THIEF - Linda Windsor - Free Book

Linda Windsor has been a dear friend and fellow author for many long years. I love feauturing her on this blog. Welcome, Linda. I love your picture. Tell us about your salvation experience.

Oh my! It was a long time coming. I never stopped believing in God, but, thanks to a college education, I’d learned Jesus was just another great prophet and I had no use for organized religion because of all the horrid things done in Jesus’ name. I threw Jesus out with the dirty church water.

I married, had two children, divorced and because of my son’s learning disabilities had to put my kids in a private school that happened to be Christian. I had no problem with it. Christianity was a good foundation and the kids could decide what they wanted to believe when they were older. I re-married, this time to a believer, while my children, especially my daughter, needled me to take them to church. I wouldn’t because I didn’t believe in Jesus and would not be a hypocrite in the pews. But I found myself crying every time I witnessed the kids’ childlike faith. Eventually I took my daughter to a community 24 hour Good Friday service for her sake.

Hah! A different pastor spoke every hour on the hour and at my 2PM arrival, one stood up and announced that he wanted to talk about Doubting Thomas. I was riveted to that hard seat as he went on to say it was okay to have doubts as long as we earnestly sought the truth. I’d been an armchair philosopher stating all my doubts, but I hadn’t been looking any further for what I could believe in. And aside from the Jesus stories of my pre-college church experience, I knew nothing about what the Bible actually said beyond the clichés and the holier-than-thou and hypocritical attitudes that had driven me away from church.

I rushed from the service straight to my mom to announce God had called me to go to church. Where else could I learn? I didn’t have to believe all I heard as long as I earnestly sought (and respected those who did believe.) That was the beginning of a long journey. I researched, and anyone who has read my historicals knows I am a research-a-holic. And I got to know Christians who were stumbling along like me, grabbing at the Father’s hand and trying to follow Christ’s example. I mean, God or man, Jesus was special. I had to admit that. And the questions I had regarding my faith? They were answered Sunday after Sunday, so much so, that I’d sit in church and cry in awe and gratitude at each revelation God gave me.

Two years later on a gorgeous day, I was overwhelmed by my blessings, God’s presence, and the stark beauty surrounding me as I prayed on my way to work. The Holy Spirit snuck up on me and out of the blue, I exclaimed with all my heart “I love you, Jesus!” Not God. Not Holy Spirit. Jesus! I had to pull over, I was so overcome with emotion. Then and there I’d at long last accepted Christ, completing the Trinity package. And the journey continues.

What a special event in your life! You’re planning a writing retreat where you can only have four other authors. Who would they be and why?

That’s not fair! I’d chose my Celtic authors Liz Curtis Higgs, Carol Umberger, Sharon Gillenwater… oh, and the Thoenes. I know the first three and would love to meet the latter. Why? Our love of bringing history and faith to life in our stories.

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

I have a speaking and music ministry. When I get real nervous about my speaking, I throw in a song to calm me down and drive the message home. Most of my speaking has to do with my writing and I love addressing the history-faith connection, particularly regarding the Celtic heritage as it reaffirms Scripture. Oh, and science as it reaffirms the Word as well. The topics and songs vary according to the audience.

And sometimes, I let the music do it all and simply lead into the song with an introduction to the message in the music.

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

I was student teaching and we had a unit in reading about spies. I thought it would be fun to demonstrate invisible ink (vinegar) and as I held the secret message over the candle flame, it caught fire. Kids were squealing and I was running for the sink with a flaming paper in hand, huffing and blowing all the way. When I looked up, my supervisor was standing there, so I smiled and announced, “And now you can see one of the dangers of invisible ink. So do NOT try this at home!”

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?

I recommend they learn the business as well as the craft by joining a professional organization such as American Christian Fiction Writers and/or Romance Writers of America. The basics of good fiction remain the same for most genres, so they shouldn’t let the word romance put them off. I also warn them that one must be tough-skinned and pit-bull stubborn to succeed, but that it can be done.

So true. Tell us about the featured book.

Thief is book two of the Brides of Alba series about three brothers who find love and faith in King Arthur’s war-torn Scotland. Readers will learn that arthur and merlin were titles, explaining how two men could not be accountable for over a hundred years of events and battles. There were at least two arthurs and more merlins or counselors to the king. The arthur in my series is the only historically documented one and, I believe, the last one who held the office of Dux Bellorum (Roman duke of war), Scot/Irish High King, or Pendragon (Welsh head dragon). Also revealed are the historic traditions of Grail Church and the holy bloodlines (Davidic royal and Arimathean priestly) that it protected as passed down in histories from the Holy Land through Egypt, Iberia, and Gaul to Ireland and Britain.

Book two picks up where Healer left off with the second of the O’Byrne brothers. Arthur, the historical prince of the Dalraida Scots, is holding Saxons at bay to the east and Picts to the north from his stronghold in Manau Gododdin. Exiled in shame and wounded while fighting with Arthur, Caden O'Byrne accepts a mission to go into enemy territory to find his healer's long-lost daughter. At worst, he'll get his death wish. At best, this could be God's second chance. But the lovely, larcenous Sorcha will have no part of him, his God, or the rescue...until a murder forces them both to run for their lives. While Caden's rekindled faith is tested, Sorcha wonders if his God is real. Add to the mix a stargazing princess, a capable dwarf, a scheming witch, an improbably beautiful stranger and you have the ingredients for a surprising, page-turning tale. I try to bring life to Arthurian/Grail Scotland in the tradition of Mary Stewart, while weaving in the little known history of the British church. The result is a saga of intrigue, treachery, second chances, and the liberating power of love.

Please give us the first page of the book.

Prologue

Kingdom of Lothian

Late sixth century ad

Leaf Fall

It was a good day to die. But then this warrior had lost count of such days, hoping that each one would put an end to his miserable existence…to this exile of body and soul. Beneath him, his horse strained at the reins, eager to join the fray between the Pendragon’s forces and the Saxon invaders seeking to win yet one more chunk of the ever-shrinking Bryneich. Once it had swept to the North Sea, but the Sassenach had hacked away its coastal settlements with their axes. Now they wanted more.

Caden O’Byrne held his stallion back, waiting with the other mercenaries for the signal to sweep down the hill and relieve the first line of warriors already engaged. None of them knew him by any other name but Caden. Like everything else that mattered, he’d left his clan name behind. Only shame followed, haunting him night and day.

The clang of blades, the cries of rage and anguish rose in a dissonant chorus from the edge of the summer-blanched forest of oak and alder that had hid the enemy…or so they thought, until the last moment. Anxiety weighed upon the faces of Caden’s battle-hardened comrades—at least those with something or someone to go home to. But there were a few, like him, who grinned, teeth bared in anticipation of, if not death and escape from their personal demons, at least a chance to take out their pent-up need for vengeance on an enemy they could see and lay hands on…an enemy they could kill.

How can readers find you on the Internet?

Readers can find book previews, contests and sign up for my occasional newsletter at www.LindaWindsor.com.

What fun to once again feature you on my blog, Linda.

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.)

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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.

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HEALER - Linda Windsor - Free Book

I'm thrilled to have my friend Linda Windsor back on my blog. So Linda, what are some of the spiritual themes you like to write about?

Fiction is based on conflict and every conflict has a spiritual dilemma or theme involved. Trust and forgiveness are almost always a given. The challenge of following God’s Word or one’s own is another, especially when doing the right thing doesn’t make sense or involves great risk. And one of my favorites is God’s answering prayer, but not in the way it was expected. That said, I am most passionate about telling the early history of the church in my Dark Age historicals Fires of Gleannmara series- Maire, Riona & Deirdre and my new Brides of Alba series- Healer (6/10), Thief and Rebel. These reveal information and examples that will enable Christians to effectively witness to New Age followers today. I call it fishing from the other side of the boat, as Jesus told his disciples to do. When the net of Scripture is ignored by the fish, try the history and tradition that backs it up. This is the approach I was forced to use, and by God’s grace was given, to witness to my daughter after she’d been assaulted in college, blamed and turned against God, and became involved in Wicca (white witchcraft.) It took eight years of pondering, but the seeds had been planted and God and I watered them at every chance with love.

What other books of yours are coming out soon?

Maire was re-released with a gorgeous new cover in the summer of 2009. Its sequel and Christy finalist Riona will be re-released with its new cover in summer 2010. For new books, the Healer will hit the shelves in June 2010. It’s my hope that the re-release of the Irish Gleannmara books will pave the way for the its Scottish counterpart set in Arthurian Britain. Bear in mind that Arthur and Merlin were titles, not always given names. So the documented Scottish Arthur of the same given name is featured in the background of Healer, along with Merlin, who is a Christian Druidic priest. It’s a look at the little known side of Camelot; the early British church, established by Jesus’ family in the first century; and the survival of those apostolic bloodlines as well as that of David. (No, not the DaVinci Code bloodline.)

If you could spend an evening with one contemporary person (not a family member of yours), who would it be and why?

I would love to talk the Pope into letting me into the Vatican library, unhindered. But since that is not likely, Dr. David Jeremiah, Grant Jeffreys or anyone well-versed in church history. It would be a long night.

How long have you known that you wanted to be novelist?

Since the early seventies when I read a less than stellar historical romance and thought to myself, “I could do this well…maybe better.” I wrote two 700 plus page historical romances, which, after total re-writing, were published in 1990. In between that first draft and the final one, life happened with said novels sitting in a box in my attic. I trashed them during a move and my late husband saved them, encouraging me to write again. God bless him.

What can you tell authors who have been receiving only rejections from publishers?

I often tell aspiring writers that rejections are like footprints in the sand. If you don’t see them, you’re not moving toward your goal of publication. Rejections are steps toward improvement. Just writing the rejected material puts you ahead of where you were. Often rejection letters contain constructive advice, which can salvage the work or make the next project even better. They are the fire that purifies the craft and the writer. Having had my share and probably someone else’s , I learned to separate the wheat from the chaff and grow from them. I probably could do a workshop on them. In fact, when I’m on the NY Times Bestseller list and am asked to be a keynote speaker, the title of my speech will be I Failed My Way To Success.

Tell us about the featured book?

I’ve already told you about the background and setting, but the series is about three brothers whose lives and faith are changed by their lady loves—a healer, a thief, and a rebel.

In HEALER, a dying mother’s prophecy to her murderer—The Gowrys seed shall divide your high and mighty house and bring a peace beyond the ken of your wicked soul--sentences her daughter to twenty years in hiding. A descendant of the British apostolic bloodline and trained as a healer like her mother, how can Brenna fulfill her calling when the enemy O’Byrnes seeks her death and her own clan would have her lead them to certain annihilation against their oppressors? When Brenna rescues an ambushed warrior, her gift heals his wounds, but only her love—and God’s—can heal his tortured soul. But is he the answer to her loneliness or her worst nightmare?

Ronan O’Byrne awakens from a near death experience at the mercy of the very witch his tormented father has feared for so many years. But how can this lovely and loving creature be anything but an angel? Perhaps the prophecy didn’t mean the destruction of his clan, but the resurrection of an alliance—a peace beyond understanding. At least the understanding of his father and brothers. A product of twenty years of bitterness and distrust, Ronan wonders if he is bewitched like his father before him or if love, much less God, is real. And who tried to kill him?

Please give us the first page of the book.

Chapter One

Glenarden, Manau Gododdin, 20 years later...

Although cold enough to frost one's breath, the day was as fair as the general mood of the gathering at the keep of Gleanarden. The only clouds were those breaking away, fat with snow from the shrouded mountains—and the ever-present one upon the face of the bent old man who stood on the rampart of the gate tower. No longer able to ride much distance, Tarlach O’Byrne watched the procession form beyond.

Below the ramparts, Ronan O’Byrne adjusted the woolen folds of his brat over his shoulders. Woven by the women with threads of the clan silver, black, and scarlet, it would keep the prince warm on this brisk day. A fine dappled gray snorted in eagerness as Ronan took its reins in hand and started toward the gate. Beyond, the people he would govern upon his father’s death awaited. Clansmen and kin, farmer and craftsman, all turned out for the annual hunt, but they were more excited still over the festivities that awaited their return.

The youngest of the O’Byrne brothers rode through them, unable to contain his excitement any longer. “By father’s aching bones, Ronan, what matters of great import keep you now?”

Were the pest any other but his youngest brother, Ronan might have scowled, deepening the scar that marked the indent of his cheek--a physical reminder of this travesty that began years ago. Alyn was the pride and joy of Glenarden and Ronan was no exception to those who admired and loved the precocious youth.

“Only a raid on the mill by our neighbors,” Ronan answered his youngest sibling.

His somber gaze belayed the lightness in his voice. Too smart to burn it, the thieves made off with the stores and the miller’s quern. Ronan had already sent a replacement hand mill to the mistress. The grain would be harder to replace now that the harvest was over and the excess had been sold. It galled Ronan to buy back his own produce at a higher price than he’d received from merchants in Carmelide. This was the hard lot he faced—this farce or hunting down the scoundrels and taking back what was rightfully his.

But every year on the anniversary of the Gowrys slaughter, Tarlach insists the O’Byrne clan search the hills high and low for Llas and Joanna’s heir. Instead of going off on a madman’s goose chase after his imagined enemy, a mountain nymph who could shape-shift into a wolf at will, the O’Byrne’s manpower would best be spent ransacking and burning one of the Gowrys mountain settlements in retribution, for they were undoubtedly the culprits. It was the only reasoning the thieves understood - burn their ramshackle hovels and take some of their meager stock in payment.

“Can I ride after them on the morrow with you?” Alyn's deep blue eyes, inherited from their Pictish mother, were alight with the idea of fighting and possible bloodshed. It was only because he'd never tasted it firsthand. “After the Witch’s End?”

Witch's End. Disgust pulled at Ronan’s mouth. That's what Tarlach O'Byrne dubbed the celebration of the massacre that had made him an invalid and driven him to the brink of insanity. In the old chief’s demented thought, he’d brought justice to those who betrayed him and stopped an enchantress forever. Sometimes, as on this particular day, it pushed him beyond reason, for it was a reminder that there was one thing left undone. The heiress of Gowrys still lived to threaten Glenarden…at least in his mind.

Here's the book trailer:



What at tantalizing taste of the book! How can readers find you on the Internet?

http://www.lindawindsor.com/

Thank you, Linda, for this special time with us.
 
Readers, here's a link to the book. By using the link when you order you help support this blog.














Leave a comment for a chance to win a free copy of the book.

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.

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Linda Windsor - FOR PETE'S SAKE - Free Book

We're welcoming Linda Windsor back to the blog with her latest - For Pete's Sake. I read this book a little while ago and LOVED it!!

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

I keep being tugged back to historicals. And not just any historicals, but those that reveal the witness of the first century Christians in Britain. The historical information and this witness, which I discovered while researching my Fires of Gleannmara Irish Celtic series, helped bring my daughter back to Christ after she’d been stalked and assaulted in college, turned against God in anger, and became involved in Wicca. There is such a need for Christians to possess the historical knowledge of the church and what it was up against, knowledge beyond Scripture (which modern unbelievers too often discount in its entirety) in order to effectively witness to family and friends who are into New Age.

At some point, I may even write a nonfiction book- this mother’s journey and what I learned that finally reached my lost daughter. Or simply a nonfiction compilation of historical data that, combined with Scripture, will enable us to witness more effectively. God’s still working on me with regards to these. I’ll know when the time is right.

Of course I say all this, while hopefully keeping my contemporary readers in books too. But that’s God’s decision.

I've loved your historicals, too, so bring them on. Tell us a little about your family.

I have the most wonderful family in the world! When Jim died, I was blessed that my adult son and daughter were still at home. Blessed, but worried. I wanted my thirty-somethings to have someone special like I had.

January of this year, my daughter was married. Make that: she FINALLY got married. Her wedding date floated from September 2007 to January 2008. I should write a book. WEDDINGS ON THE GO :-). And with her marriage, I got instant grandchildren—a little boy (5) and a little girl (7). They are the cutest, most intelligent, charming children ever! And that’s my unbiased opinion.

Their father is saved and even going into youth ministry, at the least. Perhaps more. So, am I blessed? You bet. God has brought my baby the long way back home since she strayed in her early college years.

And now my son has someone special in his life. God does answer prayer. He simply hasn’t synchronized His watch to mine :-). My mom lives with me and is a joy. We have ups and downs with health, but all in all, it’s a hands-down blessing. And a year ago, an old friend of mine and Jim’s, re-entered my life. He is a good friend and companion. It remains to be seen where that will go, but for now, that is enough.

Of course, my mom, comic that she is, said with all this nonsense going on, she’s wondering if she should go on the pill. She thinks it’s in the water. LOL! And people wonder where I get my wacky sense of humor.

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

Boy, has it! I am so much more particular about what I read now because…SIGH…I start to edit it. And because I am so busy with nonfiction research and writing improvement books, time to read for pleasure comes last. So I have developed a rule of thumb. If said book will keep me on my elliptical for my full workout or more, I’ll finish it. Hey, it kills two birds with one stone. Time is of essence here. :-)

What are you working on right now?

I am working on the proposal for books 3 and 4 of my Piper Cove Chronicles. SWEET NOTHINS is shy Jan’s story. A girl with low self-esteem, who always wants the kind of guy she shouldn’t have, finally gets her head on straight and throws off the yoke of humiliation and verbal abuse—all the while dodging thugs who…don’t want to give it away :-). Readers will cheer for this insecure girl gone wild, once she discovers her worthiness in God’s eye.

Lastly will come sassy Sue Ann’s turnaround in MERCY ME! This bosom buddy is based on Designing Women’s Suzanne—self-centered, outrageous, money-obsessed, but with a big heart that hurts big too. Especially when she finds out her late husband left her his three kids by another woman. Thank goodness there’s a youth minister to help this bad girl put things into a constructive perspective and maybe put her broken heart back together.

I can hardly wait for these two to come out. What outside interests do you have?

I have a music ministry. Music is still an integral part of my life, even though my partner has passed on. I can still hear his harmony when I sing. Music is what brought us together in the first place. I saw this movie called August Rush on a recent plane trip and it speaks volumes of the bond music can have between people. And Liz Curtis Higgs’ fourth Scottish highland book, Grace in Thine Eyes touched me deeply for this same reason. Liz got it so right, even if one of the characters got it so wrong in other ways. Music melds souls. It soothes mine. On St. Patty’s Day, I had friends over and we sang Irish ballads to our hearts’ content.

Yesterday, I spoke writing at a church gathering and sang about the perfect romantic hero—Jesus. He was courageous enough to stand for what He believed in. He was willing to die for those He loved. He had a soft spot for children. He wasn’t afraid to show emotion, to cry before men. He loved me when I wasn’t loveable. He always put me first, even when I was stealing His glory, thinking I’d done something on my own and not acknowledging that I was nothing without Him. Now that’s my kind of hero. I sang "Wind Beneath My Wings" to Him.

How do you choose your settings for each book?

I have no idea. I think they choose me. I usually come up with a conflict first and then find a setting to suit it. It might be somewhere I’ve been, or somewhere I’d like to learn more about. Take Ireland. I researched Ireland backwards and forwards to write the Fires of Gleanmara. A few weeks ago, my dream to go there and see the place where it all that happened came true. And it was everything I’d written and imagined.

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

My goodness, I hate this question. There are just too many to pick one. I’ll pick St. Patrick. No, wait! St. Columba. No, St. Brendan. (Now SEE what you’ve started?) Face it, all of these guys were really unique individuals. Not quite your garden-variety saints. Their human flaws endear them to me.

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

That there were organizations that helped new writers learn the ropes. I stumbled my way into getting published. I made mistakes and received far more rejections than I needed to because I didn’t know any better. I thought everyone wanted a ten-pound manuscript instead of a one-ounce query/synopsis.

I wish I’d known to watch out for allowing my writing to become my god, ahead of my church and family. Keep your priorities in order. They WILL start to wag you, you keyboard-pecking pups! And the sad thing is, you won’t even see it coming, unless you are looking for it.

What new lessons is the Lord teaching you right now?

Aside from re-prioritize, re-prioritize, re-prioritize? I suppose the main one is WWJD when it comes to my time. My mom won’t be here forever. My grandchildren will grow up. So take time to smell the roses…and the stink of their black Lab pup. Lead that church small group. And if I do, God will enable me to write twice as much in half the time. I swear! It never fails.

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

See questions eight and nine. Join ACFW. Enter contests for the feedback. Then take that advice only as you are led to accept it, since it is subjective. And the old standby: Read, read, read.

And with the American Christian Fiction Writers national conference coming up in September in Minneapolis, now would be a good time to join and be a part of that--especially the book signing in the Mall of America. Go to www.ACFW.com

Tell us about the featured book.

FOR PETE’S SAKE started out to be about a tomboy willing to risk her heart and a makeover by her bosom buddies for the sake of a troubled child. (There’s a lot of me in Ellen—tomboy, Pied Piper with kids, but a horse instead of a Harley.) She’d waited on love and this felt like the real deal, but how can she compete with a femme fatale, even if Ellen were so inclined? Enter faith, friends and a matchmaking mom.

Then there’s the hero’s conflict. He’s angry at God over the loss of his wife, estranged from his son by business, and now is engaged to the wrong woman for the right reason. He owes his associate much of his success and his son needs a mother. The partner is gorgeous and aggressive like him. But he just can’t get that Harley-riding neighbor of his out of his mind.
And his son is a new person around her. Pete son is like my son. He has Aspergers Syndrome, a condition which can take the most beautiful, sensitive heart and hide it behind low frustration levels masked as anger and other anti-social behavior. It is a parent’s blessing—these kids are usually highly intelligent and incredibly loving—and nightmare. A parent knows the real child and it hurts that others too often perceive this child as an insensitive jerk.

Then came a surprise for this author—facing a major career change during midlife, not only for my heroine, but for the hero too. They both take time to (here comes that word again) re-prioritize their lives. Didn’t see that one coming. God did—not only for my plot, but for the lives of my characters as well. Only He can equip us for such a major change. It’s called a leap of faith.

How can readers find you on the Internet?

Stop by www.LindaWindsor.com and sign up for my newsletter, which comes out only when I have something to say, as opposed to a regular basis. What can I say? I’m a spontaneous sort. And definitely enter my contests for signed books and other goodies.

But the main reason to stop by is to read my apology regarding two editorial slips in WEDDING BELL BLUES, the prequel to FOR PETE’S SAKE. Some readers may not have noticed, but if I have offended even one person, that is one too many.

Lena, thank you so much for this opportunity to chat with your readers. Your generosity of sharing your readership is such a blessing to all of us inspirational writers. His Spirit truly shines in you and your wonderful writing.

May His blessings surround you always,
Linda Windsor

And thank you, Linda. It's always a pleasure to have you. I can't wait to see you in person in September.

Readers, you REALLY want to get a copy of this book. Leave a comment for a chance to win one, but if you don't win, go out and buy one. It's a wonderful read.