UNRIVALED - Siri Mitchell - One Free Book Plus Much More

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

I would love to be able to give you an exciting conversion story, but the truth is that I grew up in a Christian home and came to a gradual knowledge of Christ and of his saving grace. When I was living in Paris from 1996 – 2000, I transitioned from my childhood faith to a faith I had processed and had come to possess in my own right.

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

I’d have all the writing friends I haven’t seen in forever: Lissa Halls Johnson who gave me such wonderful encouragement when I was starting out; the fabulous Ginger Garrett; my critique partner Maureen Lang; and Pepper Basham so that we could continue our conversation from the ACFW retreat back in 2010.

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

I do speak to women’s groups and writers groups, but I don’t actively pursue those opportunities. God seems to bring along just as many as I can comfortably handle. That said, I enjoy speaking and when I have the chance to address women’s groups, I like to talk about the concept of worth and God’s idea of women (exemplified by the concept of the word ‘ezer’).

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

You had to ask, didn’t you? I was haggling over the phone in French about buying an antique couch when we lived in Paris (two things I hate to do: haggle and talk on the phone to people I don’t know well). I’d written down a script for myself with key French words underlined. On the positive side, I used them all. On the negative side, I mispronounced one very important word. I meant to say, “Can you lower the price a little, Monsieur.” What actually came out was, “Can we sleep together a little for a better price, Monsieur.” There was a very shocked gasp on the other end of the phone line and then he said, “I think you’ve said something you didn’t mean to say, Madame.” How did I handle it? By hoping he’d just write me off as a stupid American…or forget about it altogether! Unfortunately, I had to take him the money we’d agreed to (…and I honestly can’t remember whether I actually got that price lowered or not…). When I showed up with my husband, he and his wife had a great laugh at my expense. What can you do? It makes a good response to a question like this one. (Most embarrassing moment? Well…there was that time when I offered myself as a prostitute…)

I had a similar event in college. This guy I had a crush on knew I was taking first-year French. We were both in Drama, and while all the cast was out sitting on the back porch of the theater, he said, “Voulez vous …” And you know what the rest of the question was. I had no idea, and I just popped off and said, “I don’t know what that means, but it sounds like fun.” Everyone in the cast burst out laughing. Now to get serious: 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? “You should do it!”

I’ll give them a list of writers’ conferences if they want one. I’ll encourage them to get involved in writers’ organizations. I’ll recommend my favorite writing books. If they ask about editors and agents, I’ll tell them we can talk about that after they finish with the actual writing. So far, no one has ever come back with a completed novel.

Tell us about the featured book.

Lucy Kendall, hoping to earn her father’s respect, is trying her best to save his candy business from being destroyed by candy giant Standard Manufacturing. After being abandoned by his own father as a child, St. Louis newcomer Charlie Clarke is determined to help his father’s Standard Manufacturing dominate the nation’s candy industry. Compromise is not an option when the prize is a father’s approval. And falling in love with a business rival is a recipe for disaster when only one company can win. Will these two star-crossed lovers ever learn that love is sweeter than candy or will they let a competition that turns less-than-friendly sour their dreams?

Please give us the first page of the book.

“Soon, soon, soon.” My thoughts kept cadence to the horses’ hooves. It was all I could do not to stare as the carriage passed the sites of my beloved St. Louis, all in their places, just as they should be. The brown brick Cave Ballroom; the tall Morgens Brothers Building with its deep bay windows; Ford Motor Company. And all the shoe and boot stores lining the district. If I looked out the other side of the carriage, I knew I would see The St. Louis Club.

An advertisement for Royal Taffy candy caught my attention. Give the Queen of Your Heart a Royal Gift. The brazen red of its oblong wrapper was echoed in the border of the poster. It was the third of its kind that I had seen on our journey down Olive Street. I wondered how many more of them had been put up around the city. And I wondered too why I hadn’t seen any for my father’s candy, Fancy Crunch.

The carriage lurched to a stop again. My, but there were so many more automobiles on the streets than there had been when I’d left for Europe. And it had only been a little over a year! Such a bother they were.

And it was so hot! I’d forgotten about Missouri’s humidity. Though it had been made in the new open style, my white silk collar was sticking to my neck and I suspected my Denmark blue blouse-waist was already damp at the back. I shifted forward on the seat as the streetcars and automobiles sailed past us, reminding me of all the ships I had seen on the Mediterranean.

Awnings shaded shop windows while men and women hurried up and down the street. How tall all the buildings were! Pride bloomed in my breast: even Europe with all her splendors had nothing to rival my native city.

I had worried that I would find my home too dull and provincial, that it would be diminished by the grandeur of all the things I had seen and the places I had visited on the Continent. To the contrary! Dear, sweet home. I wanted to embrace it all. Every piece of it. There were dozens of things I couldn’t wait to do. And there were a hundred things I wanted to tell of: eating linzer torte in Austria; hiking the glaciers in Switzerland; drinking coffee at the cafes in Italy.

Soon, soon, soon.

I’d voyaged half way around the world, but this last journey from Union Station to the house was interminable.

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

I’m on Facebook as Siri Mitchell. I’m on Pinterest as SiriMitchell and on Twitter @SiriMitchell and I would love it if readers would visit my website at http://sirimitchell.com I’ve put up some special links there to share the story behind the story.

Celebrate Unrivaled with Siri Mitchell by entering to win a Kindle Fire and joining her on April 18th for a Facebook Author Chat Party!

 
One "swooning" winner will receive:

• A Kindle Fire
• Vintage Candy Kit
• Unrivaled by Siri Mitchell (one for you and one for a friend!)

Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on April 17th. Winner will be announced at the "Unrivaled" Author Chat Facebook Party on 4/18. Connect with Siri, get a sneak peek of her next book, try your hand at a trivia contest, and chat with readers just like yourself. There will also be gift certificates, books, vintage candy kits, and more!

So grab your copy of Unrivaled and join Siri on the evening of the April 18th for a chance to connect with Siri and make some new friends. (If you haven't read the book - don't let that stop you from coming!)

Don't miss a moment of the fun, RSVP today. Tell your friends via FACEBOOK or TWITTER and increase your chances of winning. Hope to see you on the 18th!

Thank you, Siri, for sharing your life, your new book, and your extra giveaway with us.

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

Unrivaled: a novel - paperback
Unrivaled: a novel - 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

A HEART MOST WORTHY - Siri Mitchell - Free Book

I have loved all of Siri's books. Welcome, Siri. What are some of the spiritual themes you like to write about?

Most often, I’ve written about the idea that the only thing worth being is yourself and that God loves you just the way you are. We create big problems in our lives when we don’t consider ourselves worthy of accepting God’s love.

What other books of yours are coming out soon?

A Heart Most Worthy released at the beginning of March. My next book, The Messenger, will be releasing in spring of 2012.

I must feature it on my blog. If you could spend an evening with one contemporary person (not a family member of yours), who would it be and why?

Anyone on staff at Colonial Williamsburg Foundation’s Decorative Arts/Textile and Costume area. I love history and fashion and the Foundation does such an excellent job of research and documentation that it would be a dream come true to spend an evening listening to them talk about period clothing.

What historical person would you like to meet (besides Jesus) and why?

I would be thrilled to meet any of the characters from my historicals because I would love to know if I got it right. If the general lifestyle I described in my books is the lifestyle my characters would have lived.

That would be interesting. How can you encourage authors who have been receiving only rejections from publishers?

For ten years, I only received rejections and I received 153 of them. Success in this business often comes from persevering and learning from your writing mistakes. Hang in there!

That is so true. Tell us about the featured book.

A Heart Most Worthy is a story set in 1918 among a group of Italian immigrants. The best elements of Romeo and Juliet, Snow White, and The Boy Next Door collide in the teeming streets of Boston’s colorful North End. Each day Julietta, Annamaria, and Luciana enter the world of the upper class, working on gowns for the elite of society. The three beauties each long to break free of their obligations and embrace the American dream--and their chance for love. Their destinies intertwined, each harboring a secret from their families and each other, they long to be found worthy of the love they seek.

I know I'm going to love this one, too. Please give us the first page of the book.

On May 2, 1918, a short article appeared in the Boston Globe. It was only three sentences long; not an article really. Just a mention. It appeared on page twenty-four on the outside column, where most people hold on to a newspaper. I'm sure you wouldn't be very surprised to know that few people noticed it as they read the paper that morning and several people smeared jam on it as they turned the page. Only a very few read it.

* * *

COUNT BLOWN UP

Heiress Disappears

On the night of April 12, the Count of Roma was assassinated by an anarchist's bomb at his house in that eternal city. His mother, the contessa, and his daughter were not harmed in the blast, but were later found to have disappeared. The new count suggests sinister persons may be involved.

* * *

Rare was the person who consulted the Globe those days for any news other than the war. There were no tears in America to spare for luckless Italian counts and their vanished daughters; there were still too many left to shed for lost sons and wounded fathers. For the scores—the hundreds, the thousands—being killed on the battlefields of Europe every day. So it could be expected that a small article about an insignificant foreign incident, buried in the depths of the newspaper, garnered little attention.

Except that actions committed on one side of the world have a way of impacting the other. And people previously unknown to one another happen to meet all the time. In the Italian-speaking North End that day, copies of the Globe were used to wrap fish and line cupboards, while up on Beacon Hill, the newspaper was read from page to page, top to bottom. And in one particular house, the lady of that mansion sniffed as she sipped her tea and thought how it was just like an Italian to be blown up by one of his own kind.

Two of the people mentioned in the article had access to the paper that day, but the hapless heiress couldn't read English, and the sinister persons were too busy hatching evil plans to bother with a propaganda tool of the capitalists' machinations. And so the fact that there had been an assassination registered on no one in particular. And life went on just the way it usually does.

But fate has a way of laughing at human ignorance and God spins mysterious plans, and by August that Italian count's death would start to matter very much to quite a few people who had never known him at all.

Very intriguing. How can readers find you on the Internet?

I would love them to visit my page at Facebook or to look up my website at http://sirimitchell.com/ And I love to hear from readers at siri@sirimitchell.com

Thanks so much, Lena, for this opportunity to visit your blog!

I've loved having you here again, Siri.
 
Readers, here's a link to the book. By using it when you order, you help support this blog.



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


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


The only notification you’ll receive is the winner post on this blog. So be sure to check back a week from Saturday to see if you won. You will have 6 weeks from the posting of the winners to claim your book.


If you’re reading this on Feedblitz, Facebook, or Amazon, please come to the blog to leave your comment. Here’s a link.


http://lenanelsondooley.blogspot.com/

SHE WALKS IN BEAUTY - Siri Mitchell - Free Book

So glad you're back with us, Siri. God has really been moving in your writing life.

What do you see on the horizon? I see at least three more books with Bethany House Publishers. I recently signed a contract for three more historicals which will release in the spring of 2011, 2012, and 2013 respectively. The first is set in 1918 Boston, the second in 1777 Philadelphia, and the third…I’m hoping early-1800s on the coast of New England. But I’m flexible and always open for the next great inspiration!


Those sound really interesing. Tell us a little about your family.

My husband is in the Air Force, so my family has been very transient. We’ve lived in France and Japan; Florida and Colorado; California and Virginia; Alabama and Washington. I’ve always enjoyed moving, but I think I’m finally coming to the point where I’d like to just sit and stay somewhere for a while.

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

I’m reading much more non-fiction than I used to! For pleasure, I’ll always turn to novels, but I’ve had to trade away my pleasure reading for research reading.

What are you working on right now?

I’m working on my spring 2011 release. I’ve already barreled through the first draft and am currently struggling with the second draft. I have characters who need more development, plot holes that need plugging, and pacing that needs a bit of kick in the get-along!

What outside interests do you have?

Not too many. My time is limited, so I try to limit my activities. I visit the gym regularly and when it’s seasonable, I try to play golf. I also enjoy taking advantage of all the museums and historic sites that the DC-metro area has to offer.

I love gong to museums, too. How do you choose your settings for each book?

I don’t think I do. Most of the ideas I’ve been passionate about have chosen me. I seem to write best at the places where women conflict with cultural expectations.

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

I’d like to be able to sit down with my great-grandmother Hilja Matilla. She emigrated from Finland by herself as a young woman, carrying not much more than a fiddle. Apparently, she married my great-grandfather, a professional gambler, in part because he had a car. I’d love to know why she came to America and hear about her experience as a first-generation American. I’d also like some more details about that car!

My grandparents on my father's side emigrated from Scandanavian countries, so we have some interesting stories, too. What is the one thing you wish you had known before you started writing novels?

How difficult it is. How I’d have to stare Fear in the eyes every day before being able to write. Probably better that I didn’t know.

What new lessons is the Lord teaching you right now?

That the stories are His to tell. I mess them up every single time I try to take over.

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

1. Tell the story. Just like in golf, there’s a point in time where you have to forget about all the finer points of what you’re doing. Just tell the story. Forget about the hook and MRUs; outlines and character motivations. You can let the thoughts of what you’re supposed to be doing paralyze you, or you can just keep your eye on the ball and swing that club.

2. Finish the Story. The vast majority of people who begin writing a novel never finish it. Finishing it puts you way ahead in the publishing game. Even if it turns out not be saleable, you will have learned valuable lessons as a take-away.

3. Start another Story. What? You thought you were done? You can probably write an entire second novel in the time it takes to hear back from all the agents and editors you’re going to query. And writing keeps the fear and trembling at bay. Writers write. So go ahead. Get on with it!

Tell us about the featured book?

She Walks in Beauty is set in 1890s New York City in the upper levels of society during the late-Victorian era. For a young society woman seeking a favorable marriage, so much depends on her social season debut. Clara Carter has been given one goal: secure the affections of the city's most eligible bachelor. Debuting means plenty of work--there are corsets to be fitted, dances to master, manners to perfect. Her training soon pays off, however, as celebrity's spotlight turns Clara into a society-page darling.

Yet Clara soon wonders if this is the life she really wants. Especially when she learns her best friend has also set her sights on Franklin De Vries. When a man appears who seems to love her simply for who she is and gossip backlash turns ugly, Clara realizes it's not just her marriage at stake--the future of her family depends on how she plays the game.

The more research I did into corsets and late-Victorian culture, the more their problems seemed to mirror ours. Women still go to dangerous lengths to "fix" the way they look. Media still creates a celebrity-focused culture. Advertising still perpetuates unreasonable standards of beauty for women that lead to anorexia-inducing behaviors, and we still grapple with our attitudes toward and treatment of the poor. Most books about debutantes focus on the glamour of the lifestyle or the cattiness of the girls themselves. This books looks at the huge spiritual, physical, and emotional costs these girls were made to pay.

But really, in true Victorian fashion, this book has a happy, heartwarming ending and I think there are scenes that will make readers laugh and others that will touch their hearts and make them cry (happy tears only, please!).

It just moved to the top of my to-be-read pile. Please give us the first page of the book.

“Get dressed, Clara. In your visiting costume. We are going out.” My aunt’s words were at once commanding and precise. As precise as her posture: a series of ninety-degree angles, seated upon one of my bedroom chairs. She was perpendicular in the extreme. I bit the inside of my lip to hide the smile that threatened to escape.

There were far more important matters to consider than geometry. We were going out! And we never went out. We never went anywhere. Not since Aunt had moved in with us the month before. Several times I had been given permission to visit my friend Lizzie Barnes, but only in the company of Miss Miller.

Aunt rose to her feet from the chair that made a pair with my own. Their plump, pansy-embroidered seats and lilac fringe corresponded with the rest of the décor in my bedroom. Her fat, fluffy Pomeranians, displaced by her sudden movement, began barking and dancing about her feet. “Was I unclear in my diction, Clara? I meant now.”

“No.”

“What? I should not have to strain my ears to hear you.”

Indeed she shouldn’t. Her ears had a habit of standing away from her head like soup ladles, as if they were longing to be freed from her relentlessly old-fashioned coiffure, parted in the middle and drawn back into a bun. “No. You were not unclear.”

“Very well then.” She clucked at her dogs and left the room accompanied by a frenzied yipping. There were three dogs which scampered after her and they were the most hateful creatures I had ever known.

At Aunt’s departure, Miss Miller moved from the shadows of a corner to part my velvet curtains and draw down the shades on my windows.

“I don’t see why she thinks she can order me around like one of her horrid dogs! I’m not some child—I’m seventeen years old.”

Miss Miller smiled and walked toward the now-vacant chair. “She’s simply used to people doing as she bids.”

“Then she ought to have stayed where she was.”
“She’s taken an interest in your upbringing and I think it’s very kind. Especially since…well…”

“Since I have no mother.”

“I didn’t mean to make you feel...I didn’t mean to remind you. I’m sorry.” Miss Miller sat as I stood to let the maid help me undress.

I could never be upset with Miss Miller. And in any case, Mama had died so very long ago. “We’ve been doing just fine on our own, you and I.”

“But there’s your debut to consider now.”

“That’s months away.” More than a year. I was looking forward to it about as much as a mouse looks forward to being pounced upon by a cat.

How can readers find you on the Internet?

I’d be delighted if they’d visit me at http://sirimitchell.com/

Readers, here's a link to the book. By using this link when you order, you'll be helping support this blog.


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


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

The only notification you’ll receive is the winner post on this blog. So be sure to check back a week from Saturday to see if you won. You will have 6 weeks from the posting of the winners to claim your book.

If you’re reading this on Feedblitz, Facebook, or Amazon, please come to the blog to leave your comment. Here’s a link.

http://lenanelsondooley.blogspot.com/

LOVE'S PURSUIT - Siri Mitchell - Free Book

Welcome back to the blog, Siri. Why do you write the kind of books you do?

I write historicals because those are the stories that live and breathe in my imagination. I’ve always been fascinated by history and I’ve always wanted to know what life was really like for women of past generations. Writing historicals allows me to delve into the past and answer those questions!

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

It would have to be the day I married my husband, my best friend and fellow adventurer in life.

How has being published changed your life?

It’s made it a lot busier! I’ve had to learn to juggle my writing responsibilities with my responsibilities to my family…and I’ve never been a good juggler. Not even in fourth grade when we learned how to juggle scarves in PE.

What are you reading right now?

I wish I could say that I was reading a fabulous novel, but right now, I’m working on revisions for spring 2010’s release. I do have a stack of books waiting on my desk that I can’t wait to dive into. I’m experimenting with my writing, so I’m hoping that stack of books will teach me how to write from a new POV.

What is your current work in progress?

It’s my spring 2010 release, a historical set in New York City in the 1890s. When Clara Carter is told she’s to debut a year early, her social education shifts to high gear. There’s more than dance skills and manners that she’ll have to learn. There are corsets to be fitted and bosoms to be enhanced, for a girl so tall and gangly as Clara could never hope to attract a man by simply being herself. But the more enmeshed she becomes in New York City’s social scene the more she begins to wonder if this is the life she really wants. Especially when she’s pitted against her best friend for the hand of the most eligible bachelor in town. When she does manage to find a kindred soul, a man who seems to love her simply for who she is, her heart begins to assert its case. But there’s more at stake this social season than just Clara’s marriage, and the future of her family depends on how she plays the game.

It sounds interesting. We need to feature it here when it releases. What would be your dream vacation?

September and October in Paris.

How do you choose your settings for each book?

I generally start my books with the characters; they suggest their own settings. For my historicals, sometimes past events have made it necessary to place stories in particular cities or countries. In other cases, research led me to believe that the kind of characters I was writing about would most likely have been living in specific locations (i.e. immigrant populations of certain ethnicities).

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

 My best friend from college. It’s been years since I’ve seen her!

What are your hobbies, besides writing and reading?

I enjoy weight training at the gym. I like playing golf. And—I never thought I would be saying this—gardening!

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

Plotting does not come easily for me. As I plan each book, I turn to James Scott Bell’s Plot & Structure and Jeff Gerke’s How To Find Your Story. Both resources are written for the plot-impaired writer, so they’re simple to understand. Jeff’s book actually uses my strength (character development) to combat and overcome my plotting weakness.

What advice would you give to a beginning author?

Persevere. Attend writing conferences. Become familiar with the Preditors & Editors website.

Tell us about the featured book.

Love’s Pursuit is a Puritan story set in the 1640s in Massachusetts Bay Colony. Susannah Phillips stands out both for her character and beauty. She wants only a simple life but soon finds herself pursued by the town's wealthiest bachelor and by a roguish military captain sent to protect them. One is not what he seems and one is more than he seems.

In trying to discover true love's path, Susannah is helped by the most unlikely of allies, a wounded woman who lives invisible and ignored in their town. As the depth, passion, and sacrifice of love is revealed to Susannah, she begins to question the rules and regulations of her childhood faith.

The more I researched Puritan beliefs, the more I discovered just how profoundly they grappled with the interplay between grace and good works. I think the concept of God’s grace can be difficult for some people to understand…and even more difficult for some people to believe in. It seems almost too good to be true. The tragedy of the Puritan movement is that they just couldn’t bring themselves to believe that God truly loved them. In some respects, the consequence of their unwillingness to accept God’s unconditional love was their belief that if they did this thing and that thing and made sure to always follow God’s laws to the letter then God would have to save them. He would owe it to them. The concept of Assurance of Salvation was unknown to the Puritans. I hadn’t realized, before I wrote this book, just how integral that idea is to our faith. The Puritans would have given almost everything to know that God loved them – a concept that believers today take very much for granted.

Please give us the first page of the book.

"Do you never tire of being good, Susannah? Do you never think any rebellious thoughts?"

I turned my eyes from my sister and back to my work in the blueberry canes. "Aye. I do."

Mary gasped, though I detected laughter in the sound. "'Tis not possible."

"'Tis not only possible. 'Tis probable. Like this one I think right now, about you." I threw a blueberry in her direction.

She dodged it. "I shall report this harassment to the selectmen. At once!"

I looked up at her tone, for Mary was unpredictable and she might have done it just for spite. But her eyes were dancing despite her labors and the unseasonable heat. Warmth rose in my cheeks as well. But it was not the sun that scorched my flesh. It was my own conscience.

My sister's question had found a mark too close to the condition of my soul. To those in Stoneybrooke Towne, Susannah Phillips was indeed a fair and obedient girl. But I knew myself to be vastly different than the person they imagined me to be.

Aye, I did tire of being good. And I did think rebellious thoughts. Often. Especially on days like this one. I wanted nothing more than to abandon my task and plunge into the nearby brook. I longed for the luxury of one hour, one minute, that needed nothing done.

How can readers find you on the Internet?

They can find me at http://sirimitchell.com/ . Registrants of my e-newsletter are automatically entered into a monthly drawing for books and I love hearing from readers!

Thank you, Siri, for spending this time with us.

Readers, here's a link where you can order the book. If you're planning to order from Amazon, please use this link. It will help support this blog.

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


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

The only notification you’ll receive is the winner post on this blog. So be sure to check back a week from Saturday to see if you won. You will have 6 weeks from the posting of the winners to claim your book.

If you’re reading this on Feedblitz, Facebook, or Amazon, please come to the blog to leave your comment. Here’s a link.

http://lenanelsondooley.blogspot.com/

Author Siri Mitchell - A CONSTANT HEART - Free Book

I just love historicals. Today we're talking to another author of historials. Welcome, Siri. Tell us how much of yourself you write into your characters.

Increasingly, less. My first novels were "all about me" in various ways. My current novel has very little of me in it at all.

What is the quirkiest thing you have ever done?

We have a jackalope (the "trophy head" of a rabbit with antelope antlers attached). I love to incorporate it in our décor. Once we hung it on the wall in an African-themed room and told everyone that it was a rare sub-Saharan animal. Only one visitor ever realized what it was.

I've seen those in specialty shops. When did you first discover that you were a writer?

It was probably in junior high school when my history teacher told me he thought I had a future in writing. For a long time after that, I assumed that "writing" meant journalism, but it only took one course in college for me to realize that newspaper writing was not for me.

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

I love Ginger Garrett’s historicals and Claudia Mair Burney’s contemporaries. I love Laura Jensen Walker’s sense of humor and the way Christy Barritt incorporates humor into her mysteries. I’ve read all of Ellis Peters’s Brother Cadfael mysteries (set in medieval England) and nearly all of Lindsey Davis’s Didius Falco mysteries (set in ancient Rome).

What other books have you written, whether published or not?

Kissing Adrien (2005), Something Beyond the Sky (2006), The Cubicle Next Door (2006), and Moon Over Tokyo (2007) were all published by Harvest House. Cubicle was a Christy finalist for Lits. Chateau of Echoes (2005) was published by NavPress; it was also a Christy finalist. I have two non-fiction manuscripts I call French Confession and Sushi Redemption. And a terrible first novel that will never see the light of day.

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

I’m a simple person who can only do one thing well at a time. Knowing this about myself allows me to say "no" to quite a few things. I also limit my hobbies. At the moment, they’re all health oriented (weight-training, golf, tennis, etc.) My family has chosen to live close to our daily activities so we don’t have to spend hours in the car. I’ve divided my day into writing time and…non-writing time. I’m only a good juggler when I have few balls to juggle!

How do you choose your characters’ names?

For my historicals, I go back to census records and pull from the most common names of the period (for both first names and surnames). Historically, the pool of names was very small. For contemporaries, my characters usually come to me, name in hand.

What is the accomplishment that you are most proud of?

The proudest moments in my life have usually been achieved in tandem with someone else. To isolate an accomplishment I achieved on my own, I’ll have to go back to the age of 5 or 6. I spent my youngest childhood years on the East Coast where summers were spent in the swimming pool either practicing for swim team or playing with friends. At one of my first swim meets, I was scheduled to swim the anchor lap of a relay. When I jumped into the water, my team was dead last. I remember hearing people cheering as I swam. I remember thinking, "Oh no, someone’s already finished!" The cheering kept getting louder and I kept swimming faster because I didn’t want to be embarrassed. When I touched the wall I realized that those cheers had been for me and that our team had won. I had pulled off a gigantic upset!

That's wonderful--truly a thing to be proud of. If you were an animal, which one would you be, and why?

A cat. I’m not particularly fond of them (I’m a dog person), but I’d really like to be able to purr.

What is your favorite food?

A good dark chocolate mousse.

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

For the longest time, I was afraid to start querying my manuscript. I didn’t want to be rejected. And then one night, one of the members of our Bible study said, "That’s stupid – how can anyone ever buy it if you never send it out?" That cured me. And 10 years, 153 rejections, and 4 manuscripts later, I sold my first book!

What advice would you give to an author just starting out?

Write. You can do all the research you want. You can read all the books about writing that you can find. You can go to all the conferences that you have time and money to attend, but at some point, you have to just sit down and…write. In this profession, a whole lot of learning comes from doing.

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

A Constant Heart is the first of three standalone historical romance titles that will be released by Bethany House Publishers. This book is set in Queen Elizabeth's court in a world where beauty is a curse, friendship is bought and sold, and true love is the unpardonable sin. Each of the three books is set in a time period when women’s lives were endangered by the fashions they wore. The fashion element in A Constant Heart is the toxic lead-based paste the women used to paint their faces.

How can readers find you on the Internet?

I would love them to visit me at http://sirimitchell.com/

Thank you, Siri, for spending this time with us. We want to feature the other novels in this series.

Readers, for your convenience, I'm including a link to where you can order the book:

Leave a comment here on my blog website 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.