Lena Nelson Dooley's Blog, page 34
January 30, 2022
WINNERS
IMPORTANT: Instructions for winners - When you send me the email, make sure your subject line says this: Winner - (book title) - (author's name) If you do n't do this, your email could get lost in my hundreds of emails per day. I WILL SEARCH FOR POST TITLES STARTING THAT WAY .
Some people don't read the instructions of how to enter. Unfortunately, they don't have a chance to win. so next time you come and leave a comment, be sure to read all the instructions if you want a chance to win.
Winnie (UT) is the winner of Life Flight by Lynette Eason.
Anne (NM) is the winner of The First Book of ISMS by DJ Hariford.
If you won a book and you like it, please consider giving the author the courtesy of writing a review on Goodreads, Amazon.com, Christianbooks.com, Barnes and Noble, or other Internet sites. Reviews are such a blessing to an author.Also, tell your friends about the book you won ... 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 or audio book, just let me know what email address it should be sent to. Remember, you have 4 weeks to claim your book.
January 27, 2022
NEVER LEAVE ME - Jody Hedlund - One Free Book
Bio: Jody Hedlund the bestselling author of more than thirty historical novels for both adults and teens, including Come Back to Me, and is the winner of numerous awards, including the Christy, Carol, and Christian Book Awards. Jody lives in Michiganwith her husband, busy family, and five spoiled cats. She loves to imagine that she really can visit the past, although she’s yet to accomplish the feat, except via the many books she reads.
Welcome, Jody. Can you please provide a brief description of your latest novel, Never Leave Me? In
Never Leave Me
, Harrison Burlington, a brilliant scientist, is left to pick up the pieces after his friends Marian and Arthur Creighton die while in comas after supposedly traveling into the past to the Middle Ages. With his power and wealth, Harrisoncontinues the search for more holy water, with the hope of saving the woman he secretly loves, Ellen Creighton, who is dying of a genetic disease. Ellen’s health deteriorates rapidly. As the one-year anniversary of the deaths of her dad and sister draw near, Ellen’s prognosis is grim, and the doctors agree she doesn’t have long to live. She resigns herself to her fate. But Harrison only grows more desperate to save her.
When Harrison finds two flasks of holy water, he sets into motion events that change both his and Ellen’s lives forever and sends them on an adventure of a lifetime.
Never Leave Me is the second installment in your Waters of Time series. What ties the books in this series together? The main tie with Never Leave Me is that the holy water related to the Tree of Life is still the primary vehicle for time traveling. The characters must still drink the water to go into the past. And they still need two doses if they hope to survive and return to the present.
Another tie is that the main characters continue to stay connected to the Middle Ages during the same time period from the previous installment (but a year later in 1382). Readers will get another trip to the past with Ellen and Harrison with some new characters making their debuts. But readers will also be excited to learn that they’ll get to spend more time with Marian and Will too and find out what’s going on with this amazing couple.
Set in Canterbury in the Middle Ages, your book incorporates time travel as a central theme. What was it like to write about this mystical topic while balancing the portrayal of different periods in time? Time travel involves a merging of fantasy and historical elements—blending wildly creative and imaginative ideas with very realistic and accurate details from the past. Such a dichotomy requires pulling out all the stops for the fantasy elements but then staying grounded for all the historical details.
In order to handle that balance, I set out to make my time travel elements sound as believable as possible. By the end of the books, I want readers (even if just to a small degree) asking whether there really is such a thing as holy water and whether holy water can heal or cause realistic (time-travel-like) visions. If I’m able to do that, then I consider myself to have accomplished the balance between fantasy and history successfully!
Female protagonist Ellen Creighton suffers from the same genetic disease that robbed her of her mother at a young age. Can you tell us a little more about Ellen and her family’s history? In
Never Leave Me
, Ellen is struggling with a resurgence of cancer as a result of VHL, Von HippelLindau Syndrome. After numerous treatments and attempts to stave off the disease, it’s finally caught up with her, and her doctors give her a grim prognosis. While Harrison still holds out hope that holy water is the ultimate cure, Ellen is totally against it since she believes it killed her sister and her dad.
Being the eternal optimist and having learned to live with her short expiration date, Ellen is happy spending her final days at Chesterfield Parkenjoying the beauty of the gardens, making the most of her time with Harrison, and pouring into the children who are a part of her new charity organization, Serenity House.
But when Harrison discovers more holy water, Ellen soon realizes it may offer more hope than she once thought.
What type of research was required to accurately portray fourteenth-century Canterbury? In the first book, I focused a great deal of my research on the Peasant’s Revolt of 1381. However, in the second book, the story doesn’t center around one specific event in the same way. Instead, there are a number of different historical things happening including the resurgence of the Black Plague and an earthquake that hits the British Isles in 1382.
In addition, the reader once again gets to experience a more intimate look at what life was like during the Middle Ages, including childbirth, marriage, customs, traditions, clothing, and much more. I appreciated using The Time Traveler’s Guide to Medieval Englandby Ian Mortimer as a resource.
What do you hope readers take away from reading Never Leave Me? The characters in this story truly struggle with the issue of how to live life to the fullest. With a terminal illness, Ellen uses the Serenity Prayer to keep her focused on what she can and cannot change. She wants to embrace each day by enjoying one moment at a time.
While never knowing when her end may come, Ellen has also never allowed herself to truly put down roots or to truly love. She learns that instead of living in fear, she has to hold on to the love she’s given while it lasts, because a person never knows when it will slip away. Ultimately in the end, I hope readers, like Ellen, will learn to grasp on to life, making the most of the time God gives them.
You are a bestselling author of over 30 novels and have written books set in many different time periods and even different countries. What does your process look like when you prepare to dive into a new time period? For my research, before starting my first draft, I usually spend weeks reading biographies and any other time-period books. I sift through plot ideas, wanting to stick as closely to the facts as possible, but also knowing I need to dramatize the story to bring it to life.
A large part of my planning involves the process of getting to know my characters. I use an extensive character worksheet for that process. Many times, I find real people from history or real situations and use those as inspiration for my characters, but then fill in the rest and make them larger than life. Then after my characters are living and breathing in my mind, and after I have a basic plot outline, I start the actual writing. While I’m in first draft mode, I try not to stop the flow of my writing momentum by researching. I usually highlight something that needs more research and will wait until the editing phase before digging deeper. However, if it’s a larger issue that involves a new setting or something integral to the plot, then I do take some time off to pursue that particular research need. But I try to keep the interruptions brief whenever I’m in my first draft.
What do you love the most about writing in the historical romance genre? First and foremost I consider myself a romance writer. One of the primary reasons I’m drawn to the historical genre is because of the variety of ways to develop romance and love in bygone eras that don’t exist in modern times, especially marriages of convenience (a trope that happens to be one of my favorites). I also really love the morals, the chivalry, and the high standards of past times because they can also add to the romantic tension.
Another really fun part about writing historical romance is that I get to bring difficult and enlightening eras to life. I learn so much with each book that I write. It’s helped me appreciate the past and have more gratefulness for the present.
What are you working on next? I have ideas for two more time travel books utilizing holy water. I would love to write them! In the meantime, I’m working on a Coloradocowboy series, a historical romance family saga set in the 1800s in the high country of the Rocky Mountains.
How can readers connect with you? I hang out on Facebook here: Author Jody Hedlund
I also love to chat on Twitter: @JodyHedlund
My home base is at my website: jodyhedlund.com
I get personal on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jodyhedlund/
Find more about my stories on Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/jodyhedlund/boards/ Get the deals at BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/jody-hedlund
Thank you, Jody, for sharing this new book with my blog readers and me. For years I thought no one could write a Christian time-travel novel that I’d like. But I learned that I could love them.
Readers, here’s a link to the book.
Leave a comment for a chance to win a free copy of the book. You must follow these instructions to be in the drawing. Please tell us where you live, at least the state or territory or country if outside North America. (Comments containing links may be subject to removal by blog owner.)
Void where prohibited; the odds of winning depend on the number of entrants. Entering the giveaway is considered a confirmation of eligibility on behalf of the enterer in accord with these rules and any pertaining local/federal/international laws.
The only notification you’ll receive is the winner post on this blog. So be sure to check back a week from Saturday to see if you won. You will have 2 weeks from the posting of the winners to claim your book.
If you’re reading this on Goodreads, 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
January 25, 2022
MEDICAL MYSTERY - Richard L Mabry, MD - One Free Book
Welcome back, Richard. What kind of files takes up the most space on your computer? I haven’t ever looked to see, although I have plenty of room still on my hard disk. Unlike some authors, I keep all my prior files on the books already written and published. These undoubtedly take up space, and I probably could get rid of them, but I keep them “just in case.” I guess that, if I needed the room, it would be safe to delete them. I’m like you. I keep all my book files. Are you a stay-at-home kind of person, or do you like to be on the road a lot? Definitely a homebody. Before my retirement from medicine, I went all over the world lecturing and teaching, but since then I’ve let the world go by. Now I don’t even want to think about getting on an airplane.
James doesn’t like to fly either. The only place he joined me was when one of my books was a finalist in a contest, and we flew to Atlantafor the banquet. That was several years ago. Please share a Bible verse or passage that has had the most impact on your life. When I was asked to be chairman of deacons at a previous church, my initial reaction was to say “no.” Then I read these lines, which caused me to re-evaluate that request and all that followed: “…who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” (Esther 4:14 kjv). I have tried to apply this whatever the circumstances, and it has worked so far.
I love that scripture, too. Do you have a favorite Bible character? Who is it and why? Depends on the situation. Sometimes I identify with Esther, sometimes with Paul (who was often down but never out), sometimes with others. I recall what I’ve written in one of my prior books—if God didn’t use flawed people to accomplish His will, who would He use? This does away with my excuses in almost every case.
That is so true. What has been your favorite time in your life? And why? When I was given the Lifetime Achievement Award by my otolaryngology academy, my reaction was, “But I’m not through.” And I’m not. So, I guess my favorite time is now, because I don’t yet know what else is coming.
Do you have an ereader? If so, what kind do you use? I have a Kindle—one of the earliest models. My wife has a newer model, which she rarely uses. Mine is adequate for reading books that I’m due to give a comment about, but otherwise I prefer to feel the paper and turn the pages.
Do you read mostly print books or ebooks? As noted above, I prefer the print copies. (The exception, of course, is when I travel, but as I’ve said before, I’ve cut down on that to almost zero).
Do you like to read books in the genres you write, or do you read only other genres … and why? I read mainly in my own genre, and lately I’ve confined my reading to authors whom I trust. There are lots of new books published each year, and some of them are worth reading—but not all. I’ve reached the stage when I don’t always finish the book I’ve started reading.
Please tell us about the book we’re featuring today. I thought I was through writing. My wife, however, apparently did not. She made a few suggestions (as though we, as writers, need ideas), and I tried them without success. But the ER nurse who was so damaged by her prior near-marriage and the GP who had never moved on after the death of his first wife got under my skin, so I put them together in a book where everyone is suspected of causing a death that, at first, seems to be due to natural causes. As usual, when your book arrives at our house, James takes it right away, and he takes a while to read a book, so I haven’t read it yet. Please give us a peek at the first page of the book.
The knuckle of the trigger finger was white with tension. The pistol was rock-steady and aimed at her chest. The person behind the gun smiled slightly. “Any final words?”
There was no way out. She wondered if she’d hear the gunshot that ended it all.
The cell phone in her pocket began vibrating, effectively breaking her concentration. Diane Macklin tried to ignore it, but it didn’t work. Nothing came.
She turned from the computer and pulled the instrument from her pocket. Maybe a way for her heroine to get out of the predicament would come to her while she talked.
There had been a call from her mother about twenty minutes ago, which Diane ignored. Maybe her mother was calling back now, and, like all her mother’s calls, it was probably of no importance. Well, perhaps this time it would be different, although she wasn’t confident that her mother would change.
When she looked at the caller ID, though, Diane and was surprised that this call was from her older sister. Unlike her mother, Patricia rarely called, and when she did it was because she needed something. Diane wondered what it was this time.
She pushed the button and tried to put a smile in her voice. “Patricia, what’s going on?”
“Mom has just been taken to the emergency room. You’d better hurry over to check on her.”
“What… Tell me...” But her sister had already ended the call.
* * *
The emergency room was a frightening place to most people, but a few found it as familiar as home…maybe more. Diane counted herself in the latter group. After all, she’d worked there as a nurse for several years. She knew that lives were lost here, but there were also many of them saved. To the patients and families, this was a matter of life and death. Usually, for the staff, it was business as usual. This time it was a bit different for her, though. This time, it was personal.
Where can readers find you on the internet? I blog at rmabry.blogspot.com twice a week. My Twitter handle is rmabry, and I’m on Facebook as rmabry, also.
Thank you, Richard, for sharing this new book with my blog readers and me. Tell your wife that I thank her for encouraging you to write another one. I hope James finishes the book soon, because I’m eager to read it, too.
Readers, here’s a link to the book.
Leave a comment for a chance to win a free copy of the book. You must follow these instructions to be in the drawing. Please tell us where you live, at least the state or territory or country if outside North America. (Comments containing links may be subject to removal by blog owner.)
Void where prohibited; the odds of winning depend on the number of entrants. Entering the giveaway is considered a confirmation of eligibility on behalf of the enterer in accord with these rules and any pertaining local/federal/international laws.
The only notification you’ll receive is the winner post on this blog. So be sure to check back a week from Saturday to see if you won. You will have 2 weeks from the posting of the winners to claim your book.
If you’re reading this on Goodreads, 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
January 23, 2022
WINNER
IMPORTANT: Instructions for winners - When you send me the email, make sure your subject line says this: Winner - (book title) - (author's name) If you do n't do this, your email could get lost in my hundreds of emails per day. I WILL SEARCH FOR POST TITLES STARTING THAT WAY .
Some people don't read the instructions of how to enter. Unfortunately, they don't have a chance to win. so next time you come and leave a comment, be sure to read all the instructions if you want a chance to win.
Jackie (GA) is the winner of A Heart Adrift by Laura Franz.
Abigail (VA) is the winner of Sunrise by Susan May Warren.
If you won a book and you like it, please consider giving the author the courtesy of writing a review on Goodreads, Amazon.com, Christianbooks.com, Barnes and Noble, or other Internet sites. Reviews are such a blessing to an author.Also, tell your friends about the book you won ... 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 or audio book, just let me know what email address it should be sent to. Remember, you have 4 weeks to claim your book.
January 20, 2022
THE FIRST BOOK OF ISMS - DJ Hariford - One Free Book
Welcome, DJ. What would you like for our readers to know about you personally? I have been around. In ministry, I have worked in the nursery, run puppet ministry, been a Jr High and High school leader, played keyboards for a worship band, played lead roles in drama ministry, and delivered sermons. In the secular world, I have flipped burgers, built pallets, done land scaping, built furniture, built cars, built houses, sold cars, and installed industrial HVAC. In all these arenas, I have seen the hand of God in my life. I don’t profess to be a genius or anything, but I do know my eyes have been open to the supernatural my whole life. Everywhere I look, I see God. Tell us about your family. The family I grew up in was broken and “blended.” It was messy enough that I swore as a child that I would only be married once. This caused me to go through numerous relationships before I made it to my “one and only.” My wife and I are definitely evidence for the “opposites attract” theme. More of that is in the book. We have a daughter and 2 sons, in that order. Rashel is in college, Caleb is in a mechanics trade school, and Elijah is currently finishing High School.
Have you written other nonfiction books? Other books? No. Not yet anyway. All my other writings since 2004 have been for our newsletter going out into prisons, nursing homes, and other places that have asked for them.
Do you have any other books in the works right now? I have already begun my Second Book of Isms. Which I believe will be better than my first.
What kinds of hobbies and leisure activities do you enjoy? I enjoy bike riding for exercise, as well as going to the gym. I love going to car shows, especially the ones which feature custom vehicles. I love learning. Reading about science and history definitely top that list. Most of all, I like hanging out with my wife. That can be shopping, watching TV, or having a meal together. It’s always better with her.
Why did you write the featured book? I never planned to be a writer. I was asked to write an article for a monthly publication to add some “flavor” to it for the readers. Meaning, I am weird and my unique perspectives would be interesting to some. About 15 years later, on a lunch break, God told me to write a book. I had no idea what that would be, or how to do it. As I talked it over with God, He explained His plan. I had several people tell me what their favorite articles were from the previous years and the book is a backstory on where the articles came from. God’s plan was to use those backstories as encouragement to the readers.
What do you want the reader to take away from the book? I am a flawed soul telling other flawed souls how great God is and how awesome His love is for us. What is unique is my angle of delivery. I don’t preach like a preacher. I am a common “Joe” sharing with other common Joe’s my life’s story. It’s raw, real, and unfiltered. God wanted me to bare my soul to others. Those who are wanting encouragement in hard times will take some comfort that others have gone through some difficulties as well. Pain has been faced. Mountains climbed and adversity has been overcome. The bottom line is a God who stays beside you and helps us through it all. Is there anything else you’d like to tell my readers about you or your book? As mentioned above, before I wrote this book, I was writing for a monthly newsletter. I am still a contributor for “Prospecting in the word.” The birth of this newsletter came from the oddest place. Somehow a newsletter from a small church in Illinois got inside a local prison system, and over time, there were more inmates asking for the newsletter than there were people in the church itself. Rather than fight it or try to understand it, we decided to go with what God was doing. We kept sending the newsletter to the inmates and looked for more places to send it. These days, it’s prisons, nursing homes, car dealerships, and restaurants too. I would ask for your prayers as I intend to seek a way to get this book the same places the newsletters are going. I want to send the book back to the roots where the writings themselves began. I believe the book can be even more powerful than the articles were by themselves.
Please give us the first page or two from the book.
FAITH
May 2014
If there is any single word more central to the Christian walk, and yet more misunderstood, I don’t know what it is. How do you define something so intangible? The simple and popular answer from Scripture comes from Hebrews 11:1, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” I have read that passage many times over a few decades and personally never felt it answered the question.
Jesus spoke of the merits of “child-like’ faith. In His view, it has special power. The smaller the child, the stronger the faith seems to become. Logic and doubt are not concerns a child has.
Picture a 5-year-old boy with a broken toy. The moment he discovers the toy is broken, he brings it to his father, places it in his hands and says “Daddy, fix it.” He has no doubt that his daddy can or will fix it. He is so sure, that he leaves the toy behind with his daddy and cheerfully goes his way.
An older child (or adult) knows doubt and has experienced disappointment. Under the same circumstances we want to take our problems to God. We want to simply hand off our problems to our heavenly Father and walk away without concern. Our problem is doubt. We bring our issue to Him, but we fail at letting go. Sometimes we achieve the handoff, but we don’t walk away. We want to stick around and watch, be an advisor, and help out. If you have ever had a child “help” you before, you can probably agree with me that whatever you did together could have been done much easier without them, and could have been done about four times faster.
The Bible gives us a few examples of people who tried to “help” God. No one made the situation better by doing it their way. By contrast, those who followed directions to the letter, didn’t help or get in the way, and allowed God to show His glory, were the ones that saw miracles.
An experience in March 2014 greatly tested my faith. My family (my wife, three children, three cats, and two rabbits) and I moved from our home of 16 years and our church family, which we had known for about 20 years. We also walked away from family, loved ones, friends, and careers. Crazy huh? Why? In a nutshell, we believed it was God’s will. I find there are far more examples in Scripture of times when God asks someone to do something that does not make sense than when He ever asked something that made sense.
Without a home, a job or huge savings account to lean on, we left East Peoria, Illinois, for Dallas, Texas. Since we arrived, we have obtained jobs. My wife has a better job than she had in Illinois. Even my 17-year-old daughter has a job. In spite of our financial challenges, we still got blessed with a great home that is nestled perfectly in the middle of the different jobs we all have.
Although this move was not without trouble and frustration, it has been an awesome reminder that God is in control, and that He never fails. There is a saying, “Faith doesn’t make things easy; it just makes them possible.”
DJ-ism: “FAITH” - is knowing God is in control, and you are not, and being content with it.
Storms come. Darkness comes. Plans fail. Dreams fall apart. When life does not go the way we want, faith may be all you have that holds you together. If your faith is in God, it will be all you need.
Where on the Internet can the readers find you? I don’t consider myself a nerd. I don’t get along with technology. So, just a warning, I don’t engage much on these platforms. I post regularly on the House of Isms. I make an effort to put out an encouraging word. No one will call me any sort of “master of media” however. Here are a few places I can be found.
https://www.facebook.com/dhariford1
https://www.facebook.com/DJismAuthor
https://www.linkedin.com/in/d-j-hariford-a2b60065/
Thank you, DJ, for sharing your book with my blog readers and me.
Readers, here’s a link to the book.
https://www.amazon.com/s?k=The+First+Book+of+ISMS&i=stripbooks&ref=nb_sb_noss
Leave a comment for a chance to win a free copy of the book. You must follow these instructions to be in the drawing. Please tell us where you live, at least the state or territory or country if outside North America. (Comments containing links may be subject to removal by blog owner.)
Void where prohibited; the odds of winning depend on the number of entrants. Entering the giveaway is considered a confirmation of eligibility on behalf of the enterer in accord with these rules and any pertaining local/federal/international laws.
The only notification you’ll receive is the winner post on this blog. So be sure to check back a week from Saturday to see if you won. You will have 2 weeks from the posting of the winners to claim your book.
If you’re reading this on Goodreads, 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
January 18, 2022
LIFE FLIGHT - Lynette Eason - One Free Book
Bio: Lynette Easonis the bestselling author of the Danger Never Sleeps, Blue Justice, Women of Justice, Deadly Reunions, Hidden Identity, and Elite Guardians series. She is the winner of three ACFW Carol Awards, the Selah Award, and the Inspirational Reader’s Choice Award, among others. She is a graduate of the University of South Carolinaand has a master’s degree in education from Converse College. Eason lives in South Carolinawith her husband and two children.
Welcome, Lynette, Life Flight is the first book in your new Extreme Measures series. What is the common factor that ties each of the books in this series together?The common factor that ties each of the books together are the four heroines. They were in juvie together as teens. How’s that for a teaser? How many books will be part of this series? There are four books in the Extreme Measures series.
What type of research was required to portray both an EMS helicopter pilot and an FBI Special Agent? A lot of research went into this story. I have a cousin who is a flight nurse, and he was able to answer a ton of my questions. He said they were employed by the hospital that he flies for, and their base was also at the hospital. So I took that information and ran with it. As for the FBI agent, I have two good friends who are Special Agents, and they read each of my stories and fix all of the law enforcement stuff. Although, I will say, sometimes I take a little bit of author license to create an exciting read. So if a reader may say “They wouldn’t do that” about something in the book, well, that’s on me, not them! I really do try to keep it as accurate as possible—and think I succeed for the most part.
What is the setting for your new novel? Mostly, it’s set in and around Asheville, North Carolina. I visit Ashevilleon a regular basis because I love the area, so it was really fun to set three of the books in the series there. The second book is based mostly in the Charlotte, NC, area. I lived in Charlottefor a year, so it’s been fun to revisit familiar places. The two protagonists, Penny Carlton and Holt Satterfield, must work through several different scenarios in order to catch a criminal.
How did you come up with the plot for Life Flight? This question actually made me laugh. You wouldn’t believe the ideas I brainstormed and threw out before finally settling on this plot line. I shudder just thinking about it, since I was SURE that I’d never finish the book on time. But I did, thanks to some other writer buddies who let me bounce ideas and scenes off them. And I absolutely LOVE the cover. I’m excited for readers to get their hands on this story. You have written over 40 books and have over 1 million copies in print. When did you first begin writing romantic suspense novels? I first started writing in 1998 shortly after my daughter was born. My first book with Revell was published in 2010.
What are you working on next? I’m currently working on the next book in the Extreme Measures series. The title is Crossfire and I’m really excited about this story. There will be four books in this series as well, so almost two down and two to go!
How can readers connect with you? I’m on Facebook and twitter and Instagram. My website is www.lynetteeason.com
Thank you, Lynette, for sharing this new book with my blog readers and me. You are one of my favorite authors of romantic suspense novels.
Readers, here’s a link to the book.
Leave a comment for a chance to win a free copy of the book. You must follow these instructions to be in the drawing. Please tell us where you live, at least the state or territory or country if outside North America. (Comments containing links may be subject to removal by blog owner.)
Void where prohibited; the odds of winning depend on the number of entrants. Entering the giveaway is considered a confirmation of eligibility on behalf of the enterer in accord with these rules and any pertaining local/federal/international laws.
The only notification you’ll receive is the winner post on this blog. So be sure to check back a week from Saturday to see if you won. You will have 4 weeks from the posting of the winners to claim your book.
If you’re reading this on Goodreads, 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
January 16, 2022
WINNERS
IMPORTANT: Instructions for winners - When you send me the email, make sure your subject line says this: Winner - (book title) - (author's name) If you do n't do this, your email could get lost in my hundreds of emails per day. I WILL SEARCH FOR POST TITLES STARTING THAT WAY .
Some people don't read the instructions of how to enter. Unfortunately, they don't have a chance to win. so next time you come and leave a comment, be sure to read all the instructions if you want a chance to win.
Janet (FL) is the winner of The Librarian and the Lawman by Kathleen Y'Barbo.
Melanie (TX) is the winner of The Girl Who Could Breathe Under Water by Erin Bartels.
If you won a book and you like it, please consider giving the author the courtesy of writing a review on Goodreads, Amazon.com, Christianbooks.com, Barnes and Noble, or other Internet sites. Reviews are such a blessing to an author.Also, tell your friends about the book you won ... 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 or audio book, just let me know what email address it should be sent to. Remember, you have 4 weeks to claim your book.
January 13, 2022
SUNRISE - Susan May Warren - One Free Book
Bio: Susan May Warren is the USA Today bestselling author of more than 85 novels with more than 1 million books sold, including the Global Search and Rescue and the Montana Rescue series. Winner of a RITA Award and multiple Christy and Carol Awards, as well as the HOLT Medallion and numerous Readers’ Choice Awards, Susan makes her home in Minnesota.
Welcome back, Susan. Can you please provide a brief description of Sunrise?
Sunrise
is the epic first book in a trilogy set in beautiful Alaska. This series is about three brothers who return home after serving their country. Our male hero, Dodge, sets about healing a terrible rift that has driven the brothers apart—starting with forgiving the woman who betrayed him. In the mix, he discovers the ignition of a plot that spans the globe and will bring his brothers home to help save the world. Can you please provide more information on your new Sky King Ranch series? Small-town Alaska. Bush pilots. Three ex-military heroes. The Kingston triplets have come home defeated, broken from war, and feeling anything but heroic. But the sons of Sky King Ranch have returned just in time because the world is in danger, and these flyboys, rescuers, and soldiers just might be the only ones who can save it. It’s a fight to save the people—and country—they love, and along the way, they’ll discover healing and become the heroes they are meant to be.
What was the inspiration for your new novel? We first met the Kingstonbrothers and Sky King Ranch via their sister, Larke, in the Summer of the Burning Sky series. This series was also set in Alaska and revolved around a team of smokejumpers. I had so many requests for the brothers’ stories that I put together an idea that had been floating around in my head for years. It was about a woman on the run in Alaskawho carries a secret that can save—or destroy—the world. I also wanted to create another epic community like Deep Haven, only set in the foothills of Alaska. Thus, Copper Mountainwas born.
Sunrise is the first book in your Sky King Ranch series. What is the common element that ties each of the books in this series together? This is a rich family series wrapped around one central event—a massive family fight that drove everyone into a different branch of the military. Now, after their father is injured in a plane crash, the sons return home one by one to save the ranch—and then, of course, the world.
Can you provide readers with some background on the male protagonist, Dodge Kingston? Dodge, the firstborn son of the Kingstonfamily, is capable, serious, and driven, and has always loved the heroine, Echo Yazzie, even after she broke his heart. He doesn’t plan on sticking around his hometown, but when he discovers his father needs him, he’s the first to sign up to help. Dodge is dependable and loyal, but he also struggles to forgive the people who have betrayed him. I’d pick Dodge as the leader of any SAR team.
Echo Yazzie is referred to as a “true Alaskan.” What does this classification mean? Echo knows how to survive. She and her father are homesteaders, meaning they live off the grid and they’ve eked out a nice home in the wilderness. Echo hunts, fishes, gardens, chops wood, and runs dogs (as in a dogsled). She works as a wilderness guide for the Fish and Game service, helping researchers, and if there is anyone you want to get lost with in the woods, it’s Echo.
You have set your new series in the heart of Alaska. Why did you choose this location? I love Alaska. My son Peter was born there, and something about the rugged wilderness calls to me. I love the personal challenge that living in Alaska brings and the epic beauty of it. For an epic-adventure author, it’s the perfect location to get into trouble! What do you hope readers will experience when reading Sunrise? As always, I bring the thrill of adventure, the hope of second chances, and a true romance with epic heroes and brave heroines into the story. But I also hope readers like the theme of what it means to love unconditionally, to forgive yourself as well as others, and to heal after betrayal. In the end, I hope readers love joining the Kingston family.
Your books are full of action, danger, and romance. Do you find it difficult to include all of these components in a novel? It’s a challenging balance, for sure, but I love these kinds of books, so writing these stories is super fun. They certainly keep me on my toes (and up at night, as I imagine the trouble the characters will get into)!
What are you working on next? Having finished book 2, I’m working on book 3—the epic conclusion to the series!
How can readers connect with you? Stop by my website, www.SusanMayWarren.com, or find me on Facebook and Instagram @SusanMayWarrenFiction.
Thank you, Susie, for sharing this book with my blog readers and me. I’m eager to read it. You know I love all your books.
Readers, here’s a link to the book.
https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Sunrise+Susan+May+Warren&i=stripbooks&ref=nb_sb_noss
Leave a comment for a chance to win a free copy of the book. You must follow these instructions to be in the drawing. Please tell us where you live, at least the state or territory or country if outside North America. (Comments containing links may be subject to removal by blog owner.)
Void where prohibited; the odds of winning depend on the number of entrants. Entering the giveaway is considered a confirmation of eligibility on behalf of the enterer in accord with these rules and any pertaining local/federal/international laws.
The only notification you’ll receive is the winner post on this blog. So be sure to check back a week from Saturday to see if you won. You will have 4 weeks from the posting of the winners to claim your book.
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January 11, 2022
A HEART ADRIFT - Laura Franz - One Free Book
Bio: Laura Frantz is a Christy Award winner and the ECPA bestselling author of more than a dozen novels, including An Uncommon Woman, Tidewater Bride, The Frontiersman’s Daughter, Courting Morrow Little, The Colonel’s Lady, The Lacemaker, and A Bound Heart. She is a proud mom of an American soldier and a career firefighter. When not at home in Kentucky, she and her husband live in Washington State.
Welcome, Laura. Can you please provide a brief description of A Heart Adrift? A Virginia chocolatier and a privateering sea captain collide after a failed love affair a decade before. Will a war and a cache of regrets keep them apart? Or will a new shared vision reunite them? Your novel takes place in the mid-1700s. What historical events were occurring during this time period? The novel opens at the beginning of the French and Indian War (also called the Seven Years’ War), which pitted Englandand its colonies against Franceand their allies, all in a quest for territory. George II was on the English throne, and the conflict lasted for seven long, bloody, costly years, all played out on American soil and at sea.
What draws you to this era? Colonial Americais an unending source of powerful historical men and women who made our nation what it is today. It’s fascinating history right down to the garments they wore. My regret is that all my story ideas will outlast me and I won’t find time for all the novels I’d love to write! I’m continually fascinated by our colonial ties to Great Britainand how so many of us have ancestry there.
Your novel is set in colonial York, Virginia. What type of research was required to accurately portray this setting? I prefer a global approach to research—taking a look at all that was going on internationally as well as colonially in as many arenas as I can delve into. What was being invented in 1755 or so? What was in fashion? What were people eating? What religions were being practiced? Who was in power politically and why? What was the state of medicine and justice? I also like to visit the very site I’m writing about—tour museums, walk about, and get the lay of the land, so to speak. Being on-site really makes the novel come alive for me.
Can you please tell readers about your two main characters, Esmée Shaw and Henri Lennox? Both Esmée and Henri are more mature at ages twenty-eight and thirty-five, respectively. As a privateer, Captain Lennox has sailed around the world more than once, and though he has experienced many locales, his heart is still tied to Virginia. Esmée is not so well traveled, but she is an experienced chocolatier and a benefactress ashore. Together they make a heart-melting combination, or so I hope!
Both Esmée and Henri are dedicated to the colonial cause. What does this entail? Both are very colonial-minded. They are intent on Virginia’s continuance as a leader among the British colonies, share a heart for what would become the seeds of the United States Navy in time, and are mariners in general, including keeping the first lighthouse in the Chesapeakeregion. Your two protagonists share a long history together. Can you provide some insight on their shared past? To start, Henri has a terrible sweet tooth! That aside, when he and Esmée first meet, their mutual attraction has nothing to do with her chocolate shop. He finds her delightfully feminine, intelligent, and fun. In turn, she is smitten with his renowned privateering reputation and benevolence. Alas, their romance is not to be realized for a decade, but perhaps love is sweeter the second time around.
What do you hope readers will experience when reading A Heart Adrift? I hope readers enjoy the story immensely with all its poignancy and can read between the lines to see that the valleys of life are often the high road, achieving our ultimate good and God’s glory. This novel is perhaps my most sophisticated yet, dealing with themes of love, loss, forgiveness, and restoration.
What are you working on next? I’ve just finished a novel set entirely in Scotland, tentatively titled The Rose and Thistle, which releases in January 2023. Of all the novels I’ve written, this story has been the hardest to let go of. I so hope readers love it like I do!
How can readers connect with you?
https://www.facebook.com/LauraFrantzAuthor/
https://www.instagram.com/laurafrantzauthor/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/879504709501366
Thank you, Laura, for sharing A Heart Adrift with my blog readers and me. I’m eager to read it.
Readers, here’s a link to the book.
https://www.amazon.com/s?k=A+Heart+Adrift&i=stripbooks&ref=nb_sb_noss
Leave a comment for a chance to win a free copy of the book. You must follow these instructions to be in the drawing. Please tell us where you live, at least the state or territory or country if outside North America. (Comments containing links may be subject to removal by blog owner.)
Void where prohibited; the odds of winning depend on the number of entrants. Entering the giveaway is considered a confirmation of eligibility on behalf of the enterer in accord with these rules and any pertaining local/federal/international laws.
The only notification you’ll receive is the winner post on this blog. So be sure to check back a week from Saturday to see if you won. You will have 4 weeks from the posting of the winners to claim your book.
If you’re reading this on Goodreads, 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
January 9, 2022
WINNERS
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