CHERISHED BETROTHAL - Denise Weimer - One Free Book

Welcome back, Denise. Tell us about your salvation experience. My father was a minister. One Sunday when I was five or six, God impressed on my heart during the service that I was in need of a Savior, and I prayed to give my life to Him. On the way home, I worked up the nerve to tell my parents. Never once did I doubt that was the moment He saved me, though I grew in my understanding and rededicated my life and was baptized as an older teen.

I was 7 years old when I first asked Jesus into my heart. You’re planning a writing retreat where you can only have four other authors. Who would they be and why? Oh, goodness, that’s a tough one! There are so many authors who have inspired me. Authors who have served as co-writers on projects. Amazing authors I’ve served as an editor for. So it would be too hard to try to rank them in priority, and I’d never want to hurt any feelings by selecting so few. Suffice it to say, I’d choose authors who write in similar genres who have found unique ways to connect with readers and whose hearts for the Lord are obvious.

Good answer. Do you have a speaking ministry? If so, tell us about that. I don’t have a speaking platform, per se, but as both an author and editor (Acquisitions and Editorial Liaison for Wild Heart Books), I do speak to a variety of groups about a variety of topics. This ranges from talking with historical or community organizations about the history in my books and how I turn research into fiction to addressing budding writers on topics of the craft. Probably my favorite setting in which to speak would be at a book club.

I love connecting with book clubs, too. What is the most embarrassing thing that has happened to you and how did you handle it? Hm, nothing super embarrassing comes to mind. Except there was this one time…LOL. I have enjoyed living history and vintage dance for a number of years. One time when I was quite a bit younger and more foolish, while attending a ball, I had pinned fake ringlets to the side of my hair so the curls wouldn’t wilt in the Georgia humidity. While I was whisking around doing the Virginia reel, one of the curls came loose and rolled around on the dance floor like a fleeing mouse. Thankfully, I believe I was able to snatch it up before anyone noticed. Or maybe I just blocked out the memory of what happened after that.

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? Yes, lots of people do tell me this, most often when I am at my book table at festivals. I generally ask them what they have in mind and encourage them to pursue their dream. Often, I will mention joining a writers’ group or attending a conference so they can gain some knowledge before they get started. What’s more challenging is when people tell me they have a story idea that I simply must pursue…or pen for them as a ghost writer! Not all of these ideas line up with the style or genre I write.

I understand that. Tell us about the featured book. Though it is one of the more serious reads of the Scouts of the Georgia Frontiers Series, A Cherished Betrothal is actually my favorite—for a variety of reasons.

• Fascinating history of the struggle for the backcountry of Georgia and South Carolina as the American Revolution began.
• A backstory that provides a lot of angst, romantic tension, and opportunity to show God’s redemptive power.
• Swoon-worthy Scottish hero bent on revenge and a sweet heroine who serves as his foil.
• Tropes: childhood sweethearts, amnesia, love triangle, war.

Alexander Morris bears the childhood scars of the Long Canes massacre that killed his brother and father. His dark past forces him into the lonely life of Georgia Ranger, and eventually, to join the bordering South Carolina Rangers that revolt against the Crown. When he’s posted to the fort erected to defend the community once decimated by the massacre, duty demands he court the loyalty of his sworn enemies, the fierce Cherokee warriors.

Elspeth Lawrence never forgot the boy who sacrificed himself for her at Long Canes—any more than she forgot the younger sister taken captive. She’s learned to not only forgive but help minister to the Cherokees at her father’s mission. Alex Morris’s arrival at nearby Fort Charlotte stirs Elsie’s memories and her emotions. He doesn’t even remember her…or the long-ago attack. But the bitterness that simmers just beneath his stoic exterior—as well as her courtship by a local landowner—challenge their undeniable bond.

When Alex uncovers a long-held secret and a plot to sabotage patriot talks with the Cherokees, he must choose between his desire for revenge and his love for the girl he saved long ago.

Please give us the first page of the book.

July 12, 1775

Fort Charlotte, South Carolina

“Dinna touch me, sir!”

The sharp command from the captain’s residence stopped Lieutenant Alexander Morris in the process of striking the British colors in the fort’s yard. The act itself had already given him pause, for there could be no going back from this. The taking of a crown fort—even one in the backcountry—was no less an act of aggression for the lack of bloodshed.

But what was a Scottish woman—unmistakable, from her lilting brogue—doing here?

Alex’s men had been instructed to supervise Captain George Whitefield’s family as they packed and prepared to be escorted from Fort Charlotte. A wagon awaited them with horses already hitched in the yard. They would travel northeast to the town of Ninety Six, along with whatever munitions Major James Mayson chose to transfer to the fortified town. Where the Whitefields went from there mattered not, so long as—having refused to join the Patriot cause—they left the area.

The undeniable rumble of an argument proceeded through the open door of the captain’s quarters. Alex folded the flag over his arm, smoothing the King’s Colours with his scarred hand. He’d fought with the Georgia Rangers under this banner, but never again. The line had been crossed now. Swallowing past the unexpected tightness in his throat, he pivoted and went to see what might be out of kilter with the Whitefields.

He was about to enter the captain’s cabin when a petite form in a blue bodice and linen petticoat swept through the door, nearly colliding with him. The young woman stopped, one hand flying up to secure her tilting straw hat.

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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Thank you, Denise, for sharing A Cherished Betrothal with my blog readers and me.

Readers, here’s a link to the book.

https://www.amazon.com/Cherished-Betrothal-Scouts-Georgia-Frontier-ebook/dp/B0CHMZKBCL/

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