THE PHARAOH'S DAUGHTER - Mesu Andrews - One Free Book

Bio: Mesu Andrews is an award-winning author and speaker who has devoted herself to passionate and intense study of Scripture. As the daughter of a Quaker and a Charismatic Protestant, Andrews’ personal testimony describes how her unusual spiritual heritage led her to initially reject God. Her life changed however, when an old high school friend shared with her the Gospel message and challenged her to begin exploring the Bible for herself. 

As her desire for God’s Word grew, so did her passion for uncovering the truths found in Scripture. Andrews began teaching at Christian women’s conferences until chronic illness made frequent travel impossible. In that season of brokenness, she began digging deeper into the Bible, which stirred her curiosity about biblical characters and their stories. Andrews’ approach to writing biblical novels is wrapped in awe for God’s Word and a deliberate and careful examination of historical details. The result is a vivid and mesmerizing retelling of some of the most treasured narratives in Scripture.

Mesu Andrews’ understanding of and love for God’s Word brings the biblical world alive for her readers. Her first novel, Love Amid the Ashes won the 2012 ECPA Book of the Year for a Debut Author. Her three subsequent novels, Love’s Sacred Song, Love in a Broken Vessel, and In the Shadow of Jezebel all released to great reader enthusiasm.

In her highly anticipated fifth novel, Andrews transports readers to the fertile and often turbulent world of ancient Egypt. The Pharaoh’s Daughter is an intimate and richly complex portrayal of the woman who drew Moses out of the water and claimed him as her own. Its elaborate detail will leave readers transfixed; its pace will no doubt leave them breathless. Andrews says, “I love to write about the shadowy women of God’s Word, those whom Scripture leaves nameless but who’ve made such an impact on the heroes of our faith.”

Andrews has enjoyed 30 years of marriage to her husband Roy, who incidentally, was the old high school friend who rescued her with the transforming truth of Jesus Christ. They live in the Pacific Northwest and have two adult daughters.

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

Oh, Lena, you’re asking me to do something I seldom do—dream. The Pharaoh’s Daughter is the first of two books in The Treasures of the Nile series. Miriam (working title) is the second book in the series, and I’ve just finished that rough draft. These books are the first continuation series I’ve done and the last of my contracted books, so I’m not sure what comes next. I’d love to pick up where Miriam leaves off (after the exodus and crossing the Red Sea) and follow the Israelites to Sinai and into Canaan…but we’ll see what the Lord has in store!

Tell us a little about your family.

My sweet hubby, Roy, is the academic dean at Multnomah Biblical Seminary, and we’re both big Indianapolis Colts fans. We’ve known each other since third grade—though we didn’t start dating until we were sophomores in college. He’s the reason I know Jesus personally, the one who led me to Christ (after we’d been dating for about six weeks. (We’re a testimony that dating evangelism can work. Tee-hee.) We have two married daughters and six grandbabies, who live entirely too far away, so we’re racking up frequent flier miles! I sorely miss my Rotti-pitbull, who died of cancer about a year ago, and I hope to get another four-legged friend this summer.

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

Absolutely! I had never read a biblical novel (any novel—except as required reading in high school) until I attended my first writer’s conference. I was a non-fiction gal, hoping to write and publish Bible studies and devotionals, using fiction as a tool like Jesus’s parables. In one of my conference critiques, the editor told me to write one or the other—fiction or non-fiction—and if I was going to write biblical novels, I should start with The Red Tent. It was one of very few biblical novels available in 2001 since few had been published in the Christian market, so I read LOTS of general market biblicals—and was horrified at what was done to God’s Word. Now, I read almost exclusively biblical novels in the CBA market and promote as many other authors in this genre as I can. It’s my prayer that readers won’t need to read a general market biblical novel to gain insights into God’s Word. It makes more sense to read authors who are guided by the same Holy Spirit that inspired the text of Scripture.

That is so true. What are you working on right now?

I’m working on Miriam, the second book of The Treasures of the Nile series (Waterbrook/Multnomah). It has been such a fun challenge. When I first pitched the project to my editor, she laughed and said, “Even I’m bored. How are you going to make Miriam—an eighty-six year-old single prophetess—exciting?” Well! I assure you…ten plagues and the confirmed-bachelor Eleazar (who meets a lovely harem slave) spice up the plot with enough romance and spiritual lessons to keep us on our toes. The research into the plagues has been fascinating, and the realization that the Israelites—including Miriam—didn’t truly KNOW Yahweh until He began revealing Himself through the plagues has been a wonderful personal journey for me. I think that’s what I love most about writing biblical novels. I learn as much or more than the characters in our familiar Bible stories.

What outside interests do you have?

I love the mountains of the Pacific Northwest. My husband and I had lived in the cornfields and flat lands of Indiana our whole lives until he accepted a teaching position at Multnomah University in 2007. A few years later, the Lord plopped an amazing gift into our laps—a small mountain property in the foothills. At age forty-seven, I camped in a tent for the first time in my life. Granted, I had a battery bank to power a mini-refrigerator, laptop, and a box fan, but hubby and I cooked over a fire and let the beauty of the Pacific Northwest seep into our bones. I’m hooked. We hope to someday build a cabin, but for now we’re enjoying the quiet beauty of our little patch of NW foothills.

How do you choose your settings for each book?

The settings for my books are largely determined by Scripture; however, oftentimes archeologists disagree on key sites. As I read several resources on the geographical area in question, patterns form, and the setting for the story emerges as I study the historical accounts. For instance, in The Pharaoh’s Daughter, the excavated city of Avaris is believed to have been the biblical city of Rameses. Recent archeological evidence offers rough layouts for that city dating back to 1500-1200 BC. Using those rough drawings, I added a little imagination to situate the slave villages of the Hebrews to create the area our Bibles refer to as Goshen—sort of a pauper’s community on the outskirts of the larger Egyptian metropolis. Is my setting exactly as it was during biblical times? Probably not, but it simulates the culture, the climate, and the geography of the time—and hopefully transports the reader into ancient Egypt. That’s the most important thing.

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

I think the Sunday school answer is “Jesus,” right? Wouldn’t we all love to see Him, touch Him, hear Him, etc.? Someday that will happen…but if I must choose someone other than Jesus, it would be one of two women—either Eve or Mary (mother of Jesus). Each of them knew God intimately in their human experience. They walked with Him, talked with Him, loved Him with a physical presence that I can only dream of in eternity. What would it have been like to “walk with God in the cool of the Garden” as Eve did—before she was marred by sin? What would it have been like to wipe a tear from Jesus’s eye when He skinned His knee, to comfort the One who would one day comfort all humankind? These women experienced God as no other human beings ever did, and I can’t wait to hear of their experience.

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

I wish I had known the importance of each word in a story. A single word can set a mood, convey deeper meaning, or send a reader’s heart racing. Word choice is an art that the best authors hone with forethought and care. Some of my harshest reviews resulted from my careless choice of a single word or phraseology. God’s Word warns us that the power of the tongue can kill or destroy, and I’ve seen the power of a single word do the same.

What new lessons is the Lord teaching you right now?

As I said, I learn the lessons of my characters, and right now I’m writing the rough draft of Miriam. One of the characters was trudging and complaining through the wilderness after crossing the Red Sea. Then he looked at the pillar of cloud ahead of him and felt convicted, thinking, if I insist on viewing the holy as common, I’m doomed to a life of hopelessness.

This lesson hit me between the eyes. God’s presence indwells me through His Holy Spirit, so I experience little miracles everyday simply because of His constant Presence—whether I acknowledge those miracles or not. If I insist on viewing those holy encounters as common, I’m doomed to hopelessness. If, on the other hand, I recognize the holy in my daily existence, even the flight of a sparrow can offer hope on a difficult day.

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

Write something meaningful everyday. Whether it’s for a blog post or in a prayer journal, write something that demands clarity and the process of a beginning, middle, and end. Don’t let it become mechanical. Let it flow from the heart as the Holy Spirit gives you the words. Write it immediately after your quiet time with the Lord. When I stopped writing for publication, I got published. I began working on craft and gave up hope of EVER getting published—that’s when the doors opened. MY desire was to publish Bible studies and devotionals. God’s desire was that I write novels. When I let go of my agenda, He gave me the thing I never knew I wanted. Now, I love writing fiction and can’t imagine writing anything else! His ways are not our ways. They’re infinitely better.

Tell us about the featured book.

Anippe has grown up in the shadows of Egypt’s good god Pharaoh, aware that Anubis, god of the afterlife, may take her or her siblings at any moment. She watched him snatch her mother and infant brother during childbirth, a moment which awakens in her a terrible dread of ever bearing a child. Now she is to be become the bride of Sebak, a kind but quick-tempered Captain of Pharaoh Tut’s army. In order to provide Sebak the heir he deserves and yet protect herself from the underworld gods, Anippe must launch a series of deceptions, even involving the Hebrew midwives—women ordered by Tut to drown the sons of their own people in the Nile.

When she finds a baby floating in a basket on the great river, Anippe believes Egypt’s gods have answered her pleas, entrenching her more deeply in deception and placing her and her son Mehy, whom handmaiden Miriam calls Moses, in mortal danger.

As bloodshed and savage politics shift the balance of power in Egypt, the gods reveal their fickle natures and Anippe wonders if her son, a boy of Hebrew blood, could one day become king. Or does the god of her Hebrew servants, the one they call El Shaddai, have a different plan—for them all?

Please give us the first page of the book.

The royal linen closet is a dark hiding place, but I’m a big girl—almost five Inundations old—so I’m trying not to be afraid.

I wonder…is it dark in the underworld? Was my Ummi Kiya afraid when she and the baby inside her crossed over this morning?

The priest ordered me and my little sister to the birthing chamber. Ankhe is only three. She wouldn’t go.

The priest was angry, so he came to our chamber and grabbed Ankhe’s hand. “You must see the beauty of Tawaret—goddess of childbirth!”

Instead, we saw Ummi Kiya’s blood poured out on the straw under her birthing stool. Her light-brown skin was white as milk. The midwives pulled out a baby boy, but he was as gray as granite.

The angry priest wasn’t angry anymore. He knelt before Ankhe and me. “Anubis, god of the underworld, has stolen their breath. I’m sorry.”

I ran from the birthing chamber, screaming, before Anubis could steal my breath too.

I’ve been hiding a long time because Anubis might still be hunting. He knows my name, Meryetaten-tasherit. It’s hard to understand, but I’m called a decoy—named after Queen Nefertiti’s daughter Meryetaten to confuse Anubis should he prowl the palace grounds. If I stay in this linen wardrobe all day and night, perhaps the dark god will take the Great Wife’s daughter instead.

Nefertiti, the Great Wife, hates me because Abbi Akhenaten loved my mother. Ummi Kiya was his Beloved Wife, and she gave him a son—my brother, Tutankhamun.

Intriguing. How can readers find you on the Internet?

Author Website: http://www.mesuandrews.com/

Author Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MesuAndrews?ref=hl

Author Twitter: https://twitter.com/MesuAndrews

Author Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/mesuandrews/

Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/103519315772289492238/posts

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3513697.Mesu_Andrews

NovelCrossing: http://www.novelcrossing.com/activity-feed/userid/1863

Thank you, Mesu, for sharing your life and this new book with us.

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

The Pharaoh's Daughter - Christianbook.com
The Pharaoh's Daughter: A Treasures of the Nile Novel - Amazon
The Pharaoh's Daughter: A Treasures of the Nile Novel - Kindle

Christian Book Store

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 Goodreads, Google+, Feedblitz, Facebook, Twitter, 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

JESSIE'S PEARLS - Patti Lacy - One Free Book

Welcome back, Patti. What would you like for our readers to know about you personally?

I’m Patti Lacy, the novelist from Normal, Illinois, and did not feel called to write anything but embarrassing love letters and maudlin poetry until I was 50 years young. If I can get my stories down on paper, so can you!!

Tell us about your family.

From the very beginning of my writing journey, my husband Alan, a textbook writer and college professor, told me I could write the story of my best friend, an Irishwoman who dealt with, not one, but two dysfunctional mothers. Two years later, An Irishwoman’s Tale hit the bookstores. I so appreciate 37 years of wonderful marriage! Alan and I have two grown children: Sarah, who is getting a doctorate in Central American history, and Thomas, who works in Waco, Texas, where, eons ago, I went to college. We also have a dog named Laura who loves to take long walks through our neighborhood.

Have you written other nonfiction books?

Yes! Tattooed by Jesus, a memoir, traces the amazing journey of Bonnie Kae Lentz, a Christian minister who once thought Jesus was a cuss word. Bonnie now runs The Jesus House in our sister city, Bloomington, Illinois. I’ve also published four novels: An Irishwoman’s Tale, What the Bayou Saw, The Rhythm of Secrets, and Reclaiming Lily.

Do you have any other books in the works right now?

My agent, Natasha Kern, has a proposal for a contemporary fiction series and a historical fiction series. I also have a few ideas percolating in my gray matter.

What kinds of hobbies and leisure activities do you enjoy?

Is there a writer who doesn’t love books? Every night, they tuck me in bed and carry me away…

I also love jogging and have completed marathons, though these days, we’re talking 5Ks.

Why did you write the featured book?

At the most unexpected place, my 40th high school reunion in Monroe, Louisiana, a classmate, Gary McCormick, the son of Jessie, our book’s heroine, approached me and said, “Has my mom ever got a story!” I bit back, “Doesn’t everyone?” and listened halfheartedly, more interested in seeing old friends and drinking in the scenes on the bayou out back. A few weeks later, Gary called me and continued sharing his mom’s story. He finally hooked me with talk of Jessie’s back-breaking labor in the 1930s as a cotton picker and her determination to escape the eviction notices that hounded their family. Single-mindedly, Jessie faced crisis after crisis in her life. Then she found herself financially comfortable, even wealthy, but a knock at her door brought the biggest crisis of all.

What do you want the reader to take away from the book?

Jessie’s Pearls explores the life of a driven woman who learns the meaning of family, loss, perseverance, and, through the grace of Jesus Christ, finds a faith that will last forever. Despite our heroine’s incredible work ethic and generosity, Jessie made mistakes in her life, and paid a steep price. I loved seeing how Jessie learned from her trials and determined to let God work for good in all things.

I also want the reader to understand the depths of pain suffered by many during the Great Depression, World War II, post World War II, and the Vietnam era. History can be a marvelous teacher!         

Is there anything you’d like to tell my readers about you or your book?

Jessie’s Pearls has a Southern flavor and a country girl’s heart. I want you to smell the fragrant magnolia blossoms and see the live oak trees droop their moss-covered branches over the bayou waters. I want you to taste the twice-dipped fried chicken and fresh snap peas. I pray that this memoir will prove to be an enjoyable read, a story with take-away value, and a sensory experience!

I know you’ve piqued the interest of all my readers. Where on the Internet can they find you?

This is a GREAT time to mention my long-time critique partner and Jessie’s Pearls cowriter, Sara Richardson, whose debut novel, No Better Man, has been endorsed by Debbie Macomber, Lori Wilde, and Katie Lane. Find Sara at www.sararichardson.com.

My website is www.pattilacy.com. I also talk books, art, and Jesus at Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/patti.lacy; www.facebook.com/pages/Patti-Lacy/190783284280488.

Lena, thanks for chance to share with your great readers. God bless!

And thank you, Patti, 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.

Jessie's Pearls - Paperback
Jessie's Pearls - 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 Goodreads, Google+, Feedblitz, Facebook, Twitter, 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

WINNERS!!!!!

Anne (NC) is the winner of Redeeming Luke by Darlene Wells.
Connie (KY) is the winner of A Gentile in Deseret by Rosanne Croft.
Sara (WI) is the winner of The Tomb by Stephanie Landsem.
Sheila (OR) is the winner of Twisted Innocence by Terri Blackstock.
Danielle (IN) is the winner of Betting on Hope by Debra Clopton.

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.

WRITER OFF THE LEASH - Michelle Griep - One Free Book

Welcome back, Michelle. What would you like for our readers to know about you personally?

I’ve been writing since I first discovered Crayolas and blank wall space. Oh yeah, and about that graffiti incident as a teen? So sorry. So, so sorry. I’ve since grown-up—mostly—and currently write historical fiction in the frozen tundra of Minnesota. I also teach writing and history (go figure) at a high school, homeschool co-op.

Tell us about your family.

My husband and I have one birdy still in the nest—a twenty-year-old who daily rolls her eyes at me. Guess she hasn’t hit the my-mom-is-the-savviest-woman-ever stage yet. I’ve also got two transplants under my roof: a friend’s teenage son and a fuzzy-muzzled brindle boxer . . . the canine variety, not the underpants.

Have you written other nonfiction books?

This is my first toe-dipping experience in the waters of nonfiction. Guess what? The water’s not too chilly, so I just might dive in any time.

Do you have any other books in the works right now?

Currently I’m working on a sequel to my latest fiction release Brentwood’s Ward. It’s about a fellow officer in the Bow Street Runners (first police force in London). Here’s a blurb:

Honorable ALEXANDER MOORE goes undercover as a rogue gentleman to expose a traitorous plot against the king—and a master he is with his disguise, for JOHANNA LANGLEY believes him to be quite the cad. But when Johanna is swept up in the intrigue, Alex must choose between his mission and the woman he’s come to love.

Sounds interesting. What kinds of hobbies and leisure activities do you enjoy?

Skipping the pond over to England. LOVE to travel and that’s where I’d spend every penny to visit. Permanently, preferably. I also love to walk my dog around the bajillion lakes near my house and to rollerblade. Reading is a given.

Why did you write the featured book?

Two reasons. One, the clamor of my blog readers who kept slapping me up beside the head with all their “you ought to put this into a book” kind of comments. Two, a friend who threw down the gauntlet and challenged me to self-pub. Who can refuse a double-dog dare?

 

What do you want the reader to take away from the book?

Encouragement. There are so many hurdles and roadblocks on the writing journey that it makes everyone want to quit at some point in time. This book gives the reader hands-on life hacks to avoid landing in a writerly ditch.

Is there anything you’d like to tell my readers about you or your book?

Writer Off the Leash examines a few questions that lots of people have, but are afraid to ask. Are you a writer at heart? How can you tell? And if you are, how do you go about composing and selling the next Great American Novel? All these and more are answered in an easy to understand tongue-in-cheek style. This is more than a how-to book. It’s a kick in the pants for anyone who wants to write but is stymied by fear, doubt, or simply doesn’t know how to take their writing to the next level.

Where on the Internet can the readers find you?

Follow my adventures and find out about upcoming new releases at her blog, Writer Off the Leash, or stop by her website. You can also find her at the usual haunts of Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or Pinterest.

Thank you, Michelle, 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.
Writer Off the Leash: Growing in the Writing Craft - paperback
WRITER OFF THE LEASH: Growing in the Writing Craft - 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 Goodreads, Google+, Feedblitz, Facebook, Twitter, 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

THE SALT COVENANTS - Sylvia Bambola - One Free Book

Bio: Born in Romania in 1945, Sylvia Bambola lived her early years in Germany. At seven she relocated with her adopted family and saw the Statue of Liberty and America for the first time. But the memory of those years in Germany inspired her to write Refiner’s Fire, which won a Silver Angel Award, and was a Christy Finalist. Her frequent moves as an “army brat” gave her an opportunity to see America and fall in love with her new country. Bambola has authored seven novels, has two grown children, teaches women’s Bible studies, and is learning the guitar.

Welcome, Sylvia. Why do you write the kind of books you do?

Christian fiction is a great non-threatening way to share spiritual truths. That’s how Jesus did it, with parables, stories. My desire is to write stories that both entertain and reveal these truths and in the process perhaps touch hearts for Jesus.

Besides when you came to know the Lord, what is the happiest day in your life?

Marrying my husband, Vincent. But can’t stop there. Also the days my sons and daughter were born. Can’t beat them.

How has being published changed your life?

If I had never been published I would surely be holding some other kind of job. So being published has definitely kept me writing and pigeon-holed me as to what type of job I would be doing for years and years.

What are you reading right now?

Bill Salus’s Psalm 83-The Missing Prophecy Revealed has me hooked. It’s non-fiction. Because I am a Bible study teacher and student of end-time prophecy I find it fascinating.

What is your current work in progress?

My last two novels were both set outside the US, so I decided to make the setting of my next novel, Pennsylvania. I must confess I’ve fallen in love with that state. The story line involves three sisters, some suspense, and some romance.

What would be your dream vacation?

Without question, a trip to Israel. For years I’ve longed to go there, but never have. Maybe someday. It’s still a dream of mine.

How do you choose your settings for each book?

First I pray and ask God for direction. Then I allow Him to place in me or stir up already placed interests, and follow that trail. The end result is that I always have passion for the things I write about. And I think this is very necessary because if we don’t love what we’re writing about I don’t think we can expect our readers to love it either.

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

Aside from members of my family, I would have to say I’d love an evening with Carley Fiorina. Named by Forbes Magazine in 2001 as one of the 30 most powerful women in America, she was the CEO of Hewlett-Packard for six years. Others call her the “worst tech CEO of all times.”

Why Fiorina? Because she was successfully able to compete in a man’s world. Things I’d like to know would be 1) her faith and God’s role in her private and professional life 2) what was the cost in terms of family/husband/friends 3) what things would she do differently? And finally 4) would she do it all over again?

What are your hobbies, besides writing and reading?

I’m presently learning the guitar, but oh, so poorly. Someday when I have more time, I’d really like to put some effort into this.

What is your most difficult writing obstacle, and how do you overcome it?

Once I start a project I become laser focused, and it’s hard for me to take time out or take interest in house cleaning, cooking, etc. I overcome it by sheer willpower. I literally force myself to do all the extraneous things that need to be done.

What advice would you give to a beginning author?

NEVER GIVE UP! But while you are waiting for that “break,” learn your craft, work hard, and get connected with other writers. Then trust God to open the doors He wants you to walk through.

Tell us about the featured book.

The setting is Spain 1493. Isabel has broken her mother’s heart by becoming a sincere convert to Christianity. But when she is noticed by Friar Alonso at La Casa Santa, the Holy House, she is forced to flee the Inquisition by entering into a loveless marriage and sailing with Christopher Columbus on his second voyage to the New World. But all too soon Isabel is forced to struggle alone in her new life and new faith. With all the risks and hardships her very survival is in question. And what about love? Will she ever find such a thing in this strange land? And will the dangerous Enrique Vivar’s hidden agenda cost her her life?

Please give us the first page of the book.

I have broken Mama’s heart.

That thought has festered a fortnight. Our physician, Hernando Diaz, would call it a lingering agitation, the kind that upsets the bodily humors. He is full of such vague assertions. I am not as vague. I picture sores, like the ones on Catalina’s legs, marring the fabric of my brain and robbing it of peace.

The soft shuffle of Mama’s feet pulls me from my thoughts, and I turn from the cupboard. Please . . . look at me. But she does not. Her eyes have not met mine in weeks. And the silence between us is as thick as the Pillars of Hercules. It is strange, this silence, so foreign to us who once discussed the writings of Maimonides and Rashi for endless hours. I have the power to repair this breach but I will not. Even now that knowledge overwhelms me, and I wonder at the wisdom of my confession. I have learned too late that confessions are not always the satisfying exercise one anticipates, unless they are made to God.

 “I have checked the larder for mold, and bunched the sage.” I wait for Mama’s response, but she just raises her knife in the air. The metal glints as it catches the light coming through the small overhead windows. In one swift motion she drags the blade across the edge of her thumb nail. A sliver, like an almond chip, flies across the room and disappears. My heart flies with it, for I know she is testing to see that the knife conforms to halakah, to Jewish law.

Oh, Mama.

How can readers find you on the Internet?

website: http://www.sylviabambola.com/books

goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/83706.Sylvia_Bambola

facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/pages/Sylvia-Bambola/78754640991

twitter:  https://twitter.com/sylviabambola

Book buy links:

amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Salt-Covenants-Sylvia-Bambola/dp/0989970779/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1422041070&sr=1-1&keywords=the+salt+covenants

barnsandnoble.com:  http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-salt-covenants-sylvia-bambola/1120995842?ean=9780989970778

bookamillion.com: http://www.booksamillion.com/p/Salt-Covenants/Sylvia-Bambola/9780989970778?id=6217838042591

Thank you, Sylvia, for sharing part of your life and this book with us.

Dear Readers, 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 Goodreads, Google+, Feedblitz, Facebook, Twitter, 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

AGNES HOPPER SHAKES UP SWEETBRIAR - Carol Guthrie Heilman - One Free Book

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

I have always been drawn to the vulnerable, especially children and the elderly who often have no one to speak for them. In my writings a character may become that voice.

What is the quirkiest thing you have ever done?

I don’t know about quirky, but the scariest was riding a camel along the edge of Mt. Sinai in the dark in order to reach the summit by sunrise. Everyone in our group survived and the reward was stunning.

When did you first discover that you were a writer? 

While attending a business convention with my husband I bought a book on creativity and completed a ten-minute “free-writing” exercise. At that moment I was hooked. This was twenty years ago when I was nearly fifty years old.

We are in the same age range. Tell us the range of the kinds of books you enjoy reading.

Historical fiction, Biographies, Bible studies, and Children’s Picture Books are at the top of my long list.

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

By reading Scripture each morning and praying—a lot.

How do you choose your characters’ names?

Some come from newspapers, especially the obituaries. I love to visit old cemeteries. And some characters have names from my childhood.

What is the accomplishment that you are most proud of?

Helping to raise two awesome children.

If you were an animal, which one would you be, and why?

I would love to be the Carolina Wren because even though it is a small bird, it can belt out the sweetest melody with total self-confidence.

I love songbirds. What is your favorite food?

That’s easy. Vanilla ice cream covered with hot caramel sauce.

I love vanilla ice cream with caramel sauce, but I haven’t tried it hot. I’ll have to now. What is the problem with writing that was your greatest roadblock, and how did you overcome it?

Fear of never being good enough. I don’t know that I’ve completely conquered that monster, but I keep trying.

Tell us about the featured book.

Agnes Hopper Shakes Up Sweetbriar is about a widow who moves in with her daughter after a kitchen fire destroys her farmhouse. After several months, the two women agree they cannot live together, and Agnes moves to a nearby retirement home. She soon decides she must find another place to live. But after she runs into her best friend from high school, and begins to make other friends as well, she realizes Miss Johnson, the administrator, rules with a heavy hand for sinister reasons. Agnes must eventually choose between her feisty self-reliance and the self-sacrifice that comes from caring for others.  

Sounds interesting. I know what book I’m going to read next. Please give us the first page of the book.

After the fire and smoke cleared, leaving my house in a pile of ashes, I reluctantly moved in with my daughter, Betty Jo—along with my pet pig, Miss Margaret. I was grateful to have a place to lay my head but soon found myself testy with my daughter, treating her like the child she is, even though she’s pushing fifty. “Are you going out?” I’d say. “What time will you be home? Take a wrap. Air’s got a nip to it.”

Betty Jo, when she spoke to me at all, used her normal, snippy tone. “I’m roasting in this house. Did you turn the heat up? Again?” And then she might add for good measure, “Stay out of the kitchen, Mother.”

Three months later we came to an understanding, and though it was a gradual, unspoken thing, it was a fact. Neither of us could tolerate living with the other. I needed my own place and she needed … well, to be rid of me and there was no use trying to beat around any bush.

So on a sultry August morning a week after my seventy-first birthday, Betty Jo loaded my few belongings into her shiny, black Buick and carried me to Sweetbriar Manor, Sweetbriar’s senior-care alternative that, according to the brochure, offered a rewarding, enriching lifestyle.

“If you ask me, there’s nothing sweet about it,” I grumbled under my breath. But of course she didn’t ask me. Only dropped me off, wished me well, and sped away. Well, maybe I’m stretching the truth a little, but that’s how it felt.

Ten minutes into my stay at this place I knew two things. No, three. One, senior-care alternative was code for, “We don’t care what you do in your tiny room as long as you don’t ring the bell and bother the help.” Two, Sweetbriar Manor would own all my assets in six months if I stayed. And three … oh, fiddle, I can’t remember the third thing, but if you’ll hang around for the rest of the story I’m sure it will come to me.

I love that opening. How can readers find you on the Internet?

Email: carolgheilman@gmail.com

Website: www.carolheilman.com

Author Page: www.amazon.com/author/carolheilman

Facebook: www.facebook.com/carolheilman

Twitter: www.twitter.com/CarolHeilman

Thank you, Carol, for sharing some of your life and this new book with us.

Readers, here are links to the book. By using one when you order, you help support this blog.
Agnes Hopper Shakes Up Sweetbriar (The Adventures of Agnes Series) (Volume 1) - paperback
Agnes Hopper Shakes Up Sweetbriar: A Senior Cozy Mystery Novel (The Adventures of Agnes 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 Goodreads, Google+, Feedblitz, Facebook, Twitter, 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

MISS BRENDA AND THE LOVELADIES - Brenda Spahn - One Free Book

Welcome, Brenda. What would you like for our readers to know about you personally?
I have a very healthy fear and understanding of what the Lord expects from me. With that fear and understanding comes the desire to never disobey Him or step away from the destiny He has for me. My biggest fear is displeasing God.

Tell us about your family.
My family is wonderful. I have these great kids and twenty grandkids and 2 great-grandkids. I was an only child, and I asked the Lord early on to have a great big family, as well as twins, and I have both. I feel like I am the most blessed woman in the world. I handed all of my children over to the Lord when they were young. I remember one time seeing a funny slogan that showed parents wishing their kids had come with instruction manuals. I saw that and thought, “Well, there is an instruction manual. It’s the Bible.” That is how I raised my kids.

Have you written other nonfiction books?
No, Miss Brenda and the Loveladies is the first one.

Do you have any other books in the works right now?
I am currently working on a devotional book.

What kids of hobbies and leisure activities do you enjoy?
Events with my family – I love anything to do with family. I am an avid reader and love to study. I study everything I can find time to research. You know, the computer opened a whole new world to my generation as well as all others. As a child I loved to read encyclopedias, and now, I am in love with Google.

Why did you write the featured book?

What do you want the reader to take away from the book? Early in the ministry, I realized as I was praying that if you really want to reach people, the media is the way to do that. So I believe the Lord directed me to write a book. I wanted people to completely understand what it’s like for these broken women and why they made the choices they did – to understand the ones society normally turns their heads away from when they pass them on the street – and to understand what it’s like to want to please the Lord and follow His will into your destiny. Nothing more and nothing less.

Is there anything you’d like to tell my readers about you or your book?
Yes, please read the book and then view the movie when it is released, and share with your Christian family. Together, we can bring awareness to this issue.

Where on the internet can the readers find you?
We are located at www.loveladycenter.org and on Facebook as “The Lovelady Center,” and the book is also on Facebook as “Miss Brenda and the Loveladies,” and wherever books and eBooks are sold. Please like us on Facebook for updates about the day to day happenings at the Center!

Thank you, Brenda, for sharing this book with us today.

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

Miss Brenda and the Loveladies - Christianbook.com
Miss Brenda and the Loveladies: A Heartwarming True Story of Grace, God, and Gumption - Amazon

Christian Book Store

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 Goodreads, Google+, Feedblitz, Facebook, Twitter, 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

HOW TO CATCH A PRINCE - Rachel Hauck - One Free Book, Plus Much More

Dear Readers, I’ve known Rachel Hauck since before she was ever published. And when she burst on the publishing scene, her books were awesome. Because I love fairy tales, her newest series is right down my alley. The way she writes fairytale-like stories, but sets them in the modern day world is fantastic. Even more fantastic is the way she weaves spiritual truth and spiritual happenings into these stories. They pull me even closer to our awesome God. How to Catch a Prince is even a second chance at love story. That makes it even better.

BIO: Rachel Hauck is an award-winning, best-selling author of critically acclaimed novels such as The Wedding Dress, Love Starts with Elle, and Once Upon A Prince. She also penned the Songbird Novels with multi-platinum recording artist, Sara Evans. Booklist named their novel, Softly and Tenderly, one of 2011 Top Ten Inspirationals. She serves on the Executive Board for American Christian Fiction Writers and is a mentor and book therapist at My Book Therapy, and conference speaker. Rachel lives in central Florida with her husband and pets.

Welcome back, Rachel. Since you’re being published regularly, what new avenues will your future books take?      

RH: Who knows?! That’s the fun of coming up with new ideas. I’ve got a few stories brewing but I’ll talk it over with my editor and settle on something. I’m always looking for a story with a hook as well as romance.

What conferences will you be attending this year? Will you be a speaker at any of them?

RH: I’m excited to be heading to the Romantic Times Convention as well as Romance Writers of America, and American Christian Fiction Authors this year. I’ll be speaking at ACFW. But who knows what else will turn up this year. I like to leave space for the spontaneous.

If you were in charge of planning the panel discussion at a writing conference, what topic would the panel cover, and who would you ask to be on the panel, and why?

RH: I’d probably discuss a writer’s career. There’s not enough career talk. I’d invite my agent, Chip MacGregor, my publisher Daisy Hutton, authors Susan May Warren, Brandilyn Collins, Ted Dekker, James Scott Bell, and Lisa Wingate. It’d be an honest conversation about the writing life.

Sign me up. I’d love to hear that discussion. How important is it to you to be active in writing organizations?

RH: I’ve always said, from the beginning, networking is about as important as your writing. Authors need to be involved in the community and getting to know people. Opportunities arise from those relationships. So be involved in writing organizations.

Where in the community or your church do you volunteer?
RH: I’m the worship leader at my church! I’m also a volunteer for ACFW by serving on the executive board and leading worship at their conference every year.

Who are the five people who have made the most impact on your life, and how?       
RH: Wow, great question. My parents who taught me to follow Jesus. Best gift a parent could give a kid. My dad was a great encourager in my writing, telling me I should be a writer.

Next would be my husband who is my best friend and partner, and a lover of Jesus and truth. He’s taught me so much about walking in peace. He’s a big supporter for my career too.

Third, my friend Stuart Greaves, who is a man running hard after Jesus. He challenges me to not settle but to press in and move upward to God’s call.

Fourth, my best girlfriend Susan May Warren who is more than a friend but a sister. She’s been with me through my writing journey and has taught me so much. We’ve walked with each other through some hard times, laughed together, and kicked each other back into play when we falter. She’s the best.

Last but not least, I’m going to pick a conglomerate: I really love the worship out of Bethel in Redding, California, and the teaching of Mike Bickle, as well as the worship, from the International House of Prayer in Kansas City. Just the pursuit of Jesus through prayer and worship, the Biblical teaching, the modeling of loving Jesus with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength have shaped my life in the last 20 years.

If you could write the inscription on your tombstone, what would it be?

RH: Author, wife, daughter, sister, friend, friend of the Bridegroom, living forever in His light. She’d not dead, she’s alive. Just not here.

           

Tell us about the featured book.

RH: How to Catch A Prince is the third in the Royal Wedding Series, the story of King Nathaniel’s (book 1) brother, Prince Stephen and an American Heiress.

           

Please share the first page with us for my readers, since I’ve read and love the book.           

With each passing day, she remembered she had a secret. She’d lived in the fog of death until six months ago, when she crawled out, reaching for the first glimpse of life and light she’d encountered in five years. It came in the form of a simple telephone call. A refreshing-breeze offer.

But clearing the fog meant the memories surfaced. Ones she’d long since regarded as lost. Now they rattled around the empty corridors of her heart.

And recently, in the faintest ting or ping, like when elevator doors opened just outside her office, Corina remembered how she loved the glorious, rolling chimes of cathedral bells pealing through a crisp Cathedral City dawn.

And she ached. Deep in her soul. With a longing she couldn’t reach nor remove.

With an exhale, she slumped in her chair and closed the news video she’d been watching. Two of the Beaumont Post’s staff writers entered the bull pen with a nod toward her, a late lunch of McDonald’s swinging from their hands.

Corina’s gaze followed them as they crossed the wide, boxy room, cutting through the muted afternoon sunlight that spilled through the dirty, rain-splattered windows.

Where can my readers find you on the Internet?

RH: Everywhere. Ha! www.rachelhauck.com will lead readers to my social media sites. 

Today is the last day to enter this contest:

An American heiress and a crown prince seem destined to be together. Will the devastation of war keep them apart forever? Find out in Rachel Hauck's new book, How to Catch a Prince. True love has a destiny all its own. With a little heavenly help, Prince Stephen and Corina embark on a journey of truth. But when the secrets are revealed, can they overcome, move forward, and find love again?

Enter to win a "royal" prize pack! 

One grand prize winner will receive:

• A royal-themed Brighton charm bracelet
• 2 tickets to see the new Cinderella movie
• The Royal Wedding series (Once Upon a Prince, Princess Ever After, and How to Catch a Prince)

Enter today by clicking the icon below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on March 23rd. Winner will be announced March 24th on Rachel's blog.


{NOT ON FACEBOOK? ENTER HERE.} Thank you, Rachel, 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. How to Catch a Prince - Christianbook.com
How to Catch a Prince (Royal Wedding Series) - Amazon
How to Catch a Prince (Royal Wedding Series Book 3) - Kindle

Christian Book Store

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 Goodreads, Google+, Feedblitz, Facebook, Twitter, 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

WINNERS!!!!!

Aerykah (OK) is the winner of 8 Weddings and a Miracle by Lena Nelson Dooley plus others.
Tammie (IL) is the winner of Hand Me Down Husband by Rosanna Huffman.
Judy (LA) is the winner of Love Comes Calling by Deborah M Piccurelli.
Jennifer (NY) is the winner of The Outlaw Takes a Bride by Susan Page Davis.
Rose (AR) is the winner of Remember the Lilies by Liz Tolsma.

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.