Lyn Cote's Blog, page 71

Award-Winning Author Valerie Hansen & Grandma Edith

My guest today is a good friend, author Valerie Hansen who is sharing a special memory of her grandmother Edith. (In the photo above, Edith is the smaller sister. The other is her sister Louise.) Here’s Val:

“Strong women? My family is full of them. Me, included. Grandma Edith was born in 1884, the child of Swiss immigrants. Her life was not an easy one. By the time she had married and my mother Helen was born, her own mother had been widowed and was supporting herself and other children by running a boarding house.

Later, when I was very young, Edith came to live with Helen and the rest of our family. She was a very quiet person – unless I asked her for a song or a story. Then she never held back. I truly believe it was from her that I learned to love tall tales and heroic characters. Her wonderful stories almost always featured me as the heroine and I always triumphed.

What I didn’t know was that she had been given a mere six months to live. Well, she fooled them all. She lived six more years. I never once heard her complain in spite of her pain. And, even as I grew, she always made room for me beside her in her favorite chair while she knitted and spun her magical web of imagination.

I often wonder if having me squeezed in next to her like that aggravated her physical ills. If it did, she never gave in and sent me away. Nor was she ever too busy for an inquisitive little girl whose best friends were found in books. And seated next to the grandmother whose love was tangible – and continues to this day.

To purchase, click here.Wages of Sin

My featured ebook, WAGES OF SIN, is actually set close to the time of grandma’s youth. Daily life was changing rapidly then. In the case of Ruby McKay, her choices were limited – but that didn’t stop her from doing what she had to do to save her newborn nephew, right after the boy’s birth, from the same powerful man who had killed her sister Emma. As Ruby flees from Kansas with the innocent babe, an organized effort to capture her ensues. She has to rely on her wits and the aid of a few unlikely strangers to outwit her pursuers.

Her journey takes her as far as Lincoln County, New Mexico, and drops her smack dab in the midst of a war between rival cattle barons, crooked politicians, and the odd sheep rancher, whose murder triggers another shooting match and leaves Ruby – and the baby – caught between their old life and a new, deadly threat.–” Valerie

PS-I will donate a copy of WAGES OF SIN via an Amazon gift card if the winner lives in the USA. Others will receive a previously printed paperback, also historical set in the American West.

What a wonderful story. It reminded me of Steve’s grandmother who was 92 when our son was born. I can remember him climbing up on her lap and her hiding the pain and calling him her little angel. Thanks for sharing, Valerie!

To enter the EBOOK drawing,
Question: Which grandparent showed you the most love? And how did he/she show you that love?–Lyn

Regency Author Louise M Gouge & The Strength of Selflessness

My guest today is Regency author Louise M Gouge. She has quite a story to tell and is offering a book giveaway. Here’s Louise:

“When I think of strong women, I always think about my grandmother, who was a big part of my life when I was a child. Let me tell you a little bit about her. To protect the privacy of other family branches, I will call her Lucy and my grandfather George.

 Lucy was a true Victorian lady living in Middle America in the late 1800s (that’s not a typo; she lived from 1875 – 1979). As Christians deeply involved in their church, Lucy played the organ and George served as the Sunday school superintendent. The social expectations of their town were typically Victorian, with a strong emphasis on appearances, so of course Lucy stayed home and kept house while George provided nicely for their family.

 At some point, Lucy decided she wanted to make a little pin money of her own. She began making ladies’ hats (picture those huge feathered Victorian hats!), and her creations were soon in great demand. However, Lucy found out that her business was cutting into the income of “Mabel,” a less fortunate lady in the neighborhood who had been making lovely hats for wealthy ladies for some time. I don’t recall whether this lady was a widow or just that her husband’s income was not sufficient for the family. But Lucy determined that Mabel needed the income more than she did. She shut down her millinery business and referred all of her customers to Mabel.

 What an unselfish action! Think of it. Lucy loved to use her artistic skills to create fashionable bonnets, but she gave it up for the sake of someone less fortunate. What a Christ-like action. What an example to follow!

To purchase, click here. A Suitable Wife (Love Inspired Historical)

 So when I am creating a benevolent heroine for my stories, I don’t have to look any further than my own grandmother to see what makes a woman so generous. In the same way, Lady Beatrice Gregory, heroine of my December 2012 novel, A Suitable Wife, surrenders her own enjoyments in Regency London to minister to those less fortunate. I think my grandmother would like Beatrice.

I would love to give away a copy of A Suitable Wife. Winner must be a resident of the U. S. or Canada and is responsible for all her local laws regarding giveaways.”– Louise

Louise, my greatgrandmother was left without support when her husband died, leaving her with nine children to support. She made lace. Your grandmother’s kindness to this woman would have impressed anyone.

Here’s the question to answer: Have you ever seen someone do a selfless service for another? Please share!

Winners from last week: Kimberly B won an Ebook copy of Johnnie A Donley’s book. And Johnette won Jill Eileen Smith’s book. Congratulations!

 Twitter: @Louisemgouge

Blog:

Debut Author Johnnie Alexander Donley & Strength Through Waiting

My guest today Johnnie A Donley is celebrating her first book. Where Treasure Hides, which is strictly digital. I had the pleasure of helping Johnnie after she won the ACFW Genesis Contest last year by giving her some tips. Now she’s going to give away an ebook copy so here’s what Johnnie has to say:

“My maternal grandmother died a few days after my birth, but I’ve heard the stories of how she, a widow, singlehandedly raised her children.

During World War II, a Blue Star Flag hung in her living room window, a service flag with six blue stars – one for each of her six sons.

As this hardworking woman waited for her sons to return home from both the European and Pacific theaters, she welcomed other mothers’ sons into her kitchen for a home-cooked meal. One young soldier, nicknamed Tex and stationed in Michigan couldn’t make it home to the Lone Star State for Christmas so he spent the holidays with my grandmother and her daughters.

While the war raged, my uncle’s wife waited for his return. During those difficult years, she bought the home that they lived in until their deaths decades later.

While the war raged, my aunt waited for her husband’s return. During those hard years, she worked at a grocery store and volunteered for the USO.

And they all waited.

To purchase, click here. Where Treasure Hides

When war comes to her home in Rotterdam, Holland, my protagonist Alison Schuyler joins the Dutch Underground to protect her country’s art and children.

 But eventually Alison is forced to flee Holland and later finds herself in an isolated Bavarian chalet. Where she waits.

 During the long months of Alison’s separation from her family, she must find a reason to wholeheartedly embrace the truth of Proverbs 31:25. The verse says: Strength and honour are her clothing; and she rejoices in the days to come (KJV).

 We so often think of waiting as a passive, do-nothing time.

 But waiting can require the deepest strength of all – the strength that comes from total trust in God during an uncertain time.

 During the war years, my grandmother couldn’t know that her sons would make it home, marry, and raise families of their own. My uncle’s wife and my aunt couldn’t know that their husbands would come back to them, or that one day both couples would celebrate golden anniversaries with children and grandchildren.

 But those were the futures God had granted them . . . reasons for rejoicing in the days to come.

 Our futures lay ahead of us. We may be swamped with to-dos; we may be waiting; we may be doing both. But the truth remains. When we clothe ourselves with strength and honor, we can rejoice in the eternal days to come.

 Bio: Author Johnnie Alexander Donley writes stories of suspense, intrigue, and romance set in World War II. Her debut book, Where Treasure Hides, won the American Christian Fiction Writers Genesis contest for Historical Fiction in 2011. A history enthusiast, Johnnie has also edited nonfiction manuscripts and textbooks. She is a founding member of the Central Florida chapter of American Christian Fiction Writers. A longtime Florida resident, Johnnie treasures family memories, classic movies, shelves full of books, and her papillon Rugby.

 Website/Blog: http://www.johnniedonley.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JohnnieAlexanderDonley

Twitter: https://twitter.com/johnnie_donley

 To be entered in the drawing, please leave a comment. Here’s the question: Have you ever had to wait for something? Was it worth the wait?–Lyn

Lyn Interviews Biblical Author Jill Eileen Smith

My guest today author Jill Eileen Smith has chosen to bring to life many Biblical women. Now she is writing a series about the Wives of the Patriarchs. Jill is also offering to give away one copy of Rebekah, her newest. Here’s Jill’s interview:

In what ways does your heroine show strength? And where does she draw this strength?

In my new release Rebekah, we meet a woman whose story in the Scriptures centers on her betrothal and marriage to Isaac, and later as a mother to twin sons. We know she is beautiful and deceptive, but little else about her is known.

We are told of Isaac’s love for Rebekah, but can only assume how Rebekah felt toward Isaac. We do know that before the twins were born, God spoke to Rebekah and revealed to her that the older would serve the younger. The Bible does not tell us whether Isaac was privy to that prophecy.

But Rebekah never forgot the prophecy, and she spent her life working to get Jacob (the younger) the blessing she believed, by God’s promise, he deserved. Strife between Isaac and Rebekah rose due to their separate favoritism toward their twin sons. (Rebekah favored Jacob. Isaac favored Esau.)

Rebekah drew strength from the promise of God, but she did not always trust that God could fulfill His own promises. In the process, she made some choices that led to long-lasting consequences, with which she had to learn to live, whether she liked them or not.

 

To purchase, click here. Rebekah: A Novel (Wives of the Patriarchs)

Share one fun or interesting fact about your life or books.

My grandmother was a no-nonsense German woman who made quick decisions and knew how to get things done. During the summers, on days that my mom worked, I would stay with my grandma. She taught me how to bake pie, play pinochle, and my favorite thing, to love story.

Grandma had a box of old photos, taken during the days of her youth, and in the afternoons, after her work was done, she would allow me to pull out the box of pictures and ask her questions about each one. Those pictures held a wealth of stories of her childhood, her courting days with my grandpa, and the early days of her marriage.

I didn’t know then that someday I would grow up to write stories rather than just tell them, but I believe my grandma’s willingness to share her history with me set in motion my love of history and of story. We are shaped in part by our experiences, and she had a positive impact on mine.

website:

New Mom, New Author Jessica Keller

 

My guest today author Jessica Keller came up with a creative excuse for not sending me her material on time–her firstborn, a little girl, came two weeks early! She’s home now with baby and still managed to send me her blog last night. Bravo, Jessica. She’s also offering a book giveaway of her debut, Love Inspired Romance, Home for Good. Here’s Jessica:

“When I think of strength an image of my grandma always comes to my mind. At 92 she still owns her own home and enjoys an active life gardening and spending time with her many grandchildren.

At her age, that alone speaks to her strength, but it’s the stories my mom has told me—things that happened long before I was born—that stick in my mind.

With one too many mouths to feed, my grandmother was cast out of her family home in the Netherlands at the age of fifteen. She had to pack up her belongings and try to find a place to live, a job, and food to eat.

After her and my grandfather married and started a family WWII broke out across Europe. Nazis took over the Netherlands and my grandfather was seized off the streets and forced into the Nazi work program—kept in a train boxcar with hundreds of others, not given food or water, and only let out to dig trenches.

As a woman in her twenties, my grandma decided she wasn’t going to stand for such treatment. She marched up to Nazi headquarters and demanded the return of her husband. Can you imagine a 5 foot tall woman going nose-to-nose with one of those soldiers? She did. And they returned my grandfather with apologies to boot!

Soon after my grandparents immigrated to America my grandfather died in an automobile accident leaving my grandmother in a land where she didn’t know the language and had eight children to provide for. With no education beyond grammar school, she did just that. Working every job she could.

All this, and I’ve never heard my grandmother complain about how life treated her. Instead, she praises God and is now surrounded by a family so large we have to rent out a college campus to hold our family reunions.

And you know what? That’s what strength is to me—my grandmother—someone who bares up under hard circumstances and does what needs to be done without needing to know that there is a reward on the other end.

To purchase, click here. Home for Good (Love Inspired)

In my debut novel, Home for Good, the heroine, Ali Silver, has my grandmother’s spirit.

Eight years ago Ali’s husband walked out on her, leaving her pregnant and alone. Instead of letting that break her, Ali digs the heels of her boots into the Montana dirt and decides she will work hard to support her son and make a life for herself. Even though Ali’s been through a tragedy, she spends her time helping others and opens a handicap horseback riding program on her family ranch.

Though Ali hits some rough patches where she doubts God, through it all, she knows He’s never left her and that He created her to do more than feel sorry about her circumstances.

I hope you enjoy Ali’s story!”–Jessica

Blurb –

“I made a promise to protect you.”

But pregnant Ali Silver’s husband broke his vow and walked away from her. After being injured in combat, Jericho has finally come home to Bitterroot Valley to make peace with his father and regain Ali’s trust. But the single mom’s keeping secrets of her own. And someone’s killing off Ali’s cattle and sabotaging her horse therapy business. Jericho will do whatever it takes to protect his wife and be a real father to his son. Because when it comes to love and second chances, he’s one determined cowboy.

___________________________________________________

Twitter – @AuthorKeller

Author Camy Tang & Protection for Hire

My guest today is author Camy Tang who has written for Love Inspired Suspense and for other publishers. She is one of my favorite people to share a meal with at a conference. BECAUSE SHE’S FUN! I love her perky smile and great sense of humor. Camy is going to tell us about her latest suspense series and one of her charities & a book giveaway. So here’s Camy:

“In my humorous romantic suspense novel, Protection for Hire, one of the main settings is Wings domestic abuse shelter. My heroine, Tessa, is driven to champion women, and I naturally wanted her to work with women who needed her help. I didn’t want to use a real San Francisco shelter for my book for various reasons, so I created Wings but based it loosely off of a real women’s shelter in San Jose called Heritage Home.Heritage Home is a shelter for pregnant women run by CityTeam Ministries, and they provide shelter, training, and spiritual encouragement for homeless pregnant women. They’re run out of a glorious Victorian house in downtown San Jose, which is maintained by volunteers and donations, and which provides a real atmosphere of “home” for women who are at some of the darkest points in their lives.

I’ve donated to Heritage Home and also taken a tour, meeting some of the staff and some of the women. Their stories and their courage was the seed that made me write about Tessa, her client Elizabeth, and Wings domestic shelter in Protection for Hire. Since I made Wings a domestic abuse shelter, it’s a bit more secretive than Heritage Home, and I gave Wings a rather hefty security team, which made for some fun scenes in both Protection for Hire and the opening scene of A Dangerous Stage.

To purchase, click here A Dangerous Stage (Protection for Hire)

You can find Heritage Home on the web here:

RITA Award-Winning Author Linda Goodnight & A Young Girl’s Strength

 

My guest today is RITA Award-Winning Author Linda Goodnight. Do you know what the RITA is? That will be one of the questions at the end to be entered into a drawing for a copy of Linda’s latest Love Inspired Rancher’s Refuge. Here’s Linda who is sharing about a Young Girl’s Strength:

“Sometimes even a very young girl can show amazing strength, not just once but over and over again in the most difficult of circumstances. Let me tell you about my daughter, adopted from Ukraine. Born into a poverty that most Americans can’t begin to understand, she knows what it’s like to be bitterly cold, hungry, scared, and abandoned. She knows about living with no heat or electricity, no indoor plumbing. She knows about food from garbage cans and too many other unspeakables. At the age of four or five, she regularly walked alone in the bitter Eastern European winter some distance into town to stand in line for milk for her newborn sister. She cared for that sister during her mother’s long absences, though she was just a tike herself.

Even after she was taken into the orphanage, she took care of her sister, shielding her and making sure that the little one’s needs were met. I know this because when we first asked what she needed, her reply was, “My sister doesn’t have a coat.” She was ten. Then, at age 12, she recognized her bleak future and bravely chose to leave everything she’d ever known to come to America with total strangers. She didn’t speak the language. The culture, the food, everything was different and uncomfortable. She knew no one except her sister. All she had was her inner strength and determination to not only survive, but to thrive. Today, at nearly 17, she is a bilingual honor student liked and admired by all who know her, a beautiful Christian with a huge heart who cares and gives. She is a respectful, loving daughter, a joy, a gift. And her strength astonishes me.

 Annalisa Keller, the heroine in my latest Love Inspired, Rancher’s Refuge, is similar to my daughter in some ways. She does what she has to to survive-and thrive-in adverse circumstances. Annalisa doesn’t even know she’s strong until her abusive boyfriend dumps her out at Whisper Falls, injured and alone, and she has no one to turn to except a rugged cowboy whose secrets are even deeper than her own.

To purchase, click here.

Lyn Interviews Love Inspired Historical Author Mary Moore

My guest today is Love Inspired Historical author Mary Moore who guested last year with her award-winning first romance, The Aristocrat’s Lady. Today I’m going to ask her two questions and then she will offer a chance to win her latest book, Beauty in Disguise. Here’s the interview.

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

My real life is made up of my husband, Craig, and our lab, Darcy. We live in  southwestern VA, in the Blue Ridge Mountains. It’s beautiful in every season! My husband retired from the Veterans hospital last year and I recently left my part-time job  so we could enjoy retirement together and, hopefully, have more time to devote to writing. We’re very active in our church and we have tons of family all over the US.

 I’ve been writing for almost 20 years, but being an author still feels very new! I became a  Regency fanatic almost 40 years, and I feel so blessed to be able write and sell my own.  I’m so thankful to my family and their support, and God led me to the greatest agent,  Jenni Burke. She’s really helped me to hone my work and to find a good home for it. My goal is to be able to make writing a ministry and my favorite thing is to hear from readers  who tell me a book has touched their life in some way.

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

I’ve talked, of course, about being a breast cancer survivor, but I had another serious  struggle with my health many years before that. Actually, it was a combination of things but basically it took two years to diagnose that I had Lupus. In The Aristocrat’s Lady, I drew Lady Nicole’s struggle with doctors from that experience. Feeling so badly and not being able to figure out how to treat the symptoms for so long was really, really hard. You wouldn’t believe what a compassionate husband I have. When diagnosed with cancer, we could immediately see that God had used that time to prepare us for the even bigger battle we would face. But He got us through both of them!:–Mary

Mary’s latest release

To purchase, click here. Beauty in Disguise (Love Inspired Historical)

Book Blurb:

After her scandalous first Season, Lady Kathryn needs a new beginning. Concealing her stunning hair and sapphire eyes beneath a dowdy façade, she’s grateful to earn her keep as companion, Kate Montgomery. Until she comes face-to-face with her past in Lord Dalton, the only man she has ever loved.

 The debutante Dalton fell in love with years ago was beautiful beyond compare. The gentle, mysterious young woman he encounters at a country house has qualities he now values more highly-until he learns of her deception. Kate has broken his heart not once, but twice.

 Can faith help him see that love, like true beauty, always comes to light?

To enter the drawing for a chance to win this book, please share a few words of hope for those who are struggling with pain or illness today. You can offer the scripture you cling to in times of trouble also.

Here’s mine: God is never far from us. His strenght is always available for us. –Lyn

 

Author Debra Ullrick & Ranch Women Are Tough

My guest today is Love Inspired Historical author Debra Ullrick who tells us about a very special Ranch Woman. BTW, Debra is offering a copy of her latest book, Colorado Courtship, with veteran author Cheryl StJohn. Here’s Debra:

“Ranch women are a tough breed. In 1979, my husband and I went from him doing construction and me being a receptionist to ranching. We lived 58 miles one way from town, lived three miles off the main county road, had no phone, knew no one, and had a one year old baby girl. Then about year later, while still working for the same outfit, we moved from the log home we lived in up on the mountain, down to a trailer that was on some ranch land the bosses leased. There, I met a wonderful lady named Helen Elliott.

Helen was 68 years old, almost blind, and she may even have been blind in one eye, I can’t remember. Her husband had died many, many  years before we met her, and yet she had stayed on their ranch, living alone in a rugged land where people were scarce. Helen would travel two hours down an isolated road to get groceries, even with her poor vision.

In the older days, she said her family used to go to town once a month for supplies and food, if they were lucky, that is. They had an old pickup, but because the snow was so deep, they had to literally shovel their way to town. They’d shovel a path, move the truck forward, shovel another path, move the truck forward, and they would keep this up until they made it to their destination. Sometimes it took them a full day to drive what under normal conditions would only take two hours.

She told me about how long and hard the old-time haying seasons were,  and how they used to bring calves in the house and hold them in warm water until their arms ached and until the calf was warm. Sometimes they had calves lying in front of their wood burning/cook stove because it was too cold for them to be outside, causing their chances for survival otherwise to be slim.

Helen was a kind, courageous woman who knew how to rough it. She knew how to make something out of nothing, knew how to be thrifty, and knew how to survive in a desolate place.  She was a very sweet, Godly woman, who opened her heart up to someone who needed a friend–me. I will never forget her, her strengths, or her courage.

To Purchase, click here. Colorado Courtship: Winter of Dreams\The Rancher’s Sweetheart (Love Inspired Historical)

Sunny Weston, the heroine in my story, The Rancher’s Sweetheart,  reminds me a lot of Helen.  Sunny’s parents are dead, and she alone is left to run her ranch 26 miles from town. No matter how adverse circumstances become, Sunny refuses to permanently leave the home she loves.  Against all odds, against the advice of her neighbors, and even against the criticism of her being a woman – and not just any woman – but a short statured woman , Sunny proves to them all, that she is  a survivor who will do whatever it takes to live on and to save the ranch she loves.”–Debra

@DebraUllrick Twitter

www.debraullrick.com    (blog/website)

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/debra.ullric...

What a great true story, Debra. And remember please leave a comment to enter the drawing for a free copy of Colorado Courtship.

Here’s the question: Do you think we have an easier life than women like Helen? Why or why not?–Lyn

Lyn Reviews Author Sarah Shaber’s Simon Said