CLAIMING MARIAH - Pam Hillman - One Free Ebook - Plus Pam's Contest Prizes.

BIO: Pam Hillman was born and raised on a dairy farm in Mississippi and spent her teenage years perched on the seat of a tractor raking hay. In those days, her daddy couldn’t afford two cab tractors with air conditioning and a radio, so Pam drove the Allis Chalmers 110. Even when her daddy asked her if she wanted to bale hay, she told him she didn’t mind raking. Raking hay doesn’t take much thought so Pam spent her time working on her tan and making up stories in her head. Now, that’s the kind of life every girl should dream of! Claiming Mariah is her second novel. www.pamhillman.com

Why do you write the kind of books you do?

I was born and raised on a farm, and from an early age I loved horses and all things western. I was a bit of a tomboy and cut my teeth on Louis L’Amour westerns. Our neighbor’s husband worked in the oil fields of Alaska and was gone months at a time. She’d invite my brother and me over to watch John Wayne movies on Friday nights. We’d have popcorn and soda, or she’d bake a butter cake (the smell of hot butter cake fresh from the oven still makes my mouth water!).

Some people are born to paint, some to sing, some to build, some to nurture, and others are born to write. I don’t know how or why God gifts each of us with certain talents, but my desire and my talent is to write. So, I write.

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

It’s hard for a wife and mother to say that one particular day is the absolute, no-holds-barred, happiest day in her life, ever, so I’ll give you the top six days where I was so happy, I could hardly contain myself. My wedding day, followed closely by seeing our two sons for the first time, knowing they were healthy. My sons’ graduations, and my oldest son’s wedding are other events that stand out.

How has being published changed your life?

I’m busier than ever because it’s a business now, not just a dream in the future. I have to spend a certain amount of time on marketing and promotion, allot quality time for writing, and still get the normal day-to-day stuff (like laundry and grocery shopping) done. But I love it. It’s a dream come true to be working full-time from home. As hectic as it is, I wouldn’t trade it for anything.

What are you reading right now?

I’m reading Congo Dawn by Jeanette Windle. I can’t wait to start Strand of Deception by Robin Caroll, and Swept Away by Mary Connealy, and that’s just three of the books that are at the very top of my TBR wish list!

What is your current work in progress?

I’m working on sequels with secondary characters from Stealing Jake and Claiming Mariah, and on a novel set in Mississippi, my home state.

What would be your dream vacation?

An entire year touring the United States. I’d like to live for a month or two in small towns, hamlets and get to know the people. Then I’d pick up and move wherever the wind blows.

That sounds like fun. How do you choose your settings for each book?

As I get to know the characters better, the setting materializes. I enjoy writing about small towns, country life, ranching, wagon trains, trail rides, cattle drives. Sometimes the actual geographical location comes from something I’ve read or researched that sparked an idea.

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

Reverend Billy Graham. And I would take my husband’s grandmother with me. Bro. Graham a few months older than she is, and she’s also a preacher. Both are powerhouses for God and have spent their entire lives bringing people to Christ. I’d just sit by and listen to them share stories. And, they’re both Grahams, but no relation to each other!

What are your hobbies, besides writing and reading?

In between working for ACFW, reading, and writing, I don’t have much time for hobbies, but I enjoy walking, riding 4-wheelers and horses with my husband, and riding along country roads.

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

Time. Until very recently, I worked a day job as a purchasing manager for an OEM company. But after holding down a full-time job, a part-time job as conference treasurer for ACFW, writing, and being a wife and mother, (I figure all of that together constitutes 3.5 jobs. Wouldn’t you agree?) I now only have 2.5 jobs. And, the scary part is I’m just as busy as I when I worked outside the home. The biggest challenge for me is to not have tunnel vision so bad on one task that other equally important tasks don’t get done on time.

What advice would you give to a beginning author?

First: Believe in yourself. I tamped down the dream until I was almost thirty years old because the author bios and the glamour shots on the back of the books in the bookstore intimidated me. Who was I to think I could compete with such poise, such sophistication, education, and competence? Surely those authors came from wealth and power. But sometimes that glamour shot might be an illusion, the bio polished a little too brightly. You, dear writer friend, are just as worthy as the next person.

Second: If you’re writing Christian fiction, join ACFW. Develop friendships with other writers, not just connections, but true-blue, ask-me-anything, I’ve-got-your-back friends. It took me years to find those friends because I’m a fairly private person. I don’t open up to others very well, but those friends are the very reason I can be this candid with you today. Find them. Embrace them.

Tell us about the featured book.

In light of her father’s death, Mariah Malone sends a letter that will forever alter the lives of her family. When Slade Donovan, strong willed and eager for vengeance, shows up on her front porch, Mariah is not ready to hear his truths: her father’s farm, the only home she’s ever known, was bought with stolen gold. With Slade ready to collect his father’s rightful claim and force Mariah and her family out on the streets, Mariah must turn to God for guidance. Though Mr. Fredrick Cooper, a local landowner, promises to answer her financial woes if she agrees to be his bride, Mariah finds herself drawn instead to the angry young man demanding her home.

With the ranch now under Slade’s careful eye, he will unearth more than he ever imagined as a devious plot of thievery, betrayal and murder threatens more than the well-being of the ranch, endangering the lives of those who hold it dear. With days dwindling until the rest of the Donovan clan arrive to the Lazy M ranch, Mariah and Slade must rise above the resentment of their fathers and see their true feelings before greed alters their futures forever.

Please give us the first page of the book.

Wisdom, Wyoming Territory

Late spring, 1882

Dust swirled as the two riders approached the house.

They stopped a few feet shy of the steps, and Mariah Malone eyed the men from the shadowy recesses of the porch. Both were sun-bronzed and looked weary but tough, as if they made their living punching cows and riding fences.

One man hung back; the other rode closer and touched his thumb and forefinger to the brim of his hat. “Afternoon, ma’am.”

“Afternoon.” Wavy brown hair brushed the frayed collar of his work shirt. A film of dust covered his faded jeans, and the stubble on his jaw hinted at a long, hard trip. “May I help you?”

“I’m here to see Seth Malone.” His voice sounded husky, as if he needed a drink of water to clear the trail dust from his throat.

At the mention of her father, a pang of sorrow mixed with longing swept over her. “I’m sorry; he passed away in January. I’m his daughter. Mariah Malone.”

The cowboy swung down from his horse and sauntered toward the porch. He rested one worn boot on the bottom step before tilting his hat back, revealing fathomless dark-blue eyes.

“I’m Slade Donovan. And that’s my brother, Buck.” He jerked his head in the direction of the other man. His intense gaze bored into hers. “Jack Donovan was our father.”

Oh, no, Jack Donovan’s sons.

How can readers find you on the Internet?

 www.pamhillman.com or https://www.facebook.com/PamHillmanAuthor 

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Pam is thrilled to announce the release of her second novel,

Claiming Mariah

Claiming Mariah Amazon link: http://tinyurl.com/apnzl5n

            Claiming Mariah B&N link: http://tinyurl.com/ays6fq7

            Claiming Mariah CBD link: http://tinyurl.com/bvjx3m7

Claiming Mariah Goodreads link: http://tinyurl.com/d9u2k6j

Claiming Mariah 1st Chapter: http://tinyurl.com/ageh54r 

To celebrate, Pam is giving away two eReaders

(choice of Kindle Wi-Fi, 6" Display, or Nook Simple Touch)

Two Winners: One on facebook. One through Pam’s Newsletter.

Facebook Drawing for Kindle/Nook

Pam’s Newsletter

Registering both places is not required but will double your chances of winning. Also keep in mind that you will receive updates more often being connected on facebook than through the newsletter. Just sayin’

Contest runs from January 1^st until March 31^st, 2013.

And....that’s not all! There will be prizes offered randomly throughout the tour.

Click here to View Current Giveaways!

(3 Pewter Bookmarks from Deirdre’s Handmade Jewelry PLUS 40% off coupon at Deirdre’s online store. Click link to register and for coupon code)

PREVIOUS STOP ON TOUR:

February 15^th: Christian Fiction Historical Society

NEXT STOP ON TOUR:

February 20th: Emilie Hendryx

Click for a Complete List of Stops Along the Tour

www.pamhillman.com

Thank you, Pam, for the interesting interview and news about your contest.

Readers of this blog will also have a chance to win a free copy of the ebook.  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 Google +, 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