K. Dawn Byrd's Blog, page 16

Ada Brownell's "Swallowed by Life: Mysteries of Death, Resurrection and the Eternal?"

The Beginners’ Class
By Ada Brownell

I remember her as a brunette woman with her hair tucked back into a tiny bun. But it was her eyes that fascinated me. They radiated love.
Sister McPherson, as we called her, was my first Sunday school teacher. She didn’t mind that I didn’t have fancy dresses or pretty shoes—or that I was covered with freckles. I usually had at least one flour-sack dress.

Otherwise, I wore my brother’s hand-me-down coveralls.
Maybe she liked my red naturally curly hair combed into little coils like Shirley Temple’s. On the other hand, maybe she didn’t notice. Ten or more of us little girls and boys tucked into that tiny classroom for preschoolers—the “beginners” class.

The teacher arranged pictures on the “flannel board” as she told us Bible stories.
Most of my family of 10 were new Christians. I remember family devotions, but not Bible wonders like Sister McPherson told.

As I listened to the amazing true experiences of people in Bible days and memorized verses Sister McPherson taught, light beamed into my young heart. God loved me and had a plan for my life.
Then, Sister McPherson died. Mama took me to the funeral. I was sad, but the woman planted such faith in me I was tempted when I went by the casket to shout, “In the name of Jesus rise up!”
Seemed I knew God has a part in our homegoing as well as our living, though, and I was content.  I knew someday Sister McPherson will be resurrected.

In my childhood years, Jews came from all over the world to Israel and it became a nation, the prophecy of Ezekiel’s Valley of Dry Bones, fulfilled. The church was so excited I knew about the Second Coming even as a beginner. I had no doubt Jesus would come back to earth. I still have that expectation because God’s Word tells us to be ready and watch (Matthew 24-25).

As I grew up, these verses became my favorite:
“But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.  For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:  Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.” (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18).

I’ve watched for Jesus to come since childhood and now I’m a senior citizen. Some people quit watching for Him. Peter said in the last days there would be scoffers who would say, “Where is the promise of his coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation” (2 Peter 3:4).

 Jesus told us our lives are like a puff of steam. We’re on earth a while and then gone.
Sunday school teachers like Sister McPherson helped me to look forward to Christ’s return and know how to prepare for His coming. I was age 5 when I accepted Christ as Savior, and I was afraid He would come before I could get to the altar to repent of my sins.

Thank God for those who know even young children can understand the truths of the gospel, and they preach it and teach it so that we can have eternal life.
©Copyright Ada Brownell April 2014
       
Ada Brownell Amazon Author page: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B001KJ2C06

Register to win Ada Brownell's "Swallowed by Life: Mysteries of Death, Resurrection and the Eternal?"

We're happy to have Ada Brownell with us today. She's giving away a copy of "Swallowed by Life: Mysteries of Death, Resurrection, and the Eternal." Please leave her a comment for your chance to win.                

The Beginners’ Class
By Ada Brownell

I remember her as a brunette woman with her hair tucked back into a tiny bun. But it was her eyes that fascinated me. They radiated love.
Sister McPherson, as we called her, was my first Sunday school teacher. She didn’t mind that I didn’t have fancy dresses or pretty shoes—or that I was covered with freckles. I usually had at least one flour-sack dress.

Otherwise, I wore my brother’s hand-me-down coveralls.
Maybe she liked my red naturally curly hair combed into little coils like Shirley Temple’s. On the other hand, maybe she didn’t notice. Ten or more of us little girls and boys tucked into that tiny classroom for preschoolers—the “beginners” class.

The teacher arranged pictures on the “flannel board” as she told us Bible stories.
Most of my family of 10 were new Christians. I remember family devotions, but not Bible wonders like Sister McPherson told.

As I listened to the amazing true experiences of people in Bible days and memorized verses Sister McPherson taught, light beamed into my young heart. God loved me and had a plan for my life.
Then, Sister McPherson died. Mama took me to the funeral. I was sad, but the woman planted such faith in me I was tempted when I went by the casket to shout, “In the name of Jesus rise up!”
Seemed I knew God has a part in our homegoing as well as our living, though, and I was content.  I knew someday Sister McPherson will be resurrected.

In my childhood years, Jews came from all over the world to Israel and it became a nation, the prophecy of Ezekiel’s Valley of Dry Bones, fulfilled. The church was so excited I knew about the Second Coming even as a beginner. I had no doubt Jesus would come back to earth. I still have that expectation because God’s Word tells us to be ready and watch (Matthew 24-25).

As I grew up, these verses became my favorite:
“But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.  For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:  Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.” (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18).

I’ve watched for Jesus to come since childhood and now I’m a senior citizen. Some people quit watching for Him. Peter said in the last days there would be scoffers who would say, “Where is the promise of his coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation” (2 Peter 3:4).

 Jesus told us our lives are like a puff of steam. We’re on earth a while and then gone.
Sunday school teachers like Sister McPherson helped me to look forward to Christ’s return and know how to prepare for His coming. I was age 5 when I accepted Christ as Savior, and I was afraid He would come before I could get to the altar to repent of my sins.

Thank God for those who know even young children can understand the truths of the gospel, and they preach it and teach it so that we can have eternal life.
©Copyright Ada Brownell April 2014
        
Ada Brownell Amazon Author page: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B001KJ2C06

Eleanor Gustafson's "Dynamo"

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Cover blurb: Jeth Cavanaugh is searching for a new life along one of Pennsylvania's mountain ridges when he stumbles upon a stable of show jumpers owned by Rob and Katie Chilton. Throw in a volatile gaited stallion named Dynamo, and Jeth will do anything to work there. He earns his living by training and showing Rob's jumpers, but Dynamo is his primary passion.

Everything changes when God enters his life—in the unconventional form of a hard slap by an old girlfriend—and ignites a new, greater passion within him. But along with fervor comes fear at the undeniable evidence of God's hand on his life. Inexplicable events, both good and bad, make him moan plaintively, "Why does God do this to me? I get the feeling I'm being set up for something."
He is, indeed. Jeth's life is anything but predictable, much like the God he serves. The real Dynamo and his ultimate trainer emerge out of an excruciating mix of disaster and brokenness, which are never beyond the reach of redemption.
This story is God in your face: Who is He, really? What does He ask of us?

1) How did this story come to you?
Making up stories has been a life-long compulsion, and some eventually amounted to something. Dynamo, being horse centered, was one of these, and as I began to write, it began to evolve.

2) Tell us about the journey to getting this book published.
Literary fiction is not an easy journey unless you are an established author. I shopped it around, went to a writers’ conference (ACFW), was recommended to an agent who also shopped it around. It had already been turned down by Whitaker House, publishers of my King David novel, The Stones, so it was purely a God thing that they decided to take another look at it. I am deeply beholden to the people at Whitaker House.

3) Tell me three things about yourself that would surprise your readers.
a. I almost always climb stairs two at a time to maintain leg strength.
b. At Wheaton College I taught horsemanship. One student’s friend had signed him into a class because tennis was closed, and during the first riding session, his horse decided to take a roll in the snow. That student went from a C to an A and ended up marrying the teacher.  
c. Years ago in my hometown of Branchville NJ, some friends and I were sitting on a hillside overlooking the town. We heard a zinging overhead, and one of the boys said, “Those are bullets!” We shrugged and moved to the other side of the hill. We didn’t worry much about Really Bad Guys in those days!

4) What are you working on now, and what's next for you?
I’m working hard on the Dynamo rollout, but another novel is patiently waiting for me to get back to it. This will be a tough one, though, both to write and to sell. Has three major threads: gardening, politics, and American Indians, and of course, a spiritual thread tying them all together.

5) Parting comments?
Don’t let the horse part of this novel scare you off. There’s a glossary in the back for help in that regard. The essence of the story is far deeper, and you will perhaps see God in a new and spiritually challenging way. Check out Amazon reviews.

6) Where can fans find you on the internet?
Ellie Gustafson
Email: egus@me.com
Website: www.eleanorgustafson.com
Blog: http://www.eleanorgustafson.com/blog/  
Dynamo page: http://www.eleanorgustafson.com/dynam...
Amazon page: https://www.amazon.com/author/eleanor...
The Stones: A Novel of the Life of King David  http://www.amazon.com/Stones-Eleanor-...

Register to win Eleanor Gustafson's "Dynamo"

[image error]

We're happy to have Eleanor Gustafson with us today talking about her book, Dynamo. Please leave Eleanor a comment for your change to win a copy.

Cover blurb: Jeth Cavanaugh is searching for a new life along one of Pennsylvania's mountain ridges when he stumbles upon a stable of show jumpers owned by Rob and Katie Chilton. Throw in a volatile gaited stallion named Dynamo, and Jeth will do anything to work there. He earns his living by training and showing Rob's jumpers, but Dynamo is his primary passion.

Everything changes when God enters his life—in the unconventional form of a hard slap by an old girlfriend—and ignites a new, greater passion within him. But along with fervor comes fear at the undeniable evidence of God's hand on his life. Inexplicable events, both good and bad, make him moan plaintively, "Why does God do this to me? I get the feeling I'm being set up for something."
He is, indeed. Jeth's life is anything but predictable, much like the God he serves. The real Dynamo and his ultimate trainer emerge out of an excruciating mix of disaster and brokenness, which are never beyond the reach of redemption.
This story is God in your face: Who is He, really? What does He ask of us?

1) How did this story come to you?
Making up stories has been a life-long compulsion, and some eventually amounted to something. Dynamo, being horse centered, was one of these, and as I began to write, it began to evolve.

2) Tell us about the journey to getting this book published.
Literary fiction is not an easy journey unless you are an established author. I shopped it around, went to a writers’ conference (ACFW), was recommended to an agent who also shopped it around. It had already been turned down by Whitaker House, publishers of my King David novel, The Stones, so it was purely a God thing that they decided to take another look at it. I am deeply beholden to the people at Whitaker House.

3) Tell me three things about yourself that would surprise your readers.
a. I almost always climb stairs two at a time to maintain leg strength.
b. At Wheaton College I taught horsemanship. One student’s friend had signed him into a class because tennis was closed, and during the first riding session, his horse decided to take a roll in the snow. That student went from a C to an A and ended up marrying the teacher.  
c. Years ago in my hometown of Branchville NJ, some friends and I were sitting on a hillside overlooking the town. We heard a zinging overhead, and one of the boys said, “Those are bullets!” We shrugged and moved to the other side of the hill. We didn’t worry much about Really Bad Guys in those days!

4) What are you working on now, and what's next for you?
I’m working hard on the Dynamo rollout, but another novel is patiently waiting for me to get back to it. This will be a tough one, though, both to write and to sell. Has three major threads: gardening, politics, and American Indians, and of course, a spiritual thread tying them all together.

5) Parting comments?
Don’t let the horse part of this novel scare you off. There’s a glossary in the back for help in that regard. The essence of the story is far deeper, and you will perhaps see God in a new and spiritually challenging way. Check out Amazon reviews.

6) Where can fans find you on the internet?
Ellie Gustafson
Email: egus@me.com
Website: www.eleanorgustafson.com
Blog: http://www.eleanorgustafson.com/blog/  
Dynamo page: http://www.eleanorgustafson.com/dynam...
Amazon page: https://www.amazon.com/author/eleanor...
The Stones: A Novel of the Life of King David  http://www.amazon.com/Stones-Eleanor-...

Deanna Klingel's "Rock and a Hard Place"

Blog: Not Your Typical RomanceRock and a Hard Place, A Lithuanian Love Story, is possibly the most unusual love story Romance fans have ever read. This isn’t a story of a man and woman attracted to each other, looking into each other’s eyes, falling in love, marrying, happy ever aftering.  It’s also not fiction.I enjoy writing true stories of everyday heroes. Ordinary people who do extraordinary things against enormous odds are my heroes. Many times their only tools are faith in God and courage that comes from that faith. I’ve written the story (Bread Upon the Water) of a South Vietnamese boy who escaped as a boat person in order to follow his calling to the priesthood.  God’s love carried him through the most horrendous circumstances.  It was also a love story, but not a romance; and certainly a hero story.Rock and a Hard Place, A Lithuanian Love Story, is the story of a boy and girl born in 1930. When they are nine years old, Russia invades the country they love. They begin a long and difficult journey across Eastern Europe with millions of other displaced families. Clinging to their faith, tending to their familiar traditions, their families survive bombs, escape genocide, disease and starvation. Through it all, they love their country, their families, and God.As teenagers trying to live a normal life in a displaced persons camp in Germany, they go to school in a bombed out factory, enjoy Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts and dances. Here neither admits to their first crush, the love of their hearts.I’m not a spoiler, so I’m not telling you the rest of the story, but believe me when I tell you it is an enviable life filled with love that God orchestrates in the most unlikely way.Do you believe God has a hand in our love life? If you don’t you may change your mind after reading this story. If you do believe it, then you are going to love the affirmation of this story. As Romance readers, you’ve read a lot of love stories, sweet, poignant, edgy, hurt and lost love. But I bet you haven’t read much about patient love. Contemporary love stories aren’t usually about patience. I Corinthians: 13 names it, but of all the things love is, patient is probably the least practiced in 2014.My story covers years, a lifetime. The couple I write about are now 84 years young. Their love required time and patience. But, God accomplishes his plan in His own time, doesn’t He? These two lives are models for living and loving patiently in God’s time. Doing the best we can everyday with what we have, we are assured that God will handle the rest. He does indeed inform our love life.  I hope you will enjoy this different kind of romance, and perhaps grasp some world history as well.Author bio: Deanna K. Klingel, author, has been married to Dave 51 years. “He was my first love,” she says. “God arranged it all.” The couple has raised seven children and now have eleven grandchildren. They enjoy traveling and visiting their family. Deanna travels to book fairs and speaks to schools and civic organizations.Links: www.BooksByDeanna.com (website)ttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dSR2yT0f6rE  (trailer for book)

Register to win Deanna Klingel's "Rock and a Hard Place"

We're happy to have Deanna Klingel with us today talking about her book "Rock and a Hard Place."  Please leave her a comment with your email address for your chance to win the book. If you'd like to receive emails about weekly book giveaways, please place your email address in the feedburner box to the right. Thanks!

Blog: Not Your Typical RomanceRock and a Hard Place, A Lithuanian Love Story, is possibly the most unusual love story Romance fans have ever read. This isn’t a story of a man and woman attracted to each other, looking into each other’s eyes, falling in love, marrying, happy ever aftering.  It’s also not fiction.I enjoy writing true stories of everyday heroes. Ordinary people who do extraordinary things against enormous odds are my heroes. Many times their only tools are faith in God and courage that comes from that faith. I’ve written the story (Bread Upon the Water) of a South Vietnamese boy who escaped as a boat person in order to follow his calling to the priesthood.  God’s love carried him through the most horrendous circumstances.  It was also a love story, but not a romance; and certainly a hero story.Rock and a Hard Place, A Lithuanian Love Story, is the story of a boy and girl born in 1930. When they are nine years old, Russia invades the country they love. They begin a long and difficult journey across Eastern Europe with millions of other displaced families. Clinging to their faith, tending to their familiar traditions, their families survive bombs, escape genocide, disease and starvation. Through it all, they love their country, their families, and God.As teenagers trying to live a normal life in a displaced persons camp in Germany, they go to school in a bombed out factory, enjoy Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts and dances. Here neither admits to their first crush, the love of their hearts.I’m not a spoiler, so I’m not telling you the rest of the story, but believe me when I tell you it is an enviable life filled with love that God orchestrates in the most unlikely way.Do you believe God has a hand in our love life? If you don’t you may change your mind after reading this story. If you do believe it, then you are going to love the affirmation of this story. As Romance readers, you’ve read a lot of love stories, sweet, poignant, edgy, hurt and lost love. But I bet you haven’t read much about patient love. Contemporary love stories aren’t usually about patience. I Corinthians: 13 names it, but of all the things love is, patient is probably the least practiced in 2014.My story covers years, a lifetime. The couple I write about are now 84 years young. Their love required time and patience. But, God accomplishes his plan in His own time, doesn’t He? These two lives are models for living and loving patiently in God’s time. Doing the best we can everyday with what we have, we are assured that God will handle the rest. He does indeed inform our love life.  I hope you will enjoy this different kind of romance, and perhaps grasp some world history as well.Author bio: Deanna K. Klingel, author, has been married to Dave 51 years. “He was my first love,” she says. “God arranged it all.” The couple has raised seven children and now have eleven grandchildren. They enjoy traveling and visiting their family. Deanna travels to book fairs and speaks to schools and civic organizations.Links: www.BooksByDeanna.com (website)ttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dSR2yT0f6rE  (trailer for book)

Richard Mabry's "Critical Condition"

“Warning: May Contain Christian Content”
I’m prepared to have my writing style criticized so long as he cause is valid. It’s conceivable that the reader doesn’t like medical novels. Perhaps I don’t pack a particular book with enough suspense. Maybe the characters are one-dimensional. All these are valid criticisms. But I bristle at criticism leveled at my work simply because it was written from a Christian worldview.
Every time one of my books is available as a free download, I can look forward to several one-star reviews, generally with the same comment: “I don’t like Christian fiction.” It’s not that I fill my novels of medical suspense with altar calls and conversion scenes. True, one of the characters sometimes quotes Scripture, but that’s rare, and always in context. What I do is write fiction from a Christian worldview, knowing that following Jesus isn’t a “get out of jail free” card, but rather a promise of strength most of us don’t know we had.
I’m often asked by interviewers from secular sites to explain Christian fiction. Here’s some of what I’ve said in the past: The books portray characters that are flawed, as we all are, and who struggle with their relationships, both with God and their fellow man...What I’ve frequently said is that the only difference I really see is that these novels don’t contain anything I’d hesitate for my mother, wife, or daughter to read.
I’m pleased that my latest novel, Critical Condition, has been given great reviews, including 4 ½ stars from Romantic Times Book Reviews. But I’m holding my breath until readers weigh in. Will some of them criticize my work because it’s “Christian fiction?” I hope not, but you never can tell.
*        *        *Richard Mabry is a retired physician, past Vice President of the American Christian Fiction Writers, and author of “medical suspense with heart.” His novels have been a semifinalist for International Thriller Writers’ debut novel, finalists for the Carol Award and Romantic Times’ Reader’s Choice Award, and winner of the Selah Award. His latest, Critical Condition , is his seventh published novel. You can follow Richard on his blog, on Twitter, and his Facebook fan page. Links for the purchase of his books are found on his web page.

Register to win Richard Mabry's "Critical Condition"

We're happy to have Richard Mabry with us today talking about his book "Critical Condition."  Please leave him a comment with your email address for your chance to win the book. If you'd like to receive emails about weekly book giveaways, please place your email address in the feedburner box to the right. Thanks!


“Warning: May Contain Christian Content”
I’m prepared to have my writing style criticized so long as he cause is valid. It’s conceivable that the reader doesn’t like medical novels. Perhaps I don’t pack a particular book with enough suspense. Maybe the characters are one-dimensional. All these are valid criticisms. But I bristle at criticism leveled at my work simply because it was written from a Christian worldview.
Every time one of my books is available as a free download, I can look forward to several one-star reviews, generally with the same comment: “I don’t like Christian fiction.” It’s not that I fill my novels of medical suspense with altar calls and conversion scenes. True, one of the characters sometimes quotes Scripture, but that’s rare, and always in context. What I do is write fiction from a Christian worldview, knowing that following Jesus isn’t a “get out of jail free” card, but rather a promise of strength most of us don’t know we had.
I’m often asked by interviewers from secular sites to explain Christian fiction. Here’s some of what I’ve said in the past: The books portray characters that are flawed, as we all are, and who struggle with their relationships, both with God and their fellow man...What I’ve frequently said is that the only difference I really see is that these novels don’t contain anything I’d hesitate for my mother, wife, or daughter to read.
I’m pleased that my latest novel, Critical Condition, has been given great reviews, including 4 ½ stars from Romantic Times Book Reviews. But I’m holding my breath until readers weigh in. Will some of them criticize my work because it’s “Christian fiction?” I hope not, but you never can tell.
*        *        *Richard Mabry is a retired physician, past Vice President of the American Christian Fiction Writers, and author of “medical suspense with heart.” His novels have been a semifinalist for International Thriller Writers’ debut novel, finalists for the Carol Award and Romantic Times’ Reader’s Choice Award, and winner of the Selah Award. His latest, Critical Condition , is his seventh published novel. You can follow Richard on his blog, on Twitter, and his Facebook fan page. Links for the purchase of his books are found on his web page.

Susan Page Davis' "The New England Romance Collection"

Blurb:
The New England Romance Collection contains five complete historical novels set in Maine, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut, including Susan’s award-winning novel, The Prisoner's Wife: Jack Hunter is about to be hanged for the murder of his neighbor. Jack knows he's innocent, and the unscrupulous constables will seize his land when he's dead. He asks Lucy Hamblin, the only girl he ever loved, to marry him in the jail. Her father broke them up three years ago, but now her father is dead. Will Lucy be willing to grant his last request and become the widow Hunter? Set in Maine, 1720.

How did this story come to you?
I had read about the inheritance laws in colonial Maine (which was then part of Massachusetts) while doing some family history research. The fact that wives could only inherit from their husbands under certain circumstances intrigued me.

Tell us about the journey to getting the book published.
    I outlined The Prisoner’s Wife and sent my proposal in to an editor I had previously worked with. She loved it. When a “hole” opened in her publishing schedule, she asked me for the complete manuscript, and then bought two other Maine historical novels from me. This one was later published with The Castaway’s Bride and The Lumberjack’s Lady in a collection called Maine Brides. Meanwhile, it won both the American Christian Fiction Writers’ Book of the Year (now the Carol Award) and the Inspirational Readers’ Choice Contest. I’m delighted it’s being republished in this New England collection.
Incidentally, the New England Romance Collection is now on the Evangelical Christian Publishers’ Association’s bestseller list for the second month in a row. If readers are curious as to why only five of the New England states are represented within its covers, I’m sorry to say that the sixth story (one of my New Hampshire books, Return to Love) had to be omitted because of the format’s space constraints. But Return to Love is available as a standalone and also in the White Mountain Brides collection.

Tell me three things about yourself that would surprise your readers.
I married my brother’s college roommate. I’m a compulsive list maker. I don’t mind mice, but I hate spiders.

What are you working on now, and what’s next for you?
I’m working on a new historical novel set in the West, The Outlaw Takes a Bride, coming out next spring, and a contemporary cozy mystery called Empty Saddle, also releasing in 2015. In the meantime, I’ll have two Christmas novellas releasing from Barbour Publishing in the fall, and a couple of new collections.

Parting comments
I am giving away a copy of the New England Romance Collection. The winner can choose paperback or e-book.
    The featured book can also be purchased at:
Amazon: http://is.gd/qM11Sh
Christian Book: http://is.gd/JSjF7H
Barnes & Noble: http://is.gd/DjWxPH
    
Where can fans find you on the Internet?
My website is at: www.susanpagedavis.com, and you can read more about my work there.
I’m also on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/susanpagedav...
And I post on the 23rd of each month on the Christian Fiction Historical Society:
http://christianfictionhistoricalsoci...

Register to win Susan Page Davis' "The New England Romance Collection"

We're happy to have Susan Page Davis with us today talking about her book "The New England Romance Collection."  Please leave her a comment with your email address for your chance to win her book. If you'd like to receive emails about weekly book giveaways, please place your email address in the feedburner box to the right. Thanks!

Blurb:
The New England Romance Collection contains five complete historical novels set in Maine, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut, including Susan’s award-winning novel, The Prisoner's Wife: Jack Hunter is about to be hanged for the murder of his neighbor. Jack knows he's innocent, and the unscrupulous constables will seize his land when he's dead. He asks Lucy Hamblin, the only girl he ever loved, to marry him in the jail. Her father broke them up three years ago, but now her father is dead. Will Lucy be willing to grant his last request and become the widow Hunter? Set in Maine, 1720.

How did this story come to you?
I had read about the inheritance laws in colonial Maine (which was then part of Massachusetts) while doing some family history research. The fact that wives could only inherit from their husbands under certain circumstances intrigued me.

Tell us about the journey to getting the book published.
    I outlined The Prisoner’s Wife and sent my proposal in to an editor I had previously worked with. She loved it. When a “hole” opened in her publishing schedule, she asked me for the complete manuscript, and then bought two other Maine historical novels from me. This one was later published with The Castaway’s Bride and The Lumberjack’s Lady in a collection called Maine Brides. Meanwhile, it won both the American Christian Fiction Writers’ Book of the Year (now the Carol Award) and the Inspirational Readers’ Choice Contest. I’m delighted it’s being republished in this New England collection.
Incidentally, the New England Romance Collection is now on the Evangelical Christian Publishers’ Association’s bestseller list for the second month in a row. If readers are curious as to why only five of the New England states are represented within its covers, I’m sorry to say that the sixth story (one of my New Hampshire books, Return to Love) had to be omitted because of the format’s space constraints. But Return to Love is available as a standalone and also in the White Mountain Brides collection.

Tell me three things about yourself that would surprise your readers.
I married my brother’s college roommate. I’m a compulsive list maker. I don’t mind mice, but I hate spiders.

What are you working on now, and what’s next for you?
I’m working on a new historical novel set in the West, The Outlaw Takes a Bride, coming out next spring, and a contemporary cozy mystery called Empty Saddle, also releasing in 2015. In the meantime, I’ll have two Christmas novellas releasing from Barbour Publishing in the fall, and a couple of new collections.

Parting comments
I am giving away a copy of the New England Romance Collection. The winner can choose paperback or e-book.
    The featured book can also be purchased at:
Amazon: http://is.gd/qM11Sh
Christian Book: http://is.gd/JSjF7H
Barnes & Noble: http://is.gd/DjWxPH
    
Where can fans find you on the Internet?
My website is at: www.susanpagedavis.com, and you can read more about my work there.
I’m also on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/susanpagedav...
And I post on the 23rd of each month on the Christian Fiction Historical Society:
http://christianfictionhistoricalsoci...