Lyn Cote's Blog, page 80
June 17, 2012
Author Michelle Stimpson & Footprints in the Sand
Today my guest is author Michelle Stimpson, who always has an interesting story to share. Here’s Michelle:
“Thanks so much, Lyn, for inviting me to post on your blog!
This year, I turned 40 (woo hoo!), and what a year it has been! My dad spent three weeks in the hospital recovering from a diabetic coma. The month after he got out of the hospital, my mother had a stroke and has since moved in with us while she completes her recovery. Needless to say, I haven’t done much writing lately. I haven’t done much of anything, actually, except…you know, I can’t even say what I’ve done since I’ve turned 40!
In times like these, I remember the “
June 16, 2012
Winners & Wildflowers!
I’m pleased to announce this past week’s winners!
Jackie Tessnair
jackie_tessnair(at)yahoo(dot)com won my slightly read copy of Jenny B Jones’ Save the Date!
And Liz
ebveronis(@)verizon(dot)net
won a copy of Jeane Westin’s MAKING DO!
Thanks to Jeane for donating a print copy of her book!
Don’t miss African American Author Michelle Stimpson’s guest post Monday.
And on Thursday my exciting news about my latest EBOOK release AND IT’S GOING FREE!
Hey does anybody recognize what kind of wildflower that is?–Lyn
June 13, 2012
June 10, 2012
Author Jeane Westin & The Book Dearest to Her Heart
My guest today is secular author Jeane Westin who usually writes English historical romances. Today however I’ve invited her to share about the book dearest to her heart, her first book, non-fiction history of the Depression through the eyes and hearts of women who lived it, now available again. Here’s Jeane:
“Making Do: How women survived the 30s
The Great Depression era of the 1930s was another life, another world but it produced strong women for that decade and for WWII that followed. We saw that make-do strength in our mothers and grandmothers. What could be more relevant to our lives today than the stories of women surviving lay-offs, trying to feed and clothe their families and save their homes?
When Studs Terkel’s book Hard Times came out in the 1970s, it was very male-centered. Frankly this angered me. Where were the strong women’s stories? They had to be told before they were lost. I interviewed 160 women from across the country, including all races, rich and poor, young and old, single and married, both adventurers and stay-at-homes. They had once thing in common: they all had to make do with less than they needed and had carried that strength throughout their lives.
They can best tell their stories in their own words:
‘“Oh, I can still see the women of the Emergency Brigade swinging down Chevrolet Avenue with the company goons coming after them.”
“I remember my mother doing everything to keep us together until the grasshoppers
and sand storms drove us out.”
“On the switchboard they paid me five dollars for fourteen hour days, seven days a week.” “We were swinging good. Real good. I think I had the only all girl band on a big session with Benny Goodman.”
“The madam paid me 50 cents of every dollar I earned.”
“I got lots of jobs by lying I’d say yes even if they asked me to sing grand opera.
“I dressed like a boy and hopped a boxcar to get to California.”
To purchase click here Making do: How women survived the ’30s
All the women had stories of strength to tell me, but two stand out in my memory today. One woman was married to a tent preacher and she talked about traveling the dust bowl praying for rain for the hard scrabble farmers when she didn’t know if there would be enough pennies in the collection plate to buy the gasoline to get to the next town. Another woman told me of her days in the circus and when I was about to leave asked: “Would you like to hear when I was a prostitute in New Orleans?” What would any writer say but, “Yes, tell me what that did to your life.”
Lately I’ve been writing Tudor historicals centered on Elizabeth I’s court. Out in August my latest novel is The Spymaster’s Daughter, about Lady Frances Sidney a very strong women for her time, who defied everyone to decode secret messages and help save the queen from assassination.
Thank you Lyn for inviting me to blog about Making Do . the first of many books I’ve written, but dearest to my heart.
Making Do is available in Kindle and in print on Amazon and I will be happy to give away one print book to a reader. My web site is
June 9, 2012
Winners, Winners, And MORE Winners!
First of all, I had planned to list the contents of the MEGA May gift basket last Sunday but I was speaking at a conference that day so that’s my excuse.
Every May I give one big basket of books to one reader. This year the MEGA May basket contains:
Hometown Hero by Allie Pleiter
Building a Perfect Match by Arlene James
After All by Deborah Raney
Her Brother’s Keeper/Out of the Depths and Threat of Danger by Valerie Hansen
ESP, Explain, Show, & Practice) Character Training by Kim S. Doebler
And last but not least, an autographed copy of my Daddy in the Making.
45 people (not including the authors) left comments in May. My husband chose
Angie in So Cal! Congratulations!!!
Now for more winners, this week Ruth Harris offered an EBOOK or digital copy of Zuri, her African romance with the adorable baby rhino and I reviewed Roxanne Rustand’s Duty to Protect and offered my slightly used copy.
The winner of Ruth Harris’s Zuri is Margaret (singit)!
The winner of Roxanne Rustand’s Duty to Protect is Carol Gehringer!
Congratulations to the winners!
This coming week I’ll be hosting Author Jeane Westin who will talk about her book MAKING DO.
Here’s a bonus for you, a charming video by author Angela Hunt who makes these to find homes for animals in her local shelter. Enjoy and shed a few tears, I did!
And on Thursday, I’ll be announcing my latest ebook! And letting everyone know its special launch promotion.
Thanks again for supporting this blog which thrives on books, authors, readers, and Strong Women, Brave Stories!–Lyn
June 6, 2012
June 3, 2012
Author Ruth Harris & Have You Heard About Zuri?
My guest today is NY Times Bestselling author, Ruth Harris. I’ve come to know Ruth on an email loop of authors who are re-publishing books in digital form, such as Kindle. I have grown to love her wit and appreciate her kindness. And when she announced a new original novel, titled Zuri, I asked her to guest here. I found the HOW of this books so interesting. I hope you will too! Here’s Ruth:
“ALL ABOUT WRITING ZURI
ZURI was born via an accidental collision. Out Of Africa, set in Kenya and starring Meryl Streep as the Danish writer Isaak Dinesen, and the young, golden Robert Redford as a white hunter is one of my favorite movies. I watch it every now and then and had just seen it when, while flipping thru TV channels, I happened to see a clip of a baby rhino. I was blown away by the little rhino’s appeal and gracefulness.
A rhino? Adorable? Yep.
I was also aware via newspaper and internet articles that poaching was decimating the rhino populations of Africa & Asia and, so, the germ for the book was firmly planted.
The need for a great deal of research was obvious. I had to find out about the newest discoveries in animal communication, the hard work involved in conservation efforts, the gory reality of poaching and the criminal gangs who profit from its bloody endeavors, details of rhino husbandry & veterinary, the amazing work of African animal orphanages, the dangers of wildlife rescue, rhino and elephant behavior—Zuri has elephant and other animal friends in the novel—Swahili words, Kenyan cuisine & wedding rituals and on & on….& on!!!
The research was totally fascinating. Did you know that the illicit trade in wild animals is third only to the illegal trades in drugs & weapons? Or that rhino horn—it’s actually keratin, the same material found in feathers and nails—is considered a miracle medicine in Asia, and is, in fact, of zero medical value? The price of rhino horn, driven by booming Asian economies, is now more expensive than gold.
Of course, me being me, a writer of romantic women’s fiction, I wanted to add a love story. Therefore: Renny Kudrow, the sexy expert in animal communication and Director of an animal orphanage in Kenya—and Starlite Higgins, the talented vet with a horrifying secret. Their relationship gets off to a rocky start when Starlite almost causes Zuri’s rescue to fail and the two must work their way through their initial very rough beginning.
I think of ZURI as romance in its broadest sense, meaning love of nature, love of animals, and, of course, human love.
ZURI—which means “beautiful” in Swahili—is the name of the lovable and courageous baby rhino who is its heroine. ZURI is meant for adult and YA readers and is also perfect to read to a younger child or grandchild. No sex and no cursing but lots of romance.”–Ruth
Now do you see why I wanted to feature this book? I love it already. Ruth has graciously offered a free EBOOK (digital) copy to one of my readers. Please leave a comment to enter the drawing. –Lyn
For more info on Ruth,
May 30, 2012
Author Cara Putman & What is Grace?
My guest today is author Cara Putman who emailed me her message from Germany. Here’s Cara:
“I once heard a story – I think Corrie ten Boom wrote about it in her book, The Hiding Place. She asked her Papa what grace was. He told her it was something God gives just when we need it. Just as he waited to give her the train ticket until they needed it at the station, so God gifts us with the grace we need at the moment we need it most.
Life today is challenging. The unexpected happens at inconvenient times. Even good experiences can cause stress. Right now, my family and I are on a grand adventure. One that is building memories for a lifetime – the kind of family lore that will be discussed for decades at family dinners.
At the same time, the adventure is requiring a strength I haven’t needed for awhile. We’re in a strange country with a foreign language. Even buying sugar at the grocery store can be a draining experience as I try to decipher which of the packages contains the kind I need. Yet each day, I sense God giving me just what I need. This is an adventure I’d longed for. The opportunity for my children to get experience I never had. To understand that the world is so much bigger than just us.
Yet at the same time we are each getting stretched. My daughter is training at a world class gymnastics facility. My husband is driving insane speeds on the autobahn. My other children are without their friends and the language skills to communicate with others. Still God is meeting them. He provided a weekend with a family that speaks English – yet the children communicated just fine in the language of Play Mobile and Legos. A laugh is universal.
This experience reminds me on a daily basis that God provides what we need, when we need it. Strength is a precious commodity that He infuses us with. It’s a lesson Reagan learned in “Love’s Prize” in the Rainbow’s End novella collection. And it’s a lesson I relearn as I experience a new country with my family.”–Cara
Sounds like Cara is having an interesting if challenging time. When I was young, I went on a three-week tour, visiting Rome, Paris and London. I remember my relief when I reached London and could understand what was being said to me.
Have any of you lived or visited a country where you couldn’t speak the language?”–Lyn
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May 28, 2012
Author Valerie Hansen & Is Life All Roses & Chocolate Bon-bons??
My guest today is a good friend Valerie Whisenand who also writes for Love Inspired, all three of their lines, Romance, Suspense and Historical. She’s a triple threat! Here’s Val:
“My heroines may sometimes act as if they’re half a sandwich short of a picnic but, like me, they persevere through all their trials. Hey, if daily life was too easy it might get boring, right?
My Love Inspired Classics for May, HER BROTHER’S KEEPER and OUT OF THE DEPTHS, were first released in 2005 as separate books, although they do feature the same family so they make a perfect combo. Although those heroines are very different, they both share the same willingness to strive for what’s right and to face whatever comes with courage - and humor. I learned a long time ago that I may as well laugh, if possible, because weeping just makes my eyes puffy and my nose stuffy.
The other book, which is coming to stores in June, is THREAT OF DARKNESS, a Love Inspired Suspense. It’s very special in many ways. It, and the other two I’ve written under “The Defenders” series banner, features brave, selfless women who volunteer for CASA, Court Appointed Special Advocates for children.
A judge assigns each volunteer to a child’s case and that person stays with it until the problems are resolved, providing the child with an impartial adult voice during court proceedings. Imagine how heart-wrenching it must be, yet how ultimately rewarding to see innocent children escape the terrible situations that have thrust them into the legal system.
The first book, NIGHTWATCH, from Oct. 2011, has already won several national awards and I have high hopes for THREAT OF DARKNESS and the third title, STANDING GUARD, which is coming this year in Sept. Each story stands alone while secondary characters step forward to become the heroes and heroines of subsequent books. Kind of like life. You never know who may shine when they need to.
I became a Christian when I was thirty and assumed that my life would then be all roses and chocolate bonbons. That’s fine, except the roses have thorns and the chocolate makes me fat! The difference is the Lord’s presence in my daily living and an awakening to things which are truly important. I love my family more than ever and have become a part of this rural community in ways I had only dreamed of.
One of my special blessings has been to write for Love Inspired in all three of their lines; romance, suspense and historical. I’ll not only have four books out in 2012, there are already several scheduled for 2013 and most of my backlist is available as ebooks. If I got much happier I’d be dangerous!”–Val
I think this blog tells you not only about Valerie’s books but also her approach to life. She’s my friend who always forwards comics to me–especially Maxine!
Valerie has very kindly offered TWO GIVEAWAYS, one of each book– so be sure to leave a comment to be entered into the drawing.
Questions to consider:
When did you come to faith?
Why doesn’t faith protect us from all the dangers this world has?”–Lyn
For more info about Valerie, drop by
