HOW TO CATCH A PRINCE - Rachel Hauck - One Free Book, Plus Much More

Dear Readers, I’ve known Rachel Hauck since before she was ever published. And when she burst on the publishing scene, her books were awesome. Because I love fairy tales, her newest series is right down my alley. The way she writes fairytale-like stories, but sets them in the modern day world is fantastic. Even more fantastic is the way she weaves spiritual truth and spiritual happenings into these stories. They pull me even closer to our awesome God. How to Catch a Prince is even a second chance at love story. That makes it even better.

BIO: Rachel Hauck is an award-winning, best-selling author of critically acclaimed novels such as The Wedding Dress, Love Starts with Elle, and Once Upon A Prince. She also penned the Songbird Novels with multi-platinum recording artist, Sara Evans. Booklist named their novel, Softly and Tenderly, one of 2011 Top Ten Inspirationals. She serves on the Executive Board for American Christian Fiction Writers and is a mentor and book therapist at My Book Therapy, and conference speaker. Rachel lives in central Florida with her husband and pets.

Welcome back, Rachel. Since you’re being published regularly, what new avenues will your future books take?      

RH: Who knows?! That’s the fun of coming up with new ideas. I’ve got a few stories brewing but I’ll talk it over with my editor and settle on something. I’m always looking for a story with a hook as well as romance.

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

RH: I’m excited to be heading to the Romantic Times Convention as well as Romance Writers of America, and American Christian Fiction Authors this year. I’ll be speaking at ACFW. But who knows what else will turn up this year. I like to leave space for the spontaneous.

If you were in charge of planning the panel discussion at a writing conference, what topic would the panel cover, and who would you ask to be on the panel, and why?

RH: I’d probably discuss a writer’s career. There’s not enough career talk. I’d invite my agent, Chip MacGregor, my publisher Daisy Hutton, authors Susan May Warren, Brandilyn Collins, Ted Dekker, James Scott Bell, and Lisa Wingate. It’d be an honest conversation about the writing life.

Sign me up. I’d love to hear that discussion. How important is it to you to be active in writing organizations?

RH: I’ve always said, from the beginning, networking is about as important as your writing. Authors need to be involved in the community and getting to know people. Opportunities arise from those relationships. So be involved in writing organizations.

Where in the community or your church do you volunteer?
RH: I’m the worship leader at my church! I’m also a volunteer for ACFW by serving on the executive board and leading worship at their conference every year.

Who are the five people who have made the most impact on your life, and how?       
RH: Wow, great question. My parents who taught me to follow Jesus. Best gift a parent could give a kid. My dad was a great encourager in my writing, telling me I should be a writer.

Next would be my husband who is my best friend and partner, and a lover of Jesus and truth. He’s taught me so much about walking in peace. He’s a big supporter for my career too.

Third, my friend Stuart Greaves, who is a man running hard after Jesus. He challenges me to not settle but to press in and move upward to God’s call.

Fourth, my best girlfriend Susan May Warren who is more than a friend but a sister. She’s been with me through my writing journey and has taught me so much. We’ve walked with each other through some hard times, laughed together, and kicked each other back into play when we falter. She’s the best.

Last but not least, I’m going to pick a conglomerate: I really love the worship out of Bethel in Redding, California, and the teaching of Mike Bickle, as well as the worship, from the International House of Prayer in Kansas City. Just the pursuit of Jesus through prayer and worship, the Biblical teaching, the modeling of loving Jesus with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength have shaped my life in the last 20 years.

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

RH: Author, wife, daughter, sister, friend, friend of the Bridegroom, living forever in His light. She’d not dead, she’s alive. Just not here.

           

Tell us about the featured book.

RH: How to Catch A Prince is the third in the Royal Wedding Series, the story of King Nathaniel’s (book 1) brother, Prince Stephen and an American Heiress.

           

Please share the first page with us for my readers, since I’ve read and love the book.           

With each passing day, she remembered she had a secret. She’d lived in the fog of death until six months ago, when she crawled out, reaching for the first glimpse of life and light she’d encountered in five years. It came in the form of a simple telephone call. A refreshing-breeze offer.

But clearing the fog meant the memories surfaced. Ones she’d long since regarded as lost. Now they rattled around the empty corridors of her heart.

And recently, in the faintest ting or ping, like when elevator doors opened just outside her office, Corina remembered how she loved the glorious, rolling chimes of cathedral bells pealing through a crisp Cathedral City dawn.

And she ached. Deep in her soul. With a longing she couldn’t reach nor remove.

With an exhale, she slumped in her chair and closed the news video she’d been watching. Two of the Beaumont Post’s staff writers entered the bull pen with a nod toward her, a late lunch of McDonald’s swinging from their hands.

Corina’s gaze followed them as they crossed the wide, boxy room, cutting through the muted afternoon sunlight that spilled through the dirty, rain-splattered windows.

Where can my readers find you on the Internet?

RH: Everywhere. Ha! www.rachelhauck.com will lead readers to my social media sites. 

Today is the last day to enter this contest:

An American heiress and a crown prince seem destined to be together. Will the devastation of war keep them apart forever? Find out in Rachel Hauck's new book, How to Catch a Prince. True love has a destiny all its own. With a little heavenly help, Prince Stephen and Corina embark on a journey of truth. But when the secrets are revealed, can they overcome, move forward, and find love again?

Enter to win a "royal" prize pack! 

One grand prize winner will receive:

• A royal-themed Brighton charm bracelet
• 2 tickets to see the new Cinderella movie
• The Royal Wedding series (Once Upon a Prince, Princess Ever After, and How to Catch a Prince)

Enter today by clicking the icon below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on March 23rd. Winner will be announced March 24th on Rachel's blog.


{NOT ON FACEBOOK? ENTER HERE.} Thank you, Rachel, 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. How to Catch a Prince - Christianbook.com
How to Catch a Prince (Royal Wedding Series) - Amazon
How to Catch a Prince (Royal Wedding Series Book 3) - 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!!!!!

Aerykah (OK) is the winner of 8 Weddings and a Miracle by Lena Nelson Dooley plus others.
Tammie (IL) is the winner of Hand Me Down Husband by Rosanna Huffman.
Judy (LA) is the winner of Love Comes Calling by Deborah M Piccurelli.
Jennifer (NY) is the winner of The Outlaw Takes a Bride by Susan Page Davis.
Rose (AR) is the winner of Remember the Lilies by Liz Tolsma.

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.

BETTING ON HOPE - Debra Clopton - One Free Book

Dear Readers, I have loved reading Debra Clopton novels since I first found her years ago.  She’s also a Texas gal and she sets her novels in Texas.  The stories are romantic comedy with a richness of spiritual depth. I read Betting on Hope as soon as it arrived in my house. She has moved from shorter novels to trade-paperback length, and the transition was a very good one. These new characters and the new setting grabbed me right away. And the storyline kept me turning pages to see what would happen to these people. You REALLY don’t want to miss this one.

BIO: Debra Clopton is a multi-award winning novelist and has written more than 22 novels. Along with writing, Debra helps her husband teach the youth at their local Cowboy Church. Debra's goal is to shine a light toward God while she entertains readers with her words.

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

There is a little of me in all of my books. I don’t know how there couldn’t be. I’ve felt the pain of loss and the aftermath of grief. I’ve also felt joy and peace and love. I can’t help but draw upon those emotions and use them in my work. I feel that drawing on those true emotions makes the stories richer, deeper, and able to touch reader’s hearts in a more personal way.

What is the quirkiest thing you have ever done?

Hmm, goodness, I’m not sure what would classify but I’ll go with this: I’m really, really scared of driving in the mountains because I have a horrible fear of heights—though I push myself, like when I made myself go to the top of the Empire State building and had to stay up against the wall because I couldn’t walk over to the edge, but I was up there and that made me happy. So anyway, I went to a writing convention in Reno and decided to stay a few days after the conference and go see Lake Tahoe. I asked the older man at the rental car place for the safest directions. He must have misunderstood me, and he sent me the SCENIC route, which was over the tallest mountain! By the time I realized I was on the way up a very steep two-lane road over the mountain, I couldn’t turn around. I drove extremely slow, backed up traffic and wanted to turn around so badly but that would have meant I would have been on the outside lane and that was just something I couldn’t force myself to do.

So I stayed against the mountain, stopped at every passing cutout to let the irate travelers behind me pass, and I eventually made it over the top and was blessed with the most amazing and beautiful view looking down over Lake Tahoe. I loved it and was so thankful that the drive down to the lake on that side was much flatter and less curvy than coming up. It just goes to show that sometimes if we push ourselves we are rewarded with something fantastic. I don’t want to do that drive again, but I’m glad it happened. That was the year my first book came out, and it was a kind of celebration road trip. 

When did you first discover that you were a writer?

I started thinking about it the end of my senior year in high school when my English teacher told me I needed to be a writer. That set a desire in me but not a belief. Over 10 years later after starting a few books and stopping, I woke up one morning and started writing and never stopped.

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

I read to relax. I read how-to books on writing but when it comes to what I really read, I love romance. I love happy endings and the best way to make me stop reading you is to mess up the ending. We all deal with real life every day. When I open a book I want a happy ending and that’s that!

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

Oh who said I have kept my sanity? Lol, I lost that a long time ago … but to keep myself on track I make a list, and I prioritize, and I am very disciplined.  

How do you choose your characters’ names?

I love this part! You may find this funny … I sit and stare at my computer screen and then I type a first name and I stare at it. (Okay, seriously this is it). Then I type another one and toss it around for a minute and wait for inspiration. When the right name comes on the screen I just know it. Sometimes I hear them speaking to me or I see their face.  It doesn’t usually take long. Very seldom have I had to change a name.

In Counting On a Cowboy, Tru’s brother Bo started out with another name, and it was a little too different so the editors asked me to change it. That was so hard to do. I asked readers on my FB to help with that and we ended up with Bo, but I still had to go through the process all over again. Bo had the same feel as the other name so it worked. They asked me to change Tru also because of good reasons, editing Tru and true can be a little hard but there was just no way I could change his name. Tru Monahan’s name chose him and came to me from the moment I started writing Four of Hearts Romance Series. So we just worked around editing issues, and I believe all is well.                        

                 

What is your favorite food?

Cheesecake! Always has been and always will be. Love that manna from heaven!  

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

Well, I’d say it was characterization. I kept not digging deep enough into my characters and who they were. When I sat down to write The Trouble with Lacy Brown, my first published novel, I had two goals in mind: to write a memorable, entertaining story and to create a world and a main character that no one would call cardboard! (I hate that term lol) Lacy Brown became as real to me as it gets and so has the whole world of Mule Hollow. 22 books in that series and I believe I’ve succeeded in my goals. With this new series I’m loving the reviews! RT Magazine, Publishers Weekly and the Library Journal so far have all pointed to my characters in some lovely way … that pleases me. I wanted Wishing Springs and my cast of characters to be fun and real. And like my Mule Hollow characters have become to readers through the years, I wanted Wishing Springs and the Four of Hearts Romance group to become a place and group readers want to return to.  Hopefully I’ve succeeded.

                   

Oh, I’m sure you did. Tell us about the featured book.

Advice columnist Maggie Hope will do anything to help her friend, top Houston TV show host who helped Maggie when she had nothing and no one. Maggie will even interview champion horse trainer Tru Monahan on live TV! Not the spotlight kind of gal her nerves are already quaking when she meets the good-looking cowboy for the interview. Sparks fly both on-and-off camera and a casual bet that Tru can teach Maggie to ride a cutting horse has both of them being forced by outside sources to go through with the bet … and the story goes on from there. This story is filled with a town of loving, but nosey, goodhearted people who I hope readers will love. There is a subplot that will tug at heartstrings with the runaway and her baby. And also the budding romance of the older couple in town adds another layer to the small town, feel that I wanted this book to have. Oh, and of course there are the cowboys…

 

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

“What have you gotten me into, Amanda Jones?”

Staring at the rough-looking building, Maggie Hope clutched her cell phone to her ear and fought down a hot flood of panic. “The sign says The Bull Barn. What is this place?” she gritted through tense jaws.

Rustic was an understatement for the faded wooden building sitting on the outskirts of Wishing Springs, Texas. It had dark windows and a long plank porch supported by columns made of knobby tree trunks. The steeply pitched red roof sagged in the middle. It was a dive, a shack.

“Calm down, Mags,” Amanda croaked, the flu causing her to sound like an eighty-year-old smoker, instead of the intimidatingly elegant, thirty-five-year-old bombshell, who was the key ingredient of the most popular morning show on Houston’s local channel. She coughed. “It may look a little rough, but it’s the cowboy and local folks’ hangout.”

“But—it’s deserted. Lonesome. If it’s a hangout, where is everyone?” It didn’t look like a place anyone would want to hang out in. Especially Maggie. Dives brought back memories she worked hard to forget.

How can readers find you on the Internet?

My website is http://debraclopton.com sign up for my newsletter! Monthly giveaway and news of new releases coming in 2015

Facebook: http://facebook.com/debra.clopton.5

Twitter: @debraclopton, http://twitter.com/debraclopton

Purchase Links for Betting on Hope:

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Betting-Hope-Hearts-Ranch-Romance/dp/1401690491

B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/betting-on-hope-debra-clopton/1119689016?ean=9781401690496&itm=1&usri=betting+on+hope

Christian Book: http://www.christianbook.com/betting-hope-four-hearts-ranch-romance/debra-clopton/9781401690496/pd/690496?event=ESRCG

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/betting-on-hope/id885205878?mt=11

Indie Bound: http://www.indiebound.org/book/9781401690496

Thank you, Debra, for sharing this first book of the new series with us. I know my readers will love it.

Readers, 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

TWISTED INNOCENCE - Terri Blackstock - One Free Book

Dear Readers, I love Terri Blackstock books, so when my book arrived, it was the next one I read. As usual her characters grabbed my heart and pulled it straight into the story. I journeyed with them on a rough road to redemption. You won’t want to miss this suspense thriller.

Bio: Terri Blackstock is a New York Times best-seller, with over six million copies sold worldwide. She is the winner of three Carol Awards, a Christian Retailers Choice Award, and a Romantic Times Book Reviews Career Achievement Award, among others. She has had over twenty-five years of success as a novelist. Terri spent the first twelve years of her life traveling in an Air Force family. She lived in nine states and attended the first four years of school in The Netherlands. Because she was a perpetual “new kid,” her imagination became her closest friend. That, she believes, was the biggest factor in her becoming a novelist.

I’m excited to have you back on my blog, Terri. God has really been moving in your writing life. What do you see on the horizon?

I’m hoping that readers will be moved by my new book, Twisted Innocence. I think anyone who has ever messed up (ahem … all of us?) will connect to this story. This is the last book in my Moonlighters Series. I’ve already started my next series, and it’s a little different. I’m very excited about that new set of characters and the dilemma my protagonist finds herself in.

Tell us a little about your family.

I’ve been married to my husband Ken for twenty-two years. We’re a second marriage, and we’ve raised three children together. We now have four grandchildren under the age of three, so we’re very blessed. We love those kids to pieces.

All my grandchildren are grown, but we have two great grands, almost 8 and 17 months, and a new one is due next month. What blessings and joys!! Has your writing changed your reading habits? If so, how?

Yes. I read very analytically now. If something works, I pause to see why it works, and if it doesn’t work, I try to figure out what I would have done better. Being a writer can take the joy out of reading, but if a book is excellent, I forget all that and just enjoy the experience.

What are you working on right now?

I’m working on my first book of a brand new series (I don’t have the title just yet). I love this character, because she’s on the run from the law, but her past and the circumstances of her situation make her a character readers will fall in love with. (I already have.) She’s not a believer, but others in the story are, and as she runs from her past, she’s going to see God’s work in her life. I hope readers will trust me with this story, because I don’t intend to let them down.

You have never let us down yet. You are a favorite author of both my husband and me. What outside interests do you have?

I love doing craftsy things and home decorating. If I have extra time, I’m usually doing that. Or spending time with my grandkids.

How do you choose your settings for each book?

Sometimes the story requires a certain location. My Cape Refuge series revolved around the Savannah, Georgia, area, and I was inspired by the culture on Tybee Island. I wanted the book to be set on an island of its own, so I created a new island just like Tybee, and placed it next to Tybee Island. In other books, like the Restoration Series, I needed for a major interstate to run through the town, and I needed for it to be a certain distance from some other places, so I set it in Birmingham. I tend to stick to cities in the south since I’m a southerner. Usually they’re places that will be easy for me to research.

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

I know this is a “churchy” answer, but I would love to spend even five minutes face to face with Jesus. I have some things I would love to run by him, to get clarification in some areas of my life. I can go to him in prayer any time, but it would be great to get some clear marching orders and assurances about some of my prayers.

I’ve often wished he’d write the answer in clouds I could see … or even neon. What is the one thing you wish you had known before you started writing novels?

That’s hard to answer, because I wouldn’t have wanted to know anything that discouraged me from writing. If I’d known how many years it would take me to learn my craft, it might have discouraged me. If I’d known how hard it would be to get each book ready for publication, I might have felt I wasn’t up for the task. If I’d known what kind of spiritual warfare would come against me as a Christian writer, I might have been fearful.

I do wish I’d been more solid in my faith when I began writing, however. I was a Christian, but not a mature one, when I started my career writing romance novels for Harlequin and Silhouette. I made a lot of compromises in order to sell more books, and eventually I was writing books as graphic as any out there. I wish I’d understood deep in my soul that God had given me a gift for a specific purpose, and that was to glorify Him. Not to waste my time writing books that were stumbling blocks for readers. But God has used even that. Once I switched gears and started writing suspense novels for the Christian market, God found ways to use my background to enrich my new focus.

What new lessons is the Lord teaching you right now?

That I can’t do it without a strong connection to the Vine. Last year I felt very discouraged about some things in my life, and I drifted away from my focus on God and my daily Bible study. He’s taught me that my gift is only at its best when I’m deeply connected to the Holy Spirit and spending time with Him every day.

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

Learn your craft. That doesn’t mean knocking off a book in a few weeks, then publishing it to Kindle. That means attending workshops, studying writing books, reading a ton of novels in your genre, joining a group like American Christian Fiction Writers (acfw.com) where there are resources and online classes, and getting into a critique group with trusted writers who can be honest with you and help you grow.

Be patient. In years past, writers had to learn patience above all, because it took so long to get published. Even if a publisher bought our first submission, we still had to go through a lengthy editorial process and wait over a year to get the book in stores. These days, there are a lot of shortcuts, and that can be a good thing. But be careful not to skip steps in growing as a writer. Just finishing a book does not mean it’s ready for publication. Your mother’s opinion doesn’t count. Find writers you trust and admire, and ask them to be brutal in critiquing your book. Take the time to do the hard work of revision and editing before publishing it. One of my pet peeves is when I’ve critiqued a new writer’s book, thinking it will take months for them to make all those changes (because that’s what it would take me to do them working at it full-time), and the next time I see them, they tell me they took an afternoon and made all those changes. Seriously? An afternoon? If you can’t invest a lot of time in improving your book, then you’re probably never going to be successful as a writer.

Leave your ego out of the process. I can tell right away if a writer has a chance at a career in writing. The ones who embrace criticism and dig in to their work to revise are the ones who have a shot. Those who get defensive and argumentative … they’ll never make it. If you can’t take criticism, then good luck. You will blow every opportunity to grow.

So true. Tell us about the featured book.

Twisted Innocence is the final book in my Moonlighters Series. I wanted to tell Holly’s story, because she’s my favorite character in the series. Of the three sisters, Holly has been the most troubled.

She has had many consequences throughout her life—job losses, financial collapse, relationship problems—but none has ever shaken her like her pregnancy. She cleans up her life as she carries her child, but she never tells the father. When he learns about Lily’s birth, he comes back into her life, but he brings a world of trouble with him. He’s a suspect in a murder case, and when Holly uses her private investigating skills to help with the investigation, the tables turn and he takes her and the baby hostage. But nothing is as it seems. Is he really a killer or a victim? His link to her family’s arch-nemesis creates an even more tangled web.

This story shows the domino effect of our decisions on others’ lives. But it also shows that those decisions can be redeemed. God can use even our worst mistakes.

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

Holly Cramer pulled to the curb of the condemned apartment building, her yellow taxi grinding gears and threatening to die. Though the sun hung bright overhead, the street was colorless, oppressive, with moldy, rotting houses and garbage festering in yards. Men loitered on the road up ahead in front of another boarded house. She shouldn’t have accepted this fare, but the customer had called her cell phone personally instead of going through the agency. She must be a repeat customer.

Holly tapped her horn and looked out her passenger window. The house showed no sign of life, but it wasn’t the wrong place. The girl had clearly said it was the green house on the corner of Burke and Darby. Holly checked her phone for the caller’s number and called her back.

It went straight to voice mail.

Holly sighed. Maybe this was a prank, some kid trying to yank her chain just to see if she’d come. She had done that enough herself as a kid. Back when she was still Panama City’s party girl, she’d done things under the influence that had been even more childish, like calling a guy fourteen times when she knew he was with his girlfriend, just to create trouble in paradise. She and her friends would giggle hysterically at the fight they imagined ensued, but the next day, as she nursed the punishment of a hangover, she would hate herself for it.

Not ready to give up on this fare just yet, Holly honked the horn again. The men up the street turned to look at her. Getting nervous, she reached into the pocket of her door, but of course her pistol wasn’t there. It was against the law for a cabbie to carry a firearm inside the car while they were on duty. It was locked safely in her trunk.

She thought of bucking the law and getting it out, but that would call more attention to her. This was stupid. She was a mother now, and the last place she should be was in the slums, waiting for someone to blow her head off just for target practice.

How can readers find you on the Internet?

My web site is http://www.terriblackstock.com

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

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

Subscribe to my Newsletter: http://www.terriblackstock.com/contact

Thank you, Terri, for sharing some of your life and this new book with me and my readers.

Readers, here are links to the book. By using one when you order, you help support this blog.
Twisted Innocence - Christianbook.com
Twisted Innocence (Moonlighters Series) - Amazon
Twisted Innocence (Moonlighters Series Book 3) - Kindle
The Moonlighters Collection: Truth Stained Lies, Distortion, Twisted Innocence (Moonlighters Series) - All three books in the series in one collection

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

THE TOMB - Stephanie Landsem - One Free Book, Plus More

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

I do see God moving in my writing life and hope each day that I’m open to his will. Right now, I’m discerning where to go next with my writing. I pray that the Holy Spirit will continue to inspire me as He has been for the last few years.

Tell us a little about your family.

Absolutely. My first vocation is as a wife and mother. I’ve been married for 25 years to a wonderful man who is always supporting me whether I’m writing, volunteering, or planning a trip to somewhere amazing. I have four kids, two boys and two girls, ages 21 down to 13. They are my greatest inspiration and joy.

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

Mostly, I read less than I used to just because I have less time. I also read more critically, which is probably a good thing but often I wish I could just lose myself in the story like I did before I wrote books, instead of analyzing the characters, the plot, and the sentence structure.

What are you working on right now?

I’ve been looking into new historical periods and have some ideas for an upcoming novel that blends my love for the Bible with a new historical period. I hope to be able to share more soon!

What outside interests do you have?

I love to travel and am lucky that I’ve been able to see many parts of the world and have visited 4 continents. I’d love to go to Australia before my kids are too busy to travel with us. I love to cook, especially new ethnic cuisine from places where I’ve traveled. When I can’t go to new places, I like to be outside hiking, taking walks, or even snowshoeing during our long Minnesota winters. When it’s too cold outside (like today, the wind chill is 26 degrees below zero), there’s no better place to be than curled up with a good book and a cat.

How do you choose your settings for each book?

In The Living Water Series, I think the settings chose me! The characters are what initially drew me in, and the settings came later as I researched Samaria, Jerusalem, and finally the small town of Bethany where Martha, Mary, and Lazarus lived.

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

If I had to choose I would say Mary, the mother of Jesus. She knew him best and I would never tire of hearing her stories of her son’s childhood and early years, something we know nothing about.

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

I wish someone would have told me how it would take over your life! I think writing fiction—especially Christian fiction—is more than a job, it’s a vocation. It seems to get into every part of your life: your family, friends, and your work within your church. I had no idea how much my life would change with the publication of my first book.

What new lessons is the Lord teaching you right now?

Patience. As I wait to determine what my next step will be in writing and answer the question I get at least once a day: “What is your next book about?”, I’m learning to be patient and wait for the Lord’s timing and inspiration.

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

For an author just starting out with an idea or a rough manuscript, I’d say a critique group is a great step. I don’t know what I’d do without honest, constructive feedback on my novels. Next, I’d encourage a new author to enter contests for unpublished writers such as the ACFW Genesis contest. It takes courage to hit Enter and send your writing out into the world, but it is excellent practice for when you query agents and editors. And finally, don’t forget to pray and trust in God’s plan for you. He has one. And it might not be what you expect.

Tell us about the featured book.

The Tomb, A Novel of Martha, is a surprising story of the family at Bethany and the raising of Lazarus from the dead.

Everyone in Bethany admires Martha—the perfect Jewish woman. She feeds and clothes her loved ones, looks after the family farm, and meticulously follows every precept of the Pharisees’ strict laws. But Martha is hiding a secret. At her sister’s marriage feast, she gave her heart and her innocence to a young musician who promised to return and marry her, but instead betrayed her love and abandoned her.

Seven years later, only two people in Bethany know of Martha’s secret sin: her brother, Lazarus, and Simon, the righteous Pharisee to whom Martha is betrothed. When Lazarus falls ill, Martha is faced with a choice: send for Jesus to save her dying brother—risking the wrath of Simon who threatens to betray her—or deny Jesus’ healing power and remain trapped in her tomb of secrecy and lies.

Meanwhile, on the shores of Galilee, Isa roams the wilderness, tortured by demons and knowing only that someone is waiting for him. When he is healed by Jesus, he finds that seven years have passed since his descent into madness. Isa journeys home to Bethany only to find he is too late to win back Martha’s love.

When Martha risks all to heal Lazarus, will Jesus arrive in time, or will he—like Isa—come too late?

Please give us the first page of the book.

Hear, O children, a father’s instruction, be attentive that you may gain understanding! Proverbs 4:1

Martha clenched her teeth so tight her jaw ached. She’d kept quiet for seven days. Seven days. Now she felt like a pot left too long over the fire. If another old woman gave her a pitying glance, if one more village girl whispered behind her hand ... by the Most High, she’d boil over.

She filled a cup for Josiah, her sister’s new husband. Who would have believed it? Sirach of Bethany’s daughter—his youngest daughter!—choosing her own husband. And what a husband he was. Josiah had many good qualities. He was kind and patient and everyone knew how he loved Mary. But he was also poor and none too smart. Even his own mother admitted that he as useful as a three-legged donkey.

She took a deep breath and poured a cup of wine for Abba, careful not to spill a drop on his fine linen tunic. It wasn’t fair. It wasn’t fair that Mary got to choose and she didn’t.

When Abba agreed to the betrothal a full year ago, the women of Bethany had gossiped for weeks. Most had concluded that Sirach was eager to be rid of Mary, his grown daughter who spent more time playing with the village children than taking care of her father’s household. But they were wrong. Abba loved Mary just as much as he loved Martha and Lazarus.

Now, at almost fifteen years, Mary was ready to start her own family with a man she adored. Martha was glad that Abba had allowed Mary her hearts desire. If only he could allow Martha hers.

If Mary can choose Josiah, can’t I have a say in my husband? But of course, she knew why.

How can readers find you on the Internet? 

Visit StephanieLandsem.com

Follow @StephLandsem on Twitter

Like Stephanie Landsem on Facebook

Thank you, Stephanie, for sharing this new book with us.

Dear Readers, Stephanie is having a blog tour giveaway in addition to the one on this blog. 
Here is the link to that: http://www.stephanielandsem.com/2015/03/blog-tour-giveaway/

Readers, here are links to the book. By using one when you order, you help support this blog.
The Tomb - Christianbook.com
The Tomb: A Novel of Martha (The Living Water Series) - Amazon
The Tomb: A Novel of Martha (Living Water Series Book 3) - 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

A GENTILE IN DESERET - Rosanne Croft - One Free Book

Dear Readers, I read this novel soon after my copy arrived. I loved the depth of the characters and the story line. I’m eager for book two in the series to come out. I think you will be, too.

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

In A Gentile in Deseret, my main character is a young man named Alex. His feelings are mine but are universally felt, those of not belonging; a gentile outside an unfamiliar religious culture, in this case, Mormonism. To get a male perspective on subjects like polygamy, I asked my husband for his input; I sensed I couldn’t think male enough. Jennalee, whom Alex falls for, is part of me, too, with her impossible quandary: will she please her parents and live up to family tradition or break out of a religious mold to follow her heart? There’s a smattering of me in Jennalee’s brother Brent, who developed into one of my favorite characters, but mainly, he’s based on extensive research about Mormon missionaries. Although I didn’t grow up Latter Day Saint, I do know what it’s like to be raised in a strict religious environment.

What is the quirkiest thing you have ever done?

Being quirky is my life. I’m a fashion disaster with clothes and hair and quote random dead people to my grandchildren, but the quirkiest thing I’ve ever done was during an evening church teaching from a beloved pastor. The small church filled as I sat next to my husband halfway up the center aisle at the sound booth. Pastor spoke about how we can’t bring anything to heaven with us, and how truthfully, nothing is ours on this earth. A thought popped into my brain, and I must’ve looked perplexed. Pastor spotted me from the pulpit. “What are you thinking about, Rosanne?” he asked. Uh-oh. I couldn’t tell the whole church what I was really thinking, but I wasn’t fast enough to make up anything else, so honest to the point of being a nerd, I blurted the truth. “Well, isn’t your underwear really yours?”

When did you first discover that you were a writer?

The desire to be a writer was born when I was nine through encouragement from my fourth grade teacher. From then on, I loved to pen flowery adjectives in my paragraphs. Thankfully, readers will find my style morphed into a spare one with more conversation than elaborate description. Although A Gentile in Deseret is my fourth book, I felt more inspired, more in the zone, and more compelled to write for God’s purposes than ever before.

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

I’m varied in my reading true to my education, and I like Economics and History (especially World War II) along with cozy mysteries. The way Jane Austen juxtaposed men and women in clever conversation feeds my brain. I love Dickens (oh, his plots!), Thomas Hardy (oh, his characters!), Leo Tolstoy (master of the short story), and Charlotte Bronte (the suffering involved in love). Young Adult fantasy novels like The Hunger Games, City of Ember, and the Percy Jackson series fascinate and inspire me. (My own story is a YA Contemporary Romance.)

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

Funny you should ask. Yesterday I bought Rescue Remedy, a homeopathic lozenge for stress. It helps, but to keep sane I have to start every day with the Word of God and prayer. It sets my foundation; nothing goes well if I miss it. After that, stress can be interrupted by savoring moments of joy when God gives me an apple blossom to smell or a songbird is near. Living in the moment helps me hear the whisper from Matthew 6, “Take no thought for your life ... I know what you need ... trust in me.”

How do you choose your characters’ names?

The names get changed once or twice in their development ... it’s like naming a child only when you finally see them and look into their eyes. Each area of the country has a definitive culture, and since my book is set in Utah, known as Deseret to Mormon pioneers, I researched Utah-born names. I also pluck random names from classmates, neighbors, phonebooks, cemeteries, and my family.

What is the accomplishment that you are most proud of?

What I’m most proud of is that along with my husband, we forever changed the life of a two-year old Bulgarian orphan who became our daughter. She’s now a young adult, and an incredible blessing to us.

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

An elephant. They’re intelligent, gracious and melancholy ... you can see it in their eyes. Years ago in a small town we lived in, I walked out of the library and saw a small circus parked nearby in the shade. The elephant keeper washed his charge right there in the street, and I spent a delightful half hour watching, feeling akin to that elephant.

Plus, I’d have a better memory. Then there’s the fact elephants mourn the dead, not only their own kind, but humans, too. They’re majestically made and best of all, wouldn’t it be fun to have a trunk?

What is your favorite food?

I like Thai red curry. Now I know what kicking it up a notch means.

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

 Definitely fear, which worked stagnation into my writing. I had good ideas, but was terrified of what others would think, of their criticism, and that I would fail even my own expectations. Strangely, I feared success as well, because with it comes greater responsibility and little privacy. I was desperate to get out of my brackish pool of negativity.

My Master, who alone knows my deepest self, shook my world in such a way that forced me to grow. I’ve moved into a place of security in Him alone. I can be a failure or a success in my work, but ultimately all that matters is God. My work is not ME; it’s only my tiny creation. God loves me whether I achieve anything for Him or not. However, I know He has called me to write and I take the call seriously enough to push myself through sleepless nights, tight schedules, little social life, and the sacrifices of my family. Christian writing is my utmost for His highest.

I’ve had several shakings that forced me to grow. One was when my publisher went national in partnership with Barbour Books. I was compelled to write to my full potential, work harder, and learn what I could to achieve the best outcome. For me, rewriting was the key. Like the motorcycle racer in the movie The World’s Fastest Indian, sometimes you have to “burn a leg” to break out of stagnation.

Tell us about the featured book.

The story is about a born-again Christian named Alex, a new high school senior in Utah, who moves there unaware that his life could change forever when he falls for a Mormon girl, Jennalee. Her world, too, is extremely challenged by this stranger, this gentile, but God is in the details.

The ideas for the story in A Gentile in Deseret floated around in my mind while we were living in Utah. I questioned: What would happen if a born-again Christ-follower fell in love with a Mormon? I met some of these couples in Utah, got to know their stories and was hooked on exploring the topic.

Like my character, Alex, I was a stranger in a foreign religious culture. Only when I returned to the Pacific Northwest was I able to articulate those feelings and use my observations and years of research to write the book. I was compelled to bridge a gap between the two groups, as well as lovingly write God’s truth for my LDS friends, who are some of the most solid and best people I’ve ever known.

The theme throughout the Believe in Love series is that in the end, our lives are about knowing and having a relationship with God rather than following any man-created religion. I’ve been a Christ-follower for a long time but was stretched spiritually throughout the writing of this book.

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

Chapter One

Utah Girls

Alex leaned hard on his jammed locker door and shut it with a screech. Senior year with a loser locker was just his luck. He kicked it for the embarrassment it caused in a new high school in a new state. Heads turned and eyes lasered through his back. No way did Utah feel like home. Outside the window, he could see the promise of a powder ski season when he gazed at the mountains that girded the valley. He still felt betrayed by his mother for moving here from Oregon. One more class and I’m out of here, he thought.

He had to admit most of the girls were drop-dead gorgeous, their hair and makeup perfect as models. A group of boys in starched white shirts and ties passed him, like geeks from the 60’s. Who wears white shirts to school? One of them scrutinized him, scowling. Alex wore what he’d worn in Oregon: a Nike t-shirt and faded jeans. Was it his two day stubble and wild dark curly hair that led to such open disapproval? Kids here were preppy and clean-cut.

Alex brightened at the thought of going to his favorite class, AP Chemistry. His confidence back, he decided it may be an advantage to have no social life. He could study hard and graduate with honors. A free four-year ride in college would put him on the way to his ultimate goal: Medical School.

Preoccupied with his hopes, he turned the corner leading to the stairway so fast that he bumped a thick book from the hands of a girl coming down the stairs.

“Sorry,” Alex said, bending down to pick up the leather bound book, “here’s your Bible.”

“It’s not a Bible, it’s my Book of Mormon,” she answered in a sharp voice. The way she pronounced Bible carried a lot of scorn.

“Oh, okay. Sorry.” He glanced at the book; it looked exactly like a Bible.

The girl stepped back and took a long look at him, swooping her blonde hair away from her face with one hand. “It’s a Quad and I need it for Seminary,” she said.

“Is that a Religion class? In public school?” He hadn’t seen it in the curriculum.

She rolled her eyes. “It’s not in the school. It’s over in the building across from the parking lot.” Her voice was unemotional. “And I’m late.”

His mouth went dry when he noticed how blue her eyes were. “Oh, so you got excused from school, huh?” Even as he said it, he thought it sounded stupid but he’d never heard of anything like this.

The girl sighed. “It’s an elective, and it’s always been this way. You picked electives, didn’t you?”

“Yeah. I picked what I had back in Oregon.”

“Did the Registrar ask you about Seminary?”

He shrugged. “Nope. Hey . . . uh, I gotta catch my AP Chem class. It’s up these stairs.” His mouth was so dry he could barely get the words out. He didn’t want to leave without knowing her name. Trying to look cool despite his confusion, he blurted, “So . . what’s your. .”

At that moment, a cluster of girls carrying the same thick books squeezed past them. One of them whispered into the cute girl’s ear. As she bent her head, Alex sneaked a closer look through her long blonde hair. Her right ear was creamy pink, and she wore a tiny gold and blue earring. Long eyelashes swept her cheek, resting on it like soft feathers. Even without makeup, he thought she’d be the prettiest girl he’d ever seen.

How can readers find you on the Internet?

Thanks for the interview, Lena. Readers can find me at my blog: www.rosannecroft.wordpress.com and may email me directly at rosannecroft@gmail.com. My publisher is OakTara.com. Books are available through OakTara, Amazon, and other internet outlets. See my author’s page at Amazon.com.

Thank you, Rosanne, 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.
A Gentile in Deseret (Believe in Love) - paperback
A Gentile in Deseret (Believe in Love 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