THE GINGERBREAD MAN OF MY DREAMS - Lisa Crane - One Free Ebook

Dear Readers, here’s another Christian Romantic Comedy you won’t want to miss. Lisa writes characters that you can really love, usually with one you can really hate. This book has one of those, too. The unique storyline kept my attention to the end of the book. And I smiled at the satisfying ending. Her characters live on in my mind for a while, I love them so much. I don’t want to give any of the plot away, but you don’t want to miss this wonderful holiday read. I give it 5 stars. This book is an ebook only.

Welcome back, Lisa. God has really been moving in your writing life. What do you see on the horizon?

Someone recently asked me how I deal with writer’s block. I had to think about that because honestly, as long as I’m praying, my writing doesn’t often slow down. So right at the moment, the horizon has several ideas percolating. It’s exciting and a little exhausting. J

Tell us a little about your family.

Last month I celebrated 26 years of marriage with the love of my life, Charles. We have two children. Harley is 24 and wants to go into IT. Chloë is majoring in secondary education at the University of Mississippi, with a minor in Southern Studies. We had a really nice Thanksgiving with Chloë able to be home for a full week, and we’re looking forward to having her home again for Christmas for over a month! We also have three four-footed family members. Jingles is a 14-year-old Jack Russell terrier who thinks he’s still a puppy. Socks is a fluffy tuxedo cat who thinks he’s a doily meant to drape over the arm of the sofa. And then there’s Cash, my daughter’s chiweenie. Let’s just say it’s a good thing he’s cute.

Has your writing changed your reading habits? If so, how?

 That’s a really interesting question. I write romantic comedy, and that’s still my preferred genre for reading. I will say, though, being a part of a good group of authors has changed the way I read. I see mistakes and questionable writing that I didn’t see before—and that includes in my own earlier work. Yikes.

What are you working on right now?

I’m working on two different books, and I’m trying really hard to focus on one. It’s a romance, of course, but it has a heavy element of suspense. In fact, it starts out with the heroine locked in the trunk of a car. Although I’ve written a bit of light suspense in a couple of books, this much suspense is really out of my wheelhouse, so it’s taking me a lot longer to finish this book. But I’m pretty excited about it.

What outside interests do you have?

I love crafting and creating, but I joke that my creative visions don’t always translate from my brain to my hands. Fortunately, I work for a faith-based non-profit organization, and I’m able to create a lot of printed things like postcards, T-shirts, staff gifts, and that type of thing.

How do you choose your settings for each book?

I’m a Texas girl, born and bred. I know small towns and big cities in the Lone Star state. If I don’t use an actual city or town, even my fictional towns are based on somewhere I know in the state. I’ve only written two books that aren’t set entirely in Texas.

If you could spend an evening with one historical person, who would it be and why?

Wow, that’s one of the hardest questions I’ve ever been asked. In fact, I think I answer it differently every time I’m asked. So many people have so much to offer, from wisdom and faith, to knowledge, to plain old fun. A few I can think of would include Teddy Roosevelt, C.S. Lewis, Sojourner Truth, Harriet Tubman, Eleanor Roosevelt, Susan B. Anthony, the apostle Paul, Minnie Pearl … I did say it was a tough question, didn’t I?

What is the one thing you wish you had known before you started writing novels?

Another toughie! I’ve learned so, so much from you and other authors since I first started publishing. I really can’t pick just one thing.

What new lessons is the Lord teaching you right now?

I’ve been in a season lately where I can’t get enough of His word. I realized—or maybe I should say I remembered—a few weeks ago, when I’m in the Word, and the Word is in my heart, there’s no room for the enemy. There’s just not. And that’s where I want to be all the time.

What are the three best things you can tell other authors to do to be successful?

First, just write. So many people have a story inside them, but they don’t think they can do it. You never know if you don’t write it. Second, develop the ability to accept feedback from other authors and yes, critics (on Goodreads, Amazon, etc.). Even if the feedback is negative, it may be something you need to hear about your work. Finally, and this one really is my first piece of advice, pray. I really do pray about my writing, and so far, God has answered my prayers abundantly.

In my life, your last piece of advice is most important. Prayer. And I agree with you that God will answer your prayers and give you more than you could ever come up with on your own. Tell us about the featured book.

Since I started publishing, I’ve tried to write a short story or novella as a Christmas “gift” for my readers. I offer it for free for the length of time Kindle will allow, and $.99 after that. This particular story came from a word puzzle in which two phrases—gingerbread man and man of my dreams—were joined. I thought it was one of the funniest things I’d ever heard, and my imagination took off. The funny thing is, the title is usually the last thing I come up with when I’m writing. In this case, the whole thing was based on my wanting to use that title, The Gingerbread Man of My Dreams.

I also want your readers to note something about the heroine in this novella, Nixie Daniels. So many romances have these petite little heroines, and the hero is always gazing down at her or picking her up or protecting her. Nixie is six-foot-two. The hero, Rye Larson, is just over six feet. Nixie doesn’t believe most men will think she’s beautiful because of her height. This issue is kind of near and dear to my heart because my beautiful, brilliant, godly daughter is six-foot-two. The number of young men who have been unable to see past her height is heart-wrenching, and I specifically wanted to write a hero for her, the kind of man I pray God is shaping for her now.

Please give us the first page of the book for my readers.

Nixie Daniels slowed as she turned into the cul-de-sac.

Unbelievable.

Her driveway was completely blocked by a moving truck. She knew the house beside hers had sold, but she’d hoped the new people would be nice. Friendly even. But no, they were the kind of people who left their moving truck so it blocked someone else’s driveway.

She parked in the street, grabbed her things, and stomped up the drive to her front door. Juggling her laptop bag, her purse, and her lunch bag, she managed to find her keys. As she unlocked the door, she mentally grumbled about the new neighbor.

Normally, she’d be parking in her garage, and she’d be out of the frigid wind. In fact, she’d already be inside by now. Ah, well. Getting all riled up wouldn’t do any good. They’d move the truck soon enough.

She set her things down on the island in the kitchen, listening for the sound of claws clicking on the hardwood floors. Sure enough, Totino came skidding into the kitchen, managing to stop before he slid into Nixie’s legs. The slender Italian greyhound sat in response to her command, then offered a delicate paw.

Nixie shook his paw, then scrubbed her fingertips around his ears. “Who’s a handsome boy? Who’s the best dog in the world? That’s right. Totino is. Tino’s the best doggie ever.”

She opened the back door, and Totino bounded out. He ran a few laps around the perimeter of the yard, following the fence. He sniffed the air in the direction of the neighboring house, then barked, his sharp voice loud in the relative quiet of the evening.

“Shut up already!” Another voice—this one human—came from the house next door.

How can readers find you on the Internet?

I don’t have an author page on Facebook, but I’m pretty active on my personal page as Lisa Miller Crane. I frequently ask my Facebook friends and followers questions; you never know when you might get to help me name a character. I’m also on Twitter and Instagram as @happyheart1993. My email address is happyheart1993@yahoo.com, and I love to hear from readers.

Thank you, Lisa, for sharing this new book with my blog readers. I know they will love it as much as I did.

Readers, here’s a link to the book.

The Gingerbread Man of My Dreams: A romantic Christmas novella

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