Welcome back, Ruth. What are some of the
spiritual themes you like to write about?
Salvation!
That always makes for a great theme. I also like to write about a character
deepening his or her walk with God. This usually involves facing some internal
battle, whether it is forgiveness, bitterness, or some other stronghold or
weakness in one’s makeup.
What other books of yours are coming out
soon?
I
have another historical romance coming out later this spring, tentatively titled
Freedom’s Enduring Flame.
If you could spend an evening with one
contemporary person (not a family member of yours), who would it be and why?
K.P.
Yohannan, the founder of Gospel for Asia . I’ve
read a couple of his books and admire his steadfast mission to reach the
“unreached” people of Asia, primarily in India .
What historical person would you like to
meet (besides Jesus) and why?
Some
of the great evangelists of the 19th/early 20th century like Charles Spurgeon,
D.L. Moody, and Smith Wigglesworth. I’d love to hear about their conversion
experiences and about their walk with God.
How can you encourage authors who have
been receiving only rejections from publishers?
Get
some tough critiquers—people who read in the genre you write in and are willing
to read your manuscript and give you their honest feedback. You may not like
it, but if you get enough people with a similar reaction, you’ll have an idea
of what might be lacking in your writing.
Tell us about the featured book.
I
first had the idea for She Shall Be Praised from a dream
some years ago (so I can’t recall the dream). As I mulled over the initial
idea, somehow it evolved into a sequel to The
Rogue’s Redemption. She Shall Be Praised is the story of one of the
heroine’s younger sisters from that book.
Please give us the first page of the
book.
May 1817
Ordinary
Katie Leighton stood on the Quai d’Orsay looking out toward the River Seine.
Halfway across the world from her rugged home in Bangor ,
Maine , she could scarcely believe she was in Paris , the most romantic
city on earth.
Arched
stone bridges bisected the wide river at even intervals all along its curved
length. If she looked eastward to her right, she saw the Pont Royal and just made out the delicate spire of the Sainte Chapelle and, looming behind it,
the square towers of the massive Notre
Dame cathedral.
These
churches—so different from her customary places of worship back home—had
withstood the vicissitudes of man and the ravages of nature since the Middle
Ages. Most recently, they had barely escaped the fury of the revolutionaries.
If
she turned to look across the bridge in front of her, she saw the wide Place Louis XV. It was hard to believe
just over twenty years ago, it had run with the blood of the hundreds beheaded
upon the guillotine.
A
tug on the leash broke Katie’s somber contemplation. Her newly acquired dog
broke free of her loose hold and dashed off down the quay, fleeing toward the Esplanade of Les Invalides, his brand
new leash trailing after him.
“Come
back here, Brioche, you naughty dog!” With an exasperated sigh, Katie lifted
her skirts and broke into a run after the scruffy-haired mutt, whose white fur
still looked dingy, no matter how many times she bathed him.
Panting
more heavily than her dog, she ran under the leafy chestnut trees on either
side of one of the avenues of the spacious, grassy esplanade which sloped towards the river, her feet feeling every
tiny stone through her thin leather soles. Brioche showed no signs of slowing
down, when abruptly, he veered to the left under some trees.
Oh,
dear, no! He was heading straight for one of the poor veterans from the old
soldiers’ home out to take the sun! Katie’s hand flew to her mouth in horror,
and she stepped up her pace despite the stitch in her side. Surely Brioche
wouldn’t knock the old man’s wheeled chair over!
But
Brioche seemed intent on something else. He stopped right before the soldier
and began sniffing the grass at his feet.
Katie
arrived at the spot thoroughly winded. She could hardly get the words out, “Oh,
par—don—nez-moi, m—mon—sieur. Je suis
desolée—” The apology in French was hardly intelligible even to her own
ears.
The
man was not listening and continued leaning forward in his chair, groping the
grass before him.
Katie
gasped. The man was blind! Her heart contracted in immediate pity, for he was
no old veteran. Under a shock of untidy black hair, a young, unlined face swung
toward her—deep-set dark eyes fixed unseeing in her direction, black eyebrows
drawn together in a scowl.
He
must have been wounded in the recent war. Poor, poor dear!
“Qui est là?” came the sharp, peremptory
words.
“Pardonnez, monsieur,” she repeated,
fumbling for the proper words in French. “It was only my dog. He got away from
me—”
Reminded
of Brioche’s presence, the soldier thrust out his hand. “Va-t’en, mauvais chien!”
“He’s
not a bad dog,” she hastened to reassure him as she grasped Brioche’s collar
and pulled her pet out of the way. The dog, his attention still on the grass,
whined.
How can readers find you on the Internet?
At my website: http://ruthaxtell.com
or through Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ruth.axtell1Thank you, Ruth, for sharing this new book with us. I can hardly wait for my copy to arrive.
Readers, here is a link to the book. By using one when you order, you help support this blog.
She Shall Be Praised: A Leighton Sisters Novel (The Leighton Sisters Book 2)
Leave a comment for a chance to win a free copy of the book, paperback or ebook, your choice. 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
11 comments:
I am in Fort Loudon, Pennsylvania. This sounds like such an exciting book. I would enjoy reading it !
Deanne
Cnnamongirl(at)aol(dot)com
A wonderful first page thank you.
Mary P
QLD AUSTRALIA
I enjoyed the first page and love dogs so I'm sure I would love this book.
I live in Indiana.
Smiles & Blessings,
Cindy W.
Great first page! Sounds like a great read. Thanks for the chance to win!
Beth in Montana
I loved Ms. Axtell's "Wild Rose" and I love Beauty and the Beast storylines so I'm definitely interested in this book! Thanks for the giveaway!
Lis K from Virginia
Hi Deanne, Mary (from Down Under!), Cindy, Beth, & Lis,
Thanks so much for stopping by and leaving your comments. Hope you liked my opening scene and enjoy the rest of the story.
Thanks for hosting me, Lena!
Ruth
Enter me in your awesome giveaway!!
Conway, SC.
Thank you for a great post!
Melanie Backus TX
It's been a while since I read one of Ruth's books, thanks for the giveaway!
Patty in SC
Patty, Hope you get to read another of my books soon!
Thanks for stopping by, Melanie & Sharon.
Ruth
I love learning about new authors on this page! thanks for the giveaway!
Sierra
Indiana
Post a Comment