Lena Nelson Dooley's Blog, page 90
December 20, 2018
BRIDGE BETWEEN US (THE ERIE CANAL BRIDES COLLECTION) - Sherri Wilson Johnson - One Free Book
Bio: Sherri Wilson Johnson is a multi-published Inspirational Romance novelist, speaker, and virtual assistant. She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) and is passionate about writing and publishing. Sherri has been published in
The Erie Canal Brides
(Barbour Books), 101 Simple Ways to Show Your Husband You Love Him by Kathi Lipp (Harvest House), Powerline 365 by Nicole O'Dell (Choose NOW Ministries), Open Hearts Family: Connecting with One Another by Jane Seymour (Running Press, Hachette Book Group), The Writing Academy’s Daily Devotions for Writers, and several homeschool publications. She is the author of six inspirational romances which she independently published.
She lives in Georgiawith her husband and her spoiled dog. She loves spending time with her adult children and friends or curling up with a good book or her current work-in-progress. Sherri enjoys doing jigsaw puzzles in the winter, watching Bob Ross painting videos (although she can't paint), and counts the days every year until she can take another trip to the beach. You can find Sherri on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Pinterest.
Welcome, Sherri. What are some of the spiritual themes you like to write about?I like to write about forgiveness, redemption, and grace.
What other books of yours are coming out soon?Just this one! But I am working on an Indie contemporary romantic suspense that I may publish in 2019 if I get it finished!
If you could spend an evening with one contemporary person (not a family member of yours), who would it be and why?Author Carrie Turansky. She's such a sweet and Godly woman who has always been so kind to answer questions about writing and about life struggles. I've met her twice briefly, but I would love to spend some time with her over a cup of tea.
Carrie is one of my special friends, too. What historical person would you like to meet (besides Jesus) and why?I would love to meet my great-great-grandmother who came over on a boat from Swedenand started her family here.
How can you encourage authors who have been receiving only rejections from publishers?Keep at it! It could be that your writing still needs work or it could be that it's not the right time for your story. Just keep working on projects and submitting queries. You never know when that yes will come. And maybe your story is meant to be Indie published! ;)
Tell us about the featured book.My next release is The Erie Canal Brides Collection : 7 Romances Develop Along Manmade Waterways of New Yorkand Ohio. The ebook releases January 1st and the print version releases in March.
Completed in 1825, the Erie Canal connected the Great Lakes to the Hudson River, and soon other states like Ohiocreated canals linking Lake Erie to the Ohio River. Suddenly the Midwest was open to migration, the harvesting of resources, and even tourism. Join seven couples who live through the rise of the canals and the problems the waterways brought to each community, including land grabs, disease, tourists, racism, and competition. Can these couples hang on to their faith and develop love during times of intense change?
My story is titled The
Bridge between Us.
Here is the blurb:Susannah Higley is the daughter of sawmill owner Chauncey Higley. Since losing her fiancé to the railroad and his quest for gold, she has focused on her bookkeeping job with her father’s company, declaring never to love again. Susannah almost loses her life when the Albion, New York Main Street bridge collapses on opening day of the county fair, sending her and hundreds of others into the Erie Canal. When John Hawkins, returning from years away in New York City, saves her from drowning, Susannah finds herself drawn to him despite her opposition to love.
Although John doesn’t plan to stay in Albion a day longer than it takes him to complete his business, he’s as captivated by Susannah’s beauty and intelligence as he was seven years ago, before his family left town over an unresolved feud between their grandfathers. Susannah’s loyalty to her grudge-holding father is weakened while her empathy for John grows as he works to clear his family’s name of the shame associated with it. Can she trust a man whose mission is to finish what their grandfathers started thirty years earlier? If so, will her confidence in John destroy her family or will it save it?
Please give us the first page of the book.The aroma of boiled peanuts and fried dough traveled along the crisp September breeze and tickled Susannah Higley’s nose as exhilaration over the day’s events delighted her heart. She had never experienced a Wednesday like this in all her twenty-three years. Waiting for the results of the wax flower contest and hoping a blue ribbon and prize money would be hers, she stood on the three-arched, iron Main Street bridge with hundreds of other townsfolk ready for the tightrope artist from Brockport to walk across the Erie Canal. Susannah adjusted her white crepe bonnet and stuffed in a few unruly curls then sighed. The fearless young man would do on this fall day what she could never imagine mustering the courage to do. For months, she had lived under the shadow of abandonment. Richard had declared his love for her, but when she had refused to go to California on a quest for gold, he hopped on a train and broke her heart.
Although she longed for unforgettable experiences, eloping and leaving behind her widowed father was not among them. She should have known entertaining the idea of love with a drifter who had worked his way to Albion on boats traveling the canal would not be wise. Since Richard’s departure, Susannah had devoted her time to Pa’s sawmill as the bookkeeper, a position Mama held before her passing. Once she balanced the ledgers and completed the household chores each day, Susannah fashioned flowers from wax and dreamed of one day sharing her creations with merchants in New York City. The black metal box containing her patterns, brushes, tints, and wax was the last gift Mama gave her. Every time she formed the red roses, yellow geraniums, and purple and white violets from wax Mama had loved so much, she felt her presence. Winning a ribbon at the Orleans County Fair not only increased her chances of someone discovering her but would also confirm to her this pastime brought as much joy to others as it did to her. The long-awaited day was finally here.
How can readers find you on the Internet?WebsiteAmazon Author PageFacebookTwitterSIGN UP FOR SHERRI'S MAILING LIST!PinterestGoodreadsBookBub
Thank you, Sherri, for sharing this collection with my blog readers and me.
Readers, here are links to the book. The Erie Canal Brides Collection: 7 Romances Develop Along Manmade Waterways of New York and Ohio[image error] - Amazon Paperback
The Erie Canal Brides Collection: 7 Romances Develop Along Manmade Waterways of New York and Ohio[image error] - Kindle
Leave a comment for a chance to win a free copy of the book. You must follow these instructions to be in the drawing. Please tell us where you live, at least the state or territory or country if outside North America. (Comments containing links may be subject to removal by blog owner.)
Void where prohibited; the odds of winning depend on the number of entrants. Entering the giveaway is considered a confirmation of eligibility on behalf of the enterer in accord with these rules and any pertaining local/federal/international laws.
The only notification you’ll receive is the winner post on this blog. So be sure to check back a week from Saturday to see if you won. You will have 4 weeks from the posting of the winners to claim your book.
If you’re reading this on Goodreads, Google , Feedblitz, Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, or Amazon, please come to the blog to leave your comment if you want to be included in the drawing. Here’s a link:Http://lenanelsondooley.blogspot.com
She lives in Georgiawith her husband and her spoiled dog. She loves spending time with her adult children and friends or curling up with a good book or her current work-in-progress. Sherri enjoys doing jigsaw puzzles in the winter, watching Bob Ross painting videos (although she can't paint), and counts the days every year until she can take another trip to the beach. You can find Sherri on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Pinterest.
Welcome, Sherri. What are some of the spiritual themes you like to write about?I like to write about forgiveness, redemption, and grace.What other books of yours are coming out soon?Just this one! But I am working on an Indie contemporary romantic suspense that I may publish in 2019 if I get it finished!
If you could spend an evening with one contemporary person (not a family member of yours), who would it be and why?Author Carrie Turansky. She's such a sweet and Godly woman who has always been so kind to answer questions about writing and about life struggles. I've met her twice briefly, but I would love to spend some time with her over a cup of tea.
Carrie is one of my special friends, too. What historical person would you like to meet (besides Jesus) and why?I would love to meet my great-great-grandmother who came over on a boat from Swedenand started her family here.
How can you encourage authors who have been receiving only rejections from publishers?Keep at it! It could be that your writing still needs work or it could be that it's not the right time for your story. Just keep working on projects and submitting queries. You never know when that yes will come. And maybe your story is meant to be Indie published! ;)
Tell us about the featured book.My next release is The Erie Canal Brides Collection : 7 Romances Develop Along Manmade Waterways of New Yorkand Ohio. The ebook releases January 1st and the print version releases in March.
Completed in 1825, the Erie Canal connected the Great Lakes to the Hudson River, and soon other states like Ohiocreated canals linking Lake Erie to the Ohio River. Suddenly the Midwest was open to migration, the harvesting of resources, and even tourism. Join seven couples who live through the rise of the canals and the problems the waterways brought to each community, including land grabs, disease, tourists, racism, and competition. Can these couples hang on to their faith and develop love during times of intense change?
My story is titled The
Bridge between Us.
Here is the blurb:Susannah Higley is the daughter of sawmill owner Chauncey Higley. Since losing her fiancé to the railroad and his quest for gold, she has focused on her bookkeeping job with her father’s company, declaring never to love again. Susannah almost loses her life when the Albion, New York Main Street bridge collapses on opening day of the county fair, sending her and hundreds of others into the Erie Canal. When John Hawkins, returning from years away in New York City, saves her from drowning, Susannah finds herself drawn to him despite her opposition to love.Although John doesn’t plan to stay in Albion a day longer than it takes him to complete his business, he’s as captivated by Susannah’s beauty and intelligence as he was seven years ago, before his family left town over an unresolved feud between their grandfathers. Susannah’s loyalty to her grudge-holding father is weakened while her empathy for John grows as he works to clear his family’s name of the shame associated with it. Can she trust a man whose mission is to finish what their grandfathers started thirty years earlier? If so, will her confidence in John destroy her family or will it save it?
Please give us the first page of the book.The aroma of boiled peanuts and fried dough traveled along the crisp September breeze and tickled Susannah Higley’s nose as exhilaration over the day’s events delighted her heart. She had never experienced a Wednesday like this in all her twenty-three years. Waiting for the results of the wax flower contest and hoping a blue ribbon and prize money would be hers, she stood on the three-arched, iron Main Street bridge with hundreds of other townsfolk ready for the tightrope artist from Brockport to walk across the Erie Canal. Susannah adjusted her white crepe bonnet and stuffed in a few unruly curls then sighed. The fearless young man would do on this fall day what she could never imagine mustering the courage to do. For months, she had lived under the shadow of abandonment. Richard had declared his love for her, but when she had refused to go to California on a quest for gold, he hopped on a train and broke her heart.
Although she longed for unforgettable experiences, eloping and leaving behind her widowed father was not among them. She should have known entertaining the idea of love with a drifter who had worked his way to Albion on boats traveling the canal would not be wise. Since Richard’s departure, Susannah had devoted her time to Pa’s sawmill as the bookkeeper, a position Mama held before her passing. Once she balanced the ledgers and completed the household chores each day, Susannah fashioned flowers from wax and dreamed of one day sharing her creations with merchants in New York City. The black metal box containing her patterns, brushes, tints, and wax was the last gift Mama gave her. Every time she formed the red roses, yellow geraniums, and purple and white violets from wax Mama had loved so much, she felt her presence. Winning a ribbon at the Orleans County Fair not only increased her chances of someone discovering her but would also confirm to her this pastime brought as much joy to others as it did to her. The long-awaited day was finally here.
How can readers find you on the Internet?WebsiteAmazon Author PageFacebookTwitterSIGN UP FOR SHERRI'S MAILING LIST!PinterestGoodreadsBookBub
Thank you, Sherri, for sharing this collection with my blog readers and me.
Readers, here are links to the book. The Erie Canal Brides Collection: 7 Romances Develop Along Manmade Waterways of New York and Ohio[image error] - Amazon Paperback
The Erie Canal Brides Collection: 7 Romances Develop Along Manmade Waterways of New York and Ohio[image error] - Kindle
Leave a comment for a chance to win a free copy of the book. You must follow these instructions to be in the drawing. Please tell us where you live, at least the state or territory or country if outside North America. (Comments containing links may be subject to removal by blog owner.)
Void where prohibited; the odds of winning depend on the number of entrants. Entering the giveaway is considered a confirmation of eligibility on behalf of the enterer in accord with these rules and any pertaining local/federal/international laws.
The only notification you’ll receive is the winner post on this blog. So be sure to check back a week from Saturday to see if you won. You will have 4 weeks from the posting of the winners to claim your book.
If you’re reading this on Goodreads, Google , Feedblitz, Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, or Amazon, please come to the blog to leave your comment if you want to be included in the drawing. Here’s a link:Http://lenanelsondooley.blogspot.com
December 18, 2018
AN UNEXPECTED LEGACY - Amy R Anguish - One Free Book
Bio: Amy R Anguish grew up a preacher's kid, and in spite of having lived in seven different states that are all south of the Mason Dixon line, she is not a football fan. Currently, she resides in Tennesseewith her husband, daughter, and son, and usually a bossy cat or two. Amy has an English degree from Freed-Hardeman University that she intends to use to glorify God, and she wants her stories to show that while Christians face real struggles, it can still work out for good.
Welcome, Amy. Tell us how much of yourself you write into your characters. Unfortunately, my characters mostly get my weaknesses (like a lack of faith or a struggle to forgive or even mistrust) and a dose of sarcasm and flippant remarks.
What is the quirkiest thing you have ever done? I had hot pink streaks put into my hair a year before my daughter was born. It wasn’t something I had ever thought I would do, but I just decided to do something different ... and I loved it.
When did you first discover that you were a writer? I have always loved to read. When I had a teacher in middle school who wrote, it sort of dawned on me that I COULD write, you know? Before that, authors were unreachable. When I met one in real life, it made it seem more achievable.
Tell us the range of the kinds of books you enjoy reading. I love Christian romance (both contemporary and historical) as well as fantasy. But I have also expanded lately to read other books, as well, including several devotional and inspirational books, which really got me thinking and stretching.
How do you keep your sanity in our run, run, run world? One word: tea. Okay, maybe that’s not my only way to keep my sanity. Seriously, though, a cup of hot tea does me good. As does my stash of chocolate. I try to read the Bible through each year. And make sure I make it to worship and Bible study every time I can to keep me grounded. I make time for friends away from my children. And I read.
How do you choose your characters’ names? Sometimes, they come to me. I start thinking about the plot, and BAM! The name just appears in my head and I know it’s right. Other times, I run through a list of names I like and pick one that won’t be too similar to other characters in the same book.
What is the accomplishment that you are most proud of? Being a mommy.
If you were an animal, which one would you be, and why? I think I might like to be a bear. Hibernation sounds wonderful this time of year.
What is your favorite food? Chicken enchiladas with sour cream sauce! Mmmm. Although margherita pizza is a definite second.
My granddaughter and I will be making Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas for the whole family for our Christmas celebration. It’s a tradition in our family. What is the problem with writing that was your greatest roadblock, and how did you overcome it? Probably my greatest roadblock is not letting the reader get into my characters’ heads enough. I am great at dialogue, but not always great at giving insights between the talking scenes. I try to go back and really focus on that more as I edit, finding places I can deepen, add emotion, or even inner dialogue. I also have great friends who are good at telling me which scenes need more, when they read it before it gets submitted to a publisher.
Tell us about the featured book. In
An Unexpected Legacy
, Jessica and Chadmeet at a smoothie shop and quickly start to fall in love. As they get to know each other, they discover their families are from the same town ... and that an old family secret has kept others apart in the past. They have to uncover the past before they can make sure their relationship will last into the future.
Please give us the first page of the book. Here’s the prologue for my book:1978“Don’t even think about it.”
Sandystared across the room at Rob’s eyes. Spellbinding. The brightest shade of blue she had ever seen. “About what?”
Ruth stepped between Sandyand her view. “That boy.”
“Which one?” Sandyasked, although she had a guess. She trailed her finger along the snack table, reached for a pretzel as a way to get a better view. His new letterman jacket hung loosely on his lean frame, his long fingers playing with the edge of his Bible as he stood talking to several other boys in the youth group.
Ruth turned Sandyto look at her. “You know which one. That Manning boy. That family’s no good.”
“How can you say that?”
Ruth huffed. “Are you coming or not?” She motioned toward the door. “Daddy’s waiting in the car.”
Sandyintentionally walked around the table in the opposite direction of her older sister so she could get a little closer to Rob as she left. Her heart sped up a bit as she wondered what it would feel like to have her hand in place of his Bible. He looked up, noticed her stare, and gave her a grin before she could duck her head.
Ruth caught up and nudged Sandy again as she slowed down. “Do you know where they’re living?”
“In the old Potter house.” Sandy frowned. “What does that have to do with anything?”
Ruth opened her mouth, as if to say something, then shook her head. “Just leave him alone, Sandy. He’s no good for you. You’re going to end up with your heart broken.”
“Don’t be silly, Ruthie.” Sandy pushed the door open. “I’m going to marry that boy.”
Good opening. How can readers find you on the Internet? http://abitofanguish.weebly.comand http://www.facebook.com/amyanguishauthor
Thank you, Amy, for sharing this book with my readers and me. I’m eager to read it, and I know they are, too.
Readers, here are links to the book.An Unexpected Legacy[image error] - Paperback
An Unexpected Legacy - Kindle[image error]
Leave a comment for a chance to win a free copy of the book. You must follow these instructions to be in the drawing. Please tell us where you live, at least the state or territory or country if outside North America. (Comments containing links may be subject to removal by blog owner.)
Void where prohibited; the odds of winning depend on the number of entrants. Entering the giveaway is considered a confirmation of eligibility on behalf of the enterer in accord with these rules and any pertaining local/federal/international laws.
The only notification you’ll receive is the winner post on this blog. So be sure to check back a week from Saturday to see if you won. You will have 4 weeks from the posting of the winners to claim your book.
If you’re reading this on Goodreads, Google+, Feedblitz, Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, or Amazon, please come to the blog to leave your comment if you want to be included in the drawing. Here’s a link:Http://lenanelsondooley.blogspot.com
Welcome, Amy. Tell us how much of yourself you write into your characters. Unfortunately, my characters mostly get my weaknesses (like a lack of faith or a struggle to forgive or even mistrust) and a dose of sarcasm and flippant remarks.What is the quirkiest thing you have ever done? I had hot pink streaks put into my hair a year before my daughter was born. It wasn’t something I had ever thought I would do, but I just decided to do something different ... and I loved it.
When did you first discover that you were a writer? I have always loved to read. When I had a teacher in middle school who wrote, it sort of dawned on me that I COULD write, you know? Before that, authors were unreachable. When I met one in real life, it made it seem more achievable.
Tell us the range of the kinds of books you enjoy reading. I love Christian romance (both contemporary and historical) as well as fantasy. But I have also expanded lately to read other books, as well, including several devotional and inspirational books, which really got me thinking and stretching.
How do you keep your sanity in our run, run, run world? One word: tea. Okay, maybe that’s not my only way to keep my sanity. Seriously, though, a cup of hot tea does me good. As does my stash of chocolate. I try to read the Bible through each year. And make sure I make it to worship and Bible study every time I can to keep me grounded. I make time for friends away from my children. And I read.
How do you choose your characters’ names? Sometimes, they come to me. I start thinking about the plot, and BAM! The name just appears in my head and I know it’s right. Other times, I run through a list of names I like and pick one that won’t be too similar to other characters in the same book.
What is the accomplishment that you are most proud of? Being a mommy.
If you were an animal, which one would you be, and why? I think I might like to be a bear. Hibernation sounds wonderful this time of year.
What is your favorite food? Chicken enchiladas with sour cream sauce! Mmmm. Although margherita pizza is a definite second.
My granddaughter and I will be making Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas for the whole family for our Christmas celebration. It’s a tradition in our family. What is the problem with writing that was your greatest roadblock, and how did you overcome it? Probably my greatest roadblock is not letting the reader get into my characters’ heads enough. I am great at dialogue, but not always great at giving insights between the talking scenes. I try to go back and really focus on that more as I edit, finding places I can deepen, add emotion, or even inner dialogue. I also have great friends who are good at telling me which scenes need more, when they read it before it gets submitted to a publisher.
Tell us about the featured book. In
An Unexpected Legacy
, Jessica and Chadmeet at a smoothie shop and quickly start to fall in love. As they get to know each other, they discover their families are from the same town ... and that an old family secret has kept others apart in the past. They have to uncover the past before they can make sure their relationship will last into the future.Please give us the first page of the book. Here’s the prologue for my book:1978“Don’t even think about it.”
Sandystared across the room at Rob’s eyes. Spellbinding. The brightest shade of blue she had ever seen. “About what?”
Ruth stepped between Sandyand her view. “That boy.”
“Which one?” Sandyasked, although she had a guess. She trailed her finger along the snack table, reached for a pretzel as a way to get a better view. His new letterman jacket hung loosely on his lean frame, his long fingers playing with the edge of his Bible as he stood talking to several other boys in the youth group.
Ruth turned Sandyto look at her. “You know which one. That Manning boy. That family’s no good.”
“How can you say that?”
Ruth huffed. “Are you coming or not?” She motioned toward the door. “Daddy’s waiting in the car.”
Sandyintentionally walked around the table in the opposite direction of her older sister so she could get a little closer to Rob as she left. Her heart sped up a bit as she wondered what it would feel like to have her hand in place of his Bible. He looked up, noticed her stare, and gave her a grin before she could duck her head.
Ruth caught up and nudged Sandy again as she slowed down. “Do you know where they’re living?”
“In the old Potter house.” Sandy frowned. “What does that have to do with anything?”
Ruth opened her mouth, as if to say something, then shook her head. “Just leave him alone, Sandy. He’s no good for you. You’re going to end up with your heart broken.”
“Don’t be silly, Ruthie.” Sandy pushed the door open. “I’m going to marry that boy.”
Good opening. How can readers find you on the Internet? http://abitofanguish.weebly.comand http://www.facebook.com/amyanguishauthor
Thank you, Amy, for sharing this book with my readers and me. I’m eager to read it, and I know they are, too.
Readers, here are links to the book.An Unexpected Legacy[image error] - Paperback
An Unexpected Legacy - Kindle[image error]
Leave a comment for a chance to win a free copy of the book. You must follow these instructions to be in the drawing. Please tell us where you live, at least the state or territory or country if outside North America. (Comments containing links may be subject to removal by blog owner.)
Void where prohibited; the odds of winning depend on the number of entrants. Entering the giveaway is considered a confirmation of eligibility on behalf of the enterer in accord with these rules and any pertaining local/federal/international laws.
The only notification you’ll receive is the winner post on this blog. So be sure to check back a week from Saturday to see if you won. You will have 4 weeks from the posting of the winners to claim your book.
If you’re reading this on Goodreads, Google+, Feedblitz, Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, or Amazon, please come to the blog to leave your comment if you want to be included in the drawing. Here’s a link:Http://lenanelsondooley.blogspot.com
December 17, 2018
THE OTHER NEIGHBOR - Gail Sattler - One Free Book
Bio: To sum myself up, I am a wife, mother, writer, and musician, and the order of those things will depend on what day it is. Friends tell me that I lead a busy life, and I suppose that’s probably true. Yet, even above all my music affiliations (jazz band and string orchestra), writing is my passion. I remember the first book I wrote, back in middle school – on a clackety old manual typewriter. It was uniquely based on a pre-teen girl named… Gail… and her 3 best friends, all of whom shared the same names as my own best friends. Despite dangers and unknown perils, we raced against time following cryptic clues to seek a precious treasure in a haunted mansion before the ghosts, police, and relatives of the deceased owner of the house caught and locked us in the damp, dreary cellar until we perished. I can’t remember if we found the treasure, but I have to assume we did. After all, I’m here to tell about it.
My writing has changed a lot since then (PTL!) Now I write romantic comedy, and most of the books I’ve written in the last few years are part of a series. I love to continue a story, to make a new book with the story of a minor character from a previous story.
When I’m not writing, I love to take pictures. My primary targets, I mean volunteers, are usually my family, pets, friends, and bandmates.
Welcome back, Gail. Why did you become an author?I was working full time, evening shift while my husband worked day shift so we didn't have to put our kids in daycare. When my youngest was about two years old I was laid off, and I decided that while I was off I would catch up on a long lost enjoyment that I hadn't had time for - reading. While I was reading voraciously, I read one book that was really bad, and thought I could do better. So when the kids were napping, I got on my husband's computer and started writing. I can say I did not do better, and that first book I wrote has long since hit that great delete button in the sky. But it got me started. I joined some writing groups and learned everything about the craft, and my first published book sold on my 40th birthday. I haven't looked back since.
If you weren’t an author, what would be your dream job?Musician. I play piano, acoustic string bass, and electric bass. I play in 3 bands, but none of them make enough money that I can't say I have any income from them, I do it for fun.
If you could have lived at another time in history, what would it be and why?No other time in history appeals to me. The only historical book I've written was in the depression era and I definitely wouldn't want to live then. I love our modern technology and the computer age.
What place in the United Stateshave you not visited that you would like to?I'm Canadian, but I have traveled more in the USA than I have in Canada. One place I have not been that I would love would be Disney World in Florida. Reasons are obvious, I think. J
How about a foreign country you hope to visit?Rather than a foreign country, both me and my husband would like to take a Mediterranean cruise and visit the ports along the ship's sailing route.
What lesson has the Lord taught you recently?To be happy with what I've got.
A very good lesson to learn. That gives us a thankful heart toward God. Tell us about the featured book.
The Other Neighbor
is based on a true story. Years ago my husband owned and ran a web design business. He got a strange phone call about one of his customers one day. We later figured out it was the FBI finding a little bit more about him, and if we were involved with him in any way (which we weren't except for designing his website). This fellow owned and operated a hydroponics store - back when marijuana was not legal anywhere. But this wasn't about the plants, it was about the fertilizer - because it could be used to make bombs. First the owner disappeared, then the business closed, owing us a lot of money in unpaid bills. Then we read in the paper that the owner had been arrested for a plot to plant and detonate a series of bombs along the Alaska Pipeline.
My husband I have joked that we hope this book helps us break even with the money we lost when his ex-customer didn't pay his bills and went bankrupt.
Back cover blurbCheryl Richardson doesn’t know that her landlord who owns the other half of the duplex where she lives is plotting to build a bomb—but the FBI does. In order to discover what her landlord is planning to blow up, agent Steve Gableman moves next door to get closer to Cheryl to learn what she knows, namely the target and motive, so they can stop it. But when Steve involves himself in every area of her life, including her dog, will Cheryl be the one to explode?
Please give us the first page of the book.When he first joined the FBI, Steve Gableman had anticipated a life of action and intrigue. International espionage. Secret missions. Dangerous liaisons. But this wasn’t one of them. After the fallout from his last assignment, he’d been downgraded. Just surveillance.
Although, he couldn’t complain. It wasn’t often an agent got running water with indoor plumbing on a stakeout, much less a whole house with comfortable furniture, a full fridge, and not a rodent in sight.
An elderly lady had called the FBI’s tip line after a bomb threat at her grandson’s school, saying the teen tried his luck on the Internet to see how difficult, or easy, it would be to build a bomb. While researching, the boy read a post from Jeff Schuster, the owner of a hydroponics store, also asking questions on building a bomb and then planting one. Except, unlike the boy, Schuster’s enquiries were serious. The FBI sent a mole into Schuster’s store, confirming that Jeff Schuster was indeed collecting the components to construct a bomb.
However, so far they hadn’t uncovered his target or his timeline.
When the FBI began their surveillance of Schuster’s home, they’d observed a group of four men who visited him at least three times a week, using different cars on rotation. They came and went quietly, returned a few days later in a different car, and the cycle repeated.
Schuster’s cohorts were quite an eclectic group. A couple of them had prison records, and only one had a real job. Steve’s team had a number of good leads, and they were following them.
Then there was Schuster’s neighbor, Cheryl Richardson, in the other half of Schuster’s duplex. Every second day, Schuster quietly knocked on her door and gave her a bag of unknown contents from his store. She always accepted it then quickly went back inside.
It had taken a month, but Steve finally managed to discover the contents of the bags.
Tomatoes. Grown in his hydroponics store to demonstrate his equipment.
She wasn’t helping Schuster make a bomb. She was making salad. His surveillance of her showed that other than accepting the unknown bags from Schuster, she led a clean and relatively boring life. She was a florist. She went to church faithfully. The highlight of her week was taking her small, fluffy dog to the library.
Tonight, here he sat, alone in a dark house, documenting the cleanest suspect he’d ever had the misfortune to be assigned. His report concluded that Cheryl Anne Richardson had no part in the operation. He could now re-join his team to research the real suspect.
He checked the monitors one more time. He'd planted two surveillance cameras to watch her, both planted in his own yard, so he had visual, but not audio. The camera in the front caught both Cheryl and Schuster's front doors in front of the duplex, allowing both Steve and his team, depending on who was on duty to watch, to capture images of who came and went. The second was mounted on a tree in his back yard, for now aimed both rear patio doors which exited to the shared porch. Cheryl Richardson had gone back in the house, and the pattern of lights turning off showed that she’d gone to bed.
He would complete his report in the morning.
His head had barely touched the pillow when his monitor beeped. Steve grumbled and trudged to his display to see what she was doing. The panel indicated movement, so he flipped on the view screen. The sliding door to the back yard was open. Cheryl stood in the gap, bundled in her housecoat. He turned the camera remotely, to watch the same thing that he did every night at this same time. Her fuzzy little dog made his way to a tree in the middle of the back yard, did his business, and hobbled back into the house.
Steve nearly groaned. The most exciting thing the woman had done in twenty-four hours was let the dog out.
When the door closed, he reached to aim the camera back at the house, and then he'd turn off the monitor. His finger had begun its downward path to press the button when the light on the motion detector flashed again. He froze. He couldn’t see what, but something in the yard had moved, and it wasn’t her dog.
How can readers find you on the Internet?My website – http://www.gailsattler.comFacebook - https://www.facebook.com/gail.sattler.3Facebook author page - https://www.facebook.com/Gail-Sattler-author-568988573496833/?modal=admin_todo_tourAmazon.com - just type my name - Gail Sattler - for a list of all my books
Thank you, Gail, for sharing this new book with us. I’m eager to read it.
Readers, here are links to the book.The Other Neighbor[image error]
Leave a comment for a chance to win a free copy of the book. You must follow these instructions to be in the drawing. Please tell us where you live, at least the state or territory or country if outside North America. (Comments containing links may be subject to removal by blog owner.)
Void where prohibited; the odds of winning depend on the number of entrants. Entering the giveaway is considered a confirmation of eligibility on behalf of the enterer in accord with these rules and any pertaining local/federal/international laws.
The only notification you’ll receive is the winner post on this blog. So be sure to check back a week from Saturday to see if you won. You will have 4 weeks from the posting of the winners to claim your book.
If you’re reading this on Goodreads, Google+, Feedblitz, Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, or Amazon, please come to the blog to leave your comment if you want to be included in the drawing. Here’s a link:Http://lenanelsondooley.blogspot.com
My writing has changed a lot since then (PTL!) Now I write romantic comedy, and most of the books I’ve written in the last few years are part of a series. I love to continue a story, to make a new book with the story of a minor character from a previous story.
When I’m not writing, I love to take pictures. My primary targets, I mean volunteers, are usually my family, pets, friends, and bandmates.
Welcome back, Gail. Why did you become an author?I was working full time, evening shift while my husband worked day shift so we didn't have to put our kids in daycare. When my youngest was about two years old I was laid off, and I decided that while I was off I would catch up on a long lost enjoyment that I hadn't had time for - reading. While I was reading voraciously, I read one book that was really bad, and thought I could do better. So when the kids were napping, I got on my husband's computer and started writing. I can say I did not do better, and that first book I wrote has long since hit that great delete button in the sky. But it got me started. I joined some writing groups and learned everything about the craft, and my first published book sold on my 40th birthday. I haven't looked back since.If you weren’t an author, what would be your dream job?Musician. I play piano, acoustic string bass, and electric bass. I play in 3 bands, but none of them make enough money that I can't say I have any income from them, I do it for fun.
If you could have lived at another time in history, what would it be and why?No other time in history appeals to me. The only historical book I've written was in the depression era and I definitely wouldn't want to live then. I love our modern technology and the computer age.
What place in the United Stateshave you not visited that you would like to?I'm Canadian, but I have traveled more in the USA than I have in Canada. One place I have not been that I would love would be Disney World in Florida. Reasons are obvious, I think. J
How about a foreign country you hope to visit?Rather than a foreign country, both me and my husband would like to take a Mediterranean cruise and visit the ports along the ship's sailing route.
What lesson has the Lord taught you recently?To be happy with what I've got.
A very good lesson to learn. That gives us a thankful heart toward God. Tell us about the featured book.
The Other Neighbor
is based on a true story. Years ago my husband owned and ran a web design business. He got a strange phone call about one of his customers one day. We later figured out it was the FBI finding a little bit more about him, and if we were involved with him in any way (which we weren't except for designing his website). This fellow owned and operated a hydroponics store - back when marijuana was not legal anywhere. But this wasn't about the plants, it was about the fertilizer - because it could be used to make bombs. First the owner disappeared, then the business closed, owing us a lot of money in unpaid bills. Then we read in the paper that the owner had been arrested for a plot to plant and detonate a series of bombs along the Alaska Pipeline. My husband I have joked that we hope this book helps us break even with the money we lost when his ex-customer didn't pay his bills and went bankrupt.
Back cover blurbCheryl Richardson doesn’t know that her landlord who owns the other half of the duplex where she lives is plotting to build a bomb—but the FBI does. In order to discover what her landlord is planning to blow up, agent Steve Gableman moves next door to get closer to Cheryl to learn what she knows, namely the target and motive, so they can stop it. But when Steve involves himself in every area of her life, including her dog, will Cheryl be the one to explode?
Please give us the first page of the book.When he first joined the FBI, Steve Gableman had anticipated a life of action and intrigue. International espionage. Secret missions. Dangerous liaisons. But this wasn’t one of them. After the fallout from his last assignment, he’d been downgraded. Just surveillance.
Although, he couldn’t complain. It wasn’t often an agent got running water with indoor plumbing on a stakeout, much less a whole house with comfortable furniture, a full fridge, and not a rodent in sight.
An elderly lady had called the FBI’s tip line after a bomb threat at her grandson’s school, saying the teen tried his luck on the Internet to see how difficult, or easy, it would be to build a bomb. While researching, the boy read a post from Jeff Schuster, the owner of a hydroponics store, also asking questions on building a bomb and then planting one. Except, unlike the boy, Schuster’s enquiries were serious. The FBI sent a mole into Schuster’s store, confirming that Jeff Schuster was indeed collecting the components to construct a bomb.
However, so far they hadn’t uncovered his target or his timeline.
When the FBI began their surveillance of Schuster’s home, they’d observed a group of four men who visited him at least three times a week, using different cars on rotation. They came and went quietly, returned a few days later in a different car, and the cycle repeated.
Schuster’s cohorts were quite an eclectic group. A couple of them had prison records, and only one had a real job. Steve’s team had a number of good leads, and they were following them.
Then there was Schuster’s neighbor, Cheryl Richardson, in the other half of Schuster’s duplex. Every second day, Schuster quietly knocked on her door and gave her a bag of unknown contents from his store. She always accepted it then quickly went back inside.
It had taken a month, but Steve finally managed to discover the contents of the bags.
Tomatoes. Grown in his hydroponics store to demonstrate his equipment.
She wasn’t helping Schuster make a bomb. She was making salad. His surveillance of her showed that other than accepting the unknown bags from Schuster, she led a clean and relatively boring life. She was a florist. She went to church faithfully. The highlight of her week was taking her small, fluffy dog to the library.
Tonight, here he sat, alone in a dark house, documenting the cleanest suspect he’d ever had the misfortune to be assigned. His report concluded that Cheryl Anne Richardson had no part in the operation. He could now re-join his team to research the real suspect.
He checked the monitors one more time. He'd planted two surveillance cameras to watch her, both planted in his own yard, so he had visual, but not audio. The camera in the front caught both Cheryl and Schuster's front doors in front of the duplex, allowing both Steve and his team, depending on who was on duty to watch, to capture images of who came and went. The second was mounted on a tree in his back yard, for now aimed both rear patio doors which exited to the shared porch. Cheryl Richardson had gone back in the house, and the pattern of lights turning off showed that she’d gone to bed.
He would complete his report in the morning.
His head had barely touched the pillow when his monitor beeped. Steve grumbled and trudged to his display to see what she was doing. The panel indicated movement, so he flipped on the view screen. The sliding door to the back yard was open. Cheryl stood in the gap, bundled in her housecoat. He turned the camera remotely, to watch the same thing that he did every night at this same time. Her fuzzy little dog made his way to a tree in the middle of the back yard, did his business, and hobbled back into the house.
Steve nearly groaned. The most exciting thing the woman had done in twenty-four hours was let the dog out.
When the door closed, he reached to aim the camera back at the house, and then he'd turn off the monitor. His finger had begun its downward path to press the button when the light on the motion detector flashed again. He froze. He couldn’t see what, but something in the yard had moved, and it wasn’t her dog.
How can readers find you on the Internet?My website – http://www.gailsattler.comFacebook - https://www.facebook.com/gail.sattler.3Facebook author page - https://www.facebook.com/Gail-Sattler-author-568988573496833/?modal=admin_todo_tourAmazon.com - just type my name - Gail Sattler - for a list of all my books
Thank you, Gail, for sharing this new book with us. I’m eager to read it.
Readers, here are links to the book.The Other Neighbor[image error]
Leave a comment for a chance to win a free copy of the book. You must follow these instructions to be in the drawing. Please tell us where you live, at least the state or territory or country if outside North America. (Comments containing links may be subject to removal by blog owner.)
Void where prohibited; the odds of winning depend on the number of entrants. Entering the giveaway is considered a confirmation of eligibility on behalf of the enterer in accord with these rules and any pertaining local/federal/international laws.
The only notification you’ll receive is the winner post on this blog. So be sure to check back a week from Saturday to see if you won. You will have 4 weeks from the posting of the winners to claim your book.
If you’re reading this on Goodreads, Google+, Feedblitz, Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, or Amazon, please come to the blog to leave your comment if you want to be included in the drawing. Here’s a link:Http://lenanelsondooley.blogspot.com
December 16, 2018
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 don't do this, your email could get lost in my hundreds of emails per day. I WILL SEARCH FOR POST TITLES STARTING THAT WAY.
Connie (KY) is the winner of The Heart of Christmas by Ginger Solomon, plus others.
Shelia (MS) is the winner of Mercury Rising by Tim and Gail Sattler.
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.
Connie (KY) is the winner of The Heart of Christmas by Ginger Solomon, plus others.
Shelia (MS) is the winner of Mercury Rising by Tim and Gail Sattler.
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.
December 13, 2018
FLYING FOSSILS - Lynne Gentry - One Free Print Book or Ebook
Dear Readers, Lynne Gentry has been a dear friend for a long time. We share a love of writing novels, and we’ve often served as a confidant and prayer warrior for each other. I’m thrilled to share this book with you today.
Welcome back, Lynne. Tell us about your salvation experience. Growing up going to church every time the doors were open gave me an understanding of religion. But it was in the wide-open spaces of a summer camp that I came to love the Lord.
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. I love the strong heroines of Kate Quinn. The romance of Becky Wade. The intriguing character arcs of Kellie Coates Gilbert. And the heart-pounding action of Lisa Harris…and I’d squeeze you in too, Lena.
I’d love to retreat with all of those women. Do you have a speaking ministry? If so, tell us about that.My training is on the stage, so I love it whenever I have an opportunity to stand behind a microphone and share the faithfulness of God and His unconditional love.
What is the most embarrassing thing that has happened to you and how did you handle it?I am a closet perfectionist. Not long after I published Walking Shoes I began to get emails that said the story was good but all of the typos made it hard to read. I was mortified. Typos? How could that be? Three editors had poured over that book. Upon further investigation, I discovered that somehow during the formatting process the number 2 had been liberally sprinkled over the entire manuscript. In the end, all I could do was swallow my pride, admit I’d made a mistake, and offer to replace the glitchy manuscripts.
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?Better get started. It’s a lot of work.
That’s the truth. Tell us about the featured book.Twenty-five years ago, the Slocum women buried their close mother-daughter relationship in the Frio River and went their separate ways. Sara and Charlotte pretend their weekly long-distance call fulfills their family obligation until Sara falls and breaks her hip. Now Charlotte must drop everything and fly to Texas. Charlotte’s short-term care-giving plans are dashed when she realizes her aging mother needs long-term care. While Sara struggles to regain her independence, Charlottegrapples with the impossible task of juggling a high-pressure job, a rebellious teenage daughter, and a slightly demented mother.
Please give us the first page of the book.Sara: An Independent MotherAs usual, you’re being overly dramatic, Charlotte Ann.” I hug the phone receiver between my ear and shoulder, stretch the cord across the kitchen, then snag a butcher knife from the wooden block. “Putting a few dents in a lawnmower is hardly a reason for me to give up my ranch.”
“Mother, you totaled a two-thousand-dollar riding mower!” My daughter’s anger crackles on the line. “What if you’d been hurt?”
Contrary to Charlotte’s insinuations, I’m not some fragile, rusty weathervane easily spun by the changing winds that sweep through these Texas Hill Country valleys. As per the invariant order of things, my feet have become deeply rooted in the rocky soil. I’m attached to this land tighter than the fossils that cling to the banks of the Frio River.
For forty-two years, I’ve been the mother. Charlotte the child. Simple laws govern our parent-child relationship. I’ll admit, there are rules that allow for an orderly transition of power, if that sad time should ever come. But, I’ll not be pushed into speeding things along simply because it suits Charlotte.
Trading roles with my daughter now would be like winter unexpectedly giving way to fall. Buds waiting to bloom would shrivel and die. There’d be no crops to harvest. Birds would never head north. Nothing would ever be right again. I know, because twenty-three years ago I was forced to go against the expected order of life. It was a tragedy that has ruined everything.
“Mother, did you hear me?” Somewhere in Charlotte’s aggravation, I hear the little girl I used to know, the one who sat beside me on the piano bench…frustrated that she was having difficulty mastering “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star”…worried that she never would.
I shift the receiver and whack a Bartlett pear into tiny pieces. “Don’t worry, I’ll pay you back.”
“You know this is not about the money!” Charlotte barks.
“Then why did you bring it up?” I ignore my daughter’s huge sigh and slide a piece of fruit through the bars of my ringneck parrot’s cage. “Here you go, Polygon.”
My bird waddles his perch shouting, “God save the Queen.”
“Loyal and smart.” I say as I wiggle the pear enticingly. “You need more roughage in your diet, my feathered friend. Can’t have you getting backed up again.”
“Mother, could you please stop talking to that blasted bird and finish our conversation?”
Polygon hops off his perch, wraps his claws around my arthritic knuckle, and begins to peck at the fruit. Touch is the sensation of touch I miss more than conversation. Which is strange, considering the complaints I lodged with Martin when I felt worn out by the constant pawing of third graders. Guess that goes to show how easy it is to take something for granted until it’s gone.
I release the fruit and Polygon waddles toward his seed dish with a full mouth. “At least my bird listens.”
Charlottesighs. “I bought the riding mower to help you. The doctor said the strain of pushing a mower over that huge yard is putting your heart at risk.” Her continued exasperation rattles me more than her exaggeration. “Obviously, power equipment isn’t the answer.”
“Anyone could’ve confused all those fancy pedals.”
“You’re seventy-two, Mother.” She always manages to cite my age before overstepping the boundaries we’ve set in place. “There’s no shame in admitting that you can no longer keep up with three hundred acres of rugged hill country.”
I wipe the window with the sleeve of my robe and gaze at the pasture dotted with patches of this spring’s fading bluebonnets. “No one was hurt.”
“This time.” The strain in her voice is as irritating as a mandatory fire drill.
“You want me to let the place grow up around my ears?”
“Of course not.” She sighs to emphasize the stress I’m obviously adding to her very busy day. “But since you refuse to consider a move, I have to hire you some help.”
I bite my tongue. Silence won’t end this conversation with Charlotte, but it won’t hurt her to believe it’s the only defense I have left.
“I’m worried about you, Mother.”
Charlotte’s deep inhalation is my cue to take a seat because the recounting of my shortcomings that she feels honor bound to recite has grown into a rather long list. “In the last six months, you’ve flushed your dentures down the toilet.”
“Just the lowers.”
“You got lost on the way to town.”
“Winnie found me and hauled me back home.” I add, “Long before dark.”
“I hate to think what would have happened if you hadn’t run out of gas along her mail route.”Overstated dramatics always harden my resolve. Ask any child who was unlucky enough to have me as their teacher. “No law against trying a change of scenery.”
“You don’t like change, Mother,” my daughter snips. “That’s why we can’t seem to have an honest and productive conversation about your future.”
I sink into the chair and rest my elbow on the table. “Just because you think the old gray mare ain’t what she used to be…” I cringe at that I’ve resorted to using slang. “…that doesn’t mean I want to leave my home of forty-five years and move to Washington, D.C., Charlotte Ann.”
Surely it wasn’t that many years ago that Martin and I ignored a weathered No Trespassing sign, climbed an old, barbed-wire fence, shed our clothes, and jumped from a thirty-foot bluff with the abandon of two people with more nerve than sense. The moment our naked bodies slid into the crystal-clear water, we knew the Fossil Ridge Ranch was meant to be our little piece of heaven.I’ve loved and lost on this land. I can’t bear to leave any of it.
“I know this is hard,” Charlottewhispers.
“How could you know? You only come home once a year.”
“Mother, that’s not true. I’ve flown to Texas four times since Thanksgiving. And if you don’t start cooperating, I’m going to have to come home in April as well.”
Without following the school calendar dates scramble in my head. “Four times?”
“Yes,” she says. “I have a job, a teenager, and a marriage I’m trying to keep together. I can’t keep dropping everything to…”
Her pause is my cue to say something that will soothe her conscience, to grant a pass that lets her off the hook. That’s been our unspoken agreement for twenty-some years. I don’t get a pass. She doesn’t get a pass. That way neither one of us has to forgive the other. Slocums are like that. Charlottemay have taken on that fancy McCandless surname when she married a good-for-nothing playboy, but roots deep as ours are tougher than weeds to yank out.
Charlotte’s quiet. But I can hear her ripping the tiny gold treble clef back and forth on the thin silver chain around her neck. She’s gearing up to issue my ultimatum. I suppose I should take some consolation in the fact that she still wears the little trinket I gave her years ago. Perhaps we’re not completely lost to each other.
“If you want to stay on the Fossil Ridge, then you’ll have to give this new guy a chance.”
“He’s already mowed over the bluebonnets in my front yard. They’re beautiful this year, but he cut them down before they could seed. Next thing you know, he’ll be toppin’ my myrtles.”
“I’ll text him to be more careful. Please, for my peace of mind, can you just give this new guy a try?” Charlotte’s breathing is becoming more rapid. Any minute she’ll blow, unable to leave well enough alone. “That’s all I ask.”
“That’s all?” Anger pumps through my veins and I spring from the chair, a taut rubber band aimed at the class bully. “If you call stripping my independence guarding my heart, Charlotte Ann, I’ll take my chances with high cholesterol and a push mower.”
I hang up the phone with a decisive slam and march to the counter. Sticky juice oozes from what remains of the mutilated mound of fruit.
Whatever happened to family taking care of family? My neighbor LaVera’s grown son takes care of her. Bo isn’t pressuring his mother to leave her place, nor does he pawn off his responsibilities on hired help.
I swallow a bite of the vanilla-sweet flesh then poke a sliver through the bars of the birdcage. “Charlottewon’t be satisfied until I sign over complete control of my life.”
My bird abandons his preening and snatches his breakfast with his bright red beak.
“Sweet Moses,” I snap. “Say something, Polygon!”
I know better than to encourage this feathered chatterbox to speak with his mouth full, but this traitorous deed by Charlotte has me in such a stew I’m willing to risk the undoing of my bird’s etiquette training.
For once, Polygon behaves and remains silent. Although pleased the hours I’ve invested in my parrot’s behavior has finally begun to pay off, I admit that at this very moment a word of encouragement, even a feathery nod would be a comfort. How many years has it been since I’ve had someone in my corner?
More than I care to count.
The screaming kettle gyrates above the gas flame. “We’ll show Charlottewho can still take care of themselves, won’t we, Polygon?”
I pour boiling water over a twice-used tea bag then wait for the water to brown. It’s maddening that my life has come to recycling tea bags. Martin and I had planned to spend our golden years spoiling a passel of grandchildren. I shuffle to the fridge. My gnarled finger traces the photograph that curls beneath the World’s Best Teacher magnet stuck to the door.
The little beauty sitting beside me and Charlotte is my only grandchild. Aria was eight when this photo was taken nearly five years ago. I haven’t seen this little lioness in months. Busy teenager stuff, her mother claims. But I can’t help but wonder if Ari has also outgrown her need for me. After all, she’s probably taller than me by now, and well-past the age of appreciating anything I could teach her. And I’d planned to teach her so much. Her times tables. Piano scales. How to tell a barn swallow from a sparrow. The best way to free a fossil from the limestone that lines the river.
Some dreams are best forgotten.
I return to my tea, splurge and add a cube of sugar, then lift the rose-patterned porcelain cup to my lips.
My apple-green bird tilts his head, his beady eyes assessing my brewing storm. I blow steam in his direction. “You won’t leave me, will you, Polygon?”
“C’mere.” He waddles the length of his perch. “Pretty girl.”
I rest the cup on a saucer and stick my finger through the wires and stroke the soft down above his beak. “If only family were as loyal.”
I’d give anything to have my Martin pat my fanny as I wash up the supper dishes. Or have my ambitious Caroline hug my neck after I admire her work. Or have my sweet Charlottecrawl into my lap and beg for another song on the piano.
“Thank you for sticking it out, Polygon.” Through tears, I look my bird in the eye. “Once I send Charlotte’s new hire packing, we’ll have our life back.”
“Be nice.” Polygon gives my finger a peck.
“Traitor.” I recoil at his siding with Charlotte. “This has to be done, Polygon. And, no matter what anyone tries to tell me, I’m still the woman to do it.”
I love it, Lynne. How can readers find you on the Internet? I love to hear from readers. Reach out to me at http://www.lynnegentry.com
Thank you, Lynne, for sharing this story with my blog readers and me. I can hardly wait to read the rest of it.
Readers, here are links to the book.Flying Fossils (Women of Fossil Ridge) (Volume 1)[image error] - Amazon paperback
Flying Fossils (Women of Fossil Ridge Book 1) - Kindle[image error]
Leave a comment for a chance to win a free copy of the book. You must follow these instructions to be in the drawing. Please tell us where you live, at least the state or territory or country if outside North America. (Comments containing links may be subject to removal by blog owner.)
Void where prohibited; the odds of winning depend on the number of entrants. Entering the giveaway is considered a confirmation of eligibility on behalf of the enterer in accord with these rules and any pertaining local/federal/international laws.
The only notification you’ll receive is the winner post on this blog. So be sure to check back a week from Saturday to see if you won. You will have 4 weeks from the posting of the winners to claim your book.
If you’re reading this on Goodreads, Google+, Feedblitz, Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, or Amazon, please come to the blog to leave your comment if you want to be included in the drawing. Here’s a link:Http://lenanelsondooley.blogspot.com
Welcome back, Lynne. Tell us about your salvation experience. Growing up going to church every time the doors were open gave me an understanding of religion. But it was in the wide-open spaces of a summer camp that I came to love the Lord.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. I love the strong heroines of Kate Quinn. The romance of Becky Wade. The intriguing character arcs of Kellie Coates Gilbert. And the heart-pounding action of Lisa Harris…and I’d squeeze you in too, Lena.
I’d love to retreat with all of those women. Do you have a speaking ministry? If so, tell us about that.My training is on the stage, so I love it whenever I have an opportunity to stand behind a microphone and share the faithfulness of God and His unconditional love.
What is the most embarrassing thing that has happened to you and how did you handle it?I am a closet perfectionist. Not long after I published Walking Shoes I began to get emails that said the story was good but all of the typos made it hard to read. I was mortified. Typos? How could that be? Three editors had poured over that book. Upon further investigation, I discovered that somehow during the formatting process the number 2 had been liberally sprinkled over the entire manuscript. In the end, all I could do was swallow my pride, admit I’d made a mistake, and offer to replace the glitchy manuscripts.
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?Better get started. It’s a lot of work.
That’s the truth. Tell us about the featured book.Twenty-five years ago, the Slocum women buried their close mother-daughter relationship in the Frio River and went their separate ways. Sara and Charlotte pretend their weekly long-distance call fulfills their family obligation until Sara falls and breaks her hip. Now Charlotte must drop everything and fly to Texas. Charlotte’s short-term care-giving plans are dashed when she realizes her aging mother needs long-term care. While Sara struggles to regain her independence, Charlottegrapples with the impossible task of juggling a high-pressure job, a rebellious teenage daughter, and a slightly demented mother.
Please give us the first page of the book.Sara: An Independent MotherAs usual, you’re being overly dramatic, Charlotte Ann.” I hug the phone receiver between my ear and shoulder, stretch the cord across the kitchen, then snag a butcher knife from the wooden block. “Putting a few dents in a lawnmower is hardly a reason for me to give up my ranch.”
“Mother, you totaled a two-thousand-dollar riding mower!” My daughter’s anger crackles on the line. “What if you’d been hurt?”
Contrary to Charlotte’s insinuations, I’m not some fragile, rusty weathervane easily spun by the changing winds that sweep through these Texas Hill Country valleys. As per the invariant order of things, my feet have become deeply rooted in the rocky soil. I’m attached to this land tighter than the fossils that cling to the banks of the Frio River.
For forty-two years, I’ve been the mother. Charlotte the child. Simple laws govern our parent-child relationship. I’ll admit, there are rules that allow for an orderly transition of power, if that sad time should ever come. But, I’ll not be pushed into speeding things along simply because it suits Charlotte.
Trading roles with my daughter now would be like winter unexpectedly giving way to fall. Buds waiting to bloom would shrivel and die. There’d be no crops to harvest. Birds would never head north. Nothing would ever be right again. I know, because twenty-three years ago I was forced to go against the expected order of life. It was a tragedy that has ruined everything.
“Mother, did you hear me?” Somewhere in Charlotte’s aggravation, I hear the little girl I used to know, the one who sat beside me on the piano bench…frustrated that she was having difficulty mastering “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star”…worried that she never would.
I shift the receiver and whack a Bartlett pear into tiny pieces. “Don’t worry, I’ll pay you back.”
“You know this is not about the money!” Charlotte barks.
“Then why did you bring it up?” I ignore my daughter’s huge sigh and slide a piece of fruit through the bars of my ringneck parrot’s cage. “Here you go, Polygon.”
My bird waddles his perch shouting, “God save the Queen.”
“Loyal and smart.” I say as I wiggle the pear enticingly. “You need more roughage in your diet, my feathered friend. Can’t have you getting backed up again.”
“Mother, could you please stop talking to that blasted bird and finish our conversation?”
Polygon hops off his perch, wraps his claws around my arthritic knuckle, and begins to peck at the fruit. Touch is the sensation of touch I miss more than conversation. Which is strange, considering the complaints I lodged with Martin when I felt worn out by the constant pawing of third graders. Guess that goes to show how easy it is to take something for granted until it’s gone.
I release the fruit and Polygon waddles toward his seed dish with a full mouth. “At least my bird listens.”
Charlottesighs. “I bought the riding mower to help you. The doctor said the strain of pushing a mower over that huge yard is putting your heart at risk.” Her continued exasperation rattles me more than her exaggeration. “Obviously, power equipment isn’t the answer.”
“Anyone could’ve confused all those fancy pedals.”
“You’re seventy-two, Mother.” She always manages to cite my age before overstepping the boundaries we’ve set in place. “There’s no shame in admitting that you can no longer keep up with three hundred acres of rugged hill country.”
I wipe the window with the sleeve of my robe and gaze at the pasture dotted with patches of this spring’s fading bluebonnets. “No one was hurt.”
“This time.” The strain in her voice is as irritating as a mandatory fire drill.
“You want me to let the place grow up around my ears?”
“Of course not.” She sighs to emphasize the stress I’m obviously adding to her very busy day. “But since you refuse to consider a move, I have to hire you some help.”
I bite my tongue. Silence won’t end this conversation with Charlotte, but it won’t hurt her to believe it’s the only defense I have left.
“I’m worried about you, Mother.”
Charlotte’s deep inhalation is my cue to take a seat because the recounting of my shortcomings that she feels honor bound to recite has grown into a rather long list. “In the last six months, you’ve flushed your dentures down the toilet.”
“Just the lowers.”
“You got lost on the way to town.”
“Winnie found me and hauled me back home.” I add, “Long before dark.”
“I hate to think what would have happened if you hadn’t run out of gas along her mail route.”Overstated dramatics always harden my resolve. Ask any child who was unlucky enough to have me as their teacher. “No law against trying a change of scenery.”
“You don’t like change, Mother,” my daughter snips. “That’s why we can’t seem to have an honest and productive conversation about your future.”
I sink into the chair and rest my elbow on the table. “Just because you think the old gray mare ain’t what she used to be…” I cringe at that I’ve resorted to using slang. “…that doesn’t mean I want to leave my home of forty-five years and move to Washington, D.C., Charlotte Ann.”
Surely it wasn’t that many years ago that Martin and I ignored a weathered No Trespassing sign, climbed an old, barbed-wire fence, shed our clothes, and jumped from a thirty-foot bluff with the abandon of two people with more nerve than sense. The moment our naked bodies slid into the crystal-clear water, we knew the Fossil Ridge Ranch was meant to be our little piece of heaven.I’ve loved and lost on this land. I can’t bear to leave any of it.
“I know this is hard,” Charlottewhispers.
“How could you know? You only come home once a year.”
“Mother, that’s not true. I’ve flown to Texas four times since Thanksgiving. And if you don’t start cooperating, I’m going to have to come home in April as well.”
Without following the school calendar dates scramble in my head. “Four times?”
“Yes,” she says. “I have a job, a teenager, and a marriage I’m trying to keep together. I can’t keep dropping everything to…”
Her pause is my cue to say something that will soothe her conscience, to grant a pass that lets her off the hook. That’s been our unspoken agreement for twenty-some years. I don’t get a pass. She doesn’t get a pass. That way neither one of us has to forgive the other. Slocums are like that. Charlottemay have taken on that fancy McCandless surname when she married a good-for-nothing playboy, but roots deep as ours are tougher than weeds to yank out.Charlotte’s quiet. But I can hear her ripping the tiny gold treble clef back and forth on the thin silver chain around her neck. She’s gearing up to issue my ultimatum. I suppose I should take some consolation in the fact that she still wears the little trinket I gave her years ago. Perhaps we’re not completely lost to each other.
“If you want to stay on the Fossil Ridge, then you’ll have to give this new guy a chance.”
“He’s already mowed over the bluebonnets in my front yard. They’re beautiful this year, but he cut them down before they could seed. Next thing you know, he’ll be toppin’ my myrtles.”
“I’ll text him to be more careful. Please, for my peace of mind, can you just give this new guy a try?” Charlotte’s breathing is becoming more rapid. Any minute she’ll blow, unable to leave well enough alone. “That’s all I ask.”
“That’s all?” Anger pumps through my veins and I spring from the chair, a taut rubber band aimed at the class bully. “If you call stripping my independence guarding my heart, Charlotte Ann, I’ll take my chances with high cholesterol and a push mower.”
I hang up the phone with a decisive slam and march to the counter. Sticky juice oozes from what remains of the mutilated mound of fruit.
Whatever happened to family taking care of family? My neighbor LaVera’s grown son takes care of her. Bo isn’t pressuring his mother to leave her place, nor does he pawn off his responsibilities on hired help.
I swallow a bite of the vanilla-sweet flesh then poke a sliver through the bars of the birdcage. “Charlottewon’t be satisfied until I sign over complete control of my life.”
My bird abandons his preening and snatches his breakfast with his bright red beak.
“Sweet Moses,” I snap. “Say something, Polygon!”
I know better than to encourage this feathered chatterbox to speak with his mouth full, but this traitorous deed by Charlotte has me in such a stew I’m willing to risk the undoing of my bird’s etiquette training.
For once, Polygon behaves and remains silent. Although pleased the hours I’ve invested in my parrot’s behavior has finally begun to pay off, I admit that at this very moment a word of encouragement, even a feathery nod would be a comfort. How many years has it been since I’ve had someone in my corner?
More than I care to count.
The screaming kettle gyrates above the gas flame. “We’ll show Charlottewho can still take care of themselves, won’t we, Polygon?”
I pour boiling water over a twice-used tea bag then wait for the water to brown. It’s maddening that my life has come to recycling tea bags. Martin and I had planned to spend our golden years spoiling a passel of grandchildren. I shuffle to the fridge. My gnarled finger traces the photograph that curls beneath the World’s Best Teacher magnet stuck to the door.
The little beauty sitting beside me and Charlotte is my only grandchild. Aria was eight when this photo was taken nearly five years ago. I haven’t seen this little lioness in months. Busy teenager stuff, her mother claims. But I can’t help but wonder if Ari has also outgrown her need for me. After all, she’s probably taller than me by now, and well-past the age of appreciating anything I could teach her. And I’d planned to teach her so much. Her times tables. Piano scales. How to tell a barn swallow from a sparrow. The best way to free a fossil from the limestone that lines the river.
Some dreams are best forgotten.
I return to my tea, splurge and add a cube of sugar, then lift the rose-patterned porcelain cup to my lips.
My apple-green bird tilts his head, his beady eyes assessing my brewing storm. I blow steam in his direction. “You won’t leave me, will you, Polygon?”
“C’mere.” He waddles the length of his perch. “Pretty girl.”
I rest the cup on a saucer and stick my finger through the wires and stroke the soft down above his beak. “If only family were as loyal.”
I’d give anything to have my Martin pat my fanny as I wash up the supper dishes. Or have my ambitious Caroline hug my neck after I admire her work. Or have my sweet Charlottecrawl into my lap and beg for another song on the piano.
“Thank you for sticking it out, Polygon.” Through tears, I look my bird in the eye. “Once I send Charlotte’s new hire packing, we’ll have our life back.”
“Be nice.” Polygon gives my finger a peck.
“Traitor.” I recoil at his siding with Charlotte. “This has to be done, Polygon. And, no matter what anyone tries to tell me, I’m still the woman to do it.”
I love it, Lynne. How can readers find you on the Internet? I love to hear from readers. Reach out to me at http://www.lynnegentry.com
Thank you, Lynne, for sharing this story with my blog readers and me. I can hardly wait to read the rest of it.
Readers, here are links to the book.Flying Fossils (Women of Fossil Ridge) (Volume 1)[image error] - Amazon paperback
Flying Fossils (Women of Fossil Ridge Book 1) - Kindle[image error]
Leave a comment for a chance to win a free copy of the book. You must follow these instructions to be in the drawing. Please tell us where you live, at least the state or territory or country if outside North America. (Comments containing links may be subject to removal by blog owner.)
Void where prohibited; the odds of winning depend on the number of entrants. Entering the giveaway is considered a confirmation of eligibility on behalf of the enterer in accord with these rules and any pertaining local/federal/international laws.
The only notification you’ll receive is the winner post on this blog. So be sure to check back a week from Saturday to see if you won. You will have 4 weeks from the posting of the winners to claim your book.
If you’re reading this on Goodreads, Google+, Feedblitz, Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, or Amazon, please come to the blog to leave your comment if you want to be included in the drawing. Here’s a link:Http://lenanelsondooley.blogspot.com
December 10, 2018
FROZEN NOTES - Fay Lamb - One Free print or ebook (see below)
Bio: Fay Lamb is the only daughter of a rebel genius father and a hard-working, tow-the-line mom. She is not only a fifth-generation Floridian, she has lived her life in Titusville, where her grandmother was born in 1899. Since an early age, storytelling has been Fay’s greatest desire. She seeks to create memorable characters that touch her readers’ heart. She says of her writing, “If I can’t laugh or cry at the words written on the pages of my manuscript, the story is not ready for the reader.” Fay writes in various genres, including romance, romantic suspense, and contemporary fiction.
Welcome back, Fay. Why do you write the kind of books you do?There’s a funny back story to this one. When I first became serious about writing for publication, you could not have gotten me to admit that I write romance. I wrote contemporary fiction. One day, I awoke to the truth. While I’m probably not a hopeless romantic, I love romance, and all of my stories are romance—even my contemporary fiction. I fell in to writing romantic suspense because although I can’t watch a suspenseful show when I don’t know what’s going to happen, I sure love being the one who knows what’s going to happen and scaring other people who don’t know what to expect.
Besides when you came to know the Lord, what is the happiest day in your life?This one’s going to be a little tricky to answer, so I’ll need to explain myself out of a corner for my oldest son. The happiest day of my life was the day that I gave birth to my second son. Now, that doesn’t mean that I love the oldest any less. I love them equally, but I think mothers can relate. That first birth—it’s a scary thing. You don’t know what to expect. And then when the child is born, you have all these things to learn. Well, I did anyway. During my second pregnancy, I wanted a girl. Oh, how I wanted a girl. When I began to have premature labor, I’d end up at the hospital, and on the last occasion, the nurse, listening to the baby’s heartbeat, asked if I wanted a boy or a girl. “A girl!” I said. She shook her head. “I’m sorry, honey. That’s a boy’s heartbeat.” Well, I wasn’t a happy camper. I didn’t want a boy. I wanted a girl. And then came the night that he was born. His father counted all his fingers and his toes, and I lay with my boy in my arms. A feeling of such peace fell over me. I’d never felt that before, and I haven’t had anything come close to it since. God knew that I’m equipped to handle boys, and I think that peace was due to the fact that God had blessed me with two wonderful sons.
How has being published changed your life?When I was unpublished, I loved to write. But always, I had this pie-in-the-sky dream that it would change my life. You envision the myth of Rick Castle, that the contract is opening the door to a ritzy New York penthouse and notoriety, that Hollywood will be knocking on your door for a script of your New York TimesBestseller.
What’s funny, though, is that when none of that happened—I didn’t even get a small condo in Cedar Key, which was really my dream—I wasn’t too disappointed. Life went on as usual. I’ve learned how to promote, I’ve learned that promoting is the hardest thing I do as an author, but I’ve also learned that I’d write for free, because I love to weave a story. It’s just that simple.
What are you reading right now?I’m not only an author, I’m an editor. Most often I’m reading stories before they get published, but I did just finish a non-fiction book on how to teach a Bible study.
What is your current work in progress?My current work in progress is a Christmas novel slated for an October 2019 release. The tentative title is A Room at the End. This, I’m hopeful, will be a new Holiday series set in a fictional Florida swamp town at the edge of the Everglades. Of course, there will be all kinds of quirky characters and a lot of Holidayromance.
Of course, I’d be remiss if I didn’t tell you that my fourth book in The Ties that Bind series is Delilah,and it’s releasing in April.
What would be your dream vacation?Tahupoo, Tahiti. I have a story sitting in my brain and on three separate drafts on paper about professional surfing, and I want to attend the Billabong Pro.
How do you choose your settings for each book?My settings find me. My romantic series, The Ties that Bind, is actually the only series with real locations. That’s because two of the gals and one of the heroes were raised and attended school in my hometown. From there, they moved to Orlando. That series has some great unexpected scene locations, and not the theme parks. The setting for my Amazing Grace romantic suspense series is fictional, but anyone familiar with Western North Carolinacan’t help but recognize a combination of beautiful mountain towns. And my Serenity Key series is set on a fictional island that reminds me of the place I love so much—Cedar Key.
If you could spend an evening with one person who is currently alive, who would it be and why?This isn’t for any political reason at all, but I’d like to be able to sit and talk with Donald J. Trump. I think there is a lot of depth in that man that he hides behind his official persona. I’ve never said this before, but there is something within me that knows without a doubt that one day I’m going to meet him. I don’t know if he’ll still be president. I don’t know if it will be this side of heaven, but I’m certain that I’m going to shake his hand and talk with him one day.
What are your hobbies, besides writing and reading?I'm a University of Florida Gator’s fan. When I say fan, I don’t just mean football. We’re football boosters, of course. We have my husband’s father’s seats that he first claimed in the mid-60s, and great seats they are. We’re also Gator Tennis boosters, and this year, I was able to talk my husband into season tickets for basketball, which is my favorite go-to-game college sport. Of course, my plan is to have so many events to attend in Gainesvillethat we have to move there. Shh, don’t tell my husband.
What is your most difficult writing obstacle, and how do you overcome it?Time or the sense of being pushed against a clock is my greatest obstacle. I wrote for many years without a deadline because, well, I didn’t have a contract. I was blessed to have eight books in different stages of completion when I did receive a contract. Finishing them was easy. I don’t write well under deadline because I’m a finicky writer. You can’t say that my words are prose or literary-esque, but I do like to think that each word counts and tells a story that readers will remember. The irony, though, is that I also work best when I feel I’m being pushed against a clock.
What advice would you give to a beginning author?Study the craft, work on the art of writing, and don’t seek a contract or self-publish until you know all the elements that go into good fiction.
Tell us about the featured book.
Frozen Notes
is the story of two people who lost their dreams. Lyric’s dreams were taken from her by Balaam who set off for stardom, abandoning her and their unborn child. Balaam’s dreams may have come true, but they nearly cost him his life. Now, Lyric’s life has become a nightmare, and Balaam must fight his own demons to save her from the danger his abandonment has caused.
The story is set in Western North Carolinaagainst a winter backdrop, and it is filled with twists and turns and a villain—to two—that the reader will never see coming.
Please give us the first page of the book.A hush fell over the small crowd loitering outside Lyric Carter’s house as paramedics placed the bodies of the two men, both encased in body bags, onto separate gurneys and wheeled them to the waiting ambulances. Gun residue test completed, Lyric backed away from the woman who’d done the test on her and fell hard into the chair at her kitchen table near the opened front door. The winter chill seeped into the house.
She fought to keep her tears at bay while investigators plundered through her home looking for shell casings, additional bullet holes, and other evidence. A murder-suicide was pretty cut and dry. The investigators wouldn’t search for much else.
Her body lifted with her sobs. If her husband, Braedon, had only looked at the documents he couriered from Raleigh, he and Matthew Roberts would still be alive. He’d left them unopened on their table before a phone call sent him out, and he’d left her behind. Before Braedon had returned, Lyric hid the evidence where no one would find it, prepared to face Braedon’s wrath should it come to that.
“Which one do you think she’s crying over?” Joe Johnson from the Amazing Grace Gazette said from somewhere outside her home. She’d recognize his haughty voice anywhere. He wouldn’t be so close to her now if Braedon and Matthew were alive and not stretched out on the gurneys ... or if Balaam was here.
No. She stilled her thoughts. Braedon deserved more respect than that despite what he had done. Balaam had no place in her thoughts—not tonight—not ever.
The flashes of several cameras pulsated from outside and through her windows and doors. The blossoming migraine delivered pinpricks of pain behind Lyric’s eyes. She ran her tongue over the cut on her lip and felt the mass of swelling beneath the surface of her skin then wrapped her arms around her to stave off the cold.
A stomp at the front door announced a new arrival. Lyric turned in her chair and bit her lip to squelch a rising panic attack.
Sheriff Daniel Dixon pointed toward the newshound standing in her doorway then toward the street. Johnson ducked around the sheriff and scurried off behind the paramedics. Daniel moved around the crime scene, ignoring his investigators. He’d look in her direction soon enough. Could she bear up under his scrutiny?
Everything she’d struggled so hard to redeem or protect—her reputation, her son, her vulnerable heart—they were all in danger.
Interesting. I’m eager to see what comes next. How can readers find you on the Internet?Here are links where you can find me:FB Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorFay/Twitter: https://twitter.com/FayLambNewsletter Sign Up: http://eepurl.com/c6m7DXGoodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1482814.Fay_LambAmazon Central: amazon.com/author/faylambFrozen Notes link: http://bit.ly/FrozenNotes
Thank you, Fay, for sharing this new book with me and my blog readers. We’re all eager to find out what comes next.
Readers, here are links to the book.Frozen Notes (Amazing Grace) (Volume 4)[image error] - Print book
Frozen Notes (Amazing Grace Book 4)[image error] - Kindle
Leave a comment for a chance to win a free copy of the book. Winners in the US can choose either print or Kindle edition. Foreign winners will receive a Kindle book. You must follow these instructions to be in the drawing. Please tell us where you live, at least the state or territory or country if outside North America. (Comments containing links may be subject to removal by blog owner.)
Void where prohibited; the odds of winning depend on the number of entrants. Entering the giveaway is considered a confirmation of eligibility on behalf of the enterer in accord with these rules and any pertaining local/federal/international laws.
The only notification you’ll receive is the winner post on this blog. So be sure to check back a week from Saturday to see if you won. You will have 4 weeks from the posting of the winners to claim your book.
If you’re reading this on Goodreads, Google+, Feedblitz, Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, or Amazon, please come to the blog to leave your comment if you want to be included in the drawing. Here’s a link:Http://lenanelsondooley.blogspot.com
Welcome back, Fay. Why do you write the kind of books you do?There’s a funny back story to this one. When I first became serious about writing for publication, you could not have gotten me to admit that I write romance. I wrote contemporary fiction. One day, I awoke to the truth. While I’m probably not a hopeless romantic, I love romance, and all of my stories are romance—even my contemporary fiction. I fell in to writing romantic suspense because although I can’t watch a suspenseful show when I don’t know what’s going to happen, I sure love being the one who knows what’s going to happen and scaring other people who don’t know what to expect.Besides when you came to know the Lord, what is the happiest day in your life?This one’s going to be a little tricky to answer, so I’ll need to explain myself out of a corner for my oldest son. The happiest day of my life was the day that I gave birth to my second son. Now, that doesn’t mean that I love the oldest any less. I love them equally, but I think mothers can relate. That first birth—it’s a scary thing. You don’t know what to expect. And then when the child is born, you have all these things to learn. Well, I did anyway. During my second pregnancy, I wanted a girl. Oh, how I wanted a girl. When I began to have premature labor, I’d end up at the hospital, and on the last occasion, the nurse, listening to the baby’s heartbeat, asked if I wanted a boy or a girl. “A girl!” I said. She shook her head. “I’m sorry, honey. That’s a boy’s heartbeat.” Well, I wasn’t a happy camper. I didn’t want a boy. I wanted a girl. And then came the night that he was born. His father counted all his fingers and his toes, and I lay with my boy in my arms. A feeling of such peace fell over me. I’d never felt that before, and I haven’t had anything come close to it since. God knew that I’m equipped to handle boys, and I think that peace was due to the fact that God had blessed me with two wonderful sons.
How has being published changed your life?When I was unpublished, I loved to write. But always, I had this pie-in-the-sky dream that it would change my life. You envision the myth of Rick Castle, that the contract is opening the door to a ritzy New York penthouse and notoriety, that Hollywood will be knocking on your door for a script of your New York TimesBestseller.
What’s funny, though, is that when none of that happened—I didn’t even get a small condo in Cedar Key, which was really my dream—I wasn’t too disappointed. Life went on as usual. I’ve learned how to promote, I’ve learned that promoting is the hardest thing I do as an author, but I’ve also learned that I’d write for free, because I love to weave a story. It’s just that simple.
What are you reading right now?I’m not only an author, I’m an editor. Most often I’m reading stories before they get published, but I did just finish a non-fiction book on how to teach a Bible study.
What is your current work in progress?My current work in progress is a Christmas novel slated for an October 2019 release. The tentative title is A Room at the End. This, I’m hopeful, will be a new Holiday series set in a fictional Florida swamp town at the edge of the Everglades. Of course, there will be all kinds of quirky characters and a lot of Holidayromance.
Of course, I’d be remiss if I didn’t tell you that my fourth book in The Ties that Bind series is Delilah,and it’s releasing in April.
What would be your dream vacation?Tahupoo, Tahiti. I have a story sitting in my brain and on three separate drafts on paper about professional surfing, and I want to attend the Billabong Pro.
How do you choose your settings for each book?My settings find me. My romantic series, The Ties that Bind, is actually the only series with real locations. That’s because two of the gals and one of the heroes were raised and attended school in my hometown. From there, they moved to Orlando. That series has some great unexpected scene locations, and not the theme parks. The setting for my Amazing Grace romantic suspense series is fictional, but anyone familiar with Western North Carolinacan’t help but recognize a combination of beautiful mountain towns. And my Serenity Key series is set on a fictional island that reminds me of the place I love so much—Cedar Key.
If you could spend an evening with one person who is currently alive, who would it be and why?This isn’t for any political reason at all, but I’d like to be able to sit and talk with Donald J. Trump. I think there is a lot of depth in that man that he hides behind his official persona. I’ve never said this before, but there is something within me that knows without a doubt that one day I’m going to meet him. I don’t know if he’ll still be president. I don’t know if it will be this side of heaven, but I’m certain that I’m going to shake his hand and talk with him one day.
What are your hobbies, besides writing and reading?I'm a University of Florida Gator’s fan. When I say fan, I don’t just mean football. We’re football boosters, of course. We have my husband’s father’s seats that he first claimed in the mid-60s, and great seats they are. We’re also Gator Tennis boosters, and this year, I was able to talk my husband into season tickets for basketball, which is my favorite go-to-game college sport. Of course, my plan is to have so many events to attend in Gainesvillethat we have to move there. Shh, don’t tell my husband.
What is your most difficult writing obstacle, and how do you overcome it?Time or the sense of being pushed against a clock is my greatest obstacle. I wrote for many years without a deadline because, well, I didn’t have a contract. I was blessed to have eight books in different stages of completion when I did receive a contract. Finishing them was easy. I don’t write well under deadline because I’m a finicky writer. You can’t say that my words are prose or literary-esque, but I do like to think that each word counts and tells a story that readers will remember. The irony, though, is that I also work best when I feel I’m being pushed against a clock.
What advice would you give to a beginning author?Study the craft, work on the art of writing, and don’t seek a contract or self-publish until you know all the elements that go into good fiction.
Tell us about the featured book.
Frozen Notes
is the story of two people who lost their dreams. Lyric’s dreams were taken from her by Balaam who set off for stardom, abandoning her and their unborn child. Balaam’s dreams may have come true, but they nearly cost him his life. Now, Lyric’s life has become a nightmare, and Balaam must fight his own demons to save her from the danger his abandonment has caused.The story is set in Western North Carolinaagainst a winter backdrop, and it is filled with twists and turns and a villain—to two—that the reader will never see coming.
Please give us the first page of the book.A hush fell over the small crowd loitering outside Lyric Carter’s house as paramedics placed the bodies of the two men, both encased in body bags, onto separate gurneys and wheeled them to the waiting ambulances. Gun residue test completed, Lyric backed away from the woman who’d done the test on her and fell hard into the chair at her kitchen table near the opened front door. The winter chill seeped into the house.
She fought to keep her tears at bay while investigators plundered through her home looking for shell casings, additional bullet holes, and other evidence. A murder-suicide was pretty cut and dry. The investigators wouldn’t search for much else.
Her body lifted with her sobs. If her husband, Braedon, had only looked at the documents he couriered from Raleigh, he and Matthew Roberts would still be alive. He’d left them unopened on their table before a phone call sent him out, and he’d left her behind. Before Braedon had returned, Lyric hid the evidence where no one would find it, prepared to face Braedon’s wrath should it come to that.
“Which one do you think she’s crying over?” Joe Johnson from the Amazing Grace Gazette said from somewhere outside her home. She’d recognize his haughty voice anywhere. He wouldn’t be so close to her now if Braedon and Matthew were alive and not stretched out on the gurneys ... or if Balaam was here.
No. She stilled her thoughts. Braedon deserved more respect than that despite what he had done. Balaam had no place in her thoughts—not tonight—not ever.
The flashes of several cameras pulsated from outside and through her windows and doors. The blossoming migraine delivered pinpricks of pain behind Lyric’s eyes. She ran her tongue over the cut on her lip and felt the mass of swelling beneath the surface of her skin then wrapped her arms around her to stave off the cold.
A stomp at the front door announced a new arrival. Lyric turned in her chair and bit her lip to squelch a rising panic attack.
Sheriff Daniel Dixon pointed toward the newshound standing in her doorway then toward the street. Johnson ducked around the sheriff and scurried off behind the paramedics. Daniel moved around the crime scene, ignoring his investigators. He’d look in her direction soon enough. Could she bear up under his scrutiny?
Everything she’d struggled so hard to redeem or protect—her reputation, her son, her vulnerable heart—they were all in danger.
Interesting. I’m eager to see what comes next. How can readers find you on the Internet?Here are links where you can find me:FB Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorFay/Twitter: https://twitter.com/FayLambNewsletter Sign Up: http://eepurl.com/c6m7DXGoodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1482814.Fay_LambAmazon Central: amazon.com/author/faylambFrozen Notes link: http://bit.ly/FrozenNotes
Thank you, Fay, for sharing this new book with me and my blog readers. We’re all eager to find out what comes next.
Readers, here are links to the book.Frozen Notes (Amazing Grace) (Volume 4)[image error] - Print book
Frozen Notes (Amazing Grace Book 4)[image error] - Kindle
Leave a comment for a chance to win a free copy of the book. Winners in the US can choose either print or Kindle edition. Foreign winners will receive a Kindle book. You must follow these instructions to be in the drawing. Please tell us where you live, at least the state or territory or country if outside North America. (Comments containing links may be subject to removal by blog owner.)
Void where prohibited; the odds of winning depend on the number of entrants. Entering the giveaway is considered a confirmation of eligibility on behalf of the enterer in accord with these rules and any pertaining local/federal/international laws.
The only notification you’ll receive is the winner post on this blog. So be sure to check back a week from Saturday to see if you won. You will have 4 weeks from the posting of the winners to claim your book.
If you’re reading this on Goodreads, Google+, Feedblitz, Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, or Amazon, please come to the blog to leave your comment if you want to be included in the drawing. Here’s a link:Http://lenanelsondooley.blogspot.com
December 9, 2018
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 don't do this, your email could get lost in my hundreds of emails per day. I WILL SEARCH FOR POST TITLES STARTING THAT WAY.
Sharon (SC) is the winner of Emergency Case by Richard Mabry, MD.
Raechel (MN) is the winner of Love In Pictures by Alexis A Goring.
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.
Sharon (SC) is the winner of Emergency Case by Richard Mabry, MD.
Raechel (MN) is the winner of Love In Pictures by Alexis A Goring.
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.
December 5, 2018
MERCURY RISING - Tim and Gail Sattler - One Free Book
Dear Readers, Gail is a long-time friend of mine who lives in Canada. We both started out being published by Barbour. I’ve not met her husband, but he’s the one who put up my first web page. I’m really interested in this book they’ve co-written.
Bio: Tim and Gail Sattler have been (happily) married for 40 tears, In that time, Gail has published 43 novels/novellas, and 6 works of non-fiction. Tim and Gail enjoy having recently become empty nesters, and this is their first co-written book.Back cover blurb:Michael wants to save his daughter, but first he’s got to save the world.
Michael and Charlotte meet when Michael is trying to find Ashley, his missing daughter who has fallen into drug abuse, and Charlotte is searching for her son Jon, a brilliant and aspiring young scientist who has also gone missing.
Ashley and Jon should have nothing in common, but after the murder of Jon’s favorite professor, they become ensnared in a tangled web that becomes worse with every new discovery.
When Michael and Charlotte join together to figure what their children have become involved with, they, too, are sucked into a sinkhole for which there are no answers, only more questions.
When all seems lost, will they all recognize the source of strength offered to them, and… will they take it?
Purchase Mercury Rising on Amazon - https://www.amazon.com/Mercury-Rising-Tim-Gail-Sattler-ebook/dp/B07G68C4LK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1541881807&sr=8-1&keywords=sattler+mercury
Welcome back, Gail. How did you come up with the idea for this story? Mercury Rising was actually my husband's idea. When I was working graveyard shift at my job and he was working from home, we would take our youngest son to school, then on the way home we would take the dogs and walk along the Alouette River dike path and talk. Unfortunately no one took notes while we were walking, but we weren't in any rush, so it took almost the entire school year. Once we had the premise, we kept building the series of events, and at the end of the school year, we had a story with all the details. I always do a full outline when I write a book, so we were ready to go.
Gail, you and I are exact opposites in the way we write. I’m a seat-of-the-pants writer. If you were planning a party with Christian authors of contemporary fiction, what six people would you invite and why?Rebecca Germany- she was the managing editor for Heartsong Presents when I first started writing, and she's a fantastic editor and a great personLena Nelson Dooley - Lena and I first started writing for Heartsong Presents at about the same time. She's a kind and gentle lady, and a great writer.Colleen Coble - she's a great writer and a wonderful personJim Rubart - a great writer and a great guy. Debbie Macomber - my favorite author, and she's written so very many books and she they never get old or repetitive.Frank Piretti - he's a groundbreaking author, and I've met him in Portland at an OCW conference, and he's a nice guy
I would really love that party. Those other authors and our editor Becky are some of my favorite people. Many times, people (and other authors) think you have it made with so many books published. What is your most difficult problem with writing at this time in your career?Marketing. When I first started writing, all I had to do was write the book. Now the author has to promote the book, and themselves. With the advent of Amazon, so many bookstores and publishers have shut down or dropped fiction, the market has changed so much. Unless you write a lot, and have time to market, it's hard to make a dent. Not only that, a lot of books are flooded into Amazon so it's hard not to get buried.
I know what you mean. Tell us about the featured book.This is the story of two single parents Michael and Charlotte (one widowed, one divorced) and their adult children Ashley and Jon, who are in their last year of college and university. Jon's professor has been murdered and left specific instructions in the event of his death. Following cryptic clues, the answer must be found before it's too late … for humankind.Please give us the first page of the book.“Ashley, I’m home!” Michael pulled the door shut behind him.
He held his breath, hoping to hear some normal, homey stuff. Noise from a blaring television and the latest sitcom. Giggles from his college-aged daughter watching dumb videos on YouTube. Even the smell of a neglected supper starting to burn.
Instead, there was nothing.
He unlaced his work boots and tossed them onto the rubber mat. On the positive side, even though he didn’t smell supper cooking, he also didn’t smell the pungent odor of pot or the cloying stench of dollar store candles trying to hide it.
Michael headed straight toward Ashley’s bedroom, hoping to find her with headphones on and her music turned up full blast, oblivious to the outside world, but at home.
The wide open door told him she wasn’t.
Inside, clothes littered the floor. Makeup, lotions, and hair products lay askew, spread all over the dresser.
He sighed. On the rare days Ashley actually talked to him, he didn’t want to make things worse by nagging about her pigsty of a room. She shouldn’t need to be reminded to clean up after herself. She was technically an adult.
Michael squeezed his eyes shut. Ashley hated when he said it out loud, but regardless of her age, Ashley would always be his little girl.
A little girl who had fallen in with the wrong crowd, growing further and further away from him. He couldn’t remember the last time they’d sat together in the living room watching television and sharing a bowl of bad microwave popcorn.
“I guess I’ll just make supper for myself,” he announced to the teddy bear lying in the middle of the unmade bed then turned and headed for the kitchen.
Once there, a red light indicating a new message flashed on the telephone.
It wouldn’t be for him. It never was.
Michael pressed the button anyway.
I’m eager to know what happens next. How can readers find you on the Internet?Visit Gail Sattler's website at www.gailsattler.com Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/gail.sattler.3 Gail's blog topic is What Goes On In The Mind Of A Writer - http://www.gailsattler.com/category/new/Gail Sattler's author page at https://www.facebook.com/Gail-Sattler-author-568988573496833/?modal=admin_todo_tour
Thank you, Gail, for sharing this new book with my blog readers and me. I can hardly wait for my copy to arrive.
Readers, leave a comment for a chance to win a free copy of the book. You must follow these instructions to be in the drawing. Please tell us where you live, at least the state or territory or country if outside North America. (Comments containing links may be subject to removal by blog owner.)
Void where prohibited; the odds of winning depend on the number of entrants. Entering the giveaway is considered a confirmation of eligibility on behalf of the enterer in accord with these rules and any pertaining local/federal/international laws.
The only notification you’ll receive is the winner post on this blog. So be sure to check back a week from Saturday to see if you won. You will have 4 weeks from the posting of the winners to claim your book.
If you’re reading this on Goodreads, Google+, Feedblitz, Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, or Amazon, please come to the blog to leave your comment if you want to be included in the drawing. Here’s a link:Http://lenanelsondooley.blogspot.com
December 3, 2018
THE HEART OF CHRISTMAS - Ginger Solomon, and others - One Free Ebook
Welcome back, Ginger. Tell us about your salvation experience.When I was twelve, my family and I went to a denominational church. I remember going forward to profess my faith and was baptized in a cold, dirty baptismal. But I was so excited that I went to school the next day to share with my friends. They didn’t care. And life for me didn’t change.
When I went to college, at eighteen, I was already disillusioned with religion. My mom and I had changed churches, to a different denominational church. I heard the words but didn’t really have a relationship. Though I wanted one. I just didn’t know how.
I met my husband, and he showed me what it truly meant to lean into Jesus and make Him my best friend, to study the Word, and learn more. ’Cuz when you have a relationship with someone, you always want to learn more about them, have fellowship with them, and spend time together.
That is so true. You’re planning a writing retreat where you can only have four other authors. Who would they be and why?Oh, goodness. So many great authors that I would love to meet and hang with. But I’d have to say, if I could only have four that I would pull together some of the authors from the team I’ve worked with at InspyRomance—Valerie Comer, Elizabeth Maddrey, and Narelle Atkins. I think the fourth author would be ... oh, so many to choose from ... Ronie Kendig.
I’d love to be at that retreat. I love all five of you authors. Do you have a speaking ministry? If so, tell us about that.No. As of yet, God has not called me to take that step.
What is the most embarrassing thing that has happened to you and how did you handle it?Oh, goodness. When my husband and I were dating, I had an “accident” and made a VERY large mess of my pants. I had to borrow a pair from his much smaller sister. All she had was a pair of sweats. Not fun. I’m pretty sure he took me home after that. I don’t remember.
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?Write it. The words don’t appear on paper by themselves. If you have a story to tell, tell it. No one else can say it like you can.
Tell us about the featured book.
The Heart of Christmas
is a novella collection born out of a random conversation at our local writers’ meeting. I mentioned how fun it would be if several of us got together and did a boxed set for Christmas. We played around with ideas, and here it is. We have taken a slightly irreverent look at The Nativity. Each of us, Bonita McCoy, Darcy Fornier, Leah Fornier, Janie Winsell and myself, chose an element–from the angels to the wise men–and wrote a story. Because we have one member who writes nonfiction, she wrote poems for each of the stories and one for the whole set.That sounds like fun. Please give us the first page of the book.The first page ... well, that would be a poem.
Our Savior is BornThere is a stillness in the nightA star above the midnight skyShone bright and steady over a mangerJoseph and Mary looked uponA babe wrapped in swaddling clothesSuddenly angels appeared out of nowhereTo give glory to our newborn SaviorOut of the east came magi from foreign landsTo pay Him homageGold, frankincense, and myrrh were bestowedFor the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords,Jesus, the ultimate gift to the world.
~~ Betty Boyd
And then, the first story is mine, so this is what comes next.
Chapter OneNothing seemed right.
Every song on the radio fell flat.
The twinkling Christmas lights she hung around her bakery lightened the room but darkened her mood.
Alone was not how anyone should spend Thanksgiving. But alone she was. Orphaned at twenty-three with no living relatives that she knew about. Every invitation she'd received for the holiday seemed as if they'd been given grudgingly. She'd rather be alone than pitied.
A knock sounded at the door.
"We're not open." Her yell bounced around the inside of the bakery.
"I know. Open the door, Jenna."
Thomas Hayes. The last person she wanted to see.
She stepped down from the ladder, leaving the last string of lights dangling from the hook, and opened the door. He looked good. Too good. He’d trimmed his strawberry-blond beard and mustache, and it made him looked distinguished and sexy. Her increased heart rate because of his appearance made her even more surly. "What do you need?"
"Mom sent me to get you for dinner. I was supposed to invite you but forgot."
"I've made other arrangements." She didn't lie. Her other
I know my blog readers are as eager to see what comes next as I am. How can readers find you on the Internet?WebsiteInspy Romance BlogFacebook Author PageTwitter @GingerS219PinterestAmazon Author Page
Thank you, Ginger, for sharing this Christmas collection with us. So many readers love having novella collections to read in this busy season, and I’m one of them.
Readers, here’s a link to the book.The Heart of Christmas: A Romantic Christmas Novella Collection[image error]
Leave a comment for a chance to win a free copy of the book. You must follow these instructions to be in the drawing. Please tell us where you live, at least the state or territory or country if outside North America. (Comments containing links may be subject to removal by blog owner.)
Void where prohibited; the odds of winning depend on the number of entrants. Entering the giveaway is considered a confirmation of eligibility on behalf of the enterer in accord with these rules and any pertaining local/federal/international laws.
The only notification you’ll receive is the winner post on this blog. So be sure to check back a week from Saturday to see if you won. You will have 4 weeks from the posting of the winners to claim your book.
If you’re reading this on Goodreads, Google+, Feedblitz, Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, or Amazon, please come to the blog to leave your comment if you want to be included in the drawing. Here’s a link:Http://lenanelsondooley.blogspot.com
December 2, 2018
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 don't do this, your email could get lost in my hundreds of emails per day. I WILL SEARCH FOR POST TITLES STARTING THAT WAY.
Linda (KS) is the winner of The Great Lakes Lighthouse Brides Collection by Marilyn Turk.
Wendy (NE) is the winner of The Great Lakes Lighthouse Brides Collection by Lena Nelson Dooley.
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.
Linda (KS) is the winner of The Great Lakes Lighthouse Brides Collection by Marilyn Turk.
Wendy (NE) is the winner of The Great Lakes Lighthouse Brides Collection by Lena Nelson Dooley.
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.
