STOLEN LEGACY - Diane and David Munson - One Free Book

Welcome back, Diane and David. I love your new photo. How did you come up with the idea for this story?

Lena, thanks for featuring us and our new thriller, Stolen Legacy, on your popular blog. We are so excited what God has shown us to write about WWII heroes.

The idea has been ten years in the making. I (Diane) first wrote an historical thriller many years ago after studying the genealogy of Christ. Fascinated by the idea of how God knits us together in “His story,” with my husband David’s help, I created Peter Vander Goes, a 15th century judge who helps finance Johann Gutenberg’s printing press and endures persecution because he has one of the first printed Bibles in his language. Publishers liked the manuscript; however, since 9/11 had recently occurred, several suggested that we should write suspense novels. This made sense to us, as we could draw upon our careers in the justice system. So, we decided to write about a 21st century descendent of Peter Vander Goes, Federal Agent Eva Vander Goes Montanna.

Eight novels later, we are circling back to the original idea, as Eva helps Grandpa Marty Vander Goes write his memoirs from WWII. She and her family visit his farm in Zeeland, Michigan, and soon, strange things begin to happen. When Grandpa Marty is threatened, Eva races to stop a relentless enemy, bent on ruining Eva’s family, all because of the 15th century legacy.

This sounds very interesting. If you were planning a party with Christian authors of contemporary fiction, what six people would you invite and why?

Oh, what a fun idea! We have always wanted to plan an event involving Christian authors and readers to fellowship over stories, plots, favorite characters, and everything fiction. Let’s plan it together. First, we’ll invite our book club friends who go to Christian bookstores and buy Christian books!

Lena, you must come, and tell everyone what inspired you to write Love Finds You in Golden, New Mexico. Perhaps, our party should take place in Golden. What do you think? Pam Meyers will talk about Love Finds You in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. She grew up there and we “love” the Midwest, where we lived for many years. Okay, we can’t leave out Brock and Bodie Thoene. Wait, you say, they write historical and Biblical fiction. Right, that’s what we thought too, until we met Ramona Tucker (OakTara) recently at the Evangelical Church Librarian Association’s (ECLA) Conference near Chicago. We were surprised to see the Thoene’s book, Love Finds You In Lahaina, Hawaii, and have enjoyed it. Traveling to Hawaii was one of our first trips together. The lush scenery makes us think the beautiful islands must be what the Garden of Eden was like.

To round out this party, Robert Whitlow will talk about his newest release, The Living Room. We have been reading Robert since his first novel, The Trial, and so appreciate knowing another lawyer who honors God with his creative side. Finally, the party wouldn’t be complete without us all hearing from Karen Kingsbury. When we’ve appeared at various events, Karen has been there many times. She is so gracious, talented, and committed to her family. She has opened up the whole Christian fiction market in a tremendous way. Her readers, whom we have met all across the country, are just as committed to her writing. Her newest release is Fifteen Minutes.

I would so be on board for that party. Now let’s do that for a party for Christian authors of historical fiction, what six people would you invite and why?

Lena, you will come and share the journey of your writing historical novels in the McKenna’s Daughters series, including the first Maggie’s Journey, which tells of the trials and triumphs in late 19th century America. We have helped friends deal with adoption issues, and Diane has represented many children through the adoption process.

At the ECLA Conference we mentioned, Lynn Austin inspired us with how God led her to write The Restoration Chronicles, the first in the series being Return To Me. Lynn brings to life the prophet Zechariah and his wife. Then, the Thoene’s are invited again! Their Zion Chronicle and Zion Covenant Series motivated us as husband and wife to begin our writing career and to keep on truckin’ in this ever-changing business.

Christian fiction would not be what it is without Janette Oke and her historical novels, many of which have been made into wonderful family-friendly movies with Michael Landon. She is a dear Christian woman who shines the light of Jesus wherever she goes. Her latest DVD is based on her inspirational book, When Calls the Heart. Michael will fascinate us all about how he has branched out into writing Christian novels. His newest is Traces of Mercy, set in post-Civil War. God brought us together recently at the ICRS event in St. Louis where the two released, When Calls the Heart.

We sense a theme and that continues to be how God weaves His children into beautiful tapestries to bring glory to His name. We strive to do so with our writing. Another author who means much to us is Michael Phillips. Diane first found his work when he edited many of George MacDonald’s novels. Michael also wrote a series about Russia with Judith Pella, which helped fashion our desire to write of God’s faithfulness through fiction. A recent release from Michael is The Treasure of Celtic Triangle, which takes the reader on a journey into history in Scotland and Ireland.

David and I are intrigued by all things Scottish and Irish, with some family roots there from long ago.  

                       

Who will join us in our “Writer and Readers” Party? We hope many of you will delve into our novels and enjoy the adventures we’ve carved from real events in our lives as a former NCIS agent and Federal Prosecutor.

I love all those authors you mentioned, and I’ve met many of them. I'm honored to be included with them. I’d love meeting the others and sharing an evening with avid readers. Many times, people (and other authors) think you have it made with so many books published. What is your most difficult problem with writing at this time in your career?

Our exciting careers provide us with much fodder for plots, so we have never suffered from what some call “writer’s block.” One big challenge is writing in this time when brick and mortar stores are diminishing. Publishing companies are constricting and promoting fewer authors, so we must make more public appearances to keep readers aware of our newest books. We hit the road together, which is a huge plus. So are many wonderful readers we meet along the way. Yet, the constant travel and promotion can interfere with our writing time. We praise Jesus for His companionship on this bumpy and twisting road. He is our Shepherd, our Strong Tower, and Mighty Fortress.

That’s true, and He’s the planner of our writing careers. Tell us about the featured book.

Stolen Legacy tells a story of betrayal and courage inspired by Diane’s father and David’s Uncle who served in WWII. Our heroine is Eva Montanna, the strong Federal Agent who stands up to criminals every day. She appears in our seven other novels that stand alone.

In our latest international thriller, Eva is shocked to uncover secrets from her grandfather’s past that rock her life. When Grandpa Marty is threatened, her faith is tested beyond what she ever imagined. She frantically searches for clues in his WWII journals and unravels a devious scheme involving Dutch Masters. Readers are immersed in the Dutch Resistance and those who stand up to Adolf Hitler and his quest for a “final solution” in eliminating Jewish people from the earth. A recent visit to a holocaust museum brought fresh tears to our eyes. And history came alive for us as we interviewed WWII survivors.

The foundation theme is The Cornerstone, because Christ’s legacy, the price He paid for us, is eternal, and can never be stolen.

Please give us the first page of the book.

This link will lead readers to the book page on our website which has the video trailer and Prologue: http://www.dianeanddavidmunson.com/books/stolen-legacy.shtml

Also, here is the first page of Chapter One:

June - Five years later, Zeeland, Michigan

Federal Agent Eva Montanna tore after the suspect with tremendous speed. Her heart banged against her ribs. She fled across a slippery slope, the reassuring grip of her Glock giving her courage to pursue the woman. No matter how Eva tried, she couldn’t breach the distance. Her prey was escaping with astonishing speed.

Fury rose within Eva. She pulled in extra air, urging her legs to ramp it up and catch the woman. A federal agent couldn’t simply fire at a fleeing felon without cause. Still, if the woman turned and pointed her gun, Eva could shoot. She would shoot.

But what if the woman never quit running?

Eva yelled again, “Federal agent! I said stop!”

The suspect dressed in black sped down the hill. Eva drew nearer. But her foot collided against a rock. She careened onto the wet grass, her body sliding dangerously close to the mountain’s edge. Eva stifled a scream.

The woman turned, raising her gun. Eva’s eyes locked onto the woman’s vivid turquoise-blue eyes. Fear jolted through her. Where was her Glock?

  

A noisy bell rang. Eva’s eyes flew open. Where was she?

To the erratic beating of her heart, she surveyed old-fashioned furniture spread about the room in a hodgepodge fashion. Eva tried shaking off her grogginess. She felt exhausted from working so many hours just to get away on vacation. A colorful watercolor of a woman hung on the living room wall above her. She was lying on a couch. Okay, she was in Grandpa Marty’s house in Zeeland, Michigan. Eva and her family had arrived yesterday for a two-week vacation.

The eerie dream bothered her. She mentally zipped through her past cases, not recognizing anyone with such odd-colored eyes. What about the woman’s gun? Eva had seen one like it—in a WWII museum she’d visited near Washington D.C. It looked much like a German P38. Eva roused herself and stood, convinced neither the woman nor the gun had any bearing on her life.

I can’t wait until my copy gets here so I can continue reading this story. How can readers find you on the Internet?

Because David is a former Special Agent with NCIS, we now write a weekly critique of the NCIS show, which is viewed by nearly 23 million each Tuesday night on CBS. Our NCIS blog is found on our website home page at www.DianeAndDavidMunson.com

Or at www.DianeAndDavidMunson.com/blog

Autographed copies of our book can be purchased from our website and eBook copies are available at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and at ChristianBook.com.

Thank you, Diane and David, for the interesting interview. I’ll have to check out your reviews of NCIS. James and I enjoy the shows.

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