Through His Eyes

Shades of the Orient, by Stephanie Guerrero

2012-03-10T05:00:00.001-06:00

Tell us about your book.

An action-packed suspense in the exotic Orient.

No one is who they seem…

A classic tale of good versus evil: spies, smugglers and betrayal

The Smuggler

Black Jade is many things… Hiding behind a prominent name by day and a Chinese mask by night, he can be anyone, just not the man he wants to be. Trapped in an ever tightening web of deceit, and pursued relentlessly by the White Dragon (Major Montero) he must choose which man he wants to be. When a way out is offered from a surprising source, will he choose power or let it go?

The Spy

A Spanish officer, a black market dealer, a shipping executive…

Intelligence officer Philip Montero is skilled at wearing masks to defeat the enemy, but this time he must face the enemy within. When his body betrays him with night terrors, he must unlock the past in order to survive, but time is running out and Black Jade has targeted the woman of his heart.

Betrayed by his family, his fiancé, and his fears, WHO can teach him how to trust again?

The Senorita,

Shipping heiress turned missionary nurse, Francesca McRae is a target everywhere she turns. Desired as an heiress by power-hungry men and hated by the Chinese Boxers for her interference in the culture… she is surrounded by betrayal and hatred. None of her suitors are who they seem, yet one has stolen her heart. When loving others becomes more than she can handle, WHO can she trust?

Where do you turn when life is too much to handle?

There is a God… Who is waiting to be your answer…

Can you give us a sneak peek?

A rough hand pressed firmly against Francesca’s mouth and a strong arm slid about her waist pulling her into the shadows. She repressed the urge to scream. Her mind scrambled to ascertain the identity of her captor… the Filipinos… the Spanish soldiers she had encountered the day before on the road… or … her mind panicked at the last and most horrifying thought… Capitan Molino. She struggled to free herself, every muscle in her body resisting her captor’s hold. He tightened his grip and pulled her still further into the jungle. Finally satisfied that that they were alone, but with his hand still firmly covering her mouth, he wheeled her about to face him.

The sight of the tall familiar form in front of her made Francesca’s heart leap in relief as her rescuer, Comandante Trevino slowly released her from his grasp.

“Are you always so disobedient?”

Comandante Enrique Trevino’s eyes snapped with frustration. “I thought I gave you specific orders to stay in your tent tonight!”

Without warning, he pressed her firmly against the rough trunk of the giant tree, and conveyed the need for silence. He motioned for her to hide in a small hollow a few feet from where they stood.

“Can you shoot?”

Francesca nodded as he pulled a Colt pistol from his shoulder holster. “Use it. Kicking and flailing are not always enough.” A slight grin flickered across his face as his eyes held hers. “…Just make sure who you are aiming at first.” Then he disappeared into the jungle.

What inspired this book?

The theme… Love beyond forgiveness… was inspired by my own life story of seeking to follow God in loving and forgiving, but finding myself hurt and weary and wanting to stop loving. I had to answer the question… “Was God still trustworthy?” He is.

As for the story… I stumbled across a quote from a Navy officer involved in the Boxer Rebellion who said that if there ever was a tale with all the elements of a good story it was the Boxer Rebellion. I was intrigued and from there on the story wrote itself. The Boxer Rebellion was a very bloody time with over 10,000 martyrs for Christ. I did not want to touch their sacred story in detail, so it serves only as a backdrop for my espionage/romance.

What has been your most challenging experience writing a book?

Computer hard drive crashes. The first time I lost 2/3 of my book and had only a paper copy that had to be typed back in. The next time it happened I had backups, but it can make you want to quit. Never give up! Breaking into the market has been a challenge too. I finally went through the self-publishing arm of Thomas Nelson (Westbow Press) I have been very happy about it. Again. Never give up!

What is your favorite thing to write about, (i.e., forgiveness, rebellion, etc)?

I love to write about forgiveness and going beyond forgiveness to actively love those who hurt or betray us or those we love. What a challenge the Father has given us… one we can only do in His strength, but oh the grace received when we do. James 2:13

What do you hope readers will take away from this book?

One of the many names of God is El-Rohe “God sees”. I want my readers to know that no matter where you are or what has happened to you… God sees you…really sees you. He knows your hurts and pain, and He will wrap you in His arms and help you turn and show that same love to others. When you get tired of doing right… don’t give up. When you are betrayed and hurt, RUN TO HIS ARMS… NOT AWAY.

What is your favorite color?

Absolutely purple!!! Rich royal purple would be my favorite, but even lavender or periwinkle will do. Red is a close second. I really just love color in general. (The walls of my home are rarely white!)

Do you have a favorite recipe?

Brown Butter Pumpkin Layer Cake!!! Here’s the link… http://www.finecooking.com/recipes/brown-butter-pumpkin-layer-cake.aspx

If you could travel back in time when and where would you go?

To see Jesus. Just to get a glimpse of His face.

After that… maybe the old west

What project are you currently working on?

I currently just finished Shades of the Orient, a historical romantic suspense, and now I am starting the sequel. It’s coming together in my head and I can’t wait to get it on paper!

Stephanie Guerrero holds her bachelor’s degree in interdisciplinary studies, specializing in reading. A former middle school reading teacher, this pastor’s wife and homeschooling mom of four has a passion for the redemptive, life-changing impact of a great story. Her husband of nineteen years is her delight and inspiration.

Sew, It's a Quest, by Kendra Ardnek - FREE on Kindle through Sunday

2012-03-09T21:25:00.004-06:00

Read the first chapter here.
http://knittedbygodsplan.blogspot.com/2010/12/chapter-1.html

Reach Out to Live Out, by Jennifer Slattery

2012-03-08T14:03:00.000-06:00

Do you ever catch yourself saying something, then clamp your mouth shut with the realization you’ve become your mother? Or maybe you’ve glanced behind you to see your child rolling their eyes…just like you…at something that normally gets you annoyed. It’s rather sobering how pervasive a parent’s reach is. I find it quite humbling. And challenging. Each day as I watch our daughter grow I’m reminded of the power of my unspoken words.

Lately my daughter’s talked a lot about her future dream–or perhaps future mission would be more accurate. It’s quite a unique vision, and one that brings tears to my eyes. When she grows up she wants to get her veterinary license and treat the pets of the homeless. She plans to open a private practice to fund her mission. (Now obviously, she’s thirteen, so her plans may change.) This dream unites her two loves–animals and others, in a Christ-centered way.

But here’s the funny thing…I’ve never told her she needs to serve the homeless. I’ve never talked with her about her future ministry, except in terms of living life in full surrender. However, she’s served with us at homeless shelters. She’s helped distribute bagged lunches to those standing on street corners. She’s stood beside me as I’ve talked with them, shaking their soiled hands and taking the time to look them in the eye…. And clearly, those moments have left a lasting impact.

This “on the job training” applies to every area of life. In our home, we all serve together. Not only because it’s great family time, but because we want our daughter to develop a servant’s heart. We want her to understand church isn’t a place to rest your behind, but instead, where you extend the love of Christ. We are here not to be served, but instead to serve. Only lectures, no matter how logical or eloquent, won’t produce the results we want. Our children learn best by doing. By living life in community and continual surrender and by watching their parents do the same.

You see, compassion is caught as much as it is taught, and our children watch us very closely. When we turn up our noses at the less fortunate and pop off justifications for walking by, they learn to do the same. When we speak words of judgment, they develop an attitude of cynicism.

Their hearts are pliable, easily swayed by every experience.

Jump forward twenty years. How might our world be if we modeled lives of compassion, raising children with compassion who created positive change in their world?

Our family took a mission trip to El Salvador last year. Although missions are important, that wasn’t why we brought our daughter. Our primary goal was to train “others” thinking. During our visit, our daughter experienced what life was like for the impoverished. She spent time among girls her age who live in an orphanage without a mom or dad to tuck them in each night.

The experience changed her. And it is our prayer, our hope, and in many ways our confidence, that her experience will in turn lead her to initiate change.

What can you do today to show your children the world beyond them? You see, our first tendency is to look upon ourselves. As parents, we long to shower our children with blessings and shelter them from every difficulty. But surrounded by abundance, what kind of adults will our children grow up to be? They already know how to look out for themselves. It’s our responsibility to help them turn that focus outward.

I’d love to hear from you. How has serving helped you train your child to be a fully devoted follower of Christ? How has it helped you draw closer to God? How has reaching out to someone else changed your perspective or blessed you in some way? Share your “Reach Out to Live Out” stories with us so we can spur one another toward good deeds. To participate in my “Reach Out to Live Out” campaign, send a photo, video, or story of you reaching out to someone else and tell us what you gained from the experience. To find out more shoot me an email at jenniferaslattery(at)gmail(dot)com, and make sure to visit my devotional blog at http://jenniferslatterylivesoutloud.com

Jennifer Slattery lives in the Midwest with her husband of sixteen years and their fourteen year old daughter. She writes for Christ to the World Ministries, Internet Café Devotions, Jewels of Encouragement, and the Christian Pulse and maintains a devotional blog at Jennifer Slattery Lives Out Loud.

Connect with Jennifer by clicking the link below.

http://jenniferslatterylivesoutloud.com/

Saving Hope, Margaret Daley - FREE BOOK

2012-03-04T05:00:00.001-06:00

Tell us about your book.

Blurb for Saving Hope:

When a teenager goes missing from the Beacon of Hope School, Texas Ranger Wyatt Sheridan and school director Kate Winslow are forced into a dangerous struggle against a human trafficking organization. But the battle brings dire consequences as Wyatt's daughter is terrorized and Kate is kidnapped.

Now it's personal, and Wyatt finds both his faith and investigative skills challenged as he fights to discover the mastermind behind the ring before evil destroys everyone he loves.

Can you give us a sneak peek?

Rose gripped her cell phone so tightly her muscles ached. “Where are you, Lily?”

“At—Nowhere Motel.” A sob caught on the end of the last word. “Help—me.” Lily’s breath rattled, followed by a clunking sound as though she’d dropped the phone.

Rose paced the small bathroom at Beacon of Hope. “Lily?” Sweat coated her palms, and she rubbed her free hand against her jeans.

Silence taunted her.

What have you done? But the second that Rose asked that question, an image came to mind of her friend lying on the dingy gray sheets in the cheap motel, wasted, trying anyway she could to forget the horror of her life.

“Lily, talk to me. Stay on the line.” Pulling the door open, Rose entered her room. When she saw her roommate, she came to a stop.

Cynthia’s wide-eyed gaze fixed on Rose for a few seconds before the fourteen-year-old dropped her head and stared at the hardwood floor. Rose crossed to her dresser, dug into the back of the top drawer, and grabbed a small, worn leather case.

She pushed past her roommate and headed into the upstairs hallway.

Striding toward the staircase, Rose dismissed her roommate’s startled expression and focused on the crisis at hand. “Lily, are you still there?”

A sound as though someone fumbled the phone and caught it filtered through the connection. “Rose, I need—you.”

“I told you I would come if you wanted to get out. I’ll be—”

A click cut off the rest of Rose’s words. No, Lily. Please hang on.

What inspired this book?

Human trafficking is over a $32 billion dollar business per year and growing. It touches all countries, including the United States. Our young people are being affected by this problem and robbed of their childhood.

What has been your most challenging experience writing a book?

The complexity of the story--a lot of details to keep track of.

What is your favorite thing to write about, (i.e., forgiveness, rebellion, etc)?

Forgiveness is one of my favorite themes. Another theme I like to write about is giving control over to the Lord (trusting the Lord).

What do you hope readers will take away from this book?

I want my readers to come away with a sense of hope--that no matter how tough the situation God is with you.

What is your favorite color?

Bright colors--yellow, orange, pink and red. I have a hard time deciding what is my top favorite color. I love so many of them.

Do you have a favorite recipe?

Hearty Cabbage Soup (I know it’s nearly spring but this is the best soup!)

1 pound lean ground beef

½ large onions, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

½ cup diced celery

1 green pepper, chopped

2 tablespoons oil

1-28 oz can of tomatoes

2-5 ½ ounce cans tomato paste

2 cups raw, diced potatoes

2 cups diced carrots

4 cups beef stock

Salt and pepper to taste

Paprika

6-7 cups coarsely chopped cabbage

Sauté beef, onion, garlic, celery and pepper in oil. Add remaining ingredients except cabbage. Simmer, uncovered, for 1 hour. Add cabbage. Simmer for 1 hour more, adding more water, up to 3 cups, if necessary. Yield 6-8 servings.

(Because my husband doesn’t care for cooked carrots, I substitute broccoli in for the carrots and it taste great that way, too.)

If you could travel back in time when and where would you go?

To listen to Jesus preach.

What project are you currently working on?

I'm finishing up Christmas Stalking, the fourth book in my Guardians, Inc. Series for Love Inspired Suspense. The series is about a female bodyguard agency. It's coming out in November 2012.

Margaret has offered one free book to a lucky winner. At least 10 people need to leave comments WITH an email address for there to be a contest OR you can email me at srstormo@yahoo.com and put "contest -Hope" in the subject line.
Winner announced March 11th.

Twin Hearts, by JoAnn Durgin - FREE Book - Winner's choice

2012-03-03T05:00:00.005-06:00

Tell us about your book. Twin Hearts is my new contemporary Christian romance, and it releases in mid-March. The twins in the title are Rebekah and Josh Grant, and this book tells their parallel love stories. Josh is an up-and-coming mergers and acquisitions attorney in Baton Rouge, and Rebekah is an elementary school teacher in a nearby town. Although it’s the third book in The Lewis Legacy Series, it can definitely be read on its own (of course, I’d recommend reading the first two books). I give enough backstory interwoven into the events to clue the reader as to the histories of the main characters so the reader can pick up with the story and go!

Can you give us a sneak peek? Here’s the short-version synopsis of Twin Hearts:

Josh Grant is a man seeking redemption. He’s not looking for love, but finds it in a most unexpected and tender way. His twin sister, Rebekah, is torn between two very different men: a dashing, British aristocrat offering her the world, and the other a humble, faithful Louisiana lumber man. When family tragedy strikes, the twins lean on Sam and Lexa Lewis and their fellow TeamWork Missions volunteers for encouragement. Together they learn lessons in faith and family and what's most important in life as they discover it’s time to stake their claim on love, which means a road trip from Louisiana to . . . the peace to be found in seeking and finding the sweetest desires of the heart.

Here are two excerpts:

From Josh's Story (Please note I'm using "her" and "she" in place of the love interest name - part of the surprise - at least until this book releases):

He stood facing the large picture window at the front of the house, dressed in a perfectly-tailored gray suit, hands in his pockets. Even from the back, Joshua Grant was an impressive man. In the years since she’d seen him, he’d grown broader across the shoulders, and filled out his suit coat well. His thick, wavy blond hair was longer than she remembered and curled slightly at the nape of his neck. Her knees felt weak and threatened to buckle beneath her. Ridiculous. Get over it. You shared a moment with this man more than four years ago and never heard from him again. He’s here to say whatever it is, so stop swooning, hear him out and take it like a grownup.

“Hi, Josh.” Her voice was shaky, her hand even more so, and coffee sloshed around inside the pot. Then he turned around. Oh, goodness, the man was gorgeous. Since she’d last seen him, he’d transitioned from a very cute guy into a full-grown, handsome, confident businessman in his suit with a crisp, white shirt and that tie . . . well, it just wasn’t fair. The green in that silk tie was a perfect match for those unbelievable peepers. The heel of her sandal caught on the carpet, and she stumbled forward with a small cry. The modicum of grace she’d acquired from three years of ballet saved her, but she still swayed in precarious fashion, unsteady on her feet. Well, this is going well.

From Rebekah's Story:

“Thanks again for lunch, the roses, everything, Kevin. I had a great time. Feel free to surprise me at the school anytime.” Rebekah gathered the flowers and waited as he walked around to her door. Once both her feet were firmly on the ground, he released her hand. When he smiled, it wasn’t the same, but it was probably the best he could offer.

“Bye.” She forced a bright smile. “Call me later?”

Kevin nodded, but said nothing. His expression was guarded, his eyes cloudy, the emotional distance between them more than uncomfortable. She shifted from one foot to the other, uncommonly antsy as an unspoken fear wormed its way into her subconscious. Rubbing her hands up and down her bare arms, she tugged her sweater tighter about her shoulders. She waited until his eyes met hers. With one last glance, she turned to go. A few steps closer to the entrance, Rebekah paused, turning to look behind her. Kevin stood on the sidewalk, hands on his hips, watching her. Pivoting, she walked toward him—wanting to run—forcing slow, steady steps even though her feet were weighted with an invisible burden. He met her halfway, drawing her into his arms. She moved her hands around his powerful shoulders, felt the hard muscles beneath his shirt. His kiss was gentle, tentative almost. Something passed between them. What it was, she didn’t know, but it was there, strong and real.

“Please don’t go, Rebekah.” It was barely more than a whisper against her cheek. Resting one hand on the side of her face, his features drawn, Kevin’s eyes held a pervasive sadness she couldn’t understand. He dropped his hand and walked back toward his truck. She watched as he climbed in and pulled away, not waving, not looking back.

Rebekah shook her head, one hand moving to her lips. “Go where?”

What inspired this book? I felt the need to bring back Josh, in particular, and have him find his redemption. The basis of the series is based around a couple named Sam Lewis and Lexa Clarke, and their love story is the first book, Awakening. Sam works for a Christian organization called TeamWork Missions. As such, he becomes the leader and mentor of the guys in my series, and Lexa—who met Sam during a fateful San Antonio TeamWork camp—is a mentor for the young women, all of whom are volunteers for TeamWork. Josh was thrown out of the San Antonio work camp by Sam. As Twin Hearts begins, it’s almost five years later, and he’s come to Houston seeking Sam’s forgiveness. Lexa and the TeamWork volunteers rallied around my couple in the second book, Second Time Around, when they were in trouble. Same here, but more so in Josh’s storyline. Josh, in turn, helps and mentors Rebekah. The close, loving, teasing relationship they share is a beautiful thing.

What has been your most challenging experience writing a book? Twin Hearts presented a unique challenge in that it’s actually two love stories taking place at the same time. How to go back and forth between the two without frustrating the reader? I finally realized I needed to do it chronologically, and not worry about giving “equal” time to each couple. In the end, it all works out fine, and I believe I switched the stories at places in the book in the right places. Frequent phone conversations between the twins (and a shared dinner) keep the action moving forward, as well. Because of a pivotal event in the lives of the twins, the stories converge about two-thirds of the way.

What is your favorite thing to write about, (i.e., forgiveness, rebellion, etc.)? Love is my favorite theme, of course (as opposed to “romance”). God first loved us, and the Bible is full of love stories. I personally find nothing more enthralling than a love story. Forgiveness is a big theme for me, and is a part of all my books. I like to believe my books have humor. Nothing brings me greater joy than being able to make the reader smile or laugh. There’s enough sadness in life, and my books don’t shy away from that inevitable part of life, but I also strive to bring hope and light into my stories by presenting characters and stories where people try to do the right thing but sometimes fall short in spectacular fashion. But when they fail, they keep on going.

What do you hope readers will take away from this book? I hope they’ll feel they know my characters, as if they’re real. There’s a shocking, but very sweet surprise revealed in Twin Hearts. One of the takeaways from that storyline (a predominant one) is to show that God’s people aren’t perfect. We sometimes fall prey to the same temptations and sins as others. It’s how we ultimately deal with the consequences of our sin that makes all the difference.

What is your favorite color? I adore all shades of blue. Pink has always been a favorite, but the hope and promise to be found in yellow is incomparable. Green is my next favorite, and it’s the color used on the back cover of Twin Hearts. The significance of the green? Josh and Rebekah Grant share one distinguishing feature—gorgeous emerald eyes flecked with amber.

Do you have a favorite recipe? In honor of Sam Lewis’ great affection and affinity for peaches (which comes into play in Twin Hearts), I’ll share one of the simplest, but most delicious recipes I enjoy: Take two cans of pie filling (e.g., cherry, peach, blueberry, strawberry) and spread the contents out in a 13” by 9” baking dish or pan. Sprinkle a yellow cake mix evenly over the top. Melt a couple of sticks of butter or margarine and pour on top, and try to cover all the dry areas. Bake at 350 degrees until the topping is a light golden brown. It’s delicious either hot or cold, and is a real crowd-pleaser. Top with ice cream or whipped topping. Yummy!

If you could travel back in time when and where would you go? If I want to travel back in history, I read a good historical romance. I’m quite happy and content in the here and now. There’s so much life to live, and I’m finding each new day and year brings new challenges, but also sweet joys and triumphs.

What project are you currently working on? I’m working on my first novella. I love the challenge of making each word count. I also have a stand-alone book I’d like to get published—it’s a romance with a real whopper of a mystery thread. Next up, though, is editing Book #4 in my series, Daydreams. The events take place during the holiday season. I’m so blessed to be able to do what I love and see my books in print! It’s a true joy to write them, and my most fervent prayer is they’ll bless the hearts of my readers.

Thanks for the honor and privilege of sharing with you today. Blessings, friends. Matthew 5:16

Awakening and Second Time Around are now available from Torn Veil Books in both paperback and e-book versions at all major online book retailers, including Amazon and Barnes & Noble. Twin Hearts will be available mid-March.

Short Author Bio: JoAnn Durgin is the author of the popular contemporary romantic adventures, Awakening, and its follow-up, Second Time Around, published by Torn Veil Books. Her third book in the series, Twin Hearts, releases next month. JoAnn, her husband, Jim, and their three children live in her native southern Indiana after living in TX, CA, PA and MA. She likes to say she’s “been around in the nicest sense of the word.” She’s a full-time wealth administration paralegal in a Louisville, Kentucky, law firm, and is a member of the American Christian Fiction Writers and Romance Writers of America. Her books are available at every major online book retailer such as Amazon and Barnes & Noble, both in paperback and electronic versions. Please visit her at www.joanndurgin.com or on Facebook.

Twin Hearts releases on March 15th. JoAnn has kindly offered a winners choice of either Awakening or Second Time around.

At least 10 people need to leave a comment WITH an email address for there to be a contest. OR you can email me at srstormo@yahoo.com and put "Contest - Twin Hearts" in the subject line.

Winner annouced March 11th.

The Lottery Tickets, by Evelyn Mays - FREE eBook

2012-02-29T05:00:00.002-06:00

Tell us about your book.

Harry Pearson woke up feeling out of sorts. Before the day ended, his unusual action—buying lottery tickets—set off a chain of events in the lives of three women. Darcy Tatum, has a sick child, Shelley Calhoun spends more time focusing on her children than her job in the hair salon, and the owner of Daisy's Diner has a people problem—she doesn’t like anyone. As these women struggle with painful life-issues, they interact with people that reach out in Christian love: a caring banker, a life coach, a handsome young doctor, and a very repentant husband are a few of the supporting characters in this story.

Can you give us a sneak peek?

Chapter One

Fidgety.

Fractious.

Unsettled.

Yes. Those words pretty much described his mood, and he couldn't account for the feelings. He wasn’t sick, that much he knew, but something wasn’t quite right. Everything seemed a little—off kilter. Yes, that was the expression.

Well, he’d just have to deal with it; some things are just the way they are. A person couldn't always change the circumstances of life, but he could always call on the Almighty.

Good morning, Father God, Harry Pearson here. Thank you for granting me another day in your world. Dear Lord, I need a special touch from you today, I’m just not feeling so well. Lord forgive this silly old man, you already know all about me. You know about these disturbing feelings that are hanging around me like a cloud and I humbly ask that you take them away and give me the energy to be your servant. Father God, thank you for the blessings you’ve given Edna and me. Amen.

Satisfied that he had delivered his worries to the feet of his Savior, Harry Pearson hurried to the kitchen—if a seventy-two-year-old with arthritic hips and knees could hurry. He was anxious for that first cup of coffee.

One thing about his Edna, she could make a great cup of coffee, even after all these years. At last count, they had been married—well, he’d have to think about it—but somewhere around fifty years. Harry savored each sip of the bold brew until about half the contents of the chunky mug were consumed. Then he reached across the snack bar and turned on the kitchen radio, just in time to catch the beginning of the local early morning news cast.

“Good morning, East Texas! We had a big winner in yesterday’s lottery drawing and some lucky person now has seventy-two million dollars to take to the bank. Yes, that one is over and gone, but now five million dollars is waiting for some lucky winner. But you can't win if you don’t buy a ticket, so pick out your lucky numbers. Now for the weather forecast . . . ”

Harry shook his head, thinking about today’s culture and the pie-in-the-sky attitude of so many people. He’d often heard their comments as they walked away with those little slips of hope grasped tightly.

These are my good numbers!

This is the winning ticket!

It’s my lucky day, I just feel it!

And he’d also seen the more secretive purchasers hurriedly walk away, quickly stuffing the tickets inside a purse or pocket, furtively glancing around in fear of being seen and recognized. Yet still they came and made a down payment on their dreams.

Lord, will they not look to your promises instead?

What inspired this book?

There was a gentleman in our church that talked to God in very a personal way. He always began his prayer with these words. “Good morning Father God”. I wanted to have a character that lived so closely to God, that prayed as if he were talking to his best friend, and The Lottery Tickets is the result. The Lottery Tickets began as a short story and then a novel of 85,000 words.

What has been your most challenging experience writing a book?

I guess there is more than one challenge when writing. Technically—it’s the first chapter. I find myself continuing to refine and re-edit the first page. It’s hard to find the words that will hook the reader with such curiosity they want to keep reading.

Time is also a challenge. Even though I am retired and have plenty of time for writing, I cannot allow this present occupation to control my life. This is very important to me, but never as important as my family.

And then there’s the psychological challenge—doubt. Self-doubt is a favorite tool of Satan, and sometimes after a particularly good writing session, Satan wakes me in the wee hours of the morning with questions.

What do you think you are doing? Who is going to read what you write. Get over yourself and go back to being a housewife!

Satan can certainly twists our uncertainties into a tornado of doubt. The answer to that is simple—prayer.

I have learned that writing is a craft that must be learned through trial and error. I’m very thankful for the fine authors who have published such good instruction books to help others learn the craft.

What is your favorite thing to write about, (i.e., forgiveness, rebellion, etc)?

I love to write about the personal relationships between people. I like to write about the good times and the bad times, and how these issues are handled. I love to insert an element of danger and mystery—although those elements are not a part of The Lottery Tickets. Each author of Christian fiction has a different role to play. I want to write a good story, an engaging story that is not populated with four letter words and graphic sex. All of my main characters will either find salvation, or will deepen their relationship with God. With the exception of a minister in another series there isn’t any preaching—I just want to tell a good story and share the lives of Christian people.

What do you hope readers will take away from this book?

I write to entertain—and I hope they are entertained, but also, I want people to look at others before we judge them. I hope the readers can feel the pain of characters like Daisy Benson and as we learn her back story, understand that everyone carries a load of trouble. Perhaps we could be a little kinder to that abrupt or rude person who may have a lot of emotional or physical pain to deal with. Is there a happy ending for everyone in life as there usually is in a novel? Not necessarily, but we must always understand that God knows the beginning and the end.

What is your favorite color?

I have a degree in Interior Design, and have learned the strange emotions that color can evoke. In decorating, I like monochromatic color schemes as a quiet background for an unusual pop of color. My traditional answer to that question is blue and I wear many shades of blue—but I never use it in decorating (for the Mays family) except as an accent color. Yellow makes me happy, but I also use it sparingly in decorating and in apparel. This time of year, as we drive about the county on the back roads, I’m filled with great pleasure at the beauty of a newly greening field. It is a reminder that God has something new for us after a long hard winter—or an intense summer drought. Such along answer to a simple question—sorry.

Do you have a favorite recipe?

I’m a creative cook—always changing recipes to fit the ingredients on hand—and usually it’s edible. Lately, we have opted for non-traditional holiday meals and serve a full array of brunch dishes instead. I have several breakfast casseroles and bread recipes that I bake, but our favorite is cheese grits served with a side of tomato gravy.

If you could travel back in time when and where would you go?

I’m quite content living in the here and now. I like central heat, air-conditioning, indoor plumbing, deodorant and penicillin. I can’t imagine riding in an open wagon, or on horseback or walking to the next town. I like pedicures, perms and finding a great BOGO sale on clothing.

What project are you currently working on?

A series of books set in Three Bridges, Texas. The first of these, Blueberry Fields, is scheduled to be published later this year. To date, there are five novels in this series, and more are planned. They will be released on Kindle during the next two years.

Evelyn has offered to giveaway one free ebook. Contest rules: at least 10 people need to leave comments WITH email addresses for there to be a contest. OR you can email me at srstormo@yahoo.com and put "Contest - Lottery" in the subject line. Winner announced March 7th.

Note: Book to release on or around March 15th.

Heart of Honor, by Connie Stevens - FREE BOOK

2012-02-25T05:00:00.002-06:00

Tell us about your book.

HEART OF HONOR is releasing very soon and it is the first in a three-book historical series (published with Heartsong Presents). Heart of Honor takes place in the north Georgia mountains in 1838—at the time of the Trail of Tears. The heroine, Abigail Locke, is the daughter of an army colonel. Her father feels it’s unsafe for Abby to remain at the fort during this uncertain time, and sends her to stay with a spinster aunt. All of Abby’s arguments won’t change his mind. The guide who is to escort Abby and her traveling companion to Raleigh is a dishonorably-discharged army officer, Nathaniel Danfield. Nathaniel thinks Abby is head-strong and spoiled. But when they run into difficulties on the trail and Nathaniel is shot by bandits, he sees a whole different side of her. When Abby loses items that are dear to her, Nathaniel wants to prove to her that he is an honorable man, regardless of the way the army has branded him.

Can you give us a sneak peek?

Father cleared his throat. “Mrs. Cobb, where is this man you’ve hired to act as your guide? I must satisfy myself that my daughter will be in good hands.”

Abby bit her lip to restrain the grin that was tugging the corners of her mouth. “If he doesn’t meet with your satisfaction, does that mean I can stay, Father?”

As expected, his jaw muscles twitched and his chin jutted out. Father turned a stern glare in her direction and with a purposeful shove, maneuvered her satchel into the back of the wagon. His lips, pressed into a tight, thin line, almost disappeared under his mustache.

At that moment, a tall, slender young man stepped out the door of the sutler’s store carrying a large crate filled with supplies and food stuffs. Abby’s breath caught. Mesmerizing hazel eyes glanced her way and held her captive for a split second. His sandy brown hair curled over his collar and the breeze blew one lock in his eye. He stepped around her, carrying the box toward the tailgate.

“Excuse me, Miss.”

The intonation of his voice rippled through Abby as she watched him heft the load with ease. Staring was impolite. Abby mentally reprimanded herself but her gaze refused to listen. The young man stepped to the side of the wagon and checked the lashings securing the water barrel. It wasn’t his muscular build that she studied. Abby couldn’t take her eyes off his uniform. Darkened areas of material on his shoulders and arms traced the places where epaulets and rank insignias had been removed. Even the brass buttons bearing the army crest were missing, replaced with wooden pegs inserted through the buttonholes to keep his shirt closed. Raised on a dozen different army posts, nobody had to explain to Abby why his shirt was devoid of military displays.

The young man tugged the brim of his hat at Abby. “Miss Locke?”

Before Abby could reply, Father stepped between her and the man. “What is the meaning of this? Mrs. Cobb, do you know who, or should I say what, this man is?”

Florrie lifted her hem as she stepped down from the boardwalk. “Well, of course, I do, Colonel. This is--”

“I know who he is.” Father’s voice lost its usual bellow. Instead, he lowered it to an ominous cross between a hiss and a growl that raised the hairs on the back of Abby’s neck. “His name is Nathaniel Danfield. I had business at Fort Reed the day he was stripped of his commission and dishonorably discharged.” Father’s back was as rigid as a flagpole. “Mrs. Cobb, surely this isn’t the man you’ve hired to act as an escort for my daughter and yourself all the way to Raleigh.”

What inspired this book? I live within shoutin’ distance of the north Georgia mountains. The area is rich in history and legends. One of the threads of the Georgia tapestry is the Cherokee nation and the way they were stripped of their land and forced into the long journey we know as the Trail of Tears where so many died.

What has been your most challenging experience writing a book? You mean other than having to stop to do laundry, cook meals, and run errands? The biggest challenge for me is also one of the biggest joys. I love doing the historical research, but it can also take over my entire focus. When I was researching for HEART OF HONOR, I needed information about sawmills in the 1830’s. How were they built, what kinds of blades did they use, how were the blades powered, how did they feed the logs in, what kind of timber did they use to make planks for housing? The questions were endless. I also needed to know what the sawmill sounded like, and I found a website where they had a video of a working restored sawmill from 1837. I played the video over and over, listening to the machinery clacking away. Suddenly I was startled by a strange noise and I momentarily didn’t know what it was. The telephone rang.

What is your favorite thing to write about, (i.e., forgiveness, rebellion, etc)? One of the things that God has taught me over the past seven years is one of my favorite things to write about—trust. I’ve tried to show through my stories that God is worthy of our trust, even when we can’t see around the bend in the road.

What do you hope readers will take away from this book? When circumstances appear bleak, they aren’t hopeless. God is our strength and refuge, even when we don’t understand “why”.

What is your favorite color? Hmm, the past few years I’ve been learning to like purple, but I think I’d have to say my favorite is sage green.

Do you have a favorite recipe?

HOT CHICKEN SALAD

3 or 4 cooked chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces

¼ cup chopped onion

¾ cup chopped celery

½ cup slivered almonds

Salt and pepper to taste

A few dashes of poultry seasoning

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 cup sour cream

1 ½ cups shredded cheddar

1 seven-oz bag potato chips

Mix chicken, veggies, almonds and seasoning in large bowl. Combine soup and sour cream in small bowl. Blend in half the cheese. Pour soup mixture over chicken mixture and blend well. Spread in a lightly greased 9X13 casserole dish. Sprinkle remaining cheese over the top. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Remove from oven. Crush potato chips and sprinkle over the top. Return to oven for another 15-20 minutes.

If you could travel back in time when and where would you go? Wow, what a question! There are so many eras of our country’s history that intrigue me. I love the Revolutionary period when America was struggling for independence. The Civil War era was so tragic for our country, as was the Great Depression. So hard to choose, but I think it would have to be the late 19th century when the country was recovering from war and making great strides toward what and who we are today.

What project are you currently working on? I am currently working on the third book in my historical north Georgia series. HEART OF HONOR, which releases in a few days, is set in 1838. Book two, HARVEST OF HOPE, is set 22 years later in 1860, just before the outbreak of the Civil War. I’m working on book three of the series, HARBINGER OF HEALING, which is set in 1870, 6 years after the war. HARBINGER OF HEALING is schedule to release in September.

Come visit my website at http://www.conniestevenswrites.com and look for me on Facebook.

Connie has been nice enough to offer one free book to a lucky winner. At least 10 people need to leave a comment with an email address for there to be a contest. OR you can email me at srstormo@yahoo.com and put "contest and the book's name in the subject line. Winner announced March 4th.

This book can be purchased by clicking on this link.
http://www.barbourbooks.com/

Because of Me, by Fay Lamb - FREE eBOOK

2012-02-18T05:00:00.002-06:00

Tell us about your book.

Because of Me was birthed when the hero, Michael Hayes, came onto the stage of my imagination and said, “There’s a young boy, Cole. I’m not his father, but he’s definitely on this earth because of me. I allowed something horrible to happen to his mother, but I still love her. I despise the kid, though. I’ve forgiven another for so much more, and Cole’s only fault is that his father is the man who took everything from me. How can I learn to love this child and protect his mother from the man who can again take her from me?”

Michael’s story captivated me, and when it was all said and done, I realized that Romans 8:28 permeates the pages of this story. All things, both the good and the bad, are used by God for our good.

Can you give us a sneak peek?

From the first chapter:

“Michael.” Issie bolted upright in bed, fighting the blankets and gasping for air. She ran her hand across her mouth and scanned the darkness enveloping her room.

Her breath, harsh at first, settled into a normal rhythm. She had nothing to fear. “Michael,” she choked out his name again then settled back down and curled into a ball.

She’d clung to the memory of his handsome face, but with each passing year he slipped further away. The desperate yearning to see him took her breath away.

One thing she’d never forget was the way his eyes, the color of dark chocolate, always followed her lips when she spoke, as if he wanted to kiss them long and deep. He’d loved her then. She loved him now.

Another face fought to replace her treasured memory. She shuddered and closed her eyes, fighting the vision of Tom Jervis on top of her, taking everything she’d saved for Michael—for their marriage bed. Everything she desired fell out of reach on that night.

“Mommy?” the frightened voice sounded from the hallway.

“Cole, I’m here. What is it?”

With bare feet, her seven-year-old plopped across the wood floor and over the old woolen rug to her bed. “Are you okay?”

Issie turned on her bed stand lamp. A soft light shone from beneath the green glass top, illuminating his sleepy face and tired soul-filled gray eyes.

“I had another bad dream.” She scooted over, and he climbed up beside her.

The nightmare had vanished for such a long time. Why was it resurfacing now? Could you call them dreams if the events really happened?

“Mommy, who’s Michael?”

She stiffened. He’d never asked that question. Had she not cried out for Michael in the night before? How could she answer? Yet, not responding might alarm him since he heard her call out the name. “Yeah, baby, I do.”

He rolled over to face her. “Your bad dreams are about him?”

She touched her finger to his nose. “No, they aren’t about him, but he’s in them. Having him there makes it better for me.”

Better for her, but not for Michael. What had it cost him to watch Jervis do what he’d done to her?

“How does he make it better?”

Issie pushed her boy’s shaggy blond hair from his face. He needed a haircut, but he wanted it long until the end of the baseball season. His helmet fit better, he said.

“How does he make it better?” He repeated, propping himself up on one elbow. “Did he help you?”

A vision of Michael branded her memory—the tears in his eyes, the rage in the flare of his nostrils, and the sorrow in the turn of his lips.

“No, but he would if he could.” She pressed her chin against the top of Cole’s head and wrapped her arms around his pint-size body, drawing comfort from his warmth and concern. Cole was a good boy. No one could tell her differently. “In my dream, Michael’s having a tough time too, maybe worse than Mommy.”

“Where does Michael live?” He yawned and turning, he faced away from her, his little body curving with hers.

“I don’t know where he is today.” At least that was the truth now. “I haven’t seen him in over seven years.” Since his release from prison, Issie had no idea where he’d gone.

“Oh,” he said. His breathing soon settled into a sweet rhythm of sleep.

“Michael.” She breathed the name. As she’d done since the day she learned she carried a boy, she imagined Michael embracing her son and accepting him as his own. The fantasy, though, was too fantastic for even her to believe.

What inspired this book?

There are several issues covered in this story, but deep down, I think Because of Me came about because my two boys were like Cole, the young boy in the story. In fact, my youngest son—the one who really never had the favor of his natural father—his middle name is Cole. My boys needed a man in their lives who would love them unconditionally, who would nurture and care for them, and show a Christ-like example of a true father. My husband, Marc, stepped into that role when my children were six and four years old, and he’s never let those boy think for a moment that he wasn’t as much their dad as the man they share DNA with.

Still, there’s so much more to Because of Me. It’s a story of forgiveness, the depths of which some may never experience, and the story will renew your faith in the Lord’s design for us. After all, God is always in the details whether you recognize it or not.

What has been your most challenging experience writing a book?

Everyone has an opinion, and they are always greatly appreciated. However, it is important that a writer have enough confidence in what they have to say that no one can change the message God has placed on her heart. I didn’t always have that confidence.

What is your favorite thing to write about, (i.e., forgiveness, rebellion, etc)?

I love to tell a story that shows the intricate and personal way God works in our lives. Hurting people don’t always see it until the pain is lifted, and I love to paint a picture that shows them that God does care about them where they were, where they are at the moment, and where they will be in the future.

What do you hope readers will take away from this book?

With God there is always hope.

What is your favorite color?

Like my hero, Michael, my favorite color is blue.

Do you have a favorite recipe?

Women who don’t cook fear recipes. My husband jokes that our kitchen is actually in the restaurant we visit an average of three nights a week.

If you could travel back in time when and where would you go?

I’d travel back to July 11, 1986, the night I fell in love with my real-life hero who became my husband.

What project are you currently working on?

I have completed a second romantic suspense, Willow’s Path, and two contemporary romances, Charisse and Liberty. Currently, I’m working on two other romantic suspense novels and the last story in the contemporary romance series while editing a contemporary fiction entitled, Storms in Serenity. Beyond that I am excitedly looking forward to delving into a novel that includes the intriguing world of professional surfing.

Because of Me:

Issie Putnam’s life took a detour the night she was raped at gunpoint in front of her fiancé, Michael Hayes. Instead of marrying Michael, a promising young investigative reporter, Michael, along with the man who attacked her, and the man who held the gun on Michael, are imprisoned for conspiracy to assassinate the local district attorney—a crime Michael was trying to expose but had no intention of committing. Issie’s name is ruined, she lost her perfectly-planned future, but she gained Cole, her son—born of that rape.

On the eve of her attacker’s parole, Michael, already released from prison, follows through on his plan to return to the small town of Amazing Grace and protect Issie from the madman who promised to seek revenge. There, he meets Issie’s seven-year-old son for the first time.

Can Michael learn to love the child Issie holds so close to her heart? Will Michael be able to protect the woman he loves from the man who will stop at nothing to destroy them all?

Fay Lamb works as an acquisition/copyeditor for Pelican Book Group (White Rose Publishing and Harbourlight Books), offers her services as a freelance editor, and is an author of Christian romance and romantic suspense. Her emotionally charged stories remind the reader that God is always in the details. Because of Me, her debut romantic suspense novel is soon to be released by Treble Heart Books/Mountainview Publishing.

Fay has a passion for working with and encouraging fellow writers. As a member of American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW), she co-moderates the large Scribes’ Critique Group and manages the smaller Scribes’ critique groups. For her efforts, she was the recipient of the ACFW Members Service Award in 2010.

In 2012, Fay was also elected to serve as secretary on ACFW’s Operating Board.

Fay and her husband, Marc, reside in Titusville, Florida, where multi-generations of their families have lived. The legacy continues with their two married sons and five grandchildren.

Fay has kindly offered to giveaway one free e-book. At least 10 people need to leave comments WITH email addresses for there to be a contest OR email me at srstormo@yahoo.com and put "Contest - Because of me" in the subject line. Winner announced Feb 26th.

Goodbye Noel, by Nike Chillemi - FREE eBOOK

2012-02-12T05:00:00.004-06:00

Salena: Tell us about your book.

Nike: This novel resonated with me on a really deep level. I so wanted things to come out right for the heroine. I wanted her to find true love and to be able to give her heart to the hero. Every time I put an obstacle in her way, I so hoped she'd overcome it. I'll give you a short synopsis of the story.

GOODBYE NOEL Blurb: Historical Romantic Thriller

The first body is found under a trimmed Christmas tree, the second as they ring in the New Year (1947), the third goes head long out a window. Will a young pediatric nurse determined to make it on her own be able to care for an infant whose mother was murdered and escape the killer who has struck again? Can she trust the stalwart village detective with her life and her heart as he works to catch this killer before somebody else dies?

Pediatric nurse, Katrina Lenart, grew up strong willed and independent minded, while sharing her mother's flair for high fashion. When the police chief gives her an orphaned baby to care for, her maternal instincts take over and she's willing to fight anyone who might not have the infant's best interests at heart, even the man she's growing to love. After an attempt is made to kidnap the baby, she and the resolute village detective team up and do some sleuthing, undercover at a cult as well as at a fancy ball.

Detective Ian Daltry is a widower with a child and is not interested in a new love. Hunting a killer who stops at nothing has placed him in the position where he must protect a beautiful young woman he's drawn to. Is there's something he's overlooked in analyzing the case? Will he find out what that is before this ruthless murderer kills someone he loves?

Salena: Can you give us a sneak peek?

Nike: Sure, I'd love to show you an excerpt. This is Chapter 5, Long Island, NY, late December, 1947. At the local police chief's command, just the day before Katrina has driven through a raging blizzard with Ian to take an orphaned infant to the local hospital for a physical checkup. Now the detective is back.

Katrina wanted to throw Detective Daltry into a snow bank. The nerve of him, barging into their house twice in two days, demanding she bundle the baby up and take him into the cold. How could that man not recall their harrowing, nighttime drive through the storm of the decade? She tossed her hair back over her shoulder, and with great difficulty held her tongue.

Momma apparently had no such reservations. "Detective, what you are doing is very wrong."

Katrina came up beside her mother, to show a united front. "This is outrageous." Her eyes narrowed and she crossed her arms over her chest. She hated the tone of her voice, but this baby wasn't a ping-pong ball to be batted back and forth as the detective moved forward with his murder case.

He ignored her and continued addressing her mother.

"I'm sorry, ma'am." He removed his fedora. "Chief Ferguson has already made the necessary phone calls and arrangements have been made. I must take Leslie Janos Bauer with me to the home of his aunt in Bay Shore. The chief would prefer your daughter come along in an official capacity as a nurse. It's up to her, but I have to take the baby."

Momma's face flushed beet-red, a sure sign she'd become enraged. "This is not good for him… this hustle from place to place."

"With all due respect, ma'am, a child belongs with his family, if at all possible." The detective took a step toward Katrina. "Now, will you please fetch the baby." It wasn't a request.

Katrina made sure she stood tall. "Yes, I'll get Leslie." She clenched her fists at her side and jutted her chin. "This is disgraceful. You are using this infant to solve your murder case. Perhaps your own tragic life experience clouds your judgment?"

His mouth fell open and he took a step back.

"If you have it within your heart, give me one minute. I'll get him ready and get my coat and boots on." Without giving him a chance to reply, Katrina turned and stormed up the stairs.

Leslie lay sleeping in the baby-doll cradle Poppa had made for her when she was a little girl. Poppa had that kind of talent. He could make anything. In her heart she knew, he'd figured it would be her baby's bassinet. At least now, it had a real purpose. She ran a finger over the hand carved leaves in the headboard.

"Milachku, time to wake up." She took the infant into her arms inhaling the smell of baby, sweeter than the most expensive imported perfume.

Leslie yawned and she snuggled her nose in the soft folds of skin between his head and shoulder, kissing his neck. He cooed, so safe in her arms.

She brought him to her heart, holding him, rocking him and spoke softly to her reflection in the mirror above her bureau. "Fat chance I'll ever walk down the aisle or have a family of my own with the man shortage since the war." Something deep in the core of her female-self rebelled, a throbbing turbulence, from which deep hunger erupted.

She stroked Leslie's cheek and made a funny face. The softness of his skin melted her heart.

He smiled at her and kicked.

"I'm so sorry. I promised I'd protect you and I can't." She forced a smile and made clucking noises.

He grabbed her hair and yanked.

"Ouch." She laughed, removing strands of her hair from his little fist.

A tear escaped and ran down the side of her cheek. "I can do this." She lifted her chin, sucked in a long breath, wrap ed Leslie in a heavy quilt, and picked up his tote bag.

Salena: What inspired this book?

Nike: I like to read and write character driven crime fiction stories. Take a complex character, perhaps with some quirky personality traits and drop him or her into the middle of the action. That's what I did with GOODBYE NOEL. I had a great time creating Katrina Lenart and Ian Daltry, both of them deep, three dimensional characters, and then brought them to the scene of a henious murder. They are forced to interact and discover each other as they try to catch a killer before there is another murder.

Salena: What has been your most challenging experience writing a book?

Nike: I wanted my main characters to be believable, warts and all, yet also sympathetic. So, I'd say the hardest part was showing their less than perfect side and yet somehow getting the reader to cheer them on. There were times when they might not be so likeable in their actions, still I think the reader will understand their inner turmoil and route for them. I wanted to show how two ordinary people could rise up, face evil, and do the right thing. A difficult challenge.

Salena: What is your favorite thing to write about, (i.e., forgiveness, rebellion, etc)?

Nike: The main theme in both of my novels, I think, is that LOVE triumphs over all. There is nothing that can stand up to love. Nothing can defeat love. I try to show that if my characters love, even if the villain or antagonist wounds them, still my heroine and hero win. They win because they love. A secondary theme in all my novels is to champion the victim. Someone in my novel will always stand for the rights of the victim. One of my main characters will speak on behalf of the victim.

Salena: What do you hope readers will take away from this book?

Nike: Hope. I purpose in my writing that my readers will take away hope. GOODBYE NOEL is set at the close of WWII, a time when our nation was recovering from the great and devestation losses of the war. And yet, it is a time of great courage and optimism in America. The people of that time were a get up and go generation. They strove to make something of themselves and of this nation. I hope my characters reflect the spirit of that era. Right now this country is facing a very difficult time. I hope this story transmits a little bit of can do spirit of an earlier era.

Salena: What is your favorite color?

Nike: I mostly wear black. That's the uniform in New York City, where I live. It's also slimming. However, I also wear royal blue. I love a velvet or velour royal blue top with black slacks. This past summer I got into pink, in teeny-weeny amounts. I'll wear an entirely black outfit and add a splash of hot pink.

Salena: Do you have a favorite recipe?

Nike: I'm a foodie. I like to cook. I like things I can whip up at a moment's notice and serve to family and friends. I'll create a Roasted Chicken Pasta dish with Alfredo Sauce at the drop of a hat. My husband is Italian-American so he really loves that. My family's heritage is Slavic. I can also whip up a mean Beef Stroganoff. If there's an ingredient I can't live without it's sour cream. I throw that into anything that needs to become creamy or needs thickening.

Salena: If you could travel back in time when and where would you go?

Nike: I'd go back to the late 1940s in America, to the setting of my novels GOODBYE NOEL and BURNING HEARTS. I love that era. I love the pluck of Americans then. Americans were a classy people then. The fashion of that period was classic and really hot. The slang was so upbeat.

Salena: What project are you currently working on?

Nike: I'm working on two projects. HUNTING DANGER is a contemporary novel set in Brooklyn, NY. It's heroine, Phoebe Andropolis, is a feisty NYPD detective in the elite Special Investigations Unit. Think the roller coaster ride of Janet Evonovich, but think clean. I'm also working on a new historical series set in the 1950s. The heroine is out of work and becomes a private detective almost by default.

Author Bio:
Nike Chillemi has been called a crime fictionista due to her passion for crime fiction. She was an Inspy Awards 2010 judge in the Suspense/Thriller/Mystery category and a judge in the 2011 Carol Awards in the suspense, mystery, and romantic suspense categories. She is the founding board member of the Grace Awards and its Chairman, a reader's choice awards for excellence in Christian fiction. She writes book reviews for The Christian Pulse online magazine. BURNING HEARTS is the first book in the crime wave that is sweeping the south shore of Long Island in The Sanctuary Point series, published by Desert Breeze. GOODBYE NOEL, the second book in the series was released in December, 2011. She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) and the Edgy Christian Fiction Lovers (Ning).

Nike has been kind enough to give away one free ebook. At least 10 people need to leave comments WITH email addresses for there to be a contest. OR you can email me at srstormo@yahoo.com and put "contest - Noel" in the subject line. Winner announced 2/19/12

Bread Upon the Water, by Deanna Klingel

2012-02-11T05:00:00.002-06:00

Tell us about your book.

Bread Upon the Water is the true story of a boy in South Vietnam who has a calling to the priesthood. When the North Vietnamese Communists invade and overpower the country, Tien has no choice but to escape, in order to follow God's call. It takes two escape attempts, a debilitating disease, a hurricane at sea, dehydration, starvation, imprisonment, separation from his family,near death experiences, and a couple of miracles before Tien makes it to the U.S. There he meets his next nemesis- the English language.

A sneak peak? Okay.

The neighbor pounded at the doorway, shouting into their house, “Hurry, Pham Toá, gather your children. There is no time. They’re approaching. Run!” Pham Toá crossed herself and quickly gathered all the children.

“Run,” she said. “Fast as you can. Run to the Church and hide.” Along with all their neighbors, Tiến’s family ran across the market to their church. No one knew what would happen when the army arrived. The President of South Vietnam had commanded all the villages not to resist when the North Vietnamese army invaded their villages, hoping there would be less bloodshed.

“Will we all be shot?” they wondered aloud.

“They’re going to burn our homes.”

“Are we going to be prisoners?” The thoughts were terrifying. Young children clung to their parents who helped their elderly into hiding.

“I’ll not let them torture my children,” screamed one of the women, running with a knife in her hand.

Crouching silently and praying in the darkened basement of their church, Tiển and his family huddled tightly together, barely breathing. They kept watch from tiny darkened windows. The terror was so complete that even the babies were silent. Some of the adults were shaking. They were all praying, Buddhists and Catholics. Tien watched a woman pull a rosary from her pocket made of grains of rice. No one would ever be suspicious of a pocket full of rice.

“They are here. I can see them,” whispered Tiến to Phương, from his lookout place.

“What’re they doing?” she whispered behind him.

“They’re on foot! They’re walking around on foot in small groups. They aren’t marching. They don’t look like a fighting army,” he whispered in her ear. Phuong kept her hands over her eyes.

“The soldiers are all clean; their uniforms are cleaned and pressed,” said a neighbor woman who squinted through a crack in the door. “Doesn’t look like fighting to me. Not like a war.”

“Do they have guns?” someone asked.

“They’re armed, yes, but the guns are hanging loosely at their sides. They look like tourists,” Tiến whispered to them nervously.

“That’s right,” the neighbor agreed. “They just look around and walk slow.”

The soldiers looked around at the houses, peeked inside them, and walked through the market place. They seemed to be puzzled about what they were seeing. The frightened villagers peering out from the church peep holes saw the soldiers pointing, gesturing, and talking quietly to each other.

The church building where the villagers were hiding was a large, two-story, brick building. The church was upstairs, the school was downstairs. Frightened and displaced villagers crowded into the seven large classrooms of the school. As the quiet ensued, the nervous people looked out the door, and seeing no threatening armies, began slowly and quietly returning to their homes. The soldiers didn’t stop them. They watched them treading hesitantly and fearfully back to their homes.

“We’ll go home now,” whispered Pham Toá. “Be strong. Be brave. God be with us.”

Tiến’s family moved quickly from the church yard, across the market, and back to their home. Pham Toá’s market tables were still set up with her colorful displays of fruits and vegetables. She’d recently added more merchandise to her display including household items, clothing, and sandals.

Four soldiers approached her market table. They were talking and gesturing to each other. Tiến squatted beneath the table and listened to what they were saying. He could see their faces through the cracks in the tables. He was surprised to see what they looked like.

“Where is this poverty that we must liberate these peasants from? I see no poverty here.” The soldier said. He looked around at the substantial housing and colorful marketplace, and spat on the ground.

“There’s no squalor that disgraces our country. This place is clean and healthy,” said the second soldier, gesturing with his hand towards the swept yards and absence of trash. Tiến thought the soldiers sounded annoyed by this discovery, as if they wanted it to look trashy.

“Look inside this house.” He pointed into the door of the Dương’s home. “The floor is tile from the door to the end.”

“A tile floor? These people aren’t poor. These aren’t the homes of stupid indigent peasants.”

The soldier with a puzzled demeanor scratched his head.

“Could it be the government told us wrong? Is it possible that these Vietnamese countrymen aren’t our enemy?”

“This is confusing,” the fourth soldier said, looking around at the well-organized village. “But, no, the communist government is never wrong. The NLF knows all. We are never wrong. Never!”

“That’s right,” they all agreed.

“Here, woman,” the first soldier said. “I want to buy these sandals.” He held four pair of sandals in his hand. He sneered condescendingly at Pham Toá. He turned to the second soldier and winked his eye. Tiến peered at them from under the table. He saw the soldier whisper to the others.

“The poor woman will be grateful that I give her any money. These pitiful peasants are always groveling, and now they’ll see that their new government is generous to them. They’ll be better off now that we have liberated them. They’ll be grateful to us.” He grinned at Pham Toa.

Tiến watched as the soldier reached into his shirt pocket and proudly presented Pham Toá with the small amount of money he had. She looked at the money disdainfully. A couple of the children muffled their laughter, knowing that the amount didn’t pay for even one pair of the fine sandals. Tiến was outraged that the soldier would offer such an insulting pittance to his mother.

“No,” said Pham Toá proudly. “You may keep your money. I don’t need it, and I have many sandals. You may keep these sandals.” She gave him a dismissive wave of her hand.

She ushered her family into the house leaving the soldier, embarrassed, with his puzzled comrades. Her quiet, stoical children wanted to cheer her, but they moved quietly into the house and resisted looking back at the humiliated soldiers. Tiến was proud of his mother’s courage. She held her head high, but once inside the house, she collapsed in the chair and covered her face. Her children gathered around her, whispering and celebrating her small victory. They were all proud of her. Her hands trembled. Theirs patted her shoulders, congratulating her.

What inspired this book?

The inspiration for this book was Father Tien himself. He was our pastor for two years. He's a holy and inspiring man, and extremely humble. He's the last person who would consider himself a hero or a model for faith. But he is. I convinced him to share his story with me so we could share it with young readers.

What has been your most challenging experience writing a book?

Probably the biggest challenge with any book is getting it to a publisher. But besides that, I think it's a huge challenge to pare down the volumes of research into the tiny bit that actually enhances the story.

What is your favorite thing to write about (i.e, forgiveness, rebellion, etc.)?

Hmm. I like writing about humanness. Is that a word? It's the feelings that make us human, our souls, perhaps. It's the experiences that make people who they are. In the Avery and Gunner stories it was Avery's growth from boyhood to manhood, the sum of his experiences during the war and how it helped him to be the man he became. It was how his belief in God influenced his decisions, and how those decisions decided his future. In Bread Upon the Water, it's Tien's determination to follow God's call, and his faith that enabled him to endure the many hardships.

What do you hope readers will take away from this book?

My hope for this book is that it will inspire young readers to examine their own faith. Tien, as a young boy, as a teenager, was just like them. He was angry at what was happening politically. He felt helpless at times, overwhelmed, and often confused, listening to all the propaganda and differing opinions. His world was being destroyed. He had a calling and a dream of following it. But most of us don't know we have the capacity for the amount of faith Tien had to face his future. Trust in God was all he had. I hope my readers will see how that could work for them.

What is your favorite color?

I'm not sure. My favorite vegetable color is green. My favorite jeans color is blue. My favorite flower color is coral, favorite dog color, golden. My favorite sock color is all of them and I like red anything. Except nail polish. I really don't like red nail polish.

Do you have a favorite recipe?

What's on the menu?

If you could travel back in time when and where would you go?

I recently finished a rewrite of a short story, Rebecca & Heart, which is on Storyrealm.com. I've rewritten it as a full length novel during war time England. I was fascinated by the things I discovered. It must have been a frightening time, but the people were so committed, so brave. And I would like to have met Winston Churchill. I might like a visit there, then. With a gas mask, of course.

What project are you currently working on?

I constantly read, re-read, cut and paste, reword, all my work, all the time. But, my focus right now is launching Bread Upon the Water. My project is keeping my frustration under control. The book was supposed to be out between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Then Christmas. Then before New Year's. Then by February. It still isn't out. I don't know why. I've got other manuscripts out that I'm waiting to hear about and one going to contract. I travel nearly every weekend to Civil War re-enactments, living histories at museums and National Parks, and do school visits with the Avery and Gunner books. You can find me on the last page of my website http://www.booksbydeanna.com/.
I might be in your area. I'd love to meet you.

Warring Spirits, by April Gardner

2012-02-04T05:00:00.001-06:00

Tell us about your book.

That’s a dangerous question! I might never shut up. 

My latest adult novel is a historical romance set in 1816 Negro Fort across the Spanish Floridas border. Milly, a woman whose African heritage would be hidden except for her textured hair, has run away from her master and sought refuge at Negro Fort. She vows to die before returning to slavery. Major Phillip Bailey stumbles upon her the dark of night outside the fort. Unaware that she’s actually a slave, he sets out tor “rescue her” from the escaped slaves controlling the fort. But will he be able to do so before his detachment opens fire?

Can you give us a sneak peek?

Sure! Here’s that forest scene where Philip and Milly meet…

Unless the encroaching night was playing tricks on him, this woman was white. Not the midnight skin of a runaway or the smooth olive of a Spaniard, but white. Nearly as white as Phillip.

He settled the butt of his musket at his feet. “Ma’am? What are you doing out here?”

Her struggle grew more desperate until the sound of ripping preceded her tumble. Mostly hidden by palmettos, she scooted backward on the ground.

Still many yards distant, Phillip reached a hand to her, unable to imagine why she might be afraid of him. “I won’t hurt—”

A black man, large as a bear, darted from behind a thick pine to Phillip’s right. His sprint carried him across Phillip’s path and directly toward the woman.

“No! Get away.” Her words came out a garbled croak.

“Halt!” Phillip flipped the weapon back into position and aimed it at the slave’s chest.

Unfazed, he kept moving and would have intercepted the woman except for the stone she hurled. It thudded off his shoulder and stopped him dead in his tracks.

He swiveled to face Phillip, who had shortened the distance between them, his eye never leaving the musket’s sites. “One more step, and before the night's out, I’ll bury you where you stand.”

The man’s shoulders rose and fell with each rapid breath, but his stony face showed no fear. “Then you bettah do it. Otherwise, it’ll be you what's buried. See, I plan to make it to that fort, and losin’ my life to do it is no mattuh to me.”

Phillip’s brother, Dixon, had often said that a man who didn’t value his own life made the most dangerous of enemies. This one wouldn’t live long enough to become that. Phillip leveled his musket’s barrel at the big man’s heart.

In response, he took a single step forward.

“Don’t shoot!” The woman stumbled forward, placing herself between the runaway and the iron-tipped muzzle.

Reflexively, he skipped to the side to maintain his aim on the man. “Step away, ma’am. Don’t want you hurt.” What was she thinking?

She mirrored his movements, keeping herself between them. “No one needs to get hurt.”

“Move away from him, and let me handle this.”

She faced Phillip, her large brown eyes pleading. “Let him go. Please.”

“Woman, are you crazy?” The black man voiced Phillip’s own thoughts.

She was either insane or suffering from over-exposure.

Weapon still trained on the runaway, Phillip took a quick step forward and flailed at her, trying to grab her by the arm.

She skittered to the side, and he swiped nothing but air.

“Get out of the way,” he snapped. Not one of his men would have dared defy his command, yet this woman stood her ground.

She backed further away from him and dangerously close to the black man. “He didn’t run a hundred miles just to be shot down defenseless in the woods a day away from the only chance at freedom he’ll ever have.” Her voice shook, but her rigid back told Phillip she wouldn’t give in any time soon.

What inspired this book?

It is too cliché to say God? I needed a sequel to Wounded Spirits, the first in the Creek Country Saga. Fourteen thousand words into the new book, I KNEW it wasn’t the story I was supposed to be writing. So I stopped and reopened my research books. That’s when I came across Negro Fort. I’d read about it half a dozen times before during research, but this time, it leapt off the pages at me and screamed, “Write me!!” So I did.

What has been your most challenging experience writing a book?

The ending to Warring Spirits was a bear! I rewrote it four times, but I’m so glad I did. Many readers have told me what a satisfying ending it has. Praise God!

What is your favorite thing to write about, (i.e., forgiveness, rebellion, etc)?

History! In my opinion, a story doesn’t have much appeal unless it’s based on real events. Taking details from history and weaving them through my characters lives is what it’s all about for me!

What do you hope readers will take away from this book?

There are several issues Warring Spirits deals with, but the main one is probably hope despite hopeless circumstances, and God’s enduring strength.

What is your favorite color?

Varying shades of blue, all mixed together. Like the ocean!

Do you have a favorite recipe?

I just discovered sautéed bananas. I know. Odd huh? But let me tell you! It’s Iron Chef worthy!! It’s a healthy-ish and cheap dessert that uses ingredients I always have on hand, and it only takes a few minutes to make! You can find it here. http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/melissa-darabian/sauteed-bananas-with-tangy-sweet-cream-recipe/index.html

If you could travel back in time when and where would you go?

Tough question for a writer of historial fiction! The answer probably varies by the day, but today, I’d like to visit Rome at its peak. It was a harsh period in world history, but it fascinates me. Perhaps because of its close link with the Bible.

What project are you currently working on?

I’m plotting my next children’s action adventure novel, “Lizzie and the Forbidden Crystals.” The first in that series released simultaneously with “Warring Spirits,” and is called “Lizzie and the Guernsey Gang.” It’s based on the life of my friend Ruth Davies who lived in Guernsey, UK during the five year Nazi occupation. Talk about fascinating! You can learn more about it here: http://www.channelislandsresistance.com.

It was a pleasure to visit with you today!

If you would like to learn more about my books, you can do so at my blog. http://www.aprilwgardner.com/

19th Century Carriages & Wagons: A Writer's Resource by Lynn Coleman

2012-02-01T05:00:00.003-06:00

I am SUPER excited to have Lynn on today to talk about a GREAT resource guide for historical writers. If anyone could pull this off Lynn can!

Tell us about your book.

19th Century Carriages & Wagons A Writer’s Resource is guide for writer’s of historical fiction. The information is arranged by decades as well as by individual wagons, giving the reader access to the various types of wagons throughout the 19th century. It is in an electronic format that allows the reader to quickly find the material they are looking for. I don’t know about you but when I’m writing a story I hate to have to leave the story in order to find a tiny bit of information to help paint the scene. I’ve gathered all those tiny pieces and placed them in this book, for the writer of historicals.

Can you give us a sneak peek?

There are sample pages on my website. The link is http://www.lynncoleman.com/carriage/tabcon.htm

What inspired this book?

The inspiration for this book was originally my own need as an author. I was about to write a scene involving a carriage and discovered that my mind went to three types of carriages, the Wells Fargo stage coach image, the buckboard used by Lucas McCay in the Rifleman series and the old farmer’s wagon. I knew there were other types of wagons but it took a lot of time to find the information I was looking for, such as what were they made of, how did the passenger get into the wagon, the driver, what size was the wagon, etc. I’d been compiling my information for myself for quite a while, then decided others would be interested and the idea for the book was born, little did I know that hunting down all this information for the various wagons would take a lot of time and in many cases the information has been lost over the years. However, I did manage to find over 60 various wagons with several 19th Century sources and images. It was very exciting but I do love research.

What has been your most challenging experience writing a book?

The hardest challenge was writing the html code for the book. My youngest son, was going to help me but he passed away last July. I’d hoped to put a section within the book where you, the reader, could put in their own notes. However, without Tim’s expertise I wasn’t able to include such a feature.

What is your favorite thing to write about, (i.e., forgiveness, rebellion, etc)?

Hmm, that’s an interesting question. I suppose it is on deeper life, applying Biblical principles and knowledge to life events and learning to lean on the Lord. Currently I am working on a character who has stuffed their survivor’s guilt and it is causing her to not understand her current insecurities and anxieties.

What do you hope readers will take away from this book?

Good and useful information to help them write more historically accurate books. To enable them to spend more time writing and less time having to search for hours for a tiny tidbit of information.

What is your favorite color?

Purple. When I was a child it was blue but after high school where the school colors were purple and white, my favorite color is purple. It’s still a part of the blue family of colors.

Do you have a favorite recipe?

I love to cook, I’m not keen on baking but I love to cook. I’ve been given a gift in being able to take a few simple ingredients and turn them into a delicious meal. I don’t know if I have one favorite recipe. I suppose it would be my Mom’s Boston Bake Beans. Living in the south I found their baked beans to be good but not as appealing as my mom’s with molasses in them.

If you could travel back in time when and where would you go?

I would love to go back in time to walking the hillsides of Israel and listening to Jesus talk with the masses. To see him face to face, to hear him speak, to watch him heal, to have a front row seat to those eternal historic changes, that would be my ultimate desire.

What project are you currently working on?

Currently I’m working on two historical proposals. I’ve also started gathering additional information that will be an addendum to 19th Century Carriages & Wagons A Writer’s Resource.

Thanks Salena for this opportunity to chat with you and share a bit about myself and my work.

If you want to purchase this CD click here.
http://www.lynncoleman.com/carriages.html

If you love history and have not checked out Lynn's blog do so now. :)
http://www.historicaltidbits.blogspot.com/

Small Town Sweethearts, by Jean Gordon - FREE BOOK

2012-01-29T05:00:00.002-06:00

Tell us about your new book.

Small-Town Sweethearts is a short contemporary inspirational romance from Harlequin Love Inspired. With the help of God and the love of Drew Stacey, a down-sized Wall Street analyst turned church camp manager, New York City assistant art director and former town misfit Emily, ne Jinx, Hazard finds the thing she wants most in the place she least wants to be — Paradox Lake.

Summoned as temporary guardian for her teenage niece, Emily Hazard returns to Paradox Lake in the Adirondack Mountains on one condition—she won't let herself think about staying. Emily always felt like a misfit in her tiny hometown. But she doesn't count on falling for handsome Drew Stacey, a former Wall Streeter who's getting the town church camp ready. Though he surprises Emily with his handiness with tools, understanding of teenagers and his steady faith, she'll soon head back to New York. Unless her small-town sweetheart asks her to stay forever.

Can you give us a sneak peek?

Sure. Just click here: http://www.harlequin.com/store.html?itemid=25171&cid=416

What inspired this book?
I got the idea for Small-Town Sweethearts when a family member told me she liked her new church because the members were more standoffish and private. From that conversation, the story evolved. I got thinking about how her view of what she wanted in a church contrasted with mine. One of the things I like about our church is the feeling of fellowship there with everyone pitching in on projects.

What has been your most challenging experience writing a book?

Definitely finding the time to write. I have a full-time job as the Editorial Supervisor at a tax and financial planning publisher in Albany, NY, have a family, and regularly volunteer at my church’s Book Nook. And I’m not a particularly fast writer. I try to write at least 500 words a day, six days a week. But I don’t beat myself up if I don’t make that goal. I also have a minimum of 100 or an hour of editing/revising.

What is your favorite thing to write about, (i.e., forgiveness, rebellion, etc)?
My books all seem to have a common theme of finding the way home. And all but one are set in my native, rural Upstate New York.

What do you hope readers will take away from this book?

A warm feeling of family and fellowship.

What is your favorite color?

Green

Do you have a favorite recipe?

I have what I think is a great recipe for fat-free cheesecake that I adapted from another cheesecake recipe that I got in a pack of recipe cards someone gave me when I was first married.

If you could travel back in time when and where would you go?

I have been fascinated by Mary Queen of Scots since I read a book called The Four Marys” in fifth grade. So, I think I’d like to go to her 16th century court.

What project are you currently working on?

I have just finished another Love Inspired romance set in Paradox Lake, NY. Neal Hazard (Emily’s brother) has declared no more babies for him. The North Country electrician wants to recapture the life he lost by choosing to raise his now-college-age daughter alone. But a woman from the past, Anne Howard, and a precocious toddler interfere and show him that God has another plan for them all. Small-Town Dad (my working title) will be out in the fall.

Jean has offered to giveaway a copy of Small Town Sweethearts. At least 10 people need to leave a comment for there to be a contest. Remember to leave your email address in case you win (this is how I will contact you) OR you can email me at srstormo@yahoo.com and put contest in the subject line and indicate which book you wish to be entered for. Winner announced Feb 5th.

Deception, by Lillian Duncan - FREE eBook

2012-01-28T05:00:00.006-06:00

Tell us about your book.

DECEPTION is about a school counselor who is estranged from her sister. When a niece she knows nothing about calls, Patti must unravel the truth behind her sister’s disappearance. The more she unravels the more dangerous it becomes.

Can you give us a sneak peek?
"Hello.”

"Me want my aunt." It was a young girl. By the sound of her voice, maybe three, or four.

"Oh, I'm sorry, honey. You must have dialed the wrong number. Hang up and try again. OK, sweetie?" instructed Patti, slipping into her teacher voice.

"I need my aunt. Mommy’s not here," said the little girl. I ‘sposed to call my aunt. I want my mommy.”

Her heart skipped a beat. Patti didn’t like the sound of that. Surely, her parents hadn’t left this little girl alone. "You're mommy's not home with you?" Concern edged into her voice.

"Just me. Can’t find Mommy. Where's Mommy?" The little girl’s voice trembled.

"I don't know, sweetie. How old are you??‛ Patti asked, while reaching for the pad and pen by the phone.

I’m four.‛ The little girl’s voice was tinged with pride at the announcement.

"That’s very good. What's your name?"

"I not ‘spose to tell strangers." It came out more like a wail than words.

"That's a good girl. You're right, you shouldn’t tell strangers your name, but I’m not a stranger. You called me, remember?‛

There was a pause as the little girl considered this new information. “Sabina?”

“Do you mean Sabrina?”

“Yeah, Sabina.”

Patti smiled. She’d had a cat named Sabrina when she was young. Patti and her twin had played house with that silly animal for hours on end. Her sister always said she would name her first daughter after... Patti’s heart skipped a beat. It couldn’t be.

Patti shook the thought away. This Sabrina had nothing to do with Patti’s twin. It was a coincidence, nothing more.

What inspired this book?
A dear friend and I were on the outs with each other and she passed away. It taught me that there is very little in life that warrants shutting out someone you care about. I wrote the book in hopes that others would learn from my mistake.

What has been your most challenging experience writing a book?
I love writing but after about the fourth or fifth rewrite, it becomes a bit tedious.

What is your favorite thing to write about, (i.e., forgiveness, rebellion, etc)?
Showing God’s love by helping others seems to always work its way into my books.

What do you hope readers will take away from this book?
To forgive others while you have the opportunity. We never know what tomorrow will bring so it’s best to forgive in the present not wait until later.

What is your favorite color?
Pink and Purple and all shades in between

Do you have a favorite recipe?
I love pasta in any form but one of my favorite sauces can only be made in the summer. I take tomatoes straight from my garden. Melt butter in a sauce pan and add the tomatoes along with garlic and salt to taste. Let it bubble and thicken and then pour it on the pasta of your choice with lots of parmesan cheese. Canned tomatoes work but it’s not the same if the tomatoes aren’t fresh from your garden!

If you could travel back in time when and where would you go?
Growing up, I always “dreamed” of being a pioneer woman. I thought I’d make a terrific pioneer. Now my husband and I chuckle at the thought. I wouldn’t have lasted a day in the wilderness.

To answer the question, I’d love to visit the Old West—but only visit.

What project are you currently working on?
I have several manuscripts in various stages and hope to have one or two published this years. One is currently entitled “Til Death Do Us Part” and is a sequel to PURSUED, which was published last July.

I’m also running a contest on my website that your readers might be interested in. The grand prize is a NOOK. No purchase is necessary. All they have to do is visit my website and sign up for the contest at http://www.lillianduncan.net/

For there to be a contest at least 10 people need to leave comments WITH an email address OR you can email me at srstormo@yahoo.com and put "contest" in the subject line. Winner announced 2/5/12.

Journey to Publication, BJ Robinson

2012-01-25T05:00:00.002-06:00

B. J. Robinson's journey to publication began in third grade when her teacher submitted a story she wrote about her pet dog to a local newspaper, and it was published. In the fifth grade, her teacher read the entire series of Little House in the Prairie books to the class. Between her mother's reading all the classic fairytales to her before she started school and her teacher reading the classic books, B. J. fell in love with reading.

Throughout middle school she penned poems. In college, her first essay "April Flood" was published in a different local newspaper. She took a creative writing class, and her short story won first prize in college-writing competition. She knew she'd found two loves of her life, reading and writing. Since the publication of her first prize-winning short story in the university's literary magazine, she's had the story published multiple times in newspapers. It ran in a three part series on the front page of her hometown newspaper with her picture, ran in St. Cloud in the News, and was published in online magazines. She developed her January release, Southern Superstitions, from the prize-winning short story. The story itself was altered slightly and is available as a free download from her publisher, Desert Breeze Publishing, Inc. http://stores.desertbreezepublishing.com/-strse-template/BJRobinson/Page.bok. The novel will be released January 15.

Her road to publication was long and filled with many people God placed in her life to help her. She took creative writing in college, sponsored a creative-writing club, took writing classes with Long Ridge Writing Institute, while also taking classes through the Christian Writers Guild, founded by Jerry B. Jenkins, with her writing mentor, Eva Marie Everson. During this time she published a lot of short work. She subbed a newspaper column in a local paper and had numerous poems, articles, short stories, essays, and devotionals published.

Her article "Honoring God's Calling" was published in the Fall 2010 edition of Together. Published devotionals include two with MustardSeed Ministries, seven with Standard Publishing in the Spring of 2010, and one in words to Write By: Author Devotionals compiled by Robin Bayne. Another was published in 2011 in Hurray God! "Mother's Glimpse of Heaven" was published in FATE Magazine in 2002. "POD Publishing: What's to Gain?" was published in Christian Fiction Online Magazine in March 2009. A short story was published in Pebble Lake Review in the Summer of 2004. She won a trophy for First Runner Up in a Florida Writer's Association contest in 2002.

B. J. Robinson is a prize-winning, multi-published author with three novels under her belt and a WIP. Last Resort, her debut Christian romantic suspense novel, released July 15 from Desert Breeze. It has five-star reviews on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.com and has both male and female readers. Southern Superstitions releases January 15, another Christian romantic suspense developed from her prize-winning short story. Whispering Cypress releases August 15, 2012. her third Christian romantic suspense. One Rainy Summer releases October 15, 2012, her first YA novel

When she's not writing, she's reading and reviewing books on her blog. Barbara lives in Florida with her husband, cocker spaniel, golden retriever, and shelter cat, blessed with sons, daughters, grandchildren and faith. Visit her at http://barbarajrobinson.blogspot.com and sign to follow her blog for an opportunity to win free novels. Her novels may be found at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Sony, Kobo, and anywhere fine books are sold.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNoo962DbF0&feature=share Book Trailer for Southern Superstitions

Prayer versus Southern superstitions when a woman's husband mysteriously disappears in the swamp on a deer-hunting trip. Through belief, faith, hard work, the power of prayer, and God's help, this powerful, moving story is a thought-provoking Christian romantic suspense about a young couple who fall in love, but have to change her mother's mind in more ways than one, if their relationship is to survive. As steamy as the hot, thick, sticky heat of Louisiana, this page-turner will keep readers in suspense, as the author spins a tale of love, loss, superstition, pain, heartache, and faith in God. God and the power of prayer versus Southern superstitions. Can Andy convince June there's more to their relationship than friends? Will he win the approval of Myrtle, her mother, and can love survive strawberry season and an April flood? Will June be able to give Andy a child? When Andy disappears during the Christmas holidays will he return, or is he lost to June forever. Has the Louisiana swamp claimed another life?

Reviewer Kathy Boswell says, "Very good! She never gives up hope that Andy will return to her someday. She puts it all in God's hands like she'd done every crisis in her life. She knows He will take care of this for her."

Free excerpt for Southern Superstitions: http://stores.desertbreezepublishing.com/-strse-249/Southern-Superstition-BJ-Robinson/Detail.bok

Where Wildflowers Bloom by Ann Shorey - FREE book

2012-01-21T05:00:00.001-06:00

Tell us about your book.

Where Wildflowers Bloom is the first book in my new Sisters at Heart series for Revell. Wildflowers is set in 1866 Missouri.

In the opening, Faith Lindberg’s grandfather expects her to take over operation of the family mercantile, but forgets to tell her most of what she needs to know to make a success of the business. She’s an example of on-the-job-training at its most challenging.

Secondly, there’s a strong romantic conflict between the person Faith Lindberg thought she wanted to marry, and the new man in town, who intrudes on her careful plans.

Can you give us a sneak peek?

Here’s a look at the back cover:

How far will she go to follow her dreams?

The War Between the States stole a father and brother from Faith Lindberg—as well as Royal Baxter, the man she wanted to marry. With only her grandfather left, she dreams of leaving Noble Springs, Missouri, and traveling west to Oregon to start a new life, away from the memories that haunt her. But first she must convince her grandfather to sell the family's mercantile and leave a town their family has called home for generations.

When Royal Baxter suddenly returns, Faith allows herself to hope that she and Royal will finally wed. But does he truly love her? Or will another man claim her heart?

What inspired this book?

Ever since my husband and I visited Gettysburg a couple of years ago, I’ve been drawn to the idea of what life would have been like for women in the aftermath of the war. How did they resume their “normal” lives?

Add to that the fact that my great-grandparents moved to Missouri (from Illinois) shortly after their marriage in 1867 made the story a personal one. I could imagine my great-grandmother experiencing some of the things that my characters experienced.

What has been your most challenging experience writing a book?

The biggest challenge is picking up the pieces of a story when my writing is interrupted by a family crisis, or even by a vacation. The longer I’m away, the harder it is to regain my focus. Writing every day, even if only a page or two, is the best way for me to stay connected to my plot and characters.

What is your favorite thing to write about, (i.e., forgiveness, rebellion, etc)?

I don’t have one particular topic in mind. Each book develops its own theme as the story progresses. For instance, in Where Wildflowers Bloom, one of the strong points is to bloom where you’re planted, rather than trying to run away from trials.

What do you hope readers will take away from this book?

I hope readers will take a second look at their lives and discover that they have much to be grateful for, right where they are. All of this sounds so serious, but the story in Wildflowers is actually humorous at times, and romantic most of the time.  If readers simply sigh and say they loved the story, I’ll be happy!

What is your favorite color?

I’ve always loved most shades of blue, from light sky blue to deep royal blue.

Do you have a favorite recipe?

Too many to count! One of my top go-to desserts when I need a chocolate fix is a chocolate pudding cake with melted marshmallow sauce. It’s a recipe handed down from one of my mother’s sisters, and I never get tired of it. Just telling you about it makes me hungry!

If you could travel back in time when and where would you go?

I’d like to go back to 1867 in Missouri, to see how my great-grandparents lived. It would be fun and interesting to learn what life was really like for them.

What project are you currently working on?

I’m writing the second book in the Sisters at Heart series. The working title is When the Heart Heals, and tells the story of Faith Lindberg’s “sister at heart,” Rosemary Saxon. I expect the release date will be sometime early in 2013.

Thank you for inviting me to your blog! I’ve enjoyed your questions.

I am so excited you stopped by. The cover is so pretty. I can't wait to read this book!

If you want to learn more about my books, please visit my website, www.annshorey.com. I love to hear from readers!

Ann has offered to give away one copy of Where Wildflowers Bloom. At least 10 people need to leave a comment with an email address for there to be a contest. OR you can email me at srstormo@yahoo.com and put "contest" in the subject line. Be specific about which contest you want to enter. Winner will be announced 1/29/12. Valid in US and Canada ONLY.

Review - Race Against Time, by Kimberley and Kayla Woodhouse

2012-01-19T13:48:00.000-06:00

Anesia Naltsiine has made mistakes that have cost her-and her 13-year old daughter, Zoya-dearly. But no more. She will prove her worth as a mother and as a breeder of champion sprint racing dogs. Her kennel is so successful that buyers come from all over the world. So why does she still feel so worthless?

Zoya misses the dad she never knew. All she wants is to follow in his footsteps as a champion sprint dog racer. But when she witnesses a murder in their town of North Pole, Alaska, she finds herself thrown into dangers and emotions she can’t begin to understand.

Enter Sean Connelly, a new employee at the kennel with demons of his own. When he discovers macrochips bearing military secrets implanted in the Naltsiine's dogs, a puzzle tracing back to the murder unfolds. Then strange "accidents" start happening; clearly someone wants Zoya silenced. Anesia tells her daughter it's not safe to race, but Zoya, angry with the world- and God-takes off across dangerous Alaskan terrain alone. Anesia and Sean must race against time to save the girl-and themselves.

This thrilling, action packed book will have you holding your breath til the end. No dull moments or bouts of dullness come with this edge of your seat adventure! You won't be sorry you picked it up. Curl up next to the fireplace and dive into to intrigue!

The Rose of Winslow Street, by Elizabeth Camden - FREE book

2012-01-18T05:00:00.002-06:00

Tell us about your book.

The Rose of Winslow Street is set in 1879. Libby Sawyer’s quiet, respectable life in Colden, Massachusetts is shattered when a bold stranger from Romania invades her world. In short order, Michael Dobrescu seizes her home and declares ownership in an attempt to unravel a century-old mystery that is hidden deeply within the house. Fascinated by this enigmatic man, Libby uncovers layers of mystery surrounding Mr. Dobrescu’s amazing past….and his plans for the future in which she plays a startling role.

Can you give us a sneak peek?

You can link to the first chapter here:

http://www.scribd.com/doc/71155637/The-Rose-of-Winslow-Street

What inspired this book?

Like a lot of writers, I glean tidbits from real life stories. A few years ago there was a case in my hometown in which a man doing home renovations found $200,000 hidden in the ductwork of his house. He thought he hit the jackpot until the previous owner showed up and wanted it back. A nasty court case ensued, and it is still wending its way through the system. This incident provided the seed of an idea in which a descendant of the previous home-owner shows up at a house claiming ownership, but that is where the resemblance the real-life story ends.

The Rose of Winslow Street is set in 1879 and features a mysterious band of strangers from Europe who come to a peaceful village where they seize a house, dispossessing the heroine and her family. In order for the plot to work, I needed both sides to be highly sympathetic, yet set against each other in stark opposition, with no easy solution in sight. Michael and Libby are natural enemies, but they are also both exceptionally smart people who develop a grudging respect for each other. And sometimes the attraction of forbidden fruit is a powerful romantic draw, as Libby soon discovers.

What is your favorite thing to write about, (i.e., forgiveness, rebellion, etc)?

My favorite thing is to write about is a good stormy romance! In order to develop a compelling love story, you must have loads of authentic conflict to keep driving the story forward. My heroes and heroines are always fiercely intelligent people, so figuring out how to build believable conflict with no easy solution is a challenge. I always want them to be profoundly attracted to each other, but face a mounting series of challenges in order to get to the finish line. I want them to experience laughter, joy, and tears along the way. In The Rose of Winslow Street, Michael is a tough, aggressive man who is fighting for his family’s survival. Men who are painted into a corner fight hard, and in this case, the only way for him to get out is plowing straight through Libby. This makes for great conflict as they fall in love with each other. So although I say I am writing about “love,” I am also writing about trust, forgiveness, adventure, and faith.

What do you hope readers will take away from this book?

I want them to have a wonderful, exhilarating time as they watch Michael uncover layers of mystery, long-buried secrets, and fall hopelessly in love. My favorite novels make the reader feel like they have just made friends with a bunch of captivating people, and are sorry to close the last page. I hope this is the kind of experience The Rose of Winslow Street will deliver.

What is your favorite color?

Scarlet and gray (aka Ohio State’s colors!)

Do you have a favorite recipe?

Anything with five ingredients or less. I like healthy food, but don’t have much time to cook. Here is a tasty recipe with things I usually have on hand:

Make a large pot of pasta, and add a bag of frozen broccoli or chopped spinach to the water just before the pasta is done cooking. Drain, then stir in one jar of prepared pesto, one small tub of feta cheese, and about a pound of diced cooked chicken. Done!

If you could travel back in time when and where would you go?

Probably gilded age America. This is a time when modern inventions and progressive ideas were beginning to take root, but there was still a whiff of the grace and gentility that I think we have lost in this modern era. I work on a college campus, and I see kids going to class in their pajamas. Pajamas! Although I’m grateful women aren’t forced to wear corsets anymore, a little decorum would be nice!

What project are you currently working on?

My next book features a character from my first novel, The Lady of Bolton Hill. It is entirely a stand-alone book, so readers will be able to hop right in, even if they didn’t read the first. Alex Banebridge was a wonderfully fun, whiplash smart character in the first book, even though he was only seventeen years old. In the next book, Alex Banebridge is all grown up and is ready to set the world on fire. Look for it in late 2012.

For there to be a contest at least 10 people need to leave a comment WITH email addresses. Or you can email me at srstormo@yahoo.com and put "contest" in the subject line. Valid in US and Canada only. Winner announced 1/25/12.

When Love Collides, by Michelle Sutton

2012-01-15T05:00:00.001-06:00

Tell us about your book.

Here is the blurb up on the Desert Breeze Publishing website.

She longs for physical healing, but God uses someone from a dark time in her past to heal something more important…her heart.

Ten years ago Raquel dumped Scott for an abusive man, only she didn’t know Scott loved her in a romantic way. She thought they were just good friends because Scott never made his feelings known. Ten years later they meet up again, only now she's a widow—emotionally fragile from years of abuse—and in need of a friend she can trust. She is taking care of her aunt who has cancer, but now her own health is failing. Scott never got over Raquel and he worries he will fall in love with her again. Her past rejection causes Scott to guard his heart as he helps her navigate the unwanted changes in her life. Over time he begins to trust her again as she fights discouragement over her diagnosis. He gives Raquel the unconditional love she has always longed for, but will that be enough?

Can you give us a sneak peek? (Sure, this is posted on the publisher's website, too.)

EXCERPT

From the corner of her eye she saw him make a fist. The sight of his tension made her breath catch. "I know you cared about me as a good friend should. You were always so kind to me and I hurt you. I regret that."

"Lot of good it did me," he muttered, his stare holding fast to something behind her.

She couldn't keep her chin from quivering. Biting the inside of her cheek, she attempted to hold back more tears. This appointment wasn't going well at all. The more she said, the angrier he seemed to get. A scowl from anyone these days reduced her to a puddle of sopping tears. She hated that, but couldn't seem to control her emotions.

Blinking, he swiped his hand over his face. "I have people waiting. Let's get back to the exam, okay?" He sighed. "I shouldn't have allowed my feelings to get involved."

Her throat swelled further and she could barely speak. His feelings? What did he mean? She covered her face with her hands and tried her best to regain control.

"Here," Scott muttered.

She glanced up. He handed her a tissue and their hands bumped.

"Thank you," she rasped, stretching the tissue as she blew her nose.

His voice softened. "You're welcome."

She sniffled, wiping her face and grabbing some fresh tissues.

"It might not seem like it, Rocky, but I forgave you a long time ago." He shifted his gaze to the wall. "Don't worry about it."

Her throat squeezed when he'd used his pet name for her. She didn't believe him, but held on to a shred of hope that he really would forgive her someday and they could be friends again. At least he said he'd forgiven her. It was a start.

"Can, um, we... talk later?" While staring at Scott, she wiped her nose.

He cleared his throat, something she remembered him doing whenever he got nervous. "First let's see if we can identify the cause of your symptoms so they can be treated. Can you please lift your hair?"

Scott removed a gadget from his pocket and turned on the light with the flick of his thumb. He slid his stool closer and leaned forward to check inside her ears for fluid. A shiver raced up her spine when his breath encountered her neck.

What inspired this book?

Some situations from my own experience like my mother having MS and being bedridden for nearly two decades before she died. Also, being involved in an abusive relationship back in the 1980s taught me a lot. My situation was different from Rocky's, but still traumatic enough that it took me quite a while to heal afterward.

What has been your most challenging experience writing a book?

Probably the fact that I am a perfectionist and yet every time I finish a story I don't see my own typos when I read through it. So when I find out later that after reading it ten times and having other people edit and proof, sometimes stuff still slipped under the radar… that stuff makes me nuts.

LOL I can never stop editing.. drives me nuts and I still miss stuff.
What is your favorite thing to write about, (i.e., forgiveness, rebellion, etc)?

Forgiveness, second chances, and restored faith are my favorite subjects. Oh, and a healthy dose of sensual tension between couples in direct conflict with Christian principles, such as waiting for marriage to have sex, is fun for me to write.

What do you hope readers will take away from this book?

Sometimes when hurting people react in ways that make no sense to the average person with healthy family experiences, it's because the hurting people are responding in fear and as a result of past trauma. We need to be patient and try to understand them, because they can't learn to trust others and grow in their faith if we brush them off the moment they start becoming difficult to deal with.

What is your favorite color?

Not totally sure if I have only one. I suppose mauve for overall likability, brown for wearing (as in clothes,) and green for things around me, like the color of my house.

Do you have a favorite recipe?

I prefer to eat what my husband cooks. I know, I'm spoiled.

If you could travel back in time when and where would you go?

Oh, boy, tough question. Well, I suppose I would go back to the era where women wore skirts with bustles on the back because I have a natural bustle and wouldn't need any extra padding. The style was made for my figure. Plus, I would love to have lived during a time where women were at home with the children and raising them. There is something beautiful about a simplistic life like that.

What project are you currently working on?

Almost finished writing Out of Time, which releases in June 2012. Then I have another book, the third in the Sacred Vows series that I'm working to finish in early 2012. I also plan to self-pub a series just to try out the experience.

Cherry Blossom Capers, by Frances Devine

2012-01-14T05:00:00.002-06:00

Tell us about your book. Cherry Blossom Capers is a collection of four romantic mysteries set in the Washington DC area. Each heroine finds romance while solving a mystery. My co-authors are Lynette Sowell, Cara Putman, debut author Gina Conroy and me. I had so much fun writing Coffee, Tea and Danger. My heroine, owner of a coffee, tea and dessert shop, inherits an old mansion in Virginia from her uncle. The first day she goes to check out the place, she gets pushed down a flight of stairs. There’s also a hunky guy who helps her solve the series of mishaps.

Can you give us a sneak peek? Sure, here’s an excerpt from chapter four of Coffee, Tea and Danger.

The bearclaw was warm and buttered, just as he liked it. He suppressed the grin this time, unwilling to get shot down.

Now,” he said. “What’s bugging you about that house?”

“You’ll probably think it’s much ado about nothing.”

“How about letting me be the judge of that?”

She sipped her coffee and lifted a slender shoulder. “The day I went to the mansion, I fell down the stairs. All the way from the second floor to the foyer. My head hit the stair rail and the hard foyer floor. I blacked out for a sec.”

His heart thudded in his ears. “That could have killed you.” That was an understatement, but he couldn’t think of anything else that might be more appropriate. The thought of her bleeding at the bottom of those long stairs made him shudder.

“I was definitely in divine hands that day.” She stirred her coffee. “When I came to enough to think, I told Mary to call the police.”

“What for? I’d think you’d call an ambulance. Why the police?”

“I felt a hand on my back right before I fell.”

What inspired this book? I love mysteries. Especially with creepy old houses. When I was invited to be part of this group, I jumped at the chance.

What has been your most challenging experience writing a book? My own lack of self-discipline. I tend to procrastinate and then end up with difficult deadlines. But I’m working on this character flaw. In fact, it is my number one resolution for 2012.

What is your favorite thing to write about, (i.e., forgiveness, rebellion, etc)? I love to write about flawed individuals who overcome through the love and grace of Jesus Christ.

What do you hope readers will take away from this book? I hope they’ll enjoy the good clean fun. And leave with that feeling of satisfaction in knowing all is well with God in control.

What is your favorite color? If I have to choose one, I’ll say burgundy. But I like many colors.

Do you have a favorite recipe? Cranberry Banana Nut Bread Recipe follows the questions.

If you could travel back in time when and where would you go? Pre World War II.

What project are you currently working on? The second book in a series about teachers set in a school for the deaf and blind in post civil-war Georgia.

Cranberry Banana Nut Bread

½ cup vegetable shortening (you can substitute oil)

2/3 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 ¾ cup flour

2 tsp. baking powder

¼ tsp baking soda

½ tsp salt

1 cup mashed bananas

1 cup drained whole cranberry sauce

½ cup chopped pecans

1 tsp vanilla

Mix flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

Cream shortening and sugar.

Add eggs go shortening/sugar mixture one at a time, beating after each.

Alternate adding dry ingredient mixture with mashed bananas.

Fold in nuts, cranberry sauce, and vanilla.

Bake in loaf pan at 350 degrees for 60 minutes more or less. Or you can use muffin tins and decrease the baking time to 20 minutes or so.

Enjoy!

YUM! Thanks for sharing. :)

For there to be a contest at least 10 people need to leave comments WITH an email address. OR you can email me at srstormo@yahoo.com and put "contest" in the subject line. Winner announced Jan 22nd.

Summer of Promise, by Amanda Cabott

2012-01-11T05:00:00.002-06:00

Tell us about your book.

In less than 100,000 words? Oh, my, that’s a challenge. My editor will tell you that I’m not noted for brevity, which is why I struggle with synopses. Let’s see what I can do. Summer of Promise is the first of my Westward Winds trilogy, featuring the lives and loves of three sisters who come to Wyoming at the end of the territorial period, right before Wyoming became a state. As for the story …

Though she had planned to spend the summer in Vermont with her sweetheart, Abigail Harding cannot dismiss her concerns over her older sister. Charlotte's letters have been uncharacteristically melancholy, and her claims that nothing is wrong ring false, so Abigail heads west to Fort Laramie, Wyoming. The endless prairie seems monotonous, but when her stagecoach is attacked, Wyoming promises to be anything but boring. Luckily, the heroics of another passenger, Lieutenant Ethan Bowles, save the day.

When circumstances--and perhaps a bit of matchmaking--put Abigail and Ethan together, there's certainly attraction. But Abigail is planning to marry another man and return to life in Vermont as soon as she is finished attending to her sister. And Ethan loves his life in the Army and the wilds of Wyoming. When summer ends, will Abigail go back East? Or will she fall in love with this rugged land herself?

Can you give us a sneak peek?

Yes, indeed, and I hope you’ll take a look at it. The whole first chapter is posted on my web site. If you click on this link, you’ll find the ‘story behind the story’ and discussion questions as well as an excerpt.

http://www.sff.net/people/amanda.cabot/index_files/more-summer.htm

What inspired this book?

When we first moved to Wyoming, my husband and I needed a break from unpacking, hanging curtains, planning landscaping and all the other activities associated with a new house. We knew we couldn’t play hooky for too long, so we limited ourselves to a day trip, but what a day trip that was. When we set foot inside Fort Laramie, it was love at first sight. The fort was very different from my mental image, but that was part of its appeal. And when I discovered how genteel life was at the fort during the 1880s, I couldn’t stop thinking about the people who might have lived there. Summer of Promise is the result.

What has been your most challenging experience writing a book?

For this particular book, the challenge was word count. I’ve already admitted that I have a problem with brevity, and that problem was compounded by all the fascinating facts that I discovered about Fort Laramie. I made the classic mistake of trying to include too many of them in the story, with the result that I was way over my upper limit of words. I really hated cutting the subplot about the soldiers’ variety show, but there was no choice. And, who knows, perhaps I’ll revisit the fort for another story, and then I’ll be able to let my characters plan a show.

What is your favorite thing to write about, (i.e., forgiveness, rebellion, etc)?

Although I didn’t recognize it when I first started writing, my books tend to have one of two themes: healing and forgiveness. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised, because I’ve realized how closely tied those themes are, and that one of the ways we can find healing is to forgive.

What do you hope readers will take away from this book?

My prayer as I write each book is that my stories will touch readers’ hearts and strengthen their faith.

What is your favorite color?

Blue. Although I love all the shades, my favorite is the deep blue of the Wyoming sky. Is it any wonder that’s one of the things that attracted me to the state in the first place?

Do you have a favorite recipe?

What a tough question! It’s a toss-up between gingerbread pumpkin pie, where the gingerbread forms the crust, a wonderful French-style apple pie called “apple pie, cottage style,” and a decadent chocolate cake that’s actually relatively healthy. Can you tell that dessert is my favorite part of the meal?

If you could travel back in time when and where would you go?

I’ve always thought that I’d like to live in England at the turn of the twentieth century. They had some modern conveniences like indoor plumbing then, and from what I’ve read, it sounds like it was a gracious lifestyle. Of course, I would have wanted to be part of the aristocracy, since the servants’ lives were not easy.

What project are you currently working on?

I’ve just finished the first draft of With Autumn’s Return, the third of the Westward Winds books. That will be a 2014 release. Right now I’m waiting for copy edits on Christmas Roses, which will be released in September, and the first edits for Waiting for Spring, the second Westward Winds book. One thing’s for sure: I’m not bored.

Bio

From the time that she was seven, Amanda Cabot dreamed of becoming a published author, but it was only when she set herself the goal of selling a book by her thirtieth birthday that the dream came true. A former director of Information Technology, Amanda has written everything from technical books and articles for IT professionals to mysteries for teenagers and romances for all ages. She’s delighted to now be a fulltime writer of Christian historical romances. Her Texas Dreams trilogy received critical acclaim, and Summer of Promise, the first book in the Westward Winds series, was just released.

Replication: The Jason Experiment, by Jill Williamson

2012-01-08T05:00:00.001-06:00

Tell us about your book.

Replication: The Jason Experiment is about a girl named Abby, who is forced to move to rural Alaska when her father unexpectedly takes a job in a remote laboratory called Jason Farms. Suspicious of her father’s decisions, she investigates and finds more than what she was looking for when a strange boy shows up at her door. Martyr, one of fifty-five identical clones, escaped from the underground lab at the farm with one wish: to see the sky before he fulfills his purpose and “expires” on his eighteenth birthday. Abby tries to help Martyr see that God has a purpose for his life, one that is different from the one the scientists originally planned for him.

What inspired this book?

I was in a car with my sister in upstate New York. We were driving to an orchard to pick apples. As we passed farm after farm after farm, I got to daydreaming: What if there was a Farm that grew people? They could call it Jason Farms! And the idea was born.

How long have you been writing?

I started writing in 2004.

What is your favorite character trait to write about?

Courage. Whether the character is a brave warrior or a timid babysitter, I love forcing my characters to find their inner strength and stand up for what they believe in.

What do you hope readers will take away from this book?

That there is only one God and he created each of us uniquely and for a purpose.

What is your favorite season?

Winter! I love snow and Christmas and hot chocolate.

If you could travel back in time when and where would you go?

I’m tempted to blurt out Regency England, but I have no point in going there. I just love books set in that time and place.

But I think I’d really rather go to 1974, become a new student at my parent’s high school, and see what they were like back then—my grandparents too. I think that would be fascinating.

What project are you currently working on?

Right now I’m working on a two-book series that’s scheduled to release in 2013. The first, tentatively called Thirst, is an apocalyptic story, and the sequel is called Captives, and it’s the dystopian future result of that first book.

Connect with Jill: http://jillwilliamson.com/

Jill has offered to give away 1 copy of her new release. Contest rules: At least 10 people need to leave a coment WITH an email address to be entered. Valid in US and Canada only. Winner announced Jan 15th.

Rose's Pledge, by Sally Laity and Dianna Crawford - FREE book

2012-01-07T05:00:00.001-06:00

Tell us about your book.

In Rose’s Pledge, the reader will meet three British sisters who come to America as indentured servants. Expecting to be sold together, they instead find themselves sold to different owners and separated from each other by great distances. Rose’s Pledge centers on Rose, the oldest sister, and each of the two following books will feature her other sisters, Mariah and Lily.

Can you give us a sneak peek?
Sure thing! From the back blurb: A gentlewoman sold to the highest bidder…

A frontiersman looking for love outside of marriage…

And the vast, untamed wilderness and peoples that threaten their survival.

To save her father from debtors’ prison in England, gently bred Rose Harwood indentures herself to the highest bidder in the far away American Colonies. Her new owner, a grubby trader, takes her deep into Indian Territory, and when hostilities erupt at the start of the French and Indian War, Rose finds herself more in need of rescue than her father ever was.

Frontiersman Nate Kinyon is eager to save Rose, but he has strayed from his childhood beliefs and is far from being the man God called him to be. And Rose is reluctant to sacrifice her faith to secure a charming but wordly longhunger’s protection.

As the two struggle amid danger for survival, they have a lot to learn—from each other and from God. Will they discover that the only true and lasting love comes from God, the Author of their destiny?

What inspired this book?
My co-author, Dianna Crawford, and I have written a six-book series on the Revolutionary War, called Freedom’s Holy Light, which told of the effect of the Great Awakening on Colonial America. We enjoyed researching the time period so much—and putting back into history some of the miracles that revisionists have removed from American history textbooks—we decided to go farther back into history to the time of the French and Indian War and delve into how life affected the courageous earlier settlers.

What has been your most challenging experience writing a book?
Coming up with an intriguing and original story line has never been my favorite part of writing, but it is Dianna’s. She doesn’t care much for playing with words, but I love to. So working together has been a blessing for both of us, as we each feel we’re doing the ‘easy’ part.

What is your favorite thing to write about, (i.e., forgiveness, rebellion, etc)?
I truly love showing how faith and love go together, and how the Lord truly does work all things together for good to those who live for Him.

What do you hope readers will take away from this book?
I hope they will appreciate the dangers the founders of this magnificent country endured so that we could live in freedom. The courage and tenacity of the individuals who left everything familiar behind to bring the light of the Gospel to an entirely new, unsettled land are a true inspiration. God truly has blessed our country and made it the most wonderful nation on earth.

What is your favorite color?
My favorite color has always been sky blue, but I also like rich jewel tones.

Do you have a favorite recipe?
My family is always happy when I make soft chocolate chip cookies, from a recipe I altered out of a Betty Crocker cookbook.

If you could travel back in time when and where would you go?
It would be awesome to have been among the people who followed Jesus and walked where He walked. I truly hope I would have been a faithful follower and would have stood firm in my faith despite persecution.

What project are you currently working on?
Dianna is already plotting out Lily’s Plight, the third book in our series, and I expect to start working on it after the holidays.

In order for there to be a contest at least 10 people need to leave a comment WITH an email address. Or you can email me at srstormo@yahoo.com and put "contest" in the subject line. Winner announced 1/15/12. Valid in US and Canada only.

Night of the Cossack, by Tom Blubaugh and the 10 Day Study Guide, by Theresa Franklin

2012-01-04T05:00:00.004-06:00

Tom Blubaugh was the very first author I interviewed on my blog site earlier this year. I am so excited to have him back today to talk about his new project.

His book Night of the Cossack was released in 2011. It was inspired by the life of his grandfather who was captured and forced into the life of a Cossack soldier. Since its release he has been busy promoting his book which has received a solid 5 start rating on Amazon.

Night of the Cossack is a compelling adventure about a teenager who is forced to grow up quickly. The main character, Nathan Hertzfield faces many life or death situations during his saga. Join Nathan on his suspenseful journey through parts of Russia and Europe during the early 1900's. Don't miss this entertaining and intriguing story, Night of the Cossack.

Today Tom is here to talk about a 10 day study guide that Theresa Franklin wrote based on his book.

This lesson plan covers Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies plus discussion questions concerning Moral Dilemmas.

This Literature Based Curriculum Guide and 10 Day Lesson Plan was specifically designed for home school participants by Theresa Franklin. However, it is a wonderful tool for book clubs and family discussions.

This is a companion to the historical fiction book by Tom Blubaugh. Theresa Franklin said in her amazon review of Night of the Cossack, "I highly recommend this book for teachers of any grade over sixth and reluctant readers."

How did the study guide come about?

Theresa read my novel and wrote a review as you mentioned above. She is a retired school teacher and she saw the value of the book as a teaching tool. What is interesting is the fact that I have had a desire to make my book available to the homeschool community. I tried to contact homeschool associations, but had no success. My publisher took it to a meeting in Kansas City, but was unsuccessful. I had put it on the back burner and then I got an email from Theresa asking if it was okay to write the study guide. You know how God works, Salena.

Why did you decide to publish it?

I started to say it was an answer to prayer, but I’m not sure I specifically prayed about this. I think it was just a desire that wouldn’t go away. I believe there are strong lessons in the story and I want young people to discuss and learn from them. I want to be very transparent here—I was a felon at age 15. I was going down a path that would have destroyed me until a bookkeeping teacher intervened in my life in the eleventh hour. Her name was Charlene Jeffers and she passed away last year. I believe to this day that the Lord put her in my path. She came to me at the end of my senior year of high school and told me that all of the other teachers had signed off on my grades for my diploma except her. She went on to tell me that she wasn’t going to until I made up every assignment and took every test I missed when I cut her class. I ended up sitting in her class room for five days meeting her requirements. Half way through the week, she stamped her foot on the floor and said, “Tom Blubaugh, you will never be a bookkeeper.” Her face was red and there was no doubt she was angry. I received my diploma and joined the Navy. My test scores in boot camp were very high and I was placed in leadership. I advance to the maximum rate I could in the four years I served. Almost thirty years later, she sat beside me at the funeral of a high school friend. After the service was over, I introduced myself. She remembered me. I asked her if she remembered that day and she said she didn’t. I was surprised because it was indelibly etched in my mind. She asked why it was so important to me. I told her I did become a bookkeeper and went on to be an office manager, an accountant, an auditor, a business manager, an insurance agent, a financial planner, and a registered investment manager and I told her, “I think it’s all your fault.” We both laughed and then we both cried. I told her that she was the only teacher who cared enough about me to confront me and make me accountable for my irresponsibility. I realized on some level that her anger meant she cared about me. She has held a special place in my heart all these years and will forever. Over the years I’ve wanted to work with young adults, but I didn’t really know how, but when I wrote this novel, the desire was very strong. I still didn’t know how to pursue my desire. Then Theresa wrote this study guide. I had no idea all of what she found was in my novel. Suddenly it looked as though the door was open for me and the homeschool arena is the conduit. I have a vision of moms and dads sitting down with their children and discussing the moral dilemmas in my novel. I can’t help but wonder how it would have helped me if I had this opportunity with my parents when I was a young adult.

What do you hope readers will gain by using this study guide?

My hope is that young adults will like my story well enough that they will put themselves in Nathan’s, the protagonist, place. That it will prompt them to deepen their relationships with their parents and siblings; choose their friends carefully and wisely; be aware that not all situations are black and white; that life can be dangerous; and that they are in the easiest place for learning that they will ever be in. When their education is finished and they go out into the world, they will no longer study the lesson before the test—they will learn the lesson after the test.

WOW! I never thought about it that way before, but you are so right!

How can this study guide help others? What is your vision?

I’m not sure how it can help others. I suppose anyone could learn from it. My vision? I’m not sure I can put it into words. I see myself speaking with young women and men about my book and why I wrote it. I know I’m old enough to be their grandfather and possible their great grandfather. I think this is part of the beauty of it. I was creating a grandfather I didn’t know when I wrote the novel and now I’m a grandfather of fourteen. I have a lot of experiences, stories and I love sharing things that will make a difference in their lives.

Salena, you have tested me with this interview. Thanks for the opportunity to share what’s in my heart. I never thought I would be this alive at sixty-nine.

Thank you for coming by today. I hope everyone will consider buying a copy of the book as well as the study guide which comes in eBook format. They are both excellent books. It is not often you find this subject touched upon. It would make a great gift!

Tom is giving away one SIGNED copy of Night of the Cossack. Please leave a comment with an email address to be entered. Winner announced January 11th, 2012.

A Cowgirl's New Year's Resolution, by Margaret Brownley

2011-12-30T05:00:00.000-06:00

More Love and Laughter in the Old West
A Cowgirl’s New Year’s Resolutions

According to a recent survey 38% of us will go through the ritual of making New Year’s resolutions this year. Sad to say, only 8% of us will meet with success. As someone once said, even the best intentions go in one year and out the other. That’s probably because we insist upon making resolutions that involve giving up something (drinking, smoking) or getting rid of something (weight, debt).

I don’t know what resolutions they made in the Old West, but I’m willing to bet that giving up or getting rid of something was not on anyone’s priority list. It was more like getting something (land or gold). Early settlers probably didn’t do any better than us modern folks in keeping their resolutions, but you have to give them credit: some died trying.

I plan to take my best shot at keeping my New Year’s resolutions—but dying is where I draw the line.

A Cowgirl’s Resolutions for 2012

• Lose the extra five pounds on my hips. From now on, I’ll pack only one gun instead of two.

• Make an effort to see the good in everyone. Even barbed wire has its good points.

• Stop treatin’ suspicion as abs’lute proof.

• Be more generous. No more keepin’ my opinions to myself.

• Make exercise a priority—for my horse.

• Practice my quick draw with my gun—not my VISA card.

• Keep from taking sides during a shoot-out, especially shoot-outs involving family members.

• Avoid stampedes by shopping online.

• Limit time spent on the open range. That www dot brand sure can waste a lot of time.

• Clean out closets. Nothing (or no one) should hang that doesn’t deserve to be hung.

• And finally: Stop holding up shopping carts and forcing people to buy my book.

I told you my resolutions, now tell me yours. Afraid you won’t keep them? Not to worry. I promise not to tell if you don’t die trying.

We are SO happy you stopped by to read Margaret's Cow Girl resolution. We'd love to hear from you if you have a resolution to share.

Below is an exerpt from Margaret's new book Dawn Comes Early. Available through Amazon for pre-order. It sounds SO good! Check it out!

http://www.margaretbrownley.com/

Margaret’s bio

Thrills, mystery, suspense, romance: Margaret penned it all. Nothing wrong with this—except Margaret happened to be writing for the church newsletter. After making the church picnic read like a Grisham novel, her former pastor took her aside and said, "Maybe God's calling you to write fiction."

So that’s what Margaret did. She’s now a New York Times bestselling author and a Romance Writers of America RITA finalist with more than 25 novels to her credit—not bad for someone who flunked 8th grade English. Just don’t ask her to diagram a sentence.

The third book in her Rocky Creek series “A Vision of Lucy” is available now. She has a story in A Log Cabin Christmas and the first book in her exciting new Brides of Last Chance Ranch series, “Dawn Comes Early” can be preordered now.

Happily married to her real life hero, Margaret and her husband have three grown children.

Available for preorder

Dawn Comes Early

Looking for woman of good character and pleasant disposition willing to learn the ranching business in Arizona Territory.

Must be single and prepared to remain so now and forever more.

Will be given ownership of ranch.

--Last Chance Ranch

Disgraced dime novelist Kate Tenney fled the city that banned her latest novel for the emptiness of the desert. Answering an ad for “heiress” to a vast cattle ranch in the Arizona Territory, Kate hopes ranching turns out to be as romantic as she portrayed it in her novels.

But what awaits her is a life harder than the one she just left. There is no room for mistakes on a working cattle ranch, and Kate is ill-prepared for her new life. She quickly learns that dawn comes early, but she is nonetheless tenacious.

Having been abandoned by a string of men, Kate has no intention of ever marrying. But neither did she expect to meet a man Luke Adams. Luke awakens feelings inside Kate she doesn’t recognize, and his steady presence is a constant distraction. She has written about love, but never known it herself.

Can she keep her feelings for Luke from standing in the way of all she has to gain as heir? Or did God bring Kate to the barren desert to give new life to her jaded heart?

From Dreams to Reality - Part 4

2011-12-28T05:00:00.003-06:00

I have had so much fun hearing stories from some very talented authors on their journey to publication.

Today my guests are:

Anne Mateer
Kimberli Renee Campbell

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Anne Mateer:

In spite of my ambition as a twelve or thirteen-year-old to write historical fiction, I didn’t actually begin my journey down the road to publication until much later. Don’t get me wrong. I wrote. A lot. But I wrote for class assignments or for myself. I had no idea where the road to publication even began. So after a couple of fits and starts, I set writing dreams aside to raise three babies. But God was working even then, readying me to write. When my youngest reached school age, I had finally settled into myself. So I got serious about writing. In other words, I started investing in it, both time and money.

Having no idea where to begin that year of the new millennium, I turned to the still largely unknown thing called the Internet. I found some writing classes offered online through UCLA. They weren’t cheap. I approached my husband about the possibility of signing up for one, for if I had learned anything in the intervening years between Jr. High and my early thirties, I knew that I didn’t know anything about writing! My sweet husband agreed. I threw my whole self into learning, writing, rewriting. After all I didn’t want to waste our money!

A year later, I finished my first novel, thanks in part to an online writing friend and the NaNoWriMo challenge. But what to do then? I found a local writers group and a whole new world opened up. Suddenly I knew people who understood this elusive thing called publication. I found two ladies, who I now call friends, to critique with each week.

More financial investment followed over the years, conferences and contest fees and books, books and more books. I finished three more novels while also garnering a few publication credits in local news magazines. I learned how to write in those years, but I also learned that good writing alone didn’t make a publishable book. There were issues of market and story. And wrapping around all those things was my faith in the sovereignty of God over my life. Could I trust Him, even if publication never happened? And if publication was His plan, could I trust His timing?

By 2009, I had come to a place of peaceful contentment, knowing that my act of obedience to the Lord was simply to keep writing, keep telling the stories He gave me to tell, and telling them in the best way I possibly could.

In May of 2010, I got the call. A two book contract with Bethany House. The circumstances were so God-orchestrated that I could never boast of having arrived at that place by any of my own power. And what I discovered then was that this journey of publication doesn’t end with a signed contract or even a physical book on a shelf (or an ebook online). For the truth is, publication is not the destination. It is simply an offshoot of the road we’ve been on, a narrower path that climbs a greater incline, requires an even greater faith in the One who leads. The journey is all about obedience and faith anyway, no matter what different milestones the Lord has planned for each of us along the way.

On a personal note (Salena): I had the pleasure of influencing this book. The first thing that captivated me was the cover...I instantly thought "Anne of Green Gables"...she reminds me of Megan Follows. I am a firm believer that covers sell books so I anxiously curled up with this book after my son went to bed for 2 nights. I didn't think I could read that fast or stay up that late and still function, ha! This is an EXCELLENT book! One I will never part with and will read over and over again!

___________________________________________________
Kimerli Renee Campbell

Drenched with Patience

Most writers strive to be published. So, we polish our manuscripts and send them out to agents or publishing houses. This process can take a long time. A LONG TIME! Sometimes the wait becomes too much and some writers give up. It is heartbreaking.

In most cases, I'm a patient person. As a parent and former Preschool/Daycare teacher, patience is a must have. The Lord answered my prayer for patience and drenched me with it.

After putting my first children's book manuscript through the fire of critique groups, it needed a home. I began researching online and at bookstores for the right agent and/or publisher. Wrote some short stories during that time and sent them out, receiving many rejection letters. After time passed, I received a call from my brother-in-law. He and his friend started a production company with a heart to bring Christ-centered material to families. They wanted to read my manuscript. Of course I mailed it right away! Seeking God's direction, we all prayed and felt He wanted us to work together.

Working with a new publishing company is a wonderful blessing. I get to watch them grow and mature. However, I also get to experience their growing pains. As they develop their products, sometimes my book(s) must wait...and wait. When it comes to book covers and marketing, we are learning together. We succeed and fail. But, instead of allowing discouragement to crush me (and I DO get discouraged), I am encouraged because I believe in my heart that I am where I need to be.

I pray those desiring to be published, be drenched in God's patience (not man's). From the first word written until it is in print. May God bless your journey through the good and bad. Writing is our ministry, let it shine!!!

Bio:
Kimberli Reneé Campbell lives in the Midwest with her husband and two boys (13 years apart).

The Lord gave Kimberli a desire to pursue the arts at an early age. She has performed, directed, and choreographed several dramas in church. In her early forties, she fulfilled a childhood dream and enrolled in dance classes. Kimberli began writing over 10 years ago while working as a file clerk, jotting notes and ideas on scratch paper and napkins.

The Sword of Light: Shayia's Adventures - Book One came to Kimberli in a dream. Her heart is to create a children's chapter book series to encourage young readers who become overwhelmed reading large books. As they complete each book, she prays they will be encouraged and challenge themselves as readers. The Shayia's Adventures series also incorporates scripture throughout each story, just as we should in our everyday lives.

With several story ideas waiting to be written, Kimberli is humbled the Lord has given her the opportunity to write.

Thank you to all the authors who shared their stories with us, especially during this busy holiday season! It's been a blast!

Reviews - Lone Star Trail, Patchwork Dreams and Great Lakes Christmas Classics

2011-12-27T13:43:00.000-06:00

While on vacation last week I was able to read three books! I had a blast! I loved being able to read without having work or school hanging over my head. Here are the books I read.

The six-book series about four generations of the Morgan family living, fighting, and thriving amidst a turbulent Texas history spanning from 1845 to 1896 begins with Lone Star Trail.Judson (Jud) Morgan's father died for Texas' freedom during the war for independence. So when the Society for the Protection of German Immigrants in Texas (the Verein) attempts to colonize a New Germany in his country, he takes a stand against them.After Wande Fleischers' fiancé marries someone else, the young fraulein determines to make a new life for herself in Texas. With the help of Jud's sister Marion, Wande learns English and becomes a trusted friend to the entire Morgan family.As much as Jud dislikes the German invasion, he can't help admiring Wande. She is sweet and cheerful as she serves the Lord and all those around her. Can the rancher put aside his prejudice to forge a new future' Through Jud and Wande, we learn the powerful lessons of forgiveness and reconciliation among a diverse community of believers.

I actually read this out of order but it didn't matter. Each book is a stand alone and can be read in any order. The authors, Darlene Franklin, Vicky McDonough and Susan Page Davis have done a phenomimal job with this 6 book series. My hats off to them!

I enjoyed reading this book during the holidays. I read several of the stories to my son while we were camping. It is a wonderful book full of short stories and poems from old newspapers at the turn of the century. A must have for any collection.

Ever since returning from her rumspringa pregnant and unwed, Becky Troyer has been a pariah in her Amish community in Missouri. Even after the young mother confesses her sin and rejoins the church, her peers continue to shun her, and she despairs the unlikelihood of marrying for love. It seems that her only hope is to eventually marry a widower with a family of his own.

Becky's world changes when Jacob Miller arrives at her family's farm with the understanding that he will help with chores during the summer and then return to Pennsylvania. What Jacob does not know is that his father, who disapproves of Jacob's sweetheart, Susie, sent him away as part of a plan to introduce new blood into the Amish community of Seymour. In addition to his work around the farm, Jacob undertakes the task of cheering up the lovely yet listless Becky, inviting her to various youth gatherings and offering her the only unconditional friendship she's known.

As their relationship grows, the two find themselves inexplicably drawn to each other. Will Becky and Jacob overcome their insecurities and self–doubts so that their love can grow, or will Jacob keep his pledge to Susie and turn his back on Becky, as so many others have done?

A sweet love story about coming of age, learning what's important in life and trusting again. This is a great book for curling up in front of the fireplace and relaxing. It's not hard to become a member of the family as you cheer for Becky and Jacob. This is the first book in this series! I am anxious to start the second. :)

From Dreams to Reality - Part 3

2011-12-21T06:00:00.000-06:00

Yea, I am having so much fun with these stories. They are so inspiring and uplifting! I really appreciate all the authors that took time out of their busy schedule to tell us their stories!

This week we have:

Susan Page Davis
JoAnn Durgin
Pat Davis
Kathleen Y'Barbo
_____________________________________________________

Susan Page Davis
The first book I ever wrote was a police procedural mystery-suspense-romance. That book has never been published. But that’s okay. If you want the whole truth, I wrote an entire six-book series of detective novels that never got published.

I was a rank amateur, both at writing fiction and at marketing. I didn’t know anyone in the publishing world. I knew only a couple of other authors, who wrote books very different from mine. I didn’t know American Christian Fiction Writers existed.

But I was getting better. They say that you don’t truly find your voice until you’ve written at least a million words. About the time I passed that mark, my husband told me, “Why don’t you write something else? Your later books in the series will never be published if the first one is never bought.”

He was right, of course. I started combing Writer’s Market for publishers open to unagented newcomers. I picked Heartsong Presents because at that time they seemed very open to people like me, and they published 52 novels a year. I read several of their novels and was confident I could write one they would like. I began storming the bastion.

Poor Jim Peterson. He was the acquisitions editor at the time, and I peppered him with manuscripts. Of course, at that point in my career, a complete manuscript was needed each time. So I wrote about eight more novels. Shorter, minus the police detective unit and the dead bodies. Jim kept saying things like, “Your writing is good, but the competition is fierce.”

Finally, after I’d submitted several “near misses,” he said, “Why don’t you write a historical?” Half the books he bought were historicals, yet three fourths of the submissions he received were contemporaries. I took his advice, and many months later, after several rounds of revisions, Jim Peterson called me. “It’s really me,” he said. “And I’m really buying your book.” After all the necessary steps of publishing, and another 18 months, I held Protecting Amy in my hands. It was a long-held dream come true.

Check out some of Susan's books!

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JoAnn Durgin

It’s amazing to see how the Lord has opened the doors of His choosing, in His timing, in my personal writing journey. This is how it happened: I started writing full-length contemporary Christian romance as a young mother in Philadelphia. When we moved to Boston, I kept writing and garnered a bit of attention from editors and agents. However, I dropped the ball because there simply weren’t enough hours in the day, and I wore many hats as a pastor’s wife and mother. For over a decade, I put my writing aside—but not the passion for it—to raise our three children. When we moved back to my native Indiana, I queried agents with Awakening. It was the last manuscript I wrote before my self-imposed writing hiatus. My query twice captured the attention—and rejection—of one of the top Christian literary agents (rightly so, although it took me awhile to come to that understanding). Patience is not one of my best virtues, you must understand. One night, I googled “Small Christian Romance Publishers” and sent e-mail queries. Torn Veil Books in Canada was the first—and only—entity to request and read the entire manuscript. Within three months after sending it to them, I woke up on May 1, 2010, to an e-mail saying, “Congratulations. We want to publish your book.” What a great day! It released in November 2010, and it’s even more incredible to hold your “baby” in your hands for the first time (whether a paperback edition or an e-book). My joke is that it took me less than two weeks to write Awakening, but more than a decade to get it published.

Writers, pray and commit your words to the Lord. Ask Him to guide you, give you inspiration and open the “right” doors. Find your unique voice and your passion, and then write the book of your heart. That’s what Awakening is for me, as it’s loosely based on my love story with my husband. He’s “Sam Lewis” to my “Lexa Clarke” (they’re contemporary romantic adventures). Stay strong and determined, and never give up. Don’t let anyone tell you it can’t be done (if you’re like me it makes you all the more determined). Keep writing, keep reading, keep editing. Awakening became the first book in what is now called The Lewis Legacy Series. Book #2, Second Time Around, released in September this year. I am truly blessed.

Nutshell synopsis of Awakening: A God-fearing man. A God-seeking woman. For Sam and Lexa Clarke, it’s a combustible combination.

Nutshell synopsis of Second Time Around: A fateful misstep steals a newlywed’s memories and becomes her groom’s fall from grace. Join the journey as Marc and Natalie discover that surrendering all isn’t failure, it’s faith.

Thanks so much for allowing me to share with you today! May each of you enjoy a blessed holiday season! Blessings always. Matthew 5:16

_______________________________________________________
Pat Davis

The Write Time is Now

“I’m going to take a creative writing course,” I told my husband.

“When does it start?” he inquired. “I know how much you’d like that.”

At last at age fifty-two I was getting serious about this. Most of my life I’d dreamed of becoming a
published author. The time never seemed right to pursue my goal. So I satisfied my yearning by being
an avid reader.

Getting a late start has been my experience. I got married at forty, adopted a baby at forty-six and gave
birth at age forty-eight. Motherhood is fulfilling for me. But I still had my dream of getting published.

Again I was back in school at midlife. An experience I found exhilarating. I wanted desperately to learn
the craft of writing because I had an inspirational true story that I knew would be helpful to someone
else. This motivated me to attend my first class that autumn day. During the course I was introduced to
the basic steps in the writing process, and I learned how to use them. With the help of a class critique, I
worked on my story readying it for submission.

If I thought writing would be easier than being a stay-at-home mom and homeschooling, I soon found
out otherwise. Anyone who writes knows it’s hard work. I wanted to be a professional writer
nonetheless. So after many rewrites of my story I submitted my manuscript to a national print magazine
and waited. I felt that I’d accomplished something. I’d actually sent my work off.

I joined a writing/critique group for mothers who combine parenting with writing. Here I found new
friends with a common goal of becoming more professional. We read each other’s work and offered
helpful criticism and suggestions for improvement.

I became better informed about publishing and marketing my work through writing groups, the

Writer’s Market, other “how to” publications and from just the experience of submitting. The Internet
and e-mail became invaluable tools. I slowly realized that writing for publication required a
commitment of time, perseverance, organization and actually learning by working at it. I had some
success in small non-paying markets. But I wanted to write for larger publications, too. This wasn’t
happening yet.

As the months went by, I learned to carefully read each prospective publication and to study their
writer’s guidelines to determine what they wanted and the preferred way of submitting material. I
realized the necessity of carefully following these instructions. I discovered how to submit a brief but
detailed query letter to interest an editor in my work.

I tried not to take personally each rejection, but to see it as part of the writing process. I kept a list of
possible markets for each manuscript. On occasion an editor would write a few encouraging words or
useful suggestions on the letter. This was always an encouragement and provided an incentive to
persevere. After each rejection–and there were many of those–I would rework, refocus and send the
piece out to the next publication on my list. I became a better writer in the process of redrafting my
piece. Anticipation is always a driving force. I discovered that not only moms, but writers live in the
future.

Eventually, after numerous submissions I found an editor who was thrilled with my first piece and
wanted to publish it and pay for it. This was such a boost for me–not only did she love my story, but
she praised my writing. And I now had a published clip when querying or submitting to other paying
markets.

Since then I’ve gained more confidence. My essays, articles and short stories have been accepted by
other print and online publications, and my true stories appear in multiple titles of Chicken Soup for the
Soul books..

My husband built a web site for my writing, I joined a professional organization for fiction writers
(ACFW), attended writers conferences and joined social media sites for networking.

I completed an historical inspirational novel and been successful in finding agent representation.

I realize that more of life’s experiences and the inspiration that my family provides equips me to be a
better writer. Gaining a family and continuing to learn the craft of writing has made life more fulfilling.

I’ve discovered that with God’s help and guidance, it’s never too late to realize a heart’s desire and
never too late to learn and to grow. My husband and sons take pleasure in my writing life, too.

“My Mom is a writer,” I heard my son tell his friend.

Pat Jeanne Davis lives in Philadelphia, PA. To learn more about her and her writing, please

visit: http://www.patjeannedavis.com/

I would like to encourage other aspiring writers to trust in God's timing. I feel the key to getting published is to believe in the power of prayer, to think positive, be persistent and continue to be patient.

Pat's short stories, essays and articles have appeared in Christian Fiction Online Magazine, Chicken Soup for the Soul books (5 books), Guideposts, The Lookout, GRIT Magazine, Brave Hearts, Bible Advocate, Renewed and Ready, Faith & Finances-In God We Trust, God Answers Prayers, Blessings for Mothers, Blessed Among Women, Woman’s Touch, Woman Alive Magazine and Take-A-Break Magazine (UK) and Horizon Magazine (Canada). She has agency representation for an historical inspirational novel set in the WWII era.

Visit her at http://www.patjeannedavis.com/

__________________________________________________________
Kathleen Y'Barbo

In the spring of 1996, I found myself in a brand new home in a new city with nothing but time on my hands. After an extended move that included spending Christmas in a three-bedroom apartment with four kids, the moving boxes had been kicked to the curb. I purchased a word processor from Office Max and wrote my first novel-a 100,000-word historical romance-in five weeks. My second novel poured out onto the page after a few more months, and then I began to think I might be heading in the right direction to someday become a "real" writer. Joining Romance Writers of America was the next big step. Admitting to strangers (who soon became good friends) that I had written two novels sealed the deal, and in my heart I knew I'd become a novelist. A "real" writer. Publication took three more years, and during that time I wrote four more novels and joined the fledgling American Christian Romance Writers (now known as American Christian Fiction Writers) as member #8. Though the journey to publication took three more years, those years were spent in the company of great authors whose works I read and whose workshops I still attend.

Recently I wrapped up the Women of the West series with a novel near to my heart. Not only is The Inconvenient Marriage of Charlotte Beck (Waterbrook) my fortieth book, it is also the book I completed on my honeymoon. Not only was Charlotte's marriage inconvenient, so was the work to finish the book! However, all those hours not spent in the Hawaiian sunshine have paid off as The Inconvenient Marriage of Charlotte Beck has been named a 2011 Romantic Times Readers Choice finalist. And all those years spent learning, hanging out with writer friends, and trying to figure out how to be a "real" writer? I was nominated for a 2011 Romantic Times Career Achievement Award-a thrill I never dared to imagine while standing in the word processor aisle at Office Max back in 1996.

"Oh the places we will go," says Dr. Seuss.

I can't wait to see what's next for this "real" writer. But while I'm waiting, I love the fact that this is a journey that I'm taking along with a whole bunch of others heading the same direction. What a blessing!

Connect with Kathleen here: http://www.kathleenybarbo.com/
Bio:
RITA and Carol award nominee Kathleen Y’Barbo is the best-selling, award-winning author of more than forty novels, novellas, and young adult books. In all, more than one million copies of her books are currently in print in the US and abroad, and her books have been translated into Dutch, German, and Spanish, to name a few.

Her newest historical novel, THE INCONVENIENT MARRIAGE OF CHARLOTTE BECK (Waterbrook) released in June 2011, and in 2012 she debuts a contemporary Texas beach series for Love Inspired.

Kathleen is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers, Romance Writers of America, and the Public Relations Society of America. She holds a BBA from Texas A&M University’s Mays Business School and a certification in Paralegal Studies, and is a member of the Texas Bar Association’s Paralegal Division. In addition, Kathleen also served exclusive publicist for Books & Such Literary Agency.

A tenth-generation Texan, Kathleen Y’Barbo has a daughter and three grown sons. She recently married her own hero in combat boots (read about their real-life romance here!) and is proud to be a military wife, even if it did mean giving up her Texas drivers license.

Hush Little Baby, by Deborah Piccurelli - FREE BOOK

2011-12-18T05:00:00.001-06:00

Tell us about your book.

Here’s the back cover blurb:

Investigative journalist, Amber Blake, is a little person bent on payback for the death of her average-sized twin sister. Enlisted by her former partner and estranged husband, Evan, she poses as a counselor in an abortion clinic to expose the doctor responsible for fetal harvesting. As a Christian, she struggles with concealing her beliefs to maintain her cover, while the doctor’s romantic overtures tumble her stomach. Amber agrees to date him for the sake of the story . . . but nothing prepares her for what’s hidden behind a mysterious door in his office.

What inspired this book?

When I heard about baby body parts trafficking, it really angered me. I wrote about it to bring about awareness, and I’m donating 10% of the proceeds to an organization that works to stop it.

How long have you been writing?

For over 20 years, but a lot of that time was spent learning, which I’m still doing.

What is your favorite character trait to write about?

Good question! One I’ve never been asked before. I like giving my characters a sense of humor. That’s what really makes them fun to write. I also like to make them romantic. I’m a stickler for romance in my stories, and the books I read.

What do you hope readers will take away from this book?

First, that even though we may not be able to abide what our enemies stand for, they may be doing what they do for reasons that make sense to them and the rest of the world; that it’s not our place to judge them, but only to love them. Also, it would be great for readers to know what goes on in the abortion industry.

What is your favorite season?

Autumn is my favorite, with all the changing colors, and the beautiful weather.

If you could travel back in time when and where would you go?

I’d go to the Regency era in England. I’m a die hard Pride & Prejudice fan.

What project are you currently working on?

Without putting any spoilers out there, I can only say it’s about a young woman who overhears something very incriminating to the perpetrators, and ends up in a terrible auto accident.

Deborah has offered to give away one copy of Hush Little Baby. Contest rules: at least 10 people need to enter for there to be a contest. Remember to leave your email address so I can contact the winner. If you have blogger issues you can email me at srstormo@yahoo.com and put "contest" in the subject. Winner announced December 26th.

Connect with Deborah here:
http://deborahmpiccurelli.com/

A Texas Christmas Mystery, by Anne Greene - FREE BOOK

2011-12-17T05:00:00.004-06:00

A TEXAS CHRISTMAS MYSTERY

Tell us about your book: A Texas Christmas Mystery releases December 1, 2011 during the White Rose Publishing Company’s Christmas Extravaganza. This is a complete mystery/love story complete in just twenty-five thousand words and will sell on-line as a $.99 download. I invite everyone to go to http://www.whiterosepublishing.com.to download my book.

Here’s an except:

Galveston, Texas

Only one thing scared Derrick Darbonne. He had no fear of fire, hurricane, sabotage, high seas, drunken roughnecks, reckless roustabouts, brawls, or hard work. But losing the job he’d slaved all his life to obtain terrified him.

He’d worked himself up from oaks draped with Spanish moss, murky alligator-filled water, and a tiny cabin on the banks of the bayou with no running water or electricity. He’d finally gotten to where he wanted to be. And now someone was trying to pin a murder on him. Some Christmas present.

Derrick crushed the schematics he’d been scanning and jammed them into his pocket. He braced his legs wide on the steel floor of the oil rig and raised the powerful navigational binoculars. A Coast Guard cutter slashed a white wedge through the sparkling Gulf waters straight toward his oil platform.

His jaw tightened, his spine stiffened, and he swallowed.

Standing beside him, Joe Bridges, the MIC, Man in Charge, swore.

If Derrick had been a swearing man, he would have joined Joe. Instead, he gripped the navigational binoculars tighter. “Third time this week. If I had anything to hide, I’d jump ship.” He smacked his hard hat so thoroughly his ears rang. “Thought so! That guardsman is a female.” Here was a Coastie bearing down on him with the authority to shut down the operation. The men would be out of work just in time for Christmas. What pretense to investigate the murder was the Coast Guard using this time?

Derrick lowered the binoculars and frowned. “She looks familiar.”

“Ever since you arrived for the routine inspection, Cajun, the Coast Guard’s been on our backs.” Scowling, Joe thrust out a hand for the glasses. “Then there was the murder. That’s the reason the big boss’s keeping you out here again, so long.”

“Don’t I know it! I’m looking for a saboteur as well. Probably the same guy.” Derrick slapped the binoculars into Joe’s hand and tried to lighten his foreboding with a jabbing tease. “Now I’ve got to get the Coast Guard environmental crew out of your hair.”

“Rib me, will ya?” Joe repositioned his yellow hard hat over his bald head and shook a work-hardened finger. “I’ll bet you I can get that Coastie to go for me and my shiny head before she goes for you and that Cajun accent of yours. Loser pays a hundred bucks.”

“You want us to distract her with our masculine charm so she won’t sniff out any violations that could shut us down?” Derrick surveyed the rig’s two-hundred-foot deck looking for any OSHA or EPA trouble the Coast Guard might use to give a citation. Sunlight slanted off the metal plates causing enough glare to hurt his eyes. He didn’t like Joe’s plan.

“You got it.” Joe grinned.

Derrick gave a tight smile. He slid his gaze to the roughneck inside the glass-enclosed room, jiggling the joy sticks and pushing the buttons that worked the rig’s floor. The big man hooking a new drill in place beneath the five-hundred-foot drilling tower wore his safety equipment. No problem there.

Derrick flicked his gaze over the new hire, the eighteen year old from Galveston. The kid’s long blond hair straggled from beneath his yellow hard hat. He was bent over washing sludge and mineral oil through sand to clean out the last drop of hydrocarbon before reusing the sand. Kid was a hard worker, already adept at his job. No laws broken. No environmental procedures shortcut.

The rest of the roughnecks and roustabouts worked steadily. None violated safety measures. No oil spills or pipe breaks had occurred. The hole drilled through the sea bottom was clean and not yet exceptionally deep. They should hit oil soon. Joe Bridges had a salty vocabulary, but the boss man ran a tight rig. So why suddenly all the anonymous phone calls about regulation problems? Had to be the murder.

Derrick needed to come up with answers.

“Alamo Oil pays you a hefty salary to make sure things run smooth on all two hundred of its rigs.” Joe’s voice sounded more than a little jealous.

“Don’t I know it.” Derrick ran a hand over the stubble already growing after his close morning shave.

“Alamo doesn’t want to fork out any stiff fines or lose any drill time because of environmental pollution, safety violations, mismanagement, or accidents. So make sure that Coastie’s distracted.” Joe winked. “And don’t mention the murder. We’ve trampled that ground too many times with the Coast Guard already.”

“Right.” Derrick rubbed the back of his neck. An uneasy feeling kept nagging him about the murder. Nothing he could put a handle to, but—too many clues led directly to him. Once the Coast Guard put the puzzle together, they’d come looking for him. He grunted. How had his personal helmet wound up grasped in the dead kid’s hand?

Joe swore loud enough that the crew cleaning sand looked up. He lowered his voice. “That Coastie’s gonna cause trouble. I feel it in my bones.” His eyes, shadowed under his hard hat, looked wary. “We gotta keep her thinking about us, not her job.” He handed the binoculars back.

Derrick frowned. “I think you’re just hard up for a date. You want a girl friend to share Christmas with.”

“Whatever!”

As the Coast Guard cutter pulled alongside their offshore rig, Derrick focused the binoculars on the trim figure in her blue uniform. He’d not seen many women in the Guard, and none that looked so curvy…wow, hotter than a Louisiana mudbug boil. He loved that spicy crawfish dish.

Dread inside his gut heightened. Sweat beaded his forehead. He got tongue-tied around women. “This can’t be good!”

“Yeah. The broad’s probably a—”

“It’s Amber Meredith!” Derrick fumbled the expensive binoculars, made a grab for them, and caught them just before they hit the deck.

What inspired this book: A trip to Galveston, Texas with its historic homes, beautiful waterfront, and fascinating oil rig tours.

How long have you been writing? A Texas Christmas Mystery is my third published book. I’ve been writing about ten years. Reading was my escape in my growing up years, and I’ve always wanted to be a writer. I graduated from the University of Texas cum laude with a degree in Literary Studies, but worked as a photographer and as a Real Estate Agent before diving full-time into writing. When I joined American Christian Romance Writers, the journey to writing grew easier. Due to their annual conference, I have a wonderful critique group, a fantastic agent, and have met many editors. Finalling in writing contests gave me excellent feedback, plus got me a contract for Masquerade Marriage with White Rose Publishing.

What is your favorite character trait to write about? I become one with each of my characters. Just as an actress takes on the character of each person she portrays, so a writer becomes the characters in her drama. The character tells me what is happening inside and I go with it. That’s what so much fun about writing. I live each journey. So my favorite character trait is probably the gutsy heroine outsmarting the hero while falling deeply in love with him.

What do you hope readers will take away from this book? They will learn about beautiful Galveston, Tx, they will discover how the Coast Guard works, they will enjoy experiencing life aboard an oil rig off the coast of Galveston. They will learn of the infinite career opportunities available for women who still desire to be wives and mothers. I’d like them to escape their lives and enter a new world for a few hours. I hope they discover the message that no matter how awful the circumstances in a person’s life, God doesn’t allow anything to happen to them outside of His perfect will.

What is your favorite season? Christmas. That’s why writing about Christmas is such a joy. I love the gift-giving that reminds us of our Father’s great gift to us. I love the singing of carols. I’m in two choirs at my church and we are memorizing six new songs for our Christmas program which will be accompanied by a full orchestra and narrative about our Savior’s birth. Christmas is a holy time of year, when our thoughts turn often to Jesus and His love. I love my family getting together and the decorations and the festive food. I love reading the Christmas story to the entire family at the dinner table-God come down to dwell with us.

If you could travel back in time when and where would you go? I would have loved to see the Garden of Eden before the fall. I’d love to see the animals living side by side with no fear. I’d love to see what had to have been the most beautiful man and woman ever created, and the love they shared. I would like to walk beside them and hear the voice of God in the cool of the evening. I would like to see the world without sin and death. And the joyful reality is that I will, when we all experience the new heaven and the new earth and there is no darkness and God is our Light. That’s a lot to look forward to.

What project are you currently working on? I’d like to be working on just one! I’m working on two, with three more bursting in my brain to be written. I’m doing a rewrite on my 1838 historical, Trail of Tears, and I’m writing the sequel to Masquerade Marriage, working title, Marriage by Arrangement. When those are finished within the next few months, I’d like to be writing a sequel to Holly Garden, PI, Red is For Rookie, which my agent has. Also very soon I’d like to work on my Women in World War II series.

You can read more about me and my books at http://www.AnneGreeneAuthor.com. And you can purchase A Texas Christmas Mystery and Masquerade Marriage at http://www.whiterosepublishing.com.

ANNE GREENE delights in writing about wounded heroes and gutsy heroines. She writes both historical and suspense novels. After falling in love with several countries and their people, Anne set a number of her books in exotic locations. She and her hero husband, Army Special Forces Colonel Larry Greene, have visited twenty-five countries, including three communist countries. A visit to

Scotland

resulted in her newest book release, Masquerade Marriage, published by White Rose Publishing. When she’s not deployed with her husband, Anne makes her home in McKinney, Texas. Two of her four children live nearby. Tim LaHaye led her to the Lord when she was twenty-one and Chuck Swindoll is her Pastor. In 1990, Anne graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor’s degree in Literary Studies from the University of Texas, Dallas. Her highest hope is that her stories transport the reader to an awesome new world and touch hearts to seek a deeper spiritual relationship with the Lord Jesus. To learn more of Anne and to view pictures from her extensive travel, visit her at http://www.annegreeneauthor.com/

Anne has offered to give away one copy of A Texas Christmas Mystery. At least 10 people need to leave comments WITH their email address in order for there to be a contest. OR if you are having blogger issues you can email me at srstormo@yahoo.com and put "contest" in the subject line. Valid only in the US and Canada. Winner announced December 27th.

From Dreams to Reality - Part 2

2011-12-14T05:00:00.017-06:00

For the 2nd installment of From Dreams to Reality I'm featuring the following talented authors:

Pamela S. Meyers
Lisa Grace
Max Anderson
Valerie Comer

______________________________________________

Pamela S. Meyers:
My Desert Journey to the Promised Land of Book Contracts

I’ve reflected a lot on my long journey to publication, but it wasn’t until recently that I realized how in many ways my journey is similar to the Israelites’ 40-year trek from Egypt to the Promised Land.

My desert crossing began over ten years ago when I became serious about fiction writing. After taking a short story writing course, I attended a writing conference and, during an author appointment, I was encouraged to make my short story into a novel. Writing a book was not on my radar, but the idea appealed to me. I signed up for a novel-writing course, and another story took form and quickly became a novel. A good storyline I was told at a later conference, but not ready for publication

Over the following years I experienced a multitude of setbacks, including enough rejections to paper my bedroom wall, a line closing just as interest was shone in a story, and my first agent retiring from the business. Still, whenever I questioned God, something positive would happen that I took as His answer.
Keep at it. You won’t be disappointed.

This past year, I sensed my promised land--a contracted book—was closer. Still, I kept writing and praying for patient endurance.

Then, last May I received THE call from my agent. Ramona Tucker of OakTara Publishers had offered me a contract for Thyme for Love. Soon after, when she and my agent Terry Burns attended Write To Publish Writers Conference which is held in my home area, I met with them, and she handed me my contract. That day I crossed my figurative Jordan River into the promised land of publication.

On November 14, 2011, Thyme for Love will be released by OakTara, and in June 2012, my 1933 romance Love Finds You in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin will publish with Summerside Press.

I am constantly reminded of something another author Lena Nelson Dooly often says. God is never too early or too late. He’s always on time.
_____________________________________________________

Valerie Comer
What's Your Pot of Gold?

Like kids on a treasure hunt, most of us writers are following the clues on the treasure map hoping to find that rumored chest full of sparkling gold coins: publication. Some hints tell us to 'show, not tell.' Others remind us to seek out a great agent. Occasionally they send us off on a wild goose chase as we attempt to remove Every. Single. Adverb. From our work. We find our way back to the dotted line and keep hunting for the prize.

I'd written eight novels over nine years before I touched the fabled chest. It came in the form of a novella contract from Barbour Publishing in February, 2011. The fun thing? The title of the anthology I share with Nicole O'Dell, Cara Putman, and Annalisa Daughety is

We created a geocaching (electronic treasure hunting via GPS) event in the Lake of the Ozarks area of Missouri. (In French, Ozark is believed to mean "toward the rainbows." I hope you'll check it out when it releases in May, 2012, and read about our characters as they search for the prize...and find so much more than they bargained for.

Treasure has taken on a whole new meaning for me! Whether there's truly a pot of gold at the end of that rainbow or simply another contract or two, I'm excited to keep following the clues toward the next big X on the map: Secret treasure buried here.

http://valeriecomer.com/
Valerie Comer enjoys life on a small farm in western Canada provides the seed for stories of contemporary inspirational romance. Like many of her characters, Valerie grows much of her own food and is active in the movement as well as her church. She only hopes her imaginary friends enjoy their happily ever afters as much as she does hers, gardening and geocaching with her husband, adult kids, and adorable granddaughter.

______________________________________________________

Max Anderson
If I Can Do It, So Can You…Really

It’s possible that I might be the last person you would ever expect to become a published author. After you read my story, you may be even more convinced, but I also hope you’ll be encouraged as a writer.

I grew up in a family of seven children. Out of all of them, I was the only one who didn’t like to read. I used to tease my older brother because he was seldom without a book in his hand. Not me. I wanted to be out doing, not reading about it. To complicate matters even further, my father published over seventy books during his lifetime, and I didn’t read any of them growing up.

So what happened?

Through a set of circumstances after 9/11, and the economic fallout, my video production business faded away. While I was contemplating what to do next, a small voice, in my mind, kept asking me, “Why don’t you write The Scarecrow?” The Scarecrow was a screenplay I had written nearly thirty years earlier. Finally, out of frustration one day, I pounded my fist on the desk and said right out loud, “Fine! You want me to write The Scarecrow, I’ll write it.”

I found the process very difficult, but when I finished, something amazing happened. My mind was bombarded with new stories. They came complete with main character, plot, setting, and the primary thrust of a story. As quickly as I finished writing, the next story elbowed its way to the front of the line.

In the middle of this time, I met two men online who ultimately formed a company for the express purpose of publishing my action-adventures & mysteries for readers 8 – 13, especially boys. I thought I was on my way. Then, about three years later, they declared bankruptcy and I found myself at square one all over again.

In time, I signed with Terry Burns at Hartline Literary, we found two new publishers, and by February 1, eight of my books will have been published with more in the works. I’ve been at this for ten years now. Am I a well known author? Not yet. But I believe that if a writer - no matter where he or she is along their publishing journey – continues to press on, work hard, and look for opportunities, good things will come from that.

Today I write a monthly column for Christian Fiction Online Magazine http://christianfictiononlinemagazine.com/middle_anderson.html

My stories have also appeared in publications including Darby Creek, Guideposts Books, Chicken Soup for the Soul, Tyndale House, Angels on Earth Magazine, and many others in print and online.

Looking back, I would never have expected to be where I am right now. And I encourage you to look at your path in the same way. Many people only think about writing, or hope to be published one day. If you’ve completed a manuscript or two, you’re way ahead of the pack. Learn as much as you can, write as often as you can, and look for every opportunity. Seriously, if a person like me can wind up with a stack of books that have my name on them, chances are that you can, too. Don’t get discouraged, don’t give up, and don’t let anyone convince you that you can’t reach your goals.

Books for Boys Blog http://booksandboys.blogspot.com/

Adventure books for readers 8 and up http://www.maxbooks.9k.com/

Check out some of Max's books:

______________________________________________________

Lisa Grace

Thank you Salena for having me on Through His Eyes and for a chance to talk about the movie deal for the Angel series. As an early Christmas gift today, Wednesday, December 14th and tomorrow, December 15th , your readers can go to Amazon and download a FREE copy of Angel in the Shadows, Book 1, be fore the price goes up. Here is the link:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0052AI5W8

Anyone can read the eBook from any laptop, PC, Mac, phone, or eReader. When you hit download (or purchase, don’t worry it’s 100% free) The Kindle store looks for your Kindle app, if it doesn’t find it, you pick it from their list for your device, and it downloads in about five seconds. It’s that easy to get free eBooks, plus they give you two others free too.

Every author’s dream is to have a movie producer contact them about turning their books into a movie. I was thrilled when the first producer contacted me, but ultimately decided not to pursue that deal.

What I’ve found out through researching the industry is anyone can call themselves a producer just like anyone can call themselves an agent or editor in the book world.

There are producers who will option a book to tie it up, and then work on reselling the option for more money to a larger production company. There are the huge production companies, (like Lionsgate) that will option several books a year, but only turn one or two of them into a movie. Some authors now make more money selling their options to these studios every year or two, than they do off their books. The first producer was of the first variety, large enough to offer some money, but didn’t have enough connections, experience, or money to see it turned into a film.

I do not want to be an author who keeps reselling my option. I would like to see the Angel series on the big screen someday soon. The third type of producer, which is the second one that contacted me, was just right. His company has a track record in film and Cable TV, he is well-known and respected in the industry, and has even worked for Steven Spielberg on a project. The icing on the cake is five of his projects were Academy Award winning films. And the ice cream on the icing on the cake? The Angel series is his next project. No waiting to see if it will be a film.

One question I get asked a lot is*I write books, how do I get my book optioned?

Movie producers are like agents. They get passionate about certain books, usually within certain genres. This producer told me it’s his passion to bring family-friendly Christian world view films to market. And with the success of films like Soul Surfer, and The Blind Side, Hollywood has become receptive to funding films in this form.

The movie will be a combination of Angel in the Shadows, Book 1 and Angel in the Storm, Book 2. They’re about a fifteen-year-old girl, Megan Laughlin, who can see angels and fallen angels, yet has no special powers. The books give a strong moral message and make it clear that you are either saved or unsaved and there is only one way to get saved. There are some excellent reviews posted on Amazon. Book two is very action packed.

The movie contract will be finalized soon, and when it is, my lawyer will be taking bids from publishing houses to turn it into paperbacks. The price of the books will be raised, which is beyond my control. If you can spread the word about my “Christmas gift” (the free eBook) and send this link to your friends, I’d appreciate it.

Thanks again Salena, and if your readers have any questions about the movie, they can leave a comment here on the blog and I’ll be sure to answer. I’d love to come back once the contract is finalized and talk about the plans for the production too. God bless.

You're are always welcome back, Lisa! Thank you and best wishes!

Angel in the Ice, Book 3 should be out by January 2012, and Lisa is giving away a free iPad 2 to one lucky "angel friend" when she hits 10,00 downloads (which could happen with this giveaway). All you have to do is register on her site as an angel friend, no purchase necessary.

subMISSION, by Zeke Lam - FREE BOOK

2011-12-11T05:00:00.001-06:00

Tell us about your book.

subMISSION, heeding only His voice, focuses on addressing the need for solid Scriptural obedience. Using testimonies from the Word of God as well as a few personal experiences, my hope through this book is that God’s people will become more sensitive towards not only hearing His voice, but obeying it!

What inspired this book?

A personal leap into the realm of genuine submission sparked my desire to write this book. Upon following God’s voice to make a move that looked absolutely crazy, my family and I experienced firsthand His presence like never before. In a society where it is common to water God’s truth down with the opinion of man, I feel and pray that committing to Biblical submission will spark national revival.

How long have you been writing?

I have spent the last 10 years writing as pertaining to sermon preparation, but this is my first published work. College also demanded much writing although I never took any specific writing classes

What is your favorite character trait to write about?

My favorite character trait would certainly be the hero/underdog. Though I have never written non-fiction works, I love the idea of the humble and quiet warriors used to perform mighty miracles.

What do you hope readers will take away from this book?

My earnest prayer is that the Lord Jesus will draw the hearts of His children to a place of true obedience. I hope readers will be challenged to abandon the opinion and influence of the philosophies of man, and fully chase after a life of full submission to Him.

What is your favorite season?

My favorite season is summer. I love the long days, the warm sun, and enjoying various summer time activities with my wife and 3 beautiful babies.

If you could travel back in time when and where would you go?

The 1950’s always seems to appeal to me when I see it reenacted on television movies. The 18th century Age of Enlightenment in Europe also would be an intriguing venture back in time provided I could be a part of and have a say in the many major events that took place during this time. If I could go far enough back, I would want to stand with Gideon when God used his 300 to take down the massive army!!

What project are you currently working on?

I am currently preparing to continue our next book in the subMISSION series. In addition to this, we are praying about a few ministry decisions involving work in Central and Northern Virginia, as well as Houston, Texas.

Zeke has been kind enough to offer one free book to a lucky winner. Contest rules: at least 10 people need to leave comments for their to be a contest. Please remember to leave your email address. If you have blogger issues please email me at srstormo@yahoo.com and put "contest" in the subject line. Winner announced December 18th.

Prepare to be stirred by this authentic calling to return to Scriptural obedience.

—Pastor Gabe Turner, The Point Church of Charlottesville, Virginia

In my opinion Zeke has laid his finger on the defining message for our time. This message is essential for believers everywhere…

—Eric Stephens, Pastor of Life Changing Ministries and Fellowship in Sugarland, Texas

______________________________________________________________________________

What is the greatest challenge that the Church is facing today? Zeke Lam suggests that one word is the greatest challenge: submission, or the lack thereof. It is not external forces that nullify the testimony of a Christ-centered believer, but rather the failure to humbly submit to the voice of the Lord. This book will help you to live a surrendered life abiding in Christ.

Ø Is the approval of God more important to you than the approval of man?

Ø Is the presence of God evident in your life?

Ø Do you fiercely protect your intimacy with Christ?

Ø Do you desire to live a life of truth, free from the lies of the devil?

Ø Is God’s divine character visible to those around you?

Learn how to submit your life wholeheartedly to the Lord so that you can dwell continually in the secret place—a place of intimacy, surrender and joy.

______________________________________________________________________________

ZEKE LAM is the founder of SUBMISSION Ministries—a ministry devoted to seeing lost souls encounter God and live lives fully surrendered to the risen Christ. A graduate of Liberty University, Zeke’s deep passion for following Christ’s will has led him through many years of youth ministry and itinerant evangelism. Both of these experiences have enriched and fueled his desire to hand others the keys to a Christ-centered life. Zeke resides in Virginia with his beautiful wife, Kathleen, and a growing family of future world-changers.

Peril - by, Suzanne Hartmann - FREE AUTOGRAPHED BOOK!

2011-12-10T05:00:00.005-06:00

Tell us about your book.

PERIL: A Fast Track Thriller: A top-secret agent. A high-profile assignment. Danger at a NASCAR track. A top secret agent with enhanced strength must use her extraordinary abilities during several high-profile assignments, from the White House to NASCAR tracks, while escorting the first Muslim king to convert to Christianity. When unwanted publicity and the attention of a NASCAR champion threatens to expose her secrets, she becomes a terrorist target with danger surrounding her on all sides.

“Plenty of action and unexpected twists.”

Foreword by Jimmy Makar, GM of Joe Gibbs Racing

BOOK TRAILER (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j-G_LzhD4zE)

What inspired this book?

The Fast Track Thrillers began as stories I created to entertain myself during my children’s music lessons and sports practices. I had no intention of writing a novel. That didn’t enter my mind until one day when I was thinking about the latest story while taking a walk in my neighborhood. A thought popped into my head: “Why don’t you write them into a book?” For a while I considered whether I was having a premature mid-life crisis, but finally decided that it was truly a nudge from God.

How long have you been writing?

I have a degree in Composition and Linguistics, but most of my training was for non-fiction. After graduation, I used my writing while working for eight years as a paralegal writing legal documents. I didn’t start writing fiction until my children were little, and sold four short stories to Millikin for a reading workbook. The idea of writing a novel didn’t cross my mind until 2006, when God called me to write a novel.

What is your favorite character trait to write about?

I like to create characters whose faith is integral to their lives, not something they put on for Sundays and Wednesdays—real people who struggle with what God calls them to do, but remain faithful and follow Him to the best of their ability.

What do you hope readers will take away from this book?

First of all, I hope they enjoy the story and consider it a good read. Beyond that, there are some important themes in the book. I hope readers take away the fact that we need to follow God’s promptings even when they don’t make sense. There is also an undercurrent about honesty, and how important it is in relationships.

What is your favorite season?

I love the changing colors and falling leaves of autumn. When I take a walk, I will step out of my way to walk on dry leaves and hear them crunch, and the relief from the hot humid summer weather we have in St. Louis is always welcome.

If you could travel back in time when and where would you go?

It would be wonderful to travel back to the time when Jesus walked the earth, to hear Him speak and teach, and to see Him perform miracles.

What project are you currently working on?

I am writing the sequel to PERIL, titled CONSPIRACY, due out in the summer or fall of 2012. This novel picks up where PERIL leaves off. Joanne’s boss, the head of the country’s most clandestine intelligence organization is framed for selling secrets to a foreign government. Along with the help of her friend, NASCAR champion Stuart Jackson, she vows to help George set things straight in spite of the personal tragedies engulfing her life.

The third book in the Fast Track Thriller series is REVENGE, is due out in 2013. In it, the man who framed George is behind bars, but he wants revenge. He promises to expose Joanne’s deepest secrets to the entire world and isn’t afraid to threaten her loved ones to accomplish it. When he threatens Stuart’s during a race, will she trade her secrets in order to save him?

Thank you so much for hosting me today, Salena. Before I leave, I would like to invite your readers to enter not only the contest for a signed copy of PERIL here, but also to enter the give-away for a KINDLE which I am hosting to celebrate the release of my debut novel.

Entries will be accepted through 12/16. To enter, click here: WIN A KINDLE http://fasttrackthrillers.blogspot.com/2007/01/kindle-give-away_01.html

Where can people find your book on-line?

OakTara Publishing http://oaktara.com/bookpage-peril

Christian Book Distributor http://www.christianbook.com/Christian/Books/product?item_no=903067&item_code=WW&netp_id=965251&event=ESRCG&view=details)

At my website: Fast Track Thrillers http://fasttrackthrillers.blogspot.com/

Where can people find you on-line?

My Website – FastTrackThrillers (http://fasttrackthrillers.blogspot.com)

My Blog - Write This Way (http://Suzanne-hartmann2.blogspot.com)

Facebook – Suzanne Hartmann – Author http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Suzanne-Hartmann-Author/45955180933

Twitter - @SuzInIL http://twitter.com/#!/SuzInIL

Suzanne has offered to give away a SIGNED copy of her new book. At least 10 people need to leave comments with email addresses for their to be a contest. If you have trouble with blogger you can email me at srstormo@yahoo.com and put "contest" in the subject. Valid in US and Canada only.
Winner announced December 18th.

Christmas Miracles, by Kate Hinke

2011-12-10T05:00:00.003-06:00

I’ve never thought much about Mary’s mother, but I’m sure identifying with her right now. Here we are, just 15 days before Christmas, and I, too, am a long distance from my daughter, who is also expecting her first child (truly a miracle baby) by December 23. She’s 2,852 miles from my front door, and I feel like a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs!

When I get to heaven, I want to find Mary’s mother and ask how she handled the waiting. Did she try to talk Mary out of going to Bethlehem with Joseph? (I would have questioned my son-in-law’s sanity at wanting to take a very pregnant wife about 90 miles over rough terrain—either walking or riding a donkey!) Did they go well before Mary’s due date, expecting to be home in plenty of time? Was Jesus born early, in order to fulfill the prophecy?

Did Mary’s mother worry, or was she wrapped in God’s peace? Did she grasp—and believe—that her daughter was carrying the long-awaited Messiah? It couldn’t have been easy for her, not knowing what was happening those 90 long miles away. (Mary, couldn’t you have invited your mom to come along?)

Did Mary’s mother at least get to visit before the little family escaped to Egypt with Jesus? But why didn’t they head back to Nazareth shortly after He was born, instead of staying in Bethlehem?

Questions, questions, questions: ones I’d never considered until this, my own time of waiting. But now I find myself pondering them, and thinking of Mary’s mother. Just like her, I am waiting for word from afar.

And in my pondering, waiting time, I also find myself slowing down this Christmas season--sitting, knitting, playing my harp. I wonder if Mary’s mother did much the same, perhaps spinning some soft wool to weave a blanket for her new grandchild?

I think all creation was holding its breath more than 2000 years ago, waiting for the Gift beyond price that God was sending to earth. And just as Mary’s mother waited for her grandchild, and as I wait for mine, God has impressed it upon my heart that He wants us to practice waiting every year at this time.

So, stop racing around to shop, buy, wrap, decorate, bake and wear yourself to a frazzle. “Be still, and know that [He} is God.” (Psalm 46:10).

Join me. Simply sit down, ponder the Gift . . . and wait.

Kate Hinke is a writer who lives with her husband and very smart cat in San Jose, CA. She is currently knitting multiple tiny things and keeping her phone turned on and with her at all times.

From Dreams to Reality - Part 1

2011-12-07T05:00:00.017-06:00

I am so excited about this four part series that will run through December!

I will be featuring published authors and their journeys to publication! We will explore the ups and downs, the trials and tribulations, the heartbreaks and the celebrations! Please join me in reading some wonderful stories!

My guest this week are:

Lynne Gentry
Lillian Duncan
Bonnie Leon
Martha Rogers

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Lynne Gentry:

See Lynne's video on her writing journey by clicking here - http://vimeo.com/29072582

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Lillian Duncan:

I’ve been writing since I was 40, more than 15 years. Along the way, I self-published and then published two books with a POD (print-on-demand) company but I had no luck getting a traditional book contract.

And I wanted one!!

I’d promised myself that it would be the only way I would publish again. Writing fiction is time-consuming. If I was going to take all that time away from other pursuits—like my husband-I wanted more than a handful of people to read the story.

I went to a conference and they said that e-books were the wave of the future (and boy were they right!) After the conference, I researched various publishing houses, found the one I wanted-White Rose Publishing—because they published in e-book format and print books.

I submitted to them and they wanted to see a full manuscript.

Happy dance time!

Within the month, they emailed with a rejection. But it was a good rejection. It had detailed information and an invitation to resubmit which I did.

Another rejection. Another invitation.

This went on for several months. I was encouraged but cautiously encouraged.

Two days before Christmas, I received yet another email from them. By then my cautious optimism had turned to pessimism. I read the first few lines.

Again, same old thing. This needs changed... and we think the story would be better if you....

I closed the email. I was done! I couldn’t take any more rejection! I went to sleep that night feeling sooooo....discouraged.

The next morning, I opened the email to read the particulars of what they thought needed changed. At the very end of the email, they offered me a contract if I did the two minor changes!

What! I guess I should have read the whole email the night before. But what a terrific Christmas present I received!

The book was published in July and my second book with the company will be out soon!

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Bonnie Leon:

God Has a Plan

We daydream, contemplate our future and make plans. But the plans of man are questionable at best. We decide what we believe is right, but God knows better and sometimes he says, “No. I have a more excellent way.” Jeremiah 29:11-14 says, “For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord. They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me. I will be found by you, says the Lord.”

In May of 1991, after being highly encouraged by an author who’d taught at a writers’ workshop, I drove home with my head full of ideas about my writing career. But God had another plan. And if I’d had a choice I might well have said, “No.”

A few weeks following the workshop I drove my van up a winding road near my home. A loaded log truck approached from the opposite direction and barreled around a corner where he tipped over in front of me and then slammed into my van.

In a moment my life changed. My grand ideas disappeared like a morning mist.

I spent the next year and a half with doctors, every kind of therapist, loss of mobility and loss of spirit. No matter how much I longed for the old me I couldn’t reclaim it.

One day, hopeless and desperate I asked God to give me something to do that mattered. He heard my prayer. He always hears our prayers.

One step at a time he led me forward and flung wide every door toward writing and publishing. All he asked of me was to trust and to step through his opened doors. Two years following my horrific accident I sold my first novel, The Journey of Eleven Moons. I’ve since written and published seventeen more.

I live with pain and disability, but God gave me a great gift—servant to the Most High God.

He has a plan for you—all you have to do is walk through his opened doors to discover what it is.

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Martha Rogers:
My writing journey began when I realized how much I like to make up stories and live in a fantasy world where I could create the perfect family, especially after my parents’ divorce. I made up stories for my paper dolls and my dolls using them as the characters. I wrote short stories as a teenager and my first novel as a freshman in college, still using it to escape into my “ideal” life.

Rejection after rejection disappointed me, but I kept on writing. I met DiAnn Mills at a writing conference, and she took me under her wing and mentored me. She also convinced me that joining ACRW would really help me improve my writing. I took her advice and it’s the best thing I could have done. She formed a critique group with Myra Johnson, Kathleen Y’Barbo and me as members. Later Janice Thompson joined the group then Marcia Gruver and Linda Kozar.

Through ACRW and then ACFW, I met Brandilyn Collins, Lena Nelson Dooley, Deb Raney, Lynn Coleman, and Rebecca Germany as well as my agent, Tamela Hancock Murphey. The most important lesson I have learned from them is patience. Giving God time to work on His schedule and not mine was difficult for me to do because I’ve always been a “take charge” sort of person. It didn’t take long for me to realize that catching the eye of an editor was more than being in charge.

DiAnn, Kathleen, Janice and I collaborated on a novella anthology, Sugar and Grits and submitted it in 2001. Patience paid off as we waited and left it with Barbour until 2005 when we were offered a contract for it. When it was published in 2007, I thought now I would be on my way. Two years later I still didn’t have another contract, but I didn’t give up.

I adopted Galatians 6:9 as my writing verse because I knew if I didn’t give up on what I believed God wanted me to do, I would reap a harvest. Then in 2009, Tamela called me with the news that Strang was interested in Becoming Lucy. They first sent an offer letter then a contract for one book with an option for three more. I started working on the manuscript and after I turned it in, a got another email from them saying they were ready to contract the next three in the series. In September of 2009 I signed the contract to finish out the Winds Across the Prairie series.

Since then I have signed for four books in a new series and a Christmas novel for 2012. When God opened the door, He kicked it wide open with five books in one year. Unbelievable.

The road has not been easy, and the hundreds of rejections hurt. But I learned from the rejections. I paid attention to what my critique partners and judges in contest said. Of course some of what they said made me a little angry, but then I settled down and began to think things through.

Detours, bad roads, hazardous conditions, stop signs and other road difficulties with pop up to distract and take you away from your writing. The key is to keep on with your writing. However, we sometimes have to put our writing aside for a season because what is happening in our lives is more important than a manuscript.

Spend time with the Lord, and He will direct your paths in the right direction. Listen for His instructions and follow Him in all that you do. Be patient because our time tables are not God’s and seldom do they match. If it’s to be, it will be, when He ordains that it’s time.

Martha Rogers is a freelance author of both fiction and non-fiction and a speaker. Her stories and articles have appeared in a number of compilations and magazines. Her first fiction novella was released in 2007.

Thank you to everyone who stopped by to read about the journeys of each of these wonderful authors. My hope is that it inspires you to not give up on your dream and to trust that God will light your path!

Come back next Wednesday as we continue with more uplifting stories of 1st publications!

Harpstring Magazine - Quilted Love, by Salena Stormo

2011-12-06T06:00:00.002-06:00

http://www.magcloud.com/browse/issue/308785

Life is a rollercoaster ride. How many times have you heard that? Well, life is strange that way and all the ups and downs are God's footprints on our lives. I firmly believe that He walks beside us through the good and the bad. He laughs when we laugh and He cries when we cry.

In June of this year my grandfather passed away and in September my Aunt passed away. It was a very difficult time, especially for my mom. The bubbly, happy, sweet upbeat woman who is quick to hug and eager to please was quiet and solemn.

When I received an email in September from Harpstring Magazine that they wished to purchase my story Quilted Love (my first ever published story) I quickly called my parents and told them to meet me in town for dinner. My mom did not want to go. She was tired and sad and wanted to stay home. Well, I insisted they meet me in town and said I had good news! My mom cried on the phone. I honestly don't think she believed that I had good news and was unable to handle any more bad news. Well, they met me in town, with my son. We met at our favorite Mexican restaurant, Papacitas! :) I ordered a Strawberry Daiquiri and they followed suit with their special drink orders...my son ordered a Shirley Temple. :)

That is when I announced that after writing since I was 16 and actively pursuing being published for 2 years, I had finally sold my first short story! My mom cried some more, but this time happy tears.

It has been a learning experience and I continue to learn more every day. I wouldn't trade a minute of it!

So yesterday I received an email from the editor of Harpstring announcing that the story went to print and it was available for purchase. I am still giddy! I don't think I slept for a minute last night.

Stealing Jake, by Pam Hillman - FREE eBOOK

2011-12-04T05:00:00.017-06:00

I am so excited to have Pam on today, talking about her new release Stealing Jake!
Welcome Pam, can you tell us about your book?

Prologue opens in October 1874 in the slums of Chicago. The first chapter picks up on a cold, snowy night a few weeks later just before Christmas descends on the small town of Chestnut, Illinois.

When Livy O'Brien spies a young boy jostling a man walking along the boardwalk, she recognizes the act for what it is. After all, she used to be known as Light-fingered Livy. But that was before she put her past behind her and moved to the growing town of Chestnut, Illinois, where she's helping to run an orphanage. Now she'll do almost anything to protect the street kids like herself.

Sheriff's deputy Jake Russell had no idea what he was in for when he ran into Livy--literally--while chasing down a pickpocket. With a rash of robberies and a growing number of street kids in town--as well as a loan on the family farm that needs to be paid off--Jake doesn't have time to pursue a girl. Still, he can't seem to get Livy out of his mind. He wants to get to know her better . . . but Livy isn't willing to trust any man, especially not a lawman.

Interwoven throughout is a group of street kids arrested in Chicago and sold as child labor. Leading this band of ragamuffins is young Luke, a scared, determined orphan intent on rescuing his little brother at any cost.

What inspired this book?

Jake and Livy’s story started out as a novella proposal for Tyndale House Publishers several years ago, but didn’t make the cut for their Cowboy Christmas anthology. I liked the premise so much that I revised it, working with the story until I had a full-length novel.

The manuscript garnered several awards, and the attention of editors, but I always felt like something was lacking. I couldn’t get it out of my mind that Luke’s story needed to be told as well. And finally, one night sitting on the steps at the hotel at the ACFW conference in 2008, romantic suspense author Robin Caroll helped me brainstorm ways to weave Luke into the story.

I loved the results, and the revised version went on to final in the 2011 RWA Golden Heart contest before being contracted by Tyndale House as one of the launch books for their Digital First Initiative program.

How long have you been writing?

I've been writing most of my life, but seriously started pursuing publication almost twenty years ago. Over the years I’ve developed relationships with industry professionals and other writers, learning and improving my craft a bit at a time.

Being chosen as one of the launch authors for Tyndale’s Digital First Initiative was a combination of having a completed manuscript ready to go at the exact time Tyndale started looking for debut authors to launch the program. When my agent, Steve Laube, asked if I was interested in submitting, I didn’t hesitate. And the rest is history.

What is your favorite character trait to write about?

Loners. I like to write about men and women who have no one to depend on but themselves. In Stealing Jake, Jake depends on himself and himself only, Livy is learning to depend on herself and God. I read a lot of Louis L’Amour growing up, so a love for tough cowboys and cowgirls are ingrained in me.

Louis L'Amour was my favorites growing up too!!!

What do you hope readers will take away from this book?

I write to entertain. I want readers to close a book by Pam Hillman with a satisfied sigh, and a desire to find another one as fast as they can. However, I also write from a Christian world-view, and if they also mine nuggets of wisdom, encouragement, or Biblical truths and principals that speak to them, that makes me happy.

What is your favorite season?

Late spring when it’s warm enough to get outside, but not so hot that you can’t enjoy it. I love to see the first daffodils start blooming in our part of the country.

If you could travel back in time when and where would you go?

California gold rush, or the Oklahoma land rush, or maybe be a pilgrim settling Plymouth Rock! But can I take my laptop, heat pump, and cell phone with me? Please?

What project are you currently working on?

I have a few eggs in the frying pan. What author doesn’t? Terms of Indenturement is an indentured servant story set in the 1790’s. Vengeance Rider is a about a man who is intent on taking back land that’s rightfully his, only to discover the person in possession of it is a woman, with problems of her own. And, there’s a feisty young widow named Johanna Thorndike in Stealing Jake who’s looking to tell her story along with a brawny coal mine owner named Trey. Working title is Trusting Trey. Trey wants to reopen the mine where Johanna lost her husband. So the two of them square off on opposite sides of an explosive situation!

Thank you so much for joining us today. Jake lives in my kindle and I can't wait to read more about him and Livy!

Pam Hillman Bio:

Award-winning author Pam Hillman writes inspirational fiction set in the turbulent times of the American West and the Gilded Age. Her debut book, Stealing Jake, won the American Christian Fiction Writer’s Genesis contest and was a finalist in Romance Writers of America’s prestigious Golden Heart contest. She lives in Mississippi with her husband and family.

Pam on the web:

My website: http://www.pamhillman.com/

My personal blog: http://www.calicotrails.blogspot.com/

My group blog: http://www.seekerville.blogspot.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Pam-Hilman,-author#!/pages/Pam-Hillman-Author/284414064931343?sk=wall

Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/PamHillman

Stealing Jake Blurb:

When Livy O'Brien spies a young boy jostling a man walking along the boardwalk, she recognizes the act for what it is. After all, she used to be known as Light-fingered Livy. But that was before she put her past behind her and moved to the growing town of Chestnut, Illinois, where she's helping to run an orphanage. Now she'll do almost anything to protect the street kids like herself.

Sheriff's deputy Jake Russell had no idea what he was in for when he ran into Livy--literally--while chasing down a pickpocket. With a rash of robberies and a growing number of street kids in town--as well as a loan on the family farm that needs to be paid off--Jake doesn't have time to pursue a girl. Still, he can't seem to get Livy out of his mind. He wants to get to know her better . . . but Livy isn't willing to trust any man, especially not a lawman.

Interwoven throughout is a group of street kids arrested in Chicago and sold as child labor. Leading this band of ragamuffins is young Luke, a scared, determined orphan intent on rescuing his little brother at any cost.

KindlePalooza!
Contest Link: http://pamhillman.blogspot.com/2011/07/pams-blog-tour-kindle-contest.html

What's a KindlePalooza? It's BIG. It's BETTER. It's a-palooza! The winner of this Kindle given away December 15th, 2011 will be gifted with a MINIMUM of 12 of the 24 ACFW Book Club books chosen by the club during 2012!! So, the winner wins ALL YEAR LONG!

Pam has been kind enough to offer one free ebook of Stealing Jake. What that means for you is that this contest is open outside the US and Canada! :) At least 10 people need to enter for there to be a contest. Please remember to leave your email address so I can contact you if you win. If you are having blogger issues you can email me at srstormo@yahoo.com and put "contest" in the subject. PLEASE check out Pam's Kindle Palooza contest as well. All the details are listed above. Ebook winner annouced on December 11th.

Want to read the first chapter??? Here's a sneak peek!

Stealing Jake Prologue and 1st Chapter: http://pamhillman.blogspot.com/2007/11/stealing-jake-prologue.html

FIVE BOOKS - 1 Winner!

2011-12-03T15:20:00.003-06:00

Are you ready for Christmas? NO? Want some help shopping? I am giving away 5 never been read books to one lucky winner. (I went crazy shopping at Mardels and ended up with duplicates). My oops will benifit one lucky person just in time for the holidays.

Here is what you need to do:

Follow my blog
Leave a comment WITH an email address

Winner annouced December 11th.
At least 20 people need to enter for there to be a contest this time so tell your friends.

Books are listed below.

Valid in US and Canada only.

Swallowed by LIFE: Mysteries of Death, Resurrection and the Eternal by Ada Brownell - FREE BOOK

2011-11-27T05:35:00.007-06:00

Tell us about your book.

My new book is Swallowed by LIFE: Mysteries of Death, Resurrection and the Eternal. Did you know we have scientific evidence that we are more than a body? Because of cell death and regeneration, we aren’t even walking around in the same bodies we were born with—or even the one we had last year. Although we started about the size of mite, we can gain hundreds of pounds, then lose weight—and we are the same person who began in our mother’s womb. Our limbs may be destroyed, surgeons can remove parts of our brain, vital organs, and even transplant someone else’s heart or kidneys into our bodies and it doesn’t change who we are. Our parents were involved, but God designed us as living souls that will never die and we will live beyond our flesh.

What inspired this book?
Just as we know leaves on a tree will one day flutter to the ground, we all know our days on earth are numbered. But what then?

I thought I knew all the answers until we lost our 31-year-old daughter to cancer. Did I believe what I thought I did?

That question haunted me until as a medical reporter for The Pueblo Chieftain in Colorado and a student of the Bible I searched for evidence that we will live beyond the grave. I picked the brains of medical experts, did research, and underlined every passage in the New Testament about eternal life.

I found what I previously believed was still true. Jesus did something about death when He came as our Redeemer—and death’s the reason He slipped into flesh and blood to be our Savior. That’s why we sing, “Joy to the World, the Lord is come!”

How long have you been writing?
I submitted ideas to a youth magazine when I was age 15. Then I started writing articles. Sold the first one to The Pentecostal Evangel and someone made it into a tract. Then I wrote an article for David C. Cook’s Leader magazine about my mom’s Sunday school methods, and it was accepted. So I sold my accordion, bought an electric typewriter and enrolled in a writing course. I have a non-fiction book published by the Assemblies of God and more than 250 of my articles and stories have been published in about 40 different Christian publications. During my early years, though, I became a newspaper correspondent and it blossomed into a career. I took time off for our five children, then went back to work and am now retired after spending 17 years as a reporter, mostly for the Chieftain. I now have branched out into novels. An editor is considering my teen novel, Terror Blasters, and I am going to start marketing my Christian historical, The Belle of Peachville.

What is your favorite character trait to write about?
I like tenacious people who despite fear, confusion and obstacles, keep their eyes on a worthy goal and go for it. That’s the type of person my grandmother was, and Jenny, the main character from The Belle of Peachville in many ways was patterned after her.

What do you hope readers will take away from Swallowed by LIFE?

Hope. Joy. Peace. An urgency to tell the world about Jesus. The book is written for support groups, religion classes, people with chronic or terminal illnesses, individuals who fear death or are curious, the grieving and those who give them counsel. I have questions and answers for each chapter.

What is your favorite season?
I live in Missouri now and the trees were beautiful this fall. But spring is also a gorgeous time with all the flowering trees and bushes. Yet, I’m a transplanted Colorado native and in my youth winter was a wonderful time. I enjoyed ice skating, and after we married when we lived in Minturn (six miles from Vail), we lived on a hill above the railroad depot where my husband worked and I’d jump on a sled and take his lunch to him. But we loved playing tennis in the summer, too.

Seasons of life are similar. You can find something good about them all. I have a friend who said, “When you know Jesus, each season of life is more exciting that the last.”

If you could travel back in time when and where would you go?
I like to read historical novels from the late 1800s to the early 1900s. I probably would have enjoyed living then or during the Great Awakening era. But I feel privileged to live in this time and place, as well as growing up in a big family when we didn’t have to lock our doors and almost everyone believed in God and the Ten Commandments.

What project are you currently working on?
I’m in the process of making my out-of-print book, Confessions of a Pentecostal, into an e-book. I’m marketing Swallowed by LIFE by speaking, being a vendor, on social media, and I will send out news releases and do some direct mail. I will continue to polish and work at finding a publisher for The Belle of Peachville, and hope my teen novel will be accepted. Then I will start on sequels and continue to write for Christian publications.

What else would you like to tell us?

Swallowed by LIFE will be available at Amazon.com by Dec. 1 or before.

My website: http://www.adabrownell.com/

My blog: http://www.inkfromanearthenvessel.blogspot.com/

Ada has offered to giveaway one copy of her new book. At least 10 people need to leave comments for there to be a contest. Please remember to leave your email address so I can contact you if you win. If you have trouble with blogger you can enter the contest by emailing me at srstormo@yahoo.com and put "contest" in the subject line. Winner announced December 4th.

Meet Ada

Ada Brownell and her husband, Lester, had five children, all who are or served in Christian ministry. They lost their oldest daughter, Carolyn, to cancer in 1990.

Mrs. Brownell is a veteran Sunday school teacher and has written numerous articles for Christian education magazines. She was founder of The Dunamis Academy, a summers and after-school program for elementary school children. An avid Bible student, she has a certificate of ministry from Berean College. She has a bachelor's degree in mass communications.

As a newspaper reporter, she has written hundreds of articles and interviewed experts and interesting folks from all walks of life.

Among her newspaper awards are a first-place in environmental writing from the Colorado Associated Press Editors and Reporters, and the1998 Colorado Psychiatric Society's Media Awareness Award for her "insight and sensitivity in reporting on mental health issues."

The Prophetess One: At Risk by Linda Rohrbough - FREE BOOK

2011-11-19T05:01:00.009-06:00

Tell us about your book.

The Prophetess One: At Risk is a Christian suspense novel about a pregnant computer programmer who uncovers spiritual gifts from God that, of course, get her into trouble.

It recently won two national awards: the 2011 Global eBook Award in the Religion/Faith category and the 2011 Millennium Star Publishing Award.

Here’s the back cover copy:
"This is fast-paced, thrilling, edge-of-the-seat reading. The Prophetess One: At Risk had me flipping the pages and holding my breath." - Debbie Macomber, #1 New York Times bestseller

It’s a very different kind of war.

Why would God choose a pregnant computer programmer to fight it?

All Anna McClintock wants is a peaceful stretch of beach she can walk to with her new husband, Jack, and her soon-to-be-born child. Jack is finishing his engineering degree this semester and the two plan to leave his Kansas home to build their new lives together.

But when Anna finds herself in jail for the murder of a preschool child she tried to save, she realizes she is alone, except for God. She has to rely on new-found spiritual gifts as well as her wits and skills in order to save herself, her unborn son, and her marriage.

And she has another decision to make. This one affects the entire nation.

What inspired this book?
Two things. One is the increase I see in Christian women in “intuition.” I think everyone has experienced it on some level – that feeling you can’t deny or side-step that you don’t have any concrete reason for, but it just won’t go away. You know that you know that you know. I thought it would be interesting to have a character so gifted from God, and then place her in a situation that demands she use her gifts.

The second is research I did after we lost my husband’s nephew in the Columbine shooting. I realized there are concrete things we can do to prevent this sort of thing. But first we have to understand what we’re dealing with and what’s at stake, and I think the book does a reasonably good job of making those things clear.

How long have you been writing?
I started writing professionally in 1989, so upwards of 20 years.

What is your favorite character trait to write about?
I like writing characters who face deep uncertainty but chose to believe both in themselves and in their Creator.

What do you hope readers will take away from this book?
One of the important take-aways is how important men are in the lives of children.

What is your favorite season?
The answer to that question depends on where I am. Right now, I’m in North Carolina and I think the natives would agree, fall is hands-down the primo time of year. I am currently surrounded by eye-popping colors in temperatures that make it a joy to be outside.
However, I love August in Colorado, where I grew up.
And every day is a perfect spring day in Los Angeles, California, where I lived for nine years starting in the mid-1980’s.

If you could travel back in time when and where would you go?
I like the old west in the US. Oddly enough, that period, which is so heavily written about it has its own genre, only encompassed about a dozen years. But it’s one of my favorites. In fact, at the insistence of my editor, I just completed a Western Short Story for an anthology called Cactus Country that’s coming out before Christmas. The this is the second anthology spear-headed by award-winning Western author and a personal friend Dusty Richards.

What project are you currently working on?
I’m in the middle of The Prophetess Two: A Son For A Son, the next book in The Prophetess trilogy. This time, Anna goes to Vegas.

Thank you for coming here today to share an insight into your book! It was a pleasure to meet you!

Linda has offered to give away a copy of her book to one lucky winner. At least 10 people need to leave comments WITH email addresses in order for there to be a contest. If you have trouble with blogger you can email me your entry to srstormo@yahoo.com and put "contest" in the subject line. Winner announced November 27th.

Review - From This Day Forward, by Margaret Daley

2011-11-14T05:59:00.004-06:00

This tender tale of romance and hardships will tug at your heartstrings from the first page. Rachel, a widow from England, arrives in South Carolina to claim the plantation her husband, Tom, said would be a new start for them. After being disowned by her parents in England for marring Tom, and pregnant with her first child, she has no where else to go and decides to carry on without him after he dies during their voyage. Her maid, Maddy, accompanies her as they travel the road to the plantation late at night during a storm. A freak accident leaves her on the side of the road, injured and in labor.

Nathan, her new neighbor and a doctor comes across Rachel and Maddy and takes them back to his place to deliver the baby and nurse Rachel back to health. Nathan struggles with images from the war of 1812 where he fought against the English and watched many young men perish as he was helpless to stop it.

Soon the two of them find their lives intertwined in more ways than one as they solve a mystery surrounding Rachel’s new home and uncover a family secret that threatens to tear Nathan apart and question his identity.

Through it all their unspoken love for one another creates a bond that will last forever! This book is sweet, timeless and comforting. It possesses all the charm of a classic in the making.

Margaret Daley is a talented writer who effortlessly draws you into a world where the characters come alive as you emerge yourself into their lives and walk beside them.

The Chair, by James Rubart - FREE BOOK

2011-11-12T05:00:00.003-06:00

Tell us about your book.

If you were given an ancient looking chair and told Jesus Christ made it, would you believe them?

When an elderly lady shows up in Corin Roscoe’s antiques store and gives him a chair she claims was built by Christ, he scoffs. But when a young boy is miraculously healed after sitting in the chair, he stops laughing and starts to wonder: Could this chair heal the person whose life I destroyed twelve years ago?

As word spreads of the boy’s healing, a mega-church pastor is determined to manipulate Corin into turning over the chair. But the mysterious woman who gave him the piece insinuates it is Corin’s destiny to guard the chair above everything else. But why? Desperate, he turns to the one person he can trust, a college history professor who knows more about the legend of the chair than he reveals.

Searching for truth about the artifact and the unexplained phenomena surrounding it, Corin soon realizes he isn’t the only one willing to do almost anything to possess the power that seems to surround the chair.

What inspired this book?

It started when I read an article about a Jewish historian who told how some of the plows Jesus made lasted until the second century. I thought, “What if he made something that lasted until today? What if it was a chair? What if that chair had supernatural healing powers? That’s where the premise came from. The heart of the story came from the restoration of a relationship I had with one of my best friends. We had been estranged from each other for three years—and the Lord brought us together in a miraculous way. I tell the details in a reader letter in the back of the book.

How long have you been writing?

Forever and not that long. (Smile.) I’ve dabbled in writing since 7th grade. For years I wrote short stories but it wasn’t till 2000 that I showed anyone any of my fiction. And it wasn’t till 2003 that I got serious about writing a novel. I was too insecure to give it a shot. But God intervened (through my amazing wife) and I jumped off the cliff.

What is your favorite character trait to write about?

Their search for freedom. With every book I write, I want the reader to come away from it more free than when they started. That's the overarching theme in my novels so it's what I instill in each of my protagonists; that pursuit of the things what will bring them liberty in their lives.

What do you hope readers will take away from this book?

At its core, life is about the relationships. The one we have with the Lord and the ones we have with each other. But often those relationships are broken. As I mentioned above, the heart of THE CHAIR came from the restoration of one of my relationships, so my desire is people find hope and forgiveness for their broken relationships.

What is your favorite season?

Are you implying there’s another season other than summer? I love the long days of summer, playing the water with my wife and sons and being able to wear shorts most days. I pretend summer lasts until mid October—and my family loves to tease me about it.

If you could travel back in time when and where would you go?

Fun question! I would probably go back in time to when my parents were children to watch them at that age, then pop over and watch my wife’s childhood.

What project are you currently working on?

I’m smack in the middle of my writing my fourth novel (Oct ’12) which I’m really excited about. I think it will blow people’s minds.

I’m also—along with promoting The Chair—getting the word out about a Small Group study based on my first novel, ROOMS.

There’s a workbook, a DVD where I teach on the four major themes in the book as well as scenes from the book that were acted out by professional actors. It’s available through LifeWay stores and from LifeWay online at: http://tinyurl.com/3ku4hxt

Thanks so much for having me, Salena!

Jim has offered to give away a copy of "The Chair". Contest rules: At least 10 people need to leave a comment WITH an email address. If blogger is giving your trouble you can email me at srstormo@yahoo.com and put "contest" in the subject line. Valid in the US and Canada only. Winner will be announced 11/20/11.

Connect with James:
http://www.jameslrubart.com/

REVIEW - Sherman The Ruthless Victor, by Hassell and Breslin

2011-11-09T15:52:00.000-06:00

This is a complete look at the man known as ruthless and heartless. Sherman is best known for his destruction of Atlanta during the Civil War, wanting to end the war, regardless of the cost and devastation to the innocent women and children left behind. Having lost his first son the year before, he marched on Grant's orders in a depressed state of mourning and loss.

This book shows that he was just as determined in his personal life as he was on the battlefield. He knew what he wanted and would do whatever was necessary to achieve it.

I enjoyed the detailed history in this book. It gives a lot of insight into what Sherman's life was like from a young age as he just started out making his military career all the way to the battles that ultimately ended the war.

O Christmas Tree, by Lindsay Bonilla - FREE BOOK

2011-11-07T05:00:00.012-06:00

Tell us about your book.

“O Christmas Tree” is the story of the Marshalls – Mr. Marshall, Mrs. Marshall and their daughter, Victoria. They love their holiday traditions, especially the tradition of decorating their Christmas tree. But to their surprise, their tree, Treena, is no ordinary tree, and when she thinks that they have their priorities skewed, she comes to life to teach them what Christmas is really about!

What inspired this book?

It came about through prayer which is how most of my books have come about. One year around Christmas time I was praying, and I just couldn't get the song “O Christmas Tree” out of my head. I thought about how absurd the words were if you really think about them, and I realized that that's how so much of Christmas is today. We are celebrating the wrong things, and sometimes we get so wrapped up in that we don't even realize it.

I was preparing to write a sketch for an upcoming church event so I decided to make it about a Christmas tree who comes to life to tell people about the true meaning of Christmas. I called the Arts Director and found out that the theme for the event was “One Candle.” If you read the book, you will see that theme weaved in. So the story started out as a sketch and was shaped to fit a particular event. It was only later that I began to think of it as a children's book. Adapting it to a book format was actually more challenging than I expected, and there were some parts I had to really wrestle with. But the best part about adapting it was that the character of Treena the Christmas Tree really came to life. Before it became a book, the tree didn't have a name or nearly as much personality as she does now!

How long have you been writing?

For as long as I can remember! When I was a child, I carried around little notebooks where I wrote stories. I can remember my teachers assigning one or two page writing assignments and I'd come in the next day with 13 or 14 pages because I just couldn't stop writing. In high school, I wrote poetry. In college, I started writing short stories/children's stories and dramatic sketches. After college, while living in Spain, I began writing flash fiction and personal essays. Today I write pretty much all of the above as well as doing some writing for magazines, and I've also written a novel. Although I suppose it should have been obvious, it was only recently that I realized that I have always been a writer!

What is your favorite character trait to write about?

I like to write about perseverance, resilience and unfailing love. It's also fun to create a character that has some spunk and attitude, like Treena.

What do you hope readers will take away from this book?

I hope that readers will take away the centrality of Jesus to the Christmas celebration. It's not that we can't have our fun traditions, but these can't be allowed to overshadow the real reason for the season. Also, the greatest gift we can give at Christmas will never be under the tree. The greatest gift we can give is to share the light of Christ with someone else. Jesus said that if his followers didn't proclaim His name, then the rocks would cry out. In this case, the Christmas tree will cry out!

What is your favorite season?

I really love the Christmas season if you haven't already guessed! There is something so magical about the significance of it all, and I love the depth of the classic hymns and the reflection they inspire. I also appreciate the moments where time seems to slow down and people have more time for each other. I wish it could be like that all year long! But having said all that, I'm just about always cold, so the cold temps of an Ohio winter are not really my thing!

If you could travel back in time when and where would you go?

Wow! That's a tough question, and I've never really thought about it before. I'm usually too busy picking places I want to travel today! I am a notorious globetrotter! But I'm studying the book of Acts right now, and I think I would love to travel back to the days of the early church. I'm sure it wouldn't be an easy trip, but I would love to meet Peter, Paul, Barnabus and the others and see how their faith, trust and dependence upon the Holy Spirit ignited a powerful movement that is still going on today.

What project are you currently working on?

Right now I am actually working on making “O Christmas Tree” an interactive storytelling program. In addition to my writing, I have a theatrical storytelling company where I visit schools, libraries, churches, etc, performing multicultural folktales as well as my own stories. So I'm hoping to begin taking “O Christmas Tree” out for performances by the end of November.

Also, I just finished the second or third edit (I've lost count!) of my first YA novel entitled “Carlos and the Corral of Forgotten Ones.” It's based on a children's home in Paraguay that I stayed at a few years ago, and it follows the life journey of one child from the day he's dropped off there by his older sister after the death of his parents to how he is shaped and changed through the people he meets and experiences he has there. It's a story of personal growth and transformation, and I'm very passionate about it because I'm passionate about the children I met there. Their stories had a profound impact upon me and if it weren't for that, I don't think I could have stayed the course and finished such a huge project. 300 pages is big stuff to a children's book author! So now begins the new job of looking for a publisher for this book. . .

In the meantime, I am working on a new children's book called “Prince Jazreel and the Domain of Darkness” which was inspired from Colossians 1:13. It's a fantasy love story about a great prince and a very unlikely princess.

Lindsay is giving away one free copy of O Christmas Tree. At least 10 people need to leave comments for there to be a contest. Please include your email address. OR you can email me at srstormo@yahoo.com and put "contest" in the subject line. Winner will be announced November 14th!

Link to my blog: http://www.lindsaybonilla.blogspot.com/

Link to my author/writer/general website: http://www.lindsaybonilla.com/

Link to my storytelling website: http://www.worldofdiff.org/

Lindsay also, wrote, co-produced and starred in Flight To India, a fun childrens movie. Check this out!

The Edge of Grace, by Christa Allan - FREE BOOK

2011-11-05T05:00:00.002-05:00

Tell us about your book.

It received a starred review from Library Journal, and I think the reviewer truly captured the novel:

“Forgiveness, acceptance, and family ties ¬figure prominently in Allan’s second novel (The Edge of Grace). She does not avoid tough subjects (her Walking on Broken Glass deals with alcoholism). Widow Caryn Becker is having a hard time raising her young son while getting her new business off the ground. When her brother David tells her he is gay, she is unable to cope and rejects the one person she has been able to count on. When her brother is attacked, his partner, Max, asks Caryn for help standing up against the attacker. Reluctantly, she agrees. Throughout the trial, Caryn comes to accept David and finds the grace to stand up for what is right. VERDICT This sophomore effort deals with a difficult subject for many Christians with sensitivity and grace, exploring Caryn’s feelings honestly while never shirking from the issue of justice and forgiveness. It is difficult to find a comparative CF novel, but readers who believe in a more forgiving and accepting God are sure to enjoy it.”

What inspired this book?
Almost twenty years ago, my brother-my only sibling-told me he was gay. The news fractured our relationship, but the truth of it is I was the one with the hammer. It took years, too many years, for me to realize that placing the word “gay” in front of the word “brother” did not change the substance of the person I’d known and loved all my life. He is my brother, and I don’t define him by his sexual orientation. In fact, he doesn’t define me by mine either! When my brother’s partner of over fifteen years was attacked in the French Quarter, that was my motivation for getting serious about the novel. The Edge of Grace grew out of those experiences. I wanted other families to realize that they weren’t alone, and that what God wants most, from all of us, is to love.

Christa, that really sums up what we are meant to do here on earth! I couldn't have said it better myself.

How long have you been writing?
I started writing in high school when I realized that I couldn’t sing [at least not anything anyone would want to listen to], I couldn’t dance, I couldn’t draw or paint anything beyond stick figures, and as for sports…well, let’s just say I was the kid everyone wanted on the other team. Many years later and married, I wrote for a newspaper when I had two children and two on the way, then—when four of my five children were out of the house, I decided to start writing a novel. Actually, I started because my precious husband had more faith in me than I had in myself. He guilted me into getting started by buying me a laptop!

What is your favorite character trait to write about?
I tend to be attracted to characters who struggle with defining themselves, who are searching for redemption, and who come to realize they’ve always been on God’s radar.

What do you hope readers will take away from this book?
What I hope readers will take away from both of my novels is that we never know, just by looking at people. what’s going on in their lives. So many people look so bright-faced happy and pretty on the outside that we’re duped into believing they lead charmed lives. Like those families in the picture frames sold in stores (who ARE those people, by the way?!). But turn those pictures over, and what’s there…nothing. That’s not the life God planned for us. He wants our lives to be framed by His love. We called to compassion, and to consider that all those “pretty people” might just be waiting for someone to take them out of their frames.

What is your favorite season?
In Louisiana, especially New Orleans, we have two seasons…hot and wet. But, every so often, an October comes along that actually provides a reason to wear long sleeves and even a light jacket.

If you could travel back in time when and where would you go?
I’d want to go back to right before my first child was born knowing what I know now about what’s truly important in parenting. And it’s not making sure they’re sleeping in jammies and not their play clothes!

What project are you currently working on?
I just submitted my final edits for Love Finds You in New Orleans (Summerside Press) which should release in February of 2012. Next up is one of the quilt books in Abingdon’s new series.

BIO:
EDGE OF GRACE,my second novel, released in August.My debut novel, WALKING ON BROKEN GLASS, released in 2010 from Abingdon Press. My next novel will release in 2012 from Summerside Press, LOVE FINDS YOU IN NEW ORLEANS. It's an 1840s historical, so a real departure for me. I'll also be publishing a novel with Abingdon Press in 2012 as part of their Quilts of Love line.

I've contributed to Chicken Soup for the Coffee Lover's Soul, Chicken Soup for the Recovering and Divorced Soul, The Ultimate Teacher, and Cup of Comfort for Special Needs.

For over twenty years I've been teaching high school English in Louisiana, and received my National Board Certification in 2007. I'm a mother of five, and Grammy of two precious (of course!) grandgirls. My husband and I live in Louisiana, in a small city outside of New Orleans. We enjoy playing golf, cooking, and traveling. We're also becoming expert at dodging hurricanes!

My novels focus on God's "unscripted grace," those times in our lives where God appears when we least expect. And, those times when our lives don't follow the script we expect, grace finds us.

Christa is giving away one free copy of "The Edge of Grace". Contest rules: At least 10 people need to leave a comment WITH an email address. If you have trouble with blogger you can email me at srstormo@yahoo.com and put "contest" in the subject line. Valid only in the US and Canada. Winner announced 11-13-11.

Connect with Christa:
http://christaallan.com/

Keep Your Connection Strong, by Tammie Edington Shaw

2011-11-02T08:00:00.005-05:00

Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. John 15:4

As I walked in my neighborhood, many of the beautiful colored leaves I had been admiring on the trees, now covered the ground. A few windy days had caused the red, yellow and orange leaves to fall. Even though the brightly colored leaves were pretty, they were dying, losing the strong connection to the branch, so when the wind came along, “whoosh” they were gone.

Isn’t that like us as Christians? When we aren’t living in the power of God’s might we too have a weak connection to the branch, who is Christ, and “whoosh,” adversity comes along and knocks us off our feet. We can become discouraged and depressed.

As Christian writers when we are drawn away from Christ, for whatever reason, we can begin to believe that we don’t have the ability to write the words that He has given us. Who would read what I have to say? My words won’t make any difference. But when we take the time to listen to His voice by reading His Word and listening to the Holy Spirit breathe words of encouragement into us, we are renewed.

We know we must write for Him and our words will speak to others, as we live in the power of His might and not our own.

Tammie Edington Shaw
Freelance Writer
www.tamedingtonshaw.blogspot.com

God is like....

2011-10-31T13:47:00.000-05:00

God is like

BAYER ASPIRIN

He works miracles.

God is like

A FORD

He's got a better idea..

God is like

COKE

He's the real thing.

God is like

HALLMARK CARDS

He cares enough to send His very best.

God is like

TIDE

He gets the stains out others leave behind.

God is like

GENERAL ELECTRIC

He brings good things to life.

God is like

WAL-MART

He has everything.

God is like

ALKA-SELTZER

Try Him, you'll like Him

God is like

SCOTCH TAPE

You can't see Him, but you know He's there.

God is like

DELTA

He's ready when you are.

God is like

ALLSTATE

You're in good hands with Him.

God is like

VO-5 Hair Spray

He holds through all kinds of weather

God is like

DIAL SOAP

Aren't you glad you have Him? Don't you wish everybody did?

God is like

The U.S. POST OFFICE

Neither rain, nor snow, nor sleet nor ice will keep Him from

His appointed destination.

God is like

Chevrolet

. . . .the heart beat of America

God is like

Maxwell House

Good to the very last drop

God is like

B o u n t y

He is the quicker picker upper. .. Can handle the tough jobs. ..

And He won't fall apart on you

God is like

The Energizer Bunny

He Keeps Going, Going, and Going