JOSHUA'S PRAYER - Olivia Rae - One Free Ebook

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

Believe it or not I try not to add a lot of my personal traits in my characters. I’m just not that exciting. I do, however, use experiences from other family members. My daughter got very mad at me once because I was writing about things she did in her life. My defense has always been that I have made her experiences way more exciting than what they were and she should be happy.

What is the quirkiest thing you have ever done?

I don’t know if it is quirky, but I do take bike rides in my local cemeteries. Usually the roads are flat and there is little traffic. Sometimes some of my best inspirations come when I am riding in those quiet cemeteries.

When did you first discover you were a writer?

I think I started dabbling with writing when I was in junior high, but then it kind of drifted away. I never was a great student in school, and I really didn’t hit my stride until I was in college. I began writing again in my thirties and have never stopped. I really can’t now even if I wanted. It has just become part of me.

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

Tough one. I read EVERYTHING! When I was young I read a lot of romance and then I branched out to mysteries and classics. Of course I read Christian fiction. I read award winners in many genres, mostly to analyze their work and what made them award-winning.

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

Prayer. A lot of prayer. Those who know me know I get anxious sometimes and the only thing that keeps me grounded is prayer.

How do you choose your characters’ names?

I pick names from very odd sources. Perfume bottles, I ask people on the street what’s your favorite name, grave stones, just about anywhere. When I do period pieces I look up names from that era on the internet.

What is the accomplishment that you are most proud of?

My two children are my crowning glory. They are happy and gainfully employed. What more could a mother ask for? If you are talking about writing, I guess winning an award as a published author—that keeps me going, writing word after word and page after page.

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

Now this is an easy question. I would want to be a bear. They sleep all winter and wake up in the spring weighing a lot less. Oh, yeah. My kind of life.

What is your favorite food?

All of it. I love to try new kinds of food. I guess if I have to pick one … hot fudge sundaes.

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

The biggest roadblock was working a full time job and writing at night. I am a morning person so by eight o’clock at night I am done. Luckily this year, I became a fulltime writer. Now I write in the mornings and use the afternoons for research, marketing, dental appointments, cleaning the house, etc.

Tell us about the featured book.

I wrote Joshua’s Prayer to bring awareness to domestic abuse and alcoholism. I know that sounds heavy. Trust me, Joshua’s Prayer isn’t a downer. In fact the story is about when a person is accused falsely of some very terrible actions. Here’s the blurb:

 They only want what is best for Joshua—but disagree about what that is.

When Dr. Sam Morgan’s estranged wife dies in a tragic accident, he returns home from a months-long, overseas surgical mission to discover his disabled son, Joshua, does not remember him. Sam is convinced that he and Joshua can only overcome their heartbreaking memories by leaving their decaying small town and starting over somewhere else.

Nicole James runs a women’s shelter where Sam’s wife fled with Joshua, claiming Sam was not the saint he appeared to be, but a physical and mental abuser. Nicole is determined to protect Joshua by legally preventing Sam from leaving Golden Ridge with his son until she can get at the truth—is Sam Morgan an abuser or the victim of lies in a marriage that went terribly wrong?

As Sam and Nicole are forced to work together on Joshua’s behalf, they begin to gain a grudging respect for one another. But will mutual distrust prevent them from realizing that the best thing they can do for Joshua is to fall in love?

Please give us the first page of the book.

Sam Morgan stared at the shabby sign outside the old dilapidated Victorian. In peeling

paint it read:

Grace House Women’s Center

Giving women a fresh start during troublesome times.

A fresh start. That’s what he wanted for himself and his son, Joshua. But he worried he’d

had more than his fair share of fresh starts… How many fresh starts could a person, a family be

allowed to have? One? Two? An unlimited number?

Apart from college, Sam had lived in Golden Ridge, Missouri, all his life. He’d met his

wife, Vicky, there and they had their son in Golden Ridge. He thought he’d die there in this small town nestled close to Big Golden Ridge Lake. Years ago any person who spent a pleasant sunny afternoon in Golden Ridge would have thought, what a wonderful carefree place. The people are so friendly with their easy talk and warm smiles. And the homes in this town are so well-kept. What a delightful place to live in and raise a family.

Those used to be his thoughts and dreams. To live a perfect life in this perfect town. But

he’d been wrong. Now this place brought him nothing but sorrow. This town reminded him of

failed promises and death: the death of his parents, death of his wife, and the death of his dreams.

His spirit was as worn out as the broken-down house and neighborhood before him. It was time

to collect his son and try to piece together their lives elsewhere. Away from the painful memories Golden Ridge held around every corner.

A gentle clinking sound drew his gaze to a small wooden sign swinging on metal chains

below the larger one. In bold black letters the words leapt off the stark white sign:

Now open.

Grace House Preschool.

Serving the community of Golden Ridge.

All children welcome.

Sam looked at his watch. Five o’clock. School should be out and hopefully most of the

kids had gone home. Well, at least those who didn’t live there with their mothers. Sam walked up

the path to the house. He paused at the steps and clutched the railing. The time had come for him

and Joshua to start anew.

Interesting. How can readers find you on the Internet?

Website: http://www.oliviaraebooks.com/

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

Christian Fiction Finders: https://www.fictionfinder.com/book

Twitter: https://twitter.com/oliviaraebooks

Email: oliviarae.books@gmail.com

Thank you, Olivia, for sharing this new book with us. I know my readers will want to read it as much as I do.

Readers, here’s a link to the book.

Joshua's Prayer (A GOLDEN RIDGE STORY Book 1)

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