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Author Leann Harris & The “Can Do” Spirit!

My guest today is Love Inspired Author Leann Harris. She has something to say about the “can do” spirit. Here’s Leann:

“In my latest book, Fresh-Start Ranch, the heroine, Dr. Tessa Grant, is a woman who struggled against the odds of having her father leave the family.  Her mother and Tessa struggled to make it alone.  When the creditors came to their ranch, Tessa worked out a deal with the new owners of the farm to keep her horse there at the farm and work for horse breeder to help with his stock.  Tessa doesn’t take no. 

To purchase, click here. Fresh-Start Ranch (Love Inspired)

That spirit was inspired by my mother, who knew that a poor girl in the wrong neighborhood in her city wouldn’t make it, so she transferred to another high school on the other side of town.  She took 2 buses to get to school.  Mom also was so bad in chemistry she blew up the chemistry lab and got a D.  But that didn’t stop her.  It was my mom’s “can do” spirit, and “nothing will stop me”, attitude I drew upon as I wrote the book.

Tessa had her flaws, but God was able to deal with her wounds and heart.  I hope my children think their mom has a can do attitude as their grandmother.”–Leann

Leann, thanks for sharing about your mother and her positive approach to life–an inspiration to all of us!–Lyn

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Award-Winning Author Gail Martin & To Persevere

My guest today is my good friend Gail Martin (who also wrote at Gail Gaymer Martin) and she is going to share her mother’s story of perseverance. Here’s Gail:

WOMEN’S STRENGTH TO PERSEVERE

When I think of strong women, I think of my mother who grew up during the Depression, quit school in the tenth grade, married at sixteen, and yet accomplished amazing things in her lifetime. Raised in poverty, my mother never let that affect her self-worth. She encouraged my sister, brother and I to be all that we could be. She encouraged our faith growth serving as an example by participating weekly in worship, women’s activities and singing in the choir where my father also sang.  We grew up lovers of music and art.  My own love of the same provided me a wonderful backdrop to express myself in song and in word. After my father died, leaving my mother a widow at forty-four, she went back to school, graduated from high school and went on to college where she became a licensed practical nurse and worked for many years as a hospital pediatric nurse. She lived to the age of eight-three, loving the Lord, active in her faith, optimistic, cheerful, kind and generous. She was loved by many for her giving and joyful heart.

When I began my romantic suspense, Finding Christmas, the story of Joanna Fuller who lost her husband and three year old daughter in a tragic accident on a winter night when their car was found below the surface of Lake St. Clair. Though the husband’s body was recovered her daughter’s was not. A continual premonition that her daughter was alive unsettles her life. She is encouraged by everyone to let the pain and struggle end, but as the third anniversary of their deaths arrive close to Christmas, a disturbing telephone call won’t leave her mind. Taking her belief to the police, they do nothing since she has no proof except a phone call, her strong will, and a deep feeling of motherly love. Determined, she pursues the search for her daughter on her own, piecing together shards of information and pursuing leads. Witnessing her resolve, Ben Drake, a friend and coworker of her late husband, supports her yet still encourages her to let the police do their job. She trusts no one and bravely endangers her own life to find her daughter.

I enjoy novels that show women’s strength and admire strong women like my mother and Joanna Fuller. I want to give my women the same characteristics in my stories of life, love and faith.”–Gail

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Award-Winning Author Robin Lee Hatcher & Her Spunky Heroines

My guest today Award-winning author Robin Lee Hatcher tells about her spunky heroines AND the Journey Toward Trust. Here’s Robin:

 ”I come from a long line of strong, courageous women. Women who came to America from Sweden and Ireland and England to forge better lives. Women who moved west with their families when the west was still raw.

Strong and courageous are words I would use to describe my mother, although she would have declared to her dying day (she graduated to heaven in 2010) that she was neither of those things. But she did a great job of raising me and my brother alone after the death of my dad in a plane crash when I was four months old. I admired her more than I can express.

In 2009, a starred review in Library Journal said, “A master of lively historical romances, Hatcher demonstrates an expert ability to craft spunky, unlikely heroines who go against the tide of the times in which they live, making for fun, exciting stories.”

I guess “spunky heroines” are one of my trademarks, but I confess I didn’t set out to make it so. I simply write about the kind of women who interest me, the kind I admire, the ones I want to cheer for and see succeed.

To purchase, click here. Betrayal: A Novel (Where The Heart Lives)

That’s the way I feel about Julia Grace. She stepped onto the front porch of her log ranch house in western Wyoming and straight into my heart. A woman who has known great betrayal, she now faces an uncertain future on her own. Human nature, after we’ve been hurt by another, is to withdraw and self-protect. And as Julia’s creator, I wanted to see her learn to trust again. Enter Hugh Brennan, who knows a great deal about rejection and pain himself.

Here’s the official blurb for Betrayal, my 66th book (November 2012, Zondervan):

 It’s the turn of the twentieth century and drifter Hugh Brennan is a man well acquainted with betrayal. Hugh finds himself drawn to the attractive widow, Julia, yet when he looks into her eyes, he recognizes the same hurt that haunts him.

Julia Grace has little reason to trust men, but she’s going to have to trust someone if she’s to keep her ranch from the clutches of her dead husband’s half-brother. Is it possible God had a hand in bringing Hugh to her door?

The latest historical romance from award-winning author Robin Lee Hatcher and the second book in the Where the Heart Lives series, Betrayal will take you to the high desert of western Wyoming, through the crags of the Rocky Mountains, and into the hearts of two seekers learning to trust God’s love no matter the circumstances.

RT Book Club says: “Hatcher is a consistent ‘must read’ author. Her books are always engaging, and Betrayal [a Top Pick for November] is no different. The characters are very real, their trials and tribulations are easy to relate to and the setting is well researched. You’ll feel a warm, satisfying glow after turning the final page of this touching novel.”

I hope you’ll join Julia and Hugh as they journey toward trust––in God first and then of each other.”-Robin

Robin Lee Hatcher is the best-selling author of over sixty-five books. Her well-drawn characters and heartwarming stories of faith, courage, and love have earned her both critical acclaim and the devotion of readers. Her numerous awards including the Christy Award for Excellence in Christian Fiction, the RITA Award for Best Inspirational Romance, Romantic Times Career Achievement Award, the Idahope Writer of the Year, and the RWA Lifetime Achievement Award. For contact information or to learn more about Robin and her books, please visit her website at:

Introducing My Newest Hero, Noah

For the past two days, I’ve been introducing you to my newest heroine and now we meet her hero, Noah Whitmore. Here’s a blurb about the book and then the story begins!

Their Frontier Family Excerpt

First book in Lyn Cote’s NEW “Wilderness Brides” series.

Blurb:

No one is more surprised than Sunny Licht when Noah Whitmore proposes. She’s a scarlet woman and an unwed mother—an outcast even in her small Quaker m community. But she can’t resist Noah’s offer of a fresh start in a place where her scandalous past is unknown.

In Sunny, the former Union soldier sees a woman whose loneliness matches his own . When they arrive in Wisconsin, he’ll see that she and her baby daughter want for nothin g…except the love that war burned out of him. Yet Sunny makes him hope once more—for the home they’re building, and the family he never hoped to find.

Chapter One

Pennsylvania, 1869

“Harlot.”

Sunny heard the harsh whisper across the nearly empty General Store, knowing she was meant to hear it. Her heart clenched so tightly that she thought she might pass out. Two women at the door looked at her, lifted their noses, then turned and left the store, rudely jangling the little bell above.

She bowed her head, praying that she wouldn’t reveal the waves of shame coursing through her. Though she wore the plain clothing of the Quakers, a simple unruffled gray dress and bonnet, she hadn’t fooled anyone.

A male throat cleared. The storekeeper wanted her out. Could she blame him? While she shopped here, no “decent” woman would enter. She set down the bolt of blue calico she’d been admiring, hiding the trembling of her hands.

Feeling as if she were moving through a cold, rushing flood, she moved toward the storekeeper. “I think that will be…all.” She opened her purse, paid for the items Mrs. Gabriel had sent her into town to purchase. Outside, she kept her head lowered and dragged up her composure around her, trying to avoid further slights as she hurried across the muddy street to the wagon. Approaching hooves sounded behind her but she didn’t look over her shoulder.

Just as she reached the wagon, a man stepped out of the shadows. “Let me help you up,” he said.

She backed away. This wasn’t the first time he’d approached her, and she had no trouble in identifying what he really wanted from her. “I don’t need your help. I don’t want you help.” She made her voice hard and firm. “Please do not accost me like this. I will tell Adam Gabriel….”

“He’s a Quaker,” the man sneered. “Won’t do anything to me. Just tell me to seek God or something.” He managed to touch her inappropriately.

She stifled a scream. Because who would come to her aid if she called for help? A prostitute–even a reformed one–had no protectors.

“I’m a Quaker,” a man said from behind Sunny, “but I’ll do more than tell thee to seek God.”

Sunny spun around to see Noah Whitmore, sliding off his horse. Though she’d seen him at the Quaker meeting house earlier this year, she’d never spoken to him.

The man who’d accosted her took a step back. “I thought when you came back from the war, you repented and got all ‘turn the other cheek’ again.” His tone sneered at Noah too.

Noah folded his arms in front of himself. “Thee ever hear the story about Samson using the jawbone of a jackass to slaughter Philistines?” Noah’s expression announced that he was in the mood to follow Samson’s example here and now.

Sunny’s heart pounded. Should she speak or remain silent?

The rude man began backing away. “She isn’t the first doxy the Gabriel family’s taken in to help.” The last two words taunted her. “And if she’s not like them, where’s the father of her brat? She’s not foolin’ anybody. She can dress up like a Quaker but she isn’t one. And we all know it.”

Noah took a menacing step forward and the man turned and bolted between stores toward the alley. Noah removed his hat politely. “I’m sorry,” he said simply.

“You have nothing to apologize for,” she whispered. “Thank you.”

His pant legs were spattered with mud. He looked as if he had just now gotten back from the journey that had taken him away for the past a few months. She’d noticed his absence–after all, it was a small church. Honesty prompted her to admit that Noah had always caught her attention, right from the beginning.

Noah wasn’t a truly handsome man like some gambler in a fancy vest. But he was good-looking and something about the bleak look in his eyes, the grim set of his face always tugged at her, made her want to go to him and touch his cheek. A foolish thing I could never do.

“Is thee happy here?” Noah asked her. The unexpected question startled her. She struggled to find a polite reply.

He waved a hand as if wiping the question off a chalkboard.

She was relieved. “Happy” was a word she rarely thought of in connection with her life. What had just happened to her here had once more cut up her fragile peace.

She forced down the emotions bubbling up, churning inside her. She knew that Mrs. Gabriel sent her to town as a little change in the everyday routine of the farm, a boon, not an ordeal. I should tell her how it always is for me in town.

But Sunny hadn’t been able to bring herself to speak of the insults, snubs, and liberties she faced during each trip to town, not to the sweet unsullied Quaker woman, Constance Gabriel. The woman who’d taken her in just before Christmas last year and treated her like a daughter.

Sunny then realized that Noah was waiting to help her up into the wagon and that she hadn’t answered his question. “Oh!” She hastily offered him her hand. “Yes, the Gabriel’s have been very good to me.”

Two women halted on the boardwalk and stared at the two of them with searing intensity and disapproval. Sunny felt herself blush. “I better go. Mrs. Gabriel will be wondering where I am,” Sunny said.

Noah frowned but then courteously helped her up onto the wagon seat. “If thee doesn’t mind since I’m going thy way, I’ll ride alongside thee.”

What could she say? He wasn’t a child. He must know what associating with her would cost him socially. She slapped the reins and the wagon started forward. Noah swung up into his saddle and caught up to her.

Behind them, both women made loud huffing sounds of disapproval.

“Don’t let them bother thee,” Noah said, leaning so she could hear his low voice. “People around here don’t think much of Quakers. We’re misfits.”

Sunny wondered if he might be partially right. Though she was sure the women were judging her, maybe they were judging him too. Certainly Quakers dressed, talked and believed differently than any people she’d ever met before. She recalled now what she’d heard before, that Noah had gone to war. For some reason this had grieved his family and his church. Without planning to, this slipped out–”You went to war.”

His mouth became a hard line. “Yes, I went to war.”

She’d said the wrong thing. “But you’re home now.”

“Physically.”

She didn’t know what to say to this terse reply so she fell silent.

Twice wagons passed hers as she rode beside a pensive Noah Whitmore on the main road. The people in the wagons gawked at seeing the two of them together. Several times along the way, she thought Noah was going to say more to her, but he didn’t. He looked troubled too. She wanted to ask him what was bothering him, but she didn’t feel comfortable speaking to him like a friend. Except for the Gabriel’s she had no friends here.

Finally when she could stand the silence no longer, she said, “You’ve been away.” He could take that as a question or a comment and treat it anyway he wanted.

“I’ve been searching for a place of my own. I plan to homestead in Wisconsin.”

His reply unsettled her further. Why she couldn’t say or even think why. “I see.”

“Has thee ever thought about leaving here?”

“Where would I go?” she said without waiting to think about how she should reply.

He nodded. “That’s what I thought.”

And what would I do? She had no way to support herself except to go back to the saloon. Sudden revulsion gagged her. Did those women in town think she’d chosen to be a prostitute? Did they think her mother had chosen to be one? A saloon was where a woman went when she had nowhere else to go. It wasn’t a choice; it was a life sentence.

Then they reached the lane to Noah’s family’s farm. “Sunny, I’ll leave thee here.” He pulled at the brim of his hat. “Thanks for thy company. After weeks alone, it was nice to speak to thee.”

We didn’t say much. But Sunny smiled and nodded, her tongue tied by his kindness and politeness. And more importantly, he’d been polite to her in public. At the saloon, men were often polite but only in the saloon. Outside, they didn’t even look at her, the lowest of the low.

With a wave, Noah rode down the lane.

Sunny drove on, still in turmoil. A mile from home she stopped the wagon and bent her head, praying for self-control. If she appeared upset, she would have to explain the cause of her distress to Constance Gabriel. And she didn’t want to do that. She owed the Gabriel family much. In Idaho territory, she’d met Mercy Gabriel M.D., the eldest Gabriel daughter. Dr. Mercy had delivered Sunny’s baby last year and then made the arrangements for Sunny to come here to her parents and try for a new start.

“I have to get away from here. Start fresh.” Without warning, the words she’d long held back were spoken aloud into the quiet daylight. But she had no plan. No place to go. No way to earn a living–except the way she had in the past–on her back.

She choked back a sob, not for herself, but for her daughter. What if the type of public humiliation she’d suffered today happened a few years from now when her baby girl could understand what was being said about her mother? Noah’s questions came back to her. What am I going to do?

#

Feeling like a counterfeit, Sunny perched on the backless bench in the quiet Quaker meeting for another Sunday morning of worship she didn’t understand. She sat near the back on the women’s side beside her Constance Gabriel, who had taught Sunny to be still here and let the Inner Light lead her.

But how did that feel? Was she supposed to be feeling something, something besides bone-aching hopelessness? What was she going to do to move forward, to make a life for her and her six month old baby?

Little Dawn stirred in her arms and Sunny patted her six month old daughter, soothing her to be quiet. I’ve brought this shame upon my daughter as surely as my mother brought it onto me. She pushed the tormenting thought back, rocking slightly on the hard bench not just to comfort Dawn, but herself as well.

The door behind her opened, the sound magnified by the silence within. Even the devout turned their heads to glimpse who’d broken their peace.

He came. Awareness whispered through Sunny.

Noah Whitmore stalked to the men’s side and sat down near, but still a bit apart from his father and five older brothers. Today he was wearing his Sunday best like everyone else. His expression was stormy, determined.

Dawn woke in her arms and yawned. She was a sweet-tempered child, and as pretty as anything with reddish blond hair and big blue eyes. As Sunny smiled down at her, an old, heartbreaking thought stung her. I don’t even know who your father is. Sunny closed her eyes and absorbed the full weight of her wretchedness, thankful no one could hear what was in her mind.

Noah Whitmore rose. This was not uncommon. The Quaker worship consisted of people rising to recite scripture, discuss it or to quote scripture. However, in her time here, Noah had never risen. The stillness around Sunny became alert, sharp. Everyone looked at him. Unaccountably reluctant to meet his gaze, she lowered her eyes.

“You all know that I’ve been away,” Noah said, his voice growing firmer with each word. The congregation palpably absorbed this unexpected, unconventional announcement. In any other church, whispering might have broken out. Here though only shuttered glances and even keener concentration followed.

Sunny looked up and found that Noah Whitmore was looking straight at her. His intent gaze electrified her.

“I’m making this announcement because I’ve staked a homestead claim in Wisconsin but must accumulate what’s necessary and return there while there is still time to put in a crop.” Still focusing on her, he paused and his jaw worked. “And I need a wife, want a wife, have chosen a wife.”

A wife? Sunny sensed the conspicuous yet silent reaction Noah’s announcement was garnering. And the fact that since Noah was staring at her, everyone was now studying her too. He couldn’t… No, he–

“Adam Gabriel,” Noah said, his voice suddenly gruffer, “I want to ask for thy foster daughter Sunny’s hand in marriage. And I want us to be married now, here, today.”

I loved writing Sunny’s story.

When I finished writing, Her Healing Ways, the last in my Gabriel Sisters series, Sunny’s character just wouldn’t let me fail to tell her story. And then in my mind, I saw her in the meetinghouse and Noah stood up and proposed. And I was off–typing as fast as I could. I hope you’ll agree with me that Sunny and Noah’s marriage of convenience story is deeply emotional and ultimately satisfying.–Lyn

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Introducing My Newest Heroine, Sunny- Part Two

Here’s an excerpt from Her Healing Ways, final book in the Gabriel Sisters series. Now we find how Dr. Mercy decided to help Sunny.

Epilogue

In early December, the town far to the east with the nearest railroad station was decorated for Christmas. Every store window displayed festive clothing, food, or gifts. Several weeks after the trial, Lon had driven Mercy, Indigo, and Sunny with her baby girl, Dawn, to meet the train. They now stood in the depot, watching for the incoming train. The sharp December wind blew against them.

Holding on to his hat, Lon tried to ease the tension that was twisting up his spine. He was about to meet his in-laws for the first time. And since they had left home before he’d married Mercy a few weeks ago, they didn’t know about Mercy being his wife now.

“My parents will love thee,” Mercy said, straightening his collar.

He grinned. He was still a clear pane of glass to his wife. And he hoped she was right. The only touch of sadness was the fact that Pierre Gauthier had not returned yet to Idaho Bend. Lon knew that first loves often went astray. For her part, Indigo still was keeping faith that Pierre would return, but was keeping busy, waitressing, working on filling her hope chest, and helping Mercy.

Then they heard the train whistle and its puffing steam engine. Soon the passengers, mostly people who would be heading farther west, filled the platform and depot.

Mercy shepherded her party of four toward an older couple dressed in sober black—a tall man with white hair and a petite woman who reminded Lon of Mercy.

“Mother, Father!” Mercy called out. Indigo was welcomed with happy faces. The four took turns embracing and then Mercy turned to Lon and Sunny. “Father and Mother, this is Sunny and her little girl, Dawn.”

Adam and Constance Gabriel greeted Sunny warmly, and the young woman curtseyed and smiled shyly.

“And this is my husband. Lon Mackey.” Mercy blushed at her own words.

There was a moment of wordless surprise. Lon wished he could speak, but his tongue had turned to wood. He wanted to tell them how much he loved their daughter, how her love had healed him. But words failed.

“Well, welcome to the family, Lon Mackey,” Adam said, shaking Lon’s hand with a younger man’s vigor. Adam studied Lon, as if delving into him deeply.

“Yes, welcome, Lon Mackey,” Constance said, holding up her hands. “Mercy, I don’t know what to say to thee. I thought thee had decided to never marry.”

“I couldn’t marry a man who didn’t want me to continue my profession, of course,” Mercy said, still rosy pink. “But Lon does and he loves me.”

“I am one hundred percent behind Mercy continuing to practice medicine,” Lon declared.

“Excellent!” Adam said. “Mercy, thy mother and I are very tired. Could we go to a hotel?”

 The group headed to one of the nearby hotels where Lon and Mercy had already secured rooms for Mercy’s parents in addition to their own.

After letting Mercy’s parents have a few moments to freshen up, they went to a nearby café. Lon still fought twinges of nerves. An unexpected son-in-law could make a poor impression merely because he hadn’t formally asked her father for Mercy’s hand in marriage. Lon didn’t know how to rectify this faux pas.

When the waitress delivered their meals, Mercy’s father bowed his head and said a brief prayer. The quiet prayer soothed Lon’s nerves. And he liked the look of his in-laws. He began to sense the natural peace they brought with them.

“So thee is the man who has won my eldest daughter’s heart,” Adam said with a grin.

“Yes, I am the lucky man.” Lon suddenly choked up. Truer words had never passed his lips.

“Where is thee is from, Lon?” Constance asked.

“Maryland. But I have no family there except for a couple of older aunts and a few cousins. I wrote to them of my marriage, of course.”

“I am sorry that thy parents aren’t here to share our joy,” Constance said, beaming. “We are so happy for thee. I see thy love for our Mercy in thy face.”

Creating a small commotion and grabbing everyone’s attention, Sunny’s little Dawn coo-ed and wriggled as if reaching for Constance.

The woman put down her fork and held out arms for the baby. Sunny hesitated and then complied. Constance talked to the baby with soft cheery words.

Sunny wiped tears from her eyes. “I’m just so grateful.”

Constance laid a comforting hand on Sunny’s sleeve. “We are the ones who are grateful. When we offered to come and take thee and thy little one home with us, we didn’t know that we would end up meeting our new son-in-law. What a wonderful surprise, such a wonderful blessing. God had it all planned for us.”

Lon again felt the deep tug of intense emotion, of the brilliant truth that radiated from his mother-in-law’s simple words. I couldn’t have said it better myself, God. Thank you.

 

So now you see how Sunny was able to leave the life of the saloon behind her, but taking her away from that life didn’t start a new life. Sunny and Dawn’s new life begins in Their Frontier Family, on sale now! Drop by tomorrow to read the beginning of Sunny’s new life!–Lyn

 

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Introducing My Newest Heroine, Sunny, Part One

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My last series for Love Inspired Historical was the “Gabriel Sisters,” a series of three Quaker sisters who were trying to bind up the wounds of the nation after the Civil War. Perhaps you read Her Captain’s Heart and Her Patchwork Family, featuring the first two sisters. The final story, Her Healing Ways, centered on Dr. Mercy Gabriel who set out to practice medicine in Idaho. One of her patients was Sunny, a young pregnant prostitute.  Here’s their first conversation:

 

Back at her office, Mercy was cleaning her medical instruments after making rounds of a few patients with less dramatic ailments—a man with a case of gout in his foot, a little boy with a broken arm, a three-year old with an earache. Hearing a timid knock, Mercy turned to see Sunny at her door. “Come in!”

Dressed in the same faded blue dress Mercy had seen her in when nursing Lon, Sunny walked in and closed the door behind her.

“How may I help thee, Sunny?”

The girl looked at the floor. “I don’t need to tell you what’s bothering me, do I?”

“Is thee referring to the fact that thee is carrying a child?” Mercy finished putting the examining instruments into a basin of wood alcohol. She turned and walked to her desk. “Why doesn’t thee take a seat and we will talk?”

Sunny did so.

Mercy waited, letting the quiet build between them, waiting.

“I don’t want to raise a kid in a saloon.” Sunny continued to speak to the floor.

“Is that where thee was raised?”

“Yes.” The blunt word was said with a wealth of ill feeling.

“I see.” And Mercy did see. One of the worst things about how women were treated in this world was the fact that there were no good options for someone like Sunny. She had been born into a situation in which there was little hope of leaving. Society was very unforgiving of women who weren’t deemed “decent”–even though the same stigma didn’t attach itself to the men who used these women. “Does thee have any family?”

“No, my ma died years ago. A few of her friends came here and I came along.” Sunny was slowly shredding a white hankie in her lap.

“Sunny, I will be happy to deliver thy baby when thy time comes. Does thee want to give up thy child for adoption?”

This question finally brought tears. Mercy took one of Sunny’s hands in hers.

Sunny was finally able to speak again. “I don’t think anybody would want my baby. And it hurts me to think of giving it away. It hurts to think of it being raised like I was. So lonely. No decent mothers would let me play with their children…” Sunny couldn’t speak, her weeping was too strong.

Mercy’s heart was breaking for this young woman and for her child. “I have a sister who runs an orphanage near St. Louis. If there is no one else to take thy child, I will write her.” Mercy squeezed Sunny’s hand. “But Sunny, I would prefer to help thee leave the saloon and find a better life where thee can keep thy child.”

Sunny rose, looking suddenly anxious to go. “That sounds nice, but nobody will give me a chance. I’m a saloon girl. I seen how it was with my ma. Thank you, doc.” Sunny gave her a fleeting smile and then hurried out the door.

Mercy bowed her head and prayed for Sunny, her child, and for this world which wouldn’t welcome this new life. God, how can I help her?

 

Here’s the birth of Sunny’s baby:

Mercy woke to a knock on her door. She rose and went to the door. “Who is it?” she called.

“It’s me, Sunny. My time’s come.”

Mercy quickly opened the door. “Come in. Come in. How long has thee been having contractions?”

Groaning, Sunny entered and halted, clutching the back of a chair. “For most of the night. I finally decided—” Sunny paused, wincing. “–I didn’t want to have the baby in my room over the saloon so… I decided to come here.”

Mercy reached for her robe on the end of the bed. Indigo sat up and rubbed her eyes. “Indigo, Sunny will need the bed. Will thee prepare it for her?”

Indigo yawned and nodded, rising.

Mercy helped Sunny sit on the chair. Then she turned to hang the full iron kettle on the hook over the fire. And she added some more wood to the fire and stirred the coals. Soon Indigo had the bed ready. And then Mercy started walking Sunny. The contractions came closer and closer and stronger and stronger.

Dawn was just breaking at its fullest when Mercy helped Sunny’s little girl into the world. The three exhausted women  wept and laughed, touching the little one gently.

Watching Sunny hold her newborn daughter brought tears to Mercy’s eyes. Every baby was a gift from God. She’d received a letter from Felicity saying that she would send someone and a wet nurse by train west to get the child. But Mercy hadn’t heard from her parents, who lived so much farther east.

She decided she would telegraph them today. She couldn’t leave Sunny to take her child—though unwillingly–into the life Sunny had been born into. Sunny obviously didn’t want this. And Mercy was absolutely certain God didn’t want it either.

So how did Sunny’s life change? Drop by tomorrow!–Lyn

 

 

 

 

 

Lyn Interviews Author Carol Steward & Her New “Heartwarming” Romance

Author Carol Steward is a good friend so when one of her earlier Love Inspired romances came available again for Ereaders in the new HEARTWARMING line, I invited her to guest.

Here’s the interview.

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

I’ve been writing fiction for about 18 years, and sold my first project in 1997. I’ve published 12 books with Love Inspired – some sweet and some romantic suspense.

When I’m not writing I’m a mother of three grown and married children, grandmother to four precious grandkids, and work at a state university helping graduate students get their theses or dissertations completed so they can receive their degree.

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

There have been too many challenges to count, or to list here. The one with the most impact was probably when my mother had her stroke. I had just sold my second book, was working at home as a child care provider, and had 3 teen-age children. I learned to juggle more than ever, which became very important as the years went by. My mother was left paralyzed, but otherwise recovered from her stroke. She never gave up trying to live life to the fullest. She faced many hurdles in the next 15 years before her death. Her unwaivering faith, through all of the limitations and challenges taught me that anything is possible when you hand it to God.

Every week there are new challenges, and every week I think of those who face far more obstacles in their daily life. If they can do it, I can do it.

In what way does your heroine show strength?

Emily’s father abandoned her mother and three daughters when Emily was young. She became the “mother” while her mom worked several jobs to keep her girls fed. Emily is a typical first-born who never gave up on her passion – taking care of others. Her drive to become a doctor comes from a very personal experience, and she gave up everything – including the hero, Kevin – to make sure no one else in her care suffers again.

And where does she draw this strength?

From her faith, family and friends. She’s very loyal and motivated to live up to the responsibilities in her life. When a parents of one of her 6-year-old patients are killed in an auto accident and have left her in their will to become their little boy’s guardian, she takes it very seriously. Her friends and family play an integral part in her decision.

Share one fun fact about your life or books.

I had turned this book proposal into my editor for consideration, and a month later, into my life walked a female doctor and her building contractor husband. I didn’t want them to think I was trying to pull one over on them, so I told them the truth, that I am a writer, and had already turned in a book idea about a hero and heroine that fit them to a T. Being the wonderful couple they are, they gave me terrific ideas to make the book even better. A few of the scenes were inspired by their real life experiences. I love when God asks me to do something, and then paves the way to make it happen.

Tell us about this book.

Mended Hearts is a revision of Second Time Around, a Christian romance published in 2000 as with Love Inspired. Mended Hearts is updated without the religious elements from the original version. Set in the northern front range region of Colorado as are most of my books, it combines the urban issues and small-town feel that readers will find comfortable and heartwarming. It is the first of a 3-book series in the MacIntyre Brides series. The next two in the series will come out as Alex’s Choice in January 2013 and Rocky Mountain Valentine in February 2013. Find it and all of my books at your favorite online bookstore.

Mended Hearts: Kevin MacIntyre never expected to see Dr. Emily Berthoff again—and didn’t want to. Not after they’d broken off their engagement eight years ago and she’d left for medical school. He’d wanted to forget her as easily as she’d seemed to forget him. But he couldn’t.

And now she was back.

When she’d taken a job back home in Colorado, Emily had dreaded running into Kevin. She didn’t want to relive the anger and the hurt of their breakup. Or reawaken the powerful feelings she’d had for Kevin. Then she saw him at a friend’s wedding and knew that was impossible—she still loved him. But could she forgive him?

Thanks for being my guest, Carol. I hope new readers find your book and enjoy it!–Lyn

To purchase Mended Hearts, click here. Mended Hearts (Harlequin Heartwarming)

Author Susan Sleeman Asks Are You a Planner?

My guest today is suspense author Susan Sleeman. She has a question that sounds simple but is it? Here’s Susan:

“Are you a planner? I’m a careful planner, and I analyze everything from every conceivable direction before making a decision. If you ask my family, they will tell you that I often say we need to do a cost/benefit analysis to determine if we should do something. I’m not strictly talking about money when I say cost, but all the personal costs involved if I decide to do something.

 I learned this from my parents who raised to be a strong woman. To take charge of my life. To be independent. To work hard and achieve. But in all that my parents taught me about being strong, they never taught me that it takes even more strength to plan and prepare, but then let go and let God be in charge.

 It took a chronic illness to bring me to the end of myself so God could control my life. As I look back on the last ten years, I wish I could’ve learned the lesson without so much pain and suffering, but there’s nothing like the loss of your health to let you know that you are not really in charge of anything in life.

To purchase click here Dead Wrong (Love Inspired Suspense)

 

Kat Justice, the heroine in Dead Wrong, has to learn the same lesson. A former police officer, she was taught to be in charge and to control situations to keep herself safe. She’s carried that philosophy into her personal life and when things don’t go as planned, she worries. Couple that with the death of her birth mother and both of her adoptive parents and she is certain if she doesn’t stay in control, her life will fall apart. It’s only when she lets go of her fears and trusts God that she is free to fall in love again.

How does she let go you ask? That would be a plot spoiler, but I can tell you, that I take her to the end of herself much like God did with me and she can do nothing but trust Him. And like me, her life is far richer for giving up.

So what about you? Do you like to be in control? Be in charge? And if so, does it sometimes take on a life of its own and you forget about God in the equation?”–Susan

To learn more about Susan stop by any of these locations on the web.

Website           

Award-Winning Author Tamera Alexander & To Whisper Her Name

My guest today is author Tamera Alexander who writes BIG historicals in the grand tradition. I’m in the midst of reading her latest, To Whisper Her Name. And finding it a compelling tension-filled read. Here’s Tamera:

“Growing up in Atlanta and visiting antebellum mansions, I developed an early appreciation for the post-bellum era of our nation’s history. Through the years, that appreciation matured into a deeper love and respect for the people and events of that time. And I’m grateful for the opportunity to write about that part of our nation’s history.