Bio: Dan Walsh is
the bestselling author of 15 novels including The Unfinished Gift, The Discovery, and When Night Comes. He’s
been a finalist for 6 Carol Awards and has won 3, the winner of 3 Selah Awards,
and 3 of his books have been finalists for RT’s Inspirational Book of the Year.
A member of American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) and Word Weavers
International, Dan writes fulltime in the Daytona
Beach area. He and his wife Cindi have been married 39
years and have 2 grown children and 2 grandchildren. You can find out more
about his books or follow him on Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads or Pinterest from
his website at http://www.danwalshbooks.com.
Welcome back, Dan. You
have a lot of books out now. What is your favorite setting to use in your
books?
For my earlier novels, I chose a variety of locations, but
most of my books now take place somewhere in Florida (or a fictitious FL town). I’ve
lived here since I came here as a kid in 1965. It dawned on me … people love to
visit FL (and many wind up moving here). So why am I trying to come up with all
kinds of other locations? Once in the book, it’s not uncommon for part of the
story to take place somewhere else, but most of my novels are in FL, or else
nearby in Georgia .
What do you look for
when you’re shopping for a book to buy for yourself?
Even though I write mostly inspirational novels and love
inspirational movies, I like to read suspense novels, or else well written
adventure/historical non-fiction books (but well-written, I mean, “reads like a
novel.”) The way I pick them is probably how most people do. I ask, do I know
the author and already like their books? If not, I look at things like the
cover, the “back cover” description, then at the reader reviews.
Give us a little tour
of the setting for this book.
Rescuing Finley takes place in Summerville ,
FL , a fictitious small southern town located
in the middle of the state (somewhere near Ocala ). Most people are well aware of the
bigger Florida cities like Orlando ,
Miami or Tampa .
Maybe even Daytona Beach
(where I live). But Florida
is filled with much smaller towns that have their own measure of charm. I
decided to make a fictitious town to give me the creative freedom I need as I
tell the story. But Summerville resembles many of these smaller FL towns.
What other books do
you have coming out soon?
Right now I’m working on Book 2 of my Jack Turner Suspense
series. Book 1 was When Night Comes.
It was something of an experiment to see if I could “get away with” writing in
2 distinct genres. I believed it was possible, and I’m happy to discover I was
right. It did well enough to allow me to write both kinds of novels going
forward (suspense and inspirational). Book 2 will be called Saving Parker and I plan to
release it in March.
The rest of 2016 will be spent writing Books 2 and 3 of the
Forever Home series (the series for Rescuing Finley).
Please give us a
glimpse of your home.
We’ve lived in the same house the past 30 years. It was
always my dream to buy a small house we could afford, then stay there as the
years go by, adding onto it rather than buying bigger houses. That’s what we’ve
done. It started at 1,300 square feet and now has 1,850 (still a modest size)
and a backyard pool. I’ve attached 2 pics of the outside. The first is the
front from Google Maps (street view). The 2nd is our backyard, with a pool we
added 10 years ago.
We’re empty nesters, so the house is a little more than we
need (3 bedrooms, 2 baths, and a home office). But it’s paid for and filled
with so many memories, I don’t see us downsizing any time soon. The rooms are
nicely furnished with a warm, comfortable lived-in look. I used my first
advance check back in 2008 to let my wife finally get the IKEA kitchen she had
dreamed about (our kitchen is the fanciest room in our house).
Is this novel part of
a series or a stand-alone book?
As I mentioned earlier, Rescuing Finley is Book 1 of the
Forever Home series. Book 2 will be Saving Parker, and Book 3, Finding Riley.
I hope to release Book 2 in July and Book 3 in November.
Be sure to contact me
in plenty of time to feature those books near their release dates. Now tell us
about this story.
Here’s what’s on the back cover:
Amy Wallace has made plenty of mistakes in her young life,
but she didn't see this one coming. Chris Seger is a marine serving in Afghanistan .
His life is forever altered by a single, fateful step. A mother of another
Afghan war vet suffers a devastating loss, which changes the course of Finley's
life for good. Finley is a mostly-golden retriever, who suddenly finds himself
alone and confused in a dog shelter. Later, he's brought to a prison to be trained
in a special program for female inmates. Could this prison become the place
where Finley finally finds freedom? Rescuing Finley tells the story of how one
rescue dog powerfully impacts three tragic lives and puts all of them on a road
toward redemption and healing.
Please give us the
first page of the book.
She could get arrested for this.
Amy knew that walking into the mall. Signs were everywhere.
Shoplifting is a crime! Shoplifters will be prosecuted!
But Amy Wallace didn’t need a sign to tell her she was doing
wrong. She’d been raised a church girl. Thou shalt not steal. She’d stolen
plenty before now. The worst kind. Not just stores, but from family. And not
just once, many times. One too many. They’d finally gotten sick of it, all her
lies, and threw her out of the house.
That was over a year ago. Since then, she’d been on her own.
At the moment, Amy considered herself a recovering meth
addict. Clean five days now, ever since she’d lost her job after failing a drug
test. The temptation to start using again had gotten really bad recently. Today
it had been especially strong.
“Are you ready?”
Amy looked up at Sandy ’s
face. Sandy was
the ringleader of their little trio. Standing beside her was Chloe. The two of
them were close friends; Amy was the outsider. Neither of them were users, and
that was a good thing.
“I’m ready.” She stood and looked around. “Are you sure we
should do this?”
“Yes,” Sandy
said. “I’ve done it just like this five times already. Never got caught. Never
even had to run. Just do like I told you. You’ll be fine.”
You have me hooked. I
can’t wait to read the rest of the book. How can readers find you on the
Internet?
Probably the easiest thing is just to visit my website and
check out my homepage. There are buttons there to connect to my blog, send me
an email, sign up for my newsletter (which I highly recommend) or follow me on
social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads and Pinterest. They can
find me at: http://www.danwalshbooks.com
Thank you, Dan, for sharing your home and this new book with us.
Readers, here are links to the book. By using one when you order, you help support this blog.
Rescuing Finley (A Forever Home Novel) (Volume 1) - PaperbackRescuing Finley (A Forever Home Novel) (Volume 1) - 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.
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Http://lenanelsondooley.blogspot.com
Rescuing Finley sounds like a fascinating story. Dan Walsh is a great writer.
ReplyDeleteMelanie Backus, TX
This is on my "to be read" list. I have become a Dan Walsh fan with the first book of his that I read. Would enjoy first and then share with friends.
ReplyDeleteBarbara Anne Waite
I always enjoy Dan's stories and look forward to reading Rescuing Finley! Thank you so much for sharing this wonderful interview and giveaway!
ReplyDeleteBritney Adams, TX
One of my closest friends is avid Dan Walsh fan. I would love to give this to her. I live in Minnesota.
ReplyDeleteI fell in love with Dan's writing when I read The Unfinished Gift. Reading this first page makes me want to read more of Rescuing Finley.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing and Happy New Year!
Connie from KY
cps1950(at)gmail(dot)com
angela in ky would love to win
ReplyDeleteI live in Scotts Valley, CA, and have never yet been to Florida... I've loved all the other Dan Walsh books I've read, so would love to win this one.
ReplyDeleteDan Walsh's books are always great reads. I love rescue dogs. This sounds perfect for me.
ReplyDeleteCalifornia
lkish77123 at gmail dot com
This sounds really good. I love the fact that it centers all the stories around a dog. That's something new and makes me even more eager to see what this book is like! Also my sister is a dog-nut and I'm sure she'll be interested in this book. Thanks for the interview. Looking forward to reading this!
ReplyDeleteJ.C. -Indiana-
I love reading Dan Walsh's stories. I am a huge dog lover. I can't wait to read RESCUING FINLEY.
ReplyDeleteCaryl in TEXAS
Thank you for entering my name in the giveaway. I have been in the mood for books with pups or cats in the plot. Rescuing Finley seems like a very inspiring story especially for women. Thanks for openly sharing so much about your life.
ReplyDeleteToss me into the drawing it sounds like a great story!
ReplyDeletedkstevens from NE
I enjoyed the interview thank you.
ReplyDeleteMary P
QLD AUSTRALIA
I'm interested in this one. Dan is a really good author. Thanks for the interview and giveaway!
ReplyDeleteLoraine in TX
Nice interview, home and pool. north platte nebraska
ReplyDeleteI am an avid fan of your books! I live in GA and mu husband & I go camping in FL frequently! I am going to read "Rescuing Finley" as soon as I finish this comment!
ReplyDeleteI did not wish to remain anonymous!, See above.
ReplyDeleteI have enjoyed all of Dan Walsh's books and look forward to reading this one. It sounds like it will be interesting.
ReplyDeleteEdward A in VA
Sounds like a great start to a wonderful series.
ReplyDeleteBeth from IA
Sounds intriguing. Hi from Oklahoma!
ReplyDeleteHow I would LOVE to get a copy of Rescuing Finely. I had to pass up an opportunity to pre-read it because I couldn't figure out how to download it. I love Dan's books. So, please put me in the mix to win it.
ReplyDeleteBonnie in AZ
Enter me in your giveaway!!
ReplyDeleteConway, SC.
I always love a good animal story!
ReplyDeletePatty in SC
I forgot to say Barbara Anne Waite enjoys all Dan Walsh books in California.
ReplyDeleteLove Dan's books, they are always great. Shelia Hall sheliarha64@yahoo.com
ReplyDeleteI've loved all is Dan's books I've had the chance to read & I'm sure Rescuing Finley will be just as wonderful as all the rest!
ReplyDeleteKristen in OK
kam110476 at gmail dot com
Sounds great! Thanks for the interview and giveaway!
ReplyDeleteMelissa O in NC
Ok I'm really ready to read Rescuing Finley sounds great.
ReplyDeleteLourdes in Long Island, NY