SOME KIND OF HERO - Hannah Alexander - One Free Book

Welcome back, Hannah. How did you come up with the idea for this story? I’ve seen some scary situations in which friends of ours—and patients in our clinic—were given drugs that were misrepresented and actually caused some horrific side effects. I wanted everyone to pay more attention to the medicines they swallow—and what their doctors tell them.

If you were planning a party with Christian authors of contemporary fiction, what six people would you invite and why? I’m working with several other Christian authors every day using the buddy system, and I have them to thank for helping me get back on my feet after too long a hiatus between books. Kristin Billerbeck practically dragged me back to work last year during the shutdown, and Jenny Jones worked with us every day except Sunday. Colleen Coble also brainstorms with us, as well as Denise Hunter. Robin Lee Hatcher is a fountain of wisdom and encouragement, and no party would work without her. Jim Bell is always good in a party, and these people are friends we enjoy spending time with. Oh! Can’t forget Deb Raney. We’ll slip her in because she’s a kind soul who puts up with all kinds of antics.

Those are some of my favorite authors, too. Now let’s do that for a party for Christian authors of historical fiction, what six people would you invite and why? I also work daily with Jill Eileen Smith, who writes excellent Biblical fiction, and enjoy her company. Angela Hunt helps us with our covers, and she is very creative with many stories to tell about her chickens and other animals. Lena Nelson Dooley is one of my favorite people who can keep a party perking. Stephanie Grace Whitson is an amazing writer, and I’m reading her work right now. Tamera Alexander writes well-researched historical fiction set in Nashville area where she lives. Julie Lessman lives not far from where we set our books in Missouri, and she is quite a hoot. I enjoy her a great deal—fun at a party!

Thank you for including me in the list. We would have a ball with all those people. 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? Focus is my problem, hence my dependence on the people I’ve mentioned above. They are friends, and as friends we keep one another motivated. When I first began writing so many decades ago, I could sit alone and write four books in a year with no encouragement. Now I need to meet online with friends every day to keep going. I still love writing, but I’m more easily distracted.

Tell us about the featured book. Some Kind of Hero Three months ago, Laine Fulton, medical researcher, was falling in love until the man in her life left town on a secret mission with no explanation, no warning. Now she and her friends are facing possible court battle and the loss of their medical licenses over a past tragedy.

Three months after leaving, Dr. Ian Stone returns from his mission rescuing children in a war-torn country to find Laine seeing another man, hesitant to allow Ian back into her life. As nightmares haunt him, he faces her rejection, holding secrets he still cannot share. Suddenly, Laine has her own secrets.

How can Laine give her heart to a man who might disappear again at a moment’s notice? Will Laine’s mission end her career and the hope of a future?

This sounds like a wonderful read. Please give us the first page of the book.

As a practical person with a scientific education, Laine Fulton was never given to superstition, to the willies, or to fear of the dark, but as evening descended over the wooded trail where she typically ran with others much earlier, an odd quivering began in her stomach. Goosebumps marched across the back of her neck.

Although she was trained in self-defense, she couldn’t dismiss the hard facts that women had been raped and badly beaten along this very same trail. Granted, this route was 240 miles long, and the attacks had happened closer to more populated areas than Columbia, Missouri, but this university town had its own element of danger.

Tonight felt spooky. Perhaps that had something to do with the mission she was on.

A thump startled her and she stopped, turned, surveyed the path, heart racing faster. She could see nothing but a herd of white-tailed deer munching in the shaded fields of lush June grass that bordered the trail. No monsters lurked there. This late, not even another jogger shared this place with her, which would be nice if not for those poor women she couldn’t excise from her mind.

According to the reports, those women had also been out late on the trail…alone…

How can readers find you on the Internet?

You can find the first chapter of this book and more at www.hannahalexander.com

On Amazon.com, pull up Hannah Alexander Some Kind of Hero

Also look for us at Hannah Alexander on Facebook

Thanks so much, Lena!

It’s always a pleasure to welcome you here on my blog. I’m eager to read this book.

Readers, here are links to the book.

https://amzn.to/3h2dZnz

https://amzn.to/2Sze8pg

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

IN WRATH REMEMBER MERCY - Aquila Dhu - One Free Book

Welcome, Aquila. Tell us how much of yourself you write into your characters. Lots! Torquil (the hero of the story) and I are both trauma survivors, committed to faithfulness, duty, and honor, and love our land and home-places. MacLeod is impatient and goal-oriented. Some elements of Miss Mary’s love story mirror those of mine. Nannie and I are both tomboys who have daring adventures, and, like Mrs. Grieg, I raised two boys to whom I did not give birth. (My husband was a widower.) 

What is the quirkiest thing you have ever done? Applied for graduate school (in History, of course) and for Social Security within two weeks, and was accepted for both. 

When did you first discover that you were a writer? In fifth grade, when I drew pictures on one side of sheets of paper and wrote stories about them on the other side. The origins of In Wrath Remember Mercy date back to junior high.

Tell us the range of the kinds of books you enjoy reading. I love the novels of Captain Charles King, John Esten Cooke, and Rosemary Sutcliffe. Other than that, I read history: all periods of American History, and Roman Britain and the Dark Ages, fascinating because so little is actually known about the latter.

Yes, I was wondering what books you read about the Dark Ages. How do you keep your sanity in our run, run, run world? I trust in God to bring whatever He wills into each day, and pray to respond gratefully and competently. It also helps to live in a rural area rather than in a city.

How do you choose your characters’ names? By national heritage. For example, Gerhardt Vogelsang is German, while most of the Abercairn folks are Scottish.

What is the accomplishment that you are most proud of? Driving 80 miles per hour through the dark to get my husband to the hospital after an injury. 

If you were an animal, which one would you be, and why? An eagle, as in Isaiah 40:31. “They that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles...”

What is your favorite food? The Beef Stroganoff I make.

I love Beef Stroganoff. What is the problem with writing that was your greatest roadblock, and how did you overcome it? Writing too much. I overcame it by cutting out stage directions and some of the secondary characters, and telling the story from a number of first person points of view.

Tell us about the featured book. In Wrath Remember Mercy is a dialogue among the main characters and a few secondary ones. During the War Between the States, part of the Indian Wars in the West, and the latter part of Reconstruction in Virginia, Torquil Dhu Drummond undergoes traumatizing experiences which sometimes overset his reason. He tries to regain the original true, unstained self which trauma has stolen from him by various methods, but finds that only God can truly heal and redeem.

Please give us the first page of the book.

Gloria Victis! (Latin: Glory to the vanquished!)

“For the principle of State rights and State sovereignty the Southern men fought with a holy ardor and self-denying patriotism that have covered even defeat with imperishable glory.” (Dr. Charles E. Stowe, son of the author of Uncle Tom’s Cabin, ca. 1900.)

I came to my senses in a dim cell. Hands manacled, head throbbing, dizzy . . . thought I’d vomit. I didn’t! Blood oozing from my head. Couldn’t diagnose any other injuries. How to escape? I ran a finger around the top of my right boot. The skean dhu was gone.

The only light glimmered through gratings in an iron-bound door. Manacles chained to log wall, floor of rammed earth. The guard would be the only weak point . . . . 

I must have passed out again.

Rough prodding in the ribs . . . blue . . .Yankees! Brain and skin prickled. Everything in me flamed for attack. I sprang, but the irons caught me mid-way.

One guard startled back. The other jammed his Spencer into my sternum.

“Give up, Reb! You’re caught. Get up slow.” He kept that carbine on me while the scaredy one unlocked the manacles. 

Dizziness and headache were less. Under guard, crossing the parade, I was memorizing: log palisade, gates, log cabins, North Star, good cover under the edge of a big cistern lid . . . . Then they nudged me into a stark little room.

“Dismissed.”

Silhouetted by the lamp behind him, an officer rose from his field desk, well over six feet tall. Brown hair, a few silver strands glinting. Beneath level brows, intent brown eyes missed nothing. Moustache, knifed off at the lines around a wide mouth.

“MacLeod!”

“Good evening, Lieutenant Drummond.”

How can readers find you on the Internet? The web site is http://www.InWrathRememberMercy.com  There’s opportunity to leave comments, questions, etc. by email: Aquila@InWrathRememberMercy.com

Thank you, Aquila, for sharing your novel with my blog readers and me. I’m sure many people think of PTSD as a modern thing, but this book will open their eyes to it’s historical significance.

Readers, here are links to the book.

https://amzn.to/2SrZEYk - Paperback

https://amzn.to/3j9r00j - Kindle edition

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 SISTER'S PLIGHT - Patricia Lee - One Free Book

 

Welcome, Patricia. Why do you write the kind of books you do? My author website tagline is “Broken people in search of an unbroken God.” So many people in today’s world are walking around with broken hearts and dreams, desperate to find answers to the challenges they face. In my stories my characters often embody that pain and I try to a write compassionate tale where the characters , with God’s help, work through their problems. At each story’s end, the hurting  character has found solutions that will help them move on with their lives.

Besides when you came to know the Lord, what is the happiest day in your life? I came to motherhood late. My husband and I had married, both had jobs, and struggled to establish a foothold with an unstable economy. But one day, after nine years of marriage, we looked at each other and said we needed to add a child to our family. God didn’t waste time. Two weeks later I was expecting our son and the day he was born both my husband and I were in awe of what we had done. In the delivery room, my husband said, “It’s a baby!” As if we had expected something else. We still laugh at that. 

How has being published changed your life? Once a publisher discovers you and offers a contract, your life is suddenly thrown into a tailspin as you meet deadline after deadline. When writing that first book you have a lot of time to write as you are inspired. Then along comes the contract. I found myself editing the first book, writing the second book, and trying to keep track of ideas for the third book. No more leisurely afternoons playing with words and testing sentences. And let’s not even talk about the manuscript edits that fall in there somewhere. But for all its pitfalls I can say being published is a wonderful experience. I’ve discovered my readers are amazing people.

What are you reading right now? I recently completed All Creatures Great and Small by James Herriott. I had never read the book but PBS aired a season of the story earlier this year.  Wonderful—both the book and the series.

What is your current work in progress? This is a first for me. My original publisher asked me to write on speculation a fifth book in my first series. The story will re-introduce Jayden, the foster boy who filled the pages of my third book, Love Calls Her Home, as a grown man returning from Afghanistan. If accepted The Mended Hearts series will have five books. I’ve never been asked by a publisher to write a book. So I’m pretty thrilled. As with any proposed story, there’s always the chance of being turned down.

I’ve only had that happen once, too. What would be your dream vacation? I would like to spend a week in Baja, California. I’ve heard it is beautiful there. The thought of relaxing on a beach sounds like the vacation for me.

I’ve wanted to go there, too. How do you do you choose your settings for each book? The plot of the story usually determines the setting. For instance the characters of my first book were fishermen who worked for the government. The setting had to be a coastal setting. The third book dealt with wild horses. Needed to put them in a high desert where they could roam free. This newest book follows the prairie crossing of a wagon train in the 1850s. Not much chance of doing that without a prairie, dust, wild buffalo, and natives.

If you could spend an evening with one person who is currently alive, who would it be and why? I have come to admire Melania Trump. In the face of a most brutal press and a damning public she has held her head high and carried out her task with the dignity of a queen. She didn’t ask for the role of first lady when she first emigrated to the United States. That position was thrust upon her by the ambitions of her husband. She assumed the responsibility with grace. We could learn a lot about the power of a dignified woman from her.

It’s a shame that so many in the country didn’t give her the respect a First Lady deserves. What are your hobbies, besides writing and reading? I love to grow flowers. For years my husband and I maintained a large dahlia garden at the back of our property. We built a patio entertainment area at the back of our home and filled the nooks and crannies with pots of flowers. My husband likes succulents and I prefer the blooming annuals. So we grow a bit of each.

I like both, too. What is your most difficult writing obstacle, and how do you overcome it? The stare of a blank page is one of the most mind numbing obstacles for any writer. When I sit down at the computer, hoping to write delightful prose and make my word count for the day, I often find the wide white screen an immovable obstacle. I’ve been told by others to sit and write whatever comes to mind. Get the creative juices flowing. That is good advice. But my most effective tool is opening the word of God and reading for a few minutes. There’s nothing more powerful to stimulate the mind than an uplifting passage of Scripture.

Yes. That and praying. What advice would you give to a beginning author? Don’t let  rejection stop you. Publishers look for a work that will represent their line of stories. Yours may not fit their line-up. The rejection is not a statement on your ability.

By the same token don’t be so in love with your work that you can’t learn and grow from an editor’s assessment of your story. Writers who succeed learn to stretch and grow from each exercise, and that includes rewrite.

Always keep writing. Never stop.

Tell us about the featured book. The Sister’s Plight is the second and final book in the Call of the Frontier series, a story I’ve always wanted to write. The tale traces the journey of my great-great-great grandfather who crossed the prairies in 1847 seeking free land in the Oregon territory. He homesteaded for four years before returning to Iowa to claim his bride and bring her across the plains. The first time he came by horseback. The second time he led a wagon train which included his new wife, three brothers, and his wife’s family.

The story is told in dual time and follows not only the historical thread, but features a contemporary young woman who follows the path of the wagon train seeking answers to the long lost love of her great uncle. What she finds is her own love story.

From the back cover:

Will a pair of long lost treasures recovered a continent apart pave the way for two eager hearts to find each other?

 Realtor Blake Bergstrom stumbles upon an ancient barn while checking fences along a deserted property. A cursory inspection reveals a prairie schooner stored at the building’s back. He climbs into the wagon and discovers a rusted lockbox. Secreted within is a water color portrait of a young man. Whose picture could this be and why is it here?

When her mother needs her to check an abandoned cabin before the plantation where it sits is sold, Emberly Chastain uncovers her great-great-great Uncle Fred’s Bible and takes it with her. Tucked inside is a watercolor portrait of a young woman Emberly can’t place. Her uncle never married. Who can she be?

Curiosity sets Emberly on a quest to solve the mystery, a journey that will take her across the continent following a long ago wagon train. Will what she finds help her own heart mend and open the door to a new love?

First page of the book:

Intrigued by what appeared to be the outer shell of a ramshackle barn, Blake Bergstrom squeezed through a hole left vacant by a sagging door. The remnants of its hinge had pulled loose from the casing, exposing the narrow gap. The droop of the fascia board along the roofline and the list of the corners at strange angles darkened the interior, hindering visibility. Wary of the building’s safety, he stumbled forward. A shaft of light penetrated the roof, providing an eerie glow in the center of the space—enough intensity to cast unidentifiable shadows around the perimeter.  He blinked, trying to force his eyes to adjust to the dim core. Odors of mold and decaying matter offended his nose. He held his breath. One good sneeze might send the old barn crashing to the ground.

He hadn’t expected to find a building on this isolated acreage his realtor father asked him to explore. But here on the outside corner, buried in a stand of firs, he’d come upon the concealed walls of a long forgotten dwelling. Moss disguised the roof in copious shades of green. Overgrown saplings surrounded the crumbling walls. The front and sides were iffy at best. Only the back wall stood upright on its foundation.

Wonder what this once was.

He crept further into the dusky interior, noting what must have been a row of stalls on one side. Three ten-foot uprights, probably the straightest supports in the place, held the main beam running across the ceiling. At the end, a spacious area filled with a mountain of hay stood open to a loft above. The wind sailed through, delivering more hay on its journey from the upper floor. On the opposite wall ancient hand tools hung in rusted silence. An assortment of leather harnesses and headstalls, their bits intact, covered the remaining corner. Cobwebs filled the spaces where an animal’s head or shoulder might once have been.

Was this a livery?

He picked up a pitchfork stuck in the mound and rustled through the hay. Dust as thick as a cloud of locusts kicked up, making him cough. He thrust the handle of the tool back into the silage so it would stand, startled when the tines connected with something solid behind the mound. Careful not to disturb the hay to avoid another invasion of dust, he pulled the debris aside and squinted to see beyond. Wood mixed with metal emerged with each sweep of his hand. As he worked, a door became visible. A separate room, perhaps? To the door’s left a set of rungs led skyward up the wall. 

He reached for the leather handle and pulled. The opening widened a few inches, but the hay blocked movement further. As he continued removing the hay, the door swung toward him and he peered into the dim interior. A covered wagon stood inside. Why was this here?

The canvas top still stretched over the wooden bows that arched across the wagon. Blake noticed a few holes in the fabric, but if he considered how old the transport must be the condition of the covering amazed him. Missing a spoke here and there, the wheels showed signs of rot and rust. The frame, though, appeared rock solid.

Blake pulled his cell phone from his pocket to see if he had service out here. Only one band of wifi popped up. Not much, but enough for his needs. He ran an internet search for a more elaborate description of the conveyance. Images rolled up and as he scrolled through them, he found one that duplicated the wagon in front of him.  A prairie schooner—used by the wealthier settlers crossing the plains in the 1800s. Who had left it here?

A note from the author:

My publisher will make The Descendant's Daughter free for download July 1-5 as a complementary kickoff to the release of The Sister's Plight. https://amzn.to/3hbWVL5

Ways to connect with me:

Facebook  @patricialeebooks

Twitter @lee_patricia__

Website:  www.authorpatricialee.net

email: patricialeewrites@earthlink.net

Come Chat with Pat (newsletter): http://authorpatricialee.net/mailing-list/

Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/corneliushills

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

Readers, here is a link to the book.

https://amzn.to/2SZMMZz - Kindle Preorder

A print copy will be available later.

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 do n'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.

Patricia B (TN) is the winner of Chasing Shadows by Lynn Austin. 

Kay (AR) is the winner of The Misfit Bride by Peggy Trotter.

 

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 WARRIOR AND THE LADY REBEL - Teresa Smyser - One Free Book

Welcome, Teresa. Tell us how much of yourself you write into your characters.  For starters, I’m an imperfect person and that rings true for all of my characters. I’m also on a spiritual journey with Christ. Each day I try to imitate Christ’s attributes but oftentimes fail. Before I write my story, I choose one or two Godly principles that my character needs to learn and work it into the storyline. Some of my characters will have my sense of humor and possibly my attitude. I’ve been told I can be a bit feisty. My daughter says she can hear me when she reads certain passages. I try extremely hard to create three dimensional characters, but you might recognize me every once in a while.

What is the quirkiest thing you have ever done? As a child I painted a cat, but we won’t mention that bad moment.

One year we had a family calendar on our kitchen wall where we wrote everyone’s schedules down. Each month had a picture of a baby or another scene at the top with the dates at the bottom. One year my son thought the picture on his birth month was horrible, so he took a marker and scribbled all over it. He later ripped it down and threw it in the trash after the month was complete. After he left the room, I pulled the crumpled page out of the trash can. I decided to keep the picture, and it showed up in his Christmas gifts. Years later the picture lives on. It is hidden in another unsuspecting person’s gift at Christmas. This tradition has been going on for over twenty years.

When did you first discover that you were a writer? Frequently, people ask if I grew up wanting to be a writer. Not exactly. As a young girl, it was quite common to find me in my bedroom reading the latest Nancy Drew or Trixie Belden books. Years down the road while rocking my baby girl to sleep, she asked to hear stories about a picture hanging on the wall or about her toys. She desired new fairytales each time we sat in the rocker for a nap. Actually, I believe it was her stall method. However, not until my daughter was in college did I consider penning my first novel. After she read several unexciting books, my daughter said, “Mom, you could write better than this.”

Challenge accepted! I was 52 years old. You’re never too old to learn a new craft. My passion for writing Christian fiction sprouted from her challenge.

Tell us the range of the kinds of books you enjoy reading. My favorite books to read are historical fiction. I love reading about places and times that I can only imagine about. Castles and historical homes are a fascination for me as well as the period clothing and challenges of that day. Who doesn’t love chivalry or a good western? I also enjoy an enticing mystery or a suspense book that keeps me reading late into the night and makes my heart race. I’m a big scaredy cat, so I can only handle a few of these each year.  

How do you keep your sanity in our run, run, run world? Putting Christ first in my life by reading my Bible, attending church and not stressing over things out of my control keeps me sane. I stopped watching the news long ago. When my sphere of the world throws ugly things at me, I pray to my God who is in control of this wacky world. I also try to limit my schedule by not always saying “yes” to requests—choose wisely! I’ve come to realize it’s OK for me to take time for myself and not work every second of the day. God never intended for us to stay busy all the time.

How do you choose your characters’ names? I look up names for the time period I’m writing and jot down male and female names along with the correct spelling. Spellings have evolved through the years. I already know my characters attributes, so I look for a name that “feels” right for their personality. It’s not a scientific way, just my personal choice. It’s funny because sometimes a name reminds me of someone from my school days I did or didn’t like. That plays a part in the selection as well. If we didn’t like each other, their name might be my villain. Haha.

I’ve used that villain tactic in my writing, too. What is the accomplishment that you are most proud of? Aside from being a wife and mother, I’d say one of my favorite accomplishments was when I became a writer. In the beginning, I had no idea what I was doing or where to turn, but I persevered to write and publish my first book, Heaven Help Us! This first book took me five years to complete but I never thought to give up. I joined a writer’s group and watched webinars on writing to better learn the craft. After accomplishing the initial book, I write and publish one book a year while holding down the job of wife, Mimi, and working a secular job. I found where there is a passion, I make time to pursue that passion. 

If you were an animal, which one would you be, and why? I would be a white, house cat with blue eyes. I’d relax during the day enjoying the adoration from those who love me, pounce on people when they don’t expect it, and then when everyone is gone, I’d do what I wanted. Run. Scatter stuff. Play with things off limits. Nap wherever I felt like it. Chase birds if I’m outside. Basically, have fun and lay around looking gorgeous! 

What is your favorite food? Are peanut butter and chocolate food? Haha. If not, I love food with tomato sauce like lasagna, spaghetti, or pizza and I’m not even Italian.

Yes, they are food and part of my diet as well. What is the problem with writing that was your greatest roadblock, and how did you overcome it? Keeping my notes organized was my greatest roadblock with my writing journey. I’d look up information and jot it down on a sticky note, or a napkin, or a sheet of loose paper, or in a notebook. My research was scattered. When it was time to write about a certain character, talk about horseback riding or using a sword, etc. I’d have to stop my writing to locate my notes that might be in my purse, wallet, car, desk, or on the kitchen table. One year for Christmas my daughter got me a Character Development Journal. It’s been a life saver for me. All of my research about the place, people, foods, weather, etc., is now in one place. This is a fabulous resource when I’m writing the next book in the series. I’m able to go back to previous characters without trouble finding my notes.

That’s a wonderful idea. Tell us about the featured book. This is the first book in the Warrior Bride Series. It’s set in 1611 at the border of England and Scotland. The story follows the Fairwick family consisting of three brothers and one sister: Phillip, Nicolas, Thomas, and Brigette. For reasons out of his control, Nicolas, the middle brother, is Lord of the castle. When a dying woman, Elizabeth, is left on the Fairwick property, the family and village are thrown into chaos. Bizarre happenings trail Elizabeth. Danger, adventure, romance, and a bit of mystery abound in this Renaissance Tale. The reader can follow the journey of Nicolas and Elizabeth as God leads them through a dark tunnel of fear and bitterness into the place of light everlasting.

In book 2, 3, and 4 I’ve chosen a family member to continue the series.

Please give us the first page of the book.

August 5, 1611

Elizabeth’s eyes popped open to total darkness. What startled her awake? With heart pounding and blood rushing through her ears, she didn’t move.

There ... angry voices. Poppa argued with another man! Bam ... bam. She bolted upright at the sound. Frantically trying to untangle herself from the bedlinens, she heard a scream. Was someone hurting her grandparents?

In haste, she grabbed the sword she kept under the bed and stumbled toward the door. She rushed down the hallway toward the back stairway. She tiptoed halfway down and paused, listening. Hearing a door slam, she hurried on toward the kitchen.

Hoping to catch the predator unaware and knock him in the head with the hilt, she snuck up to the doorway and peeked around the edge. The kitchen stood empty. With the sword held at ready, she moved farther into the room. Her gaze darted around. The kitchen stool overturned. Blood dripped from the table and pooled on the floor. Fear choked her.

With heart pounding, she followed blood drops toward the kitchen door. Emerging into the yard, the raging storm slapped her in the face. Rain came down in torrents. Lightning struck. Where were Nana and Poppa?

She screamed, “Nana! Poppa!”

In a matter of seconds her drenched hair blocked her view. She raked her left hand through the matted mess and saw the barn engulfed in flames!

Oh no, Cinnamon! She dashed toward the barn to save her horse. She came to an abrupt halt when Sir Arthur emerged from the door holding a loaded crossbow. He yanked on the horse’s halter.

He’s trying to escape on Cinnamon!

Arthur looked up when the horse twisted in a circle. His eyes connected with hers, her body an easy target standing in the middle of the yard. With the cottage too far for Elizabeth to run back, she sprinted toward the trees before Arthur could get off a shot. She had to get away from him.

His evil laughter floated on the wind. “You cannot escape!”

She barely heard him over the fierce storm. Thunder rolled and lightning flashed, but Elizabeth kept running. If she could make it to her old tree house, she would be safe. Arthur didn’t know about her hideaway that Poppa had built for her. With a fleeting look backward, she saw two men running toward her. Thankfully, Cinnamon escaped.

How can readers find you on the Internet?

My website is www.teresasmyser.com 

 www.facebook.com/teresasmyser 

www.goodreads.com

Thank you, Teresa, for allowing me to introduce my blog readers to your book. I’m eager to read it.

Readers, here are links to the book.

https://amzn.to/3q8r0iy

https://amzn.to/2TLsDGV

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 

DANDELION MOON - Hannah Alexander - One Free Book

Welcome back, Hannah Alexander. Why did you become an author? I made up songs and stories and poems before I ever learned how to read and write. My imagination was what sometimes kept me sane when I lived in the country as an only child for most of my developmental years. I guess it still keeps me sane when the Alexander half of our name works long, difficult hours in the ER.

If you weren’t an author, what would be your dream job? Oh, that’s easy—an editor! I love the editing part of my work. I’ve been a book doctor on several novels just for the fun of it. I love working with my fellow writers.

I love editing other peoples’ work, but I often miss things in my own. I see what I thought I wrote. If you could have lived at another time in history, what would it be and why? I would live as close to the present day as possible because from what I’ve read of history, it was hard! Living conditions were difficult before my time. It was hard to stay clean, hard to get good food. I’m such a sissy. I don’t endure hardship well.

However, upon consideration, I would love to have been there when Jesus walked the earth. I would have loved to see His face, hear His voice, feel His touch. Yes, I would have had to endure his death. Not sure I could have handled that. But to see Him rise again? Wow.

What place in the United States have you not visited that you would like to? You know that riverboat cruise I mentioned earlier? I’d like to take a Mississippi river boat cruise. Or another great river. I’m not talking about the gambling boats, but something quiet that takes several days and covers a long river.

There are some European river cruises that sound wonderful. How about a foreign country you hope to visit? I would probably like to visit Australia, because one of my best friends has been there a few times and she raves about it.

What lesson has the Lord taught you recently? Very recently, when I had to make a nine hour round-trip drive for medical care, He reminded me that we had not been cut off from Him. I have begun to think that was the case, because we’ve been unable to find a church family. We actually tried to settle in two different small congregations, but I was met with hostility in both places. I still don’t understand it because I’m not an unfriendly person. We’ve been without a dependable church home since we moved to Wyoming three years ago. We’ve actually found one we’re going to try Sunday. I’m praying that we’ll be able to fit in until we move from here.

Our church, Gateway Church, has very good online services until you can find a church near you. And there’s a satellite church in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, if you’re near there. It’s a smaller congregation. Tell us about the featured book. On Christmas Eve, a woman stumbles through a cemetery, not knowing who she is…

Myra sat beside Weston, staring up at the December sky. “I remember sitting in this place watching the moon disappear a little more each night, like the head of a dandelion blowing in the wind. That was how I felt about my life.”

“But you know what happens when those dandelion seeds spread,” Weston said. “The wind takes them to places where they grow. You may feel as if you’re losing yourself, but your love is planting new life into others.”

On Christmas Eve, Weston Cline frantically searches for the woman he loves, psychiatrist Myra Maxwell. She left her clinic in the middle of the day, and he’s heard nothing from her since. When he can’t find her in the city, he decides to search in her hometown, where he’s made enemies in the past and must tread lightly.

Will Weston be able to find Myra and help her recover her memories, or will the problems of his past prevent him from reaching her?

Please give us the first page of the book.

She came to herself—whoever she was—running in panic, gasping for breath, tripping over tombstones and stumbling into holes through a dark cemetery.

Where was she?

Smoke drifted past her from the darkness between flashes of light that outlined a stand of trees ahead of her. A red haze rose through those trees.

Why was she running? Was she being chased? She ran faster, harder, glancing over her shoulder to see if someone was behind her, but there was nothing. No one.

Another flash and explosion made her cry out. She stumbled to a stop, hugged herself, held her breath. Stars of red and green shimmered in the sky and filtered to the ground.

She closed her eyes, weak with relief. Not a war zone. Fireworks.

Calm down. Take a deep breath. Another.

Heart still practically in A-fib, she heard disembodied shouts and laughter. Whistles and applause filtered through the forest. What day was this?

Independence Day celebration? No. Too cold. This wasn’t July.

Confusion cascaded over her fear, mingled, settled in the pit of her stomach. What year was it? How could she not know?

An explosion and whistle brought her eyes wide open again, and more lights formed a brilliant white star that spread across the sky, accompanied by a flute playing O Holy Night.

She recognized the star. But she felt no sense of familiarity when she looked down at her own hands. Amnesia from a fugue state could do that to a person. How did she know that?

Another explosion and screech unnerved her, but for a moment she was able to stand still, force herself to think instead of simply react. Fugue state. Yes.

How can readers find you on the Internet?

You can find us at www.hannahalexander.com or email us at askhannah@hannahalexander.com

Find us at Hannah Alexander on Facebook, and find our books on Amazon.com

We love to hear from readers and prospective readers. And Lena, we always love to hear from you. Thanks so much for including us in your blog!

I love connecting with the two of you as well. I count it a great pleasure and blessing to be allowed to introduce your books to other readers.

Readers, here are links to the book.

https://amzn.to/35oFQb7 - Paperback

https://amzn.to/3zsaiir - 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 do n'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.

Abigail (VA) is the winner of On Sugar Hills by Ane Mulligan. 

Pearl (NM) is the winner of The Captain's Quest by Lorri Dudley.

 

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 MISFIT BRIDE - Peggy Trotter - One Free Book

Welcome back, Peggy. It's a pleasure to have you on my blog again. God has really been moving in your writing life. What do you see on the horizon? He has! I’ve been blessed with being able to work as a writer almost full-time for the last three years, and I am so grateful for the time to write. Right now, I have two more books coming out in this series, Society of Outcasts. The Misfit Bride released June 1st. The second, The Lowborn Lady will release on 12/1/21. Then, the last in the series The Spellbound Schoolmarm will release on 6/1/22. But I already have another series started, so I’ll be working on that next.

I’ll want to feature each of these books, and the next series, on the blog if you want me to. Tell us a little about your family. I married my college sweetheart, and we will soon be celebrating our 37th anniversary! I call him my Batman, because he truly rescues me on a daily basis. He is an amazing, patient, humble man, and without him, I wouldn’t be able to do what I do. Plus, he’s the basis for all my loveable male characters. I have two children who are now grown and are raising kids of their own. I will soon have my fourth grandchild, yahoo! Grands are the best. We are a very closeknit family, small but mighty in the Lord.

James and I have been married almost 57 years, and we now have eight great-grands. They are wonderful, too. Has your writing changed your reading habits? If so, how? Actually, yes. As much as I love historical fiction, writing in it and reading in it for many years, I find that I need to venture into other genres. Sometimes, I find myself growing cynical of the writing and the story lines, and I love the genre too much to do that. So, I have started reading in the biography line, the YA section, and I’ve even dabbled into fantasy. Doing that gives me a bit of a break, and I’m ready to come back to what I love.

I read a lot of different genres, too, all Christian. What are you working on right now? I am actually working on the second book in a new series. But I am also editing two others, which will come out before this new series is even finished.

What outside interests do you have? I’m a DIY nut. I am always dreaming up something that needs repainted, refurbed, or re-done. Which is good because I live in a 100-year-old house. I just re-did some wallpaper. I also am a bit of a hobby junkie. I’ve done crocheting, knitting, painting (on canvas), beading, latch hooking, sewing, building, crafting, stain-glass windows, lettering signs, etc. But my favorite is crocheting and crafting. My father once said, if you can find a book on it, you can do it. I’ve taken that to heart. And with the internet, nothing is off the table, haha. Trailing after my grandchildren’s sports activities has also become a bit of a career.

How do you choose your settings for each book? A lot of times I write about places I’ve been. But sometimes I use a place visited via an online map. Usually, a historical map, but not always.

If you could spend an evening with one historical person, who would it be and why? Abraham Lincoln. He is fascinating to me. I’ve read quite a bit about him, and I would like to meet him and delve into his personality and his steadfast trust in God.

What is the one thing you wish you had known before you started writing novels? I wish I had known how it changes the way I enjoy a novel. It’s probably the one thing I really miss. It’s so hard to shift into total enjoyment of a book now. My writer’s brain is usually noting the sentence structure, the editing, the story progression, etc. I miss being oblivious to all the writing aspects and just loving being in the story.

Yes, it takes a fantastic story to shut off my editing side when I read. What new lessons is the Lord teaching you right now? He is teaching me to enjoy the place I’m in. I’ve always been a person that told myself when I accomplish XYZ, I’ll be happy. When I manage to complete the XYZ, it will get better. When I earn XYZ, all will fall into place. And the truth is, XYZ never fully happens. There is always something more I’m striving for, to the point that I sometimes miss the now. I love the now. And I want to fully embrace it and be present to enjoy God’s blessings.

What are the three best things you can tell other authors to do to be successful? It’s not about sales/popularity. It’s about writing your story. The Lord impresses each author with a special assignment and where it goes is up to Him.

Always be teachable. There’s always something new to learn. Some of these concepts will fall to the side. They are not for you. But some make you grow. They make your writing better, fuller, sharper.

Someone else’s writing journey is not yours. Although you may wish to clone their trail, you have your own path to blaze. And it may just lead to a place you least thought you’d go.

Those are very good things for every author to learn. Tell us about the featured book. The Misfit Bride is just as the title indicates. It’s 1853 in southern Indiana, and Cora is an out-of-place misfit. She’s an abnormally tall tomboy who’s already reached her nineteenth birthday. And, as the local gossips love to tell it, totally unmarriageable. Her father persuades an older man to court her. After all, he needs a mother for his five children. But Cora yearns to find a love match. And that’s where the trouble begins. Here’s the blurb:

Zero. That’s how many suitors Cora “Too Tall” Taggart’s entertained in her nineteen years. That is, until her father corrals a man nearly twice her age needing a mother for his children. However, Cora’s heart aches to find true love with a man who would embrace all of her misfit qualities.

When Trigg Gentry discovers Cora in a back alley, using his horse as her own personal writing desk, sparks fly between them. While he searches for his runaway sister, Trigg crosses paths once again with Cora on a steamer bound for St. Louis, and neither Trigg nor Cora can deny their blossoming relationship.

But Trigg’s unexpected exit from Cora’s debutante cotillion comes under suspicion. The guests’ jewelry is missing, and he’s linked to a murder case. Cora fears these accusations will make it impossible to avoid her father’s arranged marriage. And to make matters worse, her heart belongs to the man now pegged as a criminal. How can Cora convince her father that Trigg isn’t involved in either crime when all the proof points straight at him?

Sounds like a wonderful read. Please give us the first page of the book.

It was exhausting being a mannequin head. And painful to boot.

Cora Taggart’s bent back ached, her chin digging into the wirework dressmaker’s form. Adjusting her bonnet, she glanced back. Bolts of cloth spewed from various cubbyholes. Why hadn’t she crouched behind those shelves? Poor choice slipping through the curtain into the window display. Yet there’d been no time to search for a better spot. She froze, unblinking, as two ladies breezed past the window.

“Ill-bred little thing.” Widow woman Pearl Dixon’s voice drifted from the counter. And then a sniff. “Only not little. Overly tallish is more the truth. Miss Too-Tall Taggart nearly steps on most of the men folk.”

Cora clenched. Too-Tall Taggart. Holy tarnation, she hated that moniker.

“Och, Pearl, ’tis not kind what ye say. What a bonny lass she is,” Miss McGarlee’s Irish Quaker voice interrupted. Oh, the spunk of the woman defending her touched Cora’s heart. “Crocheted the scarf in ma window with its fancy stitch, she did.”

Cora’s gaze shifted to the wooden milliner’s head below her. That very scarf lay nestled around the dummy’s neck. The mental image of the ginger-haired spinster gesturing toward the window forced a whispered plea. Please don’t let them draw the curtain aside.

Parting with the soft yellow scarf had wrenched her heart a bit. Being nineteen, she had to earn some sort of wage. And there weren’t many opportunities in New Albany, Indiana, to do so. In these modern times of 1853, earning her own spending money proved difficult. But the scarf would bring a good price.

She sucked in a deep lungful of air tinged with fresh linen and something like the underside of her four-poster bed. Her throat tickled, and she struggled not to cough. Thankfully, no footsteps approached. Perhaps she’d avoided disaster.

The widow snorted. “Bonny? Cheeky is what I’ve overheard, walking around muttering to herself.”

Cheeky? The muttering, maybe, but cheeky?

Eyeing more passing shoppers, Cora stilled. Once safe, she mouthed a verse in silent cadence. “Love your neighbor as yourself. Love your neighbor as yourself.” She let her eyes slide closed and then whispered an addendum, “Even when you want to poke them with a finely sharpened stick.”

How can readers find you on the Internet?

Almost everywhere! But here are my links. I love to connect with readers!

peggytrotter.com

peggytrotter.blogspot.com

diamondsinfiction.blogspot.com

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/Peggy_Trotter

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/PeggyTrotterAuthor

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13778873.Peggy_Trotter

Amazon Author’s Profile Page:  amazon.com/author/peggytrotter.com

Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/peggy_trotter_author/

Pinterest:  https://www.pinterest.com/PeggyTrotterAuthor/

LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/peggy-trotter-44a29b95/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13778873.Peggy_Trotter

BookBub:  https://www.bookbub.com/authors/peggy-trotter

MeWe:  mewe.com/i/peggytrotter

Parler:  https://parler.com/profile/PeggyTrotterAuthor

Usa.life: https://usa.life/PeggyTrotterAuthor

Gab: https://gab.com/PeggyTrotterAuthor

Thank you, Peggy, for sharing this new book with my blog readers and me. I know they are as eager to read it as I am.

Readers, here are links to the book.

https://amzn.to/3wfxMp3 - Paperback

https://amzn.to/3vd1Sb9 - 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