LOVE, LIES, AND HOMEMADE PIES - Sally Bayless - One Free Book

Welcome back, Sally. Tell us about your salvation experience.

I accepted Jesus as my personal savior and was baptized when I was twelve. I had been raised in the church, but I think one of the strongest influences leading to my decision was the example of a Christian friend my age, who was facing health issues. Her calm faith really struck home and helped me see that I personally needed Jesus.

You’re planning a writing retreat where you can only have four other authors. Who would they be and why?

What a fun thing to consider! I would invite Susan Anne Mason, Tammy Doherty, and Emily C. Reynolds, all of whom write Christian romance and have been my critique partners. I know they would have great ideas if I got stuck on a plot problem and that we would have a blast! I would also invite my friend Mary, who I met in an online writing group focused on goal-setting. During the past year, after finding her faith more and more important, she has decided to switch from another genre to writing Christian fiction. I would enjoy getting to know her better, and I think she would get a lot out of time with fellow Christian fiction writers.

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

I’m sorry to say that I’m not a public speaker. Two years ago, after years of working with children’s Sunday school, I felt called to lead a women’s Sunday school class. That was a big leap for me as far as talking in front of people. It’s been very rewarding, though, and I’ve found that God has equipped me, so who knows where I’ll be one day!

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

Oh, I’ve done many embarrassing things in my life. The most interesting, I think, happened about 25 years ago when I was at my friend Tammy’s house one evening. (I will pause here to assure you there was absolutely no alcohol involved.) We were sitting outside on her back porch when we saw these three lights spinning around in a circle in the sky. We thought and thought and thought and could not come up with a single idea of what they might be. I got the brilliant idea to call the small local airport. I mean, we didn’t really think it was aliens, but all the same, we sort of felt like we ought to ask.

So I called.

The guy on the other end of the line tried hard not to laugh at me. Eventually he pulled himself together and explained that those lights were coming from a car dealer who pointed big spotlights up into the sky and that the light was bouncing off the bottom of the clouds, not coming from an alien spaceship up above.

O—kay then! Not. Aliens.

I sounded like the biggest fool ever. How did I handle it? Tammy and I laughed about it for years.

I love it! 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?

If someone tells me that they’d like to write a book, I always say “Go for it!” If you want to write fiction, I recommend Plot and Structure by James Scott Bell as a great introductory book on the craft of writing. If you want to write non-fiction, I recommend starting with blog posts by Joanna Penn. And no matter what you want to write, I recommend that you try to write every day. At first, aim for 100 words a day—no matter what—and see what happens!

Tell us about the featured book.

Love, Lies, and Homemade Pie is a brand-new release! It’s a contemporary Christian romance and is the prequel to my Abundance Series. It’s set in a small Missouri town in 1980. The back cover copy is:

When a woman who’s keeping secrets falls for a journalist who’s digging for the truth, does the attraction between them stand a chance?

Cara Smith has a whole new life planned—a new name, a new look, and a new hometown in Abundance, Missouri. If she can just avoid questions from that intriguing guy at the newspaper, no one will ever find out about her past.

Will Hamlin, editor of the local paper, can’t help but wonder about the mayor’s new secretary. She’s clearly hiding something—something that could be the big story the newspaper desperately needs to stay afloat. But after Will’s initial inquiries fail to turn up anything, he grows less interested in Cara’s past and more interested in winning her heart with slices of pie and stolen kisses.

When a crime is uncovered at city hall just as Will unearths Cara’s dark secret, the repercussions shatter their romance. Has Cara really left her past behind? Can Will finally find a way to save the paper? And can they each place their trust in God and together find freedom in the truth and overcome the obstacles to their love?

I’ve loved your other books. I’m eager to read this one. Please give us the first page of the book.

Monday, Aug. 4, 1980

Fear can really do a person in.

Oh, a little caution—the kind that makes a driver keep both eyes on the road—is a good thing.

But too much fear can ruin a person’s life.

And starting today, at age twenty-seven, Cara Smith was building a new life, trying to put fear behind her and become the person she wanted to be.

Driving along the rural Missouri highway, she passed a sign for Abundance—the town where she’d chosen to begin that new life—and she attempted to push the pesky tickle of fear away. Then she took another look, noticing a green Lincoln Continental sprawled on the edge of the road.

A woman in a red business suit stood by the raised hood of the vehicle, waving her arms.

The smart thing to do, the cautious thing to do, since Cara was traveling alone, was to stop at the next gas station and ask the attendant to call the highway patrol.

But something about the woman radiated small-town propriety. Slightly frazzled small-town propriety, but propriety nonetheless. And she had two little kids in her backseat.

Cara eased her foot onto the brake. Being smart and cautious was one thing. Being downright unhelpful was another. Besides, wasn’t her new life all about being brave? She pulled her white Volare onto the shoulder and turned off the engine.

How can readers find you on the Internet?

I have a website and I’m on Facebook, Twitter, and (more and more) Pinterest!

http://www.sallybayless.com/

https://www.facebook.com/authorsallybayless/

https://twitter.com/sally_bayless

https://www.pinterest.com/sally_bayless/boards/

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

Readers, here’s a link to the book.

Love, Lies, and Homemade Pie: An Abundance Series Prequel (The Abundance Series)  - Paperback
Love, Lies, and Homemade Pie: An Abundance Series Prequel (The Abundance Series Book 0) - Kindle

Leave a comment for a chance to win a free copy of the book. You must follow these instructions to be in the drawing. Please tell us where you live, at least the state or territory or country if outside North America. (Comments containing links may be subject to removal by blog owner.)

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

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

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

Http://lenanelsondooley.blogspot.com

LOVE AND ROSES - Sally Bayless - One Free Book

Welcome back, Sally. What are some of the spiritual themes you like to write about?

I most enjoy writing about the themes of forgiveness, grace, and the immensity of God’s love.

What other books of yours are coming out soon?

Next up for me is a prequel to the Abundance series, a novella that will be available only to subscribers to my newsletter. This story is about the parents of Abby, the main character of Love and Roses and is set in 1980. I’m having a grand time doing research to fill in the blanks of what I remember of the time period, way back when I was in high school. After that, I’ll be starting the next book in the modern-day Abundance series, which will be about Kristin, Abby’s younger sister.

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 meet Beth Moore. I have learned so much from her Bible studies, and she seems like such a delightful person.

I love Beth Moore, too. Did you know she’s written a novel? I featured it on my blog when it came out. What historical person would you like to meet (besides Jesus) and why?

Please sign me up for tea with Jane Austen! I want to hear all about how she wrote her books.

How can you encourage authors who have been receiving only rejections from publishers?

My advice would be that you should listen to any suggestions, address them as best you can, and keep trying. Even though receiving a rejection is painful, many times an editor is giving you solid gold in his or her comments. Keep in mind, though, that editors are only people, and that they may be focused on what will work best for their line. I wouldn’t rip a story completely apart without seeking another opinion. 

I so agree with you. Fairly early in my writing career, I received what I considered a rejection. I cried, then put that story away. Two or three years later, I came across that letter and reread it. I realized I’d missed a good opportunity by not reading it more carefully and following the suggestions. Tell us about the featured book.

Love and Roses is a contemporary Christian romance novel. Here’s the description from the back cover:

Can new love bloom amid the roots of pain and loss?

Young widow Abby Kincaid treasures the past, both the antiques she sells in her shop and the tender memories of her late husband. When she learns that her hometown plans to sell historic Rose Park, a place central to her marriage, she vows to stop the sale.

Nate Redmond, a former Manhattan lawyer, is eager for a fresh start in small-town Missouri. With his extensive background, arranging the sale of outdated Rose Park for retail development looks easy, the perfect way to help the town fund the larger recreational space it needs. His role in the deal might even impress Abby, the pretty new neighbor he feels so drawn to.

But as Nate and Abby clash over the park, more serious obstacles threaten their relationship. Mistakes that Nate had hoped to forget continue to haunt him. Abby comes face to face with her failure to forgive. And how can Nate compete with the memory of a decorated war hero?

When the park battle brings on a crisis, can they each find the courage to believe in a God of second chances and a future where their love can grow?

Please give us the first page of the book.

Nate Redmond edged the big black mutt out of the way, set the bag from the veterinarian on the landing at the top of the stairs, and dug into his pocket for the key to his new apartment.

The landlady had said the place over the florist shop was adequate, but nothing top of the line. Not a problem. He didn’t need top of the line.

What he needed was a fresh start.

Hopefully he could find it here in the little town of Abundance, Missouri, while working for Uncle Al at his law firm, Redmond and Associates.

Nate turned the key in the lock, and the dog nosed the door open and trotted inside.

“Making yourself right at home, aren’t you?” Nate brought in the bag from the vet.

A wall of hot air heavy with humidity and ripe with the smell of fresh paint and unwashed dog surrounded him.

The first step of moving in had to be to turn on the air conditioning.

Only there wasn’t air conditioning, not even a window unit, which the landlady had neglected to mention. All she’d talked about was how the place had just been painted.

Granted, the paint was new, the walls a creamy white. Everything else—from the ugly brown carpeting to the outdated plumbing—looked as if it had been around since the 1940s. Back when HVAC meant a radiator and an oscillating fan.

On the plus side, though, the lease had been fine with pets.

Nate took the bowls he’d bought at the vet out of the plastic bag and gave the dog some water and a small amount of food. “Don’t give him too much too fast,” the vet had said.

Nate tried to open one of the living room windows. Stuck. He tried the other one. Also stuck. He made sure the latch was completely open and tried again.

The window didn’t budge. The less-than-fragrant air in the apartment had to be a hundred and five degrees.

He ran a hand through his hair and studied the windows. Were both frames warped?

No. They were painted shut.

He strode toward the bedroom. If those two windows were sealed shut as well—

They slid up easily.

All right, this was manageable. He shoved the bedroom windows open as far as possible and headed back to the moving van for his laptop.

Halfway down the exterior metal stairs, he paused and looked up and down the street. A bird sang in a tree that grew in a circular opening in the sidewalk. A small cluster of men in ball caps stood near a diner, apparently the place to be on the first Saturday morning in June. Here and there, a shopper strolled down the sidewalk, and outside the antique shop past the tiny alley, a woman watered two large planters of pink flowers. There were no honking cabs, no diesel fumes from buses, and—although most of the street parking was full—no throngs of people on the sidewalk. Probably normal for here. But to him it was weird. Just weird.

Nate checked his parking from all sides to make sure he was within the lines and got his laptop from the front of the moving van.

The woman at the antique shop flashed a wide, pretty smile. Her light-brown hair was pulled back in a ponytail, and her eyes were kind and unguarded. She gave him a little wave and returned her attention to her flowers. In her pale green T-shirt, jean shorts, and those little white tennis shoes like women wore fifty years ago, she looked, in all the best sense of the phrase, like the girl next door.

But not the next door he was used to.

I’m liking the opening. How can readers find you on the Internet?

Website (where readers can sign up for my newsletter): www.sallybayless.com

Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/authorsallybayless/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/sally_bayless

And the links for the book are:

Kindle: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B079RMSC5X/

Amazon Print: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1946034053/

Thank you, Sally, for sharing this book with us. I’m eager to read it, and I’m sure my readers are, too.

Readers, leave a comment for a chance to win a free copy of the book. You must follow these instructions to be in the drawing. Please tell us where you live, at least the state or territory or country if outside North America. (Comments containing links may be subject to removal by blog owner.)

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

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

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

Http://lenanelsondooley.blogspot.com

CHRISTMAS IN ABUNDANCE - Sally Bayless - One Free Print or Ebook (Winner's Choice)

Dear Readers, I love Sally’s writing. I featured her first full-length novel earlier on the blog, so I was eager to share this Christmas novella with you. I always look forward to reading a lot of Christmas novels and novellas each year.

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

I’m excited to be releasing my second full-length novel, Love and Roses, early in 2018 and eager to begin work on my next book. I’m grateful every day for the opportunity to write, and I pray that my books may not just entertain but also bring encouragement to readers.

Be sure to contact me about the new novel when you have a pub date. I’ll want to feature it on the blog, too. Tell us a little about your family.

I’ve been happily married for 24 years. My husband and I have a son and a daughter, both in college. This is our first year as empty nesters, but we seem to be adjusting all right as long as I remember when I buy groceries that a half gallon of milk will last a week.

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

Writing has made my reading more focused and intentional. In fiction, I make sure to read widely in my genre of contemporary Christian romance, as well as in historical Christian romance. I also read British chick lit and cozy mysteries, and I intentionally read some national bestsellers each year including a little literary fiction.

Also, since I began writing Christian fiction in 2009, I have made a point to begin every writing session by reading the Bible. It gets my writing off to a good start and puts my mind in the right place.

Yes, and I pray a lot while I’m writing. God often changes things in my books. What are you working on right now?

I am doing the final polish of Love and Roses and toying with ideas for a novella.

What outside interests do you have?

I enjoy kayaking, birdwatching, swimming, BBC television, and crossword puzzles. And, of course, reading!

How do you choose your settings for each book?

All my books are set in small towns in Missouri, where I was born. I can’t imagine writing a book set in a city. I love the interconnectedness of small towns!

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

Hmmm, I bet everyone answers “Jesus.” If that answer is taken, I’ll say Agatha Christie. I love her books and I believe she helped her husband on archeological trips. I’d love to know more about her.

A new movie of Murder on the Orient Express is coming out very soon. James and I are eager to see it. What is the one thing you wish you had known before you started writing novels?

I wish I had known that even big-time authors have books where the plot isn’t quite right at first. I had no idea how much a book could be revised.

What new lessons is the Lord teaching you right now?

God is teaching me to try new things and not to limit myself. For example, I’m teaching adult Sunday School for the first time. Teaching children was no problem, but I always thought I’d be nervous teaching adults. I’m actually enjoying it!

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

Find a critique group (online perhaps?), read extensively in the genre you want to write in, and participate in NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month).

Yes. That starts today. Tell us about the featured book.

Christmas in Abundance is a contemporary Christian romance novella about a couple at odds over a holiday light display.

Fifty thousand bulbs can shed a lot of light … but will it be enough to help Kyle and Lanie see that they belong together?

Lanie Phillips has a quiet holiday planned. So quiet, in fact, that the only sounds in the house where she’s staying should be the clicks of her computer keyboard and the occasional bark from a chocolate Labrador retriever. No joyous choirs of angels, no jolly laughs from Santa, and no jingle bells—nothing to distract her from her master’s thesis or bring up painful Christmas memories.

But for the single dad who’s her closest neighbor, simple holiday decorations just won’t do. Kyle Mattox is determined to give his five-year-old daughter the best Christmas ever—one that includes an outdoor display lit with fifty thousand lights, activated in time to music shared through four giant loudspeakers.

When Lanie comes to complain that she can’t write with the lights flashing and carols blasting, Kyle realizes that—unknown to her—their circuits have crossed in the past. If he wants his daughter happy, he needs to keep that information to himself, keep the show running, and keep his distance from Lanie. 

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

The last thing Lanie Phillips needed to hear was Christmas music.

She jabbed the button of her car radio and cut off a chorus of elves singing “The Most Wonderful Time of the Year.” Wonderful? Not likely, considering she’d be spending it alone.

The wail of the wind intensified, and her headlights reflected off pellets of snow that whipped across her line of sight. She pulled her wool scarf higher around her neck. Even with the car’s heat on high, the cold seeped in. She squinted through the squall of white, wishing for some indication that she was nearing the Mattox place. Finding her way down the county roads outside her hometown of Abundance, Missouri, was bad enough in the dark without adding a snowstorm into the mix.

Around the next bend, a small sign barely stuck out over the snow. “You’re almost to the Mattox house!” it read.

How can readers find you on the Internet?

My website is www.sallybayless.com. Readers can find excerpts from all my books there, can email me, and can sign up for my newsletter and my street team. Newsletter subscribers are the first to learn when I release a new book.

I’m on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/authorsallybayless/. Facebook is my favorite social media, so I check it often.

I’m also on Pinterest at https://www.pinterest.com/sally_bayless/ and Twitter at

https://twitter.com/sally_bayless.

Sally, thank you for sharing this Christmas novella with us. I know my blog readers are eager to read it.

Readers, here are links to the book.

Christmas in Abundance: A Novella (The Abundance Series)
Christmas in Abundance: A Novella

Leave a comment for a chance to win a free copy of the book. You must follow these instructions to be in the drawing. Please tell us where you live, at least the state or territory or country if outside North America. (Comments containing links may be subject to removal by blog owner.)

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

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

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

Http://lenanelsondooley.blogspot.com 

LOVE AND HARMONY - Sally Bayless - One Free Book

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

I write Christian fiction because I enjoy reading it and because I see my writing as a ministry. I hope that each book will encourage someone in their faith walk.

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

That has to be three-way tie between my wedding day, the day my son was born, and the day my daughter was born.

How has being published changed your life?

Being published is wonderful because it lets me get feedback from readers. I’m especially grateful to readers who leave reviews and to my wonderful street team members, who read my books before they are published and help promote them. (Information about joining my street team is available on my website.)

What are you reading right now?

I’m reading A Year of Weddings Collection. It’s twelve contemporary Christian romance novellas, one for each month. I’m currently in A June Bride by Marybeth Whalen.

What is your current work in progress?

I’m working on Book 2 in The Abundance Series, which features Abby, the widowed antique-store owner who appeared in both Books 1 and 1.5, Love at Sunset Lake and Love and Harmony.

What would be your dream vacation?

Any warm beach by the ocean. I love seeing and listening to the waves.

How do you choose your settings for each book?

My books are all set in small towns because I’m a small-town girl. The current series is set in Missouri, where I grew up. I’m in the early stages of planning a series that will take place in Appalachian Ohio, where I now live.

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

I guess it would sound really sappy to say my husband, since I spend almost every evening with him, but he’s the person who first came to mind. Hmm, next choice…Beth Moore. I love her Bible studies and her spunk.

What are your hobbies, besides writing and reading?

I like birdwatching, kayaking, swimming, baking, shoe shopping, and watching BBC mysteries. I’ve been trying running, just a tiny bit at a time, but that one’s still up for debate.

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

My biggest obstacle is turning the messy first draft into a second draft that makes sense. I overcome it by giving myself little goals and plowing through them, checking them off one by one. There might also be some moaning and small amounts of chocolate involved.

What advice would you give to a beginning author?

Read about a hundred books in the genre you want to write. Then read more, inside and outside that genre. Read the book Plot and Structure by James Scott Bell. Join a critique group. Enter contests to get unbiased feedback. Do something like National Novel Writing Month, where you get encouragement to finish a first draft. Subscribe to Writer’s Digest, a magazine that costs about $20 a year. And know without a doubt that even multi-published, amazing authors struggle. (This was an eye-opener for me. I thought it was easy for them.)

Tell us about the featured book.

Love and Harmony is a contemporary Christian romance about the reunion of a couple that first fell in love as teenagers at church camp. The back of the book says:

The first boy she ever kissed just walked back into her life—and crashed into her plans.

She needs to redeem herself…

Music teacher Becky Hamlin is seeking harmony—both in the blended voices of her students and in her small hometown of Abundance, Missouri. But after last summer, when her bad judgment left the town vulnerable, things have felt off key. Becky hopes to make amends by holding a benefit concert for the local food pantry. If the event is a success, she might even have a shot at her dream job. And now that her former crush, Seth Williams, has moved to town, she could really have it all—a great concert to benefit the community, a more secure teaching position, and a chance at love.

He needs to prove himself…

Seth Williams has his hands full, raising his sixteen-year-old half-brother and starting a new job as an interim high school principal. When he realizes that the gorgeous local choir director is the girl he fell for at church camp years ago, he’s more determined than ever to convince the school board to make his position permanent. But the faith Seth once shared with Becky is no longer common ground.

The spark between them needs a second chance…

As the logistics of her concert cause problems with his job, will the discord make a relationship impossible or will their renewed love, along with God’s abundant grace, allow them to overcome every obstacle? 

Please give us the first page of the book.

With every new calendar year and every new school semester came a chance to begin again, to become the person you were meant to be. Or the person you once had been but somehow lost.

Yep. Seth Williams nodded. Today, January 7, was the first day of a new semester at a new high school, and it was time for Tony, his half-brother, to get back on track.

Seth was starting over as well. His new job as interim principal at Tony’s school meant big challenges, but they were challenges he was willing to face if it meant Tony might get his life straightened out. Stepping in mid-year—after the previous principal, his secretary, and the athletic director had been fired for misappropriating funds—would require flexibility, which was not Seth’s strongest suit.

How can readers find you on the Internet?

My website is www.sallybayless.com. Readers can find excerpts from all my books there, can email me, and can sign up for my newsletter and my street team. Newsletter subscribers are the first to learn when I release a new book.

I’m on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/authorsallybayless/. Facebook is my favorite social media, so I check it often.

I’m also on Pinterest at https://www.pinterest.com/sally_bayless/ and Twitter at https://twitter.com/sally_bayless.

Thank you, Sally, for sharing this book with us. I know my readers are as eager to read it as I am.

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

Love and Harmony: The Abundance Series Book 1.5 - Paperback
Love and Harmony: The Abundance Series Book 1.5 - Kindle

Leave a comment for a chance to win a free copy of the book. You must follow these instructions to be in the drawing. Please tell us where you live, at least the state or territory or country if outside North America. (Comments containing links may be subject to removal by blog owner.)

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

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

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

Http://lenanelsondooley.blogspot.com

LOVE AT SUNSET LAKE - Sally Bayless - One Free Book

Dear Readers, our author today is a debut author. I’ve read the featured book. I loved it. Sally is an author to keep an eye on. Her writing is very good and her characters own the stage.

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

Quite a bit! For instance, in Love at Sunset Lake, the main character, Tess, alphabetizes her spices, makes endless lists, and is very fond of colored gel pens. I’m guilty on all counts.

Another character in Love at Sunset Lake, Stacey, struggles with a recently purchased order of French fries and a realization that she needs to eat healthier food. Stacey, in a fit of tremendous willpower, eventually throws the French fries away uneaten. In my life, the struggle to eat healthy food is very real. I, however, would never throw away perfectly good fries.

J 

What is the quirkiest thing you have ever done?

Hmm… Lots of options here. How about the time, back before the days of Internet shopping, that a friend and I drove five hours (each way) to go to a shoe store in Pennsylvania?

When did you first discover that you were a writer?

I started writing in high school. At the time, I focused mainly on writing for the school newspaper. My first serious attempt at writing a novel was when my kids, who are now 17 and 21, were in grade school.

I was on the high school newspaper staff, too. Tell us the range of the kinds of books you enjoy reading.

I read mostly Christian romance and cozy mysteries. I also read some literary fiction, an occasional biography, some narrative nonfiction (Erik Larson), mainstream contemporary romance, some suspense (especially Dick Francis), and a wide range of mystery novels. I’m always on the lookout for a book that will make me laugh out loud, usually because of its unusual characters.

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

I’m blessed to be able to write as my fulltime job. That helps a lot! Also, with my youngest now 17 and driving, I don’t run nearly as much as I used to. I even traded in my mommyvan for a little SUV. Beyond that, the things that keep me sane are starting each day with Bible study and prayer and being able to talk things over with my very logical engineer husband.

How do you choose your characters’ names?

Oh, I struggle with this one, especially the male names! So many names that used to be male are now female. Years ago, I made a giant list of names that I liked, drawn from a name-your-baby website. I usually look there and find some that appeal. Then I look up the meanings of the names and look at data on the Social Security website, which will tell you how popular a name was in a given year. Some character names, though, just come to me.

What is the accomplishment that you are most proud of?

Raising our two children.

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

I would like to be a dolphin. I love swimming, and I could hang out in some warm, tropical ocean.

What is your favorite food?

Answering “all” would be wrong, I suppose. I’ll say it’s a tie between seedless Concord grapes (I think the variety is actually Mars) that I buy at our local farmer’s market in the fall, anything chocolate, and spaghetti and meatballs.

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

Plotting. In college I studied journalism. The plot of a news story is very straightforward. At first, the only way I could really see the three-act structure of a novel was by visualizing each book as a play. To understand plotting, I read many, many books and took several classes online and at conferences. I’m happy to say that plotting is now one of my favorite parts of writing a book.

I use a timeline of events, but not plotting. Tell us about the featured book.

Love at Sunset Lake is a contemporary Christian romance that features a small-town setting, down-to-earth characters, a touch of humor, and the healing power of God’s love.

The heroine is struggling caterer Tess Palmer, who inherits her great-aunt’s home at Sunset Lake, Missouri. She thinks she’s found the way to save her business. Selling the property can provide just the infusion of capital she needs to pay off her debts and move to a larger commercial kitchen.

The hero is wildlife painter Jack Hamlin, who lives across Sunset Lake, and wants the area kept exactly as it is—a place where waterfowl can thrive and where he can find peace and solitude to ease his troubled heart. Although he’s drawn to Tess’s honesty and beauty, he’s appalled to learn she would welcome a deal with a developer, and he vows to stop her.

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

Tess Palmer didn’t need to be perfect. She only needed to get every detail right.

Every time.

And as a special events caterer, her to-do list this Friday ran for three entire pages of details.

She stopped at a light in a pricey St. Louis suburb and glanced at the clipboard on the console of her van. For the next event, a simple surprise birthday party, she’d gone over her list so many times that the edges of the paper curled. The future of her catering business was at stake, after all.

She drove two blocks farther, passed a row of dogwoods in full bloom at the entrance to a subdivision, and parked as instructed in the client’s three-car garage, where her commercial van could be hidden from the guest of honor.

Up since five, Tess had triple-checked the food, recounted the plates, and examined every tablecloth for spots. She’d even taken more care than normal with her appearance, using a double coating of hairspray to keep her hair in a bun, dousing her white blouse with extra starch, and wearing her newest black pants. This event was going to be a success. She’d make sure of it.

How can readers find you on the Internet?

My website is www.sallybayless.com. Readers can find excerpts from all my books there, can email me, and can sign up for my newsletter and my street team. Newsletter subscribers are the first to learn when I release a new book. My street team reads books before they’re even published and helps promote them on social media.

I’m on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/authorsallybayless/. Facebook is my favorite social media, so I check it often.

I’m also on Pinterest at https://www.pinterest.com/sally_bayless/ and Twitter at https://twitter.com/sally_bayless.

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

Love at Sunset Lake: The Abundance Series Book 1 - Paperback
Love at Sunset Lake: The Abundance Series Book 1 - Kindle

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