LOVE RETURNED - Mildred Colvin - Free E-book

Welcome, Mildred. Tell us how much of yourself you write into your characters.

This is a hard question because while I think I’m imagining totally new people for my stories, the truth is a lot of me probably ends up in the heroine. Of course, my characters are much braver and adventurous than I’d ever be. Still, I don’t think an author can help but put some of themselves into their characters. 

What is the quirkiest thing you have ever done?

Hmm, I’m either not a quirky person or I just think everything I do is perfectly normal. LOL! The only thing I can think of is going on a weekend car trip to Winnipeg, Canada when I lived in Southern Missouri. That’s a long drive, but I still remember it, and I loved the Canadian city that appeared so clean and fresh compared to the big cities I was used to.

           

When did you first discover that you were a writer?

Probably when I enjoyed the writing assignments in high school English classes. I didn’t care so much for the research papers, but the creative writing was totally fun. I didn’t consider writing, though, until my kids were young and I wrote some stories for them.

I’m like you. I loved writing assignment, but not research papers. Tell us the range of the kinds of books you enjoy reading.

The books I enjoy reading the most are very much like what I write. Romance! I especially like to curl up with a 19th Century story set in the western states whether it’s prairie, western, or Americana. Beyond that, I occasionally am captivated by women’s fiction.

Then you probably like my books. How do you keep your sanity in our run, run, run world?

Mostly, I just say no. LOL! It’s easy to find yourself spread way too thin if you aren’t careful. I’m a stay-at-home sort of person and hope to remain that way. Spending a little time in God’s Word each morning is a good way to slow your day and accomplish more than you would otherwise.

How do you choose your characters’ names?

When I start a new book, the characters are where I start first, and the names are one of the first things I want to know. I have used character naming books, the phone book, and genealogy records. Sometimes, my characters walk into a story with names that fit. Those, of course, are the easy ones.

What is the accomplishment that you are most proud of?

I am very thankful for the confidence Barbour Publishing extended to me when they published my books in their Heartsong Presents line. I am also extremely amazed and grateful to the Lord for allowing me and my husband to adopt three adorable babies who have grown up into wonderful adults. While they have their moments, so do I, and I don’t think anyone could find any sweeter or better kids. God is good!

If you were an animal, which one would you be, and why?

I think that would have to be a bird. To be more specific, an eagle. The reason is because birds have a way of flying away, apparently leaving their troubles behind. An eagle makes her nest away from the bustle of life where she can look out at nature and the peace God’s world brings.

What is your favorite food?

My favorite food without doubt is potatoes. There are so many ways potatoes can be fixed so I never tire of them. Okay, potato candy isn’t my favorite thing, but other than that, potatoes are great.

What is the problem with writing that was your greatest roadblock, and how did you overcome it?

To be honest, I’ve probably had a problem with many areas of writing, and I can hope I’ve overcome at least some of them. Writing synopses is probably the biggest hurdle I’ve had to jump. I am terrible at it. I want to tell everything when the editor only wants the high points. I’ve studied many articles on synopsis writing and am gradually learning what is needed and what isn’t. Sadly, this is something I’m still working on.

Tell us about the featured book.

Love Returned is a contemporary romance set in central Missouri. Megan McGinnis was pressured to give up her baby and has regretted doing so ever since. Now she’s met Scott Landis and his son, Randy. His adopted son.

About the time she falls in love with Scott, circumstances convince her Randy is the baby she gave away nine years ago. But what can she do?

If she confronts Scott, she'll lose his love, and he'll keep Randy from her. If she marries Scott without telling who she is, she'll have Randy and Scott, but be living a lie. Is there a happy ending to her life?

Please give us the first page of the book.

~One~

Megan McGinnis yelped and jerked back. She touched a hand.

Her gaze skimmed past the well-sculpted male fingers, moved up a muscled arm dusted with dark hair, and over a broad shoulder, to a rather attractive specimen of the stronger sex. The palm of her hand burned, and heat crept up her neck to fill her face.

Where had the man come from? One of the other campsites, obviously. Her mind had been filled with her dream.

“I am so sorry. I—” She couldn’t think. She wrinkled her nose. “I didn’t see you.”

He laughed. Not a polite titter, but a throw-back-your-head-and-let-it-out laugh.

Her hand tightened on her water bucket. A smile touched her lips, and before she could stop, she was laughing, too.

“I apologize.” He shook his head. “It’s just that you looked so cute when you squealed and then—” He tapped his nose and grinned. “That cute face you made—I’m sorry. Are you serious you didn’t see me?” 

“Of course not. I made it up so we could hold hands.” He thought she looked cute? No one had called her cute since she was five, certainly no one ever said so twice in a row.

She giggled at his raised eyebrows. “What can I say? My mind was on something else. And really, I don’t go around holding hands with strange men.”

His eyes, bluer than any she’d ever seen, twinkled above a lop-sided grin. “I’m not so strange once you get to know me.”

“Is that right?” What was wrong with her? She never flirted, but unless the rules had changed in the last ten years, that’s exactly what she was doing now. Of course, today her emotions were in such turmoil, she might be capable of doing almost anything. Just not this. Not with a stranger.

She shook her head and stepped back before he could respond. “Look, I’m really sorry. I didn’t mean to do—” She twirled her finger in a circle to include the faucet. “You know. Go ahead and get your water. I’ll wait.”

How can readers find you on the Internet?

Readers can find me at http://www.mildredcolvin.blogspot.com

and at http://www.infinitecharacters.com

Lena, thank you for interviewing me on your blog.

Tell us how much of yourself you write into your characters.

This is a hard question because while I think I’m imagining totally new people for my stories, the truth is a lot of me probably ends up in the heroine. Of course, my characters are much braver and adventurous than I’d ever be. Still, I don’t think an author can help but put some of themselves into their characters. 

What is the quirkiest thing you have ever done?

Hmm, I’m either not a quirky person or I just think everything I do is perfectly normal. LOL! The only thing I can think of is going on a weekend car trip to Winnipeg, Canada when I lived in Southern Missouri. That’s a long drive, but I still remember it, and I loved the Canadian city that appeared so clean and fresh compared to the big cities I was used to.

           

When did you first discover that you were a writer?

Probably when I enjoyed the writing assignments in high school English classes. I didn’t care so much for the research papers, but the creative writing was totally fun. I didn’t consider writing, though, until my kids were young and I wrote some stories for them.

I’m like you. I loved writing assignment, but not research papers. Tell us the range of the kinds of books you enjoy reading.

The books I enjoy reading the most are very much like what I write. Romance! I especially like to curl up with a 19th Century story set in the western states whether it’s prairie, western, or Americana. Beyond that, I occasionally am captivated by women’s fiction.

Then you probably like my books. How do you keep your sanity in our run, run, run world?

Mostly, I just say no. LOL! It’s easy to find yourself spread way too thin if you aren’t careful. I’m a stay-at-home sort of person and hope to remain that way. Spending a little time in God’s Word each morning is a good way to slow your day and accomplish more than you would otherwise.

How do you choose your characters’ names?

When I start a new book, the characters are where I start first, and the names are one of the first things I want to know. I have used character naming books, the phone book, and genealogy records. Sometimes, my characters walk into a story with names that fit. Those, of course, are the easy ones.

What is the accomplishment that you are most proud of?

I am very thankful for the confidence Barbour Publishing extended to me when they published my books in their Heartsong Presents line. I am also extremely amazed and grateful to the Lord for allowing me and my husband to adopt three adorable babies who have grown up into wonderful adults. While they have their moments, so do I, and I don’t think anyone could find any sweeter or better kids. God is good!

If you were an animal, which one would you be, and why?

I think that would have to be a bird. To be more specific, an eagle. The reason is because birds have a way of flying away, apparently leaving their troubles behind. An eagle makes her nest away from the bustle of life where she can look out at nature and the peace God’s world brings.

What is your favorite food?

My favorite food without doubt is potatoes. There are so many ways potatoes can be fixed so I never tire of them. Okay, potato candy isn’t my favorite thing, but other than that, potatoes are great.

What is the problem with writing that was your greatest roadblock, and how did you overcome it?

To be honest, I’ve probably had a problem with many areas of writing, and I can hope I’ve overcome at least some of them. Writing synopses is probably the biggest hurdle I’ve had to jump. I am terrible at it. I want to tell everything when the editor only wants the high points. I’ve studied many articles on synopsis writing and am gradually learning what is needed and what isn’t. Sadly, this is something I’m still working on.

Tell us about the featured book.

Love Returned is a contemporary romance set in central Missouri. Megan McGinnis was pressured to give up her baby and has regretted doing so ever since. Now she’s met Scott Landis and his son, Randy. His adopted son.

About the time she falls in love with Scott, circumstances convince her Randy is the baby she gave away nine years ago. But what can she do?

If she confronts Scott, she'll lose his love, and he'll keep Randy from her. If she marries Scott without telling who she is, she'll have Randy and Scott, but be living a lie. Is there a happy ending to her life?

Please give us the first page of the book.

~One~

Megan McGinnis yelped and jerked back. She touched a hand.

Her gaze skimmed past the well-sculpted male fingers, moved up a muscled arm dusted with dark hair, and over a broad shoulder, to a rather attractive specimen of the stronger sex. The palm of her hand burned, and heat crept up her neck to fill her face.

Where had the man come from? One of the other campsites, obviously. Her mind had been filled with her dream.

“I am so sorry. I—” She couldn’t think. She wrinkled her nose. “I didn’t see you.”

He laughed. Not a polite titter, but a throw-back-your-head-and-let-it-out laugh.

Her hand tightened on her water bucket. A smile touched her lips, and before she could stop, she was laughing, too.

“I apologize.” He shook his head. “It’s just that you looked so cute when you squealed and then—” He tapped his nose and grinned. “That cute face you made—I’m sorry. Are you serious you didn’t see me?” 

“Of course not. I made it up so we could hold hands.” He thought she looked cute? No one had called her cute since she was five, certainly no one ever said so twice in a row.

She giggled at his raised eyebrows. “What can I say? My mind was on something else. And really, I don’t go around holding hands with strange men.”

His eyes, bluer than any she’d ever seen, twinkled above a lop-sided grin. “I’m not so strange once you get to know me.”

“Is that right?” What was wrong with her? She never flirted, but unless the rules had changed in the last ten years, that’s exactly what she was doing now. Of course, today her emotions were in such turmoil, she might be capable of doing almost anything. Just not this. Not with a stranger.

She shook her head and stepped back before he could respond. “Look, I’m really sorry. I didn’t mean to do—” She twirled her finger in a circle to include the faucet. “You know. Go ahead and get your water. I’ll wait.”

How can readers find you on the Internet?

Readers can find me at http://www.mildredcolvin.blogspot.com

and at http://www.infinitecharacters.com

Lena, thank you for interviewing me on your blog.


My pleasure, Mildred.

Readers, here’s a link to the book. By using it when you order, you help support this blog.

Love Returned - Kindle

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 4 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.
Http://lenanelsondooley.blogspot.com

A RANGER'S TRAIL - Darlene Franklin - Free Book

Welcome back, Darlene. What are some of the spiritual themes you like to write about?

I describe myself as a child of the Sixties; the social issues of racism, poverty, and the obvious points of the feminism movement resonate with me to this day. (Martin Luther King Jr. is one of my heroes!) I even wrote a novel, which will probably never be published, about the Montgomery bus boycott.

A Ranger’s Trail explores a different kind of racism, one that still exists today, between native-born and immigrants. In Mason County, Texas, in the 1870s, even second generation Americans were still called “Germans,” compared to the “Americans” who had migrated to Texas from places like Tennessee and Kentucky. Racial mistrust fueled as much of the Mason County war as did the issues of cattle rustling, with two sides entering a blood feud.

What other books of yours are coming out soon?

Pride’s Fall, one book of a three book series set in the Four Corners, will be out soon from Heartsong Presents. Pride’s Fall is set in 1899 Mesa Verde, Colorado. Carla Gade wrote Shadowcatcher’s Daughter, set in New Mexico and Colorado; and Susan Page Davis added Almost Arizona.

This fall, I will have three books come out: A Bride’s Rogue in Roma, Texas (my “steamboat story”); Calico Brides, a novella anthology set in 1870s Kansas; and Merry Christmas, With Love in the contemporary anthology Postmark: Christmas.

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

I think it would be hilarious to sit down with Tyler Perry or Steve Harvey. As far as I know, they are both Christians, and all I know is whenever I see them, I can’t stop laughing.

James and I love watching both of them, too. What historical person would you like to meet (besides Jesus) and why?

My hero, Martin Luther King Jr.! I’d love to sit down with him and Rosa Parks. Two ordinary people who sparked a movement that changed a nation. One person can make a difference. And yet I so often feel like only one!

How can you encourage authors who have been receiving only rejections from publishers?

Rejections are part of the process.  Earlier in my writing career, I set a goal for who many submissions I would make. Submitting is under my control; acceptance or rejection isn’t. Over time, as I accumulated far more rejections than acceptances, I gained a sense about what worked for me, what I could sell, and what didn’t.

Also, I would encourage authors to move onto the next thing. Don’t continue polishing that first (or second or even third) manuscript if multiple editors have seen it and rejected it. Later, once your foot is in the door, that manuscript may sell. Or it may not. For now, accept it as a learning experience and try something new.

Tell us about the featured book.

TEXAS TRAILS: Doubt meets hope and fear gives way to faith in the Morgan family.

A RANGER’S TRAIL: When Leta Denning’s husband is murdered at the beginning of the Mason County War, she wants one thing: revenge. Buck Morgan, a Texas Ranger called in to investigate, has ties to a German family involved in Denning’s death.

Buck’s ability to remain impartial and bring the murderer to justice has Leta anxious. As she struggles to keep her ranch afloat, Buck offers to help—all the while searching for the truth. A tentative trail emerges, one forged by respect and bound by vengeance and forgiveness.

Please give us the first page of the book.

“Found not guilty of any wrongdoing. Praise the Lord.” Derrick Denning lifted his cup of coffee in a mock salute to his wife, Leta. “As the Good Book says, ‘Thou hast maintained my right and my cause.’ Though I feel bad about the fines the other fellows have to pay.

            The Denning family sat around the table enjoying a celebratory dinner in their cabin on the D-Bar-D Ranch. Young Ricky clapped his hands on the table, although he didn’t know what they were celebrating. Leta looked into her husband’s eyes over their son’s head and smiled. The baby inside her stirred, as if contently joining in on the joy.

            “I’ll read up on that new law about transporting cattle over county lines before I go on any more cattle drives. Right and legal aren’t always the same thing, and we want to be sure we stick on the side of the law.”

            “It’s not right, the other men getting fined.” Leta’s brother Andy stopped shoveling beans into his mouth long enough to grumble. “They didn’t do nothing wrong. The cattle belonged to Mr. Roberts and Mr. Thomas.”

            When her husband was arrested for helping M.B. Thomas and Allen Roberts take their cattle to Llano County from Mason County, the ordeal filled her with anguish. Local German cattlemen had accused both Thomas and Roberts of stealing cattle. In the court case, six of the cowhands were found guilty and fined $25 a head. Yet the court dismissed Derrick’s case due to insufficient evidence.

            The German cattlemen had grumbled at the verdict. Tensions between Anglos and Germans already ran high, since German settlers had opposed seceding from the Union during the War Between the States. Now Mason County was full of cattle ranchers who were angry that justice for cattle stealing—real and supposed—was not being fulfilled through the law. German settlers and people native to Mason County alike were troubled.

I’ve read all the books in this series so far, and I know I’ll love this one just as much. How can readers find you on the Internet?

On facebook and at http://darlenefranklinwrites.blogspot.com

It's always a pleasure to have you drop by, Darlene.


Readers, here are links to the book. By using one when you order, you help support this blog.
A Ranger's Trail (The Texas Trail Series) - paperback
A Ranger's Trail (The Texas Trail Series) - Kindle


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 4 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.
Http://lenanelsondooley.blogspot.com

HEART OF GOLD - Robin Lee Hatcher - Free Book

Welcome, Robin Lee. It's always a pleasure to have you on my blog, and I love your books. Tell us about your salvation experience.

I was raised in a mainline Christian church, but I was in my twenties before someone shared with me that being a Christian was more than a religious practice and church was more than a wholesome place to be on a Sunday morning. I don't recall ever hearing at my church that I could know Jesus, that He wanted to be my personal Lord and Savior, that He would come and live in my heart if I only asked Him to. I don't remember anyone telling me as I was growing up that I needed to be born again. I didn't know I was lost until I was found. Thank God for the young couple who entered my life and quietly began to share the person of Jesus Christ with me. Thank God for saving my mother and then allowing her to pray me into the Kingdom.

I suppose it isn't surprising, given my love for books, that God chose the printed word to reveal Himself to me. It began when I was given a copy of the Living Bible. Over the following months, as I read the New Testament, I also read The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom, Woman to Woman by Eugenia Price, and Prison to Praise by Merlin R. Carothers. Finally, on Valentine's Day 1976 at approximately 6:00 a.m., I gave my heart to Jesus.

You’re planning a writing retreat where you can only have four other authors. Who would they be and why?

I cannot answer this question. I know too many authors who I would want to be there. Too many friends I wouldn’t want left out of a dream list.

I have been meeting annually with the same group of writers for almost ten years now. There are ten of us, and when anyone misses (there have been a few rare occasions), there is a hole in our group. One person absent is like something has been ripped from our midst. We brainstorm at these retreats. We write and work hard. But our time together is so much more, and it fills us up and sends us home for another year. We are truly sisters in Christ and we pray together and cry together and laugh together. Why do I want them there? Because they are a part of my heart and breath and life. Because I have trusted them with my deepest pains and greatest joys, and they have done the same with me. In this group are some well-known, best-selling writers and there are some not-as-well-known, mid-list writers. But when we are together, we are all the same: followers of Jesus seeking to do His will.

We all need a group of friends like that, no matter the number. Do you have a speaking ministry? If so, tell us about that.

I enjoy speaking to both women’s and writers’ groups, although I don’t do as much of it now as I used to.

My women's retreats run from Friday evening to Sunday morning (although Sunday is optional) and include five sessions (one on Friday and four on Saturday). Over the course of the weekend, I share my personal testimony as well as inspirational stories from my life, my books, and my heart. Participants discuss questions in small groups and learn applications for their own lives. We laugh together, perhaps share a few tears, and most of all, we come away with our faith strengthened.

For writers, I do a limited number of one hour workshops designed for novelists. However, after 30 years of writing fiction, the writing of over 60 novels, and five years spent on the RWA board of directors, including two years as the organization’s president, my favorite sessions are Q&A. I love to answer the questions that writers have rather than being kept to a narrow topic.

If any of your blog readers are interested in me speaking to their group, they can find more information on my web site: http://www.robinleehatcher.com/speaker.html

What is the most embarrassing thing that has happened to you and how did you handle it?

Goodness gracious. I’m sure there are a host of embarrassing things to choose from, but I sure am drawing a blank. How about if I share the most embarrassing thing that ever made it into print in one of my books? That’s easy for me to remember. This was during my general market career before I started writing Christian fiction and before e-mail was as common as it is today.

I was writing a three book historical romance series, each book set in the same town but each one having a different hero and heroine. When the second book was released, it wasn’t long before I received a letter (the first of several) pointing out an error on a certain page. When I read the letter, I said, “No, that cannot be,” and rushed to open one of my author copies to check it out. But it was true.

In the book, the heroine went to bed with her husband, the hero of book #2 at the end of one chapter, but when she woke up the next morning (new chapter), I had used the name of the hero of book #1 in the place of her husband’s name. Totally wrong man in her bed!

How on earth had I and my editor and the copy editor all missed this mistake? I about died. But, hoping to make lemonade out of those lemons, I created a contest out of it and gave a prize to one of the readers who wrote to me about the error.

I’ve had that happen, calling a hero by the name of the hero in the previous book in a series. It really confused my readers, too. People are always telling me that they’d like to write a book someday. I’m sure they do to you, too. What would you tell someone who came up to you and said that?

I tell them to start writing, to write something every day. I encourage them to read widely and to study the craft, but I add that a book doesn’t get written unless you sit down and work on it every day.

Very good advice. Tell us about the featured book.

HEART OF GOLD

A Women of Faith Book Club selection

Thomas Nelson, February 2012

The truest treasure is found deep in the heart.

Life in Grand Coeur, Idaho, is so different! Back in her beloved Virginia, Shannon Adair loved nursing injured soldiers back to health. But in this rough-and-tumble place where her father has been called to lead the church, she’s not sure where she fits in. Then a critically ill woman arrives, and Shannon knows her place at last: to care for this dear woman and ease her pain.

Matthew Dubois is a stagecoach driver through and through. But his widowed sister is dying and he’s about to inherit his young nephew. So he takes a job at the Wells Fargo express office in Grand Coeur until he can find the one thing he needs to get back on the stage: a wife!

What neither of them knows is that someone is at work behind the scenes. Someone who cares for them both, and knows exactly what these two need: each other!

Please give us the first page of the book.

Prologue

January 1864

Covington House, Virginia

“Am I doing the right thing, Adelyn? Is this truly God’s will for us?”

Delaney Adair didn’t believe his dearly departed wife could hear his words or read his thoughts in heaven. Nothing in Scripture led him to believe she could. But it always seemed to clear his head when he “talked” with her this way, the same way they had talked over everything—matters large and matters small—throughout their marriage. Especially matters pertaining to their daughter.

“Shannon has grown even more beautiful than you remember her. She has a good heart. She likes to help others. But she is also quick to judge, even more so since the war began. I fear her pride will be her downfall. Perhaps I’ve spoiled her.” He shook his head. “No, I know I’ve spoiled her.”

Would his daughter forgive him for taking her away from Covington House, away from her friends and neighbors?

We’ll have a new life in Grand Coeur. Shannon will make new friends. And there won’t be so many reminders of a past that is gone for good. For her . . . or for me.

How can readers find you on the Internet?

Web Site: http://www.robinleehatcher.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/robinleehatcher

Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/robinleehatcher

Write Thinking blog: http://blog.robinleehatcher.com

Thank you for this peek into your life and new book release, Robin.


Readers, here are links to the book. By using one when you order, you help support this blog.
Heart of Gold - paperback
Heart of Gold - Kindle


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 4 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.
Http://lenanelsondooley.blogspot.com

LAST JANUARY WINNERS 2012

Patty (SC) is the winner of Amelia's Journey by Martha Rogers.
Apple Blossom (ND) is the winner of The Secret of the Love Letters by K Dawn Byrd.
Aizess (NY)  is the winner of Goodbye Noel by Nike Chillemi. 
Stephen (TX) is the winner of The Lazarus File, by Donn Taylor.
Tammi (ME)  is the winner of Chasing Mona Lisa by Tricia Goyer and Mike Yorkey.

If you won a book and you really like it, consider giving the author the courtesy of writing a review on Goodreads, Amazon.com, Christianbooks.com, Barnes and Noble, or other Internet sites. 

Also, tell your friends about the book ... and this blog. Thank you.

Congratulations, everyone. Send me your mailing address:
Click the Contact Me link at the top of the blog, and send me an Email.
When you contact me, please give the title of the book you won, so I won't have to look it up.

Remember, you have 4 weeks to claim your book.

If you didn't win and you plan to order the book, please use the link provided on the individual interview. By using that link when you order, you will help support this blog.

A WEDDING INVITATION - Alice J Wisler - Free Book

Why do you write the kind of books you do?

The kind of books I write (contemporary fiction) are the genre I like to read.

Besides when you came to know the Lord, what is the happiest day in your life?

I’ve had many happy days----the birth of my four children, the day I married Carl, and the day I signed my first contract for two novels with Bethany House.

How has being published changed your life?

I’ve always written, even as a kid I was creating stories.  Being published makes me feel validated in my writing.  So, it has bridged me from a “wanna-be” author to a “real author”.

What are you reading right now?

The Lovely Bones, by Alice Sebold.

What is your current work in progress?

I’m revising Fragrance of Marigolds, a novel I completed a year ago about a bereaved mother who sells her home and buys a RV. 

What would be your dream vacation?

I’ve been on so many vacations that have been dreams come true.  I’d like to go on a cruise through the Mediterranean with my husband.

How do you choose your settings for each book?

My five novels (the most recent, Still Life in Shadows, will be published by River North/Moody is August) are all set in North Carolina.  I placed my first novel, Rain Song, in Mount Olive, and since then decided to set all my novels in North Carolina.

If you could spend an evening with one person who is currently alive, who would it be and why?

I’d like to talk with John Walsh of “America’s Most Wanted.”  His son died and we have a lot in common since my son died in 1997 from cancer treatments. I’d like to ask him about his son Adam as well as about all he’s done to help others in the aftermath of Adam’s abduction and murder.

What are your hobbies, besides writing and reading?

Cooking Asian food, walking three miles each day, and spending time on our runabout boat, Rain Song, are some of the things I like to do.

What is your most difficult writing obstacle, and how do you overcome it?

Facebook!  Facebook can snatch all your writing time if you aren’t careful.  Once I set out to write, I’m pretty good at sticking with it but those little visits over from my manuscript file to Facebook do cause some delays.

What advice would you give to a beginning author?

Don’t give up.  Revise, revise, edit and edit.  You can always improve. Write often----that is how you get better at it.

Tell us about the featured book.

A Wedding Invitation is about two teachers helping a young refugee woman find her birth mom. It is loosely based on my time of working as a teacher in a refugee camp in the Philippines in the mid 1980s.

Please give us the first page of the book.

Chapter One

February 1993

When a pet goes missing, it’s hard to concentrate on anything but where he might be. Missing a cat can cause his owner to lose focus, forget, and do silly things---even hang clothing in wrong places. Today this is happening to my mother.

 

As though she’s walking through a fog, Mom stares into the distance and hangs the newest order of black dresses all together in a clump.  The metal hangers clink against each other, and I wince, realizing what she’s done. The size twos are next to the size fourteens, yet the entire point of  Mom’s store are that the small and large sizes are displayed conveniently on different racks, not all meshed together, tangled in a confused web.

Following behind her, I sort the designer dresses in their proper sections, wondering if I should remind Mom that she can’t compromise her organizational skills—they are her strength in running her boutique, Have a Fit.

How can readers find you on the Internet?

http://www.alicewisler.com is my website.  Friend me on Facebook and follow me on Twitter.  My author page on Facebook is:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Alice-J-Wisler/333751835453

I love hearing from readers!


Thank you, Alice, for dropping by today.


Readers, here are links to the book. By using one when you order, you help support this blog.
Wedding Invitation, A - paperback
Wedding Invitation, A - Kindle


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 4 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.
Http://lenanelsondooley.blogspot.com

THE SOUND OF RED RETURNING - Sue Duffy - Free Book

Tell us how much of yourself you write into your characters.

More than I care to admit. It’s pretty scary when you fit comfortably inside the head of your villain. But I couldn’t birth any character without imparting my DNA. That means I’m a little bit of everyone. A little Sybil-like.

What is the quirkiest thing you have ever done?

Hitchhiked up I-75 to Atlanta with two University of Florida football players. Purely spontaneous (after losing our ride mid-trip). Purely stupid. And wholly exhilarating, at least for an invincible college kid.

When did you first discover that you were a writer?

When my ninth-grade English teacher told me I was. So I became an advertising copywriter, newspaper writer, and magazine writer. And then I discovered I liked to make things up—not a respectable trait for a journalist. So I shifted into respectable fiction and conjured my first novel, Mortal Wounds, in 1998. My second novel, Fatal Loyalty, was released last year. And now Kregel is launching my new series with the release of The Sound of Red Returning.

Tell us the range of the kinds of books you enjoy reading.

In fiction, I used to read only Frederick Forsyth, Tom Clancy, Robert Ludlum, Patricia Cornwell, John Le Carre, Ken Follett, and other high-suspense authors. Some of my women friends thought that strange. So I tried some of the sweeter, softer novels they liked—and decided to find new friends :-)

Now, though, my reading list is all over the place, from Joyce Carol Oates to Ted Dekker.

How do you keep your sanity in our run, run, run world?

I quit running. I’d rather write.

How do you choose your characters’ names?

I was driving through the mountains alone when the storyline of my first novel sprang to mind. I pulled over as soon as I could to make a few notes and realized I was in a small cemetery. I took my characters’ names from the tombstones in front of me. 

Since then, the names have come from more conventional sources: seed catalogs, legal notices, members of Congress, Olympic athletes, obits, phone books, old movies, cartoons. You know.

What is the accomplishment that you are most proud of?

Professionally: the publication of my first book.

Personally: the publication of my first book.

If you were an animal, which one would you be, and why?

(Oooh, I hope my answer is better than Miss Oregon’s. Here goes.) An eagle because it stands for power and nobility. Oh, wait. Eagles eat rats, don’t they? Ooooh, disgusting. Can I change my answer?

What is your favorite food?

Blackberry cobbler like my grandmother used to make and nobody else on the planet does. Fresh berries we kids picked in the fields (then clawed chigger bites until we were pulp), fresh milk and butter from her neighbor’s cows, flour and sugar from the circa-1800s country store up the road. No recipe. No discernible measurements.

What is the problem with writing that was your greatest roadblock, and how did you overcome it?

Time. I was editing a magazine and trying to write novels simultaneously. That tandem effort didn’t work for me. I needed to completely immerse myself in the make-believe world—like disappearing through the back of C.S. Lewis’s wardrobe and letting fiction morph into the virtual. At least until it was time to cook dinner and sort socks. So, I resigned from my magazine position and became writer-in-residence.

Tell us about the featured book.

My new book The Sound of Red Returning is the first book of the Red Returning trilogy. Here’s the storyline:

It’s been fifteen years since famed pianist Liesl Bower saw her beloved Harvard mentor gunned down, since the CIA disclosed his double life as a Russian spy. She was interrogated and released, with no incriminating evidence against her. But now, something has happened to set Russian and CIA agents on her heels. New intelligence suggests that Liesl possesses a coded message critical to a resurgence of Soviet power. 

As global tensions mount, the Russians are in a frenzy to find the code before the Americans. Standing in their way, though, is the young pianist from the tidal creeks and secret-shrouded lanes of old Charleston. As Liesl outruns the tip of the Russian spear, she must reckon with the wounds of her past, the love of a man she never thought could be hers, and the prevailing power of God.

In the final hour, on a world stage, Liesl must deliver a message of her own.

Sounds very interesting. Please give us the first page of the book.

Prologue

It was just three small paragraphs in the Boston Globe that morning in October 2011:

Slain Professor’s Widow Dies

Eugenia C. Devoe, wife of the late Schell M. Devoe—a prominent Harvard music professor who was murdered in his Boston home in 1996—died of natural causes Friday in Canada. She was 78.

An accomplished musician, Eugenia Devoe had been a popular band director at Boston Central High School for many years. Shortly before her husband’s death, Devoe resigned her position and left the couple’s home near the Harvard campus. Until now, her whereabouts had been unknown.

From Boston, Devoe had moved to the small farming community of Curien, west of Montreal, where she assumed her mother’s maiden name, Holbrook. Neighbors say she rarely ventured from her small rural home, where she taught piano lessons. The couple had no children. Mrs. Devoe had no surviving family.

By dawn the next day, the isolated cottage that had been Eugenia Devoe’s hiding place lay in ruins. Even the boards had been stripped from the ceilings and floors. Yet when the intruders left, they took only one thing from the house—a letter Schell Devoe mailed to his wife just hours before he died.

How can readers find you on the Internet?

Visit my website at www.sueduffybooks.com. I’m on Facebook as well. You can visit my page at www.facebook.com/SueDuffySuspense. Aaaand, I’m thinking about joining Twitter… yes? no? maybe so?

I’d love to connect with you on Twitter. Let me know if you do. My twitter username is: lenandooley

Thank you, Sue, for dropping by and sharing with us today.

Readers, win a Kindle Fire from @SueDuffy2 and @KregelBooks in the "Red Returning" Giveaway! Sue Duffy and her publisher, Kregel Publications, are celebrating the release of The Sound of Red Returning by giving away a Kindle Fire prize package worth over $200 to one lucky winner!!!! (1/23-2/11)

Enter the Sue Duffy’s Giveaway today and you could win:

* A brand new Kindle Fire with Wi-Fi
* The Sound of Red Returning (Book One in the Red Returning series) by Sue Duffy

To enter click one of the icons below. But, hurry! The giveway ends on 2/11. Sue will be announcing the winner of the “Red Returning” Giveaway on February 13th on the Litfuse website!

Tell your friends via FACEBOOK or TWITTER and increase your chances of winning. 

Readers, in addition, here’s a link to the book. By using it when you order, you help support this blog.

The Sound of Red Returning: A Novel (Red Returning Trilogy)

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 4 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.
Http://lenanelsondooley.blogspot.com

WHEN THE SMOKE CLEARS - Lynette Eason - Free Book

Why did you become an author?

I was lonely. Seriously. My husband’s job took him out of town and all over the country 4 days out of the week. I had a nine month old baby at home and when she was sleeping, I was BORED. I had always said I wanted to write a book so I figured that was as good a time as any to give it a try.

If you weren’t an author, what would be your dream job?

I’d probably be a realtor even though the economy for houses stinks right now. I could go in houses all day, just to look. I have no idea why I’m that way, just am. LOL.

I used to go to realty open houses or parades of homes a lot, but I don’t have time anymore. If you could have lived at another time in history, what would it be and why?

I would want to live on a ranch in the 1800’s. I just think it was such a romantic time period. Tough, hard to eke out a living sometimes, but it just looks like it would have been extremely interesting. And I like horses. J

What place in the United States have you not visited that you would like to?

I’d love to see the Grand Canyon.

I’ve wanted to do that, too, and even more so since Mary Connealy wrote her Grand Canyon novel. How about a foreign country you hope to visit?

Ireland or Israel. I’d love to walk where Jesus walked.

What lesson has the Lord taught you recently?

That He’s totally in charge of my writing career and He will allow things to happen as He has designed it to happen. Don’t get me wrong. I still have to do my part, promoting and marketing, etc. But because I’m surrendered to Him, He will guide my path.

Tell us about the featured book.

When The Smoke Clears is book one in the Deadly Reunions Series. I’m really excited about this story as it kicks off this new series.

Here’s the back cover blurb:

As a member of the North Cascades Smokejumpers, Alexia Allen always takes care of the equipment that keeps her safe. So when she nearly dies in a fire due to equipment failure, she knows something is up. Ordered to take time off while the investigation continues, Alexia makes a last-minute decision to recuperate at her mother's home and attend her high school reunion. Yet trouble seems to be following her, and within hours of arriving home she's involved with murder, arson--and a handsome detective. But the conflicts ahead are nothing compared to the ghosts of her past. As she strives to remember and forgive her family history, she must also decide if the secret she's been guarding for the last ten years must finally come to light.

Chock-full of the suspense and romantic tension readers have come to expect from Lynette Eason, When the Smoke Clears is the explosive first book in the Deadly Reunions series.

Romantic Times gave it 4½ stars. I’m hoping the coming reviews will be just as good.

Sounds like a story I’d love to read. Please give us the first page of the book.

First page of Chapter ONE:

He suspected what was in the envelope. Shaky fingers opened it and pulled out the single white sheet with the block style printed words.

I KNOW.

 Senator Frank Hoffman leaned back in his plush leather chair and drew in a deep breath.

 It was Jillian; he knew it. She’d decided to come out of hiding. He’d searched high and low for the girl ten years ago, when she simply dropped off the face of the earth.      

 But the letter proved she wasn’t dead. She was back, taunting him with the skeleton in his closet.

 Jillian Carter. The one person that could kill his career, ruin his shaky marriage, and sabotage his future.

 He’d rather put a bullet in her brain than let that happen.

 Again, he read the words.

 I KNOW.

 Amazing that two small words could instill such terror.

 Jaw tight, he started to crumple the letter into a ball, then thought better of it.

 Pulling out a large brown envelope, he added it to the one that had come two weeks ago. The one that said, “HELLO FRANK. I’LL BE IN TOUCH.” The one he’d been praying was from anyone but her.

 He shoved the envelope into the bottom drawer of his desk and shut the drawer with a snap.

 What did she want? There’d been no blackmail demand, no reason given for the subtle threat.

 Just, I KNOW.

 And only two people on this earth knew his secret.

 Of course one wasn’t talking. Were there others?

 He doubted it. The fact that the last ten years had flown by without a peep from anyone was proof of that. With dread in his heart, he knew the truth of his situation. A truth he had avoided facing for ten years. Now that truth stared him in the face, mocking him. Letting him know that his comfort zone had been penetrated.

 He had to find Jillian Carter.

 There was only one way to restore peace back to his life. He picked up the phone and called the one person he trusted with absolute confidence to bury this secret so deep it would never stir again.

I know I’ll love it, and so will my husband. How can readers find you on the Internet?

I LOVE to hear from my readers. My email address is lynetteeason@lynetteeason.com. My fan page is Lynette Barker Eason. Please come LIKE me to keep up with the most recent news about me and my books. If you want to sign up for my newsletter, you can find the sign up box on my website. It’s www.lynetteeason.com.  I look forward to hearing from you!

Thank you so much, Lena, for having me here.

It was totally my pleasure. I’ve always loved your books, and I know my readers will, too.


Readers, here are links to the book. By using one when you order, you help support this blog.

When the Smoke Clears: A Novel (Deadly Reunions) - paperback
When the Smoke Clears (Deadly Reunions) - Kindle


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 4 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.
Http://lenanelsondooley.blogspot.com

JOY RESTORED - Jude Urbanski - Free eBook

Tell us how much of yourself you write into your characters.

I think most writers pick snippets from their own life which appear in their stories. I think I do that also. I hadn't thought of myself in the heroine of my novel, but a friend said she saw me there. The inclusion wasn't intention I can say, which makes it a little weird doesn't it? Maybe we incorporate more than we know.

What is the quirkiest thing you have ever done?

Lena, other than leave my bed unmade every Sabbath, in hopes of an afternoon nap, (which I almost never get-but still hope for), the only thing I can think of was the time I wore unmatched earrings during the week and then on Sunday would wear matched ones. My object lesson was that with God and the Sabbath, we can have balance and peace. But I quit, because we can have balance with God every day.

When did you first discover that you were a writer?

I'd say the realization began in high school, when I worked on the year book and school paper, took journalism, and wrote a column called “Jottings by Judy.” I began my first manuscript when I was early twenties.

Tell us the range of the kinds of books you enjoy reading.

I am very eclectic. If it's printed, I read it. My current BFF nonfiction writer is Max Lucado. My fiction favs are historical fiction, romance and other wise. I love history stories, in particular the medieval times, but thrill to a well written love story also.

How do you keep your sanity in our run, run, run world?

I start every day with a time of prayer and meditation. This helps me with balance and peace. Even though I am retired and my children are grown, times still get hectic. I am careful not to over commit my time and energy, yet feel the need to give back to people, my church and to my community.

How do you choose your characters’ names?

I like this question! In my first novel, it was easy, because I used arrangements of my ancestral family names since my setting was where my family homesteaded. Other than that, I try to make my names match my stories in time and place. Sometimes I use a name that I just love!

What is the accomplishment that you are most proud of?

Proud isn't the right word, but I am most thankful for Jesus' redeeming grace.

I am proud, maybe it's okay to say that, of the educational privileges I've had through scholarships, whereas I would never have had the chance for such a good education.

My kids came through me, but are not me, but I am thrilled with them and their kids.

If you were an animal, which one would you be, and why?

This is easy. I'd be a giraffe, because they stick their necks out!

What is your favorite food?

Pastas, salads and fruit. Ethnic wise, it is now Indian cuisine. Used to be Chinese.

What is the problem with writing that was your greatest roadblock, and how did you overcome it?

Initially, staying in Point of View challenged me, but I continued to read and absorb and take courses on this. I also had to work on making my dialogue not sound so stilted. I think I have finally accomplished both, but am committed to lifelong learning.

Tell us about the featured book.

Joy Restored is book one in The Chronicles of Chanute Crossing. It is in electronic format and set in Pickett County, Tennessee, where I was born, as was my family for many generations. It's a women's fiction crossed with inspirational romance. A young widowed mother spins tragedy into triumph, renews her faith and ultimately finds love. It deals with the eons-old question of why bad things happen to good people.

Lena, the fun thing with my book by Desert Breeze is that my mother's 80+ year old romance novella, with the same setting, is a free companion download with my book. I like to think she knows that she finally got published!

Please give us the first page of the book.

               

Chapter One

Kate's heart beat in sync with the slow-moving hearse crawling along the rutted lane. The image of a tiny ant heaving a giant burden seared her mind, but the ache in her heart rested with the body in the hearse.

The Davidson Family Cemetery soon came into sight, looking as neglected and abandoned as Kate felt. The driver of the hearse hurried to Kate's car as soon as the procession stopped.

“Mrs. Davidson, please step over here.” Undertaker Shirley Brown ushered her closer to the fresh, mounded dirt after Kate and her children climbed from the car.

She could do with an extra dose of strength right now, but how could she muster it given the pain and anger she felt in her heart? Her arms tightened around her three small children, who huddled close, the cold wind whipping hard against their legs. Her children were Clayton's legacy. His only legacy.

If only she could get through this. She, her children, and a meager band of mourners stood like sentinels beside the open grave as the body of her husband, Lieutenant Clayton Paddy Davidson, was lowered to its final resting place. He would join his Scottish forefathers in this rural Tennessee countryside. The Vietnam nightmares could rest, too.

Father O'Connell's words of intended comfort cut through the cold mountain air. Kate looked at the priest. He radiated kindness from the top of his balding head to the tip of his black robe blowing in the harsh wind. It certainly wasn't required of him to conduct the funeral, for she and Clayton hadn't been God's most faithful of St. Francis' Parish. Father O'Connell had wanted to do Clayton's service.

Why?

In closing, Father invited all to join in the Lord's Prayer. Heads bowed.

Kate extended her hand to him at the last amen.

“Thank you, Father. I appreciate your doing the service.”

“You're welcome, my child. You're also welcome at God's house.”

She felt his squeeze of her hand. She nodded.

God's house? She didn't think so. She hadn't been able to help Clayton, and God certainly hadn't helped him either.

God is supposed to help those in need. Could she ever believe that again?

How can readers find you on the Internet?

My website is http://www.judeurbanski.com


Thank you, Jude, for the interesting visit today.


Readers, here’s a link to the book. By using it when you order, you help support this blog.
The Chronicles of Chanute Crossing Book One: Joy Restored - Kindle


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 4 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.
Http://lenanelsondooley.blogspot.com