THAT DOG WON'T HUNT - Brandilyn Collins - One Free Book or Ebook, Winner's Choice

Readers, Brandilyn Collins is one of my favorite authors of suspense novels and a dear friend.

Welcome back, Brandilyn. I know you indie-published this book. Tell us how that came about.

Last year I decided to do something totally different. As a traditionally published author of over 25 books, I’d never self-published. But I wanted to give it a try in order to make extra income and test the waters of self-publishing. I chose to write a Southern contemporary, something completely outside my Seatbelt Suspense® brand. I’d written in this genre before, in the early days of my career (the Bradleyville series) and have missed it during the past 10 years of writing only suspense. The editor at my publishing house gave me clearance to self-publish this book. Being under contract, I viewed the folks at my publishing house and myself as part of a team. I did not want to upset the good working relationship of that team. If my editor had said no, I would not have proceeded at that time.

One of the great things about self publishing is the ability to set my own price for the book. The paperback is at $9.88, and the ebook at $2.99—much more affordable for readers.

How did you come up with the idea for this story?

Years ago I had sold the idea for the Dearing Family series to my publisher at the time, Zondervan. Then we decided I should write suspense full time, so I pushed the series aside. Now, with self publishing, I had the opportunity to resurrect it, even as I was still writing contracted suspense (for a different publisher). Seemed like a great opportunity to me! The idea of featuring a crazy Southern family at their family reunions came from the reunions of my own family. In the back of That Dog Won’t Hunt, there’s a fun list of factoids regarding characters and events in the story—which actually came from my family and which are total fiction.

That Dog Won’t Hunt is full of humor. But a funny story in itself isn’t enough for me. I like to tackle a difficult issue in the midst of the humor. For—isn’t life like that? Multi-faceted. Complex. That Dog Won’t Hunt takes a look at how a shy young woman with an abused background—with all the baggage that entails—would fit into the loving, loud family of the man she wants to marry.

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

Oh, my goodness, I have to limit it to six? There are so many incredible people writing Christian fiction. But here’s a try: Lisa Samson, Ted Dekker, Brad Whittington, Randy Singer, Robert Whitlow, and Sharon Ewell Foster. All of these are great, fun people, and I chose them because I rarely get to see them. Other wonderful authors I get to see every year at this place or that.

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

Stephanie Whitson, Lori Copeland, Tessa Afshar, Tracie Peterson, Jane Kirkpatrick, and Donna Fletcher Crow—for the same reasons. I don’t get the opportunity to see these great people very often.

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?

The writing itself.  It is, and always has been, hard for me. I groan and moan with every book (just ask my patient husband). With every novel I write, while I’m in the midst of it, I think it’s terrible, boring, and my readers will hate it. Which makes the process all the harder. Sigh.

I totally understand that feeling. Please tell us about the featured book.

Here’s the back cover copy:

Meet the Dearings, a crazy, loving, boisterous family in small-town Mississippi. There’s mom and dad, three daughters and their families, and the youngest—twenty-five-year-old Ben. Oh, and the family dog, a Yorkie who thinks she’s royalty.

“This one’s perfect,” Ben says about his new fiancée, Christina, when he brings her home for a family reunion. Ben is just sure everyone will love Christina, and she’ll fit right in.

He always did tend to wear rose-colored glasses.

Christina loves Ben but secretly fears their relationship will never work. They’ve only known each other ten weeks. She hasn’t told him about her horrific past as an only child—the beatings, the neglect, and verbal abuse. Christina doesn’t know how to trust or be honest about her feelings. Being thrust into the middle of a tight-knit family like the Dearings is sure to send her over the edge.

With poignancy and humor, That Dog Won’t Hunt explores the complexities of relationships and the inner strength needed to overcome a difficult childhood. The Dearings are no perfect family, but they know how to love—if only Christina will accept it.

Everyone needs to read this book, because we all have something in our pasts that’s hard to overcome and share. Please give us the first page.

Have mercy, a smell like this in the house could cost Ben his new fiancée. And he and Christina were likely to pull up any minute.

It had been hard enough for Ruth Dearing to keep the place straightened with three daughters—two of them with husbands and kids—already home for the family summer reunion. Noise and purses and sunglasses and toys everywhere. Ruth lived for her family to come home. But today things had to look just so. Wasn’t every time that Ben, their youngest, brought home a young woman he said he was going to marry. A “quiet” gal, he’d told Ruth and Sy. “Kinda reserved.”

In other words, everything the Dearing family was not. To put it mildly.

Ho boy.

Christina could easily be overwhelmed at this gathering, but no one else in the family seemed the least bit worried. Least of all Ben. But Ruth had been young once, and yes—shy. Even though she and Syton had been in love since high school, Ruth remembered all too well that nerve-wracking first meeting with his parents. Sy’s family had a lot more money than her own, and his parents seemed so intimidating. Still, she’d only had to meet the two of them. Imagine being shoved into this family. Ruth had already warned her daughters to be mindful of Christina’s shyness. And she’d flown about the house today, trying to make everything look perfect.

Now this horrible stench.

Nose wrinkled, Ruth strode to the doorway leading to the house’s west wing, which contained the grandkids’ play room. “Pogey, get in here and put these shoes on! They’re stinkin’ the kitchen to high heaven!”

At Ruth’s feet, Lady Penelope, her and Sy’s finicky Yorkie, whined. Poor Penny lay on the floor with her paws practically over her nose. Ruth picked her up.

“How do y’all stand that smell?” Ruth turned and frowned at her three daughters playing an animated game of cards in the adjoining family room.

Sarah, Pogey’s mother, sighed. “I’m used to it. Kid’s got the smelliest feet this side of the Mississippi.”

How can readers find you on the Internet?

My website: (This website is being completely redone in a few weeks.) Here, people can read the opening chapters of all my books.

Facebook: On my author page every day I post Today’s Word—an unusual word and its definition—and ask for a creative sentence. I also post a Creative Captioneers funny picture daily, for which readers enjoy writing creative captions. And I like to post about writing and life in general. We have fun on my Facebook page.

My Amazon author page.

Buy That Dog Won’t Hunt:

Amazon

Barnes & Noble
\

Welcome back, Brandilyn. I know you indie-published this book. Tell us how that came about.

Last year I decided to do something totally different. As a traditionally published author of over 25 books, I’d never self-published. But I wanted to give it a try in order to make extra income and test the waters of self-publishing. I chose to write a Southern contemporary, something completely outside my Seatbelt Suspense® brand. I’d written in this genre before, in the early days of my career (the Bradleyville series) and have missed it during the past 10 years of writing only suspense. The editor at my publishing house gave me clearance to self-publish this book. Being under contract, I viewed the folks at my publishing house and myself as part of a team. I did not want to upset the good working relationship of that team. If my editor had said no, I would not have proceeded at that time.

One of the great things about self publishing is the ability to set my own price for the book. The paperback is at $9.88, and the ebook at $2.99—much more affordable for readers.

How did you come up with the idea for this story?

Years ago I had sold the idea for the Dearing Family series to my publisher at the time, Zondervan. Then we decided I should write suspense full time, so I pushed the series aside. Now, with self publishing, I had the opportunity to resurrect it, even as I was still writing contracted suspense (for a different publisher). Seemed like a great opportunity to me! The idea of featuring a crazy Southern family at their family reunions came from the reunions of my own family. In the back of That Dog Won’t Hunt, there’s a fun list of factoids regarding characters and events in the story—which actually came from my family and which are total fiction.

That Dog Won’t Hunt is full of humor. But a funny story in itself isn’t enough for me. I like to tackle a difficult issue in the midst of the humor. For—isn’t life like that? Multi-faceted. Complex. That Dog Won’t Hunt takes a look at how a shy young woman with an abused background—with all the baggage that entails—would fit into the loving, loud family of the man she wants to marry.

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

Oh, my goodness, I have to limit it to six? There are so many incredible people writing Christian fiction. But here’s a try: Lisa Samson, Ted Dekker, Brad Whittington, Randy Singer, Robert Whitlow, and Sharon Ewell Foster. All of these are great, fun people, and I chose them because I rarely get to see them. Other wonderful authors I get to see every year at this place or that.

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

Stephanie Whitson, Lori Copeland, Tessa Afshar, Tracie Peterson, Jane Kirkpatrick, and Donna Fletcher Crow—for the same reasons. I don’t get the opportunity to see these great people very often.

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?

The writing itself.  It is, and always has been, hard for me. I groan and moan with every book (just ask my patient husband). With every novel I write, while I’m in the midst of it, I think it’s terrible, boring, and my readers will hate it. Which makes the process all the harder. Sigh.

I totally understand that feeling. Please tell us about the featured book.

Here’s the back cover copy:

Meet the Dearings, a crazy, loving, boisterous family in small-town Mississippi. There’s mom and dad, three daughters and their families, and the youngest—twenty-five-year-old Ben. Oh, and the family dog, a Yorkie who thinks she’s royalty.

“This one’s perfect,” Ben says about his new fiancée, Christina, when he brings her home for a family reunion. Ben is just sure everyone will love Christina, and she’ll fit right in.

He always did tend to wear rose-colored glasses.

Christina loves Ben but secretly fears their relationship will never work. They’ve only known each other ten weeks. She hasn’t told him about her horrific past as an only child—the beatings, the neglect, and verbal abuse. Christina doesn’t know how to trust or be honest about her feelings. Being thrust into the middle of a tight-knit family like the Dearings is sure to send her over the edge.

With poignancy and humor, That Dog Won’t Hunt explores the complexities of relationships and the inner strength needed to overcome a difficult childhood. The Dearings are no perfect family, but they know how to love—if only Christina will accept it.

Everyone needs to read this book, because we all have something in our pasts that’s hard to overcome and share. Please give us the first page.

Have mercy, a smell like this in the house could cost Ben his new fiancée. And he and Christina were likely to pull up any minute.

It had been hard enough for Ruth Dearing to keep the place straightened with three daughters—two of them with husbands and kids—already home for the family summer reunion. Noise and purses and sunglasses and toys everywhere. Ruth lived for her family to come home. But today things had to look just so. Wasn’t every time that Ben, their youngest, brought home a young woman he said he was going to marry. A “quiet” gal, he’d told Ruth and Sy. “Kinda reserved.”

In other words, everything the Dearing family was not. To put it mildly.

Ho boy.

Christina could easily be overwhelmed at this gathering, but no one else in the family seemed the least bit worried. Least of all Ben. But Ruth had been young once, and yes—shy. Even though she and Syton had been in love since high school, Ruth remembered all too well that nerve-wracking first meeting with his parents. Sy’s family had a lot more money than her own, and his parents seemed so intimidating. Still, she’d only had to meet the two of them. Imagine being shoved into this family. Ruth had already warned her daughters to be mindful of Christina’s shyness. And she’d flown about the house today, trying to make everything look perfect.

Now this horrible stench.

Nose wrinkled, Ruth strode to the doorway leading to the house’s west wing, which contained the grandkids’ play room. “Pogey, get in here and put these shoes on! They’re stinkin’ the kitchen to high heaven!”

At Ruth’s feet, Lady Penelope, her and Sy’s finicky Yorkie, whined. Poor Penny lay on the floor with her paws practically over her nose. Ruth picked her up.

“How do y’all stand that smell?” Ruth turned and frowned at her three daughters playing an animated game of cards in the adjoining family room.

Sarah, Pogey’s mother, sighed. “I’m used to it. Kid’s got the smelliest feet this side of the Mississippi.”

How can readers find you on the Internet?

My website: (This website is being completely redone in a few weeks.) Here, people can read the opening chapters of all my books.

Facebook: On my author page every day I post Today’s Word—an unusual word and its definition—and ask for a creative sentence. I also post a Creative Captioneers funny picture daily, for which readers enjoy writing creative captions. And I like to post about writing and life in general. We have fun on my Facebook page.

My Amazon author page.

Buy That Dog Won’t Hunt:

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Thank you, Brandilyn, for sharing this new book with us today.

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