VALLEY MELODIES - Bonnie Leon - One Free Book

Welcome, Bonnie. Since you’re being published regularly, what new avenues will your future books take? I’m pushing myself to dig deeper for meaningful stories.

At present, I am working on a contemporary novel that takes place in the wine country north of San Francisco. It is inspired by my grandson Ezra who sustained a traumatic brain injury in an accident when he was eleven years old. He is now twenty and lives with the emotional and physical wounds of his injury. He hopes to find a woman to share his life, but it will take someone who can look beyond the damage and see his heart. I hope for a happy ending for Ezra, and for my story, which challenges us to consider what we value in others.

What conferences will you be attending this year? Will you be a speaker at any of them? I am not scheduled to attend any conferences this year, but that doesn’t mean I won’t. I want to be open to the leading of the Lord and walk through open doors. If that includes conferences, then I will do my best to get there.

I love writing conferences. I doubt I’d have achieved my calling as a writer without them. Getting together with other writers is a blessing. It provides friendship, shared experiences, and the honing of our craft. With the restrictions laid down because of COVID I’ve sorely missed them.

If you were in charge of planning the panel discussion at a writing conference, what topic would the panel cover, and who would you ask to be on the panel, and why?   It would be titled “A Look Behind the Scenes.” The process of how to go from a dream to story ideas and then to published author is a mystery to many writers. There is a great of deal of confusion and misconceptions about what it takes.

I’d want the panel to include people who have lived the writer’s life, as well as those who are making decisions within the publishing houses, including editors who get into the meat of our stories. It would be important to have panelists who embrace transparency. Attendees need to know the truth, good and bad. They need to know what happens behind the scenes and what is expected of them. It would be my hope to bring down some of the walls that stand between editors and writers. Editors are just people who work hard, but don’t always get “it” right. Writers need to bravely speak up when they feel the quality of their work is being diminished. And they need to keep in mind that sometimes we can be too close to the work and not see needed changes.

How important is it to you to be active in writing organizations? Very. But the need and timing can vary greatly as we go through life’s seasons.

In the beginning of my career, it was those people already engaged in the writing world who helped me move forward. They took time to teach and encourage me. And when my first book was released, they jumped in and helped get the word out about one of the new kids on the block.

I love connecting with other writers. They understand what the life is like. And they sometimes give me guidance when needed. They also help to keep me grounded and to not let the worries of the business overwhelm me so that I can focus on the writing. These are people who are my friends. We are part of a team God has called into service by using our words to entertain and to teach. I see us standing together with our arms linked as we wade into the battles and the joys of our calling.

Where in the community or your church do you volunteer? My husband and I are part of our church’s home ministry. We gather once a week in a small group to study God’s Word and to connect as friends. We do our best to be transparent and to come alongside one another as we journey through life.

I also lead a critique group of fledgling writers in our church. It’s startling how much talent there is in my little country church. I love our time together and know that their stories will make an impact on our world. It is a privilege to be a part of their adventure.

Who are the five people who have made the most impact on your life, and how? Jesus Christ, of course. There is nothing without Him. But I won’t include him on my list because he is on everyone’s list.

I’ll begin with my father. He was a beautiful example of what honorable living looks like. He was always honest and straight forward. He worked hard and did his best. His word was his bond. And when he was diagnosed with terminal cancer in his late forties, he showed me how to live … when you’re dying. He embraced every moment with positivity and courage.

My mother taught me what it means to live with a grateful heart. No matter the circumstance, she always managed to grasp the wonder of it, the goodness in it, and the gifts found even in the hard stuff. She saw life as a precious offering.  I am not a natural when it comes to gratitude, but my mother’s example inspires me every day.

As a young woman I attended a small Bible Study led by a woman named Alice Swan. She was the first believer who took me under her wing and taught me how to dig into scripture on my own and find truth. It changed my life. I am forever grateful for her sacrifice and dedication.

When I was a teenager, I read the biography of Helen Keller. One of the messages in her story that stayed with me was the truth that we have the power to overcome adversity. That ability dwells inside each of us and if we choose to use it our time on the planet, even with challenges, can still be our best life. We must never give up and never give in. We need to push on and reach for all we can be. That is how we will reach our potential.

If you could write the inscription on your tombstone, what would it be? She lived her best life.

Tell us about the featured book. Valley Melodies is book two in the Valley Series. It is the continuing story of Emmalin Hammond, who grew up in Philadelphia as a socialite and after the death of her mother, travels to the Oregon Territory in 1855. She searches for a father she thought had long been dead and finds him in Deer Creek, Oregon. She also finds Jacob Landon, a mountain man who turns out to be the man of her dreams. She has decided to return to Philadelphia, but when Jacob asks Emmalin to marry him and to share his life in the Oregon wilderness, she dares to believe she can do it.

Please share the first page with us.

Oregon Territory 1856

The sun slid behind the mountains, and evening bird song quieted as Emmalin and Jacob approached Deer Creek, the town she had grown to love and thought she’d never see again. Henry barked at something in the brush and darted off the trail.

Trepidation nibbled at her joy as Emmalin grasped Smoke’s coarse mane more tightly as if the dappled gray could provide the steadiness she needed.

Earlier today she’d been in a wagon set on returning to Philadelphia and the life of ease she’d had there. The idea made her stomach ache. Then Jacob caught up with her, convincing her to go with him to his burned-out place on the river—leaving Mr. Henderson to continue to Oregon City without her.

As she and Jacob stood where the blackened forest ended and the heavy greenery of woodlands closed around them, he had asked her to be his wife, to rebuild he cabin destroyed by fire, and to start a life together. It had been a beautiful moment, a dream, but now reality drew near. Did she have the strength required to be a pioneer wife?

“Almost there,” Jacob whispered as they moved past the grist mill. The paddle slapped the water, the wheel groaning as if in tune to Emmalin’s emotional disquiet.

A cat, perched on the top step of the schoolhouse, stood, stretched out its lean golden body, and yawned. It eyed them as they rode toward her father’s mercantile. Her father. Heaviness seized her as she replayed the last months. Her mother had died of fever, and Emmalin set off with her uncle to Oregon Territory in search of a father she didn’t know existed until her mother’s death. Emmalin had only been in Oregon City one day when her uncle had been killed in a freak accident. With the help of Jacob, a mountain man, she traveled to Deer Creek and found her father.

Where can my readers find you on the Internet?

Amazon                      http://amzn.to/1SqHoqK

Website                       http://www.bonnieleon.com

MeWe                         https://mewe.com/i/bonnieleon2

Goodreads                   https://www.goodreads.com/search?q=bonnie+leon&qid=

Facebook                    https://www.facebook.com/BonnieLeonAuthor?fref=ts

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

Thank you, Bonnie, for sharing this new book with my blog readers and me. I always love your novels.

Readers, here’s a link to the book.

 http://ow.ly/Apgu50KEGmT

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