A NOT SO PERSISTENT SUITOR - Sandra Merville Hart - One Free Book

Welcome, Sandra, on this release day for your latest novel.

 Tell us about your salvation experience. My family attended church sporadically when I was a child. My father worked nights so it was difficult for him to get up early on Sundays for services. My mother sometimes read to us from our Children’s Bible. It had pictures. My favorite story was when Jesus rebuked the disciples for sending the children away. Jesus wanted to talk to the little ones. That resonated with me.

When my aunt’s family visited with us in the summer, she’d read her Bible daily. She’d invite us to read with her. She had a strong faith and special glow about her.

I wanted that kind of faith as a young teenager. My brother was invited to a friend’s church. He started attending weekly and made lots of friends. Soon my younger sisters were going with him but I was too shy. It wasn’t until my sophomore year that I began attending regularly. It seemed I was starved to know more about Jesus and whether He loved me. I met with my preacher who was able to answer my questions. I was baptized a few weeks later.

My decision to follow Christ has made all the difference.

You’re planning a writing retreat where you can only have four other authors. Who would they be and why? I love writing retreats! It’s an opportunity to accomplish much as the focus shifts to completing writing goals.

At the end of the day, I’m usually ready to unwind. Your stipulation to choose only four authors to go along is a tough one because I have so many wonderful friends from different writing groups. However, I’m looking forward to a writing retreat later this year with Starr Ayers, Deborah Sprinkle, Denise Holmberg, and Linda Dindzans, friends from my former Word Weavers critique group. Looking forward to laughter, brainstorming, and getting a lot of writing done!

Do you have a speaking ministry? If so, tell us about that. Yes, I enjoy teaching and speaking at writing groups and conferences. Here are some of my workshops: Blogging to Build a Platform; Hidden Treasures in Researching your Historical Novel; and Tracking Your Writing Income and Expenses. Passing on some of the things I’ve learned to fellow writers is a lot of fun. I’ve also shared devotional/inspirational talks on both faith and/or writing.

Since I’ve written several Civil War novels—the first three books in my Spies of the Civil War series released last year, and I’m currently researching the next three—I am sometimes asked to speak on that topic at historical groups and others interested in our nation’s history. I have a lot of memorabilia that I can bring along that sparks interesting conversations with attendees. It’s been a lot of fun!

What is the most embarrassing thing that has happened to you and how did you handle it? There’s a difference between embarrassing and humiliating moments—and I’ve had plenty of both. The most embarrassing thing I ever did may have been when I hit an elder’s car in the church parking lot. I was sixteen and had only received my driver’s license about six weeks earlier. I was mortified, my dad was angry, and the man whose car I struck while backing out of a parking space was gracious. I’ve been involved in other accidents over the years and I’ve learned to appreciate the kindness that was extended to me by our church elder.

People are always telling me that they’d like to write a book someday. I’m sure they do to you, too. What would you tell someone who came up to you and said that? Many people have told me that they want to write a book. I usually ask them if they’ve started it. If so, I offer advice about attending writer conferences, taking college classes, or enrolling in online courses. A few are naturally gifted but most need a solid foundation to hone their writing skills.

We all start somewhere. If you’re serious about writing a novel, attending writer conferences will not only offer training but also provide a network of authors, editors, agents, and other industry professionals.

Tell us about the featured book, A Not So Persistent Suitor.

He’s fighting for his career…She’s bent on achieving her own goals…Will their love survive a second chance at happily ever after?

Cora Welch dreams of a future teaching kindergarten, which is in its infancy, and marriage to Ben Findlay, her beau and her twin brother’s best friend. But she returns to college from summer break to learn of Ben’s unwise choices in pursuit of his career—choices that destroy her trust in the man she thought she knew and loved.

Ben is working hard toward his dream to become the best reporter in the city. He’s no stranger to fighting for a goal against all odds, ever since he was orphaned at age thirteen. Even though Cora has captured his heart, he makes the mistake of escorting the boss’s daughter to a fancy banquet to further his career—with far-reaching repercussions. Now he’s hurt Cora and botched his career goals.

Winning Cora’s trust again proves harder than Ben expects, especially as they both face struggles of their own. When events spiral out of their control, catapulting them into hardship and even danger, only God can restore their dreams—though the outcome may look far different than either of them planned.

Please give us the first page of the book.

Friday, September 14, 1883

Cincinnati, Ohio

Cora Welch swiped a dainty pink handkerchief over her damp forehead. The thought of a two-mile walk in the unseasonable heat of the mid-September afternoon decided her. She’d spend a precious nickel on the horsecar fare back to her boarding house home in the city. It was but a five-minute walk downhill to Oak Street from her school to pick up the car.

“Cora?”

She turned at the familiar voice. “Olivia?” She hadn’t seen Olivia Farnsworth since June, before Cora left to spend the summer at her home in Hamilton. Olivia attended the same Cincinnati church as she and her brother, John. “How lovely to see you again. What are you doing in Walnut Hills?”

“Good afternoon.” The tall blonde lifted the hem of her stylish blue dress off the dirt path as she quickened her step to match Cora’s. “I’ve just come from a pleasant visit with my aunt. I imagine you had classes today.”

Cora was a second-year student at the Cincinnati Kindergarten Training School. “My final year there just began.” She shifted a basket, heavy with two textbooks, to her other hand as they walked. The horsecar couldn’t arrive soon enough. It had been a long, exhausting day. “The first week of classes just ended. If you’re interested, there may be time for you to enroll for the current term.”

“I see you’re still recruiting for more kindergarten teachers.”

How can readers find you on the Internet? I love to connect with my readers! The best way is on my website, where I share historical articles, recipes, and book reviews. Readers can also find me on Facebook, Pinterest, Goodreads, my Amazon Author Page, BookBub, and Twitter.

Thank you for sharing this book with us here. I knew I wanted to feature it on my blog the first time I heard the title.

Readers, here’s a link to the book.

https://www.amazon.com/Not-Persistent-Suitor-Second-Chances/dp/1942265662/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1676397170&sr=1-1

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