WINNERS!!!!!!!!!!

Lucy (WV) is the winner of Deadly Echoes by Nancy Mehl.
Martha (WI) is the winner of Where Rivers Part by Kellie Coates Gilbert.
Sm (CA) is the winner of Creation of Calm by Mark Fraley.

Every reader of this blog can obtain a free ebook of Embers of Courage by Dianne and David Munson. (The instructions are at the top of this interview post.)

Dawn (TX) is the winner of Return to Exile by Lynne Gentry.

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.

THE VIGIL - Marian P Merritt - One Free Ebook

Bio: Marian Pellegrin Merritt writes stories that blend her love of the mountains with her deep Southern roots which leads to her tagline, Where the Bayous Meet the Mountains. She is an author and freelance writer with over ten years experience. Her work has appeared in newspapers, magazines, and online websites and garnered a first place award in ACFW's Genesis contest.

Marian’s published books include: Deep Freeze Christmas, A Cajun Christmas Miracle, and Southern Fried Christmas.

She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in physical therapy and an accounting certificate from the University of South Alabama. This Louisiana native writes from the Northwest Colorado home she shares with her husband and a very spoiled Labradoodle.

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

There is a minimal amount of myself in my characters, usually subtle shades of my personality and my faith materialize in each one.

What is the quirkiest thing you have ever done?

I really had to think about this one. It's probably one of those things you intentionally try to forget!

While in gross anatomy during Physical Therapy school, I had two children and lived forty minutes from school. One night, while the kids were with hubby, I stayed late at school in the cadaver lab which was in the basement. It was a Friday night so my younger classmates were out. I was alone with ten cadavers on tables and several in the storage locker in the corner of the room.

I got settled with my books and started reviewing muscle groups when I heard this tap, tap, tap coming from the locker where the pending bodies for the next class were stored. Determined to ignore the sound, I focused on my studies and tried to memorize muscle insertions. Tap, tap, tap.

I couldn't ignore the sound and the fact that I was alone in the basement. By this time, trying to learn or memorize anything was out of the question. I quickly gathered my books and rushed out. As I exited the building, a Mobile thunderstorm raged. It was then I realized the sound I'd heard was water dripping along the side of the building. No matter, that was the last late-night lab excursion for me.

When did you first discover that you were a writer?

I've always loved to read and imagined as a small child what it would feel like to create a story that other people read. But I realized my writing desire in high school when our assignment was to create a story similar to the great works in English literature. My story was a Cajun version of Beowulf  - mine was titled Pyowolf about a Cajun who crosses the great swamps of Louisiana. I got an A and a resounding round of applause from my classmates.

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

My favorite is Women's Fiction, but I do enjoy some Romance, Suspense, and select Thrillers.

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

I live in a very small mountain town where no one gets in a hurry. We live fifty miles from the nearest Walmart or other large stores with nothing between but open area, deer, elk, antelope, and other wildlife. Sometimes it's frustrating to be so far from resources, but most of the time, I revel in the quiet, slower pace. But whether living in this small slow-paced town or in a fast-paced big city, my quiet time with the Lord keeps me from being sucked into the world's chaos.

How do you choose your characters’ names?

Usually, my characters come to me first before any plot. I do an extensive character interview and learn their entire history before I know their name. As I start to write the story, a name will come to me. Sometimes it's from the other character. Sometimes I'll scour websites looking for unique names once I know my character's history and personality. In some instances, I've recruited my reader team, Lagniappe Literary Partners or my Facebook Group – Marian P. Merritt's Readers Group to help me find just the right name.

What is the accomplishment that you are most proud of?

Graduating with a degree in physical therapy at thirty-six with two children is one accomplishment I'm proud of. It was not an easy task. Getting published after turning fifty is another thing I'm happy to have accomplished. But I believe having strong relationships with my children, my husband, and my Lord are the things that are much more important and give me the greatest joy.

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

An eagle. I love how they soar and glide through the air, and I'm always fascinated with their majesty while sitting on a tree limb or fence post. We have many in the wilderness near our town so it's always a treat to spot one or two when out on trails or even on the drive to Walmart!

What is your favorite food?

Shrimp. I'm like Bubba in Forrest Gump. I like boil shrimp, fried shrimp, Shrimp scampi, Shrimp Gumbo...well, you get the idea.

A woman after my own heart. What is the problem with writing that was your greatest roadblock, and how did you overcome it?

When I first learned to write, I fell into the perpetual loop of constant rewrite. Subsequently, it took three years to complete my first novel. Now, I've learned to plow through and get the first draft complete before starting edits. I think it's as simple as that I've learned to trust God with my writing.

Tell us about The Vigil.

This Women's Fiction deals with forgiveness, acceptance, and faith that God's plans are perfect. Here's the blurb:

Cheryl Broussard made two vows: She'd never fall for an abusive man, and she'd never return to her Louisiana hometown. But she's learned all too well the lesson of never-say-never. Now, back in Bijou Bayou after fleeing from an abusive boyfriend, Cheryl finds work as a Hospice nurse. While reading a dying patient's Korean War love letters, family secrets shatter Cheryl's beliefs about her family and herself and shed light on the reason she fled her hometown. When the Broussard family secrets are revealed, can Cheryl deal with the truth and accept the blessing of a second chance for relationships with her family, old friends, and with the God she never really knew?

This book is set in south Louisiana so there's a lot of food and southern settings. The Pinterest board I set up has the recipes of the food mentioned in the book and pictures similar to the settings.

Pinterest Board for this book: https://www.pinterest.com/mpmerritt/the-vigil/

Please give us the first page of the book.

Houston, Texas

"Jarrod, stop! You're hurting me."

My boyfriend tightened his grip and twisted the skin on my wrist.  "Cheryl, I've told you before about flirting with Barry."

"I wasn't flirting."

Another twist and then a slap to my jaw. My head shook from the force. He'd never hit me before. Bile rose and scorched my throat. Repulsion hit like a tidal wave while the ticking clock on the wall blurred, doubled, then returned to normal. Like the ticking clock, the repulsion remained. He’d hit me. He had actually hit me.

"Don't lie to me." His eyes bored into me like darting lasers. "No girlfriend of mine is going to embarrass me like that and get away with it." Before I could respond, the second strike followed in the same location along my jaw. My pulse raced. A scream I struggled to contain escaped, fueling his anger.

Something deep within awakened. I’d become the thing I’d detested.

No. He wouldn't do this to me. I wouldn’t be that woman. Couldn’t be that woman.

I can’t wait to get my copy. How can readers find you on the Internet?

Website: http://www.marianmerritt.com

Blog: http://marianmerritt.blogspot.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/marian.p.merritt

Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Marian-P-Merritt-Author/395714820494287?ref=hl

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MarianPMerritt

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4429639.Marian_P_Merritt

Thank you, Marian, for sharing this new book with us. I know my readers will want to read it as much as I do.

Readers, here are links to the book. By using one when you order, you help support this blog.
The Vigil - Christianbook.com
The Vigil - Kindle
(The Vigil is also available in paperback on Amazon.)

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

DUBIOSITY - Christy Barritt - One Free Book

Dear Readers, Christy Barritt is one of the authors who writes the kind of suspense novels I love. She almost always surprises me, which isn’t easy to do. My copy of Dubiosity hasn’t arrived yet, so I can’t give a review of it. But every novel of Christy’s I’ve read keeps me turning pages.

Welcome back, Christy. What are some of the spiritual themes you like to write about?

I think a common spiritual theme you’ll see in my books is the fact that God often takes hard things in our lives and makes them into something beautiful. I’ve seen it time and time again in my life, and I know that hardships can build character. Closed doors can lead to unexpected invitations to walk different—many times, better—paths.

What other books of yours are coming out soon?

I have a new Love Inspired Suspense novel coming out in March called Hidden Agenda. Also up in 2015 are Random Acts of Deceit (the second book in the Holly Anna Paladin series), Gone by Dark (Carolina Moon series), Dust and Obey (Squeaky Clean series), and Rattled (The Sierra Files). Yes, it will be a busy year. J

Wow, you really have been busy. I’d love to feature those books on the blog as well. If you could spend an evening with one contemporary person (not a family member of yours), who would it be and why?

The head of the CIA. J I wouldn’t even want to talk to him because I know he wouldn’t tell me anything. I’d just like to be a fly on the wall as he’s meeting with some friends. Yes, I write suspense.

What historical person would you like to meet (besides Jesus) and why?

Queen Esther from the Bible. I just think her story is so fascinating and inspiring. She’s my hero for her bravery.

Queen Esther has been my favorite Bible character for a long time, too. How can you encourage authors who have been receiving only rejections from publishers?

The good news is that if you’re receiving rejections, that means you’re doing something! You’re writing and getting yourself out there. Keep doing it. Learn as you go. Welcome feedback. Always try to grow. Don’t give up!

Tell us about the featured book.

Thanks for asking! Here’s the back cover blurb:

Savannah Harris vowed to leave behind her old life as an intrepid investigative reporter. But when a friend raises suspicions about two migrant workers who’ve gone missing from the sleepy coastal town Savannah calls home, her curiosity spikes.

As ever more eerie incidents begin afflicting the area, each works to draw Savannah out of her seclusion and raises the stakes—for both Savannah and the surrounding community. Even as Savannah’s new boarder, Clive Miller, makes her feel things she thought long forgotten, she suspects he’s hiding something too, and he’s not the only one. Doubts collide in Savannah’s mind: Who can she really trust?

As secrets emerge and danger closes in, Savannah must choose between faith and uncertainty. One wrong decision might spell the end … not just for her, but for everyone around her.

Will she unravel the mystery in time, or will doubt get the best of her?

I have to say that out of all the books I’ve written, this is one of my favorites! It has conspiracy theories, secret societies, and hidden motives, and it’s set in one of my favorite places ever: the sleepy towns along Virginia’s Eastern Shore.

I can’t wait until my copy of the book arrives. It’s the next book I’ll read. Please give us the first page.

In the depths of the forest, the rough bark of the pine tree scratched the skin of his back through the thin flannel of his shirt. The discomfort didn’t dissuade him from his mission to watch the grand house situated down the lane.

Or rather, to watch the woman inside the grand house.

As he did nearly every evening, he crept through the woods at dusk until he reached his hiding spot. He’d searched for weeks for the perfect place—a nook where he couldn’t be spotted from either the road or the bay. And in his fortress of trees, he settled back. He watched the lights in the windows flicker on and off. He watched the woman walk about unaware of his eyes soaking in her every move.

She didn’t know what was coming, the great glorious things waiting in her future.

She couldn’t know. Not yet.

He’d much rather convince her to agree to his plan of her own free will. But if she didn’t, he had other ways to get her to come around to his way of thinking. Delighted prickles danced over his skin in anticipation.

He rubbed the penny in his pocket as he watched her move into her office, just as she did every evening. She sat at her desk, which faced the lane, and even though he couldn’t see her clearly, he knew she was crying.

When he was nine years old, two neighborhood boys had goaded him into going to the train tracks that slashed across the landscape behind the neighborhood. They’d convinced him to put the change he’d been saving onto the metal there, promising something wonderful would happen. Instead, his coins had been flattened and were no good anymore. The money he’d saved was worthless.

The townspeople of Cape Thomas were just as naive as he’d been that day so long ago. They were like pennies on a railroad track. They thought they were valuable. Soon they’d realize they were worth nothing.

I’m eager to start reading this story. How can readers find you on the Internet?

There are a few places readers can find me: www.christybarritt.com, www.facebook.com/christybarritt, and www.twitter.com/cbarritt. 

Thank you, Christy, for sharing this new book with us. I know my readers will love it.

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

ONCE AGAIN - Deborah Heal - One Free Book

Dear Readers, Deborah Heal is an author with an entirely different time travel novel. She uses current technology in a unique way to facilitate the time travel aspect. I found it fascinating. And since it interweaves a complete contemporary story with a complete historical story, this adds even more uniqueness to the whole book. I loved her settings and her characters. I think you will, too.

Welcome back, Deborah. What are some of the spiritual themes you like to write about?

The overarching theme of my Rewinding Time Series is that our sovereign God works his good and perfect plans in our lives, and that if we could experience time from His perspective we would see that more clearly. Merrideth, the main character, is a Christian in name only, and throughout the series readers will see how God works in her life to bring her to true saving faith in Christ.

In Once Again, Merrideth sees Christ’s parable about forgiving seven times seventy times lived out in the life of a young pioneer preacher who takes the Gospel to the very Indian tribe that scalped his brother. Merrideth can’t decide whether he’s a hero or a fool to risk his life, but she is definitely impressed. She wonders how she would ever be able to forgive those who have injured her.

In book 2, Only One Way Home, Merrideth learns another piece of the Gospel message when Matthias Frailey tells White Dove that it is not her Cherokee rituals or his own white religious customs that bring salvation. It is only Christ’s redeeming sacrifice on the cross.

How Sweet the Sound will showcase the truth of Romans 3:23. “For ALL of sinned and fallen short…” Merrideth begins to understand that there’s no sense comparing one’s own sins to another person’s because neither of you measure up.

And so it will go until she finally accepts Christ.

What other books of yours are coming out soon?

I hope to have How Sweet the Sound, book 3 in the Rewinding Time Series, out by May of this year. This time Merrideth will take her amazing software to Cave-in-Rock, a tiny southern Illinois town on the banks of the Ohio River. The actual cave from which the town gets its name has a long history of human habitation. Indians and French trappers found it a convenient place to stop while traveling the Ohio. Then when land-hungry easterners began coming down the river on their flatboats, bound for the frontier with everything they owned, river pirates found the cave an exceedingly convenient place for a hideout from which to relieve the pioneers of their earthly goods and many times their lives. Truly truth is stranger than fiction!

I really want to feature this next book on my blog. If you could spend an evening with one contemporary person (not a family member of yours), who would it be and why?

I’d love to have a leisurely chat with presidential historian Doris Kearns Goodwin so she could tell me lots of interesting tidbits  and help me put our history into perspective.

What historical person would you like to meet (besides Jesus) and why?

I’d like to get to know President Thomas Jefferson so I could find out what he actually believed and felt about slavery.

How can you encourage authors who have been receiving only rejections from publishers?

I tried off and on for eighteen years to sell my first book, and it was soundly rejected everywhere I turned. But then I began to hear about the self-publishing option and decided to try that. And it’s working! I am very happy to not have to depend on a publisher seeing the merit of my work. Instead, my books rise or fall on the basis of reader response. It is so rewarding to find that many readers do enjoy what I write. So don’t wait on publishers as long as I did. Go forth and publish. Just study what you need to in order to turn out a good product.

Tell us about the featured book.

Once Again: an inspirational novel of history, mystery, and romance is about a young woman named Merrideth Randall whose day job is teaching history at a small college. But after hours she turns to her first love, historical research. And she has a tool other historians can only dream of—a computer program that rewinds time!

Merrideth makes a virtual visit to the 1780s, hoping to be the first to locate an ancient pioneer fort. Along the way, she gets a first-hand look at the lives of the courageous pioneers of the Illinois Country, who withstood Indian attacks, hardship, and loneliness to settle the rich land.

One of the settlers is James Garretson, who risks his life to take the Gospel to the very tribe that wreaked havoc on his family. Merrideth is amazed that he could forgive a crime so huge. Hero or fool, James Garretson is the ancestor of her colleague Brett, a physics professor at McKendree College.

With her findings, Merrideth is able to help Brett with his genealogy, but she can’t tell him everything she learned—like that he inherited his black hair and green eyes from James Garretson, or that his aunt’s poetry is eerily similar to the verse Garretson’s wife Isabelle used to compose at her spinning wheel.

Brett has rock-star status on campus, but amazingly enough, he seems to be pursuing Merrideth—in spite of her firm policy against dating co-workers. She would love to tell him about her amazing program, but discretion is not his strong suit. She has secrets about herself that she’d just as soon he didn’t find out either. One virtue Brett does have is patience, and he’s quite willing to wait for Merrideth to figure things out.

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

“We have to remember that in 1811, the Illinois Territory was the wild, wild West.” Merrideth Randall realized she was leaning on her podium and straightened her spine. At five-foot-two it was difficult enough to look like a mature professional without slouching. At twenty-six, she was the youngest professor at McKendree College and only a few years older than her students, which was why she always dressed in suits and high heels. At times, she had a feeling it only made her look like a child playing dress-up.

She had started the day feeling confident in her new black gabardine suit. The label had bragged about the comfortableness of the three-season fabric. But even though it was a cool October afternoon, she was already sweating like a pig.

Furthermore, the fabric was a magnet for her hair. She picked two long blond strands from her sleeve and turned her eyes back to her students.

 “And as amusing as it seems today, the governor’s job description then included riding into battle, leading the soldiers at his command.”

Apparently, they didn’t find that historical tidbit as amusing as she did. The class continued to look apathetic. She mentally sighed. At least they were awake, to a degree. And most were even taking notes, in a desultory fashion. But the gleam of curiosity she had hoped to see in their eyes was absent. As usual.

McKendree College was small, the current enrollment only about 2,000. But it didn’t aspire to be a large institution. Class sizes were intentionally kept small and intimate, and the professors and instructors were encouraged to get to know their students, to interact with them outside of class. All that had weighed heavily when Merrideth was deciding which of the three job offers she would accept. But sometimes she wondered if she should have chosen the large school in Chicago where she could remain anonymous and not be expected to remember the students’ names, at which she was an epic failure. In the end she decided that a big school would be too intimidating. No, it was much better to be in a small pond where there was a better chance of becoming a big fish one day.

She had thought, naively it turned out, that after a couple of weeks at McKendree she would be nicely settled in, and her history classes would be well on the way to becoming campus favorites. Instead, after over a month, her students remained aloof and only mildly interested in what she had to say. She found their nonverbal feedback incredibly dampening, to say the least. It was a vicious cycle, of course. The more she worried about being boring, the more difficult it was not to be.

Marla White, a seasoned pro from the French Department had advised her to act confident even if she didn’t feel so. “And whatever you do, don’t ever let ’em see you bleed, or they’ll be on you like wolves.”

But that was easier said than done, wasn’t it? Taking a deep breath, she shuffled her notes and soldiered on.

“Tecumseh was off trying to organize a coordinated Indian resistance that November day in 1811. If he had been successful…”

A student in the third row—Allison? Alyssa?—raised her hand. She was a beautiful girl and always looked cool and collected, as if she weren’t familiar with the human phenomenon of perspiration. And as far as Merrideth could tell her  blond highlights had not come out of a bottle. She was one of the few students who ever asked a question or offered a comment. Unfortunately, they were usually so tinged with sarcasm that Merrideth had begun to dread calling on her. But now as always, hope rose that at last she was about to experience a lively interaction with a student.

Merrideth pointed to the raised hand. “Yes?”

 “The proper term is Native American. Besides, they aren’t really Indian anyway.”

Merrideth was sure the smile she had drummed up looked fake, but it was the best she could do when her teaching competence was under direct attack. “I’m glad you brought that up. I recently learned that most Native Americans actually prefer to be called Indians.”

The girl looked decidedly skeptical.

“I was surprised myself.” Merrideth glanced down and shuffled her notes again. “Anyway, if Tecumseh had been successful, who knows what the map of America would look like today? While he was gone, Harrison and a force of 1,000 soldiers defeated the Shawnee at Prophetstown.

“At the time it was considered a huge victory for Harrison. He picked up the nickname Tippecanoe from the river of that name near the battlefield. Twenty-nine years later in 1840, a Whig campaign song called Tippecanoe and Tyler Too helped Harrison win the presidency.”

The girl raised her hand again. “Yes?” Merrideth said as pleasantly as she could.

“Will that be on the final exam? The nicknames and songs, things like that?”

“Maybe. Probably.”

A disdainful expression flittered over the student’s face, and then she lowered her eyes and resumed writing. Just as Merrideth looked back at her own notes, the girl muttered, “I registered for Illinois History, not Trivial Pursuit.” It was said loudly enough that it was clearly intended for Merrideth to hear.

She stifled the urge to smack her. To reward herself for her restraint, she decided to wrap up class three minutes early. “But historians know,” she said tersely, “that the victory at Prophetstown only ratcheted up the violence between the whites and Indians. Six months later when the War of 1812 began, the Indians naturally sided with the British. We’ll talk more about that next time. Be sure to keep up with your readings.”

The students began gathering their things with an eagerness that was a further insult to Merrideth’s confidence. Then she remembered her announcement and called out, “Don’t forget, if you want to be a volunteer at the Fort Piggot archaeological dig Saturday, there’s still time, but you’ll have to be a member of History Club. Just let me know if you need a sign-up form.”

No one responded. No one even looked interested, much less stayed behind to get the details. She felt her face heating and turned away to gather her own things. Her embarrassment grew ten-fold when she realized Dr. Garrison was watching her from the door. With a mind of its own, her hand started to rise, intent on checking her hair. But she forced it back down to her side. She would not allow Brett Garrison to trigger any fluttery female instincts she might have.

 

The thought that the most popular professor on campus had witnessed her debacle just added icing to the cake. She had heard that gushing groupies congregated outside his classroom like he was Indiana Jones, and they were there to catch him before he cast off the trappings of academia and went off on an action-packed adventure.

But Brett dressed more stylishly than Indy had—never in tweed jackets with leather patches on the elbows, for sure. And he was much better looking than Harrison Ford. His black hair was thick, and his eyes were so green that Merrideth once asked Marla White if she thought he wore colored contacts. Marla had smiled knowingly and said, “No, ma’am! They’re the real deal. It’s the Irish in him.”

The moment she was introduced to him at the faculty icebreaker at President Peterson’s residence, he had set her nerves on edge. Sure, he was pretty to look at, but his vanity ruined it. Twice she had caught him admiring himself in Peterson’s hall mirror. She had avoided him ever since.

But now she smiled and said, “Hi. Don’t you math types do your thing in Voigt Hall?” It hadn’t come out in the friendly manner she’d intended, and she mentally kicked herself for letting her rattled nerves show. He sure didn’t need anything more to stoke his ego.

How can readers find you on the Internet?

I hope readers will visit my website to find out more about the actual people, places, and events that my books are based on.

Website: http://www.deborahheal.com

Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B00760M3OS

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/DeborahHeal

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/DeborahHeal

Thank you, Deborah, for introducing my readers to your new series.

Readers, here are links to the book. By using one when you order, you help support this blog.
Once Again: An inspirational novel of history, mystery & romance (The Rewinding Time Series) (Volume 1) - paperback
Once Again: An inspirational novel of history, mystery, & romance (The Rewinding Time Series 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

A WAY OF ESCAPE - Serena B Miller - One Free Book

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

Right now I’m gearing up to help promote my next book. More Than Happy: The Wisdom of Amish Parenting came out February 3rd from Simon & Schuster/Howard Publishing. This is my first non-fiction book and is the result of several years of visiting in various Old Order Amish homes. I’ve been very impressed with the relationships I’ve seen between the Amish and their children, and consider the Amish children to be some of the happiest and most contented I’ve ever met. I spent a year interviewing various Amish mothers and fathers to see if I could figure out any valuable methods of parenting that could be applied in non-Amish households. I chose Mennonite writer Paul Stutzman, who was raised by Amish parents, as my co-author. The book involves my observations as an outsider, and Paul’s observations as an insider. My editor, Beth Adams, who is also the mother of two young daughters, was deeply involved in this project. We hope it will help many struggling parents.

Tell us a little about your family.

My first book wasn’t published until I was sixty and my three sons were already grown. Sixty is a long time to wait to get published! But once that first book came out—thanks to my family—I was able to hit the ground running. My oldest son, who has an MBA, acts as my business manager. My middle son and a daughter-in-law, both who have degrees in English, help clean up my manuscripts. My youngest son, who is a computer tech, keeps me current on technology and takes care of the Indie publishing I do. Another daughter-in-law is an accountant and advises me on taxes, etc. My husband, a minister, is a valuable resource for helping me find the spiritual theme in my stories. I don’t start a project until I’ve gotten their input.

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

It has absolutely changed my reading habits. My books take a lot of research, so I tend to read nonfiction that relates to whatever topic upon which I’m working. Most of my life, I read any and all fiction I could get my hands on. Now time feels too finite. I’m searching for facts instead of story.

What are you working on right now?

I have two books percolating right now. One is another Amish romance set in Holmes County, Ohio. The other is a contemporary with a strong historical theme running through it.

What outside interests do you have?

At present, I’m trying to learn more about the many plants that are on our farm. My eleven-year-old grandson and I go for walks, bring back interesting plants, and then try to identify them. An Amish midwife introduced me to the science of medicinally useful plants, which is especially fascinating to me.

How do you choose your settings for each book?

Sometimes the settings choose me. In Fearless Hope, I have a New York City crime writer visiting Amish country for the first time. As I’m writing and total immersed in his deep point of view, he is suddenly drawn to an old house that feels strangely familiar. He’s puzzled by the magnetic pull of this one old house and so am I as a writer. I could see it all so clearly down to the water stain on the ceiling and the view from the windows. This was not a plot point I’d intended. Finding out why that house was so eerily familiar drove the story because I wanted to find out what the mystery was, too. I had no idea how that book was going to turn out until I was about three/fourths finished writing it.

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

The Apostle Paul, with a list of questions in my hand. There are quite a few things in his writings that I’d love to have clarified.

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

To pay VERY close attention to contracts before I sign them and to know exactly what each clause means. Publishers don’t pay attorneys’ fees to write contracts for the fun of it. Those contracts are heavily weighted in their favor. Just because you don’t understand a clause doesn’t mean it won’t come back to bite you.

What new lessons is the Lord teaching you right now?

I’m trying to figure out how to find balance. Writing and the business surrounding writing can become all consuming. I have to keep reminding myself that Jesus frequently walked off by himself to rest and pray. That’s hard for me to remember to do.

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

Don’t ever make success your aim. You can’t control success. You can only control how hard you work and how much you give to your craft. Leave success in the hands of God.

There is no substitute for simply getting words down on the page every day. Too many writers talk things to death and lose the energy behind all their good ideas.

Let go of perfectionism when you’re writing. Don’t let yourself rewrite the first paragraph a zillion times until after you finish the project. Write like your hair is on fire until it is done. Finishing something—even if it is very flawed—is energizing. THEN go back and fix it. I have found that the faster I write, the better the writing. It’s weird, but there is something about writing fast that opens up the creative side of one’s brain. At least that’s how it works with me.

Tell us about the featured book.

A Way of Escape is my first suspense. It involves a prosecutor in Tennessee who has been fighting a local war on drugs. When he is found dead in his office from a cocaine overdose, everyone assumes this is yet another example of a corrupt politician. His wife, who believes she knows his heart, tries to prove her husband’s death was not an accident. Her investigation stirs up a hornet’s nest and scary things begin to happen. When she has to run for her life, she ends up being assisted by the last person on earth she would expect—a man her husband once sent to prison.

This is my first full-length Indie-published novel. When it was finished, I hired a professional editor I had worked with before. I wanted to make sure my indie books were every bit as good as my traditionally published ones.

Please give us the first page of the book.

A Way of Escape

Prologue

Blake Ramsey was in over his head and he knew it. He shoved the kilo of cocaine deep within his desk and slammed the drawer shut. This was the unadulterated stuff, worth well over a hundred grand on the street—a heady number for a small town lawyer.

            After locking the desk drawer, he strode over to this law office’s large front window, slit the blinds, and stared out at the dark, rain-slicked streets of Fallen Oak, Tennessee. It was June, his favorite time of year—rain or no rain. This was his home, his Mayberry, the county to which he had devoted his life.

            This was also where he had taught an adult Sunday school class for the past eight years and won the office of county prosecutor by running on a zero-drug-tolerance platform.

            His wife, Erin, would be shocked and upset when she discovered what he had gotten himself into. He longed to call her and explain, but no cell phone service was available in the remote area of Honduras where she and their teenage daughter were on a mission trip with their church.

            He couldn’t have told her the truth anyway, at least not over the phone. In the past week, he had begun to suspect that his telephones might be bugged. It wasn’t as though he had training in such things so he wasn’t sure. All he knew was that he needed to be careful.

            Still, it would be nice to hear Erin’s voice.

            Tonight he wished with all his heart that he had become a plumber, a mechanic, an accountant, or anything at all except a county prosecutor. As much as he had once loved the law, tonight he wished he had chosen a profession that didn’t constantly pit him against the worst elements and temptations in the county.

How can readers find you on the Internet?

My website is: http://SerenaBMiller.com
Facebook: http://fb.com/AuthorSerenaMiller

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

Readers, here are links to the book. By using one when you order, you help support this blog.
A Way of Escape: A Novel - paperback
A Way of Escape: A Novel - 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

CAST A ROAD BEFORE ME - Brandilyn Collins - A Free Ebook for Everyone

Dear Readers, Brandilyn is a big name in Christian fiction. Her books have won numerous awards, and my husband always takes her suspense novels as soon as they arrive and I’m the one who has to wait to read them. Cast a Road Before Me is the other side of Brandilyn’s writing. The Bradleyville series is women’s fiction. I know you’ll love it.

Welcome back, Brandilyn. As an author, I know it takes a lot of people to birth each book. Who were the people involved in the birthing of this book, and what were their contributions?

Cast A Road Before Me was my first published novel, released in 2001. At that time, I had recently signed with my wonderful agent Jane Jordan Browne (who was known for bringing her author Francine Rivers to the Christian world from secular publishing). Thanks to Jane I was able to break into Christian traditional publishing, first with this contract, followed by many others.

If you teach or speak. What’s coming up on your calendar?

1. Teaching at the Spokane Writers Conference March 20-21.

2. Keynoting at a writers workshop on Sunday morning at the annual International Christian Retail Show in June. I’ll also be leading other workshops there.

If you had to completely start over in another place, where would you move, and why?

Oh, please don’t make me move! We live in what I consider paradise—in the forest, at the lake—in the Pacific Northwest. I wouldn’t want to go anywhere else.

Looking at this picture of the view from your office, I would completely agree with you. If you could only tell aspiring novelists one thing, what would it be?

Give your gift and dream of writing to God and live by the command and promise in Philippians 4:6-7. “Be anxious for nothing. But in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”

You’ve been asked to be in charge of a celebrity cruise. Who would you ask to take part, and why? (AS in what program, singers, etc. [it doesn’t have to be writing related])

Oh, goodness, it would be full of music. Classic rock, of course. The bands Kansas, Journey, Styx, Little River Band, Boston, to name a few. Along with the best gospel choirs I could find.

Sign me up. Tell us about the featured book.

Right now Cast a Road Before Me is a FREE download in e-book form. This is book one in my Southern contemporary Bradleyville Series, set in small-town Kentucky. The series covers three generations of women, one in each book, from the 1960s to the turn of the century 2000. The other two books in the series are Color the Sidewalk For Me and Capture the Wind For Me ($3.99 in e-book). When these novels were first published in 2001 to 2003, they won quite a few awards and were finalists in more. I have now re-released the series, giving the books a fresh edit and new covers. You can find links to Amazon, B&N, etc. for Cast a Road Before Me on this page of my website.

Here is the back cover copy:

“A course-changing event in one's life can happen in minutes. Or it can form slowly, a primitive webbing splaying into fingers of discontent, a minuscule trail hardening into the sinewed spine of resentment. So it was with the mill workers as the heat-soaked days of summer marched on.”

City girl Jessie Calton, orphaned at sixteen, struggles to adjust to life with her barely known aunt and uncle in the tiny town of Bradleyville, Kentucky. Eight years later (1968) she plans on leaving—to following in her revered mother's footsteps of serving the homeless. But the peaceful town she's come to love is about to be tragically shattered. Threats of a labor strike rumble through the streets, and Jessie's new love and her uncle are swept into the maelstrom. Caught between the pacifist teachings of her mother and these two men, Jessie desperately tries to deny that Bradleyville is rolling toward violence and destruction.

Please give us the first page of the book.

The last time I saw my mother alive, she was on her way to serve the poor.

She was wearing one of her favorite dresses, a blue cotton knit with a sash at the waist. She’d had it for years. It was her favorite not because of style, but because it was comfortable and easy to wash. “This dress will do just fine,” she would say whenever I bewailed the notion that she wore it so much to Hope Center, people might think she slept in it. She was far more careful in dressing for work, starching blouses and skillfully mending old skirts so they would not betray her lack of a wardrobe. She’d add one of her three pairs of dime-store earrings, sometimes an inexpensive necklace. But any jewelry was out of the question at the Center, where it would only get in the way or, worse, remind the homeless and hungry that their needs were far beyond our own. As for the blue cotton dress, it had been spit up on by crying babies, dirtied by the spilled soup of children, even torn by the clutching hand of a frightened young mother. Mom would drag home from another long evening at Hope Center, her beautiful face lined with fatigue and a thick strand of her dark auburn hair straggling out of its rubber band, and shake her head good-naturedly over the day’s ruin of her dress. Then she’d wash it by hand and hang it up to dry for the next time.

I often volunteered alongside Mom at the Center. After my homework was done and her workday as a receptionist at an insurance firm was finished, we’d hurry through a simple meal, then drive to the two-story brick building in downtown Cincinnati that provided room and board to the poverty-stricken. On Saturdays I always went with her. Except that Saturday. My high school sophomore finals were the following week, and Mom insisted I stay home to study. “You stay home too,” I said. “You’re exhausted, and you haven’t given yourself a day off in weeks. Let somebody else fill in for you just this once.”

“Oh, but I can’t.” She smoothed my hair in her gentle way. “I promised little Jianying and a whole group of children I’d read to them today, and then I’ve got to teach that class on how to interview for a job. And besides, Brenda’s sick, so I’ve got to oversee cooking dinner.” Brenda Todd had founded the Center ten years previously and acted as manager. Mom had been her “right-hand woman” for eight years.

And so, on that horrific Saturday, my mother kissed me good-bye and walked out the door of our small rented house and down our porch to leave. I followed, still protesting.

Where can we find you on the Internet?

I love to interact with my readers on Facebook. On my website you can sign up for my newsletter and read the opening chapters of all my books. On Twitter I’m @brandilyn.

Thank you, Brandilyn, for sharing this book with us today.

Readers, please answer this question if you've read any of her books. Which one was your favorite so far?

And thank you, Brandilyn for giving each of my readers a free copy of the ebook.

Readers, be sure to follow the link near the scene from her office to find the links to the free ebook.

WINNERS!!!

Jackie (OH) is the winner of Taken by Lisa Harris.
Beth (IA) is the winner of Legitimate Lies by Julie B Cosgrove.
Apple Blossom (ND) is the winner of The Food Fight Professional by Angela Ruth Strong.

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.

RETURN TO EXILE - Lynne Gentry - One Free Book

Dear Readers, Lynne is a dear, dear friend of mine. She and Lisa Tawn Bergren taught me that there indeed can be time travel novels that are Christian. Lynne and I both have a strong drama background which helps us create novels with just the right amount of setting and living, breathing characters. I have waited anxiously for the release of Return to Exile, the second book in her The Carthage Chronicles series. It pulled me through the hidden portal with her heroine, and I walked beside her through the book. I believe you will, too. Now I’m anxiously awaiting the next book in this series.

Bio: Lynne Gentry has written for numerous publications and is a professional acting coach, theater director, and playwright with several full-length musicals and a Chicago children’s theater curriculum to her credit.

Her love for writing stories was born while growing up on a Kansas dairy farm as she longed for adventure and dreamt of traveling to exotic places. She likes to write stories that launch modern women into ancient adventures, such as Healer of Carthage (2014), which was the first in The Carthage Chronicles series. Return to Exile is the second, and Valley of Decision is expected September 22, 2015.

Gentry is also an inspirational speaker and dramatic performer who loves spending time with her family and medical therapy dog.

Welcome back, Lynne. Why do you write the kind of books you do?

I grew up tethered to a Kansas dairy farm. I longed for adventure. I wanted to visit exotic places and meet famous people. Imaginary trips became my escape from rural isolation. In an instant, my mind could magically transform a tree house into a medieval castle, hay bales into a pioneer fort, or a dank root cellar into a time portal that could transport me into the ancient civilizations of the Bible. In my make-believe world, I was bold, brave, and beautiful. The heroes were handsome and romantic. Humanity’s fate hung in the balance. Good always triumphed over evil. And in the end, I left the past in far better shape than I found it.

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

I feel I’ve been blessed with many happy days. Most of them include family memories: marriage to a wonderful man, the birth of two beautiful children, their marriages to incredible people, and the blessed arrival of grandchildren. But one special day also sticks out in my mind. I was on the verge of giving up on writing when my agent called to say I’d sold not one, but SIX books to Howard Books. That day still makes me smile. It wasn’t because of anything I had done but because of the faithfulness of God.

How has being published changed your life?

Besides the constant pressure of meeting deadlines (writing deadlines, editing deadlines, marketing deadlines), I’ve had a profound realization of the responsibility that comes with writing. Knowing that people are actually reading my spin on the world fuels my desire to bring glory to God.

What are you reading right now?

Besides the CBA novels I’m reading for endorsements, I am reading Tallgrass by Sandra Dallas, Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin, and Thief of Glory by Sigmund Brouwer.

What is your current work in progress?

I just finished first round edits on the final book in The Carthage Chronicles series. Valley of Decision releases in September 2015, and I’m excited for readers to get a peek at the conclusion to this epic tale.

What would be your dream vacation?

I am dying to go to the Mediterranean, especially Carthage, Tunisia. That part of the world is a bit too dangerous, even for me, so I would be happy to rent a villa in Rome for a month.

How do you choose your settings for each book?

The settings choose me. This series had to be set in Carthage, Tunisia, because that’s where the actual third-century plague took place.

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

I would choose Meryl Streep. I believe she is one of the most versatile actors of our day. She creates unique characters every time she comes on stage. I would love to pick her brain and discover the secrets to her process.

What are your hobbies, besides writing and reading?

I love socializing. Writing is such a solitary sport. I leap at every chance to leave my imaginary friends and meet real people for lunch or a cup of coffee. I’m also a walker. Love to take my Great Pyrenees for a spin around the block. I’ve spent several months training my dog, and he is finally a certified medical therapy dog. It gives me a great deal of pleasure to take him to the hospitals. He brings so much joy and relief from suffering for the people there.

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

Writing a saga that continues over the course of six books requires serious plotting. I’m NOT a plotter. I’ve written myself into some sticky corners. To get out of the mess is like a chess game. One wrong move and the whole thing comes undone. Getting in there and moving the story and words around is the best way to tackle those fears.

What advice would you give to a beginning author?

Read. Write. Read. Write. Read. Then read some more.

Tell us about the featured book.

Return to Exile is the second book in The Carthage Chronicles. In this story, Dr. Lisbeth Hastings has been home for six years. But when she learns the shocking truth of what her husband faces in the third century, she makes a bold choice and decides to return. But going back is never easy.

Please give us the first page of the book.

“Master, you’re in no shape for today’s senate session.” Pytros bustled into the council chambers laden with all of his writing supplies and a pitcher of water. “You should have canceled.”

“Your lack of forward thinking is why you will live and die a lowly scribe.” Aspasius limped to his place at the curule seat.

Pytros carefully spread his utensils. “I don’t know what you hope to achieve. The order has been issued.” With a peevish look upon his face, he poured a glass of water and held it out. “But has word of Valerian’s edict reached the ears of the senate? That is what I must know.” Ignoring Pytros’s pout, Aspasius took the glass and plopped onto the ivory chair with curved bronze legs. He wanted to be well-situated in the bowl-shaped stool before he allowed the chamber doors opened. These days his physical comfort was hard to come by. He was either in desperate need of a drink of water or access to a chamber pot. And most disturbing of all, the feeling had disappeared from his foot. A fact the power-hungry vultures waiting to take his place must never discover.

He downed the water, then gave his slave the empty glass. “Knowledge is power, and I intend to make certain I always possess the bulk of it.”

How can readers find you on the Internet?

Website: http://lynnegentry.com/

Facebook: Author Lynne Gentry https://www.facebook.com/pages/Author-Lynne-Gentry/215337565176144

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Lynne_Gentry

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/lynnegentry7/

Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Imh1AwR698Y

Simon & Schuster: http://authors.simonandschuster.com/Lynne-Gentry/412732530

Thank you, Lynne, for sharing this new book with me and my readers. It's truly wonderful.

Readers, here are links to the book. By using one when you order, you help support this blog.
Return to Exile - Christianbook.com
Return to Exile (Carthage Chronicles) - Amazon
Return to Exile: A Novel (The Carthage Chronicles 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.)

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