WINNERS!!!!!

Cheryl (IL) is the winner of  At Bluebonnet Lake by Amanda Cabot. 

Sharon (SC) is the winner of Living Joyfully Free Devotional by Lisa Buffaloe.

Lyndie (TX) is the winner of Sins of the Mothers by Caryl McAdoo.

Judy (NJ) is the winner of Double Cross by DiAnn Mills.

Shelia (MS) is the winner of Side By Side by Jana Kelley.

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.

THE PROMISE OF PALM GROVE - Shelley Shepard Gray - One Free Book

Dear Readers, I’ve become fascinated by books set in Pinecraft in Florida. Only about a year ago, I found out about this place where Amish and Mennonite go for vacations. And some of them live there. This is book one in Shelley Shepard Gray’s Brides of Pinecraft series. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this story. I think you will, too.

Welcome back, Shelley. What are some of the spiritual themes you like to write about?

One of my favorite themes to incorporate in my novels is God’s Grace. Having my characters discover this feels so hopeful and positive.

What other books of yours are coming out soon?

After Proposal at Siesta Key’s release on May 12, I’ll look forward to the publication of An Outlaw’s Heart in July. This is my novella in the Among the Fair Magnolias Novella collection. The next two books in the Brides of Pinecraft series will be published in September and October. Finally, I’ll be publishing Whispers in the Reading Room, an 1894 Chicago Historical Romance, in November.

They all sound wonderful. If you could spend an evening with one contemporary person (not a family member of yours), who would it be and why?

I would love to spend an evening with Anne Perry. She’s my favorite author, and I’ve read all of her novels. She’s from Scotland. I imagine I would be happy just staring at her and listening to her talk about anything she wants.

What historical figure would you like to meet and why?

I would love to meet Martin Luther. I’m Lutheran, and we’ve studied his life and writings a lot in our church. I would be fascinated to learn more about his teachings from him!

How can you encourage authors who have been receiving only rejections from publishers?

Oh, gosh. Rejections! Yes, receiving those are hard. However, you can only get rejected if you submit and try. So, in a way, I think that’s something to celebrate. Rejections are also part of the publishing life. I’ve sold over 50 books but I still get rejections. It’s also helpful to remember that it’s the manuscript or proposal that is being rejected, not the author. Finally, the best thing to do is to always be working on something new.

Tell us about the featured book.

For years, now, I’ve been fascinated by Pinecraft, the Amish snowbird and vacation community located in the heart of Sarasota, Florida. Three years ago, I wrote Ray of Light and set part of the book there. When it was time to start planning the new series for 2015, I asked my editor if we could set it in Pinecraft. I spent five days there last year doing research and soon decided it was one of my favorite places in the world.

The Promise of Palm Grove is the first book in my new series, Amish Brides of Pinecraft, and follows Leona as she must decide: Does she follow the path set out before her? Or take a chance with only the promise of what could be to guide her? She finds herself torn between the man she’s pledged to wed and the man her heart desires in this heartwarming story of chance, duty, and choice in the face of love.

Please give us the first page of the book for my readers.

Beverly Overholt dreamed in color now.

Pinks and yellow, blues and reds. Green, purple, indigo, orange. So many vibrant colors, so much promise.

So very different than her dreams had been when she was in Sugarcreek, Ohio.

As Beverly swept the front porch of the Orange Blossom Inn, her home for the last three years, she took care to carefully clear away each stray piece of Spanish moss that had fallen from the oak trees dotting the yard. And as she did so, she reflected again that God was so good. He was so good because He reminded her in dozens of ways each day that change was possible.

Every morning, He gave her the beautiful sunrises over the Gulf of Mexico, warm weather, and gentle rains. Flowers and blue skies, palm trees and always, always the hint of happiness.

In more ways than she could ever name, the Lord promised new beginnings. Renewal. Paradise.

How can readers find you on the Internet?

I have a website and blog. www.shelleyshepardgray.com

I’m also very active on Facebook www.facebook.com/ShelleyShepardGray

And on Twitter. @ShelleySGray

Thank you, Shelley, for sharing this new book with us. I know my readers will love it as much as I did.

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

The Promise of Palm Grove - Christianbook.com
The Promise of Palm Grove: Amish Brides of Pinecraft, Book One - Amazon
The Promise of Palm Grove: Amish Brides of Pinecraft, Book One (The Pinecraft Brides 1) - 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

FAMILY OF HER DREAMS - Keli Gwyn - One Free Book

Bio: Award-winning author Keli Gwyn writes stories that transport readers to the 1800s, where she brings historic towns to life, peoples them with colorful characters, and adds a hint of humor. A California native, she lives in the Gold Rush-era town of Placerville at the foot of the majestic Sierra Nevada Mountains.

When Keli’s fingers aren’t hovering over the keyboard of her newfangled laptop, she enjoys strolling past stately Victorian houses in her historic town, burying her nose in reference books as she unearths interesting facts to include in her stories, and interacting with other romance readers. Her favorite places to visit are her fictional worlds, other Gold Rush-era towns, and historical museums.

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

It seems each of my characters has at least one of my attributes. Tess, the heroine in Family of Her Dreams, loves to record her innermost thoughts in writing. Like Tess, I’ve often kept journals. Becky, the heroine in my second Love Inspired Historical, has a fondness for words and is quite attached to her dictionary, as am I. Callie, whose story I’m currently working on, names inanimate objects. If you were to visit my house, you’d find the Monster lurking in the hall closet, which is what I call our vacuum cleaner when I warn our skittish cats that it’s coming out of hiding.

What is the quirkiest thing you have ever done?

I have several quirks, but one that draws attention is my ability to engage in Cat Speak. When people visit our house and hear our two cat brothers with their distinct voices and personalities carrying on lively conversations, they have varied reactions. The more reserved try to hide their surprise but are given away by the widening of their eyes. Some grin. Others laugh outright. I simply remind our guests that they’re in the company of a writer who’s in the habit of creating characters, so what can they expect?

When did you first discover that you were a writer?

At the age of seven, I had a light bulb moment when I realized that the books I loved to read were written by writers. My dream of being a writer was born that memorable day. Forty years later, I dusted off that dream and began writing my first romance.

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

Historical romance is by far my favorite genre. I’m partial to stories set in the American West during the Victorian Era. Sound familiar? Yup. That’s what I write. My favorite tropes are mail-order bride and marriage of convenience stories. I do read some contemporary romances, and thanks to Sarah Sundin, I read the occasional WWII story. Hers are a must read.

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

My sanity has done run out on me. At least there are days I feel like it’s left. Snicker!

Seriously, though, I have learned to embrace that itty bitty word “no.” I’ve come to realize I can’t do it all. I carefully evaluate how much I put on my plate. Even so, there are times when I take on too much, end up with an overflowing platter and have to do some paring. I suspect I’m not alone in this. Please, tell me I’m not.

I think all authors have to do that, probably more than once in their writing life. How do you choose your characters’ names?

I peruse lists of Victorian names, look in past issues of our newspaper, which dates back to California’s Gold Rush, and keep my ears open when people talk about their ancestors. My goal is to give a hero a strong, solid-sounding name. I tend to choose names for my heroines that have a dated feel but flow nicely off the tongue. If a name can be shortened, I consider that a bonus. That way my heroine can have a nickname. Since I’m a romance writer, I make sure to try my heroine’s first name with my hero’s last name. For example, Penelope (Penny) Baxter and Garrett Gwyn would never do.

What is the accomplishment that you are most proud of?

In regards to an accomplishment that involves others, I would say I’m proud of helping my husband raise a daughter who loves the Lord and is confident enough to be pursuing her dream of working in Europe. When it comes to a personal accomplishment, I would say seeing my first book released has made me the proudest. That milestone was the culmination of a lifelong dream.

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

A chihuahua. I’m small, but I have plenty of energy. I’m also a big Taco Bell fan.

What is your favorite food?

I love Mexican food! During college, I often put away Taco Bell for both lunch and dinner. These days, I often make myself a bean burrito smothered in green sauce for lunch.

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

Without a doubt it was—and is—self-doubt. While there are times when the words flow and I feel like I’ve written something halfway decent, there are others when I’m sure what I’ve splashed on the page is complete and utter dreck.

Tell us about the featured book.

Family of Her Dreams, my first Love Inspired Historical, takes place in a Gold Rush-era town not far from where I live in the Sierra Foothills. Here is the back cover copy.

A Family to Cherish

Headstrong Tess Grimsby loves her new job caring for the children of a recently widowed man. But she never imagined that she’d fall for her handsome employer. Yet Spencer Abbott is as caring as he is attractive, and Tess can’t help but feel for him and his family. Though, for the sake of her job, she’ll keep any emotions about her boss to herself.

Between his stationmaster responsibilities in a gold-rush town and trying to put his family back together, Spencer has his hands full. He soon finds his new hire’s kind personality warming his frosty exterior. But could he ever admit to seeing her as more than just an employee?

Please give us the first page of the book.

The pages of my book are small, so I’ll give you a wee bit more than that, since I’m eager for your blog’s readers to meet my handsome but hurting hero, Spencer Abbott.

July 1866

Shingle Springs, California

“Look out, ma’am!”

Tess Grimsby jumped back to avoid a fellow about fifteen pulling a baggage cart with far too much speed for the bustling rail station. She collided with a mother herding her four youngsters, causing the weary-looking woman to drop her wicker basket. Several children’s books slid across the wooden platform.

“My apologies. I didn’t mean to bump into you.” Tess stooped to pick up the books that had landed at her feet.

The woman made sure her children were all right, dropped to her knees and reached for a copy of Little Bo-Peep. “It wasn’t your fault.” She scowled at the baggage handler. “He needs to watch where he’s going.”

The young man parked his cart beside the baggage car and sprinted over to them. “Sorry ’bout that. It’s my first day on the job, and my boss said to hurry. I’ve got to make a good impression.” He grinned, reminding Tess of one of the many boys she’d befriended when she lived at the orphanage.

She smiled. “No harm was done.”

A man with a voice as rich as Belgian chocolate addressed the teen. “Be more careful next time. Getting the baggage moved quickly is important, but Mr. Flynn wouldn’t want you to endanger our passengers, nor would I.”

“Right, sir.” The lad left.

“Come, children. We need to get home.” The mother took the books Tess had gathered, muttered something about troublesome teens and hustled her children across the crowded platform.

Tess slid her satchel back on her shoulder, straightened and found herself face-to-face with a broad-shouldered, golden-haired gentleman. He was younger than any of the men she’d worked for—and far more handsome with his strong chin and arresting sky-blue eyes, currently clouded with sadness. If he was Mr. Abbott—the widower she’d come to see—she could understand.

He held out her journal and said nothing for several seconds as he gazed at her, his expression unreadable. No doubt the tall man wasn’t used to looking a woman in the eye.

“Sir?”

The frown he’d worn faded, giving way to a hint of a smile that caused her breath to hitch. “I believe this is yours. It fell out of your bag during the commotion.”

“Thank you.” She took the diary from him, its pages so full of her hopes and dreams—as well as the mementos she’d tucked between the pages—that she had to grip it tightly to keep items from falling out. She would add her train ticket to the collection of memorabilia, a symbol of the new chapter in her life she was eager to embrace. “You must be Mr. Abbott, the stationmaster.”

Copyright © 2015 by Harlequin Enterprises Limited
Cover, cover copy text and excerpt used by arrangement with Harlequin Enterprises Limited.
® and ™ are trademarks owned by Harlequin Enterprises Limited
or its affiliated companies, used under license.

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

I invite readers to visit my Victorian-style cyber home at www.keligwyn.com, where they can find my contact information and social media links.

Thanks for hosting me, Lena. Your questions were a lot of fun to answer.

I’d like to end by asking your blog visitor’s a question. I admitted to naming my vacuum cleaner. What is an inanimate object you’ve named, and why did you give it that name?

Thank you, Keli, for the fun interview.

Dear Readers, leave a comment for a chance to win a copy of Keli's novel. Be sure to answer her question, and we'd like to know where you live, at least the state or territory.

Here are links where you can purchase a copy of Family of Her Dreams:
Family of Her Dreams - Christianbook.com
Family of Her Dreams (Love Inspired Historical) - Amazon
Family of Her Dreams (Love Inspired Historical) - Kindle

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

WAIT FOR ME - Jo Huddleston - One Free Copy

Author Bio: Jo Huddleston is a multi-published author of books, articles, and short stories. Her debut novels in the Caney Creek Series and her latest book, Wait for Me are sweet Southern romances. She is a member of ACFW, the Literary Hall of Fame at Lincoln Memorial University (TN), and holds a M.Ed. degree from Mississippi State University. Jo lives in the U.S. Southeast with her husband, near their two grown children and four grandchildren.

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

Now that Wait for Me has released I’ll have more time to spend on Book 2 in the West Virginia Mountains Series.

Tell us a little about your family.

I live in the U.S. Southeast with my husband and near our two grown children and four grandchildren. I’m an only child and my husband’s sisters live in another state so the ten of us are it.

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

Yes, writing has changed my reading habits. I have less time now to read for pleasure. I read a lot of writing craft books.

What are you working on right now?

I’m working on Book 2 in the West Virginia Mountains Series. I don’t have a title yet. I usually get my titles from a scene or chapter in the book.

What outside interests do you have?

My church, having lunch with friends, attending in-home Bible studies, and, of course, my grandchildren.

How do you choose your settings for each book?

I write sweet Southern historical romances. We’ve lived in four states in the U.S. South and spent time in the rest of them. I’m a born-and-raised American Southerner. I probably will set all my novels in the South.

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

Amelia Earhart. I’ve always been fascinated by aviation. I’d really like to know what happened to her and her navigator, Fred Noonan, and hear her story of their last hours.

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

How time consuming writing novels really is. I’m blessed to be able to devote all the time I want to my writing. I don’t know how writers who have a day job can find time to write for publication.

For several of my books, I did both, but I prefer only writing as my work, like it is now. What new lessons is the Lord teaching you right now?

To depend completely on Him. One of our grown children is battling cancer. In such a circumstance, the Lord is the only constant in our lives.

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

1. Ask God to help you write before your fingers touch the keyboard each day.

2. Be teachable.

3. If writing for publication, be patient.

Tell us about the featured book.

Wait for Me is Book 1 in the West Virginia Mountains Series, is a sweet Southern historical romance, and is set in West Virginia.

Can Julie, an only child raised with privilege and groomed for high society, and Robby, a coal miner’s son, escape the binds of their socioeconomic backgrounds? Set in a coal mining community in West Virginia in the 1950s, can their love survive their cultural boundaries?

This is a tragically beautiful love story of a simple yet deep love between two soul mates, Robby and Julie. The American South’s rigid caste system and her mother demand that Julie chooses to marry an ambitious young man from a prominent and suitable family. Julie counters her mother’s stringent social rules with deception and secrets in order to keep Robby in her life. Can the couple break the shackles of polite society and spend their lives together? Will Julie’s mother ever accept Robby?

Please give us the first page of the book.

Winter, 1955

When Julie left her driveway, she hurried her steps. As the dirt road dipped, she peered into the night to find Robby. She so hoped he waited for her. Clouds flirted with the moon, offering Julie enough light to search for him at the edge of the road.

She reached the place where he always waited but didn’t find him. She called to him, “Robby, where are you?”

Robby stepped out from the shadows farther down the road and walked with a slight swagger back toward her. “I didn’t want to leave before I saw you but I was about to go.”

“Sorry.” She kissed his cheek. “Daddy questioned me as I was about to leave the house.”

Robby took her hands then bent to place his forehead against Julie’s. “So, are you supposed to be at Betty Jean’s tonight?”

Julie started to answer Robby but he muffled her words when he kissed her mouth. A tingle traveled over her insides with his every kiss.

“Let’s get off the side of the road before your daddy follows you. Let’s go behind the company store.”

She wrapped her long coat tighter around her and hand-in-hand they moved to the back of the store where the lamppost out front cast a shadow over them. After more kisses and hugs, Julie and Robby stood with their backs against the building.

“Julie, are you still leaving tomorrow for that dance thing in Savannah?”

“Yes, I have to go.”

“But it’s nearly Christmas. I wanted us to spend time together during the holidays.”

She brushed his dark hair from his eyes. “I’ll be back soon. We’ll only be gone about a week.”

“Don’t start liking that guy who’s your date down there.” Robby scuffed the ground with his shoe. “Does he have a lot of money?”

How can readers find you on the Internet?

You can find Jo at:

Website www.johuddleston.com

Blog http://www.johuddleston.com

Blog http://lifelinesnow.blogspot.com

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/joshuddleston

Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1615694.Jo_Huddleston

You can purchase eBook for Kindle and print copies of Wait for Me at: http://tiny.cc/xndfwx

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

CALLED TO BE AMISH - Marlene C Miller - One Free Book

Dear Readers, since so many love the Amish fiction, I thought you might like to read this memoir. This is just an added bonus on this blog. We don’t have an interview today, but we still will have a giveaway.

About the author: Marlene C. Miller joined the Amish as an adult and has been a member of the Old Order Amish for almost 50 years. She and her husband of 48 years live on a farm in Ohio surrounded by their nine children, more than 40 grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren.

About the book:
Called to Be Amish
Fewer than one hundred outsiders have joined the Old-Order Amish---and stayed---since 1950. Marlene C. Miller is one of them.

In this rare memoir, Marlene recounts her unhappy and abusive childhood, how she throws herself into cheerleading and marching band, and how she falls in love with Johnny, the gentle young Amish man who helps her lace her ice skates.

Against the wishes of both sets of parents, Marlene and Johnny get married and begin a family. Follow the author on this unusual journey to find out how God's love called her out of bitterness and depression and into the warm embrace of her new Amish community.

Accompany her as she dons an Amish dress and prayer covering and gets baptized. Learn how she endures the strain of ten children, a hundred-acre farm, and accidents and tragedy, and find out how she comes close to walking away from it all. Turning Amish has proven to be anything but plain and simple for this former majorette. But nearly fifty years later, Marlene is still living out God's call as an Old Order Amish woman.

Purchase a copy: http://bit.ly/1ESK6eR

As always, 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

DWF: Divorced White Female - Carol McClain - One Free Book

Dear Readers, I’ve become friends with Carol through American Christian Fiction Writers and Christian Authors Network. I’m thrilled to share her and her debut novel with you today.

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

I met my husband online, thus my life became the genesis of Cheryl Chandler in DWF: Divorced White Female. Additionally, I set the novel in my hometown of Malone, New York with Cheryl living "up" south in Mountain View. I figured, if Lisa Scottoline can set her works in Philadelphia, her hometown, I can do the same.

Aside from those two issues, I was going to say that not much of me goes into the characters. I then remembered Cheryl's sarcasm. Yep, I guess a lot of me is birthed into my work. Friends say this novel is definitely my voice.

What is the quirkiest thing you have ever done?

I'm not sure you can call it quirky, but I taught high ropes at our local 4-H camp. Along with most of the world, I love the zip line. However, the Flying Squirrel is infinitely easier to get into. In this particular activity, the participant is harnessed into the line and then tethered to a team of runs. She scampers in one direction while the team jogs off in another. Before she knows it, she's flying. She has virtually no choice in taking off--doesn't see it coming, doesn't have to decide to leap. After I--um, she--screams herself mute, she savors the beauty of the world beneath her wings. The freedom of the skies delights me.

Years ago, Carol. I was the 4-H Program Assistant for the county in Texas where we lived.  Both of my girls were in 4-H. When did you first discover that you were a writer?

I'm not a typical writer. I wasn't born with a pencil in hand, didn't scribble stories before I learned the alphabet. However, my mother birthed a dreamer greater than Joseph of the Technicolor Dream Coat fame. I day dreamed my life away, invented all sorts of adventures in my head and usually made my friends act out my dramas (always dramas back then). At times, I forced doting parents to pay a nickel to watch us act them out.

As an adult, I wrote Sunday school plays. It wasn't until my forties that I thought I could possibly write a book. And I did. DWF: Divorced White Female is my debut novel.

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

The only books I don't read are the demon-possession ones like The Exorcist. They scare the sanity out of me. Aside from that--bring them on. Cozy mysteries? I've finally figured out how to figure them out. The character mentioned once did it. Suspense? I'll read into the night and then curse the author for not letting me get any sleep. Biographies? You read the part of this interview that says I'm a dreamer, didn't you? I become the subject of the bio.

Hands down, my favorites are contemporary, and those with a literary bent. I spent most of my life as an English teacher, so those works must be part of my DNA.

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

I run. Literally. One day, after a stressful day in school, I knew I had to do something or break. I strapped on my sneakers (I didn't realize we now called them running shoes) headed out the door and ran until my lungs gave out--two or three yards? I did it over and over and felt all the stress ooze down to my feet and out onto the tarmac.

Since then I've run four marathons and written four novels. Running saved my sanity.

As I age, though, yoga is another stress reliever--especially savasana (corpse pose: one simply lies down, empties her brain and enjoys the benefits of having been twisted into a pretzel for the previous hour).

How do you choose your characters’ names?

I eavesdrop. Sometimes a name grabs me and I use it. I've used a fake name generator for lesser characters. Cheryl Chandler got her name because a colleague who was Cheryl's age had her first name. I hadn't read any other books with a Cheryl, so it was unique. I figured a forty-year-old wouldn't be named Tiffany or Kaylie, so my protag became Cheryl.

A lot of names suggest themselves. Cheryl's kids all have androgynous names. That decision came probably more for a challenge for myself and became a symbol of her independence when she names her surprise-baby Marina--a pure, unmistakable girl name that reminds her of marinara sauce. Her ex-husband's new wife is saddled with more unisex names.

What is the accomplishment that you are most proud of?

Neil, my husband, says it's marrying him. And yes, he's living proof that online dating works.

I think my biggest accomplishment was becoming a teacher. Then again, it wasn't my accomplishment, it was purely God's.

During my last year of college I screwed up with drugs. In my addle-brained mind, I believed I ruined my life, would never have children, and no one would love (so thus, marrying Neil is probably my biggest accomplishment). Because of my mental turmoil, I screwed up student teaching, ruined my academic records and my chance of becoming a teacher.

After graduation, I married the wrong man who gave me the right baby when we moved to the country in upstate New York. I decided to try teaching again. With a failing marriage, a ten-month-old daughter, God opened the doors for me to teach Spanish for a year (I had only two college years of the lingo). I enrolled in graduate school, worked insanely, got my masters and a full-time teaching job in my current hometown of Malone.

For thirty-years I developed my craft. The best moments of my life is meeting former students who tell me about the positive effect my love had on their lives.

(I try to forget the ones who hate me.)

It was hard. I didn't know Jesus, but my brother Art did. Probably because of his incessant preaching, I knew, for a fact, Jesus got me into this field, the one I was born to do.

I love to hear real stories of how Jesus redeemed someone from a life of failure. Thanks for sharing that. If you were an animal, which one would you be, and why?

A cat in a doting household. We just got two kittens, and their lives are perfect. They play for hours, heedless of curtains or decorations, or the fact that our toes are attached to our bodies by nerves that hurt. They romp where they will. Then they sleep. A lot. They get cuddled, curl between our legs at night. Who wouldn't want that life?

I do NOT want to be a stray or feral. Yuck.

What is your favorite food?

Peanut butter. Cannot go a day without chunky peanut butter.

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

I haven't overcome my greatest problem. Through the help of good critique partners, I've learned to show and not tell, learned to dive into the emotions of characters and make things worse for them. However, my greatest issue seems to be the muddled middle--especially in sub-plots. Once things begin to resolve, I tire of them and just want to get it done, get to the conclusion. This especially applies to the romantic elements. Once everyone knows said hero and heroine will get together, why draw it out?

Tell us about the featured book.

If you think you’ve experienced a mid-life crisis, Cheryl Chandler will prove you wrong. Ditched by a philandering husband, rearing three weird teens (and a toddler—her failed attempt to save her marriage), she knows only one thing will redeem her life: a man—any man so long as he’s hot.

But how does a forty-something divorcée do that?

The kids have the answer. Go online.

After meeting a string of weirdoes, Tarrant LeClerc befriends her. But he’s too religious, and she will only chat with him as a friend.

Then, when she knows this online dating is doomed, she meets the man of her dreams. Smart, witty and enchanting, Carleton Seymour sweeps her off her feet, but he’s got to meet the kids. Cheryl refuses to hide them—although the thought is tempting.

DWF: Divorced White Female, will make you laugh and come away transformed and transported by Cheryl’s antics.

It’s available at:

Amazon at: www.amzn.to/1wkUlp1  

Desert Breeze Publishing at: www.bit.ly/1zoeixz

Barnes and Noble at: www.bit.ly/1wno80d

Currently, the print copy is only available on Amazon.

Please give us the first page of the book.

Chapter One

The EPT

I slumped onto my bathroom floor, closed my eyes, and imagined myself in Versace sunglasses with a .357 Magnum. I'd hunt down Martin, blow the heat from my gun, stash it in my charcoal grey, Burberry trench coat, and ride off with a Clint Eastwood look alike. After the deed was done, I'd celebrate with a magnum of champagne. Or a Magnum ice cream.

Yep. That would be one solution.

Not the answer to this one.

With new resolve, I picked up the stick and squinted.

Blue lines. They didn't change color. My bluster slipped away like smoke from the snub nosed .357.

"Holy Toledo."

I didn't use those exact words. I didn't actually bless any Ohio city or anything else. My language that morning was as blue as the lines on the EPT stick.

I thought I had passed the pregnancy phase and blissfully entered menopause -- my golden years of bridge games and cruises and cocktail parties. The kids could care for themselves. Sort of.

At last, Taylor had abandoned his dreadlock-headed punk phase and would start high school this fall. My daughter Bobbie still proved labor intensive, but at least Andi had completed her first year at North Country Community College.

Correction. In college, but not settled. What was she studying? Massage therapy. As a high school senior, she applied for the music therapy program, then switched into art therapy last year. Now this. All this time, I had thought massage was a euphemism for prostitution. Weren't TV cops always apprehending sexy, skinny, beautiful masseuses -- girls not unlike Andi, despite her purple, spiky hair? I learned to deal with her vegetarianism, her Indian Ying/Yang whatever, but a career rubbing bodies? Would a cop one day come knocking at my door and arrest my daughter for massaging pervs?

Despite his obsession with religion, I still feared the cops with Taylor. With McIntyre out of the picture and Jesus in it, maybe we cleared that hurdle. Despite Taylor's religious kick, he acted normal again. He went to school, did his homework, visited friends, wanted to be a forensic computer specialist. Insisted we say grace.

Or as normal as a fourteen-year-old boy with an obsession for Jesus could be.

Obsessions.

My whole family was obsessed. Or possessed.

With worries about my children, tears flooded once more. I leaned against the wall and cried. I didn't bother to break the toilet paper off the roll, just pulled the thin, cottony sheets like one of those old towel rollers in public restrooms my mother told me about. You'd pull the cloth towel, which would go around and around in circles, recycling the same two feet of yucky material. If luck found you, a semi-clean, semi-dry bit of cloth would materialize, and you could dry your hands.

If my youngest daughter Bobbie encountered a recycled towel, she'd bathe in Betadine for a week...

A very good example of your writing voice. How can readers find you on the Internet?

You can find Carol McClain at http://carol-mcclain.blogspot.com

On facebook at www.facebook.com/carol.d.mcclain

On twitter at @carol_mcclain. She can also be found on google+

Thank you, Carol for sharing this book with me and my readers. I know we're all wondering what is going to happen next.

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

SKINNY - Laura L Smith - One Free Book

Welcome, Laura. How much of yourself do you write into your characters?

So much! There are hints and slivers of me in all of my characters, although none of them are me. They all have their distinct identities. I danced ballet for years like Claire, was on high school dance team like Lindsey and Melissa, lived in Atlanta for ten years like Raven, have a silver cross necklace like Palmer, etc. Not to mention the foods they eat and the music they listen to and the trips they take, plus all the little things that might occur to the girls in my books that seem random to a reader, but mimic real experiences of mine.

What is the quirkiest thing you have ever done?

One afternoon when I was in fifth grade I felt so much pride practically baking a cake by myself, even working the electric beaters until … a strand of my waist length hair tumbled into the bowl. In less than ten seconds, the beaters wound themselves around that strand of hair and were up to my skull! Luckily, Mom was in the kitchen. She yanked the cord from the outlet and saved me from who knows what kind of damage those spinning pieces of metal may have caused. The tangle was so severe, Mom had to cut the beaters out of my hair leaving a fist-sized chunk of stubble on the top of my head. It took years to grow out! Needless to say I almost always mix by hand now, and should the need for beaters occur (say making meringues) I pull my hair back in a ponytail prior to mixing.

When did you first discover that you were a writer?

In second grade, we had to write a story and draw a picture that went with it, you know on that kind of paper that had lines on the bottom for you to form your letters correctly and space at the top to illustrate your work? I wrote a three-sentence story about Sally the Skunk. It was the most exciting thing I’d ever done. I was so proud of that piece of paper, or my creation. It planted a seed inside me. From that time forward, I’ve always wanted to write more and more stories and create more and more characters.

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

I absolutely love to read. I am typically reading two books at once. This always consists of one nonfiction Christian book guiding me on ways to increase my faith. In this genre, I just completed reading Called by Ryan Pemberton and am about to crack open The Four Loves by C.S. Lewis. The other book I’m usually reading is typically well-written, emotional fiction with compelling characters. I tend to read a lot of young adult, because the emotions are so raw and genuine, and because I write in this genre. But I’ll also read historical fiction and try to dip into the NY Times Bestseller list. I just completed I’ll Give You the Sun (YA) and am so excited to dive into All the Light We Cannot See (NY Times Bestseller and historical fiction).

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

I have a deep faith and find peace and comfort in the fact that I don’t have to be in control of everything. In fact, I’m not. Knowing God is in control and handing things over to Him gives me breathing room in a hectic world. I also run to clear my head and breathe in and breathe out.

How do you choose your characters’ names?

The same way my kids pick names for their stuffed animals J. Really. I think about who the character is, what she or he represents in a story, what they would be like to hang out with, and try to think of a name that fits their personality. Sometimes a name will just pop into my head, other times I’ll have to let it simmer a bit, keeping my eyes peeled to names I see in my day-to-day life, anything from an email I get from a customer service rep, to a name of someone posting on a Facebook thread, to a list of names on a newsletter. When I see the right name, I know it, and voila, my character has a name.

What is the accomplishment that you are most proud of?

None of my accomplishments are mine. They are all gift. But the thing that brings me most joy and fulfillment, besides my faith, is my family—my marriage to a wonderful man and our four amazing children.

What is your favorite food?

Chocolate chip cookies hands down. Actually the dough, before they’re even baked, and then the actual cookies come in second.

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

Getting published. The publishing industry is highly competitive. Editors are inundated with submissions. It is a challenge to get noticed amidst everything they’re being sent.

A writing friend suggested I get out a piece of lined notebook paper. Every time I submitted my manuscript somewhere, she told me to write out the name of the publisher and the date on a line of the paper. She told me not to give up until I had filled every line on that paper! I know we rarely use pen and paper any more, but there was something tangible about writing out each submission. It made the submission itself feel like an accomplishment, which it is. It’s a lot of work to put together a proposal, research a publisher, research an editor, write the perfect query, and be brave enough to send it. This exercise also reminded me not to give up after four or five submissions. That can feel like a lot, when you’re putting yourself out there, but at that point in the process, there were still quite a few blank lines on my page of notebook paper. Before I reached the halfway point, my first novel, was accepted by NavPress.

Tells us about the featured book.

I had a close friend in high school who was hospitalized for anorexia. I had another dear friend in college who also had to go into treatment for her eating disorder. As an adult woman, one of my friends was in a dangerous battle revolving around her body image. Skinny began as my way to speak to them. To let these friends know I understood what it’s like to be a female in our society with so much pressure to be thin, to look a certain way. But even more importantly, I wanted to let them know they are beautiful, just the way they are, just the way God made them. Skinny started out as that, almost as a letter, a tribute, an essay or a short story, but it evolved into a novel about a high school freshman bombarded by the changes and pressures of high school, seeking to find a way to regain control of her life. Skinny is young adult fiction, because the character is fourteen, but my hope is it will touch a place in all women’s hearts, reminding them that they were made in the image of God, and therefore they are beautiful.

Please give us the first page of the book.

Melissa posed as perfectly as a marble statue. Her head bent at a forty-five degree angle, her fingers spread equidistantly, rigid, and exactly in line with her thighs. The music pulsed in her veins. She inhaled and silently counted along with Todd.

“Five, six, seven, eight.”

Even though he was only five foot five, Todd had a booming voice that commanded the attention of every girl in the room. The rhythm of the music vibrated from the speakers on the church’s glossy gymnasium floor.

Like a marionette brought to life by invisible strings, Melissa jerked her hands up, forming a V with her arms, snapped her head upright, and flashed a radiant smile.

“And turn, six, seven, eight. Lift and lift and slide and slide,” Todd continued like a metronome. The pulsating beat pulled Melissa’s body back and forth.

Abruptly, Todd’s solid muscular body relaxed. The coach turned his back to the group of girls and padded across the wooden floor to turn off the music.

How can readers find you on the Internet?

Website www.laurasmithauthor.com

Facebook

Twitter

Instagram: https://instagram.com/laurasmithauthor/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/laurasmithbooks/

Thank you, Laura, for sharing this new book with us. It's an important topic to deal with. So much in our modern world tears down the self-image of so many girls and women.

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

Skinny: She was starving to fit in... (False Reflections Book 1) - paperback
Skinny: She was starving to fit in... (False Reflections Book 1) - 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

FATAL TRAUMA - Richard L Mabry MD - One Free Book

Welcome back, Richard. How did you come up with the idea for this story?

I read a novel by my friend and colleague, the late Dr. Michael Palmer, about the physician for the US President. Since there’s an ex-president residing in the area where I live, I thought it might be fun to write about a doctor who, because of the sudden death of a colleague, is called upon to be personal physician to a former president. I toyed with the idea, and pretty soon I had the skeleton of a novel. It turned out to be a lot more difficult than I imagined, by the way.

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

Only six? I’d need a ballroom, not a dining table, to include everyone who comes to mind. But here are a half dozen of them.

We could start with my friend and mentor, James Scott Bell. Jim is full of stories about movies, Los Angeles, and his experiences as an attorney. Then I think I’d invite fellow medical author Candace Calvert, so we could trade tales about the things we’ve encountered in our medical careers. I’d ask Brandilyn Collins to be unofficial hostess and keep the party moving. Randy Ingermanson’s presence would raise the collective IQ of the group and add a slightly off-kilter slant to the proceedings. Author, teacher, mentor, former pastor Alton Gansky would see to it that the conversation never flagged. And if he fell down on the job, you—Lena Nelson Dooley—could reach back into your experiences and tell us how the publishing world has changed in the years since you first started writing.

           

It certainly has changed a lot in those decades. Thanks for including me. I’d love to be at a party with all those other authors. I know all of them personally, except Alton Gansky, but I know him by reputation. Now let’s do that for a party for non-authors; what six people would you invite and why?

This is where you may wonder about my sanity. All my guests have passed on. I’d start with one of the finest clean comedians ever known, Red Skelton. He’d have us all laughing throughout the evening. I’d invite the late Bobby Bragan, who spent decades in baseball and has a story for every week of those years. The entertainment world recently lost a fine gentleman, and I’d really like an opportunity to have an evening with James Garner. One of the pioneers of medicine was Dr. Will Mayo, and I’d want to invite him because I’d have so many questions for him. There are lots of authors I admire, both of Christian and secular works, but the one I think I’d choose is William Faulkner, who pioneered in saying that experience, not technique, makes a good writer. The last invitee? I’d ask Kate Smith to sing “God Bless America” to close the evening. (I get chill bumps just thinking of it).

Red Skelton has been a favorite for James and me for decades, too. And this week we’ve enjoyed hearing Kate Smith sing that song at the New York Yankees vs. Texas Rangers games. 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?

Fatal Trauma is my eighth published novel, which ranks far below the work product of many of my colleagues (including the five pages I found of your books on Amazon). With each book, I start out with an idea I think might make a good book. And each time I begin to write, I descend into my imposter syndrome—that little voice whispering in my ear that this will be the one that shows everyone I’m a fake and can’t really write. Technically, the hardest part of each book is the first ten thousand words. The next hardest is the last five thousand. Oh, and in between isn’t easy sometimes.

Richard, I think all of us hear that little voice somewhere in the writing of each book. Tell us about Fatal Trauma.

It began with Dr. Mark Baker facing a gunman who had nothing to lose. It could end with him behind bars.

In the Emergency Room, Dr. Mark Baker and Nurse Kelly Atkinson stand at the mercy of a gunman who declares, “If he dies, everyone here dies.” At the end of the evening three men lie dead. One of them is a police officer Mark and a surgeon, Dr. Anna King, couldn’t save. The other two are members of the feared Zeta drug cartel, and their threat of revenge puts the lives of Mark, Kelly, and others at risk.

It isn’t long before the shootings begin, and Mark finds himself under suspicion as a killer, yet still a potential victim. Because of Kelly’s growing love for Mark, she is hurt when he turns to his high school sweetheart, now an attorney, for help.

Who is the shooter? And can Mark find out before he becomes the next victim?

I’m very intrigued. Please give us the first page of the book.

Dr. Mark Baker swept his straw-colored hair away from his eyes, then wiped his forearm across his brow. He wished the air-conditioning in the emergency room were better. Patients might complain that it was cool, but if you were hurrying from case to case for eight hours or more, it was easy to work up a sweat.

“Nobody move!”

Mark spun toward the doors leading to the ER, where a wild-eyed man pressed a pistol against a nurse’s head. She pushed a wheelchair in which another man sat slumped forward, his eyes closed, his arms crossed against his bloody chest. Dark blood oozed from beneath his splayed fingers and dropped in a slow stream, leaving a trail of red droplets on the cream-colored tile.

Behind them, Mark could see a hospital security guard sprawled facedown and motionless on the floor, his gun still in its holster, a crimson worm of blood oozing from his head. Mark’s doctor’s mind automatically catalogued the injury as a basilar skull fracture. Probably hit him behind the ear with the gun barrel.

The gunman was in his late twenties. His caramel-colored skin was dotted with sweat. A scraggly moustache and beard framed lips compressed almost to invisibility. Straight, black hair, parted in the middle, topped a face that displayed both fear and distrust. Every few seconds he moved the barrel of the gun away from his hostage’s temple long enough to wave it around, almost daring anyone to come near him.

I can’t wait until my copy gets here, so I can find out what happens next. How can readers find you on the Internet?

In addition to my web page, you can find me on my blog, on Twitter, and my Facebook fan page. I’m also on GoodReads and Pinterest, but I don’t spend a lot of time there.

Lena, thanks for having me as your guest. I appreciate your friendship and support as I’ve gone down this road to writing. Blessings.

Thank you, Richard, for being a friend and colleague for so long. I’ve been doubly blessed by knowing you.

Readers, here are links to the book. By using one when you order, you help support this blog.
Fatal Trauma - Christianbook.com
Fatal Trauma - Amazon
Fatal Trauma - 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!!!!

Deanne (PA) is the winner of  To Win Her Favor by Tamera Alexander. 

Tammy (NJ) is the winner of Island Refuge by Kimberly Rose Johnson.

Rita (WI) is the winner of The Lady and the Mountain Doctor by Misty M Beller.

Melissa (TN) is the winner of Reservations for Two by Hillary Manton Lodge.

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.