Lena Nelson Dooley's Blog, page 167
December 27, 2015
WINNERS!!!!!!
JC (IN) is the winner of
What God Knew
by June Foster.
Karen G (NY) is the winner of Keeping Christmas by Dan Walsh.
Charis Z (PA) is the winner of At Love's Bidding by Regina Jennings.
Abby (MI) is the winner of Love's a Stage by Cheryl McKay and Rene Gutteridge.
BJM (SC) is the winner of No Longer an Orphan by Dana Stone.
Bonnie E (AZ) is the winner of Silent Night Deadly Night by Richard L Mabry, MD.
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 of the book you won, so I won't have to look it up.
Remember, you have 4 weeks to claim your book.
Karen G (NY) is the winner of Keeping Christmas by Dan Walsh.
Charis Z (PA) is the winner of At Love's Bidding by Regina Jennings.
Abby (MI) is the winner of Love's a Stage by Cheryl McKay and Rene Gutteridge.
BJM (SC) is the winner of No Longer an Orphan by Dana Stone.
Bonnie E (AZ) is the winner of Silent Night Deadly Night by Richard L Mabry, MD.
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 of the book you won, so I won't have to look it up.
Remember, you have 4 weeks to claim your book.
December 26, 2015
HER CANDY CANE CHRISTMAS - Bonnie Engstrom - One Free Book
Bio: Bonnie Engstrom and her psychologist husband, Dave, live in Arizona near four of their six grandchildren. The other two live in Costa Rica where they surf. But they share their Arizonahome with Sam and Lola, their two rescued mutts in charge of the household. She used to bake dozens of Christmas cookies in November and freeze them so she would have a lot to pass out to neighbors. Now … well, that was a long time ago. Instead of cookies for Christmas, she writes. Her Candy Cane Christmas is set in Newport Beach, California, where her family was raised and where they have many fond Christmas memories; it is perfect for gift giving. Or for just cuddling up by the fire for an inspiring romance read.
She hopes you enjoy it and will also gift it to a special female in your life. Don’t forget to leave an honest review on Amazon.
Welcome back, Bonnie. God has really been moving in your writing life. What do you see on the horizon?Sometimes, I wish I could see in the future. But, prophesying is not one of my gifts. I have started a sequel to Butterfly Dreams, my debut novel – only got through several chapters, then set it aside when I started to write
Her Candy Cane Christmas
. Now I’m excited about writing a whole novella collection based on Candy Cane. There are enough characters in it that their stories could go on for a very long time. I’m writing Cindy’s story now for a Valentine Day release. But one would have to read
Her Candy Cane Christmas
to know who Cindy is.
Tell us a little about your family.For many years another friend and I were the only two in our Bible study without grandchildren. I clung to Psalm 37, the part about desires of your heart. Ten years ago, God blessed me with our first grandchild, an adorable girl. Then God gave us the explosion! Three more siblings for her (a sister and boy/girl twins) and two darling boys in Costa Rica. I also have four black grand cats, two in Arizona (Loco and Poco) with our daughter and two in Maryland (Riley and Blackie) with our son and daughter-in-law, and a grand dog, Lucy a French Bulldog, in Costa Rica. Plus, our own twosome, two adopted mutts.
Please rescue and adopt a pet and give it a forever home. We’ve even had a rescued love bird and a turtle. Only drawback is you can’t cuddle them.
Our mutts, Lola and Sam. Lola just had extensive back surgery - $7500!
Oops, I do have a husband, Dave, of fifty years. He is the most important. He is a shrink (psychologist) and a drummer. Also the resident chef. His chicken and salmon dishes are divine.
Has your writing changed your reading habits? If so, how?Not really. I read every night before bed for about two hours; read mostly romances, but lately as a diversion, I’ve been reading silly cat mysteries.
What are you working on right now?I guess I answered that in your first question. But, I hope your readers will look in January for my Valentine story (as yet un-named). Maybe you will be willing to host me again for that book?
Of course. Email me when you have a title and a pub date. What outside interests do you have?Not much time for any, except Bible study and helping with four grandchildren. For thirty-five years I was super involved in PTA and held five presidencies, including a school-district-wide one. Education has always been very important to me. Now, it seems like I’m either helping in a grandchild’s classroom or attending a spelling bee or a fifth grade concert. I do moderate two online prayer chains, and that sometimes takes up a lot of time.
How do you choose your settings for each book?Almost all of my stories are set either in Newport Beach where we lived for forty years or in Scottsdale where we live now. I do have a future Christmas novella set in Cambridge Springs, Pennsylvania, where my family vacationed when I was a child. A novel that is waiting to be revised is partially set in Swedenwhere Dave’s and my ancestors hailed from. I like familiar.
My stories are all character driven, so I like my characters to evolve in the environs I know so well. However, I still have to do some research to make each setting authentic.
If you could spend an evening with one historical person, who would it be and why?It would probably be John F. Kennedy. Dave and I were at George Washington University in D.C. when he was assassinated, and he made a huge impression on me. That’s a tough question, Lena. It would also be fascinating to spend time with Salinger or Shakespeare or F. Scott Fitzgerald. Any well-known contemporary author. It would be fascinating to learn how their stories evolved.
What is the one thing you wish you had known before you started writing novels?How time consuming editing is. I actually go over each novel or novella laboriously about five times before turning it in to my publisher. I’m sure I still miss some errors. In fact, Cynthia Hickey, my publisher at Forget Me Not Romances, caught one immediately in Her Candy Cane Christmas . I missed spelling “once” correctly, spelled it “ounce.” Yikes!
What new lessons is the Lord teaching you right now?Trust and patience. Two of my children are going through divorce. Because that affects the grandchildren, I worry, I pray, I worry, I pray. Then, I trust.
Things like that are really hard. I have a grandson who is divorced, so I know. What are the three best things you can tell other authors to do to be successful?What I just said above. Have patience, trust, pray, and keep writing. Of course attend conferences and make connections with other writers, especially through American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW). That’s where I met Cynthia Hickey who is now my publisher at Forget Me Not Romances.
Tell us about the featured book. I wanted the title to be Her California Candy Cane Christmas, but publisher said “no.” Still, she put A California Romance on the cover. And, as I always do, I include real people in my stories as minor characters. That makes it more fun for me, and hopefully for them. Of course, they each get a complimentary, signed print copy.
About the story:Noelle Day finally has the courage to break off her ill-fated engagement with her volatile fiancé and cancel their Christmas wedding. It’s embarrassing, and she has to share the humiliating reason with her friends The Candy Canes. The other five girls were to be her attendants in red taffeta gowns.
When she faints and falls into the arms of Braydon Lovejoy, the now former wedding florist, Braydon is confused by her abrupt manner. Who is this beautiful woman with the sepia hair and the huge brown eyes? Is she a damsel in distress as he suspects by the yellow bruise on her wrist?
When he backs his delivery van into her precious red car, he’s sure she would never go out with him, especially since he was hired to deliver a huge bouquet of roses to her from a secret admirer.
Noelle is confused how to respond when Bruce, the school principal, physically forces himself on her. After all, he is her boss, and she’s just a first year English teacher.
She finally accepts a lunch date with Braydon, and he takes her to ShermanGardens in Corona del Mar, California where she learns he is the local rose expert. But Noelle worries their friendship is happening too fast and calls a respite.
One of the Candy Canes has a tragic accident, and the women bond together. But Braydon, who is not sure why he is involved, becomes their anchor.
Will Braydon’s prayers heal the hurts, physically and emotionally? Will the injured Candy Cane forgive the woman who caused her accident, the woman who is related to Bruce the principal?
Will Noelle ever have her California Candy Cane Christmas?
Please give us the first page of the book.Newport Beach, CaliforniaNOELLE pumped on the brakes and surveyed the string of cars through the fog on her windshield. The sea mist was especially heavy this afternoon. She slammed her palm against the leather-covered steering wheel and gnawed on her lip. Why had she taken MacArthur Boulevard to the Coast Highway today? Is this the first day of the Christmas Boat Parade weekend? No, that’s not until December. This is only the Friday before Thanksgiving – not yet holiday season.
Yet, it was in full swing. Must be stuff like the fifteen decorated Christmas trees for charity at the Fairmont Hotel and the special Thanksgiving event of the film festival. So much was always happening in this tourist town. Even Rogers Gardens had started its opulent annual boutique that attracted so many out of towners.
She had read about all the events in the Daily Navigator, but in her stressful frame of mind she’d forgotten. I could have avoided Corona del Mar completely by taking surface streets and Newport Coast Drive. Still, I would have passed Rogers Gardenson San Joaquin Hills Roadand had to deal with the tourist buses. She gripped the steering wheel with damp hands. Either way, I will be late for my appointment with the florist. I hate that.
Jill, her now former wedding coordinator, said the florist was forgiving, but Noelle lived for punctuality. Her mother said she was a bit obsessive about it, but she didn’t care. Being on time was a matter of courtesy. If only the faculty meeting hadn’t lasted so long. Then the principal followed her to her car chatting and constantly touching her arm. Maybe she should have left early. But, as the new teacher that would have made her look bad. Canceling her wedding just a month before the planned date made her look bad enough.
The cars inched forward along Pacific Coast Highway, truly inched, giving Noelle no way to change lanes or get out of the mess. She would be at least twenty minutes late. Maybe thirty.
Finally! The Persian rug store and a few niche restaurants came into view, including Rothchild’s. At last she was turning south. She passed the Starbucks at the corner of Marguerite Avenue where three tiny tables were crowded with bundled-up patrons each holding a dog leash, and amazingly, sleeping dogs. What gives with that? Guess those people aren’t going to any tourist events. Smart move.
The light finally turned green and Noelle’s little car crept past the Five Crowns Restaurant and through the last clogged intersection of Corona del Mar. Breathing a sigh of relief, she gunned the gas and sped past the open spaces. The endless Pacific Ocean on her right spouted huge waves that rolled in to spit up on the sand below the bluffs. It was a beautiful sight she never tired of, although she seldom saw it anymore.
She passed the Sugar Shake Shack and memories flooded her brain. The girls from her swim team had pulled into the sand lot in front of it. They were tired and smelled of chlorine from the high school pool, but they’d won. Their relay team, dubbed the Candy Canes because of their red and white striped swimsuits, was responsible for Vista del Mar High School taking the All-state title. She’d thought Coach Douglas might have a heart attack, he was so excited. He’d hugged each of them, all the team members, not just the relay team, then slipped a twenty into each of the Candy Canes’ hands.
How can readers find you on the Internet?My website is www.bonnieengstrom.comand my Facebook author page is https://www.facebook.com/bonnieengstromauthor?ref=aymt_homepage_panel
I hope readers will sign up for my newsletter that will begin quarterly in January. There is a signup link on my website.
But, my favorite way to connect is via email at bengstrom@hotmail.com. (Be sure to put the word BOOK or the title of the book in the subject line.) Of course Her Candy Cane Christmas and my other books can be found under my name on Amazon.
Did you know you can get a free Kindle App on Amazon, and read my novellas and novels on your computer? Give it a try.
Author’s note: My photo was taken by my ten-year-old granddaughter across the table during breakfast at IHOP. I think I should take her to the next ACFW conference to be the photographer.
Thank you, Bonnie, for sharing this new book with us.
Readers, 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. (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
She hopes you enjoy it and will also gift it to a special female in your life. Don’t forget to leave an honest review on Amazon.
Welcome back, Bonnie. God has really been moving in your writing life. What do you see on the horizon?Sometimes, I wish I could see in the future. But, prophesying is not one of my gifts. I have started a sequel to Butterfly Dreams, my debut novel – only got through several chapters, then set it aside when I started to write
Her Candy Cane Christmas
. Now I’m excited about writing a whole novella collection based on Candy Cane. There are enough characters in it that their stories could go on for a very long time. I’m writing Cindy’s story now for a Valentine Day release. But one would have to read
Her Candy Cane Christmas
to know who Cindy is.Tell us a little about your family.For many years another friend and I were the only two in our Bible study without grandchildren. I clung to Psalm 37, the part about desires of your heart. Ten years ago, God blessed me with our first grandchild, an adorable girl. Then God gave us the explosion! Three more siblings for her (a sister and boy/girl twins) and two darling boys in Costa Rica. I also have four black grand cats, two in Arizona (Loco and Poco) with our daughter and two in Maryland (Riley and Blackie) with our son and daughter-in-law, and a grand dog, Lucy a French Bulldog, in Costa Rica. Plus, our own twosome, two adopted mutts.
Please rescue and adopt a pet and give it a forever home. We’ve even had a rescued love bird and a turtle. Only drawback is you can’t cuddle them.
Our mutts, Lola and Sam. Lola just had extensive back surgery - $7500!Oops, I do have a husband, Dave, of fifty years. He is the most important. He is a shrink (psychologist) and a drummer. Also the resident chef. His chicken and salmon dishes are divine.
Has your writing changed your reading habits? If so, how?Not really. I read every night before bed for about two hours; read mostly romances, but lately as a diversion, I’ve been reading silly cat mysteries.
What are you working on right now?I guess I answered that in your first question. But, I hope your readers will look in January for my Valentine story (as yet un-named). Maybe you will be willing to host me again for that book?
Of course. Email me when you have a title and a pub date. What outside interests do you have?Not much time for any, except Bible study and helping with four grandchildren. For thirty-five years I was super involved in PTA and held five presidencies, including a school-district-wide one. Education has always been very important to me. Now, it seems like I’m either helping in a grandchild’s classroom or attending a spelling bee or a fifth grade concert. I do moderate two online prayer chains, and that sometimes takes up a lot of time.
How do you choose your settings for each book?Almost all of my stories are set either in Newport Beach where we lived for forty years or in Scottsdale where we live now. I do have a future Christmas novella set in Cambridge Springs, Pennsylvania, where my family vacationed when I was a child. A novel that is waiting to be revised is partially set in Swedenwhere Dave’s and my ancestors hailed from. I like familiar.
My stories are all character driven, so I like my characters to evolve in the environs I know so well. However, I still have to do some research to make each setting authentic.
If you could spend an evening with one historical person, who would it be and why?It would probably be John F. Kennedy. Dave and I were at George Washington University in D.C. when he was assassinated, and he made a huge impression on me. That’s a tough question, Lena. It would also be fascinating to spend time with Salinger or Shakespeare or F. Scott Fitzgerald. Any well-known contemporary author. It would be fascinating to learn how their stories evolved.
What is the one thing you wish you had known before you started writing novels?How time consuming editing is. I actually go over each novel or novella laboriously about five times before turning it in to my publisher. I’m sure I still miss some errors. In fact, Cynthia Hickey, my publisher at Forget Me Not Romances, caught one immediately in Her Candy Cane Christmas . I missed spelling “once” correctly, spelled it “ounce.” Yikes!
What new lessons is the Lord teaching you right now?Trust and patience. Two of my children are going through divorce. Because that affects the grandchildren, I worry, I pray, I worry, I pray. Then, I trust.
Things like that are really hard. I have a grandson who is divorced, so I know. What are the three best things you can tell other authors to do to be successful?What I just said above. Have patience, trust, pray, and keep writing. Of course attend conferences and make connections with other writers, especially through American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW). That’s where I met Cynthia Hickey who is now my publisher at Forget Me Not Romances.
Tell us about the featured book. I wanted the title to be Her California Candy Cane Christmas, but publisher said “no.” Still, she put A California Romance on the cover. And, as I always do, I include real people in my stories as minor characters. That makes it more fun for me, and hopefully for them. Of course, they each get a complimentary, signed print copy.About the story:Noelle Day finally has the courage to break off her ill-fated engagement with her volatile fiancé and cancel their Christmas wedding. It’s embarrassing, and she has to share the humiliating reason with her friends The Candy Canes. The other five girls were to be her attendants in red taffeta gowns.
When she faints and falls into the arms of Braydon Lovejoy, the now former wedding florist, Braydon is confused by her abrupt manner. Who is this beautiful woman with the sepia hair and the huge brown eyes? Is she a damsel in distress as he suspects by the yellow bruise on her wrist?
When he backs his delivery van into her precious red car, he’s sure she would never go out with him, especially since he was hired to deliver a huge bouquet of roses to her from a secret admirer.
Noelle is confused how to respond when Bruce, the school principal, physically forces himself on her. After all, he is her boss, and she’s just a first year English teacher.
She finally accepts a lunch date with Braydon, and he takes her to ShermanGardens in Corona del Mar, California where she learns he is the local rose expert. But Noelle worries their friendship is happening too fast and calls a respite.
One of the Candy Canes has a tragic accident, and the women bond together. But Braydon, who is not sure why he is involved, becomes their anchor.
Will Braydon’s prayers heal the hurts, physically and emotionally? Will the injured Candy Cane forgive the woman who caused her accident, the woman who is related to Bruce the principal?
Will Noelle ever have her California Candy Cane Christmas?
Please give us the first page of the book.Newport Beach, CaliforniaNOELLE pumped on the brakes and surveyed the string of cars through the fog on her windshield. The sea mist was especially heavy this afternoon. She slammed her palm against the leather-covered steering wheel and gnawed on her lip. Why had she taken MacArthur Boulevard to the Coast Highway today? Is this the first day of the Christmas Boat Parade weekend? No, that’s not until December. This is only the Friday before Thanksgiving – not yet holiday season.
Yet, it was in full swing. Must be stuff like the fifteen decorated Christmas trees for charity at the Fairmont Hotel and the special Thanksgiving event of the film festival. So much was always happening in this tourist town. Even Rogers Gardens had started its opulent annual boutique that attracted so many out of towners.
She had read about all the events in the Daily Navigator, but in her stressful frame of mind she’d forgotten. I could have avoided Corona del Mar completely by taking surface streets and Newport Coast Drive. Still, I would have passed Rogers Gardenson San Joaquin Hills Roadand had to deal with the tourist buses. She gripped the steering wheel with damp hands. Either way, I will be late for my appointment with the florist. I hate that.
Jill, her now former wedding coordinator, said the florist was forgiving, but Noelle lived for punctuality. Her mother said she was a bit obsessive about it, but she didn’t care. Being on time was a matter of courtesy. If only the faculty meeting hadn’t lasted so long. Then the principal followed her to her car chatting and constantly touching her arm. Maybe she should have left early. But, as the new teacher that would have made her look bad. Canceling her wedding just a month before the planned date made her look bad enough.
The cars inched forward along Pacific Coast Highway, truly inched, giving Noelle no way to change lanes or get out of the mess. She would be at least twenty minutes late. Maybe thirty.
Finally! The Persian rug store and a few niche restaurants came into view, including Rothchild’s. At last she was turning south. She passed the Starbucks at the corner of Marguerite Avenue where three tiny tables were crowded with bundled-up patrons each holding a dog leash, and amazingly, sleeping dogs. What gives with that? Guess those people aren’t going to any tourist events. Smart move.
The light finally turned green and Noelle’s little car crept past the Five Crowns Restaurant and through the last clogged intersection of Corona del Mar. Breathing a sigh of relief, she gunned the gas and sped past the open spaces. The endless Pacific Ocean on her right spouted huge waves that rolled in to spit up on the sand below the bluffs. It was a beautiful sight she never tired of, although she seldom saw it anymore.
She passed the Sugar Shake Shack and memories flooded her brain. The girls from her swim team had pulled into the sand lot in front of it. They were tired and smelled of chlorine from the high school pool, but they’d won. Their relay team, dubbed the Candy Canes because of their red and white striped swimsuits, was responsible for Vista del Mar High School taking the All-state title. She’d thought Coach Douglas might have a heart attack, he was so excited. He’d hugged each of them, all the team members, not just the relay team, then slipped a twenty into each of the Candy Canes’ hands.
How can readers find you on the Internet?My website is www.bonnieengstrom.comand my Facebook author page is https://www.facebook.com/bonnieengstromauthor?ref=aymt_homepage_panel
I hope readers will sign up for my newsletter that will begin quarterly in January. There is a signup link on my website.
But, my favorite way to connect is via email at bengstrom@hotmail.com. (Be sure to put the word BOOK or the title of the book in the subject line.) Of course Her Candy Cane Christmas and my other books can be found under my name on Amazon.
Did you know you can get a free Kindle App on Amazon, and read my novellas and novels on your computer? Give it a try.
Author’s note: My photo was taken by my ten-year-old granddaughter across the table during breakfast at IHOP. I think I should take her to the next ACFW conference to be the photographer.
Thank you, Bonnie, for sharing this new book with us.
Readers, 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. (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
December 25, 2015
MERRY CHRISTMAS - 2015 - One Free Book CHRISTMAS WITH LENA NELSON DOOLEY
Dear Readers, this is one of my favorite Christmas songs, sung by the songwriter.
I hope you are enjoying this holy holiday with family or friends. If you've ever clicked on the About Me tab on this page, you know how God called me to be a professional writer and author in May of 1984. Another thing happened that year you might like to know.
I was working as an auxiliary rural mail carrier at the time. It took James and I quite a while to process all that happened. By August, he told me that I should resign from my job if I wanted to and concentrate on the writing. I did, and I would receive my last paycheck in August.
Back then, there weren't very many Christian book and gift stores. So I was looking at a catalog from a company in Siloam Springs, Arkansas, that had Christian gifts and cards. I had decided to order Christian Christmas cards with that last paycheck.
God spoke to my heart. "What are you doing?"
I knew that He already knew, but I told Him, "I thought You'd be happy that I'm ordering Christian Christmas cards." And He assured me that He was glad I was heading that direction.
But He told me that He wanted me to use the gift He had given me to bless other people at Christmas. That was the first year I wrote a Christmas short story and used it as our Christmas card. I also printed up copies and gave them to to people all through the holiday season. I have only missed 2 or 3 years since 1984, when life got in the way.
After about 10 years, I make a printed book of the previous stories and bound it with a coil binder. I still have a few of them. I will give away a copy of that.
About 3 years ago, I published all the stories up to that time in a Kindle book, 24 Christmases, which is still available. If you order one, email or message me on Facebook, and I print up copies of all the stories since then and mail them to you.
Here is this year's story:
Marjorie’s Christmas Prayer
by ECPA and CBA bestselling author Lena Nelson Dooley
Tears leaked from Marjorie Burns’ eyes as she stared out the window at the impenetrable curtain of white masking all the buildings outside her hospital room. She felt trapped in a sea of loneliness, and the shore was too far away to try the swim. Just thinking about her last name opened the door to the secret place deep inside her where she had stuffed the happenings of the last few days. She wrinkled her nose at the remembered smell of smoke. Or was that odor still hanging around because her hair hadn’t been washed since the ordeal?
Yesterday, the doctor indicated that she probably would go home today. Home? She no longer had one. Waking up on a gurney outside her flaming rented house had changed her forever. For the first time in her life, she was homeless, and everything she owned had been consumed by the hungry blaze. Even her paycheck she received that day, which contained a bonus for good work.
Questions bombarded her. Where could she go? She had no family anywhere.
Last Christmas, she was still a newlywed. She and Scott had married in October, and she was on top of the world. After being raised in an orphanage, she met her husband when she moved out on her own. They both had jobs, and nothing else mattered, because they were so in love. They reveled in the newness of married life. Scenes from that life flashed across the screen of her mind like a slide show, racing toward that fateful day in March.
When her husband hadn’t come home that evening, she stayed up all night waiting for him. Surely he hadn’t left her already. Nothing had been wrong that morning when they parted. In their few months together, they had never quarreled. Their togetherness was too new and precious.
She had just removed a cup of instant coffee from the microwave when the doorbell rang. Her heart leapt within her. Scott was ho ... Scott wouldn’t ring the doorbell. A heavy sense of premonition wrapped around her almost squeezing the life out of her. Marjorie’s hesitant steps led to the door.
“Who’s there?” She didn’t want to open the door to trouble.
“It’s Sergeant Lopez.” A strong feminine voice sounded from the other side.
Police never brought good news, did they? She pulled the door open to see two officers, a man accompanied the woman. “How can I help you?” Fear quivered her heart.
With a compassionate expression on her face, the woman stepped through the door. “Could we sit down?”
Marjorie knew what was coming, but her mind denied it. “Just tell me what happened.”
“We have some bad news, Mrs. Burns.” The man’s voice was as compassionate as the woman’s. “Maybe you should sit down.”
Her body obeyed, slumping onto the edge of the sofa. The other two followed, the man sitting in Scott’s favorite chair and the woman near her.
“A drunk driver hit your husband’s car head-on ...” Those were the last words she heard before she fainted.
After several months, Marjorie had been unable to get over the death of her husband. Everywhere she went, memories of them together at one place or another brought so much pain. So she moved to the Dallas/Ft. Worth Metroplex. She had worked temp assignments just to get by. The pain of grief kept overcoming her, so her work was erratic. She barely made it.
Finally, two weeks ago, she got a permanent job. She rented the tiny house with the money from her last temp assignment. She had made sure the house had smoke detectors before she decided to rent it.
The day of the fire was her first payday. Now she was not only alone, but destitute. Since she hadn’t showed up to work the last three days, she was sure her employer had replaced her. After all, the Christmas season was too busy to leave a position like hers open.
Now the tears streamed down her face, dampening the hospital gown she wore. She used the top edge of the sheet and wiped her face. Her life hadn’t been easy before, and now Marjorie felt as if she were at the bottom of a deep pit with no way out.
Yesterday, the hospital Chaplain had spent quite a while talking to her, answering her questions, and praying for her. She could see no way out of her hole, but if the man was right, God loved her.
She closed her eyes and tried to block out everything else. The Chaplain said that God was with her even in this hospital room. “God, if you’re real, I need you.” She spoke the words aloud. “I don’t want to have to go to a homeless shelter. I don’t know where I’ll even get clothes to wear to leave the hospital. The Chaplain said you are a god of miracles. I need a miracle today. Please ...”
Her shoulders shook as she sobbed. Very slowly ... the deep sense of abandonment and depression began to lift. No bright light. No answer to her problems. But she didn’t feel so alone, as if some kind of presence she couldn’t see was in the room with her. A presence that brought relief. As the abandonment and depression departed, so did her crying. And she fell into a deep, peaceful sleep.
Later she awakened to soft voices conversing outside her room. She couldn’t understand the words, but the sound was comforting somehow.
A knock sounded on her door. “Mrs. Burns, may we come in?”
She recognized the voice of the Chaplain and pulled the sheet up to cover all but her shoulders. “Yes.”
One of the hospital social workers accompanied him, and a couple followed behind. They were strangers, and both of them carried large sacks full of something.
Mrs. Hart, the social worker, approached her carrying a clipboard. “The doctor said he wants to release you, and I’ve been seeking sources of help, so we could.”
“Then these people approached me.” The Chaplain gestured toward the strangers. “I think you’ll find what they have to say interesting.”
“I want you to meet–” Mrs. Hart glanced down at the clipboard. “–Ginger and Frank Stoddard. We’ll leave you to visit, and I’ll be at the nurse’s station. Just ring for a nurse if you need me.”
After the Chaplain and social worker left, Mrs. Stoddard moved closer to her bed. “I hope you don’t mind us coming to see you. This morning in my quiet time with the Lord, He spoke to my heart about you.”
Her words stunned Marjorie. Hadn’t she just that morning cried out to God for help. Is this an answer to her prayer?
“Frank and I often help people, especially at the holidays. We believe you are the person we’re to help this year ... and maybe longer, if you’ll let us.”
What could she possibly mean? “How did you know about me?”
“Our son is a fireman. He’s the one who went into the burning house to rescue you?” Ginger’s smile revealed how proud she was of her son.
Marjorie hadn’t realized a fireman risked his life to save her. “Is he alright?”
Frank moved close to his wife. “He’s fine, but you weren’t. You were sleeping right through the fire.”
Amazed, Marjorie blurted, “Why didn’t the smoke alarms wake me up?”
Frank frowned. “According to the fire investigator, although they found residue from the smoke alarms, they didn’t find evidence of batteries in them. Your landlord is being investigated right now to see if he was at fault.”
That explained a lot to Marjorie. I could have died! “I wish I could thank your son for saving me.”
Ginger’s smile widened. “You’ll get that chance if you agree with our plan.”
“What do you mean?”
The woman started taking clothing, shoes, and toiletries from the bag she carried. A lot of clothes. “According to the nurses, these should fit you. I hope you like them. If you don’t, we can take them back and exchange them for styles you do like.”
All the clothing she removed from the bag was much nicer than anything Marjorie had ever worn. Her heart melted. God had sent these angels of mercy to help with some of her needs. Thank you, God.
Frank cleared his throat. “We’d like to sort of adopt you as our daughter.”
Ginger sat down in the chair beside the bed. “We had a daughter, who is already in heaven. I’ve wanted another daughter, and I believe God is giving us a chance to have one, if you agree. We’d love for you to move into our home and stay as long as you need to get on your feet. And we hope that you’ll feel welcome to be part of our family for the rest of your life.”
Marjorie mulled over those thoughts. The Chaplain had said something about God adopting the people who believed on Jesus into His family. This was something like that ... but different. If God sent them to her, this was the answer to her frantic prayer earlier that morning. Living with these people could help her learn more about God and Jesus, since they already knew them. This should be a no-brainer for her ... and it was.
“Yes, I’d like to be a part of your family.” She was no longer homeless and unloved.
©Copyright 2015 - Lena Nelson Dooley
Here's another of my favorite Christmas songs, sung by the songwriter:
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!!
Readers, leave a comment for a chance to win a free copy of the Ebook. And please share with us some of your favorite Christmas traditions or music. You must follow these instructions to be in the drawing. Please tell us where you live, at least the state or territory. (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
December 24, 2015
GUARDED - Angela Correll - One Free Book
Dear Readers, here’s another author, who is new to the blog.
Welcome, Angela. Tell us how much of yourself you write into your characters.The two female main characters in Guarded and Grounded have a lot of me in them, yet we are also very different. They are both a mixture of women I know well, family members, friends, and myself included.
What is the quirkiest thing you have ever done?I own a retail shop making goat milk soap and we recently renovated hotel rooms as part of our hospitality business, so I work around a lot of folks from construction guys to the girls in the shop. I am constantly playing pranks on them with fake rattlesnakes, a remote control tarantula, fake dead rats, etc. Sometimes they get me back.
When did you first discover that you were a writer?After taking a creative writing class through community education, I participated with my classmates in providing a monthly column for the local weekly paper. I was paid $10 per column and that made me feel like a real writer!
Tell us the range of the kinds of books you enjoy reading.I love cozy mysteries and anything British pre-1950 and am presently working my way through the classics and I also enjoy poetry here and there. Some of my favorite novelists are the ones who have a poetry background. Their prose is simply beautiful!
How do you keep your sanity in our run, run, run world?The times I am most balanced are when I compartmentalize the many things coming at me: a time for this and a time for that. Then I can truly focus on what’s in front of me. I also find my day is much more balanced when I protect that time of prayer and devotion first thing in the morning.
How do you choose your characters’ names?If I hear an interesting name, I will write it down in a notebook. In Guarded , there is a character named Vesta. I heard this name years ago and wrote it down because I knew I wanted to use it at some point. I thought it sounded so country, yet also had sophistication to it.
What is the accomplishment that you are most proud of?My dad had Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma and became very ill at the end, but we were able to keep him in his home and care for him there until his death. Honestly, that’s the thing I’m most proud of, that even though it took sacrifice, he could stay in a comfortable place surrounded by his family.
If you were an animal, which one would you be, and why?A horse. They are so majestic and beautiful, smart and fast. There’s nothing more beautiful to me than a horse running in a pasture, mane and tail flying.
What is your favorite food?Ethiopian, Doro Wat to be exact.
What is the problem with writing that was your greatest roadblock, and how did you overcome it?Believing that it was worth the time I had to spend to learn the craft. I worried that it was a waste of time because I might not be able to do it. Then I realized I couldn’t imagine my life without writing. At that point, I gave it everything. I am still learning and growing, but the main thing is perseverance, not talent.
Any writer who doesn’t continue to hone their craft will have their writing start to deteriorate. Tell us about the featured book.
Guarded
is about former New York City flight attendant, Annie Taylor, who is adjusting to farm life and a new relationship when the fate of the old stone house is threatened after a summer fire makes restoration seem impossible.
As she works to save her childhood home, she finds letters written during World War II that reveal a family mystery and an Italian connection. Her grandmother is hesitant to uncover the secret, afraid of what it might mean to her family’s name if they discover the truth.
Meanwhile, Annie’s boyfriend Jake, is jumping headlong into sustainable farming on the land next door. Their new relationship is wonderful—but can it last? As they take steps forward, her paralyzing fear of abandonment threatens to destroy her trust in Jake.
As the family mystery unfolds in Italy, Annie is forced to face her own past. Will she let history sabotage the future?
Please give us the first page of the book.THE OLD STONE house looked solemn in the September afternoon. Even the birds were quiet, as if in respect for its suffering. Annie stared at charred stones, glassless windows, and a scorched chimney jutting into the blue sky, all evidence of the fiery injustice done only weeks ago.
Glass in the fanlight window over the front door was gone, a casualty of the water pressure that night as men guided hoses to the fire in the upstairs room. There was no time then to think of collateral damage. The goal was to save the house.
The door stood slightly ajar. Annie slipped inside, her running shoes crunching on pieces of glass, the stench of smoke still heavy in the air. They had left the house just as it was after the fire, not daring to move anything out until the insurance company had done its own investigation. Now it was disappointingly over, with no prize at the end of the waiting. The check her grandmother received was a fraction of the repair estimates.
“Well, that’s that,” her grandmother had said.
For all her love of heritage, home, and family, Annie knew Beulah was ultimately a frugal realist. To counter her own disappointment, Annie went for her daily run through the barn lot, following the farm lane to the stone house, as if the house might tell her how it could be saved.
How can readers find you on the Internet?
My website is: www.angelacorrell.comOf course, both Guarded and my first book Groundedare available from Amazon and other online booksellers.
Thank you, Angela, for sharing this new book with us. I know my readers will be eager to read it.
Readers, here are links to the book. By using one when you order, you help support this blog.Guarded
- Paperback
Guarded - Kindle
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. (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
Welcome, Angela. Tell us how much of yourself you write into your characters.The two female main characters in Guarded and Grounded have a lot of me in them, yet we are also very different. They are both a mixture of women I know well, family members, friends, and myself included.What is the quirkiest thing you have ever done?I own a retail shop making goat milk soap and we recently renovated hotel rooms as part of our hospitality business, so I work around a lot of folks from construction guys to the girls in the shop. I am constantly playing pranks on them with fake rattlesnakes, a remote control tarantula, fake dead rats, etc. Sometimes they get me back.
When did you first discover that you were a writer?After taking a creative writing class through community education, I participated with my classmates in providing a monthly column for the local weekly paper. I was paid $10 per column and that made me feel like a real writer!
Tell us the range of the kinds of books you enjoy reading.I love cozy mysteries and anything British pre-1950 and am presently working my way through the classics and I also enjoy poetry here and there. Some of my favorite novelists are the ones who have a poetry background. Their prose is simply beautiful!
How do you keep your sanity in our run, run, run world?The times I am most balanced are when I compartmentalize the many things coming at me: a time for this and a time for that. Then I can truly focus on what’s in front of me. I also find my day is much more balanced when I protect that time of prayer and devotion first thing in the morning.
How do you choose your characters’ names?If I hear an interesting name, I will write it down in a notebook. In Guarded , there is a character named Vesta. I heard this name years ago and wrote it down because I knew I wanted to use it at some point. I thought it sounded so country, yet also had sophistication to it.
What is the accomplishment that you are most proud of?My dad had Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma and became very ill at the end, but we were able to keep him in his home and care for him there until his death. Honestly, that’s the thing I’m most proud of, that even though it took sacrifice, he could stay in a comfortable place surrounded by his family.
If you were an animal, which one would you be, and why?A horse. They are so majestic and beautiful, smart and fast. There’s nothing more beautiful to me than a horse running in a pasture, mane and tail flying.
What is your favorite food?Ethiopian, Doro Wat to be exact.
What is the problem with writing that was your greatest roadblock, and how did you overcome it?Believing that it was worth the time I had to spend to learn the craft. I worried that it was a waste of time because I might not be able to do it. Then I realized I couldn’t imagine my life without writing. At that point, I gave it everything. I am still learning and growing, but the main thing is perseverance, not talent.
Any writer who doesn’t continue to hone their craft will have their writing start to deteriorate. Tell us about the featured book.
Guarded
is about former New York City flight attendant, Annie Taylor, who is adjusting to farm life and a new relationship when the fate of the old stone house is threatened after a summer fire makes restoration seem impossible.As she works to save her childhood home, she finds letters written during World War II that reveal a family mystery and an Italian connection. Her grandmother is hesitant to uncover the secret, afraid of what it might mean to her family’s name if they discover the truth.
Meanwhile, Annie’s boyfriend Jake, is jumping headlong into sustainable farming on the land next door. Their new relationship is wonderful—but can it last? As they take steps forward, her paralyzing fear of abandonment threatens to destroy her trust in Jake.
As the family mystery unfolds in Italy, Annie is forced to face her own past. Will she let history sabotage the future?
Please give us the first page of the book.THE OLD STONE house looked solemn in the September afternoon. Even the birds were quiet, as if in respect for its suffering. Annie stared at charred stones, glassless windows, and a scorched chimney jutting into the blue sky, all evidence of the fiery injustice done only weeks ago.
Glass in the fanlight window over the front door was gone, a casualty of the water pressure that night as men guided hoses to the fire in the upstairs room. There was no time then to think of collateral damage. The goal was to save the house.
The door stood slightly ajar. Annie slipped inside, her running shoes crunching on pieces of glass, the stench of smoke still heavy in the air. They had left the house just as it was after the fire, not daring to move anything out until the insurance company had done its own investigation. Now it was disappointingly over, with no prize at the end of the waiting. The check her grandmother received was a fraction of the repair estimates.
“Well, that’s that,” her grandmother had said.
For all her love of heritage, home, and family, Annie knew Beulah was ultimately a frugal realist. To counter her own disappointment, Annie went for her daily run through the barn lot, following the farm lane to the stone house, as if the house might tell her how it could be saved.
How can readers find you on the Internet?
My website is: www.angelacorrell.comOf course, both Guarded and my first book Groundedare available from Amazon and other online booksellers.
Thank you, Angela, for sharing this new book with us. I know my readers will be eager to read it.
Readers, here are links to the book. By using one when you order, you help support this blog.Guarded
- PaperbackGuarded - Kindle
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. (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
December 23, 2015
RIVERBEND JUSTICE - Henry McLaughlin - One Free Ebook
Bio: Henry’s novel, Journey to Riverbend, won the Operation First Novel award sponsored by the Christian Writers Guild and was published by Tyndale House in January, 2011.
Henry writes in historical, contemporary, and fantasy. In his stories, he explores the themes of reconciliation and restoration. He seeks to bring his characters’He is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and serves as Associate Director of North Texas Christian Writers. Henry regularly teaches at conferences and workshops, leads writing groups, edits, and mentors and coaches.
In addition to his writing, Henry treasures working with other writers and helping them on their own writing journeys.
Publishers Weeklyhas tagged him as “one to watch.”
Welcome back, Henry. Why do you write the kind of books you do?One of my favorite authors, Elizabeth George, once said, “I write because I was meant to write, I was called to write, I was told to write. I write because that’s who I am.”
I write in response to call on me to be a writer. My work explores the themes of restoration, reconciliation, and redemption. My characters are all flawed even if they don’t appear that way on the outside. Like real people, they carry internal wounds that need to be healed. These wounds affect how they live in my stories, how they deal with conflict and tension, how they handle relationships, how they face death.
A valuable lesson I learned from James Scott Bell is that my main characters must face death in some form. It can be physical, professional, or psychological/spiritual death. To achieve their story goals of the first paragraph, my characters must overcome challenges that could kill them in some way.
I want my readers to be entertained by my stories. So I write the best story I can. And I also want them to be touched by the events and the emotions my characters experience. In some small way, I hope the experience of my stories will encourage them in their own lives.
Besides when you came to know the Lord, what is the happiest day in your life?November 28, 1968. This is the day I married my wife, Linda. She has been my anchor, my best friend, the person who puts up with all my quirks and still loves me. No matter how difficult the situation we face, she provides exactly what I need to come through it successfully.
How has being published changed your life?It has made me more aware of responsibilities we novelists face to tell the best story we possibly can, to explore the human condition by making our characters as real as possible, to provide the reader with entertainment but to also encourage the reader, to provide through my characters hope that the reader can also overcome what seem like insurmountable obstacles.
What are you reading right now?I am currently reading Every Crooked Path by Steven James.I just finished Iscariotby Tosca Lee.On my reading pile is Deal Breaker by Harlan Coben.My Nook and Kindle apps are loaded with authors I really like and new authors I’m looking to explore.My tastes are eclectic. There are only a few genres I don’t enjoy reading.
What is your current work in progress?I am writing book three of a fantasy series. Fantasy and science fiction have long been among my favorite genres to read but I hesitated to write it until I was challenged by my writing partners. Now I enjoy sitting down every day with my characters and exploring the story and the story world they’ve led me into.
In a nutshell:Lord Fallon, commander of the king’s armies, discovers he is the father of two children he didn’t know he had.
The dark forces seeking to conquer the land demand the children and the powers they possess. Now he must take the children to the one place of safety in the world and come up with a plan to defeat the evil powers.
What would be your dream vacation?A month in Ireland. Rent a car and explore the land of my ancestors.
How do you choose your settings for each book?I ask myself which story world best fits the story I’m trying to tell. It can be contemporary Fort Worth or a small town in the Old West. It can be a completely invented world. It can be as big as the earth or as small as a living room.
Then the details of the setting grow out of the story. I let my characters show me the story world as they live (and die) in it. This makes the story world more intricate and complex because they know it and they unveil the nuances I might otherwise miss.
In my Riverbend Saga series, the first book, Journey to Riverbend, and the new release, Riverbend Justice , best fit in a Western setting. The setting needed the large spaces and the long travel times to give the story to unfold to its fullest.
My fantasy series requires a whole new world with unique geography and governments, conflict brought about by the environment, religious and political tension, magic, druids, and evil dark forces seeking to take over.
If you could spend an evening with one person who is currently alive, who would it be and why?I’ve been blessed to spend quality time with some excellent writers all of whom poured into me. People like Jerry B. Jenkins, DiAnn Mills, Brandilyn Collins, Steven James, and James Scott Bell to name a few.
In the writing world, my first choice would be Orson Scott Card. I would love the opportunity to discuss the craft with him. Ender’s Game and his Alvin Maker series are ones that I re-read and learn something new each time. His books on writing fantasy and science fiction and on character and viewpoint have been major influences. I would relish the opportunity to discuss all aspects of writing with him.
What are your hobbies, besides writing and reading?I enjoy traveling, especially to visit our kids who are scattered over the eastern half of the country. I also enjoy taking road trips to explore new places. I’m looking forward to visiting the Grand Canyon for the first time.
What is your most difficult writing obstacle, and how do you overcome it?Procrastination and giving in to distractions that keep me from my work. One of my strategies for overcoming it is to use Writing Blasts. A writing buddy and I developed this while doing National Write a Novel in a Month (NANOWRIMO) in 2014. I set a timer for one hour, and I write until the alarm goes off. Then I give myself 10-15 minutes to do whatever I want. My goal is to complete three blasts during my morning writing time. When I do, I’ve got at least 1,800 words.
Another strategy I find very helpful is to restrict my time on email and social media to three thirty-minute blocks during the day. They are at 6:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m., and 6:30 p.m.
What advice would you give to a beginning author?Dorothy Parker is quoted as saying, “If you have any young friends who aspire to become writers, the second greatest favor you can do them is to present them with copies of The Elements of Style. The first greatest, of course, is to shoot them now, while they’re happy.”
Seriously, the one piece of advice I would give is Never Stop Learning.
Learn by writing. Write what you want to write. Write in other areas as well. If you write novels, try short stories and flash fiction. Write blog posts, articles, devotionals. Trying other genres and forms will sharpen your skill set.
Learn by reading. Read what you write. Read other genres. Read bestsellers. Don’t just read to be entertained. Attack the books with highlighter and pen. Study the books and how the authors did what they did. What worked for you in their writing and what didn’t? How can you apply this to your own work? Read books and magazines on the craft.
Learn by connecting with writing partners who will both challenge and encourage you. My five writing partners have taught me so much about being a writer and being a person.
Learn by attending conferences, workshops, and seminars. Open yourself to receiving from the best in the business.
Tell us about the featured book.This novel is book two in the Riverbend Sagas series. It follows Michael Archer and Rachel Stone into a new adventure where they seek to clear the name of a young man, Ben Carstairs, hung for a murder he didn’t commit.
It begins with Michael returning to Riverbend with the posse after failing to save Sam Carstairs from kidnappers.
Michael is wracked by guilt and shame over having killed again when he thought that aspect of his past was behind him. This threatens his relationship with Rachel and he decides to leave Riverbend because he is unworthy of her love.
Sam Carstairs’ dying wish is that Michael clear Ben’s name. Michael uses this as an excuse to leave Riverbend, leaving only vague promises to return. Rachel follows him after receiving a vision he is beaten and shot.
Michael with help from friends from the first book enters a world twisted beyond any he knew in his old life. Corruption, adultery, and criminals who believe they are above the law lead to more killing and a climax that threatens both Rachel and Michael.
Please give us the first page of the book.Monday, June 17, 1878He squeezed the trigger. Opened his eyes. Had he said a prayer? Was it granted or rejected when the kidnapper, Maria, slumped to the ground, dead at his hand? Why would God listen to the likes of me?
Michael Archer’s eyes focused on the flickering campfire, the heat warming his face, but his mind was back in that valley with its lush grass, gurgling streams and stench of death.
At the edge of his consciousness, he knew others moved around the camp, knew two sat at the fire with him.
“What time you figure we’ll get in tomorrow?” Jeremiah Turner, awkward in his sling, poured coffee into his tin cup. He blew across the surface before risking a tentative sip. “Late morning, I expect.” Bill Barkston scooped a spoonful of beans into his mouth. “Looking forward to seeing my wife and boy.” He looked at the wagon holding eight shrouded forms downwind from the campfire. “Ain’t looking forward to bringing sad news, though.” Jeremiah sat on his haunches. “Yeah. That part’s never easy. Especially this much.” He nodded across the fire. “How about you, Michael? You looking forward to seeing Rachel?” Michael started as if woken from a dream. His untouched plate of beans and bacon sat beside him. A stick was in his hand, random drawings in the dirt at his feet. Rachel? “Yeah. I guess so.” But would she want to see him? Once she knew what he’d done? He tossed the stick in the fire. “Excuse me.” He walked toward the trees where the horses were staked out. The conversation behind him followed the still night air. Jeremiah’s deep voice was soft and low. “He’s sure carrying a burden. Too heavy for one man, but he won’t share it with anyone.” “Reckon he will when he’s ready. If it don’t crush him first.” Bill’s spoon scraped the bottom of his tin plate. Michael stepped into the shadows of the trees, grateful to be away from the prying questions, the watchful, accusing eyes. His horse, Buddy, whinnied softly. Michael stroked the animal’s neck and buried his face in the mane. He waited.
The tears wouldn’t come. That well dried up during the days of the journey back, getting the wagon from the way station, retrieving the bodies of Vernon Phelps and his posse group. The lump in his chest grew heavier, the grief and shame pressed against him, his spirit bending, yielding, ready to break. A twig snapped. Michael froze. Maybe whoever it was wouldn’t see him.
How can readers find you on the Internet?http://www.henrymclaughlin.orghttps://www.facebook.com/henry.mclaughlin.79https://www.linkedin.com/in/henry-mclaughlin-a1320a28
https://twitter.com/riverbendsagas
Thank you, Henry, for sharing this new book with us. I know my readers will want to get ahold of a copy.
Readers, leave a comment for a chance to win a free copy of the Ebook. You must follow these instructions to be in the drawing. Please tell us where you live, at least the state or territory. (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
Henry writes in historical, contemporary, and fantasy. In his stories, he explores the themes of reconciliation and restoration. He seeks to bring his characters’He is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and serves as Associate Director of North Texas Christian Writers. Henry regularly teaches at conferences and workshops, leads writing groups, edits, and mentors and coaches.
In addition to his writing, Henry treasures working with other writers and helping them on their own writing journeys.
Publishers Weeklyhas tagged him as “one to watch.”
Welcome back, Henry. Why do you write the kind of books you do?One of my favorite authors, Elizabeth George, once said, “I write because I was meant to write, I was called to write, I was told to write. I write because that’s who I am.”I write in response to call on me to be a writer. My work explores the themes of restoration, reconciliation, and redemption. My characters are all flawed even if they don’t appear that way on the outside. Like real people, they carry internal wounds that need to be healed. These wounds affect how they live in my stories, how they deal with conflict and tension, how they handle relationships, how they face death.
A valuable lesson I learned from James Scott Bell is that my main characters must face death in some form. It can be physical, professional, or psychological/spiritual death. To achieve their story goals of the first paragraph, my characters must overcome challenges that could kill them in some way.
I want my readers to be entertained by my stories. So I write the best story I can. And I also want them to be touched by the events and the emotions my characters experience. In some small way, I hope the experience of my stories will encourage them in their own lives.
Besides when you came to know the Lord, what is the happiest day in your life?November 28, 1968. This is the day I married my wife, Linda. She has been my anchor, my best friend, the person who puts up with all my quirks and still loves me. No matter how difficult the situation we face, she provides exactly what I need to come through it successfully.
How has being published changed your life?It has made me more aware of responsibilities we novelists face to tell the best story we possibly can, to explore the human condition by making our characters as real as possible, to provide the reader with entertainment but to also encourage the reader, to provide through my characters hope that the reader can also overcome what seem like insurmountable obstacles.
What are you reading right now?I am currently reading Every Crooked Path by Steven James.I just finished Iscariotby Tosca Lee.On my reading pile is Deal Breaker by Harlan Coben.My Nook and Kindle apps are loaded with authors I really like and new authors I’m looking to explore.My tastes are eclectic. There are only a few genres I don’t enjoy reading.
What is your current work in progress?I am writing book three of a fantasy series. Fantasy and science fiction have long been among my favorite genres to read but I hesitated to write it until I was challenged by my writing partners. Now I enjoy sitting down every day with my characters and exploring the story and the story world they’ve led me into.
In a nutshell:Lord Fallon, commander of the king’s armies, discovers he is the father of two children he didn’t know he had.
The dark forces seeking to conquer the land demand the children and the powers they possess. Now he must take the children to the one place of safety in the world and come up with a plan to defeat the evil powers.
What would be your dream vacation?A month in Ireland. Rent a car and explore the land of my ancestors.
How do you choose your settings for each book?I ask myself which story world best fits the story I’m trying to tell. It can be contemporary Fort Worth or a small town in the Old West. It can be a completely invented world. It can be as big as the earth or as small as a living room.
Then the details of the setting grow out of the story. I let my characters show me the story world as they live (and die) in it. This makes the story world more intricate and complex because they know it and they unveil the nuances I might otherwise miss.
In my Riverbend Saga series, the first book, Journey to Riverbend, and the new release, Riverbend Justice , best fit in a Western setting. The setting needed the large spaces and the long travel times to give the story to unfold to its fullest.
My fantasy series requires a whole new world with unique geography and governments, conflict brought about by the environment, religious and political tension, magic, druids, and evil dark forces seeking to take over.
If you could spend an evening with one person who is currently alive, who would it be and why?I’ve been blessed to spend quality time with some excellent writers all of whom poured into me. People like Jerry B. Jenkins, DiAnn Mills, Brandilyn Collins, Steven James, and James Scott Bell to name a few.
In the writing world, my first choice would be Orson Scott Card. I would love the opportunity to discuss the craft with him. Ender’s Game and his Alvin Maker series are ones that I re-read and learn something new each time. His books on writing fantasy and science fiction and on character and viewpoint have been major influences. I would relish the opportunity to discuss all aspects of writing with him.
What are your hobbies, besides writing and reading?I enjoy traveling, especially to visit our kids who are scattered over the eastern half of the country. I also enjoy taking road trips to explore new places. I’m looking forward to visiting the Grand Canyon for the first time.
What is your most difficult writing obstacle, and how do you overcome it?Procrastination and giving in to distractions that keep me from my work. One of my strategies for overcoming it is to use Writing Blasts. A writing buddy and I developed this while doing National Write a Novel in a Month (NANOWRIMO) in 2014. I set a timer for one hour, and I write until the alarm goes off. Then I give myself 10-15 minutes to do whatever I want. My goal is to complete three blasts during my morning writing time. When I do, I’ve got at least 1,800 words.
Another strategy I find very helpful is to restrict my time on email and social media to three thirty-minute blocks during the day. They are at 6:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m., and 6:30 p.m.
What advice would you give to a beginning author?Dorothy Parker is quoted as saying, “If you have any young friends who aspire to become writers, the second greatest favor you can do them is to present them with copies of The Elements of Style. The first greatest, of course, is to shoot them now, while they’re happy.”
Seriously, the one piece of advice I would give is Never Stop Learning.
Learn by writing. Write what you want to write. Write in other areas as well. If you write novels, try short stories and flash fiction. Write blog posts, articles, devotionals. Trying other genres and forms will sharpen your skill set.
Learn by reading. Read what you write. Read other genres. Read bestsellers. Don’t just read to be entertained. Attack the books with highlighter and pen. Study the books and how the authors did what they did. What worked for you in their writing and what didn’t? How can you apply this to your own work? Read books and magazines on the craft.
Learn by connecting with writing partners who will both challenge and encourage you. My five writing partners have taught me so much about being a writer and being a person.
Learn by attending conferences, workshops, and seminars. Open yourself to receiving from the best in the business.
Tell us about the featured book.This novel is book two in the Riverbend Sagas series. It follows Michael Archer and Rachel Stone into a new adventure where they seek to clear the name of a young man, Ben Carstairs, hung for a murder he didn’t commit. It begins with Michael returning to Riverbend with the posse after failing to save Sam Carstairs from kidnappers.
Michael is wracked by guilt and shame over having killed again when he thought that aspect of his past was behind him. This threatens his relationship with Rachel and he decides to leave Riverbend because he is unworthy of her love.
Sam Carstairs’ dying wish is that Michael clear Ben’s name. Michael uses this as an excuse to leave Riverbend, leaving only vague promises to return. Rachel follows him after receiving a vision he is beaten and shot.
Michael with help from friends from the first book enters a world twisted beyond any he knew in his old life. Corruption, adultery, and criminals who believe they are above the law lead to more killing and a climax that threatens both Rachel and Michael.
Please give us the first page of the book.Monday, June 17, 1878He squeezed the trigger. Opened his eyes. Had he said a prayer? Was it granted or rejected when the kidnapper, Maria, slumped to the ground, dead at his hand? Why would God listen to the likes of me?
Michael Archer’s eyes focused on the flickering campfire, the heat warming his face, but his mind was back in that valley with its lush grass, gurgling streams and stench of death.
At the edge of his consciousness, he knew others moved around the camp, knew two sat at the fire with him.
“What time you figure we’ll get in tomorrow?” Jeremiah Turner, awkward in his sling, poured coffee into his tin cup. He blew across the surface before risking a tentative sip. “Late morning, I expect.” Bill Barkston scooped a spoonful of beans into his mouth. “Looking forward to seeing my wife and boy.” He looked at the wagon holding eight shrouded forms downwind from the campfire. “Ain’t looking forward to bringing sad news, though.” Jeremiah sat on his haunches. “Yeah. That part’s never easy. Especially this much.” He nodded across the fire. “How about you, Michael? You looking forward to seeing Rachel?” Michael started as if woken from a dream. His untouched plate of beans and bacon sat beside him. A stick was in his hand, random drawings in the dirt at his feet. Rachel? “Yeah. I guess so.” But would she want to see him? Once she knew what he’d done? He tossed the stick in the fire. “Excuse me.” He walked toward the trees where the horses were staked out. The conversation behind him followed the still night air. Jeremiah’s deep voice was soft and low. “He’s sure carrying a burden. Too heavy for one man, but he won’t share it with anyone.” “Reckon he will when he’s ready. If it don’t crush him first.” Bill’s spoon scraped the bottom of his tin plate. Michael stepped into the shadows of the trees, grateful to be away from the prying questions, the watchful, accusing eyes. His horse, Buddy, whinnied softly. Michael stroked the animal’s neck and buried his face in the mane. He waited.
The tears wouldn’t come. That well dried up during the days of the journey back, getting the wagon from the way station, retrieving the bodies of Vernon Phelps and his posse group. The lump in his chest grew heavier, the grief and shame pressed against him, his spirit bending, yielding, ready to break. A twig snapped. Michael froze. Maybe whoever it was wouldn’t see him.
How can readers find you on the Internet?http://www.henrymclaughlin.orghttps://www.facebook.com/henry.mclaughlin.79https://www.linkedin.com/in/henry-mclaughlin-a1320a28
https://twitter.com/riverbendsagas
Thank you, Henry, for sharing this new book with us. I know my readers will want to get ahold of a copy.
Readers, leave a comment for a chance to win a free copy of the Ebook. You must follow these instructions to be in the drawing. Please tell us where you live, at least the state or territory. (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
December 22, 2015
THE COMPLETE HEART SEEKERS SERIES (Bundled) - Jennifer Hallmark - One Free Ebook
Dear Readers, today I am interviewing one of the authors in The Complete Heart Seekers Series. There are a lot more authors. I've actually read two of the books in the series. I'll be glad to read them all together. I think you will, too.
Bio: Jennifer Hallmark has published articles, short stories and been part of four book compilations, A Dozen Apologies, Sweet Freedom A La Mode, Unlikely Merger, and Not Alone: A Literary and Spiritual Companion for Those Confronted with Infertility and Miscarriage. Jennifer’s website and the group blogshe co-founded focus on her books, love of the South, and helping writers.
Welcome, Jennifer. Tell us how much of yourself you write into your characters.A lot. I usually draw on feelings I had from situations I’ve lived through, both good and bad. It doesn’t have to be the same circumstance. Just the same emotion: happy, sad, angry, etc.
What is the quirkiest thing you have ever done?Hmm. By nature, I’m not too quirky. How’s this? I watch The Wizard of Oz, the 1939 version, yearly.
When did you first discover that you were a writer?When I was nine years old, our English assignment was to write and illustrate a book of poetry. I was enthralled but no poet. (Think the cat is fat and sat on a hat) J
Tell us the range of the kinds of books you enjoy reading.I read most genres of books. I love the Golden Age detective stories, fantasy, contemporary women’s fiction and non-fiction books, especially inspirational help and devotionals.
How do you keep your sanity in our run, run, run world?I set boundaries and try to stick to them. I’m introverted and my alone time is precious to me. I’m learning how to say no.
How do you choose your characters’ names?I usually go with what first comes to mind. Sometimes when I do that, they are too similar. Then I type in men’s or women’s names in a search engine and narrow it down. In my fantasy series I’m working on, some of the names have deeper meanings.
What is the accomplishment that you are most proud of?Does 33 years of marriage to a man who is your polar opposite count? If so, that would be it. J
I understand that. I’ve spent 51 years of marriage with a man who is my polar opposite. But that’s a good thing. At first, it’s hard, but if you learn that his strengths are your weaknesses and your strengths are his weaknesses, and you learn to use that together, it’s wonderful. If you were an animal, which one would you be, and why?My first thought is that I would want to fly so let’s say an eagle. Majestic, brave, and high up on the food chain.
Speaking of food chain, what is your favorite food?Any type of potato. And I adore hot tea.
What is the problem with writing that was your greatest roadblock, and how did you overcome it?Fear. Fear of failure. Fear of success. Fear of what people think. I overcome it daily through lots of prayer. I also remind myself of how far I’ve come and that I truly believe God has a plan and purpose for my life and it is good.
That is so true. Tell us about the featured book.
The Heart Seekers Series
is a collection of four contemporary romance novellas. A Dozen Apologies: Mara Adkins, a promising fashion designer, has fallen off the ladder of success, and she can’t seem to get up. In college, Mara and her sorority sisters played an ugly game, and Mara was usually the winner. She’d date men she considered geeks, win their confidence, and then she’d dump them publicly. Now, Mara stumbles, bumbles, and humbles her way toward employment and toward possible reconciliation with the twelve men she humiliated.
The Love Boat Bachelor: What’s a sworn bachelor to do on a Caribbeancruise full of romance and love? Brent will either have to jump ship or embrace the unforgettable romantic comedy headed his way.
Unlikely Merger: If her best friend has her way, Mercy will simply marry one of the single, available men she meets, but they overwhelm her. So handsome and kind. And so many. Even if she felt obliged, how could she ever choose?
The Christmas Tree Treasure Hunt: Grace takes delivery of a package and her life is turned upside down by nine sealed mystery envelopes from her late grandmother. Grammie’s instructions require Grace to take the journey of her lifetime, not only to far off places, but also into the deepest parts of her heart. As she follows the trail laid out for her and uncovers her family’s darkest secrets, Grace is forced to confront the loss and betrayal that has scarred her past and seek the greatest Christmas Treasure of all.
Please give us the first page of the book.Mara Adkins opened the door to her parents’ house with the key she hadn’t used in over five years. Good. Some things never changed. She toted her huge suitcase containing the only possessions she had left in the world over the threshold. She rolled the luggage forward and stopped.
What had happened to the dark draperies and the heavy furniture her father swore he couldn’t live without, the ones that her parents fought over constantly? In the place of the light-stealing swags hung lightweight pale blue curtains. Sheers floated in a cool breeze sweeping through her family home. The dark plaids of the red, green, and yellow sofa and chairs and the dark oak tables were replaced with a cream colored couch and beige and soft blue striped chairs. The tables were cherry wood.
She took a deep breath. Yeah, she hadn’t called home much, but surely her mother would have mentioned the fact that she’d murdered Dad and placed him in a freezer. However, Dad—if he’d offed Mom—wouldn’t say a word. He never spoke much. Just sat and watched television. She’d never know about an untimely demise until she arrived home. Like now.
Her only hope was that whichever spouse survived, they hadn’t changed her childhood room. She lifted the heavy tote and made her way up the stairs. When she got to the door, she put her hand on the doorknob, closed her eyes, and pushed the door open. “There’s no place like home. There’s no place like home. There’s no place like home.” She peered inside and released a whoosh of breath. “Sanctuary.” She rolled the suitcase beside her French provincial dresser. Some would call her bedroom furnishings old fashioned. She preferred vintage. After all, in high school, and in college, she’d been the trendsetter. She’d carried that into her career as well, and look where it had gotten her.
Right now, Spartanburg, South Carolina, was the last place on earth she wanted to return, but she found great comfort in falling onto the canopied bed of her youth. Despite everything that had happened to her, Mara had a sneaking, stinking suspicion that she deserved what had happened to her…
How can readers find you on the Internet?I enjoy social media so you can find me on Facebook. I have a personal page there and an author page. I’m also on Twitter and Pinterest. My website is http://www.jenniferhallmark.com and group blog is http://writingpromptsthoughtsideas.wordpress.com.
Thanks so much for allowing me to visit!
It is my pleasure to introduce both you and the book to my readers.
Readers, here are links to the book. By using one when you order, you help support this blog.
The Heart Seekers Series: (Plus FREE Bonus of #1 Bestseller)
- paperback
The Heart Seekers Series - Kindle
Leave a comment for a chance to win a free copy of the Ebook. You must follow these instructions to be in the drawing. Please tell us where you live, at least the state or territory. (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
Bio: Jennifer Hallmark has published articles, short stories and been part of four book compilations, A Dozen Apologies, Sweet Freedom A La Mode, Unlikely Merger, and Not Alone: A Literary and Spiritual Companion for Those Confronted with Infertility and Miscarriage. Jennifer’s website and the group blogshe co-founded focus on her books, love of the South, and helping writers.
Welcome, Jennifer. Tell us how much of yourself you write into your characters.A lot. I usually draw on feelings I had from situations I’ve lived through, both good and bad. It doesn’t have to be the same circumstance. Just the same emotion: happy, sad, angry, etc.What is the quirkiest thing you have ever done?Hmm. By nature, I’m not too quirky. How’s this? I watch The Wizard of Oz, the 1939 version, yearly.
When did you first discover that you were a writer?When I was nine years old, our English assignment was to write and illustrate a book of poetry. I was enthralled but no poet. (Think the cat is fat and sat on a hat) J
Tell us the range of the kinds of books you enjoy reading.I read most genres of books. I love the Golden Age detective stories, fantasy, contemporary women’s fiction and non-fiction books, especially inspirational help and devotionals.
How do you keep your sanity in our run, run, run world?I set boundaries and try to stick to them. I’m introverted and my alone time is precious to me. I’m learning how to say no.
How do you choose your characters’ names?I usually go with what first comes to mind. Sometimes when I do that, they are too similar. Then I type in men’s or women’s names in a search engine and narrow it down. In my fantasy series I’m working on, some of the names have deeper meanings.
What is the accomplishment that you are most proud of?Does 33 years of marriage to a man who is your polar opposite count? If so, that would be it. J
I understand that. I’ve spent 51 years of marriage with a man who is my polar opposite. But that’s a good thing. At first, it’s hard, but if you learn that his strengths are your weaknesses and your strengths are his weaknesses, and you learn to use that together, it’s wonderful. If you were an animal, which one would you be, and why?My first thought is that I would want to fly so let’s say an eagle. Majestic, brave, and high up on the food chain.
Speaking of food chain, what is your favorite food?Any type of potato. And I adore hot tea.
What is the problem with writing that was your greatest roadblock, and how did you overcome it?Fear. Fear of failure. Fear of success. Fear of what people think. I overcome it daily through lots of prayer. I also remind myself of how far I’ve come and that I truly believe God has a plan and purpose for my life and it is good.
That is so true. Tell us about the featured book.
The Heart Seekers Series
is a collection of four contemporary romance novellas. A Dozen Apologies: Mara Adkins, a promising fashion designer, has fallen off the ladder of success, and she can’t seem to get up. In college, Mara and her sorority sisters played an ugly game, and Mara was usually the winner. She’d date men she considered geeks, win their confidence, and then she’d dump them publicly. Now, Mara stumbles, bumbles, and humbles her way toward employment and toward possible reconciliation with the twelve men she humiliated. The Love Boat Bachelor: What’s a sworn bachelor to do on a Caribbeancruise full of romance and love? Brent will either have to jump ship or embrace the unforgettable romantic comedy headed his way.
Unlikely Merger: If her best friend has her way, Mercy will simply marry one of the single, available men she meets, but they overwhelm her. So handsome and kind. And so many. Even if she felt obliged, how could she ever choose?
The Christmas Tree Treasure Hunt: Grace takes delivery of a package and her life is turned upside down by nine sealed mystery envelopes from her late grandmother. Grammie’s instructions require Grace to take the journey of her lifetime, not only to far off places, but also into the deepest parts of her heart. As she follows the trail laid out for her and uncovers her family’s darkest secrets, Grace is forced to confront the loss and betrayal that has scarred her past and seek the greatest Christmas Treasure of all.
Please give us the first page of the book.Mara Adkins opened the door to her parents’ house with the key she hadn’t used in over five years. Good. Some things never changed. She toted her huge suitcase containing the only possessions she had left in the world over the threshold. She rolled the luggage forward and stopped.
What had happened to the dark draperies and the heavy furniture her father swore he couldn’t live without, the ones that her parents fought over constantly? In the place of the light-stealing swags hung lightweight pale blue curtains. Sheers floated in a cool breeze sweeping through her family home. The dark plaids of the red, green, and yellow sofa and chairs and the dark oak tables were replaced with a cream colored couch and beige and soft blue striped chairs. The tables were cherry wood.
She took a deep breath. Yeah, she hadn’t called home much, but surely her mother would have mentioned the fact that she’d murdered Dad and placed him in a freezer. However, Dad—if he’d offed Mom—wouldn’t say a word. He never spoke much. Just sat and watched television. She’d never know about an untimely demise until she arrived home. Like now.
Her only hope was that whichever spouse survived, they hadn’t changed her childhood room. She lifted the heavy tote and made her way up the stairs. When she got to the door, she put her hand on the doorknob, closed her eyes, and pushed the door open. “There’s no place like home. There’s no place like home. There’s no place like home.” She peered inside and released a whoosh of breath. “Sanctuary.” She rolled the suitcase beside her French provincial dresser. Some would call her bedroom furnishings old fashioned. She preferred vintage. After all, in high school, and in college, she’d been the trendsetter. She’d carried that into her career as well, and look where it had gotten her.
Right now, Spartanburg, South Carolina, was the last place on earth she wanted to return, but she found great comfort in falling onto the canopied bed of her youth. Despite everything that had happened to her, Mara had a sneaking, stinking suspicion that she deserved what had happened to her…
How can readers find you on the Internet?I enjoy social media so you can find me on Facebook. I have a personal page there and an author page. I’m also on Twitter and Pinterest. My website is http://www.jenniferhallmark.com and group blog is http://writingpromptsthoughtsideas.wordpress.com.
Thanks so much for allowing me to visit!
It is my pleasure to introduce both you and the book to my readers.
Readers, here are links to the book. By using one when you order, you help support this blog.
The Heart Seekers Series: (Plus FREE Bonus of #1 Bestseller)
- paperbackThe Heart Seekers Series - Kindle
Leave a comment for a chance to win a free copy of the Ebook. You must follow these instructions to be in the drawing. Please tell us where you live, at least the state or territory. (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
December 21, 2015
THE SWADDLING CLOTHES - Amber Schamel - One Free Book
Welcome back, Amber. Why do you write the kind of books you do?Historical fiction has always been my favorite genre. I love to read it, so I also love to write it. I chose to write Christian books because I saw a need for literature that promotes a biblical worldview and the moral principles that are taught therein. Books can be so influential in a person's life, so it is important that the influence is a good one.How has being published changed your life?There are a lot of changes, but the biggest one is the demand on my time. We are very busy with work, volunteering, church, and family. I have to ration minutes and hours very carefully. I don't get to spend as much time in leisure as I used to, and I don't get to sit down and do things with my family as much because I have deadlines and responsibilities to fulfill.
What are you reading right now?I'm reading some histories on Joan of Arc, which are very interesting. I haven't known a lot about her up to this point, but her story is captivating. I'm also starting The Christmas Shoppe by Melody Carlson. I love to squeeze in a few Christmas reads during the season. :)
What is your current work in progress?I'm working on another Christmas story! It's set during the civil war. The story is about Caleb, a young would-be lawyer, who flees his failure by joining the Union army. But when his best friend is condemned for desertion, he begs Caleb to plead his case. Caleb must face his failure and greatest fear in an effort to save his friend's life and secure THE CHRISTMAS PARDON.
What would be your dream vacation?Anything that involves history. I have had the blessing of visiting a lot of historical places including Israel, Egypt, Rome, and Greece. I would love to go back to any of those places. Oh, and I would LOVE to visit Scotland. :D
How do you choose your settings for each book?My stories are usually inspired around a plot, and the setting usually comes with it. My biblical stories focused around Jesus, so of course they are set in Israelin the places where Jesus spent most of his time. The Christmas Pardon is really the first project where I've had a chance to pick my setting, but it was fun to research different towns that would fit. I look for settings that echo with the characters and their story.
If you could spend an evening with one person who is currently alive, who would it be and why?That's a tough one! There are so many people I would love to have a chance to talk to. Right now, I would really like to sit down with Dr. Ben Carson and talk to him about history and the current state of our nation. I'd love to get his view on the Presidential race and what he predicts will happen.
What are your hobbies, besides writing and reading?I love to go to church meetings. I also enjoy singing, playing the piano, cooking, and talking with folks over a cup of coffee and pie.
What is your most difficult writing obstacle, and how do you overcome it?Lack of time and procrastination. I have to manage my time very carefully, and when I do have time to sit down and work it just takes discipline to get my head into the work. I diffuse peppermint essential oil, which has helped my focus a lot.
What advice would you give to a beginning author?My advice is in two parts. First, be teachable and learn. You need a tough skin and a willingness to be corrected to truly grow into the best writer you can be. I know big authors that are still learning more about the craft. If you have a know-it-all attitude, you probably won't succeed in this industry. Second, don't give up. Keep writing and keep trying until you find someone who will see the beauty in your work.
Tell us about the featured book.
The Swaddling Clothes
is a unique tale that follows the Jewish history from the time of King David through the Babylonian captivity and finally to the stable in Bethlehem.Through the ages, men have told many stories about Mary, Joseph, and the birth of the Messiah. Stories of shepherds and sheep, kings, angels, and stables. But one story no one has ever told. One story hidden in the fabric of time. The story of The Swaddling Clothes .
Please give us the first page of the book.“So you see, your highness, these taxes are relatively unfair when considering—”
“Enough!” David’s irritation boiled over.
The merchant stumbled backward. His scalded pride evidenced by the scarlet flushing of his round face.
Something squeezed in David’s chest. The merchant wasn’t the sole reason for his foul mood, and didn’t deserve to bear the worst of it. “I’m sorry.”
He wiped his forehead. Being the king of Israel was not what he’d hoped. He should be leading his army against the Philistines. Instead here he was, in his luxurious palace, listening to the endless and petty complaints. David stood and ran his hand through his hair. Loose curls twisted around his fingers. He paced for a few moments before looking up. Amnon, his oldest son, glared over his shoulder as the aide shooed him out of the hall.
“Ahithophel, it’s all right. I can…”
“My lord, their prattle is irritating me as well. It can wait until the morrow.”
David ducked out the side exit, into the corridor to the private part of the palace. He stopped, inhaling the comforting scent of cedar, and waited for his aide.
Ahithophel slipped through the door and closed it quietly. His expression was tentative when he faced David.
“I am sorry, Ahithophel, but I am not cut of this pattern. I am the type of king who leads armies into battle, who destroys enemies, a king with a sword constantly by my side.” He motioned to the warrior’s blade hanging from his belt. “I love my people, but I cannot bear sitting here listening to their petty arguments while my army marches.”
How can readers find you on the Internet?I love to connect with readers on any of the social media sites, but Goodreads and facebook are my favorite.http://amberschamel.com/Newsletter & updates: http://www.amberschamel.com/newsletter-signup.html
Blogs - http://stitchesthrutime.blogspot.com/
http://www.hhhistory.com/
http://amberschamel.blogspot.com/ Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/AuthorAmberSchamelTwitter - @AmberSchamel https://twitter.com/AmberSchamelPintrest - http://pinterest.com/AmberDSchamel/Goodreads - https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7073165.Amber_Schamel
Thank you, Amber, for sharing this new book with. It sounds intriguing.
Readers, here’s a link to the book. By using it when you order, you help support this blog.The Swaddling Clothes
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. (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
December 20, 2015
WINNERS!!!!!!
Melissa (VA) is the winner of
Chapel Springs Survival
by Ane Mulligan.
Pam (OH) is the winner of The Golden Braid by Melanie Dickerson.
Cyndi (AL) is the winner of Isle of Hope by Julie Lessman.
Janet E (FL) is the winner of When the Cowboy Rides Away by Molly Noble Bull.
Connie (KY) is the winner of Whispers in the Reading Room by Shelley Gray.
Lourdes (NY) is the winner of Wanted a Man for Christmas by Janice Olson.
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 of the book you won, so I won't have to look it up.
Remember, you have 4 weeks to claim your book.
Pam (OH) is the winner of The Golden Braid by Melanie Dickerson.
Cyndi (AL) is the winner of Isle of Hope by Julie Lessman.
Janet E (FL) is the winner of When the Cowboy Rides Away by Molly Noble Bull.
Connie (KY) is the winner of Whispers in the Reading Room by Shelley Gray.
Lourdes (NY) is the winner of Wanted a Man for Christmas by Janice Olson.
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 of the book you won, so I won't have to look it up.
Remember, you have 4 weeks to claim your book.
December 19, 2015
SILENT NIGHT DEADLY NIGHT - Richard L Mabry, MD - One Free Book
Dear Readers, I was really glad when God brought Richard Mabry, MD, into my writing life. He’s been a great help to me, and both my husband and I love reading his medical suspense novels. This is the first of his novellas I’ve read, a good addition to my Christmas book collection. It’s a departure from his usual medical suspense novel, and a very good one.
Welcome back, Richard. Tell us about your salvation experience.I resisted God and anything church-related well into my teens. Then one evening my grandmother (who lived with us) talked with me once more about salvation. I’d known about the process and the meaning of being a Christian but had always put it off, determined not to worry about it. I don’t know what changed, but that evening I accepted what I’d pushed away for so long. I guess I expected a blinding flash of lights or blare of trumpets. What I found, instead, was an internal peace.
You’re planning a writing retreat where you can only have four other authors. Who would they be and why?That’s a toughie. I’d probably pick the two men who first got me started on my own road to writing: James Scott Bell and Alton Gansky. Then would come two women who’ve taught and mentored thousands of writers of Christian fiction: Susan May Warren and DiAnn Mills. And if there turned out to be an overflow crowd so I could add more faculty members, I have a dozen names on the tip of my tongue.
That would be a powerhouse retreat with the people you’ve chosen. Do you have a speaking ministry? If so, tell us about that.After my first book, The Tender Scar: Life After The Death Of A Spouse, I did a lot of speaking on the subject of grief and loss. But after the publication of my first novel, I had to devote so much time to my writing and the marketing of my work that I had no time to speak on recovery from grief and loss. My teaching of the craft of writing has replaced that ministry, but even that is now limited to two or three writing conferences per year.
What is the most embarrassing thing that has happened to you and how did you handle it?Actually, I was involved but wasn’t the one who got embarrassed. When Kay and I were married, our pastor was quite afraid that he’d use the name of my (deceased) first wife—so much so that he practiced using Kay’s name. Then, at the end of the ceremony, he said, “I now present to you Dr. and Mrs. Kay Mabry.” Both Kay and I grinned, the pastor turned red, but I managed not to comment on it. Anyone who knows me knows the self-restraint that took.
People are always telling me that they’d like to write a book someday. I’m sure they do to you, too. What would you tell someone who came up to you and said that?I try to make them realize (without pouring water on their dreams) that writing a book is hard work, and is something for which the average person isn’t prepared. If they’re serious, I suggest they start by attending one or more writing conferences to learn about the mechanics of writing and the current state of publishing. I advise them to buy a half-dozen or more books on various aspects of writing—books like Bell’s Plot and Structure, Browne & King’s Self-Editing For Fiction Writers, Lukeman’s The First Five Pages—then read them, highlight and underline passages, learn the basics. They should read widely: good books so they know what that type of writing looks like, bad books so they know what to avoid. And when they’re finally ready to put their own words on paper, they need to have what they produce critiqued by knowledgeable people. If they’re able to get the type of criticism we all have received, then to revise their work and try again, they might be ready to start on their own road to writing.
So very true. Tell us about the featured book.This is a novella—a bit less than half as large as a regular novel—and I wrote it with the Christmas season in mind. Here’s the back cover copy:
The colored lights on the snow gave it a holiday appearance, but the dead woman’s body in the yard added a grisly touch. How did Ina Bell Patrick die? Did someone kill her? And why?The dead woman had no direct heirs, so two nephews and a niece stood to inherit—Dr. Dr. Laura Morris, who was left to make all the arrangements, attorney Robert Morris, who could certainly use the money, and Zack Morris, who disappeared two years earlier. Then there was neighbor and “best friend” Fay Autrey, who was certain the dead woman intended to leave her some money—a great deal of money.
The police were still looking for the killer who left the frozen body in the snow when it seemed someone was trying to pick off the heirs, one by one. Who would win the race—the police or the killer?
Please give us the first page of the book for my readers.It was a scene that made you want to sing “Silent Night”…or at least hum a few bars. A full moon shone on the blanket of snow covering the yard of the home. Drapes at each side of a picture window were drawn back to display the holiday decorations within. Although Christmas had come and gone five days earlier, the tree’s colored lights still burned, reflecting off the ornaments and tinsel scattered through the branches. Holidaylights on the eaves of the house at Redman Lane cast a multi-colored glow over the scene.
The only false note was the front door of the house, standing wide-open and spilling light on a narrow path across the porch. Officer Adela Reyes of the Hilton police department slowed her cruiser to a stop at the curb. An open door at three in the morning indicated either trouble or a careless homeowner. She scanned the scene before lifting the microphone from its clip on her car’s dashboard. Reyes pressed the button to transmit. “This is Officer Reyes. I’ve got an open front door and lights still on at 7710 Redman Lane. I’m going to check it out.”
“Roger. Are you requesting backup?”
“I don’t think so. It’s probably just someone who forgot to lock up. I’ll call in if I need help.” …
How can readers find you on the Internet?I work hard to maintain a social media presence. I have a website, I blogtwice weekly, and have both a Twitter page and a Facebook fan page. I’m also on a few other sites, but these are best ones for a reader to find me. And, of course, they can also email me at Dr R L Mabry at yahoo dot com.
Thank you, Richard, for sharing this new book with us. I know my readers are as eager to read it as I was when it arrived in my house.
Readers, here’s a link to the book. By using it when you order, you help support this blog.Silent Night, Deadly Night
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. (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
Welcome back, Richard. Tell us about your salvation experience.I resisted God and anything church-related well into my teens. Then one evening my grandmother (who lived with us) talked with me once more about salvation. I’d known about the process and the meaning of being a Christian but had always put it off, determined not to worry about it. I don’t know what changed, but that evening I accepted what I’d pushed away for so long. I guess I expected a blinding flash of lights or blare of trumpets. What I found, instead, was an internal peace. You’re planning a writing retreat where you can only have four other authors. Who would they be and why?That’s a toughie. I’d probably pick the two men who first got me started on my own road to writing: James Scott Bell and Alton Gansky. Then would come two women who’ve taught and mentored thousands of writers of Christian fiction: Susan May Warren and DiAnn Mills. And if there turned out to be an overflow crowd so I could add more faculty members, I have a dozen names on the tip of my tongue.
That would be a powerhouse retreat with the people you’ve chosen. Do you have a speaking ministry? If so, tell us about that.After my first book, The Tender Scar: Life After The Death Of A Spouse, I did a lot of speaking on the subject of grief and loss. But after the publication of my first novel, I had to devote so much time to my writing and the marketing of my work that I had no time to speak on recovery from grief and loss. My teaching of the craft of writing has replaced that ministry, but even that is now limited to two or three writing conferences per year.
What is the most embarrassing thing that has happened to you and how did you handle it?Actually, I was involved but wasn’t the one who got embarrassed. When Kay and I were married, our pastor was quite afraid that he’d use the name of my (deceased) first wife—so much so that he practiced using Kay’s name. Then, at the end of the ceremony, he said, “I now present to you Dr. and Mrs. Kay Mabry.” Both Kay and I grinned, the pastor turned red, but I managed not to comment on it. Anyone who knows me knows the self-restraint that took.
People are always telling me that they’d like to write a book someday. I’m sure they do to you, too. What would you tell someone who came up to you and said that?I try to make them realize (without pouring water on their dreams) that writing a book is hard work, and is something for which the average person isn’t prepared. If they’re serious, I suggest they start by attending one or more writing conferences to learn about the mechanics of writing and the current state of publishing. I advise them to buy a half-dozen or more books on various aspects of writing—books like Bell’s Plot and Structure, Browne & King’s Self-Editing For Fiction Writers, Lukeman’s The First Five Pages—then read them, highlight and underline passages, learn the basics. They should read widely: good books so they know what that type of writing looks like, bad books so they know what to avoid. And when they’re finally ready to put their own words on paper, they need to have what they produce critiqued by knowledgeable people. If they’re able to get the type of criticism we all have received, then to revise their work and try again, they might be ready to start on their own road to writing.
So very true. Tell us about the featured book.This is a novella—a bit less than half as large as a regular novel—and I wrote it with the Christmas season in mind. Here’s the back cover copy:The colored lights on the snow gave it a holiday appearance, but the dead woman’s body in the yard added a grisly touch. How did Ina Bell Patrick die? Did someone kill her? And why?The dead woman had no direct heirs, so two nephews and a niece stood to inherit—Dr. Dr. Laura Morris, who was left to make all the arrangements, attorney Robert Morris, who could certainly use the money, and Zack Morris, who disappeared two years earlier. Then there was neighbor and “best friend” Fay Autrey, who was certain the dead woman intended to leave her some money—a great deal of money.
The police were still looking for the killer who left the frozen body in the snow when it seemed someone was trying to pick off the heirs, one by one. Who would win the race—the police or the killer?
Please give us the first page of the book for my readers.It was a scene that made you want to sing “Silent Night”…or at least hum a few bars. A full moon shone on the blanket of snow covering the yard of the home. Drapes at each side of a picture window were drawn back to display the holiday decorations within. Although Christmas had come and gone five days earlier, the tree’s colored lights still burned, reflecting off the ornaments and tinsel scattered through the branches. Holidaylights on the eaves of the house at Redman Lane cast a multi-colored glow over the scene.
The only false note was the front door of the house, standing wide-open and spilling light on a narrow path across the porch. Officer Adela Reyes of the Hilton police department slowed her cruiser to a stop at the curb. An open door at three in the morning indicated either trouble or a careless homeowner. She scanned the scene before lifting the microphone from its clip on her car’s dashboard. Reyes pressed the button to transmit. “This is Officer Reyes. I’ve got an open front door and lights still on at 7710 Redman Lane. I’m going to check it out.”
“Roger. Are you requesting backup?”
“I don’t think so. It’s probably just someone who forgot to lock up. I’ll call in if I need help.” …
How can readers find you on the Internet?I work hard to maintain a social media presence. I have a website, I blogtwice weekly, and have both a Twitter page and a Facebook fan page. I’m also on a few other sites, but these are best ones for a reader to find me. And, of course, they can also email me at Dr R L Mabry at yahoo dot com.
Thank you, Richard, for sharing this new book with us. I know my readers are as eager to read it as I was when it arrived in my house.
Readers, here’s a link to the book. By using it when you order, you help support this blog.Silent Night, Deadly Night
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. (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
December 18, 2015
NO LONGER AN ORPHAN - Dana Stone - One Free Book
Dear Readers, I’ve known Dana for decades. We both go to Gateway Churchnow, and we both were members of the same church before we came to Gateway. We prayed for her and Todd through the long journey to adopt their daughter, Netanya, from a foreign country. I am thrilled to share her debut nonfiction book with you.
Welcome, Dana. What would you like for our readers to know about you personally? I love to encourage people. I have this chair right next to my desk at work, and it is almost always full. People stop by all the time, and I love being able to speak life, hope, and encouragement into them. To me, my writing allows me the opportunity to “share my chair” with people I will never meet in person, and encourage them just like I would if they were sitting next to me.
Tell us about your family. My family is the most important thing in my life. They give me the greatest joy. My hubby Todd and I have been married for 31 years and have four children, Joshua- 28, Jacob- 24, Netanya-19 and Noah-16. We also have two granddaughters who light up every day- Ava- 19 months and Emma- 2 months. We love to get together to eat, laugh, and play as often as we can!
Have you written other nonfiction books? No Longer an Orphan is my first book.
Do you have any other books in the works right now? I do! It is a book that will offer encouragement and hope for those who are walking through a difficult season in life.
And we all do that, sometimes more than once. What kinds of hobbies and leisure activities do you enjoy? Any leisure time I have is spent loving on my granddaughters or cooking; and sometimes I get to do both at the same time!
Why did you write the featured book? My book started out as journal that I kept during our journey of international adoption. I wanted our daughter to know she was not an orphan anymore; that she had a forever family. When God began to show me times in my life when I felt like an orphan myself, He transformed the journal into a message of hope for anyone who has ever felt alone, unseen, or unheard.
What do you want the reader to take away from the book? I want the reader to know and experience the truth that they are never alone. I want them to understand that they are loved and seen by a God who longs to show Himself real to them in every season of life. His character is unchanging, and His desire is to love and protect us.
Is there anything you’d like to tell my readers about you or your book? I would just say to the reader- “As you read my story, allow yourself the time to hear what God is saying to you. As you read the prayers at the end of each chapter turn them into a declaration in your own life. Listen for His voice. Ask Him about the moments in your life when you felt alone, and then fully receive the sweet response from Him as He speaks to your heart about the love of a Father who will always be there for you.”
Where on the Internet can the readers find you?
www.nolongeranorphan.com
Facebook: No Longer an Orphan- Never Abandoned, Never AloneTwitter: @danastone6
Thank you, Dana, for sharing this book with us. I know my readers will want to go on your journey with you in the book.
Readers, here are links to the book. By using one when you order, you help support this blog.
No Longer an Orphan: Never Abandoned, Never Alone
- Paperback
No Longer an Orphan: Never Abandoned, Never Alone - Kindle
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. (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
Welcome, Dana. What would you like for our readers to know about you personally? I love to encourage people. I have this chair right next to my desk at work, and it is almost always full. People stop by all the time, and I love being able to speak life, hope, and encouragement into them. To me, my writing allows me the opportunity to “share my chair” with people I will never meet in person, and encourage them just like I would if they were sitting next to me. Tell us about your family. My family is the most important thing in my life. They give me the greatest joy. My hubby Todd and I have been married for 31 years and have four children, Joshua- 28, Jacob- 24, Netanya-19 and Noah-16. We also have two granddaughters who light up every day- Ava- 19 months and Emma- 2 months. We love to get together to eat, laugh, and play as often as we can!
Have you written other nonfiction books? No Longer an Orphan is my first book.
Do you have any other books in the works right now? I do! It is a book that will offer encouragement and hope for those who are walking through a difficult season in life.
And we all do that, sometimes more than once. What kinds of hobbies and leisure activities do you enjoy? Any leisure time I have is spent loving on my granddaughters or cooking; and sometimes I get to do both at the same time!
Why did you write the featured book? My book started out as journal that I kept during our journey of international adoption. I wanted our daughter to know she was not an orphan anymore; that she had a forever family. When God began to show me times in my life when I felt like an orphan myself, He transformed the journal into a message of hope for anyone who has ever felt alone, unseen, or unheard. What do you want the reader to take away from the book? I want the reader to know and experience the truth that they are never alone. I want them to understand that they are loved and seen by a God who longs to show Himself real to them in every season of life. His character is unchanging, and His desire is to love and protect us.
Is there anything you’d like to tell my readers about you or your book? I would just say to the reader- “As you read my story, allow yourself the time to hear what God is saying to you. As you read the prayers at the end of each chapter turn them into a declaration in your own life. Listen for His voice. Ask Him about the moments in your life when you felt alone, and then fully receive the sweet response from Him as He speaks to your heart about the love of a Father who will always be there for you.”
Where on the Internet can the readers find you?
www.nolongeranorphan.com
Facebook: No Longer an Orphan- Never Abandoned, Never AloneTwitter: @danastone6
Thank you, Dana, for sharing this book with us. I know my readers will want to go on your journey with you in the book.
Readers, here are links to the book. By using one when you order, you help support this blog.
No Longer an Orphan: Never Abandoned, Never Alone
- PaperbackNo Longer an Orphan: Never Abandoned, Never Alone - Kindle
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. (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
