Sunday, September 30, 2018

WINNERS!!

IMPORTANT: New instructions for winners in 2018 - When you send me the email, make sure your subject line says this: Winner - (book title) - (author's name) If you don't do this, your email could get lost in my hundreds of email per day. I WILL SEARCH FOR POST TITLES STARTING THAT WAY.

Mary Alice (NY) is the winner of The Abolitionist's Daughter by Kathleen L Maher. 

Sharon (SC) is the winner of Rebecca's Legacy by Betty Thomason Owen. 

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. Reviews are such a blessing to an author.

Also, tell your friends about the book you won ... 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 or audio book, just let me know what email address it should be sent to.
Remember, you have 4 weeks to claim your book.

Thursday, September 27, 2018

COWBOY CHARM SCHOOL - Margaret Brownley - One Free Book


More Love and Laughter
From Margaret Brownley

When buying a horse don’t consult a pedestrian;
When courting a woman don’t ask advice of a bachelor.
 -Cowboy Charm School


Welcome back, Margaret. Since you’re being published regularly, what new avenues will your future books take?
One of the biggest challenges of being a multi-published author is keeping stories fresh. Through the years, my books have gradually become a combination of romance and mystery, and that seems to be what my readers like. So, for now, I’m staying the course.

What conferences will you be attending this year? Will you be a speaker at any of them?
I recently attended a local conference and sat on a panel. I have a full writing schedule this year, so I won’t be attending any national conferences, but hope to make next year’s Romance Writers of America’s conference in New York.

If you were in charge of planning the panel discussion at a writing conference, what topic would the panel cover, and who would you ask to be on the panel, and why?
The title of the panel would be Career Survival in a Changing World. I’ve been published for more than thirty years and I can’t tell you how different the publishing landscape is today from when I started. My panel would include writers who have been around for a while yet have managed to thrive in changing times. My dream team would be Susan Wiggs, Susan Elizabeth Phillips, Nora Roberts, Debbie Macomber and, of course, Lena Nelson Dooley           

Wow! It’s an honor to be included in that list. How important is it to you to be active in writing organizations?
I would not have reached my writing goals had I not belonged to a writing organization. I’ll always be grateful to the friend who dragged me to my first writers’ meeting. I felt like I had found a home. It was through the organization that I learned my craft and how to be a professional writer.

Where in the community or your church do you volunteer?
I love working with young people and for that reason I’m a Boy Scout counselor. So far, I’ve worked with nearly a thousand boys.

That’s wonderful. I was blessed by a boy’s Eagle Scout project when I was a theater director. Who are the three people who have made the most impact on your life, and how?  
I tell my grandchildren that the most important decision they will ever make will be choosing a life partner. I’m glad to say, I chose well. Before his passing, my husband was my biggest supporter. He truly was the wind beneath my wings. His last words to me were, “Keep writing.”

I have to mention the eighth-grade English teacher who flunked me and said I would never make it as a writer. It was years later that I realized she did me a huge favor; for I was determined to prove her wrong and did!

I also can’t forget a former pastor. After I’d made the church picnic read like a Grisham novel for the church newsletter, he suggested that maybe God was calling me to write fiction.

I love that. If you could write the inscription on your tombstone, what would it be?
I would want it to say; “A great big thanks to all who helped walk me home.”

Tell us about the featured book.    
I played with the idea for Cowboy Charm School for five years before I actually got around to writing the book. Book ideas generally come to me in scenes. I’ll suddenly visualize someone atop a runaway stagecoach or scrambling over a roof and then have to figure out who and why. The scene that popped into my head for Cowboy Charm School was a wedding scene with a man running down the church aisle yelling, “Stop the Wedding!”

It took me awhile to figure out that the man was a Texas Ranger who thinks he’s saving the bride from marrying an outlaw. He’s mistaken, of course, but his accusations cause the couple to break up. It’s only right that he tries to get the estranged couple back together and that’s when the fun starts.

Here’s the First Page:
Haywire, Texas
1885
Brett Tucker hunkered low in the saddle and urged his galloping horse to go full chisel. The wind in his face and sun at his back, he pressed his boots hard in the stirrups. He didn’t know her name or anything about her; all he knew was that he had to save her.

With a slap of his reins, he yelled, “Giddup!”

His mind raced along with his mount’s pounding hooves. But what if he was too late?

The ground shook beneath his hurtling horse, sending squirrels and rabbits racing for cover. Frenzied blackbirds shot from treetops, scorching the air with protesting squawks. Deer took flight with leaping bounds.

A farmer pulled his wagon to the side of the road, allowing Brett to race by unhampered. Mavericks raised their tails and ran. A buffalo lifted its shaggy head and bellowed.

Jaw tense, Brett narrowed his eyes against the dust, and glare of the hot white sun. The only things identifying him as a Texas Ranger was the Colt at his side and the shotgun slung from his saddle. That and maybe his grit.

It was his grit that brought him to this moment. The moment he’d waited for. Waited too long for; Three years, two months and twenty-one days to be exact.

The road sloped upward, slowing his progress. Digging his heels into his horse’s flanks, Brett urged him up the hill. “Come on, Soldier, come on.”
His mount crested the hill and the steeple of the white church came into view.

Behind him lay the town of Haywire; Before him the moment he’d hoped would forever define him as a man.

The horses and wagons parked outside the church gave Brett a small measure of comfort. In less than two minutes, the wait would be over, and he would have done a woman a favor in the process. That is, if he wasn’t too late.

One minute. Anticipation coursed through his body.

Thirty seconds.

Twenty.

Reaching the church, he pulled hard on the reins and Soldier’s front legs rose in the air. He slid out of the saddle, boots hitting the ground hard. With one quick move, he wrapped the reins of his horse around the hitching rail and reached for his holstered Colt.

Surprise was on his side and he dared not waste a minute. Taking the steps two at a time, he rushed through the double oak doors leading inside the hushed chapel and ran past the two startled ushers. He hated ruining a bride’s wedding day, but better now than later. No woman in her right mind would knowingly marry an outlaw.

“Stop the wedding!” he yelled, and a collective gasp greeted his outburst.

Dear Readers, you can see why Margaret is one of my favorite authors. Her stories never disappoint.

Thank you, Margaret, for sharing this book with me and my blog readers. I’m eager to read this story. I have been since I first saw the title. When my book arrives, it will go the top of my to-be-read pile.

Where can my readers find you on the Internet?
I love hearing from readers!

Purchase links:



Readers, 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:

Wednesday, September 26, 2018

3 THINGS TO FORGET - Cynthia T Toney - One Free Book

Welcome, Cynthia. Tell us how much of yourself you write into your characters.
Only little bits. The rest comes from people I’ve loved or known, sometimes only for a short while.

What is the quirkiest thing you have ever done?
As a kid, I liked to walk backwards as fast as I could. That ended when I ran into a street pole.

When did you first discover that you were a writer?
When I started trying to write greeting card sentiments (hoping I’d one day sell them) and to improve product descriptions in advertisements.

Tell us the range of the kinds of books you enjoy reading.
Autobiographies and biographies of people I like or admire, historical fiction of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, contemporary mysteries and romantic suspense, and well-done science fiction. I like to slip a good children’s book into the mix once in a while.

How do you keep your sanity in our run, run, run world?
I deactivate Facebook for weeks at a time. I grow herbs and cook with them. I get down on the floor with my dogs and interact with them on their level.

I didn’t know you could deactivate Facebook for a while. How do you choose your characters’ names?
Sometimes I use place names I’m familiar with for people and people names for places. Sometimes I use a surname for a first name or the other way around. I’ve even created character names that don’t seem to exist anywhere. I really admire the clever character names other authors have created.

What is the accomplishment that you are most proud of?
To have survived long enough to write novels and get them published. I recall a number of times when God must have sent a guardian angel to keep me out of harm’s way.

If you were an animal, which one would you be, and why?
A bird. I’ve always wanted to fly.

What is your favorite food?
If I had to live the rest of my life eating only one ethnicity of food, it would be Italian.

What is the problem with writing that was your greatest roadblock, and how did you overcome it?
My first drafts tend to be sparse, perhaps because I see so much in my mind’s eye but forget to write it all down for the reader. I’ve learned to expand my descriptions and my characters’ reactions.

Tell us about the featured book.
3 Things to Forget is the fourth and final book of the Bird Face series from Write Integrity Press. My main character, half-Cajun Wendy Robichaud, finally makes it to Alaska to see her dear friends Mrs. V and Sam.

In Alaska, Wendy thinks she’s left behind the problems resulting from her mistakes in Louisiana and wants to forget them. But starting the summer at her friend Sam’s house and volunteering with Alaska Wildlife Conservation bring not only strange surroundings but also strangers into her life. And those strangers have a secret involving a troubled girl who threatens Wendy’s friendship with Sam.

As Wendy struggles to understand the Alaskans she meets and gets to know, she must also say good-bye to old friends she might never see again and decide whether to forget the past or to learn from it.

Please give us the first page of the book.
There’s something to be said for escaping 4500 miles to the third least-populated state in America, where no one (well, almost no one) knows me. Otherwise, leaving behind my disgrace from the biggest academic scandal ever to hit my school—resulting in the breakup with my boyfriend on the night he said he loved me—might’ve been impossible.

Surrounded by strangers on the second of two connecting flights to Anchorage, for a total of fourteen hours on a Friday, I summoned teeth-grinding determination to forget the past. What better time for an intense study, a.k.a. cramming, of American Sign Language? Before the plane would land in Alaska, I might become proficient enough in ASL to communicate with Sam and his deaf friends without making a fool of myself.  For the month of June, I’d live with Sam and his family in Anchorage. I’d work with him and other teens, possibly deaf, as a volunteer at the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center. And I’d do whatever it took to fit in.

How can readers find you on the Internet?
www.CynthiaTToney.com and my blog, www.birdfacewendy.com  On Amazon, Goodreads, Facebook, and Twitter: Cynthia T. Toney. Always use the middle initial to find me!

Thank you, Cynthia, for sharing your book with my blog readers and me.

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:

Monday, September 24, 2018

THE SPIRIT OF GOD ILLUSTRATED BIBLE - Doris Wynbeek Rikkers - One Free Book, Plus Much More


About the author and illustrator:
Doris Wynbeek Rikkers is a freelance writer and editor who has written many bestselling children’s books and Bibles. Although she loves the ocean, she lives in Grand Rapids, Michigan, surrounded by her books, her flower gardens, and her family and friends.

Spanish artist Fernando Juarez illustrates children’s books and also works as an art supervisor at the Madrid studio Ilion Animation. The company produces 3D feature films for children. Fernando has three kids himself, and if he has any time left after work and family, you might catch him playing guitar in a rock band.

Welcome, Doris. What has drawn you to writing for children?
When my sons were pre-schoolers they wanted to hear more stories about Jesus as a child. This inspired me to write the book, Little Jesus, Little Me to help them understand that Jesus was once a child too.

When did you first discover that you were a writer?
I always loved to write but criticism by peers in elementary school hindered my progress. In a college English class I had a professor who told me I was a good writer; that encouraged me more than anything else.

Tell us the range of the kinds of books you enjoy reading.
I’m an avid reader and love historical fiction as well as non-fiction. I gravitate to award-winning authors and books recommended by friends.

What other books have you written, whether published or not?
Understanding the Holy Spirit Today, Faithwords, 2018
The Wayfinding Bible, Tyndale, 2012
The Family Reading Bible, Zondervan, 2010
Read with Me for Toddlers, Zonderkidz, 2010
Little Jesus. Little Me, Zonderkidz, 2000/ new art 2018
Read with Me Bible: an NIrV Story Bible for children          Zonderkidz
Read with Me Bible for Little Ones                Zonderkidz
God Loves Me Bible (girls)                             Zonderkidz
God Loves Me Bible (boys)                            Zonderkidz
I use a pen name of Susan Elizabeth Beck for some of the children’s books. I’m currently working on my first novel about World War I and the flu epidemic of 1918.

How do you keep your sanity in our run, run, run world?
I’m rather old-school. I don’t look at my phone all the time and I love quiet. I recharge by sitting on the beach in the sun!

That sounds good to me. What is the accomplishment that you are most proud of, besides family?
I always desired to get a Master’s degree and finally went back to school at age 59, completing my Master’s in Bible and Theology from Calvin Theological Seminary at age 63. You’re never too old to pursue a dream!

Is it hard to break into the children’s market?
Yes and no. Children’s publishers are always looking for fresh ideas and a new approach to a common theme. If your writing is unique and fresh you might find a publisher interested in your manuscript.

What advice would you give to an author wanting to do that?
The best advice is go to writer’s conferences and network with other authors and editors. I spoke at a writer’s conference and met an author who had a great idea although she had never published. I presented the proposal to a friend in publishing and the manuscript was accepted. That author is now being published regularly.

What would you like to tell us about this Bible?
The Spirit of God Illustrated Bible presents the stories of God’s power and presence in the lives of his people from the beginning of time. It is a unique collection of stories that highlight the work of the Spirit through the Bible stories from both the Old and the New Testaments. Through these stories, children will come to know the work of the Spirit and the power he provides to ordinary people who can then do extraordinary tasks for God.

Readers,
Would you like to win your own copy of
The Spirit of God Illustrated Bible?


Win a children's book prize pack from Read with Audra!

The prize pack includes a copy of:

Spirit of God Illustrated Bible
Adventure Bible Book of Daring Deeds and Epic Creations
NIV Kids Visual Study Bible
Explorer's Bible Guide
Words to Love By
Love Letters from God 

Link for the giveaway:

Thank you, Doris, for sharing this book with my blog readers and me.

Readers, leave a comment for a chance to win a free copy of the book here on this blog. 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, September 23, 2018

WINNERS!!

IMPORTANT: New instructions for winners in 2018 - When you send me the email, make sure your subject line says this: Winner - (book title) - (author's name) If you don't do this, your email could get lost in my hundreds of email per day. I WILL SEARCH FOR POST TITLES STARTING THAT WAY.

Wendy (NE) is the winner of Daughter of Defiance by Heather Blanton. 

Tina (PA) is the winner of Esther's Temptation by Lena Nelson Dooley. 

Rhonda (FL) is the winner of Unmistakably Yours by Kristin Holt. 

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. Reviews are such a blessing to an author.

Also, tell your friends about the book you won ... 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 or audio book, just let me know what email address it should be sent to.
Remember, you have 4 weeks to claim your book.

Thursday, September 20, 2018

THE ABOLITIONIST'S DAUGHTER - Kathleen L Maher - One Free Book


Welcome, Kathleen.
Hi, Lena.  I am awestruck to be here on your blog. Thank you for the opportunity to share about my writing!

Tell us how much of yourself you write into your characters.
Only certain characters earn my heart, and I do share secret thoughts and ideas though them. They can be male or female characters, too, which is interesting to me. Most of my characters are based on people I’ve known with speculations of what they must have been thinking to do X, Y, or Z. My faith, and love of animals, gardening, nature, and family pours through my story world inhabitants.

What is the quirkiest thing you have ever done?
I once agreed to a blind date. My friend told me about a young man recently back from Bible college. His mutual friend told him about two sisters, one a “pilgrim beauty and the other a China doll.”  I guess I was his choice, because he said he’d like to meet me. I married him a little less than a year later. We just celebrated 20 years together.

My husband and I married three months and three days after meeting on a blind date. That was 54 years ago, and we still love each other completely. When did you first discover that you were a writer?
I always knew I wanted to draw horses and other animals. From the time I could hold a pencil or crayon I was doodling. But the writing came later. I loved books from my preschool years—Beatrix Potter’s The Tale of Peter Rabbit gave me courage as a child whose father was absent. I admired Peter’s bravery to explore a big, scary world without a daddy. I decided like Potter, I wanted to write creative adventures and maybe draw the scenes that popped up in my imagination. I still contemplate writing children’s books, but the stories that have spoken to me so far are historical romances.

Tell us the range of the kinds of books you enjoy reading.
I love nonfiction on a wide variety of subjects, some of them already mentioned. Animals, gardening, landscaping, history, art, crafting, writing, marketing…. I also love to read spiritual, inspirational, and Biblical testimony/memoir/autobiography. Corrie ten Boom’s books, for example. In fiction, I love historical fiction and historical romance. I have been known to read outside my genre, but only if the writing is exceptional and the story compelling.

How do you keep your sanity in our run, run, run world?
I am an intercessor. Everything that keeps me awake at night goes before the throne of grace. I try to please my Heavenly Father, my husband, my family, and then my other demands in that order. I give myself a lot of grace, and others as well. Though currently I have a puppy that is trying my last nerve with her Houdini-esque escapades, slipping from our fenced yard. Prayers always appreciated…. LOL

How do you choose your characters’ names?
This is often a struggle for me, and some characters’ names have been changed three or four times before I settle on one that suits him or her. I often use surnames that emphasize a character trait. For example, the twins in The Abolitionist’s Daughter have the last name Sharpe. They are quick-witted, good with a gun, and all of the connotations a name like that suggests.

What is the accomplishment that you are most proud of?
Raising three children who love God, are good to one another and their families, and do their best in life. But I take no credit—all glory is God’s.

If you were an animal, which one would you be, and why?
Animals that are well cared for have great lives, but so many of them go without proper care, or have their habitats encroached upon. I guess if I could be a well-loved cat, that would be a good life. Naps in the sunshine, a pretty, maintenance-free garden to roam, and food at my beckon call…. Yeah, that would be a nice way to live. Plus, they are such amazing athletes! Who wouldn’t want to climb a tree or leap six times their body height?

What is your favorite food?
I’ve always loved Italian. And lo and behold, I married a half-Irish, half-Italian man who makes the best meatballs and red sauce I’ve ever tasted. Even better than my mom’s and that’s saying something! I also love seafood and Chinese. And CHOCOLATE. (Sorry for shouting. I get a little excited)

What is the problem with writing that was your greatest roadblock, and how did you overcome it?
I lacked confidence in my voice. I spent many years seeking what others were doing, and though learning and perfecting is always good and necessary, I believe I suppressed the gifts the Lord had given me for a while until I received affirmation through contest wins and finals, and my first traditional publishing contract. Had I believed in myself, I might have capitalized on opportunities far earlier. But the friends I made along the way kept me moving forward. I’m so grateful for them!

The writing friends we make along the journey are so important to me, too.Tell us about the featured book.
The Abolitionist’s Daughter
was three decades in the making. I started in middle school, imagining a story set on a southern thoroughbred horse farm, and handsome twin brothers who have a real connection with one another—best friends. The Civil War is often called the war between brothers, and I imagined a scenario where their relationship is severed, and they choose opposite sides of the war. Romance and the power of a young lady’s influence takes center stage, the power to both rend and help mend again by faith.

What makes this book so special to me is the local history laced through it. I live in a town with fascinating history in many arenas—the Underground Railroad, a notorious Civil War prison camp and military rendezvous, and a pioneering female college, and this story weaves it all together in what I hope is a compelling and redemptive read.

The Abolitionist’s Daughter by Kathleen L. Maher
1860-1864 Shenandoah Valley, and Elmira, NY
The crusading daughter of a Washington politician comes between twin brothers as the country plunges toward Civil War. Horsemen from Virginia, the twins would defend their livelihood from her meddling kind. When love ignites, friends become enemies. Can the very girl who divided bosom brothers unite them again?
The Abolitionist’s Daughter book trailer link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Brp28ZTOWHo

Please give us the first page of the book.
Charles Town, Virginia
December 2, 1859
The wrong ideas could get a head—and a body—into a heap of trouble.

Ethan Sharpe craned his neck, staring up thirteen plank steps at the gallows. His breath stopped as John Brown’s body plunged, thrashed for a few seconds, and then went limp. A creak of rope marked the radical’s only requiem among the silent attendants from Virginia Military Institute.

Ethan exhaled a dizzying breath and curled his toes in his boots to test the ground’s firmness beneath him. Counting slow and even draws of air, he stole a glance at the cadet next to him—his identical twin. Devon’s stance was straight as an Enfield ramrod.

“Reckon that snapped his neck?”

Devon tucked his chin to his chest. “Shh! Colonel Jackson’ll hear you.”

Ethan swallowed against his constricting collar, wishing he could tug at it without breaking rank. Brown’s noose bore in on him with more than contemplation.

Devon’s cheek muscle twitched. “An eye for an eye.”

Ethan weighed those words. The abolitionist had waged a holy war through Kansas the previous year, murdering slave owners in their beds. Attempts to dole out the federal arsenal to contraband had secured John Brown’s hempen necktie. A chill snaked down Ethan’s spine. If successful, no telling how quickly they’d have stormed the Shenandoah Valley, or overrun the Sharpe family farm.

Gripping. How can readers find you on the Internet?
I have an author page on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KLMaherAuthor/
I can also be found on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Mahereenie

Thanks so much once again for having me today, Lena.  I look forward to interacting with your readers.

I am hosting a rafflecopter to be drawn at the conclusion of my blog tour just before Thanksgiving, with several prizes, including a $50 Amazon gift card, a print copy of each of my books, and a Christmas goodie basket. (US residents only.) and I would love to welcome your readers to enter.

Rafflecopter link: http://gvwy.io/48sxkxc

Thank you, Kathleen, for sharing this book and your other giveaway with my blog readers and me. I’m eager to read your book.

Readers, I hope many of you will participate on her rafflecopter giveaway in addition to entering for the book we’re giving away on the blog.

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:

Monday, September 17, 2018

REBECCA'S LEGACY - Betty Thomason Owens - One Free Book


Welcome, Betty. Tell us how much of yourself you write into your characters.
Oh my. That’s very telling, isn’t it? Betty ends up in a lot of my characters. In fact, I recently had someone notice that the characters on several of my book covers look like me. I’m not sure how that happened. Maybe it’s because the heart of the character comes from my heart. Once upon a time, I set out to write a character who was my opposite, just to prove (mostly to myself) I could do it. On the surface, I succeeded. She looked nothing like me. Blond, blue-eyed, petite. Then she began to take on some of my characteristics. At first, I edited them out, then I realized she is who she is—part of me.

What is the quirkiest thing you have ever done?
Quirky is weird—in a good way. So, I’m not feeling at all defensive about that question. Lol! Please don’t ask my husband, he’ll give you a list. Hooking my foot on the corner of a wall and falling flat on my face while playing with the cat, would be on the top of that list. I can narrow it down to performing several dance moves from the sixties at a New Year’s Eve party. The hostess loved it, while my husband looked on in disbelief. I was the life of the party, but it was weird.

When did you first discover that you were a writer?
I have always loved to write and tell stories, but I was in my early thirties when I realized the calling on my life. It started as a powerful desire to tell a story. I sat down to translate a scene from my imagination into words, thinking that if I could successfully “paint a picture” and have someone else read it and “see” what I saw, then I might have something worth pursuing. Sorry for the long sentence, but that’s exactly how it happened. I gave my story to a trusted friend who taught high school literature. She loved it and encouraged me to learn the craft.

Tell us the range of the kinds of books you enjoy reading.
I devoured classics as a teen and young adult. I visited the library and started at the “A” shelf and read everything that looked interesting, then moved to the next. Alcott, Austen, Bronte, then Dickens, du Maurier, Dumas…you get the picture. Later, I moved on to classic writers of mystery. I loved the “Miss Read” books. I was never much of a romance reader, and you can probably tell that by reading some of my earlier novels. But lately, I’ve mellowed. I still prefer a rich, well-researched historical with romantic elements to an out-n-out romance. My taste in movies, however…tells another story altogether. I love a good, sappy romance!

How do you keep your sanity in our run, run, run world?
Morning quiet time, prayer, and praise keeps me going! Long walks, whenever I have time. And I retreat into my stories. But real life tends to encroach. I’m semi-retired with two part-time bookkeeping jobs that keep me way too busy. But I don’t have the super-busy life of the modern Mom. Busy as I am now, sometimes I wonder how I managed to keep up with a full-time job, kids, house, dog, laundry, sports, church, etc.

How do you choose your characters’ names?
I often name my characters after family members. The father in the Legacy series, for instance, is named after my husband. For surnames, though, I have a go-to “surname/last name generator,” I found on Google. I play around with it until I find a name I like.

What is the accomplishment that you are most proud of?
Raising three sons who turned out well. I was a stay-at-home mom for their early years, and though difficult financially and physically draining, it was totally worth the investment.

I did the same thing. It is valuable. If you were an animal, which one would you be, and why?
What a funny question, but you know, I didn’t really have to hesitate. A horse. Preferably a mare or a filly with a beautiful, golden coat and flowing mane.

What is your favorite food?
I love Italian, but prefer meatless dishes like spaghetti pomodoro, or linguine with pesto.

What is the problem with writing that was your greatest roadblock, and how did you overcome it?
Passive writing. On my day job, I was a business writer, creating engineering proposals. “In order to utilize the property to the fullest extent allowed, one must…” And then there was the long history of classical reading. I thought “show, don’t tell” was something done in kindergarten. No, wait, that’s “show and tell.” I had to relearn writing, which required study and practice. I joined a couple of critique loops through ACFW and hashed it out. Cried a lot. Still, whenever I think I have it licked, I discover new problems to overcome.

All of us keep learning more. Tell us about the featured book.
Rebecca’s Legacy is historical romance, and the final book in my Legacy series. The novels follow a family through three decades. Amy Juliana Emerson is the daughter of the couple in book one, Amelia’s Legacy. It’s 1947, and she’s eighteen, around the age her mother was in the first book.

Amy’s father, Robert Emerson has received a threat against his family in an attempt to take over his company, Sanderson Industries. To guarantee his willful daughter’s safety, he sends her to work on a produce farm run by her Aunt Rebecca. Maybe her quiet strength and unconditional love can work on Amy, keep her from becoming the prodigal daughter she seems insistent on being.

Matt Wordsworth is the man Robert calls upon to make sure his daughter stays in line. His only interest in the beautiful girl is purely part of his job. Purely. Amy considers him a fuddy-duddy which suits the situation perfectly, allowing him to stay close without concern for her losing her heart to him. And his own heart … well, his feelings didn’t matter. This was business.

Humiliated and angry, Amy contemplates a path that will lead her even farther from home and away from Dad’s protection. Rebecca’s influence begins to change her feelings about everything, even about Matt, but Amy might find she’s playing into the hands of the enemy.

Please give us the first page of the book.
April 5, 1947
Springfield

“Are you crazy? My father’s going to kill me.” Amy Emerson stood near the edge of the dock. One hand shading her eyes, she searched the placid surface of the water from Hammond’s Inlet to Kettle Creek. “How could you let this happen?”

“Aw, quit your caterwauling. The skiff’s tied up over there.” Howie Thompson nodded toward a stand of willow trees near the lake shore. “We’ll be back way before your daddy gets home.”

Amy propped her hands on her hips and sucked in a breath. He’d lied about the boat drifting away? She wanted to give him a piece of her mind. Why did she put up with him, anyway?

He removed his cap and ran his fingers through his thick, dark hair. One stray lock fell over his dark brown eyes, giving him a rakish look. Kind of like a young Clark Gable. He sent her a sideways grin, replaced his cap and set off toward the water. “Can’t blame a guy for trying. Now, grab your stuff. Let’s roll.”

Amy stared at his back as he climbed into the boat. He was well aware of the effect his looks had on her. Not just her, but any female within sight of him. She returned to the bench where she’d left her jacket. After tying on a scarf to protect her hair, she draped the jacket over her shoulders, and followed him, brushing at tears behind his back. She refused to let him see her cry. He’d tell all her friends she was soft.

How can readers find you on the Internet?
Betty would like to invite you to her Facebook author page, Twitter, GoodReads, Pinterest, Instagram, Amazon Author Page. She posts weekly on her blog, Hello, Thursday Morning, found at https://bettythomasonowens.com/ and regularly on the multi-author blog, Inspired Prompt.

Thank you, Betty, for sharing this book with my blog readers and me. I’m eager to read it.

Readers, here’s a link to the book.

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.)

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Sunday, September 16, 2018

WINNERS!!!!!

IMPORTANT: New instructions for winners in 2018 - When you send me the email, make sure your subject line says this: Winner - (book title) - (author's name) If you don't do this, your email could get lost in my hundreds of email per day. I WILL SEARCH FOR POST TITLES STARTING THAT WAY.

Lori (IL)  is the winner of Gone to Texas by Caryl McAdoo. 

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Brenda (MS)  is the winner of Trail to Clear Creek by Kit Morgan. 

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Congratulations
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