THE LOWBORN LADY - Peggy Trotter - One Free Book

Welcome back, Peggy. What are some of the spiritual themes you like to write about? My favorite theme is taking rejected, abandoned, or forgotten characters on a journey to find their worth in Christ. I feel that a lot of people, myself included, get wrapped up in their own emotions of failure, faults, or past mistakes and can’t see, can’t comprehend how God could love them as they are. Just the other day I found a long-forgotten note in an old Bible which reminded me how finding worth in Christ is a lifelong battle.

On it were some interesting verses. Psalms 94:18 said, “When I said, ‘My foot is slipping,’ your unfailing love, Lord, supported me.” (NIV) I could picture myself climbing a mountain, my hands outstretched, my foot sliding from the tiniest crevice, and feeling that stomach-dropping fear that I would fall into the yawning valley below. Clearly, that verse I’d saved from long ago still fits me. Only now, I invent characters whose feet have slipped from beneath them, and they must strain toward God’s promises, believe his word, live his word.

What other books of yours are coming out soon? The Lowborn Lady is the second of a series, the Society of Outcasts. The Misfit Bride was the first and the third will come out on June 1st, called The Spellbound Schoolmarm. And, here’s a little exclusive secret. The next series is Up from the Miry Clay about former trollops who find their new identities in Christ.

I’ll want to feature each of those books, too. 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 spend a night with my old Pastor’s wife, Donna Miller who passed away some years ago. She will live on in my memory as the kindest most supportive woman I have ever met. Having a night in her living room, laughing over the shenanigans of my children (once, my daughter, as a toddler, sprayed the pastor with a water hose!) It would be wonderful to ask her advice and bathe in her gentle, loving presence. I’m positive she would be my biggest fan.

What historical person would you like to meet (besides Jesus) and why? King David. I am most interested in the stories that show how he had incredible wisdom. (Perhaps not with Bathsheba, but we’re all human.) But the story of how his best fighting men broke through battle lines and brought him fresh water from his favorite spring near the gate of Bethlehem. Then, because of the valor and bravery of the men risking their lives, David poured the water out on the ground to God.

When I read this I remember thinking, man, I would have guzzled down that water! Hot, thirsty, bound in battle and his men thought that much of him? To risk their very lives? But he didn’t. He valued God above his needs, his tremendous thirst and desire. Or the many times he refused to eliminate King Saul, even though he’d tried to kill David over and over. That’s a nobleness that not many have.

How can you encourage authors who have been receiving only rejections from publishers? My favorite saying is: A successful author is one who did not quit. Are rejections hard? Yes, horribly so. Is writing difficult? Yes, among the most difficult professions there are. But there are also varying definitions of “success.” And sometimes along the way, we discover a talent we didn’t even know we had. I’ve seen writers become successful bloggers, reviewers, devotion writers, journal creators and more. The thing is to keep learning, keep seeking, keep trusting in God’s guidance. Firmly believe and implement Proverbs 3:6 “In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct Thy paths.” (KJV) Rejected, budding authors, take a breath (and maybe a few days of clarity), look for the good advice, reject the bad, and repeat to yourself, God’s got this! Even if success doesn’t look like what we thought.

Tell us about the featured book. It takes a former character, a very irredeemable character and mixes in deep dark secrets and a very dangerous mission! Here’s the blurb: Rhapsody Hastings finds herself in the arms of a ruffian, Cavanaugh Blackledge, when her carriage breaks down on a dark country road. Wedding him stills the scandal of their late-night tryst while soothing the guilt she holds of her first husband’s untimely death. So, she accepts the arrangement as her own personal penance. Yet, an unexpected mission wakens her dead heart despite the fact that a high society lady shouldn’t be involved with such…dangerous illegal conspiracies.

Using his new marriage to shield his clandestine operations proves to be an unanticipated godsend for Cav. And how could he not appreciate the fetching Rhapsody’s presence, creating the perfect buffer when he must face his former true love, now his smug brother’s wife.

But their artificial life turns ugly when information surfaces, putting both Rhapsody’s and Cav’s covert efforts in jeopardy. Secrets reveal even more scandalous secrets, and the skeleton discovered in Rhapsody’s closet may not only undo her, it may make them both very dead.

Please give us the first page of the book.

Remember ladies. Grace…at all costs.

Miss Bickle’s finishing school mantra berated Rhapsody Hasting’s brain while the hand of her dead husband weighed on her shoulder. Rhapsody tightened her grip on the armchair to repress the instinctual recoil. Surely the woman who’d dispensed such wisdom had never—never sat for a mourning portrait.

“Mrs. Hastings, please move your head a bit to the right. And here,” the brown tweed-coated man appeared from beneath a black sheet shielding the back of the camera, “if you could reach up with your right hand and lay it over his.”

Rhapsody shifted her chin slightly, bringing her husband’s pale rigor mortis fingers into her peripheral vision. Nothing gleaned from Miss Bickle’s Ladies’ Etiquette and Finishing School had prepared her for this. Mindful of the twitch that tended to pulsate below her left eye, Rhapsody tensed her jaw. Miss Bickle intruded into her thoughts again.

A true lady never reveals any distress or disappointment. Your countenance remains unimpassioned, imprisoning all the uncouth, lowly desires of the commoner. Miss Lennox, still that tic near your eye. Miss Bickle would snap her waspish figure to attention in front of Rhapsody, making sure the terrible malady had been controlled. Always remember, Ladies. You are to be graceful, elegant, and refined. Sacrificing everything for dignity.

Yes, Miss Bickle. All girls had promptly replied in low, controlled tones. Too loud and one earned a wooden spoon to the head.

Reality pressed the fog of childhood away. The brown tweed coat approached her. The best photographer in the city, she’d been told. His downtown, spacious office perched near the Ohio River amongst the thriving businesses of New Albany, Indiana, catered to the elite of the city, both here and in Louisville. The man had the latest and best equipment money could buy in 1853. But that did not stop him from grasping Rhapsody’s wrist most unwelcomely.

“If you could just clasp this area of your husband’s hand, it would make such a…fine picture.”

In other words, make the dead appear alive.

Wow. How can readers find you on the Internet?

Oh, lands. So. Many. Places.

peggytrotter.com

peggytrotter.blogspot.com

diamondsinfiction.blogspot.com

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/Peggy_Trotter

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

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13778873.Peggy_Trotter

Amazon Author’s Profile Page:  amazon.com/author/peggytrotter.com

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

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

LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/peggy-trotter-44a29b95/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13778873.Peggy_Trotter

BookBub:  https://www.bookbub.com/authors/peggy-trotter

MeWe:  mewe.com/i/peggytrotter

Parler:  https://parler.com/profile/PeggyTrotterAuthor

Usa.life: https://usa.life/PeggyTrotterAuthor

Gab:  https://gab.com/PeggyTrotterAuthor

Thank you, Peggy, for sharing this book with my blog readers and me. I’m eager to read it.

Readers, here’s a link to the book.

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=The+Lowborn+Lady&ref=nb_sb_noss

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, 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 MISFIT BRIDE - Peggy Trotter - One Free Book

Welcome back, Peggy. It's a pleasure to have you on my blog again. God has really been moving in your writing life. What do you see on the horizon? He has! I’ve been blessed with being able to work as a writer almost full-time for the last three years, and I am so grateful for the time to write. Right now, I have two more books coming out in this series, Society of Outcasts. The Misfit Bride released June 1st. The second, The Lowborn Lady will release on 12/1/21. Then, the last in the series The Spellbound Schoolmarm will release on 6/1/22. But I already have another series started, so I’ll be working on that next.

I’ll want to feature each of these books, and the next series, on the blog if you want me to. Tell us a little about your family. I married my college sweetheart, and we will soon be celebrating our 37th anniversary! I call him my Batman, because he truly rescues me on a daily basis. He is an amazing, patient, humble man, and without him, I wouldn’t be able to do what I do. Plus, he’s the basis for all my loveable male characters. I have two children who are now grown and are raising kids of their own. I will soon have my fourth grandchild, yahoo! Grands are the best. We are a very closeknit family, small but mighty in the Lord.

James and I have been married almost 57 years, and we now have eight great-grands. They are wonderful, too. Has your writing changed your reading habits? If so, how? Actually, yes. As much as I love historical fiction, writing in it and reading in it for many years, I find that I need to venture into other genres. Sometimes, I find myself growing cynical of the writing and the story lines, and I love the genre too much to do that. So, I have started reading in the biography line, the YA section, and I’ve even dabbled into fantasy. Doing that gives me a bit of a break, and I’m ready to come back to what I love.

I read a lot of different genres, too, all Christian. What are you working on right now? I am actually working on the second book in a new series. But I am also editing two others, which will come out before this new series is even finished.

What outside interests do you have? I’m a DIY nut. I am always dreaming up something that needs repainted, refurbed, or re-done. Which is good because I live in a 100-year-old house. I just re-did some wallpaper. I also am a bit of a hobby junkie. I’ve done crocheting, knitting, painting (on canvas), beading, latch hooking, sewing, building, crafting, stain-glass windows, lettering signs, etc. But my favorite is crocheting and crafting. My father once said, if you can find a book on it, you can do it. I’ve taken that to heart. And with the internet, nothing is off the table, haha. Trailing after my grandchildren’s sports activities has also become a bit of a career.

How do you choose your settings for each book? A lot of times I write about places I’ve been. But sometimes I use a place visited via an online map. Usually, a historical map, but not always.

If you could spend an evening with one historical person, who would it be and why? Abraham Lincoln. He is fascinating to me. I’ve read quite a bit about him, and I would like to meet him and delve into his personality and his steadfast trust in God.

What is the one thing you wish you had known before you started writing novels? I wish I had known how it changes the way I enjoy a novel. It’s probably the one thing I really miss. It’s so hard to shift into total enjoyment of a book now. My writer’s brain is usually noting the sentence structure, the editing, the story progression, etc. I miss being oblivious to all the writing aspects and just loving being in the story.

Yes, it takes a fantastic story to shut off my editing side when I read. What new lessons is the Lord teaching you right now? He is teaching me to enjoy the place I’m in. I’ve always been a person that told myself when I accomplish XYZ, I’ll be happy. When I manage to complete the XYZ, it will get better. When I earn XYZ, all will fall into place. And the truth is, XYZ never fully happens. There is always something more I’m striving for, to the point that I sometimes miss the now. I love the now. And I want to fully embrace it and be present to enjoy God’s blessings.

What are the three best things you can tell other authors to do to be successful? It’s not about sales/popularity. It’s about writing your story. The Lord impresses each author with a special assignment and where it goes is up to Him.

Always be teachable. There’s always something new to learn. Some of these concepts will fall to the side. They are not for you. But some make you grow. They make your writing better, fuller, sharper.

Someone else’s writing journey is not yours. Although you may wish to clone their trail, you have your own path to blaze. And it may just lead to a place you least thought you’d go.

Those are very good things for every author to learn. Tell us about the featured book. The Misfit Bride is just as the title indicates. It’s 1853 in southern Indiana, and Cora is an out-of-place misfit. She’s an abnormally tall tomboy who’s already reached her nineteenth birthday. And, as the local gossips love to tell it, totally unmarriageable. Her father persuades an older man to court her. After all, he needs a mother for his five children. But Cora yearns to find a love match. And that’s where the trouble begins. Here’s the blurb:

Zero. That’s how many suitors Cora “Too Tall” Taggart’s entertained in her nineteen years. That is, until her father corrals a man nearly twice her age needing a mother for his children. However, Cora’s heart aches to find true love with a man who would embrace all of her misfit qualities.

When Trigg Gentry discovers Cora in a back alley, using his horse as her own personal writing desk, sparks fly between them. While he searches for his runaway sister, Trigg crosses paths once again with Cora on a steamer bound for St. Louis, and neither Trigg nor Cora can deny their blossoming relationship.

But Trigg’s unexpected exit from Cora’s debutante cotillion comes under suspicion. The guests’ jewelry is missing, and he’s linked to a murder case. Cora fears these accusations will make it impossible to avoid her father’s arranged marriage. And to make matters worse, her heart belongs to the man now pegged as a criminal. How can Cora convince her father that Trigg isn’t involved in either crime when all the proof points straight at him?

Sounds like a wonderful read. Please give us the first page of the book.

It was exhausting being a mannequin head. And painful to boot.

Cora Taggart’s bent back ached, her chin digging into the wirework dressmaker’s form. Adjusting her bonnet, she glanced back. Bolts of cloth spewed from various cubbyholes. Why hadn’t she crouched behind those shelves? Poor choice slipping through the curtain into the window display. Yet there’d been no time to search for a better spot. She froze, unblinking, as two ladies breezed past the window.

“Ill-bred little thing.” Widow woman Pearl Dixon’s voice drifted from the counter. And then a sniff. “Only not little. Overly tallish is more the truth. Miss Too-Tall Taggart nearly steps on most of the men folk.”

Cora clenched. Too-Tall Taggart. Holy tarnation, she hated that moniker.

“Och, Pearl, ’tis not kind what ye say. What a bonny lass she is,” Miss McGarlee’s Irish Quaker voice interrupted. Oh, the spunk of the woman defending her touched Cora’s heart. “Crocheted the scarf in ma window with its fancy stitch, she did.”

Cora’s gaze shifted to the wooden milliner’s head below her. That very scarf lay nestled around the dummy’s neck. The mental image of the ginger-haired spinster gesturing toward the window forced a whispered plea. Please don’t let them draw the curtain aside.

Parting with the soft yellow scarf had wrenched her heart a bit. Being nineteen, she had to earn some sort of wage. And there weren’t many opportunities in New Albany, Indiana, to do so. In these modern times of 1853, earning her own spending money proved difficult. But the scarf would bring a good price.

She sucked in a deep lungful of air tinged with fresh linen and something like the underside of her four-poster bed. Her throat tickled, and she struggled not to cough. Thankfully, no footsteps approached. Perhaps she’d avoided disaster.

The widow snorted. “Bonny? Cheeky is what I’ve overheard, walking around muttering to herself.”

Cheeky? The muttering, maybe, but cheeky?

Eyeing more passing shoppers, Cora stilled. Once safe, she mouthed a verse in silent cadence. “Love your neighbor as yourself. Love your neighbor as yourself.” She let her eyes slide closed and then whispered an addendum, “Even when you want to poke them with a finely sharpened stick.”

How can readers find you on the Internet?

Almost everywhere! But here are my links. I love to connect with readers!

peggytrotter.com

peggytrotter.blogspot.com

diamondsinfiction.blogspot.com

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/Peggy_Trotter

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

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13778873.Peggy_Trotter

Amazon Author’s Profile Page:  amazon.com/author/peggytrotter.com

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

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

LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/peggy-trotter-44a29b95/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13778873.Peggy_Trotter

BookBub:  https://www.bookbub.com/authors/peggy-trotter

MeWe:  mewe.com/i/peggytrotter

Parler:  https://parler.com/profile/PeggyTrotterAuthor

Usa.life: https://usa.life/PeggyTrotterAuthor

Gab: https://gab.com/PeggyTrotterAuthor

Thank you, Peggy, for sharing this new book with my blog readers and me. I know they are as eager to read it as I am.

Readers, here are links to the book.

https://amzn.to/3wfxMp3 - Paperback

https://amzn.to/3vd1Sb9 - 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, 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

REVIVING JULES - Peggy Trotter - One Free Book

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

I write both Contemporary and Historical Romance. Sometimes even with a dash of suspense! But always, always, Romance! I guess I just want things to work out for everyone, the simple happily-ever-after.

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

When I married my husband, of course. We’ve been together for 31 years and he is literally my best friend.

How has being published changed your life?

Well, I now know what sleep deprivation is, lol. It’s the completion of a dream that started a very long time ago. It verifies that God does give us the desires of our heart.

What are you reading right now?

Believe it or not, it’s Margie Lawson’s Empowering Character’s Emotions. A writer always strives to be better.

What is your current work in progress?

Stormi is my work in progress. It’s a contemporary romance about a woman who is learning a complete new way of life after becoming a Christian. She came from the wild side, and now she wants her life to count for more than rainbow hair and numbering the studs piercing her face. She ends up marrying a man who didn’t exactly graduate at the top of his class to assuage her guilt when he falls in love with her. And his brother’s family? Not so happy about the arrangement. And with lots of fun narcissistic people thrown in, just to stir up the pot.

What would be your dream vacation?

I would love to not just vacation, but live on the beach. To be able to step out onto a balcony and listen to the waves is surely the stuff where most writing dreams begin.

How do you choose your settings for each book?

Usually it is a place I’ve been, but not always. Sometimes it depends on what will happen in the book. Like my current project has the hero as a fisherman. So the setting is on the Atlantic coast.

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

Ahhhh. Easy. My husband. Always him. Do you wonder why I’m such a romance lover?

What are your hobbies, besides writing and reading?

I have tons! But my current obsession is DIY projects. I just refinished a dresser and a chest. It originally was walnut stained, but the pine was very dingy and dinged after 25 years. So, I sanded and painted it white with a mahogany top and affixed new hardware. They look great! But I also like—knitting, crocheting, beading, painting, crafts, cross-stitch, sewing, playing the piano and guitar, landscaping, woodworking gardening—Whew! I thinks that’s all. With winter coming on, I’ll be ready to crochet and knit hats!

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

Probably fatigue at this point. I have a full-time job, and I just fit in writing when I can. Otherwise, I work myself into situation where nothing I do is really top notch. Thankfully, I have my summers off, so that becomes my intense writing time.

What advice would you give to a beginning author?

Study the craft and don’t give up.

Tell us about the featured book.

Reviving Jules is a Contemporary Romance about a woman at the end of her rope. One horrible nightmare after another happens until she runs like Jonah to try to escape the pain. The problems is she shuts out God, who is the very one who could restore her.

Rhett Carsen vows never to marry again. He redoubles his efforts to raise his motherless daughter alone, but runs into trouble when work sends him traveling. His daughter instantly bonds with the newcomer in the neighborhood, Jules Summers, who in turn, assists him in caring for his daughter. She seems like the answer to his prayers, an instant live-in nanny. Yet, why does she captivate his every thought?

They work together as a team to care for Rhett’s child. But is, “practicality” the only thing God has planned for these two? Or could there be a whole lot more?

Please give us the first page of the book.

The house completely sucked. Which made it perfect.

Jules Summers breathed in the stale air of the vacant living room, her gaze flitting from the water-stained wooden floors to the white walls riddled with nail holes. A large black spider suspended in a cloud of an intricate web drew her eye to the upper corner near the ceiling.

Yes, perfect.

The realtor beamed, flipped her bobbed hair, and pushed the ill-fitted door shut. “Well, I know you’re interested in renting only, but I give everyone the same tour, just in case you change your mind.”

Jules released a pent up breath and kept her face expressionless. The slender woman in the navy pantsuit continued as if Jules had gushed with interest. The realtor approached and pressed a fact sheet into her fingers before gesturing to the expanse before them.

“The open concept here of the living/dining areas is quite convenient for entertaining. The wood floor is original and would be gorgeous if one took a little time to resurface it.”

Jules ignored her and walked to the left where the sunlight streamed through the double glass doors facing the backyard. The woman continued to talk, referring to her property hot sheet. Amy? Was that her name? Jules sighed and glanced at the paper she held. Did it matter?

“Built in 1951, it’s a classic jewel—solid. There’re plenty of cabinets, and all a person needs is a fresh coat of paint to perk them right up. They’re charming, really. Retro, even. The appliances stay.” She tapped a silver monstrosity sandwiched between bottom cabinets. “I think this oven might be a collector’s item. Irreplaceable. Now, if you’ll step down the hall with me, you’ll see the two bedrooms.”

“I’ll take it.” The woman froze in mid-step and shot her a glance. “I’m sorry?” Jules shifted her weight and pushed her empty hand into her jeans’ pocket.

“When can I move in?”

Amy’s eyebrows lifted before her lips stretched into a small smile, and she nodded toward the back of the house.

“Wouldn’t you like to check out the bedrooms first?”

“No.”

Sounds interesting. How can readers find you on the Internet?

My website: peggytrotter.com

Blog: diamondsinfiction.blogspot.com

Personal blog: http://peggytrotter.blogspot.com/

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Peggy_Trotter

Google: https://plus.google.com/u/0/114013524674058453981/posts

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

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/pub/peggy-trotter/95/29b/44a

Amazon: http://amzn.com/B00UZ78ZUA

Prism Book Group: http://www.prismbookgroup.com/Inspired.html

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25294770-year-of-jubilee

Amazon Author’s Profile Page: http://www.amazon.com/Peggy-

Thank you, Peggy, for sharing this new book with me and my readers.

Readers, here’s a link to the book. By using it when you order, you help support this blog.

Reviving Jules

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 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

YEAR OF JUBILEE - Peggy Trotter - One Free book

Dear Readers, it’s always a thrill to present a debut novelist to you.

Bio: Peggy Trotter is a small town Hoosier native who teaches 1st and 2nd grade at a small Christian School and writes Christian Romance in her spare time. God blessed her with a wonderful husband who cooks and helps clean while supporting her crazy dreams. She has two incredible grown kids, one fabulous son-in-law, and two rays of sunshine, commonly called grandchildren.

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

A lot! Sometimes I cry, if the scene gets really emotional. I’m such a hodgepodge of personalities, LOL, that I can write from several different angles. So, I’d say every one of my characters has more than a sliver of me.

What is the quirkiest thing you have ever done?

I decided I wanted a deck built between my house and garage. So, I researched it, planned it, and built it myself. I’m pretty good with power tools. After that I’d say, hanging a drop ceiling in Honduras! J

I love Central America. When I went on a mission trip to Guatemala, I was a clown making balloon animals for the children. When did you first discover that you were a writer?

This will sound weird, but I think I knew around the age of six. I came in third in a class writing contest. That tugging desire to write never left me, and I wrote many, many things over the years, poems, programs, verses, but the romance stories haunted me every night when I laid my head down, like a repetitive movie. Once I finally get the story written down, it disappears!

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

As a child, I loved the classics, Black Beauty, King of the Wind, (and most anything by Marguerite Henry!), Charlotte’s Web. As I grew, I became a bit more eclectic. I loved researching history, but I also enjoyed Stephen King. I finally stopped reading horror when I began to be afraid to be alone in a house. Seriously, true!

In my adult life, mostly I was fascinated with discovering Christian romance with Lori Wick, B.J. Hoff, Gilbert Morris, and a million more since. I definitely enjoyed all of Bodie Thoene’s series as well, not to mention Tim Lahaye and Jerry B. Jenkins’ Left behind series. And there has been ton more! So overall, I say I love Christian fiction, but most of all Christian Romance.

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

Sometimes I don’t!!! J I think my main survival kit is sticking with the basics. God, family, friends. All the other stuff is wonderful and such a blessings, but I try to keep my head focused on the most important picture. Jesus Christ. Not to say I don’t have my freak-out moments, shhhh, but that’s the goal anyway. My husband is a great help in this area. He’s very calm and wise which offsets my need to be constantly over busy.

How do you choose your characters’ names?

I like unusual names. So I pick names that are both unusual and beautiful to me. But they must fit the character. I also tend to pick names from my genealogy chart, or cemetery records. (Snort) Yes, really. Especially if I’m writing a historical.

What is the accomplishment that you are most proud of?

Raising both my children to adulthood and seeing them grow in Christ. When I held my first child, I felt God’s calling to make sure I equip my children to serve Him for the rest of their lives.

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

A horse. As a young girl, I read any book I could get my hands on that included a horse. They are so beautiful, independent, and strong. All qualities I’d love to possess.

What is your favorite food?

Simple easy. Pizza. Yum!

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

I’d say the greatest one is discouragement. It’s everywhere. And when it’s not outside of your psyche, it’s inside! And that seems to be the most intimidating one. Fighting your own sense of inadequacy, and the devil—he ain’t no dummy. He grabs what pulls you down and pumps it for all it’s worth.

Tell us about the featured book.

I’d be thrilled to!!! My debut novel is Year of Jubilee, a Historical Christian Romance based in southern Indiana in 1850. Here’s the back cover blurb:

Orphaned and widowed, eighteen-year-old JUBILEE STALLINGS clings to her southern Indiana farm as her only refuge. The wilds of Gibson County are just being tamed in the year of 1850, and Jubilee ekes a meager existence. But when RAFE TANNER, a cousin of her abusive dead husband, shows up with the deed to her property, Jubilee’s dream of her own home dissolves.

Rafe, stinging from his ex-fiancée’s rejection, offers a business marriage, throwing him and Jubilee together in an effort to make the farm successful. But scars from the past keep her in constant fear of her new husband. The pair masquerades as a love-struck couple at Rafe’s family farm, enduring the romantic notions of his family and the jealousy of his ex-fiancée.

Once home, Rafe realizes his newfound love for Jubilee, and sets out to court her. Meanwhile, Jubilee fights demons from her past as her husband reveals his interest. Can Jubilee let go of her distrust and pain to embrace God’s plan of true love and finally find a place to belong?

I know it doesn’t present as a storyline with a lot of humor, but there are several scenes of humorous misunderstandings throughout the book.

Please give us the first page of the book.

Okay! But be prepared. The first scene is a doozy!

Jubilee Stallings’ forehead collided with the wall. Stars flashed behind her closed lids. She lay completely still. Her face heated and her body ached, yet she dared not move.

“You’re worthless.” Her husband’s slurred voice continued.

She heard his footsteps stagger across the floorboards.

“You’re nuttin’ but a dog, and…and…a piece…of dung.”

The floorboards thundered as his body hit the floor. Scraping sounds emitted from the other side of the room.

“I…oughta…”

He continued mumbling unintelligibly. Jubilee pressed her bruised brow against the icy wood of the wall and prayed. Fresh tears wet her face. Please fall asleep. Almost on command Colvin gave a snore. Jubilee continued to lie immobile, although now that the initial rush of adrenaline had worn off, the frigid air made her naked body want to shake. She clenched her teeth and fought against her body’s urge. Snores filled the air.

She pushed to a sitting position and eyed the straw mattress where Colvin had sprawled. Moving as cautiously as a newborn colt, she crawled to her dress by the door. She pulled it on as a set of shivers ripped through her body. With her sweater in hand, she crept to the fireplace. Only dying embers remained, but Jubilee couldn’t risk adding another log. Her teeth chattered as she tucked her feet beneath her skirt and pulled up the ragged cardigan to ward off the chill.

She grimaced as she rubbed the swelling on her neck where he’d choked her. The moonlight broke through the clouds, highlighting the marks scratched into the wall near stone mantel. She’d carved the last one this morning, December 30, 1849. More than a full year had come and gone since she’d begun marking. Tomorrow would be her second birthday in this house. Once again tears threatened. She’d be eighteen.

You’re right about the page. I’m eager to read the rest of the book. How can readers find you on the Internet?

You can always catch me at peggytrotter.com, but I’m also a feature writer on my group blog, diamondsinfiction.blogspot.com. Here are some of my other favorite places to hang out: https://www.facebook.com/PeggyTrotterAuthor

https://twitter.com/peggy_trotter

https://www.pinterest.com/pegtrotter/.

Thanks for having me on your blog! I truly appreciate it!

Peggy, the pleasure is all mine. I can’t wait until my book arrives so I can read it.

Readers, here are links to the book. By using one when you order, you help support this blog.
Year of Jubilee - paperback
Year of Jubilee - Kindle

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