SENT RISING - Erin Lorence - One Free Book

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

I have the same question...what next? Right now, I’m at a crossroads in life—I’m about to pursue a Masters in Teaching, I’m a busy wife and mom, and I still love writing young adult fiction. Timewise, how am I going to make all these important pieces fit, especially when I start teaching?

I’m staring “change in the face.” I’m relying on God to show me how to use my time in a way that pleases Him.

Tell us a little about your family.

I grew up in a supportive Christian family, whom I’ve stayed super close. I met Brian, my best friend/husband, 20 years ago at Washington State University (WSU). We currently live in Bonney Lake, WA, with our two daughters, Savannah, age 11, and Brooke, age 8. We value family time, and until recently we were blessed by getting to live minutes from both sides of our family.

Tragedy struck not long ago when my mom died after a three-and-a-half-year battle with a super rare and aggressive lymphoma. We miss her every day but are comforted by the fact that she’s in Heaven as well as our new addition to our family—our beagle, Charlie. He’s such a funny, cheerful guy.

Has your writing changed your reading habits? If so, how?

I read less! Once I pick up a book, I have a problem putting it down, so I have to be careful not to start a novel when I have a deadline or a personal writing goal I want to meet.

What are you working on right now?

My next young adult Christian fiction takes places off the Oregon coast. A rebellious teen must overcome her own ocean phobia, as well as her own anger at her deadbeat dad.

What outside interests do you have?

Teaching. Years ago, my husband and I joined a small, start-up church, and I got thrust into kids’ ministry...as in I be in charge of children’s ministry, otherwise our church wouldn’t have any program for the kids. As a nurse, I’d always enjoyed mentoring nursing students, but I discovered my passion for teaching kids, and later when my husband and I began our church’s youth group, working with teens.

My love for teaching young people Biblical truths definitely influenced my writing the Dove Strong Trilogy. I want all kids to understand how awesome it is to have a relationship with Him!

How do you choose your settings for each book?

Dove Strong takes place in the Oregonian, pine-forest landscape I visit each summer. I decided on this setting before I chose my characters’ names or had hammered out the plot. My second book, Fanatic Surviving, detours to an opposite setting—the treeless Chihuahuan Desert, in order to test Dove’s survival skills. Sent Rising ties up all loose ends, while letting Dove experience ocean for the first time.

Throughout the trilogy, Dove repeatedly strikes out with a certain journey in mind...but God has other plans, and she ends up in unexpected places...like a rooftop in Portland or a Californian cave. Yet don’t we experience similar surprises in real life? We have tunnel vision about our own plans for the week, and sometimes God has other plans for us. When that happens, do we stay calm and accept his direction, or do we try to grab the steering wheel back from Him?

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

I choose Jesus! I can’t imagine what I’d say to Him...but I’m guessing if I came at Him with a list of questions and an agenda, He’d turn the conversation to whatever it is that I really need to hear.

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

Honestly...nothing. Having foreknowledge of the bumps in the road and long hours would have discouraged me, and then I might have thrown in the towel before I began. Who knows?

What new lessons is the Lord teaching you right now?

Have patience in uncertainty. Don’t stop praying, even if you feel He’s not listening. He is. His answer could be “not quite yet.”

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

#1:  Discover the rules to writing your genre if you want to be published.

#2:  Write the story for yourself and not for what you think others want...but be okay with future changes to your “masterpiece” once editors become involved.

#3:  Finish it!

Tell us about the featured book.

Here is the blurb for Sent Rising: No more hiding. This has become Dove Strong’s motto since she accepted her role as a Sent Christian to live among nonbelievers for a year. But then her worst nightmare comes true. Her family disappears from their secluded tree home, and they’re not the only Christians in the nation who’ve been snatched. All clues about the numerous disappearances point to nonbelievers... and the remaining believers are not happy. While Dove and her cousin, Trinity, hunt for the missing Christians, Dove stumbles upon a secret plan to force the Reclaim. Already, vengeful Christians gather in local camps to train for battle, and Dove’s brother is one of the bloodthirsty. Will Dove have the strength to rise up, put a stop to this war, and save her family before a red stain covers the nation? 

Please give us the first page of the book.

My fistful of carrots flopped onto the pasture’s dead grass. I paused with the spear’s red-stained tip two paces from my heart.

A couple dozen pointed poles and pronged branches stuck out horizontally from the giant juniper bush at the edge of the forest, positioned to impale the unlucky trespasser who stumbled too close. While I’d harvested the summer’s early vegetables from Wolfe’s backyard, my brother had been busy beefing up Micah Brae’s home security.

I scratched the red wooden point with my fingernail. Not blood. Beet juice...from our garden patch.

“Gilead, this paranoia of yours is stupid. We’re here to live peaceably with these people. Not skewer them.”

His humming dropped off, though he continued to secure another spear. “Don’t stand there hollering in the open, Dove. You’ll attract the enemy. On second thought, keep hollering. I wouldn’t mind trying out his new defensive boundary while it’s still light.”

Trinity paused in the act of hanging what appeared be a glass wind chime above Micah’s prickly doorway. She jingled it at my lifted brow. “Burglar alarm. To wake Micah if anyone tries to sneak in while he’s sleeping. Plus, it’s the color of smoke.”

“And the color of your eyes. Subtle.” I snorted. Trinity had strewn reminders of herself everywhere in our neighbor’s cramped, juniper-bush dwelling—from a corn silk pillow the exact hue of her hair to duplicates of her tattoos scratched in the forest floor. She’d planted these subliminal messages in hopes that he would stop being blind to the fact that he liked her in the same way that she liked him.

How can readers find you on the Internet?

My website is http://www.erinlorence.com . They can also find me on Facebook and Twitter.

Thank you, Erin, for sharing the final book in this series with my blog readers.

Readers, here are links to the book.

Sent Rising (Dove Strong) - Paperback
Sent Rising (Dove Strong) - Kindle

Leave a comment for a chance to win a free copy of the book. You must follow these instructions to be in the drawing. Please tell us where you live, at least the state or territory or country if outside North America. (Comments containing links may be subject to removal by blog owner.)

Void where prohibited; the odds of winning depend on the number of entrants. Entering the giveaway is considered a confirmation of eligibility on behalf of the enterer in accord with these rules and any pertaining local/federal/international laws.

The only notification you’ll receive is the winner post on this blog. So be sure to check back a week from Saturday to see if you won. You will have 4 weeks from the posting of the winners to claim your book.

If you’re reading this on Goodreads, 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

SENT RISING - Erin Lorence - One Free Book

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

I have the same question...what next? Right now, I’m at a crossroads in life—I’m about to pursue a Masters in Teaching, I’m a busy wife and mom, and I still love writing young adult fiction. Timewise, how am I going to make all these important pieces fit, especially when I start teaching?

I’m staring “change” in the face. I’m relying on God to show me how to use my time in a way that pleases Him.

Tell us a little about your family.

I grew up in a supportive Christian family to whom I’ve stayed super close. I met Brian, my best friend/husband, 20 years ago at Washington State University (WSU). We currently live in Bonney Lake, Washington, with our two daughters, Savannah, age 11, and Brooke, age 8. We value family time, and until recently we were blessed by getting to live minutes from both sides of our family.

Tragedy struck not long ago when my mom died after a three-and-a-half-year battle with a super rare and aggressive lymphoma. We miss her every day but are comforted by the fact that she’s in Heaven as well as our new addition to our family—our beagle, Charlie. He’s such a funny, cheerful guy.

Has your writing changed your reading habits? If so, how?

I read less! Once I pick up a book, I have a problem putting it down, so I have to be careful not to start a novel when I have a deadline or a personal writing goal I want to meet.

What are you working on right now?

My next young adult Christian fiction takes places off the Oregon coast. A rebellious teen must overcome her ocean phobia, as well as her anger at her deadbeat dad.

What outside interests do you have?

Teaching. Years ago, my husband and I joined a small, start-up church, and I got thrust into kids’ ministry...as in I be in charge of children’s ministry, otherwise our church wouldn’t have any program for the kids. As a nurse, I’d always enjoyed mentoring nursing students, but I discovered my passion for teaching kids, and later when my husband and I began our church’s youth group, working with teens.

My love for teaching young people Biblical truths definitely influenced my writing the Dove Strong Trilogy. I want all kids to understand how awesome it is to have a relationship with Him!

In 1973, I started the children’s choir program at a church, as a volunteer. How do you choose your settings for each book?

Dove Strong takes place in the Oregonian, pine-forest landscape I visit each summer. I decided on this setting before I chose my characters’ names or had hammered out the plot. My second book, Fanatic Surviving, detours to an opposite setting—the treeless Chihuahuan Desert, in order to test Dove’s survival skills. Sent Rising ties up all loose ends, while letting Dove experience ocean for the first time.

Throughout the trilogy, Dove repeatedly strikes out with a certain journey in mind...but God has other plans, and she ends up in unexpected places...like a rooftop in Portland or a Californian cave. Yet don’t we experience similar surprises in real life? We have tunnel vision about our own plans for the week, and sometimes God has other plans for us. When that happens, do we stay calm and accept his direction, or do we try to grab the steering wheel back from Him?

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

I choose Jesus! I can’t imagine what I’d say to Him...but I’m guessing if I came at Him with a list of questions and an agenda, He’d turn the conversation to whatever it is that I really need to hear.

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

Honestly...nothing. Having foreknowledge of the bumps in the road and long hours would have discouraged me, and then I might have thrown in the towel before I began. Who knows?

What new lessons is the Lord teaching you right now?

Have patience in uncertainty. Don’t stop praying, even if you feel He’s not listening. He is. His answer could be “not quite yet.”

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

#1:  Discover the rules to writing your genre if you want to be published.

#2:  Write the story for yourself and not for what you think others want...but be okay with future changes to your “masterpiece” once editors become involved.

#3:  Finish it!

Tell us about the featured book.

Here is the blurb for Sent Rising: No more hiding. This has become Dove Strong’s motto since she accepted her role as a Sent Christian to live among nonbelievers for a year. But then her worst nightmare comes true. Her family disappears from their secluded tree home, and they’re not the only Christians in the nation who’ve been snatched. All clues about the numerous disappearances point to nonbelievers... and the remaining believers are not happy. While Dove and her cousin, Trinity, hunt for the missing Christians, Dove stumbles upon a secret plan to force the Reclaim. Already, vengeful Christians gather in local camps to train for battle, and Dove’s brother is one of the bloodthirsty. Will Dove have the strength to rise up, put a stop to this war, and save her family before a red stain covers the nation? 

Please give us the first page of the book.

My fistful of carrots flopped onto the pasture’s dead grass. I paused with the spear’s red-stained tip two paces from my heart.

A couple dozen pointed poles and pronged branches stuck out horizontally from the giant juniper bush at the edge of the forest, positioned to impale the unlucky trespasser who stumbled too close. While I’d harvested the summer’s early vegetables from Wolfe’s backyard, my brother had been busy beefing up Micah Brae’s home security.

I scratched the red wooden point with my fingernail. Not blood. Beet juice...from our garden patch.

“Gilead, this paranoia of yours is stupid. We’re here to live peaceably with these people. Not skewer them.”

His humming dropped off, though he continued to secure another spear. “Don’t stand there hollering in the open, Dove. You’ll attract the enemy. On second thought, keep hollering. I wouldn’t mind trying out his new defensive boundary while it’s still light.”

Trinity paused in the act of hanging what appeared be a glass wind chime above Micah’s prickly doorway. She jingled it at my lifted brow. “Burglar alarm. To wake Micah if anyone tries to sneak in while he’s sleeping. Plus, it’s the color of smoke.”

“And the color of your eyes. Subtle.” I snorted. Trinity had strewn reminders of herself everywhere in our neighbor’s cramped, juniper-bush dwelling—from a corn silk pillow the exact hue of her hair to duplicates of her tattoos scratched in the forest floor. She’d planted these subliminal messages in hopes that he would stop being blind to the fact that he liked her in the same way that she liked him.

How can readers find you on the Internet?

My website is www.erinlorence.com . They can also find me on Facebook and Twitter.

Thank you, Erin, for sharing this book with us.

Readers, here are links to the book.

Sent Rising (Dove Strong) - Paperback
Sent Rising (Dove Strong) - Kindle

Leave a comment for a chance to win a free copy of the book. You must follow these instructions to be in the drawing. Please tell us where you live, at least the state or territory or country if outside North America. (Comments containing links may be subject to removal by blog owner.)

Void where prohibited; the odds of winning depend on the number of entrants. Entering the giveaway is considered a confirmation of eligibility on behalf of the enterer in accord with these rules and any pertaining local/federal/international laws.

The only notification you’ll receive is the winner post on this blog. So be sure to check back a week from Saturday to see if you won. You will have 4 weeks from the posting of the winners to claim your book.

If you’re reading this on Goodreads, 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

FANATIC SURVIVING - Erin Lorence - One Free Book

Welcome, Erin.

Thanks for hosting me, Lena! I super appreciate it.

Why do you write the kind of books you do?

I read a ton of young adult fiction, so writing young adult fiction comes naturally. My heroes and heroines can’t be boring, so besides humor, I often give them an extraordinary power...or maybe it’s the villain they must defeat who has an unbeatable gift. And of course, readers must come away having witnessed a character’s evolving relationship with Christ. My number one goal is to be a light for Him.

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

My whole childhood is my happiest day! My ten years growing up as an ’80s kid have blurred together in my mind into one long stretch of joy. Boy, was it nice not having major responsibilities—just to roll out of bed and watch TV, ride bikes with the neighborhood kids, and eat dinner when Mom called.

Nowadays when I’m with my kids and husband, and we’re doing something low key on a day off like playing in the backyard and everyone is laughing, sometimes I pause and think—wow. This is awesome. Remember this, Erin. Happiest day...

How has being published changed your life?

I’ve been forced to enter the realm of social media. I now have a Twitter account, which to be honest, I only use to retweet other authors’ tweets since I’m still too chicken to post my own. And—tadaa!—I have an author website and author Facebook page. Someday I hope I enjoy posting on social media...but I’m not quite there yet.

What are you reading right now?

I’m between books because of being so busy, finishing online prerequisite classes to begin my Masters in Teaching. I can’t allow myself to start a book now because once I start reading, I can’t quit! Once I have time, I plan to read two books by fellow Pelican authors. The Host by Stephenie Meyers sits on the floor next to my bed, which means I might have to pick up this favorite and reread it too!

What is your current work in progress?

I don’t want to give away too much, but I’m three-quarters of the way through with my next manuscript. Think Pacific Ocean, a teenage girl on a road trip, and a guy with some freaky glass powers.

I dream of a summer-long road trip across the country that would include stops at Universal Studios and the Grand Canyon. During this “perfect vacation” my daughters would be content in the backseat, never carsick or complaining. We’d sing together like the Brady Bunch family does during their long car drives, which would never annoy my husband. Hmm...I think I need to lower my expectations.

How do you choose your settings for each book?

I’m slightly obsessed with nature, so outdoor elements such as forests or oceans play a big role in each book. I also cringe at boring settings. For each scene, I pause and ponder...how can I kick the characters’ setting up a notch? For example, in Fanatic Surviving, rather than have Dove camp in the usual, safe tent, she hunkers down in a sketchy shelter thrown over a cactus—ouch, watch out for those needles!

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

My first, kneejerk answer is Ree Drummond, the Pioneer Woman. I feel like we’re good friends due to the hours I spend following her recipes during my nightly, dinner-making routine.

But no, my final answer would be Bear Grylls because I’d want to go on one of those push-you-to-the limits survival trips with him. It’d have to be more than one evening, though—at least a full day adventure. Oh, and my husband is also asking to go along. I’d request no camera crew. I don’t need America laughing at my wimpy upper body strength when I’m dangling helpless from the rope Bear’s instructed me to climb.

My grandson-in-law took his wife, her sister, and my daughter to see Ree Drummond. What are your hobbies, besides writing and reading?

I can’t answer reading and writing, huh? Well then, judging by how I spend the majority of my free time, it seems my main hobby is cheering on my daughters in ballet and soccer. High on my list are also walking/hiking with my husband, playing with Charlie my beagle, baking, and dabbling in DIY farmhouse décor.

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

As I mentioned above, social media is my biggest bugaboo. My second major obstacle is finding the time to write because sometimes I’m too pooped to stay up late—FYI, I tend to write at night when family members are asleep.

To overcome the posting-on-social-media obstacle, I scribble my posting to-do list on a post-it. For some reason, this forces me to get the social media tasks done. In order to find time to write, I purposefully put a pin in other time-consuming activities, like school, to create chunks of writing time during the day.

What advice would you give to a beginning author?

As a novice, I don’t have much wisdom to dish out. But for someone who hasn’t started writing his/her masterpiece, I do have advice:  If your goal is to be published, find out the general rules for writing your genre. Otherwise, you might waste a bunch a time like I did. I finally purchased a Writing Young Adult Fiction for Dummies book a year after I began writing. It was a year too late. I discovered I’d painstakingly written my story wrong in so many ways—too many ways. I had to scrap my first project. The helpful information I found in Dummies is most likely available from other sources too, such as local writers conferences.

Tell us about the featured book.

Here’s my Fanatic Surviving blurb:

The Reclaim begins May 15th, and sixteen-year-old Dove Strong can’t do a thing to stop it... or can she? With only weeks until her people attack the unsuspecting nonbelievers, Dove accepts her recommission for peace.  Her journey is a success... until she runs into an old nemesis. Then a family member dies, and she is arrested as a terrorist as well as the prime murder suspect. Dove’s punishment? She must survive the unforgiving Chihuahuan Desert under the judging eye of every television-owning nonbeliever in the country. Saddled with a hostile camera crew, Dove fights to reach civilization while enduring Satan’s elements as well as a mysterious Amhebran coder who haunts her steps. Dove is strong. But is her faith strong enough to survive an ultimate friend betrayal as well as a decision of whether to sacrifice another family member to stop the May 15th attack?

Please give us the first page of the book.

Thunk. Gilead’s blade sank into the X scratched on the pine. Dead center. A breath later, Micah Brae’s steel nicked the trunk’s bark and scuttled, disappearing in the frozen groundcover.

My brother’s grunt of disgust reached me up in the crow’s nest where I huddled out of sight. “Pathetic, Brae. Keep your knife horizontal to your target until you release it. Like this.”

Thunk.

I focused on the sunlit branches overhead instead of my brother’s and neighbor’s knife-throwing session—their way of preparing for the Reclaim. The war’s first attack on the godless Heathen was broadcasted for May 15, a month and a half away. And they thought this would make them ready?

Next to me on the snug lookout platform high in the maple, my grandpa surveyed the tree-filled horizons in his systematic way. I leaned my elbows back on the woven blanket, evidence he’d slept up here, despite the biting Central Oregon nights. My mom said he slept in the tree to be extra cautious— with the war between us Christians and Satan’s people approaching. But that wasn’t the real reason. Grandpa was obsessed with sighting his missing son, my Uncle Saul, who I’d discovered back in September, alive, crazy, and nearby, roaming the Oregon Cascades.

How can readers find you on the Internet?

My website is www.erinlorence.com . They can also find me on Facebook and Twitter.

Thank you, Erin, for sharing this book with us. We’re all eager to read it.

Readers, here’s a link to the book.

https://www.amazon.com/Fanatic-Surviving-Dove-Strong-Lorence-ebook/dp/B07P9CVD8Y/

Leave a comment for a chance to win a free copy of the book. You must follow these instructions to be in the drawing. Please tell us where you live, at least the state or territory or country if outside North America. (Comments containing links may be subject to removal by blog owner.)

Void where prohibited; the odds of winning depend on the number of entrants. Entering the giveaway is considered a confirmation of eligibility on behalf of the enterer in accord with these rules and any pertaining local/federal/international laws.

The only notification you’ll receive is the winner post on this blog. So be sure to check back a week from Saturday to see if you won. You will have 4 weeks from the posting of the winners to claim your book.

If you’re reading this on Goodreads, 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

DOVE STRONG - Erin Lorence - One Free Book

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

I love humor. My husband is the funniest guy I know, and I like to think I have a good sense of humor as well. So, it’s important that at least a couple of my main characters can highlight the ridiculous and deliver their lines in ways that hopefully make readers smile too.

In Dove Strong, my main character, Dove, is the opposite of me in most ways. She is super blunt when she speaks, she doesn’t care for others’ opinions—especially what they think of her—and she rarely apologizes. It was so refreshing writing from the perspective of someone so confident!

What is the quirkiest thing you have ever done?

I can’t think of anything truly “quirky” that I’ve ever done! How sad.

Here are two unique things about myself off the top of my head: 1) I raised guide dogs as a teenager, so I often embarrassed my young self by having to wrestle with a dog in public. Looking back, there were some hilarious moments...like lugging my 50-pound dog out of JCPennys in my arms when she started to pee.  2) I’m currently a lunch lady, which can be humbling as well as fun. Chicken-wich and tots anyone?

When did you first discover that you were a writer?

Roughly six years ago, a mind-blowing story idea popped into my head while I shoveled snow. I decided to sit down and type it up. I finished shoveling. Then I did!

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

I am addicted to reading, but I am also probably one of the world’s pickiest readers. I don’t read anything that plants disturbing images in my head. Because of that, I read and reread a wide range of young adult books—from anything written by good old Betsy Byars to The Hunger Games. Of the adult genre, I choose older books, such as ones written by Agatha Christie, Georgette Heyer, and Mary Stewart. My favorite Christian author of all time is Grace Livingston Hill. I do read some modern books too, but I’m pretty selective.

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

I quit working full time when our first daughter was born, and God has super blessed us. For the past eleven years, I’ve been able to stay home and work only a few hours a week, mostly from home. Jobs have included medical transcript work, a part-time church manager position, and my current job moonlighting as a lunch lady at my daughter’s elementary school.

This opportunity to be a stay-at-home mom and wife has allowed me to have a close and precious relationship with both my daughters, the youngest who is now eight, and with my husband. He and I work well together as a team, and because I’m able to get most the household tasks done during the day, we have time most evenings to take walks, laugh, and share what’s going on. We might not have the biggest house or go on fancy vacations, but it sure helps my sanity to spend daily time with my family and just talk. 

How do you choose your characters’ names?

I chose the Christian characters in Dove Strong to have nature-related names or Biblical names. Examples are Reed, Stone, and Gilead. I named my non-Christian characters anything I wanted, though some of their names sound pretty worldly to me. One of my favorite characters is a spunky, nonbeliever little girl named Jezebel. Biblically, her name is associated with not so great stuff, but names can fool you!

I have a self-proclaimed Jezebel in my book The 12 Gifts of Christmas that released in September. What is the accomplishment that you are most proud of?

Becoming a published author through Pelican Book Group is definitely up high on my list of accomplishments!

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

How funny! I just discussed this question with my eight-year-old last week. I’d choose to be a giant panda. I’m not a panda expert, but I believe that due to their size, they are not prey to predators. Whew! They also are strictly vegetarian; I don’t relish ripping up other animals as my main food source. Pandas seem to live peaceful lives in the bamboo forests. Plus, Kung Fu Panda is an awesome movie. 

What is your favorite food?

If I lived as a hermit with no one to judge me, I’d probably eat nothing but homemade cookies and cake. And I’d wash the sweets down with a never-ending supply of Diet Pepsi.

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

My greatest challenge in my Dove Strong journey came when my first publishing house closed its doors a month before my book’s release. I was so distraught, I felt sick. Then I spent quite a bit of time talking with God about the situation and put it in His hands. I came away totally at peace—no anger or frustration. I followed my husband’s good advice about submitting to a different publishing house...and ta-da! 

Tell us about the featured book.

Here is the book’s official blurb:  Dove Strong loves God. She loves standing chin up, fists clenched when facing Satan’s attacks. But there’s one thing she doesn’t love—other people. So when this spiritually-gifted, antisocial teenager is chosen to join other believers in a trek across Satan’s territory, rattlesnakes and evil-intentioned Heathen aren’t her biggest challenges. But failure isn’t an option. In a month, the Christian Councils will decide the Reclaim, a vote on whether there’ll be a war between Christ’s and Satan’s followers to take back America. It is up to Dove, God’s messenger for peace, to reach her Council in time. Because if she doesn’t, things could get bloody.

Please give us the first page of the book.

I had two choices.

           

Either ignore my brother, Gilead. Or knock him out of the tree.

           

Then, the limb under my feet tried to buck me off.

           

“Quit it.” I snatched at an iffy branch near my ears while widening my stance.

           

How dumb of me not to have acted quicker. So what if a major reason I was about to risk my life trekking across the enemy’s territory was to save my brother’s? It would be kind of pointless if I killed Gilead now. But at least he wouldn’t be here, twenty feet in the air, annoying me.

           

The shaking lessened some, but I still grappled with the branches next to me.

           

“So help me, Gilead, I will tell Grandpa if you break my neck. What’s more, breaking my neck won’t help my survival rate for the trip. I’ll jump when it’s time, and it’s not time yet, so go home.”

           

As the shaking eased off, I squinted through the sunlit greenery at my brother. A foot taller than me, he perched on nearby limbs in the shade at the oak’s trunk with one foot still planted on my branch. His arm, one that could haul me over his shoulder without trying, gestured at a limb below us. It was the first step in a climb down into dead bushes and the water I’d soon land in.

Interesting! How can readers find you on the Internet?

My website is www.erinlorence.com . They can also find me on Facebook and Twitter.

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

Readers, here are links to the book.

Dove Strong - Paperback
Dove Strong - Kindle

Leave a comment for a chance to win a free copy of the book. You must follow these instructions to be in the drawing. Please tell us where you live, at least the state or territory or country if outside North America. (Comments containing links may be subject to removal by blog owner.)

Void where prohibited; the odds of winning depend on the number of entrants. Entering the giveaway is considered a confirmation of eligibility on behalf of the enterer in accord with these rules and any pertaining local/federal/international laws.

The only notification you’ll receive is the winner post on this blog. So be sure to check back a week from Saturday to see if you won. You will have 4 weeks from the posting of the winners to claim your book.

If you’re reading this on Goodreads, 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