BLOWING ON DANDELIONS - Miralee Ferrell - One Free Book

Miralee Ferrell is a dear writing friend of mine. She allowed me the privilege to read Blowing on Dandelions for an endorsement, which you can read at the front of the book. My last four books are romances with strong issues like those found in women's fiction. So do Miralee's books. These characters will reach out and grip you so hard, you'll have trouble putting this book down.

Welcome, Miralee. Why did you become an author?

I know a lot of people talk about God nudging them to write, but that truly happened to me. I had no desire to write (other than personal memories/journals/letters). I was visiting a neighboring church to hear a special speaker. At the end of the service I responded to a call for prayer. The pastor/speaker prayed with me and stopped after a few moments. He shared that he felt God was saying that I should be writing … he didn’t know whether fiction or non-fiction, but that it was important it be published. I took that word home, prayed about it and counseled with my pastor, husband, and mother, who all urged me to take it seriously. Two-and-a-half years later (after 3 magazine articles were published) my first book, The Other Daughter, released. Since then I’ve had 7 books published and 6 more are under contract.

I had a book published with the title, The Other Brother. I remember hearing your title and knowing that I had to read it. It was wonderful, as are all of your books. If you weren’t an author, what would be your dream job?

Nothing!! Seriously, if I weren’t writing I’d spend as much time as I could with my grown kids, my mother, my new (2 month old) grandbaby, and my friends. At times I feel as though I shortchange them, although I do put family first 90% of the time and still manage to make my deadlines. But if I had to chose an actual paying job? It would be a Christian counselor with a doctorate. I’m a certified Christian counselor with the American Association of Christian Counselors now, but I wish I’d finished my degree and taken it to the next level. Although if I had, I doubt I’d have started writing, so God knew what He was doing from the beginning.

I’m sure all it took to gain that certification helps you as an author. Your characters are memorable. If you could have lived at another time in history, what would it be and why?

That’s easy, the Old West during the 1870s to the late 1890s, and I would have lived on a working cattle/horse ranch. I’d be riding the ranges instead of working in the house or kitchen, if at all possible. Or at least, I would have been in my teens through my thirties. I suppose by now I’d be on a porch swing playing with my grandbabies!

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

I’ve never visited the Northeastern Seaboard, or any of the northeastern part of the United States. The richness of our country’s history in those places fascinates me, and I’d love to spend a few weeks browsing the museums as well as many of the sites of the Civil and Revolutionary War.     

How about a foreign country you hope to visit?

That’s a little harder, as I have several, but definitely somewhere with castles and lots of history. Maybe Switzerland or Germany or Scotland, I’m not sure. I would love to spend days poking around historical sites that are a few hundred years old!

What lesson has the Lord taught you recently?

To trust Him, completely and totally, no matter what the circumstances look like. His word is true no matter what’s going on in my life and no matter how difficult the challenges.

Tell us about the featured book.

Blowing on Dandelions is a historical romance with a strong women’s fiction thread set in Baker City, Oregon, in 1880. It’s the first in a three-book series, and the reader will continue to see many of the same character in the ensuing books, although each book can stand alone (although there are ties and references to the previous books). Here’s a little bit about the story.

Do Dandelion Wishes Actually Come True?

Katherine Galloway knew this moment of calm wouldn’t last, blown away like the dandelion seeds she scattered as a girl. In 1880, three years after her husband’s death, she struggles to run an Oregon boardinghouse and raise two girls alone. Things don't get easier when her critical, domineering mother moves in. Katherine must make the situation work, but standing up for herself and her family while honoring her mother isn't easy. And with a daughter entering the teenage years, the pressure on Katherine becomes close to overwhelming. Then she crosses paths with Micah Jacobs, a widower who could reignite her heart, but she fears a relationship with him might send things over the edge. She must find the strength, wisdom, hope, and faith to remake her life, for everything is about to change.

Since I’ve already it, please give us the first page of the book for my blog readers.                  

            This is the opening scene and not quite the full page, but I’d hate to leave your readers dangling in the middle of the next scene, so I’ll only share this little bit.

Baker City, Oregon

Late May 1880

Katherine Galloway’s soft exhale sent the dandelion fluff dancing on the warm current of air, but it didn’t bring the anticipated relief. Gripping the stem, she sat in the grassy field with her eyes closed and waited. Why didn’t it come? It had always appeared years ago when she needed it. How long had it been since her mind had drifted away to a place where nothing could hurt her? Fifteen years? Twenty?

She shook her head, and an errant curl tickled her cheek.

More. Many more. But always her memory returned to those times when the dandelion fluff had carried her away to a place where mothers were loving and kind, and little girls didn’t need to be afraid of cutting words or sharp voices.

Had she ever known a time like that, other than in her dreams? Katherine had thought she did, but now she knew: It was all an illusion, like the sunbeams glinting off the bits of white settling to the ground. Seeds—that’s all they were. Seeds that brought unwanted weeds when they matured. Just like her life.

Unwanted. Unwelcome. Unsung.

At least by the one person who had mattered the most while she was growing up.

Katherine pushed to her feet, letting the dandelion stem dangle from her fingers. There was no fantasy world where thirty-two-year-old women—or little girls for that matter—could ride the dandelion fluff and become someone they weren’t. No. It was time to put the past behind her. Mama was coming to stay at her house tomorrow, and somehow Katherine had to survive.

How can readers find you on the Internet?

I have several places you can find me and interact.

Web site:  www.miraleeferrell.com

Blog:   www.miraleesdesk.blogspot.com

Facebook Author page:  www.facebook.com/miraleeferrell

Twitter:  www.twitter.com/miraleeferrell

Thank you, Miralee, for sharing your life and this book with my blog readers.

Readers, here are links to the book. By using one when you order, you help support this blog.
Blowing on Dandelions - Christianbook.com
Blowing on Dandelions: A Novel (Love Blossoms in Oregon Series) - Amazon.com
Blowing on Dandelions: A Novel (Love Blossoms in Oregon Series) - Kindle

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