Monday, October 31, 2016

THE CHRISTMAS GIFT - Izzy James - One Free Book

Welcome, Izzy. Tell us how much of yourself you write into your characters.
It's a hard thing to quantify, but I would say less than five percent. My character's personalities are a blend of my knowledge of people based on what I've read and folks I have known.  I show up in the ways that I have seen God at work in my life, in the lives of the people around me, and in His Word. 

What is the quirkiest thing you have ever done?
I am not really a quirky person, so this one is hard for me. Probably the closest thing is something I would usually describe as eccentric: I love Christmas. Any time during the year, you can find Christmas decorations in my house. This year, I kept our Advent wreath out on the table in the living room with a fat battery candle in the center. :-)
           
Oh, and I LOVE Christmas earrings. I purchase new ones every year. I start to wear them on Thanksgiving Day and wear them until after New Year. I don't have enough pairs to wear a different set everyday yet, but I'm close!

I love Christmas, too, and I start playing Christmas CDs the day after Thanksgiving and play them until New Years Day. When did you first discover you were a writer?
In elementary school. The first thing I ever wrote was an adaptation of the Christmas story for a play for my fourth-grade classroom Christmas party. I have been writing ever since.

Tell us the range of the kinds of books you enjoy reading.
I love a good story, so I read just about anything. Romance contemporary and historical, historical fiction, literary fiction, non-fiction of all types, mysteries of all types although I am partial to cozies. I am not a great fan of science fiction/fantasy but I have read a bit.

How do you keep your sanity in our run, run, run world?
Even when running non-stop I have discovered that there are unfilled spaces of time during the day, like when I'm driving to the grocery store or waiting for the gas tank to fill at the pump. I make use of these quiet spaces to breathe and pray.

How do you choose your characters’ names?
This is always fun. I use name lists. For contemporaries, I will use baby name lists found online. For my historical, I used marriage records from my time period. I search for names that I think fit the personality of the character who needs a name at the time.

What is the accomplishment that you are most proud of?
I am most proud of my three children. Our oldest daughter is out making her way in the world and our twins are both doing well in college.  All three know the Lord, what more can I ask for really? I am truly blessed in them.
           
In my writing life, I am very proud of my recent Maggie Award. It is the first award I have won with my writing, and I'm afraid I'm still glowing.

You go right ahead and bask in that achievement. If you were an animal, which one would you be, and why?
A horse. They are strong, useful, and they can run like the wind.

What is your favorite food?
Potatoes. I love them raw and any way they can be made. I'm allergic to milk, so no cheese please!

What is the problem with writing that was your greatest roadblock, and how did you overcome it?
Gee, I'm not sure I've overcome any of them. It seems like I fight them with each manuscript, I've just gotten a little better at noticing and correcting my errors with practice. My current struggle is with finding enough time to make my word count everyday. I still work full time at something other than writing, that plus family obligations make it tough.

Tell us about the featured book.
First in a series of Christmas novellas, the theme of the The Christmas Gift is that with God there is no such thing as too late. It's never too late to find love, and it can show up in the most unexpected places.

Fifty-five year old Jack Callahan has been alone, by choice, for five years.

Forty-five year old Erica Thomas has never had a serious relationship and believes that love and marriage is not God's plan for her.

Can a chance meeting in an airport and an impetuous photo change their destinies and prove that it's never too late to fall in love?

I’m eager to read this story. Please give us the first page of the book.
"Attention all passengers on Diamond Airlines Flight 3924 to Richmond departing from Gate C15. Our plane is inbound, and as soon as it has landed and we have deplaned, cleaned, and serviced it, we will begin boarding. We expect a thirty-five minute delay."

Jack Callahan stretched the kinks out of his back, let out a deep sigh, picked up his backpack, and stood up. He'd been still for too long. Sitting in libraries, standing in museums. His very cells were tired of the inactivity. He was sure he had most of the information he needed for his next book, and he knew where to look for answers as the inevitable detail questions came up. His mind was full. It was time to percolate. As soon as he got home, he would head out down the trails and start writing. When he was done, he would do a little painting.

He sat back down in the pleather chair once again waiting as the sun began to set. Its rose-gold light shot through the window and kissed the hair of the woman sitting opposite him. Her hair was the color of wheat. He could capture it with a blend of raw umber and white maybe, but the rose color and the metallic way it reflected, that would be harder. He stared knowing that the sun was moving fast through its setting. He would have only seconds to capture that particular look. He felt for his phone.

He shifted his gaze down to her face.

"Take a picture. It will last longer."

Before she could protest, he snapped the picture and said what he had never said to anyone. "I'm sorry. I'm a painter, and I was captured by the light as it touched your hair."

"Right." Her eyebrows shot up, lips thinned to a frown, eyes darted to the side. She turned ninety degrees to the right to dismiss him, which gave him a further view of her wheat colored hair in the sunlight. It was probably creepy, but he snapped another photo.

Thirty minutes later, he was in his window seat on the plane looking out at the tarmac fading in the dusk.

"I hope you've turned your phone off for takeoff."

He snapped around at the sound of her voice. There she was checking her seat number with the label of the seat next to him.

Yes, give me more. How can readers find you on the Internet?
You can find me at my website: http://www.echull.com and on Facebook-@IzzyJamesAuthor

Thank you, Izzy, for sharing this new book with us.

Readers, here’s a link to the book. By using it when you order, you help support this blog.
The Christmas Gift

Conversation starter questions: Do you like to read Christmas stories? Do you prefer contemporary stories, historical storied, or love both equally?

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 or country if outside North America. (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

Sunday, October 30, 2016

WINNERS!!!!!

Becky (MI) is the winner of Rebel Horse Rescue by Miralee Ferrell.

Lourdes (NY) is the winner of The Good, the Bad, and the Guacamole by Rebecca Adler.

Beth Ann (WI) is the winner of the ebook Rescuing Christmas by Lena Nelson Dooley.

Abigail  (VA), is the winner of From Antiquity to Eternity by Velda Stearns.

Caryl K (TX) is the winner of Alabama Irish by James Russell Lingerfelt.

If you won a book and you like it, please 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 and author of the book you won, so I won't have to look it up.


Remember, you have 4 weeks to claim your book.

Friday, October 28, 2016

THE BROKEN TRAIL - Christa MacDonald - One Free Book

Welcome, Christa. Tell us how much of yourself you write into your characters.
Sometimes my sense of humor comes through, but most of the time my characters are a combination of people I’ve known over the years or wholly drawn from the ether.

What is the quirkiest thing you have ever done?
Oh my, I’m not quirky at all. I do wear my hair in pigtails sometimes so that qualifies…I think.

When did you first discover you were a writer?
Not long after I started reading I knew I wanted to write the sort of stories that create a world you can fall right into.

Tell us the range of the kinds of books you enjoy reading.
Cozy mysteries, fantasy, and romance are the genres I read most often. I love the classics, and consider myself a Holmesian.

How do you keep your sanity in our run, run, run world?
I don’t watch broadcast TV. We canceled cable to save a few pennies, but found an unintended side effect was that we have more peaceful evenings and weekends. We consciously choose whatever content we want so it’s a different pace.

How do you choose your characters’ names?
I have a baby names book and use the internet for last names. Sometimes I poll readers for suggestions.

What is the accomplishment that you are most proud of?
Tough one. I’m so tough on myself I honestly rarely have “yay me” moments when I accomplish something. I’m probably proudest of my kids, but they aren’t accomplishments.

If you were an animal, which one would you be, and why?
A hawk. I’d love the ability to fly while also being a wee bit fearsome.

What is your favorite food?
Any combination of cheese, tomatoes, and bread; pizza, bruschetta, you name it.

What is the problem with writing that was your greatest roadblock, and how did you overcome it?
Self-doubt. I sought out critique partners who were honest about my work, and it helped me distinguish between the passages in my writing that truly needed work and my internal doubt.

Tell us about the featured book.
The Broken Trail is the story of a woman who has everything, but peace. She takes on a job in a small town and ends up butting heads with the local police captain who can’t seem to leave her alone. Katherine lets her heart harden after some pretty significant trauma.

Please give us the first page of the book.
Katherine Grant glanced out at the pine trees whipping past on the far side of the highway and then out the passenger window at the wall of rock on the other side. “This is looking downright uncivilized, Henry,” she said, half-expecting her 9-year-old red BMW to answer. She knew that Sweet River, Maine, was a remote hill-town, but it was starting to look more desolate than remote. The last sign of life had been ‘Mike’s Bait ‘N’ Ammo’, and that was over an hour ago. She hit the call button on the steering wheel, the ring of the phone sounding only once over the car speakers before her assistant answered.

 “You rang?”

“Heather, remind me again. Why am I doing this?”

“Because Helena, the Washington kingmaker, asked you to consider it, and nobody says no to Helena?”

“Nope. Try again.”

“Because you take contracts in school districts where you can do the most good, not where you can get the most notoriety.”

“Makes me sound noble, but I don’t think that’s it.”

“Because you need a vacation, and a tiny Christian school in a resort town in the middle of the woods sounded restful?”

“That’s the one, but I’m seriously concerned about how remote this is. I’ve lost cell service twice, and the last thing I passed was a roadside shack advertising bait and ammo.” She paused then added, “Bait and ammo, Heather.”

How can readers find you on the Internet?
My web site: http://www.christamacdonald.com

Thank you, Christa, for sharing this book with us.

Readers, here are links to the book. By using one when you order, you help support this blog.
The Broken Trail (Sweet River Redemption) (Volume 1) - paperback
The Broken Trail (Sweet River Redemption Book 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 or country if outside North America. (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

Thursday, October 27, 2016

CHRISTIAN'S HOPE - Ervin R Stutzman - One Free Book

Welcome, Irvin. Tell us how much of yourself you write into your characters.
I may have projected the most of myself into the lightly-fictionalized story of my father in Tobias of the Amish. Since an auto accident snatched him away from our family when I was only three years old, I have no memories of him. I told the story of his life based on research and communal memories shared by his peers. But I imagine that if someone else had written the story based on those same interviews, my father might have looked less like me.

On reflection, I’m sure that I write far more of myself into my fictional characters than I realize. Without giving it much conscious thought, I draw on my Christian worldview and aging white male perspective in all of my stories, even when I’m writing the POV of an Amish woman or a Native American. I couldn’t divorce myself from those influences regardless how hard I tried.

Nevertheless, I love the challenge of putting myself into someone else’s shoes, and telling the story from their perspective. My favorite compliment regarding my recent Return to Northkill series was from a Native American Delaware descendant, who told me that the spirit of his ancestors were living in me. He was excited about the way I had captured the thoughts and feelings of the Native American tribe, including those of a widowed woman who adopted a captured Amish boy.

What is the quirkiest thing you have ever done?
I’ve always been very curious about how mechanical things work and love to tinker with or repair broken gadgets. As a young adult, I owned a 1940 Chevrolet coupe which I “converted” into a street rod. To improve the safety and ride, I cut off the frame near the firewall and “grafted” on a frame assembly from the front of a 1972 mid-size Chevrolet. Pronto! Now my old car had coil suspension, power steering, and disk brakes.

And just for the fun of it, I adapted the power window mechanisms from a wrecked Cadillac to open and close my front windows. There’s a lot more I could say about the mental value of tinkering, but no one has said it more eloquently than philosopher/mechanic Matthew R. Crawford in his book, Shop Class as Soulcraft: An Inquiry into the Value of Work.

When did you first discover that you were a writer?
I learned the basics of writing in a demanding high school English class, from a teacher who drilled us on the parts of speech via the discipline of diagramming sentences. I first experienced the satisfaction of creative writing in a college composition class, where I was taught that “the pen is mightier than the sword.” I started to claim that power by writing articles as a twenty-something, and published my first book (a study guide) when I was thirty-two.

Tell us the range of the kinds of books you enjoy reading.
I’ve been a reader for as long as I can remember, with shifting interests over the years. As an adolescent, I read lot of sports and adventure books, as well as biographies of well-known people. As I grew to adulthood, I became a bibliophile, purchasing volumes for my growing library via book clubs and visits to various bookstores. I browsed the stacks in a bookstore as eagerly as a kid in a candy shop. I even enjoyed the obligatory texts and companion volumes on the curricular journey from a small Bible institute to a doctorate in rhetoric from a major university.

Later, as an ordained minister and the dean of a seminary, I read books on theology, Biblical studies, church history, rhetorical theory, and leadership studies. More recently, I enjoy reading historical fiction, memoirs, and biographies, as well as history.

In recent years, I tend to buy books, including fiction, after hearing the author speak, reading a positive review, or receiving a recommendation from a friend. A few months ago, I forced myself to weed several hundred books out of my bulging library. It was a painful parting with old friends; I felt I owed some of them a eulogy.

I totally understand. I’ve always had a hard time parting with books. But now I have a ministry of giving books I’ve finished with to people who haven’t learned about the author’s writing. How do you keep your sanity in our run, run, run world?
I follow a rather disciplined “rhythm and rule” of life which includes a daily walk and other physical exercise, along with devotional reading. This rhythm is like a gyroscope to keep me balanced in the face of a heavy travel schedule and demands on the administrative front. Sabbath is essential too, along with monthly retreats for prayer and planning, lest my priorities get swept away by a flood of opportunities.

How do you choose your characters’ names?
In my recent series of historical novels, nearly all of my main characters are named after the people they represent in real life. In Christian’s Hope, I made two exceptions in order to avoid duplicate names. I dubbed one of my substitutes with the Biblical name Hannah. But just days before I sent the manuscript to the publisher, a friend suggested that “Hannah” sounded too much like “Anna,” one of my two POV characters. So I searched for a different name in the index of a genealogical family tome, searching for another common eighteenth-century woman’s name. I narrowed it down to three and then consulted my wife about it. She liked “Orpha” best, since she had an aunt by that name. So I did a “search and replace,” and Hannah became Orpha just minutes before I submitted my manuscript to the publisher.

What is the accomplishment that you are most proud of?
This may seem a little strange, but the thing which makes me most proud is when a self-identified “non-reader” tells me about reading one of my books. One 64-year-old man phoned me to say that Tobias of the Amish is the only book he had read since high school. A middle-age woman told me that she was “fighting” with her husband, a non-reader, over reading time for one of my books. I felt like shouting “Yeah!”

If you were an animal, which one would you be, and why?
I think I’d be a Golden Retriever, since I’m at home in the water as well as on land. I’d be a friendly dog, romping with children and canine companions. I’d probably chase cats and entertain my owner with antics that would reward me with favorite doggie snacks.

What is your favorite food?
I love ice cream topped with crumbles of homemade cookies made of peanut butter and oatmeal. This preference is but partly based on taste, and mostly on the pleasant at-home memories it evokes in me. As a child, I cranked the ice cream freezer, which meant that I got the first taste when it was finished.

Oh, yes, getting to eat the ice cream off the paddle was such a treat. What is the problem with writing that was your greatest roadblock, and how did you overcome it?
I suppose my biggest barrier to writing fiction has been to convincingly portray the emotions of my female characters. I’ve benefitted immensely from the candid feedback of two women in my monthly writers group. I’ve also learned a great deal from a fiction writing coach and an editor, both excellent female writers. Perhaps most importantly, I’ve learned a lot from reading good fiction written by women.

Tell us about the featured book.
Christian’s Hope is the story of Christian Hochstetler, a young man who is forced by a British treaty to return home to his Amish community after eight years of living in an Indian village following his capture as a child. He struggles to fit back into a community where many things have changed, including his own sense of identity with the Shawnee captors who taught him to love their Native ways. He resists his father’s well-intentioned efforts to make him a part of the family farm, preferring to hunt and fish in the woods.

However, a visit to his Native village brings more disappointment than joy, forcing him to face the prospect that he may not fit into either the world of the Amish or the Natives. A growing relationship with his stepmother, along with the guidance of a Dunker preacher and a friend named Orpha, eventually help him discover hope and a third way.

Please give us the first page of the book.
August 1, 1765
Christian reluctantly forced one foot ahead of the other as he walked the road toward the Hochstetler farm—his childhood home. He shifted his bag on his shoulder and smoothed his scalp lock.

The fields of wheat, spelt, and rye were mostly stubble on the rolling hills of northern Berks County, Pennsylvania. The sound of the soft ripple of the Northkill Creek flowing over the rocks permeated the air. He reached down to adjust the tomahawk dangling from the belt that secured his breechcloth at the waist. This hardly looked like the place he’d left many moons ago.

At long last, Christian knew that his father was alive. Sir William Johnson, the Superintendent of Indian Affairs, had told him so when he arrived at Johnson Hall in Johnstown, New York, with other captives who were being returned. Even though the British had signed peace treaties with the French and Indians, the war still raged in his heart and soul. Against his wishes, he would now be expected to live on land that had been taken from the Shawnees, the people he had come to love. He would be forced to live with the people of his childhood, who thought of the Shawnees as uncivilized heathen.

On most of the trip to Berks County from Johnstown, he’d been escorted by Esquire Samuel Weiser, who lived a half day’s walk from the Hochstetler farm. Weiser had lived among the Indians as a child and understood their ways. He said he trusted Christian to walk the final leg to his home by himself. Despite his unwillingness to leave the Shawnees, his eagerness to see his father after eight years of separation kept him walking homeward.

How can readers find you on the Internet?
You can find information about me and my books at http://www.ervinstutzman.com/. You can see a sample of blogs or interviews at https://themennonite.org/?s=ervin+stutzman

Thank you, Irvin, for sharing this book with us. I'm eager to read it.

Readers, here are links to the book. By using one when you order, you help support this blog.
Christian's Hope Christian's Hope (Return to Northkill) - paperback
Christian's Hope (Return to Northkill) - 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 or country if outside North America. (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

Wednesday, October 26, 2016

COUNTER POINT - Marji Laine - One Free Book

Bio: Schooled by experts such as Perry Mason, Jessica Fletcher, and Dr. Mark Sloan, Marji Laine writes the mysteries she craves with a touch of romance and a thread of faith. Her series are made up of stand-alone stories with satisfying endings where justice prevails. She sets most of her books in and around the Dallas area, where she has lived all of her life, or in the small towns of East Texas that she adores.

A homeschooling mom of four, she loves to discuss possible book scenarios with her daughters. Their conversations have even been known to alarm waiters and store clerks. At which point, one of her girls will roll her eyes and say, “My mom's an author.” That pretty much explains the way her mind works.

Dear Readers, Marji Laine is a dear, dear friend. I’m thrilled to share her first full-length novel with you. She’s a member of the critique group that meets in my home, and we were privileged to critique most of this book. YOU ARE GOING TO LOVE IT!!

Welcome back, Marji. Tell us how much of yourself you write into your characters.
I write a lot of my faith into my characters. My heroine’s tend to pray as they think things through. I do the same thing, inviting the Lord into my day and staying aware that He’s there. Cat and I also share a fondness for Diet Pepsi and legacy. She doesn’t think she’s the right person to fill her father’s shoes. Boy, can I appreciate that feeling and the self-doubts that go along with it!

What is the quirkiest thing you have ever done?
I talk for my dog and the trouble is, he’s a lot funnier than I am. Probably the craziest thing I’ve ever done was in college. One summer, the high-rise dorm was empty and my soon-to-be hubby’s roommates were the night security guards. So on Friday nights, we’d get a huge group together and play a stone-age version of laser tag, with water guns. Some outlandish things happened with that, I can tell you!

You just reminded me of what probably was my craziest, and most dangerous, thing I ever did. And it was in college. On our campus undeveloped land, which was in the foothills of the Ozark Mountains, there was some kind of pipe that stretched from one hill to another over a deep small valley. It had to be over seventy feet in the air. The pipe was less than 12 inches in diameter. I walked across that thing one time. If I’d have fallen, it would have killed me. (grimace) When did you first discover that you were a writer?
I’ve always loved writing. Co-wrote my first screen play at the age of seven, with my best friend who was eight. But I realized God’s call on my life to this career almost six years ago. My mom asked me: if money and time weren’t issues what would I want to be doing. I answered, “Write!” I surprised myself, but not my mom. She’d always seen it.

Tell us the range of the kinds of books you enjoy reading.
That has really opened up with my new role at Write Integrity Press. If I’m simply selecting a book for free time (That is still a thing, right?) I’ll lean toward the romantic suspense novels or funny cozy mysteries. But I also enjoy a great historical romance, like mail-order bride series, and I have a few fantasy authors who write some of my favorite books! And then there are the straight romance novels. Those are pretty standard! In fact, I guess the only genre in the Christian realm of books that doesn’t really interest me is thriller. Wow, I like a lot of books!

How do you keep your sanity in our run, run, run world?
I laugh a LOT! In fact, I posted a joke the other day after I’d spent at least five hours (No, I’m not exaggerating!) in my car, spread over the course of the daylight, transporting teenagers to jobs, classes, and various activities. I posted the definition of a mother of teenager’s life = I do run-run-run. I do run-run! (Only folks who remember the 70’s will appreciate that quote.) Stress can break anyone, so I try to always do my best and not sweat the times when my best isn’t enough.

Good advice. Before my children got their driver’s licenses, I saw a bumper sticker that I wanted. “If a woman’s place is in the home, why am I always in the car?” How do you choose your characters’ names?
Sometimes, the characters come with names. Then there are a few characters that I dub victim, hero, best bud, or meanie face. There have been a few of those tags that have become names. And then, there are those that I’ve researched and examined. Googled and sought the meaning of to make sure they match the character. Those names aren’t really any better than the ones I’ve named after their character tags.

What is the accomplishment that you are most proud of?
Proud isn’t exactly the word. I’m pleased to be releasing this, my debut novel, that has been almost six years in the making. I’m excited to learn what people think of this. (And terrified.) I’m giddy that it will finally be in people’s hands in just over a week!

It took eight years before my first book was published. If you were an animal, which one would you be, and why?
This makes me think of an old saying that made the rounds as email was becoming more and more used. I wanna be a bear. They get to sleep half the year. They can do tricks like catching fish in their bare hands – bear claws. Getting fat is normal, expected, and attractive. Females have babies the size of a large peanut while they are sleeping, and the kids know better than to tick-off Mom. Yep, I’d choose a bear.

What is your favorite food?
I don’t have a favorite. I really don’t. I love sugar free Hershey’s chocolates with caramel fillings, but other than that, I’m a fan of food. I like toffee cookies and snickerdoodles (sugar free), chicken enchiladas, queso, biscuits and gravy, filet mignon, fettucine alfredo, chicken parmesan, and chili with rice and Fritos. Does that narrow it down at all?

What is the problem with writing that was your greatest roadblock, and how did you overcome it?
My biggest issue was that I thought I knew what I was doing. I had a teaching degree with an emphasis in English and knew when to use semi-colons. I was set, right? You and some of the other wonderful people from the DFW chapter of American Christian Fiction Writers gently informed me that I was a dunderhead. Lol! Not really, but you did an amazing job of training me through weekly critique groups. For more than a year, I attended two per week and learned as much from listening to critiques on other manuscripts as I did from the comments on my own.

Tell us about the featured book.
This was one that you critiqued on, Lena! Finally coming in print. Squee! Here’s the short version:

Cat McPherson felt she’d lost everything when her father died, but as the target of a madman bent on revenge, she still has much to lose. Her former boyfriend, Ray Alexander, returns as a hero from his foreign mission, bringing back souvenirs in the form of death-threats. When several attempts are made on Cat’s life, she must find a way to trust Ray, the man who broke her heart.

Keeping Cat safe from a fallen cartel leader might prove impossible for Ray, but after seeing his mission destroyed and several godly people killed, he knows better than to ignore the man’s threats. Cat’s resistance to his protection and the stirring of his long-denied feelings for her complicate his intentions, placing them both in a fight for survival.

Please give us the first page of the book.
Villa Montes, Chiapas, Mexico
“A boy.” Sevilla clapped his hands. The smack echoed against the bare adobe dome. “He will be a fine boy.” He beat his boot heels on the marble floor. His black beard bounced against his white tunic. “Ha. Go upstairs, wife. Lie down. Rest.”

“I have plans for the afternoon.” Oleta took a step backward, putting the leather sofa between them. Her large eyes wary. But her middle already showed evidence of his child.

“You will do as I say.” He snapped in her direction and put his back to her. His child would be the heir to his business. His kingdom. He must be strong and healthy. “Go now and take care of my son.”

“He is my son, too.” The woman’s voice cracked. She pressed her back against the wall.
She tested his good humor. His eyes hardened as he shot her a glare. His hands fisted at his side, prepared to take action on her insolence.

But this was supposed to be a joyful time. He relaxed his muscles and applied a measured smile under his black whiskers. “Be careful, Oleta. I cannot guarantee that my gratitude will last too far beyond my son’s birth.”

She stiffened. Good. She should be scared. She’d seen enough to know her fortunate circumstances and to be thankful for them.

Sidestepping out of his study, she scurried up the stairs. Her heels clicking like the little mouse she was. Popping in a hollow manner. The sounds grew louder. She gasped as glass broke, echoing in the entrance of his villa.

“Oleta?” He stepped toward the great hall.

“Señor Sevilla.” Two from his security. Good. He needed answers.

“Go, check on Oleta. Make sure my son is all right.”

Captain Ortega gestured to the other man. “We must get you to safety.”

“Another drill? These are getting tiresome.”

“They prepare your security team to keep you safe, sir.” Ortega ushered him through the thick hallway to his helicopter hanger.

The other man had seen to Oleta. “Make sure my wife comes.”

The captain touched his earpiece and issued the order.

Sevilla climbed aboard the revving bird and looked back.

Ortega grew pale. “We must go.” He climbed aboard.

“Not until Oleta arrives. She is carrying my son. My heir.” His humor returned. A young prince to carry on his legacy.

The angled roof sections lifted.

“Stop. I will not leave without her.”

“We have to go, Señor.” Ortega strapped a belt around Sevilla and shouted at the pilot.

“I will have your head.” Sevilla kicked at the man, willing him to fall out of the gaping side of the transport. No such luck.

I don’t remember this scene in the first draft. I love it. How can readers find you on the Internet?
I’m pretty easy to find. I’m always around my website and blog, http://MarjiLaine.com, and I usually have Facebook open so I get notices when folks comment on my page, /MarjiLaine. I’m also on Twitter and Goodreads, but nowadays I also hang out at the Write Integrity Press website: http://WriteIntegrity.com. Anyone wanting to chat can email me from the contact page on either website.

Thank you, Marji, for sharing this new book with us. I absolutely love the cover.

Readers, here’s a link to the book. By using it when you order, you help support this blog.
Counter Point (Heath's Point Suspense Book 1)

Comments Conversation Starter Questions: Do you like reading suspense novels? Do you like novels that are partly set in a foreign country?

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 or country if outside North America. (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

Tuesday, October 25, 2016

FINDING LOVE IN BIG SKY, MONTANA - Angela Ruth Strong - One Free Book

Bio: Angela Ruth Strong studied journalism at the University of Oregon and published her first novel, Love Finds You in Sun Valley, Idaho, in 2010. With movie producers interested in her book, she's decided to rerelease it and write sequels as a new series titled Resort to Love. This Idaho Top Author and Cascade Award winner also started IDAhope Writers to encourage other aspiring authors, and she's excited to announce the sale of her first romantic suspense novel to Love Inspired Suspense. For the latest news or to contact Angela, visit http://www.angelaruthstrong.com .

What are some of the spiritual themes you like to write about?
In my Resort to Love series, I have taken different themes from scriptures in the Bible and woven them into my stories. For example, Finding Love in Big Sky is a Christmas story, so I use the theme of stars, specifically the Christmas star, to help my heroine overcome her fear. It’s like a bonus Bible study inside a romance novel.

What other books of yours are coming out soon?
The third book of my Resort to Love series, Finding Love in Park City, releases next spring. It’s a very real story for me as the heroine is a single mom healing from an abusive relationship. I felt so vulnerable sending it to my editor, but she said it’s the best one yet.

Also, my first Love Inspired Suspense novel comes out in February. Presumed Dead is about a helicopter pilot presumed dead during a sabotaged military operation, and he plans to let the world think he’s dead as he tracks down the real criminal…until he’s forced to reveal his existence to save the life of his childhood sweetheart.

If you could spend an evening with one contemporary person (not a family member of yours), who would it be and why?
I’m going to say J.J. Abrams. Not only is he talented and creative, but I saw him at Sundance Film Festival earlier this year as research for a novel, and he is dynamic and charming, so an evening of learning from him would be sure to inspire. And fun.

What historical person would you like to meet (besides Jesus) and why?
Esther. She’s been my hero ever since my mom read me The Picture Bible, and I dressed up like her for Halloween.

Esther has also been a favorite of mine for decades. How can you encourage authors who have been receiving only rejections from publishers?
I have a four-step plan. It’s designed to help victims overcome trauma, but getting nothing but rejection can be pretty traumatic.
1.  Accept it—it’s easier to live in disbelief, especially when there is negative feedback or criticism
2.  Own it—if the editor didn’t understand or enjoy my manuscript, I’m the only one who can change that
3.  Make a plan—what changes can I make, what can I learn?
4.  Move on—either get back to work on the rejected manuscript or start something new having learned from the experience

Tell us about the featured book.
Bright Star Ranch led him to her—but will he stay?

Josh Lake is forced to head home for the holidays after he’s suspended from his job in the city, but running into Paisley Sheridan could be exactly what he needed. Not only does she board him at her ranch in exchange for his advertising expertise, but spending the Christmas season with her in Big Sky, Montana, brings more joy than he’s felt in a long while. Is he willing to give up the lavish lifestyle he’s worked for in exchange for the gift of love?

The last thing Paisley wants for Christmas is to spend time with Josh Lake—the guy who broke her heart in high school—but until her bank loan goes through, she has to take all the free help she can get. Unfortunately, Josh seems to want back in her life again, and the town’s quirky coffee shop owners don’t help by hanging mistletoe at every opportunity. Will Paisley succeed in driving him away, or will she find the healing needed to have hope for a future together?

Please give us the first page of the book.
PAISLEY SHERIDAN PINNED HER LAST help wanted flyer to the bulletin board between an advertisement for Breakfast with Santa and free ski passes to Military Appreciation Day. Maybe next year she’d have time for holiday fun, but this year she had work to do, and she needed to hire someone to help her do it.

She stepped back and took a deep breath. Was she really ready for this? Did she have what it took to reopen Grandpa’s old ranch? Only one way to find out.

Hopefully she’d get a response to the flyers she’d hung all over town. For now she’d reward her efforts with a sugar-free cream cheese croissant and warm up with a cappuccino. She’d purposefully made The Coffee Cottage her final stop, as Dot and Annabel were sure to want to play “twenty questions.”

“Let’s see it.” Dot clapped her hands and stepped from behind the counter to get a better look at the advertisement. Though the woman was close to Grandpa Johan’s age when he died, she had more energy than Paisley.

Her best friend, Annabel, followed, pink cowboy boots clacking. “It’s very lovely. How many people are you hiring?”

Paisley scrunched her nose. She only had the money for a single employee until the bank loan came through. If that wasn’t enough, maybe she could recruit an intern. “One person at the moment. I need someone to help me host birthday parties and guide sleigh rides while I get ready for the building expansion in the spring.”

Dot squealed. “That sounds like so much fun. Hire me.”

Paisley couldn’t help smiling at the memory of Dot trying to put a saddle on backwards the one time she’d visited the ranch. “You already have a job.”

“Oh, yeah.”

How can readers find you on the Internet?
https://twitter.com/AngelaRStrong

Thank you, Angela, for sharing this book with us.

Readers, here are links to the book. By using one when you order, you help support this blog.
Finding Love in Big Sky, Montana (Resort to Love) (Volume 2) - Paperback
Finding Love In Big Sky, Montana (Resort to Love--Finding Love line Book 2) - 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 or country if outside North America. (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

Monday, October 24, 2016

AN AMISH FAMILY CHRISTMAS and A SISTER'S WISH - Shelley Shepard Gray - Two Free Books on This Blog, Plus More

Welcome back, Shelley. Do you have a favorite genre to write? If so, what is it? 
I do! I love to write romances. I guess I’ve always liked books with happy endings, and romances certainly do have that.

If you didn’t live in the part of the country where you do, where would you live?
I would probably live back in Texas. Maybe not in Houston, where I grew up, though! It’s gotten much bigger than when I left in the 1980’s.

What foreign country would you like to visit and why?
I love to travel. I’ve always wanted to go to Casablanca! I blame this wish completely on the movie.

Describe what you think would be the most romantic vacation you could take.
LOL. Well, since my husband would definitely not say Casablanca, I’d say on a river cruise somewhere in Europe.

Where would you like to set a story that you haven’t done yet?
Though I’ve traveled a lot, I’ve never set a novel in a foreign country. I think that would be a lot of fun, especially the research part of it!

What is the main theme of this novel?
The main theme of An Amish Family Christmas is forgiveness and acceptance. Both themes go well with the overall Christmas theme, I think.

Tell us about the story.
This novel finishes up the four book Charmed Amish Life Series. It focuses on Levi, who has been having a difficult time dealing with the loss of his parents. When the novel opens, Levi is asked to help a new neighbor named Julia and her daughter Penny. Soon, Levi forms a relationship with both Julia and Penny. Then, he learns that Julia is not exactly who she pretends to be.

Sounds interesting. I want to know just who she is. How can readers find you on the Internet?

We just redesigned my website, so I would love if readers visited me there, at http://www.shelleyshepardgray.com. I’m also active on Facebook and on Twitter, @ShelleySGray 

Shelley is having a giveaway. Go to this site to sign up:


Readers, leave a comment for a chance to win a free copy of one of the books. You must follow these instructions to be in the drawing. Please tell us where you live, at least the state or territory or country if outside North America. (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:

Sunday, October 23, 2016

WINNERS!!!!!!!

Ablst Niki (TN) is the winner of the ebook Love's Choice by Ginger Solomon.

Sharon R (SC) is the winner of Feta and Freeways by Susan M Baganz.

Janet E (FL) is the winner of Painting the Storm by Dawn V Cahill.

Cindy W (IN), Kim H (NE), and Beth (IA) are the winners of Your choice of onw of my Audio books (Does not include Pirate's Prize) by Lena Nelson Dooley.

Dianna (TN) is the winner of Sarah's Smile by Dawn Kinzer.

If you won a book and you like it, please 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 and author of the book you won, so I won't have to look it up.


Remember, you have 4 weeks to claim your book.

Friday, October 21, 2016

ALABAMA IRISH - James Russell Lingerfelt - One Free Book

Welcome back, James. Why do you write the kind of books you do?
My undergraduate studies were Marriage and Family Counseling and Literature. I’m right-brained, so I’m the creative type. When I was nineteen, I thought I was going to be a Marriage and Family Therapist in South Carolina making $160 an hour. Not the Dr. Phil type, but in a private setting. By the time I was twenty–five, I’d have a wife, at least one kid, a great income, and driving a Mercedes. No kidding. I really did envision that. I never cared to be famous, but I did care about helping people.

Once I traveled deeper down that path of counseling, I realized that’s not what I wanted to do, so I pursued a career as a professor. I attended graduate school at Pepperdine and served as a professor at Lipscomb University in Nashville for two years.

I’ve been writing since I was fifteen, all of it taking place in a journal. I loved it. Being a professor allowed me to study, teach, travel, give public talks, and write. I loved it all. But at the end of the day, what I really wanted to do was write. I was published at nineteen years old, then published on deeper platforms during my professorship, and when I was ready to make the transition into full–time writing, I did.

I do have other jobs, but I always dedicate two hours a day to writing. I’m now on schedule to write one book a year, and my blog at jamesrussell.org has received 5.9 million views in just three years. I write what I know, and I love writing, so that’s led me to where I am.

Besides when you came to know the Lord, what is the happiest day in your life?
My lifestyle is a solid one. I have a very, very good and nice family. My parents are wonderful people, are still together after 45 years of marriage. My only sibling is my older brother (by three years), and he’s my best friend. He’s a successful engineer and businessman in Texas. The happiest years were with my family, especially growing up in rural Alabama. I grew up in a little brick house on a dirt road, across from my grandmother. All the homes were at least 100 yards apart. And behind my grandmother’s house was an old cotton field that had evolved into a beautiful green pasture. Behind that pasture is a 40 foot tall waterfall only the locals know about. All the years before I turned twelve were the happiest days.

When I was twelve, we moved into town (1,100 is the populace) and bought a cattle farm. Moving, paired with growing up and turning into a young man made life change of course. They were still happy years, but my childhood was the best. The happiest day, if there’s one, is probably a day in February 2006 when I fell in love for the first time. I was twenty–five, she was twenty–two, and she was a beautiful, kind, educated, sophisticated, well­–traveled girl I met in graduate school. Other than being with me family, I don’t remember a happier period in my life.

How has being published changed your life?
It’s very rewarding to look at something you grew from scratch and seeing it take off, seeing it become successful. When things aren’t going as planned, when I have upsets and set–backs, I look to my writing. A best–selling novel (The Mason Jar), and the second one (Alabama Irish) is trending better than the first. I know exactly what my next three novels will be about, and there’s almost 6 million views on my blog. People pay me to publish their work on my platform, and I have advertisers buying space. It’s all growing. When I feel like a failure, which I do at least once every day as an entrepreneur, I look at my writings and nod. That might sound cheesy to some, but I do it. I have to remind myself almost every day that I have indeed been successful at 1 out of the 10 things I’ve tried. And that keeps me motivated to keep pressing onward, learning from my mistakes, and being careful to never make the same mistakes twice.

What are you reading right now?
I’m reading Two By Two by Nicholas Sparks, who I had the pleasure of meeting three days ago. I went to one of his book signings in New Bern and sent word through his personal assistant that I’d be there. He’s heard of me before, but it was our first time meeting. Nicholas Sparks is actually the one who showed me being a writer of romance from the male perspective is achievable. He’s life example was the final cue I took to go all in. My success hasn’t been as great or fast as his, but it’s my own journey. His very first novel was The Notebook, which Grand Central bought for $1 million. I was turned down by eight literary agents before finding one. He landed his first agent on his first try. He’s from a different life, has being writing for twenty years, has twenty novels and over half have been turned into feature films. I admire him immensely. I’m reading Gone With the Wind, Search Engine Optimization For Dummies (haha), just finished Committed by Elizabeth Gilbert, and I’m reading everything Robert Herjavec is writing. My family owns a security services company called Fyala Security, and I’m opening a cyber security division for the company by 2018. I’m taking courses in cyber security right now at a local college.

What is your current work in progress?
I’m writing the third novel called Young Vines. The Mason Jar centers around Finn, with his two sidekicks Oz and Ryan. Alabama Irish follows Oz’s story, with Finn and Ryan as his roommates. And Young Vines will tell Ryan’s story, with Finn and Oz in the backdrop. Readers have loved that – seeing characters again that they fell in love with in the other book and seeing new perspectives on them. It’s been enjoyable creating them as well. It’s coming along. I’m in the second draft, and it should be ready by May 2017.

What would be your dream vacation?
Backpacking throughout Italy, Switzerland, Austria, and landing in Southern France’s wine country and staying there until it’s time to return home. I’ve been to twenty countries, so this would be the one trip I’d consider my greatest and most memorable. I do want to see Iceland, but if this backpacking trip was my last, I’d die happy.

How do you choose your settings for each book?
I look back on movies, books, and experiences that stand out at me, scenes and settings I’d like to explore and thrive in, and I decide what to write based on that. Young Vines takes place at a vineyard. Since 2012, I’ve been to a lot of them. Israel, Italy, Napa in California, Arrington in Tennessee, countless ones in Alabama.

If you could spend an evening with one person who is currently alive, who would it be and why?
Currently alive… Nicholas Sparks. Our meeting was brief because others were wanting to meet him. But I’m glad I got to say hello and thank him for his work. After him, I’d meet with Robert Herjavec because he’s approachable, his entrepreneurial pursuits have been successful, and he got his beginnings in cyber security.

What are your hobbies, besides writing and reading?
I travel, obviously. But I just want to be surrounded by my pals on an adventure. I have a handful of pals that I respect and trust. We’ve seen each other at our worst, and we’ve never left. I have to travel a good distance to see them, so they’re not in my everyday life, unfortunately. I’d rather travel with them than be with other backpackers I just met. I lift weights three times a week and go for walks in a neighboring park at dawn on the other two days. I’m a mornings person and I love my coffee and early mist in the air.

What is your most difficult writing obstacle, and how do you overcome it?
Really, it’s just the discipline of sitting down and writing. I write in the mornings, and in the back of my mind, even though I have a to–do list I can always review, I think about that to–do list and I’m not sure I have time to write. You see, writing itself doesn’t make money. It’s written works that are edited and published that make money. So writing itself feels like a waste of time and energy. This is when I have to look back on my success as a writer, the salary it paid me in the past because of writing, and that encourages me to keep at it.

What advice would you give to a beginning author?
Write 15 minutes a day. Start there. Baby steps is still progress. When you look back a week or a month or a year later, you’ll be amazed at what you’ve accomplished.

Tell us about the featured book.
Alabama Irish is written from the perspective of a nineteen–year–old boy. It’s a coming of age love story that teaches readers the necessity of honesty and openness in the pursuit of loving, long-lasting relationships. Here’s the pitch: Brian was raised on “the wrong side of the tracks” in inner-city Alabama. Now at nineteen, with a troubled past and juvenile record, Brian struggles to earn a living and find a life purpose. When he journeys to New York on a chance trip, Brian meets and falls in love with Shannon—a bright-eyed, aspiring actress from California. Brian returns to Alabama stirred by Shannon’s courage and passion for life. With a new zest and reason for living, Brian is determined to turn himself into a man worthy of her love.

Unable to afford college, Brian discovers the Os Guinness Scholarship, which provides free tuition to Pepperdine University for Irish students who desire to train for Ireland’s ministry. With some innovative thinking, Brian fakes his Irish citizenry, accepts the scholarship, and moves to Southern California to attend school and pursue Shannon. However, when Brian visits Alabama, all the lies come crashing down and Brian comes face to face with a past he thought was finished. Now Brian must make a choice, lose Shannon by spinning more lies and choosing vengeance in hopes of putting his past to rest. Or choose honesty and forgiveness and embrace a new life with the only woman he ever loved. Alabama Irish will make us sit back and laugh, then lay the book down and cry. But in the end, we’ll be reminded that no matter our pasts, the possibility to find true love again is never lost.

Please give us one of the first pages from the book.
May 15, 1999
We’re on the plane home from New York and I’m really glad I have a few hours to write, because man, do I have a story to tell! I met a girl! Her name’s Shannon, and she’s amazing! I can’t stop thinking about her.
     
This is going to be a really long entry, because I want to write all the details just as they happened. I don’t ever want to forget this one.
     
Outside the Hard Rock Café on our first night in NYC, after dinner with Uncle Mike and the fighters, a million people and a hundred horns blew across the streets. And she was there. I even caught her looking at me.
     
This blonde haired girl with her hair pinned into a French bun. I know it’s called a French bun because she told me later when I asked her about it. I thought it was really beautiful, and I wanted to know its name.
     
She wore a white polo shirt and khaki shorts and leather sandals. She’s got the legs of a gymnast and I think that’s really hot. She has these almond-brown eyes and she looked away when I caught her looking at me. But she smiled anyway, and I knew she knew I caught her. That smile of hers, with the dimples in her cheeks, just wow. I mean, wow.
     
Her watching me surprised me because I’m not that impressive to look at. My shaved head isn’t attractive to many girls, but I’m often complimented on my blue eyes. They turn gray when I wear black and gray, but they turn electric blue when I wear navy blue. They might could catch some real women. Like tractor beams or something. Anyway, all I wore that day was my solid black t-shirt and faded jeans. So I don’t see why she liked that, either.
    
Shannon LaFarre, I learned her name later, carried a leather backpack and gripped the shoulder bands with her hands. I waited for her to look my way again. And when she did, I smiled the most confident smile I could come up with, and I waved at her. She leaned her head back and laughed, and that made me feel real good.
     
A friend tapped her shoulder and pointed up the street in our direction, and so they headed our way. I turned to James, one of my roommates. He’s humble and plump. I don’t think there’s a bit of muscle on his legs, because he just comes to the gym for bicep curls and to walk on the treadmill.
    
People like James find expos real interesting, so that’s why they come. He wears braces at nineteen years old, and he never goes into public without his hair gelled, even when he comes to the gym.
     
James asked if he knew what our plans were for the night, so I let him distract me until I could feel Shannon’s group getting closer. She about passed behind me, but I took a small step back and cut her off. She almost bumped into me. She stood still a second or two, wondering if I was going to introduce myself.
     
So, to be playful, I just smiled and waved again. I didn’t even say a single word. And she laughed, but harder this time, and it’s a laugh I’ll love forever. And I mean it. I’ll love it forever.
     
I didn’t believe I’d ever see her again, but later that night, we were meeting in the lobby of the hotel to visit the Empire State Building, and there Shannon was, standing near the door. I kid you not. We were staying in the same hotel. I mean, how does stuff like that happen?
     
Anyway, her mom, with the same hair color and eyes, was talking to her. Mrs. LaFarre was tired, but she was smiling. When Shannon looked over her shoulder and our eyes met, she smiled a soft smile at me, and I realized she already knew I was there. The look on my face must have been funny because she chuckled. But I could only stare. She was so pretty! I couldn’t believe it. I mean, that was really her, and she was really standing there.
     
So I took a step toward her and motioned her to meet me halfway. She kept her eyes locked on mine, but she crossed her arms, probably wondering what kind of person I was, and if I could be trusted. I understand that. She’s a real smart girl. Smart girls make you earn their trust.
     
She met me halfway, and we shook hands, and I said, “I’m Brian.”
     
“I’m Shannon. Are you a tour group?”
     
“Nah. We’re here for a sports expo.” I didn’t want to say MMA, because people think it’s violent and has a bunch of meatheads.
     
“Oh, cool,” she said.
     
“Where are you from?”
     
“Nor Cal.”
     
“Nor Cal?” I’d never heard of such a place. Where was that, Canada?
     
Northern California. My younger sister is here with her high school. They’re singing in Carnegie Hall.”
     
“When are they performing?”
     
“Tomorrow night.”
     
“We’ll be back by eight,” I said. “When does her group go on?”
     
“Eight.”
     
“I thought everybody singing in Carnegie Hall was opera singers or something.”
     
“I thought everyone singing was high schoolers,” she said, chuckling and slapping her hips with her hands. Then she slid her hands into her pockets, and I knew she was beginning to feel more comfortable with me. That made me feel good, too.
     
“So you’re here to see your sister. And that’s your mom?” I asked. Mrs. LaFarre was watching us and smiling.
     
“Yep,” Shannon said. “But I’m also looking around. I thought about moving out here for acting, but I think I’ll just stay where I am.”
     
“Where’s that?”
     
L.A.Los Angeles. So Cal. I’m moving out of West Hollywood soon. I’m going to Santa Monica.”
     
I don’t know where any of those places are, but I nodded anyway. “Oh, that’s cool. Have you found a place to live yet?” I asked her.
     
“Ehh,” she said. “Everything’s so expensive. Just a studio apartment is $600 a month.” (Here’s a note I’ll need later. Minimum wage is $5.15 right now. After taxes, $600 is equal to about 166 hours of work.)
     
“So, you’re finished with college?” I said.
     
“I am. Just graduated.”
     
“From where?”
     
“Pepperdine. I’m in grad school, now, for my MFA.”
     
“MFA?”
     
“Yeah. Master of Fine Arts. It’s a terminal degree. I can teach college if I want to. In Acting.”
     
“Where’s Pepperdine?”
     
Malibu. I’ve been waitressing, saving money. What about you? What’s your story?”
     
I saw a brochure for Pepperdine in the guidance counselor’s office at TCHS a few years back. Peach buildings with pink, clay shingled roofs, built in what they called “Mediterranean Architecture,” standing on a grassy hill, overlooking an electric-blue ocean. I’m sure that blue was doctored in Photoshop or something. I’ve never seen water so blue. I wondered who got to attend a school like that. Probably the really smart kids. Or the rich ones. Shannon was now officially intimidating, but I tried to recover fast.
     
“I’m-a, I’m-a-nineteen,” I replied, tripping over my words. That wasn’t true. I’m about to be nineteen. She had me hesitating and stuttering, like a blabbering moron. But she didn’t seem to notice. “I’m starting college next year. Helping my uncle right now, at his gym.” That’s more of a hope than a truth, but I was trying to impress her.
     
“Neat,” she said. “What kind of gym?”
     
“Uh, we train MMA fighters. Mixed martial arts.” I scratched the back of my head, because I was afraid of how that would go over. Shannon pulled her head back and looked at me with these real wide eyes. I was anticipating that, though, so I said, “It’s all right – we’re not violent. We teach dieting, core-strength, cardio. We train women there too, because we can get them in shape real fast.”
     
“Oh, well, that sounds really interesting,” she said. “I did aerobics in college, and I still go to the gym and watch what I eat. Maybe you can give me some tips.”
     
“Sure.” A second or two passed. “So where are you guys headed tonight?”
     
“To a Broadway play. You?”
     
“The Empire State Building.”
     
“Oh, awesome! We were there last night. It’s beautiful. You’ll love it.”
     
“So, you want to meet me back here at the lobby, later tonight?” I asked.
     
“Yeah,” she said, smiling and clasping her hands together below her chin.
     
“It’s six now. Do you think you’ll be back by ten o’clock?”
     
“Oh, sure. I’m with my mom, so she’s not going to stay out late.”
     
I have no idea where all that confidence came from, but it was there inside me. I hadn’t really liked a girl enough to talk to her in a long time. I can’t even remember when the last time was. Maybe three years? I know that sounds bad, but I mean, even if I did find someone, who in the world would want to date me? With me and my history? Nobody wants to date a boy from a trailer park, unless they’re from a trailer park, too.
     
To be continued...

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