MENEHUNES MISSING - Cheryl Linn Martin - One Free Book

SAFE IN HIS ARMS - Colleen Coble - One Free Book

Colleen Coble has a new book, and it's a wonderful read. In this second book in her Under the Texas Stars series, we meet strong characters with a lot to lose. I loved following the people as they lived varied lives that intertwined. Colleen's characters, as always, were multi-layered, and they really grabbed my heart. I had a hard time putting the book down.

Meet Colleen:

Best-selling author Colleen Coble's novels have won or finaled in awards ranging from the Best Books of Indiana, ACFW Book of the Year, RWA's RITA, the Holt Medallion, the Daphne du Maurier, National Readers' Choice, and the Booksellers Best. She has nearly 2 million books in print and writes romantic mysteries because she loves to see justice prevail. Colleen is CEO of American Christian Fiction Writers and is a member of Romance Writers of America. She lives with her husband Dave in Indiana.

Find out more about Colleen at http://www.colleencoble.com/.

Welcome, Colleen. Tell us about your salvation experience.

I went to church as a little girl with my grandmother. My Sunday School teacher was the sweetest lady named Pearl. She was married but she and her husband had never had children. I loved for her to read The Little Lost Lamb to me, and my grandmother sometimes took me to Pearl’s house where I would beg to hear the story.

When I got married, church fell by the wayside as I threw myself into my husband, children, and home. Then one dark night (it was my birthday) we were driving home from a birthday party at my in-laws. While we’d been celebrating, freezing rain had begun to fall and the roads were slick. I was dozing with my 3-year-old daughter on my lap (in the years before car seats.) I heard my husband yell, “Look out!” I opened my eyes and saw another car sliding toward us sideways in our lane. In that moment, I knew I was going to die and that I wasn’t ready to meet God.

I don’t remember much about the impact until I became aware of the freezing rain hitting me through the broken T-top. The horn was blaring just like in a nightmarish movie. But we were all alive. The first people who stopped where Christians. One of them rode with our daughter to the hospital. Their church brought in food for us when we got out of the hospital. It was a tender time of believers showing us Jesus in the flesh. Six months later I became a Christian, and three months later my husband did also.

Jesus has changed my life in so many ways. When the trials come (and there have been many!) he has walked the path with me. I’m so thankful for the daily joy walking with Christ brings me.

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

The first three are easy: Kristin Billerbeck, Diann Hunt, and Denise Hunter. We’ve been great friends a long time, and we know the elements that need to go into one another’s books. Robin Caroll is another good friend who has brainstormed a lot with me. Our styles are very similar. And I’ve recently become friends with a terrific brainstormer, Michelle Lim. She’s not published yet, but she will be any time.

Do you have a speaking ministry? If so, tell us about that.

Not really. I speak to libraries and reader groups but my real ministry is writing.

I love speaking at libraries and reader groups. What is the most embarrassing thing that has happened to you and how did you handle it?

Oh I still blush at this one! I was in the rest room at church. I’d just come out of a stall and went to wash my hands. I heard a couple of teenage girls giggling but thought nothing of it. I went on out into the sanctuary, and a few seconds later, a good friend came flying up to me. She yanked down my skirt. The hem of it had gotten caught in my pantyhose! Those girls. L They let me go out of the bathroom that way. Horrible, embarrassing moment!

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’d tell them it takes a lot of hard work. It takes a long time to learn to write, to learn craft, to learn how to write your favorite genre. You have to develop a thick skin to take rejections. It took me seven years to get published. I literally have enough rejection slips to paper a wall in my office. But I learned perseverance and a lot about writing. You never arrive as a writer though. That’s what makes writing so much fun—you learn with every new project.

It took me eight years to get my first book published. Tell us about the featured book.

Safe in His Arms is a book that touches most of us women where we live—our self-confidence. We look at ourselves and wish we were thinner, prettier, had curly hair, had straight hair, had a different color eyes, etc. The list goes on and on. Margaret is too tall, has hair too red, is too tomboyish to ever believe a man will see her heart and her good qualities. When her father hires a new ranch foreman, the sparks begin to fly and so does the danger. It was great fun to write! I took the bones of an old Heartsong, Red River Bride, and more than doubled the word count. I added a suspense thread and a new spiritual theme. It’s very different from the original, but that little book provided the inspiration.

I’ve read the book and loved it, but please give us the first page of the book for my readers.

The town of Larson, Texas, was busy on this warm February day. Cowboys in their dusty boots eyed the women attired in their best dresses strolling the boardwalks. Margaret O’Brien strode down the boardwalk in front of the feed store toward the mercantile. Things seemed to change daily with new stores sprouting like winter wheat. It seemed daily more cowmen arrived to Larson, drawn by the lush grazing land and the water in the Red River.

Pa should be around here somewhere. She nodded to the ladies clustered in front of the general store, the familiar discomfort washing over her. Why couldn’t she look like them? No matter how hard Margaret tried, she remained what she was: too tall and more at home with her hands gripping horse reins than a teacup. She ducked into the store and inhaled the aroma of cinnamon, bootstrap, sweat, and pickles. She busied herself with collecting material for their housekeeper, who had a bee in her bonnet about making curtains.

A cluster of women were talking in hushed whispers about the latest Zulu atrocity in Africa. These early months of 1879 had been full of the bloody battles. Hearing such things always made Margaret wince, remembering her brother’s death at the hands of the Sioux. At least a national monument had been established earlier this year in memory of those who fell during the Battle of the Little Bighorn.

The women fell silent when Margaret paused. “Good morning,” she said in as confident a voice as she could muster. “Anyone know what kind of material to buy for curtains? I thought this was pretty.”

When she held up a lilac-flowered material, one of the women tittered, a tiny blonde Margaret had never seen before. Her face burned, and she put the bolt of fabric back.

“How about this one?” a woman said behind her.

Margaret’s heart leaped at the sound of her friend’s voice, and she whirled with a smile. “Lucy, I didn’t know you were in town today. Should you be riding in a wagon in your condition?”

How can readers find you on the Internet?

Colleencoble.com

Thank you, Colleen, for sharing this book with us.

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

Safe in His Arms (Under Texas Stars) - paperback

Safe in His Arms (Under Texas Stars) - 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

CAPTURED BY MOONLIGHT - Christine Lindsay - One Free Book

Why do you write the kind of books you do?

I write books with lots of romance, adventure, danger, suspense, because this is the type of exciting book I like to read. I like a book that takes me away, and leaves me with images to remember for months, if not years later. But at the same time, I must write books that tell about the greatest love of all—that of Christ’s love for us. Nothing is more exciting than that.

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

The day my husband David asked me to be his wife, and the consequent days that each of our children were born. Aside from God, my family is my greatest joy.

How has being published changed your life?

It got a lot busier, but also brought a lot of people into my life, people I consider friends, like our very dear Lena Nelson Dooley. How wonderful to go to a writers’ conference and find lovely fellow writers such as Lena and receive a big hug. It’s so wonderful to work in tangent with quality writers like this, who only want the same thing—to share Christ with others through the telling of stories.

And then there are all the really neat people I get to meet when they contact me after reading my books. I wish more readers would email me at Christine.Lindsay.Writer@gmail.com I love to meet them. It all boils down to relationships with others. Such a great feeling to get to know people.

I so agree Christine. I love getting to know other authors, and hearing from readers really makes my day. What are you reading right now?

Band of Sisters by Cathy Gohlke, and really loving it.

I loved that book as well. What is your current work in progress?

I’m working on a romance novella set in England, and then I have to start writing the third and final book to my series, Twilight of the British Raj, which will be called Veiled at Midnight and released by WhiteFire in 2014.

We need to schedule that book on my blog. What would be your dream vacation?

Oh my goodness, anywhere tropical where I can sit on a beach, look at turquoise water, sip a nice fruit juice and read a great book. With my hubby beside me. Although I did hear about this wonderful horse-drawn sleigh-ride that you can book at Christmas time up at Lake Louise in Canada. I would love to do that for a winter  vacation.

How do you choose your settings for each book?

The settings always come with the character that takes my heart. In my India series, it started out with my British Cavalry Major, Geoff Richards, who was the fictionalized version of my great, great, great—or something like that—great grandfather. And so that series was permanently set in British Colonial India—an extremely exotic place, terrific for danger and romance.

Because I’m Irish born, a lot of my characters tend to be of British or Irish stock, so often that sets my books in the British Isles. But British history fascinates me. Hence their colonies do which used to take up a large segment of the map. 

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

I’d love to sit down and have tea with Queen Elizabeth. Being born in British owned Northern Ireland, and a citizen of Canada which is part of the British Commonwealth, Elizabeth the Second is my queen. In my opinion she is a royal that is deserving of great honor. She’s kept her promise to her subjects and served her people well.

What are your hobbies, besides writing and reading?

I’m chuckling to myself. There isn’t much time for anything else, although I love my garden. I just saw some of my daffodils have poked up in the front by the driveway. 

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

Fitting everything into a tight schedule. There is so much more to being a published writer than writing books. Getting the word out about our books is a tough job. It’s hard to talk about yourself, when as a writer—especially a Christian writer—we are much happier shining the light on Christ or on our characters.

What advice would you give to a beginning author?

If you find great joy in crafting words on a page, then do it. Keep at it, because it is not an easy climb. But along the way you will make many friends, and most of all come to rely more and more upon Christ, and you will be what God wired you to be—a writer.

Tell us about the featured book.

Captured by Moonlight is the continuing story of Eshana and of Nursing Matron Laine Harkness from Shadowed in Silk. These two feisty women from Book 1 practically demanded that I tell their story.

Due to their desire to help young girls who are being sexually abused in the north of India, Eshana and Laine find the police on their heels. As they both escape to the south of India, they are each captured by their respective pasts.

Laine goes to a new position as nurse in a clinic that is thick in the jungle, only to discover the owner of the plantation is her former fiancé who broke her heart during the war. Laine is determined that Adam will never again crush her like he did when he sent her that Dear Jane letter.

Unknown to Laine, Eshana is caught and imprisoned by her traditional Hindu uncle who is angry that she is living as a Christian. He secretly imprisons Eshana in a house hidden in the jungle where she discovers friendship with a little girl who is also engaged to be married, though she is only six.

Eshana wonders if she will ever see freedom again, or is she to wear the funeral garb of a Hindu widow for the rest of her life? She is also saddened that she may never again see Dr. Jai Kaur, a Sikh man whom she has become great friends with.

Captured by Moonlight has two romances within its story, and I believe it will capture the heart of any Christian romance reader. At the same time I try to gently tackle a serious issue that is still current today—young children being used as sex slaves.

Here is the book trailer.

Please give us the first page of the book.

Amritsar, Northern India, Late October, 1921

If the head woman from the temple looked in her direction, Laine Harkness wouldn’t give two

squashed mangoes for her life, or Eshana’s. Laine could never be confused for an Indian, but with the tail end of this cotton sari covering half her face, and her brown eyes peeking over, she simply had to blend in. Still, any minute now that hatchet-faced female standing guard to the girls’ quarters could let out a pulse-freezing yell.

A sudden blare of a conch shell from within the Hindu temple stretched Laine’s nerves. She and

Eshana must be mad to risk this exploit again. The Principal Matron at Laine’s hospital would give her a severe reprimand if she ever found out. More likely sack her. If either she or Eshana had any sense at all, they’d turn around, go back to the mission, and mind their own business.

But a line from Wordsworth, one of Adam’s favorites, ran through her mind...little, nameless,

unremembered acts of kindness and of love...

Blast! She wouldn’t call what she and Eshana were about to do little, but please let it be

unremembered. Unnoticed would be better still.

Nudging Eshana in the side and closing her mind to the writhing creatures in the burlap bags

they carried, she hissed into Eshana’s ear. “Well off you go. You’ve got yours to dispose of, and I’ve got mine. Just please keep that guard distracted.” Laine jutted her chin toward the obese head woman waddling around in a sari stained down the front with betel juice. Every once in a while she would take her long wooden club and rap on the doors of the hovels.

Eshana hurried through the narrow alleyway toward the guardian of the temple girls, carrying a

similar burlap sack to Laine’s.

On the opposite side of the bazaar, the globelike spires of a temple devoted to a Hindu goddess

poked above nearby rooftops. Like a multi-tiered cake decorated in a variety of colored icings—pinks, blues, orange—the temple enticed like a sugary concoction.

But from there the loveliness ended. In these alleyways behind the temple, the pervasive scent

of incense and stale flowers mixed with the reek of human misery. Girls who should still be playing with toys, and some a little older, chatted with each other. Many of the paint-chipped doors were closed, imprisoning within those adolescent girls forced into ritual marriages to a Hindu deity.

Laine flattened herself against the peeling plaster wall to watch Eshana shake out the contents

of her sack at the base of a cluster of clay pots. Now she waved her hands about, talking in rapid Hindi to the older woman. Good girl, Eshana, that’s the ticket. Laine’s stomach writhed in rhythm to the creature in the bag she carried. She strengthened her grip at the top of the sack though the drawstring had been tightly pulled.

Sure enough the head woman stomped off with Eshana and began to clatter around the pots

with her club, giving Laine the moment she waited for. Sixth door from the end on this side, Eshana had told her. Eshana had been visiting the inhabitants of this alley on a regular basis in an attempt to give them some sort of medical aid.

How exciting. How can readers find you on the Internet?

I would love readers to drop by and leave me a message on www.christinelindsay.com

Thank you, Christine, for sharing your book with us.

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


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

Winners!!!!!

Marianne (Alb) is the winner of an ebook of Love in Three-Quarter Time by Dina Sleiman. 
Monica (Ont) is the winner of an ebook of Unconditional by Tanya Eavenson. 
Pol (GA) is the winner of The Lesson by Suzanne Woods Fisher.
Jorie (FL) is the winner of The Stagecoach Murders by Howard Worley. 
Diana (SC) is the winner of Every Perfect Gift by Dorothy Love. 
Mary P (Aus) is the winner of an ebook of Song of the Meadowlark by Sherri Wilson Johnson. 

If you won a book and you 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. If you won a print book, send me your mailing address:
Click the Contact Me link at the top of the blog, and send me an Email.
If you won the ebook, just let me know what email address it should be sent to.
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.

WHERE GOD FINDS YOU - Anita Higman - Ten Free Books

Today is a banner day for you, Readers. We have two interviews. Gail Sattler's interview is for a novel. Be sure to keep reading when you finish this post. Anita is the author of our nonfiction book today. She's another of my dear writing friends.

Welcome, Anita. What would you like for our readers to know about you personally? 
I love God. I love my family. And I love to write. In that order. But writing has never come easily to me. I’ve always had to work hard at it. And success has come slowly too. But I’m grateful to be able to share my work with readers.

Tell us about your family.
Both my kids have graduated from college and have married. My son, Scott, works in the oil business, and my daughter, Hillary, works as an assistant to a youth minister. My daughter is a wonderful writer, and we’re coauthoring a devotional book that will come out this year. Needless to say, I’m very proud of both my kids.

Have you written other nonfiction books? 
I’ve been writing for almost thirty years, and I have thirty-two books published. Some of those books through the years have been nonfiction, but now I write mostly novels with an occasional nonfiction release. But Where God Finds You was a special book to write. Each devotion is infused with Biblical fiction, and as far as I know there’s nothing on the market like it.

Do you have any other books in the works right now? Yes, I’m working on a novel as well as a devotional book. What kinds of hobbies and leisure activities do you enjoy? I love gardening, decorating, and poking around antique shops. Also, I’ve been collecting tea dishes for years. Sometimes I have my gal friends over for brunches, and I bring out all my finery.

Why did you write the featured book? 

That is a good question. At first I didn’t want to write it. I knew writing a devotional book with Biblical fiction would not be an easy task. Also, I’m not a Biblical scholar, so at first I was overwhelmed, knowing how much research it would take to write a book of this kind. In fact, I said no to the editor who’d asked me to take on this project. But then he asked me to pray about my decision. That weekend I did pray about it, and felt strongly that I was meant to write this book. I may not have a degree in theology, but I did want to be obedient to God. Writing this devotional book, Where God Finds You, turned out to be an amazing experience. I have never felt so close to God as I did when I was writing this book.

What do you want the reader to take away from the book? 
My hope is that people will enjoy discovering how relevant the Bible stories are to our lives today. I wanted to bring the characters to life and show that these ancient people were very much like us with similar hurts and tragedies, hopes and transgressions, joys and triumphs. Even though the culture was dramatically different, our hearts are the same. Those famous Bible folk needed God back then just as we need him in our daily lives right now.

 Where can readers find you online? 
Please drop by my website at www.anitahigman.com or come over to my reader page on Facebook to talk about books and movies at http://www.facebook.com/#!/AuthorAnitaHigman. I would love to hear from you!

Thank you, Anita, for sharing this book with us.

Readers, here are links to the book. By using one when you order, you help support this blog.
Where God Finds You: 40 Devotions Bringing Bible Characters to Life - paperback
Where God Finds You - 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

TAKE THE TROPHY AND RUN - Gail Sattler - One Free Book

Readers, Gail is one of my long-time writing friends, having shared the same publisher for our early years. We really connected on many levels. Welcome, Gail. I love your new head shot. It displays your personality.

What are some of the spiritual themes you like to write about?

Right now I’m working on themes of trust. I feel trust is the foundation to any relationship with people and with our Savior.

What other books of yours are coming out soon?

In February 2012, the 2^nd book of the Bloomfield series – called When Pigs And Parrots Fly. It’s a fun story meant to make the reader smile. After that, my second book in my Mennonite series, called The Path To Piney Meadows, which is about Chad, who appeared in the last chapter of The Narrow Path.

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

With my friend and fellow writer, Lena Nelson Dooley. Ms. Dooley is a warm and fun person, always uplifting and has a great sense of humor. Never lacking for conversation, and has a quick wit. I know you are blushing as you read this, but you asked and so I answered.

Thank you, Gail. I miss being with you, too. We have a lot of fun together. What historical person would you like to meet (besides Jesus) and why?

Mark Twain. Because he was a writing genius and made his own path.

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

Rejections happen, they are as much a part of the business of writing as submitting. It means you are trying, and if you keep trying, you keep moving forward, and that’s what we all have to do in this business. 99.9% of writers, even published writers, will get rejections. Welcome to the club.

The publishers shows the feel of the story in this cover. Tell us about the featured book.

As mentioned above, this is 2^nd book in the new Bloomfield series, which revolves around the lives of the quirky members of the Bloomfield Garden Club. It’s a fun book to read, and it’s my first e-book only. It’s available in POD, but it’s being released as an e-book only.

(Readers, that means it won't be in bookstores. However, it is available online in both paperback and ebook editions.)

I had the privilege of reading this book for endorsement. It’s a fun read. But please give us the first page of the book for my blog readers.

When Pigs (and Parrots) Fly

by Gail Sattler

CHAPTER 1

               “I’m not so sure of this.” Josh Tavendish ran his fingers down the conglomeration of colored shapes. “Do you really think it’s going to work?”

               Beside him, Sarah stood reading the now-empty box. He figured that being a veterinarian, she would be the one who would know what would attract, and keep, a parrot’s attention.

               “It has to,” she mumbled. “Quite frankly, I don’t know why they’re insisting on this. Half the children are terrified of Murray.”

               Josh nodded. “Not to mention a lot of adults aren’t too comfortable with him, either. Andy isn’t sure it’s going to work, but he couldn’t say no. You know how he feels about expanding the burn unit for the hospital. For that, he’s willing to give anything a try. If including Murray in the fundraiser raises more funds, then Andy will do it.” Although, Andy wasn’t the only one who had doubts if the whole thing was going to work. Not only did Murray not have the most friendly disposition, neither did Andy.

               A few years ago Andy, ever the responsible fire chief, had dressed up as Santa for another hospital fundraiser. Even though he hadn’t been the cheeriest Santa on record, the event had been a success, and therefore sealed Andy’s fate. For this season’s hospital fundraiser, the theme was swashbucklers. With Andy’s disposition, Josh could well imagine Andy as a swarthy pirate.

               But Josh couldn’t imagine Murray, Andy’s cranky parrot, behaving himself in a crowd. He especially couldn’t imagine the bird posing for photographs.

               He poked at the red plastic square and watched it swing. “Do you really think this is going to make Murray behave? What’s it supposed to do, hypnotize him?”

               Sarah tapped the blue circle. “They didn’t teach us much about parrots in veterinary college, but I do know they’re smarter than people think. The most important thing I learned about parrots is that a bored parrot is an unhappy parrot. Andy needs to keep Murray distracted, so this thing just might work.”

               Josh turned his head to look over his shoulder. For the first time since he opened his pet supply store four years ago, people were waiting in line outside. He wished it had something to do with the ad he’d taken out in the Bloomfield Gazette, or the small poster he’d put up at Sarah’s veterinary clinic, but he knew it wasn’t so. Nor did it matter what new pet toys he had on sale.

               The people outside crowding the sidewalk weren’t coming to check out his new stock.

               Like a twisted Groundhog Day, everyone was here to see how Murray reacted to the new parrot toy.

               This was worse than reality television. And it was happening in his store.

               The buzz of conversation outside increased.

               He didn’t know the last time Bloomfield had seen so much action. There would be no middle ground for what happened today. It would either go really good, or really, really bad, and he didn’t have a good feeling about it.

               In his experience, Andy was only slightly friendlier than Murray, with emphasis on the slightly. The specific reason Andy agreed and would tolerate today’s side-show was because allowing people to watch Murray’s reaction to the new toy created hype, and the hype drew people’s attention to the fundraiser. Over Andy’s years with the fire department, Andy had seen too many injuries, so having the hospital well staffed with up-to-date equipment in good repair was very important to him, which was why he’d agreed to participate.

               Josh checked his watch. “I have to go open the door. Andy will be here in five minutes.”

How can readers find you on the Internet?

My website at www.gailsattler.com

Thank you, Gail, for sharing this book with us today. 

Readers, Gail lives in Canada, and I wish I could visit her there. Here are links to the book. By using one when you order, you help support this blog.
Take the Trophy and Run: A Bloomfield Novel - paperback
Take the Trophy and Run: A Bloomfield Novel - 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

CINDERELLA TEXAS - Molly Noble Bull - Two free books or ebooks

God has really been moving in your writing life. What do you see on the horizon?

God has been with me in my writing from the beginning—from the short stories I wrote as a child to the novels and stories and articles I write today. But at last I am finally writing what I want to write instead of what is popular at the moment.

My father and my maternal grandfather were ranch managers (real cowboys) and I spent part of my growing years on a sixty thousand acre cattle ranch in South Texas. As a result, I like to write stories with a western setting. Don’t quote me on this, but I have a hunch the new wave in fiction will be westerns. 

Tell us a little about your family.

I was born in Kingsville, Texas, home of the famous King Ranch, and I married my college sweetheart. We have lived in many places since we married, including Germany, but now we live in South Texas again in the town of Kingsville.

They song says, Mama, don’t let you babies grow up to be cowboys. But all three of our grown sons are involved in ranching in Texas today. Five of our six grandchildren are either in 4-H or FAA and will be showing animals in the upcoming county livestock show. Only one of our grandchildren isn’t involved. She is only two. But I am sure she will be in the thick of it as soon as she is old enough.

Has your writing changed your reading habits? If so, how?

I don’t have as much time to read as I once did. My writing is taking off, and I’m writing almost constantly. All those old books I wrote so long ago are selling. Still, I have to polish my old manuscript before I send them to my publisher, and that takes time.

What are you working on right now?

I am working on a lot of projects at once. Cinderella Texas is book one in a series of western romance novels called The Cattlemen Series, and it was published as an e-book in November 2012. It will be coming out in audio and in paperback later, and I am working on book two of The Cattlemen Series now.

Bedtime Stories for Believers became an e-book in December 2012, and now I am also working on God’s Favorite Family, a series of books for young children in rhyme that I wrote when I was teaching Kindergarten in a public school. I was never able to find an artist to do the illustrations. But now I found one who happens to live only fifteen miles away. I will also have a story in a book of short stories for adults being compiled now and set in the old west. Various authors are writing the short stories for the series, and I still have to write Book Three of The Cattlemen Series. 

What outside interests do you have?

If I told you, you might laugh. Besides being with my husband and family, I love to read and study Bible prophecy, and I am a fan of a TV show called “Prophecy in the News.”

www.prophecyinthenews.com 

I’m not laughing. I knew this about you. How do you choose your settings for each book?

I like to write about things I know. So often, when I describe a scene in one of my stories, I am describing something I actually saw with my own eyes. 

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

Jesus Christ. He is the most exciting and interesting person who ever walked on this good earth. He is also God’s only begotten son. Who wouldn’t want to spent time talking to him?

What is the one thing you wish you had known before you started writing novels? 

I wish I had known how important it was to polish a novel before sending it to a publisher. At one time, I sent out my first draft, and it was often sent back by return mail. 

What new lessons is the Lord teaching you right now? 

For years I was puffed up about my writing career, waiting for the big publishers to come knocking on my door, and that might be God’s plan for some. But it was not God’s plan for me. Now I write for a small book publisher and loving it. 

What are the three best things you can tell other authors to do to be successful?

Never give up. Never give up. Never give up. If you enjoy writing, it is because God gave you the talent, ability and the desire to write. So do it. Write. And never give up.

Tell us about the featured book.

Cinderella Texas is the retelling of the classic fairy tale complete with a shoe problem for the heroine. Set on a cattle ranch in South Texas in modern times, I would call Cinderella Texas a lighthearted romance that I think will make you smile when you read it—maybe even laugh.

I can’t wait to read it. Please give us the first page of the book.

I’ll do better than that. I will give you the first part of the story. You have to meet my cowboy hero.

                                     Cinderella Texas, Chapter One

“You don’t mean this is the Greene ranch.” Alyson Spencer glanced at Poncho, Quatro Greene’s hired hand, in the front seat beside her. “Do you?”

“Si, senorita.” Poncho reduced the speed of the double-cab pickup and wheeled onto the turning lane. “The ranch, he is here.” He pulled to a stop in front of an ordinary-looking metal gate.

Alyson stared at him for a moment. “But we’re out in the middle of nowhere.  I haven’t seen a town or another house for miles.”

Poncho’s wide smile revealed a missing tooth in front. He opened the door on the driver’s side. 

Alyson studied the Hispanic man who had picked her up at the airport in Corpus Christi, Texas—earlier that morning. “Let me open the gate,” she said.

“No, senorita. I will do it. You might get your clothes dirty.”

While Poncho opened the gate, Alyson thought about her new boss, Quatro Greene. She hadn’t stopped thinking about him since she read that magazine article where all the rumors about him and his family were discussed—strange, secretive, mysterious, never seen in town unless it had something to do with business, visiting a doctor or buying supplies.  

 

A lot happened in the last three weeks. Besides being in a minor accident that required stitches, she’d accepted a job home schooling Quatro Greene’s two children. However, she hadn’t gone to North Texas University for four years to become a home schoolteacher.

  

But she was desperate after realizing she wasn’t going to find a teaching position in Dallas in the middle of the school year. Besides, Tim lived in Dallas. After she saw him with that leggy blonde, she wanted to be as far from him and Dallas as possible.

  Alyson and Quatro had talked on the phone several times, but this would be the first time they met face-to-face. She’d wanted to look her best. Alyson glanced down, straightening the hem of her gold top.

A sign in small black letters and written in Spanish was nailed to two cedar posts next to the gate. Una Nacion De Dios, she read. Main 20. Under it, she saw a No Trespassing sign printed in English with more Spanish words under it—possibly a “no trespassing” in that language.

She didn’t know Spanish, but maybe the number twenty meant that the Greenes owned nineteen other ranches. They were billionaires and probably lived in a mansion. So why hadn’t they invested in a more impressive entry?

Poncho got back in the truck and drove through.

As he went back to lock the gate, Alyson looked around. She hadn’t known she would be living behind a locked gate. Why wasn’t that mentioned in the teaching contract she signed?

Before she fully considered what that might mean, they wheeled down a blacktopped road that curved toward several red barns. Oil wells loomed in the distance.

  

“What do the Spanish words on the gate mean?” she asked.

            “The Country of God.”

            Alyson smiled. “God’s Country. I like that.” 

An old fashioned wagon pulled by two brown horses was parked at the side of the road. A man wearing a cowboy hat appeared to be the driver.

   

“Who is that?” She pointed to the cowboy.

“Senor Quatro Greene.”

“You mean my new boss?” She gave a short laugh. “You’re joking.” 

“I make no joke, senorita. The man, he is Senor Greene.” Poncho slowed and then stopped about ten feet from the wagon.

The cowboy waved to them. With his blue jeans tucked into his black high-topped boots and that slim body, Quatro looked too young to be a widower with two school-aged children. He climbed down from his perch, looking tall and fit as he rearranged things in the back of the wagon.

Alyson pulled her makeup mirror from her purse for a quick look at her appearance, holding the mirror at a different angle and hoping for a better result. But the cuts and bruises on her face still showed, regardless of the extra layer of makeup she’d applied after leaving the plane.

Her wounds would heal—without leaving scars, she hoped. She’d thought breaking up with Tim would leave scars. It hadn’t.

Hailey was right about Tim all along. She dabbed a bit more powder, snapped the makeup holder shut and put it back in her purse. 

She glanced back at the wagon. Quatro started toward them.

  

He was better looking than she expected, but that was no reason to tense up. She raised her chin a notch. Okay, a lot better looking.

Quatro reached the truck in what seemed like four strides. He had high cheekbones and a dark complexion. He removed his hat and held it. Reddish-brown hair curled around the edges of his ears and at his hairline, and broad shoulders filled out his navy blue western shirt making his sapphire-colored eyes look even bluer.

            A trace of boyish mischief gleamed in his smile, causing her to want to smile right back. His grin faded. One dark eyebrow arched as he appraised her face. He knew about the accident, but this was the first time he actually saw her cuts and bruises.

 

Quatro’s smile returned. He ducked his head, and sticking his hand through the open window, he shook her hand. “I’m Robert Greene, but my friends call me Quatro. You must be Alyson Spencer.” 

            “Yes, I am.”

            He held her hand a moment longer than she would have expected. And she felt the warmth of his palm.

She’d learned that quatro meant four in Spanish. And he’d signed her teaching contract as Robert Lee Greene IV. 

            Quatro turned to Poncho. “I want you to service my truck. Have someone drive it on up to the barn for me after you put Miss Spencer’s luggage in the back of the wagon.” 

“Si, senor.”

            Back of the wagon? Surely he hadn’t meant they would be traveling in that wagon. In these clothes?

She paid big bucks for her gold silk pantsuit because she wanted to look her best at their first meeting. She also bought cowboy boots but never intended to wear them. In hindsight, she should have bought an extra pair of jeans to go with the boots. 

            Quatro studied Alyson for a moment. “So if you will be so good as to climb in the wagon, we can be on our way.”

            Stunned by all that she’d seen and heard, she felt her jaw drop. Pull yourself together, Alyson, she told herself. There must be an explanation.

Maybe the Greenes treated all newcomers to wagon rides. Eccentric billionaires did pretty much anything they wished, and nobody said a word. A slow smile formed on her lips. Could it be that he knew how much she loved antiques and historical novels and did all this to make me feel welcome?

 

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I’m going to like this book. How can readers find you on the Internet? 

www.mollynoblebull.com  

But I haven’t update my website in ages. The best way to keep up with me is via my blogs.

Writers Rest - http://writersrest.blogspot.com 

I also write articles for Commandment Keepers.com and Bustles and Spurs.com, a blog for Christian readers and writers of western fiction. But you can find all my books by writing Molly Noble Bull in the search slot at Amazon and other online and walk-in bookstores.

Thank you, Molly, for sharing this book with us.

Readers, Molly is giving away a copy of Cinderella Texas and Bedtime Stories for Believers. Here are links to both of these books.
The Cattleman Series - Volume 1 - Cinderella Texas
Bedtime Stories For Believers


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