A BRIGHTER DAWN - Leslie Gould - One Free Book

Bio: Leslie Gould is a Christy Award–winning and #1 bestselling author of over 40 novels, including four Lancaster County Amish series. She holds a bachelor’s in history and an MFA in creative writing and enjoys church history, research trips, and hiking in the Pacific Northwest. She and her husband live in Portland, Oregon, and have four adult children and one grandchild.

Bestselling Amish author Leslie Gould weaves together history, drama, romance, and faith to offer readers a glimpse into a simpler way of life. Her dual-time Amish romance novels consistently hit bestseller lists and her newest release, A Brighter Dawn, offers readers a fresh take on Amish fiction with a rich international setting in Frankfurt, Germany, on the eve of World War II. From the talented pen of Leslie Gould, this powerful and evocative story is one fans of Suzanne Woods Fisher and Shelly Shepherd Gray won’t want to miss.

About the Story: Ivy Zimmerman is successfully navigating her life as a young Mennonite woman, one generation removed from her parents’ Old Order Amish upbringing. But when her parents are killed in a tragic accident, Ivy’s way of life is upended. As she deals with her grief, her sisters’ needs, and her Dawdi and Mammi’s strict rules, Ivy finds solace in both an upcoming trip to Germany for an international Mennonite youth gathering and in her great-aunt’s story about Clare Simons, another young girl who visited Germany in the late 1930s.

As Ivy grows suspicious that her parents’ deaths weren’t, in fact, an accident, she gains courage from what she learns of Clare’s time in pre-World War II Germany. With her great-aunt’s encouragement, Ivy seeks justice for her parents, her sisters, and herself.

Can you please tell us a little bit about your new novel, A Brighter Dawn? A Brighter Dawn is a dual-time story, starting with Ivy Zimmerman, a young Mennonite woman from Oregon whose parents are killed in a tragic accident. She and her younger sisters are sent to Lancaster County to stay with their Amish paternal grandparents, who they hadn’t met until their parents’ funeral. Two things keep Ivy going—an upcoming trip to Germany for a Mennonite youth gathering and her elderly aunt’s story of Clare Simons, another young girl who visited Germany in the late 1930s. In Germany, the evidence surrounding Ivy’s parents’ accident starts to unravel. Inspired by the past, Ivy returns to Oregon to seek the truth.

A Brighter Dawn is book one in your new AMISH MEMORIES series. Can you share about your inspiration for this series and the connecting element that ties each book in the series together? Two things inspired me as I began to imagine the AMISH MEMORIES series. The first were my father’s scrapbooks from the late 1930s and 1940s, filled with photos, clippings, and other items. I wondered what it would be like for someone who grew up Anabaptist and never knew her family’s stories to be shown scrapbooks from seventy-five years ago. What if those stories—in a non-resistant family—included the build-up to World War II, the war, and the aftermath?

The connecting thread between each of the three books in the series is memories. What memories stay with us? How do we preserve them? What do we do with the memories that bring us shame? Why are collective memories—among families and communities—so important? Many of the memories in the stories start in the scrapbooks that Rosene, an elderly aunt in the story, has protected through the years. But ultimately, the sisters in the stories must decide what memories they’ll carry forward, both from their family’s history and their own personal lives.

A Brighter Dawn addresses themes such as the temptation to compromise principles for political/societal stability. Can you tell us a little more about how this idea comes into play in the life of your protagonist, Ivy? A large portion of German Mennonites supported Hitler and the Third Reich during the 1930s and into World War II because they perceived the stability offered by German Nationalism as protection for their families, their communities, and their faith. Communist Russia collectivized Ukrainian Mennonite farms and persecuted Mennonites for their faith. Then Stalin purposefully starved many in the early 1930s as a power grab. All three strikes contributed to the German Mennonites fearing communism and embracing fascism instead. As Ivy hears Clare’s story, she realizes she’s been making compromises as far as her own perceived social stability, the truth around her parents’ death, and the safety of others in her community, and she vows to seek the truth and live more authentically.

This novel is set during an interesting period of time in world history. Can you tell us a little bit about the historical events surrounding the novel’s plot? In the historical thread of the story, Clare Simons travels to Germany in 1937 and ends up caring for her twin cousins, who both have epilepsy. Their father, a Mennonite man working with the Nazi party to “protect” other Mennonites, allows the girls to be part of a study overseen by Nazi doctors. Clare realizes, as she hears of camps for the disabled, that the twins are in danger and that she must come up with a plan to save them.

In the nearly two-year period of the historical setting, Germany annexed Austria; the Munich  Agreement was signed by Britain, France, Germany, and Italy, forcing Czechoslovakia to surrender its border region (the Sudeten) to Nazi Germany; and the November 1938 Pogroms, later named Kristallnatch (Night of Broken Glass), took place in Germany and Austria. Soon after, Germany and Russia formed an alliance and then Germany invaded Poland in September 1939, which started World War II. So, yes, it was definitely an interesting period of time with a lot going on!

Was there anything that you found particularly interesting in your research that you included in your book? One of the things I knew, but that impacted me more profoundly now, was how widely fascism was embraced during the 1930s. The world was still recovering from the Great War when the Great Depression began, and governments were struggling to provide for and take care of their people. Many criticized democracies as being too slow and cumbersome to get anything done, and embraced authoritarian governments, including fascism. Democracies died from South America to Europe to Asia. The United States wasn’t immune from the burgeoning sentiment, although—thankfully!—democracy held. Well-known Americans, including Charles Lindbergh and Henry Ford, spouted anti-Semitic rhetoric and support for Nazi ideals, which legitimized the ideology to some. In February of 1939, the German-American Bund, a US fascist group that embraced the Nazis, held a rally for over 22,000 in Madison Square Garden, complete with Nazi imagery. My research reminded me how precarious governments “of the people, by the people, for the people” truly are and how important it is to work together to preserve them.

It might surprise some readers, but Amish fiction is a widely popular and enduring category in the world of story. What do you think readers find most appealing about stories featuring the Amish and their way of life? I think the simplicity of the Amish way of life appeals to my readers. I know as I read (and write) Amish fiction I’m transported to a much simpler time. I often “find” myself on my aunt and uncle’s farm or my grandparents’ farm or on the farms of friends from my childhood. Yes, they all had electricity, but so many other things were similar to the Amish today. Lots of hard work. Cows to milk and a big garden to tend to. Field and pasture work. Sewing and canning projects. Devotions after breakfast. No technology. Time spent on the porch visiting or reading. Few trips to town.

I think in our chaotic world, we all crave time away from the busyness and an escape to simpler times. That said, my Amish dual-time stories can get pretty complicated, but more because of the plots than the settings!

What do you hope readers take away from this story? I want my readers to value their own memories and the collaborative memories of their families, and to think about how to make memories, preserve them, and then pass them on. Studies have shown that people are happier if they hold a more positive view of the past. But I also want readers to think about how to process and pass down sad memories too, knowing they are also important to future generations and can lead to honest conversations, inspire the next generation to do the right thing, and even become cautionary tales.

Can you share what you’re working on next? I’m currently working on the second book in the series, which has the working title The War Comes Home. Brenna, Ivy’s middle sister, is the protagonist of the contemporary story and Martha, Clare’s sister, is the heroine of the historical story. Both deal with the trauma and fallout of war as they navigate threats to the family businesses, along with caring for those they love.

How can readers connect with you? You can find me at lesliegould.com (lesliegould.com/). I love to do giveaways, so make sure and sign-up for my newsletter! You can also find me on Facebook (facebook.com/lesliegouldauthor)

Thank you, Leslie, for sharing The War Comes Home with my blog readers and me.

Readers, here’s a link to the book.

https://www.amazon.com/Brighter-Dawn-Amish-Memories/dp/0764240242/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2R1J6AJ1N4ACC&keywords=A+Brighter+Dawn&qid=1680297678&s=books&sprefix=a+brighter+dawn+%2Cstripbooks%2C108&sr=1-1

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 2 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 

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT

We are training for my precious husband's home dialysis. When we arrived home the last two days, I've been very exhausted. We're going earlier today and tomorrow, so we'll get home sooner. I plan to be back on my blog schedule sometime late today. I have some wonderful books for you this week.

Your prayers would be welcomed. His name is James.

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.

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FIELDS OF BOUNTY - Lauraine Snelling - One Free Book

I have always loved books by Laurine Snelling. I’m one-half Scandinavian, and my ancestors settled in Minnesota, as hers did. I’ve even had fans compare my writing favorably to hers and Tracie Peterson’s, at the same time. That amazed me. It was also a blessing.

Bio: Lauraine Snelling is the award-winning author of more than 100 books, fiction and nonfiction, for adults and young adults. Her books have sold more than five million copies. She and her husband make their home in Tehachapi, California. Learn more at www.laurainesnelling.com .

Historical romance favorite and master of the homestead time period, Lauraine crafts an exceptional story of struggle and hope in the third book of her LEAH’S GARDEN series.

About the Story: Fields of Bounty returns to the Nielsen sisters, this time with Lilac’s story. They must set aside their own plans and rely on their faith to bring their true destiny to light.

Lilac Nielsen’s dream has come true: handsome young Reverend Ethan Pritchard has finally noticed her. Yet she must balance this new courtship with the pursuit of another dream—the publication of her artwork in a New York paper. She has secretly been submitting a

series of drawings under a pen name, and if anyone traces the drawings back to her and finds out where Lilac and her sisters settled, the entire Nielsen family could be in danger.

As their family farm expands and Lilac’s relationship with the reverend grows, it’s a time of new beginnings. But when a family crisis back in Ohio shakes the Nielsen sisters, can they continue to build the new life they’ve begun in Nebraska? And will Lilac be prepared for what God has in store for her future?

PRAISE for Snelling’s Previous Novels in this series:

“Snelling’s thorough research pays off in her vivid evocation of frontier-era Nebraska . . . The result is a transportive historical worth getting lost in.” —Publishers Weekly, on A Time to Bloom

“I have read all of Lauraine Snelling’s novels and she never disappoints. The Seeds of Change is an uplifting, engaging tale that lingered with me long after I finished it.” — The Avid Reader, on The Seeds of Change

“Readers will be anxiously awaiting book 2 in the Leah’s Garden Series.” —Historical Novel Society, on The Seeds of Change

“With themes that have contemporary resonance, Snelling’s powerful historical drama will appeal to inspirational readers of all types.” —Publishers Weekly, on A Season of Grace

Get connected: www.LauraineSnelling.com

Thank you, Laurine, for sharing Fields of Bounty with my blog readers and me.

Readers, here’s a link to the book.

https://www.amazon.com/Fields-Bounty-Leahs-Garden-Book-ebook/dp/B0B6Q1ZJHT/ref=sr_1_1?crid=9UG2PFYM2U6B&keywords=Fields+of+Bounty&qid=1679608771&s=books&sprefix=fields+of+bounty+%2Cstripbooks%2C99&sr=1-1

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 2 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 

UNDERGROUND SCOUTS - Marie Sontag - One Free Book

Welcome, Marie. Tell us a bit about your newest release, Underground Scouts. Although Underground Scouts is a historical fiction book, it tells the true story of Boy Scouts and Girl Guides who come alongside the Polish Underground Army in an attempt to oust the Germans from Warsaw before the war’s end.

What spurred you to write Underground Scouts? The idea for the story struck me when my husband and I visited Warsaw in 2008. We had a sixteen-year-old Polish foreign exchange student named Staś (Stash) live with us during the 1996-1997 school year. He has continued to call us Mom and Dad as we’ve stayed in touch, and now his children call us Grandma and Grandpa. When we visited Staś in 2008, he took us to the Warsaw Rising Museum. That’s where we learned about the Polish Boy Scouts and Girl Guides’ involvement in the event the Varsovians call “The Rising.” I told my husband, “The middle-school students I teach in the U.S. need to hear how Polish youth were willing to give up their lives to maintain democracy.” I decided the best way to do that was to research the facts, place a fictional teen in the middle of the real action, and add narrative drama to make this amazing past come to life. The result was Underground Scouts.

When writing fiction based on real characters, do you change names and details to keep it strictly fictional, or do you include some real names and facts? Since I formerly taught social studies for fifteen years, I keep the details, names, and facts as real as possible. I want readers to see history through my fictional character’s eyes so they can draw their own conclusions if they spot current-day applications from what happened in the past. The fictional character gives me enough leverage to add drama, enabling the events to come to life for the reader. It helps them experience what real people felt in those situations. As I do in of most of my historical fiction books, in the back of the book I include the names of the real characters and the fictional ones to help the reader make the distinction. For Underground Scouts, I also published their pictures on my website.

It sounds like Underground Scouts brings to life a very different time and place for American readers. What message do you hope people will take away from this book? During WWII, the Polish Boy Scouts and Girl Guides risked their lives in order to preserve their democratic nation and religious freedom. My 89-year-old friend Halina was a 12 -year-old member of the Girl Guides when the Germans invaded. She was 17 when she joined the Underground Army’s Zoshka Battalion. As Halina told me, “We were not heroes. We only did what we had to do.” Would American youth today be willing to do the same for their country? My hope is that after reading this book, their answer would be yes.

How do you weave faith and hope into the story? I weave faith and hope into the story through the Scouts’ symbol of the kotwica. This Polish word kotwica means “anchor” in English. You can see it as an “Easter Egg” on the cover. The Scouts combined two Polish words that meant “Fighting Polish”—Polish words that start with a P and a W, to foist psychological warfare on the Germans. They painted this symbol on buildings around Warsaw, risking their lives by going out after curfew. The signs served to put the Germans on notice that Scouts would strike somewhere, somehow, some time, and they wouldn’t see it coming. Halina mentioned she was one of the Scouts who did this.

Two fictional adult sisters in the story code-named Auntie L and Auntie M are Christians who work with the Underground in Warsaw. A few of the fictional Scouts I insert into the drama live with these older ladies as the Scouts carry out their secret acts of resistance and sabotage. The Scouts often see the women reading Scripture together in the morning.

During the third year of the occupation, a seventeen-year-old Scout named Magdalena grows discouraged by the years of deprivation and death. She wonders where God is in all of this.
Auntie L tells her, “Evil men make evil choices, but that doesn’t change who God is. You know that Auntie M and I read a portion of Scripture together every morning, right?”
Magdalena nodded.

“This morning,” Auntie L said, “we read how God’s character is unchangeable. So, we put our hope in the fact that God’s nature of love, mercy, and justice never changes, despite what’s going on around us. The passage we read said, ‘We have this hope as an anchor for the soul.’”

For Magdalena, the anchor that had meant “Fighting Polish” now served as a reminder that the Lord was the anchor of her soul. No matter the outcome of the war, no matter how grim things got, God was still a God of love and would prevail.

The theme of young people actively involved in real warfare is not a common one in young adult novels. However, there seems to be a lot of speculative fiction published for YA in which there is some type of struggle going on. What do you think might be a reason for this? Youth are discouraged by today’s looming problems. As adults try to tackle them, the problems either grow worse, or appear insurmountable. The daily news serves as an example of how leaders fail to give direction to their countries, parents fail to build vital families, and individuals fail at life, choosing instead to numb or medicate themselves to avoid the pain of their bad choices. Feeling powerless, today’s youth often seek to live vicariously through the lives of speculative, fantasy, or dystopian figures who overcome great obstacles. As Christian writers, we need to let youth experience the triumph of historical people their age—historical counterparts who overcame a sense of helplessness through finding and growing in a relationship with the Lord, our all-powerful, all-loving God.

Is there anything you would like to say to other Young Adult authors, particular about writing historical fiction? I’ve recently helped a few of my local Middle Grade and YA authors form a group we call Family-Friendly Fiction Writers. We’re in the initial stages, but our goal is to “provide middle-grade and young adult readers with adventurous, humorous, and inspiring fiction that touches both their minds and their hearts.” To other YA authors, I’d say find a group of like-minded writers, pray together, encourage each other, then get out there and place your books in the hands of today’s youth, especially historical fiction. Let students see how God works in the real world through your fictional and historical characters. Let them “taste and see that the Lord is good.”

Thank you, Marie, for sharing this book with my blog readers and me.

Readers, here’s a link to the book.

https://www.amazon.com/Underground-Scouts-WWII-Rising-Hope/dp/1957344393/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1679517097&sr=1-1

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 2 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

A JOURNEY FOR HOPE - Stacy T Simmons - One Free Book

Stacy T. Simmons wrote uplifting fiction to delight the reader’s romantic sensibilities. Her debut novel (A Promise for Faith) was published in January 2022 and her novella (Christmas in the Cotswolds) was published one week before her untimely passing in October 2022.  A multi-year president of the Dallas-Fort Worth Chapter of the American Christian Fiction Writers, Stacy was an inspiration to many fledgling and aspiring writers. Her determination helped her to finally realize her dream of becoming a published author at the age of 56. As the title of her blog indicates, Stacy was indeed “Fueled by Faith and Caffeine.” She was often found working on her manuscripts with a piece of dark chocolate and a cup of coffee nearby. Married to her best friend Michael for thirty-five years, Stacy raised two grown daughters and had a menagerie of pets she liked to call "Noah's Ark." She was a beloved member of the women’s Christian fiction writing community and will be sorely missed. Stacy’s husband and family are seeking to carry on her legacy by promoting A Journey for Hope and are maintaining her social media pages on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest, as well as her blog, Fueled by Faith and Caffeine.  More information can be found at www.stacytsimmonsauthor.com.

In her new release, A Journey for Hope, author Stacy T. Simmons does what she did best – write compelling, beautiful novels about love and hope. Working as a special education paraprofessional by day, and a novelist by night,  Stacy was indeed living her dream. With her unexpected passing in October 2022, Stacy’s beloved husband of thirty-five years Michael and her sister Beth, are honoring her by making sure this book is shared with the world.  A Journey for Hope is the second of three planned novels in her Briar Creek Love series and was Stacy’s last complete manuscript.  In addition to being a novelist, Stacy also had a very popular blog,  Fueled by Faith and Caffeine. where she enthusiastically featured various novels. She was a huge supporter of authors, and the writing community. 

In A Journey for Hope, Hope Fuller has life all planned out. Following a short trip to Briar Creek, North Carolina to help her sister, Hope will return home to Florida and begin her teaching career. When she sees Dylan Gaines, someone from her past, Hope’s life may just take an unexpected turn – one that will change her life forever. Devoted fans of Stacy, and new readers to come, will love Stacy’s ability to tell a story about something everyone wants –  hope, love and second chances. 

Her husband, Michael Simmons says, “It’s almost 3 months since Stacy passed and I’m still discovering what an amazing person she was to those around her. When Stacy began to write and went to her first writer’s conference, she began to build a community, a network of writers, friends, and family. She started her own Facebook group aptly named ‘Literature Chicks’ where she helped encourage others. She developed a newsletter and helped promote other writers in their endeavors. I have been blessed to hear so many wonderful stories of how Stacy provided words of encouragement and prayers during difficult times. She had a way of making you feel special by calling you by your name even after a brief encounter some time ago. She treated everyone as they should be treated, with respect and kindness. It is what made Stacy the wonderful person that she was every day.”

Stacy’s writing story may be best told by the countless kind words and tributes that have poured in from readers and fellow writers, like the one below from Lynne Gentry. She was described as an encourager, champion, cheerleader, and friend to so many.  The amount of love and respect for Stacy is more than can fill a page, and while the loss is most felt by her husband, her daughters and her family, there is also an entire writing community that sorely misses her presence every day.  Her husband Michael Simmons and sister Beth Collins are continuing her legacy by promoting A Journey for Hope, and any works that might be published in the future.

    

“She was a hard worker and determined to get her stories into the hands of readers. Week after week she came to group, bringing pages she'd poured over for hours. And as she watched others in the group succeed, she put her own disappointments behind her and cheered long and hard for each of them,” says best-selling author Lynne Gentry, a member of her authors critique group.

Readers, I knew and loved Stacy. I rejoiced with her when she finally became a published author.

Here’s a link to the book.

https://www.amazon.com/Journey-Hope-Briar-Creek-Love/dp/195183982X/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1679430589&sr=8-1

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 2 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.

Pam (OH) is the winner of Forged in Love by Mary Connealy.

Juie T (NC) is the winner of The Sound of Light by Sarah Sundin.

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 2 weeks to claim your book

MAIL-ORDER BRIDE SURPRISE - Linda Ford - One Free Book

Welcome to my blog, Linda. God has really been moving in your writing life. What do you see on the horizon? If I had charge of my future, I would say I plan to write until they have to pry the pen out of my cold, dead hands. I can’t count on that. But I can count on God being with me whatever the future holds.

Amen to that. Tell us a little about your family. Where do I start? I gave birth to four children. We adopted ten more. Four of those have disappeared from our lives. So, our nuclear family consists of 10 children. Some of them have spouses, some do not. Some have children. Others don’t. We often have family gatherings which are loud and busy.

Sounds like a lot of fun. Has your writing changed your reading habits? If so, how? Unfortunately, it has. I used to pick up any book and enjoy reading it but now I find it hard to read without critiquing. Or conversely, feeling despair because I can’t write like that author.

I understand, but I can turn off my mental editor when a story is really good. What are you working on right now? My 100th book—Mail-Order Bride Substitute—comes out Mar. 29, 2023 so I am working on publicity for that. As well, I planned 10 books in the Montana Mail Order Brides series and am currently working on the 8th one.

What outside interests do you have? In the summer, I grow a big vegetable garden where I spend a lot of time. I find ‘angry hoeing’ a great stress reliever. Lol. I enjoy walking in all seasons. In the summer I try and do a few hikes in the nearby mountains and am looking forward to doing one of those soon. Being in nature, seeing the waterfalls and wild animals is so refreshing and renewing.

How do you choose your settings for each book? I try and choose settings I am somewhat familiar with. Hence, I write western Canada and western USA. I like either a mountain setting or the prairies.

If you could spend an evening with one historical person, who would it be and why? It would be Colonel James Macleod who led the North-West Mounted Police (now the Royal Canadian Mounted Police—aka the Mounties) from 1876-1880. He was considered a wise leader and was respected by those under his command and the people in the area he policed—both the whites and Indigenous. I’d love to get a first-hand account of those times. Which reminds me, deep in my brain, I have plans to write a series about wagon trains traveling the same route the Mounties took.

What is the one thing you wish you had known before you started writing novels? Perhaps how hard it was but also how rewarding. But the one thing I point out to others is how important it is to learn the craft. Take courses, attend conferences and workshops, study books on the craft, but realize your method might differ from others and that’s ok.

What new lessons is the Lord teaching you right now? Patience, which He has been teaching me most of my life. I find it hard to accept some of the changes of life—COVID, aging, the loss of friends and family, the rise and fall of world economics—and not grow weary and impatient with people and society. Praise the Lord, He is patient with me.

What are the three best things you can tell other authors to do to be successful? If you want it bad enough, nothing will stop you. I wrote many, many failed stories as I learned the craft. I know not all writers go through as long a learning curve as I did but far too many quit because it’s hard.

Seek advice. Assess it and apply it where you can. In part I mean advice from editors, and fellow writers who are learning things.

Trends are great but for many of us, it’s vital that we develop a brand that holds our readers.

Tell us about the featured book. There are four Shannon brothers operating a ranch in western Montana in the 1800s. Among them are twins, Matt and Luke. Matt’s story is told in Mail-Order Brides Mommy (#1 Montana Mail-Order Brides). When Luke sees how well Matt’s mail-order marriage has turned out, he wants the same thing. A woman just like Matt's wife. But that isn't quite what he gets. Instead, the woman is full of surprises. And it turns out he has one or two of his own.

Please give us the first page of the book.

Montana, 1890

She would do whatever was required to achieve her goal.

Honor Ward wound her long braid into a bun at the back of her head and fixed it in place with a dozen hairpins. Please stay tidy. She donned a gray bonnet and tied it under her chin. Her friend Tammy had said the hat was appropriate. Honor took her word for it.

She smoothed her dark gray skirt and adjusted the matching jacket. Both showed the signs of travel, and both still felt uncomfortable, but Tammy had insisted they were necessary as were the two dresses she’d given Honor as a going-away present. She owed so much to her friend, not the least of which…

The train jerked to a stop.

“Crow Crossing, Montana.” The conductor patted her shoulder. “It’s your destination, my dear. May God be with you and grant you your every dream.”

“Thank you.” The man’s words strengthened her resolve.

She picked up her satchel. Tammy had offered to give her one, but Honor had used the last of her meager savings to buy her own. Holding her head high and ignoring the frantic, erratic beat of her heart, she marched down the aisle, prepared to face her unknown future.

She let the conductor assist her from the train and stood on the wooden platform, trying to take it all in at once. A woman and child hurried away. A porter unloaded luggage from the freight car. Her own trunk was placed on a trolley.

How can readers find you on the Internet?

www.lindaford.org (where you can sign up for my newsletter and receive a free book)

Linda Ford, author (facebook.com)

Linda Ford Books - BookBub

Thank you, Linda, for sharing Mail-Order Bride Surprise with my blog readers and me.

Readers, here’s a link to the book.

https://www.amazon.com/Mail-Order-Bride-Surprise-Montana-Brides/dp/B0BW2GW192/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1679075115&sr=1-1  

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 2 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  

A SUMMER AT SAGAMORE - Lisa M Prysock - One Free Book

Welcome, Lisa. Tell us how much of yourself you write into your characters. Hi Lena, thanks for having me on your awesome blog! I usually include many tidbits of myself in my heroines, but sometimes they are not at all like me. I like a great deal of variety in all of my characters and main characters. 

What is the quirkiest thing you have ever done? As a young teen, I think the quirkiest thing I’ve ever done was keeping a Princess Diana scrapbook. I loved dreaming about fairytale romantic happily ever after endings. I kept clippings of many of her magazine and tabloid articles.

When did you first discover that you were a writer? I think I’ve always known I was a writer. I can remember making a book even in kindergarten when the other children were playing. The love of writing never stopped. It only grew from there. I always wrote private journals throughout my life, and then as a teen, won some awards for a short chapter story and some poetry. Blogging helped me develop my writing, and I kept notebooks with partially started stories and story ideas all over the place. I finally published my first book in 2011 when the Lord revived my writing dream and I was nearing the finish line of raising and homeschooling our children.          

Tell us the range of the kinds of books you enjoy reading. I like a wide variety of books, from biographies, to non-fiction, to fiction. I enjoy many genres, but I tend to stick to Christian fiction, biographies, and my Bible.

How do you keep your sanity in our run, run, run world? I try not to run, run, run. I’m a homebody at heart.      

How do you choose your characters’ names? Sometimes I’ll google lists of names and peruse those. Other times, readers will suggest names to use if I reach out to them. Most of the time, I have a name in mind for my characters.

What is the accomplishment that you are most proud of? Raising my children and being a wife and mother is my greatest accomplishment, and second to this would be my writing.   

If you were an animal, which one would you be, and why? I wouldn’t like to be an animal because I am a creature of comfort, but I think I’ll go with a cat here, or maybe a giraffe.

What is your favorite food? I can’t name just one, but I do love a good steak, salad, baked potatoes, green beans and other veggies, cantaloupe, grapes, black cherries, spaghetti, ravioli, fettucine with red sauce, tacos, and pizza if it’s done right. I also like a good roast beef with mashed potatoes and roasted carrots or homemade chicken noodle soup. “Fashion, food, faith, and fun” is one of my slogans. I’m also the “Old Fashioned Everything Girl.” 

You’re making me hungry. What is the problem with writing that was your greatest roadblock, and how did you overcome it? My biggest problem with writing was not knowing how to finish most books I started. I had an endless supply of ideas and themes, but I couldn’t fill in the middle or end. I solved it by creating a brief outline of my plot. Once I knew where I was going and had a roadmap of the beginning, middle, and end, I knew I could write anything. I do occasionally still become stuck, but through prayer and talking it out with my husband or a writing friend, I can usually figure out what to do next. Sometimes the Lord will speak to my heart with a fresh idea.          

When He does that, it is so exciting. Tell us about the featured book. A Summer at Sagamore is a Gilded Age romance with a 1907 setting in the Adirondacks. Filled with mayhem and mystery, something is afoot at the Sagamore when Abby arrives with her sister, cousin, and grandmother for their annual summer vacation. Normally, the cousins choose a beau to adore from afar, and Abby’s sister and cousin entice her to continue with the tradition. When she chooses Jack, she has no idea how much mayhem and mystery is happening all around them. Jack’s father is connected to the resort as an investor, so he is determined to get to the bottom of things, and with Abby’s help, they turn into sleuths and begin to fall in love while solving the mystery.          

Please give us the first page of the book.

It was June, and the world smelled of roses. The sunshine was like powdered gold over the grassy hillside.

—Maud Hart Lovelace

***

June of 1907

At the beginning of every summer, Abby thought the world lay at her feet. Anything could happen in the span of three months—seldom lasting long enough—but always months filled with bliss, wonder, and escape. From aboard the Sagamore steamboat, Abigail Rose Greenwood reveled in the views of natural beauty surrounding them in the wilds of what comprised only a mere glimpse of the millions of acres known as the Adirondack Park. She found herself speechless at the unfolding glory, unlike her travel companions as they stood alongside the upper deck’s rails. The ship plowed steadily forward, cutting a path through blue-green waves and pristine waters splashing below them, the gale making her feel alive with anticipation as they neared their destination.

“I can’t wait to see the Sagamore Resort.” Abby’s younger sister Catherine stretched out her arms over the railing to embrace the wind blowing her brunette curls around her shoulders, her brown eyes wide and bright. Seventeen, she glowed with apparent excitement about the adventure.

How can readers find you on the Internet? The best way to connect with me is to sign up for my newsletter at https://www.LisaPrysock.com  Readers can view all of my books on the carousel at the home page too. Here are some of my other social media links--:

https://www.facebook.com/LisaMPrysock

https://twitter.com/LPrysock

https://www.LisaPrysock.com

https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B00J6MBC64 (Lisa’s page at Amazon Author Central.)

https://www.bookbub.com/authors/lisa-m-prysock

https://www.facebook.com/groups/500592113747995/  (Lisa’s Facebook Reader & Friends group.)

https://www.instagram.com/lisaprysock

Thank you, Lisa, for sharing A Summer at Sagamore with my blog readers and me.

Readers, here’s a link to the book.

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=a+summer+at+sagamore+by+lisa+prysock&i=stripbooks&crid=2UYPGMZ490Z2I&sprefix=A+Summer+at+Sagamore+%2Cstripbooks%2C118&ref=nb_sb_ss_fb_1_21

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 2 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