Welcome, Norma. Why
do you write the kind of books you do?
Besides when you came
to know the Lord, what is the happiest day in your life?
The day I married my husband. We’re going on 44 years and we’ve
still got that lovin’ feelin’. It hasn’t always been easy but we are blessed.
How has being
published changed your life?
It’s a lot of work to be a published author. So much revolves
around book promotion, numbers, and social media. Readers want to know the
author. Social media is supposed to be relational, and that takes time. It’s
also given me confidence in new areas. I’m constantly challenged to grow as a
person and perfect my craft in order to become a better writer. Finding balance
between family, friends, writing time, and book promotion can be a challenge.
What are you reading
right now?
I envy the people who are reading a lot through the
quarantine time. I’ve been editing and preparing for my book launch, so I quit
reading about three months ago. It will be nice to go to work on my To-Be-Read list.
The top book on the list is An Uncommon
Woman by Laura Feagan Frantz. I stopped in the second chapter, so I’ll have
to begin again.
What is your current
work in progress?
There is an edited manuscript for a romantic novella in my
computer. I need to finish it and send it back to the editor. It’s entitled The Song Writer, and is a rewrite of a
story I wrote in high school. I think you could call it a coming of age story
in reverse. Holly, the main character, looks through the peephole in her door and
discovers her ex-husband, the rock star she eloped with when she was eighteen.
What would be your
dream vacation?
Both Land of My Dreams and Within Golden Bands take
place in Scotland .
Kieran MacDonell’s sheep farm is on Loch Garry in the central Highlands .
My husband is a Dutch immigrant, and the countries are very close together. My
dream vacation would be to visit both. This time, I would love to rent a guest
cottage at the place where I set the farm. The actual location is called Ardochy
House.
How do you choose
your settings for each book?
Before our trip to Scotland in 2006, I dreamed about a
man in a kilt playing the bagpipes on a misty mountainside surrounded by sheep.
The dream grew into my books with Kieran MacDonell as the romantic Scottish
sheep farmer/Highland Games competitor. Bonny’s home is in New Mexico , my home, and I love weaving the
two together by contrast. The weather in both also works well as an accompaniment
to the moods of the characters.
If you could spend an
evening with one person who is currently alive, who would it be and why?
I don’t have many living heroes. However, when I was in high
school, my dad helped with security for a Billy Graham Crusade in Albuquerque . We spent an
evening with a couple who worked for the Crusade while they were babysitting Franklin
Graham’s son Will. I would love to sit and talk to him as I admire the way he
runs his father’s organization as well as Samaritan’s Purse. I appreciate most
of the things he says about current world situations.
I agree with your
last statement. What are your hobbies, besides writing and reading?
My husband and I have a camper we’ve only used one season. We
love going out in the mountains and visiting National Parks. I also love heading
into the mountains on 4x4 trails in our Jeep. I don’t have time for a lot of
other hobbies. I’m responsible for my 92-year-old uncle who is in an assisted
living facility near me.
What is your most
difficult writing obstacle, and how do you overcome it?
Aside from balancing the time between writing and book
promotion, I struggle with creating enough conflict. I don’t like it in real
life, so I guess I prefer not to write it. However, the early reviews of Within
Golden Bands would make it appear that I succeeded.
I had a hard time
with adding enough conflict, because I don’t like it in real life. I’m a
peacemaker. What advice would you give to a beginning author?
No matter where you are in your writing career, it’s critical
to attend writer’s conferences and take classes online. We all have to work at
perfecting our craft and growing as writers. It’s also important to have your
work critiqued and to work well with a good editor. Learning to take criticism
and grow from it is a huge part of growth.
Tell us about the
featured book.
Here’s the Back Cover Copy:
Newly married Bonny MacDonell finds the transition from American college professor to Scottish sheep farmer’s wife more difficult than she expected. When her miracle pregnancy ends in a devastating miscarriage, she fears her husband's reaction will hurt more than the loss of their child.
But Kieran never shows up at the hospital. When found, he is beaten and unconscious. The only memory of his attacker is the words, “Get off my land.” Reeling from the threat to her husband and the loss of their child, Bonny struggles to hold her marriage together. When faith in love is not enough, where do you turn?
Newly married Bonny MacDonell finds the transition from American college professor to Scottish sheep farmer’s wife more difficult than she expected. When her miracle pregnancy ends in a devastating miscarriage, she fears her husband's reaction will hurt more than the loss of their child.
But Kieran never shows up at the hospital. When found, he is beaten and unconscious. The only memory of his attacker is the words, “Get off my land.” Reeling from the threat to her husband and the loss of their child, Bonny struggles to hold her marriage together. When faith in love is not enough, where do you turn?
Please give us the
first page of the book.
“Your castles and strongholds shall have bars of iron and
bronze, and as your day, so shall your strength, your rest, and security be.”
Deuteronomy 33:25 AMPC
The incessant beep of a heart monitor drew Bonny MacDonell
out of the blackness, forcing her to look around. In the dim light of the
yellow-curtained cubicle, her eyes traveled up the dark red length of tubing to
where blood dripped from a plastic bag. The unpleasant odor of sickness and antiseptics
only added to her panic.
Hazy images floated through her mind. Stabbing pain. Red
spots on the carpet. Eleanor kneeling.
What was their housekeeper doing?
“My baby!” Bonny’s left hand slid to her abdomen, cupping the
imperceptible swell of her tiny, unborn baby. The fear of losing this baby was a
horrific monster ready to snatch their miracle. Why was she here?
Surgery failed.
Pregnancy impossible. The voice sounded familiar, and Bonny lifted her
eyelids, squinting in the half-lit room. “Dr. Carson?”
The old dream had come again, leaving brokenness in its
wake. Stars flickered against a background of darkness. When a wave of nausea
hit, she squeezed her eyes tight.
Morning sickness. Blue eyes filled with joy. Our baby. Hope-filled
dreams made her want to laugh, dance, and sing. “Kieran?”
Icy rivers of disappointment flowed through her veins. Why
was she alone?
A warm hand touched her arm, and she startled.
“Mrs. MacDonell, you’re awake.” A tall, slender woman with
dark brown hair knotted on top of her head and soft brown eyes stood beside
her.
“Y … yes.” Her new name still sounded strange.
“I’m Sister Isla, your nurse.”
Bonny’s insides shriveled, curling into themselves. “Where
am I? Where’s Kieran?”
“You’re in Belford Hospital in Fort William .
You arrived by helicopter. I’ll find out about your husband.” Isla switched on
the light and slid a paper from the pocket of her blue scrubs. “American. From Loch Garry. On holiday?”
The bright light hurt Bonny’s eyes for the moment they took
to adjust. “American, yes. But my husband … we have a sheep farm on Loch
Garry.” Helicopter? Fear fluttered, millions of moths trapped in her stomach,
attempting to escape. The monitor beeped faster. “My baby?”
“Dr. Moncrieffe will want to know you’re awake. I’ll tell
him.” Isla slipped through the curtain and pulled it closed.
Tears brimmed, memories of the morning forming a knot that rose
from her stomach to her chest. It lodged in her throat and pricked, pinecone-sharp.
Kieran went to the Laddie Wood after stray sheep. Cell phone service there was
patchy at best.
Their honeymoon began in the emergency room in her hometown
of Albuquerque ,
delayed three weeks after the wedding, while they waited for Kieran to recover
from a gunshot wound. Bonny grasped the edge of the sheet in her left hand and
swiped her eyes, remembering his joy when they discovered she had become pregnant
in those joyous first days of their marriage. She tried to warn him the risk
was high. Her failed surgeries for endometriosis, the scar tissue, all made
pregnancy risky for her and the baby. Were they to lose their miracle child at
two and a half months?
How can readers find
you on the Internet?
Social Media Links:
Website: http://normagail.org
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/AuthorNormaGail/
Twitter - https://twitter.com/Norma_Gail
Pinterest - https://www.pinterest.com/normagailth/
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/normagailwrites/
Amazon Author Page – https://www.amazon.com/Norma-Gail/e/B00ILHXBAK/
Thank You, Norma, for
sharing this book with my blog readers and me. I’m glad my book arrived, so I
can start reading it when I finish what I’m reading now.
Readers, here are book links.
Within Golden Bands - https://www.amazon.com/Within-Golden-Bands-Gail-Norma/dp/1941103715/
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10 comments:
Thank you for hosting me, Lena.
Hi, I have read a lot of very good reviews on Norma's book, it really sounds like a very good read, and the cover is Beautiful. <3
Hi, I can't wait to get and read your books. I think I could get lost in tgem.
The best day of my life was when I married my husband too! Love to read Within Golden Bands.
Beth from IA
Thank you, Alicia, Kay, and Reba! I appreciate your kind words and that you took time to stop by! Happy Reading!
Lovely cover. Thanks for the chance. FL
Thansk for stopping by, Nancy!
Enter me in your awesome giveaway!!
Conway SC.
Sounds wonderful! Shelia from Mississippi
Thank you for stopping by, Nancy, Sharon, and Sheila! I hope you enjoy Within Golden Bands!
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