A RESPECTABLE ACTRESS - Dorothy Love - One Free Book

BIO: A native of west Tennessee, Dorothy Love makes her home in the Texas hill country with her husband and their golden retriever. An award-winning author of numerous young adult novels, Dorothy made her adult debut with the Hickory Ridge novels. When she isn’t busy writing or researching her next book, Love enjoys hiking, traveling, and hanging out with her husband Ron and their rambunctious golden retriever. The Loves make their home in the Texas hill country.

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

I grew up in the Presbyterian Church and from a very early age was taught that as believers we belong to God. I don’t have a specific salvation story to tell. I can’t remember when faith was not a part of my life.

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

Only four? There are so many writers I admire. For this question I’m going to limit my answer to writers I have not yet met and not the ones who encourage and inspire me every day with their talent and friendship.

As a southern author born and bred and as one who writes almost exclusively about the South, I’d have to invite Pat Conroy because he loves the South Carolina lowcountry as much as I do and writes about it with such grace. Lee Smith for her realistic portrayals of Southern families in all their messiness, Kaye Gibbons because her book Ellen Foster is a masterpiece and I’d love to pick the brain of such a genius, and Cassandra King who is a very good writer in her own right and happens to be married to Pat Conroy. I figure Sandra might persuade Pat to accept my invitation.

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

I locked myself out of my house twice in one day. Luckily a sympathetic neighbor came to the rescue the first time. When I did it the second time, it was late in the afternoon and I just waited for my husband to get home and let me in.

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?

Go for it. Enjoy the process. But be prepared. It’s harder than it looks.

So … so true. Tell us about the featured book.

A Respectable Actress is inspired by the life of Frances Anne (Fanny) Kenble, a very popular British actress who toured America in the 1800’s when actresses were considered undesirables.  Fanny married Pierce Butler and went with him to his St Simons Island plantation where much of my novel is set.  My fictional lead character, India Hartley, comes to Savannah as a visiting actress on a tour of theaters across the south. On the second night of her Savannah engagement, her leading man, a popular local actor is shot dead onstage in front of a packed house. India is accused of the crime. Celia McKay, a character from my novel The Bracelet hires her friend Philip Sinclair, the best lawyer in town to defend India. To protect her from pre-trial gossip, he takes her to Indigo Point, his rundown plantation on St Simons where they work on her defense, and where India makes startling discoveries about Philip’s past as she looks for clues to the disappearance of a slave girl and seeks to unravel the mysteries of a woman in a portrait.

Romantic Times named the book a Top Pick and commented on its “gothic vibe.” It’s a bit of a departure from my earlier books but I hope readers will enjoy it.

I can hardly wait to read my copy. Please give us the first page of the book.

Savannah, December 20, 1870

Gunfire exploded to the right of the stage, a burst of sound that temporarily deafened her. When the ringing in her ears subsided she was aware of screams, of shouts for a policeman and a doctor, of the ensuing chaos as officers arrived and began ushering patrons out of the packed theater. Two burly officers leapt onto the stage, seized her by both arms, and manhandled her into a police wagon parked in the alley, the officers with their weapons at the ready, the horses stamping impatiently in the cold.

           

Now it was midnight and the city of Savannah slumbered beneath a veil of winter moonlight, the deep silence broken only by a rush of wind that rattled the palmettos and the Pride of India trees lining the deserted streets.

           

Inside the Chatham County Jail the walls rang with the shouts of drunken sailors and their painted escorts, the clang of metal bars and snatches of lewd songs sung off key. Jaded-looking policemen armed with nightsticks moved along the dimly lit corridors checking the locks and admonishing the prisoners to quiet down.

How can readers find you on the Internet?

My website : www.DorothyLoveBooks.com

Facebook: www.Facebook.com/dorothylovebooks,

Twitter at WriterDorothy

Thank you, Dorothy, for sharing this new book with us. Your snippet intrigues me. I usually only read Christmas books in November and December, but I probably will slip your book in very soon. I can hardly wait to read it. I'm sure my readers feel the same way.

Readers, here are links to the book. By using one when you order, you help support this blog.
A Respectable Actress - Christianbook.com (best price today)
A Respectable Actress - Amazon
A Respectable Actress - 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 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

AMONG THE FAIR MAGNOLIAS - Tamera Alexander, Shelley Gray, Dorothy Love, Elizabeth Musser - 3 Free Books

Dear Readers, we have a special treat today. A collection from a special group of authors that I really love their books.

Welcome to my blog. How did your story for the collection come about?

Tamera:  Savannah Darby is a character we first meet in To Win Her Favor, a Belle Meade Plantation novel. And I knew when writing that novel that Savannah had a deeper story to tell, and I’m grateful for the chance to tell her entire story in To Mend a Dream, my novella in the Among the Fair Magnolias collection.

Elizabeth: I was actually doing research for a novel that takes place both in modern day and during the late 1800s and had studied a lot about Reconstruction in Georgia.  When I was asked to contribute to Among the Fair Magnolias, inspired by my previous research, I wrote Love Beyond Limits, a story about a young Southern white woman whose courage and convictions lead her to fight for the rights of the freedmen.

Dorothy:   I fell in love with Pawleys Island and the South Carolina Lowcountry while writing Carolina Gold. I'm  fascinated by the history of the old rice plantations and by the lives of 19th century women who managed to accomplish so much despite the restrictions placed on them. My novella, A Heart So True, explores both the beauty of the Lowcountry and the difficult choice my character Abby Clayton faces in determining her own future, and it gives readers of Carolina Gold and The Bracelet a glimpse of their favorite characters from those books.

Shelley: Russell Champion, the hero in An Outlaw's Heart, was featured in a series of westerns I wrote a few years ago for Abingdon Press. I jumped at the chance to finish his story.  

Are these stories connected in some way? If so, how?

They’re connected by the Southern locale and the time period (1860-1878). And that we’re all writers passionate about sharing history and the true love and hope found only in Christ.

What are you reading right now?

Tamera: I’m reading The Silencing: How the Left is Killing Free Speech by Kristen Powers; Israelology: The Missing Link in Systematic Theology by Arnold G Fruchtenbaum (in prep for an upcoming Revelations study); and Prayers that Changed History by Tricia Goyer

Elizabeth: Holiness by Grace by Bryan Chapell; Prayer by Tim Keller; Saving Amelie by Cathy Golhke  

Dorothy: The Signature of All Things by Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Eat, Pray, Love.

Shelley: I'm reading Eric Larson's Isaac's Storm and Soaring by Kristen Ashley

How many other books have you had published?

Tamera: Among the Fair Magnolias is my twelfth publication. I’ve written eleven novels to date, and one novella.

Elizabeth: I have published nine novels and one other novella.

Dorothy: Fair Magnolias is my nineteenth publication. Seventeen novels and two novellas.

Shelley: I think I'm at 53 books. (Insert Tamera gasping here! Tamera says, I had no clue! Shelley, babe, you’re ah-mazing.)

What is the hardest thing about writing a part of a collection?

Tamera:  Honestly, it was a pleasure all around. I love how the four stories (and themes) blend with each other and show the ever changing life in the South over those two decades. 

Elizabeth: Well, I tend to write LONG novels, so I was a bit concerned that I would not do well with a novella, but I actually really enjoyed the experience and found, to my surprise and delight, that when needed, I can be succinct!  I echo Tammy—really felt thankful and privileged to contribute to this collection.

Dorothy: Since we weren't required to mesh the stories, writing the novella was easy. I published a novella, A Proper Marriage at Thomas Nelson last year and  enjoyed writing a complete story in a much smaller space.  So I jumped at the chance to write a second novella. It's a nice break from the intense work of researching and writing a 95,000 word novel.

Shelley: I have to echo what Tamera said. I was so honored to be asked to write one of the novellas in this collection. Though I'd long been a fan of Tamera's, Elizabeth's, and Dorothy's work, I never had the chance to get to work with them. Since writers usually spend lots of time alone, it was wonderful to have “book friends.” 

How did collaborating with this team impact you?

Tamera:  I’ve known Dorothy and Elizabeth for a while now—both women are such blessings.  And I enjoyed the chance to work with Shelley which was a real honor for me. Love all these women.

Elizabeth: It was a lot of fun.  I had the privilege of doing a book tour with Tammy last year, and she is priceless, and I so enjoyed corresponding with Dorothy and finally meeting her last November.  I’ve only “met” Shelley through email and Skype, but hope to meet in person in the future.  I felt a lot of reassurance and complicity working with these women, all such talented authors.  It’s been a real pleasure to put our heads together for some fun blog and interview opportunities, too, like the video Tammy mentioned.

Dorothy: Tammy has encouraged and blessed me in so many ways since my arrival in this market and it was such an honor to coauthor with a writer whose work I absolutely love (insert Tamera’s grateful tears here). I first met Elizabeth in the pages of her wonderful novels, The Swan House and The Sweetest Thing and when my publisher was looking for another author for Among the Fair Magnolias, I requested Elizabeth. We were able to connect in Nashville last fall and she is every bit as lovely as her books. Though Shelley lives in Ohio now, she is a Texas girl like me.  We were introduced by a mutual friend at a writers' conference several years ago. I enjoyed Secrets of Sloane House so much, and was thrilled to have Shelley as a coauthor for Among the Fair Magnolias.

Shelley: I've honestly learned a lot. We each approach our novels in different ways. These other authors are so talented! I should also mention that the team at Harper Collins Christian Publishing have been so great to work with. 

What did you want the reader to take away from your story?

Tamera: Gain a deeper appreciation for Southern history, for a start, as well as come away encouraged in your faith as you’ve been swept away into another  time and place. 

Elizabeth: I want the reader to become more aware of the challenges that faced the South after the Civil War, and especially see the courage of the freedmen and those who supported them.  I pray we’ll be reminded again that all men are truly equal in God’s sight.

Dorothy: My hope for all my stories is that they will act as windows and  mirrors. Windows that allow readers to peer into another time and place, and mirrors that reflect  a universal truth about ourselves.

Shelley: I always simply hope that readers will feel that it was time well spent. There are a lot of books to choose from, so it means a lot when someone gives one of my stories a try. 

Please give us a peek into your story.

We have a treat for you! We got together and made a VIDEO introducing our novella collection. 

Tamera:

To Mend a Dream

Savannah Darby would do almost anything to revisit her family home. So when new owner, Aidan Bedford, a Boston attorney and former Union soldier, seeks to redecorate the house for his fiancée, Savannah jumps at the opportunity. But the clock is ticking. Can she find the box her father supposedly hid there during the war before her assignment is completed? And before she sees yet another battle lost on the home front. This time, one of the heart.

Elizabeth:

Love Beyond Limits

Emily Derracott loves her childhood friend Thomas McGinnis, but she cannot marry a man who doesn’t share her strong convictions about the freedmen. Besides, she harbors a secret love for someone else. But the prospect of becoming his wife is not improbable. It is completely impossible.

Dorothy:

A Heart So True
Abigail Clayton knows what is expected of her: to marry her distant cousin Charles Kittridge and take her place in society. But despite his many business successes, Charles is not the man her father thinks he is. Besides, her  heart belongs to Dr. Wade Bennett, a brilliant young physician engaged in developing new medicines. When her father unexpectedly announces her engagement to Charles during the Clayton's annual barbecue on Pawleys Island, Abby must decide whether to honor her father's wishes or to  follow her heart.

Shelley:

An Outlaw’s Heart
Russell Champion returns to his small Texas hometown after seven years. He had been sent away when he was just fifteen and suffered greatly. He returns to only give himself closure. Instead he discovers his mother wants to make amends and Nora, the woman he once risked everything for, is in need of him again.

What is the best piece of advice you received as an author?

Tamera: Don’t write for the market. Write the story God has placed on your heart, the story you’re most passionate about. Because passion bleeds through on the page. Unfortunately, boredom does too. So if you’re not passionate about your characters and story, the reader will sense it and they won’t be either. 

Elizabeth: As a writer, you’ll need to create AND edit, but be sure that when you to separate the two.  When you are creating, just get the ideas down on your laptop.  Later, you can move into
editing mode” and polish up.  It doesn’t work to create and edit at the same time.

Dorothy: When I was starting out, people told me to "write what you know." But after seventeen books, I have come to believe it's more important to write about the things that move you to anger or to compassion or to love. To write what you are most curious about. Today it's easy to find out whatever you need to know.   Don't limit yourself to writing what you know.

Shelley: To listen to advice. Many, many editors have helped me learn to be a better writer. I'm thankful for them. 

Where can my readers find you on the Internet?
Tamera:

www.TameraAlexander.com

www.facebook.com/TameraAlexander

Elizabeth:                 

www.elizabethmusser.com

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Elizabeth-Musser/149546181768451?fref=ts

Dorothy:
www.DorothyLoveBooks.com 

www.facebook.com/dorothylovebooks

Shelley: 

www.shelleyshepardgray.com

www.facebook.com/shelleyshepardgray

Twitter@ShelleySGray

Thank you, ladies, for sharing this new book with my readers. I can hardly wait to read it, and I know my blog readers feel the same way.

Readers, here are links to the book. By using one when you order, you help support this blog.
Among the Fair Magnolias - Christianbook.com
Among the Fair Magnolias: Four Southern Love Stories - Amazon
(The paperback is on a special sale today on Amazon. I don't know how long that will last.)
Among the Fair Magnolias: Four Southern Love Stories - 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 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

CAROLINA GOLD - Dorothy Love - One Free Book

Welcome back, Dorothy. What are some of the spiritual themes you like to write about?

I can’t remember who it was who said all novels are about either redemption or reinvention. I find the idea of reinvention endlessly interesting and most of my novels deal with how a woman of faith adapts to whatever life serves up and makes it into something transformational.

I like that. What other books of yours are coming out soon?

I’ve just turned in the manuscript for THE BRACELET, a new novel to be published in 2014. Like all of my other novels it’s inspired by historical events—this one happens to be about an unsolved murder in the carriage house of a mansion on Savannah’s Madison Square. Next year Thomas Nelson will also be bringing out A PROPER MARRIAGE, my first novella and my first foray into digital publishing. I’m excited to see how that goes.

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

Pat Conroy. He writes about the South Carolina Lowcountry with more passion and beauty than anyone I know. He is the epitome of a Southern gentleman. I’d love to spend an evening comparing notes.

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

Elizabeth Allston Pringle, whose life was the inspiration for CAROLINA GOLD. She was a woman ahead of her time, a wonderful writer, a woman of great faith and courage.

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

These are very difficult days in traditional publishing. Some markets have been decimated by the glut of backlist ebooks currently available for much lower costs than new print books. We all may have to adapt, to at least do some of our publishing in the digital environment. I’m hopeful that once the glut is absorbed, the traditional houses will start acquiring more projects again. Until then, continue to read everything, write every day, improve your skills and you’ll be ready when the pendulum swings back again.

That’s very good advice. Tell us about the featured book.

CAROLINA GOLD is inspired by the life of Elizabeth Allston Pringle, a 19th century woman rice planter. Like Elizabeth, my heroine, Charlotte Fraser returns to her family’s Wacamaw River rice plantation after the war in hopes of restoring the lands and reclaiming her old way of life. But Fairhaven Plantation is in ruins, her father’s former slaves are free, the freedmen don’t always honor the labor contracts they’ve made, and to make matters worse, Dr. Nicholas Betancourt, a new neighbor, has arrived on the river with news that he may in fact be the owner of Charlotte’s land. Her struggle to survive and her search for proof of ownership turns up some startling secrets about her family’s past, complicating her growing attraction to Nicholas and his two motherless daughters.

Please give us the first page of the book.                                        

Charleston, South Carolina

3 March 1868

           

In a quiet alcove off the hotel lobby Charlotte Fraser perched on a worn horsehair chair, nursing a cup of lukewarm tea. A wind-driven freshet lashed the windows and roiled the bruise-colored sky, sending the pedestrians along Chalmers Street scurrying for shelter, jostling one another amid a sea of black umbrellas.

She glanced at the clock mounted on the wall above the polished mahogany reception desk and pressed a hand to her midsection to quell her nerves. An hour remained before her appointment with her father’s lawyer. She had anticipated the meeting for weeks with equal measures of hope and dread, her happiness at the prospect of returning home to the river tempered by fear of what she would find waiting for her. In the war’s crushing aftermath, Fortune had cast her powerful eye upon all of the Lowcountry and passed on by.

How can readers find you on the Internet?

They can find me on my official website, www.DorothyLoveBooks.com or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/dorothylovebooks.

Thank you, Dorothy, for sharing this new book with us. I can’t wait for my copy to arrive. Your books go straight to the top of my to-be-read pile.

Readers, here are links to the book. By using one when you order, you help support this blog.
Carolina Gold - Christianbook.com
Carolina Gold - Amazon
Carolina Gold - 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 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

EVERY PERFECT GIFT - Dorothy Love - One Free Book

God has really been moving in your writing life. What do you see on the horizon?

He has! I’ve been so blessed with this series, and blessed to have three new standalone historicals to write. God’s word to me this year was “Watch.” And I have watched as He has brought wonderful new people into my life, who have blessed my work in unbelievable ways.

Tell us a little about your family.

I’ve been married for 38 years to the man I first met in church shortly after graduating from college and beginning my career. Ron has spent his career in commercial insurance, and his work has allowed us to live all over the country, including several years in San Diego and in Austin…my favorite Texas city. We share our house with two golden retrievers, Major and Jake. We’re each from large extended families. We have dozens of cousins, nieces and nephews, aunts and uncles. We get together with his side of the clan on Christmas Eve every year. It’s always such fun catching up with everyone. My mom turned 81 years old this year. She is the spark plug on my side of the family. We lost my younger brother to cancer in April. We treasure the children and grandchildren he left behind. I have an older brother in Tennessee, a brother and sister in Texas. Ron’s only sister lives here, too. They were both born in September, and we plan a joint birthday event every  year. Usually a trip to Rangers stadium to see a baseball game and a birthday dinner. Last September we spent a day in the museum district in Ft. Worth before the game, which was loads of fun.

I didn’t realize we lived in the same state. Has your writing changed your reading habits? If so, how?

I notice things in books that I would not have noticed if I weren’t a writer. Just recently I reread a book that was published in 1989 by a favorite author of mine, now deceased. And I noticed certain habits of hers that I mentally corrected as I read.

That happened to me with a favorite author whose book released at the same time as my Golden, New Mexico one. What are you working on right now?

In November I turned in the manuscript for CAROLINA GOLD, a standalone historical novel set on a rice plantation in the South Carolina lowcountry. Now I’m working on a historical suspense called THE BRACELET which is due to my publisher this coming November. It’s set in Savannah, one of my favorite Southern cities.

What outside interests do you have?

Ron and I love history, and we seek it out when we travel. We both love to read, and we enjoy hiking. For a long time I collected teapots, particularly those made by the Shawnee Pottery company but I’ve run out of room. We have a collection of antique maps dating back to the mid-1800’s. I used to do a lot of needlework, mostly counted cross-stitch, but now my eyes are too weak to do much of that. I’ve been a member of several book clubs, but lately I’ve had to drop out in order to meet my publishing deadlines.

How do you choose your settings for each book?

This is an easy question. I’m a Southern girl, and I set all of my books in the South. I’ve traveled to South Carolina for years and always wanted to write a book set there—hence, CAROLINA GOLD. I was born in Tennessee and set my first series for Thomas Nelson in the Cade’s Cove area of the state.

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

General Robert E Lee. I have admired him since I first read the letters he wrote to his wife and daughters during the war. The public knows him as a gentleman soldier, the man who made a bad decision at Gettysburg, but in private he was a loving husband, a doting father with a great sense of humor, a man of faith in God, humble in both victory and defeat. His final General Order to his troops at the surrender still makes me blubber like a baby. In his thirties, he was dubbed “the handsomest man in the army.” He loved to dance. I would have loved knowing him.

I did a lot of research on him when I wrote for a curriculum publishing company. I’ve long admired him. What is the one thing you wish you had known before you started writing novels?

Staying published is harder than getting published.

What new lessons is the Lord teaching you right now?

The things that sometimes appear as trials, defeats,  and setbacks return to us as blessings if we wait on Him.

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

Learn to write well.

Be persistent in seeking a publisher.

Learn to market your work.

Tell us about the featured book.

EVERY PERFECT GIFT wraps up the Hickory Ridge trilogy that includes BEYOND ALL MEASURE and BEAUTY FOR ASHES. My main character, Sophie Caldwell, was adopted as a ten year old by Ada and Wyatt Caldwelll, the main characters in BEYOND ALL MEASURE. After growing up on Wyatt’s ranch in Texas, Sophie went away to school, and then worked for a newspaper in Dallas. But now she feels called to return to Hickory Ridge to revive the local newspaper, the Gazette. Because she is of mixed parentage, she has always felt a need to prove herself, and she hopes that by making a success of the paper, she can finally be accepted.  In Hickory Ridge, she meets Ethan Heyward, the architect who designed and built Blue Smoke, a luxury resort in the mountains above town. Sophie and Ethan are drawn to each other, but each carries an explosive secret that could tear them apart.

Please give us the first page of the book.

The orphanage seemed so much smaller than she remembered.

Sophie Robillard Caldwell peered through the bars of the rusty gate, taking in the boarded up windows, the weed-choked yard, the frayed remnants of a rope swing shivering in a sharp wind that seemed to whisper long-ago taunts. Mutt. Muddlebones. Mongrel.

And worse.

Holding her hat in place with one hand she looked up at the second-floor window of the room where she’d spent a lonely childhood daydreaming and spinning stories. She’d expected to feel a sense of familiarity upon returning here, a kind of homecoming. But the moment she stepped off the train, she realized everything had changed.

True, Jasper Pruitt still ran the mercantile, and his wife still owned the dress shop that had once belonged to Norah Dudley. The bakery and Mr. Gilman’s bank were thriving. The Hickory Ridge Inn, where she was currently staying was full to overflowing every night. Miss Hattie’s restaurant had reopened. Even now the smells of frying chicken drifted on the wind.

I loved reading all three of these books, and this one was a fitting ending for the series. How can readers find you on the Internet?

Readers are welcome to my home on the web: www.DorothyLoveBooks.com and on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/dorothylovebooks

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

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

Every Perfect Gift (A Hickory Ridge Romance) - paperback
Every Perfect Gift (A Hickory Ridge Romance) - 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 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

BEAUTY FOR ASHES - Dorothy Love - Free Book

About Dorothy:

Before returning to her writing roots in historical fiction, Dorothy Love published twelve novels for young adults. Her work has garnered numerous honors from the American Library Association, the Friends of American Writers, the International Reading Association, the New York Public Library, and many others. The Hickory Ridge Novels mark her Christian fiction debut.

About the Book:

She’s a beautiful young widow. He’s a Southern gentleman with a thirst for adventure. Both need a place to call home.

After losing her husband in the Civil War, Carrie Daly is scared she will never have the family she longs for. Eligible bachelors are scarce in Hickory Ridge, Tennessee, but Carrie has found love. Not the weak-in-the-knees kind, but something practical. Still, she isn't quite ready to set a wedding date with Nate Chastain.

Griff Rutledge is a former member of Charleston society, but has been estranged from his family for years. He’s determined to remain unattached, never settling in one place for too long. But when asked to train a Thoroughbred for an upcoming race in Hickory Ridge, he decides to stay awhile.

Despite objections from the townsfolk, and her fear that true happiness has eluded her, Carrie is drawn to Griff's kindness and charm. It will take a leap of faith for them to open their hearts and claim God's promise to give beauty for ashes.

Why do you write the kind of books you do?

As a native Southern girl I love the rich history and the untold stories of Southern life, and I love weaving together the historical and the personal into stories that I hope will entertain and edify at the same time.

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

Oh wow, Lena, it would be hard to pick just one. My wedding day. The day I received my PhD and realized I would never again be forced to take a test! The day in 1996 when my first book came out. Any day at the beach makes me supremely happy.

How has being published changed your life?

I published my first novel after a long career as a school administrator and college teacher. If I hadn’t left that world to take a chance on becoming published, I might still be working in the same city, in the same office and would have missed out on the travel, the people, the sheer joy of creating a novel. It has made me much more observant of everything and much more aware of how fragile and heartbreaking and beautiful life is. 

What are you reading right now?

I’m in the middle of line edits for my next novel, and in the middle of a publicity push for BEAUTY FOR ASHES so I have limited time for reading anything other than research materials these days. But last weekend I dipped into Liz Curtis Higgs’s  Mine Is The Night and it’s a fabulous read. I can’t wait until I have more time to enjoy it.

What is your current work in progress?

A stand alone Southern historical set on a South Carolina rice plantation. It doesn’t’ have a title yet. I’m waiting for the muse to whisper it into my ear.

What would be your dream vacation?

A summer in Italy with plenty of time to visit Florence, Venice, and Rome.

How do you choose your settings for each book?

All I write is Southern historicals, so someplace in the South is a given. After that, it’s a matter of what inspires me. The novel I’m writing now set on the Waccamaw River rice plantation is inspired by the life of a real life woman rice planter.  In 2014 I’ll be writing about a fictional South Texas ranch inspired by the real life King Ranch.

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

Maya Angelou.  Several years ago I attended her one woman show and was absolutely mesmerized not only by that honeyed Southern voice, but by her grace, intelligence, insights, and the sheer beauty of her words. I would love to spend an evening learning from her about writing, about life.

What are your hobbies, besides writing and reading?

My husband and I are avid collectors of antique maps. We got started more than 30 years ago on a trip to Hawaii when we found a map drawn by one of Captain Cook’s men.  Since then we have specialized in collecting the works of English cartographer John Rapkin, whose maps were published in England by John Tallis.  Apart from collecting, we love hiking and traveling. We’ve been lucky enough to spend time in New Zealand, the Caribbean, and the Pacific.

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

As I’m contracted to write more books, juggling the various deadlines becomes more of a challenge. I make lots of lists and calendars, and try to pad my schedule with a bit more time than I think I will need, in case life intervenes and I have to drop everything for a bit. So far, the system is working.

What advice would you give to a beginning author?

Read ten books for every one you hope to write. Read widely, not only the kinds of books you want to write. Write every day, even if it’s only a journal entry, a blog post, an essay. Writers improve by writing.

Tell us about the featured book.

BEAUTY FOR ASHES is the second Hickory Ridge novel, following BEYOND ALL MEASURE.  The series is set in the Southern Appalachians in the years just after the Civil War and follows three strong and determined women as they seek to better their lives against long odds.  In this novel, my protagonist Carrie Daly is a war widow who has promised to wed the local book shop owner. Someday. But something is missing, and Carrie is plagued with doubts. Then Charlestonian Griff Rutledge arrives in Hickory Ridge to collect an old debt, and it’s a case of love at first sight.  But Griff too, has had his share of sorrow and doesn’t seem to be the marrying kind.

Please give us the first page of the book.

May 1876

Carrie Daly watched a knot of people hurrying past the dress-shop window and tried to think of something—anything---except the wedding. These days everybody in Hickory Ridge made a point of speaking to her about it. For Henry’s sake she smiled and thanked them for their good wishes, ignoring the creeping dismay at the bottom of her heart.

“Hold still a minute longer, Miz Daly. Almost done here.” Jeanne Pruitt, the wife of the mercantile owner and the new proprietress of Norah’s Fine Frocks, knelt on the floor to attach the lace trim to the hem of Carrie’s dress.

In her stocking feet, Carrie balanced on the small step stool and listened to Mrs. Pruitt’s detailed recounting of her recent visit to her sister’s place in Muddy Hollow. The new dressmaker wasn’t as stylish as Norah had been. She was, however, a magician with needle and thread. The ladies of Hickory Ridge kept her busy repairing seams, restyling old frocks, and occasionally making a new dress from scratch. Now, with a final snip of her scissors, she finished both the hem and her tale and got to her feet.

“You’re all set, dear. Take a look.”

How can readers find you on the Internet?

At my website, www.DorothyLoveBooks.com and on my  Facebook author page at www.facebook.com/dorothylovebooks.

Dorothy Love's Beauty for Ashes Kindle Fire and a Sapphire Ring Giveaway! Enter Today and RSVP for 3/20 Facebook Author Chat Party! We're thrilled to announce the fun giveaway Dorothy is hosting! First, she'll be giving away a Kindle Fire (3/1-3/20), then on the evening of the 20th she's inviting everyone to her Facebook Author Page for a fun Author Chat party! Don't miss a minute of the fun ... sigh.


One beautiful winner will receive:

• A Brand new Kindle Fire with Wi-Fi
• Beauty for Ashes by Dorothy Love
• Beyond All Measure by Dorothy Love

Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. But hurry, the giveaway ends 3/20/12. Winner will be announced at Dorothy's Facebook Author Chat Party on 3/20. Come for an evening of chat, trivia, and a sneak peek at the next book in Dorothy's Hickory Ridge series - bring your friends! She'll also be giving away some GREAT prizes: gift certificates, books and a stunning sapphire ring!

So grab your copy of Beauty for Ashes  and join Dorothy and friends on the evening of March 20th for an evening of fun.

Don't miss Dorothy's delightful giveaway and party. RSVP TODAY and tell your friends via FACEBOOK or TWITTER and increase your chances of winning. Hope to see you on the 20th!

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

Beauty for Ashes (A Hickory Ridge Romance) - paperback
Beauty for Ashes (A Hickory Ridge Romance) - 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 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

BEYOND ALL MEASURE - Dorothy Love - Free Book

Tell us how much of yourself you write into your characters.

I write my own life questions, my own struggles into the lives of a few of my characters.

What is the quirkiest thing you have ever done?

I’ve been asked this question a lot lately and honestly I am not all that quirky. In seventh grade a friend and I went to see a movie starring the gorgeous red- haired Rhonda Fleming. We bought henna at the drugstore and dyed our hair red. That lasted until my dad got home from work and made me wash mine out.

When did you first discover that you were a writer?

A third grade teacher praised my first efforts and encouraged me to write. In high school, the journalism bug bit. I edited my high school paper, and my university paper and tried fiction many years later.

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

I love historical fiction. I read Southern writers of both literary and commercial fiction. As a writer of historical fiction, I read a lot of nonfiction for background research. I enjoy biographies and memoirs. I love almost anything except sci fi and horror.

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

Some days I am not sure my sanity is intact. My husband and I both love the beach and we live about 2 and a half hours from the coast. A few days at the beach is very restorative----spiritually, emotionally, physically, creatively. I love my beach time.

How do you choose your characters’ names?

I read through old journals and diaries to find names appropriate for the time, and I try to choose names whose meanings have some connection to the character’s role in the story. In Beyond All Measure, my protag, Ada, needs a friend to rely on. I came across the name Mariah, which is a diminutive of Amariah, meaning, sent from God.

What is the accomplishment that you are most proud of?

I finished my PhD in 28 months while working full time after the head of my doctoral committee said it could not be done. Passed my qualifying exams in research and statistics on the first try. Ditto for my second language requirement exams. Graduated with a nearly perfect GPA. That was a happy day for sure.  

What is your favorite food?

I love fresh seafood and anything from my mother’s summer garden. Okra, squash, peas, tomatoes, corn, and a pan of her amazing buttermilk cornbread. Plus the requisite gallon of iced tea---- and I’m a happy girl.

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

I came from a journalism background where the rules are to state the facts in descending order of importance. No adjectives allowed. I had to learn how to write description into a narrative. My first fiction teacher, Peggy Moss Felding, used write in green ink on my manuscripts, Give us more, more, more.

Tell us about the featured book.

BEYOND ALL MEASURE is set in Hickory Ridge, a fictional small town in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains in the year 1871. Ada Wentworth, a young Bostonian who has lost her family, her fiancé and her fortune, arrives by train to take a job as a lady’s companion, but only until she can save enough money to open a millinery shop back east. But then she meets Texan Wyatt Caldwell, the handsome blue eyed owner of the local lumber mill. When their friendship turns to love, Ada must let go of her painful past in order to embrace God’s plans for her, and to trust Wyatt with her heart.

Please give us the first page of the book.

Holding tightly to her worn travel satchel, Ada Wentworth stepped through a cloud of billowing steam and scanned the rain-slicked railway platform, looking for the woman who had promised to meet her. Smartly-dressed travelers folded their black umbrellas and push through a knot of farm wives, mill workers, and station peddlers hawking candy and magazines. A line of buggies and wagons waited in the heat, the placid horses swishing their tails against a cloud of flies. A group of schoolboys jostled Ada roughly as they passed, their languid, high-pitched accents falling strangely on her ear. She pulled her handkerchief from her cuff and blotted her face, her gaze traveling from one person to the next. People a-plenty, but no red-haired woman carrying a white parasol. She skirted a mound of baggage and wound her way toward the agent’s office, trying to quell her growing apprehension. A steady stream of travelers flowed past her like water around a stone. A hard lump formed in her throat.

What on earth had she done?

How can readers find you on the Internet?

My website is www.DorothyLoveBooks.com. Visit me there, or click on the icon to find me on Facebook. 


Thank you, Dorothy, for this interesting peek into your life and work.



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