TAYE'S GIFT - Pat Simmons - One Free Book

Welcome back,  Pat. I love your new head shot. What are some of the spiritual themes you like to write about?

I listen for God’s voice for each story’s messages redemption, overcoming, steadfast. My favorite Scripture for my characters is Jude 1:24

God can keep us from falling, and my characters want to be kept.

What other books of yours are coming out soon?

Book One, LEAN ON ME, in the Family is Forever series, which is about caregivers will be released January 7, 2020.

What historical person would you like to meet (besides Jesus) and why?

Because I’m into genealogy, I would like to meet my second great-grandmother Charlotte Jamieson, who is a fictional character in my Jamieson Legacy series. My second great grandmother, Charlotte, was enslaved by Robert Jamieson. A guest in his home, John Wilkinson, fathered 2 children with her, then married the slaveholder’s daughter, Artie. Charlotte lived to be 80 years old and died living in the backyard of one of the largest former slaveholders in Mississippi, the Caradines. I would like to know how she endured slavery.

Interesting. I understand why you would love to meet her. How can you encourage authors who have been receiving only rejections from publishers?

Funny you ask that. I attended the annual Christian Book Lovers Retreat last week. There was one woman at a seminar who had received 7 in one day. After a group of us prayed for her, we all gave her encouraging words. I told her about my experience of getting a rejection letter for GUILTY OF LOVE on the same day it hit the shelves with another publisher. Also, I reminded her that God is the Master Chess player, and He moves people and situations around for our good, and He’s partnering her with the right editors and publishing houses.

Tell us about the featured book.

TAYE’S GIFT is Book 6 in the Small Town Christmas series. I guess you can say the stories are modeled after Hallmark movies. The gist of the plot is it’s a race against time to bless someone in need with $1500, in time for Christmas. My story has a different twist, because initially my character thinks the money is for her from a deceased friend. Soon, God shows her that by blessing others, she will get blessed. However, the task she embarks on requires help from two strangers who fast become friends to save two businesses during the holidays.

I love this cover. Please give us the first page of the book.

This is insane!

Only for her late friend Charity Hart would Taye Thomas endure the mass pandemonium at an airport on the Friday after Thanksgiving, yet here she was flying Southwest Airlines from Kansas City to Denver.

Had everyone flown into town for a quick hi before consuming hearty helpings of turkey and dressing just to make their exit the next day? This was the worse time to travel.

Taye shut out the chaos around her for a quiet moment of reflection. An old friend from high school had passed away. Taye’s eyes misted as the realization hit that Charity was gone. She sniffed as nearby chatter pulled her out of her reverie.

Although she wasn’t keen on eavesdropping, some travelers’ conversations were too entertaining to ignore. Taye craned her neck as she scanned the line for the person with the high-pitched voice.

“Yeah, I’m nervous. I hope it’s not a bumpy ride,” confessed a pretty girl who attempted to appear older, judging from the makeup artistically applied to highlight her youthful face.

“So, you’re traveling alone?” an older man asked too curiously for Taye’s taste. And was that a hint of pleasure in his tone at her admission?

Didn’t the teenager know her naiveté was making her vulnerable for prey? Taye huffed. Where was the girl’s parents or chaperone? Did anyone give this barely-more-than-a-child instructions about not talking to strangers?

“It’s a nonstop flight, and it should be smooth. We’ll be okay,” another woman assured the girl.

@2019 Pat Simmons

How can readers find you on the Internet?

It seems like I am everywhere. I invite readers to visit my website at www.PatSimmons.net. I’m on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram too. 

Thank you, Pat, for sharing this new Christmas novel with my blog readers and me. We all love Christmas stories, and I love your writing.

Readers, here are links to the book.

Taye's Gift (Small-Town Christmas Wishes Series) - Amazon Paperback
Taye's Gift (Small-Town Christmas Wishes Series Book 6) - 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, 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

WINNER

IMPORTANT: Instructions for winners  - 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 emails per day. I WILL SEARCH FOR POST TITLES STARTING THAT WAY.

bakersdozen (CA) is the winner of Being Black and Republican in the Age of Obama by Karen Watson.

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.

MEANT FOR HER - Joy Avery Melville - One Free Ebook

BIO: Joy Avery Melville’s heart’s desire is to be the author God has called her to be by sharing Him with readers in such a way they long to have a deeply committed personal relationship with Jesus Christ as Lord. Fully intending to write Historical Romance—had in fact—she didn’t want to deviate from that. God had different plans for that ‘call’ He’d made on her life back in 1967. A mere eighth grader at the time, she had no clue about the topics she’d be drawn to write about.

Surrendering to the genre God placed on her heart has given Joy new insight into the hearts and lives of those who too often hurt in silence. The settings of Joy’s books are near where she lives in Schoolcraft, Michigan, with her husband of nearly 46 years and their one-year-old Yorkie pup, Is-A-Bella Bindi, (Is-a-beautiful little girl) who thinks she’s a much larger breed with tomboy tendencies.

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

The majority of my characters are made up from my imagination, but the Spiritual portions come from my heart as do the views on marriage.

What is the quirkiest thing you have ever done?

That’s hard to say, since I’m a woman of an advanced age and pretty much know better than to do something I might pay for medically. I did take off in our van in May of 2015 to stay for 9 days with a writer, whom I’d only met online and had talked to for about one month before she’d invited me to go stay a couple weeks with them. I had no idea what I’d be facing when I got to their house, It was a 16 hour drive. It turned out to be FUN, INTERESTING, DIFFERENT, and, yes, QUIRKY, and boy, was it ever HOT there.

When did you first discover that you were a writer?

My first inkling was in the last marking period of 8^th grade. My parents had moved us to a small village in Michigan, and my poor English teacher had no idea what to do with me for a final exam. She finally asked me to write a short story and hand it in within the week. I had never written a story of any kind. I went home, wrote a 20 page story on both sides of notebook paper (40 page short story) and handed it in the next day. After she’d graded it over the weekend, she asked me to see her after school that Monday afternoon. She told me, I had the gift of story telling on paper, and she advised me to take every conceivable writing class offered from my Freshman year through college. The following Sunday we had a visiting missionary at church, and his words were, “If God has given you a specific gift. Use it to His honor and glory, as He leads you.” I pretty much took that as affirmation of what my teacher had said the Monday before. I allowed a LOT of life to happen between 8^th grade and this story, but I wrote several stories in the meantime.

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

I love to read. One of my fave genres is Historical Romance. I also read Romance, Amish, Women’s Fiction, and Romantic Suspense. I read non-fiction by Charles Swindoll and David Jeremiah.

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

PRAYER – LOTS and LOTS OF PRAYER! I do take my Yorkie, Bella for walks, do a lot of stretching as per doctors’ orders, and I READ LOTS before I go to bed at night.

How do you choose your characters’ names?

Most of my character’s names are chosen by how they fit the personality of the individual character. I double check the meanings of names, to be sure it’s not going to be counter the characters’ temperaments. I try to be careful not to have too many characters with the same first letter in their names, but just could not hold back naming my brother and sister in the story with ‘C’ names.

What is the accomplishment that you are most proud of?

The accomplishment I’m most proud of is having been married to the same man for 46 years this next month. We are very different personalities with very different likes and dislikes, but God has kept us in love for going on five decades. We met in the first week of September and married the last day of November 1973. Both of us have been committed to making it work. I praise God for it lasting.

James and I have been married for 55 years on November 7. We got married 3 months and 3 days after meeting on a blind date. If you were an animal, which one would you be, and why?
Easy answer. My Yorkie, Is-A-Bella Bindi (Is-A-Beautiful Little girl) she is so, so lovable and so, so entertaining. I’d like to be loved as we love her.

What is your favorite food?

Oh, my. Favorite food? That’s tough. I LOVE FOOD. Probably would say yeast breads. COMFORT FOOD for me. The stress of getting my book revisions done, the marketing plans underway… yup… comfort foods are showing.

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

The actual writing of the book was amazing. I wrote a full length novel within a six week period, and did not get to write every single day. My biggest roadblock was trying to tighten it without losing the meat of the story. A lot of prayer went into the revisions and a whole lot of time. More than I’d anticipated, but God brought a terrific editor friend alongside and she helped me deepen, strengthen, and tighten the story to what it has become.

Tell us about the featured book.

The easiest way to do that is to share the Back Cover Blurb, but I do want to share that this book came about after I’d heard a very moving TV news report one evening while doing dishes. I did NOT set out to write Meant for Her without a lot of wrestling with God. By the way, I do NOT recommend that. He ALWAYS wins. My dream was to write Historical Romance and I had written that, but no one wanted to publish it. After I surrendered my will to His, the story flowed, and He’s given me more to this series as well as other series, I’m working on. He did allow me a strong thread of Romance with a sigh-worthy ending, and according to my first two Advanced Reader reviews thus far, the ending is just that.

BCB –

Had it all truly been ~ MEANT FOR HER?

Kidnapped, raped, brutally beaten, and left for dead, Candi Reynolds becomes a prisoner of fear. Faced also with the impact of the unexpected break-up with her fiancé, and an unwanted pregnancy resulting from the attacks, she believes God has forsaken her. Choosing to move back to the Michigan horse farm, owned by her older brother, Dr. Cam Reynolds, Candi essentially goes into seclusion.

Dr. Patrick (Mack) MacKevon, long-time friend of Cam’s, watches from the sidelines at the farm, w here his horses are stabled, while Candi struggles to regain a sense of normalcy. His own big-brother tendencies develop into a much deeper emotion over the months he prays for her.

Is it possible for Candi to put all of the pain and trauma behind her and renew her former relationship with the Lord? Will she allow her heart to open enough to discover authentic love, while making decisions of victory on her personal journey to joy?

Please give us the first page of the book.

Friday ~ November 15, 2013 ~ Vicksburg, Michigan

Stinging and prickling throughout her body, accompanied by a beep…beep… beep and muffled voices from a distance, invaded Candi’s senses. Convulsive shivers swept her extremities.

    

She attempted to open her eyes. Too much effort. Where were those voices? They’d been different. Maybe she’d become delusional from prolonged pain.

    

Wait. Hands and ankles free. On a real bed and covered with something heavy. No gag. Mouth dry… as dust. Throat scratchy. Odors different…Clean. Fresh. Antiseptic? No stale smoke. No musty or moldy smells.

   

Candi relaxed when fear met seeming safety and comfort. The shaking eased as she drifted on the edge of sleep.

“Good evening, Pastor Sam, Jaime. You’re the ones who found our Jane Doe?”

    

A man’s words penetrated Candi’s haze. They weren’t harsh or demanding. Friendly, yet authoritative.

“Yes. Jaime did.” Another man’s voice, softer than the first.

    

“She wasn’t awake, Dr. Crandall, and she was icy.”

    

“It’s a good thing you found her when you did, young lady. Pastor, you know anything about her?”

    

“No, and as swollen and bloody as her face was, I couldn’t be sure if I’d ever seen her before. I’d taken Jaime hunting, hoping to get a deer today, and she went off the trail, following some fresh tracks in the snow. Within minutes, she was screaming she’d found a woman. Imagine my shock when I saw how right she was.”

Wow, powerful. How can readers find you on the Internet?

Email:     joyjournaling@gmail.com
Twitter:   https://twitter.com/Journeystojoy 
 Website https://www.joyaverymelville.com

Blog:      https://www.journeystojoy.net

Facebook Author Page: http://facebook.com/jamauthor

Facebook Personal Page http://facebook.com/joy.averymelville

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Joy-Avery-Melville/e/B07Y9BQLHX?ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1&qid=1570578449&sr=8-1

I love to hear from readers.
Reviews by Advanced Readers are posted on Goodreads.

Thank you, Joy, for allowing me to promote the release of your debut novel. I am eager to read this story, and I know my blog readers will be, too.

Readers, the book is up for preorder on Amazon.

Meant For Her (Intended For Her Book 1)

Leave a comment for a chance to win a free copy of the ebook. 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, 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

WINNER

IMPORTANT: Instructions for winners  - 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 emails per day. I WILL SEARCH FOR POST TITLES STARTING THAT WAY.

Winnie (UT) is the winner of Ever After by Debra Clopton.

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.

BEING BLACK AND REPUBLICAN IN THE AGE OF OBAMA - Karen Watson - One Free Book

Welcome, Karen. What would you like for our readers to know about you personally?

I would like your audience to know that for me personally my Faith is the most important aspect of my life.

Tell us about your family.

I am not married but I have wonderful siblings and my mother is the smartest woman I have ever met.

Have you written other nonfiction books?

I have written three books: Being Black and Republican in the Age of Obama, How Democrats Stole the Black Vote  and Jackass, the True Story of the Democratic Party and Their Abuse of Black America.

Do you have any other books in the works right now?

I am working on my 4th book Being Black and Republican in the Age of Trump.

What kinds of hobbies and leisure activities do you enjoy?

I enjoy reading and travel.

Why did you write the featured book?

I was encouraged to write my first book because so many people were shocked that I am black and Republican.

What do you want the reader to take away from the book?

That we are one nation under God and are Indivisible

Is there anything else you’d like to tell my readers about you or your book?

We have within us the means to heal the divide in our country

I so agree. Where on the Internet can the readers find you?

My books can be reached on GOPBuzz.com and Facebook or just reach out to me directly @ karen.watson@gopbuzz.com

Thank you, Karen for sharing your first book with us.

I will be featuring each of the other ones, too.

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, 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

WINNER

IMPORTANT: Instructions for winners  - 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 emails per day. I WILL SEARCH FOR POST TITLES STARTING THAT WAY.

jrs0350 (MO) is the winner of Prairie Grace by Marilyn Bay Wentz.

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.

LONGING FOR EVER AFTER - Debra Clopton - One Free Book

Welcome back, Debra. What are some of the spiritual themes you like to write about?

I love the themes of trusting the Lord, of hope and forgiveness. This book is a clean and wholesome book, which is mainly what I write now, but while it doesn’t have an openly Christian message it does have the message of hope after facing extreme pain.

What other books of yours are coming out soon?

This Sunset Bay series has 2 more books, LONGING FOR YOU and LONGING FOR US that will be coming in the next couple of months, Longing For Us is on preorder now for December 31 but will most likely release before Christmas…we shall see.

How can you encourage authors who have been receiving only rejections from publishers?

Don’t give up unless you feel led to. I pushed on for ten years. It took a lot of rejections and perseverance. Keep writing and finishing books, you get better with each book. And don’t be afraid to experiment with new genres. It’s a great time to be an author, I broke out on my own in 2016 and it’s been the best decision I ever made.

Tell us about the featured book.

LONGING FOR EVER-AFTER is about Jonah who has given up on love but one look at Summer and something about her draws him to her and he’s ready to find out everything about her. But Summer has secrets and needs special care. This story was a surprise to me as I wrote it. I love being a pantser, or organic writer and finding out about the stories as I go. Hope you enjoy it.  

That’s pretty much how I write, too. Please give us the first page of the book.

Jonah Sinclair walked down the streets of Sunset Bay, heading toward the long pier and the ice cream cone that was calling his name.

“Hey, Jonah, I hear you and your brothers are competing in the Sunset Bay Regatta.” Hal, the owner of the Pier Ice Cream Shop, handed him his waffle cone of chocolate turtle ice cream.

Jonah took the cone and passed Hal his money. “Yeah, can you believe it? We haven’t competed together in years. Not since Adam headed off to medical school and Tate took off to who knows where.” He grinned. Tate’s whereabouts had been a running joke ever since he managed to make a living out of his adventurous escapades and everyone always asked where he was. Half the time, the family couldn’t keep his schedule straight.

Hal chuckled. “That’s the truth. It will be good to see you all together out there again.”

“Thanks, and thanks for this.” Jonah lifted his cone in salute then headed toward the railing to watch the boats in the bay and the people fishing from the pier.

He enjoyed people-watching at the huge, long public pier. It was a fun place. Tourists who didn’t have a boat came here and enjoyed the day. And families especially enjoyed time together here. Watching them, he realized that, probably soon, at least one of his siblings who had just married the loves of their lives would probably announce they were having a baby. He figured it would be Adam and Rosie, but Brad and Lulu might beat them. Erin had just gotten engaged to Nash, so he figured they had awhile yet. It was between Adam and Brad to be the first of the six Sinclair siblings to make their mother ecstatic. Not that either of them were planning a family just to make Maryetta and Leo—their parents—happy; they were both ready to go all-in on their futures.

He licked his cone and tried not to dwell on the fact that the right woman didn’t seem to be in his future. He’d wanted a wife and kids far longer than any of his brothers or sisters, and yet it hadn’t happened for him. And after too many disappointments, he’d grown weary of looking for her. Endless dates had ended with him feeling down, and constantly having to push himself to go on another date, only to realize pretty quickly that this one wasn’t her either. It had just soured him on the whole dating scene and made him think maybe marriage wasn’t in his future.

How can readers find you on the Internet?

Type my name in and I’ll come up J my website is http://debraclopton.com Please join my newsletter and you’ll get all the updates. I’m at all the other places too but start at the website and click the social media you want. Until then, happy reading!

Thank you, Debra, for sharing this new book with my blog readers and me. I’m looking forward to reading it.

Readers, here are links to the book.

Longing for Ever After (Sunset Bay Romance) - Paperback
Longing for Ever After (Sunset Bay Romance Book 4) - 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, 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

WINNERS!!

IMPORTANT: Instructions for winners  - 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 emails per day. I WILL SEARCH FOR POST TITLES STARTING THAT WAY.

Melanie (TX) is the winner of The Witness Tree by Denise Weimer.

Lourdes (NY) is the winner of The 12 Gifts of Christmas by Lena Nelson Dooley.

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.