Lena Nelson Dooley's Blog, page 114

WINNERS!!!

Ann (TX) is the winner of  The Final Ride   by Linda W Yezak.

VanG (NC) is the winner of  Christmas in Abundance,   by Sally Bayless.

Bonnie (AZ) is the winner of  The Starlight Inn  by Lucie Ulrich.

If you won a book and you like it, please consider giving the author the courtesy of writing a review on Goodreads, Amazon.com, Christianbooks.com, Barnes and Noble, or other Internet sites. 

Also, tell your friends about the book ... and this blog. Thank you.

Congratulations, everyone. If you won a print book, send me your mailing address:
Click the Contact Me link at the top of the blog, and send me an Email.

If you won an ebook, just let me know what email address it should be sent to.

When you contact me, please give the title and author of the book you won, so I won't have to look it up.

Remember, you have 4 weeks to claim your book.

PENDANT - M L Hamilton - One Free Book

Bio: Monsters under the bed never bothered M L Hamilton. What kept her awake was the man hiding in her closet. She never did figure out who he was, how he managed to hide in her messy closet, or why he was waiting until she fell asleep to jump out and harm her. But since then, she’s imagined all sorts of other scary situations, which she plans to use as a basis for more mystery/suspense stories.
When not writing, she enjoys knitting, spending time with her family, and a little amateur photography. She and her husband make their home in Texas.
Welcome, M L. Tell us how much of yourself you write into your characters.My main character often starts out with a personality similar to mine, which is not a good thing because I’m generally not a decisive, action-oriented person. I always have to work at making my protagonists more headstrong, more willing to take action and risks. But I think my sense of humor comes through in at least one character in every story.
What is the quirkiest thing you have ever done?I’m not a quirky person, but when I was much younger and single, I moved across the country from my close-knit family to a place where I didn’t know anyone, simply for a sense of adventure. I’m typically a cocoon-er who loves being in familiar surroundings with my family nearby. These days, my husband is the explorer and he usually has to drag me along kicking and screaming until I realize it’s kind of fun to see and experience new things.
When did you first discover that you were a writer?I’ve always enjoyed writing, whether it was letters to friends or keeping a diary or making up stories based on personal experiences. But after college, I was responsible for writing a monthly newsletter for the organization where I worked. People often told me they enjoyed reading the newsletter and asked if I’d ever written for publication. So I guess that’s when I discovered I could write.
Tell us the range of the kinds of books you enjoy reading.I most enjoy women’s fiction and mystery/suspense, as long as there’s very little romance involved. Occasionally, I also read historical fiction or non-fiction, along with a biography or memoir once in a while.
How do you keep your sanity in our run, run, run world?Now that my kids are grown, I find it fairly easy. As an introvert, I crave time alone. I can be home all day by myself without listening to the radio or television and not feel lonely. I’m also very good at saying no, so I’m rarely overcommitted.
How do you choose your characters’ names?I have a couple books of baby names that are my first resource. I also look at the Social Security website that lists the most popular names for any given year. That really helps with various ages of my characters. I’ve also been known to dig out high school yearbooks for help with surnames, and I often keep programs from graduations and other events that list names. 
What is the accomplishment that you are most proud of?My proudest accomplishment has been raising three incredible kids. It’s such a joy to watch them grow into adulthood and see the different directions they take in life. I’d rather be with them than anyone else. 
If you were an animal, which one would you be, and why?I might be a sea otter. They’re so playful and cute. I like being around water, and I’ll choose play over work any day.
When we went to the Monterrey Peninsula to visit my aunt, I loved watching the sea otters. What is your favorite food?Chocolate. Offer me a dark chocolate chunk cookie and I’ll do almost anything for you!
What is the problem with writing that was your greatest roadblock, and how did you overcome it?I find writing the first draft especially hard. I’d prefer to know specifically how the story ends, so I can write to that. But I seem to be better at figuring out beginnings. With this last book, I became more confident in praying and waiting on the Lord to reveal things to me. It might take a couple days or a couple weeks, but He always provided answers to whatever I was stuck on, whether through talking with others about it, or as an idea in my own head.
Tell us about the featured book. Pendant is about a middle-age woman who was forced out of teaching after one of her students disappeared from a field trip and was never found. She’s lived under the guilt and shame for more than a decade when she finally stumbles across a vital clue and discovers someone will do anything to keep the truth buried. When her own life is threatened, she allows the one person she trusts to whisk her away to safety in Texas. But assuming a false identity and hiding among the quirky residents of a retirement home is not what she had in mind. Now she must solve the mystery from afar, as soon as she figures out if her friend is keeping her from danger…or keeping her from the truth.
Please give us the first page of the book.The squealing brakes of the arriving school bus formed an odd harmony with a distant siren. I bent over to pick up the newspaper on my driveway while the bus came to a stop, its warning lights blinking yellow to red. Seven children lined up at the door, the older ones hunched under the weight of their backpacks. Off to one side, mothers formed a tight circle, no doubt discussing the latest in school gossip—who wasn’t speaking to whom, which teacher was giving unreasonable homework, why so-and-so wasn’t invited to a birthday party.
At least I no longer had to deal with those issues. Emma, my ten-year-old neighbor, shouted to her mother and waved good-bye, but Lauren failed to respond, apparently too engrossed in conversation to notice.
“Have a good day, Emma!” I called. The girl turned my way, smiled and waved back.
I slapped the newspaper against my palm, contemplating the possibilities of what I might do if someone attempted to snatch one of the children. The potential harm inflicted by a fifty-eight-year-old woman beating someone with a rolled-up newspaper was laughable, but it might buy some time, create enough of a distraction for the child to escape. Roy always warned me about the personal danger of injecting myself into such a situation, but saving a child would be worth the cost. That was one truth I’d become certain of in the past twelve years.
The last student climbed the bus steps. The driver closed the door then waved in my direction before the bus roared on to the next stop, leaving behind a pungent cloud of diesel exhaust. Across the street, Amanda Fisher tossed her purse and backpack into the car then climbed into the driver’s seat. At twenty, she looked more and more like her mother, Nicole. Had it already been five years since that beautiful woman died of breast cancer? Amanda tapped the horn and waved to me as she left for class at the community college.
I brushed grains of sand and dirt from the newspaper’s wrapper before pulling my sweater tight against the morning chill and retracing my steps to the front door. Weeds had sprouted overnight in the flowerbed, and I stooped to tear at them. May was starting out warmer than usual this year despite the winds that give Chicagoits nickname.
How can readers find you on the Internet?I’d love to hear from readers. They can find me in these places:Website (www.maryhamiltonbooks.com)Facebook (www.facebook.com/maryhamiltonbooks)Instagram (www.instagram.com/mlhamiltonauthor)Email (mary@maryhamiltonbooks.com)
Purchase link: http://amzn.to/2y9czD9
Thank you, M L, for sharing your new book with us. I’m eager to read it, and I know my readers are, too.
Readers, here is a link to the book. http://amzn.to/2y9czD9  
Leave a comment for a chance to win a free copy of the book. You must follow these instructions to be in the drawing. Please tell us where you live, at least the state or territory or country if outside North America. (Comments containing links may be subject to removal by blog owner.)
Void where prohibited; the odds of winning depend on the number of entrants. Entering the giveaway is considered a confirmation of eligibility on behalf of the enterer in accord with these rules and any pertaining local/federal/international laws.
The only notification you’ll receive is the winner post on this blog. So be sure to check back a week from Saturday to see if you won. You will have 4 weeks from the posting of the winners to claim your book.
If you’re reading this on Goodreads, Google+, Feedblitz, Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, or Amazon, please come to the blog to leave your comment if you want to be included in the drawing. Here’s a link:
Http://lenanelsondooley.blogspot.com

CHRISTMAS DOUBLE CROSS - Jodie Bailey - One Free Book or Ebook

Welcome, Jodie. So happy to have you on my blog. Tell us how much of yourself you write into your characters.It’s inevitable that part of me shows up in every character. It’s hard not to pour yourself onto the page. Sometimes it’s an accident, sometimes it’s on purpose. A lot of my characters have spiritual issues that echo ones I’ve wrestled with, because those are the things that help me connect best with them as I’m writing. For example, in Smokescreen, Ashley has severe panic attacks, something I dealt with for ten years before God healed me. It can be something big like that or smaller, like an insecurity that creeps up. So yes, there is a small part of me in each character, but that’s what makes it fun.
What is the quirkiest thing you have ever done?I must be the most boring person in the world, because I asked my husband how he’d answer this question about me and he said, “Well, you DO eat mayonnaise on banana sandwiches.” So there you go, folks. I’m a downright, genuine specimen of weirdness. Seriously, I’d say it was when I was in my late twenties and had just gotten a video camera (there I go dating myself), and my best friend and I went to the beach for the weekend. We literally filmed everything we did, from walking up the street to riding in the car to cooking dinner. It was all ridiculously mundane, nothing crazy. We were practically our own reality show. People were trying to figure out if we were famous at one point, which was fun. It was totally silly, but that video is still one of my most treasured possessions because we had so much fun doing it and the memories are wonderful.
When did you first discover that you were a writer?I have written my entire life. I asked for a typewriter when I was ten. (Yes, I’m that old.) Before that, I wrote on my grandmother’s typewriter. When she passed away, we found stories tucked away in her desk from when I was barely able to form letters. (“Ann Goes to the Fair” had all the marks of a runaway bestseller, I tell you.) I majored in English lit in college and tacked on a second major in creative writing “just for fun.” I never planned to do anything more with it than shove the stories in my drawer, but God… One day, when our kiddo was three, I was contemplating going back to teaching. I was sitting in a Beth Moore Bible study thinking, “Man, she has the greatest job in the world. She gets to write and talk about God all of the time!” And it was like I almost audibly heard God say, “Duh, child. Do you think I gave you this heart for writing just to stick it in a drawer?” It was the first time I ever realized that I could do this too. It felt like saying, “I want to be a rock star when I grow up,” because it seemed so farfetched that I’d ever be published. But God...
I love all the But God … moments in our lives. Tell us the range of the kinds of books you enjoy reading.I will read just about anything. When I was a kid, I was caught reading the dictionary when there was nothing else available. I’ve been known to read cookbooks like they were novels. Mostly, I love anything with a romance element, from historical to suspense to contemporary… I’m not the biggest fan of sci-fi or nonfiction (sadly), though I’ve read plenty of it. The only thing that’s essentially off the table for me is horror.
I so agree with you. You could have been writing my reading habits. How do you keep your sanity in our run, run, run world?Every morning, I get my coffee and my Bible and whatever study I’m doing at the time, and I sit at the kitchen table to have God time. I treasure that time of being in my Bible, of praying, sometimes journaling… It’s what keeps me connected to Him and reminds me of who is really in charge of the world. It’s that one moment of the day when everything is still, even the inside of me.
How do you choose your characters’ names?Sometimes they just pop up. I wish that happened more often! For last names, I Google common surnames for the region of the country I’ve set the story in. Once I’ve picked a handful, the search is on for common baby names in my hero’s birth year. It’s a matter of playing with combinations until one clicks!
What is the accomplishment that you are most proud of?I have no idea how to answer this. I could say so many things, because God has done so many things in my life. But if you force me to choose just one (besides our kiddo, because everybody expects me to say that…), I’d say surviving as an Army wife. As a teenager, I was crazy insecure and codependent. If you’d have told me—or anyone who knew me—I’d survive three deployments as a stateside spouse and actually grow and have fun doing it, you’d have been laughed out of the room. But God worked in me so much before all of that happened and changed so much of who I used to be, that those times are not simply lost years like the could have been, but years full of treasured memories with friends and even of us growing together as spouses because we communicated largely through letters and learned so much about who we are together and apart. So yes, being a wife and mother who could hold things down at home so my husband didn’t have to worry about us while he was gone is probably the thing I’m most proud of.
Kudos to you, Jodie. Women like you have as much influence in helping protect our country as the military husbands do. I salute you both. If you were an animal, which one would you be, and why?My dog has it made. I know a lot of people say they’d be a cat or a dog, but seriously, my Bubs has the life. The food, the pets, the naps in the sunshine, the treats, the snuggles… Who wouldn’t want that?
What is your favorite food?I love nachos. Like, love them. Whenever I work out, I crave them, which makes it hard… J But I think my favorite meal would be charcoal-grilled steak, a baked potato all loaded up, and a salad with creamy Italian dressing. Also, I’d give a whole lot to taste my grandmother’s fried chicken and homemade mashed potatoes and gravy just one more time. Nobody can make them like she could.
What is the problem with writing that was your greatest roadblock, and how did you overcome it?Oh, I haven’t overcome it, I’ve just lassoed it and am holding on tight. Social media is my biggest problem with writing. Writing is a solitary adventure. Some days, I crave social interaction, and it turns into write two sentences, check Facebook. Write two sentences, check Twitter. That isn’t a great way to build up momentum on a story. So I downloaded an app that shuts down the internet on my computer during work hours. That’s helped tremendously! Problem is, I can still check my phone, so…
Tell us about the featured book.I was so honored to be a part of this series with Elizabeth and Sharon! Christmas Double Cross is book two of the Texas Ranger Holidays series. Ranger Colt Blackthorn is tracking a woman he believes to be Adriana Garcia, the fugitive sister of a dangerous cartel leader. When she’s almost kidnapped right in front of him, he discovers she’s actually another woman, Danielle Segovia. The problem is, Danielle looks enough like Adriana that the cartel leader has mistaken her for his sister as well, and he’s out for revenge. Colt finds himself having to protect Danielle, but he’s battling his own past failings at the same time and isn’t even sure he’s cut out to be a Ranger anymore. He has to learn to trust his own instincts at the same time that Danielle is having to learn to trust him.
I enjoyed reading Sharon’s book, and I look forward to reading yours. Please give us the first page of the book.Texas Ranger Colter Blackthorn shifted his borrowed Dodge Challenger into Park and left the engine running, the heater combating the near-freezing temperatures of an El Paso winter evening.
Pulling his neck to one side, he stretched tight muscles and scanned the front of the small strip mall. The reflection of Christmas lights danced on the windows of the few cars in the lot as the center neared closing time. Somewhere in the distance, a speaker piped “White Christmas” to the handful of shoppers rushing along the sidewalk on their last few days of preparation before the holiday hit full force.
He let his gaze linger on the store closest to him, on the end near the main road. Nothing moved in the shadows behind the building, but a figure moved inside by the front window, pausing to reposition a blanket beneath the D in Mexican Artifacts and Crafts by Danielle.
His fingers tightened on the steering wheel. It had to be her.
“Colt.” The voice shot through his earpiece. Ranger Austin Brewer’s voice was tight, not with anger, but with concern. “If you need to wave off, then let Major Vance know now, before you go in. We can send somebody—”
“I’m fine.” His voice came out more clipped than he’d meant it to, but really, he didn’t need to be babied. He was no rookie. This wasn’t his first time undercover, and it wasn’t as though he was going deep. All he had to do was confirm that the woman pretending to be Danielle Segovia was indeed Adriana Garcia.
How can readers find you on the Internet?The easiest way is to head over to www.jodiebailey.com. There are links to Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter there, as well as links to buy each of my books.
Thank you, Jodie, for sharing this new book with us. I’m so glad my good friend Elizabeth Goddard introduced us online.
Readers, Jodie will send a print book if the winner is in the US or an ebook if the winner is foreign. Here are links to the book. - Amazon paperback
Christmas Double Cross (Texas Ranger Holidays) - Kindle[image error]

Leave a comment for a chance to win a free copy of the book. You must follow these instructions to be in the drawing. Please tell us where you live, at least the state or territory or country if outside North America. (Comments containing links may be subject to removal by blog owner.)
Void where prohibited; the odds of winning depend on the number of entrants. Entering the giveaway is considered a confirmation of eligibility on behalf of the enterer in accord with these rules and any pertaining local/federal/international laws.
The only notification you’ll receive is the winner post on this blog. So be sure to check back a week from Saturday to see if you won. You will have 4 weeks from the posting of the winners to claim your book.
If you’re reading this on Goodreads, Google+, Feedblitz, Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, or Amazon, please come to the blog to leave your comment if you want to be included in the drawing. Here’s a link:Http://lenanelsondooley.blogspot.com

AN ACCIDENTAL MESSIAH - Dan Sofer - One Free Book

Welcome back, Dan. Why do you write the kind of books you do?My writing allows me to explore situations and ideas that fascinate me. For instance, An Accidental Messiah (and the Dry Bones Society series as a whole) explores the Biblical prophecies of the Messianic Era and the End of Days.
What would life be like if the dead returned to life and society had to adjust? How would the Messiah get the job done and what problems would arise?I love books that both make me think and make me smile, and I aim for that in my novels too.
Besides when you came to know the Lord, what is the happiest day in your life?My wedding day and the births of our daughters are at the top of the list.
How has being published changed your life?Through my books I’ve met a lot of interesting people, specifically readers of different cultures, beliefs, and origins. This has given me a window into other lives.
What are you reading right now?Brilliance by Marcus Sakey, and Economics in One Lesson by Henry Hazlitt. I know, I have very eclectic reading taste.
What is your current work in progress?The third (and final) part of the Dry Bones Society series, A Premature Apocalypse.
What would be your dream vacation?A tropical island. Sun, sea, and sand.
How do you choose your settings for each book?All of my novels so far take place in Jerusalem, and they are all intimately connected to the Holy City. I lived in Jerusalemfor seven years and so I’m very familiar with its sights and sounds.
If you could spend an evening with one person who is currently alive, who would it be and why?My wife, of course, and I get to do that every evening. As for famous people, I can’t think of anyone in particular. There are a lot of people whose writing, acting, or other works I admire, but I’m not sure I’d like to spend a whole evening with them. (No offense!)
What are your hobbies, besides writing and reading?I enjoy travel and scuba diving, although I haven’t done much of the latter recently. With writing and reading, I have had little time left over for other hobbies.
What is your most difficult writing obstacle, and how do you overcome it?Finishing the first draft. That bit can seem daunting – pulling words out of thin air, and there are just so many, many words in a novel. Once you have your first draft, then you can relax and edit the “raw material.” There’s no magic solution. You just have to keep going until you hit THE END. Practice helps.
What advice would you give to a beginning author?Give yourself permission to write rubbish in your first draft. Turn off that inner critic. Once you hit the end, go back and edit.
Tell us about the featured book. An Accidental Messiah picks up where the first novel, An Unexpected Afterlife, left off.
Moshe Karlin, a newly resurrected Jerusalemite, discovers that defeating death was easier than dealing with government bureaucracy! To lead a normal life again, he’ll have to out-maneuver corrupt politicians and brutal gangsters. Will he usher in an era of peaceful Utopia or trigger a civil war?
Elsewhere in Jerusalem, a recovering prophet hides his apocalyptic delusions, a scientist unearths the shocking secret to peace in the Middle East, and a lovesick suicide bomber wanders the streets in search of his own personal redemption.
In the midst of it all, one chronic latecomer is on everyone's mind—the Messiah!
Please give us the first page of the book.The tour guide had just welcomed his first group of the day to the Mount Herzl National Cemetery when he saw the naked man. Among the bushes at the edge of the Jerusalem Forest, the pale streaker scratched his head and stroked the stately brown beard that fell to his chest.
Despite having been trained to handle this exact situation, the tour guide choked up, and his group of Japanese tourists, with their matching yellow hats and oversized cameras, chattered among themselves and eyed their catatonic guide with concern.
He had approached the rumors with a healthy dose of skepticism at first—after all, dead people didn’t spontaneously rise from their graves—until early one morning a fellow guide had discovered a man, naked and alone, among the tombstones of the military cemetery. The former soldier had saved his brothers-in-arms by diving onto a grenade during the Second Lebanon War.A camera crew had arrived to immortalize the moment of his return, and the number of visitors to the park had spiked—resurrection tourists mostly—but after a few days life on Mount Herzl had returned to normal.
Over the following weeks, however, more casualties sprouted from their graves: shell-shocked tank drivers of the Yom Kippur War; commando fighters of the Six Day War; and then the waves of gaunt Eastern Europeans mowed down during the War of Independence.
The phenomenon, bizarre and surreal by any standard, soon became routine, and they no longer bothered to notify the media when a long-deceased Jew turned up among the hedges. They did notice one trend: as time progressed, the arrivals returned from further back in the past, and the guides placed bets on which of them—if any of them at all—would welcome back to the land of the living the personage enshrined at the heart of the national park.
Today was this guide’s lucky day. 
How can readers find you on the Internet?Visit http://dansofer.com(and download a free story).
Thank you, Dan, for sharing this book with us. I’m sure my blog readers are eager to read it.
Readers, here are links to the book.An Accidental Messiah (The Dry Bones Society)[image error]An Accidental Messiah: A Novel (The Dry Bones Society Book 2)[image error]

Leave a comment for a chance to win a free copy of the book. You must follow these instructions to be in the drawing. Please tell us where you live, at least the state or territory or country if outside North America. (Comments containing links may be subject to removal by blog owner.)
Void where prohibited; the odds of winning depend on the number of entrants. Entering the giveaway is considered a confirmation of eligibility on behalf of the enterer in accord with these rules and any pertaining local/federal/international laws.
The only notification you’ll receive is the winner post on this blog. So be sure to check back a week from Saturday to see if you won. You will have 4 weeks from the posting of the winners to claim your book.
If you’re reading this on Goodreads, Google+, Feedblitz, Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, or Amazon, please come to the blog to leave your comment if you want to be included in the drawing. Here’s a link:Http://lenanelsondooley.blogspot.com

MURDER IN DISGUISE - Donn Taylor - One Free Book

Welcome back, Donn. How did you come up with the idea for this story? Murder in Disguise is the third book in the Preston Barclay Mystery series. In the first two books, hero and heroine—Press and Mara—had solved two murders on their home campus, one in the fall semester and one in spring semester. For the third book, I took them to the state university for a summer term and gave them a different kind of murder to solve. For once, it was mostly just logic—working out of something different enough to make a new book. Also, as a member of the National Association of Scholars, I've been concerned about universities' routine violations of students' constitutional rights. This setting provided the opportunity to look at some of those problems, though the main thrust of the book of course had to be an entertaining mystery.
If you were planning a party with Christian authors of contemporary fiction, what six people would you invite and why? To include a suspense writer, I would invite Harry Wegley. He also brings a good background in technology, and he's well read in philosophical subjects. I would bring Kelli Hughett so that if the philosophical discussion got dull she could lead a discussion of pro football. I'd bring Brenda Hupp Norris for her sense of humor and her ability to make the Mainelandscape entertaining. (Actually, she might count for two because she and her sister publish under the pseudonyms Sadie and Sophie Cuff.) I would add Aaron Gansky to bring fantasy to the group, and Linda Glaz to balance that with hard-nosed research into the world of human trafficking. And I'd round out the group with Deborah Dee Harper, the only writer I know who can punctuate the tightest suspense scene with something that will make you laugh.
Now let’s do that for a party for Christian authors of historical fiction, what six people would you invite and why? I would start with Kathy Rouser and Susan Craft to tell us different aspects of the American Revolutionary War period. Then I would add Ann Shorey to bring us into the problems with slavery just before the War Between the States. And I would like Ann Tatlock to tell us stories from more recent times, using her rare talent to explore the emotional nuances. By then we'd be ready for a new subject, so I would ask Latayne Scott to explain who really wrote the book of Hebrews. And to finish the party, I would ask Rick Barry to entertain us with his tales of aviation in World War II. He knows as much about the P-47 as I did about the planes I flew in Vietnam, and Rick's ability to outpun anyone in sight would send us home happy.
Many times, people (and other authors) think you have it made with so many books published. What is your most difficult problem with writing at this time in your career? My most difficult problem now is finding genuinely new subjects to write about. In my two suspense novels I used my Army and aviation background, plus a good body of research on the international black market traffic in weapons. With Mildred, I took time out for a historical novel, a nostalgia trip to Northeast Mississippi for the years when we grew up there. And with three mysteries set on college campuses, I exploited my years as a professor. Now I'm ready for something genuinely new and different, but years of caregiving have thinned out my reading, so while I write one more mystery I'm scraping around for that magic subject that will open up a new fictional world.
I so understand. Tell us about the featured book. Like its two predecessors, Murder in Disguise is a lighthearted mystery that still manages to touch on a few serious subjects. Professor Preston Barclay (Press) has been invited to teach a summer term at the state university. Mara Thorn is there for her own research. But the department chairman who invited Press has committed suicide, and his replacement doesn't make Press feel welcome. Then the deceased's widow asks Press to prove that her husband was murdered. He has enough problems already in proving his competence to students and faculty, for the new department chairman and campus radicals do all they can to undermine him. And the sexy female siren assigned as his student assistant creates problems there and with his courtship of Mara Thorn.
 Press’s questions don’t find adequate answers, rumors accuse his friend of disgraceful activities, and Mara’s research reveals a wide range of criminal activity stretching from the community onto the campus itself. The more things don’t add up, the more dangerous the threats become, and the more determined Press becomes to clear his friend’s name and learn the truth about the alleged suicide. The question is whether he can find anything definitive before the people making the threats decide they've had enough . . .
There was the usual process of settling into one of the just-off-campus apartments they keep for visiting professors. There was the matter of checking at the bookstore to be sure the textbooks I’d prescribed were on hand. To keep from getting ticketed by campus police, I picked up my temporary parking sticker, known locally as a hunting license because parking spaces are scarce. And there was the usual difficulty that the department chairman was away from his office.
“I’m Preston Barclay,” I told the bearded student who’d been left to man the telephone. “I’m teaching one summer term. Can you tell me which office I’ll be using?”
He looked up from his book, eyed the briefcase in my hand, and blinked a couple of times. “Uh ... I think it’s right next door, Professor Barclay. But they don’t let me give out keys. Can you come back between three and four?”
I nodded and straightened my trifocals. “That used to be the department chairman’s office.”
“Yeah, it used to be. But Dr.Elamsaid he couldn’t work there because of what happened.” The student tugged at his beard, perhaps reassuring himself that he’d actually grown one. “The last chairman blew his brains out in that office. About a month ago. I still get the creeps just thinking about it.”
“But it’s fine for visiting professors.”
The student looked away. “Dr. Elamsaid it wouldn’t worry the temporaries because they wouldn’t know about it.”
“Thanks for keeping me from worrying.”
Recognition dawned in his eyes. “Say, aren’t you the guy ... uh ... the professor ... that solved them two murders in Overton City?”
“Those two murders,” I said, looking for a way to change the subject. “My colleague Professor Mara Thorn actually solved them. I just teach history.”
“I’ve heard about her,” he said. “They say she’s a real h...” I think he was going to say hottie, but he gulped and said, “I’ve heard she was ... well ... what your generation would call ‘a real knockout.’”
“Touch her elbow, and you’ll see who gets knocked out,” I said. After her ill-fated teenage marriage, Mara abhorred being touched. I’d found that out the hard way, though she’d made a few exceptions after we became friends. But I wasn’t going to talk about her with a student.
“I’ll come back later,” I said.
In the hallway outside my office-to-be, I paused and breathed the decades-old odors of waxed floors and oiled hardwood. They brought pleasant memories of other summer terms, but those were now marred with sadness. For my friend Jordan Collier, the former chairman who’d brought me here several times as a visiting professor, was no longer here. One month before, without warning, he’d committed suicide in that office. I not only missed him as a friend, but I could already feel the difference in the department.
I’m eager to read this new book, and it’s on my table right now. But I’ve been completing some of my own writing assignments. It’s at the top of my to-be-read pile. How can readers find you on the Internet? My website is www.donntaylor.com and I'm on Twitter at www.twitter.com/donntaylor3. My most active place is my Facebook page. I post something there every day. Five days of the week it's something funny, and others join in to see who can make the worst puns. On Wednesdays it's a serious quotation and on Sundays it's a scripture passage. Everyone is invited to come join the fun. That's at www.facebook.com/donntaylor.
Thank you, Donn. I believe I will be starting your book today or tomorrow. And I know my readers are eager as I am to read it.
Readers, here are links to the book.Murder in Disguise (A Preston Barclay Mystery)[image error] - Paperback
Murder in Disguise (A Preston Barclay Mystery Book 3) - Kindle[image error]

Leave a comment for a chance to win a free copy of the book. You must follow these instructions to be in the drawing. Please tell us where you live, at least the state or territory or country if outside North America. (Comments containing links may be subject to removal by blog owner.)
Void where prohibited; the odds of winning depend on the number of entrants. Entering the giveaway is considered a confirmation of eligibility on behalf of the enterer in accord with these rules and any pertaining local/federal/international laws.
The only notification you’ll receive is the winner post on this blog. So be sure to check back a week from Saturday to see if you won. You will have 4 weeks from the posting of the winners to claim your book.
If you’re reading this on Goodreads, Google+, Feedblitz, Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, or Amazon, please come to the blog to leave your comment if you want to be included in the drawing. Here’s a link:Http://lenanelsondooley.blogspot.com

WINNERS!!!

Cindy (IN) is the winner of Total   Christmas Makeover  by Melissa Spoelstra.

Eileen (VA) is the winner of  A Forest, a Flood, and an Unlikely Star,   by J A Myhre.

Brenda (TN) is the winner of  Chief of Sinners  by Caryl McAdoo.

If you won a book and you like it, please consider giving the author the courtesy of writing a review on Goodreads, Amazon.com, Christianbooks.com, Barnes and Noble, or other Internet sites. 

Also, tell your friends about the book ... and this blog. Thank you.

Congratulations, everyone. If you won a print book, send me your mailing address:
Click the Contact Me link at the top of the blog, and send me an Email.

If you won an ebook, just let me know what email address it should be sent to.

When you contact me, please give the title and author of the book you won, so I won't have to look it up.

Remember, you have 4 weeks to claim your book.

THE STARLIGHT INN - Lucie Ulrich - One Free Print Book or Ebook

Dear Readers, if you’ve followed my blog very long, you know that my favorite things about Christmas are the Christmas novels and novellas. Lucie and I were both author participants at the Crave Him! event the day before the ACFW Conference in September. I believe this is the first time we met in person. She gave me a copy of The Starlight Inn, a Christmas novella. When I read it, I knew I had to schedule it on my blog to introduce both the book and Lucie to you.
Welcome, Lucie. Tell us how much of yourself you write into your characters. I do my best to keep myself out of my books, but inevitably some familiar phrase or mannerism shows up. I have to be careful not to make any young character sound older than they are. In truth I write more of my taste/style into my books. My kitchen remodel showed up in one, while my dining room table and chairs showed up in another.
What is the quirkiest thing you have ever done? Propose to my husband. Well, not in so many words. We’d been dating for a couple of years and had talked a little about marriage, but my not-yet-husband wasn’t in a big hurry. One day, while we were driving, I turned to him and said, “So, are we going to get married or not?” Some proposal, right? Lol!
When did you first discover that you were a writer? I never had a desire to write until I became part of my church’s drama team when I was in my early-forties. The moment I wrote my first skit a few years later, I knew God had put something in me that had never been there before. It took a little longer for me to have a go at writing novels, and another nine years before I signed my first book contract, but that first skit was all it took for me to know.
Tell us the range of the kinds of books you enjoy reading. I’m all about romance, and that’s usually what I stick with. I tend to read more Christian/inspirational books but I will read secular as long as it’s clean. I prefer contemporary to period pieces, but I do enjoy the occasional western or WWII read. I’ll also throw in a good biography from time to time.
How do you keep your sanity in our run, run, run world? It helps that my husband and I are retired, so our world isn’t as rush, rush as it used to be. We set aside three or four times a month to check out estate sales, and we enjoy road trips (short or long), and taking the occasional trip to the mountains. One thing I do differently from my husband is that I use my phone as little more than a phone. I’m not a social media fiend, but I do find myself distracted when I’m at home and on my laptop. When I leave the house, I refuse to take social media along with me. I chose to disconnect from the influences and opinions everybody feels the need to share, and enjoy whatever I’m doing at the moment. Some people think I’m crazy, but grocery shopping is one of my favorite escapes.
My husband won’t even get a smart phone. He has a flip phone, and he calls mine a smart phone and his a dumb phone. He does, however, ask me to look for things on my phone a lot. How do you choose your characters’ names? Mostly from names I love—at least for the first name. I’ve also been known to check out lists of names online if I’m looking for something a little more unusual. I’ve been known to change a character’s name if, as I’m writing, I realize it simply doesn’t fit. In an upcoming book, I researched Scottish names for my male lead. Even though he’s American, his father comes from Scotland, and I wanted something simple, yet fitting. In my series that takes place at various inns around the country, the only recurring character is an elderly woman named Tillie. Technically, it’s Matilda, but her character is a free spirit (and a bit of a busybody), so Tillie suits her best. As for surnames, if nothing pops into my head, I go to the Internet. If a name reminds me of someone I’m not fond of, or had a bad experience with, that name is out!
What is the accomplishment that you are most proud of? Raising two children who love the Lord. That’s not so say there weren’t a few rough patches along the way, but to see my children honor and serve God in their daily lives, as well as their jobs, blesses me beyond words.
If you were an animal, which one would you be, and why? Probably a mule. I can be very stubborn at times. Lol!
What is your favorite food?Steak—preferably medium rare with just the right amount of spices. A close second would be some authentic Tex-Mex.
Our taste in food is similar. We’ll celebrate our 53rd anniversary this weekend at Abuelo’s. What is the problem with writing that was your greatest roadblock, and how did you overcome it?Self-doubt. When I first started writing, I was like a machine—nothing got in my way. I had stories to tell and I told them—not that many of them were read by more than a handful of people. It was easy because I didn’t have to worry about sales, promotion, blogging (which I seldom do), social media interaction, and everything else that comes once a book is published. 
I have five (going on six) books to my credit, which in the grand picture, isn’t all that much. I never set out to write sequels, yet I have two in the works. I’m a slow writer, which means time lags between books. I check my Amazon numbers often—too often, and I compare myself to other authors.
It’s an ongoing struggle, but I’m learning to encourage myself and put my trust in the One who gave me the desire to write. If a story or character touches one reader’s life, I’ve done my job.
Tell us about the featured book. The Starlight Inn is my first novella and first Christmas story. It’s a fun, light romance that takes place primarily in Vermont.
 On her way to celebrate her birthday and Christmas with her family, Ella Dixon finds herself trapped in the middle of a blizzard. She seeks refuge at The Starlight Inn . Though the inn is full, an elderly guest offers to share her room. Accepting the kind offer, Ella soon realizes Tillie Spencer isn’t your average “little old lady.” She knows things nobody else does, and appears to come and go on a whim.

Nick Wallace runs the inn along with sister, Fran. The attraction Nick feels for Ella is instantaneous and unexpected, but with the miles that separate them, and both busy with their careers, Nick doubts much will come of their Christmas Eve meeting. Tillie, on the other hand, holds a much different view.
Please give us the first page of the book for my blog readers.Christmas music filled Ella Dixon’s workspace, lifting her spirits as it always did this time of year.  Her cell rang.
She ignored it.
Three minutes later it rang again. Without looking, Ella knew who was on the other end.Finishing the hem on a pair of women’s black silk pants, she set them aside to be pressed, and reached for her phone. “Hi, Eva. What’s up?”
“Seriously, Ella, why can’t you ever answer the first time I call?”
Ella did everything she could to tamp down her rising frustration. She loved her sister, but they didn’t come close to filling the mold most twins fell into. Fraternal, not identical, they didn’t even look alike. Two inches taller, Ella’s light brown hair and hazel eyes contrasted with her sister’s sandy blond hair and amber eyes.
“We’ve been through this before, Eva. When I’m in the middle of a project, I sometimes don’t even hear the phone.”
“I know, but with Christmas Eve, not to mention our birthday party, two days away, I assumed you’d be done with work and ready to head out.”
Unlike her sister who was married, the mother of one with another on the way, Ella was single and ran her own sewing and alteration business. She glanced at the rack holding three dresses, a skirt, and two pair of pants that needed to be worked on. “Like I told you last night, this is the typical holiday rush. All of my clients are picking up their items by Monday morning, which means I should be on the road no later than ten o’clock, giving me plenty of time to arrive before the party.”
“As usual, you’re leaving things to the last minute. You do know there’s talk of bad weather, don’t you?”
How can readers find you on the Internet? http://www.lucieulrich.com   https://www.facebook.com/inspywriter/
Thank you, Lucie, for sharing this book with my blog readers.
Readers, here are links to the book. The Starlight Inn[image error] - Paperback
Starlight Inn (A Tillie Spencer Novella Book 1)[image error] - Kindle

Lucie will give a print book if the winner is in the U. S.and an ebook if the winner is outside the US. Leave a comment for a chance to win a free copy of the book. You must follow these instructions to be in the drawing. Please tell us where you live, at least the state or territory or country if outside North America. (Comments containing links may be subject to removal by blog owner.)
Void where prohibited; the odds of winning depend on the number of entrants. Entering the giveaway is considered a confirmation of eligibility on behalf of the enterer in accord with these rules and any pertaining local/federal/international laws.
The only notification you’ll receive is the winner post on this blog. So be sure to check back a week from Saturday to see if you won. You will have 4 weeks from the posting of the winners to claim your book.
If you’re reading this on Goodreads, Google+, Feedblitz, Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, or Amazon, please come to the blog to leave your comment if you want to be included in the drawing. Here’s a link:Http://lenanelsondooley.blogspot.com

CHRISTMAS IN ABUNDANCE - Sally Bayless - One Free Print or Ebook (Winner's Choice)

Dear Readers, I love Sally’s writing. I featured her first full-length novel earlier on the blog, so I was eager to share this Christmas novella with you. I always look forward to reading a lot of Christmas novels and novellas each year.
Welcome back, Sally. God has really been moving in your writing life. What do you see on the horizon?I’m excited to be releasing my second full-length novel, Love and Roses, early in 2018 and eager to begin work on my next book. I’m grateful every day for the opportunity to write, and I pray that my books may not just entertain but also bring encouragement to readers.
Be sure to contact me about the new novel when you have a pub date. I’ll want to feature it on the blog, too. Tell us a little about your family.I’ve been happily married for 24 years. My husband and I have a son and a daughter, both in college. This is our first year as empty nesters, but we seem to be adjusting all right as long as I remember when I buy groceries that a half gallon of milk will last a week.
Has your writing changed your reading habits? If so, how?Writing has made my reading more focused and intentional. In fiction, I make sure to read widely in my genre of contemporary Christian romance, as well as in historical Christian romance. I also read British chick lit and cozy mysteries, and I intentionally read some national bestsellers each year including a little literary fiction.
Also, since I began writing Christian fiction in 2009, I have made a point to begin every writing session by reading the Bible. It gets my writing off to a good start and putsYes, and I pray a lot while I’m writing. God often changes things in my books. What are you working on right now?I am doing the final polish of Love and Roses and toying with ideas for a novella.
What outside interests do you have?I enjoy kayaking, birdwatching, swimming, BBC television, and crossword puzzles. And, of course, reading!
How do you choose your settings for each book?All my books are set in small towns in Missouri, where I was born. I can’t imagine writing a book set in a city. I love the interconnectedness of small towns!
If you could spend an evening with one historical person, who would it be and why?Hmmm, I bet everyone answers “Jesus.” If that answer is taken, I’ll say Agatha Christie. I love her books and I believe she helped her husband on archeological trips. I’d love to know more about her.
A new movie of Murder on the Orient Express is coming out very soon. James and I are eager to see it. What is the one thing you wish you had known before you started writing novels?I wish I had known that even big-time authors have books where the plot isn’t quite right at first. I had no idea how much a book could be revised.
What new lessons is the Lord teaching you right now?God is teaching me to try new things and not to limit myself. For example, I’m teaching adult Sunday School for the first time. Teaching children was no problem, but I always thought I’d be nervous teaching adults. I’m actually enjoying it!
What are the three best things you can tell other authors to do to be successful?Find a critique group (online perhaps?), read extensively in the genre you want to write in, and participate in NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month).
Yes. That starts today. Tell us about the featured book. Christmas in Abundance is a contemporary Christian romance novella about a couple at odds over a holiday light display.
Fifty thousand bulbs can shed a lot of light … but will it be enough to help Kyle and Lanie see that they belong together?
Lanie Phillips has a quiet holiday planned. So quiet, in fact, that the only sounds in the house where she’s staying should be the clicks of her computer keyboard and the occasional bark from a chocolate Labrador retriever. No joyous choirs of angels, no jolly laughs from Santa, and no jingle bells—nothing to distract her from her master’s thesis or bring up painful Christmas memories.
But for the single dad who’s her closest neighbor, simple holiday decorations just won’t do. Kyle Mattox is determined to give his five-year-old daughter the best Christmas ever—one that includes an outdoor display lit with fifty thousand lights, activated in time to music shared through four giant loudspeakers.
When Lanie comes to complain that she can’t write with the lights flashing and carols blasting, Kyle realizes that—unknown to her—their circuits have crossed in the past. If he wants his daughter happy, he needs to keep that information to himself, keep the show running, and keep his distance from Lanie. 
Please give us the first page of the book for my blog readers.The last thing Lanie Phillips needed to hear was Christmas music.
She jabbed the button of her car radio and cut off a chorus of elves singing “The Most Wonderful Time of the Year.” Wonderful? Not likely, considering she’d be spending it alone.
The wail of the wind intensified, and her headlights reflected off pellets of snow that whipped across her line of sight. She pulled her wool scarf higher around her neck. Even with the car’s heat on high, the cold seeped in. She squinted through the squall of white, wishing for some indication that she was nearing the Mattox place. Finding her way down the county roads outside her hometown of Abundance, Missouri, was bad enough in the dark without adding a snowstorm into the mix.
Around the next bend, a small sign barely stuck out over the snow. “You’re almost to the Mattox house!” it read.
How can readers find you on the Internet?My website is www.sallybayless.com. Readers can find excerpts from all my books there, can email me, and can sign up for my newsletter and my street team. Newsletter subscribers are the first to learn when I release a new book.
I’m on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/authorsallybayless/. Facebook is my favorite social media, so I check it often.
I’m also on Pinterest at https://www.pinterest.com/sally_bayless/and Twitter at https://twitter.com/sally_bayless.
Sally, thank you for sharing this Christmas novella with us. I know my blog readers are eager to read it.
Readers, here are links to the book.Christmas in Abundance: A Novella (The Abundance Series)[image error]
Christmas in Abundance: A Novella[image error]

Leave a comment for a chance to win a free copy of the book. You must follow these instructions to be in the drawing. Please tell us where you live, at least the state or territory or country if outside North America. (Comments containing links may be subject to removal by blog owner.)
Void where prohibited; the odds of winning depend on the number of entrants. Entering the giveaway is considered a confirmation of eligibility on behalf of the enterer in accord with these rules and any pertaining local/federal/international laws.
The only notification you’ll receive is the winner post on this blog. So be sure to check back a week from Saturday to see if you won. You will have 4 weeks from the posting of the winners to claim your book.
If you’re reading this on Goodreads, Google+, Feedblitz, Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, or Amazon, please come to the blog to leave your comment if you want to be included in the drawing. Here’s a link:Http://lenanelsondooley.blogspot.com 

THE FINAL RIDE - Linda W Yezak - One Free Ebook

Dear Readers, I’m thrilled to feature another book by fellow Texas author, Linda Yezak. The Final Ride took first place in the Texas Association of Authors Christian Fiction category this year. I’ve been an online friend with Linda for several years, and she was the speaker at our local ACFW – DFW chapter recently. I really enjoyed the time we spent together.
Welcome back, Linda. Why do you write the kind of books you do? Almost everything I write is like me: Christian and generally uplifting and lighthearted. I love illustrating God's principles in action, especially when they pertain to bringing those who have strayed back into the fold.
Besides when you came to know the Lord, what is the happiest day in your life? The day I knew for certain God had picked Billy for me. After a disaster of a marriage and ten years of “never again,” God gave me the perfect mate.
He’s good like that. How has being published changed your life? It turned me into a professional. That may sound like a simplistic response, but it covers every aspect of the change being published brings into one's life. I no longer have ten years to finish my book, can no longer “wait for inspiration.” I can't live in anonymity anymore; I have to keep myself and my books visible. I have to actively seek earning opportunities. Basically, I have to remember that I'm running a business. I file taxes and have a Federal EIN. I'm not in Kansas anymore.
What are you reading right now? A Fool and His Monet, by Sandra Orchard.
What is your current work in progress? My editor at Firefly (an imprint of Lighthouse of the Carolinas) has Ice Melts in Spring, a novella for the collection Southern Seasons which releases in November 2018. While she works on it, I'm striving to finish Ride to the Altar, the third in the Circle Bar Ranch series that was supposed to come out this year. After just announcing that I no longer have the leisure to finish a book in ten years, I admit I'm beginning to wonder whether this one will take exactly that before I can write “the end.”
What would be your dream vacation? I have two. Eating my way across Italyin stretch pants and spending a substantial amount of time in every state in the United States. Neither is likely to happen, but a girl can dream.
How do you choose your settings for each book? I tend to restrict my settings to places I've been to, and the bulk of those places are in Texas, though I've visited most of the southern states. Researching settings on the internet doesn't let me know how the place tastes or smells. Doesn't allow me a sense of its pulse. Can't let me hear the accents or bird calls. In other words, I can't get an honest impression of the location. For this reason, I tend to stay with places I'm familiar with. It's also the reason I'd like to visit all 50 states.
If you could spend an evening with one person who is currently alive, who would it be and why? Funny to see this question. Just this morning, I was thinking I'd love to spend time learning at the feet of Kay Arthur, of Precept Ministry fame. I'm not sure an evening would be enough, but it would be a start.
What are your hobbies, besides writing and reading?  I spend a lot of time cross-stitching baby blankets for the boom our family is having. Aside from that, I love to cook and enjoy food preservation techniques, like canning, pickling, jelly-, jam-, and butter-making, but I would rather be fishing than virtually anything else.
What is your most difficult writing obstacle, and how do you overcome it? Right now, with Ride to the Altar, I'm having a structure problem. The novel includes not a plot and a subplot, but what amounts to two plots. If I don't find the point where the two merge soon, I may have to rip the thing apart and start over. Again. But I think I'm getting closer. We'll see.
What advice would you give to a beginning author? Study the craft. There are so many other things I would say to beginners—like build your platform, learn the business, etc.—but I always go back to my original advice: Study.
Tell us about the featured book. Aunt Adele Cameron makes her debut in The Final Ride, the second in the Circle Bar Ranch series. Her purpose for living is to convince Patricia Talbert to return to Manhattanand leave the ranch she inherited and the man who runs it behind in Texas. But all her comical, blundering attempts aren't nearly as effective as Talon Carlson's broken promise. How can Patricia accept yet another man who can't keep his word?
Please give us a peek inside the book.Chapter OnePatricia Talbert leaned against the back fender of the old farm truck and admired the flex of Talon Carlson’s muscles as he secured a trailer to the hitch. One of the nearby towns held a cattle auction every Thursday, from early in the morning until everything sold, and the Circle Bar Ranch needed a few more head.
One of the hands had already driven off in a rig, but Talon had lingered behind, no doubt for a few more moments alone with her. Although she’d decided not to go this time, she didn’t mind having a few more moments alone with him either.
She watched his strong hands deftly connect the wires for the truck’s back lights to the trailer. “It’s going to be different around here without Chance to help, isn’t it?”
“No different than it will be for you without Marie.”
“Mr. and Mrs. Chance Davis.” The names sifted through her lips with a sigh. The past Saturday, her best friend had married Talon’s best friend here at the Circle Bar ranch, and now they were off on a two-week honeymoon.
Talon stepped over the hitch and stood deliciously close. His lips crept up in that lopsided grin she loved. “What about us? Ready to get married?”
“No. Not yet. I’ve had all the wedding insanity I can take for a while.” She traced the strong line of his smooth-shaven jaw with her finger. “I’m not in a hurry.”
“Whatever my lady wants. I can wait.” He kissed her gently, making her heart flutter, then adjusted his hat. “I’d better get moving, or the auction will be over before I get there. You sure you don’t want to come with me?”
“No, I think I’ll stay here and enjoy the quiet for a change. Bring home some good cows.”
He gave her another peck. “Always.”
He walked to his truck, keeping her mesmerized with each step. That man could make a feed sack look good.
Once he drove out of sight, she rubbed her shoulders and curled her lips between her teeth. The past several months had been filled with house renovations and Marie’s wedding plans–not to mention a quick trip back to New York to help with her father’s US Senate re-election campaign. But now that everything was over and all the wedding guests were finally gone, she had no clue what to do with herself. Come to think of it, she’d never been totally alone on her own ranch since she inherited it from Uncle Jake the previous year. If she intended to give up her life in Manhattan and live in Texas, she’d better figure out where she fit in. Discover what her new “normal” looked like.Normal. Routine. The words serenaded her. After all the insanity of the past year, nothing appealed to her more than landing in a nice, peaceful rut for a while.
But what exactly would her role be out here? Thirty-five seemed a bit old to be wondering what she’d do when she grew up, but when Uncle Jake left her the ranch he and Aunt Loretta had spent their lives building, Patricia discovered she had options–stay in New York and work for her father, or come here and–what? Pretend she knew how to run a ranch?
Since she had no intention of going back East, she may as well carve out a place for herself here, doing … something.
At the equipment shed, the senior ranch hand, Frank Simmons, tinkered with the tractor engine, but she knew nothing about mechanical repair. Inside, Chef and Consuela Garcia took care of the meals and household chores that made Patricia shudder. The vegetable garden on the side of the ranch house appeared neglected; no one had worked it in a couple of weeks. She strode to its edge, crouched between a row of peppers and another of tomatoes, and yanked what she hoped was a weed. Gardening hadn’t been a part of her life back home. Maybe she’d be safe if she pulled only what grew between the mounds.
The soil felt moist, and the weeds came out with the simplest tug. She could get used to this mindless work. She could see ahead what needed to be done and see the progress behind, unlike other, seemingly endless things she’d done for her father. This chore held a purpose. She’d keep the weeds from choking out the vegetables that everyone would get to enjoy. Simple. Wonderful. She’d definitely add gardening to the top of her most-favorite-rut-activities list. If this was what her new normal felt like, she’d wrap it around herself like a security blanket.
“Patricia!”
She twisted around and gaped at a chic, older woman standing at the yard’s edge. “Aunt Adele?”
Looking as if she’d just stepped from a fashion magazine for women over sixty, Adele Cameron held her arms wide. “Surprise!”
Patricia brushed herself off and hurried toward her. Adele had always been her favorite of her mother’s sisters. “I thought you flew back to New York after the wedding.”
An elegant flick of her hand dismissed the notion. “I spent a few days in Dallas. Did a little shopping.” She posed like a model and executed a runway turn, inviting Patricia to admire the cowl-neck tunic and straight-leg slacks she wore over two-inch pumps. “It’s not Manhattan, but it’s not bad either.”
“I’m glad you found something you liked.” Patricia hid her smile. She and Marie had overdressed for the ranch when they first arrived, too. Not practical, but then they hadn’t expected to stay, much less fall in love with the cowboys running the place. “What else did you buy?”
“Oh, several things.” She pressed her key fob toward a burgundy Cadillac parked in front of the house. “Come see.”
The Caddy’s trunk opened. Plump store bags, bearing only the finest in fashion logos, sat atop the flowered canvas of matching luggage.
Patricia poked through one of the sacks. “I’m anxious to see what you bought.”
“Why don’t we carry it in so you can see better?” A sly grin lifted her lips. “And the luggage, too.”
Patricia squealed. “Does this mean you’re staying awhile?”
“Yes, dear. And I’m so happy you’re excited about it.” She patted Patricia’s cheek. “Now, maybe you can get your man to help us.”
“My man? Do you mean Talon? He’s not here.”
“Not Talon. Your man–your servant, or whatever you call him.” She stared pointedly at Frank, who leaned against the tractor, watching them as he rubbed his hands on a rag.
“He’s not a serv–”
“We have company?” Consuela Garcia called from the shadows of the massive front porch. In her brightly embroidered Mexican dress, the housekeeper-slash-cook descended the three steps and waddled toward them, eyeing the newcomer curiously. She bypassed the front walk and crossed the lush grass in her sandaled feet.
Patricia rested one hand on Consuela’s shoulder and waved the other toward their guest. “You remember my aunt, Adele Cameron? She was here for the wedding.”
“Si, I remember.”
“She’ll be staying with us for a while.”
“Okay, then. We will put you in the guest room. It’s clean now. Fresh sheets. I’ll help you.” Consuela advanced toward the trunk and gawked at the load inside. But she swiftly recovered with a congenial smile. “What you want to take in?”
“I’ll need it all,” Aunt Adele said. “And some of it will have to be ironed.”
“I can do it tomorrow when I do everyone else’s.” Consuela grabbed the store bags, then led their guest to the house, the older woman giving specific instructions as to how she wanted her ironing done. Aunt Adele had always been particular about her wardrobe.
With the sacks gone, Patricia got a better look at the luggage. Aunt Adele must’ve brought a year’s worth of clothes. Odd, since she was only supposed to be coming for the wedding this past weekend.
Frank came beside her and ran his fingers over his bushy gray mustache. “Don’t you Yankee women know how to pack light?”
“I guess not.”
He looped the strap of a bag over each shoulder, then hefted out a large case and jerked up the handle. “Best get this inside.”
Patricia grabbed the cosmetic case and slammed the trunk closed. “I can’t imagine why she brought so much. Looks like she’s moving in.”
“Well, she’s your aunt, ain’t she? Maybe she just wants some time with you.” He toted his burden toward the house. “Better show your man where to put these.”
She grimaced. Frank might have a hitch in his gait, but his hearing seemed impeccable. She scurried to catch up. “I’m sorry about that. Aunt Adele’s used to having a full household staff available. I guess all the high society trappings make her a bit of a snob.”
“Don’t worry about it too much. We’ve had snobs around here before.” He paused at the steps. “I reckon y’all turned out all right.”
Grinning at his light-hearted jab, she went around him to open the door. “Oh, Marie and I weren’t that bad, were we?”
He raised a craggy brow to the brim of his straw hat and drawled, “Where do you want these?”
She swatted his arm playfully, then pointed to the second floor. “First door on the left.”
He took the cosmetic case from her and headed to the stairs. Amazingly strong for such a wiry man. She watched him carry his cumbersome load up the steps until he safely landed on the second floor, then followed the sound of women’s voices through the living room. The sweet smell of Marie’s wedding flowers had finally begun to fade, replaced now with a vague hint of the spices Consuela used for the enchiladas she’d planned for lunch. As Patricia passed through the dining room and neared the kitchen, the scent of cumin grew stronger. So did the voices.
She stopped at the door. Aunt Adele stood formally erect, hands clamped together at her waist, nose up like a stodgy aristocrat. Red faced and muttering in Spanish, Consuela whisked a wooden spoon around her pot as if she chased a devil from its depths.
Patricia ventured into the room. “What’s going on?”
After a heartbeat pause, both women clamored for her attention, each talking louder and faster until finally she covered her ears. “Stop!”
The two glowered at each other like contestants in a wrestling ring.
Consuela pointed the dripping spoon at Aunt Adele. “Get her out of my kitchen.”
Patricia bit back questions she knew better than to ask when Consuela’s brows were drawn that tightly.
She wrapped an arm around her aunt’s stiff shoulders and guided her out. “Let’s get you up to your room. You must be tired after traveling this morning. Did you drive all the way from Dallas? That’s quite a–”
“Are you going to let the hired help talk to me like that?” The harsh whisper could no doubt be heard in the kitchen.
Patricia marshaled her farther into the living room. “Consuela isn’t so much hired help as she is family. She and her husband Chef have been with this ranch for years.” She stopped walking and faced her aunt. “Frank isn’t hired help either. He’s wise and kind and special to me, and I’d like for you to treat him with respect.”
Adele’s crimson face contorted as she struggled to maintain her dignity, or tamp her temper down, Patricia couldn’t tell which. She’d never seen this usually dignified woman behave like a spoiled diva before.
From their left, Frank entered the living room and passed through toward the kitchen. Judging by the way he kept his head down, he’d probably heard their conversation. Between his sharp ears and her aunt’s stage whispers, Patricia doubted he’d missed a word.
“Yes, perhaps I should retire to my room.” Aunt Adele’s tone could frost glass.
“Now, don’t be angry. The ranch is just different from what you’re used to. We don’t have hired hands, we have … family on salaries. Everyone is close.” She drifted her hand down her aunt’s arm. “I want you to love it here like I do. It would mean so much to me.”
She sniffed. “I see I have a lot to learn about the way things are done here in Texas.”
“Yes, so did I. Still do.”
Aunt Adele’s expression softened as she took Patricia’s hands. “Why don’t you come home, sweetheart? You’re not suited for this life.”
Patricia shook her head. The fresh air, the quiet nights, the slower pace. Talon’s muscles rippling and glistening in the sun as he lifted square bales for the horses. If only Aunt Adele knew how very suited she was for this life. “I’m happy here.”
She escorted her aunt to the guest room and helped store her things, then left her to nap away the travel weariness. Maybe after some rest, she’d be her old, fun self again.
Meanwhile, she needed to tend to the ruffled hen downstairs.
In the kitchen, Consuela seemed calmer and was laughing at something Frank had said. He leaned against the counter with a glass half full of water and watched Consuela caramelize an onion in a sizzling cast iron skillet. Her husband, Chef Garcia, had apparently entered through the back door. He rolled a chicken mixture in corn tortillas for enchiladas and smiled at Patricia as she entered.
Patricia retrieved a head of lettuce from the fridge. “I’m sorry about my aunt. I hope she didn’t upset you too much.”
Consuela’s lips puckered. She looked at Patricia from the corner of her eye. “Do you know what she wanted?”
Patricia shook her head.
She crossed her arms over her chubby belly. “She wanted dinner served at seven.”
“That’s just what she’s used to back in–”
“And she wanted breakfast served at nine.”
“Well, yes, like I was saying–”
“In bed.”
“Oh.” Patricia lowered her eyes. “Well, you know, she’s from New York …”
“She is in Texas now.” Consuela gave the onions a stir, then tapped the spoon on the side of the skillet loud enough to make the metal ring. “I am not her cook.”
“No–”
“I do things the way I do things, and she will eat or not.”
“Of course.”
“You told her?”
“I tried. I’m not sure she understands how different things are here.”
“She will learn. Next time she tells me what to do”–she nudged her husband– “Chef and me, we will go on vacation. Someone else can cook till she leaves.”
Patricia winced. Other than the Garcias, Marie was the only one who knew how to cook, and she was on her honeymoon.
“Be patient with her. I’ll make sure she understands.”
“See that you do.”
Patricia began shredding the lettuce. “You two just got off to a bad start, Consuela. You’ll like her.” She glanced at Frank. “You will too. Really. You’ll see.”
“Ain’t got a reason not to like her. I guess she don’t remember, but I took her for a few twirls around the dance floor after the weddin’.”
“You did? I thought your knees wouldn’t allow dancing.”
“Oh, trust me, I paid for it. They weren’t too happy.” He glanced up at the clock. “How much time before lunch?”
“Straight up twelve, Frank, you know that.” Consuela frowned at him. “Long as I been cookin’ in this kitchen, it’s been straight up twelve.”
“Yes, ma’am.” He bussed her cheek and clapped Chef on the shoulder. “Gives me about twenty minutes to put my tools up. Wrecked the best part of my mornin’ playing the role of Pat’s man.”
Consuela hooted and set a huge grin between her cheeks.
Patricia rolled her eyes. “Next time, close your ears.”
Wasn’t it just a couple of hours ago she’d dreamed of finding her rut? Of discovering her new normal? Now, apparently, her primary job would be to keep peace between Aunt Adele and Consuela for the duration of her aunt’s visit. How long would that be?
Love the beginning! How can my readers find you on the Internet?Website: http://lindawyezak.comBlog: http://lindayezak.comNewsletter: http://dld.bz/CoffeewithLinda  Facebook Fan Page:  http://dld.bz/LWYFacebookPage   Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/lyezak/Twitter: @LindaYezakAmazon Page:  http://dld.bz/LWYAmazonPage Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/LindaYezak LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lindawyezak/
Thank you, Linda, for sharing this book with us. I have a lot of readers who will love your books.
Readers, here are links to the book.The Final Ride: A Circle Bar Ranch Novel[image error] - paperback
The Final Ride: A Circle Bar Ranch Novel (Circle Bar Ranch Series Book 2)[image error] - Kindle

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