THE CHRISTMAS ADMIRER - Laura V Hilton - One Free Book

Bio: Laura V. Hilton is an award-winning, sought-after author with almost twenty Amish, contemporary, and historical romances. When she’s not writing, she reviews books for her blogs, and writes devotionals for blog posts for Seriously Write and Putting on the New.

Laura and her pastor-husband have five children and a hyper dog named Skye. They currently live in Arkansas. One son is in the U.S. Coast Guard. She is a pastor’s wife and homeschools her two youngest children.

When she’s not writing, Laura enjoys reading and visiting lighthouses and waterfalls. Her favorite season is winter, her favorite holiday is Christmas.

  

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

We were on vacation and visited a glassblower shop in Springfield, Missouri. Plus I was reading a book about Chasing Lions. God merged them together.

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

Susan May Warren, Liz Johnson, Colleen Coble, Denise Hunter, Rachel Hauck, and Beth Vogt. Because they could talk and talk and have a seriously good time and I wouldn’t have to say anything.

That would be a fun party. I love those women, too. Now let’s do that for a party for Christian authors of historical fiction, what six people would you invite and why? 

Margaret Brownley, Mary Ellis, Jan Drexler, Suzanne Woods Fisher, Vickie McDonough, and you.  Same reason.

That would be great fun party for the same reason as the other one. 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?   

I have a lot of outside stress in my home and life. I’m doing more sinking than swimming and honestly, I’d like to curl up in a cave and hide. Creativity is a struggle I have to give God daily. The story is His.

That is so true. Tell us about the featured book.

Benaiah Troyer has loved Susanna King for as long as he can remember, but other than a lone summer filled with romantic buggy rides, marrying her remains an elusive dream. When his parents died in an accident a year ago, he broke up with her—for her own good. After all, they left him as the sole caregiver for his three younger sisters and his grandparents. What woman wants to step into a ready-made family like his? Still, he leaves her monthly gifts from “A Secret Admirer,” hoping she’ll know that someone loves her, even though he isn’t free to step forward.

Susanna has never gotten over losing Benaiah, and hopes he’s her secret admirer, but now the clock is ticking. Susanna’s father is remarrying in January and his wife-to-be doesn’t want to leave her Amish community and family in Iowa. So when Susanna’s daed sells his glass-blowing business to his right-hand man, Benaiah, she’s left with three options: 1) Go with Daed to his new home with a new frau and step-kinner, 2) Flush out her mysterious secret admirer, or 3) Resign herself to life as an old maid. She doesn’t want to follow Daed where his new frau is leading him. And number three isn’t happening. Marrying Benaiah is her greatest desire—but he broke her heart, and now he treats her like a pesky younger sister. Can she make him see her as a woman, one who could stand by his side as he cares for his family?

As Christmas approaches, Susanna and her friends start making gingerbread houses for select members of the community. Susanna plans for hers to go to Benaiah’s family. But while her gingerbread may find a home—will her heart?

Please give us the first page of the book.

Susanna King paused midway through the door to the kitchen and stared at the single, long-stemmed red rose, artfully arranged with baby’s breath and a green fern-type plant, sitting in the middle of the table.

She’d been the last one to bed the previous nacht. She’d stayed up late reading A White Christmas in Webster County and had trailed Daed upstairs over an hour after he’d gone.

There’d been no rose, red or otherwise, on the table then, for sure and certain.

With trembling fingers, she set the lit lantern on the table and touched a soft red petal. She pulled the white envelope free from the long plastic card holder. Susanna was written on it in a neat, block print.

Her breath quickened and she looked around, hoping for some clue to who had been in the unlocked haus.

Nothing. Not even a footprint left on the recently swept and scrubbed floor.

She carefully lifted the flap and pulled the card free. White, with a red rose on the left side. “With love” was printed in gold script on the upper right corner.

How can readers find you on the Internet?

visit my blogs: http://lighthouse-academy.blogspot.com/  & http://lauravhilton.blogspot.com/ 

twitter: @Laura_V_Hilton

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/pages/Author-Laura-V-Hilton/161478847242512

Pinterest:  http://www.pinterest.com/vernetlh/

Purchase my books:

Amazon   http://www.amazon.com/Laura-V.-Hilton/e/B004IRSM5Q 

CBD: http://www.christianbook.com/Christian/Books/easy_find?Ntt=laura+hilton&N=0&Ntk=keywords&action=Search&Ne=0&event=ESRCG&nav_search=1&cms=1

Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/laura-hilton?store=allproducts&keyword=laura+hilton

Deeper Shopping http://www.deepershopping.com/index.php?query=laura+hilton&x=0&y=0&module=productsearch&_logmode=Y&querymodule=SPX

Thank you, Laura, for sharing this holiday season book with us. I love reading the new Christmas stories each year.

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