VAIN EMPIRES - Brandilyn Collins - One Free Ebook

Readers, I’ve known Brandilyn for a long time, and her books automatically go to the top of my to-be-read pile as soon as I acquire them. You won’t want to miss any of them.

Welcome back, Brandilyn. As an author, I know it takes a lot of people to birth each book. Who were the people involved in the birthing of this book, and what were their contributions?

Every July, I host an authors retreat in my home. We call it our “Plot, Pray, and Play” retreat. There are eleven of us in total. We have been meeting in my home since 2003. The ten wonderful gals who come are: Robin Lee Hatcher, Gayle deSalles, Sharon Dunn, Tricia Goyer, Tamera Alexander, Francine Rivers, Janet Ulbright, Sandy Sheppard, Karen Ball, and Sunni Jeffers. We’re together from Thursday dinner to Monday morning. On Friday, Saturday, and Sunday we meet in 75-minute sessions. Each author gets a session in which she can present a book premise. Then the rest of us suggest ideas to help flesh out the plot and characters. Due to the story’s complexity, I presented Vain Empires to this group two years in a row. The novel would not be what it is without some of the ideas that arose from those sessions.

I’ve just enjoyed the pictures on Facebook from this year’s retreat. If you teach or speak. What’s coming up on your calendar?

Next up is the ACFW Conference in Nashville, in August. I am so blessed to serve as emcee and prayer room coordinator for this incredible conference.

And I’m sad to miss it again this year. At least, it’ll be close to me next year. If you had to completely start over in another place, where would you move, and why?

I can’t imagine moving away from our “paradise” home in north Idaho. We’re in the forest and at the lake, with incredible views and wildlife crossing our property every day. All the glories of nature here remind me daily of God’s creativity and love for this planet. That said, if I had to move, I’d go not to a place in itself, but toward family. So perhaps Kentucky, where I grew up and a lot of my family still lives.

If you could only tell aspiring novelists one thing, what would it be?

Writing fiction is a long, hard journey, whether you’re on the “pre” or “post” side of publishing. I find it gets harder, not easier. Make sure you love it. Make sure it’s where God wants you. Then pray your way through every day.

That’s so true, and you gave excellent advice. You’ve been asked to be in charge of a celebrity cruise. Who would you ask to take part, and why? (AS in what program, singers, etc. [it doesn’t have to be writing related])

I’d have singers! I so love music and find it the best way to worship. So I’d have groups like MercyMe and Casting Crowns. Plus gospel groups. LOVE gospel music! I’d also have some classic rock groups, like Kansas.

Music is a worship language for me, too. James and I are blessed that God is using us in other ways at a church that has a tremendous worship ministry with lots of songwriters who write music that is used around the world. I worship in paradise. Tell us about the featured book.

Vain Empires lies within my Seatbelt Suspense® brand—fast-paced, character-driven suspense with myriad twists and an interwoven thread of faith. However, it’s different from my other Seatbelt Suspense® novels. Instead of one main character, there are six. Chapters move from one character’s viewpoint to another. Also, Vain Empires is what I call a “thinking readers” novel. There’s a lot of surface plot, to be sure. And the twists—which readers are loving—go right to the end of the book. But there is just as much going on underneath the plot—in theme and symbolism. This novel ultimately is a story about judgment. What would a world look like that was only full of judgment and offered none of God’s mercy? How would the introduction of God’s mercy into such a world change the people—if they are willing to accept it? What can we learn about ourselves in looking at such a world?

Vain Empires is being highly reviewed on Amazon. Here are two example quotes:

“I read this book in one day. Now I'm thinking about reading it right away again. A first for me. It's that unique and engaging and well-written and thought-provoking.”

“The story was riveting and kept me guessing up to the end. It challenges the reader, too, to think about the ripple effect our actions cause in other's lives.”

Vain Empires back cover copy:

They were stuck on this remote island, all of them.

Trapped in this show.

No way to stop whatever came next.

No way at all.

Six people arrive on a remote island—contestants in the “reality show of the century,” Dream Prize. The winner will be the person who learns the most facts about the others and gains the most viewer votes. Sounds simple. But the three men and three women soon discover nothing is as expected. 

They are alone on the island. Cameras surround them, filming twenty-four hours a day. And their challenge? Discover which of the Seven Deadly Sins each contestant, including themselves, represents.

Turns out each person has a damning secret—one that could ruin his or her life. Those secrets are about to be revealed on live television.

And this is only the beginning of the twists in the game.

Multilayered in plot and rich with meaning, Vain Empires is a strong choice for book clubs. Discussion questions included.

------------------

Vain Empires sells for $4.99 in ebook from all online retailers, and $14.99 in paper from Amazon. Go to the home page on my website for all order links: www.brandilyncollins.com. 

Please give us the first page of the book.

The Prologue is exactly one page:

THE stage stood ready. Waiting for victims.

Sickly light from a bare overhead bulb filtered through the underground room, revealing floor and walls of concrete blocks. Four gray metal folding chairs. A square table in the center, supporting a small computer screen. In one corner of the room sat a half-sized refrigerator, holding bottled water and food. It emitted a low hum. In the opposite corner was a narrow door leading to a tiny bathroom. The toilet flushed. The sink had running water.

A nice touch. The Dream Prize producer smiled.

Fresh air pumped into the room through a vent in the ceiling.

On the front wall was a thick wooden door. A certain button pushed would open and close its digital lock. Beyond the door rose eighteen stairs, also dimly lit. They led to a second heavy door, this at ground level. Its lock—controlled by a similar button.

In time, as one grew accustomed to the bunker’s low light, the round outline of an area cut high in the back wall would become visible. The hole was about three inches in diameter. What lay behind it was almost invisible yet deadly to the dreams of those trapped inside.

Sinners, they were, intent on hatching their vain empires. Sinners, all.

I’m eager to read this book. Where can we find you on the Internet?

You can read more about me, and the opening chapters of all my novels on my website, www.brandilyncollins.com. On Facebook I’m at www.facebook.com/brandilyncollinsseatbeltsuspense. 

Thank you, Brandilyn, for sharing this new book with us. It sounds amazing. I know my readers will be as eager as I am to read it.

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 4 weeks from the posting of the winners to claim your book.

If you’re reading this on Goodreads, Google+, 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

CAST A ROAD BEFORE ME - Brandilyn Collins - A Free Ebook for Everyone

Dear Readers, Brandilyn is a big name in Christian fiction. Her books have won numerous awards, and my husband always takes her suspense novels as soon as they arrive and I’m the one who has to wait to read them. Cast a Road Before Me is the other side of Brandilyn’s writing. The Bradleyville series is women’s fiction. I know you’ll love it.

Welcome back, Brandilyn. As an author, I know it takes a lot of people to birth each book. Who were the people involved in the birthing of this book, and what were their contributions?

Cast A Road Before Me was my first published novel, released in 2001. At that time, I had recently signed with my wonderful agent Jane Jordan Browne (who was known for bringing her author Francine Rivers to the Christian world from secular publishing). Thanks to Jane I was able to break into Christian traditional publishing, first with this contract, followed by many others.

If you teach or speak. What’s coming up on your calendar?

1. Teaching at the Spokane Writers Conference March 20-21.

2. Keynoting at a writers workshop on Sunday morning at the annual International Christian Retail Show in June. I’ll also be leading other workshops there.

If you had to completely start over in another place, where would you move, and why?

Oh, please don’t make me move! We live in what I consider paradise—in the forest, at the lake—in the Pacific Northwest. I wouldn’t want to go anywhere else.

Looking at this picture of the view from your office, I would completely agree with you. If you could only tell aspiring novelists one thing, what would it be?

Give your gift and dream of writing to God and live by the command and promise in Philippians 4:6-7. “Be anxious for nothing. But in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”

You’ve been asked to be in charge of a celebrity cruise. Who would you ask to take part, and why? (AS in what program, singers, etc. [it doesn’t have to be writing related])

Oh, goodness, it would be full of music. Classic rock, of course. The bands Kansas, Journey, Styx, Little River Band, Boston, to name a few. Along with the best gospel choirs I could find.

Sign me up. Tell us about the featured book.

Right now Cast a Road Before Me is a FREE download in e-book form. This is book one in my Southern contemporary Bradleyville Series, set in small-town Kentucky. The series covers three generations of women, one in each book, from the 1960s to the turn of the century 2000. The other two books in the series are Color the Sidewalk For Me and Capture the Wind For Me ($3.99 in e-book). When these novels were first published in 2001 to 2003, they won quite a few awards and were finalists in more. I have now re-released the series, giving the books a fresh edit and new covers. You can find links to Amazon, B&N, etc. for Cast a Road Before Me on this page of my website.

Here is the back cover copy:

“A course-changing event in one's life can happen in minutes. Or it can form slowly, a primitive webbing splaying into fingers of discontent, a minuscule trail hardening into the sinewed spine of resentment. So it was with the mill workers as the heat-soaked days of summer marched on.”

City girl Jessie Calton, orphaned at sixteen, struggles to adjust to life with her barely known aunt and uncle in the tiny town of Bradleyville, Kentucky. Eight years later (1968) she plans on leaving—to following in her revered mother's footsteps of serving the homeless. But the peaceful town she's come to love is about to be tragically shattered. Threats of a labor strike rumble through the streets, and Jessie's new love and her uncle are swept into the maelstrom. Caught between the pacifist teachings of her mother and these two men, Jessie desperately tries to deny that Bradleyville is rolling toward violence and destruction.

Please give us the first page of the book.

The last time I saw my mother alive, she was on her way to serve the poor.

She was wearing one of her favorite dresses, a blue cotton knit with a sash at the waist. She’d had it for years. It was her favorite not because of style, but because it was comfortable and easy to wash. “This dress will do just fine,” she would say whenever I bewailed the notion that she wore it so much to Hope Center, people might think she slept in it. She was far more careful in dressing for work, starching blouses and skillfully mending old skirts so they would not betray her lack of a wardrobe. She’d add one of her three pairs of dime-store earrings, sometimes an inexpensive necklace. But any jewelry was out of the question at the Center, where it would only get in the way or, worse, remind the homeless and hungry that their needs were far beyond our own. As for the blue cotton dress, it had been spit up on by crying babies, dirtied by the spilled soup of children, even torn by the clutching hand of a frightened young mother. Mom would drag home from another long evening at Hope Center, her beautiful face lined with fatigue and a thick strand of her dark auburn hair straggling out of its rubber band, and shake her head good-naturedly over the day’s ruin of her dress. Then she’d wash it by hand and hang it up to dry for the next time.

I often volunteered alongside Mom at the Center. After my homework was done and her workday as a receptionist at an insurance firm was finished, we’d hurry through a simple meal, then drive to the two-story brick building in downtown Cincinnati that provided room and board to the poverty-stricken. On Saturdays I always went with her. Except that Saturday. My high school sophomore finals were the following week, and Mom insisted I stay home to study. “You stay home too,” I said. “You’re exhausted, and you haven’t given yourself a day off in weeks. Let somebody else fill in for you just this once.”

“Oh, but I can’t.” She smoothed my hair in her gentle way. “I promised little Jianying and a whole group of children I’d read to them today, and then I’ve got to teach that class on how to interview for a job. And besides, Brenda’s sick, so I’ve got to oversee cooking dinner.” Brenda Todd had founded the Center ten years previously and acted as manager. Mom had been her “right-hand woman” for eight years.

And so, on that horrific Saturday, my mother kissed me good-bye and walked out the door of our small rented house and down our porch to leave. I followed, still protesting.

Where can we find you on the Internet?

I love to interact with my readers on Facebook. On my website you can sign up for my newsletter and read the opening chapters of all my books. On Twitter I’m @brandilyn.

Thank you, Brandilyn, for sharing this book with us today.

Readers, please answer this question if you've read any of her books. Which one was your favorite so far?

And thank you, Brandilyn for giving each of my readers a free copy of the ebook.

Readers, be sure to follow the link near the scene from her office to find the links to the free ebook.

PITCHIN' A FIT - Brandilyn Collins - One Free Book

Welcome back Brandilyn. Why did you become an author?

I’ve always been driven to write. I wrote my first story when I was seven, in second grade. First line of that story: “Once there was a stallion named Betsy.” Grabs you right away, huh. :]

In the 1990s, already enjoying a successful career in writing nonfiction and marketing, I began learning the craft of fiction. I was planning to write novels for the secular market, but in June 1998 God clearly told me He had other plans. He wanted my writing to be about Him. As a result I’ve been in the Christian market since the sale of my first novel.

If you weren’t an author, what would be your dream job?

Movie actress. I’d love the work, but I’d hate being recognized on the street.

Methinks I shall remain an author.

If you could have lived at another time in history, what would it be and why?

2100. Just to see all the cool gadgets and medical marvels we’d have by then. Plus, wouldn’t it be interesting to see your descendants?

Yes, it would. When you start having great grandchildren, you gain a strong sense of what a legacy descendents are. What place in the United States have you not visited that you would like to?

I’ve been to every state but two—Alaska and Maine. Hitting both of them is on my bucket list.

You’re way ahead of me. How about a foreign country you hope to visit?

Australia, matey!

I’ve had a very longtime desire to visit Australia. What lesson has the Lord taught you recently?

Simply to relax and trust Him. Easy to say. Hard to do sometimes.

Tell us about the featured book.

Pitchin’ A Fit is book 2 in my Southern contemporary Dearing Family series. The first book in the series is That Dog Won’t Hunt. The Dearing family members are boisterous, loving, and quirky, down to the family Yorkie (who, naturally, won’t hunt). This series mixes poignancy and humor as it deals with issues such as past abuse and forgiveness. You can find purchase links for Pitchin’ A Fit on this page of my website. (Ebook: $2.99 on all devices. Paper: $12.59, prime on Amazon.)

Here is the back cover copy:

The wedding for Ben Dearing and Christina Day is planned to be picture perfect, and the boisterous family has gathered for the big event. What could possibly go wrong?

Christina’s estranged mother, that’s what. The alcoholic, abusive mother who wasn’t invited. Two days before the ceremony Edna Day crashes the bridal shower and insists she’s staying in town for the ceremony. What’s Christina to do? After her abusive childhood, standing up to her parent calls for strength she’s not sure she possesses. Besides, if she tells her mother to leave, the woman could get madder than she already is—not to mention drunk—and shame the Dearing family in front of the whole town.

Edna wastes no time making enemies. Highly opinionated Jess Dearing is set on running her out of Justus. Ben wants her gone, too. Even Lady Penelope, the Dearings’ uppity Yorkie, will have nothing to do with her. Meanwhile Mama Ruth is trying to keep the peace. And feed everybody.

Blending pathos and humor, Pitchin’ a Fit portrays the constantly shifting emotions between an abusive parent and grown child. How does a Christian forgive someone who doesn’t seem repentant? What is the balance between forgiveness and maintaining healthy emotional boundaries? God is there to guide everyone through this mess of a weekend. But certain people may have plans of their own.

Please give us the first page of the book.

Getting married wasn’t supposed to be this complicated.

Twenty-three-year-old Christina Day pushed blonde hair out of her eyes and beamed a smile at the circle of women perched in the Dearings’ living room. They were all older than she. And Christina didn’t know anyone who’d come to her bridal shower except for her future mother-in-law, Ruth Dearing, and her three future sisters-in-law, Sarah, Maddy, and Jess, all in their thirties. Most of the other women attended New Life Church in Justus, Mississippi, where the Dearing family had worshipped for years. Christina had gone there only once. And that had been five months ago in July at the Dearing reunion, on the day the crazy family ended up posing for their annual picture on a row of old toilets—and Christina decided she could marry Ben after all.

Not that the first event directly led to the second.

Christina wanted to marry Ben more than anything. From the first day she met him at work in Dallas she’d been attracted to him. Ben was far from the stereotypical computer programmer nerd. His blue eyes could light up a room, and his friendly, boyish face and laidback attitude charmed everyone. Their wedding would be wonderful and simple, just the way Christina wanted it. The next two days would produce memories for a lifetime.

She just had to get through them first.

“You okay?” Ruth Dearing mouthed to Christina from across the room.

Oh, no. Christina gave her a big nod and smiled. Had some expression given her away? Mama Ruth was so compassionate. She’d gone to a lot of trouble to throw this bridal shower in her own home. Today was December fifth, yet she’d held off putting up a Christmas tree to make room for all the women. Still, she seemed so aware it may not be the easiest thing for Christina. Ruth Dearing deserved to see only happiness on the face of her almost daughter-in-law. Both Mama Ruth and her husband, Syton, had been nothing but kind to Christina. And she hadn’t always deserved it.

How can readers find you on the Internet?

I love to interact with my readers on Facebook. On my website you can sign up for my newsletter and read the opening chapters of all my books. On Twitter I’m @brandilyn.

Thank you, Brandilyn for sharing this new book with us. You know I've loved everyone of your books. I can't wait until my copy comes. It will go to the top of my to-be-read list.

Readers, leave a comment for a chance to win a free copy of the book. Please tell us where you live, at least the state or territory. (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 4 weeks from the posting of the winners to claim your book.

If you’re reading this on Goodreads, Google+, 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

SIDETRACKED - Brandilyn Collins - One Free Book

Welcome back, Brandilyn. Tell us about your salvation experience.

I grew up in a Christian home and so was taught from an early age about Christ and His salvation. I accepted Jesus as my savior as a teenager, later rebelled, then came back to Him at the age of 24. Since then it’s been a continuing experience of learning a deeper walk with Him.

You’re planning a writing retreat where you can only have four other authors. Who would they be and why?

If we’re talking about a plotting retreat (rather than a spiritual one): Steven King, for his plotting brain for suspense. Dean Koontz for his word imagery. James Scott Bell, for his understanding of plot structure. Christopher Vogler, (author of The Writer’s Journey) for his insights into mythical story.

Do you have a speaking ministry? If so, tell us about that.

I keynote at writers conferences when I’m able. I try not to do more than 3 conferences a year (teaching and/or keynoting), since it takes time away from my writing. So my schedule tends to fill up in advance for these. I do enjoy speaking and being with writers at conferences.

What is the most embarrassing thing that has happened to you and how did you handle it?

Honestly, I can’t remember ever being deeply embarrassed by some event. But I know what I’d do. I’d laugh. I have a rather warped sense of humor and have no problem laughing at myself.

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?

I would say, “Great. Do it.” The person might find great satisfaction in the writing. He may have fun. I always encourage people to write if they want to. What I don’t do is tell them whatever they first write will be publish-worthy. It won’t be. But everyone has to start somewhere. If someone really has a dream to write, one day he/she will. Doesn’t mean that person will necessarily ever be published. But who am I to discourage the writing itself?

Tell us about the featured book.

Sidetracked is a Seatbelt Suspense® novel, and comes with my brand’s four-point promise: fast-paced, character-driven suspense with myriad twists and an interwoven thread of faith.

The back cover copy:

When you live a lie for so long, it becomes a part of you. Like clothing first rough and scratchy, it eventually wears down, thins out. Sinks into your skin. 

Thirty-four-year-old Delanie Miller has fled her dark past and is now settled into a quiet life in small-town Kentucky. She has friends, a faux “family” who lives in her house, and a loving boyfriend who may soon ask her to marry him. Her aching dream of a husband and future children are about to come true. But protecting this life of promise means keeping a low profile and guarding the truth of her past—from everyone.

The town's peace is shattered when Delanie's friend, Clara, is murdered, and Delanie finds her body. The police chief quickly zeroes in on Billy King, a simple-minded young man whom Delanie knows would never hurt Clara. Delanie can hunt down evidence and speak out publicly against the chief—only at great risk of her own exposure. But after suffering such injustice in own her past, how can she keep silent now? Delanie must find a way to uncover Clara’s murderer yet save the life she’s created for herself—the deceit-ridden life that will forever distance her from others and God.

With page-turning intensity, Sidetracked hurtles between Delanie’s trauma in Redbud and the chaos of her past. Those experiences forced Delanie to reinvent her present—but at what cost to her future?

Please give us the first page of the book.

In the beginning comes the end.

April in Redbud, Kentucky, brings to full bloom the trees that give our town its name. Pink blossoms against blue sky. Daffodils push up yellow and sassy. Lilies are still in stem but boast lush promise. Tulips splash the yards, multicolored and fragile. Spring days are warm without summer’s humid oppression. The time of renewal.

Spring was my favorite season. Once.

In the dark just after nine-thirty, I drove away from the town’s Methodist church, a white wooden building with a tall steeple. I was the last to leave Clara Ann Crenshaw’s wedding shower, having stayed around to clean up. After all, I was the one who’d thrown the party for Clara. She had left a few minutes before, her car chock full of presents. The rest she’d left behind to pick up the following day. I locked them up in the church.

Clara was twenty-two, vibrant and in love with life. In love with Jerald Allen, too, who would become her husband in June. The church hall had been full of her friends, young and old. The rip of wrapping paper, laughter, and clink of forks against cake plates vibrated in the air. A true celebration. Clara wore her signature bright blue to match her sparkling eyes. Rosy-cheeked, she hugged me hard before she left. “You’re next, Delanie,” she whispered in my ear. “Mrs. Andrew Bradshaw.”

I smiled. Andy had carried that look in his eye lately. I hoped I was reading him right. I was thirty-four already and so wanted to be his wife. Build my own real family—even though it would mean breaking up the pseudo one I’d gathered around me. Folks in town just knew Andy and I would be married before the year was out.

When you live in a town of twenty-five hundred, everyone assumes your business is theirs.

I drove out of the church’s parking lot and rolled down quiet Chester Avenue. Streetlights spilled over the tree-lined sidewalks. No one else in sight. Redbud always shuts itself up early. At Walton Street I went left, my house about a half mile away. One block over ran Main Street—the home of quaint shops and cafes. For a small town, Redbud had built quite a local reputation on its fancy-painted store fronts. Many from around the area came to browse through the town’s shops and dine in its homey restaurants.

Brewer approached. I turned onto it—and saw a shadow on the street. Faint, fleeting. Until it materialized again and went still, as if trying not to be seen. Washed pale by the umbra of a streetlamp, it looked like a man’s form, wearing a baseball cap, hands raised to his chest. Legs apart, as though ready to run.

A chill needled my bones.

I slowed the car. Slid my gaze left toward the source of the shadow. He stood by a front yard bush as tall as he, backlit by the house’s front porch light. I couldn’t see his eyes, but I felt them lock onto me.

A forever second ticked by.

He swiveled and ran toward the back of the house. Disappeared into the night.

 

I braked to a stop. Peered into the darkness, looking for him.

He was gone.

Was this a robber? We had so little crime in our town. But this man was too out of place, too … raw. I was well acquainted with sudden trauma. Knew the feel, the smell of it. And this wasn’t right.

How can readers find you on the Internet?

On my website they can read the first chapters of all my books and sign up for my newsletter. www.brandilyncollins.com

I love to interact with readers on my Facebook page. There I post Today’s Word, an unusual word and its definition, and ask for creative sentences using the word. I also post a daily funny picture and ask all my “Creative Captioneer” readers for their best caption. Those are fun. And I post info about my or other writers’ books—when the ebooks either go on sale or are free. Plus photos from around our house and forest/lakeproperty. You never know what those crazy deer/turkeys/osprey/etc. will do. (Not to mention the humans.) www.facebook.com/brandilyncollinsseatbeltsuspense

At Twitter I’m @Brandilyn

Thank you for sharing your new book with us today, Brandilyn.

Readers, here are links to the book. By using one when you order, you help support this blog.
Sidetracked - Christianbook.com
Sidetracked (Jerry B. Jenkins Select Books) - Amazon
Sidetracked - Kindle

Christian Book Store

Leave a comment for a chance to win a free copy of the book. Please tell us where you live, at least the state or territory. (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 4 weeks from the posting of the winners to claim your book.

If you’re reading this on Goodreads, Google+, 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

THAT DOG WON'T HUNT - Brandilyn Collins - One Free Book or Ebook, Winner's Choice

Readers, Brandilyn Collins is one of my favorite authors of suspense novels and a dear friend.

Welcome back, Brandilyn. I know you indie-published this book. Tell us how that came about.

Last year I decided to do something totally different. As a traditionally published author of over 25 books, I’d never self-published. But I wanted to give it a try in order to make extra income and test the waters of self-publishing. I chose to write a Southern contemporary, something completely outside my Seatbelt Suspense® brand. I’d written in this genre before, in the early days of my career (the Bradleyville series) and have missed it during the past 10 years of writing only suspense. The editor at my publishing house gave me clearance to self-publish this book. Being under contract, I viewed the folks at my publishing house and myself as part of a team. I did not want to upset the good working relationship of that team. If my editor had said no, I would not have proceeded at that time.

One of the great things about self publishing is the ability to set my own price for the book. The paperback is at $9.88, and the ebook at $2.99—much more affordable for readers.

How did you come up with the idea for this story?

Years ago I had sold the idea for the Dearing Family series to my publisher at the time, Zondervan. Then we decided I should write suspense full time, so I pushed the series aside. Now, with self publishing, I had the opportunity to resurrect it, even as I was still writing contracted suspense (for a different publisher). Seemed like a great opportunity to me! The idea of featuring a crazy Southern family at their family reunions came from the reunions of my own family. In the back of That Dog Won’t Hunt, there’s a fun list of factoids regarding characters and events in the story—which actually came from my family and which are total fiction.

That Dog Won’t Hunt is full of humor. But a funny story in itself isn’t enough for me. I like to tackle a difficult issue in the midst of the humor. For—isn’t life like that? Multi-faceted. Complex. That Dog Won’t Hunt takes a look at how a shy young woman with an abused background—with all the baggage that entails—would fit into the loving, loud family of the man she wants to marry.

If you were planning a party with Christian authors of contemporary fiction, what six people would you invite and why?

Oh, my goodness, I have to limit it to six? There are so many incredible people writing Christian fiction. But here’s a try: Lisa Samson, Ted Dekker, Brad Whittington, Randy Singer, Robert Whitlow, and Sharon Ewell Foster. All of these are great, fun people, and I chose them because I rarely get to see them. Other wonderful authors I get to see every year at this place or that.

Now let’s do that for a party for Christian authors of historical fiction, what six people would you invite and why?

Stephanie Whitson, Lori Copeland, Tessa Afshar, Tracie Peterson, Jane Kirkpatrick, and Donna Fletcher Crow—for the same reasons. I don’t get the opportunity to see these great people very often.

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?

The writing itself.  It is, and always has been, hard for me. I groan and moan with every book (just ask my patient husband). With every novel I write, while I’m in the midst of it, I think it’s terrible, boring, and my readers will hate it. Which makes the process all the harder. Sigh.

I totally understand that feeling. Please tell us about the featured book.

Here’s the back cover copy:

Meet the Dearings, a crazy, loving, boisterous family in small-town Mississippi. There’s mom and dad, three daughters and their families, and the youngest—twenty-five-year-old Ben. Oh, and the family dog, a Yorkie who thinks she’s royalty.

“This one’s perfect,” Ben says about his new fiancée, Christina, when he brings her home for a family reunion. Ben is just sure everyone will love Christina, and she’ll fit right in.

He always did tend to wear rose-colored glasses.

Christina loves Ben but secretly fears their relationship will never work. They’ve only known each other ten weeks. She hasn’t told him about her horrific past as an only child—the beatings, the neglect, and verbal abuse. Christina doesn’t know how to trust or be honest about her feelings. Being thrust into the middle of a tight-knit family like the Dearings is sure to send her over the edge.

With poignancy and humor, That Dog Won’t Hunt explores the complexities of relationships and the inner strength needed to overcome a difficult childhood. The Dearings are no perfect family, but they know how to love—if only Christina will accept it.

Everyone needs to read this book, because we all have something in our pasts that’s hard to overcome and share. Please give us the first page.

Have mercy, a smell like this in the house could cost Ben his new fiancée. And he and Christina were likely to pull up any minute.

It had been hard enough for Ruth Dearing to keep the place straightened with three daughters—two of them with husbands and kids—already home for the family summer reunion. Noise and purses and sunglasses and toys everywhere. Ruth lived for her family to come home. But today things had to look just so. Wasn’t every time that Ben, their youngest, brought home a young woman he said he was going to marry. A “quiet” gal, he’d told Ruth and Sy. “Kinda reserved.”

In other words, everything the Dearing family was not. To put it mildly.

Ho boy.

Christina could easily be overwhelmed at this gathering, but no one else in the family seemed the least bit worried. Least of all Ben. But Ruth had been young once, and yes—shy. Even though she and Syton had been in love since high school, Ruth remembered all too well that nerve-wracking first meeting with his parents. Sy’s family had a lot more money than her own, and his parents seemed so intimidating. Still, she’d only had to meet the two of them. Imagine being shoved into this family. Ruth had already warned her daughters to be mindful of Christina’s shyness. And she’d flown about the house today, trying to make everything look perfect.

Now this horrible stench.

Nose wrinkled, Ruth strode to the doorway leading to the house’s west wing, which contained the grandkids’ play room. “Pogey, get in here and put these shoes on! They’re stinkin’ the kitchen to high heaven!”

At Ruth’s feet, Lady Penelope, her and Sy’s finicky Yorkie, whined. Poor Penny lay on the floor with her paws practically over her nose. Ruth picked her up.

“How do y’all stand that smell?” Ruth turned and frowned at her three daughters playing an animated game of cards in the adjoining family room.

Sarah, Pogey’s mother, sighed. “I’m used to it. Kid’s got the smelliest feet this side of the Mississippi.”

How can readers find you on the Internet?

My website: (This website is being completely redone in a few weeks.) Here, people can read the opening chapters of all my books.

Facebook: On my author page every day I post Today’s Word—an unusual word and its definition—and ask for a creative sentence. I also post a Creative Captioneers funny picture daily, for which readers enjoy writing creative captions. And I like to post about writing and life in general. We have fun on my Facebook page.

My Amazon author page.

Buy That Dog Won’t Hunt:

Amazon

Barnes & Noble
\

Welcome back, Brandilyn. I know you indie-published this book. Tell us how that came about.

Last year I decided to do something totally different. As a traditionally published author of over 25 books, I’d never self-published. But I wanted to give it a try in order to make extra income and test the waters of self-publishing. I chose to write a Southern contemporary, something completely outside my Seatbelt Suspense® brand. I’d written in this genre before, in the early days of my career (the Bradleyville series) and have missed it during the past 10 years of writing only suspense. The editor at my publishing house gave me clearance to self-publish this book. Being under contract, I viewed the folks at my publishing house and myself as part of a team. I did not want to upset the good working relationship of that team. If my editor had said no, I would not have proceeded at that time.

One of the great things about self publishing is the ability to set my own price for the book. The paperback is at $9.88, and the ebook at $2.99—much more affordable for readers.

How did you come up with the idea for this story?

Years ago I had sold the idea for the Dearing Family series to my publisher at the time, Zondervan. Then we decided I should write suspense full time, so I pushed the series aside. Now, with self publishing, I had the opportunity to resurrect it, even as I was still writing contracted suspense (for a different publisher). Seemed like a great opportunity to me! The idea of featuring a crazy Southern family at their family reunions came from the reunions of my own family. In the back of That Dog Won’t Hunt, there’s a fun list of factoids regarding characters and events in the story—which actually came from my family and which are total fiction.

That Dog Won’t Hunt is full of humor. But a funny story in itself isn’t enough for me. I like to tackle a difficult issue in the midst of the humor. For—isn’t life like that? Multi-faceted. Complex. That Dog Won’t Hunt takes a look at how a shy young woman with an abused background—with all the baggage that entails—would fit into the loving, loud family of the man she wants to marry.

If you were planning a party with Christian authors of contemporary fiction, what six people would you invite and why?

Oh, my goodness, I have to limit it to six? There are so many incredible people writing Christian fiction. But here’s a try: Lisa Samson, Ted Dekker, Brad Whittington, Randy Singer, Robert Whitlow, and Sharon Ewell Foster. All of these are great, fun people, and I chose them because I rarely get to see them. Other wonderful authors I get to see every year at this place or that.

Now let’s do that for a party for Christian authors of historical fiction, what six people would you invite and why?

Stephanie Whitson, Lori Copeland, Tessa Afshar, Tracie Peterson, Jane Kirkpatrick, and Donna Fletcher Crow—for the same reasons. I don’t get the opportunity to see these great people very often.

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?

The writing itself.  It is, and always has been, hard for me. I groan and moan with every book (just ask my patient husband). With every novel I write, while I’m in the midst of it, I think it’s terrible, boring, and my readers will hate it. Which makes the process all the harder. Sigh.

I totally understand that feeling. Please tell us about the featured book.

Here’s the back cover copy:

Meet the Dearings, a crazy, loving, boisterous family in small-town Mississippi. There’s mom and dad, three daughters and their families, and the youngest—twenty-five-year-old Ben. Oh, and the family dog, a Yorkie who thinks she’s royalty.

“This one’s perfect,” Ben says about his new fiancée, Christina, when he brings her home for a family reunion. Ben is just sure everyone will love Christina, and she’ll fit right in.

He always did tend to wear rose-colored glasses.

Christina loves Ben but secretly fears their relationship will never work. They’ve only known each other ten weeks. She hasn’t told him about her horrific past as an only child—the beatings, the neglect, and verbal abuse. Christina doesn’t know how to trust or be honest about her feelings. Being thrust into the middle of a tight-knit family like the Dearings is sure to send her over the edge.

With poignancy and humor, That Dog Won’t Hunt explores the complexities of relationships and the inner strength needed to overcome a difficult childhood. The Dearings are no perfect family, but they know how to love—if only Christina will accept it.

Everyone needs to read this book, because we all have something in our pasts that’s hard to overcome and share. Please give us the first page.

Have mercy, a smell like this in the house could cost Ben his new fiancée. And he and Christina were likely to pull up any minute.

It had been hard enough for Ruth Dearing to keep the place straightened with three daughters—two of them with husbands and kids—already home for the family summer reunion. Noise and purses and sunglasses and toys everywhere. Ruth lived for her family to come home. But today things had to look just so. Wasn’t every time that Ben, their youngest, brought home a young woman he said he was going to marry. A “quiet” gal, he’d told Ruth and Sy. “Kinda reserved.”

In other words, everything the Dearing family was not. To put it mildly.

Ho boy.

Christina could easily be overwhelmed at this gathering, but no one else in the family seemed the least bit worried. Least of all Ben. But Ruth had been young once, and yes—shy. Even though she and Syton had been in love since high school, Ruth remembered all too well that nerve-wracking first meeting with his parents. Sy’s family had a lot more money than her own, and his parents seemed so intimidating. Still, she’d only had to meet the two of them. Imagine being shoved into this family. Ruth had already warned her daughters to be mindful of Christina’s shyness. And she’d flown about the house today, trying to make everything look perfect.

Now this horrible stench.

Nose wrinkled, Ruth strode to the doorway leading to the house’s west wing, which contained the grandkids’ play room. “Pogey, get in here and put these shoes on! They’re stinkin’ the kitchen to high heaven!”

At Ruth’s feet, Lady Penelope, her and Sy’s finicky Yorkie, whined. Poor Penny lay on the floor with her paws practically over her nose. Ruth picked her up.

“How do y’all stand that smell?” Ruth turned and frowned at her three daughters playing an animated game of cards in the adjoining family room.

Sarah, Pogey’s mother, sighed. “I’m used to it. Kid’s got the smelliest feet this side of the Mississippi.”

How can readers find you on the Internet?

My website: (This website is being completely redone in a few weeks.) Here, people can read the opening chapters of all my books.

Facebook: On my author page every day I post Today’s Word—an unusual word and its definition—and ask for a creative sentence. I also post a Creative Captioneers funny picture daily, for which readers enjoy writing creative captions. And I like to post about writing and life in general. We have fun on my Facebook page.

My Amazon author page.

Buy That Dog Won’t Hunt:

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Thank you, Brandilyn, for sharing this new book with us today.

Readers, leave a comment for a chance to win a free copy of the book. Please tell us where you live, at least the state or territory. (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 4 weeks from the posting of the winners to claim your book.

If you’re reading this on Google +, Feedblitz, Facebook, 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

OVER THE EDGE - Brandilyn Collins - Free Book

I'm welcoming one of my favorite redheads today. Tell us about your salvation experience.

I grew up in a Christian home and can’t remember a time when I didn’t go to church. So when I first became a Christian, I can’t say. Thirty years ago when I got married, Mark and I rededicated our lives—and marriage—to God. Then in 1998 I had a deeper experience with Christ, with the infilling of the Holy Spirit.

You’re planning a writing retreat where you can only have four other authors. Who would they be and why?

I’m choosing from the ABA since I know so many CBA novelists and have been with them and/or had them to my home at one time or another. Anne Rivers Siddons—characters. (And I love her vocabulary!) Dean Koontz—characters and wordsmithing. (Plus he seems like such a cool guy.) Harlan Coban. (Great suspense author.) Sara Gruen, author of Water for Elephants. Loved that book.

Do you have a speaking ministry? If so, tell us about that.

I teach the craft of fiction at writers conferences whenever I can. I also emcee the ACFW (American Christian Fiction Writers) conference. And I present keynote speeches—again when my schedule allows me to. Any speaking does pull time away from writing, so I have to be careful not to over schedule.

What is the most embarrassing thing that has happened to you and how did you handle it?

This didn’t really embarrass me as much as make me blink—hard. I was on my very first live radio interview regarding one of my early novels. And the very first caller to phone in was an elderly woman who accusingly demanded to know how in the world could I—who called myself a Christian—write novels, because they were lies.

Sheesh. Welcome to live radio.

I told her that truth can be told through Story—as Jesus did through His parables. I elaborated a bit on that and managed not to stumble. Later I had to laugh. What a way to break into interviewing.

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?

I’m polite and ask the person what the book would be about. I nod and smile. Inside I’m thinking, “Don’t quit your day job.” I know that sounds harsh—but that’s reality. You don’t just sit down and write an effective book. Especially fiction. Learning the craft takes years of hard work.

Tell us about the featured book.

Over the Edge is the book I was born to write. It focuses on Lyme disease—a disease I know all too personally, as I’ve fought it myself. And it’s built around the “Lyme wars”—the battle Lyme patients have to fight against the medical community for proper treatment and testing. The story is exciting, suspenseful, and lives up to my Seatbelt Suspense® brand. At the same time readers will learn something about Lyme disease. At the back of the book is an Author’s Note that gives further information about Lyme disease and the treatment wars.

Publishers Weekly calls Over the Edge “a taut, heartbreaking thriller. Collins is a fine writer who knows how to both horrify readers and keep them turning pages.”

Here’s the back cover copy:

Janessa McNeil’s life looks perfect. Her husband, Dr. Brock McNeil, is a renowned researcher and professor at Stanford University’s Department of Medicine. They have a beautiful home and can give their daughter everything she needs. Theirs is a life others envy.

But nothing is as it seems.

Forces are at work that will shatter everything—Janessa’s marriage, her way of life, even her safety. For her husband’s highly respected assertion that chronic Lyme disease doesn’t exist has done more than inform medical and insurance professionals. It’s ruined lives. One man’s life in particular.

Now it’s time to make Dr. Brock McNeil face the truth. To make him see the devastation Lyme disease causes—up close and personal. And this bitter man has found the perfect tools to extract his revenge …

Janessa and her daughter

Please give us the first page of the book.

How about the complete prologue? You can read it here.

How can readers find you on the Internet?

Please check out my web site to read about all my books, including the first chapters. I’m on Facebook here. Oh, and very soon now—all of you with iPads or iPhones or iWhatevers—you’ll be able to download the free Tick Squish game created for Over the Edge. Sounds crazy, doesn’t it? (But then, so does Angry Birds.) It’s a kick to play. And for those wanting a free sample of the book—conquering each level of the game unlocks another chapter of the book, from the prologue to chapters one through three.

Thanks for dropping by, Brandilyn,

Readers, here's a link to the book. By using it when you order, you help support this blog.

Leave a comment for a chance to win a free copy of the book. Please tell us where you live, at least the state or territory. (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 6 weeks from the posting of the winners to claim your book.

If you’re reading this on Feedblitz, Facebook, 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

DECEIT - Brandilyn Collins - Free Book

Today, we're talking with one of my favorite suspense authors. So take a deep breath before we begin. Welcome, Brandilyn. What are some of the spiritual themes you like to write about?

I don’t have favorite spiritual themes, as the theme for each of my suspense novels grows naturally out of the protagonist’s characterization and her predicament. Often when I start writing the story I don’t know what the spiritual element will be. I concentrate on the suspense plot, and the theme shapes itself in the writing.

With Deceit, it was a little different. Because of the plot and characters, I knew it would be about deceit and how we all can let it creep into our lives. The protagonist, the antagonist and the victim are all Christians. But what is going on beneath the surface in their lives? And what spiritual lessons can the reader draw from their weaknesses? The fast-paced plot works naturally to drive home the message of the story.

What other books of yours are coming out soon?

Final Touch, third and final in the young adult Rayne Tour series, released in May. (This series is co-written with my daughter, Amberly.) I just turned in a novel titled Over the Edge that’s a suspense centered around Lyme Disease. It’s the story I was born to write, given my own experience with the illness. Over the Edge will release in May 2011.

Yes, we fetured Final Touch on this blog. And I want to feature Over the Edge. As you know, my very good friend, Lisa Buffalo, also had Lyme disease, so it's close to my heart. If you could spend an evening with one contemporary person (not a family member of yours), who would it be and why?

Dean Koontz. I love his characterization and metaphorical writing. And I’d enjoy talking to him about the underlying themes of good and evil in his novels.

What historical person would you like to meet (besides Jesus) and why?

Gandhi. He was a fascinating blend of religions and ideas, many of them Christian. My father did meet Gandhi while my parents were in India. I’ve heard my mom talk about the day Gandhi died. All that day Indian people came in and out of their house to listen to the news on the radio. They’d quietly slip in, listen, then leave. No one talked. It was like a wake as they listened to that radio, which was the only one for miles around.

How can you encourage authors who have been receiving only rejections from publishers?

I was talking to someone just this morning. She told me how she was once again writing on her manuscript and was almost done. This manuscript has seen numerous forms, and she’s been working on it for years. She’s had rejection after rejection from agents and publishers. The last round of rejections did her in. She quit. All of the usual cynical questions plagued her. “What am I doing this for? No one cares! There’s no point. I quit, quit, quit.”
Now she’s back at it.

I said to her, “That is the mark of a real writer. We get rejected, we quit, but at some point we get up and get back to writing. We can’t not write.” And that is what I say to all those who are rejected. (And all us writers are at some point or another.) If you’re born to write, you’ll write. You may quit, but you’ll go back to it. And eventually you’ll see some reward.

Tell us about the featured book.

Here’s the back cover copy for Deceit:

Sometimes the truth hides where no one expects to find it.

Joanne Weeks knows Baxter Jackson killed Linda—his second wife and Joanne’s
best friend—six years ago. But Baxter, a church elder and beloved member of
the town, walks the streets a free man. The police tell Joanne to leave well
enough alone, but she is determined to bring him down. Using her skills as a
professional skip tracer, she sets out to locate the only person who may be able
to put Baxter behind bars. Melissa Harkoff was a traumatized sixteen-year-old
foster child in the Jackson household when Linda disappeared. At the time
Melissa claimed to know nothing of Linda's whereabouts—but was she lying?

In relentless style, Deceit careens between Joanne's pursuit of the truth—which puts her own life in danger—and the events of six years' past, when Melissa came to live with the Jacksons. What really happened in that
household? Beneath the veneer of perfection lies a story of shakeable faith, choices, and the lure of deceit.

A very interesting premise. Please give us the first page of the book.

Some evil shouts from rooftops, some scuttles in the dark. The greatest evil tips its face toward light with shining innocence.

Baxter Jackson shone with the worst of them.

In my sister’s kitchen I focused out the sliding glass door to her backyard. Relentless rain pummeled the night. The weather matched my mood. The Vonita Times, our town’s weekly paper, lay on the square wooden table across from me. Its front page headline glared. Skip Tracer Accuses Police Chief of Shirking Duty.

My sister followed my gaze to the article. “Maybe it really was an accident, Joanne.”

I shot her a look of accusation and hurt. “You, too?” As if the rest of the town weren’t enough. “I thought you agreed with me.”

She drew a long breath. “I don’t know what to think. Two wives gone does look suspicious, but there’s no proof Baxter did anything. Once Cherisse’s death was ruled an accident—”

“How many people fall down stairs and die, Dineen, even if they are hardwood? That only happens in old movies.”

“But that’s what the coroner said.”

“The Sheriff-Coroner’s up for reelection next year, and who do you suppose gave the most to his last campaign?”

“I know, but I just can’t believe any coroner would find signs of a murder and look the other way, especially this man. I mean, I know Bud Gidst. So do you.”

I pushed back my chair, picked up my plate and stacked hers on top. Marched them over to the sink and set them down none too gently. I loved my sister like crazy, always had. She was twelve years younger, and I’d always looked after her. I steered her clear of bratty, bully girls in grade school, the wrong guys in high school. I urged her to fight her self-serving ex in court until he paid the two years’ worth of child support he owed for Jimmy. But the fact was, Dineen had always been too trusting. She just couldn’t believe bad about anybody until it hit her in the face.

“Sometimes people don’t want to see the truth, Dineen.” I rinsed the plates, the water hissing. “Autopsy findings are open to interpretation. To say all those bruises and contusions on Cherisse’s head didn’t match a fall down the stairs would be calling Baxter Jackson a liar. Maybe Bud didn’t want to believe that.”

Or maybe his ruling was far more sinister. Baxter Jackson was the richest man in Vonita and practically ran the town. He sponsored a Little League baseball team every year and personally paid for Vonita’s Fourth of July fireworks. He was everybody’s best friend. Nobody in the county ever spoke against Baxter.

Except me.
I love that hook. I can hardly wait to get my copy of the book. How can readers find you on the Internet?

Oh, it not’s hard. Try these places:
Web site: http://www.brandilyncollins.com/
Blog: http://www.forensicsandfaith.blogspot.com/
Facebook: www.facebook.com/brandilyncollins
Twitter: www.twitter.com/brandilyn

Thank you, Brandilyn, for the intersting interview.

Readers, here's a link. By using it when you order the book, you help support this blog.














Leave a comment for a chance to win a free copy of the book. (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 6 weeks from the posting of the winners to claim your book.

If you’re reading this on Feedblitz, Facebook, or Amazon, please come to the blog to leave your comment. Here’s a link.

http://lenanelsondooley.blogspot.com/

Author Brandilyn Collins - DARK PURSUIT - Free Book

Today, we're welcoming my friend Brandilyn Collins, the master at writing strong Christian suspense. Brandilyn, tell us how much of yourself you write into your characters.

Usually not that much. But in Dark Pursuit one of the two main characters is an elderly suspense author. It was fun taking what I know of writing suspense and infusing it into his persona. In Exposure, my suspense novel releasing in May, the main character, Kaycee, is full of fears, some taken from my own life. I’m not incapacitated by them as she is, but I do have a touch of claustrophobia, can’t take heights, can’t stand going to the dentist, and am not good with bees. Some of these weaknesses on my part have resulted in rather interesting events, which I’ve written about on my blog, Forensics and Faith. A couple of Kaycee’s newspaper columns about her fears were taken from my own past blog posts.

What is the quirkiest thing you have ever done?

What, me quirky? I do get myself into situations sometimes, revolving around trying to gather data for my novels. Like the time I scared a young hot tub repairman to death because I was questioning him about holding down a corpse under the water with the jets on, and would the bubbles go down the corpse’s throat …

I can just imagine the look on his face. When did you first discover that you were a writer?

When I was in the second grade and won the class prize for the best short story. My opening line: Once there was a stallion named Betsy. I’ve been trying to write as eloquently ever since.

What a hoot! A stallion named Betsy? Right. Tell us the range of the kinds of books you enjoy reading.

Suspense, certainly. Also women’s fiction and contemporary fiction. I’ll go from reading a Dean Koontz to reading Anne Rivers Siddons. I love novels that thrill me with their word usage and their characters.

What other books have you written, whether published or not?

I’m currently working on my 20th book. My first published book was a true crime called A Question of Innocence. It’s now out of print. I’ve also written a how-to book on writing fiction called Getting Into Character. My novels are all published by Zondervan. My three-book Bradleyville series was women’s fiction (Cast a Road Before Me, Color the Sidewalk for Me, and Capture the Wind for Me). The rest are suspense. These include the Chelsea Adams series: Eyes of Elisha and Dread Champion. Hidden Faces series: Brink of Death, Stain of Guilt, Dead of Night, and Web of Lies. Kanner Lake series: Violet Dawn, Coral Moon, Crimson Eve, and Amber Morn. And now Dark Pursuit, my first stand-alone. I’ve mentioned my next stand-alone, Exposure, releasing in May. Also releasing in the spring are the two young adult suspense books I wrote with my daughter, Amberly. The Rayne Tour series features Shaley O’Connor, daughter of a rock star. These books are titled Always Watching and Last Breath.

Reading those titles is like reading a list of old friends. How do you keep your sanity in our run, run, run world?

I pray a lot. And I trust God to lead me on His path. It’s as simple—and complex—as that.

How do you choose your characters’ names?

They have to have the right feel to them. They have to be rhythmic. And, of course, they need to be right with the time frame of the book.

What is the accomplishment that you are most proud of?

It’s my and my husband’s accomplishment together. That is modeling to our children what a true Christian marriage looks like.

What is the problem with writing that was your greatest roadblock, and how did you overcome it?

The biggest problem is that it’s doggone hard. And it doesn’t get easier. How to overcome that, book by book? Keep studying the craft. Keep working hard. Keep praying.

What advice would you give to a novelist just starting out?

Be teachable. Understand that learning how to write fiction is a long, difficult road. You have to really, really want to be published in fiction. If not you’ll give up along the way, and that’s okay. It obviously wasn’t for you. If you want it, you’ll hang in there. Learn the craft. Study, study, study. The statistics for published novels is mighty low—maybe 1-2 percent of all those written. You’re going to have to be good enough to beat those odds.

What would you like to tell us about Dark Pursuit?

I enjoy creating the fast-paced plots, but there's always symbolism beneath the story. For years I’ve loved the passage from John Milton’s Paradise Lost about Satan and his cohorts, kicked out of heaven and bemoaning their fate. In revenge Satan visits Adam and Eve on Earth and woos them away from their God. Satan offers them spiritual death—disguised as life. Man falls for the deceit. And so the need for redemption is born. Down the ages some of mankind would embrace redemption; others would be blind to their very need for it.With these thoughts in mind I created the contemporary characters of Dark Pursuit and set them on their twisting path.

From the back cover of Dark Pursuit:

Novelist Darell Brooke lived for his title as King of Suspense—until an auto accident left him unable to concentrate. Two years later, recluse and bitter, he wants one thing: to plot a new novel and regain his reputation.Kaitlan Sering, his twenty-two-year-old granddaughter, once lived for drugs. After she stole from Darell, he cut her off. Now she’s rebuilding her life. But in Kaitlan’s town two women have been murdered, and she’s about to discover a third. She’s even more shocked to realize the culprit—her boyfriend, Craig, the police chief’s son.

Desperate, Kaitlan flees to her estranged grandfather. For over forty years, Darell Brooke has lived suspense. Surely he’ll devise a plan to trap the cunning Craig.But can Darell’s muddled mind do it? And—if he tries—with what motivation? For Kaitlan’s plight may be the stunning answer to the elusive plot he seeks...

Wow! I can hardly wait to read it. How can readers find you on the Internet?

My web site is http://www.brandilyncollins.com/. There you can read about all my books, including the opening chapters. You can also request bookmarks and signed bookplates from the “Free Stuff” link. And you can sign up for my newsletter, Sneak Pique, sent every other month. Sneak Pique includes information on new releases in all genres of Christian fiction, as well as my own news. And there are always chances to win free books.

My blog is http://www.forensicsandfaith.blogspot.com/. There we discuss the craft of fiction, the writing business and the spiritual journey. Plus crazy stories from my own life. Those interested in writing fiction will find a lot of helpful articles in the archives.

Thank you, Brandilyn for spending this time with us.

Readers, you'll want to check out both Brandilyn's web site and her blog. You can order a copy of Dark Pursuit by clicking this link:

Leave a comment for a chance to win a free copy of this book.