WHERE RIVERS PART - Kellie Coates Gilbert - One Free Book

Dear Readers, Where Rivers Part is book two in Kellie’s Texas Gold series. Each book is a stand-alone story. I loved the first one, and I love this one. Kellie writes women’s fiction that deals with true-to-life stories with legal problems. The plot is super interesting. And the characters leapt from the page right into my heart. I read the book in January, and the characters still live with me. This page turner is one you won’t want to miss.

Welcome back, Kellie. God has really been moving in your writing life. What do you see on the horizon?

Oh, Lena—you are so right!  I’ve been blessed beyond measure. Every day I have to pinch myself when I realize that God heard the outrageous prayers of a woman going to work in a law firm day-after-day who wanted to be a full-time novelist.

I’m excited to report to readers that I have two books releasing this year. Where Rivers Part is available for pre-order now and will be in stores on February 17. A Reason to Stay releases in October.

I must feature the October book on my blog. Please, Kellie, tell us a little about your family.

Next summer, my husband and I will celebrate our 35th wedding anniversary. We raised two boys, both adults now. The oldest is married and has two darling children we adore.  We’re blessed that they all live here in the Dallas area.

Has your writing changed your reading habits? If so, how?

(Here’s where the author laughs out loud) We’ve talked about this before, haven’t we, Lena. Both of us agreed how hard it is to read without an internal editor talking in our heads. And of course, it’s really difficult to read as many books as I used to when I’m writing on such tight deadlines.  That said, I still read ... a lot!  Books are simply a part of my soul.

I have to say that I don’t have that internal editor problem when reading your books. They are so well written, and the stories really grab me. What are you working on right now?

Soon I’ll be editing the third book in the Texas Gold collection, and I’m currently writing the final one which will be available June, 2016.

What outside interests do you have?

I’m a political junky. Soon, I’ll be immersing myself in the upcoming presidential campaign and likely attending a lot more fundraisers and doing some volunteer work.  I also golf and enjoy swimming in our backyard pool.

How do you choose your settings for each book?

In this set of books (the Texas Gold collection), I worked with my publishing team and together we established that each of the releases would be set in a metropolitan city in Texas.

If you could spend an evening with one historical person, who would it be and why?

I’ve been asked this before, and it’s always so difficult for me to select just one. I’m looking forward to being in heaven and sitting with several characters from the Bible, but one in particular. I think I have a lot in common with Peter, people with good intentions that are only accomplished when we give our plans fully over to God.

What is the one thing you wish you had known before you started writing novels?

I don’t think I really comprehended how thrilling it is to get an email from a reader telling you how your book changed their life. Perhaps if I had known the utter responsibility of the power of story, I might have been less emboldened to step onto this publishing path.

I know what you mean about hearing from readers. When I do, it’s the high point of my day. What new lessons is the Lord teaching you right now?

At the beginning of every year, I think long and hard and pray about choosing a word to signify the theme of my upcoming twelve months. This year I was surprised to hear my word was ABIDE….which represents a deep (and solo) partnership with Jesus, especially in this new career I’ve elected to embark upon.

What are the three best things you can tell other authors to do to be successful?

Ha, Lena—I’m good at offering up advice (smiles).  But, here it is:

READ…..READ…..READ SOME MORE.

BUY BOOKS…..AND SUPPORT THE INDUSTRY THAT SUPPORTS YOU.

ABIDE…..BECAUSE THIS PUBLISHING BUSINESS IS HARD WORK WITH MANY PITFALLS AND YOU HAVE TO RELY SOLELY ON JESUS TO MAKE IT.

This is some of the best advice an author can receive. Tell us about the featured book.

Years back, I worked on a legal matter involving a deadly food-borne outbreak resulting from undercooked hamburger that sickened many and nearly toppled a major corporation.

When the executive in charge of quality control was deposed, the plaintiff’s attorney vilified him, suggesting his lack of oversight caused several toddlers’ deaths. As you might expect, this took its toll. But none of us in that room anticipated the moment the man buried his head in his hands and fell to tears.

Behind those tears, there was a story I wanted to tell ... even if only in my imagination.

Please give us a key scene from the book for my readers.

Excerpt from Where Rivers Part (Baker/Revell):

Juliet took a seat opposite Greer, next to Dale Frissom, vice president of operations, while Alexa announced she had extremely good news. “We’re about to close a deal with Water Circus,” she reported. With her pen, she pointed at Greer. “Your team did an excellent job putting together the proposal and making the pitch.”

A slight smile broke at the corners of Greer’s mouth. “Thank you.” He pulled at his right cuff. “The deal was a bit tricky. We worked hard to put this one in the bag.” A smug assurance played across his face.

Alexa rewarded him with a wide smile. “The prospect of this deal clinched our merger with Montavan. But Greer’s right. The negotiations have been tricky.” She tapped her pen against her open palm and turned to Dale and Juliet. “Surprisingly, Water Circus wants to increase volume immediately to levels far greater than we anticipated. If we can meet the demand, they have agreed to give us exclusive retail rights for all the bottled water at the park.” As she said this, her eyes took on an excited shine. “All of it . . . Do you have any idea what that means?”

Greer chimed in. “A bottom-line increase of over twelve million dollars annually.”

Dale rubbed his cheek. “And a pretty fair strain on production resources. We’re not at capacity yet, but what are we talking here?”

Alexa explained what would be required, adding that she’d make sure he had the equipment and personnel needed to accomplish the job.

Dale slowly nodded. “Well, if necessary, we can lease an additional facility. There’s plenty of vacant warehouse space nearby.” His face broke into a grin. “I’m in.”

Alexa clapped her manicured hands. “Excellent. We can look to an outside staffing agency for any administrative support. Now, we need a commitment from the quality assurance area as well.”

All eyes turned to Juliet.

She swallowed, wondering if the people sitting at the table could hear her pounding heart. In her short time with Larimar Springs, she’d worked hard to upgrade the lab and establish expanded protocols. She still had much she wanted to address in terms of developing an audit plan and staff training. A substantial increase in production would slow these critical plans.

As if reading her thoughts, Alexa lifted her chin and pressed for an answer. “Is there a problem, Dr. Ryan?”

“No—no, of course QA will make that commitment,” she assured everyone around the table, willing her confidence to match their own. “Providing we are allowed enough time to maintain our sampling protocols.”

Alexa’s eyes narrowed. “Be specific.”

“Specifically, we can work harder and faster, but incubation periods cannot be rushed.”

“We expect the need to be great and grow rapidly. I can’t stress enough how critical it is for every area to fully support this opportunity.” Greer turned to Alexa, not bothering to stifle his concern. “Dr. Ryan has only been on board a short time. Perhaps we need—”

“Are you suggesting you can’t handle the increase?” Alexa asked her.

“I hope that’s not what you’re saying,” Greer injected. “Because there is an awful lot riding on this deal. For everyone.”

“We’ll handle it.” Juliet took a deep breath and glared across the table in his direction. “I assure you, my department will do whatever it takes.”

How can readers find you on the Internet?

My website is www.kelliecoatesgilbert.com  From there, readers can link to my social media and sign up for my Readers Club. A recent feature we’ve added is our monthly contests where readers have the opportunity to win really awesome giveaway packages. Check it out!

Thank you, Kellie, for sharing this new book with my readers.

Readers, here are links to the book. By using one when you order, you help support this blog.
Where Rivers Part - Christianbooks.com
Where Rivers Part: A Texas Gold Novel (Texas Gold Collection) - Amazon
Where Rivers Part (Texas Gold Collection): A Texas Gold Novel (Texas Gold series Book 2) - Kindle

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