Monday, March 12, 2012

SHADES OF TRUTH - Sandra Orchard - Free Book


Why do you write the kind of books you do?
I’d been a member of the Steeplehill Love Inspired Romance book club, and had been gearing my writing toward them as a publisher, but I also enjoyed reading authors like Dee Henderson and Terri Blackstock, so when Love Inspired launched its Suspense line, I signed up for the new book club immediately. I soon decided that I enjoy the extra plot elements and faster pace of romantic suspense over a straight inspirational romance and gravitated to writing those types of stories. I enjoy the challenge of creating a mystery/suspense thread without sacrificing the romance.

Besides when you came to know the Lord, what is the happiest day in your life?
Oh, it’s impossible to choose. The Lord has blessed me with many special days I treasure. These days, any day I get to spend with my adorable new grandbaby is a wonderful day.

That is so true. How has being published changed your life?
I’ve gotten to know a lot of wonderful people through blogging and speaking engagements and letters from readers. They’ve enriched my life, and bring a smile to my face on a daily basis. Hearing how something I’ve written has spoken to a reader is especially encouraging on those days when “new” words elude me.

What are you reading right now?
How to Disappear Doing research for my next book.

What is your current work in progress?
I just finished line edits for the third book in my Undercover Cops series, Critical Condition, which releases in October. The hero was introduced in Deep Cover, and I’ve been eager to tell his story ever since. It's about a nurse, an undercover cop, and a murderer who’ll stop at nothing to avoid being caught. 

Now…I’m brainstorming the second book in a trade-length romantic suspense series for which I recently received an offer! Details will have to wait until the ink on the contract is dry.  

How exciting. You must contact me to schedule an interview when you have the pub date.What would be your dream vacation?
That’s a tough question. My husband and I have been mulling it for weeks as we try to decide where to go for our 25th anniversary. Hawaii and Alaska are both places I think I’d like to see. But anywhere with beautiful vistas, my husband at my side, and no crowds would suit me just fine.

Both of those are on my wish list. How do you choose your settings for each book?
All of my published and contracted novels are set in fictional towns situated in the Niagara region, because it’s an area I know and love. Creating fictional towns allows me to blend the elements of various real towns that I need for my one-town setting.

What are your hobbies, besides writing and reading?
I used to x-stitch and knit and paint and sew and do woodworking and construction projects and other crafts, but not so much these days. I love to go for walks with my dog, and kayaking with my hubby.

What is your most difficult writing obstacle, and how do you overcome it?
Pacing is my biggest challenge. I tend to focus on the suspense plot in first drafts, especially on ending my chapters with cliffhangers. But…sometimes those just-came-to-me cliffhangers cause me to write myself into a corner, or to barrel through the story without adequately building the romantic tension along the way.

What advice would you give to a beginning author?
Don’t be in a hurry to publish. Take time to learn the craft well. Persevere.

Tell us about the featured book.
Shades of Truth is the second book in my Love Inspired Suspense series, Undercover Cops: Fighting for justice puts their lives—and hearts—on the line. However, you won’t be lost if you haven’t read the first novel. Each story stands alone. They are linked by setting, theme and characters. For example, the heroine in this book was the friend of Deep Cover’s heroine. 

Back Cover Blurb: Big city detective Ethan Reed is working deep undercover at a Christian youth detention center. The kind of place he spent some harrowing time in as a kid. Ethan’s mission: ferret out who’s recruiting resident teens for a drug ring. He expects help from the lovely, devoted director of Hope Manor. But Kim Corbett won’t tell Ethan anything— even when she’s threatened and attacked. When Ethan discovers what Kim is protecting, his guarded heart opens just a bit wider. Enough to make this the most dangerous assignment of his career. 

Please give us the first page of the book.
Taking this undercover assignment in Miller’s Bay, Ontario was a bad idea. Too many reminders of his own screwed-up youth.

Ethan Reed trailed Darryl Corbett, the son of the detention facility’s founder, into the yard full of teen boys. The mixed teams of staff and residents on the baseball field underscored the center’s buddy-like approach to rehabilitation, but the barbed wire perimeter glinting in the summer sun hammered home the reality.

While Darryl itemized the characteristics that set Hope Manor apart from government-run facilities, Ethan’s thoughts drifted to the reason for his secret recruitment from outside the Canadian border town’s tight-knit police force. Whoever was luring residents into becoming drug pushers had inside connections. Inside the manor. And inside the police force.

At first glance the youths looked like average kids in their saggy pants and oversized T-shirts, minus iPods dangling from their ears and ball caps askew on their heads. But Ethan didn’t miss the hand signals gang members flashed when they thought no one was watching, or the scars on their faces from fighting, or the burns on their skin from initiations.

The facility forbade wearing gang colors, but restrained rivalry was evident in their defiant swaggers and icy stare-downs. They tried to look tough, but most of them were cowards who saw nothing wrong with three guys swarming a lone stray, like a pack of wolves circling their dinner.

A foul ball bounced in front of Darryl who tossed it to the kid on the pitcher’s mound. “Basically, you’re expected to engage the residents in whatever activity interest them. If you’re any good at coaxing them to open up to you and talk out their problems, all the better.”

Ethan grunted. He’d better be good at getting the boys to talk, because whoever was recruiting these kids had neglected to mention short life expectancy in the job description.

An engine’s roar ricocheted off the brick building. Then a scream—urgent, terrified, and female—pierced the air.

Ethan’s attention snapped to the perimeter, but a wall of pine trees blocked his view.

“That sounded like Kim,” Darryl said. “My sister.”
 
Ethan sprinted for the gate and yanked on the lock. “You got a key?”

“No!” Darryl raced for the building.

Ethan pictured the maze of locked corridors between them and the front exit and dug his fingers into the chain link. “I’ll meet you out front.” He bolted up the fifteen foot fence, crushed the slanted barbed wire in his fist, and vaulted overtop.

How can readers find you on the Internet?
I’ve created “novel extras” to enhance readers’ experience of my books. You can check out these and other resources for both readers and writers at my website: http://www.SandraOrchard.com.
For updates on new releases, special subscriber-only reads and giveaway opportunities, I invite people to sign up for my newsletter at http://bit.ly/OrchardNews
And I’d love for those on FB to connect at: http://www.Facebook.com/SandraOrchard
And invite everyone to join in the conversations about characters on my blog at http://www.SandraOrchard.blogspot.com

Giveaway: I’m giving away a print copy of Deep Cover, the first novel in my Undercover Cops series. Only a few retailers have any copies left, after which it will only be available in Ebook or used. If you’re intrigued by the sound of my newest story, I encourage you to look for it in your local stores this month before they’re gone.


Readers, here are links to the book. By using one when you order, you help support this blog.
Shades of Truth (Love Inspired Suspense) - paperback
Shades of Truth (Love Inspired Suspense) - 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

31 comments:

Anonymous said...

WOULD LOVE TO WIN. THANK YOU FOR THE CHANCE.
ANGELA FROM KY

Coolestmommy said...

Just popping in to say I really enjoyed Deep Cover. Looking forward to Shades of Truth as well.

Don't enter me as I already have Deep Cover, but I wanted to share my appreciation for your writing!!!

coolestmommy2000 at gmail dot com

Wendy Newcomb said...

Sounds interesting!

I live in FL.

wfnren(at)aol(dot)com

rubynreba said...

I would enjoy reading this.
Beth from Iowa

Katie said...

I would love to win! The new book sounds great! I'm from NC.

Katie G.

Unknown said...

i am thrilled that you have an offer for a trade-size novel! i will be waiting for it, because i love the suspense genre of Dee Henderson (i have all of her novels that are out now) Terri Blackstock, Lynette Eason, Shawn Grady and so on. Waiting to put Sandra Orchard on the shelf too! In the meantime, winning Deep Cover would be awesome, thanks for the opportunity!

mitzi underscore wanham at yahoo dot com

Sandra Orchard said...

Robyn, thanks so much for the encouragement. You made my day!

Angela, Wendy, Beth and Katie, thanks so much for stopping by and your interest in reading Deep Cover!

Marianne, did you hear that Dee Henderson has a new book coming out this October?! I am looking forward to that. I'm a big fan of hers, too. :)

Jo said...

Another new author to me. This book sounds like a enjoyable read. Thanks for the opportunity!

Blessings,
Jo from Southern Arizona

Mary Preston said...

I know I will enjoy reading all of the UNDERCOVER COPS SERIES.

Mary P

QLD AUSTRALIA

Ginger Solomon said...

Oooh...sounds intriguing.

Ginger in AL

Loraine Ertelt said...

I love action, adventure, suspense and this book sounds right up my alley.

Loraine Ertelt
lpertelt@aol.com
Colorado

Joanna Richmond said...

looks very interesting, enter me
Thanks
Joanna Richmond
Blanch NC

Abigail Mitchell said...

Looks interesting! Please enter me!
Abigail
Blanch,N.C.

Sarah Rebekah Richmond said...

Looks and sounds interesting!
Please enter me in the drawing!
God Bless,
Sarah Richmond
Blanch,N.C.

Susieq said...

I love the same authors that you do!
Dee's O'Malley series is my all time favorite! I loved Deep Cover and am looking forward to reading Shades of Truth.
If you decide to come to Hawaii; let me know and I'll be your guide depending on which island you choose to visit. :)
Thanks for the chance to win!
seventysevensusieq[at]yahoo[dot]com

Carol N Wong said...

The story sounds great. Thank you for the chance to win.

CarolNWong(at)aol(dot)com

Anonymous said...

Really enjoy Love Inspired Suspense
novels. Please enter me in the
drawing for a chance to win this book. God Bless You!

Dennie Richmond
Blanch, NC

apple blossom said...

this sounds like a good book. i love the love inspired suspense books. thanks for chance to win
live in ND

ABreading4fun [at] gmail [dot] com

Sandra Orchard said...

Oh wow, I've been knocked out today by a brutal cold, what a treat to stop by and see so many enthusiastic comments. As a Canadian, I even had to work my brain a little to figure out a state abbreviation or two. :grin: ND=North Dakota, right?

And Marybelle from Australia, cool! My daughter is planning a trip there next year, not Qlnd though.

And Susieq, thanks for the offer of a tour in Hawaii! Going to go tell me hubby, now :)

Rebecca said...

This sounds like a great book. I love suspense! WOuld really liek the opportunity to read it!
Rebecca from NC
rrgreene62(at)gmail.com

Sharon Richmond said...

Enter me I would love to win a copy of this book it sounds and looks like a great story!! Thanks and God bless.
Sharon Richmond
Blanch, NC.

Janet Kerr said...

The cover is very inviting.
Please enter me in the draw. I am from B.C., CANADA.

janet(underscore)kerr(at)msn(dot)com

Merry said...

I really enjoyed Deep Cover and can't wait for more romance & suspense in Shades of Truth. Please include me in the drawing, thanks!
Merry in TX

Bethany said...

I'd love to be entered for a chance to win! Sandra is a new author to me so I look forward to checking her out :)

cbus.blogger at gmail dot com

Anonymous said...

Would love a chance at winning your book

Barbara said...

This book sounds very interesting! Thanks for the chance to win!

Barbara
from Missouri

Nancye said...

This sounds like a great book! Thanks for the chance.

Nancye from Kentucky

nancyecdavis AT bellsouth DOT net

Sandra Orchard said...

It's fun seeing where everyone is from...even from Canada, yay! :)

Merry, so glad to hear you enjoyed Deep Cover. This drawing is actually for Deep Cover. I'm hoping people will go looking for Shades of Truth in their local stores while its still available. Print copies of Deep Cover sold out very quickly, which is why I wanted to give those who haven't read it a chance to win it.

Loraine Ertelt said...

Love suspense and my family is all from Ontario. Two great connections. So would love to win!

Loraine
lpertelt@aol.com
Loveland CO

Sandra Orchard said...

Loraine, how fun. Interested to know how you wound up in Colorado...a real romance author's town, too--Loveland :)

A.Jones said...

Suspense is one of my favorite genres to read. Please enter me!

I live in New York