Linda Brooks Davis's Blog, page 6

Claire O’Sullivan on Let’s Chat

Welcome to Let’s Chat, everyone!

Claire O’Sullivan, author of Christian romantic suspense, joins us in the Let’s Chat circle this week. Welcome, Claire!

Claire, who loves the Lord first and foremost, is married to a wonderful guy, Pat. She’s a mom to three grown, fantastic kids and grandmother to four. Claire and Pat live in rural Southern Oregon in the attached apartment of their son and daughter-in-law’s home. They love that and looking at their mountains.

Claire’s books are character then plot driven, and her military thriller is plot more than character driven. She loves coffee, and although she claims the label “introvert,” she loves going out with  friends for lunch or coffee. 

Claire O’Sullivan in her own words

Hi, and thank you for this opportunity to share my Christian romantic suspense novel about an unrepentant thief in a rural town (not unlike my own) called Whiskey River. 

The first three folks to sign up and comment on this post or posts at my WordPress, The Question – Claire O’Sullivan (claire-osullivan-author.com) will receive a free an ePub or .mobi file copy of Romance Under Wraps. 

Catherine Cade Has a Problem

She’s an identity thief with partial amnesia impersonating a nurse practitioner—trying to go straight. When one of her patients dies a mysterious death, she is faced with an agonizing decision. When evidence points to murder, she must overcome her fear of prison for the truth. Her biggest problem is the cop who caught her.

Rick Calhoun is a homicide detective who knows more about Cade than she does. When he finds a murder scene and catches up with Cade, the chase begins.

She tries to keep her lies straight, and it’s a job while tending patients and opening a bakery. He has to keep the investigation quiet, tend to his homicide cases, and keep Cade out of trouble.

Cade’s biggest worry is the detective who found her. He’s onto her, and she‘s stuck. Calhoun’s biggest problem, he is in love with her and will sacrifice anything to give her safe passage.

Love means never having to hear your Miranda Rights …

[image error] Romance Under Wraps: the Backstory

I started this novel in 2012 during a NanoWrimo contest and worked on rewrites and edits until 2019, when it was accepted by Elk Lake Publishing. The novel began as a Pollyanna, perfect story, but as time and life progressed, I saw the flaws in me that God was pointing out. Big difference in my main character. After that, I recognized that the Lord was leading me to share the Gospel without preaching to choir for those readers who’ve backslidden and for those who’ve never heard the Gospel.

The process of publishing took quite some time (of course), and I went through a lot of agencies and publishing houses, and rejections before I purchased Steve Laube’s (pronounce lobbey’s) Christian Writers Market Guide that is published yearly.

On December 9th, 2018, I’d gone through enough agencies/publishers and it was up to God if He wanted me to have this book published. So I prayed that prayer, sent my last queries off to a handful of agents and publishers, prepared to print up the novel, and put it to bed and wait for God’s leading if He wanted me to send it—ever. In January of 2019, Elk Lake Publishing sent me a note telling me they wanted more and would like me to sign a 1099 form for tax purposes and a contract. Almost a month to the day. The book was released October 29th, 2020. So see? Some good stuff happened during the toilet paper year.

A few links? I have a zillion!

@authorclaire1 on Twitter, USA.life, Gab, Social Cross, Facebook, and my website, claireosullivan1.com.

I also have WordPress: The Question – Claire O’Sullivan (claire-osullivan-author.com). You can also go directly to my website and find that link.

The link to Amazon directly is Romance Under Wraps – Kindle edition by O’Sullivan, Claire. Religion & Spirituality Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com.

Romance Under Wraps is available in Kindle, KU, and paperback.

My next projects include a cozy mystery and a military thriller, and I am working on both, right now! I have several other crime/forensic/cozies, and the characters are chomping on the bit. Some will include the sleuths of Whiskey River, the small town in Romance Under Wraps. 

Thank you so much for inviting me to share my work.

~ ~ ~

Lord, please bless each word Claire writes for you.
~ For Jesus’ sake ~

The post Claire O’Sullivan on Let’s Chat appeared first on Linda Brooks Davis.

Claire O’Sullivan on Let’s Chat 3/24

Welcome to Let’s Chat, everyone!

Claire O’Sullivan, author of Christian romantic suspense, joins us in the Let’s Chat circle this week. Welcome, Claire!

Claire, who loves the Lord first and foremost, is married to a wonderful guy, Pat. She’s a mom to three grown, fantastic kids and grandmother to four. Claire and Pat live in rural Southern Oregon in the attached apartment of their son and daughter-in-law’s home. They love that and looking at their mountains.

Claire’s books are character then plot driven, and her military thriller is plot more than character driven. She loves coffee, and although she claims the label “introvert,” she loves going out with  friends for lunch or coffee. 

Claire O’Sullivan in her own words

Hi, and thank you for this opportunity to share my Christian romantic suspense novel about an unrepentant thief in a rural town (not unlike my own) called Whiskey River. 

The first three folks to sign up and comment on this post or posts at my WordPress, The Question – Claire O’Sullivan (claire-osullivan-author.com) will receive a free an ePub or .mobi file copy of Romance Under Wraps. 

Catherine Cade Has a Problem

She’s an identity thief with partial amnesia impersonating a nurse practitioner—trying to go straight. When one of her patients dies a mysterious death, she is faced with an agonizing decision. When evidence points to murder, she must overcome her fear of prison for the truth. Her biggest problem is the cop who caught her.

Rick Calhoun is a homicide detective who knows more about Cade than she does. When he finds a murder scene and catches up with Cade, the chase begins.

She tries to keep her lies straight, and it’s a job while tending patients and opening a bakery. He has to keep the investigation quiet, tend to his homicide cases, and keep Cade out of trouble.

Cade’s biggest worry is the detective who found her. He’s onto her, and she‘s stuck. Calhoun’s biggest problem, he is in love with her and will sacrifice anything to give her safe passage.

Love means never having to hear your Miranda Rights …

[image error] Romance Under Wraps: the Backstory

I started this novel in 2012 during a NanoWrimo contest and worked on rewrites and edits until 2019, when it was accepted by Elk Lake Publishing. The novel began as a Pollyanna, perfect story, but as time and life progressed, I saw the flaws in me that God was pointing out. Big difference in my main character. After that, I recognized that the Lord was leading me to share the Gospel without preaching to choir for those readers who’ve backslidden and for those who’ve never heard the Gospel.

The process of publishing took quite some time (of course), and I went through a lot of agencies and publishing houses, and rejections before I purchased Steve Laube’s (pronounce lobbey’s) Christian Writers Market Guide that is published yearly.

On December 9th, 2018, I’d gone through enough agencies/publishers and it was up to God if He wanted me to have this book published. So I prayed that prayer, sent my last queries off to a handful of agents and publishers, prepared to print up the novel, and put it to bed and wait for God’s leading if He wanted me to send it—ever. In January of 2019, Elk Lake Publishing sent me a note telling me they wanted more and would like me to sign a 1099 form for tax purposes and a contract. Almost a month to the day. The book was released October 29th, 2020. So see? Some good stuff happened during the toilet paper year.

A few links? I have a zillion!

@authorclaire1 on Twitter, USA.life, Gab, Social Cross, Facebook, and my website, claireosullivan1.com.

I also have WordPress: The Question – Claire O’Sullivan (claire-osullivan-author.com). You can also go directly to my website and find that link.

The link to Amazon directly is Romance Under Wraps – Kindle edition by O’Sullivan, Claire. Religion & Spirituality Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com.

Romance Under Wraps is available in Kindle, KU, and paperback.

My next projects include a cozy mystery and a military thriller, and I am working on both, right now! I have several other crime/forensic/cozies, and the characters are chomping on the bit. Some will include the sleuths of Whiskey River, the small town in Romance Under Wraps. 

Thank you so much for inviting me to share my work.

~ ~ ~

Lord, please bless each word Claire writes for you.
~ For Jesus’ sake ~

The post Claire O’Sullivan on Let’s Chat 3/24 appeared first on Linda Brooks Davis.

Joan Hetzler on Let’s Chat

Welcome, everyone

Joan Hetzler graces us with a visit this week. Welcome, Joan!

Joan has been a freelance writer and editor for over twenty-five years. Her creative writing experience includes plays, poems, short stories, humor, memoir, and classic mystery novels. For eight years, she produced and hosted The Writers Show, a radio program devoted to writers and their readers at a local college station.

F rom the coastal islands of South Georgia to the mountains of Northwest Georgia, Joan captures her experiences in stories and poems that reflect the glory of God.

GIVEAWAY: Readers, here’s the link to Joan’s book that is FREE as an ebook on Amazon for three days beginning March 17th through the 19th: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08L3V33SX/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_tkin_p1_i1 

Joan Hetzler: In Her Own Words

I’ve always been a writer. In first grade, I wrote poetry and kept my first “book” of poems.  Throughout school I studied English and literature. Eventually I became a professional writer and worked for communications firms where I wrote and/or edited everything from resumes to training manuals to press releases.  For a while, I worked as a regional reporter on a city newspaper.

Writing a fiction novel was always a dream I carried with me and thought about while working a full time job and sometimes another part time job as well.  I attended writer’s conferences and won awards but never could find the time to start that novel I dreamed of.  Then in my thirties God put me in a situation that I suddenly had time on my hands.  After a sudden exposure to heavy pesticides, I became allergic to modern chemicals and essentially the modern world. I moved to rural Georgia to live in my parents’ 19th century log cabin and old frame house. It was a beautiful serene area but far from my busy life in Atlanta as a technical writer for a software company. 

Pious Deception by Joan Hetzler

So one morning on my healing journey, I took a pad and pencil and sat on a hill looking over a small creek and distant pastures.  Without planning, plotting or preparing, I started writing.  Mmmmm.  Where would I set my first mystery?  How about a software firm?  What city?  How about Atlanta?  Who would be my protagonist?  What about a single woman in her thirties?  Well, not too imaginative, but my first book was off and running.  After all, convention wisdom says write about what you know. 

This book took a long journey to publication.  It “set on the shelf” for a while, was rewritten, updated, and then put aside as life took me to new situations and environments. But one goal remained steady: to use my writing to share my Christian faith. Eventually, I self-published it under the title, Pious Deception: A Megan O’Connell Mystery. To my surprise, those who read it — even those who didn’t read mystery novels — said they loved it. 

Pious Deception is the story of a female reporter who is burned out on her job and returns home to Atlanta and finds a good friend being blackmailed. She goes undercover to work in her friend’s company to find the blackmailer but finds murder instead.  The title, which is an oxymoron, “pious” and “deception,” reflects her conflict in deceiving people even for a good cause.  Her friend has lost her Christian faith and strayed from the church and Megan also feels conflicted in how to help her. This book is free as an ebook on Amazon for three days beginning March 17th through the 19th at this link: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08L3V33SX/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_tkin_p1_i1 .

Relative Truth by Joan Hetzler

Encouraged at the good response, I started my second novel, this type set in a mega church in Atlanta. It eventually became, Relative Truth: A Megan O’Connell Mystery and was traditionally published along with a republication of the first book last November.  “Relative” and “truth” is also an oxymoron, and the plot revolves around the seemingly motiveless murder of a deacon who made a lot of money preaching that there is no truth and all is relative. Suspicion falls on a well-liked popular pastor who preaches God has the truth. The same characters from the first book continue to grow in their faith and some very devout but humorous church ladies help Megan solve this new mystery.

Fair Play by Joan Hetzler

I am currently hard at work on my third Megan O’Connell mystery, which will be titled Fair Play: A Megan O’Connell Mystery. This book is set in the sports world and the wealthy men and women who play not only sports but games with people’s lives. It is due to be published in late spring or early summer.

Other Works by Joan Hetzler

But I write more than mysteries.  I’ve won an award for a stage play and written church skits and am planning a screen play.  And I still write my first love – poetry.  For ten years, I lived on a barrier off the coast of Georgia called St. Simons Island.  While I lived there I felt inspired to write poetry that shares my love of God and the beauty of the island.  I sold these poems in books locally and after I moved away turned them into on ebook on Amazon under the same title: Waterways and God’s Ways on St. Simons Island. Then later I added another chapbook of poems and short stories about growing up in the rural south title, Sunlit Memories at Grandma’s House. These books are also at my Amazon.com author page listed below.

Links to Joan Hetzler and her Books

I invite anyone who is interested in reading my work to visit my webpage: www.joanhetzler.com. It has links to my books and also an option to sign up for my monthly newsletter.  To visit my Amazon page, go to https://www.amazon.com/Joan-Hetzler/e/B0119HQTGG.

~ ~ ~

Dear Lord, please bless each word Joan writes for you. 

~ For Jesus’ sake

 

 

 

The post Joan Hetzler on Let’s Chat appeared first on Linda Brooks Davis.

Pat Jeanne Davis on Let’s Chat

Welcome, everyone

Pat Jeanne Davis joins us this week. Pat has a keen interest in 20th Century United States and British history, particularly the period of World War II. Her longtime interest in that era goes back to the real-life stories she heard about family members who served during the war.

Pat Jeanne enjoys flower gardening, genealogy research and traveling with her British-born husband.  She writes from her home n Philadelphia, Pa. Pat has published essays, short stories and articles online and in print. She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers. Please visit her at https://www.patjeannedavis.com.

In the meantime, here’s Pat Jeanne in her own words. Join the chat below, and you’ll qualify for her giveaway, When Valleys Bloom Again in digital format. When Valleys Bloom Again is Pat’s debut inspirational romance set in WWII.

Pat Jeanne Davis, Author

Since early 2020 researchers around the world have been working at record speed to develop vaccines to combat COVID-19. A year after the start of the pandemic, that goal is now a reality. Today with the current vaccines a wave of optimism prevails. We can now immunize to prevent infection or lessen the severity of symptoms for those infected, halt the spread of this dreaded illness and save lives.

While researching and reading up for my novel I came across fascinating information on penicillin that adds an element of depth to my WWII novel, When Valleys Bloom Again.

I discovered a connection between my fictional hero’s hometown of West Chester, PA and the production of penicillin, a life-saving medicine. Jim, our GI, and other allied soldiers who stormed the Normandy beaches on June 6, 1944, struggled through enemy lines. Thousands died instantly or were severely injured. The prospects of recovery and rehabilitation were greatly enhanced with the use of this “wonder drug.”

The history of penicillin ranges from its discovery in 1928 by the Scot, Alexander Fleming, and its subsequent development in the 1930’s by British scientists Howard Florey and Ernst Boris Chain to a laboratory in Pennsylvania’s Chester County, “the mushroom capital of the world,” where it so happens our hero Jim lived and worked prior to his enlistment in the US Army.

Granville Raymond Rettew, a Pennsylvania chemist and mycologist (expert in fungi), followed with interest the research carried out in Britain during the early 1940’s. The barrier to date was the difficulty of stabilizing the drug and producing it in sufficiently large quantities. Through his experiments Rettew demonstrated the antibiotic properties of ‘spawn’ extracted from the mushroom. Later, in collaboration with the American pharmaceutical industry he pioneered a method for the production of penicillin on a massive scale. By D-Day millions of doses of the drug were made available for the treatment of Allied forces, saving many from infection, crippling injury, and death.

In the partial scene below from When Valleys Bloom Again, our soldier, Jim Wright, awakens in strange surroundings with only a hazy memory of what happened to him.

Gradually, it becomes apparent he has sustained a serious injury to his leg when he and his comrades came under heavy shell fire as they sheltered from German artillery. Jim, having scraped through that ordeal, now lies in a field hospital.

July 4, 1944

An evacuation hospital in France

Pat Jeanne, WWII ambulances

Dreamlike, Jim hovered between upper and nether space. He lay there, disconnected from time, place and self, and forced his eyes open. Daylight filtered through the canvas sides of a tent, stabbing his eyeballs. He tried to sit up, his head hurt and his lower body ached to beat the band.

Boxes of various sizes stamped with a bright red cross and heaped in untidy fashion, lined one corner of the room. A tall, white metal cupboard, piled high with bandages, stood in the opposite corner. He fell back on the cot, catching the familiar sound of truck motors revving in the distance, their gearboxes clanking, and muffled voices barking instructions. Where was everyone?

His only memory was of taking shelter in a forester’s hut during a battle.

Two men from his platoon were hunkered down with him, waiting for the barrage to cease. On the hill overlooking their position, they’d encountered a German battery in a grove of trees. He could still hear the thud … thud … thud, as shells sought their range, and feel the pressure waves that engorged the tiny space in which he was crouched, compressing his chest, driving out his breath with a double gut punch. The nauseating, blood-taste sensation as myriad sharp, heavy blows beat about his back and shoulders. And the searing pain in his legs, as though they were being sliced into a thousand pieces. He remembered screaming, his motions slowing, then nothing.

Again, he tried to sit up and do an examination of himself, prodding the thick bandage on his left arm. He touched his heavily wrapped head and groped around his upper body. His clumsy investigation served only to increase his anxiety. He dare not look down at his legs, afraid of what he might—or might not—find. What would the pain be like when the anesthetic wore off?

Links

When Valleys Bloom Again by Pat Jeanne Davis can be purchased at the links below:

Amazon

Barnes & Noble  

 ChristianBooks.com  

You may connect with Pat Jeanne via her Social Media:    

Website  

Facebook  

Instagram

Goodreads

Amazon Author Page

LinkedIn                       

Pinterest    

BookBub

The post Pat Jeanne Davis on Let’s Chat appeared first on Linda Brooks Davis.

K. C. Hart on Let’s Chat

 

 

Welcome, everyone!K.C Hart, Author

 

K C Hart joins our chat circle this week. This author of cozy mysteries lives in Mississippi with, in her words, “Mr. Wonderful, my husband of thirty-seven years and the love of my life.” She’s blessed with three grown daughters and three grandsons who believe they are also grown.

A Word from K C Hart

Thank you for inviting me to share about myself and my books today. First, I want to share a little bit about me personally and why I love to write. 

After twenty-eight years of working as a registered nurse, I finally retired. Being an empty nester, I found myself with a lot of time on my hands. I filled my life with things I love such as reading, playing the piano, the guitar and the bantar (six-string banjo) that Mr. Wonderful got me for Christmas. I am also one of those weird people who enjoys cleaning house, and even with just two people living here, there is still plenty of that to do.

I feel that my love of storytelling has been nurtured through the years by growing up in a large family.

As number six of seven kids, I admit that my older brothers spoiled me rotten as a child. I sat on the front porch a lot of afternoons singing while my dad played the guitar. I listened and laughed to the tall tales shared by my mother, brothers, and any neighbor who happened to stop by. Laughter and hyperbole just seemed to be a part of life when we were together. I’ve always claimed a huge imagination and a love of humor. In 2019 I finally developed the courage to put these traits in print and fling them to the world.

K C Hart: I see mystery plots in everything.

In my first book, Moonlight, Murder, and Small Town Secrets, a body is found at the annual Peanut Patch Festival under a flatbed trailer being used as an outdoor stage. This idea started rumbling around in my head at a church fall festival. A stray dog and her puppies ran under a hay trailer and refused to come out. From there, I started tossing out ideas for a murder mystery to Mr. Wonderful who happens to have a lively imagination himself. From there an outline developed and a story formed. This story sat around, site unseen until, after a lot of prayers and support from my family, I decided to turn it into an actual novel. I attended the Mississippi Writers Guild where I met a wonderful artist who has become a dear friend and also the designer for all of my book covers. Since publishing book one in the Katy Cross Cozy Mystery Series in June of 2019, I have released three more novels, have one scheduled to release next month, and am busily working on book number six in the series.

Why do I write?

One reason is that I love to read mysteries. I love to read books that are engaging with real characters, but don’t make me feel like I need to take a bath when I’m done reading. I felt like I could produce a story with a solid plot and engaging characters that would honor Christ, and this has always been one of my goals. Another reason I write is because I see what a strong influence fiction has on our culture. Writing my little mystery novels is just my attempt to influence people toward the good. While nursing, I tried to be a witness for Christ through the care that I delivered. Once I retired, even though I taught Sunday school, I felt like there was more I could do to let His light shine through me. Writing my fiction stories is how I am attempting to achieve this. All of my books are clean cozy mysteries with a Christian worldview.

Moonlight, Murder, and Small Town Secrets by K C Hart

Katy Cross is more than Skeeterville’s favorite home health nurse, she’s also the lead guitarist for her weekend band, The Moonlighters. Katy and the band land their biggest gig yet at the annual Peanut Patch Festival, but things hit a sour note when she stumbles across a body during a mic check. When the investigation strikes the wrong chord, Katy is determined to find the real killer before anyone else is forced to join the heavenly choir.

This humorous cozy mystery has no graphic gore, bad language or sexual content, but is filled with lots of laughs, intrigue, and heart. Perfect for fans of amateur sleuths and small towns!

K C Hart Links

You can sign up for my monthly newsletter at www.kchartauthor.com

Follow me on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/KCWRITESBOOKS

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/author_kc_hart/

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/author/kchartauthor

You can find all of K. C. Hart’s books on Amazon in ebook and paperback form.

        Moonlight, Murder, and Small Town Secrets: www.amazon.com/dp/B0891SZL85

        Music, Murder, and Small Town Romance: www.amazon.com/dp/B08FB9H23B

        Memories. Murder and Small Town Money: www.amazon.com/dp/B08K2YQ6M3

        Merry Murder and Small Town Santas: www.amazon.com/dp/B08LDYTM39

        Medicine, Murder, and Small Town Scandal: https://wp.me/p74AzW-2yn 

~ ~ ~

Lord, please bless each word K C Hart writes for You.
~ For Jesus’ sake ~

The post K. C. Hart on Let’s Chat appeared first on Linda Brooks Davis.

Linda Shenton Matchett on Let’s Chat

Welcome, everyoneLinda S. Matchettt, docet

Our guest author this week is Linda Shenton Matchett, a native of Baltimore, Maryland who was born a stone’s throw away from Fort McHenry. As the author of twenty-one books, Linda writes about ordinary people who did extraordinary things in days gone by. A volunteer docent and archivist for the Wright Museum of WWII, Linda is currently working with the museum curator to create her first exhibit, Shaped by Conflict, that will be on display from May 1 to June 15, 2021.

Linda Shenton Matchett has lived in historical places all her life, and is now located in central New Hampshire where her favorite activities include exploring historic sites and immersing herself in the imaginary worlds created by other authors. 

Let’s gather ’round to welcome author Linda Shenton Matchett. Her giveaway is an ebook edition of Spies & Sweethearts.

Welcome, Linda Shenton Matchett

A volunteer docent at the Wright Museum, I’m fortunate to meet many people who lived and served during WWII. I’ve heard their stories of service, challenge, deprivation, and loss. But underneath the stories is the sense of pride in “doing their bit.”

As a former Human Resources professional, I am especially intrigued by the role that women played during the war. Whether they wanted to or not, they left their homes to take jobs vacated by men. Some would have preferred to stay home and be a housewife. Others relished the opportunity. To hear these ladies tell it, they weren’t sure if they could do the work, but they would give it their best shot. History has shown the women not only did the job, but they excelled at the work.

Women could be found in every industry in the U.S. from agriculture to manufacturing. The Armed forces created auxiliaries with clever acronyms: WACS (Army), WAVES (Navy), and SPARS (Coast Guard). The Marines saw no need for an nickname; the women were simply called Female Marines. The WASPs was a civilian organization of female pilots who worked under the direction of the Army Air Force. They received their veteran status in 1977.

While thinking about my next book, I was reading a lot of series that featured families, mostly siblings. I began to wonder how I could combine that concept with wanting to shine the light on the contributions of women during WWII. Around the same time, the museum director asked me if I had determined my topic for my presentation scheduled for later that year? After I told him I had nothing definite planned, he asked if I would speak on the role of women in espionage.

Absolutely!

Sisters in Service

Research is one of my favorite aspects of writing, and I jumped in with both feet, reading memoirs and autobiographies, reviewing museum archives, scouring the internet for stories, and watching oral history interviews with women who’d served as agents (AKA spies). The deeper I got into my investigation, the more awe I felt for these intrepid ladies who risked their lives for the sake of their country. I knew I had my next book.

Spies & Sweethearts is book one in the “Sisters in Service” trilogy about the Strealer sisters, each of whom takes an atypical job for a woman. Emily becomes a radio operator/spy for the Office of Strategic Services, the precursor to the CIA. Middle sister Doris joined the Red Cross Motor Corps as a mechanic. Cora, the oldest sister, becomes a war correspondent in England. All three sisters have their lives turned upside down in more ways than one. It is my hope that this series honors the ordinary women who did extraordinary things during one of history’s most difficult times.

Spies & Sweethearts by Linda Shenton Matchett

She wants to do her part. He’s just trying to stay out of the stockade. Will two agents deep behind enemy lines find capture… or love?

1942. Emily Strealer is tired of being told what she can’t do. Wanting to prove herself to her older sisters and do her part for the war effort, the high school French teacher joins the OSS and trains to become a covert operative. And when she completes her training, she finds herself parachuting into occupied France with her instructor to send radio signals to the Resistance.

Major Gerard Lucas has always been a rogue. Transferring to the so-called “Office of Dirty Tricks” to escape a court-martial, he poses as the husband of one of his trainees on a dangerous secret mission. But when their cover is blown after only three weeks, he has to flee with the young schoolteacher to avoid Nazi arrest.

Running for their lives, Emily clings to her mentor’s military experience during the harrowing three-hundred-mile trek to neutral Switzerland. And while Gerard can’t bear the thought of his partner falling into German hands, their forged papers might not be enough to get them over the border.

Can the fugitive pair receive God’s grace to elude the SS and discover the future He intended?

Links

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

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/LindaShentonMatchett/Author

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/lindasmatchett

YouTube Channel Moments in History: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4b-o_6cD8HkHNyFP-wZwJg

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/linda-shenton-matchett

~ ~ ~

Lord, please bless each word Linda writes for You.
~ For Jesus’ sake ~

 

 

The post Linda Shenton Matchett on Let’s Chat appeared first on Linda Brooks Davis.

Lisa E Betz on Let’s Chat

 

Let’s Chat With Lisa E Betz

Lisa E Betz worked as an engineer, substitute teacher, and play director before becoming an award-winning mystery writer. She draws inspiration from thirty-five years of leading Bible studies to create entertaining mysteries set in the world of the early church.

When not writing or reading, Lisa E. Betz can be found volunteering at the library. She lives in southeastern Pennsylvania with her patient husband and a rambunctious cat named Scallywag. She has two married sons and a grand baby on the way.

Welcome, Lisa E Betz

I love being swept away to far-off times and places within the pages of a compelling book. I’ve been an avid reader since childhood, and historical fiction has always been one of my favorite genres. Historical novels bring history to life in a way textbooks cannot.

I’m particularly drawn to stories that feature misfits and underdogs. I understand the pain of not being cool and the frustration of fighting molds that don’t fit. Thus, I respect others (real or fictional) who are brave enough to succeed despite their underdog status.

Lisa E Betz, Blogger & Mystery Writer

In my blog, I encourage my readers to appreciate their true selves and risk revealing their real persona to the world. In my novels I include characters who don’t fit the conventional mold. I reveal the heroic and honorable qualities hiding inside these characters, whom others see as flawed or useless.

Since I’m not good at fitting molds, I decided to write a mystery rather than the more typical historical romance. And then I set the story in first-century Rome. Plotting a mystery suits the analytical side of my brain. Creating eccentric characters and witty dialogue suits the creative side. Putting them together, I create entertaining stories that amuse, encourage, and inspire.

Why set a mystery in ancient Rome?

My interest in ancient Roman culture stems from many years teaching Bible studies. I’ve tried to absorb as much as possible about the culture and history of the Roman Empire, so I can bring the ancient world to life and make the Bible more relevant to modern Christians.

I chose the mid-first century because I couldn’t write a light-hearted story with a snarky main character that was set during the Great Fire of Rome, or the persecutions that came after that. I’ve chosen to set the novel during the reign of Emperor Claudius. The story takes place a dozen years before Paul visits the city.

As an added benefit, writing about ancient Rome gave me an excuse to visit Italy and see the ruins firsthand. (Before Covid-19, fortunately.) Here I am at a restaurant counter in Ostia Antica, the port city downriver from Rome.

As for this particular story, it all started with a scene that popped into my head while I was weeding flower beds. I saw a young woman entering a narrow alley. Her action alarmed her maids but the woman felt no fear, because the only danger in the alley was a cat. Who was this woman? Why did she want to enter the alley? What might she find?

That scene led to the development of my main character, Livia. The book still opens with her following a cat into an alley. Both the cat and the discovery she makes in the alley play an important role in the rest of the book.

Is Lisa E Betz like her heroine?

Yes and no. I don’t think I’m assertive enough to be a good sleuth, but I do enjoy solving challenging puzzles. Like Livia, I want to be appreciated for the real me, rather than pretending to fit somebody else’s mold. Plus, we’re both fond of cats and have strong opinions about food.

I wanted a heroine who had both the smarts and the gumption to solve crimes even when the men around her were trying to make her stop. She also needed an outgoing personality so she could talk herself out of problems (when she chases after clues without considering the consequences) and into the houses of total strangers (when she needs to ask a few nosy questions).

Ultimately, my inspiration for her came from many women I have admired over the years. Women who live with boundless energy, a zest for life, and enough drive to make their goals come to pass no matter the odds. My grandmother is one of my role models for her.

She needed a sidekick that could keep up with her. So I gave her a streetwise maid who speaks out of turn and lacks the polish of a traditional lady’s maid. She’s the prefect servant for a woman who decides to investigate a murder without any idea how to go about it.

Introducing  Death and a Crocodile , a finalist for the 2019 ACFW Genesis award.

Sensible women don’t investigate crimes, but Livia doesn’t have a choice.

When Livia’s father dies under suspicious circumstances, she sets out to find the killer before her innocent brother is convicted of murder. She knows nothing of solving crimes, but that won’t stop her.

Rival suitors offer to help, but Livia doesn’t trust either of them. Instead, she sets out to find the culprit herself, with help from a handful of faithful servants, her trusted Christian mentors, and a sneaky black cat.

Can she uncover the culprit before powerful men realize what she’s up to and force her to stop? Or will her snooping land her in deadly peril?

Death and a Crocodile by Lisa E Betz is a fast-paced historical mystery, featuring a feisty amateur sleuth, a cast of eccentric characters, and a glimpse of the early church.

Links

Lisa E. Betz Website    https://LisaEBetz.com 

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

Instagram      https://www.instagram.com/lisaebetz/ 

Pinterest         https://www.pinterest.com/lisabetz88/ 

Twitter            https://twitter.com/LisaEBetz

Book links: Amazon print. https://amzn.to/3l1Ax6O  Kindle: https://amzn.to/33aAnEh

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Lord, please bless each word Lisa E. Betz writes for You.
~ For Jesus’ sake ~

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The post Lisa E Betz on Let’s Chat appeared first on Linda Brooks Davis.

Harper Gale on Let’s Chat

 

Welcome, everyone.

Harper Gale joins us for a chat this week. Welcome, Harper.

This romantic suspense author graduated Suma Cum Laude from the Master’s University in Valencia, California, with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Christian Ministries.  She’s a Technical Writer, blogger, and a Non-Fiction author with articles and books under another name.

Her goal is to write stories that will lift the heart, but also encourage her readers to think deeply about God and their relationship with Christ.

In Harper’s spare time, she loves to dabble in armchair investigations, handcrafts, computer graphics, photography, and baking.

Harper Gale lives in Los Angeles, California, with her family. Her book Between Us is a fictionalized story that looks at a medical community that compromises their ethics and ultimately fails to see the pain and suffering of families who suffer from the heart-wrenching disease.

Join our chat below, and you’ll qualify for the drawing for Between Us in ebook format.

Harper Gale’s Between Us Journey :

Ten years ago, my grandmother (aka Mama) died from complications of Alzheimer’s. Before her death, Mama underwent numerous tests and tried various prescriptions. But the doctors refused to label her with Alzheimer’s and instead branded her bizarre reactions as “old age.”

For example, Mama watched the TV show Dora the Explorer and spoke to Dora as if she were a real person. Other days, Mama stomped on the ground killing the roaches in her room, but there were no insects there.

As we watched the downgrade of my grandmother’s mental capabilities, my family mourned and felt powerless to help her change.  

In time, we judged that her prescriptions were worthless. They served only to subdue her symptoms, but they could never restore Mama to her once vibrant self. Near the end of Mama’s life, the doctor’s diagnosed her with Alzheimer’s, but it was too late, and she passed.

Now, years later, I wrote Between Us to show both sides of Alzheimer’s. The family side struggles with the diagnoses, and the medical side that tries to cure the disease. 

On one side, we see a surgeon diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and fears his disease will destroy him. Thus, in a desperate attempt to keep his mind clear, he volunteers, as patient one, for clinical drug trials. But that decision will not lead to relief but a guilty conscience when other patients die from the same drug.

Meanwhile, a nurse learns of several patients that are dead from suicide. Her investigation of their death leads back to the same trials the doctor underwent. Her journey will reveal that the Scientist behind the clinical trial forfeited her good intentions for unethical practices and greed.

Between Us by Harper Gale

She waited 20 years for him to return to her. Now four of her patients are dead, and the cause of their death leads back to the man she loves. 

Mimi de Soto is the Administrator of Hope for Another Day convalescent home. Known for her devotion and duty to her profession, Mimi takes on the dilapidated rest home and vows to restore it so her patients will have a safe place to call home.

One night, the Nurse’s Call Board lights up, and the facility is in a panic. Three patients have committed suicide by hanging, and in a matter of days, her staff will find two more seniors who have died in the same manner. 

Soon, she reunites with Noah Taylor, her childhood sweetheart. But their reunion sours when Noah’s father begins to share secrets that will expose Mimi to a world of drugs, lies, and murder.

Can Noah and Mimi come together and expose the deception killing the seniors in her nursing home, or will the attempts to destroy them prevail?

Genre: Romantic Suspense

Harper’s Links

Amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08PKQPTJB/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=harper+gale&qid=1607017006&sr=8-2 

Website: https://harpergalebooks.com

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

~ ~ ~

Lord, please bless each work Harper Gale writes for You.
~ For Jesus’ sake ~

The post Harper Gale on Let’s Chat appeared first on Linda Brooks Davis.

Larry Paris on Let’s Chat

Welcome, everyone.

 

Larry Paris is our honored guest author this week. Larry was reared in Cedar Hill, a little town south of Dallas, population 6K. Now it’s grown to almost 100K. When he was fifteen, God called him to the ministry, and he was licensed as a minister. He attended Dallas Baptist College starting in 1975 and married the love of his life in 1978, ending his college career for the time being. 

Larry is giving away one signed copy of his novel, The Darkened Land.

Larry Paris: Beginnings

When I started college I began writing a book that would form the basis for The Darkened Land many years later. Married life ended my work on that project. We added three beautiful children to our family in the next years. My first, my daughter, was named after the heroine of my unfinished book. My two boys were born two and four years later. We followed the Lord’s leading through the next twenty years moving from one place and one job to another.

About 1995 I began writing again. That is when The Darkened Land began. In my college days, I wrote an allegory similar to Pilgrim’s Progress, but the names were Greek words that gave the allegory its meaning while allowing the book to be just a fun story for those who did not want to delve deeper. The new book utilizes the same format, but takes the names from many languages. Many like Aidan are actual names. Over the next couple of years the book grew to 30,000 words, before events brought my progress to a halt.

Larry Paris: Change and New Beginnings

With the kids going off to college and work difficult to find, I went back to school. Dallas Baptist College had become Dallas Baptist University in the intervening years. I worked at the University as a computer tech. Then in 2004, I was disabled and no longer able to work though I continued classes. I graduated in 2010. In the meantime our first grandchildren had arrived and we moved to be close to them. My last classes were finished online.

In 2017 we divorced, and I began life alone. It was at this point that God stepped in and started making changes.

I had been on many medications and was living life from a recliner where I ate, slept, and played the computer and little else. When I moved into my apartment I was just shy of three hundred pounds. I fasted for 40 days. By the end of the fast I had lost seventy pounds and was off all medication but one.

I had begun writing again and in those first six weeks the book went from those 30,000 words, that had taken years to write, to 90,000 words. God was in it every step of the way. I had written 60,000 words in six weeks. After a false start in 2018, the second edition was published in 2019. It was then that I began the second in this series of eight books entitled The Basaners and the Man Who Would Not Die although the title on the cover is simply The Basaners. It is in the editing process and I hope to have it on the market in the spring or summer of this year.

The Darkened Land by Larry Paris

In a land of perpetual darkness the city of Agapay stands as a beacon in the midst of a raging war…

Lachlaniel has never known the light until a man with one of the King’s light-giving stones passes by. Dazzled by the wonders, beauty, and gifts it bestows, Lachlaniel leaves Fairvale to find a stone.

Accompanied by a friend and aided by some of the King’s finest warriors, Lachlaniel makes his way to Agapay pursued by the creatures of darkness. His quest has roused the enemy unleashing a flood of terror and destruction. The great city is in peril. Can Lachlaniel obtain a stone before the forces of evil engulf the city? Can he and his friends turn the tide of destruction or will the light fail and the defenders succumb to the legions of darkness?

A Snippet From The Darkened Land

As the forest closed in, a sound in the distance froze them in their tracks. It was the low guttural call of the wolf leader calling the pack to the hunt. Lachlaniel and Ewald ran. The call of the leader made their blood run cold and summoned their last reserves of strength. They couldn’t go far. If there were no shelter just ahead … Then, ahead of them, a light loomed. They ran with renewed vigor; the sounds of the pack became distinct a short distance behind them. The light ahead was strange, not at all like the light from Kesniel’s stone.

As they drew closer, they could see the fork in the road and the Black Tower beyond. So little light reflected from its surface that its features could not be discerned. In spite of this, it gave the appearance of a welcome shelter set down at the meeting of the ways in a land where there was no real shelter. The light of a fire within flickered welcomingly from the doorway. There was a man at the threshold. He held some strange object from which the light came. They were in agony as they crossed the last yards. The wolves rapidly closed the gap between them. The man was shouting.

“Hurry, hurry! Don’t look back! You can make it!”

He stood by the open door of the tower, urging them onward. The wolves were incredibly close now. Ewald caught the sound of the swiftest as it made a final leap toward him. He swung his axe wildly and blindly behind him striking the wolf in the neck with the head of the axe instead of the blade. The wolf was momentarily stunned, but the others continued to close the ground. Lachlaniel had already crossed the threshold into the tower. The man with the light held the door ready to slam shut as soon as Ewald was safe.

The next closest wolf leaped as Ewald crossed the threshold and the door closed with a whump. There was a tremendous thud, and the oak planks of the door moved visibly with the impact. Outside, the wolves circled and howled with anger at losing their prey. Inside, Lachlaniel and Ewald lay sprawled on the floor, breathing too heavily to speak. They were too weary to move, but they were safe – inside the Black Tower.

Larry Paris Links:

Website: http://larryparisbooks.com/

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/Larry-Paris-Books-377140173072048

Discussion Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/3179278412156116

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Darkened-Land-Seven-Towers/dp/1092736999/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1598335725&sr=8-1 (Print, Kindle, and Kindle Unlimited)

~ ~ ~

Dear Lord, please bless each word Larry writes for You.
~ For Jesus’ sake ~

 

The post Larry Paris on Let’s Chat appeared first on Linda Brooks Davis.

M. Michelle Derosier on Let’s Chat

Welcome, everyone. M. Michelle Derosier, author

 

M. Michelle Derosier loves Jesus and is fueled by black coffee, espresso, and freshly baked goods. Sadly, she’s not skilled at making any of the three. She writes culturally diverse stories from picture books to novels and shares an assortment of Haitian-American tales that are overlooked in the mainstream.

Now, let’s welcome M. Michelle Derosier.

M. Michelle Derosier: In Her Own Words

I am a true representation of the proverb “it takes a village to raise a child.” I was that child and my village consisted of my family, my church, my teachers, and a sprinkling of strangers throughout the years. These individuals were instrumental in providing a foundation for the development of my values and beliefs.

The most important person in said village was (and probably still is) my grandfather—the man who nurtured and mentored me throughout most of my life. My grandfather is a man who “could have been somebody” in the materialistic sense of the statement. He is perceptive, clever with numbers, and annoyingly adept at learning new languages.

M. Michelle Derosier and her grandfather

However, my grandfather spent most of his adult life working menial jobs and catering to those who are “somebody.” He did so not because he lacked focus or determination, but because he chose to surrender his success for that of his family.

Instead of going to school when he arrived in the U.S. from Haiti in the 70s, he spent decades working to afford to bring his children and extended family members to America for a better life. His desire for higher education was never fulfilled, but his labor paid for countless degrees and full access to the American Dream.

My own included.

M. Michelle Derosier: Impact on my writing

My writing is an amalgamation of the cultures, social economic backgrounds, and personality types I grew up with and around. My grandparents are two of my favorite people, so there’s often a spunky and fun grandparent or granduncle or grandaunt (or some elder) woven throughout my books.

In “Christmas at the Grande Pearl,” the introductory short story to The Grande Pearl series, it’s Mrs. Beatrice McFarland and Mr. Arthur Lindeberg. Mrs. McFarland, like my grandmother, is a stickler for manners and etiquette. They are both always in their Sunday best and could go from cooking a family meal to hosting the Queen for tea without missing a beat.

In Accepting Elijah’s Heart, Book 1 of The Grande Pearl series, it’s great-aunt Loretta who stepped up and raised the heroine when her parents are killed. It’s also Ms. Eunice, Loretta’s best friend and the grandmother of Reina’s husband.

What these women and the other elders have in common is their love of family. A thread in my work.

M. Michelle Derosier: Final Thoughts

I’m grateful for the people and the experiences Christ has used to shape my writing. Thank you for the chance to share a little bit about myself and my work with you.

If you’d like to win a paperback copy (out in March) of Accepting Elijah’s Heart, please comment below and share about someone meaningful in your life.

“Christmas at The Grande Pearl” by M. Michelle Derosier

A cranky doorman who doesn’t mingle with money and the wealthy guest who pushes past his defenses and into his heart.

Joe Cantonelli has a chip on his shoulder the size of The Grande Pearl—the pre-war building where he serves as doorman. He doesn’t fraternize with the residents or their guests…until a nor’easter blows in Josie McFarland—the grandniece of The Pearl’s most influential occupant.

It’s been two years and Josie hasn’t stopped missing her beloved great-uncle. When she returns to The Pearl to see for herself how his widow—her favorite great-aunt—is coping, she doesn’t expect love at first sight with grumpy Joe.

As they work together to decorate The Pearl for its annual shindig benefitting leukemia patients and their families, can Josie smash the wall Joe’s spent years building between him and the rich?

This sweet holiday romance is a short story to warm your heart.

Accepting Elijah’s Heart by M. Michelle Derosier

A former bad boy learning to forgive his past falls for a grieving widow struggling with motherhood.

Elijah Cooper grew up in church but without a relationship with God. Something he didn’t think he needed until he did. When Eli offers Reina support in a crisis, a friendship develops that could blossom to more. But with his troubled past, he is not interested in a love match or a ready-made family.

After her husband’s untimely death, Reina Blackwell can’t trust the ground she walks on not to crumble beneath her. She’s certainly no longer trusting the God who created it. Not after he shatters her world leaving her alone to mourn and raise her son. 

With scars too deep to heal on their own, can Eli and Reina find the faith they need to give and receive love?

This sweet romance will tug at your heartstrings and comfort you with joy and laughter.

LINKS

M. Michelle Derosier Website: www.writerderosier.com

FB: https://www.facebook.com/WriterDerosier/

IG: https://www.instagram.com/writerderosier (join me on random adventures)

Twitter: https://twitter.com/writerderosier (where I talk all things House Hunters, “Hearties,” and books and movies)

M. Michelle Derosier on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/M.-Michelle-Derosier/e/B07GC487W4%3Fref=dbs_a_mng_rwt_scns_share

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/m-michelle-derosier-68f68fa7-b183-4bd7-b755-ff38eaa14b05

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18184600.M_Michelle_Derosier

~ ~ ~

Dear Lord, please bless each word Michelle writes for You.
~ For Jesus’ sake ~

The post M. Michelle Derosier on Let’s Chat appeared first on Linda Brooks Davis.