A STAR TO STEER BY - AnnaLee Conti - One Free Book

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

In my first novel, Till the Storm Passes By, several of my characters are inspired by my life growing up in Alaska. It is set in 1953, a time period I remember well. The main character tends to react emotionally as I might have in the same situations at her age. The second novel in my Alaskan Waters series is set a generation earlier so the characters, Norwegian immigrants, don’t resemble me that much, but I do write from personal experience about love, family secrets, and forgiveness.

What is the quirkiest thing you have ever done?

The thing that provoked the most laughter in my writing critique group was when I wrote: “‘He’s dead?’ she croaked.”

Another time, at a church women’s retreat, I was in a small group assigned to write a rap about the topic. The other members of my group teased me for correcting all the grammar. My writing group calls me “the grammar police.”

When did you first discover that you were a writer?

I always loved writing in grade school. When as a young teen I read my great aunt’s nine published Christian novels, the desire was born in my heart to write novels too. While my husband was in seminary, I worked in editorial at our denomination’s publishing house. The first article I submitted to our premier magazine was published. The editors I worked with encouraged me to write and submit stories. Soon, I was also writing church school curriculum on assignment, which I continued to do for 25 years as a pastor’s wife. In 2002, I published Frontiers of Faith, a nonfiction book about my grandparents, Charles and Florence Personeus, who went to Alaska by faith as pioneer missionaries in 1917 and spent 65 years there—from gold rush to statehood and beyond. As I researched that book, I came across snippets of stories that triggered my imagination, and my Alaskan Waters series of novels was born.

Earlier in my writing career, I wrote church school curriculum for three different denominations. Tell us the range of the kinds of books you enjoy reading.

I began reading biographies of great Christians and missionaries and Christian historical and Biblical fiction as a teenager growing up in a missionary family in Alaska. On cold winter nights in Alaska, we had no television or radio, but my dad belonged to a Christian book club that sent one or two novels each month. As I read them, I wanted to check out the historical or Biblical facts. That led to an interest in history and theology. I have an extensive home library of Bible commentaries, theology, and books on Biblical counseling, the Bible and science, devotionals, and writing and have taught many ministerial preparation courses. I love to read. When I feel like my writing well is running dry, reading Christian fiction fills it up again. I also read a variety of magazines.

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

Keeping our minds focused on the Lord and seeking His will and guidance in all we do is key. A motto on my grandparents’ wall I read frequently as I was growing up has been my life’s motto too: “Only one life—Twill soon be past. Only what’s done for Christ will last.” That guides all my decisions.

Now that we are retired from fulltime ministry and teaching, we still have to seek God’s guidance in our choices of activities. We continually remind ourselves that people have a wonderful plan for our lives unless we make Spirit-led choices.

We have always had a favorite place we try to visit two or three times a year—Beavertail Lighthouse on the tip of Conanicut Island in Narragansett Bay between the mainland and Newport, Rhode Island. We discovered it when we were stationed in Rhode Island in the Army for two years in the early seventies. Our son was born near there at Quonset Point Naval Base. Sitting on the rocks watching the waves roll in on three sides carries away our cares and renews our minds. It was there that Till the Storm Passes By was birthed and the plots developed for my Alaskan Waters series of historical Christian novels.

How do you choose your characters’ names?

I remember names of people I knew from the time period I’m writing about. Since many of my characters in the Alaskan Waters series are Norwegian, I googled Norwegian names common in the time period. I try to find names that seem to fit the personalities of my characters or names I like.

What is the accomplishment that you are most proud of?

As a young wife, I prayed long and hard that God would give us a son, promising I would raise him to serve the Lord. He is our only child. Today, he serves the Lord and is raising his five children to serve the Lord too.

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

Growing up in Alaska I always admired the majestic beauty of bald eagles. I especially love the way they soar above the storms.  I want to fly above life’s storms in my life, too, though I have not always been as successful as I’d like to be.

What is your favorite food?

Ice cream. (An interesting fact I learned some years ago is that Alaskans eat more ice cream per capita than any other state at the time that survey was done.) I used to eat a cup of ice cream every night before going to bed. It was so delicious, creamy, and soothing. When I broke myself of that habit, I lost ten pounds! Now I usually don’t keep it in the house.

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

I carry stories in my head and jot notes on scraps of paper, but finding blocks of time and disciplining myself to write them was my challenge. Joining a writing critique group helped me to set writing goals and stick to them.

Tell us about the featured book.

Between 1825 and 1925 more than 800,000 Norwegians immigrated to the United States. Many settled in Alaska’s Panhandle to fish the Inside Passage, which closely resembles the fjords of Norway. A Star to Steer By is the second novel in my Alaskan Waters series, a historical family saga based on the lives of a fictional Norwegian immigrant family who settled in Southeast Alaska in the 1920s.

The first book, Till the Storm Passes By, is set in 1953. In it, Evie locates the Norwegian family she never knew in Alaska. The second novel goes back a generation to tell her parents’ love story:

Tales of the booming fishing industry in faraway Alaska and big money to be made there in 1920 lure 19-year-old Norman Pedersen, a Norwegian fisherman, to immigrate to Alaska to make his fortune. Norman thinks of Kristina Michelsen as his North Star, for centuries used by sailors in navigation at sea. He plans to return to marry her, and she promises to wait for him—even if it takes years. But Norman becomes entrapped in a prison of his own making. Will he ever find his true “star to steer by”?

Please give us the first page of the book.

Near Ketchikan, Alaska, Fall 1922

Norman Pedersen hunched his body into the biting wind as he stood at the bow of the seiner. Even that discomfort could not distract him from the relentless, crushing pain in his heart. A cacophony of voices assailed his ears, but he did not share the excitement.

Full of hope and ambition, he had come to Alaska to make his fortune and marry the love of his life. The future had looked so promising. But now, he felt like a man sentenced to a life behind bars. He’d let down everyone he loved.

How could I have been so stupid? How did I fall into this trap? Is there no way out?

I’m only twenty-one years old, and my life is ruined. How did I let it come to this?

Narvik, Norway, Fall 1919

Norman Pedersen stood at the bow, rope in hand, ready to jump to the dock as soon as the Viking nudged into its mooring in the harbor at Narvik. The long summer days were over. He turned up his collar against the chill Arctic winds that swept up the fjord.

Behind him, the four large islands of the Lofoten group, with smaller ones between, trailed off from the Vesteralen Islands into the Norwegian Sea like a gigantic backbone. From January to April, fishing boats followed the cod migration to their spawning grounds among the many islands scattered along northern Norway’s broken coast. Norman had spent the summer aboard the Viking with Ole Aarstad and Hans Orsen shipping salted and dried codfish from the Vesteralens to Bergen, one of the foremost fish markets of the world.

As much as Norman loved life at sea, his heart also swelled with pride for this land of his fathers, the Vikings. The majestic mountains, narrow valleys, and rushing waterfalls tumbling down the almost perpendicular walls of the numerous fjords never ceased to amaze him.

But at this moment, all he wanted was to be with Kristina Michelsen.

Something caught the sun’s rays and flashed out miniature beacons from the bluff overlooking the sea. His heart quickened when he spotted a girl buffeted by the stiff breeze. Kristina! It had to be. She always wore her mother’s large silver brooch at the throat of her shirtwaist. Her long, dark skirt billowed behind her as she gazed out across the water. Norman hoped Kristina, just past her seventeenth birthday, was looking for him.

As the Viking drew closer to land, Norman could see the wind whip golden strands of wavy hair across the girl’s face. He recognized the characteristic toss of her head as with her hand she shaded her eyes. Norman pictured those eyes, as blue as the beautiful fjord before her, straining to see his boat. He waved, and she waved back—vigorously.

His heart rose in anticipation of being with Kristina again after his long season at sea. He remembered the rosy tinge the breeze always brought to her cheeks and the pearly white teeth that sparkled between the sweet, smiling lips painted only by Nature’s deft fingers. In spite of the chilling wind, he warmed at the thought of kissing her. Maybe this time he’d get up the nerve.

He’d first seen Kristina in church two years earlier when at sixteen he’d finally gotten up the courage to run away from his elder brother’s estate in Oslo. Arne’s wife, Hilda, was so overbearing he couldn’t wait to escape to his older sister Alma’s home in Narvik. It had been a good decision. He’d been hired as a deckhand on the Viking, and he’d met Kristina Michelsen. It wasn’t only her pretty face and winsome ways that drew him. She too had lost both of her parents at a young age.

How can readers find you on the Internet?

Website: www.AnnaLeeConti.com

E-mail: FrontiersofFaith@AnnaLeeConti.com

Twitter: @AnnaLeeContiw

www.Facebook.com/AnnaLeeConti.Author

Blog: http://AnnaLeeConti.blogspot.com/

Thank you, AnnaLee, for sharing this new book with us. My father was half Norwegian and half Swedish. His family emigrated to Minnesota. Your book has moved to the top of my to-be-read pile.


Readers, here are links to the book. By using one when you order, you help support this blog.
A Star to Steer By - Christianbook.com
A Star to Steer By (Alaskan Waters) - Amazon
A Star To Steer By (Alaskan Waters Series Book 2) - Kindle

Christian Book Store

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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WHEN NIGHT COMES - Dan Walsh - One Free Book

Bio: Dan Walsh is the bestselling author of 12 novels including The Unfinished Gift, The Discovery, and When Night Comes. He’s won 3 ACFW Carol Awards, 2 Selah Awards and three times his books have been finalists for RT’s Inspirational Book of the Year. A member of American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) and Word Weavers International, Dan writes fulltime in the Daytona Beach area. He and his wife Cindi have been married 38 years and have 2 grown children and 2 grandchildren. You can find out more about his books or follow him on Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads or Pinterest from his website at http://danwalshbooks.com.

Welcome back, Dan. How did this book come about?

I actually got the idea for this book back in the mid-90s and made it the subject of my first, unpublished book (I wrote it before The Unfinished Gift). The book was unpublished for a reason. It was over 600 pages long, the plot moved way too slow, and it was overly complex. But I loved the concept and felt the story itself was solid. When I read history, I often try to imagine what it would be like to go back in time and see these events firsthand. On one of these reading moments, I got the idea for this book. It has elements of time travel involved, but it is definitely not a time travel book.

Two years ago, I pitched it to Revell. They loved the idea, but felt it stretched my “Nicholas Sparks” brand too much. Back in May, I decided with all that’s happening in the publishing world, and this new shift toward indie books, it was a good time to dig it out. I rewrote it over the summer, taking advantage of all the things I’ve learned about writing since the mid-90s.

Tell us about the book’s cover and what makes it unique.

For one thing, the cover is very different from all my other novels. That was on purpose. While I try to keep the suspense and tension pretty tight in all my books, When Night Comes is my first true suspense book. Meaning, suspense would be its most dominating feature. It has some history in it and strong characters, and definitely some romance, but it also has murder and intrigue. I wanted to cover that would set it apart from the others, but also one that would begin to hint and point at what’s inside.

Please explain and differentiate between what’s fact and fiction in the book.

Most of this novel is fiction. Even the small, southern town of Culpepper, Georgia, is fictitious. Although we took a research trip through a number of small Southern college towns to get a feel of what life would be like living there, we decided creating our own town would give us more freedom. None of the characters are based on real people. There are several historical things mentioned in the book, which are based in fact, but even here, the fiction story overlaps (can’t say anymore without giving too much away).

How much research did you have to do for this book?

Quite a bit. As I said, we researched life in small Southern college towns a lot, wanting to get it right (since we live in a town that’s nothing like this). The historical chapters in the book required countless hours of research. But since I love history, doing this never feels like work.

What are some of the most interesting things you found about this subject that you weren’t able to use in the story?

Although most of When Night Comes takes place in the present, as I mentioned, there are several chapters that take us back to major historical events during WW2. These chapters required the most editing. Mainly because, I wanted to spend much more time there than the average reader would enjoy. Literally, I deleted thousands of words in these chapters, whole sections in fact, to keep the average reader from being bored. My wife always helps me with this. Her tastes along these lines more closely represent the amount of detail most people want to see (too much slows down the pace and detracts from the main story).

What inspired and surprised you while you were writing the book?

Since it is a suspense book, I’d say very little of the content inspired me, other than being stirred by the heroic examples of the real-life people I read about when researching the WW2 scenes.

What do you hope the reader takes away from the story?

To be honest, I’m not sure there’s a great deal a reader will take away from this story. It’s more of a fun, clean read. It is written from a Christian worldview, but it doesn’t carry a deep spiritual theme like most of my other novels. Think of it is a typical, secular suspense/thriller, but instead of following some dark, seriously flawed hero who sleeps around and uses profanity, we’re following a decent guy who also happens to be a credible Christian. How would he handle the crisis and challenges presented in the story?

When they finish the last page, I hope readers think about how much fun they had while reading the book, how hard it was to put down (and how much they want to go get another book I’ve written).

What is the next project you’re working on?

The response and success I’m already seeing with When Night Comes has encouraged me to make it the first book in a series. But I won’t be writing Book 2 right away. I still enjoy writing the more “Nicholas Sparks” type books my readers are used to. I’m already 15 chapters into the first book of a new trilogy that will involve a dog as one of the main characters. This first book is called, Rescuing Finley. It’s about how a shelter dog named Finley winds up rescuing two broken souls who think they are rescuing him. A female inmate near the end of her prison sentence and a former Marine corporal struggling with PTSD.

What do you do when you have to get away from the story for a while?

Sometimes I take a break and go online for a while, just to connect with people on the internet (like Facebook and email, etc.). Other times I’ll go for a walk with my dogs. For the last two years, I’ve been doing the cooking in our house (after 36 years of that task being handled by my wife), so sometimes I’ll take off go grocery shopping.

Please give us the first page of the book.

Dead bodies have a way of changing everything.

Sergeant Joe Boyd drove his unmarked car down Chambers Road toward a possible homicide. He’d heard the officer on site reporting over the radio, his voice all jittery and pathetic. Sounded like he’d completely lost it, talking about throwing up and never seeing anything like it. Have a little dignity, Boyd thought. It was a Saturday morning. Figures it would be a Saturday, the one day in the week Boyd got to sleep in.

At this point in his career, he wasn’t sure if he wanted to deal with a murder or not. Two months ago, he had been a homicide detective in the relentless, suffocating pace of Zone Five, arguably the toughest precinct in the Pittsburgh PD. He had worked there since coming out of the academy sixteen years ago and didn’t relish the idea of leaving all that excitement to move down here to neighborly little Culpepper, Georgia.

But it was either that or his family. I’m out of here, Kate had said. It’s them or me. Take your pick.

Kate had fallen in love with the town their first drive through. Boyd had to agree, Culpepper seemed like a better place to raise a family, a town the bad guys hadn’t found yet. Since moving, he had been home for dinner more often than not. Started showing up at his son’s Little League games. That was a first. At least three or four nights a week, his daughter could count on daddy reading her a bedtime story. He even made it to church most Sundays.

And now this.

How can readers find you on the Internet?

Probably the easiest thing is just to visit my website and check out my homepage. There are buttons there to connect to my blog, send me an email, sign up for my newsletter or follow me on social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads and Pinterest. They can find me at: http://www.danwalshbooks.com

Thank you, Dan, for sharing this new book with us. I just started reading it.

Readers, I'm going to interview Dan on the Gate Beautiful Blogtalk Radio Show on Thursday, January 15 from 1:00 to 1:30. Here's the link if you'd like to listen in and learn even more about Dan:

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/rrradio

Here are links to the book. By using one when you order, you help support this blog.

By Dan Walsh When Night Comes [Paperback]
When Night Comes - Kindle

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 Goodreads, Google+, Feedblitz, Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, or Amazon, please come to the blog to leave your comment if you want to be included in the drawing. Here’s a link:
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CURRENCY OF THE HEART - Loree Lough - Two Free Book

Dear Readers, I was offered the chance to read Currency of the Heart over a month ago. Since Loree has been one of my favorite authors for several years, I jumped at the chance. It’s a real page turner. I had a hard time putting it down. Since it was during my recovery from surgery, I was able to keep my nose in the book most of the day. Her three-dimensional characters with secrets grabbed me from the first page. And the book is set in and around Denver, Colorado, in my favorite period, the late 1800s. The story reeks of authenticity, so I was soon immersed in every scene. You really don’t want to miss this one. I can hardly wait until the next book in this series comes out. It will go to the top of my to-be-read pile.

Bio: At last count, best-selling author Loree Lough had nearly 5,000,000 4- and 5-star books in circulation. Books 103 & 104 (Currency of the Heart, #1, “Secrets on Sterling Street” and Once a Marine, #1 “Those Marshall Boys”) will hit bookstore shelves this month. She loves interacting with readers on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest, and via email (and answers every letter, personally).

Welcome back, Loree. How did this book come about?

I’m always looking for fresh new ways to transport readers back in time to places that pulsed with excitement and history! And because secrets so often damage relationships, I thought … why not combine the two!

And you did it so well. Tell us about the book’s cover and what makes it unique.

With a Rocky Mountain backdrop and a cowboy herding wild mustangs, readers get a real feel for ranch life in Denver during the 1880s … and the mist sets the perfect tone, I think, for the mysterious secrets that are being closely guarded by the hero and heroine.

Please explain and differentiate between what’s fact and fiction in the book.

The historical information is all factual—including some of the walk-on characters who truly lived or passed through Denver during this period of history. The setting is factual, too: Tools, modes of transportation, how food was grown, cooked, and served. The clothing, the hymns sung during Sunday services, even the words people used in everyday conversation is the result of meticulous research.

The challenge every author of historical fiction faces is blending those facts with the story so that it doesn’t make the readers feel they’re sitting in a cold, boring lecture hall. Since the dawn of man, people have kept all manner of secrets from one another. Today, with easy access to a plethora of information about the psychology of secret-keeping, we understand secrets differently than people did in the 1880s, when people didn’t have time to sit around analyzing the whys and wherefores of others’ behavior. They also didn’t have time to sit around discussing their feelings the way we do nowadays. And yet … people haven’t really changed all that much across the centuries, so I had to motivate the characters’ reasons for harboring secrets in the first place, reasons that made sense in that time and place. And, as the secrets were slowly exposed, I needed to find ways to explain the characters’ reactions to learning the truth. It takes a lot of work and preparation, I tell you!

Don’t I know it? How much research did you have to do for this book?

I’d have to say somewhere in the neighborhood of a solid month, working 8-10 hour days, went into the research for Currency of the Heart. Maps, drawings, old books, new books, interviews with historical society people, interviews with real-life cowboys…. As I’m digging through the annals of history, I always find far more information than I could possibly fit into any one novel!

What are some of the most interesting things you found about this subject that you weren’t able to use in the story?

There were so many interesting characters who lived in the Denver area during the 1880s! I managed to squeeze just a few of them into the story—outlaws, politicians, inventors, educators, medical experts—but oh, how I wish I could have added more!

What inspired and surprised you while you were writing the book?

Without exception, my readers inspire me. They ask questions about upcoming series (settings, characters, basic storylines) that leads me to incorporate additional layers into the story. Such as the train robbery in Currency of the Heart. When one reader heard outlaws would board a train to steal the gold, he asked, “How will they get their ‘timing’ right, given the unpredictable schedules of rail travel back then?” His question is the sole reason I had the bad guys get together, several times, to practice their surprise attack. You’ll just have to read that scene to find out how they managed to synchronize their watches … and to find out whether or not they got away with the gold!

What do you hope the reader takes away from the story?

If I could list just one takeaway, I’d have to say I hope readers realize that while we all keep secrets for a variety of reasons—sometimes, for years and years!—it’s usually better for all concerned to get those things out in the open. Usually.

What is the next project you’re working on?

I just turned in Guardians of the Heart, book #2 in the “Secrets on Sterling Street” series, and am already at work, plotting book #3.

I’m also working on book #2 in Harlequin Heartwarming’s “Those Marshall Boys” contemporary series.

And, I’m plotting two additional series, both contemporary, that I hope to submit in a few weeks.

What do you do when you have to get away from the story for a while?

That’s easy! I spend time with my grandorables!

Please give us the first pages of the book for my readers.

“Will you just look at that,” Elsie said, pointing. “Who does she think she is, Lady Godiva?”

Sloan looked up in time to see Jennie Rodgers heading toward Sterling Street. There were so many things wrong with Elsie’s question, he could only shake his head. For one thing, Jennie was dressed in bright blue, from her festooned hat to her high-heeled boots. For another, her ink-black hair reminded him of the years  he’d spent with the Lakota-Sioux.

Elsie snapped her fingers, putting an end to the still-raw memory.

“Sloan Remington,” she scolded, “stop gawking at that woman!”

He didn’t like being told what to do. Didn’t like the way she’d said “that woman,” either. What had Jennie ever done to her—to anyone in Denver, for that matter—to justify their poor manners toward her? No one quirked an eyebrow when she offered to pay the new schoolteacher’s salary or fund repairs for the courthouse roof, so it seemed mighty hypocritical of them to look down their noses at the way she earned enough money to do so.

If the truth about his past ever came out, would Elsie and the others add his name to the list of citizens to avoid? Of course it would, he thought, frowning.

Elsie’s expression softened slightly. “Good thing you’re not a gambler.”

He had no time for poker, and said so.

“Better practice a poker face anyway,” she said, wagging a finger under his nose, “because that handsome face of yours is easier to read than a McGuffey Primer.”

Sloan didn’t know what she was babbling about. Even if Jennie owned a hat shop, she wouldn’t have turned his head. As for how she really earned her living, well, it seemed to him that was between her and her Maker.

Elsie peered at Jennie through the lace curtains. “Where do you suppose she’s headed?”

“Don’t know. Don’t care.” Truth was, he had a pretty good idea. Several evenings ago, he’d seen Jennie headed in that same direction … and so had Rafe Preston.

Elsie snipped the final stitch, then used a pair of pointy tweezers to pluck it from his cheek.

“I declare, the woman doesn’t have the sense God gave a flea. What is she thinking, parading through town, alone, when it’s nearly dark!”

Well, she had him there. And the ifs began to stack up: If Jennie hadn’t gone out that night … If the sinister look on Preston’s face hadn’t prompted Sloan to follow him … If he’d been a tick quicker, he could have averted the attack without sustaining a three-inch gash to his face. It wasn’t likely Jennie knew what sort of mayhem had erupted after she’d slipped into Sterling Hall, for if she had, she wouldn’t have made the trip again tonight.

Elsie grabbed a tiny brown bottle from the shelf above the exam table. Sloan read the label—Tincture of Merthiolate—and groaned inwardly. Clenching his jaw as she poured some of the orange liquid onto a cotton ball, he waited for the sting.

“You’re lucky that ruffian didn’t put an eye out,” Elsie said, dabbing the cut.

Right again, he thought, doing his best not to wince. “Hey, take it easy, will you?”

Elsie seemed not to have heard him. “So now you’ll have a scar for the rest of your life. And for what? Defending a woman like that?”

While she bandaged the wound again, the should haves piled up: He should have waited until Elsie left the room to tell Doc Wilson, how he’d come by the gash. Should have gone straight home when she said her brother was out delivering the Petersons’ baby. Should have found a way to shut down Elsie’s anti-Jennie gossip the instant it had begun.

She opened her mouth to say more, but a thunderous rumble stopped her.

Medicine bottles clattered on metal shelves as the doctor’s wheeled stool rolled across the floor. It slammed into the glass door of the apothecary cabinet as the big pendulum clock crashed to the floor … its shattered face stopping with both hands stuck on the number six. The floorboards creaked and ground as the ground beneath them shifted, throwing Elsie off balance, and right into his arms.

“Wh-what’s going on?”

           

A second, larger tremor rolled through the clinic, followed by two more in quick succession.

“Too close and too fierce to be some fool miner trying to dynamite gold from the mountains.” Sloan knew, because he’d heard it as a boy, when his pa dragged the family from Kansas to Aurelia to find a lode. He’d pressed his wife and their boy into manning a cradle strainer, and when that hadn’t worked, he’d built a crude sluice box. But all they got was cold and wet and sick, and when May drew to a close, his pa was broke and his ma and brother were both dead.

“My guess,” he said, “it’s an earthquake.”

“Here? In Denver?”

Townsfolk had started reacting, as evidenced by the shouts and screams out on Broadway. Soon, some well-meaning citizens would barge into the clinic to check on the doc’s sister. One look at Elsie, stuck to Sloan like a second skin, was all it would take to get the gossip mill churning. And since Sloan suspected that Abe Fletcher, one of his ranch hands, was sweet on her, he couldn’t have that.

“The place is a mess,” he said, holding her at arm’s length, “but you’re all right.”

She looked around and gave a helpless little shrug.

           

“Spunky as you are, you’ll have this cleaned up before the Pattersons’ young’un comes into the world.”

           

He grabbed his hat from the hook beside the door. If the quake had caused this much damage here, how bad was it at Sterling Hall? More important, how had the women inside that house fared? He pictured Jennie, taller than most men and strong enough to handle a four-horse rig. Unless a rafter had come loose and knocked her unconscious, she was fine. The widow Sterling on the other hand, was barely bigger than a minute, and he’d made a promise to her dying husband….

           

He took a Morgan silver dollar from his pocket and put it on the exam table. “Thanks, Elsie,” he said, touching a forefinger to the brim of his Stetson. “I’ll check in later to see if you need anything.”

           

Outside, Sloan worked his way through the milling crowd, skirting around overturned barrels and stepping over fallen shop signs. If anyone were to ask where he was going in such an all-fired hurry, he didn’t know how he would answer.

           

But he knew this: He had a powerful need to make sure the widow was safe.

How can readers find you on the Internet?

I’m kind of like an echo…here, there, everywhere! LOL But in all seriousness, I hope everyone will look me up and say hello, often!

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/LoreeALough

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/loreelough/

Web site: http://www.loreelough.com

Thank you, dear friend, for sharing this new book with us.

Readers, here are links to the book. By using one when you order, you help support this blog.
Currency of the Heart - Christianbook.com
Currency of the Heart: Secrets on Sterling Street - Amazon
Currency Of The Heart (Secrets on Sterling Street) - Kindle

Christian Book Store

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

COWBOY SEEKS A BRIDE - Louise M Gouge - One Free Book

Dear Readers, Louise’s story is about parents choosing a bride for their son, who is ready to get married. It almost has a feel of a mail-order bride story, and I love it. We featured the first book in this series. Both are set in Colorado, and I also love stories set there. The time period is late 1800’s, and you know I love that time period. The characters quickly pulled me into their story and didn’t let go until it was finished. I know you won’t want to miss this one.

Bio: Florida author Louise M. Gouge writes historical fiction for Harlequin's Love Inspired Historicals. She received the prestigious Inspirational Readers’ Choice in 2005 and 2011 and the Laurel Wreath in 2012. When she isn't writing or teaching her college classes, she and David, her husband of fifty years, enjoy visiting historical sites and museums.

Welcome back, Louise. Tell us about your salvation experience.

I was saved when I was very young through the testimony of my Sunday school teacher. It was so long ago that I don’t remember her name, but I do remember trusting Jesus as my Savior. Since that time, I’ve never doubted that the promise of John 3:16 is for me: God so loved Louise that He sent His only begotten Son, that if Louise believes in Him, she will not perish but have everlasting life. In good times and bad, that verse has been my comfort and joy.

You’re planning a writing retreat where you can only have four other authors. Who would they be and why?

I don’t mean to flatter you, Lena, but I would love for you to be there. You’re such an inspiration to others, and you selflessly mentor new writers. I’d also like to have Charlotte Bronte because her Jane Eyre is my favorite novel. I’d like to take lessons in witty social commentary from Jane Austen. And I’d love for Agatha Christie to teach me how to write suspense. How’s that for a mix?

Oh, my goodness. We would have so much fun. Do you have a speaking ministry? If so, tell us about that.

Although I don’t have a speaking ministry as such, I do teach college English and humanities. I make it clear to my students that I’m a Christian and explain why. Then I try to show them God’s love though the reading material for our classes.

That’s wonderful, Louise. I took one class where the professor made us read such trashy books to get a good grade.

People are always telling me that they’d like to write a book someday. I’m sure they do to you, too. What would you tell someone who came up to you and said that?

I always tell them to go home and start writing! In fact, that’s how I got started. My friend and I were having lunch together and discussing what we would do in our soon-coming empty nest years. I told her about my imaginary life and how I wanted to be a writer. She told me to go home and start writing that story right away. I did, and she held me accountable! That book turned out to be my first published book. If people can learn from my example, then I wish them well.

Tell us about the featured book.

Cowboy Seeks a Bride is the second book in my Four Stones Ranch series, set in the San Luis Valley of Colorado. Here’s the blurb:

Marybeth O'Brien is everything rancher Randall Northam seeks in a wife … if she'd only say "I do." Although his family paid for her train ticket West with the understanding the two would marry, Rand won't pressure her to set a date. Especially since he suspects she's learned about his reckless past. Who would want to marry an untamed cowboy like him? Marybeth won't marry until she locates her long-lost brother. And when Rand agrees to help her with her search, she can't deny her surprisingly warm feelings toward her prospective groom. Could this honorable cowboy show her he's the husband she never knew she wanted?

Please give us the first page of the book for my readers.

July 1881

Randall Northam is a gambler. Randall Northam is a killer.

The words pulsed through Marybeth O’Brien’s head, keeping time with the clatter of the iron wheels on the railroad track as the train propelled her inescapably toward her prospective husband. Until a few moments ago she’d thought his most notable quality was being the second son of a wealthy Colorado ranching family. But the lively young woman seated across from her had just imparted a vital bit of information Randall Northam’s parents had left out when they’d arranged this marriage. And from the enthusiasm brightening Maisie Henshaw’s face, Marybeth could see her story wasn’t finished.

“Yep, he shot that thieving varmint right in the heart. Why, Rand can outdraw anybody.” The red-haired girl elbowed her handsome young husband in the ribs. “Even me.”

How can readers find you on the Internet?

Please visit my website at http://blog.Louisemgouge.com

Thank you, Louise, for sharing this new book with us. I know my readers will love it as much as I did.

Readers, here are links to the book. By using one when you order, you help support this blog.

Cowboy Seeks a Bride - Christianbook.com
Cowboy Seeks a Bride (Love Inspired Historical\Four Stones Ran) - Amazon
Cowboy Seeks a Bride (Four Stones Ranch) - Kindle

Christian Book Store

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

WINNERS

Kandi (MT) is the winner of The Fruitcake Challenge by Carrie Fancett Pagels.
Melissa (TN) is the winner of the Ebook Stranded by Don and Stephanie Prichard.
Caryl (TX) is the winner of The 20th Christmas by Andrea Rodgers.

If you won a book and you 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. 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, just let me know what email address it should be sent to.

When you contact me, please give the title of the book you won, so I won't have to look it up.

Remember, you have 4 weeks to claim your book.

SEASON OF fORGIVENESS - Templa Melnick - One Free Book

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

Whether intended or not, I think there’s a bit of me in each of my characters. The main character in Season of Forgiveness, Emma, is who I strive to be … who I hope to be someday. And Dee, well, she’s imperfect, outspoken, and funny. I wish that I could, occasionally at least – in my real life – be as honest and bold as this character I’ve created. Emma’s seven sons? Well, they were all inspired by my own three sons. And many of Emma’s boys antics in the story are things my sons have actually done. (Treasure hunts, digging tunnels, banister sliding, school yard brawls … just to name a few.)

What is the quirkiest thing you have ever done?

Hmmm…. this could be a very long list. Those who know me best could tell countless stories of quirky things I’ve done. Thank God you’re not asking them!

In my former “life” as an Advertising Sales Executive, I (reluctantly) attended countless, tedious sales meetings in a cramped conference room with ADHD personalities, corporate jargon on steroids, and a terrible ventilation system. While everyone else raced outside for a smoke break, I would do yoga stretches on the sales room floor. They all looked at me like I had three heads – as if they’d never seen a woman in a business suit performing the pigeon pose!

When did you first discover that you were a writer?

When I was in second grade, my teacher asked if she could submit a story I had written to a national publication for educators. She told me I had a unique perspective and a special way with words. The seed was planted. I’ve been creating stories ever since.

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

I devour fiction like little kids eat candy and have an extremely eclectic collection of books. I cut my teeth on the Hardy Boys, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and Agatha Christie, and still have a passion for mysteries. But I love anything that is well written, thought provoking, or entertaining. I have to confess that I don’t enjoy romance novels all that much. They usually leave me feeling like I’ve just eaten Sweet-n-Low straight from the little pink packet. And, nonfiction? Well, I force myself to read the occasional nonfiction book, but I’m easily distracted by something with a promising story line or an intriguing plot.

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

It’s lovely that you assume I’ve kept my sanity! My stress relievers: dabbling with oil paints, watching old movies with my husband … and oh, those grandbabies! Nothing restores my soul like snuggling with my grandchildren.

How do you choose your characters’ names?

For Season of Forgiveness, I researched the most common baby names from the years surrounding when my characters would have been born and selected names from those lists. I also included some actual names from my own family’s genealogy. You’ll find Rose, Tommy, William (aka Billy), and Robert (aka Bobby) in Season of Forgiveness. Lucille will appear in the next book in the Seasons of Riverbend series. I hope my grandparents don’t mind!

What is the accomplishment that you are most proud of?

I raised three amazing, wonderful sons. I made a lot of mistakes, and of course I’d do many things differently if I could. But I honestly can’t think of anything I’ve done in my life that is more important or that makes me as proud as the three young men who call me Mom.   

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

 I’d want to be a cat. But not just any cat; I’d be a Melnick cat. My cats have a seriously good life. Spoiled doesn’t even begin to describe my two furry roommates.

What is your favorite food?

It’s almost as tough to choose a favorite food as it is to choose a favorite book! I love most ethnic foods: Italian, Mexican, Vietnamese, Thai… Yep. This could be a long list too.

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

I think I was my own greatest roadblock. Learning the craft of writing and the time and sacrifice it took to actually write a novel were secondary to overcoming the fear of failure. Submitting that first book proposal to a publisher was the toughest thing I’ve ever done. How did I overcome the fear of failure? I had to trust God and believe what He said about me. He said I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. That included writing a novel and talking to potential publishers.

Tell us about the featured book.

Season of Forgiveness is the first book in the Seasons in Riverbend series and is set in 1904 Colorado, in the fictitious town of Riverbend. A little woman with a big heart, Emma Johnson, must juggle family, friends, and pioneer-woman chores, all while dealing with threats to her own life, those she loves, and the safety of the ranch on the western slope of the Colorado Rockies. Emma finds herself involved in the rescue and restoration of three abused and abandoned women. As new life, beauty, and hope blossom, the four women help uncover a nefarious plot and learn the meaning of forgiveness.

           

Please give us the first page of the book.

Emma snapped her apron at the two mule deer. “Shoo! Out of my garden! Go eat somewhere else.” She shook her head. “Stupid deer.” Three pea plants were munched down to the ground, and if she didn’t get these critters out, they’d destroy all her vegetable plants.

Waving her arms, she chased the deer out the opening in the fence where three wooden pickets lay broken on the ground. When she had pulled all the green beans and filled her basket, she raised up and stretched her back, breathing in the clean scent of alfalfa and scanning the fields for Luke.

There he was, tossing the last of the freshly-cut hay into the stacker to dry. Emma allowed her gaze to linger on her son, then the meadow, the mountains behind their land, and the empty fields to the east.

Jake had chosen this land before he and Emma were married, scrimping and saving until he could call it his own, then waiting until he had the deed to the land before he asked for her hand in marriage. Emma wiped a tear from her eye as she remembered the picnic he had staged the day he asked her to be his wife, and the pride on his face as he shared his dreams with her.

Well, we’ve learned that making dreams come true is hard work. But it surely is worth the effort.

For their first few years as husband and wife, Jake had been her father’s ranch manager, working his land as well as their own, and it seemed like forever before they had saved enough money to build their own house. Jake had labored long into the nights for an entire summer: digging the foundation, pouring concrete, sawing boards to length, and hammering them into place. When Emma’s hope was running dry and it seemed the house would never be completed, their new community had surprised them with a roof-raising party. What an exciting day!

Men flocked to the Johnson homestead from miles around with tools, strong backs and determination. The women brought food, and more importantly, renewed hope that her house would indeed be completed before winter. Luke had just begun crawling when they moved into the house.

Could that really have been fifteen years ago? Where did the time go?

How can readers find you on the Internet?

I have a unique name, so I’m easy to find. You can visit my website at www.templamelnick.com

Or you can friend me on Facebook or find me on Pinterest or Goodreads.

Thank you, Templa, for sharing your new book with us.

Readers, here are links to the book. By using one when you order, you help support this blog.
Season of Forgiveness : A Novel (Seasons in Riverbend, #1) - Paperback
Season of Forgiveness: A Novel (Seasons In Riverbend Book 1) - Kindle

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

HIDDEN AGENDA - Lisa Harris - One Free Book

Dear Readers, as I’ve told you before, I love reading all of Lisa Harris’s books. Hidden Agenda is another breathtaking, heart-stopping romantic suspense novel. Some of the characters from the first two books in the series are secondary characters in this book, and it was wonderful to find out what was going on in their lives now. The primary characters grabbed me and pulled me into the story. As usual, Lisa kept me enthralled. I told my husband that it amazes me at what this missionary’s mind can come up with.

Welcome back, Lisa. Tell us a little about yourself and your background.

Thanks so much for having me, Lena! I’m a mother, wife, writer, missionary, taxi driver, chef, and all the other things motherhood involves. Just set in a tropical setting halfway around the world. J Life is definitely never dull! My family and I have lived in southern Africa since 2004 and currently live in Mozambique where we work to plant churches and do humanitarian work. I’ve been writing since 1997 and am still learning!                                              

How did you become interested in writing?From the time I was very young I wanted to be a writer, but didn’t take that dream seriously until I was in my late twenties. We’d recently adopted our oldest, and I was a stay-at-home mom without a car, so I decided I was going to finally write a book. And I did. I haven’t stopped writing since.

                                                                                               

What compelled you to write a book on this subject?

I love reading romantic suspense, so writing in this genre has been the perfect fit for me. I love being able to take real world issues and twist them into a plot. I also love seeing how ordinary people might react when faced with extraordinary circumstances.

                                                                                                                                                           

What is the main theme or point that you want readers to understand from reading your book? Are there any other themes present in the book?

The spiritual themes in my stories are important to me, and I try to weave them in naturally. I’ll share more about that in the next question.

                                                                       

Are there some specific lessons you hope readers will learn and apply to their lives after reading your book?

I want people to remember that God wants us to rely completely on Him. And to be completely in Him. Psalm 55:22 tells us that we need to give our burdens to Him. To cast all of our anxieties on him because he really does care for us. Is this always easy? No way. At the end of the book Michael says, “I’m struck with the profound truth that God is Good. He never promised us that life would be easy, but He has promised to walk with us.” My prayer for my readers is that you seek His face and let Him walk this journey of faith along side you!

                                                                                   

What makes your book different than any other books similar to yours that are in circulation today?         

There are so many great books out there, but I hope people can walk away from this story and this series feeling entertained first of all. I hope it’s a page turning ride! I also hope that their faith will be challenged and strengthened, and that they feel like they really got to know the characters!             

                                                                                                                                   

How does the book intertwine with God’s call on your life and how you are currently serving Him?

Hidden Agenda deals a lot with faith, facing fear, and trusting God. I obviously don’t have to face the cartel where I am, but I’m always needing to be reminded of my need to trust Him. So often, this book included, the spiritual journey my characters take are often similar to my own.                                                                                                                           Do you have a favorite Scripture verse?

“Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.” II Corinthians 4:16-18 (NLT)                                                                                                                                                                                                                     When you are not writing, what do you like to do? Do you have any hobbies?

I love photography, reading, and experimenting with different recipes.

                                                                                                                                                                    As we close, is there anything else you would like to add?

Thank you so much for having me! I appreciate it. If you haven’t read the entire series, book one, Dangerous Passage, is on sale through the 3rd of January for only .99!

Where can my readers find you on the Internet?

www.lisaharriswrites.com

Thank you so much, Lisa, for sharing this new book with us. I always read your books as soon as I get them.

Readers, here are links to the book. By using one when you order, you help support this blog.
Hidden Agenda - Christianbook.com
Hidden Agenda: A Novel (Southern Crimes) - Amazon
Hidden Agenda (Southern Crimes Book #3): A Novel - Kindle

Christian Book Store

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

BLESSINGS FOR YOU IN 2015

Thank you, Dear Readers, for faithfully following my blog. And thank you for telling your friends about it. I love introducing you to lots more new Christian books in 2015. Authors like to come to the blog, because of the interaction they have with you.

I hope your Christmas was merry, and I pray 2015 will be filled with blessings for you.

One of my dearest friends is a missionary, who ministers in many Latin American countries. We've walked together through joyous times and times of grief. We love Jesus passionately, and telling others about Him really floats our boats.

When we talked yesterday, we were trying to remember how many years ago we started asking God for a new word for the new year. We decided is was a lot of years, maybe even a decade or more. Some years, we receive the very same word, and some years our words weave together to have a stronger message. I'm going to share our words with you, and you can claim them for yourselves if you feel led to.

Rita said that God had given her the word DECLARE for 2015. Even yesterday, she was declaring God's promises over her daughter after surgery. So she declared HEALING. She has decided to make a list of at least ten words to declare over people or to people in 2015. Some she's already added to the list are:

HEALTH
JOY
PEACE
PROVISION

Together, we added:

COMFORT

If you feel this is a word for you for this year, you can add to the list as well in the comment section.

My word for the year is different. First, it's actually a phrase--GREEN HOPE.

Romans 15:13 in The Message Bible says:

Oh! May the God of green hope fill you up with joy, fill you up with peace, so that your believing lives, filled with the life-giving energy of the Holy Spirit, will brim over with hope!

The first time I read this verse, it awakened me to the fact that often our hope is weak. Someone may ask you a question, and your answer is, "I hope so,'' as if you don't really believe it will come to pass.

But our God is a God of GREEN HOPE. It's living, strong, active, and growing. That's the kind of hope we must have when we DECLARE His words in our own lives or into the lives of others.

We are walking this road together, and even if we haven't met in person here on earth, someday we'll meet face to face in our heavenly home.

THE PRINCESS SPY - Melanie Dickerson - One Free Book

Dear Readers, I love Melanie’s books, retelling of fairy tales in the middle ages. They’re considered Young Adult novels by the publisher, but they’re really not just for young adults. Each of her novels are loosely connected to the ones that came before. With The Princess Spy, I loved the way the story fit with the others, but was totally unique. You won’t want to miss this one.

Welcome back, Melanie. Please tell us about your salvation experience.

My parents took me to church from the time I was born, and I grew up valuing the Bible as the absolutely infallible Word of God. I was baptized at the age of thirteen, which was a special moment. I can’t remember a time when I did not love God or believe in Him, and my faith and understanding have grown stronger and deeper over the years.

You’re planning a writing retreat where you can only have four other authors. Who would they be and why?

That’s really putting me on the spot, Lena. Ha ha! I have a lot of friends with whom I’d love to go on a writing retreat. We’d probably not get much writing done because we’d be talking. But it would certainly be fun.

Do you have a speaking ministry? If so, tell us about that.

I have had the opportunity to speak to other writers, and I recently spoke to a group of Christian librarians, which was a great experience. I’m excited about speaking to a group of girls, 7th through 12th grade, at a Christian girls’ conference this summer. It’s wonderful how the struggles in my life have become a platform to speak to others. I have found that I actually love public speaking, especially when I can talk about my faith and how God has brought me through things and how He can be a beacon in other people’s lives as well.

What is the most embarrassing thing that has happened to you and how did you handle it?

Hmm. I tend to block out the embarrassing things that happen to me, Lena! I’m not sure I remember any! Ha ha! One embarrassing thing that happened to me is I fainted at my very first writers conference, the big ACFW conference in 2005 in Nashville. It was during the announcements right after breakfast. I’d only fainted once in my life before that happened. This time it was due to taking an over-the-counter medication. The ambulance came and wheeled me out in front of everybody! So embarrassing. Although I was so out of it, I barely was conscious enough to be embarrassed about it until later.

I was at that conference and saw that happen, but I didn’t know you then. Most of us prayed for you. People are always telling me that they’d like to write a book someday. I’m sure they do to you, too. What would you tell someone who came up to you and said that?

I tell them, “You should.” We make time for the things that are important to us.

Tell us about the featured book.

The Princess Spy is loosely based on the “Frog Prince,” or “Princess and the Frog,” fairy tale. It’s about Margaretha, the oldest daughter of Duke Wilhelm, who finds herself in a crisis and must trust a stranger to help her save her family and her town from one of her suitors, who turns out to have evil motives. And Colin is my “frog prince” who is from England and finds himself in Medieval Germany—and he doesn’t speak German.

Margaretha has a problem with talking too much. When an unconscious young man, who has been beaten and left for dead, wakes up in the healer’s chamber in Hagenheim Castle, Margaretha is the only person who understands what he’s saying. However, he won’t tell her his name because he says her life will be in danger if he does. When she asks who might want to hurt her, he refuses to tell her that either, for her own good. Margaretha is convinced he’s lost his mind due to his head injury, but when the young man recovers and tells her everything, and after Margaretha does a bit of spying on her own, she realizes she has to believe him.

Please give us the first page of the book for my readers.

I skipped the Prologue and am giving you the first page of Chapter One.

Margaretha sat in the Great Hall listening to her newest suitor, Rowland Fortescue, Earl of Claybrook, who had cornered her after the midday meal.

Perhaps it was unkind of her to use the word “cornered.” He was her suitor, after all, and she should be pleased that he wanted to talk to her. Some of her other suitors had barely said two words to her, but this man seemed to enjoy talking to her—in very fluent German for an Englishman, but his mother was from the German regions of the Holy Roman Empire.

Everyone, especially her brothers, accused Margaretha of talking too much, but Lord Claybrook often left her speechless. Could that be a good thing?

This morning, Lord Claybrook had been telling her of his prowess as a hunter, both with his falcons and his oh-so-remarkable hounds, a subject so boring that it wasn’t her fault if she was distracted by his hat.

Truly, it was an astonishing hat. But then, all of his hats were astonishing. Every day since he had come to Hagenheim Castle, Margaretha had found herself staring at the man’s hat.

Today’s hat consisted of a gray fur band as wide as her hand and padded to make it twice as fat as his head, with a large jewel inset in the front, and folds of red cloth protruding from inside, draped over his right temple like the coxcomb of a rooster. A piece of matching cloth hung from the other side of the hat, reaching to his left knee.

While his hat’s liripipe was ridiculously long, his tunic was scandalously short. He wore only tight hose underneath, so she was careful not to let her eyes stray too low.

But she must make allowances for him. He was a foreigner, after all. Perhaps everyone in England dressed that way.

How can readers find you on the Internet?

I have a website, www.MelanieDickerson.com and I’m on facebook all the time, https://www.facebook.com/MelanieDickersonBooks which is where you can get the latest news about my upcoming books. And I’m on Twitter @melanieauthor. So please say hello!

Melanie, I love featuring you on my blog, and my readers like to learn about you and your books.

Readers, here are links to the book. By using one when you order, you help support this blog.

The Princess Spy - Christianbook.com
The Princess Spy- Amazon
The Princess Spy - Kindle

Christian Book Store

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