Lena Nelson Dooley's Blog, page 173
October 25, 2015
Review of WARM MULLED KISSES.
Warm Mulled Kisses by Lisa J. CraneMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
I love this collection. Since I'm the author of one of the novellas, this review is for the other 9 books in the collection.
This book has a wide variety of settings and storylines. I love the way that each book is so different from the others. I really love reading Christmas stories, and I love romance stories with enough internal and external conflict to keep the hero and heroine apart, and they must end with a happily ever after. Each of the stories fits this. Every character stepped right into my heart and didn't leave until that story's HEA. And the memory of them still linger around my heart.
I believe you will love this book as much as I do. And the release price is another selling point. Ten novellas for only $.99.
View all my reviews
WINNERS!!!!
Vera (NC) is the winner of
Vendetta
by Lisa Harris.
Anne (VA) is the winner of Deadlock by DiAnn Mills.
Robin (NC) is the winner of A Western Christmas by Louise M Gouge.
Melissa (TN) is the winner of Moments of Truth by Sandra D Bricker.
If you won a book and you like it, 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.
Anne (VA) is the winner of Deadlock by DiAnn Mills.
Robin (NC) is the winner of A Western Christmas by Louise M Gouge.
Melissa (TN) is the winner of Moments of Truth by Sandra D Bricker.
If you won a book and you like it, 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.
October 23, 2015
VALLEY OF DECISION - Lynne Gentry - One Free Book
Bio: Lynne Gentry has written for numerous publications and is a professional acting coach, theater director, and playwright with several full-length musicals and a Chicagochildren’s theater curriculum to her credit. She likes to write stories that launch modern women into ancient adventures, such as The Carthage Chronicles series (Healer of Carthage, Return to Exile, and Valley of Decision). Gentry is also an inspirational speaker and dramatic performer who loves spending time with her family and medical therapy dog.
Dear Readers, Lynne lives not very far from me, and she’s a dear friend. In addition to both being novelists, we share a background in live theater as directors and playwrights. Her time-travel novels have amazed me. I had thought that there couldn’t be a Christian time-travel novel that I could suspend disbelieve and accept. But I was wrong. I was privileged to read this book for endorsement. As with the first two novels, the historical authenticity blew me away, and her characters walked into my heart and took over. I’m eager for her next series to see the light of day.
Welcome back, Lynne. What are some of the spiritual themes you like to write about?So good to be with you and your readers again, Lena. We’ve talked about spiritual themes before and you and I both love to write about regrets, injustice, and the victory over both that only the Lord provides.
What other books of yours are coming out soon? Valley of Decision finishes up the three books in The Carthage Chronicles series. I’ve loved writing this tale which is loosely based on the life of the real third-century Christian martyr, Cyprianus Thascius. It will be hard to leave these characters I’ve grown to love behind, but I’m starting a new series. I can’t yet discuss it, but I can’t wait for my readers to meet my new cast and come along with them on another wild adventure.
If you could spend an evening with one contemporary person (not a family member of yours), who would it be and why? I was blessed to be able to do some devotional writing for Stephen Arterburn, the founder of Women of Faith. I’ve always admired the original team of incredible women he put together: Shelia Walsh, Nicole Johnson, Luci Swindoll, Marilyn Meberg and the petite stick of dynamite Patsy Clairmont. Having coffee with any of these gals would be a tremendous treat. However, if I had to pick one, I’d have to say that Patsy Clairmont has been a special inspiration to me. Overcoming a lifetime of tremendous fear, Patsy has gone on to do powerful things for the Kingdom of God. I only hope I’m half as brave as this faithful little firecracker.
I love the Women of Faith ministry. What historical person would you like to meet (besides Jesus) and why?After spending two years immersed in the life of the wealthy Roman lawyer Cyprianus Thascius, I’d have to say that I would LOVE to meet him in person. I have so many unanswered questions. I’d also love to thank him. It was because of his courage the good news of Christ was not extinguished. I’m always amazed at the people the Lord taps upon the shoulder. From poor fishermen to the wealthiest and most educated, all of us have the potential to make a difference.
That is so true. How can you encourage authors who have been receiving only rejections from publishers?I hate rejection on any level. That I am still in the publishing business is proof of the Lord’s sense of humor. I’ve even kept a file of my rejections that’s almost an inch thick. An interesting thing happened along this publishing journey though. As the rejection file grew thicker, so did my skin. I knew I had been called by God to write. It is my talent. It is my gift. To stop writing would be to deny the power of God to use these gifts to His glory. To the discouraged I say boldly, if you feel called, keep writing.
Tell us about the featured book.
Valley of Decision
was the hardest book in the series to write and yet it was the most rewarding. I knew what the ending had to be and I dreaded it. I also wanted to give my readers a different taste of the third century. I wanted to keep the plague ever before them, but I also wanted to showcase more of the persecution. This last part of the story required me to go deep into the legal and political struggles of the day, which included a lot of injustice, which grates on me. I can’t stand it when things are unfair. So many decisions the characters faced in this last story were unfair: broken family relationships, conflicts between going and staying, or choosing between doing what was easy or what was right. In the end, I hope I managed to portray that none of us can make this journey on our own. We need each other.
I didn’t think you could write a third book that I could accept, but your ending satisfied me on many levels. Please give us the first page of the book for my readers.“When unattended wounds succumb to infection”—Dr. Lisbeth Hastings advanced the slide in the Power-Point presentation, and the raw end of a severed leg appeared on the screen—“amputation of the gangrenous extremity may be the only way to stop a deadly pathogen from progressing to the body’s core.” She was not surprised by the hand that shot up.
The ambitious resident with thick glasses and freshly pressed scrubs was always looking for an opportunity to prove his brilliance. Debating whether to give him an excuse to derail her lecture, Lisbeth took a deep breath. “Your question, Dr. Gingrich?”
The surgical resident pressed his glasses to his nose. “What about IV Vancomycin or Zosyn?”
Lisbeth kept her expression neutral, but inside she was cringing. Looking at Dr. Gingrich was like looking at herself nearly twenty years ago. Self-serving. Terrified. And determined to control everyone and every outcome. What a waste of precious time and energy. Oh, the things she would tell that desperate girl if she ever got the chance to go back in time again.
She suppressed her desire to take the kid aside and shake some sense into him. Her job was not to coddle young doctors but to make them into quick-thinking surgeons able to face anything the operating room threw at them.
How can readers find you on the Internet?Website: http://lynnegentry.com/Facebook: Author Lynne Gentry https://www.facebook.com/pages/Author-Lynne-Gentry/215337565176144Twitter: https://twitter.com/Lynne_GentryPinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/lynnegentry7/Simon & Schuster: http://authors.simonandschuster.com/Lynne-Gentry/412732530
Thank you, Lynne, for sharing this new book with us. I know that those of my readers who have read the first two are anxious to read this one.
And for readers new to this series, I recommend that you read all of them in order. The good thing about that is that you won't have to wait a long time between reading them. You can go straight from one to the other.
Do you ever wonder where authors get their ideas for their novels? Here's where Lynne got the idea for this series.
Readers, here are links to the book. By using one when you order, you help support this blog.
- Amazon
Valley of Decision: A Novel (The Carthage Chronicles) - Kindle
Leave a comment for a chance to win a free copy of the book. 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
Dear Readers, Lynne lives not very far from me, and she’s a dear friend. In addition to both being novelists, we share a background in live theater as directors and playwrights. Her time-travel novels have amazed me. I had thought that there couldn’t be a Christian time-travel novel that I could suspend disbelieve and accept. But I was wrong. I was privileged to read this book for endorsement. As with the first two novels, the historical authenticity blew me away, and her characters walked into my heart and took over. I’m eager for her next series to see the light of day.
Welcome back, Lynne. What are some of the spiritual themes you like to write about?So good to be with you and your readers again, Lena. We’ve talked about spiritual themes before and you and I both love to write about regrets, injustice, and the victory over both that only the Lord provides. What other books of yours are coming out soon? Valley of Decision finishes up the three books in The Carthage Chronicles series. I’ve loved writing this tale which is loosely based on the life of the real third-century Christian martyr, Cyprianus Thascius. It will be hard to leave these characters I’ve grown to love behind, but I’m starting a new series. I can’t yet discuss it, but I can’t wait for my readers to meet my new cast and come along with them on another wild adventure.
If you could spend an evening with one contemporary person (not a family member of yours), who would it be and why? I was blessed to be able to do some devotional writing for Stephen Arterburn, the founder of Women of Faith. I’ve always admired the original team of incredible women he put together: Shelia Walsh, Nicole Johnson, Luci Swindoll, Marilyn Meberg and the petite stick of dynamite Patsy Clairmont. Having coffee with any of these gals would be a tremendous treat. However, if I had to pick one, I’d have to say that Patsy Clairmont has been a special inspiration to me. Overcoming a lifetime of tremendous fear, Patsy has gone on to do powerful things for the Kingdom of God. I only hope I’m half as brave as this faithful little firecracker.
I love the Women of Faith ministry. What historical person would you like to meet (besides Jesus) and why?After spending two years immersed in the life of the wealthy Roman lawyer Cyprianus Thascius, I’d have to say that I would LOVE to meet him in person. I have so many unanswered questions. I’d also love to thank him. It was because of his courage the good news of Christ was not extinguished. I’m always amazed at the people the Lord taps upon the shoulder. From poor fishermen to the wealthiest and most educated, all of us have the potential to make a difference.
That is so true. How can you encourage authors who have been receiving only rejections from publishers?I hate rejection on any level. That I am still in the publishing business is proof of the Lord’s sense of humor. I’ve even kept a file of my rejections that’s almost an inch thick. An interesting thing happened along this publishing journey though. As the rejection file grew thicker, so did my skin. I knew I had been called by God to write. It is my talent. It is my gift. To stop writing would be to deny the power of God to use these gifts to His glory. To the discouraged I say boldly, if you feel called, keep writing.
Tell us about the featured book.
Valley of Decision
was the hardest book in the series to write and yet it was the most rewarding. I knew what the ending had to be and I dreaded it. I also wanted to give my readers a different taste of the third century. I wanted to keep the plague ever before them, but I also wanted to showcase more of the persecution. This last part of the story required me to go deep into the legal and political struggles of the day, which included a lot of injustice, which grates on me. I can’t stand it when things are unfair. So many decisions the characters faced in this last story were unfair: broken family relationships, conflicts between going and staying, or choosing between doing what was easy or what was right. In the end, I hope I managed to portray that none of us can make this journey on our own. We need each other. I didn’t think you could write a third book that I could accept, but your ending satisfied me on many levels. Please give us the first page of the book for my readers.“When unattended wounds succumb to infection”—Dr. Lisbeth Hastings advanced the slide in the Power-Point presentation, and the raw end of a severed leg appeared on the screen—“amputation of the gangrenous extremity may be the only way to stop a deadly pathogen from progressing to the body’s core.” She was not surprised by the hand that shot up.
The ambitious resident with thick glasses and freshly pressed scrubs was always looking for an opportunity to prove his brilliance. Debating whether to give him an excuse to derail her lecture, Lisbeth took a deep breath. “Your question, Dr. Gingrich?”
The surgical resident pressed his glasses to his nose. “What about IV Vancomycin or Zosyn?”
Lisbeth kept her expression neutral, but inside she was cringing. Looking at Dr. Gingrich was like looking at herself nearly twenty years ago. Self-serving. Terrified. And determined to control everyone and every outcome. What a waste of precious time and energy. Oh, the things she would tell that desperate girl if she ever got the chance to go back in time again.
She suppressed her desire to take the kid aside and shake some sense into him. Her job was not to coddle young doctors but to make them into quick-thinking surgeons able to face anything the operating room threw at them.
How can readers find you on the Internet?Website: http://lynnegentry.com/Facebook: Author Lynne Gentry https://www.facebook.com/pages/Author-Lynne-Gentry/215337565176144Twitter: https://twitter.com/Lynne_GentryPinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/lynnegentry7/Simon & Schuster: http://authors.simonandschuster.com/Lynne-Gentry/412732530
Thank you, Lynne, for sharing this new book with us. I know that those of my readers who have read the first two are anxious to read this one.
And for readers new to this series, I recommend that you read all of them in order. The good thing about that is that you won't have to wait a long time between reading them. You can go straight from one to the other.
Do you ever wonder where authors get their ideas for their novels? Here's where Lynne got the idea for this series.
Readers, here are links to the book. By using one when you order, you help support this blog.
- Amazon
Valley of Decision: A Novel (The Carthage Chronicles) - Kindle
Leave a comment for a chance to win a free copy of the book. 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
October 22, 2015
Bargain ebook
WARM MULLED KISSES, a Christmas 10 novella collection is available at the release special price of $.99.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B016...
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B016...
RUN ... YOU CAN'T HIDE - Janice Olson - One Free Book
Dear Readers, Janice Olson lives not far from me, and we’ve been friends for years. I love her books, which she has Indie published. She spent a number of years in the critique group that meets in my home and really honed her writing skills before she started publishing. I really like her romantic suspense novels.
Welcome back, Janice. Tell us about your salvation experience.I was born into a minister’s home and was raised on the front pew of the church. From a baby, my mother taught my brother and me about the love of God and His amazing grace. Around the age of six, I realized my need of a savior and accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. I won’t say I was a perfect child from that point forward, or that my way was easy, it wasn’t. However, the day Jesus Christ bought and sealed me by his blood, He also preserved me from experiencing the displeasures of the world. And to this day, I have never regretted my decision to follow Jesus.
You’re planning a writing retreat where you can only have four other authors. Who would they be and why?That’s a tough one but I’ll answer with two authors I would love to have at a retreat and then add all my writer friends.
James Pattersonfor his mastery of marketing and his concept of outlining a novel allowing another writer to pick up his outline and write the novel for him.
Debbie Macomberfor her ability to make you feel warm and fuzzy while weaving a tale of hearth and home.
Nora Roberts for the suspense she weaves.
Susan Mallory for her command of romance and series.
Do you have a speaking ministry? If so, tell us about that.Yes, I love to speak to groups and encourage them that they can do the impossible. Since I deal with dyslexia on a daily basis, and I didn’t start writing until 2003, I particularly like to inspire others that they too can reach beyond their limitations and effect change around them or set goals and reach them.
I have taught in retirement centers, writers’ and readers’ group, and also taught biblical studies at women gatherings and at churches. It encourages me when I see a spark of hope in someone else when they realize they too can accomplish something they thought impossible.
What is the most embarrassing thing that has happened to you and how did you handle it?I’m not sure I have a most embarrassing moment because my next faux pas is always the most embarrassing one to me. However, one of my more memorable one was the night of my first date with the guy who would be my future husband. When we said goodnight, I called him Harold. The next time I saw him, I called his Harold again, then promptly turned red when he said, “My name is Harry, my grandfather is Harold.” I didn’t forget his name again.
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?When people tell me, I would like to write a book, I ask them, what’s holding you back? Their answer is generally work, family, and/or other such things. I smile. If they know me, they know why I’m smiling.
I work full time, have a family, and I write. It’s not the perfect world, nor what I would like to do, but because I am an author, I make time to write.
So my best advice to all the would-be writers reading this, there’s no better time than the present to sit down at that computer or pick up that pen and begin that book. Take some classes, read some books, join a critique or writer’s group, but while you’re learning how, write, write, write. That’s how you become a writer.
Very good advice. Tell us about the featured book.
Run … You Can’t Hide
was a story that came to me while driving through the tiny artisan town of Ben Wheeler, Texas. A few miles outside the city limits we saw a sign Cabins For Rent, so my husband turned on the dirt road leading to a resort of sorts. We came upon a beautiful setting of rural cabins in among the tall piney woods with a small sparkling pond.
The thought came to me, this setting would be the perfect place for a person to hide. Consequently, the story of Aimee Hamilton was birthed which was a tough story to write.
Aimee full of spunk and a sense of humor is ever mindful there is a real threat out beyond her little self-made compound of safety. She desperately needs what her neighbor, Special Ops Tom Branigan can supply.
Tom Branigan, medically discharged from the service, wants to be left alone to wallow in self-pity for the hand life has dealt him. When he built on his gated acreage, he didn’t know his land butted up next to the property of a fiery-headed woman with a temper and persistence to match. Now she refuses to be turned away.
When Aimee and Tom meet for the first time it isn’t love at first sight, more like mutual tolerance. She needs his special ops training to stay alive. And though he doesn’t know it, he’s needs her zany, upbeat outlook to learn to forgive and love again.
Together, Aimee and Tom work to keep the killer from getting what he wants … Aimee.
Wow! Please give us the first page of the book.Aimee Hamilton’s ’57 pickup sprayed a rooster tail of brown dust into the air as her truck barreled down the country road. So far, she’d managed to hit every rut and pothole left behind by the last downpour as she drove at a faster-than-normal rate of speed.
And for what? To catch a man.
Whew! What a change. She hadn’t wanted anything to do with a man since she’d run from one over two years ago. Now she was racing to catch her reclusive neighbor, Tom Branigan, an odd one at that.
Knowing the mailman delivered mail between eleven and one to the mailboxes lining FM 279 at the corner of the County Road 4614, Aimee figured Branigan would wait until after one to drive out to get his mail. She hoped her assumption was correct. If not, she’d be here at eleven tomorrow and stay until she caught the man.
Seeing her quarry standing alongside the mailboxes, thumbing through his mail, she applied her brakes. It wouldn’t do to pelt him with dirt or choke him with dust when she wanted his cooperation. That is, if he stayed long enough for her to ask.
Branigan must have heard her coming. Duh! The man would’ve had to been blind, deaf, and barely breathing not to know she was heading in his direction.
Glancing up from his mail, even with his aviator glasses shielding his eyes, she knew he saw her, but he skittered off toward his Silverado. One of her neighbor’s traits, a barely perceptible limping gait, was even more pronounced today.
Gaze locked on her prey, Aimee aimed her truck in his direction. She wasn’t about to let him get away.
I can hardly wait until my copy arrives. How can readers find you on the Internet?They can find me at www.JaniceOlson.com, Facebook: http://bit.ly/1OqXRII, Twitter: https://twitter.com/JaniceOlson16, Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/janicekolson/, Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/home?trk=nav_responsive_tab_home
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6872699.Janice_Olson
Thank you, Janice, for sharing this new book with us. I know my readers are as eager to read it as I am.
Readers, here’s a link to the book. By using it when you order, you help support this blog.
Run ... You Can't Hide (Texas Sorority Sisters) (Volume 4)
Leave a comment for a chance to win a free copy of the book. 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
Another good ebook:
Welcome back, Janice. Tell us about your salvation experience.I was born into a minister’s home and was raised on the front pew of the church. From a baby, my mother taught my brother and me about the love of God and His amazing grace. Around the age of six, I realized my need of a savior and accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. I won’t say I was a perfect child from that point forward, or that my way was easy, it wasn’t. However, the day Jesus Christ bought and sealed me by his blood, He also preserved me from experiencing the displeasures of the world. And to this day, I have never regretted my decision to follow Jesus. You’re planning a writing retreat where you can only have four other authors. Who would they be and why?That’s a tough one but I’ll answer with two authors I would love to have at a retreat and then add all my writer friends.
James Pattersonfor his mastery of marketing and his concept of outlining a novel allowing another writer to pick up his outline and write the novel for him.
Debbie Macomberfor her ability to make you feel warm and fuzzy while weaving a tale of hearth and home.
Nora Roberts for the suspense she weaves.
Susan Mallory for her command of romance and series.
Do you have a speaking ministry? If so, tell us about that.Yes, I love to speak to groups and encourage them that they can do the impossible. Since I deal with dyslexia on a daily basis, and I didn’t start writing until 2003, I particularly like to inspire others that they too can reach beyond their limitations and effect change around them or set goals and reach them.
I have taught in retirement centers, writers’ and readers’ group, and also taught biblical studies at women gatherings and at churches. It encourages me when I see a spark of hope in someone else when they realize they too can accomplish something they thought impossible.
What is the most embarrassing thing that has happened to you and how did you handle it?I’m not sure I have a most embarrassing moment because my next faux pas is always the most embarrassing one to me. However, one of my more memorable one was the night of my first date with the guy who would be my future husband. When we said goodnight, I called him Harold. The next time I saw him, I called his Harold again, then promptly turned red when he said, “My name is Harry, my grandfather is Harold.” I didn’t forget his name again.
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?When people tell me, I would like to write a book, I ask them, what’s holding you back? Their answer is generally work, family, and/or other such things. I smile. If they know me, they know why I’m smiling.
I work full time, have a family, and I write. It’s not the perfect world, nor what I would like to do, but because I am an author, I make time to write.
So my best advice to all the would-be writers reading this, there’s no better time than the present to sit down at that computer or pick up that pen and begin that book. Take some classes, read some books, join a critique or writer’s group, but while you’re learning how, write, write, write. That’s how you become a writer.
Very good advice. Tell us about the featured book.
Run … You Can’t Hide
was a story that came to me while driving through the tiny artisan town of Ben Wheeler, Texas. A few miles outside the city limits we saw a sign Cabins For Rent, so my husband turned on the dirt road leading to a resort of sorts. We came upon a beautiful setting of rural cabins in among the tall piney woods with a small sparkling pond. The thought came to me, this setting would be the perfect place for a person to hide. Consequently, the story of Aimee Hamilton was birthed which was a tough story to write.
Aimee full of spunk and a sense of humor is ever mindful there is a real threat out beyond her little self-made compound of safety. She desperately needs what her neighbor, Special Ops Tom Branigan can supply.
Tom Branigan, medically discharged from the service, wants to be left alone to wallow in self-pity for the hand life has dealt him. When he built on his gated acreage, he didn’t know his land butted up next to the property of a fiery-headed woman with a temper and persistence to match. Now she refuses to be turned away.
When Aimee and Tom meet for the first time it isn’t love at first sight, more like mutual tolerance. She needs his special ops training to stay alive. And though he doesn’t know it, he’s needs her zany, upbeat outlook to learn to forgive and love again.
Together, Aimee and Tom work to keep the killer from getting what he wants … Aimee.
Wow! Please give us the first page of the book.Aimee Hamilton’s ’57 pickup sprayed a rooster tail of brown dust into the air as her truck barreled down the country road. So far, she’d managed to hit every rut and pothole left behind by the last downpour as she drove at a faster-than-normal rate of speed.
And for what? To catch a man.
Whew! What a change. She hadn’t wanted anything to do with a man since she’d run from one over two years ago. Now she was racing to catch her reclusive neighbor, Tom Branigan, an odd one at that.
Knowing the mailman delivered mail between eleven and one to the mailboxes lining FM 279 at the corner of the County Road 4614, Aimee figured Branigan would wait until after one to drive out to get his mail. She hoped her assumption was correct. If not, she’d be here at eleven tomorrow and stay until she caught the man.
Seeing her quarry standing alongside the mailboxes, thumbing through his mail, she applied her brakes. It wouldn’t do to pelt him with dirt or choke him with dust when she wanted his cooperation. That is, if he stayed long enough for her to ask.
Branigan must have heard her coming. Duh! The man would’ve had to been blind, deaf, and barely breathing not to know she was heading in his direction.
Glancing up from his mail, even with his aviator glasses shielding his eyes, she knew he saw her, but he skittered off toward his Silverado. One of her neighbor’s traits, a barely perceptible limping gait, was even more pronounced today.
Gaze locked on her prey, Aimee aimed her truck in his direction. She wasn’t about to let him get away.
I can hardly wait until my copy arrives. How can readers find you on the Internet?They can find me at www.JaniceOlson.com, Facebook: http://bit.ly/1OqXRII, Twitter: https://twitter.com/JaniceOlson16, Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/janicekolson/, Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/home?trk=nav_responsive_tab_home
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6872699.Janice_Olson
Thank you, Janice, for sharing this new book with us. I know my readers are as eager to read it as I am.
Readers, here’s a link to the book. By using it when you order, you help support this blog.
Run ... You Can't Hide (Texas Sorority Sisters) (Volume 4)
Leave a comment for a chance to win a free copy of the book. 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
Another good ebook:
October 21, 2015
A TIDE WORTH TURNING - Beth Wiseman - One Free Book
Dear Readers, several years ago at an ACFW national conference in Minneapolis, one of the women in my critique group introduced me to Beth. We clicked right from the start. She wasn’t published at that time, but soon her first book released. Now she had a number of books out, and I love her writing.
Welcome back, Beth. How did this book come about? I love reading books about the beach, and a novella is always nice on vacation. I enjoy writing romances, but my stories are also relationship driven with several subplots going on. In this story, we unravel secrets between Addison and her mother, feeling their pain and rejoicing with them as they find their way back to each other. There are two romances running parallel with each other, but there is also a mystery that isn’t revealed until the end. I write a lot of Amish novels and novellas, so I wanted to do something a bit different.
Tell us about the book’s cover and what makes it unique. I’m so glad you asked this question. I took the photo on the cover. My husband bought me a fancy new camera for my birthday, and I captured this shot in Mexico. Then I turned it over to a graphics designer who came up with the final cover. The book starts off in Galveston, Texas, but if you’ve been to Galveston, you know right away the photo doesn’t look like Galveston; and it’s not meant to. This story takes my characters to another beach I would like to visit some day—and that is the intended beach on the cover.
Please explain and differentiate between what’s fact and fiction in the book.All of my books are fiction, but this is another good question since certain truths always find a way into my stories. In the story, we know from the beginning that Loganis in some sort of trouble. But we also know he is a good guy. This mystery isn’t revealed until the very end, so I don’t want to give any spoilers. The idea came to me based on something that happened to my son’s friend.
Yes, we authors often hear or experience something that takes us right into a story. How much research did you have to do for this book? I had to do quite a bit of research for this book. Novellas need to pack a punch since they are shorter reads, but they also need to be as accurate as full-length novels. I’ve never been to the place my characters visit in the story, so I had to research certain customs and the area. And there were some legal issues that I had to research.
When I was in school, even college, I hated when we had to do research. Now I love it for my books. What are some of the most interesting things you found about this subject that you weren’t able to use in the story? The food! Logan is from Australia, and he loves to cook, so I researched popular foods in Australia. I included two recipes in the back of the book, but I couldn’t squeeze them all in.
What inspired and surprised you while you were writing the book? I’m always inspired by the ways God feeds me the story. And I’m always surprised by the ways I’m ministering to myself while writing the story. And there is something in the book that I wrote in early on, but I had no idea if it had any special meaning. One day I looked it up, and I just smiled when I realized it was very significant to the story and my character’s spiritual arc.
What do you hope the reader takes away from the story? There is a reason for everything. God never wastes a hurt. So, if bad things are happening to good people, it could be God’s effort to direct our journey onto a better path.
What is the next project you’re working on? I’m working on my second book in the Amish Secrets series (not yet titled). As I’ve done with my other series, I’ve brought back some of the same characters from Her Brother’s Keeper, but I’ve also introduced new people I hope readers will love.
What do you do when you have to get away from the story for a while? It depends. If I’m just totally brain dead and my eyes hurt from staring at a computer and my phone, I’ll read a book. Other times, if I want a total escape, I’ll play games on my phone, just really tune everything else out. And I clean house. It’s amazing how dirty the baseboards become when I’m under deadline. I’ll find anything to do but write, lol.
Please give us the first page of the book.ADDISON PACED ACROSS HER MOTHER’S LIVING ROOM as sweat dampened her temples and the base of her neck. May was already punishing them with Texastemperatures that were usually reserved for July and August. But Lee Ann Burke had a steadfast rule not to run the air conditioning until July. If there was any saving grace at all, it was the ocean pushing a breeze ashore, which wafted through the screened windows of the house Addisonhad grown up in. She breathed in the briny aroma, a smell she’d haul to her grave someday, with enough good and bad memories to keep her balanced on the plank she’d been walking since her father died. She glanced at her smart phone, wondering if she was going to make it to her next appointment on time. The continuous drip of the kitchen faucet around the corner felt like water torture against her left temple. She rubbed the source of the irritation. “Mom, are you sure the agency said three o’clock? It’s almost three thirty.”
“That’s what they said.” Her mother didn’t glance up, but kept focused on the jigsaw puzzle she was hunched over. Addisoncouldn’t recall a time that her family—small as it was—had ever shared a meal at the kitchen table, except maybe Christmas and Thanksgiving. On most days, her mother had one of her puzzles spread atop the oak table, with a sweating glass of sweet tea nearby and an ashtray. There was still sweet tea within reach, but at least Mom had taken to smoking her cigarettes outside a few years ago, something she should have done when it became common knowledge that secondhand smoke was unhealthy.
I can hardly wait until my copy arrives, so I can read the rest of the story. How can readers find you on the Internet? My website is the best place to start. It’s updated all the time, and you can read the first chapter of all my books for free. There is a place to sign up for my newsletter and direct links to vendors for each book. I’m also at Fans of Beth Wiseman on Facebook. I’m on Twitter as Beth Wiseman. I have a Pinterest account and an Ello account. I sell my photography at www.FineArtsAmerica. And I’ve just recently signed up with Periscope, which is live videos, kind of like having your own TV broadcast.
Thank you, Lena, for the opportunity to be a guest on your blog.
I am always happy to host you on my blog, and I look forward to the next time we can meet face to face.
Readers, here’s a link to the book. By using it when you order, you help support this blog. A Tide Worth Turning: A Novella
Leave a comment for a chance to win a free copy of the book. 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, Beth. How did this book come about? I love reading books about the beach, and a novella is always nice on vacation. I enjoy writing romances, but my stories are also relationship driven with several subplots going on. In this story, we unravel secrets between Addison and her mother, feeling their pain and rejoicing with them as they find their way back to each other. There are two romances running parallel with each other, but there is also a mystery that isn’t revealed until the end. I write a lot of Amish novels and novellas, so I wanted to do something a bit different. Tell us about the book’s cover and what makes it unique. I’m so glad you asked this question. I took the photo on the cover. My husband bought me a fancy new camera for my birthday, and I captured this shot in Mexico. Then I turned it over to a graphics designer who came up with the final cover. The book starts off in Galveston, Texas, but if you’ve been to Galveston, you know right away the photo doesn’t look like Galveston; and it’s not meant to. This story takes my characters to another beach I would like to visit some day—and that is the intended beach on the cover.
Please explain and differentiate between what’s fact and fiction in the book.All of my books are fiction, but this is another good question since certain truths always find a way into my stories. In the story, we know from the beginning that Loganis in some sort of trouble. But we also know he is a good guy. This mystery isn’t revealed until the very end, so I don’t want to give any spoilers. The idea came to me based on something that happened to my son’s friend.
Yes, we authors often hear or experience something that takes us right into a story. How much research did you have to do for this book? I had to do quite a bit of research for this book. Novellas need to pack a punch since they are shorter reads, but they also need to be as accurate as full-length novels. I’ve never been to the place my characters visit in the story, so I had to research certain customs and the area. And there were some legal issues that I had to research.
When I was in school, even college, I hated when we had to do research. Now I love it for my books. What are some of the most interesting things you found about this subject that you weren’t able to use in the story? The food! Logan is from Australia, and he loves to cook, so I researched popular foods in Australia. I included two recipes in the back of the book, but I couldn’t squeeze them all in.
What inspired and surprised you while you were writing the book? I’m always inspired by the ways God feeds me the story. And I’m always surprised by the ways I’m ministering to myself while writing the story. And there is something in the book that I wrote in early on, but I had no idea if it had any special meaning. One day I looked it up, and I just smiled when I realized it was very significant to the story and my character’s spiritual arc.
What do you hope the reader takes away from the story? There is a reason for everything. God never wastes a hurt. So, if bad things are happening to good people, it could be God’s effort to direct our journey onto a better path.
What is the next project you’re working on? I’m working on my second book in the Amish Secrets series (not yet titled). As I’ve done with my other series, I’ve brought back some of the same characters from Her Brother’s Keeper, but I’ve also introduced new people I hope readers will love.
What do you do when you have to get away from the story for a while? It depends. If I’m just totally brain dead and my eyes hurt from staring at a computer and my phone, I’ll read a book. Other times, if I want a total escape, I’ll play games on my phone, just really tune everything else out. And I clean house. It’s amazing how dirty the baseboards become when I’m under deadline. I’ll find anything to do but write, lol.
Please give us the first page of the book.ADDISON PACED ACROSS HER MOTHER’S LIVING ROOM as sweat dampened her temples and the base of her neck. May was already punishing them with Texastemperatures that were usually reserved for July and August. But Lee Ann Burke had a steadfast rule not to run the air conditioning until July. If there was any saving grace at all, it was the ocean pushing a breeze ashore, which wafted through the screened windows of the house Addisonhad grown up in. She breathed in the briny aroma, a smell she’d haul to her grave someday, with enough good and bad memories to keep her balanced on the plank she’d been walking since her father died. She glanced at her smart phone, wondering if she was going to make it to her next appointment on time. The continuous drip of the kitchen faucet around the corner felt like water torture against her left temple. She rubbed the source of the irritation. “Mom, are you sure the agency said three o’clock? It’s almost three thirty.” “That’s what they said.” Her mother didn’t glance up, but kept focused on the jigsaw puzzle she was hunched over. Addisoncouldn’t recall a time that her family—small as it was—had ever shared a meal at the kitchen table, except maybe Christmas and Thanksgiving. On most days, her mother had one of her puzzles spread atop the oak table, with a sweating glass of sweet tea nearby and an ashtray. There was still sweet tea within reach, but at least Mom had taken to smoking her cigarettes outside a few years ago, something she should have done when it became common knowledge that secondhand smoke was unhealthy.
I can hardly wait until my copy arrives, so I can read the rest of the story. How can readers find you on the Internet? My website is the best place to start. It’s updated all the time, and you can read the first chapter of all my books for free. There is a place to sign up for my newsletter and direct links to vendors for each book. I’m also at Fans of Beth Wiseman on Facebook. I’m on Twitter as Beth Wiseman. I have a Pinterest account and an Ello account. I sell my photography at www.FineArtsAmerica. And I’ve just recently signed up with Periscope, which is live videos, kind of like having your own TV broadcast.
Thank you, Lena, for the opportunity to be a guest on your blog.
I am always happy to host you on my blog, and I look forward to the next time we can meet face to face.
Readers, here’s a link to the book. By using it when you order, you help support this blog. A Tide Worth Turning: A Novella
Leave a comment for a chance to win a free copy of the book. 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
October 20, 2015
INTERTWINED - Jennifer Slattery - One Free BookInt
Welcome back, Jennifer. God has really been moving in your writing life. What do you see on the horizon?Hopefully, He’ll continue to open doors for publication! I have another book releasing in January titled Breaking Free, and I’m waiting to hear back from my publisher regarding a sequel I proposed to Beyond I Do. You might remember that title; I visited your blog last October, I believe, to talk about it. Many readers asked me if I had a second book planned, and the answer is yes! Not only was it planned, it is now written and waiting somewhere in pub-board land. :) Operating on optimistic thinking, I’ve begun writing book three, which I’m really excited about, and I’ve been doing a lot more speaking. So in answer to your question, I hope there will be a lot more releases and speaking engagements on my horizon, as I really enjoy both!
Of course, I remember featuring you with Beyond I Do. Tell us a little about your family.I’d love to! My husband and I have been married for twenty years. He’s my real-life hero. I like to call him my warrior. He earned that nickname last summer when he donated a kidney (in a large part because of Intertwined ! Long, amazing, miraculous story I’ll have to share with you and your readers soon.) to a teenager he hadn’t met and didn’t meet until the Sunday before the surgery. My man is such a giver! That’s what I love about him most.
Our daughter, aged 18, has begun her first year in college, so that’s an adjustment. I’ve heard parents talk about how, once their kids reach their senior year in high school, they’re ready for them to launch from the nest. That has not been the case at all for us! Our daughter is such a joy to have around it’s always strange when she’s absent. But luckily, her university is only a forty-five minute drive away. I foresee lots of dinner visits in our future!
I’m married to a giver with a servant’s heart. Men like that are real heroes. Has your writing changed your reading habits? If so, how?Sometimes. I’ve always been an eclectic reader, and that hasn’t changed. But I do find I can be a bit more critical, now that I know so many “rules.” When that happens, I don’t enjoy the story as much and I have to remind myself to turn off my editor brain and turn up my imagination.
What are you working on right now?I sort of answered this in the first question, but I’m in the first draft stage of a novel called A Different Kind of Love (wt), which I hope to be book three in a proposed series I’ve tentatively titled the Midwestern romance series (contemporary). Here’s the working (not edited or final) blurb:
Though she stands for everything he’s against, his heart won’t let him walk away.
All Robby wants to do is serve God, grow a godly family, and make a positive impact on the lives of others. But when a pregnant abortionist and a soon-to-be paroled father ignite the pain from his past, his mercy-filled love is overshadowed by a bitterness that threatens to destroy him. At what point can he walk away for good? And what will it cost him if he does?
That sounds powerful. What outside interests do you have?Hm … Is there life outside of reading and writing? And Facebook? Ha ha. Let’s see … I love going for walks and bike rides, especially when my husband joins me. I also love picnics and day-road trips into the country. Actually, those are more romantic to me than a fancy steak dinner! And you’ll often find me at one of the many coffeehouses in my area, sipping a flavored latte. (I have a slight … um … fierce addiction to froo-froo coffee!)
How do you choose your settings for each book?Sometimes the story will dictate the setting, like in my last novel, which began with a mandatory hurricane evacuation. Because of this, I wanted it set on the Gulf Coast. Since then, I’ve been writing novels set in the Midwest because one, that’s where I live, and two, I’ve fallen in love with this area with its four distinct seasons, thriving art community, and amazing churches.
If you could spend an evening with one historical person, who would it be and why?Outside of Jesus—oh, wait, I get to spend time with Jesus daily. Ha! I’d have to say Paul, or maybe President Lincoln. Hm… This is a hard one. Harriet Tubman would be a fascinating and inspiring dinner guest! I have such admiration for courageous people who risk their lives for the sake of others!
What is the one thing you wish you had known before you started writing novels?I’m not sure I’d like to have learned anything ahead of time as I may have been overwhelmed. I love how God leads us step by step, giving us the information, strength, and skill set we need for whatever lays directly ahead without overwhelming us with details of the future. In so doing, He helps us keep our eyes on Him, which is where our focus must remain, especially if we want to write for Him.
What new lessons is the Lord teaching you right now?Surrender and perseverance. Oh, and to be slow to speak and quick to listen. All three of those seem to be lifelong lessons for me. Hopefully, I’ve grown in those areas but man-oh-man, do I still have a long way to go! Surrender, I think, permeates everything I do. The greater my surrender, the easier my journey in writing and life. And yet, I’ve found, ironically, surrender takes a great deal of strength. And trust. But when we remember who God is, what He’s done, and what He’s promised, it becomes easier.
What are the three best things you can tell other authors to do to be successful?I’d say make your relationship with Christ your top priority. If He called you to write, He’s gifted you and is committed to perfecting that which concerns you. But His timetable and route to publication might be different from what you expect. That’s where trust comes in. Rest in His love, sovereignty, wisdom, and attentive care. And obey fully, giving Him your best in everything you do … because the King of Kings deserves our very best.
Tell us about the featured book.How about I give readers the text from the back cover?Abandoned by her husband for another woman, Tammy Kuhn, an organ procurement coordinator often finds herself in tense and bitter moments. After an altercation with a doctor, she is fighting to keep her job and her sanity when one late night she encounters her old flame Nick. She walks right into his moment of facing an unthinkable tragedy. Because they both have learned to find eternal purposes in every event and encounter, it doesn’t take long to discover that their lives are intertwined but the ICU is no place for romance …. or is it? Could this be where life begins again?
Please give us the first page of the book.Sure!
Tammy pulled into her garage and stared at the entrance door to her home with a heavy sigh. Most likely, her husband Brody was asleep. Or zoned out watching television. Completely oblivious to their rapidly decaying marriage. She paused to read the verse taped to her dashboard: “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy…it is not easily angered . . .” A similar verse was tacked to the door leading into the house, and another one stuck to her bathroom mirror. They weren’t helping. Nothing was. No matter how hard she tried, how fervently she prayed. With a heavy heart, she glanced back at her two sleeping kids. Tylan’s chest rose and fell, his small lips slightly ajar. Beside him, Becky’s strawberry-blonde head leaned against the window, her bangs splayed across her forehead. Such precious little angels. She reached back and squeezed her daughter’s knee. “Hey, sweet girl, we’re home.” Becky stirred before opening droopy eyes. Strawberry blonde hair muffed, she glanced around, yawned, then got out, shuffling forward in a semi-alert state. Tammy moved to the rear passenger side of the car to retrieve her sleeping son. The buzz of cicadas filled the thick Missouri air, ushering forth memories of lazy summer evenings. Back when she and Brody were still in love. Was it too late to rekindle their romance? To begin again? As if to answer, the door to the kitchen creaked open, and Brody appeared. “Hey, Dad.” Becky stopped in front of him as if waiting for a response. “Hey.” Brody stepped aside to let her pass. No, How was your day or hello hug? When had he become so cold, so uncaring? Swallowing past an unsettled stomach, Tammy offered him what she hoped to be a welcoming smile. “Hi.” He nodded, stepping into the garage and continuing to the car. “I’ve got Tylan.” She studied his face. The normal edge was replaced by dull eyes and a slackened mouth. “Rough day?” He held her gaze for a moment, causing the knot in her gut to twist tighter. “We’ll talk later.” Nothing good ever followed those words, but whatever it was, they’d get through it. Right? Her pulse quickened as she followed her husband, carrying a sleeping Tylan, down the hall and into his bedroom. Crossing the room in three long strides, he laid the child on his comforter, decorated with the Royals’ logo. He stirred, and his eyes fluttered open, before closing once again. A slight smile emerged as he rolled on his side. Tammy unfolded a quilt on the foot of his bed and spread it over him, tucking the edge around his shoulder. She brushed a kiss against his temple. “Good night, sweet boy.” Behind her, Brody’s footsteps receded. She exited Tylan’s room and paused in the dimly lit hall to brace herself against an impeding argument. Brody’s words replayed through her brain. “We’ll talk later.” Whatever he had to say, she would respond with love. The floorboards creaked as she continued down the hall. She popped her head into Becky’s room to say goodnight before entering the dark living room. Brody sat with his back to her, in his favorite chair—one she and the kids bought him several Christmases ago. Not wanting to see her husband’s loveless eyes, she kept the lights off. She sank into the corner of the couch across from him, drawing up her knees and hugging them. Brody stared at his hands, twisted his wedding ring. Silence stretched between them. Used by Permission. Intertwined: A Novel, by Jennifer Slattery (New Hope Publishers, Birmingham, AL) NewHopePublishers.com
How can readers find you on the Internet?They can visit my devotional blog at JenniferSlatteryLivesOutLoud, they can connect with me on Facebook at www.facebook.com/JenSlatte and on twitter at @JenSlattery
Thanks so much for having me on your site, Lena! I always love visiting with you and your readers!
And thank you, Jennifer, for sharing this new book with us. I love hosting you, and my readers enjoy learning about you and your books.
Readers, here are links to the book. By using one when you order, you help support this blog.
- Amazon
Intertwined: A Contemporary Romance Novel - Kindle
Leave a comment for a chance to win a free copy of the book. 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
October 19, 2015
THE 12 BRIDES OF CHRISTMAS - Susan Page Davis and more - One Free Book
Dear Readers, Susan is a long-time, dear writer friend. I’ve treasured the special times we’ve been privileged to spend face-to-face time at conferences and on a couple of retreats. The 12 Brides of Christmas is a collection of 12 novellas that released last year individually as ebooks. These novellas are still available individually online. I’m reading this collection right now, and they are wonderful, historical Christmas stories.
Welcome back, Susan. What are some of the spiritual themes you like to write about?I often write about forgiveness and reconciliation. In
The Christmas Tree Bride
, the theme is more of growth and acceptance.
What other books of yours are coming out soon?I have a new novella coming out in March in the collection called The Cowboy’s Bride. I’m also working on a new project I’m very excited about. Guideposts is presenting a new series called Tearoom Mysteries, and I am writing the first book.
Congratulations. I’ll have novellas in two collections next year—Love is Patient in February and Mountain Christmas Brides in September. If you could spend an evening with one contemporary person (not a family member of yours), who would it be and why?I’d really like to sit down with Alex Trebek (of Jeopardy) and see what he doesn’t know.
He has hosted that show for a very long time. I love Jeopardy. What historical person would you like to meet (besides Jesus) and why?Ulysses S. Grant. He went through a lot, and he wasn’t perfect, but he was one of the greatest generals ever. When urged to replace him as commander, Lincolnsaid, “I can’t spare this man; he fights.” Yet Grant himself said, “Although a soldier by profession, I have never felt any sort of fondness for war, and I have never advocated it, except as a means of peace.”
I found it interesting that Grant and Robert E. Lee were classmates in West Point. How can you encourage authors who have been receiving only rejections from publishers?First of all, seek out a professional edit or critique. Is there some major flaw in your book that you did not see? Consider why this story might be rejected more than once. Is your writing not quite up to par, or is the genre one that is currently out of favor? Does it contain elements that some Christian publishers find objectionable? Is it too predictable, or too much like what is already out there? Many publishers are putting out fewer books right now than in the past. It might just be that they don’t have a slot for a new author. If people who have experience in the field tell you that your writing is good and your story is engaging, then maybe you should consider the self-publishing route. But if you go this way first, make sure the manuscript is well edited and presented in the best possible manner.
Tell us about the featured book.
The 12 Brides of Christmas
is a collection of twelve historical romance novellas, each with a Christmas theme. My story is called
The Christmas Tree Bride
. In it, Polly Winfield has moved with her family to the plains of Wyoming, where evergreens are hard to come by. She develops homesickness, though she remains cheerful and helpful to her parents in running the stagecoach station.
A friend in Massachusetts sends Polly a postcard with a picture depicting a decorated Christmas tree, which sparks her longing for one. Polly is reminded of happy Christmases with family and the sense of security and being loved that always surrounded the tree when she was younger. The hero, stagecoach driver Jacob Tierney, is attracted to Polly. He agrees to look for a tree for her as his run takes him into different terrain, where trees are more plentiful. After all his efforts, will Polly’s hard-won tree have to be sacrificed in an emergency?
Please give us the first page of the book for my readers.Polly Winfield dashed about the dining room, setting up. On days the stage came through, she and her mother always prepared to serve a full table. The passengers would eat quickly, reboard the stagecoach, and hurry away toward the next station. Polly didn’t mind the hectic mornings on Wednesdays. The stage was heading west, and that meant Jacob Tierney would be driving it. Though his driving job was temporary, Jacob stayed at the Winfields’ home station from Wednesday until Saturday, when the stage returned, heading east. The driver on that run, Harry Smith, would stay at there from Saturday until Jacob returned the following Wednesday. They each had a run of a hundred twenty miles or so, covering six stations. On their days between runs, the drivers could do whatever they pleased. If Polly had anything to say about it, Jacob would be pleased to further their acquaintance.
Ma bustled through the kitchen doorway, carrying two covered baskets. “They’ll be here any minute. Set these out and fill the water pitchers.” Polly took the baskets and set them on the table, enjoying the fresh scent of baking. The passengers always raved about Ma’s flaky biscuits. Polly had heard more than once that the Winfield station had the best food of any along the line from FortLaramie to Salt Lake City.
The faint call of Jacob’s horn reached her. The stage was coming down the slope from the bluffs. She longed to run outside and watch him guide the team in, but Ma would have a fit if she disappeared now. Their job was to get the meal on the table and make sure every passenger was satisfied, while Pa collected the price of dinner and the tenders swapped the tired horses for a fresh team.
Jacob’s duties ended when the last passenger had stepped down from the coach. He’d give Pa and Harry any news he’d picked up along the way and then mosey out back to use the necessary and wash up. When the passengers were done eating and were scrambling back into the coach, he would stroll into the dining room and grin at Polly and say, “What’s to eat?”
Polly smiled as the first passenger came through the door. The next quarter hour would be hectic, but so worth the fuss. Her mother earned nearly as much with her cooking as Pa earned for running the station.
Eight men paid up and came to the table today. Ma was smiling, and Polly knew she was adding up the money in her head. The coaches had been full every week in the summer and autumn, but now cold weather was setting in, and sometimes Jacob had only one or two riders. People hated riding the stage in freezing weather.
Polly filled coffee cups, brought more biscuits, and distributed slices of apple pie. She glanced out the window once. The tenders were guiding the fresh team into place.
“Got more coffee, miss?” one of the diners asked, and Polly hurried to get it.
A moment later, Harry poked his head in the doorway and yelled, “All aboard!”
Men grabbed one last bite of their dessert or a final swallow of coffee and headed out to the yard.
And there he was, leaning against the doorjamb, grinning, his whip coiled in his hand.
“What’s to eat, Polly?” Jacob asked.
She laughed. “You know we always have beef stew on Wednesday.”
He stepped forward and took a seat at the end of the long table. “Did you save me any biscuits?”
“I always do.” Polly whisked away the dirty dishes from the table in front of him and hurried to the kitchen. “Jacob’s ready to eat.”
“What about the shotgun messenger?” Ma asked. “Is Billy Clyde with him?”
“Haven’t seen him yet,” Polly said.
Ma ladled a generous serving of stew into a soup plate. “I’m saving enough for him. Didn’t expect so many passengers today, though. They nearly cleaned me out.”
Polly carried the stew and a basket of warm biscuits into the dining room.
“Where’s Billy Clyde?” she asked Jacob.
“Out yonder, jawing with your pappy.” Jacob’s eyes lit when she put the plate of stew before him. “I’ve been dreaming of this stew all week.”
“Naw, he ain’t,” Billy Clyde said from the doorway. “Miss Polly, he’s been dreamin’ ’bout you.”
Polly laughed and felt her cheeks warm. “Hush you, Billy Clyde.”
How can readers find you on the Internet?Visit my website at: www.susanpagedavis.comOr my Facebook author page: https://www.facebook.com/susanpagedavisauthorEvery month I blog on the 23rd at: www.hhhistory.com And you can follow me on Twitter: @SusanPageD
Thank you, Susan, for sharing this new collection with us. My readers love Christmas stories.
Readers, here are links to the book. By using one when you order, you help support this blog.
- Amazon
The Christmas Tree Bride (The 12 Brides of Christmas Book 8)
- Kindle
Leave a comment for a chance to win a free copy of the book. 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, Susan. What are some of the spiritual themes you like to write about?I often write about forgiveness and reconciliation. In
The Christmas Tree Bride
, the theme is more of growth and acceptance.What other books of yours are coming out soon?I have a new novella coming out in March in the collection called The Cowboy’s Bride. I’m also working on a new project I’m very excited about. Guideposts is presenting a new series called Tearoom Mysteries, and I am writing the first book.
Congratulations. I’ll have novellas in two collections next year—Love is Patient in February and Mountain Christmas Brides in September. If you could spend an evening with one contemporary person (not a family member of yours), who would it be and why?I’d really like to sit down with Alex Trebek (of Jeopardy) and see what he doesn’t know.
He has hosted that show for a very long time. I love Jeopardy. What historical person would you like to meet (besides Jesus) and why?Ulysses S. Grant. He went through a lot, and he wasn’t perfect, but he was one of the greatest generals ever. When urged to replace him as commander, Lincolnsaid, “I can’t spare this man; he fights.” Yet Grant himself said, “Although a soldier by profession, I have never felt any sort of fondness for war, and I have never advocated it, except as a means of peace.”
I found it interesting that Grant and Robert E. Lee were classmates in West Point. How can you encourage authors who have been receiving only rejections from publishers?First of all, seek out a professional edit or critique. Is there some major flaw in your book that you did not see? Consider why this story might be rejected more than once. Is your writing not quite up to par, or is the genre one that is currently out of favor? Does it contain elements that some Christian publishers find objectionable? Is it too predictable, or too much like what is already out there? Many publishers are putting out fewer books right now than in the past. It might just be that they don’t have a slot for a new author. If people who have experience in the field tell you that your writing is good and your story is engaging, then maybe you should consider the self-publishing route. But if you go this way first, make sure the manuscript is well edited and presented in the best possible manner.
Tell us about the featured book.
The 12 Brides of Christmas
is a collection of twelve historical romance novellas, each with a Christmas theme. My story is called
The Christmas Tree Bride
. In it, Polly Winfield has moved with her family to the plains of Wyoming, where evergreens are hard to come by. She develops homesickness, though she remains cheerful and helpful to her parents in running the stagecoach station.A friend in Massachusetts sends Polly a postcard with a picture depicting a decorated Christmas tree, which sparks her longing for one. Polly is reminded of happy Christmases with family and the sense of security and being loved that always surrounded the tree when she was younger. The hero, stagecoach driver Jacob Tierney, is attracted to Polly. He agrees to look for a tree for her as his run takes him into different terrain, where trees are more plentiful. After all his efforts, will Polly’s hard-won tree have to be sacrificed in an emergency?
Please give us the first page of the book for my readers.Polly Winfield dashed about the dining room, setting up. On days the stage came through, she and her mother always prepared to serve a full table. The passengers would eat quickly, reboard the stagecoach, and hurry away toward the next station. Polly didn’t mind the hectic mornings on Wednesdays. The stage was heading west, and that meant Jacob Tierney would be driving it. Though his driving job was temporary, Jacob stayed at the Winfields’ home station from Wednesday until Saturday, when the stage returned, heading east. The driver on that run, Harry Smith, would stay at there from Saturday until Jacob returned the following Wednesday. They each had a run of a hundred twenty miles or so, covering six stations. On their days between runs, the drivers could do whatever they pleased. If Polly had anything to say about it, Jacob would be pleased to further their acquaintance.
Ma bustled through the kitchen doorway, carrying two covered baskets. “They’ll be here any minute. Set these out and fill the water pitchers.” Polly took the baskets and set them on the table, enjoying the fresh scent of baking. The passengers always raved about Ma’s flaky biscuits. Polly had heard more than once that the Winfield station had the best food of any along the line from FortLaramie to Salt Lake City.The faint call of Jacob’s horn reached her. The stage was coming down the slope from the bluffs. She longed to run outside and watch him guide the team in, but Ma would have a fit if she disappeared now. Their job was to get the meal on the table and make sure every passenger was satisfied, while Pa collected the price of dinner and the tenders swapped the tired horses for a fresh team.
Jacob’s duties ended when the last passenger had stepped down from the coach. He’d give Pa and Harry any news he’d picked up along the way and then mosey out back to use the necessary and wash up. When the passengers were done eating and were scrambling back into the coach, he would stroll into the dining room and grin at Polly and say, “What’s to eat?”
Polly smiled as the first passenger came through the door. The next quarter hour would be hectic, but so worth the fuss. Her mother earned nearly as much with her cooking as Pa earned for running the station.
Eight men paid up and came to the table today. Ma was smiling, and Polly knew she was adding up the money in her head. The coaches had been full every week in the summer and autumn, but now cold weather was setting in, and sometimes Jacob had only one or two riders. People hated riding the stage in freezing weather.
Polly filled coffee cups, brought more biscuits, and distributed slices of apple pie. She glanced out the window once. The tenders were guiding the fresh team into place.
“Got more coffee, miss?” one of the diners asked, and Polly hurried to get it.
A moment later, Harry poked his head in the doorway and yelled, “All aboard!”
Men grabbed one last bite of their dessert or a final swallow of coffee and headed out to the yard.
And there he was, leaning against the doorjamb, grinning, his whip coiled in his hand.
“What’s to eat, Polly?” Jacob asked.
She laughed. “You know we always have beef stew on Wednesday.”
He stepped forward and took a seat at the end of the long table. “Did you save me any biscuits?”
“I always do.” Polly whisked away the dirty dishes from the table in front of him and hurried to the kitchen. “Jacob’s ready to eat.”
“What about the shotgun messenger?” Ma asked. “Is Billy Clyde with him?”
“Haven’t seen him yet,” Polly said.
Ma ladled a generous serving of stew into a soup plate. “I’m saving enough for him. Didn’t expect so many passengers today, though. They nearly cleaned me out.”
Polly carried the stew and a basket of warm biscuits into the dining room.
“Where’s Billy Clyde?” she asked Jacob.
“Out yonder, jawing with your pappy.” Jacob’s eyes lit when she put the plate of stew before him. “I’ve been dreaming of this stew all week.”
“Naw, he ain’t,” Billy Clyde said from the doorway. “Miss Polly, he’s been dreamin’ ’bout you.”
Polly laughed and felt her cheeks warm. “Hush you, Billy Clyde.”
How can readers find you on the Internet?Visit my website at: www.susanpagedavis.comOr my Facebook author page: https://www.facebook.com/susanpagedavisauthorEvery month I blog on the 23rd at: www.hhhistory.com And you can follow me on Twitter: @SusanPageD
Thank you, Susan, for sharing this new collection with us. My readers love Christmas stories.
Readers, here are links to the book. By using one when you order, you help support this blog.
- Amazon
The Christmas Tree Bride (The 12 Brides of Christmas Book 8)
- KindleLeave a comment for a chance to win a free copy of the book. 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
October 18, 2015
WINNERS
Colletta (Pa) is the winner of
Return to Christmas
by Kathi Macias.
Mrs Tina (MD) is the winner of A Texas Christmas by Darlene Franklin.
Kelsey (CO) is the winner of A Reason to Stay by Kellie Gilbert.
Maxie (TX) is the winner of Reviving Jules by Peggy Trotter.
If you won a book and you like it, 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.
Mrs Tina (MD) is the winner of A Texas Christmas by Darlene Franklin.
Kelsey (CO) is the winner of A Reason to Stay by Kellie Gilbert.
Maxie (TX) is the winner of Reviving Jules by Peggy Trotter.
If you won a book and you like it, 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.
October 16, 2015
MOMENTS OF TRUTH - Sandra D Bricker - One Free Ebook
Dear Readers, I first met Sandra D Bricker at a national Christian writing conference in Denver several years ago. She’s another of my redheaded writing friends. When we met, we were writing for the same publisher. She writes wonderful books with humor and a lot of heart.
Welcome back, Sandra. Since you’re being published regularly, what new avenues will your future books take?
After losing four publishers in as many years because of the CBA avenues for fiction growing leaner and more narrow, I’ve become a bit of a hybrid. This has been The Summer of Everything for me as a writer. In August, Be My Valentino, Book 2 of my 3-book series for Abingdon Press, came out. Then in September, I published with a smaller boutique publisher that—while they don’t have the traditional houses’ promotion dollars behind them—they are able to offer a much higher royalty percentage than I got before. And in October, I’ll be embarking on the indie road with a unique and interactive project that will bring back the characters from my popular Another Emma Rae Creation series. From there, who knows! As quickly as the industry has been changing, other roads are being forged almost as fast.
What conferences will you be attending this year? Will you be a speaker at any of them?
I won’t be attending any conferences until next year around this time.
I wasn’t able to attend the ACFW conference this year because of my knee-replacement surgery. Since it was here in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex, I did go over to the hotel for a couple of hours one day, so I could see some of my faraway friends. If you were in charge of planning the panel discussion at a writing conference, what topic would the panel cover, and who would you ask to be on the panel, and why?
I think a really interesting, in-depth conversation would be had with guests like Debby Mayne, Kristin Billerbeck, and Janice Thompson, three of my favorite authors who dove into the uncharted waters of indie publishing long before I did. Then I’d add innovators in publishing like agents Steve Laube and Rachelle Gardner to level our heads and give it to us straight.
That would be a dynamite panel. How important is it to you to be active in writing organizations?
It’s crucial. There’s so much information available to writers, from aspiring to established, that is imperative when building a career. As much as writing feels like a lonely profession that we pursue from our own private islands, that just isn’t the case. We need one another for guidance, inspiration, and support.
Where in the community or your church do you volunteer?
I’m very active in my local church, CedarCreek. I volunteer for special projects and the like, but I’m also a regular moderator of their iCampus, an online stream of five live services each weekend. Because I found them myself via the iCampus, it’s very close to my heart, and my work with that team is a calling I eagerly fulfill.
Who are the five people who have made the most impact on your life, and how?
Carlton Garborg – He was owner of Summerside Press and gave me my first opportunity in Christian publishing. Carlton is someone ahead of his time who understands marketing like very few people do. I have no idea what he saw in me, but he swung open a door I’d been banging on for years.
Barbara Scott – She was the editor at Abingdon who responded to my writing very early on and extended herself to mentor me through several books. Barb eventually became more than an editor; she’s one of my closest and most cherished friends as well.
Eva Marie Everson – A few years back, we ended up in a critique group together, but it was a five-person group and it started to feel to both of us like herding cats trying to get everyone together. Finally, Eva said, “You know, why don’t we just create a private group, just you and me?” My writing hasn’t been the same since. In addition to her storytelling talent, she’s a phenomenal editor and idea person. I can bounce anything off her, and she won’t hesitate to tell me what she thinks, even if the idea is a stinker.
Lynn Herring – She plays Lucy Coe on ABC-TV’s General Hospital. Lynnwas one of my first clients when I worked as a personal assistant and publicist in L.A., and that was 25 years ago. Our relationship has only grown and blossomed since then, and I think she’s one of the most exceptional people I’ve ever known. Her friendship has become more valuable to me with each year that passes, and I learn so much from her upbeat positivity and joy for life.
Marian Miller – I’ve known her for something like 40 years, and she’s my BFF. What can I say? She’s just a spectacular human.
If you could write the inscription on your tombstone, what would it be?
“Well done, good and faithful servant! Well done.”
Tell us about the featured book.
Moments of Truthcenters around Girl Power, and the lives and loves of five women who have each other’s backs no matter what comes. The most exciting thing about it–to me, anyway–is the underlying theme that really speaks to me. I feel like so many of us wander through life feeling like our thin little rays of faith are pretty insignificant in the bigger picture. But the truth is that even the most meager light reaches out and touches all the lives around us in some way. That’s what happens in Moments of Truth .
Book blurb: Regan Sloane was married once. Eight years, no kids, she got the house. In the years since the divorce, she’s managed to keep afloat with the only real skill she has: Writing. She hadn’t really noticed how her readership had blossomed until a well-known reviewer noticed her sweet little lifestyle blog. When had it transformed into a single woman’s go-to? With the life and loves of her four BFFs to fuel the content and have her back at every turn Regan realizes that something magical happens when women join forces. Girl Power just might be the new super power!
Please share the first page with us.
Eight years of marriage. No kids. She got the house.
Regan felt as if those words might make a great tattoo—assuming she were inclined to get a tattoo, of course—maybe right across her forehead. Anything to keep from explaining it time after time. With the long bangs she still wore acting as a curtain of sorts, when someone inquired yet again, she could just lift them with the back of one hand, give the inquirer time to read her forehead, and be on her way. Story told. No muss, no fuss.
No muss, no fuss.
The words made her chuckle as she stirred vanilla creamer into her morning cup of bold roast. Had she ever had a muss- or fuss-free day in her life?
Regan twisted her long dark hair into a knot at the top of her head. She pushed her brown-rimmed glasses up the bridge of her nose before snapping the lid on her travel mug and padding, barefoot, across the cold stone tile of the kitchen. She climbed the oak stairs to the loft and pushed the large window wide open, stopping to inhale the salty Pacific Ocean in the distance. She flopped into the creamy Italian leather chair in front of her desk, flicking the power button on her laptop as she did. It wasn’t much of a commute to work, but she set the alarm every morning, showered and dressed, and filled her travel mug with coffee before setting out across two thousand square feet of house. It made her feel as if her role as blogger for Vertical Magazine carried more importance than a simple lifestyle blog for women might tend to hoist. Regan knew a little something about the challenges of remaining spiritually vertical, after all, especially in the face of adversity.
It didn’t pay much, but her one lone skill for putting words on the page combined with an abundance of random opinions on just about any topic concerning women made the job a good fit for her now. She’d almost thought it was a joke when Vertical’s senior editor called.
“I ran across your blog this morning,” said Delores Cogswell. “And I was so drawn to it that I spent hours reading the archived material. This is really something special, Miss Sloane. The way you tie your friends and your life with the lives of your readers. Oh, and I love how you refer to your ex-husband as 30-Watt.”
Actually, it was 40-Watt; a metaphor for the realization that his 100-watt smile—the one promising a shiny future together filled with wonder and joy and children—soon grew dim in the face of reality.
Oh, Sandie, I love it. I can’t wait until my copy arrives. Where can my readers find you on the Internet?
Author website: www.SandraDBricker.comBook website: www.moments-of-truth.netFacebook: www.facebook.com/SandraDBrickerTwitter: @SandieBricker
Thank you, Sandie, for sharing this new book with us. I know my readers will want to read it, too.
Readers, here are links to the book. By using one when you order, you help support this blog.Moments of Truth
- Amazon
Moments of Truth (Contemporary Romance)
- Kindle
Leave a comment for a chance to win a free copy of the ebook. 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, Sandra. Since you’re being published regularly, what new avenues will your future books take?After losing four publishers in as many years because of the CBA avenues for fiction growing leaner and more narrow, I’ve become a bit of a hybrid. This has been The Summer of Everything for me as a writer. In August, Be My Valentino, Book 2 of my 3-book series for Abingdon Press, came out. Then in September, I published with a smaller boutique publisher that—while they don’t have the traditional houses’ promotion dollars behind them—they are able to offer a much higher royalty percentage than I got before. And in October, I’ll be embarking on the indie road with a unique and interactive project that will bring back the characters from my popular Another Emma Rae Creation series. From there, who knows! As quickly as the industry has been changing, other roads are being forged almost as fast.
What conferences will you be attending this year? Will you be a speaker at any of them?
I won’t be attending any conferences until next year around this time.
I wasn’t able to attend the ACFW conference this year because of my knee-replacement surgery. Since it was here in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex, I did go over to the hotel for a couple of hours one day, so I could see some of my faraway friends. If you were in charge of planning the panel discussion at a writing conference, what topic would the panel cover, and who would you ask to be on the panel, and why?
I think a really interesting, in-depth conversation would be had with guests like Debby Mayne, Kristin Billerbeck, and Janice Thompson, three of my favorite authors who dove into the uncharted waters of indie publishing long before I did. Then I’d add innovators in publishing like agents Steve Laube and Rachelle Gardner to level our heads and give it to us straight.
That would be a dynamite panel. How important is it to you to be active in writing organizations?
It’s crucial. There’s so much information available to writers, from aspiring to established, that is imperative when building a career. As much as writing feels like a lonely profession that we pursue from our own private islands, that just isn’t the case. We need one another for guidance, inspiration, and support.
Where in the community or your church do you volunteer?
I’m very active in my local church, CedarCreek. I volunteer for special projects and the like, but I’m also a regular moderator of their iCampus, an online stream of five live services each weekend. Because I found them myself via the iCampus, it’s very close to my heart, and my work with that team is a calling I eagerly fulfill.
Who are the five people who have made the most impact on your life, and how?
Carlton Garborg – He was owner of Summerside Press and gave me my first opportunity in Christian publishing. Carlton is someone ahead of his time who understands marketing like very few people do. I have no idea what he saw in me, but he swung open a door I’d been banging on for years.
Barbara Scott – She was the editor at Abingdon who responded to my writing very early on and extended herself to mentor me through several books. Barb eventually became more than an editor; she’s one of my closest and most cherished friends as well.
Eva Marie Everson – A few years back, we ended up in a critique group together, but it was a five-person group and it started to feel to both of us like herding cats trying to get everyone together. Finally, Eva said, “You know, why don’t we just create a private group, just you and me?” My writing hasn’t been the same since. In addition to her storytelling talent, she’s a phenomenal editor and idea person. I can bounce anything off her, and she won’t hesitate to tell me what she thinks, even if the idea is a stinker.
Lynn Herring – She plays Lucy Coe on ABC-TV’s General Hospital. Lynnwas one of my first clients when I worked as a personal assistant and publicist in L.A., and that was 25 years ago. Our relationship has only grown and blossomed since then, and I think she’s one of the most exceptional people I’ve ever known. Her friendship has become more valuable to me with each year that passes, and I learn so much from her upbeat positivity and joy for life.
Marian Miller – I’ve known her for something like 40 years, and she’s my BFF. What can I say? She’s just a spectacular human.
If you could write the inscription on your tombstone, what would it be?
“Well done, good and faithful servant! Well done.”
Tell us about the featured book. Moments of Truthcenters around Girl Power, and the lives and loves of five women who have each other’s backs no matter what comes. The most exciting thing about it–to me, anyway–is the underlying theme that really speaks to me. I feel like so many of us wander through life feeling like our thin little rays of faith are pretty insignificant in the bigger picture. But the truth is that even the most meager light reaches out and touches all the lives around us in some way. That’s what happens in Moments of Truth .
Book blurb: Regan Sloane was married once. Eight years, no kids, she got the house. In the years since the divorce, she’s managed to keep afloat with the only real skill she has: Writing. She hadn’t really noticed how her readership had blossomed until a well-known reviewer noticed her sweet little lifestyle blog. When had it transformed into a single woman’s go-to? With the life and loves of her four BFFs to fuel the content and have her back at every turn Regan realizes that something magical happens when women join forces. Girl Power just might be the new super power!
Please share the first page with us.
Eight years of marriage. No kids. She got the house.
Regan felt as if those words might make a great tattoo—assuming she were inclined to get a tattoo, of course—maybe right across her forehead. Anything to keep from explaining it time after time. With the long bangs she still wore acting as a curtain of sorts, when someone inquired yet again, she could just lift them with the back of one hand, give the inquirer time to read her forehead, and be on her way. Story told. No muss, no fuss.
No muss, no fuss.
The words made her chuckle as she stirred vanilla creamer into her morning cup of bold roast. Had she ever had a muss- or fuss-free day in her life?
Regan twisted her long dark hair into a knot at the top of her head. She pushed her brown-rimmed glasses up the bridge of her nose before snapping the lid on her travel mug and padding, barefoot, across the cold stone tile of the kitchen. She climbed the oak stairs to the loft and pushed the large window wide open, stopping to inhale the salty Pacific Ocean in the distance. She flopped into the creamy Italian leather chair in front of her desk, flicking the power button on her laptop as she did. It wasn’t much of a commute to work, but she set the alarm every morning, showered and dressed, and filled her travel mug with coffee before setting out across two thousand square feet of house. It made her feel as if her role as blogger for Vertical Magazine carried more importance than a simple lifestyle blog for women might tend to hoist. Regan knew a little something about the challenges of remaining spiritually vertical, after all, especially in the face of adversity.
It didn’t pay much, but her one lone skill for putting words on the page combined with an abundance of random opinions on just about any topic concerning women made the job a good fit for her now. She’d almost thought it was a joke when Vertical’s senior editor called.
“I ran across your blog this morning,” said Delores Cogswell. “And I was so drawn to it that I spent hours reading the archived material. This is really something special, Miss Sloane. The way you tie your friends and your life with the lives of your readers. Oh, and I love how you refer to your ex-husband as 30-Watt.”
Actually, it was 40-Watt; a metaphor for the realization that his 100-watt smile—the one promising a shiny future together filled with wonder and joy and children—soon grew dim in the face of reality.
Oh, Sandie, I love it. I can’t wait until my copy arrives. Where can my readers find you on the Internet?
Author website: www.SandraDBricker.comBook website: www.moments-of-truth.netFacebook: www.facebook.com/SandraDBrickerTwitter: @SandieBricker
Thank you, Sandie, for sharing this new book with us. I know my readers will want to read it, too.
Readers, here are links to the book. By using one when you order, you help support this blog.Moments of Truth
- AmazonMoments of Truth (Contemporary Romance)
- KindleLeave a comment for a chance to win a free copy of the ebook. 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
