A SOUTHERN SEASON - Linda W. Yezak (and 3 others) - One Free Book

Dear Readers, I’m featuring this novella collection today. We have excerpts from each of the stories and the bio of each author. No interview.

From A Southern Season: Four Stories from a Front Porch Swing

Excerpt from Ice Melts in Spring by Linda W. Yezak

He studied her for a moment, and she raised her chin. She would not squirm under the scrutiny of the local preacher. He had no clue what she’d gone through, no inkling of how cold that Being he worshiped could be.

 “You know your Bible,” he said. “You should know that He promised He’d never leave you or forsake you. Doesn’t matter if a person is faithless to Him, He remains faithful. He can’t go back on His promises.”

Oh, but He could, and He had, and she’d given up waiting for Him to offer some measure of comfort.

Linda W. Yezak lives with her husband and their funky feline, PB, in a forest in deep East Texas, where tall tales abound and exaggeration is an art form. She has a deep and abiding love for her Lord, her family, and salted caramel. And coffee—with a caramel creamer. Author of award-winning books and short stories, she didn't begin writing professionally until she turned fifty. Taking on a new career every half century is a good thing.

Website: http://lindawyezak.com

Excerpt from Lillie Beth in Summer, by Eva Marie Everson:

Granny always said God doesn’t shut a door but what he doesn’t open a window. Only when Granny said it, she said, “God don’t never shut a door, child, but what he don’t open a winda.”

I smile every time I think of it. Because Granny was right. And because I can’t help but remember her words, the cadence of her speech. The way she’d nod her head once to let me know she meant business.

Granny always meant business.

Elma Frances McCall was really my husband’s grandmother, but in my heart, the minute David introduced me to her in the front room of their two-story farmhouse that smelled of bacon grease and Pine Sol, she became my own. She embodied the embrace of all the love I’d never known. Not once in my sixteen years.

Eva Marie Everson is a bestselling, multiple-award-winning author of both fiction and nonfiction. She is the president of Word Weavers International, the director of Florida Christian Writers Conference, and the managing editor of Firefly Southern Fiction. She and her husband make their home in Central Florida. Website: www.EvaMarieEversonAuthor.com

Excerpt from Through an Autumn Window, by Claire Fullerton:

I’ve never minded the rain. Autumn has always been my favorite time of year in the South. I’ve missed its stark changes since I moved to California. I still wait for it with fevered expectancy. In California, I look for any hint of fall in the air, and almost will it into being. The temperature drops, and that’s me in the slightest of breeze, putting on a knee-length coat and wearing autumn colors in shades of khaki, maroon, and green. Californians look at me as if I’ve lost my mind, but I don’t care. I’m a forty-year-old Southerner, I have carte blanche to be as off-beat as I want.

Claire Fullerton (Through an Autumn Window) is the author of Mourning Dove, Dancing to an Irish Reel, and A Portal in Time. She is a transplanted Southerner from Memphis now living in Malibu, California. Website: https://www.clairefullerton.com/

Excerpt from: A Magnolia Blooms in Winter, by Ane Mulligan:

“Morgan? Is that you?”

“Who else would be answering my phone, Mama?”

A siren—police or ambulance?—filtered through my window, an ever present part of New York City. Trapping my cell phone between my shoulder and ear, I entered ninety seconds on the microwave’s digital pad. After sniffing the leftover Chinese takeout for edibility, I slid in my supper. Mama’s laughter wrapped around me like a warm hug from home as the plate spun around.

“You’ve lost most of your drawl, sugar. I hardly recognize your voice anymore. For a second, I thought it was Lisa or Michelle.”

I’d heard that lament several times. My roommates were from California and I’d worked long and hard to adopt their accent. I’d never play a convincing Silicon Valley housewife with a Southern drawl.

Ane Mulligan writes Southern-fried fiction served with a tall, sweet iced tea. She’s an award-winning, multi-published novelist and playwright, who believes chocolate and coffee are two of the four major food groups. Website: https://anemulligan.com/

Thank you, Linda, for sharing this new collection with my blog readers and me. The stories sound interesting.

Readers, here are links to the book.

A Southern Season - Stories from a Front Porch Swing - Paperback
A Southern Season: Stories from a Front Porch Swing -  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, 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

UNCONDITIONAL - Eva Marie Everson - One Free Book

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

I have a book due the first of the year which releases—I think—in early 2014. Another book—the third in the Cedar Key series, titled Slow Moon Rising—releases in May 2013. And, I just signed a new contract with Broadman & Holman for a book not due for two years. Can you believe that? J

That’s wonderful. Tell us a little about your family.

My husband and I live in a lakefront house (we call it The Lake House) with our two dogs. We have children and grandchild with another grandson on the way next month.

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

It actually has made it more difficult. I often find myself reading as though I’m editing the work. Which means I read sooooo sloooooowly. I have to remind myself to let go and just enjoy!

What are you working on right now?

A work for Abingdon Press titled The Last Will in Testament.

What outside interests do you have?

Knitting. I love walking trails. I love travel. And I’m a pretty good photographer.

How do you choose your settings for each book?

I really don’t. They choose me.

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

Besides Jesus, of course (well, we spend a little time together every day anyway…) I’ve been researching my family history. There are quite a few of my great-greats I would love to sit down and talk with. To find out why they did what they did. Moved where they moved. Chose what they chose. I have learned that my family is full of interesting characters. I also have a better glimpse into who I am because of this research.

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

That one day it would be more about the business of writing and less about the writing. I would have enjoyed that time when all I had to do was write.

What new lessons is the Lord teaching you right now?

So many lessons. I’m constantly being reminded to trust Him. “I’ve got it,” He says. Every day.

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

Write well.

Be willing to learn.

Pray hard.

I totally agree with each of those. Tell us about the featured book.

Unconditional is the novelization of the movie by the same title (www.UnconditionalTheMovie.com ). This movie (and book) tells the story of a man named Papa Joe Bradford who, with his wife Denise, gives hope and a future to the at-risk children of our country. They started their ministry, unbeknownst to them at the time, in Nashville. But that influence has extended far.

The movie’s screenplay was written by a talented man named Brent McCorkle. Brent also directed the movie, edited it, and I believe he wrote some of the music for the film. Truly a brilliant work. Being a part of it—even as small as my contribution was—has been such an honor.

Writing the book from the screenplay and the screener meant I had to do more than just tell what I saw on the screen. I had to think outside the box. What we see on screen—no matter if all the questions are answered or not—we don’t question so much. But in a book, we do. So, I got to answer questions like “What made Papa Joe sick?” and “How did Samantha and Billy meet? Fall in love? Why didn’t they have children of their own?” I also was able to dive into the emotions, much like the actors have to do in order to play the character. The whole experience was marvelous. And cathartic.

Please give us the first page of the book.

Chapter One

Life used to be so beautiful. So full of magic and possibilities. Wonder and excitement. There wasn’t anything I couldn’t do. Couldn’t be. Couldn’t go.

When I was a child, I would sit for hours drawing and dreaming up crazy stories to tell all my friends. Multi-colored crayon tales etched by wild imaginings. Stories about a place where the sun always shone. Or a place where a tin man could carry a little red-headed girl to the farthest point of the universe, way above the earth, on feet made of fire. Or, in another story, set on a lonely island way out in the middle of the ocean, where a deer and a platypus lived in disharmony. They sat back to back on this tiny piece of land, never acknowledging each other. Until, one day when they were both thirsty, the deer climbed up a coconut tree so they could share a drink. And after that, they were the best of friends.

I thought my stories would inspire the world, make it a better place somehow. I was such a dreamer. And for a while it seemed that all my dreams would come true.

Billy Crawford was my world. The man of my dreams. The man I promised to love and honor and cherish until “death do us part.” Believing, of course, that death would never really come. Or, that if it did, it would be a long way off in the future. Too far away to worry about today. Or even tomorrow.

Billy worked for the power company. I used to proudly brag, “Wherever it’s dark, Billy brings light.” Billy would laugh and say, “But only if there’s a switch to flip.”

While Billy made the world brighter, I wrote children’s books, letting all who would read know—one story at a time—that the fairy tale did exist. Everyone and anyone could have all they wanted and more. All they had to do was believe in their dreams.

But how quickly dreams can be shattered. In one second. With one gun. One bullet cracking the silence of one night.

A dragon had come to slay my knight.

But, that killer didn’t just take Billy’s life. He took mine, too. Like Rapunzel, he locked me in a dark, cold tower, where I lived alone, unable to climb down to where the world was green and warmed by sunshine. Colors had faded to black and white. The places that—once upon a time—had freely been mine were now barred to me.

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

www.EvaMarieEversonAuthor.com

Thank you, Eva Marie. I'm thrilled to learn about this book and the movie it's based on. I know my readers are too.

Readers, here are links to the book. By using one when you order, you help support this blog.
Unconditional: A Novel - paperback
Unconditional: A Novel - 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

Authors Eva Marie Everson & Linda Evans Shepherd - THE SECRET'S IN THE SAUCE - Free Book

Since this book has co-authors, I'm going to talk to each one, with Eva Marie first, just because her name comes first alphabetically. Welcome, Eva Marie. Why do you write the kind of books you do?

Specifically on the Potluck books? Because women relate. If we, as writers, want to draw readers to our work we must first write books they will laugh with, cry with, and relate to all the way around. It never ceases to amaze me the number of comments I receive at “potluck book club” parties where I’m either a live guest or a phone-in guest; those that say, “I know this woman!” or “I am this woman!” or “Have you been visiting our women’s group???”

Linda and I both travel a lot and we both speak at women’s groups and we listen not only with our ears but with our hearts. What we have discovered in talking with each other is that not one single women’s group is truly different from another. The same women make up the groups. The same types of women. The same hurts. The same personality quirks. And the same love of and for God that binds them together.

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

I have more than one, quite honestly. There is no “happiest.” The day I got married I was so happy I was two hours late to the wedding (I stopped to talk to someone). The day I gave birth was a pretty happy day (except when I discovered I’d lost only 11 of the 50 pounds I’d gained). The day my husband and I gained legal and permanent guardianship of our little girl by the Florida courts was an exceptionally happy day. The day of our oldest daughter’s wedding was happy (except when my husband got lost on the way to the church and we were therefore late because…well…he’s a man, and….) Then there was the day of my first book being contracted. Very happy day. I remember dancing in the kitchen. And I’d have to say one of the single BEST days of my adult life was lived out last year in Israel. It began on the shores of the Galilee and ended climbing the Arbel Cliff. I threw out my arms as my friend Miriam snapped a photo of me, high above land, with the Sea of Galilee turning lovely shades of blue and pink in the background. Really, this is one photo that says it all.

How has being published changed your life?

I work harder than I ever have in my whole life. :-) But I get to travel a lot which I love! And I get to tell people about Jesus which I love even more! I’m excited to think that one day, as we are all dancing on streets of Gold, I’ll know so many more of Heaven’s citizens from the jump than, you know, having to meet them as we go along.

What are you reading right now?

I’m reading several books right now. The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane which is hands down one of the best books I have read in my LIFE. We finished it last night and I cried like a child. Revision and Self-Editing by James Scott Bell. Always learning…always learning…and Bell is a masterful teacher. A Good Life by Robert Benson (a re-re-re-read) and a book I was given a few weeks ago by a fairly new Baker/Revell author, Julie Lessman, called A Passion Most Pure. I’m not a huge historical romance reader but the cover (and the author) caught my attention. I’m really enjoying it!

I just love Julie's books. What is your current work in progress?

I am currently working on a project with Baker/Revell titled This Fine Life about a young preacher who is called to the Work of God in the early 1960s. It’s told from the viewpoint of his wife, a young woman who struggles with who and what she wants to be when “she grows up” and with understanding her faith in God when laid next to her husband’s “save the world” mentality. When I’m done with writing it, Linda and I will write the final chapter (book) in the Potluck series. I’m both excited and sad. Anytime a series comes to an end, it’s a thrill to see where all the pieces will land but at the same time, it will then be a bygone era for us and for our work.

What would be your dream vacation?

See…I’m torn again. I’d return to Israel (again) in a New York minute. (Oh, and I love New York in December!) My first trip to the Holy Land was as a journalist and my second was to research for a(nother) book but I’d love to go just to be there, to shoot more photos, to learn more stuff, to drink in the presence of God. I also love the mountains. Linda and I hole up in her mountain cabin near Breckinridge, CO to do our writing for Potluck always in the winter months. I am like a wild child at Christmas when we’re up there. Linda has to force me to stop playing in the snow! But I also live near the sunny beaches of Florida and the Gulf of Mexico (I’m in Central Florida) and I think there is nothing more wonderful than being near the water. More than anything, right now, I’d like to go somewhere quiet for a week of reading, rest, and respite.

How do you choose your settings for each book?

I don’t. They choose me. Recently I discovered I should be writing fiction set in the land I know best: the South. These are my people. This is my neck of the woods. So, I proposed to Baker/Revell a number of works all set in the South. I turned in the first one Things Left Unspoken in early January. The next one is tentatively titled This Fine Life.

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

Oh, you had to say “alive.” I’d love to spend one more evening with my daddy, who went to Glory in 2006. But…hmmm…alive, you say…okay. Me. I like being alone with myself. I’m comfortable with who I am (most of the time). I like quiet reading. Quiet opportunities to chat on the phone uninterrupted. Quiet cups of coffee while watching quiet TV or listening to quiet music. So….me.

What are your hobbies, besides writing and reading?

my new favorite hobby is biking. That and “Twittering.” (Come! Follow me!)

Oh, yes, I Twitter, but I can only spend a little time each day there. What is your most difficult writing obstacle, and how do you overcome it?

You know, when you have a family and a life it is often the “time issue.” Just about the time I find myself on a roll in the writing arena, someone wants dinner…or to be driven to ballet…or to get their clothes washed…or needs to chat on the phone…or some blog questions answered…. (Oh! Oops! :-) )

What advice would you give to a beginning author?

Do you believe you are supposed to do this? Okay then do it. Be aware of the closed doors. Look for the open doors. Only walk through the open ones.

Very good advice. Tell us about the featured book.

Secret’s in the Sauce? Ohmygoodness….this book is so stinkin’ funny. These “potluck gals,” I have to tell ya…they are a hoot. And yet they have some of the most poignant issues in their lives. Secret’s in the Sauce has an important lesson from me. I won’t get into it but it should be suffice to say that everyone has had tremendous burdens in their lives and chosen to run anywhere and everywhere but to God with them, only to discover they’ve made a bigger mess than what they had before. I learned it the hard way. I’m just so happy I had friends (like our potluck gals) to love me through it.

How can readers find you on the Internet?

Here’s my new thing. I love to Twitter (did I mention that?) Facebook and MySpace are good, too, and I can be “followed” at my website. Here are all my current locations:

Website: http://www.evamarieeverson.com/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/EvaMarieEverson

MySpace: www.MySpace.com/evamarieeverson

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=713080294

Now, we're going to visit with Linda. Welcome, Linda. Why do you write the kind of books you do?

I once got asked what it felt like to write ‘fluff.’

That question could only be asked by someone who had not read our series. The truth is Eva and I use the power of a great story, combined with the power of humor, to broach topics that most Christian authors won’t tackle. By using humorous stories, we’re able to bring healing and help as well as a few good laughs to our readers.

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

The day I brought my youngest child home from the hospital was probably my happiest day. For when I placed baby Jimmy into his sister’s arms, the excitement of the moment actually woke two-year-old Laura from a year-long coma that was the result of a car accident. What a moment!

Wow, sounds powerful! How has being published changed your life?

I’d probably be a lot more carefree if I weren’t living the disciplined life of a writer. But despite my long hours at the keyboard, writing has led me to a world of wonderful characters, creative friends and dear readers.

What are you reading right now?

All the Tea in China by Jane Orcutt.

That's one of my favorite books. What is your current work in progress?

I’m currently working on my new book, tentatively titled Be Your Own Prayer Project, due out in January from Revell. That, and a screenplay about a historical character from Colorado’s past.
What would be your dream vacation?

I’ve vacationed in wonderful places around the world, but my favorite location is any place with a great book and a beach.

How do you choose your settings for each book?

I live in Colorado and enjoy the beauty of the mountains. I wanted to turn that majesty into not just a cardboard backdrop, but a rich, intriguing force. So choosing the Colorado high country as our backdrop was a no-brainer.

I love the Colorado Rockies, too. If you could spend an evening with one person who is currently alive, who would it be and why?

I love to read John Grisham novels and I would be tickled pink to invite John and his wife to dinner.

What are your hobbies, besides writing and reading?

I am the founder and CEO of a nonprofit ministry called Right to the Heart. Among other things we minister to the depressed and suicidal on the Internet, publish a weekly ezine called Right to the Heart of Women, conduct the women’s conference Stepping into Destiny and minister to the top Christian women who write and speak through our Advanced Writers and Speakers Association.

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

I’m such a terrible speller that I sometimes refer to myself the Typo Queen. My secret weapons against misspelled words and other typos are spellcheck, editing my work till my eyeballs pop out, and of course having a wonderful writing partner who often sees what I miss. But actually, my forced attention to detail has helped me become a better writer.

What advice would you give to a beginning author?

A. Read the classics so you will know how to recognize a good story.
B. Study the craft of writing a great story.
C. Ink your own great story to paper.
D. Send your great story to publishers.
E. While you wait for your first big break, write your next great story.

Tell us about the featured book.

Though the characters in our new series, The Potluck Catering Club, are the same characters as in the Potluck Club series, they have all new secrets. These very secrets have helped spread the rumor that The Potluck Catering Club The Secret’s in the Sauce is a bit of a page turner. This is rumor that I won’t deny, but if you want to know more, you’ll have to go to Summit View, Colorado, and visit our characters (six church ladies) so you can get to the bottom of this controversy. (You won’t believe what these dear friends are trying to hide.)

How can readers find you on the Internet?

Ha, the question is how can they not? I love creating webpages and have over 100 domain names. I create pages for all my new series or books, like http://www.potluckclub.com/.

You can link to many of my web pages at http://www.visitlinda.com/.

But my all time favorite webpage is http://www.godtest.com/.

Eve Marie and Linda, thank you for spending this time with us.

Readers for your convenience, here's a link to order the book:

You can leave a comment for a chance to win a free copy of the book. Just remember to check back a week from Saturday to see if you won.