A PLACE OF REFUGE - Janet Lee Barton - One Free Book

Readers, Janet Lee Barton has been a dear friend for many years. We both started out with the same publisher and quickly forged that friendship.

Welcome, Janet. I love your new headshot. God has really been moving in your writing life. What do you see on the horizon?

I hope to write more stories in the Boarding House Betrothal series for LIH. I love the setting of New York City in the late 1800's, love Heaton House and the characters. I hope my readers do too.

Tell us a little about your family.

Between us, Dan and I have three daughters and six grandchildren. We're blessed to have one daughter and her family living near by. Family is very important to us, and we love living in Oklahoma where all our loved ones are within a days drive us.

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

Oh yes. I don't get to read for pleasure as much as I used to. And for a long time, I couldn't read without seeing it through a writer's eyes. But I have been making pleasure reading a priority in the last few years, and I'm enjoying it like old times.

What are you working on right now?

I'm working on book 3 in the Boarding House Betrothal series. This is Elizabeth and John's story.

What outside interests do you have?

I love to cook, to garden, and to do needlework when I can. We like getting together with family and friends. Our church family is great and we enjoy getting together with our Sunday school class—Fish Frys are a great favorite.

How do you choose your settings for each book?

I've always written about areas I've lived in or close to until this series. But after 9/11, I became so interested in the people of New York City, and I became very interested in the history of the city. I began coming up with ideas but didn't quite know how to link them all together, and I really wanted to do that. I'm happy to say that in that time of day/night where you're half awake and half asleep, the Lord gave the idea of the boarding house to me. From then on it all came together. I love it when that happens.

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

That's a hard question because there are many. I think I would have to name two here, though—President and Mrs. George W. Bush. I still admire them so much and I'd love to hear how life is for them now. How they feel about their first grandchild and what they think of the world events that are going on.

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

That we have to hold on to the joy of writing, and that's not always easy to do when we have deadlines, edits and marketing to do. But if we can hold on to it—and we must find a way to do so—it will show in our stories and make them even better.

What new lessons is the Lord teaching you right now?

I think the Lord is teaching me to lean on Him for guidance in all areas of my life. To step out in faith that He is in control. Always.

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

To sit in that chair and finish a story. And then another one.

To keep the joy of writing fresh. If you have to change directions, do so. If you have to try something new, do so.

To give thanks to the Lord each and every day for calling you to write for Him and giving you that joy in doing so.

Tell us about the featured book.

This is from the back copy of A Place of Refuge.

A Hero from Her Past

If Kathleen O'Bryan were capable of trusting any man, it might be someone like Luke Patterson. She never expected to be reunited with the man that rescued her last summer. But when she arrives at Mrs. Heaton's boardinghouse, seeking refuge, it's the handsome writer who greets her at the door.

Something about the lovely Irish immigrant stirs Luke's protective instincts. Life in New York's harsh tenements hasn't dimmed Kathleen's tender spirit. Day by day, Luke feels the walls around his heart crumble. But it will take faith on Kathleen's side, too, and the heart's power to recognize a real home at last….

Please give us the first page of the book.

New York City
February 1896

A knock on the door this time of evening was never a good sign. Luke Patterson paused at the staircase and frowned, looking around for Mrs. Heaton, the owner of his boardinghouse. Neither she nor Gretchen, the maid, were anywhere to be seen, and everyone else had scattered after dinner. The knock sounded once more and he took it on himself to answer the door.

"Sir, I've a young woman in my hack and was told to bring her to this address." The man at the door handed Luke a familiar-looking card. It was one of Mrs. Heaton's, embellished simply with only Heaton House, then the address and telephone number underneath. She often gave the cards to young women she thought might be in need of a safe place to come.

"What is it, Luke?" Mrs. Heaton asked as she hurried out of her study.

"This man has a young woman in his hack. He says he was told to bring her here." He handed Mrs. Heaton her card.

"Well, tell her to come right in," Mrs. Heaton said.

"She's in bad shape, ma'am. She passed out on the way over. In fact I think she's more in need of the hospital right now than anythin'. My wife's a friend of her sister's, and they told me to bring her here, and that's what I've done. They told me you'd given her the card."

I can’t wait until my copy of the book gets here. How can readers find you on the Internet?

My webpage is: www.janetleebarton.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/janetleebarton

Twitter: https://twitter.com/JanetLeeBarton

Thank you, Janet, for sharing this new book with us.

Readers, here are links to the book. By using one when you order, you help support this blog.
A Place of Refuge - Christianbook.com
A Place of Refuge (Love Inspired Historical) - Amazon.com
A Place of Refuge (Boardinghouse Betrothals) - Kindle

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