Linda Brooks Davis's Blog, page 15

Let’s Chat! Tamera Lynn Kraft

Welcome, Everyone!

Tamera Lynn Kraft writes faith-filled historical novels for the adventurous heart. Getting to know Tamera is quite the treat.

Tamera is offering her novella, A Christmas Promise, in digital format as a giveaway to someone who joins our chat circle. So gather ’round and get to know this faith-filled author.

Tamera Lynn Kraft: In Her Own Words

I was born in Ohio. I married a wonderful, godly man 39 years ago. We celebrate our 40th anniversary in January. My pastor’s wife said this Sunday, there is nothing more sexy than a godly man who loves to worship. By those standards, my husband is very sexy.

My husband and I have two married children and three grandchildren. The oldest is 11 years, and the youngest is 3 months.

I was a children’s pastor for 20 years and have a traveling children’s ministry called Revival Fire for Kids where we do children’s revivals, teacher training, and children’s ministry consultations. One of my greatest honors was winning the 2003 NCLA Shepherd’s Cup for the advancement of children’s ministry.

Tamera Lynn Kraft: The Author

My first published book was through Pelican Press in 2013–a novella called A Christmas Promise. It was about Moravian missionaries in Schoenbrun, Ohio in 1773.

It wasn’t the first novel I wrote.

I planned to be a writer from childhood and had children’s church curriculum and some articles published, but I didn’t write fiction for publication until 2007.

With two full length novels completed, I was on the third and even had an agent, but I wasn’t published until a wrote this Christmas story. A couple more novellas released, but it wasn’t until 2017, ten years after I started, that I had a full length novel published, and it wasn’t one of the first couple I wrote. 

I always tell writers to be patient. A writing career takes a long time to establish.

Since that first novella, my other published works include Resurrection of Hope, Alice’s Notions, and Red Sky Over America, Ladies of Oberlin Book One.

What’s Up With Tamera Now?

Unfortunately, my publisher, Desert Breeze, closed her doors in August. It was a blow, but it propelled me to my next project. My friend and I have talked about starting a royalty paying Christian publishing company, and we decided to go for it. Mt Zion Ridge Press, Books off the Beaten Path, was born.

Red Sky Over America rereleased and will be available in audiobook in the next couple of months.

Book 2 of the Ladies of Oberlin Series, Lost in the Storm, releases next year.

Also, I wrote Soldier’s Heart, one of the stories in From the Lake to the River, an anthology where all the stories are set in Ohio.

I’m currently writing a Jamestown Brides Series novel and am looking for an agent to pitch it.

How to Find Tamera Lynn Kraft & Her Books

Red Sky Over America

A Christmas Promise

From the Lake to the River

http://tameralynnkraft.net

http://tameralynnkraft.com

http://facebook.com/tameralynnkraft

Newsletter Sign-up: http://eepurl.com/cdybpb

~ ~ ~

Lord, You are the Great I Am–ever present, always existing–the God for whom we Christian writers write, our inspiration, and our hope. We give You the praise for the stories, the words, the phrases. As readers, we offer You our thanksgiving for stories such as Tamera’s. Please bless every single word she writes for You.

~ For Jesus’ sake

The post Let’s Chat! Tamera Lynn Kraft appeared first on Linda Brooks Davis.

Let’s Chat! Author Martha Rogers

Welcome, everyone!

Martha Rogers, author of historical and contemporary romance novels, is joining our chat circle this week. Welcome, Martha! We’re delighted to have you.

Martha’s giving away to someone who joins the conversation below their choice of a print copy of Christmas at Stoney Creek, which is set in Texas in the 1890s, or an ebook of Thanksgiving in the Valley. So comment below, and you might be the blessed winner of one of these lovely stories.

Martha’s Roots

First, thank you, Linda, for inviting me to your blog.

Martha’s Growing Up Years: Dallas, Texas

I was born in Dallas, Texas 82 years ago and was my parents’ first child and the first grandchild on each side. I have a younger sister and brother who still live in the Ft. Worth-Dallas area. I attended Kindergarten through grade twelve in Dallas. In fact, my family never lived anywhere but in Dallas.

Martha’s Young Adult Years: Waco, Texas

After high school graduation, I attended Baylor University where I earned a Bachelor of Science degree with a minor in English. My days at Baylor were full of fun as I participated in as many activities as I could and still do my studies. I liked to talk, socialize, and play pranks.

Many times I found myself on the borderline for being “Campused” which meant I could not leave the campus for the rest of the semester and restricted to the dorm with only my classes to attend. Never made that list because I knew the limit and never crossed it.

I had never lived outside of Dallas until going to Baylor, and when I graduated in 1957, I accepted a job in Houston and have lived here ever since.

Martha Meets Her Man

I met my husband at First Baptist Church in Houston in 1959, and we married that year. We remain members of that church even today. I attended the University of Houston and earned my Master’s of Education and went on to teach at the college level for eight years.

Martha Rears a Family

We have three sons and daughters-in-law. The oldest lives in Waco, Texas, the middle one is here in Houston, and the youngest lives with his family in Tulsa, Oklahoma. They have given us nine grandchildren. The youngest grandson is a sophomore in high school. Our two oldest granddaughters are married and have given us five great-grandchildren.

Last fall, our third oldest grandson married and our family grew. Here we all are at the wedding in San Antonio, Texas, the bride’s home town. Our fifth great-grandchild joined the family in July of this year. Her name is Hailey Kate and we think she’s adorable.

Then last December, we had a snowfall that actually stayed around, a rarity in Houston. Here is our house with the snow. The trees kept the ground from being fully covered. We’ve lived in this house for forty-three years now.

Martha Rogers, the Writer

I began writing and telling stories as a young child and wrote my first novel at age seventeen while at Baylor. I wrote short stories and filed them away, but never did anything with them. While teaching a creative writing class for high school students, I decided to write the book I’d been making notes on for several years. I wrote mainly in the summers because English teachers have very little time after grading papers for 150 or so students.

I signed with an agent in the early 1990’s, but got nothing but rejections. We parted ways after three years. I continued writing and attended many writing conferences including Mount Hermann and the American Christian Romance Writers then later when it became ACFW. At an ACRW conference in 2001, I met and signed with my present agent, Tamela Hancock Murray.

Martha Rogers, the Author

My critique partners, DiAnn Mills, Kathleen Y’Barbo, and Janice Thompson, decided we needed a collection of stories to submit for a collection. In 1907, Barbour published Sugar and Grits. This was one of the most fun books I’ve ever written.

I had nothing else accepted, but Tamela Hancock Murray, my agent, continued to send out my manuscripts. DiAnn, Janice, and Kathleen helped me come up with the title for a series I wanted to write and the title of the first book.

Martha Rogers Celebrates

Finally, in 2009, on my seventy-third birthday, Tamela called with the news the first manuscript, Becoming Lucy had been accepted. After the first manuscript, they sent a contract for the rest of the series that ended up being six books. The series, Winds Across the Prairie, is still available today. Lucy became a CPA best seller as did the sixth in the series, Christmas at Holly Hill.

After that first series, I contracted for two more of four books each. Now I have published fifty novels and novellas and have contracts for more in 2019. My newest releases are for two historical Thanksgiving and Christmas books, and two other contemporary ones.

I am now working on a cozy mystery for a series titled Spring Hill Sleuths. It’s set in a retirement community and my main character is in her 70’s and is much like Miss Marple or Jessica Fletcher. Her cohorts include a retired lawyer and a retired police detective. It’s a lot of fun to write with a number of quirky characters.

Martha’s Plans for the Future

I’m planning on writing as long as the Lord allows and gives me ideas. God is my Master Creator and fills my head with ideas. He has walked with me though my own cancer and my husband’s heart attack and his battle with melanoma. Without my Lord, I am as sounding brass or a clanging cymbal.

Martha’s Give-Away

This is the print book I’m giving away. Christmas at Stoney Creek is set in Texas in the 1890’s. Although entirely fiction, the hero is named for my grandfather who was a newspaperman.

Blurb: News reporter Tom Whiteman befriends a homeless man, Joe, and brings him home to Stoney Creek. Tom’s journalistic instincts suggest there’s more to the old man than appearances tell. A carpenter by trade, Joe works at odd jobs around town and makes many new friends including Faith Delmont, a girl who grew up with Tom. Contradictions in the man’s manners and way of speaking whet Tom’s nose for news and raises even more questions. As he and Faith seek the truth, they learn that God’s love can turn tragedy and loss to triumph and true love comes to those who seek it.    

If you prefer an E-book, then I have Thanksgiving in the Valley for you.

Blurb: Travis fell in love with Violet when she was fourteen. Now, ten years later, he returns to Ridgewood Valley as a lawman and still loves her. Violet has always loved Travis and when he returns from serving in the U.S. Cavalry, her love grows. Because she’s a preacher’s daughter, and he has less than stellar reputation while in the cavalry, he doesn’t feel worthy of Violet’s love and tries to avoid her. A few days before Thanksgiving, while he is away on a man hunt, Violet is shot during an attempted robbery of the church’s offerings. When Travis returns to town learns of Violet’s injuries, he realizes he can’t live without her. Will this Thanksgiving Day be one of great blessings for these two hearts? 

How to Find Martha Rogers & Her Books

Martha Rogers Author Facebook page

Website 

Twitter: @martharogers2 

Amazon for all of my books 

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Lord, You are the eternal time setter. You know the times, the seasons, the hours, and the days, and you have from the beginning. How inspiring Martha’s story of Your giving her a family to rear and then placing a pen in her hand to write stories about Your amazing love and grace. Please bless each word Martha writes for you.

~ For Jesus’ sake

The post Let’s Chat! Author Martha Rogers appeared first on Linda Brooks Davis.

Let’s Chat! Author Caryl McAdoo

Welcome, everyone!

Thanksgiving books. What a welcome sight.

I‘m delighted to hand the reins to prodigiously productive author Caryl McAdoo for the coming week. She’s chatting a bit about the Thanksgiving Books and Blessings Collection. 

One of you who comments can expect a free ebook copy of this collection, so join in below, ya’ll.

Caryl McAdoo: THANKSGIVING BOOKS & BLESSINGS Collection

Thank you so much for inviting me to visit this morning, Linda. I appreciate you! I’m very excited to share the Thanksgiving Books & Blessings Collection. Eight authors with ten or more titles (up to seventy-five) who consistently earn 5-Star reviews joined together to write a story with the Thanksgiving Dinner being a big part of their stories.

The Authors and Their Contributions

Its authors with their titles: 

Caryl McAdoo: Book One, GONE TO TEXAS (115K wrd, 415 pg)
Susette Williams: GATEWAY TO THE WEST (18K wrd, 75 pg)
Kit Morgan: TRAIL TO CLEAR CREEK (70K wrd, 280 pg)
P. Creeden: HEART AND HOME (20K wrd, 80 pg)
Lynette Sowel: NO TURNING BACK (30K wrd, 120 pg)
Heather Blanton: DAUGHTER OF DEFIANCE (37K wrd, 150 pg)
Kristin Holt: UNMISTAKABLY YOURS (110K wrd, 400 pg) and
Lena Nelson Dooley: ESTHER’S TEMPTATION (60K wrd, 240 pg).

George McVey wrote NUGGET NATE: MOYA’S THANKSGIVING PROPOSAL (30K wrd, 120 pg) but has had trouble getting his book published at Amazon, I’m unsure as to the reason.

A Note About the Collection

I added the size of each because as you see they vary a lot, so individual titles also vary in price. They are all set between 1840 and 1896, mostly in the western half of the United States, and offer readers hours of entertaining reads.

All the authors above are so thankful that God called us to write and gives us excellent stories. We’re thankful for our readers who encourage us with their reviews and support up by sharing our titles with friends and family.

The Cover Designer

There’s been a lot of work gone into bringing this collection to fruition. We started back in February, planning and organizing, lining up our fabulous Evelyne LaBelle of Carpe Librum Book Design to create our beautiful covers.

We launched the titles beginning September 6th and have just released the actual collection as one file for one great price at $9.99! What a bargain, right?

A Final Word From Caryl
From all of us to all of you, we pray that your 2018 Thanksgiving Day will be filled with fun and laughter, good food and all the smells of the season, and the peace of God that passes understanding. We pray for the safe travels as your family gathers. We pray love will reign and that all the blessings of Almighty God will be yours!

AND, Linda!

I’m already getting the authors together for the 2019 Second Annual Thanksgiving Books & Blessings Collection! So, God willing and the creek don’t rise, there will be a wonderful collection like this every year!

Thank you so much again for having me and letting me gush a bit about the Thanksgiving Books & Blessings Collection. Be blessed and Happy Thanksgiving, my sister! 

~ ~ ~

Dear Lord, we thank You for the innumerable ways in which You bless us every single day. We extend our hands for what You have to give us. But by Your grace, we’ll keep them open for Your will to be done. On the one day the United States sets aside for giving thanks, we join hands with others around the world saying,

“Thank You, Lord of Glory, Blesser of the Nations!”

~ Keep us ever thankful for Jesus’ sake

The post Let’s Chat! Author Caryl McAdoo appeared first on Linda Brooks Davis.

Let’s Chat! About Cumberland Bride

Welcome, everyone!

The Cumberland Bride by Shannon McNear stands in the spotlight this week. Shannon is providing this guest blog, so I’ll not dally in handing over the reins …

A Word From Shannon

Hello, lovely readers! A huge thanks to Linda for hosting me a second time. I’m so honored to be able to share with y’all! (And yes, after 25 years in the Deep South, I can attest that y’all is proper English. And I still say it, even with being in North Dakota for nearly 5 years.)

So, Linda has asked me to share about my new release, The Cumberland Bride. This book has become very dear to my heart for so many reasons, but was not originally my own idea. It’s basically the result of a door that God flung open for me in an amazing way, after just two novella contracts and writing novel-length fiction for 30-plus years.

Waiting on God

First of all, that’s a stinking long time to wait for something. But when the Lord tells you to wait on HIM, well, I’m learning (…finally?) that it’s better to wait, than not. And like as not, when He moves, it’ll be in a way you know it’s Him and not you.

Surprised by God

Second, He can surprise you with a deep connection to something you hadn’t previously imagined. When the opportunity to write this story first fell into my lap (in a totally unforeseen and rather miraculous way), the concept of The Cumberland Bride, featuring travelers of the Wilderness Road into Kentucky in the 1790’s, was someone else’s suggestion—one which leaped off the page, holding intrigue for me as being nearest to my preferred era.

The History for The Cumberland Bride

The bulk of my previous research focused chiefly on colonial America, specifically the Revolutionary War, for which others already had stories planned). But while doing initial research, I realized that this portion of our country’s history—the early Federal era, specifically the stretch between the end of the Revolutionary War and the Lewis and Clark Expedition—gets very little attention but was a natural outflow of my previous research. Of course it is, because what happened once the Revolution ended? Westward Expansion.

The Sets for The Cumberland Bride

We tend to think of Westward Expansion as after Lewis and Clark, though, and roughly limited to the Gold Rush and the Oregon Trail. But what happened in that first decade or so after the Revolution ended? What did our country look like when Kentucky and Ohio were considered the frontier?

The Story Behind the Story

Okay, before my inner history nerd takes over, let me get back to the story-behind-the-story. While brainstorming a plot and characters who could fit within the framework of the history, I went first to my previous stories. As a reader, I’ve always loved when authors weave connections between their various stories (the late Stephen Bly did this brilliantly), and it’s fun for me as a writer to find ways to create those with my own.

With The Cumberland Bride (which almost seems a misnomer in retrospect because my characters only pass through the Cumberland Gap before traveling north, not even lingering in the Cumberland River basin), I had to anchor my heroine within the Daughters of the Mayflower family tree, but my hero could have any connection I chose.

Eventually I settled on the younger brother from my first novella, Defending Truth (from A Pioneer Christmas Collection, first released in 2013) who is in turn anchored within a branch of the real-life Bledsoe family (see the section on that first novella under the Sources page of my website). (See? History nerd.)

Hurdle #1

I suppose I should add that the characters and story all fell into place for me within days of the proposal opportunity being dropped into my lap. I’m hesitant to say that God gave me the story (that claim is a little overused, in my opinion) but as the Author and Finisher of our faith, I’m sure He isn’t uninvolved in the various details of our lives—and He certainly is the Inventor of our imaginations and creativity!

So there was that first hurdle—coming up with a workable story that fit the guidelines.

Hurdle #2

Second hurdle was working on a pretty tight deadline for the first time, which included research on a largely unfamiliar sliver of history and region. I went from agonizing months and years of waiting on God, where I wondered when or even if He would open another door for a publishing contract (and by this time I’d seriously explored the possibility of indie publishing but had the doors slam shut on that as well), to a sudden GO, and go NOW!

It was quite the shock. From having the luxury of all that time to simmer and write as slowly as I pleased, to just seven months after definite confirmation the story would be contracted until I needed to turn it in. From the position of struggling my entire life with everything from wistful longing to outright jealousy toward others who’d seen that door open for them before me (sometimes several times over), to being the sudden object of that envy.

The Committed Journey

If you, the reader, are struggling with that same jealousy in some area, what’s the answer? To continue committing your journey to the only One who can lead us where we’re meant to go, and trust Him to lead you there, no matter what that looks like.

Just as The Cumberland Bride is about the journey of a handful who are seeking a new life for themselves, a better place than they had before, the story-behind-the-story is essentially the same—my need to trust God not just as my heavenly Trail Guide, but the only source of true hope when I desperately wanted to just focus on the outcome of a particular dream.

~ ~ ~

Lord, You are the writer of history, the carver of paths, the planner of destinies. We bow before You in humility as putty in Your hands. Use us for Your glory as writers and readers and champions for Your cause. You, O God, are faithful to a thousand generations! Thank you for writers like Shannon whose stories remind us of Your unbreakable promises and the hope they provide. Please bless each word Shannon writes for You ~ For Jesus’ sake

The post Let’s Chat! About Cumberland Bride appeared first on Linda Brooks Davis.

Let’s Chat! Liz Tolsma

Welcome, everyone!

Liz Tolsma honors us as our guest author this week. In her own words, Liz writes a little bit of everything, but her specialty is WWII women’s fiction. 

Liz is giving away a digital copy of her October 2018 release, When the Heart Sings. So chat along with us, and you’re entered in the drawing!

Liz Tolsma’s Life Before Writing

I was born in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and have two younger sisters. When I was eight, my family moved to Wisconsin, where I still live. I love it here and have little desire to go elsewhere. My husband and I met when we were in sixth grade and started dating our senior year of high school. There is a story I’ve heard that his locker was across from mine in eighth grade, and he had a crush on me then. Much to my chagrin, I don’t remember that. While I went away to college, he stayed in Wisconsin. That was tough.

I graduated from Trinity Christian College in Palos Heights, Illinois, and returned to Wisconsin to marry Doug. For four years, I taught second grade at a Christian school, and then I quit to start a family. God had different plans for us, though. Years of infertility and treatments followed. They were difficult times for us. I was devastated and questioned how this could be His will for us. Slowly but surely, he worked in my heart to accept his perfect plan. For us, that meant adoption.

A Family for Liz

Twenty-three years ago, we brought a beautiful baby boy home from Vietnam. Five years later, we added an infant daughter from Korea, and eight years after that, a five-year-old girl from the Philippines. What was the hardest trial of our lives turned out to be the greatest blessing.

Our son is now a U.S. Marine. We couldn’t be prouder of how he’s chosen to serve the country that he feels has given him so much.

Our oldest daughter has just started college. It’s been hard on this mama to be so far away from her girl, but we are equally proud of the bright and talented young lady she is.

Our youngest daughter has multiple physical and cognitive delays. She’s our “lifer”, so we’re as empty nest as we ever will be. But that has been a blessing, too. She keeps me from getting too lonely with the other kids gone.

Debuts for Liz Tolsma, the Author

My first publication was in a Barbour novella collection, A Log Cabin Christmas. Wanda Brunstetter was the lead author on that, and it made the NY Times bestseller list. I was literally about to start another book – blank document open, thinking about the first line – when my agent sent an email about this project and asking if I would be interested. I only had a few days to put together a proposal and write the first three chapters. While I did go camping with my family that weekend, I spent much of it in the camper writing.

My debut full-length novel was Snow on the Tulips in 2013. It is based on a family story of a Dutch woman during WWII who hides a wounded resistance worker in her home. All of it was such a learning curve, from editing (cue panic attack at an 8-page editing letter) to cover design, to marketing, to speaking and appearances. And I loved every minute of it.

What’s Up With Liz Tolsma Now?

Since then, I’ve written several more WWII books, several novella collections, and even an Amish romance. My first romantic suspense, The Pink Bonnet, is due out in June 2019. So, I’ve been very busy. While I enjoy writing across a wide range of genres, my favorite by far is WWII.

Right now, I’m editing my sixth WWII novel. The fifth, When the Heart Sings, is releasing in October and is set in a Polish labor camp. It’s very personal for me because it also explores infertility, pregnancy loss, and adoption, all of which I’ve experienced in my own life. The one I’m editing now is set in Hungary and deals with the Zionist Youth movement in that country.

I have another novella to write, but after that, I’m not sure where I’m going to go from here. I would dearly love to keep writing WWII novels, but we’ll have to see how interested my publisher is in keeping going with that line.

All I know is that I do want to keep writing.

A Giveaway From Liz Tolsma

I will be happy to give away a digital copy of When the Heart Sings.

A Peek Inside When the Heart Sings

Natia has a secret—and she’s hiding him right beneath her captor’s nose.

In 1943 Poland, the Nazis have forced Natia and Teodor from their peaceful farm to the harsh confines of a labor camp. When the couple is separated, Natia is chosen to be the housekeeper for the camp’s overseer, and Teodor is sent to work in the factory. Despite the strict camp rules—and the consequences for disobeying them—Natia finds a way to communicate with Teodor by sending messages through song as she passes Teodor’s dormitory.

The stakes get higher when Natia finds a Jewish orphan on the overseer’s doorstep. She is determined to protect the boy and raise him as the child she and her husband were unable to bear—but if her German captors discover how much she’s hiding, both she and Teodor may pay the ultimate price. . .

Where Readers Can Find Liz Tolsma

Website

Facebook 

Twitter

Instagram 

When the Heart Sings  

The Melody of the Soul

The Amish Widow’s New Love 

Snow on the Tulips 

Other Stories by Liz Tolsma  

The Amish Widow’s New Love       The Rails to Love

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Melody of the Soul    Remember the Lilies

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Lord, we bow before You in adoration and thanksgiving, for You alone are worthy of worship. You alone are the Fount of Every Blessing. What a joy it is to read Liz’s stories and see You working the threads of characters’ lives into beautiful tapestries, just as You do the lives of Your children. We exalt Your name above every name in all the Earth. Please bless each word Liz writes for You.

~ For Jesus’ sake

The post Let’s Chat! Liz Tolsma appeared first on Linda Brooks Davis.

Let’s Chat! Author Naomi Musch

Welcome, everyone.

Naomi Musch is our honored author guest this week. Naomi writes historical romance. The cover of her latest release–Mist O’er the Voyageur–-takes my breath away! 

Naomi is offering a giveaway. Instructions are at the end of this article. So read on, friends. I think you’ll be as captivated by this author and her beautiful novel as I am.

Who Is Naomi Musch?

Hi, everyone! I am delighted to be a guest on Linda’s blog today. Thank you, Linda!

If I’m a new author to you, let me introduce myself. I grew up as a country girl in central Wisconsin, determined to live as adventurously as I could get by with (sometimes to my parents’ chagrin). Yes, I was a bit of a rebel, but I Iike to think I just had a creative spirit that God was molding.

I decided to become a writer at the ripe old age of ten years old. Of course, I took a lot of detours along the way. I kept writing while I grew up, moved away from home in a vintage 1960s camper, went to school for a while.
Then I got married and had babies (5 of them!). Homeschooled for years and years. Worked in various jobs—the most fun of which was being a barista in a bookstore coffee shop. And now I’m a grandma with my 11th novel just having released one week ago! These days my husband and I live on a deer farm—still loving the adventure—in the big woods near Lake Superior, close to our kids and grandkids.

A Debut for Naomi Musch

My first novel, The Casket Girl, is now out of print. No, it was not a gothic. It was a romantic adventure of the French and Indian War.

Since that time I’ve written in several genres, but mostly historical fiction with a strong romantic thread. It hasn’t been easy, and I’m sure most authors would echo that statement. Every time you read a novel you love, just know that there are authors who’ve come close to sweating blood to get it to you.

Yet, that’s how we all grow, isn’t it? God challenges us in the areas we love, growing and improving us along the way. It’s easy for me to admit that my writing has improved as he’s taken me through that honing process along the way.

What’s Up With Naomi Musch Now?

These days, I’m not looking for fame. I’m just thankful for the opportunities he’s given me to be published. I’ve met so many wonderful people along the way and learned so much.

Many of my previous books went out of print just this year when my former publisher closed their doors. Rather than be discouraged about that, I look at it as an exciting opportunity to improve those stories before they go back out into the world again.

Given that nine of my other books are out of print, the way God has moved in the last year is even more amazing than I first realized. As I said, I just had a brand new novel, Mist O’er the Voyageur, come out with Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas Smitten line last week. Just over a year ago I signed that contract.

A Transforming Decision for Naomi Musch

Prior to that signing, I had to make a huge decision of whether or not to accept the offer. Sound silly? Not when you know that in order to do that—to fit the Smitten line—I had to make some drastic changes to the story. Not just your average edits either. Those I’m used to.

See, I had written an historical that was romantic, but not particularly an historical romance. To better shape the book for Smitten, I had to cut the last third of the novel and reshape many of the internal chapters to suit the new ending! Yeah, do you sense the bloodletting? That’s a LOT of cutting. After much prayer and deep consideration—along with a few “Woe is me” moments—I agreed.

Mist O’er the Voyageur

After her aunt’s death, Métis woman Brigitte Marchal finds herself alone in Montreal. Uninterested in the convent and desperate to flee a loathsome suitor, she disguises herself as a young man to travel west by voyageurs’ brigade in search of her long-absent, fur-trader father. But her inexperience and disguise don’t hide her for long.

René Dufour yields to the unwelcome position of shielding Brigitte, but he cannot hide her identity forever. Keeping her safe while meeting his North West Company obligations and honoring his family promises may prove to be more disquieting to his heart than he imagined.

As Brigitte adjusts to the voyageur life on Lake Superior, she struggles to justify the faith she grew up in with the mysticism around her, but greater still is the conflict her heart must settle over who to trust in this rugged, unfamiliar country.
Insights From Naomi Musch

It was a great, God-led decision. In the end, I had a beautiful love story, still fraught with the wilderness adventure and early American history I love. PLUS, I had no idea at the time of acceptance that my other publisher would be closing. Do you see how God was a step ahead, preparing my way, though I couldn’t see how it would work out? I am SO GLAD I accepted that contract! Besides, now I’m even more excited about re-releasing my previous books as a hybrid author.

Oh—and one more thing. I’ve signed a second Smitten contract. This one is for a novella that will become part of a four-author, Highlander collection coming out in November 2019. My story there is titled “A Tender Siege”. Watch for it!

How to Find Naomi Musch

I love engaging with readers and getting to know more about YOU! Visit me at

• Website

• Facebook

• Twitter: @NMusch

• Instagram

• Goodreads:

• Pinterest

• Amazon Author Page

A Giveaway Offer From Naomi Musch

Those who sign up for my newsletter will receive my award-winning short story “Ellie Hollis Gets Her Man” in the November issue. And there’s a DRAWING!

I am giving away THREE eCopies of Mist O’er the Voyageur in October, one each on the 10th, 17th, and 24th of the month. On the 31st I’ll give away a Grand Prize Package which includes: a Signed Paperback Copy of Mist O’er the Voyageur;  8×10 watercolor print “Estuary” by northland artist Viola LaBounty; Philippians 4:13 Blue Soul Scrips Flex-Cover Journal; Flowered Note Card Set; and Miscellaneous Swag.

Use the Rafflecopter to enter, and follow the blog hop for repeat chances to enter:

Oct. 5: Colonial Quills https://colonialquills.blogspot.com/

Oct. 10: More Reason to Write https://naomimusch.blogspot.com/

Oct. 16: Stitches Thru Time http://stitchesthrutime.blogspot.com/

Oct. 17: Linda Brooks Davis http://lindabrooksdavis.com/blog/

Oct. 27: The Over 50 Writer http://www.pattishene.com/theover50writer

Oct. 29: Linda Yezak https://lindayezak.com/

Oct. 30: Winner announced at naomimusch.com and via her author newsletter
Click Rafflecopter to enter the giveaway! 

~ ~ ~

Dear Lord, through Jesus You separate us as far from our sins as the east is from the west. You provide messages of healing and hope, purpose and promise in the beautiful stories You give writers like Naomi. We thank You for your limitless love and boundless grace that reaches north to south, east to west, and into eternity.

Please bless each word Naomi writes for You.

~ For Jesus’ sake

 

 

 

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Let’s Chat! With Joyce Valdois Smith

Welcome, everyone!

Joyce Valdois Smith is our author guest this week. She writes historical romance and children’s picture books. (Valdois is her maiden name, which she figures makes Joyce Smith a little more distinctive.) 

Joyce, I understand where you’re coming from. Davis is a very common name. And Linda? Forget about it! It was the most popular name in the U.S. Census the year I was born, so there have been Lindas everywhere I’ve gone. Until it “aged out,” that is. 

Readers, Joyce is offering Romance Along the Rails as a giveaway–print or digital, winner’s choice. So scroll down and join the conversation, everyone.

Now, Joyce Valdois Smith in her own words …

Who Is Joyce Valdois Smith?

I grew on a wheat farm in Kansas, the youngest child in the family with three older brothers. I graduated from nurses training and attended one year of Bible College before I married my soulmate, Bob. We have four married children and twelve amazing grandchildren. I worked as a Public Health and School nurse then retired to care for my parents. My father had Alzheimer’s Disease.

Joyce Valdois Smith’s Writing Journey

I began to write when I was about 40 years old. I took the writing course, Institute of Children’s Literature, and joined a small writer’s group. I also began my first novel based on the Harvey Houses along the ATSF railroad and the Harvey Girls.

At the PIW writer’s conference in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Multnomal Press offered me a contract. But due to the pressures of caring for my parents and fear of not meeting the deadline, I broke the contract! I later finished the novel, which I entitled “Tables on the Prairie”, but after many discouraging rejections and life trials, I quit writing for about 15 years.

My books and stories waited in my computer. In the summer of 2015 my son encouraged me to begin writing again. I revised and edited my historical romance novel, and it was released in January 2018, Romance Along the Rails. 

Some Tidbits About Joyce’s Books

Romance Along the Rails takes place in 1885. Elise Dumond, the heroine, is a Harvey Girl in Kansas and the hero is a surveyor for the ATSF Railroad. The sequel, Home For the Heart, which I am currently working on, takes place in 1900 and also follows the Harvey Girls. Elizabeth (Liz), who was a four-year-girl in the first book is the heroine in Home For the Heart. I plan to write two others in the series, one in 1920, which takes place in New Mexico or Arizona, and the last one during WW2.

I also published a children’s picture book, , in November 2017. I had written it as a memorial to my father and my husband’s mother who both died of Alzheimer’s. My desire is that it will help children, who have loved ones with dementia, deal with the disease.

I also have other children’s books waiting to be published. The next one, A Christmas Treasure Hunt, should be released in November  2018.

Insight From Joyce Valdois Smith

My favorite Bible verse concerning my writing is Habakkuk 2: 2-3.

“And the Lord answered me, and said, Write the vision and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it. For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry.” (NKJV)

The Lord gave me this verse when I was so discouraged about ever being published. His timing is always right. Never give up on your dreams.

How to Find Joyce and Her Books

Facebook 

Twitter

Instagram: rgjlsmith70

Blog 

Email

 

Romance Along the Rails

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Grandpa Forgot My Name

~ ~ ~

Lord, we applaud and praise You for always showing up at the right time. We frail humans are persistent in our expecting Your answers in OUR timing rather than Yours. Thank you for proving Yourself faithful in Joyce’s life–and in our own–even when we struggle to force Your time clock to match ours. Now, would you bless Joyce as she endeavors to be a faithful witness to Your goodness?

Bless every single word she writes for You.

~ For Jesus’ sake

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Let’s Chat! Pegg Thomas

Welcome, everyone!

Pegg Thomas is standing in our author spotlight this week. Welcome to our circle, Pegg!

Romance writer Pegg hails from Michigan’s Lower Peninsula and loves horses. Matter of fact, she’s giving away one paperback copy of The Pony Express Romance Collection to one reader who joins our conversation below. Just mention something about horses–one you have owned, what you like about them, or maybe some experience involving a horse–and you’re entered.

Now, here’s Pegg . . .

Who Is Pegg Thomas?

My name is Pegg Thomas. Yes, that’s with two ‘g’s. My brother is Greg, although our mom originally spelled it Gregg. I guess she had a thing for names ending with double consonants.

I live on a hobby farm in the northeastern part of Michigan’s Lower Peninsula. We love everything about the Great Lakes, and one of our favorite pastimes is watching the giant freighters float by.

My husband and I raise sheep and chickens, garden, and keep a small orchard of trees and berry bushes. I’m also a hand spinner and love to create beautiful garments from our sheep’s wool.

What’s Up With Pegg Thomas at Present?

Besides my own writing, I’m the managing editor for Smitten Historical Romance, an imprint of Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas. I guess you could say that I keep busy.

Speaking of busy, I have a new book coming out in November. While I’ve been published in three previous Barbour historical romance collections, this one is near and dear to my heart because it was a project that I organized and presented to Barbour for publication. I was thrilled when they contracted it! The title is The Great Lakes Lighthouse Brides Collection. Yes. It does fit with my passions in life.

A Bit About “Anna’s Tower” by Pegg Thomas

My story in the collection is “Anna’s Tower” and takes place almost in my backyard, on Thunder Bay Island. There was a fairly well-known shipwreck that happened right off the island on a foggy fall night in 1883. I decided that my hero would be a stowaway aboard the James Davidson. Once I knew that much, I needed to figure out who would want to stowaway from Buffalo, New York, to Duluth, Minnesota, in 1883.

A little research led me to Russian immigrants who were fleeing the pograms, the Russians’ attempt to exterminate the Jewish race. Great! Except for one little thing … I knew less than nothing about Russians of that time period. I dove into my research at about the same time all the Russian collusion stories started clogging up the news feed. I’m pretty sure I’m on some government watch list by now, but that’s a risk we authors have to take for our craft, eh?

A Pegg Thomas Giveaway

While The Great Lakes Lighthouse Brides Collection doesn’t come out until next month, I’d love to give one paperback copy of The Pony Express Romance Collection to one of your readers who lives in the continental U.S.

As you can imagine from the title, this collection has a LOT of horses in it. I lost my old horse, Trooper, about a year ago. He was twenty-five years old. I still miss him and will always love horses. To enter the drawing, tell me about a horse you have/had or what you like about horses.

Where Readers Can Find Pegg Thomas

Facebook 

Twitter 

Goodreads

Google+

PeggThomas.com

Amazon

ColonialQuills

Stitches Thru Time

~ ~ ~

Lord, we readers and writers come into Your presence grateful for the gift of language, whether written or spoken or symbolized in other ways. The words we read and write will someday pass away. But You, the Eternal Word, will last forever. We pray You will use the words we read, speak, and write to reveal a bit more about Yourself. Draw us ever closer to You through Your Word. And please bless each word Pegg writes for You. 

~ For Jesus’ sake

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Let’s Chat! Author Carrie Fancett Pagels

Welcome, everyone!

Carrie Fancett Pagels, award-winning author of sixteen Christian historical romances, honors us with her presence this week. Not only does Carrie hold a Ph.D., but her books include ECPA bestsellers. 

Carrie served twenty-five years as a psychologist, but the years failed to “cure” her overactive imagination. A self-professed “history geek,” she resides with her family in the Historic Triangle of Virginia. But she grew up as a “Yooper” in Michigan’s beautiful Upper Peninsula. Carrie reads, bakes, beads, and travels – but not all at the same time! 

Meanwhile, Carrie’s giving away one of her books. So join the gab session below. 

Carrie Fancett Pagels: Life Outside Writing

I hail from Michigan’s beautiful Upper Peninsula, which qualifies me as a bona fide Yooper woman. I married the love of my life when I was almost thirty. Now, thirty years later, I have a 29-year-old lovely electrical engineer. And a 16-year-old creative techie junior in high school. 

I devoted 25 years as a psychologist to young people in many capacities. Then physicians diagnosed me with Rheumatoid Arthritis and other forms of arthritis. This arthritisended my career abruptly. As it turned out, God planned something else for me.

Eight years ago, I nearly died from a biologic (to treat my severe RA). For about five years I barely walked. I endured numerous interventions, including surgery. But God gifted me with lots of stories. Now sixteen of my romances appear in print! And, Praise the Lord, I walk today.

A Debut for Carrie Fancett Pagels

I joined in a multi-author ongoing Civil War series headed up by Murray Pura. A small press released my first title, Return to Shirley Plantation. Later, my rights reverted back to me. The talented Roseanna White designed a new cover. My novella released this past late Spring. It’s now available in audiobook form.

The staff of Shirley Plantation  supported and blessed me. The owners permitted me to read some of their ancestors’ original letters. Also, I assisted with a tour of the upper part of the Great House, which isn’t included in the regular tours. I helped conduct a tour with the wonderful Julian Charity, Shirley Plantation’s historian, a real highlight for me.

What’s Up With Carrie Fancett Pagels Now?

Since then, I released fifteen more books, some Indie and others traditional publications. So I claim hybrid author status. My latest, a novella entitled “The Sugarplum Ladies,” appears in the The Victorian Christmas Brides Collection by Barbour Publishing.

Currently, I am working on a women’s fiction novel, a change for me. When I joined ACFW (American Christian Fiction Writers) fourteen years ago, I wrote in this genre. 

I expect our current visits to colleges with our son will take me away from writing for a while. Recently, we visited two universities in Virginia.

A Bit About Carrie’s Books
To Be Released November 1, 2018: The Great Lakes Lighthouse Brides

Along the Great Lakes, America’s inland seas, lighthouses played a vital role in the growth of our nation. They shepherded settlers traveling by water to places that had no roads. These beacons of light required constant tending even in remote and often dangerous places. Brave men and women battled the elements and loneliness to keep the lights shining. Their sacrifice moved goods and immigrants. Seven romances set between 1883 and 1911 bring hope to these lonely keepers and love to weary hearts.

“The Sugarplum Ladies” in The Victorian Christmas Brides

1867 Windsor, Ontario, Canada, and Detroit, Michigan

Canadian barrister Percy Gladstone’s aristocratic British family unexpectedly descends upon him for Christmas. So he relies on American social reformer Eugenie Mott and her fledgling catering crew for help.

My Heart Belongs on Mackinac Island

Generations of her mother’s family claim the Winds of Mackinac Inn. But Maude Welling’s father refuses to let her run it without the guidance of a husband. So she seeks to prove her worth and independence by working incognito as a maid at the Grand Hotel.

Undercover journalist Ben Steffans poses as a wealthy industrialist. He pursues a story about impoverished men chasing heiresses at the famed hotel. While undercover, an intriguing maid catches his eye. By an act of heroism while digging deep for his story, Ben endears himself to the closed-mouthed islanders—including Maude.

But scandal threatens, and truths are revealed. Will the growing love between Maude and Ben be scuttled?

How to Find Carrie Fancett Pagels

Website
Blogs: Overcoming With God and Colonial Quills
Pinterest page for “The Sugarplum Ladies”
Facebook Author Page
Facebook Personal Page
Twitter
Pinterest
goodreads
LinkedIn
Amazon author page
Bookbub
Newsletter sign up
Instagram

Where to Find Carrie’s Books

Victorian Christmas Brides Goodreads
Christian Book Distributors
Barnes & Noble
Book Depository
Amazon 
Barbour Books

~ ~ ~

Father God, we declare You the Eternal Author of Love. First, You joined the original couple in the Garden. Then, Abraham and Sarah. And King Solomon penned his Song of Love. Today, Your children fall in love. And we look to the ultimate Love—the Groom and his Bride—at the heavenly Wedding Feast. You—Who are Love—provide the kindling. The flame. And the breath that keeps love burning. Now, please bless every word Carrie writes for You.

~ For Jesus’ sake

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Let’s Chat! Author Chinelo Mgbeadichie

Welcome, everyone!

Chinelo Mgbeadichie honors us this week. A native Nigerian, she writes mystery legal fiction and lives and works in Lagos, Nigeria. 

Welcome, Chinelo. You honor this week. We’re eager to know a writer from the other side of the globe. What a treat! We thank you for offering a giveaway—Mrs. Unmarried in ebook format.

Who Is Chinelo Mgbeadichie?

First, let me mention how much I appreciate being interviewed by you. I do not take this privilege for granted. 

I was born in Ibadan, Nigeria and grew up in Lagos. Being a boarder meant most of my teenage days were spent in school. As a loner, I claimed no permanent friends. But  good and intelligent people surrounded me. I admit to a mischief or two, but I was scared that my father would know, so I was a good girl most of the time. My family numbered 5 before God added 2 beautiful boys later on.

I work as a Legal Practitioner and a Partner in a Law firm in Lagos.

Chinelo’s Faith Journey

Wow, I have always possessed the fear of God. Reared in a Christian home, I surrendered to Christ in 1998 and rededicated my life in 2008.

God has been faithful. Yes, I have had my share of falling out with God. At some point I told God I was done with him. But it was as though He smiled and said, “Where do you want to go?”

In my mind I couldn’t think of any other option so I just came back home. He didn’t even let me out of  his sight one day. I have faced a number of challenges. 

Chinelo’s Writing Journey

I grew up with all forms of imaginations. (smiles) As a hopeless romantic person—only in my mind—I wrote love stories and threw them away. I don’t write love stories now. I guess that part of me faded away.

My publishing journey challenged me. At one point I almost gave up because many publishers told me that people don’t read novels. Instead, they read schoolbooks. Some publishers told me point blank that I am not known so my book will not sell. Eventually an unknown publisher accepted my book, and it took him more than three years to publish it.

Chinelo’s Debut Experience

My first book is titled Murder at Dawn. It is mystery novel with a lot of Christian flavor to it. A young Christian woman’s sister was murdered in her prime, and her brother was arrested as the prime suspect. This young lady, Annabelle, must figure out who killed her sister and the motive.

Chinelo’s Journey Continues

Partridge Africa published my second book, Behind Dark Clouds. In this story, a young woman is raped and her entire family wiped out. The tragedy halts her dreams.

Monalisa, devastated by the gruesome extermination of her family, faces the choice of abandoning a baby she never planned in pursuit of the career she always dreamed of. She decides  to unmask the one who placed the kill order on her family. She forces the tragedy and her frailties behind her and sets her eyes on her goal. Although she is a broken woman, she learns to live through the brokenness and trust in a love that is genuine. Follow her marks in this book as she choses the hard road.

Also, I wrote Mrs. Unmarried, which is Book One in the Ice for Heart series.  I am working currently on the Book Two in the series, Two Deaths; One Murder. 

Ezinne is an abused, battered and broken wife whose husband is murdered in their home. She is the prime suspect and the world is looking at her because she had motive and opportunity. Will her lawyer be successful in saving her life. Or does his death doom her?

Insight from Chinelo

I hope my books encourage and inspire people. In addition, I hope to go international in my writing.

How to Find Chinelo and Her Books

Email: ciscadichie@gmail.com

Facebook: @nelomgbeadichie

Twitter:  @ciscadichie

Instagram: @ciscadichie

LinkedIn:  www.linkedin.com/in/nelomgbeadichie

~ ~ ~

Dear Lord, we honor and praise Your name alone, for You alone are worthy of praise. We stand in awe of the works of Your mighty hand—from creation in the beginning to the re-creation we anticipate at the end of time. You bless Your followers around the globe by joining us by faith in Christ. Here we are, sharing another common passion—reading and writing stories that bring You the glory. Please bless each word Chinelo writes for you. ~ For Jesus’ sake

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