A HEARTBEAT AWAY - S Dionne Moore - One Free Book

Here's another of my friends with her newest novel. Welcome, Sandra. Tell us how much of yourself you write into your characters.

I think a little of me slips into most of my characters. It’s a subconscious thing. Writing male characters is especially difficult because I’m constantly reminding myself to think more like a man. For male characters, I can always rely on my husband as a good role model and have even asked him, “How would you handle this?” “What would be your reaction?”

What is the quirkiest thing you have ever done?

Chinese fire drill. Midnight. Three of us in the middle of Phoenix, Arizona. We laughed so hard. It rates up there next to the singing at the top of my lungs, windows rolled down, wind in my hair. . .yeah, you’ve done it too, admit it!

The singing? Yes. The Chinese fire drill at midnight? No. When did you first discover that you were a writer?

As a teen, I composed a book, scene by scene, in my head every night. I guess that’s when I first realized my penchant for plotting, but I was never one to write it down until much later. It took me a long time to realize the value of *finishing* a book. I learned so much going in that process, but just putting those two words “The End” down on paper--er, screen, was immensely gratifying.

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

A wide range, really. I enjoy research, so nonfiction books abound in my house. I love mystery, good romantic suspense, some contemporary (really, very few), and historical romance of almost any type and in most time periods.

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

Never claimed to be sane. I have my moments, and most of them wild fluctuations between running around like a woman a-fire, or lulls of inactivity with no scheduled appointments when I can enjoy a book or get some writing done.

More recently, I’ve found how annoying it is to receive texts. My iMac chirps, my iPhone bleeps, and my iPad whistles, all at the same time, so I have made hard and fast friends with Do Not Disturb.

How do you choose your characters’ names?

Certain names are more common in one location than they are another, so I look first to my setting, then pay attention to the last names of the people from that time period. It’s a little easier with first names and I generally just pick something I like.

What is the accomplishment that you are most proud of?

Raising a daughter who loves the Lord and is learning, daily, how to be more for Him.

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

A dog, specifically a little dog, because if it’s anything like our little guy, it’s a fun life with nary a care in the world.

What is your favorite food?

Chocolate. Dark chocolate. Yum!

I am so with you on that. What is the problem with writing that was your greatest roadblock, and how did you overcome it?

POV (point of view). I never could figure out what people meant when they’d mark my manuscript and tell me I was out of POV. Then I had a kind man explain it to me and the lightbulb flickered to a full glow.

Tell us about the featured book.

A Heartbeat Away is the story of a young woman who rediscovers her faith with the help of a secret message in a quilt her mother gifted her.

Please give us the first page of the book.

September 14, 1862

Battle of South Mountain

Joe opened his eyes to darkness. A shadow moved against the semi-blackness of a window and his senses screamed the warning. He jerked, gasped at the jolt of pain, and fell back. His heart pounded with fear at his weakness as his mind struggled to place where he was. Ben? Where was he? They had stayed close to each other. Too close. Ben had blamed himself when Joe had taken the minie ball in his shoulder. Joe heard his own voice as if from a great distance; his explanation to ease Ben’s guilt; “We’re in a war, what do you expect?”

            He blinked as a vision of Ben flashed through his pounding head. He massaged his forehead, felt a hand on his shoulder and swung to his left, rolling to avoid the contact. He fell into nothingness, slammed into the floor. Pain took his breath.

            “Joe!”

            Through the waves of nausea he realized one thing, the voice was soft. Feminine. When the hands touched his shoulder, his face, he felt the softness in the fingertips, reminding him of home and gentler times.

            “You’re in a springhouse on our farm,” the voice rushed to explain. “You were injured.”

How can readers find you on the Internet?

Depending on what you enjoy, you can find me:

Website: http://www.sdionnemoore.com

Google+: http://plus.google.com/sdionnemoore

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/sdionnemoore

Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/sdionnemoore

Twitter: @sdionnemoore

Scoop.it: http://www.scoop.it/u/s-dionne-moore  

The Borrowed Book: http://www.theborrowedbook.blogspot.com

Cozy Mystery Magazine:  http://www.cozymysterymagazine.blogspot.com

Thank you, Sandra, for sharing a little of your life and your new book with us today.

Readers, here are links to the book. By using one when you order, you help support this blog.
A Heartbeat Away: Quilts of Love Series - paperback
A Heartbeat Away: Quilts of Love Series - Kindle


Leave a comment for a chance to win a free copy of the book. Please tell us where you live, at least the state or territory. (Comments containing links may be subject to removal by blog owner.)

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

The only notification you’ll receive is the winner post on this blog. So be sure to check back a week from Saturday to see if you won. You will have 4 weeks from the posting of the winners to claim your book.

If you’re reading this on Google +, Feedblitz, Facebook, Linkedin, or Amazon, please come to the blog to leave your comment if you want to be included in the drawing. Here’s a link.
Http://lenanelsondooley.blogspot.com

Three Cozy Mysteries - S Dionne Moore - Three Free Ebooks

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

In May 2013 my newest historical romance releases, A Heartbeat Away, from Abingdon Press’s Quilts of Love series. This one takes place in Sharpsburg, MD during the Battle of Antietam. Meanwhile, my three cozy mysteries have released this spring for .99 cents each on all platforms through Smashwords, and on Amazon for Kindle.

I’ll scheduled your Abingdon book on this blog if you like. Has your writing changed your reading habits? If so, how?

It has! I’m amazed how hard it is for me to sit down and enjoy a book now. I’ve become very selective in the books that I read and often find my attention drifts far too easily when I am able to predict what will happen next. And then there’s that whole internal editor thing. . .

What are you working on right now?

Vacation! Actually, it’s a working vacation since when I’m not writing I’m usually marketing or working on my Website or articles for interviews (ahem!). But I am also enjoying the time that I have to myself without a deadline looming. My next big project is probably going to be reconfiguring my Website. But the funny thing is, I keep procrastinating. . .

What outside interests do you have?

I love to walk outside and I’ve developed an interest in photography. I also very much enjoy helping younger writers find their confidence. But my very favorite thing to do is to go places with my daughter. We have so much fun together!

How do you choose your settings for each book?

For me, setting needs to add something to the story, enhance it. I want readers to learn something by reading my historical romances, mainly because I loved learning about new places when I used to devour them as a teen.

I enjoy history, so nothing pleases me more than to find a little-known fact in history and to dig a little deeper. For example, we visited Johnstown, Pennsylvania, years ago and I tried to think of one book I had read that had used the horrific Johnstown flood of 1889 as a backdrop. I decided I wanted to do more research on the subject and the more I delved into the fascinating accounts of that fateful day, the more I wanted to use it as a natural conflict within a story. Promise of Tomorrow was born! Promise of Yesterday came about when I discovered a little known fact about a Confederate captain riding through the town of Greencastle upon his retreat from Gettysburg. That fact became the backstory for my main character.

Cozy mysteries were a little more tricky. Since the characters are the main draw for most cozy mystery lovers, I tried to keep the setting rather tame, and it was also the first time I used a fictional town--Maple Gap, Colorado. Normally I rely on authentic maps for my historical romances, so it was fun to be able map out my very own town and name the businesses. 

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

I think the one thing I most wish I’d know was that writing really IS rewriting, and that by rewriting you are making your manuscript better and stronger. I can’t tell you how many times I labored over the first three chapters of a manuscript before I finally decided I needed to finish the thing. Then came the process of editing it, which I did over and over and over. . . But I learned so much from that experience and didn’t realize it at the time, but with every rewrite I was incorporating something I had learned into the story to make it better. Hindsight is indeed 20/20.

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

Don’t be afraid to learn, whether it be about writing or research. You can push far beyond your comfort zone and live to tell about it! And, as I’ve already touched on, writing is rewriting. Don’t be afraid to hack away useless phrases or delete entire pages or start over--every time you make a change to the story you are getting that much closer to making it shine!

Tell us about the featured series.

In Murder on the Old Bunions LaTisha Barnhart is experiencing Empty Nest Syndrome after seven kids, she has decided to pursue her degree, but when her former employer turns up dead and the finger of accusation turns her way, LaTisha decides it’s time to take action and put her education to work.

The series continues in Polly Dent Loses Grip. LaTisha and Hardy are moving his mother-in-law into an assisted living facility when one of the residents takes a fatal fall from a treadmill that’s ruled an accident. It’s up to LaTisha to find the culprit when the director initially refuses to get the police involved.

Your Goose is Cooked finishes up the trilogy as LaTisha’s hired cook overhears a man hiring a hitman to take out the mayor. When she is almost struck by a driver wearing a wig, LaTisha knows time is running out, and if she doesn’t catch the crook, her goose just might get cooked.

Please give us the first of book one.

Something about the Out of Time antique store didn’t feel quite right that Tuesday afternoon. The rattle of that annoying bell Marion Peters insisted on hanging over the front door combined with the shock of cool air against my hot skin and managed to fry all my circuits and make me feel a little crazy. Kind of like the days when my kids each used to demand all my attention at once.

“Mercy, Marion,” I reached up to still the clattering noisemaker and called down the narrow building toward the soda fountain Marion used as a counter, at the back of the store. “When you goin’ to bless us all by removing this thing?”

No one answered. Strange, that. Silence is not one of Marion’s virtues. Come to think of it, her Virtue list is pretty short, if you get my meaning. And no one enters Marion’s store without her verbally pouncing on them with news of her latest purchase of quality merchandise or her daughter Valorie’s most recent show of academic brilliance.

My sweet husband, Hardy, set the bell to rattling all over again as he heaved his plaid pants a little higher and stepped inside the shop and out of the New Mexico sunshine. He shot me a grin that sported his pride and joy—his lone front tooth, covered in gold. But the sight of his weathered black face and grizzled gray-black hair has filled my heart with contentment for going on thirty-eight years. ’Course, I don’t let him know that too often, or he’d be thinking he’s got me wrapped around his little finger.

Hardy shut the door and gazed up at the spastic bell. He reached to silence the thing, fingertips three inches shy of meeting their goal. His cocoa eyes rolled in my direction, waiting. You see, Hardy’s as short as I am tall.

I reached up to squelch the bell and patted him on the head, not bothering to hide my smile. “Where’d you disappear to? I looked all around the library for you, then gave up and came here.”

Hardy’s grin didn’t dim. “Went to Payton’s to talk music. He tried to sell me a book on playing the banjo.”

“You don’t play the banjo.”

“Yup. Where’s Marion?”

“How am I supposed to know? I just got here myself.” Reaching around Hardy’s slender form, I opened the door wide enough to set the bell to making noise and slammed it hard. We both cocked our ears toward the room for any sound to indicate Marion’s arrival.

Hardy guffawed. “Never thought I’d enter a place owned by Marion Peters and not hear her mouth flapping.”

I sailed past the old Broadwood concert grand piano that took up one side of the room and peered into one of the two boxes of books I’d purchased earlier in the day. Marion had grudgingly agreed to let me leave the boxes until I could fetch Hardy to haul them for me. “I suppose we can just take this box and go. Wonder where the other one is?” Where was that woman? “Marion!”

“Lot o’ wind in them lungs for an old woman.”

“You better shut your trap, Hardy Barnhart. Years of yelling after you has given me my lung capacity. Marion!”

Hardy’s eyes twinkled. “She’s giving you the silent treatment. I figure she’s still mad at you for—”

“You hush.”

“Marion can hold a powerful grudge.”

His words came to me through the filter of my own warring thoughts. Something wasn’t right. I could feel it. Marion never left the store without flipping the sign from OPEN to CLOSED. And forgetful she’s not. Ask anyone who has ever done her wrong. I glanced back at the door. The sign definitely said OPEN.

“You go ahead and load this box into the car, I’m gonna look for the other one.”

Hardy shuffled forward. “You paid for them?”

I sent him a healthy dose of the look I made legendary with my children. “Of course.”

He held his hands up, palms out. “Just askin’. If LaTisha Barnhart is thinking of starting a life of crime, I want to make sure I get cut in on the loot.”

This man. He makes me crazy. I glanced down the length of him and smirked. “Got your drawers hitched too high again, don’t you? I can always tell—you start spouting crazy things.”

“Yeah, like the day I said, ‘I do.’ ”

“That’s not what you said. You said, ‘Yes, ma’am.’ ”

I peeked into the box. The old books, covers frayed and worn, were neatly stacked, and definitely the ones I’d purchased. I motioned to Hardy and he lifted the box to his shoulder. I turned and mentally itemized the merchandise in the store. Having worked at Out of Time until my youngest left for college last fall, I knew exactly where everything should be. A few dustless outlines proved recent sales had helped boost Marion’s receipts, but other than that things looked normal. And why shouldn’t they be?

The store didn’t hold much. A huge oak bookcase, a mahogany secretary, and a cherry dining room set, took up most of the twenty-one-foot length. Thanks to her going-out-of-business sale, Marion’s overpriced stock now sported tags well within the price range of Maple Gap folk. The store’s impending closing had surprised many of the citizens. Everyone figured Marion’s elite clientele of wealthy collectors both here in tourist-laden New Mexico and across the United States would keep Out of Time a thriving landmark for many years.

So much for that thought.

The scent of old books and dust hung heavy in the air. A draft of cold air raised shiver bumps on my arms. I stilled myself, turned, and studied everything again, forcing deep, calming breaths. Something was eluding me. Whatever stirred my senses to high alert seemed to be strongest at the counter. I returned there and sucked in another breath. And that’s when I caught it. A certain strange scent. What was that odor?

 How can readers find you on the Internet?

Various places:

Website: http://www.sdionnemoore.com

Blog: http://www.theborrowedbook.blogspot.com  

Cozy Mystery Magazine: http://www.cozymysterymagazine.blogspot.com

Twitter: @sdionnemoore
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/sdionnemoore

Thank you, Sandra, for introducing us to your cozy mysteries.


Readers, l

eave a comment for a chance to win a free copy of one of the books. Please tell us where you live, at least the state or territory. (Comments containing links may be subject to removal by blog owner.)

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

The only notification you’ll receive is the winner post on this blog. So be sure to check back a week from Saturday to see if you won. You will have 4 weeks from the posting of the winners to claim your book.

If you’re reading this on Feedblitz, Facebook, or Amazon, please come to the blog to leave your comment if you want to be included in the drawing. Here’s a link.
Http://lenanelsondooley.blogspot.com

Author S. Dionne Moore - POLLY DENT LOSES GRIP - Free Book

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

Cozies are fun! I like that I can combine humor--I love to laugh--with one of my favorite genres, mysteries. Though I will admit, writing a mystery requires very, very careful planning and plotting.

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

The day I got married was the happiest day. Wait. No. The day I brought my daughter home from NICU after 75 days was the happiest. No, hold up. The day I got my contract was the happiest. Hm, I have too many happy days to narrow the list. (What a blessing!)

That's the truth. How has being published changed your life?

One word: deadlines. Writing for pleasure is a luxury. Writing because you have to can bring on some serious stress. It's both a blessing to be published and a strain.

What are you reading right now?

Look Me In The Eye: My Life with Asperger's, by John Elder Robison.

What is your current work in progress?

Right now I'm finishing up my third LaTisha Barnhart Mystery, Your Goose Is Cooked.

What would be your dream vacation?

A cruise to the Mediterranean. Are you offering?

I'd rather cruise the Hawaiian Islands. How do you choose your settings for each book?

I ran in to a believability problem writing the LaTisha Barnhart Mystery series. I had a problem thinking that LaTisha's small town of Maple Gap, a quiet town, would suddenly produce three murders in about two years time. I remedied this by switching the venue of the second book, releasing now, to a couple of towns over from Maple Gap. Though LaTisha is still star, the murder happens happens at an Assisted Living facility while she is working with Hardy to settle her MIL into her new home.

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

My husband. Dinner for two. A fire in the fireplace. He makes me happy.

What are your hobbies, besides writing and reading?

Writing is supposed to be a hobby? Okay, well, yeah, but it's also work. :) I love to play the piano and sing. I also enjoy working in the garden and will get the chance to indulge that passion as I work on landscaping our new home this spring. Yippee!!

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

I'm a minimalist writer. Dialogue comes fast and easy for me, so I inevitably come in under word count then I go back and layer in setting and body language. Writing mysteries, I also use this opportunity to tweak clues and make sure red herrings are well established.

What advice would you give to a beginning author?

Learn to accept criticism. Stop coddling your writing and acting like an overprotective mother when the least bit of criticism is given, no matter the tone in which it is given. You'll be amazed at how much you aren't learning when you keep rejecting critiques because they aren't given in the right tone, or the person didn't say anything nice. If you want nice all the time, you're in the wrong field.

Tell us about the featured book?

Polly Dent Loses Grip is the second book in the LaTisha Barnhart Mystery series. Polly Dent takes a fatal spill on a treadmill that is ruled an accident. LaTisha Barnhart's scars (from her surgically removed bunions) tell her something's afoot. The residents’ gossip is revealing all kinds of motives for murder. Gertrude Herrman is out looking for love in the form of Thomas Philcher’s fat wallet, and Polly’s fall eliminates her competition once and for all. Otis Payne, the venerable director of Bridgeton Towers, is over a barrel when his wife demands cash, or she’ll carry on without him. Mitzi Mullins’s penchant for rhyme puts her in direct line as perpetrator of the crime, and Sue Mie’s mistake seals Polly’s fate.

How can readers find you on the Internet?

I'm running a contest right now (and always have one running) to celebrate the release of Polly Dent Loses Grip. You can find me at www.sdionnemoore.com

Thank you, Sandra. I enjoyed our time together.

Readers, leave a comment for a chance to win a free copy of the book. Don't forget to check back a week from Saturday to see if you won. You might be surprised.

Author S. Dionne Moore - MURDER ON THE OL' BUNIONS - Free Book

Today, we're talking about another good summer read--a cozy mystery from this debut author.

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

It’s hard to say. I really try to give each of my characters their own flaws and strengths, personality and tone. LaTisha Barnhart, lead character for my cozy mystery series, is like me in many small ways. However, the main model for LaTisha is one of my really good AA friends.

The way people interact fascinates me, and the study of personalities has helped me to form the characters as unique individuals. Actually, It’s great fun to create characters. Like playing Sims on paper-er, screen.

What is the quirkiest thing you have ever done?

Write a book with a title like Murder on the Ol’ Bunions!

When did you first discover that you were a writer?

Definitely when I was in High School writing love poems to my current crush. I hope he’s forgotten them by now. I’ve avoided reunions for all these years because of those poems.

Seriously, I’ve written on and off most of my life, but my daughters premature birth, and the pain and grief of watching her struggle to do the things most parents of newborns take for granted, prompted me to pour my heart onto paper. I posted it on my Geocities Website and an editor putting together a book about premature babies read it, loved it, and asked to feature it in Living Miracles: Stories of Hope from Parents of Premature Babies, St. Martin’s Press.

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

Who says I’m sane?

How do you choose your characters’ names?

Punny you should ask. Most of the names I use are puns. Bad puns, probably, but I love ‘em and it’s part of the fun for me. We writers must amuse ourselves somehow.

So, I take a character’s basic personality and try to match a name. In Polly Dent Loses Grip, book 2 of the LaTisha Barnhart Mystery series, Gertrude Herrman is a man chaser, so this last name is my attempt of showing that. Payton O’Mahney in book one is a less obvious pun. Pay-ton O-mahney. He’s a music store owner who sells high-end European pianos for which you will pay a ton of money. :-)

What is the accomplishment that you are most proud of?

Sorry to disappoint, but it’s not writing related. I’d have to say that teaching my daughter to walk on Lofstrand crutches is the moment that stands out in my mind. She was probably four years old and she kept falling. She was scared. I was too. Dying a little bit everytime she fell. But she got the hang of it and overcame her fear. We celebrated with a chocolate milkshake.

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

A dinosaur. And Since I turn 40 this year, I’m halfway there!

I hate to think what that makes me. What is your favorite food?

Salad. Yogurt. Spinach. They do great things for my compost pile.

Tell us a little about your journey to publication.

After "The Preemie Experience" was published in Living Miracles, I joined ACRW (member #64!). I wanted to write something bigger and I loved historicals. I learned so much about writing through ACRW, becoming an active member in many aspects. I’ve been Webmaster, the Noble Theme contest coordinator, Zone Director for the MidAtlantic. I have attended every conference, except for the one in 2007.

Anyhow, when I retired from coordinating the Noble Theme contest, I entered it myself (though they changed the name to Genesis) in 2006, sending a proposal to Susan Downs and the required pages to the Genesis. I finaled in the first round! I e-mailed Susan the good news and she offered me a contract about two weeks later.

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

I kept hearing people say write what you love to read. For some reason, for me, that equated to writing historicals. Then an agent pointed out that I wrote great spunky, mature female characters. It was a lightbulb moment when I realized I could use this character in a contemporary setting, surround it with mystery, sprinkle it with humor and write a different genre. I was just in time, too, since Barbour was acquiring for cozy mysteries.

What advice would you give to others who are trying to get their first book published?

Get tough or get out. It sounds overly harsh, but expecting a glowing review of your manuscript every time someone reads it is not going to gain you any ground in the writing world, and the reality will ultimately crush you.

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

I’m running a Most Beautiful Bunion contest! Seriously. Check it out at www.sdionnemoore.com. The winner receives and autographed copy of the book and some other goodies. I’ll also be doing a blog tour on Christian Fiction Blog Alliance (http://christianfictionblogalliance.com/) with Bonnie Calhoun October 22-24, 2008, and a chat and a workshop with Anne McDonald (www.dancingword.com) October 11, 2008 and October 16, 2008. There are a few other things running too, but the bottom line is you will be seeing and hearing lots from me. Grab some caffeine to stay awake!

Sandra, thanks for spending this time with us.

Readers, check out her websites, but before you go, leave a comment for a chance to win a free copy of the book.

And if you haven't heard about the Heartsong Mystery line, check out this web site:

www.heartsongmysteries.com