Lyn Cote's Blog, page 63

Author Patty Smith Hall & A Season, A Purpose

My guest today is Heartsong Presents Author Patty Smith Hall. Her latest book is dedicated to her grandmother. Here’s Patty:

Ecclesiates as Inspiration

“When I was writing The Doctor’s Bride, my biblical focus for the book was Ecclesiastes 3. You’re probably familiar with the verses; For everything, there is a season, a purpose for everything under Lord. I always find comfort in these verses, a reminder whether in the mist of the raging storms or the joy in those last few steps as we rise to the crest of a mountaintop, God is fully in control.

God Prepared Her

I look back now and wonder in amazement at how God was preparing me for this changing season. Back in March when it had come time to dedicate this book, I made the obvious choice–my sassy, adorably joyful grandmother, Ruth Rogers Clark. Like my heroine, Grandma hadn’t had an easy life; her father had abandoned her when she was just a snip of a girl, leaving her, her mother and four sisters to struggle in a world plunged in the Great Depression. She started work early in life, getting just enough education to read and write before joining the rest of her sisters in the cotton fields. Even as she struggled to put food on the family table, Grandma bubbled with an irrepressible joy. Married at sixteen to my granddaddy, she faced the ebb and flow of life with a sunniness that infected those around her and when asked how she found joy in such hardship, I heard her more than once say it was her Jesus shining out of her, lighting up her soul.

Grandma lit up my world for fifty two years

before stepping in to Heaven a few weeks ago, sharing her faith with an ease that comes from an intimate walk with the Lord. She taught me to look for blessings even in sorrow which is what I’m doing now, remembering her sweet smile, the life lessons she taught me so lovingly and the words she whispered to me in her final moments, words I’d heard often from her throughout my life– “I love you.”

The Doctor’s Bride is dedicated to the memory of my grandmother, Ruth Rogers Clark with all my love.

BIO:

Patty Smith Hall made up stories to keep herself occupied since on boring Sunday drives into the Georgia countryside when she was too young to stay home by herself. Now she’s happy to share her wild imagination and love of history with others, including her husband, Danny, two smart and gorgeous daughters, and a Yorkie she spoils like a baby. She resides in North Georgia.

To Purchase, click here. The Doctor’s Bride (Heartsong Presents)

BLURB: The Doctor’s Bride

Dr. Joshua McClain is headed west

First stop: Hillsdale, Michigan, to break the marriage contract his late mother arranged between him and Katie Clark. Years ago, Katie left him behind in Charleston. But after a train crash, he comes face-to-face with Dr. Kathleen Clark, his childhood friend all grown up.

When Josh shows up in town, claiming they’re betrothed, Katie refuses to consider an arranged marriage. She’ll marry for love or not at all. Besides, he’s headed for Kansas Territory; her practice is here in Hillsdale. So why are they both finding it hard to break their betrothal and say goodbye?

Thanks, Patty. So happy your grandmother chose happiness. QUESTION: Do you agree or disagree with this statement. YOU ARE AS HAPPY AS YOU DECIDE TO BE.–Lyn

Send to Kindle

Author Sharon Dunn & Don’t Kick Yourself When You’re Down

To purchase, click here. Montana Standoff (Love Inspired Suspense)

It’s been a while since I hosted the delightful Sharon Dunn. I first met her online when I endorsed her humorous mystery. Cow Crimes & The Mustang Menace. What a stitch that book was! Now Sharon writes regularly for Love Inspired Suspense. Here’s Sharon who shares not only the struggle her characters face but the same in her own life:
Your past choices do not determine your future.

That is the journey the heroine of my new Love Inspired Suspense Montana Standoff has to make. As a teenager Sarah Langston became pregnant and gave the baby up for adoption. Now ten years later, the father of that baby has come back into her life. Can they repair the damage that was done and rekindle a love that happened too quickly? People can have a second chance at a first love, but both Sarah and Bryan have to learn to forgive themselves and each for the destructive choices they made all those years ago.

In my own life,

I too am learning the value of forgiving myself. After years of being overweight, I am out of excuses and need to get healthy. I have a stronger motivation than ever before. My husband has been diagnosed with a very serious and difficult to treat cancer and I may be the only parent my kids have in a few years.

Now that’s motivation~

It has been less than a month and I have lost somewhere between 7 to 10 pounds, I joined a gym and am exercising every day.

One of the keys to not feeling defeated~

and wanting to give up is getting past my mess ups by repenting and forgiving myself. If I don’t do that, the little mess up of eating too much or eating the wrong thing just gets bigger in my mind and pretty soon I’m drowning in a sea of self condemnation. My past choice of indulging in pasta or eating the cupcake does not determine my future as a healthy person.

You can learn more about Sharon, her books and her weight loss at

All Aspiring Authors & Avid Readers- Free Online Conference! Door Prizes!

Author Eric Wiggins Recalls his Mother’s Depression Era Wedding

My guest today is my longtime writing friend Eric Wiggin. He’s got a special memory to share with us! Here’s Eric:

Mother Now 95

“My mother, 95, remembers with glee how, at 19, she, her sister, 15, and my grandmother

tricked my grandfather (“Papa”) into giving away the bride. Weddings in 1938, Mother

says, usually took place in the bride’s home, unlike the fancy church ceremonies featured

in old-timey magazines like Reminisce.

Her father, not then a believer,

had spent his rough-and-tumble youth in Boston.

He took a particular dislike to the shy-but-dapper Maine farm boy who showed up each

Sunday to drive Papa’s three women to church. Grandpa ran a country store, and as a

part-time deputy sheriff, he was also the Saturday night bouncer at the local dance hall.

My mother, Polly, had on her new dress and shoes that Saturday evening in May, and

she and teen sister Hilda had fixed each other’s hair. Both girls wore corsages of apple

blossoms from the old tree by the well. Dad’s older brother had sneaked their parents and

the minister into the living room via a side door.

 

But . . . a problem. Papa, oblivious to the wedding preparations

in the house beside the store, was still with a customer—a man who liked to spin long, colorful yarns.

Papa finally came inside. He hurried upstairs. Maybe ten minutes later he

appeared in the downstairs hallway, wearing his sharkskin suit, tie and white shirt,

his badge pinned discreetly beneath his lapel. Grandma opened the sitting-room door.

 

“You’re needed in here, Will.”

Papa stepped in—greeted by a grinning Polly and Hilda, a scared farm boy in a

three-piece grey flannel suit, and a properly solemn minister, who intoned, “Who giveth

this woman to be married to this man?”

Papa hesitated a moment. “Her mother and I do,” he stammered. He trotted

outside to his car and drove off to his job at the dance.

 

Mother and Dad honeymooned

in New Hampshire’s White Mountains. A week

after the newlyweds returned, Dad’s parents threw a reception in their farmhouse home.

Nobody had to sneak around that evening!

 

Eric & Strong Women in his stories

Born in 1939 in on a farm in Maine, I grew up surrounded by strong, caring

women. With my parents and six siblings, I shared that roomy farmhouse—built half a

century earlier by my paternal grandfather—with Dad’s Victorian parents.

 

Two miles away were Mother’s parents, unmarried sister and great-grandmother. Papa loved me,

too, treating me as the son he never had. In my historical novels for girls 8-14, and adult

fiction with strong romantic threads, these apparitional ladies of my heart appear, like the

aunts of Whittier’s Snowbound, as colorized shadows lived out in the lives of my intrepid

female protagonists.

To purchase, click here Let the Dead Bury Their Dead (THE RECLUSE)

Amy Miller, in THE RECLUSE, is a strong woman who stood by her father, Rev.

Wes Miller, when he was forced out of a long-term pastorate in Pennsylvania because

of his convictions about military service. Amy also grew up with a close relationship

with her Amish grandmother. Grossmutter Miller, ironically was shunned by her church

for allowing Amy’s father, years earlier, into her “Pennsylvania Dutch” home in his

American Expeditionary Force chaplain’s uniform.

 

Amy’s firsthand experience with religious persecution enables her to emphasize

with Vaughn Lehmann, the odd, but talented and loving outcaste of Portugal, Maine, the

remote seaside village where, in 1942, the Miller family went to minister.

You can discover the Amish background of the Miller family and meet Amy’s

grandmother in the short story, “Let the Dead Bury Their Dead,” now available on

Amazon Kindle. Included also are several free chapters of THE RECLUSE, a novel of

Amy Miller’s life in Maine and on the battlefield in Europe during World War 2.

BIO:

Eric Wiggin is the author of 12 young adult novels for girls 8-13, three adult novels,

and THE GIFT OF GRANDPARENTING. He’s also written more than a thousand news

articles and interviews, as well as short stories published in Sunday school take-home

papers for children, teens and adults. “Let the Dead Bury Their Dead,” a prequel to his

novel, THE RECLUSE (Oct. 2013) is available on Amazon/Kindle.

Eric was born in a backwoods Maine farmhouse just before World War II. He has

been a pastor, public and Christian school teacher, as well as a Bible college instructor.

Eric and his wife of 50 years, Dot, live in rural Michigan. They have four children, 12

grandchildren and two great-children.

Thanks, Eric, for that wonderful wedding story.

QUESTION: Do any of you have wedding memories to share?–Lyn

Send to Kindle

Author Kristen Heitzmann & Her Father’s Rage

I’m delighted to welcome author Kristen Heitzmann as my guest today. Her story is a bit different and intriguing. Here’s Kristen:

Rage and Violence

Lyn, thanks for the chance to blog here on your Strong Women, Brave Stories Site. I’m sure it blesses so many. My story is not unusual, but I hope it can encourage others in similar circumstances.

I grew up in a family where my dad reigned—with rage and violence. While he did things like teach me to read at a preschool age and hose down the front lawn so we kids could ice skate, from the earliest age I can remember, I knew he wasn’t safe. He also wasn’t nice. In spite of this, he was good—or wanted to be. He loved God with all his heart and served him ceaselessly. Both aspects, while contradictory, were intrinsic.

As you can imagine, this was disorienting. My mother and sister coped as well as they could , but hey, someone’s got to stir the pot. Yeah, that’s me. Daughter number two, middle child, occurring shortly before the favored son. Let’s say I made life interesting. Optimistic and intrepid, I drew on the resources inside me to deal with whatever came my way.

One of my greatest strengths,

One of my greatest strengths, I believe, is that I never confused God with my dad, as so many women do, judging and rejecting God because of parental wounds. While I didn’t feel loved by my dad, I always had a sense of God’s love and presence. In all my rebellions, I never turned away from the Lord, never doubted his existence or his rightful and beloved Lordship. I believe this, along with the ability to hope and continuously seek and anticipate the good in people and situations, came through unadulterated grace.

I loved my mother, whom I lost last April. She set an example of unconditional love for her husband that was nothing short of saintly, especially since his issues were caused by a long and debilitating neurological disorder. The difficulty I have is that it required such a departure from reality and a desertion of everyone else to accomplish it. It seems that was her way to be strong.

My way is to pierce the veils,

My way is to pierce the veils, to see things as they are—even broken and ugly—and to forgive, but not blindly accept what damages others. Real strength lies in the light of even harshest truth, not the dimness of illusion.

To purchase this book, click here.

The Breath of Dawn (A Rush of Wings)

My Heroine Quinn Reilly

That’s the concept I incorporated in my character Quinn Reilly, the female lead in my latest novel The Breath of Dawn. Quinn has been raised in a cult-like church with her father as the pastor whose protective but limiting views of women distort God’s call for all his people. When a conman preys on their church, Quinn takes a stand no one else will—and it costs her. When she meets the grieving widower, Morgan Spencer, and his family, she experiences the real love of God and sees in Morgan’s love for his little girl a reflection of the Father’s love. But can she break through his walls, and does she dare?–Kristen

Author Melanie Dickerson & Stella’s Voice

This is the first time I’ve hosted author Melanie Dickerson and I’m pleased to have her.  Here’s Melanie:

“Strong women make great role models.

My heroines in my novels tend to be strong women, and since I write fairy tale retellings, most of them are orphans, or at least mistreated in some way. After all, what is a Cinderella story without the mean stepmother and stepsisters? Or Snow White without the evil queen who forces her to work as a servant, in spite of the fact that she is really a princess?

But a real-life story of evil and cruelty unfolds every day

in the Eastern European country of Moldova, where there are hundreds of orphan girls who will be turned out of their orphanages, the only home they have, when they turn 16 or 17. And human traffickers, the worst sort of predators, are just waiting to take advantage of their vulnerability and desperation.

One of the poorest countries in Eastern Europe,

Moldova has a place of help and refuge called

SCAVENGER HUNT STOP #18

Welcome to the 2013 Fall Scavenger Hunt!

This hunt (which begins at noon Mountain Daylight Time and not before) has 25 stops and runs October 18 through the 20th, 2013. You can make the loop, reading unique content from 25 different authors, and if you complete the loop, and fill out the form at Stop #26, you’ll be in the running for an iPad Mini, or one of two runner-up prizes—all 25 of our new releases in paperback. In addition, some authors are offering additional prizes, so be sure to read each post thoroughly to be in the running for all that are available. The contest is open internationally.

If you’ve JUST discovered the hunt, I recommend you begin at the beginning, 

FALL FICTION SCAVENGER HUNT–Amana Colonies Author Judith Miller & Digging for Roots

Welcome to the 2013 Fall Scavenger Hunt!

This hunt (which begins at noon Mountain Daylight Time and not before) has 25 stops and runs October 18 through the 20th, 2013. You can make the loop, reading unique content from 25 different authors, and if you complete the loop, and fill out the form at Stop #26, you’ll be in the running for an iPad Mini, or one of two runner-up prizes—all 25 of our new releases in paperback. In addition, some authors are offering additional prizes, so be sure to read each post thoroughly to be in the running for all that are available. The contest is open internationally.

If you’ve JUST discovered the hunt, I recommend you begin at the beginning, 

Author Winnie Griggs & Learning Grace Under Pressure

I’m delighted to have a genuine Southern girl as my guest today, Love Inspired author Winnie Griggs. She shares about her mother and also is offering a book giveaway. So be sure to leave a comment. Here’s Winnie:

“Lyn, thank you for inviting me to post here today.  I want to talk out the woman who has been the biggest inspiration in my life – my mom.

There were lots of lessons I learned at my mother’s knee -

the value of hard work, good manners,  respect for others.  And above all else, my mom infused me with a sense that I could do whatever I set my mind to.

But it was later in life that she taught me another great lesson – how to show grace through adversity.  At age 51 my mother was diagnosed with lymphoma and had to go through chemotherapy.  It was a scary time for all of us, but mom endured it with little complaint.  She came out on the other side eventually and she’s been in complete remission ever since.

A few years later her father, a widower, had a stroke

and could no longer live alone.  Not only did mom and dad take him in, but they built an additional room onto their home to accommodate his needs.  My grandfather lived with them for a number of years and his care took up much of mom’s world during that time.  Eventually his health declined into dementia but still mom kept him with her until he needed more care than she could provide.  Still, mom visited him faithfully every week for the rest of his life, even though he often didn’t know her.

Some years later, my father was diagnosed with Parkinson’s.

Again, the primary care fell on my mother’s shoulders.  For a time daddy needed only minimal help.  But as the years passed, he suffered a number of small strokes, and began to need more and more assistance.  Eventually mom let all of her social activities fall by the wayside as she took on his full time care.  Even when we, her children, offered to relieve her, she never took more than a few hours break at a time.  She fought hard to keep him home with her as long as possible, but eventually his condition required that he have the kind of medical attention he could only get in a nursing facility.  Again, mom spent most of her time at his bedside until he eventually passed on.

Today Mom is still an active, generous woman

who takes joy from life, and who gives of herself to others in many large and small ways.  I am in awe of the strong, generous woman she is and am so very proud to be her daughter.

To purchase, click here. A Family for Christmas (Texas Grooms (Love Inspired Historical))

Eve Pickering, the heroine of A Family For Christmas, also has a heart for helping others.  Her whole life she’s been made to feel a burden to her family and has now been banished to another town where a job awaits her.  But as the story a 10 year old stowaway on her train is being booted off.  Unable to leave the boy alone in a strange town with no one to look out for him, she stays with him, allowing the train to leave without her, even though she knows no one in this town and has never been on her own before.  Of course our hero steps in quickly to come to their aid and our story is off and running!

I love hearing from readers!  There’s several different ways you can connect with me – below are some of them.”–Winnie

Contact info:

Email:  winnie@winniegriggs.com

Website:

Lyn Interviews Amish Author Marta Perry

I’ve had the pleasure of hosting Amish author Marta Perry before and today she has shared more about her life and faith journey. Marta is a good friend and she’s the kind of woman any of you would want as a neighbor. Here’s the interview:

Tell us a little about your writing and your real life.

In many ways, my writing life and my real life are intricately connected. I write constantly, no matter where I am, and my family has long since become used to the fact that I may well use the places we go and the things that happen to us in our writing.

I find I’m most comfortable writing about places I know very well, because then I understand the influence of setting and culture on the characters. Despite the influence of popular culture on our lives, in many ways we are the product of our own particular time and place. A woman brought up in the sixties in South Carolina isn’t going to look at things in the same way as a woman brought up in Chicago in the 80s! I love developing those little details that make my characters real to me and I hope to my readers.

 

Was there a time in your life when you think God challenged you to become stronger? Please share.

There have been many, but one which comes to mind occurred when I had a serious health scare when I was in my forties. For years, I had known that my ultimate career goal was to become a novelist, but I had delayed taking the plunge, finding my writing release in writing short fiction while working another job—one I really loved but was beginning to burn out on.

The health scare, which sidelined me for a time, proved to be a minor one, but it forced me to reassess where I was going and what I wanted to do with the rest of my career life. God used that fallow time to bring me to a place where I was ready to commit to following the dream He had placed in my heart.

What is special about your most recent book to you?

SEARCH THE DARK is the second book in a three book suspense series set in a small Pennsylvania community about three women who spent a summer together there when they were ten. They’re drawn together after twenty years in the same place and confronted with uncovering the secrets surrounding the death of an Amish youth that fateful summer.

I’ve always been fascinated by the role childhood experiences play in our adult lives and how those memories can suddenly pop out of the recesses of our subconscious, as fresh as if the incidents had happened today. My protagonist, Meredith King, is a woman whose strong sense of duty keeps her tied to the small town even as she dreams of another life, and it’s that same sense of duty that leads her to risk her life to know the truth. And, incidentally, to find her own happily ever after!

 

To purchase, click here. Search the Dark (Watcher in the Dark)

Search the Dark

HQN Books

October, 2013

Sometimes the past is best left buried….

Meredith King longs for escape. Life in Deer Run is stifling, the Amish town too small for a modern woman staying just to care for her ailing mother. When a friend enlists her help in clearing the name of an Amish boy whose decades old death is till shrouded in mystery, she welcomes the challenge. But when a ghost from her own past reappears, there is suddenly a lot more at stake.

Zach Randal was always a bad boy, and their romance never had a chance. As charming as ever, he returns to town on the heels of a deadly new threat. Is Zach as dangerous as Meredith was always led to believe? Or is the attraction they both feel the only thing that can save them from harm?

Thanks, Marta. This sounds like an intriguing book. Bringing back three people after 20 years is always filled with layers of emotion.  AND WHAT A COVER!!! Have any of you ever read a Marta Perry book? What did you think?–Lyn