THE WISE GUY AND THE STAR - Shannon McNear - One Free Book

Welcome back, Shannon. What are some of the spiritual themes you like to write about? Loss, grief, dealing with past abuse … but also the majesty and faithfulness of the Lord to carry us through anything, even to bring good from the awful things in our life.

What other books of yours are coming out soon? My surprise #4 of Daughters of the Lost Colony, Virginia, releases in September. It is, of course—if you’re familiar with Lost Colony history—the story of Virginia Dare herself, the first English child born in the New World. This series is properly termed alternate history because it deals more with what might have happened rather than what we know for sure.

If you could spend an evening with one contemporary person (not a family member of yours), who would it be and why? I’d love to have a long, leisurely chat with fellow author Lori Benton. I so adore her work!

What historical person would you like to meet (besides Jesus) and why? Right this minute it’s a toss-up between Corrie Ten Boom, C.S. Lewis, and Susanna Wesley … all of them for their faith and wisdom. 😊

How can you encourage authors who have been receiving only rejections from publishers? Well … as someone who waited for 30 years on my first publishing contract, I learned that waiting on the Lord is the best path—and His timing is always perfect. The process had deeper purpose than I knew, partly to grow me as a writer and to make my stories “better,” but also to teach me it really is more about the journey than the “destination” of being published. Don’t rush whatever it is the Lord has for you!

Tell us about the featured book. This story was originally part of Love’s Pure Light, a Barbour Christmas collection from 2020, with Susanne Dietze, Janine Roche, and Deborah Raney. The collection features an heirloom Nativity passed down through several generations, and while the other three are back in print, I was not able to get mine released again until now. So without further ado … 😊

Can a chance encounter be the connection they have always needed?

After the end of the Great War, pastor’s daughter Stella Shepherd accompanies her aunt on a business trip by train and meets convalescing war veteran Nat Wise and his two older brothers. The three men are whimsically named after the gifts of the biblical wise men and dubbed “the Wise guys” by their cousins. They claim to be down-and-out soldiers recently returned from the front, but they’re surrounded by mystery.

Stella secretly carries the family Nativity to comfort her while away from family during Christmas. Nat quietly spends his spare time carving a set of wooden wise men to honor his own deceased mother. To him, Stella is the perfect church girl—darling, but unattainable because he’s done too much for God to forgive him.

Stella longs to help Nat find renewed faith in God, but could he be the answer to the wanderings of her own heart?

Please give us the first page of the book.

Charleston, South Carolina—December 1919

Stella Shepherd stepped inside the huge building of Union Station, stared about her at the hustling crowd, then lifted her eyes to the arching beams high over their heads. Why had she ever thought she’d be comfortable traveling so close to Christmas? Away from home. Away from family.

Well, family who extended some modicum of warmth, at least.

“Stella girl, you best get a move on, now!” came the voice of Old Joe, her aunt’s manservant, behind her.

Stella swallowed hard, took a better grip on her satchel and suitcase, and fastened her gaze on the retreating form of her aunt, sailing through the crowd ahead of her like the battleship she was oft compared to. But still she couldn’t move.

This trip was an adventure, Mama said. And surely, if she and Papa had thought it a bad idea, they’d not have allowed her to go with Aunt Lila.

Or, as the case may be, let Aunt Lila talk them into allowing her to go.

“Stella!” came old Joe’s booming admonishment, closer now.

Aunt Lila glanced over her shoulder, her arched brows rising even higher.

No more hesitation. Stella scurried after her, weaving between the other travelers.

The rumble of the steam engine echoed through the busy station and vibrated in the stone floor, growing stronger as she neared the train stretching the length of the station platform in front of her.

How can readers find you on the Internet?

http://shannonmcnear.com/

http://www.facebook.com/ShannonMcNearAuthor

https://www.instagram.com/shenandoahdawn/

http://www.pinterest.com/shenandoahdawn/

http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6880909.Shannon_McNear

http://www.bookbub.com/profile/shannon-mcnear

http://twitter.com/shenandoah_dawn

https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B00BK9VRZ2

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

Readers,  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. 

Sarah (OH) is the winner of Safe Haven Ranch by Louise M Gouge.

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. 

Dennis Jernigan Young Reader series book 2 - THE LIGHT EATER

ABOUT THE LIGHT EATER:
The Kingdom of Bren faces a deadly foe. Can the Jennings children defeat a light-eating dragon in time to save the realm?

The Jennings kids are once more swept into the magical land of Bren to fight a monster only they can conquer. The kingdom is falling into darkness under the attacks of Luminaud, a giant red dragon, who draws his strength from the light of life, beginning with the light of children! 

Only the great, mystical sword known as Lumen’s Hammer, can slay the dreadful beast, and it can only be wielded by a child. But where is the sword hidden and who can use it against the slithering leviathan? 

Will the children unite in time to overcome the dreaded Light Eater or will Bren be dimmed forever?

Full of fiery trials, surprising reunions, and frightening foes, The Light Eater is the second book in the Bairns of Bren series, which chronicles the adventures of the Jennings in the land of Bren, their grandfather’s kingdom. Fans of The Chronicles of Narnia and The Spiderwick Chronicles will enjoy this fantasy series for young readers.

1. What is the significance of the name ‘Light Eater’? 

One of my grandsons actually inspired this story. He received a plush toy dragon one Christmas and told me it ate light. That idea struck me like a bolt of lightning as to how it seems that the life God intends for us all is slowly being eaten away by darkness. Our children live in a day and an age and a culture in which the light of the life of God's Word seems to be being consumed by the lies of the enemy. In this story, the light eater, Luminaud, absorbs the life out of living creatures of all kinds, but especially seeks the light of the children of the king. 

2. How is the story used to teach children to rely on God?

Once again, the children find themselves face-to-face with pure evil and are sent on a royal quest by their grandparents, the high king and high queen of the land of Bren. The children find themselves alone at times and are encouraged to listen for the voice of the Founder; encouraged to cry out to Him in prayer; encouraged to trust the Founder even when up against the most terrible of circumstances. 

3. How do the children manage to face their fear?

One of the ways the children learn to face your fears is to recognize the need for sacrifice. Each child must come to grips with the knowledge that their own life might be required to insure the safety and peace of the citizens of the kingdom. Their grandparents teach them that perfect love casts out fear. They're encouraged to constantly remind themselves that they are loved no matter what. What they discover is that changing the way they think actually has a lot to do with changing the way they feel. They also come to understand the power in unity of purpose. That unity of purpose? The safety and security of the people of the kingdom of Bren. 

4. How does the story hope to teach children to have a Christ-centered worldview?

One of my main goals with this series of books is to teach children how to see life - the good, the bad, the ugly - from the perspective of the Founder. In other words, when we see a mountain, God sees a mere mole hill. When we see death and destruction, God sees an opportunity to pour out his grace and comfort and restoring power and love upon mankind. My goal is that children would come to understand that God wastes nothing; that he can take even what the enemy means for evil and use it for something good. 

5. What is the ultimate take-away you hope for each reader?

The ultimate take-away for the reader is really very simple: that they would learn to walk in the light of God's Word and love; that they would learn to become spiritual warriors, unafraid to pierce the darkness with the light of God; that they would learn to see life as a grand adventure meant to be lived with joy regardless of the circumstances. I get encouraged just by talking about this story! 

Readers, here’s a link to the book.

This book is available in paperback, ebook, and audiobook format at https://www.amazon.com/s?k=THE+LIGHT+EATER+dennis+jernigan&crid=363FVQJ09YAIV&sprefix=the+light+eater+dennis+jernigan%2Caps%2C247&ref=nb_sb_noss 

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. 

Pearl (NM) is the winner of Knowing You by Tracie Peterson.

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. 

A Special book up for preorder will release on Thursday June 20

I am blessed to be included in this new collection of marriage-of-convenience novels. There won't be a free book from this post, but the 6-book collection will be only $.99 from now until a week after the release date when the price goes up.

Conveniently Wed: six novels in one Kindle Edition

by Lacy Williams (Author), Misty M. Beller (Author), Linda Ford (Author), & 3 more  

Enjoy this collection of six marriage of convenience novels. With over 1,200 pages, you’ll find something you’re certain to love. From the rugged mountains of Montana to the dusty trails of Oregon, these stories explore the surprising ways the heart can find love…

The Wrangler’s Inconvenient Wife by Lacy Williams

Trail boss Edgar White has learned the hard way that women can’t be trusted. He’s been a part of a big, boisterous family for years but he can never forget the orphanage that was his first home. When a young woman traps him in a marriage of convenience, he vows to end the sham as soon as he can. But the more he gets to know Fran, the more he discovers she’s nothing like he expected…
Grumpy/sunshine • Sworn off relationships • Forced into marriage • Damsel on the run • Love on the road

The Lady and the Mountain Man by Misty M. Beller

Orphaned heiress Leah Townsend is forced to flee to a ranch in the wild Montana mountains. Desperate for a safe place to hide, she accepts a newspaper proposal for a mail-order bride. But when Gideon Bryant finds an eastern lady standing in his log cabin, he tries to send her back to where she came from. He’s determined not to open his heart again…

Cowboy Groom by Linda Ford

Clara Redd has a secret son. Alex Keystone has followed in his father’s footsteps and arrives in Montana ready to be a preacher. He doesn’t need any distractions, but his heart is drawn to Clara. But when Clara’s past catches up to her, will the budding romance between her and Alex survive?

Aundy by Shanna Hatfield

Aundy Thorsen responds to a farmer’s plea for a mail-order bride in Oregon. Then tragedy strikes, leaving her a widow the same day she becomes a wife. Amid her efforts to build a new life, she struggles with her unexpected attraction to neighbor Garrett Nash. But Garrett has his own reasons for protecting his heart…

Katherine’s Arrangement by Blossom Turner

Katherine Williams’s family is left destitute when their home is burned to the ground by Yankee soldiers. When Mr. Josiah Richardson proposes a marriage of convenience, it seems almost too good to be true. He’ll provide a home, work for her pa, and a new beginning for her family...if only Katherine will accept his proposal. Marrying him is her only choice to save her family, but Josiah isn’t the man she expected at all…

A Heart’s Gift by Lena Nelson Dooley

Franklin Vine has worked hard to build the ranch he inherited into one of the most successful in the majestic Colorado mountains. Without an heir, he'll eventually have to divide up his spread among the most loyal of his hired hands. When Lorinda Sullivan finds herself without a home in the midst of a hard Rocky Mountain winter, she has to do something to provide for her infant son. A marriage of convenience seems like the perfect arrangement. But the stakes quickly become much higher than either of them ever planned…

SAFE HAVEN RANCH - Louise M Gouge - One Free Book

Bio: South Carolina author, Louise M. Gouge, writes contemporary and historical romance fiction, winning the prestigious IRCA in 2006 and placing as a finalist in 2011, 2015, 2016, and 2017. She was also a finalist in the American Christian Fiction Writers Carol Awards in 2005, 2007, and 2008, and placed in the Laurel Wreath contest in 2012. Most recently, she was a finalist in the 2023 Selah Awards and is a current finalist for the 2024 Selah Awards. A former college English and humanities professor, Louise is a member of the Christian PEN and has been copyediting for well-known authors for fifteen years. Married for fifty-four happy years to her husband, David, Louise is now widowed and spends her days researching and writing her next novel.

Welcome back to my bog, Louise. Since you’re being published regularly, what new avenues will your future books take? After publishing about thirty historical Christian romances with various publishers, I am now moving into contemporary Christian romance. My current release, Safe Haven Ranch, is contemporary.

What conferences will you be attending this year? Will you be a speaker at any of them? Although I loved to attend conferences in the past, I’m not able to travel anymore. I would be delighted if a conference were held within driving distance of my new home in Columbia, South Carolina.

I understand that. I’m not traveling anymore either. 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? Because I have a copyediting business in addition to my writing, I would plan a panel discussion about the importance of writers honing their grammar, punctuation, and usage skills. I would invite Kathy Ide and Jeanne Marie Leach to be on the panel. Kathy began the Christian PEN, of which I am a member, and she has written numerous books to help authors write well. Jeanne Marie wrote Christian romance novels before discovering her special gift for editing, which she now does full time. Both of these women have a lot to offer both new and experienced authors.

How important is it to you to be active in writing organizations? I love being a part of ACFW. In fact, I think my membership number is something like 90 or 190, so I’ve been around since close to the beginning. I am published because of connections I made through ACFW. I’m also a member of FHLCW, and the same goes for this group. I love the online fellowship in both groups and continue to learn from my fellow authors.

My ACFW membership number is 45. Where in the community or your church do you volunteer? Physical limitations prevent me from volunteering other than online prayer ministries.

I’m a part of the prayer ministry at my church, too. Who are the five people who have made the most impact on your life, and how? My maternal grandmother often quoted scripture to me and helped ground my faith when I was quite small. My late husband was a constant source of encouragement to me in my writing, and I miss his input in my stories. My oldest daughter became a widow shortly after her second child was born, and her courage and resilience have been an example to me. My mother was a wonderful mom to her four children, and I tried to model my own mothering after hers. My father’s patriotism and courage in fighting in both world wars makes me proud to be an American.

I became a widow last October after 59 years with my husband. If you could write the inscription on your tombstone, what would it be? Jesus paid it all. All to Him I owe.

Please tell us about the featured book. As mentioned before, Safe Haven Ranch is my first contemporary for Love Inspired. A special note about this book is that it’s a sequel to my historical series, Finding Her Frontier Family and Finding Her Frontier Home. It was so much fun to write about later generations of the fictional Mattson family of ranchers in New Mexico.

Here’s the back cover copy:

Can two little children help turn a feud into a family? It should be easy for widow Olivia Ortiz to despise Will Mattson, the man keeping her from buying the ranchland she needs for herself and her daughter, Emily. But when Emily becomes instant friends with Will’s nephew, Jemmy, Olivia and Will find themselves growing closer as well. And as Olivia’s feelings for the handsome cowboy shift, competing for the property could be the start of something more…

Please share the first page with us.

Outside Riverton, New Mexico

“You what?”

Olivia Ortiz stared at her elderly neighbor, barely sparing a glance at his too-handsome companion. “But, Albert, you promised to sell your land to me.” She was standing in her own driveway, hands fisted at her waist in a defensive posture.

“I know, I know.” Albert Winslow shrugged his bony shoulders and gave her an apologetic smile. “But wait ’til you hear what he has planned, and I think you’ll like it. Will, how about you tell Miss Olivia what you have planned.” As usual, the almost ninety-year-old gentleman repeated himself. He looked up at his much taller companion. “I think she’ll like it.”

“Um…” The younger man, who fit the very definition of a tall, dark and handsome cowboy—with curly black hair thrown in for good measure—grinned, and his blue eyes sparkled in the sunlight, causing a silly hiccup in Olivia’s chest. “Don’t you think you should introduce us first?”

“Oh.” Albert blinked and looked from him to Olivia and back again. “Sure thing. Miss Olivia, this is Will Mattson. Known this boy all his life. He’s the grandson of my old friend Andy Mattson, Lord rest his soul. Will, this is Olivia Ortiz. She and her father own this property.” He waved a hand around to include the fifteen acres that comprised her land, just over a quarter the size of his own fifty acres. Centered by matching pink adobe houses, the two properties were separated by a four-foot fieldstone fence, with a single flimsy, never-locked, much-used gate between them.

Will reached out a hand. “Pleased to meet you, ma’am.” He gave her a wide smile, revealing perfect white teeth set off by his perfectly tanned complexion, which caused another hiccup near her heart.

What was wrong with her? She wasn’t about to let herself fall for this man…or any man. No one could ever replace Sancho. Still, she briefly shook his hand as his name registered in her brain.

“Mattson? Are you…?” Annoyance replaced the shock that Albert’s devastating news had delivered.

“Yes, ma’am.” There went that cowboy “ma’am” thing again, punctuated by a boyish shuffling of his western boots on the dusty ground. “Can’t escape it around here.”

“Well, if you’re a Mattson, why do you need this small property to add to the…what is it? Eight or ten thousand acres your family owns?” She didn’t mean to sound so confrontational, but Albert had just crashed her desperately held dreams, so her social filters were crashing, too. “You plan to buy the whole county?”

Where can my readers find you on the Internet?

Web site at https://louisemgougeauthor.blogspot.com/ 

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

Follow me on BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/louise-m-gouge

Thank you, Louise, for sharing this new book with my blog readers and me. You know how much I love your books.

Readers, here’s a link to the book.

Safe Haven Ranch

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. 

Melissa (TN) is the winner of When Hope Sank by Denise Weimer.

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. 

ANOTHER SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT

Exciting news! The second book in my Love's Road Home series, A HEART'S FORGIVENESS, was selected for a Bookbub Featured Deal! It will be discounted to $.99 from June 13-17 in the US and UK. That would be a good time grab a copy of the ebook if you haven't read it yet. 

KNOWING YOU - Tracie Peterson - One Free Book

Bio: Tracie Peterson is the bestselling author of more than 100 novels, both historical and contemporary, with nearly 6 million copies sold. She has won the ACFW Lifetime Achievement Award and the Romantic Times Career Achievement Award. Her avid research resonates in her many bestselling series. Tracie and her family make their home in Montana.

In March 2023, bestselling author Tracie Peterson introduced readers to her new Pictures of the Heart series with Remember Me. This was followed by Finding Us in July. Now Peterson propels readers into the thick of the action once again in a tale full of history, intrigue, and romance in her dramatic conclusion, Knowing You.

About the Story: In 1909, Seattle is a place of excitement and intrigue. With the Alaskan-Yukon-Pacific Exposition taking place, people are pouring in from all over the world, eager to participate in the fair. May Parker is no exception. Born and raised in Seattle, she is determined to play her part in the expo and signs up as a Camera Girl. She is especially drawn to the Japanese exhibits, since her mother is Japanese and May longs to explore her heritage. But her curiosities turn to danger when a piece of samurai armor becomes the target of an elusive art forger.

Lee Munroe is a police detective assigned to the expo. He and May grew up together, but their friendship was thwarted by his parents’ racist feelings. Ten years later, Lee and May reconnect at the fair, and their friendship begins to blossom with hints of something more.

As May and Lee find themselves entangled in a dangerous heist, their love is threatened. Can May and Lee overcome the odds against them?

Join Peterson as she combines her impeccable research and award-winning writing style to explore themes of racism, honor, and the reminder that God focuses on the heart rather than outward appearances.

Knowing You is the final book in the Pictures of the Heart series. What was the connecting element for all of the books in this series? The Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition of 1909 brought millions of people to Seattle.  This series shows a fictional group of  “Camera Girls” who work taking souvenir photos of expo attendees and in the process, fall in love.

Are there any threads that run through the whole series that will be wrapped up in this book? There are a few in the form of the exposition itself, as well as what happens to several beloved characters.

What are some of the main themes or lessons covered in Knowing You? Dealing with racial prejudices. Facing the past to overcome the power it has on you. And not allowing other people to dictate your relationship with others, but rather looking to God for direction.

Knowing You combines history and romance, but it also offers a thread of suspense. Can you provide a hint of the dangerous situation that May and her childhood friend Lee Munro encounter? A notorious criminal comes back into Lee’s life and threatens May’s welfare, leading Lee to realize just how important May is to him.

Most of your story takes place at the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition. When did you learn about this expo and why did you decide to use it as the setting for your book? A few years ago, I was doing research for another book when it mentioned something about the A-Y-P expo as it was nicknamed. I decided to check into it and found the exposition and the setting to be fascinating and fun. I was particularly caught up in comments about the new Kodak camera being available at an affordable price for the average family and thought it was a neat side note to include in the story.

What do you hope readers will gain from reading Knowing You, and how have you been impacted by this series? Each series always touches my heart as I explore the history and the spiritual aspects of the storyline. I believe my writing is a ministry and in that, I always want to share the Gospel as well as biblical encouragement. I want the reader to know that God is real and that He cares. I want them to see the simple ways God encourages us daily through His Word and others, and how we, too, can offer this encouragement to each other.

How can readers connect with you? Readers can contact me through my website www.traciepeterson.com or through Facebook.com/AuthorTraciePeterson

Where can readers purchase a copy of Knowing You? Bakerbookhouse.com, Christianbooks.com and any place that offers books for sale.

Thank you, Tracie, for sharing this wonderful series with us.

Readers, 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. 

Susan (NC) is the winner of A Season of Harvest by Lauraine Snelling.

Anne (NM) is the winner of Hide and Seek by Dennis Jernigan.

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.

Special Announcement

My book, A Heart's Gift, was selected for a Kindle Deal!

It will be discounted to $2.49 in a Kindle Monthly Deal which runs between June 1, 2024 and June 30, 2024. It will be discounted on both Amazon.com and Amazon.ca (Canada). 

WHEN HOPE SANK - Denise Weimer - One Free Book

Welcome back, Denise. How did you come up with the idea for this story? The plot for When Hope Sank came about when my agent, Linda S. Glaz, learned Barbour Publishing was planning a new series, A Day to Remember, based on tragedies in U.S. history. She shared Barbour’s list of suggestions with her authors. One of the tragedies was the sinking of the Sultana, which occurred in the Mississippi River in April of 1865, the week after President Lincoln was assassinated. The date leapt out at me because I’ve done extensive living history and research in that time period.

I learned that the steamboat was carrying paroled Union POWs on their way home. The boat was severely overcrowded due to bribes and kickbacks. The boiler had been shoddily repaired. The river was at flood stage. When three of the boilers exploded just north of Memphis, Tennessee, around two thousand souls were expelled into the freezing water. Around half lost their lives, making the incident the worst maritime disaster in the nation’s history. To make matters worse, rumors of sabotage abounded. The towns on the Arkansas side of the river—including Mound City where my heroine’s uncle runs an inn—were known hotbeds of spies, bushwhackers, and saboteurs. I chose to explore that connection after Lily Livingston rescues Lieutenant Cade Palmer, a former Union surgeon, from the swollen waters of the Mississippi.

If you were planning a party with Christian authors of contemporary fiction, what six people would you invite and why? I’m hard pressed to answer that question since I rarely read contemporary fiction. I think Ted Dekker would be very interesting to converse with. And maybe some of the big-name authors who have written multiple series and whose books have been made into movies. I’m sure we could learn a lot from them!

Now let’s do that for a party for Christian authors of historical fiction, what six people would you invite and why? Now you’re talking my language. LOL. Can I issue more invites since I’m not doing a modern party? Francine Rivers, of course. Laura Frantz is one of my favorite authors. We share a love of writing Eastern frontier romances. Lori Benton for the same reason. Shannon McNear and Pegg Thomas are particular author friends of mine, co-authors on a previous Barbour collection. I’d like to ask Deanne Gist how she’s so good at humor in her historicals. And I’d love to learn more from Lynn Austin, Heidi Chiavaroli, and Tamera Alexander. But I’m just getting going. As an editor at Wild Heart Books, I want to invite every single amazing author I work with!

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? Probably balancing all the attention book releases require with my editing work and personal life. I always feel I’m coming up short on the marketing end. Some people are so savvy in that area. But we all have different angles and gifts…and only so much time and money to go around. I’m thankful, so thankful, that I get to do what I love and feel called by God to do as a career.

Tell us about When Hope Sank.

April 1865

The Civil War has taken everything from Lily Livingston—her parents, her twin brother, her home. Now she works at her uncle’s inn and keeps her head down. Speaking up for her beliefs proved too costly in a part of Arkansas split by conflicting loyalties and overrun by spies and bushwhackers. One of those partisans, her brother’s childhood friend, will soon return to claim her hand—whether she wants to grant it or not.

Emaciated in body but resilient in spirit, Lieutenant Cade Palmer is crowded onto the Sultana with other paroled Andersonville and Cahaba POWs for the journey north. But a fiery explosion rends the steamer and empties two thousand men into the frigid Mississippi River. 

Recovering from wounds that might end his career as a surgeon but clinging to his faith, Cade threatens both Lily’s defenses and her heart. How can she tell him she might’ve prevented the tragedy if only she’d reported a suspected saboteur’s claims? And when the man returns to town and encoded messages pass through the hotel, Lily must follow her convictions to prevent another tragedy.

Please give us the first page of the book.

Mid-April 1865

“Free Arkansas.”

The unexpected phrase, whispered a stone’s throw away at the inn’s back alley door, froze Lily Livingston’s arms in mid-swing. The dirty dishwater she’d been about to fling from the entrance to the kitchen swirled and settled in the pan, all but a defiant trickle. The speaker’s head swiveled in her direction. He’d removed his gambler-style hat, providing a glimpse of long, center-parted black hair despite the drizzly night. Something in the slash of his frown, the alertness of his posture, caused Lily to withdraw into the doorway.

Who was entering River Rest’s private room the back way, and why were they offering such a strange greeting to whomever answered the door? Experience had taught her to use caution where patrons of her uncle’s establishment were concerned. Some of the worst sorts of shirkers and criminals slaked their thirst and sought their slumber at inns along the Mississippi these days. These days. She sniffed. Even before the Civil War made Arkansas a haven for guerillas and bushwhackers, river ruffians had abounded—gamblers, thieves, swindlers. And worse. Much worse.

“Miss Lily, what you doing?”

The question shot through Lily with the urgency of an alert on a telegraph wire, straightening her spine.

How can readers find you on the Internet? Denise Weimer writes historical and contemporary romance from her home in North Georgia and also serves as a freelance editor and the Acquisitions and Editorial Liaison for Wild Heart Books. A wife and mother of two daughters, she always pauses for coffee, chocolate, and old houses.

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I was born in Arkansas and grew up there. I’m eager to read this book. Thank you for sharing it with my readers and me.

Readers, here’s a link to the book.

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=When+Hope+Sank&i=stripbooks&crid=2FIOHDC1EG40W&sprefix=when+hope+sank+%2Cstripbooks%2C130&ref=nb_sb_noss_2

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