THE NURSE'S SECRET SUITOR - Cheryl Wyatt - One Free Book

BIO: Born Valentine’s Day on a Navy base, Cheryl Wyatt writes military romance. Her books earned RT Top Picks, a Reviewers Choice Award, Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence final, plus #1 and #4 on Harlequin's Top 10 Most-Blogged-About-Books, lists including NYT Bestsellers. She loves connecting with readers.

Readers, I'm thrilled to have my good friend back on my blog. Welcome, Cheryl.

Since you’re being published regularly, what new avenues will your future books take?

I wish I knew! LOL. Publishing is changing so much, but for now, my plan is to keep writing for Love Inspired and hopefully to have books release more frequently. I’m also working on a bigger book that is Contemporary Romance, but with a little more action/adventure thrown in. I love writing romance featuring rescuers…and that will probably never change. God knows what’s next for me and I try to follow his lead. J         

What conferences will you be attending this year? Will you be a speaker at any of them?

I always attend ACFW and serve as staff, which I consider a tremendous privilege. ACFW was a couple weeks ago. Current family commitments and being a caregiver make it tough for me to travel right now, so for the time being, I need to stick close to home. When I’m able to go, I find RWA and RT beneficial since I write romance. I actively enjoy encouraging and mentoring people one-on-one and online.    

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?

1. I would love to host a panel on writing category romance for the Christian market. I would invite my fellow Love Inspired authors to do the panel with me.

2. I’d love to host a panel with developmental editor Lisa Rector-Maass in order to help novelists who are hovering on the verge of publication, yet still waiting for that contract. She is an AMAZING teacher.        

How important is it to you to be active in writing organizations?

Very. I highly recommend ACFW to every writer aspiring for the Christian market. Learning isn’t something easily done alone. It takes a tribe of brilliance to get a book shelf-worthy.            

Where in the community or your church do you volunteer?

I am involved in several overseas organizations that reach out to orphans, outcasts, lepers, and widows. Because of security reasons, I can’t list the names because of recent persecution, but orphans are always on my heart. Right now in this season of life, my extended family is where God has my main focus. Also, I’m planning more active involvement in my small town community. This season is one in which God is “turning my heart toward home.” I am actively involved in multiple prayer ministries. I also have a heart for church planting and devote resources there.

Who are the five people who have made the most impact on your life, and how?

1. My mom. She’s the kindest, sweetest most sensitive person you’d meet.

2. My dad. He has integrity and strength and I’ve never once doubted his love or protection. My parents have always encouraged my dreams and never once, in my entire life, have I heard them say one bad thing about me.

3. My sister. She is an amazing mom and her way of going about dealing with people and problems is awe-inspiring to witness. She has a good head on her shoulders and I admire her in so many ways.

4. My grandmothers. They were/are both selfless, strong, resourceful women who taught me how to be hospitable, how to give and how to love selflessly and without ambition. And, they could/can fix ANYTHING with a sliver of duct tape and a streak of stubborn will.

5. Jesus, obviously. He is everything to me.  

If you could write the inscription on your tombstone, what would it be?

“Please believe in Jesus. I don’t want to be without you.” It’s actually an older Margaret Becker song and I hope everyone reading this will look it up right now…and believe. My sole reason for being on this Earth is for people to know Jesus. I write as worship and pray my guts out that God will continue to give me words that will make the difference.      

Tell us about the featured book.

The Nurse’s Secret Suitor is book three in the Eagle Point Emergency series. My publisher asked me to write a medical miniseries and since part of my brand was to write specialized military characters and medical rescuers, I found it only natural to put former combat medics in the series. It sold immediately and here we are! This story was super fun to write, especially with my editor’s story suggestions. This story has a Superman/Clark Kent, Zorro/Masked Bandit/Masquerade theme. Writing it was a welcome challenge due to the bandit aspect and the fact that my editor asked me to draw the reveal out until the end of the book. In my original version, the bandit unmasked one scene after the first chapter. In the revised version, he unmasks at the end of the book. I loved maneuvering the plot in this manner and I hope readers enjoy it. 

Please share the first page with us. 

Decorated military veteran turned civilian trauma nurse Kate Dalton was known for keeping a cool head under fire. But she'd never faced anything like this.

Here she was, back in the United States.

Here she was, back in the United States, biting back bile and terror as strong as any she'd experienced overseas. When she was in a combat situation, she was braced and prepared for things to go wrong. Here at home, her guard was down. Ten minutes earlier, she'd been enjoying the reception at her friends' masquerade-themed marriage ball. But then the text message arrived.

Phone clutched like a pinless grenade, Kate strode from the wedding reception room to the nearest exit. There. Patio. Best way out. If she could get there before hurling blissfully consumed cake.

Regal-hued LED lights danced over her sapphire costume and skin tanned by a three-year deployment under Middle Eastern sun. She probably looked striking—if you didn't notice the tension in her shoulders or the frown on her face.

"Breathe, Dalton, that's an order. You can't fall apart. Especially not where everyone you know can see you. You don't break down. You don't give in to fear. That's not who you are."
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Where can my readers find you on the Internet?

I interact regularly with readers on my Facebook author page here: https://www.facebook.com/CherylWyattAuthor We have a TON of fun there, creating mayhem for my characters. My readers are an integral part of my plotting. I love my readers so much!

I also have a newsletter folks can sign up for on my website: www.CherylWyatt.com. I provide story “extras” as well as giveaways and recipes characters enjoy in the books.

My blog link is accessible through my website. I’m in the process of switching over from Blogger to Wordpress. I post book recommendations, funny stuff, writing prompts and other good stuff there. I also participate on the ACFW.com blog as well as the loveinspiredauthors.com blog.

I do regular prayers (hashtag #Twispers or #iPray), encouragement and prompts (hashtag #PicPrompt) for writers on Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/cherylwyatt

I am also ACFW’s Topic of the Week coordinator and it’s an organization I highly recommend to aspiring Christian fiction authors.

You are a busy women. Thank you for taking the time to visit with us.

Readers, here are links to the book. By using one when you order, you help support this blog.

The Nurse's Secret Suitor - Christianbook.com
The Nurse's Secret Suitor (Love Inspired) - Amazon.com
The Nurse's Secret Suitor (Eagle Point Emergency) - Kindle

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

THE DOCTOR'S DEVOTION - Cheryl Wyatt - One Free Book

Bio:

Born Valentine’s Day on a Navy base, RN Cheryl Wyatt writes military romance. Her debut series earned RT Top Picks, #1 and #4 on Harlequin's Top-10-Most-Blogged-About-Books, Reviewers Choice Award and Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence final. www.CherylWyatt.com

Cheryl LOVES readers! Connect: https://www.facebook.com/CherylWyattAuthor

AVAILABLE NOW: The Doctor’s Devotion (Love Inspired). http://www.fictionfinder.com/book/detail/1937

Welcome, Cheryl. 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?

I have my editor, Melissa Endlich, to thank for this series. She’d asked me to write a medical miniseries since I’m also a nurse. I am so glad I followed her advice because this series was enormously fun to write. I also have Missy Tippens, Janet Dean, Mary Connealy, Ruth Logan Herne, and the other gals in Seekerville to thank for their input on ideas when the series was in its planning stages. They were a great help and encouragement to me and I’m thankful. 

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

I reach out to local writers via an online Facebook group where I try my best to mentor them. I don’t have appearances as of yet since other life issues have taken priority currently. I do love connecting with readers and also encouraging aspiring writers and do that almost daily at my Facebook author page which is dedicated to and focused on my readers.   https://www.facebook.com/CherylWyattAuthor

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

Alaska or somewhere cold and near the ocean on the east coast. I’ve always wanted to see the outer banks. I hate the heat and humidity and I am freakishly in love with snow and winter. I’d rather have a snowflake on my finger than a diamond…that’s how crazy I am about it.

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

Write as worship aka use your talent for God and stay teachable. I guess that’s two things. LOL! One practical, one spiritual.

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! What a FUN question. I would definitely want to be in charge of the talent show as it would be a total hoot. I’d invite ALL of my writer friends and hope that we don’t have so many it would sink the ship. LOL!

Knowing how many writer friends you have, we might at least make it float low in the water. Tell us about the featured book.

The Doctor’s Devotion is book one in a new medical miniseries, called Eagle Point Emergency which features a former military medical combat team who come back after deployment to open a trauma center in a needy rural community.

·                     Publisher: Love Inspired (June 19, 2012)

·                     ISBN-10: 0373877544

·                     ISBN-13: 978-0373877546

Here’s the back cover blurb for The Doctor’s Devotion:

A Doctor’s Vow

When he fled Eagle Point years ago, former air force trauma surgeon Mitch Wellington left only broken dreams behind. Now he’s back with a new dream—opening a trauma center in the rural area and saving lives. He hopes to hire the quick-thinking nurse who impressed him during an emergency. But Lauren Bates lost her faith and doesn’t believe she deserves to help anyone.

Mitch knows firsthand what loss feels like. And it’ll take all his devotion to show Lauren that sometimes the best medicine is a combination of faith, community—and love.

Eagle Point Emergency:

Saving lives—and losing their hearts—in a small Illinois town.

BOOK PURCHASE LINKS:

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

Christianbook.com

Please give us the first page of the book.

~~~*~~~

"Change of plans, carrottop."

Suitcase in tow, Lauren Bates smiled at Grandpa Lem's voice coming through her cell phone. "What, you're picking me up in your tractor?" She exited Refuge Airport. Southern Illinois welcomed her with breezy warmth and a bouquet of bright June colors she wasn't accustomed to in Texas.

Lem chuckled. "Ought to since you haven't come to see me in five years."

Guilt whooshed in like planes on runways nearby. "I know, Grandpa. I'm sorry. What's this plan change?"

"Accompany me to the ribbon-cutting of a new trauma center Doc Wellington founded at Eagle Point? Starts in half an hour."

Anxiety knotted her gut. Not only was she weary hearing about Dr. Wellington, a medical facility was the last place she wanted to be. She sighed. "For you, Grandpa, I'll endure it."

"Good. We're in a blue Dodge Ram. See you in a few."

"We?" She maneuvered past people cluttering the sidewalk.

"Yes. Dr. Wellington's helping me pick you up."

"Why would you need help?" Lauren canvassed curbside cars and spotted a spiffy blue truck near the front.

"I don't drive on streets anymore. Only fields."

Alarm slowed her steps. "Why not?"

~~~*~~~

Also, here is an excerpt link for the entire first chapter: http://scrollsquirrel.blogspot.com/2012/06/excerpt-doctors-devotion-by-cheryl.html. 

Where can we find you on the Internet?

I hang out most regularly at my Facebook page, dedicated to readers: https://www.facebook.com/CherylWyattAuthor We have lots of fun stuff, giveaways and reader participation there, so I hope folks will drop by and “Like” the page.

Or readers can visit my website at www.cherylwyatt.com. I have a newsletter sign up box, blog, Twitter link and other stuff there. Thank you sooo much, Lena! Your interviews are always a blast.

I am so glad to have you back on my blog. And this new series sounds wonderful.

Readers, l

eave 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 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

STEADFAST SOLDIER - Cheryl Wyatt - Free Book

Author bio

Born Valentines Day on a naval base, Cheryl Wyatt writes military romance. Her Steeple Hill debuts earned RT Top Picks plus #1 and #4 on eHarlequin's Top 10 Most-Blogged-About-Books, lists including NYT Bestsellers. Her books have won a Romantic Times Reviewers' Choice Award for the Best Series Love Inspired in 2009 and garnered a Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence final. http://www.cherylwyatt.com/

Rescuing people is his job…

But the one person pararescue jumper Chance Garrison can't seem to help is his own ailing father, who refuses his much-needed physical rehabilitation. That is, until Chance hires unconventional occupational therapist Chloe Callet. To his surprise, Chloe and her sweet black Lab, Midnight, work wonders. And not only on the elder Garrison. Chance just may have met the woman who can get through his own toughened exterior. Can he persuade the lovely Chloe to take a chance—on him?

Why did you become an author?

Because I love books and have dreamed of it since I was little. I've always loved writing and feel it's part of my destiny. I write as worship.

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

Reading books for a living!

Yeah, that would be great, to get paid to read books. If you could have lived at another time in history, what would it be and why?

In the days Jesus lived so I could see God in human form and watch his miracles in person and have a stronger sense of history and setting in his time and day.

What place in the United States have you not visited that you would like to?

The outer banks and coastal areas. Anywhere that has a lighthouse and lots of water. The east coast. Any place the Coast Guard goes.

How about a foreign country you hope to visit?

Australia! I want to go to a Cricket match with my Aussie friend Jenny.

I love Australia. I believe God will let me go sometime. What lesson has the Lord taught you recently?

To pursue my dreams even in the face of staunch resistance. That usually comes in the form of negative voices. To believe God over everything and to speak like I believe even when circumstances look opposite and people's words go against what God has promised.

I'm with you there. One of my favorite Christian songs is "The Voice of Truth." Tell us about the featured book.

This book was a pain. Really. I think the fourth version sold. The revisions were pretty extensive. I hope this book has major impact because of the trouble it caused me. LOL! My editors were VERY patient through this book. Let's just leave it at that. It's number 7 in Wings of Refuge by Steeple Hill. Each books stands alone though.

How can readers find you on the Internet?

http://www.cherylwyatt.com/
I'm elsewhere too but all the links to find me are there.

Thank you, Cheryl, for stopping by my blog again. I love having you here.

Readers, here's a link to the book. By using the link when you order, 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/

A SOLDIER'S DEVOTION - Cheryl Wyatt - Free Book

So excited about your newest release, Cheryl. How did you come up with the idea for this story?

Reader letters actually. I had hoped to get to write a story for each man on the fictional Refuge Pararescue team. Many readers requested Vince's story, and it was so fun to write. I got the idea from hearing about how many car wrecks are caused by texting or otherwise driving under the influence of distraction. I knew Vince's background from previous books and that his brother had died in a prison riot after being wrongly convicted. So naturally Vince has an aversion to anyone involved in the legal or justice system. We also know he has had a resistance to Christians. Ironically he becomes one in the book-my only conversion story so far.

I thought it would make for interesting conflict to make the heroine be both a Christian and a prosecuting attorney. LOL!


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

Can't pick 6! 7's my favorite number. LOL. Camy Tang, Danica Favorite-McDonald, Robin Miller aka Robin Carrol, Tosca Lee, Cynthia Hawkins, Karen Ball, Margaret Daley.

I'd also try to smuggle in as many Seekervillains as possible http://www.seekerville.blogspot.com/

Because the laughter would be a never-ending riot, and we could pick Karen's brain for story ideas. She's phenomenally funny and talented.

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

OOOOH! I can't pick six. How about 7? Robin Miller/Carrol (JUST KIDDING, ROBIN! LOL), Pam Hillman, Mary Connealy, Janet Dean, Julie Lessman, Cara Putman, Cathy Hake who could smuggle Kim Vogel Sawyer into her suitcase (is that cheating?), Lena!

Because I LOVE them and their books.

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?

Wow. Trying to make each book better than the last. Trying to come up with conflict that I haven't used before. Thinking of reasons the hero and heroine would be resistant to the relationship and not repeating themes from previous books.

Tell us about the featured book?

A Soldier's Devotion was an absolute joy to write. I loved wreaking havoc on the hero who has wreaked havoc on all his teammates up until now. Here's the back cover blurb:

U.S. Air Force pararescue jumper Vince Reardon was headed to a lifesaving mission-until pretty lawyer Valentina Russo crashed into him, sidelining him for two weeks. Ever since his brother was wrongly convicted, Vince has little respect for lawyers, but Valentina soon earns his respect.and his heart.

How can readers find you on the Internet?

By visiting my Web site http://www.cherylwyatt.com/
Or my blog http://www.scrollsquirrel.blogspot.com/

Other blogs I participate in:

http://www.seekerville.blogspot.com/
http://www.loveinspiredauthors.blogspot.com/
http://www.craftieladiesofromance.blogspot.com/
I'm also on Twitter, Facebook and all other social network site.

Thanks Lena! Hugs

Cheryl

I really enjoyed this time together, Cheryl. We must do it again.

Readers, here's a link where you can order the book. When you use this link, you help support this blog.

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


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/

SOLDIER DADDY - Cheryl Wyatt - Free book

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

I came into an authentic relationship with God in my mid-twenties thanks to His people reaching out to me. While I wasn't raised in church, my parents did raise me to know there was a God and that He was both a force to be reckoned with as well as caring enough to hold us in His hand and care for us. I remember my mom used to sing an old song and the words went something like, "He's got the whole world in His hands." Dad would often remind us that, he may not be watching, but Someone bigger always was. That sorta put the fear of God in me. LOL! I mean as far as having a healthy respect for God.

But I didn't really understand God's desire to have a close, personal minute-by-minute relationship with us until I was in my late teens, early twenties. I went to a few Bible studies in High School, but I was going for the wrong reasons (Read: Cute guys led the Bible study! LOL) so it didn't really stick. But in my twenties, I had a profound experience with God that changed my life and I have never looked back.

In those moments where God met me and I had a tangible sense of His love, acceptance and His presence of mercy, I could not begin to even put that feeling in words other than to say it beyond overwhelmed me. From that point on, I have looked Heavenward.

I said to God in that moment, "I don't know You at all, but, if this is You...I want to!"

And He has never ceased to be faithful. I live for the day I will get to see the one face to face who so loved me unconditionally. I pray each person reading this has that kind of life-changing encounter with the living God. I'm so glad He left his spirit here with us to wrap around us like a warm blanket, literally, The Comforter. I could go on and on, but suffice it to say that I had faithful people who stormed Heaven on my behalf and through prayer, God met me in a place of brokenness and literally rescued me. I think that's why I write rescuers because I have a strong sense of being rescued by God.

How did you and your husband meet?

He he. I met him at a Coffee House in Illinois. He didn't notice me at first because he was tweaking knobs on a sound board. He's an audio guy for many Christian and other bands and I loved music and concerts. So I saw him often at the same venues I'd volunteer at. Then one day one of my girlfriends said he'd been asking about me. I didn't think he'd noticed me. By that time I was sorta dating someone else but we broke up and I was brokenhearted. So my husband befriended me/pursued me for the next two years. He had great character as a Christian and he's an absolute riot as far as being funny and witty. He's the kind of person who brings everyone up around him and his humor is so contageous. Didn't take me long to fall. :-) We've been married for almost 12 years .

I love being around your husband, too. You’re planning a writing retreat where you can only have four other authors. Who would they be and why?

Just four? Ack. I positively CANNOT choose just four. So how about 10?
--Camy Tang because she's an excellent brainstormer and knows strong story structure plus I love to hear her laugh more than almost anything. And she's one of my best buds.
--Danica Favorite McDonald because she is so uplifting as a friend and honest in her critiques. And she's one of my best buds.
--Cynthia Hawkins because she's such an encourager and I don't get to spend nearly as much time with her as I'd like to. And she's one of my best buds.
--Robin Miller because she offers brutal honesty, free of charge. LOLOL! She comes up with great plot twists and she's one of my best buds.
--Margaret Daley because she has a strong handle on writing romances and she is a mentor to me as well as a friend.
--Pammer because I miss her.
--Tosca Lee because I admire her and her writing so much and am convinced she is a modern day CS Lewis. She is the coolest, prettiest potato peeler on the planet and I'm thankful for the friendship God is building between us.
--Cynthia Ruchti because she is so very inspiring and would be a blast to brainstorm with.
--Karen Ball because she is an absolute riot and her mind is as twisted as mine and I don't meet many people that way. Plus I love her stories.
--Lena for being so gracious and letting me bring all these people to the brainstorming retreat. LOLOL!

Okay I said 10 but if I could bring more, I'd invite my friend Marcie Scheumaker who writes non-fiction and I'd invite my Seeker sisters http://www.seekerville.blogspot.com/

Sounds like a group I'd love to be a part of. Do you have a speaking ministry? If so, tell us about that.

Not a significant one at the present. I will wait until my little ones get older. I have spoken at events and get asked to, but I have many prior obligations since my husband and I are involved in audio/music and NASCAR ministry together. Once my children are older, I will pursue the speaking more because I love to encourage people to follow their God-given dreams/destinies. That seems to be the common theme that comes out whenever I speak. Living up to their full potential in God and how/what God can do with one surrendered life can change the course of history. So I usually speak about great but obscure women of faith that most people may not have heard of, such as Jackie Pullinger To and other missionaries and trailblazers. As a bumper sticker I saw once said, "Most well-behaved women never make history." LOL.

Love the bumper sticker. Want one for my car. What is the most embarrassing thing that has happened to you and how did you handle it?

Oh my goodness. This is hard because I literally do something every other day that embarrasses me. I learned to laugh at myself a long time ago thankfully, otherwise I'd be in a world of hurt in the self-esteem department. LOL! A recent thing I did was to send a message to one of my editors via my BlackBerry which had the auto-correct function on. I didn't know how to disable it and to my mortification, it changed the word "Assistant" to "Assassin" and sent before I could stop it. So the header to the e-mail page said the name of one of my editors, then comma, then, "Editorial Assassin." Thankfully she has a great sense of humor, though I felt like a dweeb. It became quite funny. Sure, she's a spiffy editor with a great eye for detail, but I wouldn't go as far as calling her an assassin. Unless of course she's hacking up/killing off my extraneous/superfluous words. LOL.

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 tell them to join http://www.acfw.com/ and dig in learning craft. I would tell them to write, write, write and to read, read, read. To always write as worship and to be willing, even then, to hear hard things about their writing in order to improve and to strive for excellence in craft. And once they do sell, to seek to make God famous and not themselves.

Tell us about the featured book?

Soldier Daddy was an unexpected treat. I had just had a car accident and was literally heading into my first of several surgeries for repair of fractures associated with the car wreck. I had turned in one book in a proposal and Melissa, my editor, phoned to offer not one but TWO contracts! She wanted Petrowski's story. Aaron Petrowski has been in the previous Wings of Refuge books, but never really onstage. He was sort of like "Charlie" from "Charlie's Angels." You never really see him, but you hear him and he's this force in control, this entity who gives orders and guidance to the pararescuers. You knew from previous books that he suffered the loss of his wife and left pararescue for a little while to raise his infant twins. But in this book, he's back and I won't tell you who the heroine is...but she brightens all their lives. This story was so fun to write because it has two toddler boys. This book was an unexpected blessing to me during a difficult time and I hope and pray that it brings the same kind of joy to readers as it did to me, the privilege of getting to write Aaron's story.

Please give us the first page of the book.

"Ooh, Aaron, she's so young! And pretty!" Mina Garcia, housekeeper and longtime family friend of U.S. Air Force Chief Master Sergeant Aaron Petrowski, clapped her dark hands together. She peeked out the Petrowski home window as the nanny applicant exited her car. The very young and vivacious applicant, very unlike the empty-nested grandmotherly types who'd interviewed so far.

Mina clutched Aaron's sleeve and continued to emit strange little squeaks as the trim-but-not-too-thin blonde crunched across a calico pattern of fallen leaves carpeting the yard he really should have raked. "Aaron Michael! Shame on you for not telling me how glaringly gorgeous she is!"

Glaringly gorgeous? That hadn't even entered his mind yesterday at the agency. What had attracted him were Sarah's on-paper credentials and her enthusiasm and gratitude over being chosen as a candidate for the job.

Trek paused, Sarah bent to pull a punctured leaf from her conservative but classy spiked heel. When she stood and eyed the house, catching a glimpse of them watching from the window, her excited wave and ready smile rivaled September's sun. Glaringly gorgeous?

Yeah, now that Mina mentioned it…
Copyright 2009. Used by permission.

How can readers find you on the Internet?

My Web site is http://www.cherylwyatt.com/. The best way to keep track of my new releases is to sign up for my quarterly newsletter there.

I also hang out frequently at http://www.seekerville.blogspot.com/.

I have a personal writing blog too which can be accessed from Seekerville. I hope folks will come over there and become Seekervillains--followers of our Seekerville blog. Those ladies are an absolute riot and their friendships are a tremendous blessing in my life.

Thank you, Cheryl, for spending this time with us.



Readers, here's a link where you can order a copy of the book:

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

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/

Cheryl Wyatt - A SOLDIER'S REUNION - Free book

So happy to welcome you Cheryl back to my blog. What are some of the spiritual themes you like to write about?

Strangely, I never set out to write certain themes but themes always show up. Common themes that have shown up in my books are God's kindness and the power of prayer. God drawing and keeping us. The importance of community that can be found in family and in a healthy church. And keeping Jesus the core of our existence all have a place in my books it seems.

What other books of yours are coming out soon?

A Soldier's Promise and A Soldier's Family are still available online.
Ready-Made Family is still available online and possibly in some stores that keep them longer than a month. It released in April.
A Soldier's Reunion is in stores June 1--now! YEE!
Soldier Daddy releases October, 2009
A Soldier's Devotion releases January 2010
Chance's story (tentatively titled Home Sweet Hero) releases Spring 2010
All from Wings of Refuge Series from Steeple Hill Love Inspired.

If you could spend an evening with one contemporary person (not a family member of yours), who would it be and why?

It's a toss-up between two women. Former first lady Laura Bush. Because she is an avid promoter of books and I love that about her. Especially with regards to children and literacy.

Secondly, I'd love to spend an evening with Sarah Palin because I think she's a modern day Esther. There's just something amazing and wonderful about her.

I agree with you on both of these women. I don't think we've seen just how much God will use each of them in our country's history. How long have you known that you wanted to be novelist?

Decades. Seriously. Since I could hold a crayon.

What can you tell authors who have been receiving only rejections from publishers?

The 1 W and the 4 Ps. Don't give up. Seek God for guidance on what to do and who to target. Sometimes He'll want you to wait/stick it out with one story and sometimes we have to martyr stories & their characters for the future one that will eventually sell. Write as worship and the journey won't seem so hard because you know that not one word is written in vain.

Remember that everything, with the exception of deadlines (LOL!) moves slow in publishing. Be patient and persistant. Pray and persevere. Write as worship. That's the 1 W and the 4 Ps.

Tell us about the featured book?

The opening scene was inspired by a true-life experience of a bridge collapse that occurred shortly after my family's caravan drove across it. We watched news footage of the collapse and realized that our entire family (headed back from an out of state funeral) could have been taken out had we been on the bridge less than one hour later.

Here's the back cover blurb:

Despite a decade apart, this isn't the reunion Mandy Manchester expected! She thought she'd put high school sweetheart Nolan Briggs behind her. Now he's back…and the pararescue jumper literally sweeps her off her feet. He's ready and willing to rekindle what they once shared. Mandy, though, isn't prepared to put her heart at risk. He left her before—she won't trust him again. Can Nolan teach this grounded girl to take a leap of faith?

Please give us the first page of the book.

Here is an excerpt. http://www.eharlequin.com/store.html?itemid=19563&cid=416

Here is an approximate first page:
--
"Briggs, phone! Chief Petrowski's on the line. Says it's beyond urgent."U.S. Air Force Pararescue Jumper Nolan Briggs rushed past teammates Brock Drake and Vince Reardon, who stopped rigging parachutes and looked up. The airmen grew sniper-still and spotter-alert as did the other PJs in Refuge, Illinois's skydiving Drop Zone facility.

Nolan grabbed the DZ phone from teammate Chance Garrison.

"Briggs speaking."

"Nolan, I'm tasking your team to a major bridge collapse."

Nolan pressed the phone tighter against his ear and processed Petrowski's words wafting across the line. "Major bridge collapse? Where?" Adrenaline pumping, Nolan eyed his teammates.They stood at his words and marched close in listen-mode.

"Reunion Bridge over Refuge River—hold on," Petrowski said.

"Refuge." Nolan hiked his chin to his team while on hold.

The room erupted in activity as airmen grabbed gear.
---

I'm hooked. How can readers find you on the Internet?

By visiting my Web site and signing up for my newsletter http://www.cherylwyatt.com/
Or my blog http://www.scrollsquirrel.blogspot.com/ or the author blogs I participate in:
http://www.seekerville.blogspot.com/ or http://www.loveinspiredauthors.com/ http://www.loveinspiredauthors.blogspot.com/ or http://www.craftieladiesofromance.blogspot.com/

I'm also active on Twitter and Facebook and other sites as time allows, such as Shoutlife, MySpace and Edgy Christian Fiction Lovers. Shoot me a friends invite!

Thanks SO much Lena! It is ALWAYS a pleasure spending time with you on your blog. But nothing beats hugs in person!

And we'll get those hugs at the ACFW conference in Denver in September. Thanks for stopping by the blog, Cheryl.

Readers, here's a link where you can order A Soldier's Reunion:

Leave a comment for a chance to win a free copy of the book. The only notification will be the winners post on this blog. Be sure to check back a week from Saturday to see if you won.

Or sign up for Feedblitz in the sidebar so the announcement will come to your Inbox.

If you're reading this post on Facebook or Amazon, please come to this blog to leave the comment:

http://lenanelsondooley.blogspot.com

Cheryl Wyatt - READY-MADE FAMILY - Free Book

Bio: Cheryl Wyatt’s closest friends would never dream the mayhem she plots during announcements at church. An RN-turned-SAHM, joyful chaos rules her home, and she delights in the stealth moments God gives her to write. She’s convinced that having been born on a Naval base on Valentine’s Day destined her to write military romance. She stays active in her church and in her laundry room. Her debut novels (Books 1 and 2-Wings of Refuge Series-Steeple Hill) received Romantic Times Top Picks. In addition, her debut books received the honor of coming in at #1 and #4 on eHarlequins's Top Ten Most-Blogged-About-Books, lists which included several NYT Bestselling authors. Cheryl is currently serving as Vice President of American Christian Fiction Writers. http://www.acfw.com/

To receive her quarterly newsletter for updates on new releases and contests with GREAT prizes (think: free books, CDs, iPods, and a Kindle!), visit her Web site at http://www.cherylwyatt.com/ and sign up in the space provided. Cheryl respects your privacy and will not share your e-mail address with a third party.

Welcome back to the blog, Cheryl. God has really been moving in your writing life. What do you see on the horizon?

Aww! Thank you. I would really love to be able to sell my action-romance novels. They’re more single title length. But I LOVE writing for Steeple Hill and never want to stop, even if I sell a single title. It’s hard in a category length book to keep a lot of action scenes because the focus needs to remain on the romance. But that’s what I’m naturally inclined to write. So I hope to branch out into single title length books in the future. I would still want to write for Steeple Hill though. They are my first love. :-) Harlequin is a great company to write for. I love it and feel so blessed every time a contract comes through.

Tell us a little about your family.

My family is by far the greatest blessing that God has given me outside of my relationship with Jesus and salvation. I learn so much from my children. I have three girls all close in age, which means they’ll all be teenagers at the same time. So my husband has built a PMS Shelter for Men and I’m sure he plans to check himself into it pretty soon. LOL! Well, he SAYS the room is a nice sunroom where I can go to write in peace…but I know it’s a shelter for the poor thing when he gets overrun by female hormones. Hey...at least the dog is male. LOL! Actually my husband is one of the funniest (and funnest!) people I know. He is an absolute riot and keeps us all in stitches. Much of the funny/witty dialogue in my books comes from stuff he says right out of the blue. My extended family lives close to me too, which is wonderful.

We had only duaghters, and they were teenagers at the same time. I told James that God has a special place in heaven for men who have to live with a houseful of women. Has your writing changed your reading habits? If so, how?

I read a TON more now. And I tend to be a more critical reader now than before. Not so much critical in the sense of picking out all the craft mistakes as much as dissecting GREAT novels to see how the author engaged me to the plot and made me love the characters so much. Of course I find errors but ultimately story still trumps. I do know that I will never again blame an author for typos or missing quotation marks at the end of a stint of dialogue. I’ve seen the strange things that a typesetter can to do a novel and it end up in print. LOL! That kind of stuff doesn’t bother me anymore.

What are you working on right now?

Right now I’m finishing up a contracted novel (A Soldier’s Devotion) which will release in January 2010 from Steeple Hill Love Inspired. It’s Pararescue Jumper Vince’s story. It’s been the most fun book to write, yet challenging too because he’s not a Christian for a lot of the book.

I can hardly wait. What outside interests do you have?

NASCAR! Crafts of any kind. I am a tomboy kind of girl. I like motorcycles and guns and wicked looking swords. You’ll never see me in a dress…well because then my tattoo would show! LOL! I love to worship God. I love to reach out to orphans and elderly shut-ins. I have a huge heart for things like that. I love studying the Bible and I love hanging out with my girls and my nieces. Spending time with family. I’m very competitive so I love board games and playing basketball and all that jazz. Love going to concerts with my hubby…especially since he runs sound at many concerts and festivals.

How do you choose your settings for each book?

I try to take the reader on a $4.00 vacation that feels like a $3K vacation in the story. I like to pick places I’ve been or lived because if the season of the books gets changed on revisions, then I don’t have to go through as much research to figure out what flowers grow in that area during certain times of the year, etc. I like to pick unique, interesting places. Right now I picked an area in southern Illinois that is a wildlife refuge. I created a fictional town there, even named it Refuge. And I planted an imaginary unmapped military base called Eagle Point. I love creating an entire town for a series, which is what I’m doing for the Wings of Refuge books (7 so far are contracted) from Steeple Hill.

If you could spend an evening with one historical person, who would it be and why?

Jesus. For sure. Then Elvis because I want to know how he does that lip twitch thing. LOL! No seriously, it would probably be someone, a woman, who made maximum impact on this earth. Someone like Mother Theresa or Corrie Ten Boom. I love a bumper sticker I read once that said, “Most well-behaved women never made history.” That is SO true.

What is the one thing you wish you had known before you started writing novels?

I wish I’d known about groups like ACFW http://www.acfw.com/. The networking from the eloop and the conference has benefited me greatly in the advancement of my career.

Mine, too. What new lessons is the Lord teaching you right now?

Well, right now He’s teaching me to give back. I love mentoring and have wanted to be at a point where I can truly help newer authors. But in some ways I still feel so new. We never stop learning. He’s teaching me to pull back a bit for a couple of years. I can easily do 5 books per year or more but I’m holding back in order to spend more time with my family and to serve ACFW as Vice President. So I’ll probably average more like 3 books a year rather than 5 or more for a couple of years.

Spiritually, He’s teaching me so much about Himself and His ability to sustain us during times of sickness and trauma. I had a bad wreck last year and am just recovered. One thing that time taught me was how oblivious we can be to the suffering of those around us. I was shut in for most of my recovery because I was unable to drive. The wreck shattered my foot and broke my ankle. I had multiple surgeries to repair all that. And I learned the importance of reaching out to those who can’t drive themselves to church. I am SO thankful for podcasts and technology that enables people to hear the message if they can’t be in the physical church building. But I pray that God will help me to know those around me who are shut in. I have a heart for that now whereas I never did before. So to that end, he caused good things to come out of a bad wreck. And at least no one was killed. He’s teaching me to be thankful every day.

What are the three best things you can tell other authors to do to be successful?

1. Write as worship.
2. Be willing to hear hard things about your writing yet don’t let anyone discourage you.
3. Matthew 6:33 it and watch God blow open Eph 3:20 doors you never imagined. Meaning apply the principle of putting God and His stuff first, even above your writing. And watch how His spirit spills over into the work to touch readers in ways you could not even begin to imagine. And fiction authors have OUTSTANDING imaginations! LOL!

Tell us about the featured book?

Ready-Made Family is obviously a romance. But it’s also a cross-cultural/interracial romance. I felt strongly God wanted me to write one to show His love for diversity and ethnicity. I don’t write agenda-driven fiction and I don’t like to read it. But if we are in Christ—abiding in relationship—certain themes that He has placed in our makeup will naturally come through the book, I think. This story is about a heroine who was shunned by a toxic church when she became pregnant out of wedlock. It’s also about a hero who is a strong, Alpha military male, but he’s multilayered in that he’s also a worship leader in church who writes his own music and lyrics. So he and the townspeople of Refuge reach out to this girl and her little daughter. Lots of things are restored in this book but I don’t want to give too much away.

Please give us the first page of the book.

First page excerpt: Ready-Made Family, by Cheryl Wyatt

"Mister! Mommy needs help!"

The child's cry spun U.S.A.F. Pararescue Jumper Ben-li Dillinger on his toes to face its source. Purchases clunked beside his car, Ben's feet propelled him toward the youngster.Tears falling from two teddy-bear-big eyes brought Ben, heart and body, to his knees. Speaking of bears, she clutched a tattered brown one."What's wrong, princess?"

Ben scanned Refuge Mall's parking lot for the mother. Maybe she had car trouble. But it wouldn't make sense for a parent to send a child this young for help. No vehicle with its hood propped, either. In fact, his was only one of the few remaining since closing time minutes ago. Not only that, the child's duress surpassed a stranded-car scenario.

A tiny hand tugged him up. "C'mon! Mommy's over here. Something bad happened!"

You hooked me. How can readers find you on the Internet?

My Web site is http://www.cherylwyatt.com/

I’m running a Kindle Contest now that is only available to newsletter subscribers. Folks can sign up for my newsletter by visiting my Web site and signing up in the newsletter space provided.

OTHER PLACES I HANG OUT ONLINE

http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/profile.php?id=699316888&ref=profile
http://twitter.com/cherylwyatt
http://www.myspace.com/scrollsquirrel
http://www.shoutlife.com/authorcherylwyatt

Shoot me a friends request if you participate in the social network sites.

MY BLOG:
http://www.scrollsquirrel.blogspot.com/

OTHER BLOGS I PARTICIPATE IN
http://www.loveinspiredauthors.blogspot.com/
http://www.seekerville.blogspot.com/
http://www.craftieladiesofromance.blogspot.com/

I also hang out regularly on the forums at ACFW and Steeple Hill.
http://www.acfw.com/
http://www.steeplehill.com/

Thank you, Cheryl, for spending this time with us. I always enjoy hosting you.

Readers, if you don't live near a store that carries these books, heres a link where you can order it:

Leave a comment for a chance to win a free copy of the book. Don't forget to check back a week from Saturday to see if you won.

Author Cheryl Wyatt - A SOLDIER'S FAMILY

Today, we're welcoming Cheryl Wyatt back with the second book in her Love Inspired series, A Soldier's Family.

Cheryl, why do you write the kind of books you do?

I love romance and happily ever afters and have a great respect for our military. Also, I see a lot of military romance writers writing about Special Forces soldiers who are Navy SEALs but not a lot about PJs. What they do is so fascinating (they're the ones who drop behind enemy lines to rescue downed pilots, etc), I wanted to honor them in my books.

Besides when you came to know the Lord, what is the happiest day in your life?

When I got married and when my children were born. Also when I found out the doctors had misdiagnosed me for a year and a half. LOL! Sounds strange, but the previous diagnoses had no cure in sight...just excruciating pain forever. LOL! But when they figured out what was really going on, they realized they could surgically fix it. Major surgery yes, but major relief for me because pain was driving me out of my mind and straining every relationship in my life.

And I'm so glad you're better. How has being published changed your life?

It has helped me to know where to focus my writing efforts and my time, writing-wise. It has made me respect editors and published authors more because I had NO idea how very much work goes into one book. It is such a team effort. My editor congratulated me for getting a Top Pick on my debut novel recently, and I kind of felt like I should be congratulating her and the entire Steeple Hill team who worked to make my book the best it could be.

What are you reading right now?

Just finished For Women Only: What You Need to Know About the Inner Lives of Men by Shaunti Feldhahn and Next Door Daddy by Debra Clopton. Both great books. I'm also reading military and medical research on Mosaic Down Syndrome for a secondary character. I'm also starting a Harlequin NASCAR story by Abby Gaines. Bible-wise...I'm stuck in Isaiah at the moment. LOL!

Actually, I'm in Isaiah right now, too. What is your current work in progress?

I'm working on the next proposal in my USAF Pararescue Jumper series (Wings of Refuge) of which I've sold three to Steeple Hill.

What would be your dream vacation?

For my entire family, extended and all, to visit Disney together during the day...and take my children in the evening so I can hole myself up by the hotel pool and write. LOL!

How do you choose your settings for each book?

I like to pick unique places, mostly places I've lived or been to. I usually pick a real area but insert a fictional town in there somewhere. My Wings of Refuge series is set in beautiful, rustic Southern Illinois where I live, but there isn't really a town called Refuge here. There is, however, a huge wldlife refuge in the area that I fashioned fictional Refuge after.

If you could spend an evening with one person who is currently alive, who would it be and why?

I cannot decide! Probably my husband, Billy, because I love him and you can't be in his presence without laughing. He's a hoot.

We all love Billy. He is a special man. What are your hobbies, besides writing and reading?

I love crafts of all sorts. Cardmaking. Woodworking. Clay. Anything creative. Habitually organizing. Acoustic guitar. I research as a hobby too. LOL!

What is your most difficult writing obstacle, and how do you overcome it?

Knowing what and who to say no to. Seems like I keep cutting back and still don't have enough time. So I try to ask God to order my day and that helps a lot. I'm a perfectionist so I tend to spend too much time on things that don't really require as much attention and time as I give it.

What advice would you give to a beginning author?

Read a lot. Write a lot. Pray. Persist. Be willing to hear hard things about your writing and determine to obey God every step. Stay as revisable as your stories...meaning let God use the journey to mold you into someone editors and agents would want to work with long-term. Write as worship first and foremost. He's your first readership.

Now, Cheryl, tell us about the featured book.

A Soldier's Family is book 2 in my Wings of Refuge series. A pararescue jumper (PJ) recovers in Refuge from a skydiving accident and befriends a young widow and her son. He is also a widower and doesn't feel worthy of another family since he lost his young son to drowning and feels responsible for the death. Fiesty Celia (heroine) vowed never to fall for guys packing heat again since she lost her husband in the line of duty as a cop. They met in book one, but didn't get off to a great start. They both come to realize that God wants more for them than they thought possible. This is not the official back cover blurb...Steeple Hill did a much better job. LOL! It's on the cover flat.

How can readers find you on the Internet?

My Web site is www.cherylwyatt.com and my blog is www.scrollsquirrel.blogspot.com. I can be found on Shoutlife, My Space, etc, and there are links on my Web site for that. There is also a place to sign up for my author mailing list on the home page of my Web site.

Thanks so much for featuring me, Lena! This was great fun. I hope readers enjoy the stories. Book one (A Soldier's Promise which received a Jan 2008 Top Pick! from Romantic Times) may still be available on Amazon and eharlequin.

Thank you, Cheryl, for this special time with us.

Readers, be sure and check out her two web sites.

Want a free copy of her book? Leave a comment. (But don't forget to check back and see if you won.

Debut Author Cheryl Wyatt - Free Book

I am really excited to introduce you to my friend Cheryl Wyatt. She's one of the authors who sold her first book after being in a critique group with me. I know I had just a small part in helping her become published, but I'm glad I was able to be that part. Her book is wonderful. You can read a review of the book on my website later today. www.LenaNelsonDooley.com

Hi, Cheryl, welcome to my blog. Tell us how much of yourself you write into your characters.

Not very much. I like to write about people more interesting than myself. LOL! Although there are things that crop up in my stories resembling things in my life. For instance, Amber (heroine in book 1 USAF PJ series) HATES, and I mean HATES those “Forward this to ninety of your friends in the next five seconds or your computer monitor will explode” kind of emails. I definitely resemble that remark because I growl over those “bad luck” forwards.

And I have called God, “Dude!” on occasion early in my Christianity like Nolan (PJ from another book.) So okay, yeah, and I’m sure my dad will definitely recognize the scene in my first book when Amber crashes her sports car into a house because she backed it into a ditch, then left it in Drive then got out of the car…which idled out of the ditch and almost ran her over. Blush. I can’t believe I’m admitting this in public. LOL!

What is the quirkiest thing you have ever done?

Um, well, I’ll just tell you it had to do with a pinball machine and a bouncer at Mississippi Nights in St. Louis. Oh man. Okay nevermind. I’m kidding. Let’s tell something I’ve done AFTER I was a Christian.

Okay, quirkiest thing for real…it’s a toss up between these two things:

I accidentally crashed my motercycle into a newly dug septic tank hole. Eight feet down. The second quirkiest thing was I let my not-so-tame pony (yes, a real live horse) INTO the house one day. Well, it was hailing really hard, and I promise you that horse opened the chain link fence gate with his nose, came up the steps, stood on the landing and KNOCKED with his hoof to get in. (my mother has pictures) Okay well then after he was in he wanted back OUT of the house and NOW, only he couldn’t find the door. Very dangerous. Don’t try that at home.

When did you first discover that you were a writer?

When I discovered that it wasn’t normal to have Webster’s Dictionary be your favorite book. About the same time I received my first rejection from Highlights Magazine in third grade.

Tell us the range of the kinds of books you enjoy reading.

Seriously ANYTHING WITH WORDS. I prefer romance and action-adventure type suspense. I read as much secular as I do Christian. I also love Max Lucado’s non-fiction. I will read just about anything I can get my hands on, even brochures for balding men if that’s the only thing close to me with words on it. I don’t read horror because I wake my house up screaming at two am with nightmares. For that same reason my husband has banned me from writing suspense scenes after midnight. I creep myself out. One night when he was working night shift, I abandoned my post at the kitchen table where I was plunged in the depths of a stalker scene. I heard someone on my roof and evacuated my children to the neighbor’s porch…only to find out after the cops showed up to investigate “the prowler” that it was only my sweetgum tree spitting those wretched balls at my house during a particularly windy night.

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

I’ve written an embarrassing fifteen or more books. Do you want titles? LOL! I have had six or seven of my as yet to be pubbed novels consistently place in ten or twelve contests though.

How do you keep your sanity in our run, run, run world?

I used to NEED quiet, but now I think I thrive on chaos. There is chaos in every corner of my house. But for sanity’s sake, I do have the most wonderful mother’s helper (waving to Aimee) who comes in and keeps my munchkins entertained so I can recharge with a worship CD and “plug in” to God, Joel Montgomery (hero, book 1 USAF PJ series) would say. I need time to myself, and if I get that one day a week for an hour or two, I’m usually good to go.

How do you choose your characters’ names?

I pray and ask God for them. I try to find names that do not resemble anyone I know or have ever known. I’m really picky about that for some reason. I like names with meaning.

What is the accomplishment that you are most proud of?

Become a mother. My children are the best thing I ever did. :-)

If you were an animal, which one would you be, and why?

A jaguar or cougar or some kind of lethal cat that can move at a high rate of speed. Why? Because claws come in handy ever so often.

What is your favorite food?

It’s a toss up between ribeye steak and grilled chicken Caesar salad. YUM! You’re making me hungry.

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

Okay now this is an easy one. The two things I struggle with is writing characters who have a background of a dysfunctional family, or parents who didn’t care for them or weren’t there for them. Mine were. I never ever doubted my parents love and support. So writing characters who aren’t as fortunate as me is HARD. The other thing is finding time to write because my children are little and require lots of attention. How I overcome it is making sure I put God first then my husband and children always, always before my writing. Matthew 6:33 it I guess. I left one profession (Registered Nurse in OB) to stay home with them, and I know I’ll never get this time back with them. Seems like when I set quality time aside for them, my writing flows better, faster.

What would you like to tell us about the featured book?

It was a joy to write. It was a dream come true to sell a book. Something I’ve dreamed about since I was a little girl. Even before I knew God. He put that sense of destiny in me even when I took no thought of Him. The book has undertones of this sort of wonder, where you realize just how well He knows us and what we need. Even better than we know ourselves. It’s comforting, and I hope when people hold the book, they realize they’re holding a dream that God inspired more than thirty years ago. A dream that God brought to fruition. The book has a little boy with a wish, which I consider the same realm as dreams, things we want. So it was my way of saying to God that I understand this gift is from Him. If I can have even one reader look at my characters and think, “I wonder if God would respond to me the same way He did her character, with the same mercy, grave, love, etc.” Then all the hard work to reach this dream has been worth it.

THANKS SO MUCH LENA!!!!! I’m SURE I exceeded my word count with this, but what a FUN interview!!!!!

What word count? We don't go there in these interviews. You only have to do word count for editors.

Readers, you'll want to leave a comment for a chance to win a copy of A Soldier's Promise. You'll love reading it. And check out her web site:

www.cherylwyatt.com

And you'll want to check out the other interviews where the books haven't been given away. Leave a comment for a chance to win them.

IF YOU LEAVE A COMMENT, BE SURE TO CHECK BACK TO SEE IF YOU WON. WE'LL NEED TO KNOW WHERE TO SEND THE BOOK. If you don't want to miss a single interview or announcement, sign up for FeedBlitz in the right hand column under my profile.

You should also check back in the archives. I've interviewed a lot of cool authors.