AVENUE OF BETRAYAL - Sandra Merville Hart - One free book

Welcome back, Sandra. What are some of the spiritual themes you like to write about? Prayer or the power of prayer seems to end up in most of my stories. I believe in the power of prayer and in the power of the One who listens, as I’ve seen answered prayers many times in my life. I’m humbled that the God who created the Universe loves us and listens when we pray. All of us have been ignored by people around us at times. God doesn’t do that. Instead, He cares about our feelings, our worries, and our pain.

Forgiveness is also a recurring theme in my books and readers will also find it in Avenue of Betrayal.

What other books of yours are coming out soon? I’m so happy you asked!

Boulevard of Confusion, Book 2 of this “Spies of the Civil War” series, releases May 10th. Along with that, Byway to Danger, Book 3, releases this summer, so readers won’t have to wait long for each new book in the series. Book 1 is set in the Union capital of Washington City (as Washington DC was then called) and the next two books are set in Richmond, the Confederate capital. The upcoming novels are available for preorder.

Additionally, my next series is called “Second Chances” and begins in 1877, so this one isn’t a Civil War series. A Not So Convenient Marriage is the first book.

If you could spend an evening with one contemporary person (not a family member of yours), who would it be and why? I would probably choose a contemporary author who has written bestsellers to glean any advice they are willing to give. I’ve met many successful, down-to-earth authors who don’t look down their noses at those who haven’t yet achieved the same level of success—those are the authors with whom I want to spend an evening.

Thankfully, writer conferences often offer opportunities to chat in a lobby or talk over a meal. So, while there are many authors that I’d love to meet, I’ve been privileged to meet many who have blessed my life and my writing, like Lena Nelson Dooley, the one who is interviewing me right now.  

What historical person would you like to meet (besides Jesus) and why? Perhaps because I spend so much time researching the Civil War, my choice would be to talk with President Abraham Lincoln. Soon after he was elected, southern states began withdrawing from the Union. Rumors of an assassination plot convinced him to alter his travel plans from Illinois to Washington DC in advance of his inauguration, which meant he arrived without the fanfare such an event usually entails. It was a celebration he sorely needed.

Photos of him during his presidency show his worry as he shouldered the burden of a divided country. I’d love to learn his thoughts behind the decisions made—just think of the added depth to my novels! I’d also encourage him that many citizens stood in support of him. He didn’t seem to have a lot of friends to unburden himself to and that’s always saddened me.

How can you encourage authors who have been receiving only rejections from publishers? Rejections scratch away at our confidence. Sometimes new authors wonder, “Why bother sending the manuscript that editor requested? She will only reject it.” Have you ever felt that way?

Full disclosure—I have. I’ve received my fair share of rejections. I’ve come home from conferences after positive editor appointments thinking there was a chance they’d accept my manuscript…only to receive another rejection.

Don’t give up. Learn from the rejections. Did they give feedback? If so, mull over it. Try not to be defensive about your writing—no matter how good you are, there’s always room to stretch for the heights. Search for nuggets of wisdom that you can apply to this current project or upcoming ones.

Invest in your education by attending writer conferences. Talk to folks sitting beside you at classes and at meals. The biggest blessing may be the friends you make while there.

Be teachable—that’s my best advice.

Tell us about the featured book. In the summer of 1861, Annie Swanson, a Union supporter, feels betrayed when she discovers that her brother Will is a Confederate officer in a North Carolina regiment. Her father swears her and her sister Beatrice to secrecy so she can’t even tell Will’s best friend, Union Sergeant-Major John Finn.

John can’t believe his luck when his regiment camps within a mile of Annie’s Washington mansion. He met her through her brother, his West Point buddy. He’s excited to begin a courtship with her between his army duties…until he’s asked to spy on her wealthy father. John, a friend of the family, must discern the banker’s true loyalties.

John had been a fair way toward falling in love with her while escorting her through the week-long activities around Will’s wedding. A family illness had prevented him from pursuing a long-distance relationship with her before, but he looks forward to courting her now. Knowing how much his spying on her father would devastate her, he takes care to keep his actions a secret.

The war strikes a tragic blow to the Swanson family. Though her father insists on her silence, Annie longs to share the truth with John. Still, it seems that John has secrets of his own…

Can their love survive with so much against it?

Please give us the first page of the book.

WASHINGTON CITY

JULY 1, 1861

“Father, is there troubling war news?” Annie Swanson sought to break the rare silence at her family’s comfortable yet elegant dining table. Drums, bugles, and banjos from regimental bands camped in the vicinity serenaded them through open windows.

“Hmm?” Hiram Swanson’s stare shifted from his lemon cake and focused vaguely on his oldest daughter. “No new clashes on a battlefield that I’m aware of, my dear.”

What new misfortune besieged their country? He hadn’t been his normal jovial self since returning from the bank just before supper. Something to do with the war? She hid her shudder at possible battles ahead. There’d been plenty of uproar in her city already, starting with the thousands of Federal troops camped in every available field.

“It’s good to have the evening to ourselves.” Beatrice poked her dessert with her fork.

“Agreed.” Annie was glad that her sister, her junior by one year at eighteen, introduced a safe topic. Division in her country had brought only one bright spot —it had distracted her father from his grief at Mother’s death two years before.

How can readers find you on the Internet? I’d love for readers to connect with me on my blog, Historical Nibbles, where I share historical recipes and food-related posts, American history posts, and book reviews. I also share recipes from my books and historical background for my stories. It’s a lot of fun—and a fair amount of work—to maintain this blog. I invite readers to check it out.

Readers can also look for me on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Goodreads, BookBub, and my Amazon Author Page.

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

Readers, here’s a link to the book.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09K3C1Z3R

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