Welcome back, Lisa. As an author, I know
it takes a lot of people to birth each book. Who were the people involved in
the birthing of this book, and what were their contributions?
Keturah is a
wounded woman. My daughter went through some trauma during her first year of
college and I was really thinking about her healing journey as I wrote this
novel. My parents and friends housed me during week-long writing stints. My
family supported me through it all!
If you teach or speak. What’s coming up
on your calendar?
I don’t teach or
speak! Too busy with just writing, running my husband’s business, planning a
summer wedding for my daughter and building a house!
You do have your hands full. Blessings on
you. If you had to completely start over in another place, where would you
move, and why?
If you could only tell aspiring novelists
one thing, what would it be?
Read obsessively
in the genre you want to write; break down your favorite novel in that genre,
chapter by chapter, outlining both what the author did with character
growth/setbacks and plot arc.
You’ve been asked to be in charge of a
celebrity cruise. Who would you ask to take part, and why? (AS in what program,
singers, etc. [it doesn’t have to be writing related])
I’d probably
invite all my author friends because we could talk shop and relate immediately,
because we’re on the same path. And a great worship leader like Nicole Nordeman
to lead us….or a team from Hillsong or Bethel
I’d love to be included on that cruise. I
love everything about it. Tell us about the featured book.
Keturah is the first in The Sugar Baron’s
Daughters trilogy, and centers on the eldest, who has sworn off men and is
going where no woman has gone before ... to save her father’s dying plantation.
She is a headstrong, wounded woman, and finds she must find healing with her
God and those who love her, before she can make much progress.
Please give us the first page of the
book.
In the hopes
that at least one would get through, their father had sent three copies of his
last letter from the West Indies ; as it
happened, his daughters received all three. The first arrived nine weeks after
it was posted. A servant delivered the second on a silver tray, a week after
they received word their father had perished. By the time the final, rather
ghoulish draft came, the girls were weeks into their grief, and it was buried
in a stack of condolence letters.
“I’m only glad
that Mother isn’t here to endure this,” Verity said, handing her older sister
the letter in her father’s careful script. Her eyes were bloodshot, making them
an eerie gold-green rather than their normal mossy-stream color. Ket knew she
hadn’t been sleeping; she’d heard the floorboards creaking as Ver tiptoed
downstairs each night. Their youngest sister, Selah, never left her rooms after
retiring, but judging from her wan complexion and the dark circles ringing her
own eyes, Ket wagered she’d spent much of her night tossing and turning.
“Here is another
you ought to see,” Verity said, handing her a second letter as she shifted
through the stack of words sent from well-meaning kin and acquaintances.
Keturah met Ver’s concerned gaze before accepting it and glancing down. From
the scrawl, she knew it was from her father’s attorney, Clement Abercrombie,
the temporary manager of the entire Banning estate—both that of Hartwick Manor,
here in Rivenshire, and Tabletop Plantation on Nevis .
Keturah sighed
and closed her eyes. She didn’t know if she could bear to read the same words
from her father a third time, describing his failing health … imploring his
daughters to ever remember his fervent love for them. And yet had she not
scoured the first and second, searching for variances, any scant detail that
would somehow help her connect to their father? No, better to remain in realm
of the head rather than the heart. To read of business, to know of the outcome
of this latest sugar harvest. Certainly it had to be better than the last. They
desperately needed some glad tidings…
She slid a finger
under the wax seal and popped open the heavy linen paper, unfolding it. She
settled back into the worn but beautifully upholstered damask chair, what had
once been her mother’s favorite. But as she read, her heart sank lower and
lower. No, no, no…
“Ket, what is
it?” Verity asked, setting aside the rest of the letters and leaning forward.
“You look positively aghast.”
Where can we find you on the Internet?
I’m really looking forward to reading
this new book. It’s at the top of my to-be-read pile, and I’ll start it when I
send in the book I finished writing last week after I finish a final edit this
week. Thank you for sharing Keturah
with us.
Readers, here are links to the book.
Keturah - Christianbook.com
Keturah (The Sugar Baron's Daughters)
- Amazon paperback
Keturah (The Sugar Baron's Daughters Book 1)
- Kindle
Keturah: The Sugar Baron's Daughters, Book 1 - Audio book
Keturah - Christianbook.com
Keturah (The Sugar Baron's Daughters)
- Amazon paperbackKeturah (The Sugar Baron's Daughters Book 1)
- KindleKeturah: The Sugar Baron's Daughters, Book 1 - Audio book
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:
