Thursday, December 24, 2015

GUARDED - Angela Correll - One Free Book

Dear Readers, here’s another author, who is new to the blog.

Welcome, Angela. Tell us how much of yourself you write into your characters.
The two female main characters in Guarded and Grounded have a lot of me in them, yet we are also very different. They are both a mixture of women I know well, family members, friends, and myself included.

What is the quirkiest thing you have ever done?
I own a retail shop making goat milk soap and we recently renovated hotel rooms as part of our hospitality business, so I work around a lot of folks from construction guys to the girls in the shop. I am constantly playing pranks on them with fake rattlesnakes, a remote control tarantula, fake dead rats, etc. Sometimes they get me back.

When did you first discover that you were a writer?
After taking a creative writing class through community education, I participated with my classmates in providing a monthly column for the local weekly paper. I was paid $10 per column and that made me feel like a real writer!

Tell us the range of the kinds of books you enjoy reading.
I love cozy mysteries and anything British pre-1950 and am presently working my way through the classics and I also enjoy poetry here and there. Some of my favorite novelists are the ones who have a poetry background. Their prose is simply beautiful!

How do you keep your sanity in our run, run, run world?
The times I am most balanced are when I compartmentalize the many things coming at me: a time for this and a time for that. Then I can truly focus on what’s in front of me. I also find my day is much more balanced when I protect that time of prayer and devotion first thing in the morning.

How do you choose your characters’ names?
If I hear an interesting name, I will write it down in a notebook. In Guarded, there is a character named Vesta. I heard this name years ago and wrote it down because I knew I wanted to use it at some point. I thought it sounded so country, yet also had sophistication to it.

What is the accomplishment that you are most proud of?
My dad had Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma and became very ill at the end, but we were able to keep him in his home and care for him there until his death. Honestly, that’s the thing I’m most proud of, that even though it took sacrifice, he could stay in a comfortable place surrounded by his family.

If you were an animal, which one would you be, and why?
A horse. They are so majestic and beautiful, smart and fast. There’s nothing more beautiful to me than a horse running in a pasture, mane and tail flying.

What is your favorite food?
Ethiopian, Doro Wat to be exact.

What is the problem with writing that was your greatest roadblock, and how did you overcome it?
Believing that it was worth the time I had to spend to learn the craft. I worried that it was a waste of time because I might not be able to do it. Then I realized I couldn’t imagine my life without writing. At that point, I gave it everything. I am still learning and growing, but the main thing is perseverance, not talent. 

Any writer who doesn’t continue to hone their craft will have their writing start to deteriorate. Tell us about the featured book.
Guarded is about former New York City flight attendant, Annie Taylor, who is adjusting to farm life and a new relationship when the fate of the old stone house is threatened after a summer fire makes restoration seem impossible.

As she works to save her childhood home, she finds letters written during World War II that reveal a family mystery and an Italian connection. Her grandmother is hesitant to uncover the secret, afraid of what it might mean to her family’s name if they discover the truth.

Meanwhile, Annie’s boyfriend Jake, is jumping headlong into sustainable farming on the land next door. Their new relationship is wonderful—but can it last? As they take steps forward, her paralyzing fear of abandonment threatens to destroy her trust in Jake.

As the family mystery unfolds in Italy, Annie is forced to face her own past. Will she let history sabotage the future?

Please give us the first page of the book.
THE OLD STONE house looked solemn in the September afternoon. Even the birds were quiet, as if in respect for its suffering. Annie stared at charred stones, glassless windows, and a scorched chimney jutting into the blue sky, all evidence of the fiery injustice done only weeks ago.

Glass in the fanlight window over the front door was gone, a casualty of the water pressure that night as men guided hoses to the fire in the upstairs room. There was no time then to think of collateral damage. The goal was to save the house.

The door stood slightly ajar. Annie slipped inside, her running shoes crunching on pieces of glass, the stench of smoke still heavy in the air. They had left the house just as it was after the fire, not daring to move anything out until the insurance company had done its own investigation. Now it was disappointingly over, with no prize at the end of the waiting. The check her grandmother received was a fraction of the repair estimates.

“Well, that’s that,” her grandmother had said.

For all her love of heritage, home, and family, Annie knew Beulah was ultimately a frugal realist. To counter her own disappointment, Annie went for her daily run through the barn lot, following the farm lane to the stone house, as if the house might tell her how it could be saved.

How can readers find you on the Internet?

My website is: www.angelacorrell.com Of course, both Guarded and my first book Grounded are available from Amazon and other online booksellers.

Thank you, Angela, for sharing this new book with us. I know my readers will be eager to read it.

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

Leave a comment for a chance to win a free copy of the book. You must follow these instructions to be in the drawing. 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

22 comments:

Connie Porter Saunders said...

Nice to meet a new author!
Merry Christmas!!
Connie from KY
cps1950(at)gmail(dot)com

Anonymous said...

would love to win. angela in ky

Linda Kish said...

This sounds like an interesting story that I would enjoy reading.

California

lkish77123 at gmail dot com

justcommonly said...

Guarded and Grounded both sounds interesting. Thanks again, Lena for introducing a new author to me. I would love to win a copy.

Angela, you are a prankster, aren't you?! *wink wink. Lol. Goat milk soap, hmmm. I've never tried it. What makes it special? Is it better for skin or more moisturizing?

Merry Christmas!

Annie from MD
Justcommonly(at)gmail(dot)com

Melanie Backus said...

Angela Correll is a new author to me and I am intrigued by her book. I would love to read it. Thank you for the opportunity. Merry Christmas!

Melanie Backus, TX

Mary Preston said...

Merry Christmas!!

This does sound marvellous.

Mary P

QLD AUSTRALIA

kam110476 said...

Hi Angela & Lena! Just a few paragraphs in and I'm captivated! I want to know more about the house, the fire, why the insurance check was too small, will, the house get fixed up...and that doesn't even begin to cover the mystery of the old WWII letters & Italy!
Kristen in OK
kam110476 at gmail dot com

Cindy W. said...

I would love to win a copy. It sounds like a wonderful book.

Blessings,
Cindy W. from Indiana

Have a very Merry Christmas!

Raechel said...

Sounds like a fascinating book!
Thank you for the great interview and giveaway!
God bless!
Raechel in MN

Beth Gillihan said...

Sounds like a good read! Thanks for the chance to win!

Beth in Montana

Cindi A said...

From reading the first page and the blurb, I'm betting this is a very interesting novel. Thanks for a chance to win a copy.

~Cindi Altman from Pennsylvania

GrandaddyA said...

The first page sounds intriguing and makes me want to know what is in the house. I would love to read this book.
Edward A in VA

Karen Sue Hadley said...

Merry Christmas from Oklahoma!

Angela Correll said...

Hi everybody! I wish you could all win because I would love for you to read Guarded. There is a secret in the old stone house that takes Annie on an adventure to unravel the mystery.

Sharon Richmond Bryant said...

Enter me in your amazing giveaway!!
Conway, SC.

Pam said...

Another "new-to-me" author! Love a good mystery and would enjoy reading this one.

Pam in OH

Patty said...

Thanks for the introduction to a new author! Guarded sounds like an interesting story.

Patty in SC

Brenda Arrington said...

Angela Correll is a new author to me. I am sure to enjoy getting to know her and her books. Thanks for the chance to win this one.
Brenda in VA

Terrill R. said...

I just recently picked up Grounded from our local Christian bookstore. I couldn't resist, because of the synopsis and wonderful reviews. Unfortunately, I haven't gotten it read yet, but it's only a matter of time. I'm looking forward to Guarded, as well.

Terrill - WA

Angela Correll said...

Oh good Terrill R.! I hope you enjoy Grounded. Guarded can be read alone, but Grounded gives all the backstory, so start there.

rubynreba said...

I want to find out the secret in the old stone house! Love to read this.
Beth from IA

Anonymous said...

Secrets are good for stories. :)

-Melissa M. in TN