Tuesday, December 31, 2013

THE QUAKER AND THE REBEL - Mary Ellis - One Free Book

Welcome back, Mary. Why did you become an author?
I couldn’t not become an author. Stories constantly percolated in my head and spilled out at rather inappropriate times. If I didn’t start putting them down on paper, and then typed into my laptop, people would have definitely started to worry.

If you weren’t an author, what would be your dream job?
Truly, I’ve worked so many jobs over the years this is the only dream job for me.

Me, too, but I believe all those jobs have made me a better author. If you could have lived at another time in history, what would it be and why?
I guess I would have enjoyed living in colonial America, but I’m certain it looks much quainter than it actually was.

What place in the United States have you not visited that you would like to?
I would love to visit Alaska, but definitely in the summer. The variety of wildlife up there is incredible.

I’d love to go to Alaska, too. James served in Alaska in the army before we met, and he’s wanted to take me, but we haven’t made it yet. And yes, it would have to be in the summer. How about a foreign country you hope to visit?
I would love to visit Provence, Italy. I’m enchanted by the mountainous countryside. I don’t speak a word of Italian, but Italy is definitely on my bucket list!

What lesson has the Lord taught you recently?
Patience, patience, patience. When I trust in Him, it’s truly magnificent how things fall into place. It’s hard though sometimes to sit back and wait.

Tell us about the featured book.
What happens when an Underground Railroad conductor falls in love with a man loyal to the Confederacy? Emily Harrison’s life has turned upside down. At the beginning of the Civil War, she bravely attempts to continue her parents’ work in the Underground Railroad until their Ohio farm is sold in foreclosure. Now alone and without a home, she accepts a position as a governess with a doctor’s family in slave-holding Virginia. Though it’s dangerous, she decides to continue her rescue efforts from there.

Alexander Hunt, the doctor’s handsome nephew, does not deny a growing attraction to his uncle’s newest employee. But he cannot take time to pursue Emily, for Alexander isn’t what he seems—rich, spoiled, and indolent. He has a secret identity. He is the elusive Gray Wraith, a fearless man who fights the war from the shadows, stealing Union supplies and diverting them to the Southern cause.

The path before Alexander and Emily is complicated. The war brings betrayal, entrapment, and danger. Amid their growing feelings for each other, can they trust God with the challenges they face to provide them with a bright future?

I started reading the book late yesterday without realizing it was today’s interview. Your writing is amazing, and the first two chapters captured me. But please give us the first page of the book for my readers.
Bennington Island, in the Ohio River, Summer 1861
“Miss Harrison?” the soft voice queried. “Please come in and take a seat.”

Emily, startled from her open-mouth perusal of the painted ceiling, stared in the direction of the voice. She thought she’d been shown to an empty room to wait, but a wren-sized woman sat near the windows in a wicker chair with wheels. She hurried to the woman’s side, bobbed her head and then bent her knee in a small curtsey. “Mrs. Bennington,” she said. Never in her life had Emily done such a thing. She’d only seen a curtsey in theater presentations, but the astounding elegance of the house seemed to warrant one.

“Oh, my, what lovely manners you have,” the woman said, patting a chair beside her.

“Thank you, ma’am,” she said, perching on the edge. Emily judged her to be around thirty-five, younger than her mother had been, with an unlined forehead, green eyes and dusky blond hair. Delicate, that’s what Mama would have called her.

“Your letters of reference from Mrs. Ames and Miss Turner glowed with praise of your accomplishments. We’re glad you’ve come to our backwater island to polish the rough edges off our girls. They both attended grammar school in Parkersburg for six months of the year and we’ve had tutors here, but now they require refinement. They still run wild through the garden like savages. Annie, especially, needs to learn deportment.” She inhaled a deep breath and sighed. “I am aware of your loss, Miss Harrison. And in time I hope you will come to regard us as your family.”

Annoyed by the statement, Emily drew back from the lavender-scented aristocrat. “I’m afraid the situation will be temporary, Mrs. Bennington, since I’m engaged to be married. When my fiancé returns from Washington, I shall return to Marietta.”

Her voice sounded haughty, but she couldn’t help herself. From the moment the flatboat rounded the turn and she viewed Bennington Plantation, she’d been on unfamiliar ground. A carriage had been waiting at the dock to drive her to the mansion. Then an elderly black gentleman in finer clothes than any owned by her father opened the door, bowed, and ushered her into a foyer larger than her entire house. Pink and cream marble lay beneath her feet while the crystal chandelier overhead cast harlequin patterns on the polished steps to the second floor. The butler had to wrestle her portmanteau away as she stood gaping at her surroundings. The butler spoke perfectly-inflected Queen’s English without a trace of the slang she’d expected from a slave. He was a slave, wasn’t he? She’d followed him to this salon, and here she was—behaving rudely to her new employer without other options for her future.

How can readers find you on the Internet?
Readers can find me at:
https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Mary-Ellis/126995058236

Thank you, Mary, 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.
The Quaker and the Rebel - Christianbook.com
The Quaker and the Rebel (Civil War Heroines Series) - Amazon.com
The Quaker and the Rebel: 1 (Civil War Heroines Series) - Kindle


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, Linkedin, 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

Monday, December 30, 2013

MCKENNA'S PRAYER - Lisa Miller Crane - One Free Ebook

My daughter, Jennifer, is a hairdresser. One day when she was doing my hair, she told me one of her friends at her daughter's school was a writer. Of course, people are always telling me about someone they know who is a writer. I didn't think much about what Jennifer said.

Then one day, when Jennifer was doing my hair, Lisa brought her daughter by so Jennifer could decide what to do about something with her hair. Jennifer introduced Lisa as that writer. We got to talking. I found out that Lisa wasn't connected with other writers, and she writes Christian romance. I asked about her books. Since I have a McKenna's Daughters series, I went home and downloaded her book McKenna's Prayer into my Kindle. 

After finishing her book, I asked Jennifer how to contact Lisa and invited her to the critique group that meets in my home. The rest, as they say, is history. We are now good friends. 

Welcome, Lisa. Tell us how much of yourself you write into your characters.
I actually write quite a lot of myself into my heroines. My characters are never perfect people, but I often find the women in my stories possess many of my strengths and weaknesses. Sometimes, my heroines are far from the world’s idea of pretty, and I feel that way about myself. I hope my readers relate to heroines who don’t look like Victoria’s Secret models. As for my heroes, many of the romantic things they say and do are based on things I’ve said or done with my husband (or things I wish he’d do).

What is the quirkiest thing you have ever done?
How much room do you have on your blog? Seriously, if I had to choose one, I’d say going to the courthouse in Ft. Worth to apply for a marriage license while dressed as a gypsy is the winner. My employer had allowed us to dress for Halloween, and I dressed as a gypsy, complete with noisy ankle bracelets and multi-colored scarves for a skirt. The clerk looked at me for a long time, then turned to my fiancé, Charles, and asked very seriously, “Are you sure about this, sir?”

When did you first discover that you were a writer?
I made up a lot of crazy stories when I was a little kid. Later, I wrote a lot of poetry as a teenager. Most of it was very bad and angst-filled. I can only say I’m glad I finally found my niche in Christian romance.

Tell us the range of the kinds of books you enjoy reading.
If I’m not writing, I’m most likely reading. I’m the kind of person who’ll read anything I can get my hands on. But I developed a lot of my reading tastes by borrowing books from my parents. As a result, I do read a lot of romance, but I also enjoy suspense, mystery, western, and historical fiction.

How do you keep your sanity in our run, run, run world?
Faith, family, and friends. No matter what, I always know that someone much wiser than I am is in control, and I rest in that knowledge. My family is my sanctuary. Knowing I can end the day with them keeps a smile in my heart. My friends, in the real world and on Facebook, support me in my crazy endeavors.

How do you choose your characters’ names?
Some characters choose their own names, and there’s nothing I can do about it. Sometimes I’ll use a name I just really like, or the name of a person I especially like. Every now and then, I’ll see or hear a name and think, I have to use that name. Occasionally, I’ll ask my friends on Facebook for suggestions. I’ve used a few of those, but it’s always a laugh to see what some of them will say. And there’s a family in my McKenna’s Haven series who are named after western writers and characters. There’s Zane, Wyatt, fraternal twins Louis and L’amour, identical twins Colt and Winchester, and the only girl in the family, Jesse. Their last name is James. It sounds a little corny and hokey, but readers tell me it works and the names fit the characters. Oddly enough, it’s my villains and villainesses who most often choose their own names. Names are more important (and more difficult) than many readers might think.

What is the accomplishment that you are most proud of?
My children, hands down. My son is an Eagle Scout who will start college in the spring. He’s a kind-hearted young man with a quirky sense of humor that just tickles me. My daughter is a beautiful, brilliant young lady who just overflows with compassion for others. Both of them are Christians, as well, having made that decision when they were old enough. I know I can’t take all the credit for these two amazing young people, but I’ve certainly had a hand in it.

If you were an animal, which one would you be, and why?
I’d probably be a cat. They just seem to spend so much time observing. I love watching people, making up imaginary lives for them. One of our cats spends a lot of time sitting in the window, just watching the world go by, and I sometimes wonder if he’s not making up stories, too.

What is your favorite food?
On my Amazon.com author page, I refer to myself as a “nerd, wrapped in romance and dipped in chocolate.” Does that answer your question? If it has to be a food you could actually live on, I’d have to say sushi or anything spicy.

I would like to think we can live on chocolate. What is the problem with writing that was your greatest roadblock, and how did you overcome it?
I think it was believing something I wrote was good enough to publish. I write books and stories that I’d enjoy reading, but in the back of my mind is always that question, What if it’s not good enough? That’s when I stop writing and start praying a little harder.

Tell us about the featured book.
McKenna’s Prayer is the first in my McKenna’s Haven series. It wasn’t meant to be a series at all, but God and my characters had other plans. McKenna Ross has been away from her home for eight years, with only a visit or two during that time. She’s been in love with her best friend, Jason Tremaine, since they were children, and assumed they’d marry when they grew up. Jace and McKenna’s parents, however, believe she should go to college and “make something” of herself. So Jace, in essence, sabotages their relationship, sending McKenna to college with a broken heart.

Now, eight years later, she feels that God is leading her home for Thanksgiving. She decides to surprise her parents, and drive to south Texas. She’s in an accident and ends up with a broken leg and arm, requiring physical therapy. She decides to recuperate at her parents’ home, and finds herself often in the company of Jace. Just about the time she thinks God has brought her home to be with the love of her life, her boss shows up, pressuring her to further the relationship they have. And then there’s Sawyer Blake, the handsome, kind and funny physical therapist.

When I started writing McKenna’s Prayer, I knew how it would end. But as I prayed about the book, the words began to pour out of me, and the ending was a surprise. It was perfect, but definitely a surprise to me.

I’ve read the book and loved the story, but please give us the first page of the book for my readers.

“McKenna, I don’t understand,” Ethan said. “Thanksgiving is almost a week away. Why do you feel it’s necessary to leave this afternoon?”

“Ethan, I just want to go home,” McKenna answered, not raising her eyes from her desk. “I haven’t been home in two years, and not very often before that. Now I’ve purposely arranged my schedule so I have no meetings for the next two weeks. I’ll be back Monday following Thanksgiving, and you’ll never even know I’ve been gone.”

“Now you know that’s not true,” Ethan said, his voice dropping to a lower timbre. He leaned against the edge of McKenna’s desk next to her, effectively blocking her from working. She finally looked up at him. “McKenna, you know I’ll miss you.” His tone took on a slightly wheedling note. “I thought we were going to spend Thanksgiving together, like we always do.”

How can readers find you on the Internet?
My books can be found at https://amazon.com/author/lisacrane. I also have a blog on Goodreads at http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6863270.lisa_crane/blog. I have to admit, I’m not always a very consistent blogger. I can be found on Twitter as @happyheart1993, and on Facebook as Lisa Miller Crane. I also welcome email from readers (and reply) at happyheart1993@yahoo.com.

Thank you, Lisa, for sharing your first book with us. (By the way, Readers, she really is pretty.)

Readers, here are links to the book. By using one when you order, you help support this blog.
McKenna's Prayer (McKenna's Haven, Book 1)

Leave a comment for a chance to win a free copy of the ebook. 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, Linkedin, 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

Sunday, December 29, 2013

WINNERS!!!

Anne Payne (NC) is the winner of Carolina Gold by Dorothy Love.
Pol (GA) is the winner of A Lady of Resources by Shelley Adina.
Kentucky Lady 77 (KY) is the winner of Taming the Sheriff by Cynthia Hickey.
Sybil (GA) is the winner of Aloha Rose by Lisa Carter.

If you won a book and you like it, consider giving the author the courtesy of writing a review on Goodreads, Amazon.com, Christianbooks.com, Barnes and Noble, or other Internet sites. 

Also, tell your friends about the book ... and this blog. Thank you.

Congratulations
, everyone. If you won a print book, send me your mailing address:
Click the Contact Me link at the top of the blog, and send me an Email.


If you won an ebook, just let me know what email address it should be sent to.

When you contact me, please give the title of the book you won, so I won't have to look it up.
Remember, you have 4 weeks to claim your book.

Friday, December 27, 2013

FINDING THE ONE - Alan and Nancy Smith - One Free Ebook

Readers, I've known this couple since they were teenagers. I fully support and promote their ministry, and I'm excited about this new book.

Welcome, Alan and Nancy. What would you like for our readers to know about you personally?
Alan and Nancy Smith have been married for 19 years and have three children. Alan has served on staff at Gateway Church in Southlake, Texas, since 2007, currently in the role of Pastor of Freedom Ministries. Nancy owns and operates Authority Press, a publishing company. They are currently planning to start a new church in 2014 called Catch the Fire – DFW.

Tell us about your family.
Alan and Nancy have three children—Lauren, 18, Anna, 16, and Ted, 11. All three are currently homeschooled.

Have you written other nonfiction books?
In 2011, Alan published Unveiled: The Transforming Power of God’s Presence and Voice. Since that time, Unveiled has sold more than 6,000 thousand copies and is available in paperback, audiobook, and eBook formats.

Do you have any other books in the works right now?
Both Alan and Nancy have other projects in the works right now. Updates will be forthcoming!

What kinds of hobbies and leisure activities do you enjoy?
Both Alan and Nancy are avid readers, although of different genres. Alan enjoys large theological works (large, in the sense that they could double as doorstops), while Nancy can usually be found with her nose in a good story.

Why did you write the featured book?
A healthy approach to singleness and dating will produce more healthy and sustainable marriages. This book is designed to help singles understand the relational factors that make for great marriages so they can develop, demonstrate, and discover those attributes as individuals and in relationships. Though written for singles, because the core of this book is all about explaining the factors that make for great marriages, this book will be helpful for singles and marrieds alike.

What do you want the reader to take away from the book?
The dating process usually serves to confirm physical attraction, shared faith and values, and common interests. These then serve to confirm “soul mate” status on the relationship and lifelong decisions are made on this basis. Our hope is to challenge many to look beyond these important factors to those that actually predict relational success: self-management, honor, and vulnerability. Then, within that context, we want our readers to begin developing a healthy approach to confrontation and boundaries.

Where on the Internet can the readers find you?

Thank you, Alan and Nancy, for sharing your new book with us today.

Readers, here’s a link to the book. By using it when you order, you help support this blog.
Finding the One: Thinking Differently About Choosing a Spouse

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, Linkedin, 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

Thursday, December 26, 2013

THE SCHOOL OF MINISTRY: THE WINDGATE - Braxton A Cosby - One Free Book

Readers, I'm happy to welcome Braxton back to our blog with his newest book.


In the words of Braxton’s “Uncle Bill” Cosby, the book, the first in a trilogy, is, 
“A memorable, unpredictable journey of hope, identity and courage.  
The Cosby gift of storytelling lives on in this page turning adventure.”

Braxton, why do you write the kind of books you do?
I have a love for creation. I appreciate those who have creative minds and love to take their thoughts and ideas to the next level. We have all been given gifts and talents in some form and writing has really become an avenue of expression for me through the characters and stories I tell. Writing Young Adult and New Adult genres give me the liberty of being as free as I can with my imagination because most readers who like these kinds of books, have an easier time traveling with me (the writer) as I world build.

Besides when you came to know the Lord, what is the happiest day in your life?
I would have to say it’s a big mix between getting married and having my firstborn child. With both experiences, there was an unmistakable feeling of expectation and unknown, which made my life very exciting at the time. Now, both marriage and fatherhood is an experience that cannot be compared to anything else. There is such an appreciation I have for being selected and trusted with both responsibilities.

How has being published changed your life?
I’m very busy now. I always find myself either fleshing out a new book idea, or doing interviews or just reading a new book. Reading is much more fulfilling to me now because it gets my creative brain going and I am able to pour much more into my works because of it.

What are you reading right now?
I just finished two Young Adult novel series, Divergent by Veronica Roth and Legend by Marie Lu.

What is your current work in progress?
I am currently working on building out The Star-Crossed Saga’s (Sci-fi Romance) franchise. Protostar (Book 1) will be released in early 2014 and the novella that chronicles one of the main characters road to the first book (William) is undergoing the editing process now.

What would be your dream vacation?
Traveling to an island with my family and having someone feed, clean up after, and take us all fishing. Then I’d love to settle down and read a good book.

How do you choose your settings for each book?
My settings have a tendency to jump around because I like to keep the readers involved. Protostar is a space epic, which settles on planet Earth in Tennessee, while The Windgate (Book 1 of The School of Ministry) is right here in Atlanta. None of the characters in each story stays in one place though. I like to think of the main cities as origin points just so people understand the characters better. 

If you could spend an evening with one person who is currently alive, who would it be and why?
My Uncle Bill. I had such a fascinating time with him in 2012 when we did our book tour, and I learned so much from him. Always do. I’d love to do it again some time.

What are your hobbies, besides writing and reading?
I like to spend time with my girls (3 daughters) and take them to the movies, eat frozen yogurt, or read at the book store. I’m also a gamer, and I enjoy playing games with my friends online.

What is your most difficult writing obstacle, and how do you overcome it?
Getting my outline started. I have to have structure with my writing, which gives me direction. Once I get it nailed down, it’s so easy to start flowing.

What advice would you give to a beginning author?
Find a vision, write it down (make it real), and love it. It is yours, so you need to perfect it. Make the book you write, the book you love first. Then, others will follow.

Tell us about the featured book.
The School of Ministry: The Windgate, tells the story about a young man named Ziv who is orphaned at the age of six and struggles to find his identity. He learns that he has to power to see things through dreams by just closing his eyes. He can see creatures from the other side. When he turns eighteen, he is re-united with his long-secret love named Stephanie, and he decides that he will finally tell her how he feels. On that day that he goes to see her, she is kidnapped, and he is recruited by a secret society called The School of Ministry and they want to hone his gifts as a “Conduit” (stop time and see demons) to fight evil. He agrees to join them if they will help him find his friend and along the way, he is teamed up with two other young men and they must all work together to stop Akabod – the spiritual prodigal son of The School of Ministry before he can destroy the Windgate. It’s an epic tale that is just the first book in a planned five book series.

Please give us the first page of the book.
PROLOGUE
Five years ago, one night changed everything. I was out horse playing with a bunch of friends, in the streets, acting crazy. We came to an old abandoned building and decided to play a game of hide and seek. But I played hide and seek a little too well, easily ducking away from the others, making my way to the lower levels undetected. As they scouted around looking for me, I lost myself, trapped in a maze of empty rooms. Trying to find my way back, I came across another group of teens, making such a ruckus that I couldn't help but spy on them from a distance. But their horse playing was nothing like what we were doing.

Boys. A pack of them and a lone girl, engaged in disturbing behavior.

The boys were harassing her, hands everywhere. She cried out in screams that rattled my eardrums. My hands found their way over my ears, trying their best to block out the screeches. The more hands she batted away, twice as many appeared. They pressed in, grasping and groping. One of the boys pressed harder, adding slaps and kicks, until finally ripping a few layers of clothing from her body.

That’s when the others joined in. They blanketed her in a cloud of mayhem. Her screams echoed through the rooms, breaking through my hands, making it hard for me to look away. She fought back to no avail. I hid in the shadows, too afraid to help, too scared to make them stop.
She tried to fight back, tried to break free. But she was unsuccessful.

Finally I emerged from the darkness and bucked up the nerve to yell out, “Stop!” But they ignored me. Eventually, things got really heated, the girl screaming at the top of her lungs, and the boys pushing her down. That’s when something broke free inside me. It started with a quiver, then a strong tremble, until my legs shook so hard I fell backward. My head slammed the floor. I winced and closed my eyes. What I saw terrified me. It was dark but I could see everything clearly. Horrible images shrouded me in a sheath of fear. Circling each one of the boys were hideous, great and fearful beasts. They had eyes that burned like embers, claws the length of fingers, and skin like that of dragons with patches of blazing red hair all over that seemed to stand on end. Grey smoke puffed from their mouths as they spoke. Some whispered obscenities, while others screamed deplorable things, encouraging the boys to continue. I opened my eyes and gasped. My heart fluttered and I looked around the room. The beasts were gone. Only the boys and the girl remained. Taking a deep breath, I shuddered at the thought of closing them again, but I had to.

I had to know the truth.

I did. It was true. I closed my eyes again and there they were. Within the dark recesses of my eyelids, I was able to see creatures from the other side. But what were they? Ghosts?

I mustered the strength to run out of the building, screaming for help. People stared at me like I was crazy. Finally, an adult took my accusations seriously and the police arrived, but it was too late. The damage was done. The girl’s family tried to press charges, but she was high on drugs and was not able to identify the suspects. I lacked the heart to come forward and testify against them, left town for good. From then on, I knew I was different. I had a path. But how it would all play out one day was beyond me.

Until now…

Wow! Powerful. How can readers find you on the Internet?
Twitter: @Cosbykid_fatdoc
Blog site: www.cosbyscorner.com

Thank you, Braxton, 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.
The School of Ministry: The Windgate - paperback
THE SCHOOL OF MINISTRY (The Windgate) - Kindle

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, Linkedin, 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

Wednesday, December 25, 2013

My Christmas Gifts to My Blog Readers

Every year, I write a Christmas short story to share with people and bless them. But first, I want to share a video with you.




Gifts from the Blizzard

A ranch five miles from Plainview, Texas, Christmas Eve, 1899

Eleanor Johnson paced from the parlor, through the library, and back. Never in all of her twenty-four years had this house felt so large ... or so empty. With the wind whistling around the house, carrying a cumbersome load of snow, she’d never felt so cut off and alone.

All the ranch hands had today and tomorrow off. Most went into Plainview. She’d planned to follow later. The Methodist Church was having a special Christmas program tonight, followed by a community fellowship she’d really looked forward to. When she’d opened the back door to head to the barn, the gale tried to pull it from its hinges.

Thinking back, Eleanor couldn’t remember a snowstorm this fierce at Christmastime. She didn’t dare risk the ride into town. The horses could spook, and the strength of the whirling wind might flip the wagon and kill her. Not a fit night for man or beast to be outside.

Nothing like being all dressed up with nowhere to go. Trying to calm her queasy stomach, she smoothed her hands over the skirt of the red and green taffeta dress she’d had made for the holidays.

At least, she had plenty of wood stacked in the mud room. And the food she planned to take into town sat under tea towels on the kitchen table. Enough to feed all her ranch hands, but at the moment, eating was the farthest thing from her mind.

She barely heard the knock on the front door over the howling blizzard. Who in the world could that be? For a moment, fear shot through her like an arrow. Maybe she should just ignore the summons. She took a deep breath, her hand covering her wildly-beating heart.

The sound of a fist flailing the door was accompanied by words she couldn’t make out, but the voice was familiar. She pulled open the heavy oaken door, and enough snow to build a snowman accompanied two men into her parlor. She’d have quite a puddle to mop up.

“Jackson, what are you and José doing here?”

Her foreman and her horse wrangler stomped their feet and more slushy snow added to the melting puddle while she tried to push the door closed.

“Here.” Jackson reached above her head and added his strength to hers. “We turned around and headed back when the storm struck. Didn’t want you out here alone.”

“Come on back to the kitchen.” Smiling she headed toward the linen closet. “I’ve got enough food cooked to last us several days. We might as well keep it from going to waste.”

She turned with a stack of towels in her arms.

“Señorita, I’ll clean the mess.” José had lost much of his Mexican accent, but he always called her that. He quickly relieved her of her burden and went to work.

“Thanks, come on back when you’re finished. I’ll have a plate ready for you.”

Jackson followed Eleanor into the kitchen where the black cast-iron stove glowed. He hovered near the heat while he removed his wet gloves and fleece-lined coat. “This feels good.”

“But the rest of your clothes are wet.”

His gaze captured hers and a magnetism, she’d often felt, connected them. Did he feel it, too?

A couple years ago, her father had hired Jackson only a few months before the bull gored him, eventually ending his life. When she inherited this ranch, she continued running it the way her father had, keeping all the same hands.

“I still have my father’s clothes. I’ll get you and José something dry. Then you can change out of your wet things.” She hurried away before he could say anything.

✵✵✵✵✵

Just as they finished the last of their Christmas pie, something hit the wall hard outside the kitchen. Eleanor quickly arose and pressed her hand over her heart. “What was that?”

Both men jerked on their coats and headed out through the mud room. Soon Jackson returned. “The sound came from a burro pulling a two-wheeled cart. José took them to the barn. He’ll be back when he gets the shivering animal settled. I hope its owner is somewhere safe.”

“Would you like more coffee?” She held up the tin pot. “I was just pouring myself some.” He nodded.

She and Jackson sat at the table warming up and chatting. Once again, she felt a strong connection with him. Her spinsterhood clung to her like a leech. The desire to have a husband and family drained the life out of her conversation, so they sat in silence for a few minutes ... or an eon.
Finally, Jackson cleared his throat, drawing her gaze toward him.

“Eleanor, we’ve known each other for a quite awhile, and I know you’re ... my boss, ... but have you ever thought about ...”

His words lingered between them, awakening her heart to interesting possibilities. “Yes ... yes, I have.”

He started turning his mug in slow circles. “I was planning to ask your father if I could court you, ... but he died before I worked up the gumption.”

Did Jackson just say ... “Yes.”

His coffee-hued eyes probed hers. “Yes, what?”

She could see his uncertainty. Had she spoken too quickly? As she glanced down at the table, her finger traced the Christmas design her mother had embroidered so many years ago. “Yes, you may court me.” She glanced up in time to catch a special gleam in his eyes.

“Thank You, Jesus.” The words came out on a baritone, whispery breath.

They heard José enter the back door, then the mud room door burst open. He carried a bundle in his arms. The bundle emitted a mewling whimper.

Eleanor jumped up. “What do you have?”

He thrust the snow-covered bundle into her arms. “When I was cleaning the snow from the bundles in the cart, I found this niño.”

Dark brown eyes stared up at her from a tiny face. “A baby? Where did he come from?”

“I don’t know, señorita.” Jose’s face stretched into a wide smile. “Many bundles are in the cart. Some contain baby things. I cleaned him up by the stove in the barn. I’ll go back and bring the bundles into the house. Maybe we can figure out something about this little one.”

Jackson came to stand beside her, staring down at the babe. “How old do you think he is?”

“I’d say only a few months ... no more than three. After the storm, we’ll see if we can find his parents.” She automatically started swaying and humming, as if she were born to do this.

“If not, maybe we could keep him.” Jackson’s gentle words took her breath away. “Well, the blizzard brought a few surprises, didn’t it?”

“Yes.” Eleanor nodded. “Wonderful surprises.” She flashed him her warmest smile.

Jackson pulled Eleanor into an embrace with the baby cradled between them. The tender kiss he pressed to her forehead held promise of much more to come. ... Life-changing events.

She would never be the same. Thank You, Jesus.
©2013 Lena Nelson Dooley. All rights reserved.

Historical note: The worst winter storm hit in February 1899. Most of the United States was covered with ice and snow. Texas was almost completely covered. That year even Galveston Bay froze over. I took the liberty of moving the storm up two months to fit my story.

Tuesday, December 24, 2013

FIGHT FEAR AND FOSTER FAITH - Jana Flaig - One Free Book

Bio: Our guest is an Author, Speaker, Inspirational Humorist, a member of the Christian Comedy Association and has two released DVDs (“Who put the elephant in my stocking?” and “Been There – Got The Wig!®”).

 She is formerly a TV News On-Air Reporter in Los Angeles, and College Professor of Broadcasting Arts and Speech Communication.

Jana’s an ovarian cancer survivor and founder of the BEEN THERE – GOT THE WIG!® Breakfast Club & Ministry, who shares her story of challenging her battle with fear using humor, a positive attitude, and faith to inspire others to never give up!

Professional Speaker (35+years) for special events, conferences, women’s retreats. National Speakers Association (5 years).
M.A., Communications & Media, CSULB.
B.A., Radio and Television, CSULB.

Welcome, Jana. Tell a little about your background in battling fear.
I was misdiagnosed for a year, went into hospital for hysterectomy, and when I awoke two days later I was told they found ovarian cancer which had spread to stage 3c. I was cut from the pelvic bone all the way up to my ribs and has over 80 staples. I spent 1 month in rented hospital bed at home before starting 5-months of chemotherapy, followed by a 2nd major operation using the same big cut, and another month in rented hospital bed at home. But greater than my physical challenge, was dealing with my response to the doctor’s words “cancer,” “chemotherapy,” “surgeries,” each one hit me like a sock in the nose. In that moment, to my dismay, decades of faith were chipped away and I was down for the count. My biggest battle was not against cancer, but fear that overwhelmed me, robbed me of hope, and threatened to defeat me.

In your book Fight Fear and Foster Faith you provide practical tips to KNOCK OUT FEAR and move forward, what are the 3 most important things someone who’s facing a hardship can do to fight fear?
Adopt a positive attitude, program your heart/spirit for victory not defeat, add humor to your life.

What can one do to acquire and maintain a positive attitude?
Hang out with positive people because hope is contagious. And avoid negative people, even if they’re related. Avoiding negative people’s comments is key to fighting fear, which is produced by believing the wrong things. Seemingly innocent remarks, like “There aren’t any jobs out there, nobody’s hiring,” can be as a fiery dart that plants seeds of fear in us.

Don’t walk away from negative people ... run!

How can you ignore a comment you’ve already heard?
That can be a battle, but you can win that struggle by not meditating on the negative thought, by not repeating it, and by countering the negative messages with positive statements/thoughts.

Why is it important that we counter negative comments with positive statements?
It is important because words not only reflect our attitude, words can shape our attitude. Positive speech promotes positive attitude. Accenting a positive aspect of a situation can have beneficial results. Even a child can do that.

For example, my 8-year-old granddaughter, Zoe, went to a donut shop for a treat with her mom. She was told she could choose one donut, but instead, she picked up a CUPCAKE and insisted her mother buy it. “We’re not buying CUPCAKES today,” her mom responded, “And besides, it looks like someone licked this one.”

The expression on the 8-year-old’s face betrayed her. Her mom was aghast that she had sampled a snack they hadn’t paid for; and upset that they now had to pay for the damaged CUPCAKE. After being advised she would not be allowed to eat the CUPCAKE, nor any other treat that night, Zoe was pulled from the shop. Those famous words “just wait ‘til your father comes home!” were hanging in the air.

At home, Zoe sat in time-out and meditated on her crime while she waited for her father to arrive. When my stepson walked through his front door, she joyfully jumped to her feet and announced, “GOOD NEWS, DAD! There’s a CUPCAKE for you.”

She knocked out her fear with her positive words, put a positive spin on the situation, and taught us a valuable lesson. That lesson is: don’t lick the frosting unless you’ve paid for the cupcake.

Why is humor and laughter important in the fight against fear?
Humor is a powerful weapon against fear because it can defuse or lessen fear by redirecting our focus onto the something light-hearted. Laughter lifts our spirit, when we laugh we feel better, and when we feel better, it’s easier to have hope.

How does laughter make us feel better?
Laughter releases natural pain-relieving endorphins in our body, it activates our immune system, reduces stress hormones. Laughter is life’s medicine. Laughter can help us to see the light at the end of the tunnel as we’re going through tough times and keep us from throwing in the towel.

Tell about couple examples of finding humor in your hardship.
Soon I noticed that people reacted differently to me when they’d heard I had cancer. One lady came up to me in church and apologized, “I’m sorry that I didn’t get to know you,” and she left. She just missed her 2nd chance.

Another woman approached me said “I’m sooo glad I’m not you.”

“What does it feel like knowing you’re going to die soon?”

I think they meant well, so I wasn’t offended, but their remarks suggested maybe there’s a Cancer Card to be played here: I went to a camera store to return an expensive cable and was told that I would not get a refund because the 7-day grace period had passed. So as the manager turned to walk away, I blurted out “I’m a cancer survivor!” and lifted my shirt to show him my huge scar.(SHRUG)

Well you know sometimes these things just come to you. I did that because the Scar shows that I’ve been hurt, the Scar is evidence that I’ve been healed, the Scar is empathy. Well he changed his tune. And with his eyes wide open, he quickly gave me my $40. I was feeling pretty good.

This “cancer survivor” thing isn’t bad. When I got home I stood in front of the mirror and lifted my shirt to see what he saw that was so persuasive. To my horror, I saw that I had inadvertently lifted my shirt too high.

I flashed him. Well I can never go back to that store again. The worst of it is ... now I’m not sure why I got the refund! This could revolutionize shopping as we know it!)
             
Where can people find out more about your book and public speaking?
My website is www.janaflaig.com.)

Final comment:
Don’t let fear defeat you. Put on your boxing gloves, jump in the ring and fight fear!

Thank you, Jana, for visiting with us today.

Readers, here’s a link to the book. By using it when you order, you help support this blog.
Fight Fear and Foster Faith: Gain the Hope & Courage You Need to Overcome Difficult Circumstances

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, Linkedin, 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

Monday, December 23, 2013

THE CAPTIVE MAIDEN - Melanie Dickerson - One Free Book

Dear Readers, I had never read any Young Adult books until I read the The Healer's Apprentice, Melanie's. I had always loved fairy tales, and her retelling of fairy tales are wonderful stories played out as an integral part of a rich tapestry of the Middle Ages. Each story is set in or near the same fictional town, and there is a loose tie to the story that came before, but each story stands alone.

I love Melanie's writing. Her living, breathing characters and the truly historical setting gives life and spiritual depth to each story. Because of reading her YA novels, I've also discovered other Christian YA authors I enjoy reading. Actually, her stories are ageless, suitable for anyone from 9 to 90 years old. I know you'll enjoy The Captive Maiden and you will want to go back and read all the others as well.

Welcome back, Melanie. What are some of the spiritual themes you like to write about?
I like to write about the fact that God has a good plan for all of our lives. I like to write about his love for us, and about how our help comes from the Lord, and that things go better for us when we seek God’s guidance and follow his will. I also like to write about his healing power, the power to heal our hearts and emotions.

What other books of yours are coming out soon?
I have a “Frog Prince” story coming out next October. I hope to write at least two more fairy tale retellings after that. I also have a couple of other series that I’m working on, a Regency series and a Southern series set in the 1800’s, but I don’t know when those will be published.

If you could spend an evening with one contemporary person (not a family member of yours), who would it be and why?
I would love to spend an evening with Beth Moore and ask for her insight. She seems so close to God and so in tune with his will, and I’d love to get her perspective on a lot of things!

My husband and I were in the studio audience when James and Betty Robison interviewed Beth and her husband. She is an amazing lady. What historical person would you like to meet (besides Jesus) and why?
I’d love to meet Abraham Lincoln and find out what he really thinks about politics and God and his role in our country’s future.

How can you encourage authors who have been receiving only rejections from publishers?
I received 32 rejections for The Healer’s Apprentice before it was accepted by Zondervan, and it was not the first book I wrote. You must be willing to receive criticism and use it to make you better. Hard word and perseverance are a necessity for success in this business. And even more than those things, you need a tender heart toward God, willing to be humble and listen to His leading, praying without ceasing, and believing that God will work it all out for your good.

Tell us about the featured book.
The Captive Maiden is my Cinderella retelling. It is about Valten, who is the older brother of the hero in The Fairest Beauty. (So in that way it is a sequel, but it can also be read as a standalone.)
Gisela, my Cinderella character, met Valten when she was a little girl, and she daydreamed about marrying him someday. After her father died, her stepmother and stepsisters treated her like a servant, and she has lost her hope of ever marrying someone like Valten. Now she dreams of somehow escaping her stepmother and becoming a servant at Hagenheim Castle. But when she meets Valten in the street by chance one day, he is intrigued by her and asks her to come to the jousting tournament that’s coming up in Hagenheim. The rest of the story is about how her stepmother tries to sabotage her budding relationship with Valten, and Valten’s nemesis, Ruexner, tries to do whatever he can to destroy Valten’s future. There’s lots of action and adventure—and romance! J

I’ve read the book, but please give us the first page of the book for my blog readers.

Here is the first page of Chapter One. (You can read the first 20 pages at Scribd, http://www.scribd.com/doc/163446883/The-Captive-Maiden).

Gisela rode Kaeleb over the hilly meadows near her home, letting the horse run as fast as he liked. The morning air clung to her eyelashes, as a fog had created a misty canopy over the green, rolling hills. The wall surrounding the town of Hagenheim stood at her far right, with the forest to her left and her home behind. Hagenheim Castle hovered in the distance, its upper towers lost in the haze.

If her stepmother found out she’d been riding one of the horses without permission, as Gisela often did, she would find some way to punish her. But Gisela didn’t care. She could leave any time she wanted to, as she had hidden away the money her father had given her just before he died. She chose to stay, at least for now, because of her love for the horses.

Gisela would probably be forced to leave soon. Her stepmother would end up selling all the horses, or would marry someone despicable, or would create some other type of intolerable situation. When that happened, Gisela planned to go into the town and find paying work, perhaps tending a shop or serving as a kitchen maid at Hagenheim Castle.

Evfemia thought she controlled Gisela. But some day her stepdaughter-slave would be gone.
She didn’t want to think about her stepmother anymore. Instead, Gisela focused on the wind in her hair as she flew over the meadow on Kaeleb’s back. The cool air filled her lungs almost to bursting. For this moment, she was free.

How can readers find you on the Internet?
I have a website at www.MelanieDickerson.com, and I am very active on Facebook. You can friend me, www.facebook.com/melanie.dickerson.author, and please also “Like” my author page, www.facebook.com/MelanieDickersonBooks. I’m also on Twitter, @melanieauthor, so please do connect with me! I’m one of those people who love social media. J

Thank you, Melanie, 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 
The Captive Maiden - Christianbook.com
The Captive Maiden - Amazon.com
The Captive Maiden - Kindle
(Readers, the book is on a special sale on all these sites today.)


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, Linkedin, 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

Sunday, December 22, 2013

WINNERS!!!!!

Mary P (Aus) is the winner of Fangs for the Memory by Terri Main.
Jackie M (OH) is the winner of Love on the Slopes by Elizabeth Goddard.
Susan J (TX) is the winner of Christmas in Shades of Gray by Tina Pinson.
Susan P (MI) is the winner of Dear Mr Knightley by Katherine Reay.
Bonton (KY) is the winner of A Christmas Promise by Tamera Lynn Kraft.

If you won a book and you like it, consider giving the author the courtesy of writing a review on Goodreads, Amazon.com, Christianbooks.com, Barnes and Noble, or other Internet sites. 

Also, tell your friends about the book ... and this blog. Thank you.

Congratulations
, everyone. If you won a print book, send me your mailing address:
Click the Contact Me link at the top of the blog, and send me an Email.


If you won an ebook, just let me know what email address it should be sent to.

When you contact me, please give the title of the book you won, so I won't have to look it up.
Remember, you have 4 weeks to claim your book.

Friday, December 20, 2013

ALOHA ROSE - Lisa Carter - One Free Book

Readers, here is an author we haven't met before. Welcome, Lisa. Tell us how much of yourself you write into your characters.
Pieces of myself go into every character and every book. Some “pieces” write easily; others take a chunk of my heart with them. These pieces are not all pretty; none of them are perfect; but they are all honest.

What is the quirkiest thing you have ever done?
When we took our two elementary-aged daughters to Disney for the first time, as a forty-something, it was also my first time to explore DisneyWorld, too. Like the quintessential commercial for Disney, I walked out of a restaurant and spotted Mary Poppins. Instantly, I transformed into a small girl again and I screamed, “Mary Poppins. It’s Mary Poppins.” Clasping my hands together, I rushed over—much to the embarrassment of my too cool for school daughters. Or as now teenagers they like to recall, my “I’ve waited my whole life to meet you” moment. Literally.

When did you first discover that you were a writer?
I told myself stories when I lay in bed as a child to fall asleep. I thought everyone did until I was in elementary school and discovered, no, this might not be perceived as normal for the rest of the school population. I became the child in the neighborhood who entertained my friends and organized epic retellings of prairie schooners in space, aka whatever I had watched on television lately—Daniel Boone, The Wild West, Star Trek (the original), Gilligan’s Island. Yeah, I know I’m dating myself. But hey, I was steampunk before steampunk was steampunk. Later, I spent my free time writing down these fantastic adventures just to entertain myself as a teenager.

Tell us the range of the kinds of books you enjoy reading.
I love reading romantic suspense, cozy mysteries and romance.

How do you keep your sanity in our run, run, run world?
The hectic pace of life in juggling writing, teaching, mommyhood, and marriage bring me to an inescapable awareness of my own insufficiency to be enough for everyone who needs me. This drives me to my knees to the One who is All-Sufficient, the One who is enough for every need past, present, or future. In my strength, I always come short, but when I pray through my day and each task that comes my way, I dwell in His Presence, and His strength gets me through it all.

How do you choose your characters’ names?
I worked at a preschool and when I'm looking for trendy, fashionable, unusual names since I write contemporary fiction—I go to class rosters. 

What is the accomplishment that you are most proud of?
My children. Motherhood didn't come quickly or easily, and each of them is God’s wonderful gift to me.

If you were an animal, which one would you be, and why?
I would be a bird so that I could fly and soar among the clouds, seeing the earth, its inhabitants and our problems from God’s point of view. Some people would jokingly tell you I’m already a bird—Southern speak for a character. I especially admire the Carolina wren. Though not necessarily noted for its exquisite plumage, but oh, what a song they sing. I hope that my life and my words sing a similar song of praise to my Creator.

What is your favorite food?
Anything peanut butter

That’s my husband’s favorite food. What is the problem with writing that was your greatest roadblock, and how did you overcome it?
Fear of failure kept me from pursuing writing for a long time. That, and the busyness of life with children. But at the age of 45, I decided I’d rather take a risk and go for my dream than to look back and never know what God had in store if only I’d been willing to walk in faith. I feel a tremendous responsibility to use the abilities with which God has gifted me to glorify Him. My ultimate goal is that my books will draw readers closer to a deeper relationship with Him.

Tell us about the featured book.
Seeking her birth family, Laney Carrigan’s only clue is the Lokelani quilt in which she was found wrapped as an infant. Hawaiian cowboy/helicopter pilot, Kai Barnes finds himself drawn to Laney despite the tragedies of his past. Laney’s painstaking journey to a place to belong among the breathtaking allure of the Big Island will reveal something unexpected. Will Laney find more than she ever dreamed possible?

My hope is that Aloha Rose will make you laugh. Make you cry. And warm your heart with the greatest love in life, God’s.

Please give us the first page of the book.
            “Are you sure there’s no message waiting for Laney Carrigan?”

            Laney leaned over the information desk at the Kailua-Kona Airport. “I was supposed to be met here . . .” She gestured around the rapidly emptying lobby. “By my Auntie Teah. Maybe she’s been delayed and she left a note for me with instructions?”

            The airport employee, a willowy blond, craned her head around Laney at the line of people queuing behind her. She pointed down the corridor. “You can rent a car over that way.” She raised her gaze above Laney’s five-foot-three-inch height. “Who’s next?”

            Laney tightened her lips. Dismissed. Again.

            “Maybe an intercom page directing me to meet someone in Baggage Claim or Ground Transportation ... ?” Laney sighed at the bored face of the woman and stepped aside as a middle-aged man wearing a flamingo pink aloha shirt shouldered past her to the front of the line. Grabbing the handle of her wheeled carry-on bag, she skirted past a group of Asian tourists who’d been greeted by hula girls bearing fragrant yellow leis.

            No point in trying to rent a car when she had no idea where she was going. She paused in an out-of-the-way corner and fumbled in a side pocket of her luggage for her cell phone. Pressing the phone to ON, she waited for it to come to life.

            Auntie Teah, whom she’d yet to meet, had assured her over the course of several phone calls that she would be here to welcome her long-lost niece to her ancestral home. An ancestral home to which she’d not been given directions or an address.

            Hitting the Rodrigues’s phone number she’d stored in her cell, she tapped her navy blue stiletto clad foot on the shiny, white airport floor and waited for someone to pick up. And waited. After ringing four times, voice mail—a deep, rumbling man’s voice—informed her that no one was currently at home—duh—and instructed callers to leave a callback number at the tone. Laney snorted, not trusting herself to speak, thumbed the phone to OFF and stuffed it into her bag. She stalked down the passageway toward Baggage Claim.

            Some welcome.

            Laney pushed her shoulders back, trying to ease the tension of her muscles. As her brigadier father never failed to point out, when stressed, she hunched down like Quasimodo. And at her diminutive stature, there was no one Laney wanted to resemble less than that hunchback of literary legend. She scanned the dwindling crowd encircling the baggage carousel.

            Where was her Auntie Teah? Her cousin, Elyse, or Elyse’s sweet little boy, Daniel? They’d promised to be here. Laney glanced at her black leather sports watch, noted the time in addition to the barometric pressure and altimeter reading. Her own barometric pressure rising, Laney shoved her bag to the ground, threw herself on top and faced the doorway. Nobody had ever dared ignore Brigadier General Thomas Carrigan.

            Apparently, his daughter not so much.

            She’d told her dad this was a bad idea, but he’d insisted she answer the inquiry in response to the information he’d posted regarding the scant facts they knew of her birth twenty-eight years ago. The website, which specialized in reuniting adoptive children with their biological families, had been silent for months. And Laney was fine with that.

            Abso-flipping, positutely fine with that.

            Really.

            She’d never been curious as to her biological family. She’d always known her real parents, Gisela and Tom Carrigan, adopted her when she was a few months old. They’d chosen her—as her mother had often reminded her. Loved, cherished, protected her. But Gisela succumbed to a lingering, painful death to cancer three years ago.

            Then her dad—administrative guru to the five stars at the Pentagon, able to cut through bureaucratic red tape and leap over snafus in a single bound—had the bright idea to post a picture of the quilt in which she’d come wrapped on their apartment doorstep.
           
            And voilá, a hit less than twenty-four hours later.

            He did some checking—to make sure none of them were serial killers—and declared it would be good for Laney to plan a visit to their home on the Big Island. Good to connect with people who knew something about her family background. Good to fulfill her adopted mother’s last wish that she one day reunite with her biological family.

            Laney swallowed a sob. She’d believed she’d already found her forever family. She glanced around the claim area. Her lower lip trembled at the sight of a suitcase going round and round the carousel.

            Unclaimed. Alone. Like her.

            She squared her shoulders. Who needed these people? The ones who’d abandoned her, deserted her. Left her behind.

            Laney closed her eyes on the hateful, treacherous tears that threatened to spill out from beneath her lashes and wondered how soon she could book a return flight to D.C.

            This had been a very bad idea.

            *          *          *

            “I don’t get why I have to be the one to go get this woman, Mama Teah. Why can’t Elyse—?” Kai held the phone a few inches away from his ear.

            When the roar on the other end subsided, he cradled it once again between his head and his neck as he negotiated a curve around the lava-strewn rubble dotting the mountain side of the highway leading toward the airport, a now dormant volcano’s last little hiccup some two hundred years ago. He gripped the wheel of his truck and glanced to his right at the cerulean hues of the Pacific.

            “Okay, okay. I get that Elyse was called into work and Ben’s on Daniel duty, but I just stepped off the helipad and I didn’t get your message until a few minutes ago.“ Kai frowned. “I’m on my way.” He peered at the clock on the dashboard. “ETA in ten. But what aren’t you telling me, Teah? Has something happened to you?” His voice caught. “Or to Tutu Mily?”

            A pause on the other end.

            “Teah? Where are you? You’re scaring—” Kai banged his hand on the steering wheel. “I knew something like this was going to happen. I told you this was a bad idea to bring in an outsider at a time like this. I—”

            “Kai Alexander Barnes.” Teah’s voice trumpeted in the truck cab.

            Never a good sign when your foster mother used your full, legal name.

            Kai winced as Teah told him in no uncertain terms what she thought of his thoughts on her ideas. “But surely, there’s another way, Teah. We take care of our own. We don’t need some overprivileged East Coast socialite barging into our business. Family takes care of family. Like you and Daddy Pete took care of me.” His chin wobbled.

            A sigh on Teah’s end. “You’re family in every way that counts, Kai.” Her tone toughened. “Laney Carrigan is family, too.”

            Kai made a right turn into the airport parking lot, willing himself not to relent. This woman—and you’d better believe he’d Googled her—was as elusive as an ice cube in a lava flow. Even with his connections, he’d not been able to blast through the security firewalls her prominent army dad raised for her protection over the years. Not a single photograph to his knowledge existed of the mysterious Ms. Carrigan.

            He snorted. “Anyone can post a picture of a quilt. We don’t know if that quilt is really hers or how it came into her possession. We don’t know if that quilt is the quilt Tutu Mily made years ago for her unborn grandbaby before Mily’s daughter ran off to—”

            “Bring her to the house as soon as you can,” Teah interjected. “I’ve prayed about this, Kai. Didn’t know what to do to solve our dilemma and more importantly, with Tutu’s condition worsening, I’m hoping this will bring Mily some peace. I’m still praying. But I believe God’s going to work this out.”

            Kai heard the smile in her voice over the wireless.

            Teah continued. “How else do you explain after all these years of wondering when Elyse met a tourist at the resort who mentioned how he’d found his biological parents through that website and then just one day later when Elyse logged into the site, Tutu’s quilt appeared?”

            He ground his teeth. “I’m parking now, Teah. I promise to deliver Ms. Carrigan safe and sound to your doorstep ASAP.”

            “You be sure you do that, son.” Teah clicked off.

            Kai stared at the phone in his hand. The dial tone echoed in the truck cab. Nabbing an empty space, he pulled to a stop and put the F150 in Park. Killing the engine, the door dinged as he thrust it open, swinging his boot-clad feet to the pavement.

            She’d made up her mind. And when Teah Rodrigues got something in the bit of her teeth, she was worse than any stallion on the ranch. Unstoppable. Unquenchable. Unswerving.

            A force of nature. A regular Typhoon Teah. And like a silent, offshore earthquake, the aftershocks of this unknown family prodigal—Laney Carrigan—returning to the fold might prove to be their undoing.

            His face hardened. Just let her try.

            No way, no how, he’d let some haole bimbo take advantage of his family. Not on his watch.

            *          *          *

            Feeling the whoosh of air over her closed eyelids and the sound of the glass doors of the terminal sliding open, Laney opened her eyes. A Caucasian man stepped through and stopped, his polarized sunglasses obscuring his eyes. As the doors swished shut behind him, Laney took in his appearance—the khaki cargo pants, the ocean blue polo shirt that stretched taut across broad shoulders, the rugged jawline in need of a shave. He searched the room for someone.

            Lest he catch her staring, she dropped her eyes to the floor and noticed his scuffed boots.

            Tall, dark, and cowboy.

            Definitely not Auntie Teah or Elyse. Whoever he was looking for, it wouldn’t be her. He wasn’t here for her.

            Guys like him never were.

            Cowboy pushed his glasses onto the crown of his close-cropped dark hair revealing eyes as tropical blue as the waters off the Seychelles, her last assignment. His head rotated from side to side, scrutinizing the remaining occupants of the baggage claim area. His eyes eventually came round to her. With the intensity of an electric blue flash.

            Resisting the urge to fan herself—was it just her or had the temps risen another notch?—she pushed her glasses farther up the bridge of her nose and sat prim atop her carry-on case. His eyes traveled over her from the top of her head to her best-interview pointy-toed shoes. Self-conscious, she tucked her feet under her body, smoothing the edges of her pleated navy skirt over her ankles. Cowboy’s eyes narrowed before flicking away at the sound of a voice down the corridor, dismissing her as she knew he would.

            “Kai! Wait up!”

            Laney turned her head as did Cowboy when a leggy redhead strode across the room, latching onto his coiled muscular arm. His nose crinkled. Then a practiced lazy smile flitted across his handsome features. Those baby blue lagoon eyes of his dropped to half-mast. A whirring of the air around Laney fluffed her shoulder-length hair as another figure rushed forward.

            The willowy blond from Information seized Cowboy Kai by his other arm. He inclined his head as the I-Can’t-Be-Bothered airport employee whispered something for his ears only. Too far away for their conversation to register—and who cared?—she did catch Cowboy’s deep-throated chuckle in response to whatever witticism Blondie had murmured.

            Typical. She’d seen his macho, arrogant type many times following her father around the globe in the rolling stone life of Uncle Sam’s army. Laney folded her hands in her lap. His kind loved the fluffy kittens of the world like Blondie and the redhead. He probably wasn’t a real cowboy, either. Probably didn’t know one end of a horse from a—

            A mountainous shadow inserted itself between Laney and the fluorescent lighting of the terminal. She jerked at the sight of Cowboy looming over her.

            “Ms. Carrigan, I presume?” A mocking smile flickered at the corners of his lips.

            Laney’s hackles rose, and she hunched her shoulders as she struggled to rise from her awkward position on the floor. The heel of her shoe caught on the handle of her bag and she fell—make that sprawled—into his arms.

            Wishing she could sink into the floor, she felt the blush matching and mounting from beneath the collar of her pink shirtwaist blouse.

            Great, elegant as always.

            But she’d give him full kudos for quick reflexes.

            In a full face plant against the blue fabric of his shirt, Laney noted—in the half-second before Cowboy pulled his own nose out of her hair—an enticing blend of smells on the man, a spicy aftershave like her father wore, cocoa butter and something indefinable that belonged to him alone. Awkward . . . this was long past getting out of hand.

            Laney took herself in hand and cleared her throat.

            Cowboy, his hands wrapped around her upper arms, set her aright upon her two left feet. His black-fringed eyes—eyelashes the envy of any girl—blinked. Not that there was anything remotely girlish about him.

            His fingers lingered. Stepping back, Laney almost fell again over her suitcase. His hand shot out restoring her balance. He nudged her bag out of the way with the pointed toe of his boot.

            Was it her imagination or did a rosy flush darken his sculpted cheekbones? “Carrigan, right?”

            She shook free of his grip. “And you would know that how?” Settling her hands on her hips, she looked past him to where two fluffy kittens glared mayhem in her direction. “Who are you?”

            He jammed his hands into the front pockets of his pants. “Kai Barnes. I’m here to perform a SAR for Auntie Teah. A search—”

            “I know what a SAR is, Mr. Barnes. Search and rescue.”

            The full beam of his oceanic orbs lasered her. She extended her neck upward, refusing to let his six-foot height intimidate her.

            “Sure.” A derisive smirk crossed his too-handsome-to-live features. “I forgot about your military background.”

            “I take it you’re military, too?” Should’ve seen it sooner, but the boots had thrown her off. She could spot ’em alright. That distinct swagger, that I’m licensed to kill attitude, that ...

            “Army pilot.” His eyes shuttered again. “Former. Flew SAR in medevacs.” He removed his hands from his pockets and crossed his arms over his chest. His mouth flatlined. “Search and rescue seems to be what I do best.” His gaze raked her over. “I’ll take you to Teah who’s waiting for us at the ranch. My—”

            “I’m not going anywhere with you.” Laney’s chest puffed out. “I was told to wait for my Aunt Teah or Elyse. I don’t know you from Adam. You could be some psycho cowboy serial killer for all I know.” She crossed her arms, mirroring his stance.

            Kai raised his eyes toward the ceiling, his jaw working. An exasperated sigh rose from the depths of his being, rolling through the airwaves like a rumbling volcanic eruption. “Teah’s not your real aunt.” He stabbed Laney with a fierce look. “If you are who you claim to be ...”

            Laney fixed him with a matching glare.

            “She and your mother were first cousins, which makes Elyse, Teah’s daughter, a more distant cousin. Auntie is a term of respect for elders in our Hawai’ian culture.”

            “Hawai’ian? Our?” She let her eyes roam up and down his muscular form in a deliberate repetition of his scathing perusal of her earlier. Kai flushed again. This time though—and she could tell the difference—with anger.

            Muttering something under his breath, with a sudden move, Kai whipped a brown leather wallet from one of the ubiquitous pockets lining his pants. He extracted a driver’s license and held it to her face. “Kai Barnes. My address—Franklin Ranch. Near Waimea. There’s been a slight emergency with Tutu Mily so they sent—”

            “Tutu? Mily?” Laney’s arms dropped to her sides. “Do you mean Miliana Franklin, my grandmother? What’s happened?”

            “Your understanding of our culture underwhelms me. Tutu means grandmother. And yes, I refer to Miliana Kanakele Franklin although whether she’s actually your grandmother or not remains to be seen.”

            Laney stiffened.

            “Teah said she’d explain when we reached the ranch. Until then, if you want to meet your Hawai’ian relatives, then I suggest . . .” His arm swept the room and pointed at the glass doors.
            “Fine. Have it your way.” Laney bent to retrieve her bag but found Kai to be quicker, his hand grasping the handle. She tugged.

            He held on.

            Laney let go.

            So, he was a gentleman, too.

            “This puny thing it?” He heaved it to his shoulder.

            “I learned a long time ago to travel light.”

            Laney sashayed past him toward the double doors and the parking lot, pretending as always she knew exactly where she was headed. And if things got too uncomfortable with these virtual strangers ... She fingered her escape hatch in the pocket of her skirt, her return ticket via Jakarta.

            She’d give them three weeks. Three weeks before she winged out to her next assignment. She eyeballed her teeth-clenched companion.

            Maybe sooner. They didn’t know it yet, but the moment Cowboy showed up, her clock started ticking.

            A disconcerted feeling settled over her at the truth of that statement.

            Ticking in more ways than one.

I ask authors for the first page of their book as a teaser for my readers. I don’t usually include this long of a passage, but I couldn’t stop reading. I know my readers won’t be able to either. How can readers find you on the Internet?

Thank you, Lisa, for sharing this new book with us today. I can hardly wait for my copy to arrive, so I can continue to read it.

Readers, here are links to the book. By using one when you order, you help support this blog.
Aloha Rose - Christianbook.com
Aloha Rose: Quilts of Love Series - Amazon.com
Aloha Rose: Quilts of Love Series - Kindle


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