THE WORDS WE LOST - Nicole Deese - One Free Book

Bio: Nicole Deese's humorous, heartfelt, and hope-filled novels include her award-winning Love in Lenox series and her bestselling standalone novels published by Bethany House Publishers. When she's not working on her next contemporary romance, she can usually be found reading one by a window overlooking the inspiring beauty of the Inland Northwest. She lives in small-town Idaho with her happily-ever-after hubby, two towering-over-her teen sons, and one princess daughter with the heart of a warrior.

The acclaimed author of Before I Called You Mine and the Carol Award-winning All That Really Matters, Nicole Deese has penned numerous contemporary romances filled with humor and hope that tug on the heartstrings. Kicking off a string of standalones set in scenic San Francisco with literary themes, Deese delivers a poignant and intriguing contemporary tale of friendship, forgiveness, and a love that goes beyond the page in The Words We Lost.

About the story: As a senior acquisitions editor for Fog Harbor Books in San Francisco, Ingrid Erikson has rejected many a manuscript for lack of defined conflict and dramatic irony—two elements her current life possesses in spades.

In the months following the death of her childhood best friend and international bestselling author Cece Campbell, Ingrid has not only lost her ability to escape into fiction due to a rare trauma response, but she’s also desperate to find the closure she is convinced will come with Cece’s missing final manuscript.

After an editorial meeting jeopardizes Ingrid’s career, she fears her future will remain irrevocably broken. But when Joel Campbell—who shattered her belief in happily-ever-afters—offers her a sealed envelope from Cece, his late cousin, asking them to put their differences aside and retrieve a package in their coastal Washington hometown, Ingrid must confront a past riddled with secrets before she can discover the true healing she’s been searching for.

Welcome to my blog, Nicole. Can you please tell us a little bit about your new novel, The Words We Lost?

At its core, The Words We Lost is an intimate journey which follows the special bond of three 

best friends and the significant impact their memories play even after their trio is broken by a

tragic loss. Through a unique narrative which features a literature-loving protagonist, the

firstborn heir to a family legacy, and the surfacing of a mysterious manuscript, the two friends

who remain must push past their own raw history in order to honor the last wish of a friend who

loved the written word almost as much as she loved them.

The Words We Lost is the first novel in a collection of stories which features the publishing

industry as a connecting series theme. Will you share a bit more about how that theme ties

the series together?

Each book in the Fog Harbor Romance series will features a fictional publishing house based

out of San Francisco, California called Fog Harbor Books. Each standalone romance will

highlight either an editor, author, or audiobook narrator from Fog Harbor Books and reference

past characters who will be reoccurring throughout the series.

Your protagonist, Ingrid Erikson, has a unique occupation as a senior acquisitions editor

at Fog Harbor Books. What inspired you to choose this particular job for her?

Even before I plotted the details of The Words We Lost, I knew Ingrid would need a career that

would place her in close proximity to books. As a child who grew up in hardship, books were a

welcome escape to Ingrid, and as she aged, books became the bond she shared with her two

dearest friends. It made sense that she would stick close to what she knew and loved most, and

ultimately, her career path helped launch her best-friend-turned-famous author, Cecelia

Campbell.

The Words We Lost centers on themes such as friendship and forgiveness, but also deals with the impact grief can have on relationships. Can you tell us a bit more about how those ideas are portrayed in this novel and what led you to choose those topics?

When the premise for this book first came to me, I loved the idea of writing about such close-knit friends, but I also knew the plot would require me to tap into my own personal experience with grief in a raw and honest way. After losing my youngest sister in a car accident when she was only twenty-six, I’ve felt the impact grief can have on a family and close relationships.

Though challenging to write at times, my own journey and reflections about loss and hope played a huge role in the drafting phase of this novel. My goal was to offer an empathetic  perspective into the wants, needs, and overall responses of each individual character as they traveled their own road to healing.

What do your readers have to look forward to in this collection of novels?

In addition to the behind-the-scenes peek into the publishing industry, I think readers will be

pleased with the predominant, page-turning romances inside each story world. There’s a

second-chance romance with high angst, drama, and chemistry, a forced-proximity romance

with flirtatious banter and plenty of heart-melting confessions, and a slow-burn, friends-to-

lovers romance filled with toe-curling delight and loyal devotion.

Was there anything that you found particularly interesting about the publishing industry

in your research or in your own experience as a published author that you included in the

book?

I had a lot of fun inside this story world and made sure to pack Cecelia Campbell’s narrative full

of author-y statements and thinking. I chuckled to myself more than once at her dramatic antics

and the lengths she’d go for her fictional works. As for Ingrid, there’s a scene toward the end of

the book where she’s reflecting on the different aspects of her job and noting which editorial

tasks bring her the most joy. I interviewed a handful of editors and was able to write this scene

with them in mind. I hope it’s as meaningful to my readers as it was to me—I’m so incredibly

grateful for my editors!

What do you hope readers will take way from this story?

Ultimately, I hope my readers close this book feeling like no matter how lost, broken, hurt,

rejected, or estranged they might feel in their own story, there’s always a next step if they’re

willing to take it.

Can you share what you’re working on next?

I’m currently working on the second book in the Fog Harbor Romance series and enjoying the

refreshing, humorous personalities of my two main characters immensely!

How can readers connect with you?

I’m most active on my Instagram: @nicoledeeseauthor. I’d also encourage my readers to sign-

up for my occasional newsletter at nicoledeese.com.

Thank you for sharing this book with us. I love novels about authors.

Readers, here’s a link to the book.

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=The+Words+We+Lost&i=stripbooks&crid=1FB3NSC39MBY7&sprefix=the+words+we+lost+%2Cstripbooks%2C114&ref=nb_sb_noss_2

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

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

The only notification you’ll receive is the winner post on this blog. So be sure to check back a week from Saturday to see if you won. You will have 2 weeks from the posting of the winners to claim your book.

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

WINNERS

IMPORTANT: Instructions for winners  - When you send me the email, make sure your subject line says this: Winner - (book title) - (author's name) If you don't do this, your email could get lost in my hundreds of emails per day. I WILL SEARCH FOR POST TITLES STARTING THAT WAY.

Some people don't read the instructions of how to enter. Unfortunately, they don't have a chance to win. so next time you come and leave a comment, be sure to read all the instructions if you want a chance to win.

Susan (NC) is the winner of A Brighter Dawn by Leslie Gould.

If you won a book and you like it, please consider giving the author the courtesy of writing a review on Goodreads, Amazon.com, Christianbooks.com, Barnes and Noble, or other Internet sites. Reviews are such a blessing to an author.

Also, tell your friends about the book you won ... and this blog. Thank you.

Congratulations, everyone. If you won a print book, send me your mailing address:
Click the Contact Me link at the top of the blog, and send me an Email.

If you won an ebook or audio book, just let me know what email address it should be sent to. Remember, you have 2 weeks to claim your book.  

DAUGHTER OF EDEN - Jill Eileen Smith - One Free Book

Bio: Jill Eileen Smith is the bestselling and award-winning author of the biblical fiction series The Wives of King David, Wives of the Patriarchs, and Daughters of the Promised Land, as well as The Heart of a King, Star of Persia: Esther’s Story, Miriam’s Song, and The Prince and the Prodigal. She is also the author of the nonfiction books When Life Doesn’t Match Your Dreams and She Walked Before Us. Jill lives with her family in southeast Michigan.

Welcome to my blog. Please provide a brief summary of your new book, Daughter of Eden. The first time her eyes open, Eve gazes on one whose beauty nearly blinds her, the one who has given her breath in her lungs. The Creator takes her hand and gives her to one who is like her and yet very different. A burst of joy fills her entire being. The man’s fingers intertwine with hers, and together they run and laugh, celebrate creation, and explore Eden. But her favorite moments are when the Creator comes to walk with them in the cool of the day. Day after day for as long as she can remember, all is perfect . . . until everything changes when she disobeys Him.

Suddenly, the world is no longer a friendly place of trust. She faces the dark, the unknown future, births, deaths, sacrifices, and the loss of so much, including the loss of trust, not only in the Creator but in the man who shares her life—the only other human in the world. How will they ever survive out of Eden?

Daughter of Eden is your fifteenth biblical novel. Why did you decide to write about the life of Eve? Eve has always fascinated me. I’ve pondered why she gave in to temptation when she was created without sin. She had no inner sin nature to wrestle with. So was it outside influence alone (from the serpent) or the knowledge that she and Adam had been given a choice that led to her downfall? I wanted to explore Eden, which also fascinates me, and what life was like after sin entered the world. Most of all, who was Eve? Writing her story allowed me to pursue the answer to that question, at least to my satisfaction.

Breaking God’s trust is one of Eve’s biggest regrets. How did this one act of disobedience forever change the world that she was living in? The obvious answer, of course, is that Adam and Eve were barred from ever entering the Garden of Eden again. Life outside of the garden held the curse on the earth (thorns and thistles) and the pain Eve (and all women) would suffer in childbirth. Animals were no longer friendly, and some became dangerous carnivores when in the past they had all been plant eaters. Adam and Eve no longer had God’s presence with them on a daily basis and had to figure out how to survive in a world that was no longer friendly. Their one act of disobedience changed human nature forever. We are still feeling the effects of sin today.

There are so many valuable lessons that we can learn from Eve. Can you please expound upon some of them? I think Eve learned the hard way, as we all do, that disobedience to God has consequences. When God says “Do this” or “Don’t do that,” He means it. And if He says there will be consequences for certain choices, we can be certain He means that too and will carry them out.

If we want to live at peace with God, we need to bring Him our regrets. We need to be honest with Him about our struggles and confess our sins. He is merciful and loves us, but when we hide from Him, He can’t help us. He waits for us to seek Him and calls us to do just that.

We are responsible to God for our own choices, not the choices of another, even if that person is our son or daughter. In Eve’s story, she feels guilty over Cain killing his brother Abel. She struggles with guilt, blaming herself when her children sin because she was the one who began it all. She had to learn that although her children inherited a sin nature from their parents, they still grew up to make their own choices. Parents today still struggle with blaming themselves for their children’s poor choices. But each person answers to God on their own.

You are well known for your detailed research. What type of research was required to write Daughter of Eden? No one knows the location of Eden. There is no historical or archaeological evidence left to prove that it existed, but we have Scripture and ancient stories of creation. I studied the scriptural account and the unseen realm and tried to fit together the pieces of when God created the angels, the heavens and the earth, and people, and when the angels rebelled. All of that affected Adam and Eve, so the story was mostly written based on how I envisioned creation coming together and what Eden might have looked like. Since I enjoy imagining heaven, it wasn’t hard to imagine Eden.

After the fall was harder. Adam and Eve had nothing and no one to help them, so I had to research how people survive with little. For instance, when Adam utilizes every part of the lion he is forced to kill, I took that from indigenous people using every part of a buffalo. People of old wasted nothing—not like we do today—so I used that idea. I believe God created intelligent human beings from the start, and since they lived hundreds of years, they would have become very good at utilizing the earth’s resources. I wrote from that premise.

The setting for Daughter of Eden is the Garden of Eden. Can you provide a contrast between Eden and Eve’s life after the fall? If we can imagine heaven, we can picture Eden. It was a place of perfection, beautiful, without flaw or defect. God walked there with humanity, exactly as He always intended to do. There was nothing separating Adam and Eve from Him. It was God’s intention from the beginning to dwell with humanity. All of Scripture reflects this desire. The incarnation of Jesus Christ, his death, and his resurrection fulfill what was lost in Eden. God could walk with men and women again, but this time instead of providing a temporary covering for their sin, Jesus provided a permanent solution.

When Adam and Eve sinned, life became what we know today—a very broken world that grows only more grievous with time. From the very first act of disobedience against Him, God promised Eve that He would send a Redeemer to fix what they had broken. Jesus did that. By trusting in Him, we can one day walk with Him in paradise as God always meant it to be.

How did the fall impact Eve’s life with her husband, Adam? If we look at relationships between husbands and wives today, we know that there is no perfect marriage, no perfect human connection. Sin caused all of us to become deeply self-centered, whether we realize it or not. Marriage is self-sacrificing by its very nature, or at least it should be to succeed. I have no doubt that Adam and Eve struggled and failed to regain the perfect love they had in Eden. I can’t imagine how hard that was to accept.

What do you love most about writing biblical novels? I love studying the stories in Scripture and trying to see God’s message to us in the people’s life histories. It takes time to understand what might have been, and some books are more challenging to write than others depending on how much Scripture tells us. I find that God always teaches me something in the process of recording the stories.

What are you working on next? I’m currently writing the first draft of Noah’s Wife. She is unnamed in Scripture, but history gives several possible names for her. I’ve chosen to name her Emzara from the Book of Jubilees, which is the name given to her at the Ark Encounter in Kentucky.

How can readers connect with you?

Find me on my website: www.jilleileensmith.com

Sign up for my newsletter: https://madmimi.com/signups/f28a2c9636d34025a7d95532d4d8f207/join

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jilleileensmith/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/JillEileenSmith/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/jilleileensmith?lang=en

Thank you, Jill, for sharing Daughter of Eden with us. When I received the book, I read the first chapter. The writing is so lyrical. I had to stop reading when my husband’s kidneys failed. Things are getting better with him, and I’m eager to get back to your book.

Readers, here’s a link to the book.

https://www.amazon.com/Daughter-Eden-Jill-Eileen-Smith/dp/0800742613/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1680816133&sr=1-1

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

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

The only notification you’ll receive is the winner post on this blog. So be sure to check back a week from Saturday to see if you won. You will have 2 weeks from the posting of the winners to claim your book.

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

HONOR'S MOUNTAIN PROMISE - Misty Beller - One Free Book

Welcome back, Misty. What kind of files takes up the most space on your computer? Audiobook files! I’m such a huge audiobook fan myself, it’s important to me that all my books are available. For the books I indie publish, I work directly with my wonderful narrator Leonor Woodworth. She sends me the final files, then I upload them to the retailers. Those audiobook files take up a LOT of file space! But I love listening to Leonor bring the characters to life. 

Are you a stay-at-home kind of person, or do you like to be on the road a lot? I love to be at home, though I confess I love a good road trip too. What I don’t love is running around town for errands or endless kiddo extracurricular activities. I always feel like I should be home getting things done!

Please share a Bible verse or passage that has had the most impact on your life. The verse God continues to use to re-center me is Matthew 6:33: But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. (NKJV)

Do you have a favorite Bible character? Who is it and why? My favorite character has always been Gideon, mostly because of how God used such a lowly man for such a mighty work. I love Joshua and David too, for that same reason. Also because of how devoted they were to following God’s instructions.

What has been your favorite time in your life? And why? That’s a tough question! I can remember wonderful things about every season—childhood, my teen years, my twenties, and now in my…um. Anyway. The season I’m in now is very, VERY busy, with 5 kiddos ranging from 1 year old to 15 years, writing full time, and other writing work. But there are SO many joys that come with the business. I know I’m where God has me for now. J

Do you have an ereader? If so, what kind do you use? I don’t actually. Most of the books I get to “read” are audiobooks. If I need to read an ebook, I use the Kindle app on my phone.

Do you read mostly print books or ebooks? Like I said above, I mostly listen to audiobooks. Sometimes for non-fiction, I also get either the print or ebook version too, so I can make notes.

Do you like to read books in the genres you write, or do you read only other genres … and why? Yes! I’m definitely a Christian romance reader, both historical and contemporary. I grew up reading historical fiction, so historical romance will always be my first love. But sometimes I like to switch to contemporary for a different feel.

Please tell us about the book we’re featuring today. I’d love to! This is book 4 in the Hearts of Montana series, but definitely reads well as a standalone. Readers have been asking for Aaron’s story for a couple years now, so I’m excited to finally share it!

Finally on the right side of the law, Aaron Long expected his life to take an upward turn. Instead, he ends up with a bum leg and driving a freight wagon through the wild Rocky Mountains. At least he has the joy of his newfound faith in God. The last thing he expects in the middle of an urgent delivery to Settler’s Fort is to discover a woman begging him to take her the opposite direction. She’s heavy with child, so he can’t leave her, but neither can he take her where she wants to go.

Katie Barlowe has never had control of her life. Especially not when her parents married her off to a successful businessman who was determined to start a ranch in the faraway Montana Territory. Now she’s a widow left on her own in these breathtaking but treacherous mountains. She’s determined to forge a better future for herself and the new life growing inside her. To do so, she needs to get back to civilization before the babe is born. When she finally finds a freighter to take her the first leg of the journey east, all seems to be falling into place. Then the driver is killed and she’s left with a stranger who’s unwilling to take her farther than a tiny mining town, far from Fort Benton and the steamship she’d hoped would carry her home.
When Aaron and Katie set out through the mountain winter, the journey ahead will change their lives more than they could have known.

Please give us a peek at the first page of the book.

OCTOBER, 1869

MONTANA TERRITORY

Aaron Long tightened his hands around the mule team’s reins as the dog halted in the trail ahead of them, ears pricked toward something in the distance. The mangy mutt’s body nearly quivered with tension.

Aaron peered through the scattering of pines ahead, but no sign of movement flashed through the branches.

A low growl slipped from the dog’s throat, and Aaron lifted the rifle from the seat beside him to firing position. “Who’s there, Barney?” Of course, the mutt didn’t answer.

Still no motion ahead. No sounds. In fact...nothing. Not the twitter of a bird or even the rustle of wind.

A shiver slid down Aaron’s arms, and he shifted to climb down from his freight wagon’s bench. He kept tight hold of the bar he’d fastened for support until both his legs landed on the ground and his right leg secured its balance. Then he eased some of his weight onto the gimpy left limb, finally releasing the bar once he stood straight.

This leg might be the death of him yet. He’d survived the bullet that ripped away part of his thigh bone, then the surgery to add a metal plate to replace the missing fragments. Even endured the year of dark days as he recovered and learned to walk again. With God’s help, he’d mostly come to peace about the accident—he’d been the one in the wrong after all—but the way this leg slowed him down still pressed on his frustrations. Not to mention the constant ache on cold days like today. With winter coming on, this pain would be his steady companion for months.

Where can my readers find you on the Internet? I love to connect with readers! One of my favorite ways is through my newsletter, and readers can get a free copy of one of my ebooks when you sign up for the newsletter. Here’s the link for that: https://mistymbeller.com/freebook

I can also be found at these links:

https://mistymbeller.com/

https://amazon.com/author/mistymbeller

https://www.instagram.com/mistymbeller/

https://www.facebook.com/MistyMBellerAuthor

https://www.bookbub.com/authors/misty-m-beller

https://www.goodreads.com/MistyMBeller

http://www.pinterest.com/MistyMBeller

Thank you, Misty, for sharing Honor’s Mountain Promise with my blog readers and me. You know I love all your books.

Readers, here’s a link to the book.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0BNW2RVN6?tag=mismbel-20

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

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

The only notification you’ll receive is the winner post on this blog. So be sure to check back a week from Saturday to see if you won. You will have 2 weeks from the posting of the winners to claim your book.

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

THE VANISHING AT CASTLE MOREAU - Jaime Jo Wright - One Free Book

Bio: Jaime Jo Wright is the author of seven novels, including Christy Award winner The House on Foster Hill and Carol Award winner The Reckoning at Gossamer Pond. She’s also the Publishers Weekly and ECPA bestselling author of two novellas. Jaime lives in Wisconsin with her husband.

Jaime Jo Wright has captured audiences with her numerous thrilling and mysterious novels, including The Premonition at Withers Farm (Oct. 2022), The Souls of Lost Lake (Apr. 2022), and On the Cliffs of Foxglove Manor (2021). Featuring rich characterization and an intricate plot with just the right amount of spookiness, Wright’s latest stand-alone spotlights the curse of a dilapidated French castle.

Readers will cling to every word of this fast-paced mystery as old secrets take on new life in The Vanishing at Castle Moreau.

About the Story: In 1870, orphaned Daisy François takes a position as housemaid at a Midwestern Wisconsin castle and finds that the reclusive and eccentric Gothic authoress inside hides more than the harrowing tales in her novels. With women disappearing from the area and a legend that seems to parallel these eerie circumstances, Daisy is thrust into a web that may threaten to steal her sanity, if not her life.

In the present day, Cleo Clemmons is hired by the grandson of American aristocratic family the Tremblays to help his matriarchal grandmother face her hoarding in the dilapidated Castle Moreau. But when Cleo uncovers more than just the woman’s stashes of collectibles, a century-old mystery of disappearance, insanity, and the dust of the old castle’s curse threaten to rise again, and this time, leave no one alive to tell the sordid tale.

Fan-favorite Jaime Jo Wright draws readers into a seamlessly woven dual-time tale of suspense, mystery, romance, and redemption.

Welcome to my blog, Jaime. Can you tell us a little bit about your new novel The Vanishing at Castle Moreau? The story of Castle Moreau spans a century and a half, its mystery surrounding the vanishing of many women through the course of these years. As the past and present come together to uncover the castle’s secrets, the remnants of legacy left by the women who have disappeared there begin to haunt the current day. All of it culminates in a twisting, mind-bending end, and the true nature of Castle Moreau is not at all what it claims to be.

One of the main characters in the story is the castle itself. What gave you the idea to center this story on a castle shrouded in mystery? There are stories of American castles, built on a smaller scale, that are supposedly haunted. Couple that research with the legendary biography of Elizabeth Bathory, who is known as one of the world’s earliest female serial killers, and the women who vanished behind her castle walls, I was inspired to come up with my own twist for the sake of spooky fiction. And who doesn’t love a haunted castle and the dark shadows that lie within it?

What was your favorite timeline to write, the historical or the contemporary, and why? It’s always a toss-up for me. Once I think I’ve discovered I prefer one timeline, then the story evolves and I develop a penchant for the other. Although, in this novel, there’s a first-person element set in the early 1800s, and I will admit that I enjoyed writing those scenes the most.

What inspired your love for all things Gothic? Considering I was quite the fraidy-cat as a child, I’m not entirely sure! But I loved the secrets around old antiques, abandoned buildings, and forgotten things. I believed they always had a story just aching to be told. After reading classic literature like Jane Eyre, it became evident to me that romance and history merging with the bleakness of soul and the hope of faith was going to be my perfect equation for bookish joy.

How do you approach crafting a spooky story that captivates readers without overwhelming them with fear? I think it’s a balancing act. What frightens me may be horrifying for some readers, and what I don’t find scary at all, some readers have indicated were my most terrifying moments in the books. So, most of it is learning the limits of how far I can take it before readers enter the DNF zone. I also want to wrap up my stories with elements of hope and faith rather than leave readers in the darkness, and I think this helps to offset the fright. That and knowing there’s a Scooby-Doo explanation for everything as well.

What are some of the themes you hope readers pick up on in this story and why did you choose these to ground your novel? This book’s theme was overwhelmingly one of refuge. And without saying too much to give away the secrets too early, I found that the women in Castle Moreau were all in need of that sanctuary that is a harbor for a broken soul. I think as women we can be consumed by brokenness and abuse, and through it we long to catch sight of a refuge—have the hope of a refuge—and eventually find it.

Can you share what you’re working on next? Absolutely! I am currently working on my next release for October of 2023 titled The Lost Boys of Barlowe Theater. It’s a story that is based loosely around the Al Ringling Theater in Wisconsin—of the renowned Ringling Brothers history—and ghost stories that have circulated there for years. Of course, I throw my own fictionalized elements and twists into the story, and Barlowe Theater definitely takes on a life of its own. But it’s been so fun to write about early Vaudeville and delve into the schisms created by the economics of our systems, and how the downtrodden and the endowed interact throughout history.

How can readers connect with you? My website is the best place to find me! All my social media links are there! jaimewrightbooks.com. I also host a weekly podcast, where I chat with other authors about their stories and the deep themes in their books. You can find all of my MadLit Musings podcast episodes on my website as well.

Thank you, Jaime, for sharing this book with my blog readers and me. As a teenager, I developed a love of gothic novels, then later I stopped reading them, because I became used to the faith element in the stories I read. I’m eager to read this one.

Readers, here’s a link to the book.

https://www.amazon.com/Vanishing-at-Castle-Moreau-ebook/dp/B0B6PZXXFS/ref=sr_1_1?crid=PXI78QESV0SW&keywords=the+vanishing+at+castle+moreau+jaime+jo+wright&qid=1680623650&s=books&sprefix=The+Vanishing+at+Castle+Moreau%2Cstripbooks%2C104&sr=1-1

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

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

The only notification you’ll receive is the winner post on this blog. So be sure to check back a week from Saturday to see if you won. You will have 2 weeks from the posting of the winners to claim your book.

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

WINNERS

IMPORTANT: Instructions for winners  - When you send me the email, make sure your subject line says this: Winner - (book title) - (author's name) If you don't do this, your email could get lost in my hundreds of emails per day. I WILL SEARCH FOR POST TITLES STARTING THAT WAY.

Some people don't read the instructions of how to enter. Unfortunately, they don't have a chance to win. so next time you come and leave a comment, be sure to read all the instructions if you want a chance to win.

Lucy (WV) is the winner of by Stacy T Simmons.

Melissa M (TN) is the winner of Underground Scouts by Marie Sontag.

Elly (IN) is the winner of Fields of Bounty by Lauraine Snelling.

If you won a book and you like it, please consider giving the author the courtesy of writing a review on Goodreads, Amazon.com, Christianbooks.com, Barnes and Noble, or other Internet sites. Reviews are such a blessing to an author.

Also, tell your friends about the book you won ... and this blog. Thank you.

Congratulations, everyone. If you won a print book, send me your mailing address:
Click the Contact Me link at the top of the blog, and send me an Email.

If you won an ebook or audio book, just let me know what email address it should be sent to. Remember, you have 2 weeks to claim your book. 

A BRIGHTER DAWN - Leslie Gould - One Free Book

Bio: Leslie Gould is a Christy Award–winning and #1 bestselling author of over 40 novels, including four Lancaster County Amish series. She holds a bachelor’s in history and an MFA in creative writing and enjoys church history, research trips, and hiking in the Pacific Northwest. She and her husband live in Portland, Oregon, and have four adult children and one grandchild.

Bestselling Amish author Leslie Gould weaves together history, drama, romance, and faith to offer readers a glimpse into a simpler way of life. Her dual-time Amish romance novels consistently hit bestseller lists and her newest release, A Brighter Dawn, offers readers a fresh take on Amish fiction with a rich international setting in Frankfurt, Germany, on the eve of World War II. From the talented pen of Leslie Gould, this powerful and evocative story is one fans of Suzanne Woods Fisher and Shelly Shepherd Gray won’t want to miss.

About the Story: Ivy Zimmerman is successfully navigating her life as a young Mennonite woman, one generation removed from her parents’ Old Order Amish upbringing. But when her parents are killed in a tragic accident, Ivy’s way of life is upended. As she deals with her grief, her sisters’ needs, and her Dawdi and Mammi’s strict rules, Ivy finds solace in both an upcoming trip to Germany for an international Mennonite youth gathering and in her great-aunt’s story about Clare Simons, another young girl who visited Germany in the late 1930s.

As Ivy grows suspicious that her parents’ deaths weren’t, in fact, an accident, she gains courage from what she learns of Clare’s time in pre-World War II Germany. With her great-aunt’s encouragement, Ivy seeks justice for her parents, her sisters, and herself.

Can you please tell us a little bit about your new novel, A Brighter Dawn? A Brighter Dawn is a dual-time story, starting with Ivy Zimmerman, a young Mennonite woman from Oregon whose parents are killed in a tragic accident. She and her younger sisters are sent to Lancaster County to stay with their Amish paternal grandparents, who they hadn’t met until their parents’ funeral. Two things keep Ivy going—an upcoming trip to Germany for a Mennonite youth gathering and her elderly aunt’s story of Clare Simons, another young girl who visited Germany in the late 1930s. In Germany, the evidence surrounding Ivy’s parents’ accident starts to unravel. Inspired by the past, Ivy returns to Oregon to seek the truth.

A Brighter Dawn is book one in your new AMISH MEMORIES series. Can you share about your inspiration for this series and the connecting element that ties each book in the series together? Two things inspired me as I began to imagine the AMISH MEMORIES series. The first were my father’s scrapbooks from the late 1930s and 1940s, filled with photos, clippings, and other items. I wondered what it would be like for someone who grew up Anabaptist and never knew her family’s stories to be shown scrapbooks from seventy-five years ago. What if those stories—in a non-resistant family—included the build-up to World War II, the war, and the aftermath?

The connecting thread between each of the three books in the series is memories. What memories stay with us? How do we preserve them? What do we do with the memories that bring us shame? Why are collective memories—among families and communities—so important? Many of the memories in the stories start in the scrapbooks that Rosene, an elderly aunt in the story, has protected through the years. But ultimately, the sisters in the stories must decide what memories they’ll carry forward, both from their family’s history and their own personal lives.

A Brighter Dawn addresses themes such as the temptation to compromise principles for political/societal stability. Can you tell us a little more about how this idea comes into play in the life of your protagonist, Ivy? A large portion of German Mennonites supported Hitler and the Third Reich during the 1930s and into World War II because they perceived the stability offered by German Nationalism as protection for their families, their communities, and their faith. Communist Russia collectivized Ukrainian Mennonite farms and persecuted Mennonites for their faith. Then Stalin purposefully starved many in the early 1930s as a power grab. All three strikes contributed to the German Mennonites fearing communism and embracing fascism instead. As Ivy hears Clare’s story, she realizes she’s been making compromises as far as her own perceived social stability, the truth around her parents’ death, and the safety of others in her community, and she vows to seek the truth and live more authentically.

This novel is set during an interesting period of time in world history. Can you tell us a little bit about the historical events surrounding the novel’s plot? In the historical thread of the story, Clare Simons travels to Germany in 1937 and ends up caring for her twin cousins, who both have epilepsy. Their father, a Mennonite man working with the Nazi party to “protect” other Mennonites, allows the girls to be part of a study overseen by Nazi doctors. Clare realizes, as she hears of camps for the disabled, that the twins are in danger and that she must come up with a plan to save them.

In the nearly two-year period of the historical setting, Germany annexed Austria; the Munich  Agreement was signed by Britain, France, Germany, and Italy, forcing Czechoslovakia to surrender its border region (the Sudeten) to Nazi Germany; and the November 1938 Pogroms, later named Kristallnatch (Night of Broken Glass), took place in Germany and Austria. Soon after, Germany and Russia formed an alliance and then Germany invaded Poland in September 1939, which started World War II. So, yes, it was definitely an interesting period of time with a lot going on!

Was there anything that you found particularly interesting in your research that you included in your book? One of the things I knew, but that impacted me more profoundly now, was how widely fascism was embraced during the 1930s. The world was still recovering from the Great War when the Great Depression began, and governments were struggling to provide for and take care of their people. Many criticized democracies as being too slow and cumbersome to get anything done, and embraced authoritarian governments, including fascism. Democracies died from South America to Europe to Asia. The United States wasn’t immune from the burgeoning sentiment, although—thankfully!—democracy held. Well-known Americans, including Charles Lindbergh and Henry Ford, spouted anti-Semitic rhetoric and support for Nazi ideals, which legitimized the ideology to some. In February of 1939, the German-American Bund, a US fascist group that embraced the Nazis, held a rally for over 22,000 in Madison Square Garden, complete with Nazi imagery. My research reminded me how precarious governments “of the people, by the people, for the people” truly are and how important it is to work together to preserve them.

It might surprise some readers, but Amish fiction is a widely popular and enduring category in the world of story. What do you think readers find most appealing about stories featuring the Amish and their way of life? I think the simplicity of the Amish way of life appeals to my readers. I know as I read (and write) Amish fiction I’m transported to a much simpler time. I often “find” myself on my aunt and uncle’s farm or my grandparents’ farm or on the farms of friends from my childhood. Yes, they all had electricity, but so many other things were similar to the Amish today. Lots of hard work. Cows to milk and a big garden to tend to. Field and pasture work. Sewing and canning projects. Devotions after breakfast. No technology. Time spent on the porch visiting or reading. Few trips to town.

I think in our chaotic world, we all crave time away from the busyness and an escape to simpler times. That said, my Amish dual-time stories can get pretty complicated, but more because of the plots than the settings!

What do you hope readers take away from this story? I want my readers to value their own memories and the collaborative memories of their families, and to think about how to make memories, preserve them, and then pass them on. Studies have shown that people are happier if they hold a more positive view of the past. But I also want readers to think about how to process and pass down sad memories too, knowing they are also important to future generations and can lead to honest conversations, inspire the next generation to do the right thing, and even become cautionary tales.

Can you share what you’re working on next? I’m currently working on the second book in the series, which has the working title The War Comes Home. Brenna, Ivy’s middle sister, is the protagonist of the contemporary story and Martha, Clare’s sister, is the heroine of the historical story. Both deal with the trauma and fallout of war as they navigate threats to the family businesses, along with caring for those they love.

How can readers connect with you? You can find me at lesliegould.com (lesliegould.com/). I love to do giveaways, so make sure and sign-up for my newsletter! You can also find me on Facebook (facebook.com/lesliegouldauthor)

Thank you, Leslie, for sharing The War Comes Home with my blog readers and me.

Readers, here’s a link to the book.

https://www.amazon.com/Brighter-Dawn-Amish-Memories/dp/0764240242/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2R1J6AJ1N4ACC&keywords=A+Brighter+Dawn&qid=1680297678&s=books&sprefix=a+brighter+dawn+%2Cstripbooks%2C108&sr=1-1

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

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

The only notification you’ll receive is the winner post on this blog. So be sure to check back a week from Saturday to see if you won. You will have 2 weeks from the posting of the winners to claim your book.

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

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT

We are training for my precious husband's home dialysis. When we arrived home the last two days, I've been very exhausted. We're going earlier today and tomorrow, so we'll get home sooner. I plan to be back on my blog schedule sometime late today. I have some wonderful books for you this week.

Your prayers would be welcomed. His name is James.