TROUBLE IN STORE - Carol Cox - One Free Book

Carol Cox is a long-time writer friend, and I really enjoy reading her books. Trouble in Store is a wonderful read. The characters really leapt from the pages into my mind and heart. Their lives and trouble are often in my thoughts.

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

I’m very excited about this month’s release of Trouble in Store. This historical romantic suspense was so much fun to research and write! Arizona offers a wide panorama of settings to explore, and I love the opportunity to bring those fascinating places to life in my books.

A bit farther out on the horizon is a novella collection where I detoured from my Arizona settings and traveled to your part of the country. Mary Connealy, Karen Witemeyer, and Regina Jennings were the other authors, and working with them was such a delight! Look for A Match Made in Texas next January.

I want to feature that book on my blog. I love to read books by all four of you. Tell us a little about your family.

Dave and I celebrated our 39th anniversary earlier this month, and what an adventure it has been! He’s the pastor of two small churches. In addition to that, he owns and operates the Davis Leather Company, which means I have a handy resource available for information on guns and gun leather.

Our daughter will be a senior in high school this fall. One of her goals for this summer is learning to drive … with me as her teacher. If you sense a nudging to pray for the two of us, please feel free to act upon it!

Our son is in the Air Force, and I’m very proud of his service to our country. He and his wife have blessed us with three sweet grandchildren who light up our lives.

I have a grandson in the Army overseas now. And I know how much grandchildren add to your lives. We now have a great grandson with another on the way. Has your writing changed your reading habits? If so, how?

Between writing, making revisions, checking galleys, promoting the current release, and researching the next project, I simply don’t have the free time I used to be able to devote to reading. Much of the reading I do these days is for research, so I treasure the rare moments when I’m able to curl up with a book and read for sheer pleasure!

What are you working on right now?

I’m nearing completion of another story set in Arizona. This one features a heroine who inherits a newspaper, and I’m having a great time learning about the printing process in the late 19th century!

I’ll want to feature that book on the blog as well. What outside interests do you have?

As you might suspect, church activities take up a lot of my time. I play the piano at both our churches, teach children’s Sunday school, and lead a monthly women’s Bible study. And then there’s the youth group, which keeps us hopping! We’ve been blessed with two wonderful congregations, and I’m very grateful to be able to work with all these different age groups.

When I do have some free time, I enjoy knitting and crocheting. And one of my favorite ways to beat stress is working in the garden.

How do you choose your settings for each book?

More often than not, I feel like the setting chooses me. Sometimes, all it takes is a visit to a location to start the creative juices flowing. What kind of people would have lived there? What problems did they face? How did they resolve them? When questions like that spring to mind—and when the answers start flowing—I know a new story idea may be on its way.

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

One of my favorite places to research Arizona history is the Sharlot Hall Museum in Prescott. Ranch woman, activist, lover of history—and a writer, to boot—Sharlot was fiercely independent, preferring to live life on her own terms, unencumbered by the constraints society placed on a married woman.

Her appointment as territorial historian in 1909 made her the first woman to hold office in the Arizona Territorial government. Her new post was a perfect fit for her passion to preserve history, and she conceived the idea of establishing a historical museum in the cabin that served as the Governor’s Mansion for the territory’s first governors. Eventually, the museum that now bears her name came into being, and her dream became a reality.

I can only imagine what a treat it would be to spend an evening with Sharlot, listening to the stories this remarkable woman could tell!

I’d love to be there with you when you talked to her. What is the one thing you wish you had known before you started writing novels?

I always heard that writing is a solitary pursuit, so I expected a degree of isolation . . . but I was in for a wonderful surprise. I never dreamed of the enduring friendships I would make with other writers, and with my readers as well. Those connections have been unexpected blessings that have enriched my life immeasurably!

Yes, they make it all worth it. What new lessons is the Lord teaching you right now?

Right now, the lessons are all about priorities. I can’t say this is a new topic for me, but it seems like the Lord sends a reminder every so often. And I’m so glad He does! With today’s hectic pace of life, it’s all too easy to get caught up in the urgent and let the most important priorities slip out of place without even being aware of it.

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

Here are the 3 B’s of Writing listed on my website’s “For Writers” page:

Be patient.

Like any career, writing requires preparation and training. The learning process takes time, so gear yourself mentally for a marathon rather than a sprint.

Be teachable.

The longer I write, the more I realize how much I still need to learn. There is always the joy of growing, of improving my skills, of learning to be a “workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.” (from 2 Timothy 2:15 NIV)

Be willing.

If we’re called to write for the Lord, we need to do this for His glory and not our own. Place your writing in God’s hands and be willing to give Him control as to what happens with it. He’s the one who sees the big picture and knows what’s best—both for us and for His plan.

Tell us about the featured book.

Fired from her most recent governess position, Melanie Ross muse embrace her last resort: the Arizona mercantile she inherited from her cousin. But Caleb Nelson is positive he inherited the mercantile, and he’s not about to let an obstinate woman with newfangled ideas ruin all he’s worked for. In hope of turning her interest elsewhere, he determines to get Melanie married off, and luckily, there are many single men in town quite willing to take her off his hands.

The problem is, Caleb soon realizes he doesn’t want her to marry any of them. He’s drawn to her more every day, and he has to admit some of her ideas for the store offer unexpectedly positive results.

But someone doesn’t want the mercantile to succeed, and threatening words have escalated into destruction and danger. Will Melanie and Caleb’s business—and budding romance—survive the trouble that’s about to come their way?

Please give us the first page of the book.

Marietta, Ohio

April 1885

“Are the children ready, Miss Ross?”

“Yes, ma’am.” Melanie Ross bobbed her head, trying not to wince at her employer’s clipped tone. She shot a quick glance at Mrs. Deaver’s daughter and son to make sure nothing had happened to mar their appearance since her last inspection.

Five-year-old Olivia stood on Melanie’s left, long golden curls framing her cherubic face and cascading over the wide collar of the pink dropped-waist dress so carefully ironed by Melanie the night before. The little girl’s eyes glowed with anticipation, and the dimple in her round left cheek deepened when she offered her mother a bright smile.

Mrs. Deaver’s features softened enough to give her daughter a fleeting smile in return.

On Melanie’s right, Clarence Harrington Deaver Jr. dug the toe of his black patent-leather shoe into the Aubusson carpet, his dark scowl indicating the nine-year-old’s distaste for the blue velvet suit, complete with lace collar, designated as his attire for the afternoon.

How can readers find you on the Internet?

I love to connect with readers online! Visit my website at:

www.AuthorCarolCox.com to learn more about me and my books.

Then there’s my Facebook page at: www.facebook.com/carol.cox.

I also blog at Writes of Passage on the 1st and 3rd Saturdays of the month: http://www.writespassage.blogspot.com/

And I’m just getting started with Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/authorcarolcox/  I’m still very much a beginner there, so if any of you would like to share helpful hints, I’d love to hear them!

Thank you for inviting me to visit your blog again, Lena. It’s always a joy to spend time with you and your readers!

It's a pleasure to talk to you and help you introduce your new books to my readers.

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

Trouble in Store - Christianbook.com
Trouble in Store: A Novel - Amazon.com
Trouble in Store - Kindle

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