PROTECTING THE WIDOW'S HEART - Lorraine Beatty - One Free Book

Welcome back, Lorraine. Tell us how much of yourself you write into your characters.

Oh, wow, probably a lot. I tend to write heroines who are a lot like me and my heroes are similar to my husband. But there are many traits that my characters have that I don’t. That’s the fun part of writing, I get to infused those things into my story people and experience it through them.

What is the quirkiest thing you have ever done?

Probably taking part in a local variety show when I was younger. I did a number with several other girls and we sang and danced to “I love you a bushel and a Peck” from Guys and Dolls. In checkered short skirts. Too funny.

When did you first discover that you were a writer?

In the seventh grade. My English teacher had us write a short story every week. I loved it and had so much fun. I still have a few of those really awful things packed away some place.

Tell us the range of the kinds of books you enjoy reading.

I love romance, contemporary, historical, classics. But every now and then I’ll pick up a suspense novel for fun.

How do you keep your sanity in our run, run, run world?

I love to do jigsaw puzzles online, and when the weather is nice, I work in my garden and spend time in my gazebo. Spending time with the grandkids helps too. My favorite thing is for my husband and I to take short get-away trips to relax.

I love online jigsaw puzzles, too. How do you choose your characters’ names?

I usually have a personality type in mind when I get a new idea so I try to find a name that fits. Often times the names just come with the idea. Other times I have to hunt one down. I also try the hero and heroine’s names together to see how they sound.  I wouldn’t want a Nicky and Vicki combination.

What is the accomplishment that you are most proud of?

Personally, my marriage. We just celebrated 46 years. Writing wise, that I came back. I stopped writing for five years then took it up again. I’m glad I didn’t quit forever.

James and I will be celebrating our 50^th this year. If you were an animal, which one would you be, and why?

At this stage of my life probably a bird. I’d love to fly over everything God has created and take it all in.

What is your favorite food?

Bread pudding. My dad used to make it and when we moved south I found I could get it everywhere.

What is the problem with writing that was your greatest roadblock, and how did you overcome it?

Plotting. I can come up with romantic scenes, internal conflict, great dialogue from here to next week but I really struggle with the plot. I’m reading books on plotting and trying to change my viewpoint when I first start a book. I’m trying to pay more attention to the plot idea before I get too involved with the other things.

Tell us about the featured book.

Protecting the Widow’s Heart is the third book in my Home to Dover series, and the third sibling. Ty Durrant is a Dallas cop who was wounded in action and has come home to Dover to recuperate only to find a woman and her son living in his lakeside cabin. The heroine and her young son are trying to get to her mother’s in Arizona but get stranded in Dover. Both the hero and heroine are facing fears that are holding them back from life and faith. A funny thing about this book, when I wrote the first book, Rekindled Romance, I wasn’t sure it would get published let alone the other two. I needed a reason for the parents in the first book to leave town so I just tossed in a son who was a cop and he’d been shot. I never dreamed I’d be blessed by telling his story too.

Sometimes it works like that. Please give us the first page of the book.

Ginger Sloan kept one hand on her son’s shoulder and one on her small suitcase as they topped the wooden stairs hugging the side of the raised lakeside cabin and followed their benefactor, Mr. Nelson Cooper, across the wide deck. A patio table and chairs, two large rocking chairs and a big grill barely made a dent in the expansive space. All had been covered in heavy plastic to protect them from the weather. A quick glance past the railing revealed a large body of water sparkling in the moonlight. Its beauty escaped her. All she could think of was how isolated the place was, and what a fool she’d been to lose track of time.

Her seven-year-old son, Elliot, had begged for a break from the cross-country drive they were making from Shelton, Connecticut, to the small town of Spring Valley near Phoenix, Arizona. He’d been so good about being cooped up in the car for two days she’d wanted to reward him. So when they’d seen a sign for a Mississippi State Park touting their expansive playground and a lake, she’d agreed to the small detour. But they’d lost track of time and had made a wrong turn leaving the park, ending up on the far side of the lake after dark. Thankfully, she’d spotted some cabins and stopped to ask directions. But when she’d turned the key in the ignition, her car had refused to start, leaving them stranded and dependent upon the kindness of strangers for help and causing every nerve in her body to tighten in anxiety.

How can readers find you on the Internet?

www.Lorrainebeatty.com

Thank you, Lorraine, 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. Protecting the Widow's Heart - Christianbook.com
Protecting the Widow's Heart (Love Inspired\Home to Dover) - Amazon
Protecting the Widow's Heart (Home to Dover) - Kindle

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