A BRIGHTER DAWN - Leslie Gould - One Free Book

Bio: Leslie Gould is a Christy Award–winning and #1 bestselling author of over 40 novels, including four Lancaster County Amish series. She holds a bachelor’s in history and an MFA in creative writing and enjoys church history, research trips, and hiking in the Pacific Northwest. She and her husband live in Portland, Oregon, and have four adult children and one grandchild.

Bestselling Amish author Leslie Gould weaves together history, drama, romance, and faith to offer readers a glimpse into a simpler way of life. Her dual-time Amish romance novels consistently hit bestseller lists and her newest release, A Brighter Dawn, offers readers a fresh take on Amish fiction with a rich international setting in Frankfurt, Germany, on the eve of World War II. From the talented pen of Leslie Gould, this powerful and evocative story is one fans of Suzanne Woods Fisher and Shelly Shepherd Gray won’t want to miss.

About the Story: Ivy Zimmerman is successfully navigating her life as a young Mennonite woman, one generation removed from her parents’ Old Order Amish upbringing. But when her parents are killed in a tragic accident, Ivy’s way of life is upended. As she deals with her grief, her sisters’ needs, and her Dawdi and Mammi’s strict rules, Ivy finds solace in both an upcoming trip to Germany for an international Mennonite youth gathering and in her great-aunt’s story about Clare Simons, another young girl who visited Germany in the late 1930s.

As Ivy grows suspicious that her parents’ deaths weren’t, in fact, an accident, she gains courage from what she learns of Clare’s time in pre-World War II Germany. With her great-aunt’s encouragement, Ivy seeks justice for her parents, her sisters, and herself.

Can you please tell us a little bit about your new novel, A Brighter Dawn? A Brighter Dawn is a dual-time story, starting with Ivy Zimmerman, a young Mennonite woman from Oregon whose parents are killed in a tragic accident. She and her younger sisters are sent to Lancaster County to stay with their Amish paternal grandparents, who they hadn’t met until their parents’ funeral. Two things keep Ivy going—an upcoming trip to Germany for a Mennonite youth gathering and her elderly aunt’s story of Clare Simons, another young girl who visited Germany in the late 1930s. In Germany, the evidence surrounding Ivy’s parents’ accident starts to unravel. Inspired by the past, Ivy returns to Oregon to seek the truth.

A Brighter Dawn is book one in your new AMISH MEMORIES series. Can you share about your inspiration for this series and the connecting element that ties each book in the series together? Two things inspired me as I began to imagine the AMISH MEMORIES series. The first were my father’s scrapbooks from the late 1930s and 1940s, filled with photos, clippings, and other items. I wondered what it would be like for someone who grew up Anabaptist and never knew her family’s stories to be shown scrapbooks from seventy-five years ago. What if those stories—in a non-resistant family—included the build-up to World War II, the war, and the aftermath?

The connecting thread between each of the three books in the series is memories. What memories stay with us? How do we preserve them? What do we do with the memories that bring us shame? Why are collective memories—among families and communities—so important? Many of the memories in the stories start in the scrapbooks that Rosene, an elderly aunt in the story, has protected through the years. But ultimately, the sisters in the stories must decide what memories they’ll carry forward, both from their family’s history and their own personal lives.

A Brighter Dawn addresses themes such as the temptation to compromise principles for political/societal stability. Can you tell us a little more about how this idea comes into play in the life of your protagonist, Ivy? A large portion of German Mennonites supported Hitler and the Third Reich during the 1930s and into World War II because they perceived the stability offered by German Nationalism as protection for their families, their communities, and their faith. Communist Russia collectivized Ukrainian Mennonite farms and persecuted Mennonites for their faith. Then Stalin purposefully starved many in the early 1930s as a power grab. All three strikes contributed to the German Mennonites fearing communism and embracing fascism instead. As Ivy hears Clare’s story, she realizes she’s been making compromises as far as her own perceived social stability, the truth around her parents’ death, and the safety of others in her community, and she vows to seek the truth and live more authentically.

This novel is set during an interesting period of time in world history. Can you tell us a little bit about the historical events surrounding the novel’s plot? In the historical thread of the story, Clare Simons travels to Germany in 1937 and ends up caring for her twin cousins, who both have epilepsy. Their father, a Mennonite man working with the Nazi party to “protect” other Mennonites, allows the girls to be part of a study overseen by Nazi doctors. Clare realizes, as she hears of camps for the disabled, that the twins are in danger and that she must come up with a plan to save them.

In the nearly two-year period of the historical setting, Germany annexed Austria; the Munich  Agreement was signed by Britain, France, Germany, and Italy, forcing Czechoslovakia to surrender its border region (the Sudeten) to Nazi Germany; and the November 1938 Pogroms, later named Kristallnatch (Night of Broken Glass), took place in Germany and Austria. Soon after, Germany and Russia formed an alliance and then Germany invaded Poland in September 1939, which started World War II. So, yes, it was definitely an interesting period of time with a lot going on!

Was there anything that you found particularly interesting in your research that you included in your book? One of the things I knew, but that impacted me more profoundly now, was how widely fascism was embraced during the 1930s. The world was still recovering from the Great War when the Great Depression began, and governments were struggling to provide for and take care of their people. Many criticized democracies as being too slow and cumbersome to get anything done, and embraced authoritarian governments, including fascism. Democracies died from South America to Europe to Asia. The United States wasn’t immune from the burgeoning sentiment, although—thankfully!—democracy held. Well-known Americans, including Charles Lindbergh and Henry Ford, spouted anti-Semitic rhetoric and support for Nazi ideals, which legitimized the ideology to some. In February of 1939, the German-American Bund, a US fascist group that embraced the Nazis, held a rally for over 22,000 in Madison Square Garden, complete with Nazi imagery. My research reminded me how precarious governments “of the people, by the people, for the people” truly are and how important it is to work together to preserve them.

It might surprise some readers, but Amish fiction is a widely popular and enduring category in the world of story. What do you think readers find most appealing about stories featuring the Amish and their way of life? I think the simplicity of the Amish way of life appeals to my readers. I know as I read (and write) Amish fiction I’m transported to a much simpler time. I often “find” myself on my aunt and uncle’s farm or my grandparents’ farm or on the farms of friends from my childhood. Yes, they all had electricity, but so many other things were similar to the Amish today. Lots of hard work. Cows to milk and a big garden to tend to. Field and pasture work. Sewing and canning projects. Devotions after breakfast. No technology. Time spent on the porch visiting or reading. Few trips to town.

I think in our chaotic world, we all crave time away from the busyness and an escape to simpler times. That said, my Amish dual-time stories can get pretty complicated, but more because of the plots than the settings!

What do you hope readers take away from this story? I want my readers to value their own memories and the collaborative memories of their families, and to think about how to make memories, preserve them, and then pass them on. Studies have shown that people are happier if they hold a more positive view of the past. But I also want readers to think about how to process and pass down sad memories too, knowing they are also important to future generations and can lead to honest conversations, inspire the next generation to do the right thing, and even become cautionary tales.

Can you share what you’re working on next? I’m currently working on the second book in the series, which has the working title The War Comes Home. Brenna, Ivy’s middle sister, is the protagonist of the contemporary story and Martha, Clare’s sister, is the heroine of the historical story. Both deal with the trauma and fallout of war as they navigate threats to the family businesses, along with caring for those they love.

How can readers connect with you? You can find me at lesliegould.com (lesliegould.com/). I love to do giveaways, so make sure and sign-up for my newsletter! You can also find me on Facebook (facebook.com/lesliegouldauthor)

Thank you, Leslie, for sharing The War Comes Home with my blog readers and me.

Readers, here’s a link to the book.

https://www.amazon.com/Brighter-Dawn-Amish-Memories/dp/0764240242/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2R1J6AJ1N4ACC&keywords=A+Brighter+Dawn&qid=1680297678&s=books&sprefix=a+brighter+dawn+%2Cstripbooks%2C108&sr=1-1

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 2 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 

MY DAUGHTER'S LEGACY - Mindy Starns Clark and Leslie Gould - One Free Book

Welcome, Mindy and Leslie. I know that this is a collaboration. How did this story come about?

Leslie: One of our dear readers told me about her Huguenot relatives and thought the topic would make a great series. She was right! I’d heard of the French Protestants, who fled France in droves in the late 1600s, but began seriously researching them after that. Their history was fascinating. I shared my research with Mindy and, voila!, a new series was born.

Did you find it easy to work together on it?

Writing a novel is never easy, but we’ve done so many books together now that we’ve definitely gotten it down to a science. I guess we’d say it was as easy as any book with two authors, two main POV characters, and two different time periods could be!

How did collaborating with this team impact you?

Mindy: Just the back and forth of working together always has a huge impact on me. Leslie is such a gifted writer that she continually raises the bar on my own writing. She’s so calm and rational that she keeps me from falling apart when the going gets tough. And mostly, she’s just such a lovely person to work with that our friendship grows with every project.

Leslie: Aww, I feel the same way about Mindy, but she’s the one who really pulls it all together as far as the plot and the mystery and tying up all of the loose ends, plus she’s a great editor. It’s really incredible to send a chunk of writing off to her and have her polish it up and make it shine. I have to say that I totally agree about the friendship aspect. Every time we finish a project, I miss Mindy! Writing can be a lonely endeavor, and co-authoring adds a nice layer of camaraderie to the experience.

What is the hardest thing about writing as a team?

Mindy: We have to set intermediate deadlines for the project so that we stay on track, time-wise, but I’m almost always late meeting those deadlines on my end. So for me, the hardest part is that constant feeling of stress and obligation knowing that the next deadline is looming but I might not make it—yet again. Ack!

Leslie: For me, it’s when I send Mindy an unpolished section because we’re on deadline (or for some other reason, lol), and I cringe at the thought of her reading it but know she can fix it faster than I can. J

What are you reading right now?

Mindy: I read audibly, and I always have three books going at once, fiction and nonfiction, for different times of the day. (Business-related or research-related stuff in the morning to get my mind rolling, and fiction as a reward in the afternoons or evenings once I meet my quota for the day.) Currently, my morning nonfiction is The Creative Habit by Twyla Tharp and my after work novel is Fatal Pursuit by Martin Walker.  I also often listen to a third book in bed at night, something that’s good but somewhat slow and not too exciting so I can more easily drift off to sleep. Currently, my hubby is reading us Moby Dick.

Leslie: I usually read a novel, a non-fiction book, and a writing book, concurrently. (Although when I’m close to deadline I don’t start a new novel because I binge when it comes to fiction and that can be dangerous when I need to write, write, write!) Currently, I’m reading Landfall by Ellen Urbani, a debut novel set during Katrina; Hooked: Grab Readers on Page One by Les Edgerton; and Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson, about our criminal justice system.

How did you choose your characters’ names?

When we were first planning out the series, Leslie came to Pennsylvania so we could brainstorm the plots, and part of that was figuring out the names of the main characters. They had to be of French origin and of course we wanted them to be appealing. In the end we came up with Renee, Madeline, and Nicole as the modern-day protagonists and Catherine, Celeste, and Therese as the historical protagonists.

Would you want to work on another book together?

Absolutely!  We’re already working on another one now, The Amish Quilter, which will be the fifth and final book in the Women of Lancaster County series and will come out in early 2018.

What do you want to tell us about the book?

My Daughter’s Legacy is the third and last book in our Cousins of the Dove series, which are all dual-timeline stories. In the modern thread, the same characters appear in each novel, but the historical threads cover three different periods of history: one in the 1600s, one in the 1700s, and the last one in the 1800s. Each of the historical stories impacts a modern character in some way. In My Daughter’s Legacy, the story of an ancestor during the Civil War inspires our modern-day girl to stand strong on her convictions and follow her heart.

Please give us the first page of the book.

Nicole

Sometimes a lie was the better choice— or at least that’s what I’d always told myself. After all, lying was easier, faster, and more efficient than the truth. “I’m sick” was a more prudent option than “I’m sick of working.” “I’m busy” was a lot kinder than “I don’t want to.” But for some, lying could become a habit, the proverbial spider weaving its tangled web. Problem is, once I’d made my own web big enough, I found I was no longer spider but prey, trapped by silvery threads of my own design.

I’d spent the last year and a half— ever since the night I got loaded and slammed my car into a tree at sixty miles an hour— slowly untangling my own threads. Now, after two months of convalescence, nine months in a drug rehab facility, and two full semesters away at college, I was nearly free of all that— save for one big, fat lie that remained.

“Nicole!”

My head snapped left to see the setter knocking the volleyball into an easy arc over my head. Telling myself to focus, I bent my knees, waited for the exact right moment in its trajectory, and then shot up from the ground to slam the ball as hard as I could, spiking it straight through the upraised arms of our opponent and onto an empty space on the court behind her.

Set and game. Our victory, 3 to 2.

My team burst into cheers, jumping and hugging and laughing. When we finally calmed down, we lined up and did the high-five-and-thanks-for-a-good-game thing with the opposing team. Then we gathered for a quick huddle, mostly so our team captain could remind us, yet again, to stay in shape over the summer. Ours was just a local league in a small town in Virginia, but it was important to us.

“Together now,” she said, holding out a fist. We circled around and each placed a hand atop until all were in. 

Where can our readers find you on the Internet?

www.mindystarnsclark.com

www.mindystarnsclark.blogspot.com  

www.facebook.com/MindyStarnsClark  

www.facebook.com/lesliegouldauthor

www.twitter.com/lesliejeangould

Thank you, Mindy and Leslie, for sharing this new book with us. I’m sure my readers are as eager to read the book as I am.

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

My Daughter's Legacy - Christianbook.com
My Daughter's Legacy (Cousins of the Dove) - Amazon paperback
My Daughter's Legacy (Cousins of the Dove Book 3) - 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

ADORING ADDIE - Leslie Gould - One Free Book

Note to readers: Be sure to follow all the instructions at the bottom of the post, so you can be included in the giveaway.

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

I don’t consciously write myself into my characters, but honestly it can’t be helped. All of the emotions and flaws of my characters originate with me. Over and over, without meaning to, something I’ve struggled with shows up in my stories. Writing it out brings more healing to my own life and adds depth to my characters’ journey.

What is the quirkiest thing you have ever done?

Traveling around the U.S. in a VW bus with my hubby and our first baby way back in 1987. We really weren’t hippies—but lots of people we met along the way thought we were.

I first saw Lancaster County while on that trip. My husband lived in Pennsylvania as a boy and would visit the area often. He wanted to share the experience with me. I was hooked from that very first visit.

When did you first discover that you were a writer?

I clearly remember writing my first word when I was four: sky. It was an accident, I was simply putting letters together, but once my sister told me I’d written a word—and such an amazing word at that—I was hooked. I’m positive that was my most fulfilling moment up to that point in my very short life.

I still experience that sense of fulfillment, that feeling of harmony, on writing days when I’m in the groove and able to write four or five thousand words.

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

Unless I’m doing research for a novel, I enjoy reading mostly fiction. I love books by Ann Tatlock, Lynn Austin, and Jane Kirkpatrick and lots of other Christian authors. I try to read as many Christy and ACFW winners as possible, and I read a fair amount of Amish fiction too. I also read general market bestsellers and prizewinners too, and I especially love novels set in other cultures.

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

I’ve kept a journal since I was thirteen. Taking time to write down my feelings and then scripture that speaks to what I’m going through helps keep me balanced. I’m trying really hard to pray immediately when something pops up that makes me feel unsettled too, instead of fretting about it for a while—or a really long time—first. I also take time to exercise, including walking with a good friend, my husband, and my sister, all at different times of the week. They’re three people, along with many other friends and family, who help me keep my sanity!

How do you choose your characters’ names?

I used to use a baby name book, but now I look through online name lists. I never choose the name for a character until I know what the meaning of the names is. Even if I really like a name, if I don’t like the meaning I won’t use it.

What is the accomplishment that you are most proud of?

My family. In September my husband and I will have been married 30 years. We have four children, ages 15 to 26. God has seen us through hard times, including my husband’s one-year deployment to Afghanistan, my mother’s cancer and death, trying teenage years, and many other challenges. We have sought wise counsel many times as we strive for both truth and grace.

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

A cheetah. I used to run long distance, but I always admired the sprinters. A cheetah can run at 70 mph for nearly 400 yards. I think that would be amazing!

What is your favorite food?

It used to be chocolate, but I’m working really hard to not eat much refined sugar. So, there’s this as a second option: watermelon. Yum!

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

Time management—and I’m still working to overcome it. I usually do fine on writing days—it’s the days when I have marketing to do and proposals to write and research to tackle that I get off schedule. All of it takes longer than I think it will. And I’ll get distracted and end up on a rabbit trail leading to nowhere. I have to set the timer and challenge myself to stay on task—or else the whole day can disappear before I’ve gotten anything done.

Tell us about the featured book.

Adoring Addie is the second in the Courtships of Lancaster County series and was inspired by Romeo and Juliet. I loved all the research—both the Shakespeare angle and the Amish setting.

Please give us the first page of the book.

My parents were positive I’d met my future husband. They expected me to marry Phillip Eicher, the bishop’s son. And soon.

“He’s coming over tomorrow, for the barbecue,” my mother said, perched on one of our mismatched chairs at the end of the table, her plump hand gripping a pen that hovered over her notebook. She spent most of her days there, writing lists, giving orders, and babying her bad knee. “He wants to talk to your Daed—at least that’s what his mother told me.”

“Oh.” I wiped my sweaty palms down my just-starched apron.

A smile spread across her round face. “We’ll have a wedding to plan soon.”

“Mutter, please.” I’d always called her Mutter and my father Daed, the more formal terms, rather than the familiar Mamm and Dat that my Bruders called them. She seemed to prefer it. I don’t think my father cared.

Mutter continued speaking as if she hadn’t heard my plea. “That’s why you shouldn’t go today. We want the barbecue tomorrow to be—”

I strode out of the kitchen, my basket of hand-quilted potholders in my arms, hoping she’d think I hadn’t heard her. I’d already compromised by waiting to go to the farmers’ market until after I’d cleaned the breakfast dishes. It would be nearly eight o’clock, long after the market opened, by the time my cousin Hannah and I arrived.

As I turned the corner into our large living room, a space big enough to host our entire church, my brother Billy came sliding in his stocking feet across the polished floor. His eyes narrowed under his dark bangs, partially pushed up on his sweaty forehead. He carried a gallon jar of pond water and plants in one hand, while his other flew around in an attempt to keep his balance. Still, greenish water sloshed over the rim.

A grin spread across his face as he veered toward me.

I swung the basket around to my hip and stepped sideways.

It didn’t matter.

He plowed into me anyway.

I managed to stay on my feet, but the basket landed on the floor, the jar on top and tipped sideways. The murky water soaked my potholders that had been bound for the market.

“Billy,” I cried.

“My tadpoles!” he yelled, falling to the floor, stomach down, his ten-year-old body flailing toward my basket.

I righted the jar, which had a few inches of water remaining, and began picking through the potholders, rescuing the slimy creatures.

“What’s going on in there?” Mutter called out.

The tadpoles flopped this way and that. I rushed from one to the next, pinching each one tightly enough to hold on to but not enough to damage, dropping them the back into the green slime.

Billy crowded in too and began shaking out the potholders and tossing them onto the floor, his brown eyes wide.

“Addie?” Mutter yelled.

“Just a minute.”

“Nell!” Mutter called to her younger Schwester, who’d been holed up in the sewing room off the kitchen since breakfast. “Would you see what’s going on?”

“I think we got them all.” Billy grinned.

“One more.” I plucked the tiniest tadpole from the black border of a potholder still in the basket and dropped it into the jar. “Take them back and let them go.” I spoke firmly. “They’ve been traumatized enough.”

“Ach, Addie,” he groaned.

“Take courage and do as I say. Quickly.” I thought of him as Billy the Brave. At ten, although dabbich—clumsy—he was still eager to help and please, but he also stuck up for others, including me. “And take Joe-Joe down to the creek with you so he’s out of Mutter’s way.” I scooped up the potholders.

Billy slid to the staircase, called for our littlest brother, the youngest of seven children, and then headed to the front door to put on his boots. He tended to keep them there to avoid Mutter in the kitchen.

I lifted one of the wet potholders to my face and sniffed. I couldn’t help but frown at the swampy smell.

“What happened?”

I lifted my head to Aenti Nell’s round face and alarmed expression. She was short, a little squat, and had still-dark hair, the same color as Mutter’s was a few years ago before it turned gray, but a kerchief partly covered Aenti’s head instead of a Kapp.

I held up the wet square. “Billy.” That was all I needed to say.

How can readers find you on the Internet?

Please visit my blog, “like” me on Facebook, follow me on Twitter, and re-pin me on Pinterest! Thank you!

Thank you, Leslie, for sharing your new book with us.

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

Adoring Addie (The Courtships of Lancaster County) - paperback
Adoring Addie (The Courtships of Lancaster County Book #2) - 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