Bio: Laura V.
Hilton is an award-winning, sought-after author with almost twenty Amish,
contemporary, and historical romances. When she’s not writing, she reviews
books for her blogs, and writes devotionals for blog posts for Seriously Write
and Putting on the New.
Laura and her pastor-husband have five children and a hyper
dog named Skye. They currently live in Arkansas .
One son is in the U.S. Coast Guard. She is a pastor’s wife and homeschools her
two youngest children.
When she’s not writing, Laura enjoys reading and visiting
lighthouses and waterfalls. Her favorite season is winter, her favorite holiday
is Christmas.
Welcome back, Laura. How did you come up
with the idea for this story?
We were on vacation and visited a glassblower shop in Springfield , Missouri
If you were planning
a party with Christian authors of contemporary fiction, what six people would
you invite and why?
Susan May Warren, Liz Johnson, Colleen Coble, Denise Hunter,
Rachel Hauck, and Beth Vogt. Because they could talk and talk and have a
seriously good time and I wouldn’t have to say anything.
That would be a fun
party. I love those women, too. Now let’s do that for a party for Christian
authors of historical fiction, what six people would you invite and why?
Margaret Brownley, Mary Ellis, Jan Drexler, Suzanne Woods
Fisher, Vickie McDonough, and you. Same
reason.
That would be great
fun party for the same reason as the other one. Many times, people (and other
authors) think you have it made with so many books published. What is your most
difficult problem with writing at this time in your career?
I have a lot of outside stress in my home and life. I’m
doing more sinking than swimming and honestly, I’d like to curl up in a cave
and hide. Creativity is a struggle I have to give God daily. The story is His.
That is so true. Tell
us about the featured book.
Benaiah Troyer has loved Susanna King for as long as he can
remember, but other than a lone summer filled with romantic buggy rides,
marrying her remains an elusive dream. When his parents died in an accident a
year ago, he broke up with her—for her own good. After all, they left him as
the sole caregiver for his three younger sisters and his grandparents. What
woman wants to step into a ready-made family like his? Still, he leaves her
monthly gifts from “A Secret Admirer,” hoping she’ll know that someone loves
her, even though he isn’t free to step forward.
Susanna has never gotten over losing Benaiah, and hopes he’s
her secret admirer, but now the clock is ticking. Susanna’s father is
remarrying in January and his wife-to-be doesn’t want to leave her Amish
community and family in Iowa .
So when Susanna’s daed sells his glass-blowing business to his right-hand man,
Benaiah, she’s left with three options: 1) Go with Daed to his new home with a
new frau and step-kinner, 2) Flush out her mysterious secret admirer, or 3)
Resign herself to life as an old maid. She doesn’t want to follow Daed where
his new frau is leading him. And number three isn’t happening. Marrying Benaiah
is her greatest desire—but he broke her heart, and now he treats her like a
pesky younger sister. Can she make him see her as a woman, one who could stand
by his side as he cares for his family?
As Christmas approaches, Susanna and her friends start
making gingerbread houses for select members of the community. Susanna plans
for hers to go to Benaiah’s family. But while her gingerbread may find a
home—will her heart?
Please give us the
first page of the book.
Susanna King paused midway through the door to the kitchen
and stared at the single, long-stemmed red rose, artfully arranged with baby’s
breath and a green fern-type plant, sitting in the middle of the table.
She’d been the last one to bed the previous nacht. She’d
stayed up late reading A White Christmas
in Webster County and had trailed Daed upstairs over an hour after he’d
gone.
There’d been no rose, red or otherwise, on the table then,
for sure and certain.
With trembling fingers, she set the lit lantern on the table
and touched a soft red petal. She pulled the white envelope free from the long
plastic card holder. Susanna was written on it in a neat, block print.
Her breath quickened and she looked around, hoping for some
clue to who had been in the unlocked haus.
Nothing. Not even a footprint left on the recently swept and
scrubbed floor.
She carefully lifted the flap and pulled the card free.
White, with a red rose on the left side. “With love” was printed in gold script
on the upper right corner.
How can readers find
you on the Internet?
visit my blogs: http://lighthouse-academy.blogspot.com/ & http://lauravhilton.blogspot.com/
twitter: @Laura_V_Hilton
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/vernetlh/
Purchase my books:
Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/laura-hilton?store=allproducts&keyword=laura+hilton
Deeper Shopping http://www.deepershopping.com/index.php?query=laura+hilton&x=0&y=0&module=productsearch&_logmode=Y&querymodule=SPX
Thank you, Laura, for sharing this holiday season book with us. I love reading the new Christmas stories each year.
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:
