TRANSFORMATION - Terri Kraus - Free Book

I apoligize for posting this interview so late in the day. The massive Texas snowstorm knocked out our power, and it's been off for almost three days. Welcome, Terri. Why do you write the kind of books you do?

I feel God has called me to be an author, because it’s not my first career, I never dreamed I’d be published, and the opportunity came to me. As a Christ-follower, I have the best message in the world to share, and my books allow me to convey the themes He lays on my heart through the stories He gives me to write.

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

When I married my husband, and when my son was born (tied for 1st place!)

How has being published changed your life?

I am able to work at home, doing something I love, and get to know lots of wonderful fellow writers.

What are you reading right now?

Blindness, by Jose Saramago and Crashing Through by Robert Kurson (both for my Book Club’s upcoming retreat) along with Knowledge of the Holy, by A.W. Tozer

What is your current work in progress?

It is about an Italian-American woman, set in WW2, mainly in Tuscany.

That sounds interesting. What would be your dream vacation?

Cruising the Greek Islands or returning to New Zealand.

How do you choose your settings for each book?

They are always places I have visited or lived, and with which I am familiar. I enjoy writing about a variety of locations, rather than focusing on just one.

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

Beth Moore. I have benefited greatly from her Bible studies. I have met her a couple of times, but would love to sit down and chat with her.

What are your hobbies, besides writing and reading?

I love to study the Bible, lead neighborhood Bible studies and help women grow in their faith.
I love to listen to music—all types, from classical to contemporary. I play the piano.
I love photography. I like to knit, and I belong to a quilting club.
I love to cook and bake. I like to joke about having “worked” with the best chefs in America…while I’m making a meal, I watch the Food Network on my kitchen TV, and cook alongside them! I love to experiment with tweaking existing recipes and creating new ones. Being 100% Italian, I’m mainly interested in the cuisine of Italy. I delight in seeing how my resident guinea pigs—my husband and son—rate my creations.

Also, I am hooked on travel. If I am not planning the trip that’s on the calendar, I’m researching the next one, or one for “someday.”

As a family, we love to explore the city of Chicago

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

I enjoy “designing” a book. I adore doing the research and writing. I love tweaking all the details that make the story come alive and feel real to readers. I struggle with what happens after the book is done—all the publicity work that is expected and required. I try to do at least one little promotional activity each day.

What advice would you give to a beginning author?

I would say to write with passion. Tell the story God has given you, and don’t try to emulate someone else’s story or style or follow trends. Go out on a limb. And don’t worry so much about the “rules”—that’s what editors are for! Find a skilled, published mentor who can critique your work with honesty. And write, write, write.

Tell us about the featured book?

Oliver Barnett is a contractor who specializes in the restoration and remodeling of old buildings. Samantha Cohen is a savvy real estate investor and developer who has purchased an empty historic church near downtown Pittsburgh and plans on turning it into a restaurant/night club. Oliver, who has always considered himself a good Christian boy, wonders if he should get involved in the project. He is in the throes of being pursued by an old girlfriend (with the enthusiastic encouragement of his mother) but he’s smitten by Samantha. There’s another complication: Samantha is Jewish…and she has a less-than-innocent past. Oliver finds himself in a most unsettling dilemma. Does he do what’s right by the nice girl his mother has chosen for him, or does he do what his heart is telling him to do? And what should he do about the church project?

Please give us the first page of the book.

PROLOGUE

Shadyside
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
1888

The hot iron hissed as it made contact with the solder, the silvery metal turning to liquid, rivulets running along the lead channel. Perrin Millet worked fast, not wanting the heat to shatter the shards of thickly tinted glass. He bent the lead frame easily, and with a deft touch, soldered the channel to the master frame.

Close to finishing, he stepped back. The large window was cradled at an angle in a large, supporting, adjustable wooden frame. A small coal stove held a dozen heating rods, all glowing bright orange, each ready to melt and bend the puzzle of glass and metal slowly growing into sharp definition.

The Presbyterians had indeed been generous with the budget for their new church. As an artist, Perrin liked Presbyterians. Not so much the Lutherans, whom he thought were somewhat dour, their church designs lacking ambition and creativity. The group of Presbyterian elders, seeking to make a statement with their fine new church on South Aiken Avenue in bucolic Shadyside, on the east side Pittsburgh, far away from the belching sulfuric steel mills along the river, had presented him a commission to construct nine large story-telling windows. They even allowed him some latitude: he could select the scenes for his windows from more than a dozen approved Bible stories.

“We only ask that you make the windows big and impressive . . . and, of course, accurate,” he was instructed.

Perrin, a master artisan who had created stained-glass windows all his life, was surprisingly not a religious man; he was also given to hard drink and coarse language. But this commission for the Presbyterians had done something to him. Exactly what it had done, Perrin wasn’t certain, yet somehow he felt his completed subjects staring down on him—not in condemnation, but as witnesses to his genius, providing encouragement to his spirit as he labored, almost lost in the process of his handiwork.

His selections: Adam and Eve with the Serpent, Moses holding the Ten Commandments; Samson destroying the Temple (it was Perrin’s first time illustrating that wonderfully horrific story); Jesus holding a gentle lamb (an image Perrin could have done in his sleep); an anguished Jesus in the Garden with the disciples, slumbering, in the background; the Last Supper, with Jesus standing off to one side (a novel approach, Perrin thought); the crucifixion, with a wildly stormy background; and the Day of Pentecost, complete with dancing flames and beatific expressions.

The last window, the great circular window to be hung above the high altar, would be a more nebulous subject.

“We want to see the power of God in that window,” the elders had stated.

“Power of God?” Perrin had asked.

The elders were clear: the unbridled power of the Almighty God.

And so Perrin labored for weeks and weeks—poring over pages of sketches, surrounded by wads of discarded papers, tossing and turning in the night with indecision. Then, finally, with his vision clearly before him, he built the large circular frame and meticulously selected the glass. Painstakingly he cut each intricate piece, carefully laying out the lead and solder and sensitively designing the placement of the colors from the center out in a shape that suggested an all-seeing eye. For what could express the power of God more accurately than the Almighty’s ability to look inside the soul of man, casting His scathing light on its innermost parts in search of the truth?

As Perrin finished the darkness at the edge of the circle, the eye stared back at him. Colors melded from a near-black midnight blue at the edge to true blue, to purple, to burnt sienna, to umber, to a deep, thick, translucent gold in the very center. It was now midday. The work was complete at last.

Perrin called over two of his assistants, had them pull hard on the ropes, shouting that they must not loosen their holds, even for a moment, and then the window was upright.

“Turn it,” Perrin commanded.

They slowly rotated the frame on its wheels, letting the light shine through the glass, allowing the full force of the sunlight to burst onto that all-seeing eye for the first time in all of creation.

As Perrin stared up at his work, the blues washed over his body and the gold spilled over his face and shoulders, making it necessary to squint; his eyes were filled with too much light and too much color. After a moment, he closed his eyes and let the golden light warm his face, the blue cool his body.

How can readers find you on the Internet?

http://www.terrikraus.com/
terrkraus.blogspot.com

I LOVE getting feedback from my readers, and try to answer them all.

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

Readers, 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.

http://lenanelsondooley.blogspot.com/  

Winners in the Snow

Simply Stacie is the winner of Thin Places by Mary DeMuth.

AJ Hawke is the winner of Somewhere to Belong by Judith Miller. Judith was kind enough to say youcan choose The CArousel Painter, if you prefer. Thank you, Judith.
 
Megan is the winner of Deliver Us From Evil by Robin Caroll.
 
Trinity Rose is the winner of Love Finds You in Hershey, Pennsylvania by Serella Seachrist.
 
The Bookworm is the winner of Love Finds You in Bridal Veil, Oregon by Miralee Ferrell.
 
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 individual interview. By using that link, you will help support this blog.

We already have an exciting lineup in 2010, including my next book Love Finds You in Golden, New Mexico in May. More info on that will come later.

DOUBLE TROUBLE - Susan May Warren - Free Book

Always a pleasure to have you, Susie. Why did you become an author?

I love to write! And I’ve always been a storyteller. So the two seemed a good mix. :-) But more than that – I was living overseas when I began writing for publication and it just wasn’t practical to try and break into the non-fiction/magazine article market. So, I dove into learning how to write a novel…and found my niche. I’ve always loved fiction, so perhaps, deep down, I’ve always been a novelist.

If you weren’t an author, what would be your dream job?

I’d love to be an editor. I love to help people craft stories and see them come to life. I believe in the power of story to affect and change lives, and I’d like to be a part of that process.

I commend you for all you do to help aspiring novelists. If you could have lived at another time in history, what would it be and why?

1940’s -1950’s. I love the values, the fashion, the music…I would have joined up to be in the military (maybe a WASP) or a war correspondent. :-) (But I would have had the cutest shoes!)

I was born in the 1940's--a WWII baby. What place in the United States have you not visited that you would like to?

Washington State

How about a foreign country you hope to visit?

Italy

What lesson has the Lord taught you recently?

That when He gives us a blessing, or a gift, or a skill, He wants us to share it. It’s not just for us – it’s for His kingdom.

And isn't that a wonderful thing to really live out? Tell us about the featured book.

Double Trouble is the continuing adventures of PJ Sugar. Now that she’s working as a PI, she expects to do PI things – so why won’t Jeremy let her do some super sleuthing? Instead, he assigns her to act as a body double for a paranoid woman who thinks someone is after her. Except….someone is. And PJ has to figure out who before she becomes his next victim. I love this story not only because of the growing romantic triangle, and PJ’s efforts to take on a new persona, but because of the subplot with Gabby, the elderly next-door neighbor who loves vintage movies and to dance. I wish I had a neighbor like Gabby!

Please give us the first page of the book.

Chapter 1

PJ Sugar had been born to sneak up on people. She clearly possessed the instincts of a panther, with the ability to find her prey and slink up to them in the shadows, pouncing only when they least suspected.

Suspected adulterer Rudy Bagwell didn’t have a prayer of escaping.

“I’m telling you, Jeremy, we’re going to nail him this time.” She wasn’t sure why she felt the need to keep her voice to just a hoarse whisper into the cell phone or even to slink down into the bucket seat of her VW Bug—it wasn’t like Rudy or his cohort in crime, Geri Fitz, would hear her.

PJ glanced at the digital clock on the dash. It glared 2:14 a.m., a resounding gavel bang to Rudy’s guilt.

After all, who would be sneaking around after midnight?

Without, er, a good reason. Like a stakeout.

“I followed him to the Windy Oaks Motel off Highway 12,” she continued. She glanced at the soot-dark picture window next to the peeling door of the ancient one-story motel. A brass number eight, slanted at a corrupt angle, glared against the parking lot lights as if spotlighting the sin behind the closed doors.

If she were picking a location to have a tryst with her old high-school sweetheart, she might have aimed higher than a graying yellow motel edged with weeds, a broken swing-set, a muddy sandbox, and a Dumpster stuffed with a ripped prison-striped mattress. Oh, the romance.

Just sitting in the greasy parking lot made her itch, as if she might be the one engaging in the skullduggery.

Now that she was a PI in training, she got to use words like that. She had even highlighted this one in the Basics of Private Investigation manual Jeremy had assigned her to read as part of her apprenticeship. She had read the “Stakeout” chapter three times. And, if she did say so herself, had the “Tailing Your Suspect” techniques down to a science.

Nope, Rudy wasn’t getting away with cheating on his wife. Not with PJ Sugar on the job.

Sounds like a fun read. I love your books. How can readers find you on the Internet?

Go to: http://www.susanmaywarren.com/ , or www.facebook.com/susanmaywarren
Twitter: www.twitter.com/susanmaywarren  or http://www.mybooktherapy.com/

Thanks for having me today!

I always love having you, Susie. Suzie has a Double Trouble contest you'll want to enter. Here's the link:
http://susanmaywarren.typepad.com/scribbles/2010/02/double-trouble-contest-have-you-entered.html
 
Readers, here's a link where you can order 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/

A KISS FOR CADE - Lori Copeland - Free Book

LORI COPELAND and her husband, Lance, work closely with their oldest son and daughter-in-law in Hidden Bluff Ministry (inner city children) School for the Nations and the Kagora people of Mali, West Africa. Situated on twenty acres in Ozark, Mo, the donation funded ministries continue to grow and serve God.

Lori has published in both secular and Christian markets with popular series like The Western Sky series, Brides of the West, Men of the Saddle and Belles of Timber Creek. She’s been the recipient of the various industry awards including Romantic Times Career Achievement, Holt Medallion, Reader’s Choice Award, and she was a Christy finalist in 2006. Ms Copeland was inducted into the Missouri Writers Hall of Fame in 2000.

I'm pleased to feature one of my long-time favorite authors. Welcome, Lori. Why do you write the kind of books you do?

I write what I like to read; I think most authors follow their hearts when they start a book. There was a time when I wrote in various genres, but the last few years I’m focusing on stories and settings that really touch my heart.

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

There’s been so many; I have been so blessed. I could say, the day I married Lance, but then I didn’t realize what a blessing that would turn out to be. The day each of my children, grandchildren and last year, my great-granddaughter was born. Days and hours with friends—really close friends where we did nothing but share our feelings. The day I sold my first book; I had no idea how God would change my life that day, but it was a happy time. Everyday should be the happiest, but that isn’t always possible, but increasingly I’m trying to find something unique about each day and thank God that he’s allowed me to experience it.

How has being published changed your life?

It did change my life. Drastically! Before I was the mother of the three sons, worked for a bank, read but never thought about writing a book. That would have been the farthest thing from my mind. But when my last son was in high school, a friend suggested that I write a book. I had a good laugh about that and then—for my entertainment only, wrote Playing for Keeps for Dell Publishing Company. The book sold, and I have been writing since that day.

What are you reading right now?

Going Rogue, Sara Palin.

I bought that for my husband for Christmas. Now it's my turn to read it. What is your current work in progress?

I’m finishing up a rewrite of an older ABA title Marrying Walker McKay for Harvest House. The new title—and completely rewritten book with Christian content is titled Walker’s Wedding. The book will be out June of 2110, and it’s the last book in my Western Sky series.

What would be your dream vacation?

Cruising the Hawaiian Islands. Will some cruise line PLEASE fulfill my dream! LOL

I'd love to go with you? How do you choose your settings for each book?

I’ve fallen into a comfortable time period shortly after the Civil War where I set most of my westerns. The country was starting to rebuild, so much was going on yet for some reason my characters take over and very little is noted about historical facts. I write about people and emotions.

I like writing in the period between the Civil War and the turn of the century. If you could spend an evening with one person who is currently alive, who would it be and why?

I was thinking about this the other night, and this is going to blow the readers away, but I would choose Glen Beck. He fascinates me, and he makes me laugh. And cry. I don’t agree with all he says, but he’s a man who lost everything to alcoholism and he pulled his life back together, through Jesus Christ, which he readily gives credit.

What are your hobbies, besides writing and reading?

Knitting. I’m not good, and my friends are thoroughly sick of getting my dishcloths, but knitting loosens the knots in my brain.

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

English skills. How I wish I had learned more in school. It would make my job so much easier. Young people, if you happened to read this, listen up in English! It will serve you well all of your life.

What advice would you give to a beginning author?

Patience, and write for the love of writing and not the incessant goal to publish. I can’t tell you how many good, wonderful, beautifully written stories go unpublished. The best advice that I could offer anyone is: writing chooses you. If you choose it, you may be disappointed. It isn’t an easy process ( in most cases). I had the right product at the right time. I started my career in a time when romance was a hungry market, and while genres are always a good market, it’s a tighter market today.

Tell us about the featured book?

A Kiss for Cade is another refreshed ABA title in my Western Sky series for Harvest House, coming out Jan 1. It’s a story about a bounty hunter, Cade Kolby who can never come home, but the love of his life, Zoe Bradshaw is there and not likely to go away. The story features pure Lori Copeland characters—fun, sobering and a tad bit whacky.

Please give us the first line of the book.

“Well, if that don’t beat all. Cade Kolby, showing’ up after fifteen years as if he hadn’t been gone a day.”

How can readers find you on the Internet?

http://www.loricopeland.com/ . I’m also on Twitter and Facebook.

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

Readers, here's a link where you can order 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/

THIRD TIME'S A CHARM - Virginia Smith - Free Book

Here's another book I was privileged to write an endorsement for. Welcome, Ginny. What are some of the spiritual themes you like to write about?

I’ve noticed that the spiritual themes of my books tend to be areas of my life where the Lord is teaching me, or reminds me of a truth He led me to in the past. In all three books of the Sister-to-Sister Series, the theme is the unconditional, never ending love of God the Father. That’s a truth I need to savor over and over again, and I tend to do that through my books.

What other books of yours are coming out soon?

A Daughter’s Legacy is a romance story with a fun setting – a zoo! It’s my first straight romance, and I had so much fun writing it that I decided I’d like to do more of them. Then in October I have another romantic suspense novel coming out. Into the Deep has a scuba diving theme, which is one of my passions.

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

I would love to spend an evening with Mel Gibson. Okay, I admit part of the reason is because I think he’s incredibly handsome, and who wouldn’t want to spend time with a hunky guy? But beyond that, I’d like to talk to him about his faith, and some of the finer interpretations of scripture in his movie The Passion of the Christ.

How long have you known that you wanted to be novelist?

I started later in life than most professional writers. I didn’t write my first short story until I was in my mid-twenties. And then for several years after that, my goal was just to publish short stories. I had some ideas for novels, but the idea of becoming a novelist as a profession didn’t occur to me until much later, when I joined a very intense critique group who were all determined to become career novelists. Several of them had published many short stories, and a couple had even published novels, yet they were all still working toward the goal of quitting their “day jobs” and supporting themselves as full time writers. The encouragement and the training I received in that group made me realize that one day I, too, might make writing my career.

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

Don’t give up. Remember that publication is not the measure of how good you are as a person. Nor is it always the measure of how good you are as a writer. There are so many factors in achieving publication, and some of them are beyond a writer’s control. The market plays a huge part in deciding which books are published, and so does the economy. You can’t control those things. All you can do is work to develop your skills, and write the book God has given you to write. Set goals, and work toward achieving them. Don’t let rejection affect you enough to sidetrack you.

Tell us about the featured book?

My newest book is Third Time’s a Charm, the funny and heartwarming story of a professional young woman struggling to balance career, church, budding romance, and a personal crisis. As if that weren’t enough, a couple of matchmaking sisters crank up the tension and the fun. This is the third book in the Sister-to-Sister series, following Stuck in the Middle and Age Before Beauty, but you don’t have to read those books before this one.

When I created the Sister-to-Sister series, I modeled the characters after my relationship with my own sisters, so the books are very close to my heart. Plus, I drew heavily on personal experience to write this book. Third Time’s a Charm is lighthearted in places, but it confronts some tough issues, too.

Please give us the first page of the book.

One sign was certain to drive even the most pressing appointment right out of a girl’s head: Today Only—All Shoes 15% Off. The bright red letters snagged Tori Sanderson’s gaze as she speed-walked through the mall toward the exit, an elegantly wrapped box clutched in her arms. She skidded to a halt before the exclusive store. The last time she shopped here, she’d tried on a darling pair of Bournes that had haunted her dreams since she walked out without them. If her sister Allie hadn’t been with her at the time, she would have bought them in addition to the two pairs that went home with her. But Allie wasn’t here now. Tori glanced down at the pumps on her feet. They looked okay with this new dress, but those Bournes would be perfect.

She glanced at her watch. Two o’clock. The bridal shower started in one hour, and the drive from Lexington to Danville would take about forty minutes. If she’d known about the sale, she would have left the office at noon. Or maybe she would have skipped work completely. Some people didn’t come in at all on Saturday.

But, of course, those people didn’t work for Kate Bowman.

How can readers find you on the Internet?

My website is http://www.virginiasmith.org/ . My blog is integrated in the website, under the tab called Ginny’s Journal. (I call it a Journal so people won’t have expectations of daily posts!) I also spend far more time than I should on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/ginny.p.smith

Thank you, Ginny, for spending this time with us.
 
Readers, here's a link where you can order 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/  

SONGBIRD UNDER A GERMAN MOON - Tricia Goyer - Free Book

This is the other book release introducing the Summerside Press romantic suspense line. Welcome, Tricia. Why do you write the kind of books you do?

I write what interests me most. It sounds sort of selfish … but I want to be PASSIONATE about my stories. I want to be able to be excited about the books I write. I write about marriage and family because I'm passionate about mine. I write historical novels because I love researching history and transporting myself to a different world. The reader just gets to come along for the ride! Hahaha … I'm glad my readers enjoy the journey with me. :)

And they really do. Besides when you came to know the Lord, what is the happiest day in your life?

Today. Every day I try to find joy. I have an amazing husband and great kids. I love my friends. I love my work. I love walking with God through each day!

How has being published changed your life?

I'm busier now. Many more people know who I am, but on the inside—and in my “world” very little has changed. I still love my church, my family, my friends. I have an “outside” writing world, but that's just opened the door to more friends and co-workers!

What are you reading right now?

Thou Givest … They Gather by Amy Carmichael. It's an old devotional book that I found at the thrift store!

I love some of the older devotional books, too. What is your current work in progress?

I'm currently writing Love Finds You in Victory Heights Washington, Summerside. It's set in Seattle in World War II. My co-writer Ocieanna Fleiss and I are enjoying the story and loving the characters!

What would be your dream vacation?

I would love to go to Greece with my family and stay in a small house overlooking the sea.

Wouldn't we all? How do you choose your settings for each book?

I get lots of ideas, but it's the places that KEEP coming back that I have to write about. They are the places I want to visit and that seem like a character in their own right, with their history and intrigue.

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

My husband. He's the funnest person to spend time with. Okay … beyond him … Billy Graham. I highly respect him. I'd love to hear from his heart about his life.

What are your hobbies, besides writing and reading?

I LOVE board games. My husband, kids, and whoever friends happen to over will be talked into playing one if they hang around long enough. I love seeing everyone around the table interacting and having fun. I also love travel and exploring new places with family and friends.

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

I try to do too much. I have SO many ideas. I want to write them all … now! I overcome it by talking to John and my agent Janet. They help me to set more realistic goals.

What advice would you give to a beginning author?

LIVE LIFE. Give, serve, step out of your comfort zone. The more we live life the more we have to write about!

Tell us about the featured book?

The year is 1945. The war is over and 21-year-old Betty Lake has been invited to Europe to sing in a USO tour for American soldiers who now occupy Hitlers Germany. The first night's performance is a hit. Betty becomes enthralled with the applause, the former Nazi-held mansion they're housed in and the attention of Frank Witt, the US Army Signal Corp Photographer. Yet the next night this songbird is ready to fly the coop when Betty's dear friend, Kat, turns up missing. Betty soon realizes Franks photographs could be the key to finding Kat. Betty and Frank team up against post-war Nazi influences and the two lovebirds hearts may find the answers...in each other. But will they have a chance for their romance to sing? The truth will be revealed under a German moon.

Thank you!

And thank you, Tricia, for spending this time with us.
 
Readers, here's a link where you can order the book. By using this link when you order, you're 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/

A VALENTINE"S WISH - Betsy St. Amant - Free Book

Why do you write the kind of books you do?

My bio states that I love sharing the good news of God’s grace through my stories, and I truly do. I hope to show readers that God loves them and is there for them, no matter what. That even when people let us down, Jesus will not.

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

Getting married was pretty great, and so was having my daughter! But outside of those big life-changing moments, I’d have to say that one of the happiest days was getting word that Steeple Hill wanted to contract my first novel RETURN TO LOVE. Though I have to admit, that was pretty life changing as well!

How has being published changed your life?

It was not only a literal, life-long dream come true, but it also played a big part in my husband’s decision to let me quit my full time job and stay home and raise our daughter and write! Another dream come true!

What are you reading right now?

I just started reading (for review) BEGUILED by Deeanne Gist and J. Mark Bertrand, by Bethany House. What an intriguing story!

What is your current work in progress?

I just finished up revisions for my Christmas novella, THE GINGERBREAD SEASON, releasing in October 2010 as part of a compilation book with another Steeple Hill author, Marta Perry. I’m awaiting line edits before brainstorming my next book.

What would be your dream vacation?

Touring Europe, especially Germany and Ireland. That is a shared dream of mine and my husband’s, and we hope to get there one day! I’d love to see the castles and the rolling green hills and all the history just waiting to be explored.

How do you choose your settings for each book?

Sometimes my settings choose me! It depends on the story. Occasionally I choose the setting for a novel first, then base a plot around it, but other times it’s the other way around. RETUN TO LOVE and A VALENTINE’S WISH were both set in New Orleans and that was decided first. But my April 2010 release is set on a horse ranch in Texas, and that was decided after I realized I wanted to write about a cowgirl.

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

Hard question! There are a lot of people I’d like to meet, especially famous authors. Hmmm. I guess I’d have to say Nicholas Sparks. I love his novels and I’d be curious to know where he gets his ideas and how he always manages to pull off that intense emotional response in his readers that all authors try to create.

What are your hobbies, besides writing and reading?

I used to kick-box regularly, before having my daughter. Now that my time is more limited, I try to work-out through a DVD program as often as I can instead. I also enjoy shopping, new shoes, lunch dates with my mom and grandma and daughter, and date nights with Hubby.

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

I’d have to say my current obstacle is time. Even though I quit my day job, raising a toddler is 24/7, and with my husband’s shift work, I’m often a “single mom” of sorts. Finding time to write amidst my time with my daughter and our limited time as a family together is sometimes a struggle. But, I’ve learned with discipline and prayer, anything can be done!

What advice would you give to a beginning author?

Write what you know, and write from your heart. Find a topic that you are passionate about and put it into your story. That passion will shine through your writing and will potentially impress an editor/agent later down the line, when you take that step. Heart really shows through, and your writing will better when you’re telling a story that is important to you.

Tell us about the featured book?

A VALENTINE’S WISH picks up where RETURN TO LOVE left off, with Lori Perkins as the heroine. (Gracie’s best friend from RETURN TO LOVE) This is a contemporary romance set in New Orleans in a chocolate boutique in the French Quarter.

Here’s the back cover: Unless youth pastor Andy Stewart finds a suitable wife fast, he'll lose his job. Yet the woman of his dreams is his best friend. And Lori Perkins is still smarting over a failed engagement, so he can't just declare his love. His plan: he'll be her secret admirer and woo her anonymously with flowers and chocolates. And then, when romance is on her mind, Andy will confess his Valentine's wish—to spend his life with her. There's just one little problem. Lori seems to think her secret admirer is someone else!

Please give us the first page of the book.

Unemployed. Single. And out of brownie mix.

Lori Perkins tapped her nails against the open pantry door. Canned vegetables and peanut butter crackers were nowhere near sufficient for this kind of low. She rested her forehead against the frame and blew a strand of dark hair out of her eyes. It really wasn't her fault—well, maybe two of the three problems were. She probably shouldn't have quit her job at the aquarium gift shop before the administrative position across town was a done deal, and she definitely should have gone to the grocery store before her chocolate stash ran out. But her single status was most certainly not of her own choosing. Add the fact that Valentine's Day was mere weeks away, and it became official. She was broke, hungry and destined to be alone.

The cordless phone on the counter jangled a shrill ring, and Lori snatched it up while peering one more time at the contents of her bottom shelf. "Hello?"

"Lori? I can barely hear you. Are you in a tunnel?" It was her friend Andy Stewart, the youth pastor at her church, L'Eglise de Grace.

She stretched one arm toward the back of the shelf. "No. The pantry."

"Searching for chocolate, I assume."

"Funny." So what if she'd become a little predictable over the years? Lori fumbled around a jar of peanut butter and felt a crinkly wrapper. Maybe a forgotten candy bar? No, just another package of crackers. She let out a huff. Was a little chocolate too much to ask for a girl having one of the worst days of her life?

"Are you all right? I can call back."

Lori shut the pantry door with a loud click and rested her back against the wooden panels. "I need chocolate."

"You're out? How is that possible?"

"Gracie helped me finish the last of my emergency stash."

"And she didn't refill?"

"There wasn't time before the wedding." She supposed Gracie had more important things on her mind at the time, like planning a honeymoon. Excited as she was for her friend's new life, Lori couldn't help the flicker of jealousy in her stomach. Happily-ever-after endings apparently weren't meant for everyone—her ex, Jason, had proven that point well enough.

She slammed the brakes on her runaway train of negative thoughts. "Look, is there a point to this conversation, or can I finish my desperate search for relief now?"

"Ouch. Bad day?"

"Did you not hear me say I'm out of chocolate?" Men. The cute ones cheated, and the funny ones were dense. Take Andy, for example. They'd been practically best friends for how long now—two years? Three? And he'd never once considered Lori as anything more.

Though it was probably for the best. If bitter thoughts of Jason still crept in her subconscious, she wasn't ready for more. The need for chocolate intensified, and Lori squeezed her eyes shut. Maybe if she pretended hard enough she could—

Andy cleared his throat. "How about I bring over some chocolate doughnuts? I have something I need to talk to you about."

Lori stopped the no from automatically rolling off her tongue. She preferred to indulge in her chocolate bad moods by herself, but without the chocolate, the bad-mood part sounded pretty lonely. "Fine. See you in twenty."

I want more. . .quickly! How can readers find you on the Internet?

Readers may reach me at betsystamant@yahoo.com  or through my website, http://www.betsystamant.com/  or my blog, http://www.betsy-ann.blogspot.com/  Hope to hear from you!!

Thank you, Betsy, for spending this time with us. Now I need some chocolate. Can you wait 'til I get back?

Readers, here's a link where you can order the book. By using this link when you order, you will 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/

First February 2010 Winners

Rick Barry is the winner of The Substitute Bride by Janet Dean.
Little Lady is the winner of The Husband Tree by Mary Connealy.

Casey is the winner of The Sweet By and By by Rachel Hauck and Sara Evans.

Rose McCauley is the winner of Sons of Thunder by Susan May Warren.

Edna is the winner of Saint's Roost by Terry Burns.

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 individual interview. By using that link, you will help support this blog.

We already have an exciting lineup in 2010, including my next book Love Finds You in Golden, New Mexico in May. More info on that will come later.

LOVE FINDS YOU IN BRIDAL VEIL, OREGON - Miralee Ferrell - Free Book

I'm just loving these Love Finds You books. And Miralee has an interesting town, doesn't she? Welcome, Miralee. What are some of the spiritual themes you like to write about?

The major themes are restoration, acceptance and renewal. In The Other Daughter, we saw a marriage renewed where trust had been damaged, and the life of an innocent girl restored to her natural father. In Love Finds You in Last Chance, California., we meet Alexia, and watch her struggle with the issue of being accepted for who she is. She needed to learn that true unconditional love and acceptance only comes from God, and that’s what we should seek first. In my newest release, Love Finds You in Bridal Veil, Oregon, we see a young woman trying to reconcile hurt from the past with a loving heavenly Father. She has to come to a place of laying down her own desires, and allowing God to restore her peace and faith in the people who’ve hurt her. I try to weave a strong spiritual thread through each book without being preachy or in your face. It’s part of the story, rather than a story of its own.

That's what I try to do, too. What other books of yours are coming out soon?

I have two releasing early in 2010. Love Finds You in Bridal Veil, Oregon, with Summerside Press, released Feb 1st. Bridal Veil is another historical that’s set in 1902 in the Columbia River Gorge, east of Portland, Oregon. It has a bit of a mystery woven throughout, as well as romance, and several very strong secondary characters. I did a lot of research on the area and town, and weave in a number of things that actually happened during that time period.

Finding Jeena, the sequel to The Other Daughter, Kregel Publications, is women’s contemporary fiction and releases April 30. It follows Jeena, a strong secondary character from the first book and deals with economic and social issues facing a lot of families today. We’ll find out what drives Jeena, who is very materialistic and career oriented, and live through her eyes as she encounters setbacks that will make her examine what’s really important in life.

I was privileged to be an endorser of Finding Jeena. You readers will love it, too. Miralee, if you could spend an evening with one contemporary person (not a family member of yours), who would it be and why?

This is a tough one, as I have spiritual heroes, ones in the entertainment industry, authors, and people I’ve known over the years and lost touch with. I was going to choose Jan Karon, as I so enjoy her writing and doubt I’ll ever have the chance to meet her, but someone else comes to mind as I’m writing this. Years ago we took a girl named Ande (short for Andrea) into our home and she lived with us for almost 3 yrs. She married & they moved a lot, as her husband was in the Army. We lost track of her and I’ve been unable to locate her. I’d love to find her again and be able to spend a day catching up and giving her a hug.

How long have you known that you wanted to be novelist?

Only about four years. When I started writing, it was non-fiction and I didn’t believe I had the creativity to write fiction. A friend nudged and encouraged me, telling me I could do it if I tried. Now that I’m writing fiction, I can’t imagine not doing so. I still enjoy doing a little nonfiction on the side, but fiction has become my true passion.

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

Rejections are incredibly painful, especially when you’ve poured your heart into what you’re presenting to an editor and they turn it down. It feels personal somehow, like they’ve rejected you. I’d urge those contending with constant rejections to see it in a different light. Most of you are probably writing because you feel called—it’s a passion that pulls you and you MUST write. If that’s the case, then write for the joy it brings, rather than for the end result of publication. As you hone your craft and develop as a writer, your work will shine and eventually be recognized. But don’t write for the sole purpose of being published—write to bring glory to God, to fulfill your passion, and for the enjoyment it brings. Don’t lose sight of that joy by letting rejection crush your spirit. God’s timing is perfect for all things, including publication—give it to Him and He’ll bring it to pass in His time.

Tell us about the featured book?

I’m not going to give you the back cover summary, since you can find that online. Instead, I’d like to tell you a couple of things not directly related to the story line. First, there are two children in the book—Samantha, a 13 year-old girl and Joel, her 14 year-old brother. Joel is “special”, and has a hard time learning and reasoning, but he’s a sweetheart. I fell in love with these two kids as they grew and changed, and grew to love my main characters even more as I watched them interact with Sammie and Joel. They play a part in the mystery woven through the plot, as do several other secondary characters.

Margaret is my heroine and she’s trapped in a dilemma. She fell in love with a man when she was barely seventeen, and lost that love when he unexpectedly left town. Now, four years later, Nathaniel returns to Bridal Veil, but Margaret is already being courted by Andrew, a local man who works at the sawmill in town. Life is going to get very complex for them all with the arrival of the children, a murder, and a tragedy that strikes the town.

Please give us the first page of the book.

Bridal Veil, Oregon
July, 1898

Yes.

The simple word staring up at Jacob Garvey from the piece of white paper hit him so hard it nearly knocked him to his knees. He’d been afraid of something like this for weeks. The note tucked in the wooden box lying under the tree confirmed his fears.

Maybe this wasn’t what it seemed. Jacob turned the piece of paper over, hoping to find an explanation. His hand trembled as his gaze slid over the words printed in the bold handwriting.

Margaret. I’m leaving town this evening and not coming back. I want to marry you. I’ll come for your answer after work. If I find the word Yes, then I’ll meet you here after dark. Only bring what you need. I love you and can’t wait to make you my wife.—Nathaniel

P. S. If I don’t find your reply, I’ll know you can’t go through with it.

A soft groan passed Jacob’s lips, and he rocked on his heels. His eyes returned to the answer written in his daughter’s clear script—willing it to change, willing it to disappear. Yes. Margaret was everything to him, and had filled the awful void after his dear wife died. His sweet girl deserved so much better. There had to be a way to protect her from her own immaturity.

Why did Margaret persist in seeing Nathaniel Cooper? To his way of thinking, the man had no prospects and even less ambition. The Garvey family might not have much in the way of money, but they had history—their roots extended back to some of the hardy pioneers who helped settle this land.

What did that young man have? Hopeless dreams and no family—at least, none that Jacob knew of. A drifter with no prospects whom Margaret had only met a scant six months ago. From what he’d heard, Cooper jumped from one job to the next, with no thought for the future. He’d only lasted less than a year here and was already moving on. Margaret could end up destitute if that ne’er-do-well wasn’t careful. Besides, she was only sixteen.

Jacob placed the paper back in the box and stood. He’d hide the box with the note inside until he was sure Margaret’s future was safe. When Nathaniel came back, he’d think she didn’t want to marry him and leave town. He snapped the lid shut and hurried back down the trail, anxious to get home.

You're really leaving us hanging. I can't wait for my book to arrive. How can readers find you on the Internet?

They can find me several places. My website is http://www.miraleeferrell.com/

My blog is http://www.miraleesdesk.blogspot.com/ , I have a Twitter and a Facebook account, just use my first and last name to find me, and I have a Reader’s Group on Facebook as well, just do a search for Miralee Ferrell’s Readers Group. I’m also active on Shelfari, Goodreads, Shoutlife and a few other sites; just do a search and I’ll be happy to add you!

Thank you for spending this time with us, Miralee. I just love your cover and your author photo as well.
 
Readers, here's a link where you can order 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 FINDS YOU IN HERSHEY, PENNSYLVANIA - Cerella Sechrist - Free Book

More Love Finds You books are releasing this month. Today, we're talking to an author I haven't featured before. Welcome, Cerella. What are some of the spiritual themes you like to write about?

I enjoy choosing themes which are slightly atypical – sometimes, I think my own issues are a little atypical. I had a teacher who once said to me, “Why do you always have to make everything more complicated than it needs to be?”

So I gravitate to premises which can teach me something. For instance, in Love Finds You in Hershey, Pennsylvania, Sadie already has immense talent in the area of cooking, but she cannot rest until she conquers that one gift she’s always wanted – creating desserts. Writing the story forced me to ask the question, “When is it going to be enough?”

I asked those hard questions of myself, about how much I really needed in my life to feel that I mattered, that my life meant something, that who I was could be just enough.

Because I tend to do things the hard way, I usually choose the themes God’s already wrestling with me on, and I’m sort of forced to face the issue and grow from it so my character can, too.

What other books of yours are coming out soon?

There are several irons in the fire there but no release dates yet. I’m working on a series about a trio of sisters who are mending their relationships and a young adult novel with overtones of fantasy. I’d also like to go back to historical fiction again at some point, since I learned a lot from writing my beginning novels in that genre. I like a lot of variety, or I get a little bored!

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

You know, I think Rachael Ray of Food Network fame would be a lot of fun. And of course, I’d let her make dinner.

I like to watch Rachael while I'm doing some of my PT exercises. How long have you known that you wanted to be a novelist?

As a child, I was a voracious reader – I absolutely devoured any books I could get my hands on. Then, at age ten, I saw a movie in which the heroine was a novelist. A light bulb went off. People actually wrote those books I’d been reading. Maybe I could do this. I wanted to do this.

I announced my intentions to my mother – she dubbed it a ‘phase’. Twenty years later, I still remind her of that. (You take what leverage you can get with your parents.)

Once I hit upon this desire, I never wavered from it. Throughout my teenage years and my twenties, I continued to read anything and everything – including how-to writing books, books on the publishing industry, novels in every genre imaginable, non-fiction, you name it.

I wrote my first book at 16 and began submitting to publishers at 17. It took twelve more years after that to receive a contract.

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

Rejection stings. After a time, you get accustomed to it and even become somewhat inured. Yet there’s always that little chafe when a submission comes back with the ‘not what we’re looking for’ letter. The Scottish side of my family has a motto on the crest: Dulcius ex Asperis: Sweeter after difficulty.

Success comes, if you hang in there long enough. And when it does, it’s so much sweeter for the wait. My mounds of rejections only steeled my perseverance. Life, and writing, isn’t about what happens to you – it’s about what you do with what happens.

Dig in. Nothing good ever came easily. It doesn’t mean it wasn’t worth it. It took me twenty years, from the day I decided to be a writer, to see a book in print. I can promise you, I would spend another twenty just to achieve that moment.

Tell us about the featured book?

After years of writing and (unsuccessfully) submitting historical fiction, I decided to do an about-face and write something different. I have a fascination with cooking, the Food Network and with food in general. There’s an artistry to it, and I’m drawn to that.

So I decided to write a book with food as a theme, and I knew I wanted it to be something light and funny – the type of book I’d pick up myself to take with me on vacation or just to unwind at night after work.

Love Finds You in Hershey, Pennsylvania is about Sadie, a single mom who’s spent years struggling to make her art (food) a success. She’s already experienced a fair amount of tragedy for her 29 years (death of a mother and spouse), and her life finally seems to have settled into a comfortable rhythm with her best friend, Jasper, and her daughter, Kylie.

Now this mysterious stranger shows up in her hometown, and the rumors say he’s here to open up a competing restaurant. Life has already taken a lot away from Sadie, so she’s determined she won’t go down without a fight. To complicate the situation further, her ne’er-do-well father has returned, wanting to mend their tenuous relationship.

Of course, nothing ever goes the way you plan it, and appearances are hardly what they seem. Sadie finds herself blundering through several embarrassing moments and situations while trying to stay on top. Along the way, she finds herself falling in love with Jasper, her best friend, and possibly losing him in the process.

It has a little bit of everything: humor, drama, relationships, romance and of course…chocolate.

I like plenty of chocolate. Please give us the first page of the book.

Chapter 1:

He’d been coming into her restaurant for weeks now, flaunting his gorgeous black hair and icy blue eyes. She had learned that his heritage was Russian, which accounted for the roller-coaster pitch of his consonants and his sonorous name.

Dmitri Velichko.

He turned heads when he came through the front door. He melted hearts when he ordered from the menu. He was sharp, classy, and charming.

Dmitri Velichko was the enemy.

Sadie Spencer knew this well because she had learned, during her time at culinary school and her year as a cooking show host, exactly what comprised an enemy.

The sudden clatter of a pan in the kitchen arrested her attention, and she rushed from the main dining room to see what was the matter. As she flew into the kitchen, her conscience raised its hand, demanding attention.

What now? she asked it.

The hand came down, but a voice piped up. You didn’t know he was the enemy right away. You didn’t know until yesterday when you overheard Mrs. Smith and Mrs. Jones talking about him.

Sadie’s eyes narrowed to slits as she put her conscience on hold and surveyed the damage to her kitchen. Jimmy, a young man who had worked his way up from dishwasher and busboy and was now being trained as one of her line cooks, was hunched over and frantically scooping the remains of a rice pilaf back into the pan from the floor, where the dish had landed. She hurried over.

“What are you planning to do with that?” she demanded of him.

Jimmy swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbing like her daughter Kylie’s attempts to submerge her rubber ducky in the bathtub. “Er…getting ready to plate it up?”

Sadie’s eyes widened with horror. “It’s been on the floor!”

Jimmy stared up at her with the mournful expression of a cocker spaniel. “It’s a clean floor,” he lamely noted.

How can readers find you on the Internet?

My website, http://www.cerelladsechrist.com/ , has lots of extra goodies for those who enjoyed Love Finds You in Hershey: character bios, soundtrack recommendations, recipes from the story, photos, merchandise, etc. Take a visit and drop me a line on my Contact page or join me on Facebook at www.facebook.com/thecerellalife

If you want to spend more time with the main character of the novel, Sadie, then check out her blog at http://www.suncatchersadie.blogspot.com/  (It’s pretty sweet!)

My personal blog, The Cerella Life, can be found at http://www.thewaterportal.net/ . I’d love to hear from readers!

Thank you, Cerella, for spending this time with us. I'm sure my readers will want to check out all those web sites.

Readers, here's a link where you can order the book. By using this link when you order, you'll 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/

DELIVER US FROM EVIL - Robin Caroll - Free Book

Robin, I'm so excited about this new direction your writing is taking. Since you’re being published regularly, what new avenues will your future books take?

I’m very excited about this series from B&H Publishing, the Pure Enjoyment line. These books are longer books, allowing me, as an author, to delve deeper into the plot and issues. But not to worry, all my currently contracted books are romantic suspenses, with hints of mystery.

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

Since I’m the ACFW Conference Director, naturally I’ll be at that conference. Last year I taught at other conferences, but with my deadlines and schedule, the only conference I’m planning on attending at this time is ACFW’s.

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?

Personally? I’d like a panel regarding the changing trends in the industry. I’d ask publishers, editors, and agents to sit on the panel and share their insights and thoughts.

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

VITAL. I can’t imagine journeying in the publishing industry without the benefits of writing organizations.

Where in the community or your church do you volunteer?

Since I still have small children at home in elementary school, I tend to concentrate my efforts in that arena.

And a very worthy arena that is. I remember the days. Who are the five people who have made the most impact on your life, and how?

Jesus Christ, first and foremost, for being my Lord and Savior. Without Him, I am nothing. My husband…because he inspires me daily with his strength and faith and unwavering support. My mother…because she’s such a strong woman who instilled in me such a love of family. My children…because once we were blessed with them, my entire life changed. Each day, I learn something new from them. It’s amazing. My closest best friends…because without them, I think I’d go crazy. They love me despite my flaws and are such encouragers and supporters.

If you could write the inscription on your tombstone, what would it be?

Ahh…hmmm….well, I guess what I’d like to see most is this: “She lived her faith and loved well.”

Tell us about the featured book.

Deliver Us From Evil is truly a book of my heart. I watched a special on child trafficking that made me sick, yet I couldn’t stop watching it. As a mother of daughters, my heart ached at the atrocity these children live through. And while it sickened me, I knew I had to write a story to expose the horrors, as well as show justice can be served if people get involved.

Deliver Us From Evil is about a beautiful yet tough woman working in a beautiful yet tough setting, Brannon Callahan is a search and rescue helicopter pilot for the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Strong faith and a decorated history of service have kept her one step ahead of on-the-job dangers, but there’s no precedent for what’s about to happen. After a blizzard takes down a small helicopter carrying U.S. Marshal Roark Holland (already haunted by a recent tragedy), Brannon must save him in more ways than one and safeguard the donor heart he’s transporting to a government witness on the edge of death. Otherwise the largest child trafficking ring in history—with shocking links from Thailand to Tennessee—will slip further away into darkness along the Appalachian Trail.

Wow, tell us more. Please share the first page with us.

Prologue

Where was backup?

Roark Holland squinted past the harsh streetlight glare to the vehicle that’d arrived only minutes ago. A van parked in a darkened part of the street. Parked at the curb of the old building housing the Pugsley family in Witness Protection. The family Roark needed to move to another safe house.

The family’s cover had been blown. With the Pugsley’s whereabouts known, their enemy would seek the total annihilation of anyone who could identify them, namely Mr. Pugsley.

Roark glanced in his rearview mirror. Still no team.

A light flipped on inside the van, just for a fraction of a second. But in that heartbeat, Roark took in the black jackets. The guns.

Grabbing his Beretta 98 in one hand, he pressed the transmit button on his radio with his other. “Demott, we have movement on the street. Where’s my backup?” He wasn’t prepared to go in alone—no tactical equipment, no comm, no extra ammo.

“Stay put, Holland. Team’s ETA, less than five minutes.”

The van door slid open.

“No time to wait. I’m going in.” Roark’s grip tightened on the Beretta.

Three men, decked out in black, stepped onto the road.

“Wait, Holland. Don’t go in without backup. That’s an order.”

You can't leave us hanging there. I need my copy of the book! Where can my readers find you on the Internet?

http://www.robincaroll.com/  is my official website. From there, readers can find my blogs, follow me on twitter and facebook, as well as sign up for my newsletter.

Thank you, Lena. It’s always a pleasure to visit your readers via your blog.

And thank you, Robin, for taking time out of your busy schedule to give us this glimpse into your life and your new book.
 
Readers, here's a link where you can order a copy of 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/

SOMEWHERE TO BELONG - Judith Miller - Free Book

This is the first time to have Judith on my blog, and I'm thrilled. Judy, tell us how much of yourself you write into your characters.

I think there is a portion of me in all of my main characters. I don’t do it intentionally, but it does come through. Sometimes they’re a mixture of me, friends, acquaintances, my children or other relatives. Because we’re all impacted by people in our lives, I think those characteristics tend to come through as we’re writing—at least they do for me.

What is the quirkiest thing you have ever done?

Since researching and writing The Carousel Painter, I’ve become a carousel enthusiast. I attended the National Carousel Association convention in Philadelphia and made it my business to ride as many different animals as possible during our visits to eleven different carousels. We were able to ride several times at each carousel, so I think I’ve managed to ride all of the ones on my list except the flirting rabbit. But I’m determined to ride one of those in the near future. For anyone interested, a flirting rabbit is a rabbit that has one paw in the air as if waving or flirting with you.

I could go for several carousel rides. I love them. When did you first discover that you were a writer?

Not until 1995. I have always been a prolific readers, but it was during the time that I was commuting over sixty miles each way to work that I began developing a story about a young girl who came west in a covered wagon. I couldn’t get the story out of my head and decided I had to write it. My husband grew weary of me talking about it and finally told me I should either write it or quit talking about it—so I wrote it. That book was my first and was published by the Heartsong Presents line in 1996. I’ve been writing ever since.

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

I truly enjoy historicals more than anything (I know—go figure), but I do read contemporary—both secular and Christian. I also like to read biographies and non-fiction history books. I don’t read anything that is extremely scary—I can scare myself enough without going to scary movies or reading scary books, although I enjoy a good mystery. I don’t read sports books and I rarely read science fiction. I do try to keep abreast of what’s going on in the market, and read books that are current.

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

I have authored or co-authored (with Tracie Peterson) more than twenty-five books. Most of them are listed on my website at http://www.judithmccoymiller.com/

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

By spending quiet time with the Lord. I think we need to take time to be alone with God if we’re going to accomplish the tasks He’s given us.

I so agree. How do you choose your characters’ names?

I enjoy walking through cemeteries. I keep a small notebook in my purse so that when I travel and am able to stop at a cemetery, I can write down the name of the cemetery and unique names and inscriptions I find on headstones. For instance, while researching for the Daughters of Amana series, I visited cemeteries in the Amana Colonies and used a few names I discovered there. Usually I’ll mix a first name with a different last name. When writing about different ethic groups, I’ll sometimes search on the internet and have found some names in that way, as well.

I’ve come up with a few names when I’ve met people at book signings or speaking engagments, as well. The main character in The Carousel Painter is named Carrington Brouwer. During a book tour through Canada, we signed at Dove Book Store in Lethbridge. The storeowners’ granddaughter and grandson came into the store to meet us. Her name is Carrington Brouwer and her brother’s name is Tyson. I used both of their names in that book, although I had to change Tyson’s last name. I did ask permission of both the children and their parents, and they were delighted to have their names in a book.

In my next book, I borrowed (with his permission) one of our friends' last name for the villain. What is the accomplishment that you are most proud of?

My marriage to my husband, Jim, and my children.

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

I think I’d have to be a zebra so I could have those vertical stripes to make me look a little thinner.

What is your favorite food?

Oh, my. That depends on when you ask me. Unfortunately, I like almost any food, but warm homemade bread, biscuits, and rolls with butter come close to the top of my list.

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

Comparing my writing to others. I’m not sure I have it completely under control, but God is working on me. I now accept that every author has a different and unique voice and that comparing one author to another is much like comparing apples and oranges. While reading another author’s book, I’m forced to keep reminding myself of that fact.

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

Attend writers’ conferences, purchase and study craft books, get into a good critique group, and write, write, write.

Tell us about the featured book?

Somewhere to Belong is the first book in the Daughters of Amana series. Each book in the series is independent, but they will all be set at different times and in different villages that make up the Amana Colonies in Iowa. I hope readers will enjoy a look at this unique group of people who left Europe to escape religious persecution and settled first in New York and then moved to Iowa. I found great pleasure researching and writing about these wonderful people. And for anyone who hasn’t been there, the Amana Colonies are a wonderful place to visit! Most of the structures are still in existence and woolens are still produced at the woolen mill and handcrafted and other handmade items can still be purchased there.

From the Back Cover:

Johanna Ilg has lived her entire life in Main Amana. But when she learns a troubling secret, the world she thought she knew is shattered. Now she must make difficult choices about a new life and the man she left behind.

Berta Schumacher has lived a privileged life in Chicago, and when her parents decide they want a simpler life in Amana, Iowa, she resists. Under the strictures of the Amana villages, Berta’s rebellion reaches new heights. Will her heart ever be content among the plain people of Amana?

Please give us the first page of the book.

Chapter 1
March 1877
Amana Colonies, Iowa

Johanna Ilg

Rigid as a barn pole, I stood planted in the parlor doorway with my gaze fixed upon the pink feather-and-plume bedecked hat. Sparkling pins held it atop wavy dark tresses that crimped and coiled. The girl’s hair reminded me of the curly leaf lettuce we forced to early growth in our hotbeds each spring. An artificial rose peeked from beneath the curvy brim like a vigilant watchman. Although the visitors to our villages sometimes adorned themselves in outlandish costumes, the hat perched upon this young lady’s head surpassed anything I’d ever seen. She appeared rather young to be wearing such an ornate headpiece. Not that I could imagine anyone ever attaining any age where they thought that hat becoming.

Touching her fingers to the garish chapeau, the girl’s lips curved in a patronizing smile. She’d obviously noted my attention. “The latest fashion from England. My parents purchased it for me on their last visit.”

My mother waved me forward. “Come in and meet our guests, Johanna.” I tried to force myself to look away from the hat, but my eyes betrayed me as I stepped into the room. I couldn’t stop staring at the unsightly mixture of fabric and fluff. My mother cleared her throat. “Come, Johanna. Meet Dr. and Mrs. Schumacher and their daughter, Berta. They arrived only a short time ago. You remember we’ve been expecting them.”

I turned toward the well-dressed couple who sat side by side on our horsehair-stuffed divan. Berta, who looked to be sixteen or seventeen years old, had obviously inherited her dark curls and fine features from her mother. As if prepared to take flight at the earliest possible moment, the girl sat balanced at the edge of her chair. And given the size of her hat, it would take only a slight wind to carry her aloft.

I can hardly wait to get my copy of the book. How can readers find you on the Internet?

My website is located at http://www.judithmccoymiller.com/

Also check out http://www.writespassage.blogspot.com/  where I blog with five other historical authors. Wednesday is my day, but come over on and day and pay us a visit. We all love to hear from readers.

Thanks so much for the opportunity to visit with your readers through your blog, Lena. It’s been a genuine pleasure. ~Judy

And thank you, Judy, for the interesting peek into your life and writing.

Readers, here's a link where you can order the book. By using this link when you order, you're 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/