PLAIN FEAR: FORGIVEN - Leanna Ellis - One Free Book

Readers, I first met Leanna when we were both members of the same chapter of Romance Writers of America. We've been friends since then.

Welcome back, Leanna. How did you come up with the idea for this story?

Hi, Lena! Thanks for having me here today! It all started with a joke. Seriously. I was signing books at a multi-author event and the biggest sellers were the vampire and Amish books, so I told a friend of mine we should write an Amish/vampire story. We laughed. But we didn’t take it seriously. However, a seed was planted in my brain and soon a character was rattling around in there, poking me, trying to tell me his story. And like most characters, he wouldn’t be quiet.

This was not a series I wanted to write and I tried to not write it for a long time. I prayed for over two years about this story, asking if God wanted me to write it, and he confirmed in multiple ways that I was to do so.

Plain Fear reminded me of Phantom of the Opera, which I’m a huge fan of, both the book and musical. Christine is naïve and young and she opens her mind to a dark force. There’s a line in the musical that resonates: “I gave my mind blindly.” And that is exactly what Hannah, the heroine in the first book of the series, did. For this series, I wanted to show how alluring evil really is.

Evil doesn’t look scary at first. It’s appealing. Satan doesn’t appear to us with a forked tongue or horns and pitchfork. He was the most beautiful angel, the worship leader in the heavenly realms. But he fell. He became the father of lies. He distorts the truth and draws us toward evil and sin with promises and appealing whispers. It’s why my story needed someone innocent of this world, like an Amish girl, so I could show how easily we are deceived. By the end of the series, in the last book, Forgiven, the reader sees spiritual warfare in action.

Here’s what a reviewer said: “Ellis has done something many readers may not have thought possible. She has used characters and ideas that many in the inspirational community would consider taboo, to show the power of love and of God. Well done!”

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

How fun! Let’s see…there are some really interesting folks in Christian fiction. We might need to add a few more than six. One of my favorites is my best friend, Dorothy Love. We never get to see each other much, so I would have to work hard not to talk to only her during the party. She is an amazing writer of historical fiction and a sweetheart. Another dear friend, Shelley Shepard Gray, is one of the most gracious people I know. One of the first writers to welcome me into the CBA and become a friend is Rachel Hauck. She is wonderful! I’d also want to invite Liz Curtis Higgs. I have only met her once, and I’m sure she wouldn’t remember me, but she is a hoot and just a joy to be around. Another very entertaining author is James Scott Bell. And don’t forget James Rubart! Both men are terrific writers and such fun!

Oh my, I’m at my limit, but there are too many wonderful folks who are writing such wonderful stories. I think we need to throw open the doors and invite everyone who is writing Christian fiction, even those who are Christians and yet (like me) who might write in the secular world. Those writers are really on the battlefield, like missionaries, and need our love and support. So come on, if you’re a Christian and a writer, let’s party! Lena, you’ll have to name the time and place, all right?

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

Oh, oops! I skipped right over ‘contemporary’ in the last question and included everyone. I still say we need a really big party! No segregating contemporary from historical, ABA from CBA.

I like your ideas about the party. We’ve just had the American Christian Fiction Writers national conference, and that’s the biggest collection of Christian authors, of all genres, I’ve been with. It’s like a big party to me, seeing so many friends face to face, that we only see once a year. Now another question, many times, people (and other authors) think you have it made with so many books published. What is your most difficult problem with writing at this time in your career?

Writing is plain hard work. Any time. For me, it’s always a matter of finding the time. I have two very active teenagers, an 82-year-old mom who now lives six minutes away, and there is always something to do or somewhere to be. So it’s a matter of finding time consistently. But the same is true for so many areas of our life. It’s actually a very exciting time in publishing with Indie publishing taking off. And I am looking forward to experimenting with that myself.

I’ve Indie published, as ebooks, several of my backlist titles that the rights have reverted to me. I enjoyed doing that. Tell us about the featured book.
PLAIN FEAR: FORGIVEN is about Samuel Fisher, who committed a sin of biblical proportions—he killed his own brother, Jacob. Samuel’s guilt overwhelms him as he struggles to understand the choices Jacob made which led to his death. Haunted by doubts and questions, Samuel starts down the same dark path of destruction. In the gripping final battle between hunters and vampires, Samuel must choose where his loyalties lie. The decisions he makes not only threaten the lives of those he loves, but determine if he will ultimately be forgiven.

This is the third book of the trilogy. I have been told that it can be read as a stand alone, but it is also a wonderful conclusion to the series, which explains many of the mysteries from the first two.

Please give us the first page of the book.

Darkness clawed at him, its talons sinking deep, hooking into his heart. Jacob Fisher tried to clear away whatever obstruction prevented his eyes from seeing, but there was nothing. Nothing but darkness, thick as molasses and cold as the heart of the universe. It shrouded him, pressing in on him, and he felt the weight of it against his chest. He could not move or struggle or fight or even scream.

And he wanted to scream. Scream for someone. Someone to come to his rescue.

Worse than the darkness though was the silence. The quiet pulsed and throbbed, around him and through him. Nothing—if there was anything around him—moved. Only in the tiny recesses of his mind could he hear anything, his thoughts writhing and struggling as a creature pushes out from the womb. Fears tormented him. Bits of verses and poetry knotted and tangled as he reached for them—as if by grasping them, they could take him away from here, lead him somewhere else, or at least anchor him and keep him from going mad.

Abandon all hope, ye who enter here.

For hope was absent from this place—if it was a place ... or a time ... or somewhere between times and places. The emptiness felt like an enclosed tomb and yet also seemed to stretch on forever.

Here’s a link to where you can read the first chapter: http://leannaellis.com/paranormal.html

Thanks for that link. I’m sure many of my readers will go straight to it. How can readers find you on the Internet?

www.leannaellis.com

I’m also on Goodreads, Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter!

Thanks for having me here today! Blessings to you and your readers!

It’s always a pleasure hosting you on my blog, Leanna.

Readers, here are links to the book. By using one when you order, you help support this blog.
Plain Fear: Forgiven: A Novel - Amazon.com
Plain Fear: Forgiven: 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 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

FORSAKEN - Leanna Ellis - Free Book

Welcome, Leanna. Tell us about your salvation experience.

Hi, Lena! Thanks for having me here today! I was twelve when I was saved. We had a guest speaker at our church, James Robison. Heard of him? A powerful and dynamic preacher, he spoke on Romans. I couldn’t get things he’d said out of my head, so one night I called my mom into my bedroom and told her I’d prayed the prayer to ask Jesus into my heart. Pretty simple, nothing radical, but changed my life. Then my mom began pressuring me to be baptized. But I know this is hard for some of you who know me to believe, but I was very shy and we went to a very large church, the largest in the U.S. at that time. So I resisted. I dreaded every Sunday because my mom would give me ‘the look’ during the invitation. But when I was sixteen, I went to church camp. Guess who was the camp pastor? Josh McDowell. It was a time of questioning for me, but it was when I truly turned my life over to the Lord. I didn’t tell my mom anything had happened at camp but she knew. She and my sister hardly recognized me because I had so radically changed in my attitude and demeanor. Then nothing could have stopped me from getting baptized. At the first opportunity, I raced down to the front of the church, eager to be baptized. Now please don’t get me wrong, I don’t believe baptism saves anyone. It’s simply an outward gesture of the changes that have taken place in the heart, where I was once dead in sin I was alive, resurrected in Him.

Of course, I know who James Robison is. He goes to our church and I respect him a lot. I’ve been in the studio audience for his TV show many times. You’re planning a writing retreat where you can only have four other authors. Who would they be and why?

First and foremost would be my best writing buddy, Dorothy Love. We’ve been friends for twenty years and met in a writing class when we were first starting out. We’ve been dear friends ever since. Just to get away and be quiet and think about writing sounds heavenly. But honestly, I’d want to bring my husband and two kids along. I don’t like to be away from them. So often when I do research trips, they are right there with me.

Do you have a speaking ministry? If so, tell us about that.

I do speak to groups, but I don’t pursue it. I take opportunities that the Lord brings my way.

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

The list is too long to name, which is probably why I rarely get embarrassed anymore. I’m more likely now to embarrass my kids. Oh how times change!

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?

You just have to write it. Put the ol’ backside in the chair, hands on keyboard, ready, get set, write. So many people talk about it but fewer actually do it. And even fewer study the market and study writing in order to do it well. So if it’s something you feel you are supposed to do, then don’t waste time talking about it—do it! And while you’re doing it, read, read, read, and study, study, study. Then remember when you get that first draft of the book done, that’s only the beginning. Then there’s much revision and editing to get a book ready for publication. 

Tell us about the featured book.

This is a very different but very special book to me. It’s my most spiritual book to date. It is a battle of good versus evil. Evil isn’t always blatant and scary looking with horns and a pitchfork. Evil is often alluring and attractive. I explore that side of evil in this book. It is also an Amish/vampire story. Yep, you read that right. Before I jumped into this story, I prayed and prayed and prayed about it, because I didn’t not want to go forward if the Lord was not leading. But he clearly was. So I wrote the book. This is the first book in a series called PLAIN FEAR. Forsaken: Hannah Schmidt, a young Amish woman mourning the mysterious death of her beloved Jacob, must decide between two brothers, between good and evil. When she learns her first love is now the vampire Akiva, she must forsake him and cling to a new love, a lasting love, one that will save her soul.

Please give us the first page of the book.

PLAIN FEAR: FORSAKEN

PROLOGUE

Jacob Fisher shoved the metal door, which banged against the warehouse, and the empty, hollow sound reverberated in the awaiting stillness. Don’t look back. Not one glance.

He bolted into the sticky heat, darkness devouring him, and ran straight into it, grateful for his only cover. The damp pavement made his tennis shoes skid, and his arms flailed wide as he regained his balance and pushed himself faster, harder, further. A shaft of light injected hope into him. How far?

Lungs burning, he risked one glance over his shoulder. Just one.

The warehouse door remained open, the alley empty. He was alone. For now. But how much longer? Whispers encircled him. Was it the wind? Or was it them?

“Angels and ministers of grace defend us,” Jacob whispered the Shakespearean words like a prayer.

Or, had he gone crazy?

Be thou a spirit of health or goblin damn'd,

Bring with thee airs from heaven or blasts from hell,

Be thy intents wicked or charitable…

No, they weren’t a fabrication of his imagination or a half-baked fantasy or even a made-up story. They were real, far too real. The blood, the bodies, the evil permeating every crevice was authentic. Trolls of the night. Visitors from the bowels of hell. Their purpose was heinous, reflected in those black eyes, which were void of feeling. And they chased after him now.

I can hardly wait to read this one. How can readers find you on the Internet?

www.leannaellis.com I’m also on FB and Twitter.

Thanks for having me here today, Lena! Blessings, Leanna

My pleasure, Leanna. I've known about your call to write this book almost since its inception. So glad to be a part of promoting it.



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 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

FACELIFT - Leanna Ellis

Bio: Winner of the National Readers Choice Award, Leanna Ellis writes women’s fiction and is known for her quirky characters and wacky plots as in her current novel, FACELIFT. But don’t let the quirkiness fool you, Ellis probes the heart and plucks at the heartstrings. Next year will debut FORSAKEN, the first of an Amish/vampire series. Now that is wacky!

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

I love to write about all sorts of different themes. But when I latch onto one, I really like to look at it from all sorts of angles. I’ve written about letting go and moving on, forgiveness, finding God’s will, faith, perfectionism, and finding joy in the midst of heartache.

What other books of yours are coming out soon?

FACELIFT just released and next August (2011) FORSAKEN, an Amish/vampire book will be out.

That sounds interesting. We need to schedule it, too. If you could spend an evening with one contemporary person (not a family member of yours), who would it be and why?

Just one? Hmmm…so hard to choose. I guess I would pick the one that God brings across my path. Everyone has a story and I love to hear stories. I’d want to hear that person’s story.

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

History is so vast and chock full of some amazing and interesting people. Picking one seems impossible. History is like a smorgasbord of folks, all lined up. I want to hear all of their stories. Of course, some folks make for fascinating ready but meeting them…well, not sure I’d want to do that. But some I would love to talk to and hear their stories first hand would be Daniel, Esther, Queen Victoria, Jane Austen, C. S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkein, Charles Dickens, Margaret Mitchell…okay, I’m getting into a groove of writers. But as you can see, my list is quite long.

And some of my favorite people are on your list. How can you encourage authors who have been receiving only rejections from publishers?

Rejections are a part of this business, whether you’re published or unpubbed. Yes, published authors get rejected too! It still hurts. Recently, my daughter made the cast of Annie and the very wise director told all these ‘orphan’ girls who didn’t get their dream part of ‘Annie’ that it was okay to grieve. Give yourself twenty-four hours, she said, and then move on. And that’s what you have to do in writing. Allow yourself to grieve. Then move on. Now maybe that is moving on to a new story. Or maybe that’s revising the manuscript that was rejected. Or maybe it’s simply sending it out again. Don’t make any decisions during that twenty-four hours, just grieve. Then when the emotion is spent, assess the situation in a rational way. I always say chocolate helps a lot during that twenty-four hours.

Sometimes rejections make us question what we’re doing. I think that’s okay. I take those questions to my Heavenly Father. Is He trying to tell me something? Or is He simply allowing a ‘no’ so that a better ‘yes’ can come along. You see, my daughter had auditioned for Sound of Music and got rejected. It was painful. But if she’d been busy with that production then she wouldn’t have had the time or opportunity to audition for Annie. And that ended up for her the better ‘yes!’

I remember back to almost 5 years ago, two weeks before Christmas, to the day my husband was laid off. Ouch! But not only that, my sweet Muffet, my 13 year old shihtzu, passed away. That was even more painful. And in the midst of all that pain, on the same day, my book Elvis Takes a Back Seat was rejected from a secular publisher. But that ‘no’ allowed a better ‘yes’ to come along as God took me on a journey to the Christian publishing side and opened doors for me there.

So remember, sometimes rejection is God protecting us from something we ultimately don’t want or need in our lives. It’s also a way of God guiding us to the right door…or window. Because when God closes a door, He always opens a window.

Tell us about the featured book.

Most of my ideas are a little wacky and FACELIFT began with the idea of a woman who is extremely self-focused and vain. What’s the worst that could happen to someone like that? A botched facelift. She is actually the ex-mother-in-law of my main character. I wanted to probe how society often makes women feel inadequate. Even the church sometimes makes us feel that way when we’re compared to the Proverbs 31 woman. I’ve struggled in this area my whole life. It’s definitely a battle. And yet, if women could just see themselves the way God sees us…well, I believe it would revolutionize the church and the world.

But FACELIFT is also about finding joy in the midst of trials and difficulties and heartache. When I first began writing FACELIFT, it was in the weeks after my father had passed away. At first, I just could not write. I’d stare at the computer screen and sometimes only write “Chapter Five.” Just two words. Chapter. Five. That was it. I tried not to panic. I was after all on deadline. But I just kept at it. But during that time I was also feebly attempting to train my crazy labradoodle puppy. If you haven’t read about her, then check out updates on my Facebook author page. Anyway, when she wasn’t stealing eyeglasses or shoes or food or anything else she could get those shiny teeth on, I was walking her to try to spend a little of her energy. But I soon discovered that those walks were beneficiary for me. The sunshine, the flowers, the warm breeze all helped lighten my mood. Also, I couldn’t help but laugh at this crazy puppy who had actually made my dad laugh during a time that humor was hard to come by. And as I began writing little snippets about The Hilo Monster on Facebook, I began to be able to write again. And of course, that crazy dog wormed her way into my book and became Cousin It.

Please give us the first page of the book.

Once upon a time implies a fairy tale is about to unfold, something lush and grand and mythical, something with a happy ending. But the brothers Grimm had a twisted sense of humor and, as it turns out, “once upon a time” is actually literary gobbledygook for “impending doom.”

They weren’t called Grimm for nothing.

In tale after tale, “once upon a time” invariably precedes certain disaster. Just ask Snow White, Cinderella, or Sleeping Beauty. They’ll back me up on this. Those innocuous few words are the harbinger of cursing fairies, parental fatalities, and death marches into dark forests for the near perfect princesses. Not that I consider myself a fairy princess by any stretch of the warped imagination, or even remotely close to perfect, but like those fair, aforementioned ladies, my own story begins with “once upon a time.”

If I’d only been given a five-minute warning.

Doom comes to call for me on a warm autumn day, when the grass is still green and a slight breeze ruffles the yet-to-turn- brown leaves. No letter from the IRS arrives. No mammogram shows an area of concern. God doesn’t send a lightning bolt to strike my house. The announcement comes in the form of Darth Vader’s theme song amplified in the confines of my Volvo.

Chapter one can be downloaded from my website:
http://leannaellis.com/Facelift.html

 How can readers find you on the Internet?

http://www.leannaellis.com/
Facebook
and Twitter at: LeannaEllis

Thank you, Leanna, for visiting us again. The interviews are always interesting.
 
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. (Comments containing links may be subject to removal by blog owner.)

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

The only notification you’ll receive is the winner post on this blog. So be sure to check back a week from Saturday to see if you won. You will have 6 weeks from the posting of the winners to claim your book.

If you’re reading this on Feedblitz, Facebook, or Amazon, please come to the blog to leave your comment. Here’s a link.

http://lenanelsondooley.blogspot.com/

Author Leanna Ellis - RUBY'S SLIPPERS - Free Book

I happy to welcome Leanna back to our blog. Leanna, God has really been moving in your writing life. What do you see on the horizon?

I can’t see all the way to the horizon. But God can. I just try to take one step at a time and move in that direction, praying all the while and trying to listen to what God wants me to do.

Tell us a little about your family.

My husband is the most supportive husband ever! He’s always been that way and I am so grateful for him. God knew exactly who I needed to marry. We have two of the most wonderful children. For several years we homeschooled, but now they go to a university model school, which is combination of private school and homeschool. So they attend classes 3 days a week, like a university, and study and do homework at home on the other days. Homeschooling has been a blessing to our family. And then, there are our critters, which are members of our family too. We have a 13 year old llasa named Belle, a seven year old lab named Liberty, a feisty cat named Miracle, and a five month old labradoodle puppy who is into everything and making me doubt my parenting skills.

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

Oh, sure. Writing can often ruin your reading. You tend to be more critical of other books, reading them with that discerning writer’s eye. It’s good and actually beneficial to your writing as you study and learn. But it also, I think, makes reading more wonderful. For when you do find a book that transports you to another world and tugs at your heart, you appreciate that author and want to study how the writer accomplished such a book. What other profession can you go and hangout at a bookstore for hours and call it work? Or buy a ton of books and write them off on your taxes?

I'm with you. What are you working on right now?

I’m finishing a manuscript which is due in three weeks. It’s called Once in a Blue Moon. At the same time, I’m beginning to write the next.

What outside interests do you have?

Outside of what? My head? My house? Sorry, couldn’t resist. I love to watch my kids doing all of their activities: fencing, dancing, singing, football, piano, basketball, etc… Their interests keep me very busy. But I also love to travel, so I’m always planning or dreaming about our next vacation.

How do you choose your settings for each book?

I think the settings choose me. Usually the settings grow organically from the book. For Elvis Takes a Back Seat, it was natural for the journey to take them to Memphis and Graceland. For Lookin’ Back, Texas, my critique buddy suggested Luckenbach and it really was the perfect quirky location which then gave me the title for the book. For Ruby’s Slippers, the journey had to go to the Emerald City which Seattle is often called.

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

Genghis Khan. I’m joking. Bet you haven’t had anyone give you that answer before though.

You are so funny. What is the one thing you wish you had known before you started writing novels?

How hard it is! Actually, I’m glad I didn’t know. I was fairly oblivious to that which is probably why I ignorantly thought I could write a book. Why force reality on a fantasy?

What new lessons is the Lord teaching you right now?

There is a time for everything. Sometimes I get frustrated and anxious when I can’t get to my writing, but I’m learning to let that go. My time isn’t my own. It’s a gift I give to the Lord each day. Or it should be. Recently my father was in the hospital for three weeks. It was not only a stressful time for our family as his condition was very serious, but it was time consuming in driving an hour to the hospital each day. And I kept trying not to think about my book that was waiting for me to finish it. Letting go of even time is difficult and yet freeing.

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

Write. Rewrite. Rewrite again.

Tell us about the featured book?

I started Ruby’s Slippers with the idea of ‘what would happen if Dorothy lost her somewhere over the rainbow?’ As the story took shape, I realized it was a Wizard of Oz meets Cinderella story.

When Dottie Meyers loses her ‘no place like home’ during a Kansas tornado, she wakes up to find a pair of ruby slippers left by her father who abandoned his family thirty years ago. With her sister hot on her trail to find the treasured ruby slippers, Dottie travels a yellow brick road with three friends to find her father. No wizard can solve her problems. Only the love of a heavenly father can heal her wounds and give her the desires of her heart.

There’s no place like … the heart for God’s healing touch.

Please give us the first page of the book. Ruby’s Slippers:

Chapter One

Some people wish on candles, others on stars. When I was a girl, nose pressed against the passenger window of our Vista Cruiser, I watched truckloads of hay bales rumbling down the highway near our Kansas farm. Weather-beaten farmers driving thirty miles an hour (or slower), traffic piling up a mile behind them. Momma would ease the station wagon into the left lane to pass the snaking line and say, “Make a wish, girls, and don’t look back.”

My younger sister, Abby, always made a production out of her wishes. She squeezed her eyes closed, pursed her lips toward heaven, and proclaimed to all who were within hearing, “I’m gonna . . .” She leaned forward, her hand on Mama’s shoulder. “Can I wish on every hay bale?”

“Why not?” Mama shook her head with bewilderment as if my sister was a novelty act in the circus. To me, she was.

Puckering up again, Abby rattled off her litany of wishes. “I’m gonna be famous! I’m gonna be on the big screen! I’m gonna fly around the world.”

Like any good big sister, I rolled my eyes and let out a long, loud huff of irritation. Looking back on it now, I realize I was jealous that Abby knew what she wanted and wasn’t afraid to throw her dreams out there for all the world to see.

Cynical, even at age nine, I never wished on candles, stars, or hay bales. Maybe I’ve always been looking back rather than forward. Nowadays, I’ve become a moderately healthy realist at age thirty-five. But sometimes, in the dark of a lonely night, I do imagine wishes coming true.

Otto’s barking first signals something amiss on this damp, overcast afternoon. He’s my loyal, scruffy black dog, not more than ten or twelve pounds soaking wet. He follows me everywhere and will defend me if so much as a crow flies too near. Crouched on my knees in the garden, holding a prickly weed, I watch a strange sedan clip along the forlorn drive at an unsafe pace and feel a catch in my chest.

What a hook! How can readers find you on the Internet?

http://www.leannaellis.com/
I’m also on Shoutlife and on Facebook.
Thanks for having me here, Lena!

My pleasure, Leanna.

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

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

Author Leanna Ellis - LOOKIN' BACK, TEXAS - Free Book

It's my pleasure to welcome Leanna back to this blog. You will just love this new book. Leanna writes about deep subjects with a wonderful sense of the comedic.

Now, Leanna, why do you write the kind of books you do?

First, I write because I’m called to write. Second, I write because I have to write. It’s what I do. Who I am. I write the kind of weird, quirky books because that’s just how my brain works. I don’t have any other excuses. :-)

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

There are so many to choose from! Probably three days would compete for the happiest day – my wedding day, and the birth days of my two children. But also the day my children asked Jesus in their hearts! Now, seeing them pursuing the gifts the Lord has given them brings tremendous joy. Okay, this turned out to be a difficult question. I guess I have a lot of happy days.

How has being published changed your life?

Now I live on my own island and can afford anything I want. Just kidding. My life hasn’t changed much, yet it has. Since starting writing, I met and married my husband. I’m not sure writing had anything to do with that, but then again maybe it did. Writing has given me confidence and taught me many lessons in life. I have come to understand myself better. I’ve enjoyed traveling and meeting so many people. I love doing what I do. And that is a tremendous blessing.

What are you reading right now?

Nothing. I hate that. But I’m knee deep in a book and can’t focus on fiction right now. I am reading C.S. Lewis’ Mere Christianity.

That's a good book to be knee deep in. What is your current work in progress?

I just finished my page proofs for Ruby’s Slippers which comes out April 2009. Yea! I’m actually debating the title of the book I’m currently writing. Wanna have a contest and see which one you like better? Man in the Moon … or … Once in a Blue Moon. I’m almost finished with the very, very rough draft.

I think I like Once in a Blue Moon, for what it's worth. What would be your dream vacation?

Anything with my family. One of our favorite vacations is beaching it in Hawaii. My husband and I love Scotland and can’t wait to take our children. Colorado and Wyoming are two of my favorite places. I love the mountains and haven’t been for several years, so I really am feeling the need. Disney World was a recent vacation … and although it’s promoted as dreams coming true, I have to say exhaustion came true for me. Recently we’ve been to Luckenbach and also Marfa, Texas for research. Even though they’re not exotic locales, we had fun because we were together.

How do you choose your settings for each book?

Sometimes they choose me. For Elvis Takes a Back Seat, of course, Graceland had to be part of the setting. I had written Lookin’ Back, Texas … the whole book … before I realized it needed to be set in Luckenbach. Ruby’s Slippers took a while to figure out what would be an interesting journey and which area of the country fit the story best. To me, setting has to be integral to the plot and characters.

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

My hubby! If we could have an evening alone … a date! Wow! Any volunteers for a babysitter?

What are your hobbies, besides writing and reading?

Well, I don’t have much time for hobbies, not with the kids’ activities. Or maybe their activities are becoming my hobbies. However, I’m fully engaged in the kids’ school and also in writing. Doesn’t leave time for much else. But I love to travel. Just need more time and money to do that! I love to go for walks with my lab. I’m enjoying learning French through Rosetta Stone, although I’m behind on my lessons. I love going to museums. I actually enjoyed painting several rooms in my house this past summer.

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

Everything in writing can be an obstacle. Coming up with the idea … massaging it until it works. For example, I had the idea for Lookin’ Back, Texas and had actually started writing on it and ran into difficulties. I brainstormed it with a group of writers and we couldn’t make it work. I set it aside. Then several months later I came back to it. This time it worked. Sometimes I expect writing to be easier than it is. It never is. But time, patience and persistence, no matter what area of writing is giving me difficulties, are they keys.

What advice would you give to a beginning author?

Write. Just put your bottom in the chair and write. And keep writing. Someone famous said, “Writing is rewriting.” And whoever said that was right. It’s hard work. So write and keep at it.

Tell us about the featured book.

Lookin’ Back, Texas is the story of a devoted wife and mother who returns to her hometown of Luckenbach, Texas, to help her mother plan her father’s funeral. Trouble is – he isn’t dead. And neither are the secrets that she buried years ago.

This book was a lot of fun to write but it also dealt with some serious issues. So balancing the humor and issues wasn’t easy. I really loved these characters and enjoyed probing the depths of the story.

How can readers find you on the Internet?

http://www.leannaellis.com/

Thanks, Lena, for having me!

And thank you, Leanna, for coming back to spend this time with us.

Readers, you can order this book by clicking on this link:

Also, you can leave a comment for a chance to win a free copy of the book. Check back a week from Saturday to see if you won.

Or sign up for FeedBlitz at the top of the blog, and you won't miss a single interview or winner announcement. If you don't win, you can still use the link.

Author Leanna Ellis - Free Book

I'm glad to introduce you to my friend Leanna Ellis and her newest book Elvis Takes a Back Seat. Leanna go way back to before she married, then we didn't see each other for a number of years. Now we're back together. I know you'll love her.

Leanna, tell us how much of yourself you write into your characters.

I’m sure there are bits and pieces of me. A writer is never separate from his/her writing. Yet, once the pieces become part of a book or a character then they are no longer me.

In Elvis Takes a Back Seat, my heroine has placed her husband’s memory on a pedestal. When I first began my writing career, my writing was my idol. I had to take it off the pedestal and sacrifice it to God. I let God take the driver’s seat and this author took a back seat.

What is the quirkiest thing you have ever done?

This took me a while to think about. Too many things to choose from, I’m afraid. I tend to be quirky in the sense that I listen to Christmas music all year long, especially in the heat of the summer. But I’ve also done some quirky things like accidentally walking in on my father-in-law when he was about to take a shower. Oops!

Yeah, ooops! When did you first discover that you were a writer?

I think I’ve always had a creative bent. The first story I ever remember writing was a Poe-esque tale that I wrote in 6th grade. I had such fun with that. My sister is the person who actually encouraged me to write.

Good for your sister. Tell us the range of the kinds of books you enjoy reading.

I read a lot of ABA best sellers. I love Elizabeth Berg and Sue Monk Kidd. The Secret Lives of Bees was fabulous. But I just finished The Kite Runner. It’s a hard read but fabulous. I’m also reading Ernest Gaines’ Lesson Before Dying. Another difficult (as in painful) read but wonderful. I could not put down The Other Boleyn Girl by Phillipa Gregory. Also, The Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks was fabulous.

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

I used to write category romance. But now I write women’s fiction.

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

You’re assuming I’m sane! Mostly I know I can do nothing without God. And I’ve learned to say ‘no’ to good things so I can say ‘yes’ to great things.

How do you choose your characters’ names?

I search for a name in a baby name book. I might choose one but then change it until it feels right. Sometimes the name simply comes to me.

What is the accomplishment that you are most proud of?

My children.

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

A lion. I love lions.

What is your favorite food?

Chocolate. Guacamole. But not together.

I hope not. What is the problem with writing that was your greatest roadblock, and how did you overcome it?

My greatest roadblock was publication. Perseverence.

What advice would you give to an author just starting out?

Write, write, write. Write for a while without trying to sell. Just learn the craft. Find your voice.

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

I’m very excited about Elvis Takes a Back Seat. It’s my first women’s fiction title. It was a lot of fun writing. But it also has a lot of depth and seriousness to the novel. God really had his hand on this novel. Last summer when He pulled me to the CBA, He opened doors that I would have never dreamed possible. I can’t wait to see what God is going to do with this book.

How can readers find you on the Internet?

http://leannaellis.com

Leanna, thank you for spending this time with us.

Readers, you'll want a copy of this book. One of you will win a copy. Just leave a comment to be in the contest. But if you don't win, get a copy. You'll love it.