Amy R. Anguish's Blog, page 24

Behind the Story: Other Characters

Of course, a book needs more than just two characters. Today, we're going to chat about a few of the other characters in my book that releases NEXT WEEK, Destination: Romance. Bree is Katie's best friend and has been her roommate all through college. When Bree decides instead of a bachelorette party, she wants one last roadtrip with just the girls, Katie agrees to join in. And while Bree has fun, she also spends a lot of time video chatting with her fiancé Nathan. You'll get to know more about Bree in the second book in the series (releasing in December), so I won't say much more about her now. Skye loves to have fun. She doesn't take much in life seriously and is always looking for the next chance to take a selfie. She's loved going on these trips with Bree and Katie, but is a bit more of a free spirit than they are. Needless to say, Skye and Katie don't always see eye-to-eye. Skye's story will be the third book in the series (releasing June 2023), and I can't wait for you to get to know her even better. Ryan is the other main character. He's Camden's cousin and the reason Camden is even on a trip at the same time as the girls. He's actually the youngest of the group with at least another year of college left. And he's a lot like Skye in that he's not ready to settle down or grow up. Instead, it's all about the fun.

And, just for fun, let's throw in the girls' ride. Because it's pretty sweet. Skye's red convertible gets the girls where they want to go. It's her baby and leads to some issues down the road (see what I did there?). But why bother with a roadtrip if you don't have a fun car to do it in, right? Or something like that--my first roadtrip was in a Buick. ;)
How does the cast of characters sound? Is it making you more excited?
Just a few more days to snatch the book at pre-order pricing!

Author Interview: Beth Westcott

Today, I'm delighted to help you get to know one of my favorite people I've never met in real life. Beth Westcott is a fellow Scrivenings author and one of the best encouragers I've ever known. She lives way up in New York, but I've enjoyed chatting with her online and always feel well-supported by her as my own books release. She's about to have a new book come out, too, and I'm thrilled to find out more about it (I just finished reading the first one in the series and am eager to know what happens next). So, settle in and read on to find out about Beth and her books.​


Congratulations on your third book being published next month! I'm excited to read it. Do you feel you learn something new with each one?
 
Thank you, Amy. Yes, I learn much more about writing well with each book, more about character and plot development. We have some great editors at Scrivenings Press, and I’m thankful for their help.
 
This is the second book in your Three Sisters series. How hard did you find it to make sure everything tied together smoothly between the books (I'm learning with my own series that it's not always the easiest)?
 
A Heart’s Journey was the first book I wrote, although it’s the second book in the series. Once I wrote Heart’s Desire, I had to make sure the second book lined up with the first. I’ve written the third book, Her Heart’s Longing, but because of changes I made in A Heart’s Journey, I must make changes in the third book. It’s certainly a challenge to keep the details straight. I began writing the series many years ago. Developing character biographies and flexible outlines has helped. What made you choose to do a series on three sisters?
 
I started writing about friendship. I enjoy stories about best friends who remain best friends throughout life, although my own life didn’t follow that path. The Three Sisters are not biological sisters. Aubrey, Haleigh, and Katie became “best friends forever” early in life. They did almost everything together, had similar tastes, and had each others’ backs.
 
Aubrey’s brother Willie had a passion for gardening and learned the legend about the Three Sisters, crops (corn, beans, and squash) grown together by Native Americans. The three friends fit the description of the three sisters in the legend, so he began calling them The Three Sisters, and that’s how they were known.
 
However, as the three friends grew up, their interests diverged, and they each made choices that broke their friendship. This series is about the healing of their relationship and each young woman finding true love.
 
I know one of your characters in this novel is a florist. Have you ever had experience working in a business like that?
 
I enjoy growing flowers and thought I might like working for a florist, but I never have.
 
This story sounds a bit like a second-chance romance, where she comes back to her hometown and falls in love with the man who has always liked her. Is that one of your favorite tropes? If not, which one is? And why?
 
I suppose it’s sort of a second chance romance. Haleigh is only a teenager when she leaves Greenlawn, and she returns after college graduation seeking forgiveness and renewed friendships, not romance. Next to Aubrey and Katie, Willie had been her best friend. When she refused to communicate with him or anyone else in Greenlawn, she hurt him. Now that she’s back, he wants to explore the possibility of a deeper relationship with her, but he’s afraid to risk his heart until he knows it’s what she wants.
 
Heart’s Desire is a friends to lovers romance. Kate and Jack in Meadow Song are strangers when they meet. Kate’s fiancé had died, so her relationship with Jack is her second chance. In Her Heart’s Longing, coming in 2023, Katie and Jackson had met in college, but they hardly know each other when the story begins.
 
I don’t think I have an intentional favorite trope, although second chance at romance seems to sneak in.
 
Since the series says it has three sisters, I'm assuming your next book will be about the third sister. :-) Do you have anything fun planned for that book? Or for afterwards?
 
Book #3, Her Heart’s Longing, is Katie’s story. She’s a nurse, and she’s warm, friendly, and vibrant.
Her bad choice as a teenager entirely disrupted her life, and it left her wiser but hesitant to pursue a romantic relationship. Oh, yes, Katie adopts an abandoned kitten and names her Chloe. Book #3 concludes the series.
 
 I’m working on a sequel to my first novel, Meadow Song.
 
Exciting! I'm eager to see what you do with those characters.
What is something you love to do when you're not writing/editing?
 
I love to read and enjoy sewing and gardening. For fun I like taking photographs, which I often share on social media posts.
 
Last, but not least, what is something fun you can tell us about yourself that very few people know?
 
I spent 14 weeks in England, from September through December,1972, as part of a college term abroad. Along with a group of fellow English majors, I attended classes at the University of Sussex in Brighton and had time to explore a bit of the country. I went to Cornwall, where I met my great uncle Arthur.

That is so interesting! I have family living in England for a while right now and am always a bit jealous of those who get to go. Thanks so much for sharing with us today, Beth! We enjoyed chatting with you.

To those who want to know more about Beth and her most recent book, keep reading! ​Haleigh Abbot returns to Greenlawn, her childhood home, seeking forgiveness and renewed friendships. Willie White hires her to work in his florist shop. Drawn to Willie by his kindness, strength, and faith, Haleigh refuses to allow their relationship to go beyond friendship. Although forgiven and accepted back into the Greenlawn community, shadows of fear and guilt from the past still cling to her. When a little boy and his dog under her care are hurt in a terrible accident, she goes into an emotional tailspin.
Haleigh has held a special place in Willie’s heart since childhood. When she left Greenlawn and shut him out of her life, it hurt, but he never forgot her. Her return gives him an opportunity to win her heart. Will her determination to prove she can handle life’s challenges on her own stand in his way?
Beth began her writing career in second grade when a poem she wrote about her lamb appeared in the school newspaper. She wrote puppet plays that she performed with her brother for elementary school talent shows, and she later wrote ventriloquist routines for her husband to perform with his dummies.
 
A life-long lover of books and reading, A Heart’s Journey is Beth’s third contemporary Christian romance novel, after Meadow Song and Heart’s Desire. Some of her church holiday manuscripts were published in Lillenas Drama’s Christmas, Easter, and Thanksgiving Program Builders, and several devotions appeared in Penned from the Heart and The Secret Place.  Her short story for preteens, “Sadie and the Princess” is included in Heartwarming Horse Stories, available from Amazon.
 
A Heart’s Journey is the second book in the Three Sisters Series, following Heart’s Desire. The third of the Three Sisters books, Her Heart’s Longing, is scheduled to be released in July 2023.
 
Social Media Links
www.bethewestcott.com
https://www.bookbub.com/profile/beth-e-westcott
https://www.facebook.com/bethewestcott
https://twitter.com/BethWAuthor
https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/29201094-beth-westcott

Behind the Story: Camden

Who likes to talk about the hero of a story? Well, I do, obviously. Because we're giving some insight into Camden today.
Camden works hard as a high school coach and a PRN (part-time physical therapist for an assisted living center). When his uncle offers to pay his share on a trip with his cousin Ryan, it sounds like a good plan. He didn't expect to meet someone like Katie. Especially since he's never really recovered from losing his ex-fiancee, Jen.
Camden is level-headed and sweet. He wants to fix Katie's problems, but is at a loss as to how to win her trust. Her feistiness and freckles make him want to scoop her up and kiss her. But he's also wary of starting something only to have it disappear again.
Ryan is a fun cousin, but also drives Camden a bit crazy. Uncle John has hopes that Camden will be a good influence on Ryan's trip, but the events quickly swirl out of control when Ryan decides they should tag along with Katie and the girls. 
Camden loves baseball, musicals, and barbecue. He stops in the doorway of a library and breathes in the smell of books before going the rest of the way in.
To me, there's nothing dreamier. How about you? Excited to get to know Camden better?

Behind the Story: Katie

Do you ever wonder where a character came from in an author's mind? Sometimes, I wonder where a character came from, and I'm the one writing the story. My husband doesn't understand.
When I first started imagining Destination: Romance, I could see the opening scene (poor Katie) and how she meets Camden. And I could tell she wasn't gung-ho to be on this trip with Bree and Skye. But I also knew she was a loyal friend who wanted to make Bree happy with this last trip together before Bree gets married. And the more I wrote, the more complicated Katie became. Katie isn't just a good friend. She's also dealing with quite a bit. Changes throw her off, new situations overwhelm her, and she's carrying around some past trauma that adds some extra stress to this trip.
She's also a great sister and aunt. Loves history and books and Braves baseball. And has curly hair and freckles. She kicks butt when playing cards games with friends and sorts her candy by color before eating it. To unwind, she does yoga.
What do you think? Does Katie sound like a fun person to take a roadtrip with?

Destination: Romance releases in just over two weeks, but you can snag your e-copy now and save a dollar! (Just click the image below)

Behind the Story: Destination Romance

Are you wondering if the idea behind a Roadtrip Romance came from well ... a roadtrip, you're right. And not, at the same time. Want me to explain?
Once upon a time, a long time ago (at least it feels that way with every passing year), I took a trip with two college friends over Spring Break. Good start? It only has a little bit to do with the book I wrote.
Anyway, that trip wasn't planned the best. We traveled from TN to FL and then back up to AR for a few days before back to TN and school. But what do college freshmen know about planning trips? We had fun anyway, and were young enough that the hours in the car didn't bother us. We rocked out to music, flirted with the cute guys in the car next to ours, and laughed together.
Did you catch that "cute guys in the next car" bit? Yep. That's where the idea for my book started. Though it didn't hit me until a couple of years ago, almost twenty years after the actual trip.
A few years ago, on another short road trip, I reminisced back to that one. And I wondered what would happen if some girls on a roadtrip together picked up some guys on a roadtrip together. Could a romance form?
From that thought, Destination: Romance was born. And in two and a half weeks, you can read it for yourself!
Curious about that original roadtrip? I'm going to share a few pictures--though this happened back in the day before cell phones were big and when cameras used film. So, don't expect a whole lot of photos. Between the three of this, here's a few we came up with. In Florida, we hit a beach, though I can't remember which one. And we visited Wakulla Springs where we saw alligators and fish. And evidently, I smelled some flowers. :)
In Arkansas, we hung out with my family, and apparently tried rag curls. Hence, the before and after pictures of our hair.

​What kind of roadtrips have you been on? Were the well-planned? Did you end up with as many photos as you wished for?

Book Spotlight: Beyond the Gates

If you've followed me long, you know I mostly read romances. Historical or contemporary, I don't care. I read them.
However, every now and then I break out of my "rut" and grab something else, including speculative. And my friend Erin R Howard has a new dystopian novel out that's amazing.
It's called Beyond the Gates, and is set in two of the last colonies in a dystopian future, as well as the woods around them. I honestly wasn't sure what to expect from this, but after reading a page or two, I was hooked and wanted more.
Erin weaves in beautiful descriptions so that you can picture each and every location the characters enter. There is mystery, intrigue, heart-racing suspense, and even some romance--you know I'm all about that.
If you like books like Hunger Games, Divergent, and The Giver, you're going to love this one. And I can't wait to see what happens in the sequel that releases next year!
What do you think? Do you like dystopian fiction? Does this story intrigue you like it did me?
Death awaits outside of the Gates.
If playing by the rules means it keeps you alive, then seventeen-year-old Renna James should know better. She is, after all, the one who broadcasts these rules to the Outpost. What lies beyond the Gates had always lured her, but her venture outside wasn’t supposed to leave her locked out. Now, Renna’s one chance to survive the next seventy-two hours just ran into the forest she’s forbidden to enter.

​Check it out here.

Cover Reveal: Love in Any Season

September 27th, three other authors and I have a novella collection releasing. And we're pretty excited about it.
If you somehow missed all our posts on social media and our newsletters last week, here's the cover and more information about each of our stories--four seasons, four small towns, four festivals, and four romances. Sounds good, right? Keep reading!
Spring Has Sprung – by Regina Rudd Merrick
Spring has sprung, the grass is riz…
Laurel Pascal, Assistant City Manager of Spring, Kentucky, is tasked with organizing the town’s beloved Dogwood Festival, and she’s not happy. An allergy sufferer all her life, she dreads the season from the first Daffodil bloom in the yard to the last coat of pollen on her car. Newcomer Dr. Owen Roswell volunteers to help, and soon finds that not only does Laurel need his expertise as an allergist, but help in appreciating the season she’s obligated to celebrate.
What does he want more—for Laurel to fall in love with his favorite season? Or him?
The Missing Piece – by Amy R. Anguish
Beth Norton and Tommy England grew up together with best-friend moms who had a love of quilting and a business celebrating the craft. When high school ended, though, so did Beth and Tommy’s friendship.
When Tommy moves back after seven years and his mother’s death, he can’t understand why Beth is so angry with him. Helping Beth and her mother stabilize the finances of the business, they’re forced to work together. As Tommy sorts through his mother’s things, he finds an unfinished quilt, and it turns into a joint project.
With each stitch taken, they work toward more than just a completed blanket.
A Sweet Dream Come True – by Sarah Anne Crouch
Isaac Campbell is living his dream of running an ice cream shop but fears he won’t last past the first difficult year. Mel Wilson is a busy single mother who longs to be a chocolatier but is too afraid to turn her dreams into reality.
When Mel and Isaac meet at Bestwood, Tennessee’s fall festival, it seems like divine providence. But once Mel agrees to help Isaac bring in customers by selling her chocolates at his shop, she realizes how challenging running a business can be.
Can Mel and Isaac trust in God’s provision and make a leap of faith? Will their partnership end in disaster, or will it be a sweet dream come true?
Sugar and Spice – by Heather Greer
Emeline Becker, owner of Sugar and Spice Bakery, loves New Kuchenbrünn, except for the gingerbread. As the only bakery, she supplies the annual Gingerbread Festival with the one treat she can’t stand. It’s gingerbread everywhere.
Things get worse when Ryker Lehmann is hired as the festival photographer. He was her secret teen crush, her sister’s boyfriend, and witness to her worst humiliation. Plus, he broke her sister’s heart and bruised hers when he left town after graduation. Now, he’s back in town, determined to fix their friendship before the festival ends.
With gingerbread and Ryker together, can Emmie make it through the festival with her mind and heart intact?

The Better to Write With

Since first being published in 2017, my writing life has picked up speed. I went from writing maybe one story a year to writing several ... and doing a ton of editing and marketing, too. Apparently, this wears a computer out. Who knew?
Needless to say, the computer I purchased back in 2017 was moving much slower than I needed. It froze, it restarted, and it made funny noises when I tried to join zoom meetings. Besides that, several parts had broken off, making it a bit unstable (no need to comment on how the laptop was like the laptop owner).
When I couldn't take it anymore, I looked at my husband and said, "It's time to replace my computer."
He agreed, and I started researching. Since my first computer (a desktop my parents got me for college way back in 2000!), I have had an HP pretty much every single time I ordered a new one. I think I might have had a Dell mixed in, but then returned faithfully to my original love. I don't know why, but they're the brand I go to. So, I figured out what I wanted/needed, picked my color (too bad they didn't have this one in pink, but maybe I can get some fun stickers for the white cover), and ordered.
And waited.
And waited some more, because apparently there were more shut downs in China which made computer parts hard to come by. But, last week, it finally arrived.
Then, the fun of setting everything up and moving everything over. Did I get it all transferred? Maybe? I really hope so, because I'm not sure where it went otherwise.
And now I get to use this laptop which is so much faster than my other one. And that's what I needed. Because there are more books to write and more blogs to post and more marketing images to create and more zoom meetings to join. Among other things. :-)
How often do you replace your computer? What's your favorite part? What's your least favorite part?

Author Interview: Elena Hill

So many of the authors I interview on my blog are people I have never met but know a bit through social media or their newsletters and books. The author I am thrilled to introduce you to today is actually someone who became my friend first and then an author. Elena Hill has her first story coming out later this month, a romantic suspense included in a novella collection, all set on Sharktooth Island. I think you're going to enjoy getting to know Elena and reading these stories. Be sure to scroll at the way to the bottom for more information.

Elena, congrats on your first published work. What led you to decide to write your first story for publication?

I’ve always been a fan of story. My mother is an author and now publisher. I’ve always pushed her saying ‘it’s not hard. You just gotta put it on the page’. So she essentially told me to give it a try and she’d publish it. I was wrong. The writing process takes much more effort than just throwing words on a page lol. But I enjoyed it and feel it better helps me understand Mom’s plight with words.

I know this is a collection with three other authors, all set on the same island, but 50-75 years apart. How hard was it to make sure your story fit with the other three?

I lucked out and got to be the black sheep. Each time we had planning sessions (zoom calls) nothing was required from me to “fit into the story”. All I had to do was leave a plane carcass in the shoals. ;)

One of your characters is a pilot. Have you ever had any experience behind the cockpit of a plane? What made you decide to give your heroine that job?

I personally have never flown a plane but I spent several months living in the bush of Alaska. Common travel from villages to the “city” was a small 4-seater plane. It was not uncommon for a passenger to sit upfront with the pilot.
When we decided we wanted to do this collection, we agreed we needed a pirate book, a gilded age, a plane crash and a modern day. I volunteered to crash a plane.
In your research for your era, what was one of the neatest facts you uncovered?

I was intrigued by how many women were pioneers in aviation. The formed a group called the “Ninety-Niners” including Amelia Earhart, who I feel we all recognize, as well as Louise Thaden and Florence Klingensmith. My main character is named Louise in honor of Thaden—she won the Bendix trophy in 1936. This was a poplar cross-country air race. Florence is briefly hinted at in my book as being a daredevil in the sky. She was a stunt woman and known for taking risks. She also was the first woman to complete against men in air races, at the time most female pilots only raced against each other. Unfortunately one race she was piloting a GeeBee and the right wing tore from the plane at low altitude not allowing enough time for her to recover or bail with a parachute.

Tell us, if you were stranded on an island like your characters, what are three things you'd want to have with you?

Definitely a weapon both for protection and to hunt. Means of procuring water. And unlike poor Louise (my main character) a working radio or, in current day, a working satellite phone.

Now that you've got one story under your belt, do you think you might do any more in the future?

O boy, that’s a tough one. I’d love to say yes but I don’t know that I can handle the pressure of finishing again, lol.

As a writer, I know I learn something new with each story I write. What is something you learned through this process you think might benefit someone else starting out on his/her own writing career?

Sprints are your friend. Even if you think you are stuck, tell yourself you have 20mins--no distractions, no excuses--your fingers must continue to move (typing) entire time. And remember, crap makes great fertilizer. Some of my best scenes came from sprints that were mediocre but with little extra time—great improvement.

And, as always, I ask all my authors to share one fact about yourself that very few people know.

You know I’m a talker, right? That means I have no secrets and few things are ‘lesser known facts’. But I will say an intriguing fun fact is I’ve lived in both states not part of the main 48. As mentioned above, I did an externship in Alaska for several months during optometry school and I was born in Hawaii.

This was so much fun. Thanks so much for joining us today, and we all look forward to seeing how these stories all tie together with pirates and plane crashes and a cursed island!
Island Mayhem  by Elena Hill, Book 3 of Sharktooth Island Novella Collection.

Louise Krause stopped piloting to pursue nursing, but when money got too tight she was forced to give up her dreams and start ferrying around a playboy who managed to excel during the Great Depression. When a routine aerial tour turns south, Louise is unable to save the plane. 

After crash landing, the cocky pilot is stranded. She longs to escape an uninhabited island, but her makeshift raft sinks, and she and her companions are in even worse trouble. Can Louise learn to trust her companions in order to survive, or will the island's curse and potential sabotage lead to her demise?  ​Elena Hill is a Christian, a wife, a dog Mom, and an optometrist. She dabbles with many hobbies including photography, painting and most recently writing. She has been an avid reader and supporter of Christian fiction since a young age but in 2020 took on the title of content editor for Scrivenings Press. 

Elena, along with her husband James and fur baby Idgie, currently resides in northeast Arkansas. Her favorite pastime is riding around with family in their side-by-side chasing the sunset, many of her photos display God’s handiwork—varying skyscapes and colors. 

Author Interview: Jenny Carlisle

Over the last few years, Scrivenings Press has become a family to me. Needless to say, when a fellow Scrivenings author has a book release, we all cheer and celebrate with her/him. And today, I'm introducing you to Jenny Carlisle, whose first fiction book released last month. And y'all, it's so sweet and fun. I highly recommend it. So, read on to get to know Jenny and then keep reading to find out about her sweet story, Hope Takes the Reins.

Jenny, congratulations on your first fiction publication! What first made you want to be an author?
Thanks so much, Amy. If you had asked five year old Jenny McLeod what she wanted to be when she grew up, she would have probably said, “I want to write books”, I loved reading at a very early age, and wrote stories at every opportunity. I think the first I remember was some sort of treasure hunt story. I also won an award for a poem I wrote in elementary school, and seeing my work hanging in the school hallway was the gratification I needed to really get me hooked.

Your book is set in a sweet little town in Arkansas and as soon as I started reading it, I felt I'd been there before. What made you pick that area to write about?
Crossroads is an entirely fictional town located somewhere between Little Rock and Fort Smith along the Arkansas River. The terrain is beautiful, with the timber-covered Ouachita and Ozark mountains surrounding green pastures perfect for cattle ranches.  Since moving to Arkansas as a senior in high school, this particular part of the state keeps drawing me, and I always enjoy visiting or driving through. I have always lived in a small town, and the feeling of kinship and cooperation is strong. Crossroads combines memories from so many small towns, so I hope it feels familiar to many of my readers.

I know there's a lot of rodeo scenes and life included in your story. Have you ever participated in a rodeo?

From the time I was a youngster living in Southern Kansas, I have loved watching rodeo events, but I have never participated in one, and even my horseback riding experience is very limited. It’s one of those things I always wanted more of.

The family relationships in your tale are sweet but also realistic. Did you have siblings growing up? Did any stories from your past dealings with siblings sneak into the siblings in your story?
I grew up with only one sister, but was lucky to add two more sisters and two brothers when my Mom married my step-dad.

We always got along well together, so I suppose that influenced the easy way the Caldwell and Billings families interact. My husband and I also raised two boys and a girl, and the loving way they tease each other influenced me as well.

You have a military hero in your story, too. Where did that come from? 
My dad was in the Air Force before I was born. He served during the Korean Conflict mostly in Saudi Arabia. Because he was not directly involved in combat, he always made a distinction between his service and the sacrifices made by those who put their lives in danger every day. I was raised with tremendous respect for those who served in any branch of the military.

With one book under your belt, if you're like me, you're itching to do more. What are you working on now?
There are more stories to be told in Crossroads! I am working on the second book in the series and a Christmas novella. Next up will be the third full-length book. My son has a friend who is a very fast reader, and she passed along this message to me- “Write Faster! I can’t wait to read the next one.” That made my heart so happy.

Yes! I love getting messages like that, too!
Final question I ask everyone: Please tell us one thing about yourself that very few people know.
My voice has been heard on Radio Free Europe- more than once. Several years ago, I told stories on a radio program called “Tales from the South”. It was broadcast from North Little Rock, Arkansas in front of a live audience, but the hostess told all of us that we were being heard by potentially millions of people all over the world! After hearing that, I had to take a really deep breath to regain my composure before launching into my story. Luckily the butterflies in my stomach behaved long enough for me to finish.

It was such a joy to participate in this interview. Thanks so much, my friend.

Thank you for joining us today, Jenny! I can't imagine being on the radio, and especially not overseas! 

​Keep reading to find out more about Jenny's book as well as how to keep in touch with her.

Hope Takes the Reins

O.D. Billings has problems beyond the awkward name that led him to use only initials years ago. Now that his war hero older brother has returned, their dad thinks he can turn over managing their truck dealership and start to prepare for retirement. But the hometown hero is not ready for new responsibility, and O.D. saddles up to make things right, while keeping an eye on his younger brother, who is set on being the greatest bull-rider Crossroads, Arkansas has ever seen.
Nineteen years old is very young to take on the business end of a family rodeo, but Hope Caldwell feels she has no choice after cancer takes away her mom. She is used to helping behind the scenes as her dad handles the announcing, sister Faith excels at barrel racing, and brother Junior entertains the crowd as a rodeo clown.
            On the family’s first night back after the funeral, an overdressed stranger seems to be conspiring with Hope’s uncle to make a huge change to the only life she’s known since before she could braid her own pig-tails.
            Will these two long-time neighbors finally realize that they don’t have to shoulder their burdens alone? Will teaming up to help each other be the right path, or will they continue to stumble over their own cowboy boots on the way to finding God’s direction for their lives?

Jenny McLeod Carlisle has been writing stories since she learned to hold a pencil. She retired from a career in Human Resources for the State of Arkansas. She was a long-time columnist for Ouachita Life magazine, and two collections of her inspirational articles have been self-published. She is past president of American Christian Fiction Writers – Arkansas Chapter and past president of Saline County Preservation, Inc.  Her first fiction project, “Hope Takes the Reins” is scheduled for release from Scrivenings Press in March of 2022. She and her husband, James live in Benton, Arkansas where they worship with a very active congregation of the Church of Christ. They are the parents of three married children and eight grandchildren. She enjoys substituting a few days a week in middle school, junior high and high school classrooms.  

Jenny McLeod Carlisle | Facebook
 
Jenny McLeod Carlisle | Facebook (author page)
 
Jenny McLeod Carlisle – Seeking, Waiting, Walking (jennycarlisle.com)
 
Jenny Carlisle (@jennycarlisle3) / Twitter