Lyn Cote's Blog, page 53
November 23, 2014
Jenny L Cote, Another Author Named Cote!–Interview
For some unknown reason, earlier this year I decided to google my late mother in law’s name and I discovered an author by the same name! And she’s a Christian author too! I have a guess where the idea to google my mil’s name came from, do you? 
Anyway Jenny L Cote agreed to be my guest. Jenny writes a mixture of Christian history and fantasy for children.(The fantasy comes from her animal characters.) And I fell in love with the cover of her latest book. So without further ado, here’s Jenny:
1-Share one fun or interesting fact about your life or books.
My children’s historical fiction books span from Noah’s Ark to World War II. The best thing about writing these books for me is the RESEARCH! I have a driving passion to go see where history happened in order to bring it to life in the pages of my books. I’ve been blessed with the opportunity to travel and gain unprecedented access to places I never dreamed I could visit, and to meet people I never imagined meeting. Some highlights include: sitting in George F. Handel’s composing room in London to write the scene of him writing Messiah; staying in the Kilns-home of my writing hero C.S. Lewis in Oxford; sitting in the Eagle and Child Pub in Oxford with Walter Hooper (secretary to C.S. Lewis) where the “Inklings” Tolkien and Lewis met; having dinner in Paris with Comte Lafayette, sixth great grandson of the Marquis de Lafayette; and attending the 70th DDAY ceremonies in Normandy, France. I’ve also been to Israel, Egypt, Rome, and of course all over Virginia researching Patrick Henry and the Revolutionary War. So it should be obvious that I have to write books to support my research habit! ?
2-Why do you write?
I can’t help myself – I was wired to write! I love God, history and young people, and blending these loves together through my pen is pure joy. When I was eight years old I wrote stories about talking fruit, so I told Phil Vischer that I wrote “fruity tales” long before he wrote “Veggie Tales.” But I never thought of being a writer as a profession until I was an adult. And this was after I already had a long career in marketing and strategic planning. So although it took me a while to discover what I was truly meant to do, I now never work a day in my life. It’s pure fun.
3-In what ways does your heroine show strength? And where does she draw this strength?
My heroine is a petite, intelligent French cat named Lizette Brillante (Liz). Her strength is her intellect, given by the Maker for her role on missions with the Epic Order of the Seven animal team. Her intellectual prowess shines when she keeps it couched within faith. But her greatest strength can become her greatest weakness when it overshadows her faith. Liz sometimes struggles to “lean not onto her own understanding” and trust what she cannot explain or figure out. This makes her a teachable, lovable, relatable character for children and adults as well. –Jenny L
Learn more about Jenny L. Cote at booksbylyncote.com.
November 18, 2014
November 16, 2014
November 11, 2014
Author Shanna Hatfield & The Tenacious Spirit of My Niece & PARTY & PRIZES!
My guest today author Shanna Hatfield shares about her tenacious niece, a new book and A PARTY & PRIZES!!! Here’s Shanna:
Amanda
“I’ve admired the tenacious spirit of my niece since she was a little girl. Amanda never let anything stand in the way of what she wanted to do and she’s worked incredibly hard to chase after her dreams.
Her adventures over the years took her all over the country. She worked on a racehorse farm in Kentucky, herded cattle on a ranch in Montana, and eventually returned home to Oregon where she trains horses. Perseverance and grit are two characteristics easily associated with her.
THE CHRISTMAS CALAMITY
That unwavering will to succeed reminds me of Alexandra Janowski, the heroine in my latest book, The Christmas Calamity, releasing tomorrow (Nov. 13) as the third installment in the Hardman Holidays series. Like Amanda, Alex is strong and determined to do what it takes to thrive and make a difference. On her way to California, Alex’s wagon breaks down so she temporarily fills the role of schoolteacher in the town of Hardman, Oregon, while the blacksmith makes repairs. A prestidigitator by trade, she is a master at creating illusions and guarding her heart.”
Preorders are available now for The Christmas Calamity for just $1.99 on Kindle. Reserve your copy here: booksbylyncote.com.
November 9, 2014
Author Fran Baker–My Husband’s WWII Experience in HOT STEEL
My guest today is author Fran Baker who is sharing her husband’s WWII experience in the ebook HOT STEEL: The Story of the 58th Armored Field Artillery Battalion
Edited by Fran Baker. I am honored to feature this true story of bravery here during the week celebrating Veteran’s Day. One of the most wonderful things that the new self-publishing possibilities is that stories like these can be preserved. Here’s Fran:
My husband, Vincent E. Baker, is one of a fast-dying breed –
a World War II veteran who landed on Omaha Beach on 6 June 1944 (D-Day) and fought through 8 May 1945 (VE-Day).
The 58th Armored Field Artillery Battalion fought in North Africa and Sicily before Vincent joined them in England in January 1944. At that point he was a second lieutenant, having graduated from Officer Candidate School at Fort Sill, Oklahoma. Fighting as a forward artillery observer from D+1, he was wounded five times, was awarded two Purple Hearts, two Bronze Stars with the “V” device for valor, the Bronze Arrowhead for D-Day, and five campaign stars. He was field-promoted to first lieutenant.
D-Day Renuions
Vincent and I attended both the 40th and 50th anniversaries of D-Day in France, where he was reunited with a family with whom he had become acquainted during the war. We later spent time in Bastogne, Belgium, the sight of the Battle of the Bulge, and in Fontenoille, Belgium, where the 58th was bivouacked while waiting to receive their new equipment after suffering devastating losses in that terrible battle. But it wasn’t until 2014, when Vincent was appointed a Knight in the French Legion of Honor, that I realized it was time to put the stories I’d heard from him and his fellow soldiers as well as the information I’d gathered from after-action reports, diaries and transit notebooks into an ebook in order to preserve the story of the 58th for historical purposes.Hence, HOT STEEL: The Story of the 58th Armored Field Artillery Battalion.
To purchase, click here. Hot Steel: The Story of the 58th Armored Field Artillery Battalion
The ebook follows the 58th from activation in the United States
through Operation Torch in North Africa, Operation Husky in Sicily, and, after several rigorous training missions in England, from D-Day through VE-Day. It doesn’t glamorize the war, but neither does it repel the reader with gory details. It’s simply an account of the adventures, misadventures, triumphs and tragedies of a group of men – a band of brothers, if you will – who answered their country’s call and then got on with the rest of their lives.
My goal was not to write the history of World War II. I just wanted to imbue the reader with a sense of closeness to the action and to the men who went into that action. If I’ve succeeded even half as well as the 58th Armored Field Artillery Battalion succeeded in helping to rid the world of a monster, I’ve met my goal.
http://booksbylyncote.com.
November 2, 2014
October 26, 2014
Lyn Interviews Mystery Author Linda Hall & Giveaway!
My guest today is author Linda Hall, a longtime online friend. She’s an interesting person who writes great mysteries. BTW, Linda is offering a free coupon for STRANGE FACES, her short story collection via her newsletter. To sign up for her newsletter: booksbylyncote.com.
October 19, 2014
October 16, 2014
SCAVENGER HUNT STOP #6
October 11, 2014
Author Miralee Ferrell & Her Daughter’s True Story & Book Giveaway
My guest today is author Miralee Ferrell and she has her daughter’s true story to share. BTW, SHE’S OFFERING A COPY OF DREAMING OF DAISIES SO LEAVE A COMMENT TO ENTER THE DRAWING! Here’s Miralee:
“Marnee Ferrell, my nineteen-year-old daughter, had been hired to do a man’s job on a 75,000 acre cattle ranch in dry, rocky, central Oregon. She sat on Ricky, her Morgan gelding, and surveyed the herd of about twenty-five head she must move from the pasture to the ranch house, eight miles away. Very little fazed this horse; not deer, snakes on the road, steep hillsides or cars zipping by. He’d never been around cattle before this job, but Marnee hadn’t hesitated to try him on a new adventure.
Marnee
She urged the mixed group of cows and calves toward the wide gate. They were moving nicely when a spotted cow with twisted horns defected from the herd and bolted the opposite direction. Ricky didn’t hesitate. He leaped after the cow as though it were a game.
Marnee pushed Ricky to turn back the cow—the rest of the animals were infected by the same desire to escape. Cows have very little sense, and they plowed through and over the tight, razor-sharp fence. By the time the last one reached the remains of the fence, it had been torn down, with the cattle running up the shale-covered sides of the canyon.
Ricky
Ricky was incredibly quick and Marnee was depending on his agility as she bent low over his neck. She needed to get far enough ahead to turn the leaders—the rest would fall in behind. She ran Ricky up and down the steep canyon walls, jumping brush and sliding on the treacherous loose shale. While coming down one hillside she prayed Ricky wouldn’t misstep. The ground was so steep her stirrups dragged in the dirt, and she held them up to clear the rocks. She hit the bottom of the gully and gained the lead, heading off the offending cow, and the rest followed.
The next mile or two the cattle calmed as they returned through the broken fence and up the road towards home. They followed an old road, fenced on both sides, but someone hadn’t closed a gate. The cow with twisted horns ran at high speed through the opening with the rest on her heels.
Again Marnee and Ricky charged after the herd. They spent another frustrating hour pounding over treacherous ground, avoiding holes and jumping brush, as they brought the cattle back onto the trail. Pushing cattle with no one riding point is tricky, but the ranch was short-handed with only one other experienced rider in another location, so Marnee had no choice.
With growing frustration she pushed her sweat-soaked horse. The cow that caused the trouble was decidedly unhappy. Three times she’d been deterred from returning to her pasture. As Ricky and Marnee took a breather, the fast moving, bawling cow spun, ran, and rammed into Ricky’s chest, knocking him backward. Shaken from the attack, Marnee kept her seat, then dismounted to ascertain Ricky hadn’t been gored. Thankfully, the cow’s horns were turned inward and didn’t do any damage. Ricky calmly moved forward and bent to his task as Marnee again collected the herd.
Both horse and rider were covered in dust, sweat and scratches from the rugged terrain they’d covered that five-hour day, but satisfaction poured through Marnee as she and Ricky arrived at their destination.
Marnee is like Leah Carlson, my heroine in Dreaming on Daisies—a young woman who is running a ranch almost single-handedly—with a tenacious strength and determination to win out over very high odds. She’s forced to succeed or lose the ranch, due to her father’s heavy drinking—but she’s constantly slammed with numerous trials that send her emotions reeling. But like Marnee, Leah never gives up—she’s a strong woman who knows what she wants and isn’t afraid to work for it. “–Miralee
To purchase, click here. Dreaming on Daisies: A Novel (Love Blossoms in Oregon Series Book 3)
Dreaming on Daisies—Just Released—Part of the Love Blossoms in Oregon Series
When her father’s debts, brought on my heavy drinking, threaten Leah Carlson’s family ranch, she fights to save it. When handsome banker Steven Harding must decline her loan request, he determines to do what he can to help. Just as he arrives to serve as a much-needed ranch hand, Leah’s family secrets—and the pain of her past—come to a head. They could destroy everything she’s fought for. And they could keep her from ever opening her heart again.
This is historical romance that offers hope and healing to the deepest wounds in a woman’s past.
Bio
Miralee Ferrell is a multi-published, award-winning author of 11 books. She lives in the Pacific NW with her husband of 42 years, where they enjoy working in their yard and garden, riding horses and playing with their dogs. Two of Miralee’s books in the Love Blossoms in Oregon series are currently on sale—with Forget Me Not (Love Blossoms in Oregon Series)
offered 99 cents on all ebook formats until Oct. 14.
So what did you think of that true story??? Miralee must be very proud of her daughter.
QUESTION: Has your daughter or other family member ever done something you were proud of?–Lyn
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