A NURSE FOR JACOB - Caryl McAdoo - One Free Book

Welcome back, Caryl.

Thank you so much for having me back, Lena! I love coming to visit with you!

You have a lot of books out now. What is your favorite setting to use in your books?

Yes, ma’am! At the end of 2020, I’ll have fifty-six titles published. Since 2015, I’ve averaged seven new titles a year. That’s a lot when you’re doing all the negotiating for covers, formatting, publishing and marketing by yourself . The only thing I have help with is, of course, the writing since Ron and I write together.

As for my favorite settings. That’s got to be Texas. Even my June 2020 release, KENTUCKY BRIDE, my heroine meets and falls for a Texas Ranger fighting for the Confederacy! I’m a true blue, loyal Texan by heart even though I was born in California.  

My Texas Romances Family Saga is set in Clarksville, seat of Red River County where we live now. This area is so ripe with history; it lent itself as a wonderful setting. And we know the land so well. That series has ten full-length novels and six Texas Companion Books of those families’ ancestors and descendants.

My characters travel and some even move to both coasts—San Francisco and New York. Some even went to Alaska, but Texas is always home.

There’s about to be five titles so far in my new Cross Timbers Romance Family Saga where each of the novels has Texas in its title. Those families came to Texas in 1840 from Tennessee. They’ve done some traveling, too.

A NURSE FOR JACOB, we randomly set in New Orleans and the Touro Infirmary or Hospital now. 

What do you look for when you’re shopping for a book to buy for yourself?

I must admit, writing seven titles a year leaves little time for reading, but God is slowing me down. He keeps having me remove things from my plate. The only blog I have left is my own at my website which I haven’t written for in a long time.

Many of my author friends send me their books for endorsements, but if the stories don’t hook me right away, I don’t finish them. When one does, I can’t put it down and get so far behind! I cannot remember the last time I went shopping for a book. I truly hate saying that.

I do understand. With my newest 3-book contract, I don’t have many other activities. Give us a little tour of the setting for this book.

The book opens when Lydia Andres, freshly graduated from the Harrows

School of Nursing, arrives at Touro Infirmary to begin her career. Ron and I have been to New Orleans once, and I don’t suppose we will ever go back. But it has been a setting where many of our characters go.

This is the first time a whole story—albeit quite short, the shortest we’ve written—is set there, but we don’t mention the seedy parts. Lydia meets her doctor and they start out being friends, going to the theatre and working together in New Orleans.

It's short because the authors who organized the collection set the lengths of the stories. When you sign up for a collection, you should adhere to the guidelines the leaders of that collection set. I prefer writing a long book.    

What other books do you have coming out soon?

On September first, I’m quite excited to release TEXAS TROUBLES, book five in the Cross Timbers Romance Family Saga I mentioned earlier and, it’s also in the third annual Thanksgiving Books and Blessings Collection which as you know, I organize each year. I was blessed for you to be a part of it the first year with ESTHER’S TEMPTATION!

TEXAS TROUBLES covers the Civil War period. What an oxymoron to call that war civil in any world. It actually opens in the summer of 1860 before the war started with a true incident of Texas history called Texas Troubles. Several towns burned on the same day: Dallas, Denton, and Pilot Point. Negro slaves were blamed and hung. Many say it was the beginning of the war.

The two young scallywag boys—if memory serves they were five and six in 1840, characters of GONE TO TEXAS, book one of the Cross Timbers series. Now they have grown into men, and they’re off to fight in the craziness—on opposite sides. It’s an epic story with two romances in its pages that is available on Pre-order nowhere:  https://www.amazon.com/Texas-Troubles-Timbers-Thanksgiving-Blessings-ebook/dp/B08DJ7YKS8
           

Please give us a glimpse inside your home.

Ron and I built a metal home on 34 acres I call The Peaceable. We still had the four grandsons when we moved in July of 2013. There’s two bedrooms and two baths downstairs and four cubicles upstairs, one for each boy. The last one left in 2017, so at age 67, we became empty nesters!

We didn’t put central heat and air in the house. So now, we only cool one room unless company comes—our bedroom. It has both our computer desks, a comfy TV watching, nap chair for Ron, a fireplace, and our queen-sized bed. This is where all the writing is done unless we’re traveling.

Here’s a photo taken from the living room door into our room. I sit at the big armoire desk in the far corner, Ron’s desk is on the wall to the right. 

We pretty much stay in there unless we’re eating or outside working in the yard. We eat in the dining room where I painted some fun woods with a deer, a couple of squirrels and a mama bird with a nest full of hungry mouths.

I’m trying to carve a yard out in the middle of The Peaceable’s woods. Ron wasn’t onboard at first. He liked the no-work “natural” look, but I kept working at it until finally, he agreed it was looking better and better and is helping me now.

After all, didn’t God first say to tend the garden? 
  

Is this novel part of a series or a stand-alone book?

A NURSE FOR JACOB, for me, is a standalone story. It doesn’t have any of my other books’ characters in it. Even though I love doing that. It is a part of a multi-author collection, “Nursing the Heart” in which all the stories are standalone from each other. The connection is that all the nurses have just graduated in the same class at the fictitious Harrow’s School of Nursing.

Tell us about the story.

The jacket copy goes like this: Physician heal thyself.
While physical wounds heal with time, a special balm is needed to heal those sick of soul. In the Civil War aftermath, two such people’s paths cross.

Recent graduate of the Harrow School of Nursing first class in May 1868,

Lydia Andrews arrives at the Touro Infirmary in New Orleans, hired on Clara Barton’s endorsement. There she meets Doctor Jacob Johnston, and both soon learn that love is the salve to soothe wounded souls.

Lydia had gone with her aunt and mother to get men off the battlefield near their home. They did what was needed in the field then got the men back to their house where they nursed them. One she nursed, she fell in love with, but he went back to war and was killed.

That and the joy of helping those wounded caused her to love nursing and submit to the school for admittance.

Please give us the first page of the book.

New Orleans, May 4, 1868

Lydia admired the two-story building from the corner of Gaienne and Old Levee Streets, strode up the walk, then stopped at the Infirmary’s front door and adjusted her cap. She smoothed her apron, ready to open the portal to her new life. The attendant at the admissions desk eyed her a bit too hard, then stood.

“May I help you, Miss?” The old lady’s tone implied she hated surprises and had a strong desire to know it all. Perhaps she loved order above all else.

Hopefully, a smile would soften her.

“Yes, ma’am. Might you please direct me to the matron? I’m Nurse Lydia Andrews from the Harrow School of Nursing, graduation class of 1868, reporting for duty, ma’am.” She almost started to salute, but instead, just smiled.

The woman didn’t seem amused or impressed.

“I believe the matron is expecting me, ma’am. She’s discussed me coming with Miss Clara Barton herself.”

A feminine wailing came from down the hall to the woman’s right and drowned out her response. The lady shot a furtive glance in that direction then looked back. “Uh . . .”

Another scream, that one louder than the first and even more painful sounding, caused Lydia to take a step toward the commotion.

“Ma’am? Is someone with her? Should I go see?”

The receptionist shrugged. “She’s been like that for a while now. Doctor Johnston should be here any minute. I’ve already sent word upstairs.”

“I see. Thank you.” Lydia did a quick sidestep. “I’ll just go take a peek and see if perhaps I may be of assistance.”

Another scream threatened to pierce the air asunder. She picked up her pace then burst into the exam room. The extremely pregnant woman lay on the table, her husband holding her hand. He appeared as though he might pass out any minute himself.

Lydia grabbed a stool, plopped down at the table’s foot, and threw the sheet back. The baby’s head had presented. Another contraction hit. The lady pushed, screaming again, but not as loud that time. The baby’s head didn’t move.

It took the poor woman three more contractions with Lydia helping to get the baby out. She cleaned the child’s mouth then swatted the little one’s bottom, being rewarded with a nice, healthy, albeit plenty angry, cry. As precious as anything could ever be, the newborn boy had been through quite the ordeal himself! And he wasn’t one little bit happy about it.

  

She laid him on his mama’s belly, tied off and cut the cord, then readied to receive the placenta. The afterbirth looked complete, but she saved it in case the doctor wanted to examine it. Another woman came in, took a quick look and ran out again. In mere minutes, she returned with water and towels.

It didn’t take long to realize the new mother was bleeding too much. The baby’s head had torn open a six-inch gash in the birth canal.  Lydia’s eyes searched those of the woman.

“Where’s Doctor James?”

The other lady, maybe twice her age, only shrugged. “I’m sorry, I have no idea. Two hours ago, he was in surgery. Two gamblers got into it, and he was working on the loser. Haven’t seen him since then.”

How can readers find you on the Internet?

I wouldn’t imagine that would be any hill for a stepper! I’m all over the internet! I have author’s pages at Amazon, Simon and Schuster, BookBub, All Author, Book Gorilla, and Southern Writers Magazine! Plus, I participate in all the social media sites! Here are those links and others!

Author Pages:

Amazon - http://www.amazon.com/Caryl-McAdoo/e/B00E963CFG

BookBub - https://www.bookbub.com/authors/caryl-mcadoo?follow=true  

Simon & Schuster - http://tinyurl.com/S-SCarylsPage

BookGorilla - http://www.bookgorilla.com/author/B00E963CFG/caryl-mcadoo
Southern Writers Magazine - http://authors.southernwritersmagazine.com/caryl-mcadoo.html

Sweet Americana Sweethearts – http://bit.ly/2q0tcfFbit.ly     

Website: http://www.CarylMcAdoo.com    

Newsletter: http://carylmcadoo.com/sign-up-to-the-caryler/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_1hQx6UZbWi3OYwmKKxh6Q  

                            (Hear Caryl sing her New Songs!)

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/CarylMcAdoo.author

Blogs: 
The Word & the Music http://carylmcadoo.com/blog/

GoodReads:  http://tinyurl.com/GoodReadsCaryl

Google+: http://tinyurl.com/CarylsGooglePlus

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/caryl-mcadoo-00562323

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/CarylMcAdoo

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/CarylMcAdoo

Puzzle: https://www.jigsawplanet.com/?rc=play&pid=01cec718487b

Thank you again for inviting me, Lena! Blessings to you and James!

And thank you, Caryl, for sharing this new book with us. I know my blog readers are as anxious as I am to find out what happens next.

Readers, here’s a link to the book.

https://amzn.to/3fbguA5

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

THE GENTLEMAN SPY - Erica Vetsch - One Free Book Here plus more

Welcome back, Erica. How did you come up with the idea for this story?

The Gentleman Spy is the second book in the Serendipity and Secrets Series, and the idea came because I so enjoyed writing about Marcus Haverly in the first book. He was mysterious, helpful, knowing, and intriguing. He’s a spy for the Crown, a newly-minted duke, and a man in need of a wife. I knew I wanted to get to know him better and give him his own story.

If you were planning a party with Christian authors of contemporary fiction, what six people would you invite and why?

This is such a tough question. I have so many writer friends! I just know I will exclude someone…I do have some friends who are always up for a writer-dinner, so I’ll say Susan May Warren, Gabrielle Meyer, Ruth Logan Herne, Andrew Huff, Missy Tippens, and Katie Ganshert. (And a whole lot more who are welcome!)

Now let’s do that for a party for Christian authors of historical fiction, what six people would you invite and why?

I have even more friends who write historical fiction! I find it so difficult to choose…I’ll go with Mary Connealy, Julie Klassen, Michelle Griep, Jan Drexler, Vickie McDonough, and Amanda Barratt. That would be a historical fiction writer’s PARTY!

Many times, people (and other authors) think you have it made with so many books published. What is your most difficult problem with writing at this time in your career?

At the moment, it’s a bit of pandemic fatigue and struggling to concentrate! With all that was/is going on in the world, I’ve felt a bit of anxiety and lack of focus. It’s getting better, Praise the Lord, but it has been a grind this year so far.

I so understand. Tell us about the featured book.

The Gentleman Spy is book two of three in the Serendipity and Secrets series. Here’s a bit of information from the back cover:

He only wanted a duchess for a day—but she’s determined to make it a marriage for life

When his father and older brother suddenly pass away, the new Duke of Haverly is saddled with a title he never expected to bear. To thwart the plans of his scheming family, the duke impulsively marries a wallflower. After all, she’s meek and mild; it should be easy to sequester her in the country and get on with his life—as a secret agent for the Crown.

But his bride has other ideas. She’s determined to take her place not only as his duchess but as his wife. As a duchess, she can use her position to help the lowest of society—the women forced into prostitution because they have no skills or hope. Her endeavors are not met favorably in society, nor by her husband who wishes she’d remain in the background as he ordered.

Can the duke succeed in relegating her to the sidelines of his life? When his secrets are threatened with exposure, will his new wife be an asset or a liability?

Please give us the first page of the book.

He supposed that someday he would have to forgive the child for being a girl.

Marcus Haverly took one look at the squirming pink bundle in the nurse’s arms and sighed, the weight of the world threatening to push him into the ornate rug beneath his Hessians. He set down the book he’d been reading, his appetite for the written word evaporating as reality set in.

His mother dragged into the study, her shoulders slumped, her hands lax.

Who was more disappointed? He would hate to have to live on the difference. He rose, put his hands into the pockets of his breeches, and went to stand before the window, staring out into the night. Frost rimed the edges of the panes, and in the distance, black trees lifted skeletal arms toward the moon.

“How is Cilla?” he asked.

“The accoucheur has just gone. He says everything went well but that she needs rest.” Mother’s voice sounded as if she spoke from the bottom of a pit. “I can’t bear it. A girl.”

Marcus glanced over his shoulder in time to see her sink into a chair, the very picture of despair. The poor woman. All her hopes dashed in a split second.

Readers, there’s a wonderful giveaway for the release of this new book. To enter, click on any of these links:

https://www.audrajennings.com/2020/07/win-copy-of-gentleman-spy.html   
https://www.ericavetsch.com/giveaway.html
https://promosimple.com/ps/10029/the-gentleman-spy

How can readers find you on the Internet?

I have a website at www.ericavetsch.com and am on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/EricaVetschAuthor/ (Where I spend way too much time!)

Don’t we all? Thank you, Erica, for sharing this new book with me and my blog readers. I’m eager to read it.

Readers, here are links to the book.
The Gentleman Spy - Christianbook.com
The Gentleman Spy (Serendipity & Secrets) - Amazon paperback
The Gentleman Spy (Serendipity & Secrets Book 2)  - 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

SON OF MARY - Randy Ingermanson - One Free Book

Dear Readers, I’ve known Randy Ingermanson for decades, and I’ve loved every book of his I’ve read. Many of them were outside the box for the time period when they were published. He’s an amazing author, and like me, he spends time helping other authors improve their work—and work easier.

Welcome back after a long time, Randy. Tell us how much of yourself you write into your characters.

Every character of mine gets a little of my DNA. Some of them get only a little and some get a lot, but I’d say none of them ever gets more than about 1/3 of their genes from me. Of all my characters, probably my man Dillon Richard in my novel Double Vision is most like me, but I’d say Ari Kazan from my City of God series is also a lot like me. And Yoni, from my Crown of Thorns series has a striking resemblance to me at the age of 13.

I absolutely loved Double Vision. It helped my brother understand his grandson who is high-functioning on the autistism scale. What is the quirkiest thing you have ever done?

I don’t know if this counts as quirky, but my wife and I were accosted by a team of pickpockets in Jerusalem several years ago.

In that particular part of the city, the difference between a safe neighborhood and an unsafe neighborhood can be a hundred yards or so. We found ourselves in an unsafe place where there were two of us and three of them. They were young and nimble, and we were not.

The only advantage we had was that we knew they were pickpockets, and they didn’t know that we knew.

At one point, one of them had his hands on my iPhone. Unfortunately for him, I had a stronger grip.

It’s too long of a story to tell here, but we stayed calm and did what we had to, and we got back to a safe neighborhood with our wallets still in our pockets.

And the whole time, I was thinking this will go into a novel, someday.

That’s what novelists do. I’m still waiting for the book where I can use being caught in a riptide on a beach in Mexico, where I nearly drowned. When did you first discover that you were a writer?

I wrote my first book when I was in grade school. The title of the book was The Lion That Didn’t Like Noise.

Nobody told me to. I just sat down and wrote it out. I don’t remember exactly when, but probably second or third grade, because I was obsessed with lions in second grade.

I have no idea what happened to that story, but from that time on, I knew that someday I was going to write fiction and get it published.

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

In a pinch, I’ll read practically anything, even the back of the Cheerios box.

I read quite a lot of nonfiction, most of it as research for my novels. So I’ve read at least a couple of hundred books on the New Testament world, history, archaeology, Biblical studies, cultural anthropology, and sometimes philosophy. Once in a while, I even read a book on theology, although that’s not my main interest.

I also read tons of fiction. In graduate school, I got a taste for spy novels, so for a while I read a lot of Robert Ludlum, John LeCarre, Tom Clancy, etc. I like a good legal thriller. I was also a huge fan of both The Lord of the Rings and the Harry Potter series. I also like World War II novels, and just about anything by Ken Follett will get my money.

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

It sounds like you imagine that I’ve kept my sanity, so I’ll play along and pretend I have.

The truth is that real life is chaos, this year more than any I can ever remember. My wife helps keep me on balance, more or less, and I have a circle of 12 very close friends who I stay in touch with constantly.

As for dealing with the chaos, I’ve steadily gotten better over the years at managing tasks and projects. I’m a big fan of a tool at KanbanFlow.com that helps me track all the things I’m not doing. And I’ve found David Allen’s bestselling book Getting Things Done to be exceptionally powerful.

How do you choose your characters’ names?

Lately, that’s been very easy, because I’ve been focusing on historical novels set in the New Testament time period, and so most of the character names are handed to me.

When I add in a fictitious character, I make sure to use names that were actually used in the first century in Jerusalem or in Galilee. Archaeologists and Biblical scholars have compiled lists of those names along with their frequencies, so we know that half of all women in Jerusalem were named either Miryam or Shlomzion. And we know that around 15 to 20% of all men had the name Shimon.

What is the accomplishment that you are most proud of?

I’d say it’s earning a PhD in theoretical physics from UC Berkeley. The reason I’m proud of that is that there was no luck involved. Nobody hands you a PhD at UCB for just showing up. You have to do the work and earn it.

I don’t come from a family of academic people. My dad was a diesel mechanic for the US Army and my mother never went to college. So we had no family tradition of college or graduate school.

But I decided in high school that I wanted to understand how the universe works, so I majored in physics in college, and ten years later, I had the PhD.

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

I have several cats, and they seem to have it pretty easy, so I’ll go with a cat.

What is your favorite food?

My wife makes a mean stir-fry, with tofu.

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

Honestly, I don’t have a lot of time for writing. There’s a lot going on in my life besides writing.

I have a day job that keeps me thinking hard all the time, and I have a wife and family. My daughters are now grown and on their own, but it was a constant scramble for many years to earn a living. And we have about two and a half acres of land that needs attention.

I have only one hour per day budgeted for actual writing. So that’s my challenge, to manage what little time I have and get my books written.

I do what I do with help from the tools I mentioned above—KanbanFlow.com and the methods of the Getting Things Done book.

Tell us about the featured book.

My novel, Son of Mary, is the first book in a series of four novels about the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth.

In this book, I’m focusing on what should be an obvious question. And yet I’ve never yet read a book that raises this question: What did Mary tell the village about how she got pregnant?

Christians looking back over 20 centuries somehow think it was “obvious” that everyone knew that Mary got pregnant via a miracle.

But that is not obvious at all. Nobody at the time believed the Messiah would be born to a virgin. Nobody read the prophecies of Isaiah that way at that time.

If one of my daughters had come home pregnant at the age of 12, I wouldn’t believe a story about a miraculous conception. If your daughter did it, you wouldn’t believe it either.

Nazareth was a farm village of mostly peasants. Those are the hardest people in the world to fool about an unplanned pregnancy. Farmers have goats and sheep and cows that get pregnant. They know how it happens. They know a young girl of the age of 12 doesn’t just get pregnant on her own. They know there has to be a man involved.

And it seems very, very, very likely that Mary never told anyone anything about how she got pregnant.

How can I say that with such confidence?

Because I read the Bible. If Mary had told anyone that her child was due to a miracle by God, who would she have told first? Obviously, Joseph. Because he was the guy who was going to marry her. If anyone would have demanded an explanation, it was Joseph.

But the Bible clearly tells us that Joseph didn’t get a satisfactory explanation from Mary. Read it yourself here: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=matthew+1%3A19-20&version=NASB

Matthew 1:19 tells us that Joseph wanted to break off the wedding. Does that sound like a man who got a good explanation from his fiancée?

Matthew 1:20 tells us that an angel appeared to Joseph in a dream and explained it to him. If he already had a good explanation, why did he need an angel?

So we have only two possibilities:

Mary told Joseph, but he didn’t believe her, so it took an angel to convince him.

Mary never told Joseph at all, so he needed an angel to explain it to him.

I think Mary was smart enough to know that Joseph wouldn’t believe her. So she didn’t tell him. And if she didn’t tell him, she didn’t tell anyone. And you can bet Joseph didn’t tell anyone either, for the exact same reason—farmers would never believe such a thing. Farmers are not stupid, and they would resent being treated as if they were gullible fools.

Now think about that situation. The village knows Mary is pregnant. They know that Joseph is not the father, because they know Joseph is a righteous man AND he almost divorced her over the matter (see Matthew 1:16). They conclude that some other man of the village must be the father.

Nazareth was a small village of maybe 200 souls. In a village like that, every woman is asking if her husband was the one who got seduced by that shameless little hussy, Mary. And every man is furious that his own wife suspects him of crawling in bed with that hot little number, Mary.

See what’s happened? Everyone blames Mary. Everyone hates Mary. And everyone is going to rub her nose in it for the rest of her life, until she comes clean and confesses her sin and tells the village who is the blood father of her son Jesus.

And Mary can never set the record straight, because how can she do that? There’s no way in the world to prove a virgin conception. There’s no way. Mary has to endure humiliation from the village year after year in shame, and it never gets better.

And that’s the problem Jesus has to solve in Son of Mary. Can he clear his mother’s name? Can he remove the stigma from his own name?

And by the way, if he can’t, then there’s no way he’s ever going to convince anyone he’s the Messiah, because the true son of David needs to be a legitimate son of the line of David. That’s in the Bible too.

Jesus has a serious problem. How’s he going to solve it?

I so agree with you, Randy. I’ve written a series of dramatic monologues around the birth of Jesus. And that aspect is included in them. Please give us the first page of the book.

My son Yeshua is making a scandal again.

He just came in the village gate holding the hand of a woman.

That is not done in Israel. It is a big scandal if a man talks with a woman. A bigger scandal to walk with a woman. Bigger yet to hold the hand of a woman.

But my son does all these things.

My Yeshua does not fear to make a scandal.

That is why I love him best of all my sons.

I am sure the woman is a sinful woman. A woman of shame. A zonah.

My son has brought home zonahs before. The village says it is a foolishness. I say it is a kindness.

Yeshua stops inside the gate to greet the village elders who sit all day taking their ease in the cool shade. He talks with the men and smiles kindly on the zonah, both at the same time.

The men do not look on the zonah, but they look on Yeshua and grin on him and slap their fat thighs and make a mighty roar on some jest he makes.

Yeshua turns and smiles on me.

It warms my heart that he smiles on me in the face of the village elders, who hate me. There was some man of HaShem who told me once that a sword would pierce my heart on account of Yeshua. That has not happened yet, and I beg HaShem it never will. When my son smiles on me, I can almost forget the matter of piercing.

Almost.

Yeshua pulls on the zonah’s hand to come this way.

I am standing outside our house, which is at the south end of the village. Nazareth is long and narrow, one dirt street with stone houses on both sides. The village gate opens into the village square, not far from our house.

Yeshua makes a big smile on me.

He runs at me.

He lifts me in his arms and spins me around and around.

He kisses my left cheek. He kisses my right cheek. He kisses my lips.

A kiss and a kiss and a kiss, in the open street, as I am some man of honor and not the most shamed woman in the village.

Read the rest at: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0863CSFDG

Wow! That’s powerful. How can readers find you on the Internet?

My website is at https://ingermanson.com

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

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

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.

Some people don't read the instructions of how to enter. Unfortunately, they don't have a chance to win. so next time you come and leave a comment, be sure to read all the instructions if you want a chance to win.

Melanie (TX) is the winner of Only a Glimpse by LuAnn K Edwards. 

Lual K (MT) is the winner of Collision of Lies by Tom Threadgill.

Wendy (NE) is the winner of Four Seasons of Love 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.

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.

Some people don't read the instructions of how to enter. Unfortunately, they don't have a chance to win. so next time you come and leave a comment, be sure to read all the instructions if you want a chance to win.

 Lucy (WV) is the winner of Before I Wake by Clare Revell. 

Elva (SC) is the winner of Love's Mountain Quest by Misty M Beller.

Connie (KY) is the winner of Second Helpings by Linda Rondeau. 

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.

THE BEAUTIFUL ASHES OF GOMEZ GOMEZ - Buck Storm - One Free Book

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

Some, probably—it’s natural. But my characters cover a pretty broad spectrum, and I try hard to get out of the way and let them speak for themselves. I figure they have a lot more to say than I do.

What is the quirkiest thing you have ever done?

Oh man, you’re talking to a longtime songwriter/traveler who’s used the world as his backyard. I’ve literally lived a life of quirk. We might need another blog for that! I don’t know if I’d call it the quirkiest, but one of the dumbest things I’ve ever done is taking a job as a singing telegram in Los Angeles years ago. Not a good job for a semi-introvert (in my defense, I was starving). I got fired after about five minutes and was lucky to last that long.  

When did you first discover that you were a writer?

Boy, when that happens, I’ll let you know…

Actually, I can’t remember a time in life when I didn’t consider myself a writer, even though it took most of my life to get there professionally. Maybe I was just biding my time collecting characters and stories. I remember lying on the Los Angeles apartment application when my wife and I married back in 1989. I listed my profession as “writer.” I figured it wasn’t much of a stretch—after all, I wrote songs, and I’d get to books eventually. It took me twenty-five years and a lot of miles to become a novelist but I’m happy to report, several books in now, I made good on that application.

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

I love good writing and it comes in a lot of different genres, so I don’t lock myself in to anything specific. For instance, I’ve got a professor friend who often sends me books I’ve never heard of let alone read. I always look forward to reading new authors, seeing their approach, and hearing what they have to say. I’ve been on a big John MacDonald kick lately, but I usually have several books going at once. Right now, for instance (I’m looking at the stack on my desk): Patrick O’Brian, Ayn Rand, Mark Twain, Louis L’Amour, Dashiel Hammett, Hemingway, Bukowski, Roddy Doyle… That’s a very partial list, and only in this stack (we won’t talk about the fact Tom Wolfe is hanging out in my bathroom right now). I think I might have a book problem!

My husband told me that if I die first, he could open a library with all my books, so I understand. How do you keep your sanity in our run, run, run world?

Ha. My family and friends might tell you I hold sanity with a fairly loose grip. To tell you the truth, I find life pretty peaceful for the most part. I do what I love. I get to spend my days hanging out with my God, my family (my kids and their spouses all live with us on our property here in northern Idaho), and I write pretty much every day. I’m a blessed man and don’t for a second take it for granted.

On the same property? I feel blessed that all our children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren all live in the suburbs of Fort Worth, Texas. How do you choose your characters’ names?

Hmm. I guess I just think of them. Sometimes I’ll ask my family to throw out ideas if I’m stuck on it. Or I’ll assign something random and keep pressing at the story until something clicks. I don’t spend a lot of time dwelling on it. What works for me is to keep things fluid and not be married to particulars. Even names. I’ve written whole books and changed a name or two at the last minute before submitting a manuscript.

What is the accomplishment that you are most proud of?

Without hesitation, my family (although this is God’s accomplishment, not mine). My wife and I have had a truly special love story from the start. And I’m in absolute awe at the adults my kids have grown into. They, along with their spouses, are our best friends. I don’t deserve any of it, but I thank God for it every day.

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

Well, my wife says she’d be a dolphin, so I guess I’d be that since it would be decidedly inconvenient to be a separate species form my spouse. Although…considering…I might add wings to the dolphin. That would be a twist. And I’d also be a dolphin who could enjoy a good taco once in a while. 

What is your favorite food?

That’s funny, my family and I had this exact conversation for over two hours last night. It’s a hard question! But I grew up on the Mexican border and, for me, nothing tops good Mexican food. Although, I have to say Greek is a close second.

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

I think the hardest (and surprising) thing I found about writing, at least in the early days, was that it’s a very solitary discipline. I’m kind of an introvert and have no problem being alone for long stretches but as a writer you have to be able to live day in and day out with no one but your characters. After all, it’s all in your head. You’re the only person on the planet who knows anything about this story. So, in my case at least, I’ll go eight months, a year, maybe longer without any real feedback from other humans. At some point, doubt starts to knock. What if everything I’ve poured into this for months and months is horrible? Useless? It’s a good chunk of my life!

The bottom line is, every writer has to, at some point, dig deep and find some level of confidence in themselves and in their stories or they’ll continually struggle. There has to be a sense of fearless self-reliance and that takes time. Because, with writing, you have to figure out what works for you. You can’t be someone else. You can study the craft endlessly, get all the rules down, get your head shot (coffee cup in hand), go to all the right conferences, read all the right marketing blogs, but, at some point, you have to put pen to page and be you. You have to tell your stories.

I imagine I’m not alone in saying that, even after my first couple publishing deals, I was waiting for the shoe to drop. I just knew someone was going to figure out I had no idea what I was doing. I finally had to decide that my success as a writer wasn’t going to be measured by whether or not a publisher liked my work, sales numbers, what the experts say the market is looking for, etc. I’m just need to honor God in my life and tell my stories. And I’m having a heck of a good time doing it.

   

Yes, we each have a unique right way to put our stories on paper. Early on, whenever I’d hear a successful writer tell how to write, I’d try it. I always quickly went back to what works for me. Tell us about the featured book.

Well, it’s your basic homeless widower drinking himself to death in the bushes slash Catholic Priest love story… Sounds weird when I think about it.

It’s essentially a quirky David and Goliath match up, pitting eccentric, homeless widower against a wealthy and influential businessman. Gomez Gomez has lost his wife, Angel, in a head-on collision and, grieving, he’s moved into the bushes next to the crash site to basically drink himself to death. It’s sacred ground to him. He’s always been a little (or a lot) out there, and alcohol certainly doesn’t help the situation—thus the talking to snakes and the stars and the sequined, jump-suited Elvis who occasionally turns up. Sonny Harmon, who owns the car dealership next door to Gomez Gomez’s vacant lot wants the land to expand. He basically doesn’t even consider Gomez Gomez human. The town squares up and takes sides. Hopefully, so does the reader.

Please give us the first page of the book.

Gomez Gomez talked to snakes. Something many might’ve found odd had the subject in question not been Gomez Gomez. Even as a kid he was considered a half bubble off plumb.

           

Their loss, he figured. A simple problem—people didn’t know how to listen. He couldn’t blame them, of course. The world at large, the ones outside the glass looking in, had no way of knowing. No, it wasn’t their fault. They had no real perspective. No foundation in the exceptional.

           

Not like him. He understood the exceptional. He’d breeched the glass. After all, he’d been married to Angel. At least before she’d learned how to die.

           

The other thing they didn’t understand—couldn’t understand—was that Gomez Gomez never initiated the conversation.

           

And the thing about snakes, they always had a lot to say.

           

The shrill phrases of the garter snakes, the machine-gun staccato of the red racers—you couldn’t get a word in edgewise with those guys—the coughing hasp of the gopher snake. The big rattler, five feet at least, scared him with his dusty slur, but his stories were by far the most interesting.

           

This afternoon a huge king snake stretched himself out on the log under the mesquite tree and regaled Gomez Gomez with tales of the hunt in his comfortable, booming baritone.

           

Gomez Gomez sipped from a paper bag-wrapped Thunderbird wine bottle then arched an eyebrow at the big king. “You told me that one before.”

           

“Did I?” the snake said.

           

“You told me most of these before. You have a bad habit of repeating yourself.”

           

“You know you’re cranky when you drink?”

           

“Then I’m always cranky.”

           

“Good point.”

           

“And don’t judge me.”

           

“Why would I? Still, you must know you’re killing yourself.”

           

“Not fast enough, you ask me.” Gomez Gomez took another pull. “Besides, Thunderbird is first rate snake-hearing juice. Nothin’ like it. Seems like that’s something you’d be all for.”

           

“Maybe, but I worry. What would Angel say?”

           

“She don’t say nothing anymore. She never does. Can’t even dream about her. And leave her out of it, anyway.”

           

“I’m just saying that some ghosts have heavier footsteps than others.”

           

“You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

           

The snake lifted his head, flicked his tongue against the clear Arizona autumn air. “So what’s on the paper?”

           

“What paper?”

           

“The one in your hand that has you so upset.”

Wow! I want to know what’s on the paper, too. How can readers find you on the Internet?

http://www.buckstorm.com

Thank you, Buck, for sharing The Beautiful Ashes of Gomez Gomez with my blog readers and me. I’m eager to read it. And thank you for the fun interview.

Readers, here are links to the book.

The Beautiful Ashes of Gomez Gomez  - Christianbook.com
The Beautiful Ashes of Gomez Gomez (Ballads of Paradise) - Amazon

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

SOUL TO TAKE - Clare Revell - One Free Ebook

Welcome back, Clare. How did you come up with the idea for this story?

Blame Lisa, my editor. I had a random email from her along the lines of ‘I was driving along and four titles popped into my head. Here they are. Do with them what you like, or nothing at all.’ So I did. And this isn’t the first time that’s happened either. Turned came about in a similar manner.

If you were planning a party with Christian authors of contemporary fiction, what six people would you invite and why?

Umm, tough choice. Problem is they all live in other countries and travel is forbidden right now. So it’d have to be a virtual one, but if not then they’d come to my house. And if I chose some I’d upset others… But Jan Elder, Marianne Evans, Mary Manners, Dora Heirs, Marion Ueckermann, Delia Latham. Because it’d be fun and I could make them a proper English high tea.

I know some of those authors. It would be a fun high tea, for sure. Now let’s do that for a party for Christian authors of historical fiction, what six people would you invite and why?

Umm, honestly, I haven’t really read much historical Christian fiction. So it’d be Loree Lough and Nicola Beaumont (assuming gothic counts as historical.)

It does. I love Loree Lough. You might try one of my historical novels sometime. Many times, people (and other authors) think you have it made with so many books published. What is your most difficult problem with writing at this time in your career?

Right now, it’d be never having the house quiet or to myself. I need total silence in which to write and I just don’t get that right now. And I’m not as rich as people like to think either. It’d be easy to sit back and say, yeah, I’ve written 60 books or just over. Aren’t I clever? But no. I’m just blessed to be able to do something I enjoy and make a tiny bit of money to put into the house occasionally.

I know that feeling. Tell us about the featured book.

Just when things couldn't get much worse, they suddenly do. With DS Zander Ellery in jail, his partner DC Isabel York fights to clear his name. Not an easy task when she is suspended from duty and the evidence against him is compelling.

Finally, pieces begin to fall into place, but to catch the Prayer Slayer once and for all, both officers must walk down a dark path where their very souls are at risk of being taken.

Sounds interesting. Please give us the first page of the book.

The long, far too hot summer turned from June into July without a break in the weather. Detective Constable Isabel York exited the bus, the wall of heat hitting her like a lorry full of bricks. A blast furnace would be a more apt description, not simply of the weather, but her professional life, too.

The Professional Standards Department had cleared her of any wrongdoing. Her boss, DI Holmes, wanted her in his office at nine o’clock on the dot tomorrow morning. She hoped and prayed that meant her suspension was over. That left one question uppermost in her mind. Where would he transfer her to?

Some backwater town, most likely. Or traffic. In the few weeks since she’d joined the murder investigation unit, or MIU, DI Holmes had sacked or transferred several officers. Each one had annoyed him or transgressed or broken one of his rules. He’d have no qualms about tossing her out on her ear.

The only thing that hadn’t fallen apart was her personal life. Although, she had to admit to herself, since she had none, there was nothing to destroy.

How can readers find you on the Internet?

http://clarerevell.com

https://www.facebook.com/ClareRevellAuthor

https://twitter.com/ClareRevell

http://telscha.blogspot.co.uk/

https://uk.pinterest.com/ClareLRevell/

https://www.instagram.com/clarerevell/

https://www.amazon.co.uk/-/e/B005NZT2O2

https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005NZT2O2

http://pelicanbookgroup.com/ec/index.php?main_page=index&manufacturers_id=45  https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4476220.Clare_Revell

https://www.bookbub.com/profile/clare-revell

newsletter sign up - http://eepurl.com/chtmdH

Thank you, Clare, for sharing this last book in the series with my blog readers and me. I’m eager to read it.

Readers, here are links to the book.

Amazon US

Amazon UK

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