Lyn Cote's Blog, page 84

Interview with Author Tracey Bateman & God's Got This

My guest today is Author Tracey Bateman. I got to know Tracey in the summer of 2006 when we were on a book tour together. She is one fun, lady! I was happy she agreed to an interview AND she is offering ONE FREE COPY of her latest book, Love Finds You in Wildrose, North Dakota. So be sure to leave a comment to be entered into the drawing.

Here's Tracey:

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

TRACEY: My writing is my real life, part of it anyway. I've written 40 books for the Christian market, with genres spanning historical, chick-lit, suspense, vampire and paranormal. My agent just informed me I've reached the one-million books in print mark! I've recently chosen to stick with strictly historicals as I realized I enjoy writing those the best and most of my readers prefer them as well. It's a win-win.

My husband and I just celebrated 23 years of marriage. We've raised two kids to adulthood and have two teenagers. I live in the Beauuutiful Missouri Ozarks and have for most of my life. I love it here. We attend a super church where my kids have grown up knowing God and now serve in various positions, which has always been a prayer of mine.

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

TRACEY: Oh yeah. The past year my husband has been unemployed. We thought the year before was a challenge because he was deployed and I was holding down the fort in his absence. But a mix-up in the office messed up his job situation coming home. Every week we'd say, "He'll get a job this week for sure." Slowly our savings were eaten up, and my income was small and spotty. After ten months of leaning heavily on God for grace and to meet our needs, I finally settled myself and had a heart to heart with God. I realized how much I had grown to rely on our income in the years prior to the "tough times". Instead of looking to God as my source, I looked to the next book contract or my husband to meet my needs, and while God does use our jobs, He truly showed me He wants to be my source. It's been rough and I've had to cut back on a lot of expenses that I never even considered before. I've seen a strength in myself as I go through this trial and my kids are getting more independent of coming to us for every little thing they want or need. God has taught me a lot. We're still not completely through the storm. But we definitely can say "peace" to the storms that sometimes blow up inside of us.

God's got this.

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

TRACEY: Rosemary moved to North Dakota from Kansas expecting to live with her twin sister and her husband. Her father died and as a single woman in the late 1800s, she naturally thought she was going to be cared for by relatives. Instead, she arrives to find her expectations are not met and she's forced to face her future on her own. She files a claim and moves to her own homestead. In the meantime, she's struggling with her brother-in-law's stubbornness as well as an evil man who tries everything he can to force her off the land. As she leans heavily on God's wisdom, she grows in grace, in strength and truly discovers she's much more valuable than she ever believed.

LYN: Share one fun fact about your life or books.

TRACEY: My life is pretty ordinary, to be honest. But we do have hilarious dogs. We live in the country and our dogs and the other dogs in the area are all buddies. They go back and forth between houses just to hang out and play. We know their names and have fun watching them play just like kids. Willie, a little wiener dog from a couple of country roads over, is our favorite. It's really funny. Hey, dogs are people too."–Tracey

I agree, Tracey. And cats too!

I wrote an endorsement for this book. Here it is:

"Tracey Bateman's Love Finds You in Wildrose, ND takes the tried and true marriage of convenience plot and infuses it with new life. Rosemary is the spunky heroine who is definitely not going to marry her twin sister's widowed husband. And is up to the challenges of frontier life and a scheming neighbor. If you enjoy a good romance of a generous heroine and a stubborn hero, this story doesn't disappoint."



Love Finds You in Wildrose, North Dakota

Thanks for sharing the challenges you have faced over the past year, Tracey. Unfortunately this is too common right now. But you're right God's got this.

Don't forget to leave a comment to be entered into the drawing!

Questions: Have you or a loved one ever struggled with joblessness? Or how does one deal with a trying time that just doesn't budge? Please share.–Lyn

Author Sandra Orchard & What Inspired Shades of Truth

My guest today is Author Sandra Orchard whose latest Love Inspired Suspense was inspired by someone in her life. Here's Sharon:

"Lyn asked me to share a bit about the woman and ministry that inspired this story. Our pastor's daughter works at a faith-based youth detention facility. Listening to her talk about her work, I was enthralled by the young woman's passion for the youth. What really struck me though was her admission that she often learned more from the kids than the other way around. Her excitement about the positive impact she could have in residents' lives became my heroine's.

Since the real Hope Manor is run by a Christian organization, Ray of Hope, it's only partially government funded. The organization's mission is to demonstrate the love of God to those who are disadvantaged, marginalized or in trouble, with the vision of people investing in people, inspiring hope, and transforming lives. They also have many other activities within the community beyond the detention facility for which they recruit volunteers, fundraise and create partnerships. You can learn more at

If You Have a Kindle, I Have a Free Book for You!

My book Autumn's Shadow which will be free through Tuesday, March 6, 2012. Here's the link.

British Mystery Author Veronica Heley & False Report

This is the third time I've had the pleasure of hosting British Mystery Author Veronica Heley. If you missed her first two visits, here are the links to them.

The Lady From Dry Creek Speaking to Family Heartache

My guest today is my good friend Author Janet Tronstad of the Dry Creek series. If you haven't read any of her books, you should! Fun and fast-paced and genuine. I love ficitonal Dry Creek, Montana! Today Janet tells us some about her characters and about her life. She also asks some poignant questions at the end that I hope you'll comment about. Here's Janet:

"Strong Mothers, Strong Sons

In my recent series, Return to Dry Creek, I tell the story of Gracie Stone and her three sons.  The series begins when Gracie returns to Dry Creek after serving a jail term for the murder of her abusive husband. Readers quickly learn in the series that Gracie did not kill her husband, but she believed one of her sons had done so.  She went to prison because she felt guilty for not taking her sons away from their father. She assumed that decision permitted the kind of violence that drove a young boy to murder.

This series has been so interesting for me to write because I know the difficulties that families can face. Verbal abuse, physical abuse – they are hard for children to understand.  And I had to think of how to show the grown sons processing their feelings about their father's abuse as they, one by one, come home to work on the family ranch.

One way I showed their struggle throughout the four books was to have an ongoing task.  They needed to think of some words to put on a marker for their father's grave.  One son wanted to only put the man's name, the other wanted to disown the man through words, a third just wanted to say he wished things had been different.

I realized as the sons faced their dilemma that most of us need to find, at various times, words to describe a relationship that has been painful to us. Whether it's a parent's epitaph or something as simple as finding a birthday card for a sibling who is estranged from us.  It is all difficult.

I wouldn't talk about this topic on all blogs, but I know Lyn specializes in strong women and coping with adversity is the first way we become strong

So I'll be the first to raise my hand here and acknowledge that I have a brother who is not talking to me.  Every year I look for a birthday card that has words to suit our relationship.

I'll wager that most people have a sibling, an old friend, an ex, or some person for whom they chose their words carefully (so as not to offend or seem naïve).  If you do, I'd love it if you'd share.

Also does anyone have some good tips on what to say when (like in these books) the abusive one is dead and the family still feels the need for an epitaph?

Does one just go with the truth or abstain from saying much? Any thoughts as to what the sons should say?"–Janet

A difficult problem, Janet. I faced a similar one when my mother began sinking into dementia and paranoia. What does one say to someone you love when they become irrational?

I hope you'll take this opportunity to share how you have handled something like this. Perhaps you can help someone else. –Lyn

To find out more about Janet, drop by

Three Winners & The Lady from Dry Creek & The British Mystery Maven

I have the pleasure of announcing the three winners of books from authors over the last two weeks!

Allie Pleiter offered a copy of FALLING FOR THE FIREMAN (great title BTW)

Julie Steele won the fireman! I mean the book.

Ann H Gabhart shared about her latest book WORDS SPOKEN TRUE.

And her winner is Margie Mijares!

And third Elizabeth Goddard offered a copy of her Heartsong Presents SHELTERING HOPE.

Teri Metts won this book!

If you didn't get a chance to read  these blogs, don't cheat yourself! They were great guests.

Now this upcoming week, my two guest authors will be the two named in the title. Do you know who they might be? (And remember Agatha Christie is no longer able to visit blogs.)

Hope you enjoy this week's guests!–Lyn

Author Elizabeth Goddard & Sheltering Love

Author Elizabeth Goddard is here to talk about her grandmother, Mimi. And she is offereing a signed copy of latest book Sheltering Love. Here's Elizabeth:

"The last time I wrote a post for this blog, I had recently lost my maternal grandmother and I wrote about how strong she was. Well, guess what? Here I am again, and I've just lost a grandmother. This time, my paternal grandmother went to be with Jesus just a few weeks shy of her ninety-first birthday. This time last year, we gave her a special ninetieth celebration for her birthday.

My grandmother was as sharp at ninety as she'd been her entire life. How many ninety-year-olds do you know who enjoy connecting with people on Facebook, let alone have a Facebook page?

She had an uncanny zest for life which she conveyed until her last breath. She made plans for her future, even at ninety. I struggle to plan ahead for next week and I'm only in my forties.

Raising her four children and living her entire life in one little East Texas town, I can easily hear Mimi (as I called her) saying there's no place like home.

Without realizing what I'd done, I created a sort of Wizard of Oz theme for my story, Sheltering Love. At least that's what one editor told me. Alexa Westover went through some trauma in her childhood and she can't wait to get as far away as she can from the place where she grew up. But her job sends her back to create a documentary and she has to face her past. She realizes that in leaving her home, she lost herself and who she really was. In coming back, she finds herself and she lets go of her Jimmy Choo's—the shoes that kept her anchored to her new life because. . .there's no place like home."–Elizabeth

Here's the blurb for Sheltering Love:

A scientist reveals his discoveries. . .unless his survival depends on hiding them.

Graeme has existed in a state of dread for far too long. Conducting research high in the crowns of ancient redwoods, he's almost convinced that he's not hiding like a coward from the demons of his past. That is, until the stunning Alexa discovers him and tips his world in the tree tops over. Then he's torn between showing the world what he's found. . . and disappearing altogether.

This is Alexa's last chance to prove she's capable of producing an award-winning documentary. But she never expected she'd have to return to the place she fled years ago. A place that still holds nightmares for her. When Graeme stands in the way of completing the documentary, Alexa wants to know why.

When their greatest fears collide in the heart of the wilderness, Alexa and Graeme both must learn to trust in the sovereignty of God's plan, not only for the moment, but for the rest of their lives. Can they each bury the past long enough to nurture love?

To find Elizabeth Goddard on the web:

@bethgoddard on twitter

Author Ann H Gabhart & A Worthwhile Ride?

My guest today is Author Ann H. Gabhart, who is offering an autographed copy of her latest book, Words Spoken True, and who often writes stories about Shakers. Today she will speak of love and….

A Worthwhile Ride

We've all heard that love makes the world go around. But Franklin P. Jones improved on Charles Dickens' quote by saying, "Love isn't what the world go 'round. Love is what makes the ride worthwhile." Most of us can agree with that. We want to love and be loved. Love makes life better.

Love can make the story better too. We embrace love stories. We sigh with contentment when the characters in the books we read find love. Even if the journey to love is difficult, maybe especially when the path to true love is strewn with obstacles, we want to feel as if love can conquer all. Lao Tzu says it like this. "Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage."

That's the kind of strength and courage I tried to give Adriane Darcy in Words Spoken True. I like strong female characters whether I'm writing their stories or reading their stories. And what can make a character stronger than fighting for love? Adriane Darcy lives in 1855 Louisville, a time when women didn't have as many choices as they do in the modern days. Her father wants her to marry Stanley, the only son of a socially prominent man, but Adriane can't bear the thought of what life will be like after she marries. Stanley will expect her to confine her writing to flowery bits of poetry or letters to friends. No more news stories. No rush to find the stories and get out the news. On top of that, she knows she will never really love Stanley. Not the way she has always hoped for love.

Then she meets Blake Garrett. While the attraction is immediate and mutual, Adriane knows her father will never accept him. Blake is the enemy, the editor of a competing paper that is threatening to woo readers away from her father's paper and take over the position as top newspaper in Louisville. In one tragic, riot filled night, Adriane's life is turned upside down, but love gives her the strength and courage to make the decisions she must.

This is the most romantic story I've written for a while. While my Shaker books do center around a romantic story, I have to sneak any romantic scenes in through a back door since the Shakers didn't believe in romance. They thought all should live as brothers and sisters. Individual family love and love between a man and woman were forbidden. My other books are family stories with the love story only part of the whole. In Words Spoken True, the romance takes center stage and it's my hope the quest for love makes the reading trip worthwhile.

You can keep up with what's going on in my writing life on my website,

Author Alllie Pleiter Shares You Never Know How Strong You Can Be…

My guest today is Author Allie Pleiter, who has gone through a personal crisis in her life over the past year. (BTW, she's a knitter so she probably knit that scarf.) She is also offering a free copy of her latest Love Inspired Romance, Falling for the Fireman. Here's Allie:

"You never know how strong you can be until strong is the only choice you have."

This is a sign my heroine Jeannie Nelworth remembers from a hospital in FALLING FOR THE FIREMAN.  It's also a real sign, taken from my own life.  This sign hangs in the Ronald McDonald House near the hospital where my son was treated for cancer.  The words have been so potent for me that I knew not only would I share them with Jeannie, but Jeannie would share them with the world.

Jeannie has been through a great deal, and life is about to hand her another enormous challenge.  She's worried she can't love her son through the emotional damage of the fire that took their home.   An eighth grade boy can only stand so much.

To purchase, click Falling for the Fireman (Love Inspired)

My family has been through a great deal, and my son's cancer was life handing us a life-and-death challenge after two years of extended illness.  I was worried I couldn't love my son through the medical and emotional challenges of cancer.  An eighth grade boy can only stand so much.

It's true a writer writes the book she need to read, don't you think?

Oprah always asks people "what do you know for sure?"  This sign is one of those bone-deep "for sures" for me.  There are times in all our lives where strong is the only choice we have, and despite shaking in our shoes, we step up to the plate.  When strong is our only choice, the great blessing is that "God is our refuge and our strength."

My son is healthy and strong, and I thank God every day for that blessing.  Jeannie's son finds his healing too…but if I told you how, I'd spoil the book for you, wouldn't I?"–Allie

Links:  "Ronald McDonald House"

2nd Fruit of the Spirit-The Joy of the Lord is My Strength?

Last month I proposed discussing one fruit of the spirit each month. We discussed the 1st fruit of the spirit, love, last month & discussed the question, does love demand forgiveness. http://booksbylyncote.com/SWBS/a-frui... ?

Now we approach the second fruit, joy.

I often hear discussions about how joy isn't happiness so let's not go over the well worked ground.

When I think of joy, the song I sang as a child plays in my mind. Do you remember singing: "The joy of the Lord is my strength"?

The video above is a different song than the one I sang as a child. Here are the first two verses of it:

The joy of the LORD is my strength

The joy of the LORD is my strength

The joy of the LORD is my strength

Oh, the joy of the LORD is my strength.

He gives me living water and I thrist no more

He gives me living water and I thrist no more

He gives me living water and I thrist no more

For the joy of the LORD is my strength"

(From