A ROCK CREEK CHRISTMAS COLLECTION - Linda Brooks Davis - One Free Book

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

I’m currently finishing up the second novel in a series, this one set in 1914. This year’s novella, A Christmas Measure of Love, is a prequel to it. I plan at least three novels and three novellas in this series before I move on to other stories waiting on the sidelines. I’ve heard many family tales I want to use as launching pads.

Tell us a little about your family.

I was reared on a farm in Raymondville, a small Rio Grande Valley community in the southernmost tip of Texas. We were the rural version of the 1950s TV shows, Father Knows Best or Ozzie and Harriet. I attended Abilene Christian University and graduated as a speech pathologist in 1968. Fast forward twenty-six years—past marriage, kids, military family life, and a divorce—to Oak Hills Church in San Antonio and one mighty fine man who reached out and welcomed me. And claimed my heart. Al and I have been married 23 years now, and I can’t imagine how I ever lived without him.

My two grown children—son Lane and daughter Lynn Lee—are veterinarians practicing together in San Antonio. Between them, I have six beautiful grandchildren, three of whom are triplets. Al and I simply adore them all.

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

I write historical fiction, so historical isn’t usually my “go-to” genre for reading for pleasure. Instead, I reach for legal suspense and crime novels. I love Robert Whitlow, Randy Singer, and Steven James. But Lena Nelson Dooley’s historicals go perfectly with a cup o’ tea.

Thank you, Linda. What are you working on right now?

My brain’s aswirl with ideas for the completion of novel #2 and diving into #3. The heroines of these stories are secondary characters from Novel #1—The Calling of Ella McFarland. All three novels are threaded with the hard realities of life in Indian Territory prior to Oklahoma statehood and the following two decades. They highlight some of the consequences of women’s exclusion from their own governance by being denied the vote. And they put on display the strength of certain women whose names might not appear in history books or on historical websites documenting women’s battle for the vote, but who contributed to the Suffrage Movement all the same. The ramifications of women taking their places at the ballot box can’t be overstated.

What outside interests do you have?

Without a doubt, family claims the lion’s share of my outside interests. But I have always loved to read more than anything in the world. I can’t imagine not reading. Dante’s Inferno would definitely include empty bookshelves for me.

How do you choose your settings for each book?

Thus far, the settings for my novels and novellas have been based in family history. As a child, I was intrigued by my mother’s and grandmother’s stories about life in Indian Territory prior to Oklahoma statehood and in its first two decades, as well as in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas in the 1920s, the Great Depression, and beyond. I’m a native Texan with experiences of my own in the ’40s, ’50s, and ’60s that I believe readers will be drawn to.

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

I would love to spend an evening with two women—Nancy Hanks Lincoln, Abraham Lincoln’s mother—and Sarah Bush Johnston Lincoln, his stepmother who reared him from age 9 to adulthood. Those two women together molded the greatest figure in American history. Oh, the stories they could tell.

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

I had no idea how intricate and complicated and exhausting and emotionally draining and consuming of thoughts and energy the process of writing a novel can be. I guess I’d compare it to having a baby. While you’re embroiled in the process, you wonder what came over you to put yourself in this position. But when it’s complete, the memories of pain and agony disappear, and all you see is that beautiful baby book.

What new lessons is the Lord teaching you right now?

Writing hurts. But it also lifts the spirit in similar ways to other creative activities. Like art. Sometimes I think of Michelangelo on the scaffolding in the Sistine Chapel and remind myself even he groaned—surely—but look what he produced and how many spirits have soared as a result. Which always brings me back to THE Creator and how my pitiful efforts pale in comparison to His. And how dependent I am on Him for my 71-year-old body and brain to continue to function. The Lord is teaching me to meet Him in the moment as I write.

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

Determine why you want to write. If the answer lies somewhere between monetary reward and accolades, you’d best think again.

Believe it when you’re told you must be patient. Quality writing is work, and it takes time. Publishing is a s-l-o-w business.

Critiques are painful, so prepare yourself. Chuck your pride. Other eyes see what you don’t. Other brains process what you miss. And other tastes … Well, other tastes are just plain different. Return to (1) and have another go.

Tell us about the featured book.

I often heard from readers of The Calling of Ella McFarland that they wanted to know more about Ella and Andrew and their love. And don’t we all just love Christmas and all that goes with it? A Christmas to Remember became that Christmas novella that picks up with Ella and Andrew 3 years into their marriage. I figured this year another novella as a prequel for the next novel sounded like a good idea, and A Christmas Measure of Love was the result.

I combined the two in one title—A Rock Creek Christmas Collection—to cover the years between Ella’s emergence in 1905 and the closing of her story in 1906 to Lily’s stepping onto the stage as a main character in 1914.

Please give us the first page of the book.

Since this is a pairing of two novellas, how about I give you the first couple paragraphs of both? 

A Christmas to Remember:

1908

4 days until Christmas

The line of delicate stitches blurred to a crimson smudge.

Ella Evans adjusted her spectacles and squinted.

           

The oil lamp cast naught but a feeble glow in a room pitched in black. Sunlight would course through the window come morning, but Ella could delay no longer. Christmas was coming.

           

Flipping open a cloisonné magnifying glass, Ella peered at her handwork. The outline of an embroidered E emerged, neat and straight. 

           

Aye. She would complete her husband Andrew’s monogram tonight.

A Christmas Measure of Love:

August 1910

Other girls measure their heights, waistlines, and bosoms. I measure my scars. And wonder why my pa never loved me.

           

Eighteen years old today, I’m perched alone on a parlor settee reserved for the birthday girl. Adelaide Fitzgerald, my benefactor, has invited Glover County, Oklahoma’s socially elite to celebrate at Broadview, her grand estate on the banks of Rock Creek.

           

Trouble is, when these precisely coiffed young women were girls romping at garden parties, I was toiling in a cotton field across the way. 

           

How can readers find you on the Internet?

Website: http://lindabrooksdavis.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LindaBrooksDavis/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/LBrooksDavis

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/ljbd1946/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lindadavis1321/

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B018J4J8EW

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14537350.Linda_Brooks_Davis

To purchase The Calling of Ella McFarland: http://amzn.to/2ixn4pe

To purchase A Christmas to Remember: http://amzn.to/2yxAk8h

To purchase A Christmas Measure of Love: http://amzn.to/2j3vwjK

To purchase A Rock Creek Christmas Collection: http://amzn.to/2zRedXt

Thank you so much, Lena. What a blessing to be allotted two of your slots before Christmas!

Have a blessed and joyous Christmas and 2018.

Linda

Thank you, Linda, for sharing the stories from your family in such a wonderful way. I have loved reading them, and I know my blog readers will, too.

Readers, here are links to the book.

A Rock Creek Christmas Collection: A Christmas to Remember & A Christmas Measure of Love  - Paperback
A Rock Creek Christmas Collection: A Christmas to Remember & A Christmas Measure of Love - 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

A CHRISTMAS MEASURE OF LOVE - Linda Brooks Davis - One Free book

Dear Readers, Linda Brooks Davis came on the writing scene a couple of years ago with an award-winning novel I was privileged to read for an endorsement. The characters were well-rounded and people with depth. Authentic scenes pulled the reader into the story. She’s had two Christmas novellas published with some of the characters of her first novel. A Christmas Measure of Love is this years addition. I loved all three of these books.

Welcome back, Linda. Why do you write the kind of books you do?

When I was growing up and my parents’ families gathered, old tales would be told and retold. Invariably, the stories involved hardship, grief, and occasional shame, but they were always set alongside joy, faith, and grit. Often a family member would say, “Someone ought to write a book about that.” As a school child of the 1950s, I knew no hardship, grief, or shame. Life was good. But my family’s stories about life in Indian Territory prior to Oklahoma statehood and in the southern tip of Texas in the 1920s and 1930s intrigued me. I wondered even as a child if I might be that someone and how I’d go about it.

I’m glad you did. Besides when you came to know the Lord, what is the happiest day in your life?

By far, the happiest day of my life was in the fall of 2004 when I learned my first grandchild was coming—in triplet form. When my daughter called with the news, I was in my assigned spot on the second floor of an office building, but every speck of inhibition flew out the window at the news. I jumped and, as we say in Texas, whooped and hollered. I danced and shouted between others’ assigned spots, announcing the unbelievable news to each astounded individual: My daughter’s expecting triplets! When the occupants of the first floor of that particular office building showed up wondering what in the world was going on upstairs, I realized for the first time I might have overdone it a bit. Thankfully, my co-workers understood and shared my joy.

How has being published changed your life?

When I won the Jerry Jenkins Operation First Novel Award in January, 2015, I was almost as astounded as that “day at the office” in 2004. But when the excitement settled, I realized I felt vulnerable. And responsible for handling myself in a way that would honor the Lord—and Jerry Jenkins.

When I received the ACFW Carol Award in August, 2016, the Lord separated me from my vulnerability—and inhibitions—as far as the east is from the west. That night was the time of my life. I’m 71 years old, and no single event, other than the news I was to be a grandmother three times over in one fell swoop, has affected me with such joy as that one.

That said … Being a published author has enlarged my circle of acquaintances and friends. I love this aspect of being published more than anything.

What are you reading right now?

Dare I admit I read something other than Christian fiction? I love legal, John Grisham-type suspense, but other than a handful of Christian authors like Randy Singer and Robert Whitlow, whose books I’ve been known to read twice, there aren’t many to choose from in the Christian market. I recently finished Loving Luther by Allison Pittman and was completely mesmerized by Allison’s depiction of the life of Katarina von Bora—Martin Luther’s wife.

What is your current work in progress?

I’m nearing completion of my second full-length novel. It’s set in 1914 and follows the life of one of the secondary characters in The Calling of Ella McFarland, which is set in 1905. A sequel to Ella’s story in novella form—A Christmas to Remember, which is set in 1908—released in 2016. A prequel to my current work in progress, also in novella form—A Christmas Measure of Love, which is set in 1910—released in October of this year.

What would be your dream vacation?

If I possessed unlimited resources, I would travel around the world to find where my ancestors lived and loved, died, and are buried. Those sites would include Eastern Europe, Switzerland, Germany, Scandinavia, Scotland, Ireland, England, and France. 

How do you choose your settings for each book?

The settings for my books thus far have sprung from my family’s old stories, but my imagination plays a huge role. For example, from The Calling of Ella McFarland and both novellas that follow, as well as my current novel in progress, Glover County, Rock Creek, Needham, and surrounding communities, Broadview, the cottage in the woods, and the McFarland farm are all imaginary. These environs develop as I imagine the lives of the characters.

What are your hobbies, besides writing and reading?

I love genealogy and my grandchildren. My love for both knows no limits. I also enjoy painting pottery—nothing serious, mind you. I’m not an artist. I just enjoy the peace that surrounds me when I’m painting a piece of pottery. Invariably, it’s something for a family member, which could be why I love it so. 

I also love Bible study. I love theology and biblical history and apologetic reasoning.

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

Keeping my world in balance is my greatest challenge. I know it’s not good for me to concentrate on research, writing, and social media so much that I neglect other, more important aspects of life, but when I’m “on a roll,” it’s very difficult to shut it down.

What advice would you give to a beginning author?

Know why you’re writing. If you’re pursuing writing for accolades or remuneration, you might want to consider another field.

Tell us about the featured book.

A Christmas Measure of Love springs from words spoken by the character Lily in The Calling of Ella McFarland: Ma says love can’t be earned. Love’s immeasurability is the heart of this Christmas novella.

Lily, a girl on the cusp of womanhood has learned to stand as erect as her starched collar. Ma, a woman at the nadir of her life, is as bent as a shepherd’s crook. Joined by blood and separated by circumstance nine years prior, mother and daughter reunite.

What will Lily and Ma find in the old shack where their sweat and tears once mingled? It’s Christmas 1910, and Lily’s in for a Yuletide surprise she hasn’t reckoned for.

Please give us the first page of the book for my readers.

August 1910

Other girls measure their heights, waistlines, and bosoms. I measure my scars. And wonder why my pa never loved me.

           

Eighteen years old today, I’m perched alone on a parlor settee reserved for the birthday girl. Adelaide Fitzgerald, my benefactor, has invited Glover County, Oklahoma’s socially elite to celebrate at Broadview, her grand estate on the banks of Rock Creek.

           

Trouble is, when these precisely coiffed young women were girls romping at garden parties, I was toiling in a cotton field across the way. 

           

These party guests boast fathers who are bankers and lawyers and doctors. But I can claim naught but Walter Sloat for my pa—a scoundrel, a criminal, a former sharecropper who never lifted a hand in the fields. He expected Ma and me to do his share of the crop tending and accept his abuse when we returned home.

How can readers find you on the Internet?

Website: http://lindabrooksdavis.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LindaBrooksDavis/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/LBrooksDavis

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/ljbd1946/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lindadavis1321/

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B018J4J8EW

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14537350.Linda_Brooks_Davis

To purchase The Calling of Ella McFarland: http://amzn.to/2ixn4pe

To purchase A Christmas to Remember: http://amzn.to/2yxAk8h

To purchase A Christmas Measure of Love: http://amzn.to/2j3vwjK

Thank you, Linda, for sharing this heart-warming novella with me and my blog readers.

Readers, 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

THE CALLING OF ELLA MCFARLAND - Linda Brooks Davis - One Free Book

Dear Readers, I was privileged to read this book for endorsement, and I loved it. The characters, the historical accuracy, the storyline. I think you’ll love it, too.

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

I don’t consciously write myself into my characters. I often ask myself if a character’s words or actions are his/hers or mine. I refer to the Myers-Briggs Personality Inventory when I develop the characters and try to stay true to their unique traits.

What is the quirkiest thing you have ever done?

I love quirky people. I admire and enjoy them, but I don’t think of myself as one of them—unless you count the time I showed a quirky level of naiveté. I actually believed and prepared for a protest when a friend reported that a mutual friend—an American citizen, mind you, who was living and going to school in Abilene, Texas—had been drafted into the French Foreign Legion.

I. Kid. You. Not. Once upon a time my middle name was naive.

When did you first discover that you were a writer?

Unlike others who can point to writing as their calling from an early age—some even to early school years—I  didn’t realize I was a writer until I was in high school. Even for dry, boring assignments in government/civics, sitting down to a typewriter (manual in those days) and allowing my thoughts and emotions to bubble up in the form of words was a delightful experience that peaked during my first year away from home as a college freshman. I simply loved sitting in my quiet dorm room and writing letters home. As I told Mother and Daddy every move I made, I imagined their rapt attention and enjoyment, which is my experience when I write today.

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

I love a good story, whether historical, romance, or suspense involving legal or international conflict. I became an avid reader in fourth grade. I have those Weekly Reader books to this day. As I peruse them, I’m surprised that I chose stories in which the main character was a boy, maybe because in those days it was the boys who were out getting into trouble and having adventures, as in The Red Badge of Courage and, several years later, Where the Red Fern Grows. And yet, I can remember as a girl lying across my bed, book on floor, reading Christy, Anne of Green Gables, and later on, Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights, Gone With the Wind, and To Kill a Mockingbird. I still enjoy meaty, brave stories that tackle hard issues head-on.

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

I’ve found if I don’t start my day well, I don’t end it well. For me, that means sitting at my bedroom bay window with a cup of coffee, open Bible, and prayer journal. If I begin in this way, the insanity of any day seems to even out or I remain calmer in the turmoil. Invariably, when I find myself part of the turmoil, I realize I’ve neglected the bay window.

How do you choose your characters’ names?

Because I write historical fiction, I choose names that fit the time period, but even then characters earn their names. Noble heroes and lovely, courageous heroines wear names that have a noble, lovely, or courageous ring to them. Sometimes they’re the names of my cherished ancestors. Antagonists’ names can just sound unpleasant or remind me of a distasteful person in my past. My favorites are names are those I have no connection with at all. I can give a low-down reprobate such a name without worrying I’ve offended someone I know.

What is the accomplishment that you are most proud of?

Far and above, my proudest accomplishment is rearing my fantastic children—a son and daughter, veterinarians who actually like one another so well they are in practice together. I can’t take credit for my six beautiful grandchildren, so I’d say professionally I’m most proud of winning the 2014 Jerry B. Jenkins Operation First Novel Award.

That’s a wonderful writing achievement. If you were an animal, which one would you be, and why?

I’ve learned in recent years that I’m an introvert. This surprised me at first, but I’ve come to accept it as the way God made me. One personality inventory tags me as a desert animal I’ve never heard of, the meerkat—ethical, idealistic, loyal, values oriented, and curious but inflamed by threats to the security of my babies or morals. Sounds fairly quirky to me.

I would have said I’m most like a deer. Not at all quirky.

What is your favorite food?

Mexican, hands down!

James and I had delicious Tex-Mex food for lunch today. What is the problem with writing that was your greatest roadblock, and how did you overcome it?

Working through the discouragement or fear of rejection has been my biggest challenge but the one that provides the greatest reward on the other side. Only through confidence that the Lord has called me to be a writer can I overcome this roadblock.

Tell us about the featured book.

Set in 1905 Indian Territory prior to Oklahoma statehood when the temperance and woman’s suffrage debates are raging, The Calling of Ella McFarland is the story of a young woman on the verge of reaching her lifelong dream—a teaching position at prestigious Worthington School for Girls—but whose sister’s unwed motherhood has created a scandal that clouds her family name and may limit her to a life of grueling farm labor. One strikingly handsome board member shows Ella kindness, but will the other two men overlook her family’s disgrace?

When she comes to the rescue of a young sharecropper’s daughter, she’s thrust into a domestic abuse situation that opens her eyes to the ramifications of women being denied a voice in their governance through the vote. Forced to make decisions about her faith, family, and aspirations, independent-spirited Ella finds a calling taking shape in ways she never imagined and a new love budding in her heart.

How will she manage in her male-dominated world to give voice to the voiceless without losing her own? Can she find God’s will amid the tumultuous storm that surrounds her? Or will fear and pride have their way?

Ella McFarland must decide.

Please give us the first page of the book for my readers.

Ella had aimed for this day all her life.

           

Perching on the edge of the tufted chair, she slipped off her gloves. A corset stave bit into her flesh, but she held herself erect. Such was expected of a teacher candidate at Oklahoma Territory’s Worthington School for Girls.

           

“Miss McFarland.” Stationed at the head of the library table, Mr. Abernathy gestured to a colleague on either side.  “As the board of directors, we must emphasize that female teachers who marry are dismissed.” The man’s tone had turned as severe as his starched collar. “Unlike for men, marriage divides women’s loyalties.”

           

Women more prone to divided loyalties than men? Ella suppressed an urge to spout the challenge. A Worthington teacher knew her place. “Rest assured, sir, I am wedded to teaching.”

           

Perspiration dribbled down her spine. Was 1905 the hottest year on record? Plucking a handkerchief from a sleeve, she dabbed moisture from the cleft in her chin and pressed it to her nose. The library’s musty tomes and velvet window coverings tickled her nostrils and devoured the oxygen.

           

The man stifled a cough with a fist. “Your loyalty notwithstanding . . .”

           

She willed herself to relax. Had the Lord Himself not brought her to this premier institution of learning for the socially elite?

How can readers find you on the Internet?

Website: www. lindabrooksdavis.com   

Facebook: Linda Brooks Davis, Author https://www.facebook.com/Linda-Brooks-Davis-945490792152157
Twitter: @LBrooksDavis
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/pub/linda-brooks-davis/67/245/904
Publisher: Mountainview Books

When The Calling of Ella McFarland debuts on December 1, it will be available to order both in print and ebook forms through bookstores and online outlets—Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Google, Christianbook.com, etc.

Thank you, Linda, for sharing this book with my readers. I know they are eager to read it.

Readers, 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. (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