ALABAMA BRIDES - Sandra Robbins - Free Book

Welcome to my blog, Sandra. So good to have you back. Have you ever been to Alabama?

Alabama is a neighbor to Tennessee, so I’ve visited the state many times. My sister attended college in Birmingham and now lives in Mobile. That has given me a tie to that beautiful state, and Gulf Shores has always been a favorite vacation spot for my family.

How was the setting chosen for this series?

That is an interesting story. When I first submitted the proposal to Barbour, I had set the stories in Mississippi. I had lived in Mississippi in the past and have always felt a connection to that state. However, the editor emailed me and said she really liked my proposal, but she had another proposal for Mississippi that she liked too. She asked if I could change my setting to Alabama because the other proposal had the Battle of Vicksburg in it, and that battle couldn’t be moved to Alabama. I did some research and discovered that the Black Belt of Alabama on the Alabama River was similar to the Mississippi Delta on the Mississippi River. So I picked up my characters, the fictional town of Willow Bend, and the steamboats and moved them from the Mississippi River to the Alabama River several hundred miles away. It worked great for me and for the authors who had collaborated on the Mississippi proposal, too.

What do you like most about this collection?

I enjoyed researching the problems the South faced after the Civil War and incorporating that into the lives of my characters. Even though much of the land lay in shambles and families were left with little in the way of worldly possessions, the people of the South persevered and established a new way of life. Some wanted the old way back, and my book addresses the problems some had when the tenant farmer institution replaced slave labor. As I’ve often said about the collection, it sweeps your emotions into a time when belief in God, love, and homestead were the only roads to a renewed future.

What book are you currently writing?

I have just finished writing the first in a three book historical romance series that will release from Harvest House next year and am working on the second one. This series is set in Cades Cove, Tennessee, a remote valley in the middle of the Smoky Mountains. The first story, Angel of the Cove, takes place in 1894 when a young girl comes to the valley to spend the summer with a renowned mountain midwife. The second book, Mountain Homecoming, tells her daughter’s story, and the third one, Mountain Laurel Promises, tells her granddaughter’s. 

We need to book this series on the blog, too. What’s coming up next in your writing life?

I plan to finish the two books in the Smoky Mountain Memories series. Then I have another historical romance that deals with the suffrage movement that I plan to finish. I have so many ideas floating around in my head I sometimes wonder what I will be doing next.

Tell us about the stories in the collection.

Alabama Brides tells the stories of three women who lived on the banks of the Alabama River after the Civil War. Here’s the series description: Alabama’s rich history comes alive through the eyes of three determined women, willing to take a leap of faith and risk all for love. In the Columns of Cottonwood, Savannah learns that there’s more to home than a plot of land, as Dante searches for God’s answer to his dream. In Dinner at the St. James, Tave’s love softens the heart of a wounded man, leading him to sacrifice everything for her. In Blues Along the River, Victoria witnesses first hand God’s redemptive power in her family as He remakes her husband into the man of her dreams.

Please give us the first page.

Here’s the first page of The Columns of Cottonwood:

August 1871

Outside Willow Bend, Alabama

 A low, musical rumble like distant thunder drifted through the afternoon quiet. Savannah Carmichael paused before climbing into the buggy outside her aunt’s house and listened. The familiar sound floated from the direction of the river.

            The horse hitched to the buggy jerked up his head and whinnied at the deep-pitched drone. Jasper Green, her aunt’s handyman, stroked the horse’s back and grinned. “There’s the whistle. The Liberty Queen done docked. I ’spect we’s be seein’ lots of folks flockin’ to town.”

            Savannah nodded and stepped into the buggy. “I’m sure the merchants will be glad to see the passengers come ashore. They always spend a lot of money.”

            Excitement washed over her as it did each time she heard a steamboat arrive. The Montgomery Belle, the Carrie Davis, the Liberty Queen, the Alabama Maiden—she knew them all and recognized their distinct whistles. Today she’d get to see the Liberty Queen, because her route would take her by the landing. She never tired of watching the passengers from the big paddle wheelers walk from the boat up the hill to the small port town of Willow Bend, Alabama. Her mind would whirl with all sorts of visions as she imagined herself a passenger in unfamiliar locations and disembarking with enough money to buy

whatever her heart desired.

            She smiled. “Wouldn’t it be wonderful to sail away on a steamboat and leave all our problems behind?”

            Jasper pushed his tattered straw hat back and gazed up at her. “You’d just have to come back sometime, Miss ’Vanna. Besides, it takes money to ride boats, and I doan think we’s seen much of that ’round here lately.”

            She laughed, smoothed her long skirt, and reached for the reins Jasper held. “Not since the war at least. But one day that will all change, Jasper. I just know it will.”

            “Yas’m. That’s what you been sayin’ for a long time now, but I ain’t seen no

taxes being paid.”

A sigh rippled through her body. “No, not yet, but I have faith God’s going to provide us with the money somehow.”

These sound interesting. Where can the readers find you on the Internet?

I always enjoy hearing from my readers.

You can find me at my website at http://sandrarobbins.net,

or on my blog at http://sandrarobbinsbooks.blogspot.com

I also blog once a week with three other authors at http://theborrowedbook.blogspot.com

Readers can email me at sandra@sandrarobbins.net

Thank you, Sandra, for giving us a glimpse into your writing life.


Readers, here's a link to the book. By using it when you order, you help support this blog.
 Alabama Brides (Romancing America)

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

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BOOK OF DREAMS - Davis Bunn - Free Book

Trade Paperback ISBN: 9781416556701

eBook ISBN: 9781451610550

$14.99; 352 pp.

October 2011 from Howard Books, a Division of Simon & Schuster

About Book of Dreams   

For Dr. Elena Burroughs, life is divided into two chapters—before and after the death of her husband. Today marks the point that her span of being a wife is equal to her span of being a widow. Even her success as a psychologist and her worldwide acclaim for a book on the interpretation of dreams is dimmed by an unspoken “If only.”

Then a new patient arrives, one so private only her first name is given. Impeccably dressed and escorted by two bodyguards, Sandra recounts a frightening series of recurrent nightmares. Elena agrees to consider her case more carefully, convinced that something ominous may be at work here.

Elena's interpretation of Sandra’s dreams confirms that, indeed, the new patient and her family confront a powerful global network of dangerous forces. As the story unfolds, they face a key question of the Christian life: How do you understand and fulfill the will of God?

Read Chapter 1 of Book of Dreams for free

http://books.simonandschuster.com/Book-of-Dreams/Davis-Bunn/9781416556701/excerpt_with_id/17972

Davis Bunn did his undergraduate studies at Wake Forest University in North Carolina, where he earned honors degrees in both economics and psychology. He then travelled to London, where he continued this dual approach, earning a Master of Science degree in both industrial psychology and international economics. After teaching at a Swiss university for a year, he entered into a business career that took him to more than 40 countries in Europe, Africa, and the Middle East.

Davis came to faith at age 28, and began writing two weeks later. Before that point, he had never written anything longer than a business report. He wrote for nine years and completed seven novels before the first was accepted for publication. That book was The Presence, released by Bethany House in 1991. Davis and his wife, Isabella, make their home in Florida for some of each year, and spend the rest near Oxford, England, where they each teach and write. Visit Davis at www.davisbunn.com

Q & A with Davis Bunn                  

Your novels usually have a very strong sense of place, and Book of Dreams is no exception. Why did you set this story in Oxford?   

When it became possible for us to live from the writing, Isabella and I moved to Oxford. She had been offered a position to do her doctorate here in Christian ethics and law.

I did not particularly want to come, but she was so instrumental in making my own dreams of becoming a writer take wing and fly. Her dream for years had been to obtain her PhD and teach. That’s just the kind of mind she has.

The city and the university have become a true gift to us both, with amazing opportunities for service and personal growth. I have wanted to place a story here for a long time.

In Book of Dreams, you revisit a theme from one of your earlier books, The Warning. Why did you write about the crisis in the banking industry?

The Warning, published in 2003, focused on the then-current financial crisis. It was about a man who felt called by God to warn people that financial upheaval was coming, and the difficulties he had in getting his message across. That book was in the top five on the CBA (Christian Booksellers Association) best-seller list for 14 months.

The week I started writing Book of Dreams, the news broke that not one single banker responsible for the mortgage crisis and bank crisis had been convicted of a crime. The banking industry came out of this crisis relatively unscathed while 3 million American families lost their homes — that’s almost 15 percent of all homeowners in America. That, to me, is just not right.

The banking industry is all about self-interest and making money. The American banking industry spends $1 million a day lobbying Congress, while the international banking industry spends another million per day lobbying the American political system. With that much money on the table, there’s a potential for huge profits – the banking industry wouldn’t invest that much money for any other reason.

The question became: “What could happen that would stymie this self-absorbed lobbying?”

The answer: An independent commission that would oversee these transactions so there’d be nowhere for these people to hide. I built Book of Dreams around that premise.

Book of Dreams explores the question: “Where does the human psyche end and God begin?” Why did you choose that question as the framework for your story?

Psychology has always fascinated me; so much so that it almost became my profession. One question I love to explore is why so many psychologists are vehemently opposed to the idea of a personal faith.

Those in the camp opposed to faith and religion say that psychology is about wrestling with and identifying personal issues, emotions, and things from the past that block one from being happy. Opponents believe that when you insert faith into the situation, it serves as an excuse for not looking at the past, not being honest about one’s emotions, and not taking control of one’s life.

On the other side, there is a deepening within a group of psychologists and psychiatrists who are strong in their faith. Rather than trying to convince the larger group about the value of faith, their goal is to look at things honestly, with God and prayer as components of the healing process.

In my story, the main character, Elena Burroughs, is the world’s foremost authority on dreams. A psychologist who is deeply involved in current trends in human psychology, Elena is also a devoted believer. She is in the process of discovering that the barrier between God and the human psyche does not exist.

Your story explores how God uses dreams and visions to communicate with people. What inspired that idea?

My wife and I did a wonderful Bible study on the book of Daniel, in which we explored how dreams were one component of Daniel’s gift of prophecy.

When I wrote the book, I tried to build in two key components about communicating with God through dreams or visions. The first is humility. Rather than using a vision or dream for one’s own aggrandizement, I believe that the less the person is involved, the more God can shine through.

The second component is, “How does this vision tie in to the scriptures?” When I was in the Middle East, I saw beautiful cryptograms of the Lord’s Prayer. It was so telling to see the Lord’s Prayer in terms of artwork. This inspired the idea of a book written in Aramaic – the language Jesus spoke – with each verse of Lord’s Prayer on one page of the book.

As I drafted the story, I looked at the Lord’s Prayer one verse at a time and that became my prayer time. It took three months to write the book and I did not finish the Lord’s Prayer in three months. It was a beautiful experience for me.

When the character of Elena follows God’s lead, her life takes a different path than the one she planned or expected. Davis, in what ways does your own dependence on God’s leading take you in surprising directions?  

It’s remarkable how this question comes up now, because it seems like this entire year has been one of being open to God’s OTHER direction. This has been true both in my creative work and in my walk of service.

Obviously I had no idea what was in store for us when I wrote the Book of Dreams (remember, the story is completed between nine and twelve months before its publication). But this really has been a reflection of what the story has tried to reveal – that sometimes the most important gift is what at first is what we fear.

Change often feels threatening, but so long as we struggle, we can’t see the true divine intention. To arrive at this point, where our prayer becomes one of genuinely seeking God’s call and His illumination, we must first embrace the change that is there in front of us.

Do you write down your prayer requests? In what ways do you recognize and acknowledge God’s power at work in your life?

What a beautiful question. There are several components to this, and it goes back to the earlier issue of accepting change. There are moments in my prayer life when I feel as though God is speaking the words for me, and my task is first and foremost to treat my heart and mind like an open window. To hold onto nothing except the moment, and allow the spiritual winds to pass through me and on into the world. At these times it is important to write them out, because oft when the moment is past I cannot otherwise even remember what has transpired.

The other segment here is in dealing with change. I often feel in such uncertain moments that I have no real understanding of what is happening, or what God wishes to bring me to, until it is done. Looking back becomes vital, and it is also sometimes rather hard, because the rush of events and the speed of unfolding newness requires all my attention. And yet, if I can pause just for a moment, and reflect upon all the uncertainty and fear I had to wade through in order to simply respond with a simple openhearted “yes,” the wisdom that comes from this moment of backward reflection is a gift, and needs to be recorded.

Too often we seek completion, a sense of drawing everything together into a nice tidy bundle before we stop and draw the prayerful breath. But life is not like this. And here is the third element of discovery that has come through my prayer time during this year of transition. It is important to stop, just for a moment, in the pressure and the fatigue of a day’s end, and give thanks for having made it this far.

For me, when the uncertainty of unfinished work pushes at my every waking moment, there is a great temptation to forget this simple task. But if I can stop and simply affirm the goodness of this incomplete day, this human hour, this imperfect world, my NEXT day is so much fuller, and my vision so much clearer.

Is a sequel for Book of Dreams planned? If so, when can we expect it?

I am this very moment completing the sequel, which is entitled Hidden in Dreams. Howard/Simon and Schuster have this slated for release in July 2012.

How can readers find you on the Internet?

My website, blog, and interactive discussion group are at www.davisbunn.com

I update my blog at least three times per week. To subscribe to my latest posts via your feed reader or via email, click http://feeds.feedburner.com/DavisBunn

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Davis-Bunn-author/134762129885578

Twitter: @davisbunn - http://twitter.com/davisbunn

E-Newsletter: My free e-newsletter always includes a giveaway contest for my latest book. To subscribe, fill out the form at www.davisbunn.com or send a blank e-mail to davisbunn@aweber.com. You’ll receive a confirmation e-mail. Click the link in that e-mail, and you’re all set.

Thank you, Davis, for stopping by my blog.

Readers, here's a link to the book. By using it when you order, you help support this blog.

Book of Dreams: A Novel


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

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

The only notification you’ll receive is the winner post on this blog. So be sure to check back a week from Saturday to see if you won. You will have 4 weeks from the posting of the winners to claim your book.

If you’re reading this on Feedblitz, Facebook, or Amazon, please come to the blog to leave your comment if you want to be included in the drawing. Here’s a link.
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LONG TRAIL HOME - Vickie McDonough - Free Book

This Texas Trails series is wonderful. I'm happy to welcome the third author in the team of authors, my friend, Vickie. How did you come up with the idea for this story?
For the third book in the Texas Trails series, I needed a story set in the mid to late 1860s. Any story in that time period would have to include a Civil War or reconstruction element, so I made my hero a returning soldier. I also wanted to pull in another aspect of Texas history. The Asylum for Blind Children in Austin caught my attention. Because it was evacuated during the war and even used as headquarters for one Captain George Armstrong Custer, I had to settle for a fictional facility, which I called The Wilcox School for Blind Children. My heroine is a pickpocket who ends up in Waco, where I set school.

                 

If you were planning a party with Christian authors of contemporary fiction, what six people would you invite and why? 

My critique group buddies, because we always have fun when we’re together.

Now let’s do that for a party for Christian authors of historical fiction, what six people would you invite and why?

Tracie Peterson, DeeAnne Gist, Cathie Marie Hake, Liz Curtis Higgs, Robin Lee Hatcher & Kim Sawyer. Why? Because I’d love to pick the brains of these highly published authors. You can come too, Lena! We’ll have a blast.

We've been on a retreat with several of these authors, and it was a blast. Many times, people (and other authors) think you have it made with so many books published. What is your most difficult problem with writing at this time in your career?

This year the biggest problem I’ve had to deal with was very short deadlines. By the end of this year, I’ll have written five and a half long books. That’s more than I’m comfortable with, especially when you toss in the different stages of editing. I’m grateful for the contracts God has brought my way, don’t get me wrong, but I’d like to have more time to craft my stories and not have to rush to get the book written.

I know that feeling. I'mi writing the third book in about a year, and I had heart trouble in the middle of that, but I really love telling a good story. Tell us about the featured book.

Long Trail Home is the third book in the Texas Trails: A Morgan family series that I’m writing with authors Susan Page Davis and Darlene Franklin. Each of us are writing two books in the series, and Long Trail Home is my first one to write. Here’s a blurb:

A weary soldier returns from the War Between the States to discover his parents dead, his family farm in shambles, and his fiancée married. Riley Morgan takes a job at the Wilcox School for Blind Children and tries to make peace with God and himself. When a pretty, blind woman who cares for the children reaches through his scarred walls and touches his heart, he begins to find renewed faith and hope for the future. But when he discovers Annie feigned her blindness just to have a home, will his anger and hurt drive him away and ruin all chances for a future filled with love, faith, and family?

I was privileged to read the manuscript for an endorsement. It's a great story. Please give us the first page of the book.

Prologue

Waco, Texas

1858

     “That one right there—he’s your mark.”

            Annie Sheffield slipped past her daddy and peeked around the corner of the building. A handsome youth with wheat-colored hair stood in the dirt road in front of the mercantile, a shiny pocket watch dangling from his fingers on a silver chain. Annie squinted when a shaft of light reflected off the watch, and she blinked several times,  refocusing on her prey. A much younger boy with the same color hair reached for the watch, but the older boy lifted the treasure higher to safety.

            The older boy’s look was stern but gentle. “No, Timothy. Remember this watch was Grandpa’s. It’s very old, and we must be careful with it.”

            The younger boy’s face scrunched up but he nodded. Then the comely youth bent down and allowed Timothy to hold the shiny watch for a moment before he closed it and put it back in a small bag, a proud smile on his handsome face.

            Ducking back into the alley, Annie leaned against the wall in the early evening shadows. She glanced at her daddy. “Do I have to?”

            “You wanna eat, don’tcha? We need that watch.”

            “But that boy looks so proud of it.”

            Her father narrowed his gray eyes. “I’d be proud if’n it was mine.”

            Annie sighed. If her father possessed the watch, he’d just go hock it or gamble it away.

            “Go on with ya.” He flicked his thin index finger in the air, pointing toward the street. He tugged down on the ugly orange, green, and brown plaid vest that he always wore. “Skat!”

            Annie peered around the building again, taking a moment to judge how fast she’d have to run and where she could hide once she’d taken the watch. She’d come to hate being a pickpocket. Ever since she heard that street preacher several months back in Galveston hollering to a small crowd of spectators that stealing was breaking one of God’s special laws, it had nagged her worse than a swarm of mosquitoes. But she was hungry, and they had no money.

She studied the boy’s long legs. Could she outrun him? And what about his little friend?

Her daddy was an expert pickpocket. He could snitch a wallet and disappear into a crowd like a crow in a flock, but when it came to running away from a target, well, that’s where she came in.

The tall cowboy was probably only a few years older than her thirteen years. He motioned to the younger boy, and they hopped up on the boardwalk, and strolled toward her, completely unaware they were being spied on. He held one hand on the younger boy’s shoulder, as if wanting to keep him close. Now that they both faced her, she could see their resemblance. They had to be brothers. The big boy glanced at his watch bag, tucked it in his vest pocket, and gave it a loving pat.

            Annie jumped back. “He’s coming,” she whispered over her shoulder.

            Her father scowled. “I want that watch. Go!”

            He gave her a shove. She stumbled forward and turned.

The youth’s blue eyes widened. “Hey, look—”

            They collided—hard. Annie was knocked backwards, arms pumping, and her cap flew off. The youth grabbed her shoulders, and in a quick, smooth move that had taken Annie her whole life to master, she slipped his watch from his pocket and into hers. She ducked her head and stepped back. “Sorry,  mister.”

            Her apology was more for stealing his treasure than crashing into him. She spun around and ran, hating the baggy trousers her father made her wear so she’d look like a boy. Hating the life she was forced to live. Hating that the handsome youth would hate her.

(That’s a little bit more than the first page, but I needed a good stopping place)

(Note: This is an unedited version)

How can readers find you on the Internet? 
They can find me on my website: www.vickiemcdonough.com
I’m also on facebook. 

Thank you, Vickie, for this peek into the story.


Readers, here's a link to the book. By using it when you order, you help support this blog.
Long Trail Home (The Texas Trail Series)


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

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

The only notification you’ll receive is the winner post on this blog. So be sure to check back a week from Saturday to see if you won. You will have 4 weeks from the posting of the winners to claim your book.

If you’re reading this on Feedblitz, Facebook, or Amazon, please come to the blog to leave your comment if you want to be included in the drawing. Here’s a link.
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ATTRACTED TO FIRE - DiAnn Mills - Free Book

BIO: Award-winning author DiAnn Mills is a fiction writer who combines an adventuresome spirit with unforgettable characters to create action-packed, suspense-filled novels. DiAnn’s first book was published in 1998. She currently has more than fifty books in print, which have sold more than a million and a half copies.

Her titles have appeared on the CBA and ECPA bestseller lists and have won placements through the American Christian Fiction Writer’s Carol Awards and Inspirational Reader’s Choice awards. DiAnn won the Christy Award in 2010 and 2011.

DiAnn is a founding board member for American Christian Fiction Writers and a member of Inspirational Writers Alive; Romance Writers of America, and Advanced Writers and Speakers Association. She speaks to various groups and teaches writing workshops around the country. DiAnn is also the Craftsman mentor for the Jerry B. Jenkins Christian Writers Guild.

She and her husband live in sunny Houston, Texas.

Website: www.diannmills.com

Welcome, DiAnn. I know you speak at various conferences and meetings. What do you have coming up in 2012?

I booked up 2011 so full that I wondered what I was thinking! :) So far, this is all I have scheduled for 2012

                 

Texas Library Conference - January 2012

Writing for the Soul Conference - Denver, CO February 2012

The Creek Writing Conference - March 2012

The Chase - Romantic Suspense release. First book in the Crime Scene: Houston    series  April 2012

If you were planning a women’s retreat, what would be the theme for it?

The power of prayer. I don’t think the average Christian woman understands how much God wants us to pray.

Who would you want as speakers and why?

Liz Curtis Higgs - She genuinely loves women. Liz has the ability to make a woman laugh and cry with Truth.

Carol Kent - She has a powerful message woven with love and her own life experiences.

Brandilyn Collins - Her miraculous healing through the power of prayer is an inspiration to every listener.

Where would you hold the retreat and why?

My church! Champion Forest Baptist Church in Houston, TX. It’s large enough to host several thousand women.

Do you read print books or ebooks? Or a combination of the two?

I read both! Some books I want to own hard copy, and some I simply want to read.

I’m the same way. Attracted to Fire is an interesting title. How did you come up with it?

My hero and heroine are like gasoline and fire. Volatile but exciting!

So what is the book about?

Special Agent Meghan Connors’ dream of one day protecting the president of the United States is about to come true. Only one assignment stands in her way. After the vice president’s rebellious daughter is threatened, Meghan is assigned to her protective detail on a secluded ranch in West Texas. Unfortunately, working with Special Agent in Charge Ash Zinders may be as tough as controlling her charge. Ash has a reputation for being critical and exacting, and he’s also after the same promotion as Meghan. But when the threats escalate and security on the ranch is breached, it becomes clear this isn’t the work of a single suspect—it’s part of a sophisticated plan that reaches deeper and higher than anyone imagined. And only Ash and Meghan can put the pieces together before it’s too late.

Sounds like a book I want to read. Please give us the first page of the book.

                  Washington, DC

“If he doesn’t muzzle his daughter, he’s going to lose the presidential nomination.”

Special Agent Meghan Connors cringed at the TV anchor’s analysis of Vice President Hall’s campaign, even though the statement rang with validity.

“Although early popularity polls indicated Hall to be a strong contender for the presidential race, his ratings are dropping daily.” The blonde reporting the news gave the camera a tilt of her head. “We are currently waiting for a statement from his office regarding Lindsay Hall’s appearance on The Barry Knight Show last evening, where she made the following statement, ‘My father is a poor excuse for the office of President of the United States.’”

The screen flashed a clip of Lindsay Hall sporting cleavage and lots of leg.

“And she’s our new assignment?” Special Agent Bob Lawson eased back in his chair and stuck his thumbs inside his pants pockets. “I’ve heard she swears like a convict. Smacked a couple of agents in the face.”

Meghan kept her opinions in check. She focused on the TV mounted in the corner of the coffee shop, the one located not far from the White House. Thank goodness the shop was empty except for the barista moving to whatever was playing on his iPod.

The news anchor continued her report. “Take a look at Lindsay Hall’s escapade three nights ago.” The screen reverted to footage taken in a local nightclub. Lindsay toasted the camera with a bottle of beer. Clearly inebriated, she sat in a booth enjoying media attention. The news anchor shook her head with a smile, an obvious display of her political preference. “Many are asking, ‘If Vice President Hall cannot control his daughter, how can he effectively run our country?’”

Ouch. That nailed the situation. Meghan wrapped her fingers around the loop of her coffee cup and walked out onto a patio filled with umbrella tables and chairs. A steady mist filled the afternoon heat with humidity. She needed to focus on her new assignment—and the challenges ahead. Protecting the VP’s daughter was supposed to be a promotion. If she failed, this could mean a permanent stall in her career.

I know I want to read it. How can readers find you on the Internet?

www.diannmills.com

www.facebook.com/diannmills

twitter.com/diannmills

Thank you, DiAnn for stopping by today.

Readers, here's a link to the book. By using it when you order, you help support this blog.
Attracted to Fire



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


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


The only notification you’ll receive is the winner post on this blog. So be sure to check back a week from Saturday to see if you won. You will have 4 weeks from the posting of the winners to claim your book.


If you’re reading this on Feedblitz, Facebook, 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 

AUTUMN SONG - Martha Rogers - Free Book

Welcome back, Martha. It was so good to see you this weekend. How did you come up with the idea for this story?

Autumn Song came about as an extension of Daniel Monroe’s story from Summer Dream. He is a smart young man who enjoys adventure and going to Texas was a natural result of that love. I wanted him to have a strong heroine who would test his patience and his beliefs about the role of women in society.

If you were planning a party with Christian authors of contemporary fiction, what six people would you invite and why?

It’s hard to choose only six because I enjoy so many authors and know so many. Contemporary authors would be Trish Perry, Shar McLauren, Ronie Kendig, Deb Raney, Gayle Roper. There are many more, but I really like the books these ladies write. Trish and Shar have a light touch that is so enjoyable. Ronie’s books keep me on edge and Deb and Gayle both have a way with words that keep me turning the pages when I really need to stop. I didn’t include my good buddies Janice Thompson and DiAnn Mills because they’d be there automatically.

Now let’s do that for a party for Christian authors of historical fiction, what six people would you invite and why?

Picking six is difficult, but for historical fiction I would invite Vickie McDonough, Mary Conneally, Margaret Brownley, Kim Sawyer, Tamara Alexander, and Tracie Peterson. I love the books these ladies write and have recently read books by each of them, and I have a few questions for them. I have so many good friends who write historical fiction that it’s difficult to choose. Kathleen Y’Barbo Turner would be on my guest list as would you, Lena.  

What a fun time we would have with that group. Many times, people (and other authors) think you have it made with so many books published. What is your most difficult problem with writing at this time in your career?

Finding new and interesting plots with twists and turns and events that haven’t already been used over and over again is the bane of my world right now. I just recently came up with four new books in a proposal. Usually, once I get the first one, I can play off those characters and come up with some new ideas. As a SOTP writer, I never know for sure just what might pop up at any time in the story.

Tell us about the featured book.

The featured book is Autumn Song. The hero, Daniel Monroe is a smart Christian lawyer who has definite ideas about the role of women in the home. Kate Muldoon is the feisty Irish heroine whose temper and stubborn ways keep her at odds with Daniel. Their journey to love is strewn with obstacles, but their desire to see justice done and people saved bring them together in ways they never imagined.

Please give us the first page of the book.

Kate Muldoon, I simply can’t understand why you haven’t found yourself a husband among all the eligible men in this town.” Sarah picked up a book from the bedside table in Kate’s room. “You’re twenty-three now, and hiding yourself away to read and study all the time will not help you find the right man.”

Kate grabbed the book from her sister-in-law, who had wandered into her room for a chat. As usual, the talk had turned to men. “I don’t need a man,” Kate declared.

“How can you say that?” Sarah gasped.

Kate shook her head. Marriage and family ranked last in the things she wanted out of life right now. Kate fought against the swelling tide of anger that had landed her in trouble on more than one occasion. Why did everyone think a woman’s only role was that of a wife and mother? Sarah meant well, but then she loved living on a ranch and taking care of her husband Donavan Muldoon. Sarah believed everyone should be in love, as did her other sisters-in-law. 

    

Once again Kate tried to explain. “Sarah, I do not intend to marry a rancher or anyone connected with cattle. I was born on a ranch, grew up on a ranch, and have lived around cattle and horses all my life so far, and I don’t plan on spending the rest of it on one.” Despite her love of horses and riding, the ranch held no pull or fascination for her as it once did when she was younger. Kate hugged her textbook to her chest. “Why do you think I’ve studied everything about Florence Nightingale and nursing and moved into town to help Aunt Mae?”

Sarah waved her hand airily, dismissing Kate’s plans. “I don’t know about that, but I do know Auntie Mae’s boardinghouse is full of men who are not ranchers. Why, there’s my cousin Seth who just moved out here to pastor our church, and then there’s Doc Jensen’s nephew who came to town to assist his uncle with the infirmary. They’re both unattached. Sometimes I think you’re just too picky.”

How can readers find you on the Internet?

www.marthawrogers.com is my website. There is also a link to my blog there.


This new series is really a good one, Martha.


Readers, here's a link to the book. By using it when you order, you help support this blog.
Autumn Song (Seasons of the Heart)


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

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

The only notification you’ll receive is the winner post on this blog. So be sure to check back a week from Saturday to see if you won. You will have 4 weeks from the posting of the winners to claim your book.

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

A CHRISTMAS JOURNEY HOME - Kathi Macias - Free Book

Welcome back, Kathi. I just love Christmas stories. How did you come up with the idea for this story?

I knew I wanted to do a Christmas book—the first of what would become an annual event that my publisher and I were discussing—and I also knew that despite the lighter tone required in a Christmas book (as opposed to the darker themes of the persecuted Church and human trafficking, which I’ve been writing about), I had to stick to my “brand” as closely as possible: hence, an “issues-related” Christmas novel, dealing with the issues related to illegal immigration.

If you were planning a party with Christian authors of contemporary fiction, what six people would you invite and why?

I always struggle with this because I have so many “favorites,” but if I have to narrow it down I guess I’d have to go with Patti Lacy, Susan Meissner, Jeanette Windle, Mary DeMuth, Athol Dickson, and Jim Rubart. All are different and unique, and all are people I greatly admire, and I also appreciate that their fiction is more than just entertainment. I like to come away from my reads feeling challenged at some point, and these authors always deliver.

Now let’s do that for a party for Christian authors of historical fiction, what six people would you invite and why?

Of course I’d have to invite my sister-in-law Kacy Barnett-Gramckow because I love her Genesis trilogy. Also, Francine Rivers, Bodie Thoene, Eugenia Price, Kay Marshall Strom, Sarah Sundin, and Laurie Alice Eakes. Though I don’t read a lot of historical fiction, these ladies all write about eras I find fascinating, so I usually try to make time to read their latest offerings.

Many times, people (and other authors) think you have it made with so many books published. What is your most difficult problem with writing at this time in your career?

Oh, if they only knew! People are surprised when I tell them I don’t get contracts for every proposal my agent sends out, but it’s true. However, I must sheepishly admit that my greatest problem right now is far too many contracts and not enough time to write! I also do a little editing and collaborative writing on the side, plus travel/speak/teach, so life is crazy-busy!

Tell us about the featured book.

During Isabella Alcantara’s seventh month of pregnancy, her parents and siblings are murdered in gang- and drug-related violence, simply because their home was targeted by mistake. Isabella knows she was spared only because she now lives in a different location, but she knows too that the same thing could easily happen to her and her husband, Francisco. When her grandfather offers to hire a “coyote” to bring them across the border to America, she agrees. But Francisco and Isabella are abandoned by the coyote and left to die. Francisco then valiantly sacrifices himself to get Isabella to safety. Homeless, nearly penniless, pregnant, and alone, Isabella determines to find a way to honor her promise to her beloved husband.

Living on one of the smaller spreads along the Arizona border, Miriam Nelson becomes furious with God and turns from her faith when her border patrol agent husband, David, is killed in a skirmish with drug smugglers. Though her mother and young son do their best to woo her back from the anger and bitterness that have overtaken her, they make little headway.

Two widows—one driven by fear and a promise, the other by bitterness and revenge—must make their journeys along different pathways, but with the same destination: a barn full of animals that stands waiting for them on Christmas Eve. Forced to face their personal demons, Isabella and Miriam soon discover a common yearning that will bind them together in a most miraculous way.

Sounds interesting. Please give us the first page of the book.

PROLOGUE

            Isabella shivered, her teeth chattering as she huddled against the frigid night air, doing her best to burrow her backside into Francisco’s embrace. How could her esposo  sleep in such harsh conditions? She and her husband had not eaten in nearly three days, they were almost out of water, and now she felt as if they would surely freeze to death before morning. And yet his even breathing, blowing warm against the back of her neck, assured her that her beloved had indeed escaped their dilemma for at least a few hours.

            Isabella wished she could do the same. During the daylight hours, when her feet burned with each tortuous step, she imagined that she could fall asleep in an instant if given half the chance. But when the desert sun, still hot in mid-autumn, finally sank below the flat, dismal horizon and the night winds blew mercilessly upon them, sleep eluded her. True, Francisco did everything he could to protect her from the elements, even using his body to shield her as they sought meager shelter under a small rock overhang or behind a sand dune, but it was never enough. They were going to die; she was sure of it. She and her husband of eleven months would perish in the middle of the Arizona desert, with only the scavengers to dispose of their remains.

            A slight flutter in her stomach reminded her that death would come to three of them, not just two. The baby that had been growing in her stomach for seven months and that less than a week earlier had kicked with strength and determination now grew weaker by the day.

            Perhaps it is best, she told herself. It was a foolish dream to think we could escape the violence and poverty of our home country and find a new life here, north of the border. My abuelo meant well, but we should never have listened to him…should never have taken his money and given it to the coyote….

            The ominous glare of the coyote, the man who had promised to take them safely to the United States but who instead had stolen their money and left them to die in the desert, danced through her memory, but she pushed it aside. Instead she focused on the beloved face of her grandfather, her abuelo, and fought the hot tears that stung her eyes as she wished yet again that she and Francisco were back in Don Alfredo’s casita, sharing a simple meal of tortillas and frijoles with the leathery-skinned old man Isabella had adored since she was a tiny girl.

            Despite her discomfort, the memory of her abuelo’s face brought a smile to her lips, as she snuggled closer into her esposo’s embrace. But then another memory, the horror of what had driven Don Alfredo to the point of pleading with them to flee across the border, wiped away her smile and once again brought tears to Isabella’s weary eyes.

Sounds like a heart wrenching story. I can't wait to read it. How can readers find you on the Internet?

www.kathimacias.com;

www.thetitus2women.com;

http://kathieasywritermacias.blogspot.com

I am also on Facebook, Twitter, Shoutlife, and various other websites/blogs


Thank you, Kathi, for sharing your book with us.



Readers, here's a link to the book. By using it when you order, you help support this blog.
A Christmas Journey Home: Miracle in the Manger


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

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

The only notification you’ll receive is the winner post on this blog. So be sure to check back a week from Saturday to see if you won. You will have 4 weeks from the posting of the winners to claim your book.

If you’re reading this on Feedblitz, Facebook, 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

8 Winners This Week!!!

I hope you've noticed the recent change in the blog. I added the left sidebar where some of my friends can put cover ads. If you're interested in finding out more about the book, just click on the cover. The link will take you to a site where you can find out more and order the book.

Some of the people who leave comments aren't in the drawing because they don't follow the instructions at the bottom of each interview post. 

Wfnren (FL) is the winner of A Wedding Blunder in the Black Hills by Kim O'Brien.
Maggie Carr (IN) is the winner of Captive Trail by Susan Page Davis.
Lorna Faith (Alberta), Apple Blossom (ND), CarlybirdK (NC), and Lucky Lady (OH) are the winners of Log Cabin Christmas by Jane Kirkpatrick, Liz Tolzma, Michelle Ule, Debra Ullrick, Erica Vetch, and four others. Special congratulations to these ladies for making the New York Times bestseller list with this book.
Ariel (OR) is the winner of Deliver Me From Evil by Kathi Macias.
Courtney (WA) is the winner of Deeply Devoted by Maggie Brendan.

If you won a book and you really like it, consider giving the author the courtesy of writing a review on Goodreads, Amazon.com, Christianbooks.com, Barnes and Noble, or other Internet sites. 

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

Congratulations, everyone. Send me your mailing address: 
Click the Contact Me link at the top of the blog, and send me an Email.

Remember, you have 4 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 when you order, you will help support this blog.