THE CASE OF THE MYSTIFIED M. D. - A. K. Arenz - Free Book

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

I have always enjoyed reading mystery/suspense/thriller type books, so it seemed to be a natural extension. But I’ve found that I can’t write anything if God doesn’t move me to do it. That might sound trite, but it’s true. If I try to go it alone, or go in a direction that I think is right, and He’s not there to guide me, nothing works, and it will have to be redone.

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

I’d have to say the day(s) my daughters and grandchildren were born.

How has being published changed your life?

I feel a responsibility now to those who will read my books—and to my publisher. I’ve also had to learn to be more proactive and outgoing. This is really hard for me. I’m an introverted introvert.

What are you reading right now?

I’m nearly finished with Double Cross by James Patterson. When I’m finished with that, I’m going to read more in Joel C. Rosenberg’s The Last Jihad series.

What is your current work in progress?

The next in the Bouncing Grandma Mystery series.

What would be your dream vacation?

Um . . . I have always wanted to visit the British Isles, especially Ireland & Scotland. I’m not a fan of flying, though, and going over the water like that . . . it scares me. Still, I’d love to go there.

How do you choose your settings for each book?

I don’t choose. It actually chooses me.

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

Maybe this sounds strange, but I wouldn’t choose a celebrity of any kind. And politicians, well, are politicians. Aside from quality time with my family, I don’t really have an answer for this one.

What are your hobbies, besides writing and reading?

I used to love to sew and do crossword puzzles, but problems with my hands and fingers pretty much keep me from those. Playing games with my family—a rousing game of UNO attack (I think it’s called) is always fun, as is Boggle (when my hands are doing ok). I enjoy music, both Christian and older rock and roll, good movies, and select TV programs (NCIS, BONES, HOUSE, THE MENTALIST).

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

Coming up with the right words to describe things and getting stuck and not being able to move forward. I know a lot of this happens when I’m trying to force the writing instead of just letting it come. But when you have a deadline . . . I haven’t figured out yet how to overcome the problem.

What advice would you give to a beginning author?

Be really, really sure this is not just what you want to do, but that it’s also what God wants you to do with your life. Once you’re sure, read everything you can get your hands on, study the craft, take classes, go to conferences, and most of all, PRAY. Don’t expect it to be easy—because I guarantee it won’t be.

Tell us about the featured book?

First a foot, now a hand—what body part is next?

The Case of the Mystified M.D. is the second in the Bouncing Grandma Mystery series. When Glory’s puppy finds a severed hand on a walking trail, she’s positive she recognizes the signet ring as belonging to a missing college professor who’s been causing a lot of trouble around town. Her insatiable desire to solve the mystery of his murder finds her in over her head with a community filled with secrets, blackmail, and arson.

With her sister Jane overwhelmed by the arson fire in her home and trouble with her fiancé, Glory latches onto an unlikely partner, and soon feels as though she’s stepped into a whacked out version of the Twilight Zone—where nothing is as it appears, and danger lurks around every corner . . .

Including from her boyfriend, Detective Rick Spencer.

Please give us the first page of the book.

Chapter 1

I inhaled and almost choked from the heat as it seared my throat and lungs. The air was more than humid, it actually fit the meteorologist’s most recent terminology of juicy. The deep blue of the late afternoon sky was so hazy it seemed a bit out of focus. Or maybe that was just the sweat pouring down my forehead.

As I turned toward the sound of a tractor in the nearby field, an enormous horsefly dive-bombed, landing smack between my eyes. Batting at it only seemed to make it angrier. The more I tried to dodge its attempt to take out one of my eyes, the more determined it was to harass me. All the activity increased the excitement of the puppy at my side. Misty took my strange gyrations to discourage the ardent bug as a new form of play and began barking. But it was her jumping around and tugging on the leash that nearly landed me on the asphalt walkway.

“Janie!” I called out to my sister who was a good fifteen feet in front of me. “You want to come get Misty before she yanks both of my shoulders out of joint?”

Jane didn’t break her stride—which was more of a jog than a walk—just turned and headed back to me. When the puppy realized Jane was returning, she became even more anxious, wagging her tail and wiggling so her entire body shook. It was further evidence that this beautiful five-month-old Golden Retriever should belong to my sister instead of me.

“What’s wrong Misty-girl?” Jane knelt in front of the ecstatic puppy and allowed the thick pink tongue to lick her hands and face in greeting. “Is Glory still too slow for you?”

“If you didn’t insist on running in this heat—”

“I’m not running, Glory,” she said as Misty slathered her face with more doggy kisses. “If you walk any slower you won’t be moving at all.”

How can readers find you on the Internet?

You can find me at http://www.akawriter.com/  and http://www.bouncinggrandmamysteries.blogspot.com/ .

Thank you so much for having me here today, Lena. It was a pleasure to visit with you.


And I've loved having you.

Readers, here's a link where you can order the book. If you use this particular 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.

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5 Book Winners!!

Bethany is the winner of Together for the Holidays by Margaret Daley.

Jackie Castle is the winner of Thirsty by Tracey Bateman.

Abi is the winner of Field of Danger by Ramona Richards.

Cheryl St. John is the winner of All or Nothing by Ashley Ludwig.

Carman is the winner of Cowboy Christmas by Mary Connealy.

Send me your mailing address in one of two ways:

Click on View My Complete Profile, then use the Email link.
Go to http://www.lenanelsondooley.com/ then click on Contact Me.

You have 6 weeks to claim your book.

If you didn't win and you plan to order the book, please use the link provided on the interview. It will help support this blog.

LOVE FINDS YOU IN HOLIDAY, FLORIDA - Sandra D. Bricker - Free Book

Because today is my birthady, I'm giving you a bonus interview with a very funny author. Welcome, Sandie. Why do you write the kind of books you do?

Well, I write Christian books because that’s where my heart is. There’s so much really awful secular fiction out there, the kind that makes me close the book very quickly. Once I knew that this was God’s plan for my life, it seemed like a no-brainer that I would use that gift to uplift Him and His children. I write comedy because … I’m a very funny person! LOL

I first met Sandra in person at the ACFW national conference, and she's a lot of fun to be around. Besides when you came to know the Lord, what is the happiest day in your life?

I fought for months on end against stage 3 ovarian cancer. There were surgeries and radiation treatments and what felt like YEARS feeling horrible. Even at that, I’d heard so many statistics about how this disease likes to sneak back up on you, and there’s a huge percentage of women who face it again within five years. On the day that I’d been clean for five years … that was a spiritual and physical jubilation like I can’t even adequately describe.

I can imagine. I lost my sister that way. Praise the Lord, He healed you. How has being published changed your life?

I spent a great deal of my life as a publicist for actors, essentially telling the world how wonderful my clients were. I kept it to myself, but I often thought how great it would be if some of them would use their celebrity to bring enlightenment to hurting spirits, or at least to inspire people to be more effective in their lives. I never really realized until recently that I’ve been given that opportunity as a published author. I receive emails and notes all the time from readers who have really been moved by something I’ve written, or I’ve made them laugh at a time when they didn’t think they had any more laughter in them. I’m so humbled and grateful every time I hear a story like that, and it strengthens my resolve to continue providing entertainment AND encouragement through my books. The scripture says a merry heart is as good as medicine, and I feel like that’s been my assignment, to provide light-hearted truths.

One of my novellas was titled The Best Medicine, based on that scripture. What are you reading right now?

Things Left Unspoken by Eva Marie Everson. She’s phenomenal.

What is your current work in progress?
I am just putting the finishing touches on my second novel for the new Abingdon Press fiction line. It’s called Always the Baker, Never the Bride, a comedy (of course) about a baker who is diabetic and can’t eat her own creations. I’m having such fun with this book. It’s going to be hard to say good-bye to the characters when it’s finished … but a relief to stop thinking about cake and pastries all the time!

What would be your dream vacation?

It’s really funny that this should be one of the questions because, just this week, I was talking to a friend about needing a break when this next book is complete. She asked me the same question, and my instinctive answer was this: Somewhere tropical like Sanibel Island, Florida, with 6 of my favorite women (and my dog), just getting some sun, sharing a few meals, reading books, taking long naps, leaving the computers behind and turning off the cell phones.

How do you choose your settings for each book?

For the Love Finds You books, Summerside chooses them, and they ask me to write for that location. For my other books, it’s just somewhere that I’ve either lived or visited, somewhere that’s left a lasting impression. The Big 5-OH!, due out in February, is set in Cincinnati (where I spent much of my childhood) and Sanibel Island here in Florida (my favorite escape).

Actually, I chose the setting for the Summerside book I'm writing right now. If you could spend an evening with one person who is currently alive, who would it be and why?

My friend David. We’ve been so busy lately that we haven’t had any real time together. He’s one of my favorite people. He’s uber-smart, and he always makes me laugh, and I can fearlessly bear my soul to him. How many people can you say that about?

What are your hobbies, besides writing and reading?

I love to scrapbook and take pictures, and I’m also a bit of an armchair designer. I make greeting cards and specialty tee-shirts and even paint pottery and ceramics. My creativity gene is an over-achiever.

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

That would have to be balancing my life. I’m still working a day job as an editor in Corporate America, so that’s 40+ hours every week that belong to someone else. Balancing a full-time writing career with that is rough, and then adding some sort of life into it … well, you can imagine.

What advice would you give to a beginning author?

Finish something. I meet so many people who talk about writing, and they start a hundred projects, but they’ve never finished a single one of them. I think it’s very important to get beyond a synopsis and three chapters. To do that, there’s no substitute for putting your fanny in the chair and writing, writing, writing until you finish something. And when you do … take a break … and then do it all over again.

Tell us about the featured book?

Love Finds You in Holiday, Florida, isn’t your typical romantic comedy. The hero and heroine are in their mid-50s, and the humor is extremely quirky and unusual (just like the town of Holiday!)

Bostonian Cassie Constantine is only in Florida long enough to use her Christmas break to get the vacation house that she’s always despised ready for the real estate market. But her widow status is like a target on her back, and the elderly matchmakers around town manage to sidetrack her mission at every turn. Holiday is a land mine of golf tournaments, ballroom dancing competitions, shuffleboard and day trips. But the biggest obstacle of all? Nope, not Sophie the crazy Collie. It's Richard Dillon. The stuffed shirt she’s paired with on the dance floor makes her heartbeat tap faster than the rhythm of The Quickstep.

Please give us the first page of the book.

Cassie rounded the curve of the street and pulled into the driveway, and there they were! Those horrible neon pink flamingos, grinning at her from beneath the palm tree in the front yard. Just that morning, she’d deposited them in the trash receptacle, hoping that would be the end of them. Something told her she would never be rid of them.

Oh, what a thought!

As she climbed out of the car and stalked toward them, the horror of it buzzed around her like a swarm of gnats. The picture was a vivid one: Sitting on the back deck in her old age, sipping one of those terrible Southern beverages Zan was always experimenting with, her silver hair standing on end and frizzy from the Florida humidity. And poking out from beneath the dock … or peering at her from around the side of the house … or possibly standing tall in one of the large flowering plants … Those eyes. Those gawking, neon eyes, just staring back at her, mocking her with their presence.

Cassie yanked the first one out of the ground where its hard plastic spike anchored it to the front yard, and she tossed it to the grass behind her. Just as she wrapped both hands around the beak of the second one, Zan’s laughter taunted her from across the street.

She turned her head slowly toward him, narrowed her eyes and stared him down, the distance between them bridged by a look her husband had come to know all too well.

“Hi, baby,” he called out to her, grinning as maniacally as those flamingos he loved so much. “Want some help carrying in the groceries?”

Lounging on the front step of Millicent’s porch with his faithful dog Sophie at his side, Zan could surely be spotted from the space shuttle in that colorful Hawaiian print shirt. He waved his arms at her, and then the old woman in the rocking chair began to wave as well.

“Hello, Cassie!”

Cassie planted both feet and faced him, hands on hips. “Alexander Constantine, I won’t have these horrible things displayed in the front yard. What will the neighbors think of us?”

“Ah, come on, Mac. They’ll think we’re kitschy. Don’t you want to be known as kitschy?”

“I certainly do not.”

How can readers find you on the Internet?

Web site: http://www.sandradbricker.com/
Personal blog: http://sandradbricker.blogspot.com/
Group blog: http://bestilldevos.blogspot.com/
Facebook: Sandie Bricker

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

Readers, here's a link where you can order the book. Using this link 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/ 

GONE TO GREEN - Judy Christie - Free Book

Here's another new author on our blog. Welcome, Judy. Tell us how much of yourself you write into your characters.

I was a journalist for many years, and Lois Barker, the lead character in Gone To Green, is a journalist, so there is some of me in Lois. However, the personalities of the characters unfolded as I wrote, and they are definitely their own people. That’s part of the fun of it – creating these new people. It’s amazing how real they are to me.

What is the quirkiest thing you have ever done?

A couple of years ago, I got a black eye playing putt-putt golf. Does that count as quirky?

When did you first discover that you were a writer?

I started keeping a journal when I was nine years old and have all of them. I was the editor of “The Barret Banner” in elementary school, complete with a column and a photo. I’ve always loved words and books.

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

If you look at my overloaded bookshelves, you’d probably think I need therapy – not only for the number of books but the variety. Fiction is my favorite, but I enjoy inspirational nonfiction and read lots of books about how to be a better writer, marketing and small-business, antiques, and running (much easier to read about it than actually do it). My guilty pleasure: Home-decorating books.

My guilty pleasure books are cookbooks. I like to read them. I don't use them to cook. What other books have you written, whether published or not?

Goodness Gracious Green, second in the Green series, will be released in August 2010. I’m in the rewriting-before-surrendering-it stage. The third book in the Green series is Green Through and Through, due out in Fall 2011, and it’s under way.

The Hurry Less, Worry Less series (all published by Abingdon Press):

Hurry Less, Worry Less at Work (Fall 2009); Hurry Less, Worry Less: 10 Strategies for Living the Life You Long For: (2005); Hurry Less, Worry Less at Christmastime (2007); Hurry Less, Worry Less for Families (coming, Spring 2010); and Goodbye, Murphy’s Law: Whatever Can Go Wrong, God Can Make Right (2008); Awesome Altars: How To Transform Worship Space (co-authored with Mary Dark).

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

I try to live by my own “hurry less, worry less” advice. I remind myself that saying “no” to one thing is saying “yes”’ to something else. I make course corrections on a regular basis, adjust priorities and allow time for fun. I sit in the porch swing, walk in a nearby park or write in my journal. And I pray a lot!

How do you choose your characters’ names?

I play with names and consider what I know about my characters and what name suits them. I also choose names for sentimental reasons.

What is the accomplishment that you are most proud of?

My debut novel, published as part of Abingdon’s fiction launch, ranks right up there. Running two marathons and starting a successful consulting business, all in my 40s, are on the list. I didn’t get married until I was 35, so finding Paul is another great accomplishment!

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

One of those cats that lives in a bookstore. Think about how spoiled I’d be!

What is your favorite food?

Crawfish bread and fried green tomatoes at the New Orleans JazzFest.

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

Like most people, I have lots going on in my daily life. I’m always juggling and have had to discipline myself to sit down and write. I still wish I were more consistent in my daily writing habit. I’ve gotten better by selecting projects I love and mapping out a timeline to complete them. I’m still learning about the characteristics of great fiction and trying to practice what I learn.

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

Choose a project that excites you and get started. Attend a good writers’ conference and learn about writers and writing. And as my wonderful agent, Etta Wilson, says, “Guard your writing time.”

Tell us about the featured book?

Gone To Green is about a big-city journalist who changes a small southern town while the townspeople change her. Lois Barker trades her life as a corporate journalist at a large paper in the Midwest for the ownership of The Green News-Item, a twice-weekly newspaper in rural North Louisiana. As the not-so-proud new owner, Lois is obliged to keep the paper for at least a year, despite her doubts and fears.

When she pulls into Green on New Year’s Day, her expectation of a charming little town full of friendly people is shattered. Instead, she must battle prejudice and financial corruption, while making friends and enemies with a host of fascinating characters who will change her life. As challenges unfold, her year in Green results in a newfound faith and unexpected blessings.

Please give us the first page of the book.

Post Media Company announced yesterday that its multimedia division will offer newspaper readers information around-the-clock, relying on the latest technology and innovation. For more information, see our Web site. —The Dayton Post

I glanced down at the floorboard and noticed it was Thursday.

Somewhere in the last dozen years or so, I had gotten into the habit of figuring out what day of the week it was by checking the number of coffee mugs rolling around. At least I don’t keep tuna sandwiches and an ancient typewriter in the backseat, the way a guy in sports does.

Hurrying into the building, I flashed my security badge at the guard, who reluctantly lifted his head from his Word Jumble puzzle to glance and nod. Let it never be said he didn’t get his money’s worth out of the daily paper—especially since free papers are one of the perks of working at The Dayton Post.

He saw me every day, several times a day, but still made me show my badge.

When I hit the front door of the newsroom, I dashed to my desk. I spend a lot of time dashing, especially in the morning when I slide into my cubicle just in time to make eye contact with my staff before the news-planning meeting.

How can readers find you on the Internet?

http://www.judychristie.com/  and Facebook.com/judychristie . I love hearing from people and hope people will befriend me on Facebook.

Thank you, Judy, for spending this time with us today.
Readers, here's a link where you can order the book. By using this link, you will be supporting 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/

TRUTH OR DARE & ALL THAT GLITTERS - Nicole O'Dell

What has drawn you to writing for the YA market?

Fear! Seriously.

When I was a young girl, my mom was my hero. I really believed that she could do anything and that she knew everything. Somehow, when I entered my pre-teen and early teen years, that all changed. I became angry and really gave her a hard time. I regret much of those years now that I see the truth of them. My mom is now my very best friend. I wish I had known, then, what I know now and how temporary all of that angst and confusion really was.

Ever since I had my daughters, I have feared those years. My parenting has really been shaped by my desire to avoid as much of that destruction as possible. My heart’s desire is to reach hormonal, confused, pre-teen girls, protecting them from themselves and their families from the confusion that can ensue as the girls face those life changes.

What is the quirkiest thing you have ever done?

At 15, I decided that I was tired of high school. I convinced my parents to let me homeschool myself and finished three years of high school in five months. I entered Bible college a month before I turned 16.

When did you first discover that you were a writer?

When I was in the fourth grade, I entered and won a literary competition. I had to write and illustrate a children’s book—I remember the feelings I had as the process unfolded and I got to see the story in my head come to life on the page. My book, The Girl on the Runaway Pogo-Stick, got “published” and put in the school libraries in my district. I was hooked!

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

I really love to read literary non-fiction, memoirs, that sort of thing. My favorite book, though, is a novel by Randy Alcorn, Deadline. Of all the many hundreds of books I’ve read, I know this was my favorite because of how much I cried when I read it, how often I’ve thought of the characters and how much I miss the experience of reading the book for the first time. It’s really a beautiful book.

I love that book, too, as well as other of Randy's novels. What other books have you written?

As far as full-length published works, these are my debut. I was also a contributing writer for six devotional books for Barbour Publishing.

Whispers of Wisdom for Busy Moms (Barbour, 2008)
Whispers of Wisdom for Single Moms (Barbour, 2008)
Whispers of Wisdom for Mothers of Preschoolers (Barbour, 2008)
Whispers of Wisdom for Young Women (Barbour, 2008)
Whispers of Wisdom for Wives (Barbour, 2009)
Whispers of Wisdom for Girls (Barbour, 2008)

Unpublished, I’m working on two non-fiction parenting books about which I’m currently “in talks”. I also have one full-length fiction manuscript that I’m finalizing this year. And, most importantly, the next two books in the Scenarios series are in the pipeline.

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

I don’t. (ha ha) No, seriously, life IS busy. There’s no disputing that fact. The publishing world is a funny one. It’s a lot of wait, wait, wait and then, when it hits, WOW! There’s a lot to do in a short amount of time. But, that’s not all, I’m also a mom of six—the youngest of which being infant triplets. And, I’m an online college student. So, it’s even busier than people realize. But, I love every minute of it and I wouldn’t change a thing!

What is the accomplishment that you are most proud of, besides family?

Besides family, I’d have to say that the release of these two books is among my proudest moments.

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

Hmmm…a lobster because they are tender and fiercely loyal to their loved ones, and once they grab on to something, they never let go.

What is your favorite food?

I’m a perpetual dieter, so I’m a really boring eater. People probably hate to have me over for dinner because they never know what I’ll eat at any given time. Hmm…you’d think I’d be skinny! I do love a good salad bar, though…and lobster…!

Is it hard to break into the YA market?

I know it would be common for me to say that it took years of effort, with rejection after rejection, but that’s not how it happened for me. I had what I believed was a great idea that God put into my heart. I honed my pitch and perfected my query until I believed it was ready to go. I wrote to one publisher, one time. That one query led to a proposal, and then a contract for two books. I wrote those books; they were published; here we are. I know that it seldom happens that way, and I recognize that it was a complete anomaly (miracle) that it did.

What advice would you give to an author wanting to do that?

Write a perfect query and then a perfect proposal. Don’t send out weak work. Be patient.

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

The goal of this series is change. My prayer is that the thinking of young girls is changed as they realize the full weight of the consequences of their decisions. The unique quality of these books is that the reader gets to make the major, moral decision for the main character. That puts the reader right into the story and lets her feel the effects of her decision as the various endings unfold.

Please share the first page with us.

Sure! This is from All that Glitters:

Chapter 1

Time for a Change

A fancy sports car on one side and a shiny, brand new SUV on the other, the Daniels’ slid into a parking spot at the mall. More than any other year, shopping for school clothes this year was a very important task. Dani and Drew, identical twins, were starting the ninth grade, freshman year, the first year of high school! They knew full well how important their first impression was, well, at least Drew did. She had spent most of her summer planning and researching fashion trends, hairstyles and make-up tips by reading Cosmo and other fashion magazines. Not that it would do her much good, she often thought. Their parents didn’t allow them to wear make-up and her long, straight, dark hair looked just like her sister’s hair and was cut and styled in the same style they had always had.

“Mom, I think it’s time for a change,” Drew announced as they were walking through the parking lot toward the mall.

“What kind of change?” Mrs. Daniels asked hesitantly.

“You know, change isn’t always a bad thing.” Drew thought her mom might need some convincing before she tried to state her case. “Change can just be a part of growing up and a sign that a girl is secure and comfortable with herself.”

“Yes, Drew, I’m aware of that. Why do I have a feeling that I’m not going to like what you’re about to suggest?” Mrs. Daniels sighed good naturedly and looked at Drew’s twin sister who shrugged her shoulders not knowing anything about the big change that her twin was proposing. “Well, let’s have it. What have you got cooked up?”

“Oh, it’s really not a big deal, Mom. I’d just like to get my hair cut.” Drew pulled a picture of a hairstyle out of her pocket and showed it to her mom. Mrs. Daniels could see immediately that the softly layered style would cascade to a very flattering place just below Drew’s shoulders. She looked at Dani and raised her eyebrows, “Do you want your hair cut like that?”

“No, Mom, you don’t understand.” Drew interrupted with a slight whine, nervous that she wasn’t getting her point across. “If Dani cuts her hair like that, too, then I don’t want to. This is how I want to look…by myself. I want to make a change, even just a slight one like my hairstyle, to separate myself from just being ‘one of the twins.’ I want to be an individual; I want to be Drew.”

Read on to find out what Drew does to make herself even more of an individual. Does she go too far?

How can readers find you on the Internet?

Website: http://www.nicoleodell.com/
Writer’s Blog: http://www.nicoleodell.blogspot.com/
Family Blog: http://www.odelltrips.blogspot.com/
Email: nicoleodell6@gmail.com
Twitter: Nicole_Odell
Facebook: Nicole O’Dell

Thanks so much for having me here on your blog, Lena! I’ve had a great time with your questions. I think I may have even learned a thing or two about myself.

Thank you, Nicole, for coming by.

Readers, we're giving away a copy of each of the books, even though we only had the first page from one of them.

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


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/

WHITE MOUNTAIN BRIDES - Susan Page Davis - Free Book

We're featuring Susan with her New Hampshire series collection. Welcome, Susan. Since you’re being published regularly, what new avenues will your future books take?

I’m very excited about a couple of deals in the offing. They’re not quite ready for me to talk about, but readers can look for more history and mystery from me! My Ladies’ Shooting Club series will debut in December, too.

What conferences will you be attending this year? Will you be a speaker at any of them?

I plan to attend ACFW in Indianapolis in September 2010. I don’t know yet whether or not I’ll be speaking. At the last one, I gave critiques, and I found that very rewarding. There’s a possibility I’ll be at a couple of others, but nothing definite yet.

If you were in charge of planning the panel discussion at a writing conference, what topic would the panel cover, and who would you ask to be on the panel, and why?

I’d like to hear acquisitions editors tell what makes them reject a manuscript, and also what convinced them they needed to buy the last five they accepted.

How important is it to you to be active in writing organizations?

I wouldn’t say you couldn’t succeed without it, but I know it was a tremendous help to me, and a great blessing to discover groups like American Christian Fiction Writers and Maine Fellowship of Christian Writers, where people support each other in ways I’d never dreamed. I met my critique partners through ACFW, for instance.

Where in the community or your church do you volunteer?

I am my church’s financial secretary. Right now that’s the most of it. I used to lead a home school support group and take part in DAR volunteer efforts.

Who are the five people who have made the most impact on your life, and how?

Definitely my parents. They were saved a couple of years before I was born, and they did their best to bring up their children in the Lord. My three sisters are high on the list, too. We are all very different, but when hard times come, we turn to each other.

Tell us about the featured book.

White Mountain Brides is an anthology of three stories. It begins with the 1689 massacre at Cochecho, N.H., and each focuses on a young woman who was captured by the Pennacook Indians and taken to Canada. One stayed with an Indian band for five years. One was married against her will to a French farmer. The third lived with nuns in a convent. When the three return to New Hampshire, the townspeople have trouble accepting them back into their circle. But in the Lord’s timing, each finds love and a new life.

Please share the first page with us.

chapter one
Cochecho, New Hampshire, 1689

Richard Dudley bolted upright, his heart pounding in the dark. The sound that had wakened him came once more—a distant but terrible shriek, splitting the night. Only an Indian out for blood could make that gruesome noise.

“Richard!” His father’s forceful voice came from below.

“I hear it.”

“Quick! Wake your sister. We must run to Otis’s.”

“I’m awake,” came Catherine’s voice from behind the half partition that separated their sleeping areas in the loft.

Richard scrambled to pull on his breeches and shoes. A moment’s hesitation could mean death in an Indian raid. He leaped down the ladder, pausing only to be sure Catherine made it safely down in her billowing skirts. His parents hadn’t built up the fire, and only a faint glow from the coals lit the room. Richard sensed movement and knew his mother was gathering emergency supplies. No doubt his father had dashed to grab his loaded musket that hung above the door. Richard groped his way to the corner where his own weapon leaned against the wall.

“Stephen,” his mother gasped, and Richard’s heart sank at the thought of his younger brother.

“He’ll be safe at Otis’s garrison,” her husband said. “It’s ourselves we must worry about. Catherine?”

“Here, father.”

“Come, then.”

“Take this.” Their mother’s voice was low and urgent. She pressed a sack into Richard’s hand, and he knew it held food. He suspected his mother and Catherine also carried food or blankets. They had discussed sudden flight many times across the supper table and practiced it once before when an outlying farm was raided and the warning came to fort up at the nearest garrison.

That would be Otis’s, the closest fortified house. The blacksmith and his large family offered protection for other settlers whenever needed, as did Waldron, Heard, and other prominent men in the struggling community. Their houses were fenced all around, and built of sturdy oak, with rifle loops for windows above and the second story protruding over the first, so that attackers could be fired down upon. Richard prayed the people within would be safe, as well as the other families that were certainly running toward them.

The four of them crept outside and headed silently across their newly planted cornfield, avoiding the path. Richard cringed with each step, knowing he crushed tender plants he and his father and brother had worked hard to nourish. Worrying about that was senseless. If they did not make it to the safe haven, the corn would not matter. His thoughts flew to the Minton family—Sarah and her parents. They were closer to Waldron’s garrison. Had they made it there in safety? He couldn’t think of her now. Distraction could mean death.

His mother stumbled, and his father reached to steady her. Richard hurried on, taking the lead and hearing Catherine panting behind him. Ahead, the savage screams increased, and a flash of foreboding told him they were running the wrong way, even as his feet took him onward.

They topped a rise, and Richard stopped abruptly. Catherine slammed into him, and the air burst from his lungs.

“Sorry,” she gasped, clinging to his jerkin.

“Look.” Richard held her arms and turned her toward what he had seen. A fiery glow lit the sky ahead.

His parents came up beside them and stood silent for a moment except for their labored breathing.

“Otis’s is burning.” His father’s voice quivered with hurt disbelief. The stronghold they had counted on, near the center of the settlement, had been attacked.

How did you get the idea to write this story?

I am a direct descendant of Richard Otis, the blacksmith who was killed in that raid. Several of his children and his wife were captured. His daughter Judith, my ancestress, was captured but rescued by men of the village. After visiting the Woodman Institute in Dover, N.H., where the last 17th-century garrison house is preserved under a pavilion, I knew I wanted to write about these people. Richard Otis’s house was burned, and 400 years later, archeologists dug up the site. My sisters and I were able to see artifacts including hinges and nails that were probably made by Richard Otis. This visit impressed me deeply, and I began collecting true captivity narratives. After several years, I felt I was ready to begin writing about it. My stories are fiction, but I believe they ring true to the times.

Where can my readers find you on the Internet?

Visit my Web site at: http://www.susanpagedavis.com/ . I’d love to see you there. I’ll also be reading and talking to people at the Lithgow Library in Augusta, Maine at 10 a.m. on December 5. If you’re in the area, drop in and say hi!

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

Readers, here's a link where you can order the book. If you're going to order from Amazon anyway, using this link 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/

Winners on My Anniversary!!!

TheresaN is the winner of Fit to be Tied by Robin Lee Hatcher.

MichelleV is the winner of The Great Christmas Bowl by Susan May Warren.

Abster.Rose is the winner of The Night Watchman by Mark Mynheir.

Jackie.Smith is the winner of Emmy's Equal by Marcia Gruver.

Send me your mailing address in one of two ways:
Click on View My Complete Profile, then use the Email link.
Go to www.lenanelsondooley.com then click on Contact Me.

You have 6 weeks to claim your book.

If you didn't win and you plan to order the book, please use the link provided on the interview. It will help support this blog.

COWBOY CHRISTMAS - Mary Connealy - Free Book

I'm glad to welcome Mary Connealy back to the blog. She writes romantic comedies with cowboys for Barbour Publishing. Cowboy Christmas is in bookstores now. Montana Rose, Book #1 of the Montana Marriages series, released in July, book #2 The Husband Tree comes in January and book #3 Wildflower Bride comes in May 2010. Mary is also the author of the Lassoed in Texas series and a cozy mystery collection, Nosy in Nebraska. Mary is a Christy Award finalist.

I've read Cowboy Christmas, and I loved it. A review will be posted in my December newsletter: http://lenanelsondooleynewsletter.blogspot.com/


What are some of the spiritual themes you like to write about?

I don’t really set out to do it, but I tend to tackle really serious themes. I’ve got no idea if that is some deep personal psychosis or they just lend themselves to drama. But in Montana Rose I tackled wife beating and child abuse. In Gingham Mountain the hardest theme there is ‘why does God allow suffering’. In Petticoat Ranch the underlying them is ‘how do Christians deal with very justifiable hate’.

In Cowboy Christmas, the theme my heroine wrestles with is when to stop being a ‘good girl’ and stand up for her faith against authority. Being willing to risk pain and even death rather than compromise her faith. She keeps failing but she keeps coming back to try again.

What other books of yours are coming out soon?

The Husband Tree is next. It releases in January. Book #2 of the Montana Marriages series. I think it’s the funniest book yet. My hero and heroine are so determined to never risk their hearts again that they fight love with everything they’ve got.

If you could spend an evening with one contemporary person (not a family member of yours), who would it be and why?

I’d love to meet Sarah Palin. I hate the ugly way she gets attacked. I think she’d a pretty normal ambitious, hardworking person, only unusually gifted with expressing herself. I just wonder how shocking she finds all the nastiness that’s been aimed at her.

I'm with you there. How long have you known that you wanted to be novelist?

I’ve always expressed myself in words. I wrote my first book when I was twelve but I don’t remember much about it. How long it was or nuthin’. It might have been two pages long. I wonder whatever happened to it? My children’s baby books are covered in writing. Most people put pictures and locks of hair and birth announcements in there. I just wrote all over those things. I’ve just always felt like I could do justice to whatever was going on with words. . .and plenty of 'em.

What can you tell authors who have been receiving only rejections from publishers?

Well, I’d tell them, it means you’re in there pitching, and I’m proud of you. I means you’re growing that rhino hide that you need to survive as a writer. You should be entering contests to get the critiques. It will help you strengthen your work. You should join ACFW and spend serious time reading through all the online class archives. Those are a gold mine and worth the entire price of the ACFW dues. These are all inexpensive things. If you can afford it, attend conference. It has an impact on editors. I think they immediate put you in a different category or writers who are serious about getting published. Not that they’ll immediate buy and not that people don’t sell who’ve never been to a conference, but it does help.

Tell us about the featured book?

Elijah Walker's lost his father at the hands of a deceitful woman. The one thing he can’t abide is lies.

Citified Annette Talbot is on the run from something, and Eli knows a liar when he sees one.

After a lifetime of being a good girl who does what she’s told, Annette’s obedient nature has led her straight into danger. She’s determined to live more bravely and she prays for God to give her crosses to bear. Too bad every time she gets one, she ends up dropping her crosses on poor Elijah’s head.

Elijah can’t ignore a damsel in distress, especially since God pretty much dropped Annette straight into his unwilling arms.

But helping her isn’t the same as trusting her, and that he will never do.

As Annette and Walker fight their attraction, danger draws near and Christmas approaches. They’ll get one special chance to follow their star to True Love.

Please give us the first page of the book.

“You’ll wear that dress, Songbird.” Claude Leveque grabbed Annette Talbot’s arm, lifted her to her toes, then he shoved her backward.

Annie tripped over a chair and cried out as it toppled. The chair scraped her legs and back. Her head hit the wall of the tiny, windowless shack and stars exploded in her eyes.

Stunned by the pain, she hit the floor and an animal instinct sent her scrambling away from Claude. But there was nowhere to go in the twelve by twelve foot cabin.

Her head cleared enough to tell her there was no escape, so she fought with will and faith.

“Never.” Propping herself up on her elbows, she faced him and shouted her defiance. “I will never go out in public in that dress.”

“You’ll sing what I tell you to sing.” Claude, in his polished suit and tidily trimmed hair, looked every inch civilized, or he had until tonight. Now he strode toward her, eyes shooting furious fire, his face twisted into soul deep rot and sin.

“I sing as a mission.” Annie tried to press her back through the unyielding log wall. “I sing hymns. That’s the only thing—”

A huge fist closed over the front of her blouse and Claude lifted her like a rag doll to eye level, but he didn’t strike.

He would. He’d proved that several times over since he’d come here with his disgusting demands.

She braced herself. She’d die first. Claude might not believe that, but he’d know before long.

“So, you’re willing to die for your beliefs, heh?” Claude’s fist tightened on her blouse, cutting off Annie’s air.

“Yes!” She could barely speak, but he heard. He knew.

“Are you willing to watch someone else die, Songbird? Maybe your precious friend Elva?” He shook her and her head snapped back. “I can always find another piano player.”

“No!” Annie had to save Elva. Somehow. Of course Elva would be threatened. Annie hadn’t had time to think that far.

Elva would never stand for this. Elva would die for her belief’s, too.

A wicked laugh escaped from Claude’s twisted mouth. “She’s easily replaced.”

“But I’ll never,” he shook her viciously, “find another singer like you.”

How had it come to this? God help me. Protect Elva and me.

“My answer is no! Elva wouldn’t play the piano for me if I wore that.” Her eyes went to the slattern’s dress hanging, vivid red, near the door. “She would refuse to play the piano for those vulgar songs."

“We’ll see, Songbird.” Claude laughed again. Annie saw the evil in him, the hunger to hurt. He wasn’t just hurting Annie to get his way, he was enjoying it.

Her vision dimmed and blurred as she clawed at his strangling fist.

“I’ll go have a talk with your frail old friend and then we’ll see.” He shoved Annie backward, slamming her against the wall. She hit so hard her knees buckled. What little air she still had was knocked away. Claude charged out, shutting the door behind him.

Annie heard the sound of a padlock snicking shut as she slumped sideways.

That should grab a lot of interest. How can readers find you on the Internet?

I just got a facelift (on my website, shut up!) and I love it. Go have a look.
http://www.maryconnealy.com/
http://www.seekerville.blogspot.com/
http://petticoatsandpistols.com/
http://mconnealy.blogspot.com/

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

Readers, here's a link where you can order a copy of the book on Amazon. If you're planning to buy it from Amazon, using this link 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/

ALL OR NOTHING - Ashley Ludwig - Free Book

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

As a starting point, I tend to imagine myself in a certain situation - pose that “what if” question – and imagine how I’d respond to the pressure, the problem, then ultimately seek out a resolution. When I first started writing, I’m sure I was the heroine of every tale! But now, I am attempting to branch out more – in fact, many things I’m working on at present are starting from the hero’s point of view. One thing is for sure – my characters all have my same core of beliefs – or will, by the end of their journey.

What is the quirkiest thing you have ever done?

What a funny question! I’d say, if you mean – quirky interesting – I would tell you that I graduated from the University of Arizona with a degree in Anthropology/Archaeology – and worked across Arizona and part of New Mexico studying prehistoric and historic people. Thus – my love of the west. However, it wasn’t as glamorous as it sounds! I spent 6 months living in a trailer on the outskirts of a postage stamp of a town in eastern Arizona! Some of my fondest memories are of that extended survey…

When did you first discover that you were a writer?

As a child, my mom always helped me transcribe my stories. As a kid in school, I loved our journaling class. Most kids loathed it, but I still remember the green notebook where I kept all of my innermost thoughts, and the thrill of seeing the A+s on the page! Now, not all teachers were that generous as I went along, but I’ll never forget that. I still have a trunk full of my early writing – someday, I’ll share it with my daughters… but every word helped me learn the art of storytelling.

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

I love all genres – I’ll plop down with a historical fiction, romance, a sci-fi adventure, paranormal, thriller, and of course westerns! Every book is unexplored territory.

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

Who said I was sane? Seriously, I belong to several groups of like-minded writers and we’re all in similar life situations. Women who write, have families, are trying to find balance. I also have a new-year’s resolution to say “no” whenever prudent. (This is a BIG one for me, who never wants to turn ANYTHING down.) It seems to be working so far! Time will tell.

How do you choose your characters’ names?

I start with a theme, and choose names for the hero and heroine that are appropriate. For example, All or Nothing is loosely tied to the Book of Ruth – so, the main character became “RuthAnne” and her love interest – a strapping cavalry soldier named “Bowen Shepherd.” All other characters just either jump up, fully named or – if I’m stuck, my husband’s a pro at naming people. Usually, he just makes me laugh, but his names always find their way into my stories somehow.

What is the accomplishment that you are most proud of?

My two daughters – at 5 & 3 ½ - they’re 19 months apart and full of energy. Seeing them turn into sweet, thoughtful kids – that is the joy of my heart. The novel is quite a thrill, also, and finding a publisher who believes in me doesn’t hurt!

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

Oh, that’s easy. I’m a desert girl – so you can call me “Packrat.” I save EVERYTHING.

What is your favorite food?

Sushi!

A desert girl who loves sushi? Interesting. Tell us a little about your journey to publication.

I wrote All or Nothing while on maternity leave, with my baby in the crook of my arm, typing one handed! That book sat on my desk. I took chapters to critique group when I could get out of the house, and one day – after many rejections by agents, and reading up on a new publisher, I decided to send them my query letter. Two days later, I had a request for the full manuscript. One week later, I had a contract in my lap. I had no idea if I’d made the right choice, but after the experience I’ve had with my editor and the publisher as a whole, I wouldn’t trade it for anything. I’ve since published a short story with them, "By Another Name," and am working on two more submissions at present.

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

Was and still is – finding the time to write. Really write. Not edit, not do promotion. It takes dedication – sitting down whether you feel like it or not. Pushing through the rough spots until you’re in the groove and words flow like water. Whenever I start a new project, I pledge myself three pages a day. If I can just get through three pages a day, I have a short story within two months. A novel within four. And usually less, because if the words are flowing, I’ll write fifteen. If I’m in a lull, I’ll eke through those three, but I’m always moving forward.

I think what you're calling short story is actually a novella. They're totally different things. What advice would you give to others who are trying to get their first book published?

Join a critique group of like minded folks. Find writers – not just friends who’ll praise you for your eloquence. Learn your craft. Have someone you can trust to call you on those POV slips, or the use of passive voice! You’ll never be sorry. Learn the rules of writing, practice, and share your pages.

Tell us about the featured book?

A young widow starting over nearly dies on the perilous, winding road to Tucson, Arizona, in 1876.

An accident turns out to be a cover-up for a heinous crime at the hand of a murderous bandit. Robbed and left for dead, all that remains for RuthAnne Newcomb is her faith, and the talents God gave her. She needs both to endure the handsome, vengeful cavalry captain who saved her life.

Captain Bowen Shepherd offers aid in exchange for information leading to the criminal’s capture. El Tejano, as the bandit is known, is bound to strike again and RuthAnne is the only living witness to his crimes. Left with nothing but her savvy and unwavering faith, RuthAnne is forced to return to the scene and help with the intolerable soldier’s quest.

Already, the criminal is after the lone witness who can destroy him. Bowen and RuthAnne must risk everything to unmask the bandit once and for all, before he can strike again at the one who cost him the most. Will their newfound love, or their lives, be the cost of bringing a murderer to justice?

Please give us the first page of the book.

Chapter 1

Arizona Territory, 1876

It’s too steep!

RuthAnne Newcomb’s mind raced as she clung to the rattling stagecoach door.

“Easy! Steady!” Their driver hollered at the horses from up above. There was nothing easy or steady about the twisty pass over the rugged mountain or the sheer drop into the jagged canyon below. Suddenly, at the bend, the road vanished into a wall of tumbling boulders and clouds of dust.

Wind whipped RuthAnne’s honey-blonde hair into her eyes and stung her cheeks, burned from exposure to the desert sun. Fear gripped her heart as she stared ahead in disbelief. Debris buried the road by half. Rocks and pebbles flowed down the mountainside in an insane torrent that rained onto the carriage roof and pelted her forehead through the open window. Her quick touch yielded fingertips flecked with blood.

Still, the horses showed no signs of slowing. She could do nothing but hang on and pray for herself and her sister, trapped and at the mercy of the out-of-control stagecoach. …

That beginning really grabs a reader. How can the readers find you on the Internet?

You can find me at my web site: http://www.ashleyludwig.com/  or at http://www.mamawriters.com/  

I twitter @wiremamma

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

Readers, here's a link where you can order the book. If you're planning to order the book from Amazon, using this link 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.

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FIELD OF DANGER - Ramona Richards - Free Book

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

I’m hoping for more books! I have several proposals in development, and I’d love to sign with an agent soon.

Tell us a little about your family.

I’m a single mom. Rachel is 22 and with her disabilities needs constant care. I have three caregivers who help out (Phyllis, Marti, and Kim) who are also like family to me. Field of Danger is dedicated to Phyllis.

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

I read more romance! I’ve always read it, but now I read more kinds. I love regencies and other historicals, as well as other romantic suspense authors.

What are you working on right now?

The sequel to Field of Danger. It’s called House of Secrets and is due out next summer.

What outside interests do you have?

I love the outdoors, mostly scuba diving and hiking. I also go to a lot of plays and movies.

How do you choose your settings for each book?

They sort of choose me, in the same way the plots do. I get ideas from everyday events, and by the time to plot evolves so has the setting. For me, they are intertwined. For instance, Field of Danger came from weekly trips to Phyllis’s house. She lives in a farming community, and the story came together from a whole bunch of different tales that had risen from that small town.

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

Ooh, that’s like choosing a needle from the haystack. There are many I admire, but if I had to choose one, I’d probably pick Alexandre Dumas. I truly love his novels, his prolific output, and his humor.

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

How hard it is to stay focused on one story. I have so many ideas, that I find it hard to focus on the hard work of writing when so many others are waiting to be born.

What new lessons is the Lord teaching you right now?

Patience, perseverance, and managing fear. He’s really working on me with those!

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

Network and persevere. There’s a lot of about the publishing business that can be learned from your peers, and rejection is a fact of the business. It’s not personal, so file those rejection letters and emails away and keep working. And most of all, listen to your own voice instead of trying to copy what’s out there.

Tell us about the featured book?

Eyewitness to a murder, April Presley wants to answer Deputy Sheriff Daniel Rivers’ harrowing questions about the crime. But she can’t. She barely caught a glimpse of the crime through the deep Tennessee cornfield, and cannot recall anything to help the investigation. Or can she? Daniel Rivers is certain that April remembers more of his father’s death than she realizes. And the killer agrees. In the race to uncover April’s missing memory before the killer finds her, Daniel is the only one she can trust to keep her safe. Yet will he stay by her side when the shocking truth is unveiled?

Please give us the first page of the book.

Chapter One

When the shotgun went off, April Presley dropped her thermos and screamed.

Hearing her own scream scared her almost as much as the man with the gun did, and April clamped both hands over her mouth as she watched her next door neighbor, Levon Rivers, crumple in the middle of his newly plowed section of the field. Levon and his killer were almost 50 yards away, but even at that distance, April could see the blossom of red on Levon’s chest and a cold brace of fear flooded through her.

Then another screech burst around her tightly clamped hands as the killer swung around to face her, his face a blurry mask of rage. Without hesitation, he lifted the gun and fired again.

April ran.

And the morning had started out so peacefully.

As usual, April had spent her morning half on business and half on enjoying the luscious garden of flowers, herbs and vegetables behind her cottage. Since moving to the tiny town of Caralinda, Tennessee, April had found solace and a kind of spiritual comfort in her gardening.

What an opening. Really grabs the reader. How can readers find you on the Internet?

They can find me on my website, my blog, or on Facebook and Twitter. I love visitors.

http://www.ramonarichards.com/

http://ramonarichards.blogspot.com/

http://www.facebook.com/ramona.richards

http://twitter.com/RamonaRichards

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

Readers, here's a link where you can order the book:

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/