where you live, at least the state or territory. (Comments containing links may be subject to removal by blog owner.)

Void where prohibited; the odds of winning depend on the number of entrants. Entering the giveaway is considered a confirmation of eligibility on behalf of the enterer in accord with these rules and any pertaining local/federal/international laws.

The only notification you’ll receive is the winner post on this blog. So be sure to check back a week from Saturday to see if you won. You will have 6 weeks from the posting of the winners to claim your book.

If you’re reading this on Feedblitz, Facebook, or Amazon, please come to the blog to leave your comment if you want to be included in the drawing. Here’s a link.

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