SHADOWED BY GRACE - Cara C Putman - One Free Book, Plus Much More

Readers, I'm reading Shadowed by Grace right now. Actually, I don't usually like reading war stories, but Cara grabbed me on the very first page, and I'm having a hard time putting this book down. I'm very interested in this part of history--the Monuments Men, who help save much of the art objects that the German army hadn't destroyed. And I fell in love with the characters from page one--their history and the things they were striving for. And there are plenty of plot twists and turns to keep you turning pages. You won't want to miss this read.

Bio: Cara C. Putman graduated from high school at 16, college at 20, and completed her law degree at 27. The best-selling author of more than a dozen books, Cara is active in women’s ministry at her church, teaches graduate courses at Purdue University, practices law, and is a homeschooling mom. She lives with her husband and 4 children in Indiana.

Welcome back, Cara. As an author, I know it takes a lot of people to birth each book. Who were the people involved in the birthing of this book, and what were their contributions?

The first contributor would be someone who doesn’t realize it: Robert Edsel wrote a nonfiction book Monuments Men. When I discovered that book and this part of WWII history, Shadowed by Grace’s characters began to play in my mind. My agent Karen Solem was supportive of the idea, and Julie Gwinn was my acquiring editor. She has been 100% supportive from the beginning and continues to shoot me ideas since. Tricia Goyer, Colleen Coble, and Jenny Jones helped me brainstorm different aspects. And now Jeane Wynn, David Schroeder, and Amy Lathrop have been a huge help with the marketing.

If you teach or speak. What’s coming up on your calendar?

Most of my teaching right now is in graduate business law classes.

If you had to completely start over in another place, where would you move, and why?

I might return to Washington, D.C. My husband and I lived there for the early years of our marriage. It’s an exciting city, laced with history and politics. If the traffic weren’t so bad and housing so expensive, I’d love to go back…

If you could only tell aspiring novelists one thing, what would it be?

Study the craft. You can do that through reading well-written novels, how to write books, and attending conference’s like ACFW’s national conference.

You’ve been asked to be in charge of a celebrity cruise. Who would you ask to take part, and why? (AS in what program, singers, etc. [it doesn’t have to be writing related])

I would invite Beth Moore to lead Bible studies. I’m always refreshed and challenged by her. If she’s not available, I’d invite Jennifer Rothschild, Liz Curtis Higgs, or Robin Jones Gunn to introduce to new aspects of our faith. And then for worship, I’d invite Francesca Battistelli and Natalie Grant. It would be a fun girls’ escape with them included.

I’d book a place on that cruise right away. Tell us about the featured book.

Rachel Justice is desperate to save her dying mother. She doesn’t want to leave her, but she accepts her newspaper’s assignment to travel to Italy and photograph war images. No one knows her photography is a cover and that Rachel is really seeking to find the father she never knew, hopeful to get some help with her failing mother. Dedicated to her mission, Rachel is focused on completing it. Soon, though, she finds her priorities and plans changing when she is assigned to Lt. Scott Lindstrom, on mission as a Monument Man. Their meeting will have far-reaching consequences. Will this derail her plans? Will she ever find her father? Is her faith enough to carry her through?

Please give us the first page of the book for my readers.

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

March 1944

“YOU HAVE ONE CHANCE to make this fly.” Bobby Hamilton leaned across his broad desk and stared her down. “I had to pull more strings than I knew I had to get the brass to bite on sending a woman to Italy. Who sends a woman to a war-torn country? Getting credentials? What a mess.” The man waved his beefy hands down in a dismissive gesture. “Then getting you on the Queen Mary?” He chomped hard on his cigar.

Rachel perched on the chair in his crowded office as the Andrews Sisters belted out “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy” on the small Kadette radio sitting atop a stack of papers on Bobby’s overloaded credenza. She kept her back so straight her men’s-style

tailored blazer pulled her shoulders back.

She didn’t blink, couldn’t give a single sign of weakness. Her editor may have taken all those steps, but she’d had to convince him first, all while watching her mother waste away day by day.

“I hope you know what you’re doing, Justice.”

“I do.” She put as much force behind the word as she could without shouting.

Where can we find you on the Internet?

You can connect with Cara online at:

Her website: www.caraputman.com

Her blog: www.caraputman.com/blog

Facebook: www.facebook.com/caraputman

Twitter: www.twitter.com/cara_putman

Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/caraputman

Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/CaraPutman

People can read the first chapter here: http://caraputman.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/Shadowed-by-Grace-chapter-excerpt.pdf

Cara Putman is celebrating her latest historical suspense novel, Shadowed by Grace with a fun "Past & Present" giveaway! 

One winner will receive:

• A Polaroid Instant Camera
• A beautiful antique AFGRA camera (learn more here)
• Movie passes to see The Monuments Men movie (with George Clooney and Matt Damon)
• Shadowed By Grace by Cara Putman

Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on February 8th. Winner will be announced February 10th on Cara's blog.

Don't miss a moment of the fun; enter today and be sure to stop by Cara's blog on the 10th to see if you won.

Thank you, Cara, for sharing this new book, and this part of history, with us.

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

Shadowed by Grace - Christianbook.com
Shadowed by Grace: A Story of Monuments Men - Amazon
Shadowed by Grace: A Story of Monuments Men - 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.)

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