K. Dawn Byrd's Blog, page 5

L.R. Burkhard and Pulse

Why did you choose to write this book?
PULSE shows the aftermath of a solar flare which has caused an EMP (an electromagnetic pulse) which takes down the electric grid for the continental United States.  Life is changed, virtually instantly. Reduced to existence without the help of anything electric or electronic—no heating systems, no air conditioning, no telephones, (not even cell phones) no TV, radio or internet, people have to learn to survive like Pioneers. Most transportation would be immediately disrupted. (Your fancy new expensive car probably won't run after am EMP, either.) Can you imagine?   I did.  And thus, my series was born.

 What did you learn while writing this book? I learned SO much—that an EMP is possible, for starters. It's not broad science fiction—it can really happen, and has happened in the past. But the largest recorded event in history took place in 1859 before we had this tremendously fragile infrastructure based on electrical wires. If the same event were to occur today, the US Congress estimates that it would result in the deaths of over 70 million people in this country. That's the bad news. I also learned good things, that food storage is possible, and that there ARE ways to survive if such a disaster were to occur. But it takes preparation. Throughout the book, readers can see how some people did prepare and get by—and how others didn't.  

 What kind of planning do you do before writing a novel?  I'm not an in-depth planner. I plan one to two huge things to happen in the lives of all of the central characters—which may or may not overlap with each other—and then I fill in the blanks, supply the back story that is vital—and only that which is vital—to bring about those events. They may need foreshadowing, or earlier instances and these lead up to the main event, which becomes the turning point of the book—the climax. After that, I wind things up, tie loose ends, and I've got the whole book done. There's a lot of brainstorming that happens on the way, but it happens organically—one event leading to another. I don't artificially impose things on a story that isn't already going in that direction.   

 What are your favorite writing conferences and why? The ones I'm teaching at! Why? Not because I don't enjoy learning from others, but because I relish helping other writers, and I hone my own skills and expertise when I prepare to present it for others. At a recent conference where I taught a class, an attendee said to me afterwards, "Your workshop was worth the price of the whole conference." Statements like that make the preparation worth it. I try to pack my classes with value a writer can walk away with and implement, whether in their writing, their marketing or their publishing.   

 What are you working on right now? The third book in the PULSE EFFEX SERIES. PULSE is like Season One of a suspenseful show you'd watch on television. Book Two, RESILIENCE, is Season Two. So I'm almost finished with Book Three (tentatively titled RESISTANCE) and I'm considering adding a fourth installment, which I'll call RESURGENCE. Each book takes the characters further along as they survive in a world gone dark, while also introducing new characters, new dangers, and new close escapes. I'm a visual person and I see my scenes unfold like a movie—so that's the best way for me to describe each book—like a full season of a great suspenseful show. But I'm careful to remember my audience for this series—many of whom want to learn survival tips while they're entertained. Again, I want to pack as much value in my stories as I can. (Which is why there is almost always a character who is in need of—and gets to hear—the gospel.) "Never a dull moment," is how one reader put it, when reviewing this series.     

Tell us a little more about yourself, with three things not many people know about you.   I was a Fine Arts major for two years before getting my BA in English Lit. I love art, especially Impressionism, and I enjoy painting. #2. I'm a concealed carrier—my husband and I enjoy spending time together at a little "shooting range" on our three acres. #3. I come from a family of eight children and grew up in a three story house with grandparents on the third floor for some of those years. That meant there were often a lot of people around at any given time! To this day, I can write with all kinds of noise around me.     

 How can readers get in contact with you? (mail, email, website)I have a newsletter that has attracted a great group of "readers, writers, poets and dreamers." I send new issues out once or twice a month and I have content that not only informs readers of my book progress or news, but which gives inspiration and encouragement to writers as well. I love to include survey questions so I get to know my list. I also do two book drawings a month from that list, so anyone can get two chances a month to win a book by joining my tribe. They can sign up at either of my websites, which are http://www.LinoreBurkard.com, or http://www.LRBurkard.com.   


Click on the image below to purchase:

L.R. Burkhard is giving away a copy of her book, Pulse

We're excited to have Linore Rose Burkard with us today talking about her book, Pulse. She's willing to give away a copy of Pulse or Resilience to one lucky person. Please leave her a comment with your email address for your chance to win. See details below. To learn more about Linore and her books, read on!

Why did you choose to write this book? PULSE shows the aftermath of a solar flare which has caused an EMP (an electromagnetic pulse) which takes down the electric grid for the continental United States.  Life is changed, virtually instantly. Reduced to existence without the help of anything electric or electronic—no heating systems, no air conditioning, no telephones, (not even cell phones) no TV, radio or internet, people have to learn to survive like Pioneers. Most transportation would be immediately disrupted. (Your fancy new expensive car probably won't run after am EMP, either.) Can you imagine?   I did.  And thus, my series was born.

 What did you learn while writing this book? I learned SO much—that an EMP is possible, for starters. It's not broad science fiction—it can really happen, and has happened in the past. But the largest recorded event in history took place in 1859 before we had this tremendously fragile infrastructure based on electrical wires. If the same event were to occur today, the US Congress estimates that it would result in the deaths of over 70 million people in this country. That's the bad news. I also learned good things, that food storage is possible, and that there ARE ways to survive if such a disaster were to occur. But it takes preparation. Throughout the book, readers can see how some people did prepare and get by—and how others didn't.  

 What kind of planning do you do before writing a novel?  I'm not an in-depth planner. I plan one to two huge things to happen in the lives of all of the central characters—which may or may not overlap with each other—and then I fill in the blanks, supply the back story that is vital—and only that which is vital—to bring about those events. They may need foreshadowing, or earlier instances and these lead up to the main event, which becomes the turning point of the book—the climax. After that, I wind things up, tie loose ends, and I've got the whole book done. There's a lot of brainstorming that happens on the way, but it happens organically—one event leading to another. I don't artificially impose things on a story that isn't already going in that direction.   

 What are your favorite writing conferences and why? The ones I'm teaching at! Why? Not because I don't enjoy learning from others, but because I relish helping other writers, and I hone my own skills and expertise when I prepare to present it for others. At a recent conference where I taught a class, an attendee said to me afterwards, "Your workshop was worth the price of the whole conference." Statements like that make the preparation worth it. I try to pack my classes with value a writer can walk away with and implement, whether in their writing, their marketing or their publishing.   

 What are you working on right now? The third book in the PULSE EFFEX SERIES. PULSE is like Season One of a suspenseful show you'd watch on television. Book Two, RESILIENCE, is Season Two. So I'm almost finished with Book Three (tentatively titled RESISTANCE) and I'm considering adding a fourth installment, which I'll call RESURGENCE. Each book takes the characters further along as they survive in a world gone dark, while also introducing new characters, new dangers, and new close escapes. I'm a visual person and I see my scenes unfold like a movie—so that's the best way for me to describe each book—like a full season of a great suspenseful show. But I'm careful to remember my audience for this series—many of whom want to learn survival tips while they're entertained. Again, I want to pack as much value in my stories as I can. (Which is why there is almost always a character who is in need of—and gets to hear—the gospel.) "Never a dull moment," is how one reader put it, when reviewing this series.     

Tell us a little more about yourself, with three things not many people know about you.   I was a Fine Arts major for two years before getting my BA in English Lit. I love art, especially Impressionism, and I enjoy painting. #2. I'm a concealed carrier—my husband and I enjoy spending time together at a little "shooting range" on our three acres. #3. I come from a family of eight children and grew up in a three story house with grandparents on the third floor for some of those years. That meant there were often a lot of people around at any given time! To this day, I can write with all kinds of noise around me.     

 How can readers get in contact with you? (mail, email, website)I have a newsletter that has attracted a great group of "readers, writers, poets and dreamers." I send new issues out once or twice a month and I have content that not only informs readers of my book progress or news, but which gives inspiration and encouragement to writers as well. I love to include survey questions so I get to know my list. I also do two book drawings a month from that list, so anyone can get two chances a month to win a book by joining my tribe. They can sign up at either of my websites, which are http://www.LinoreBurkard.com, or http://www.LRBurkard.com.   

Will you be doing a book giveaway? If so, the title of the book and will you be giving away a print or eBook?I'll give away a copy of PULSE, (or if the reader has already read PULSE, then RESILIENCE). US residents can choose ebook or print copy; international residents ebook copy only.

Linore Rose Burkard is best known for historical romance novels with Harvest House Publishers, and now writes YA/Suspense as L.R.Burkard. Linore teaches workshops for writers, is a mother of five, and still homeschools her youngest daughter—preferably with coffee in one hand and her iPad in the other.  When not writing, Linore enjoys hiking, painting, movies, cooking, and gardening. 
Click on the image below to purchase:

Kisses, Kids and Bundles of Joy: & Christian Winter Romances....just 99 cents!

We're happy to have the authors of Kisses, Kids and Bundles of Joy: 7 Christian Winter Romances with us. It's the perfect season to cozy up with a warm Christian romance!
Kisses, Kids and Bundles of Joy: 7 Christian Winter Romances
Snuggle up with seven brand new, never before published Christian winter romances from bestselling and award-winning authors. Kids and babies abound in this collection of novellas that will warm your heart all winter long.
One Winter Kiss - Lindi Peterson - Deena Ross travels to Ohio to try and sway her grandfather from making a big mistake, a mistake his neighbor Andrew has been encouraging. When a winter storm hits, and Deena is forced to stay with Andrew and his young son, Evan, Deena's vision of love is tested and she might lose her heart in one winter kiss.
Childish Ways - Jenn Faulk - Kevin Peterson, a teacher at a small town elementary school, is unexpectedly reunited with Lisa Walker, a girl who spent most of their childhood tormenting and bullying him, when she comes back to town where she helps organize a winter carnival to benefit her niece's school. Lisa has no idea who he is, though, and as they work alongside one another and Kevin sees how much she has changed, he begins to question whether or not he can really trust her and let her into his life.
The Baby & the Bachelor - Cindy K. Green - Playboy bachelor, Alec, discovers a baby on his doorstep only days away from being appointed to a political office, prompting him to appeal his assistant, Jane, for help.  Misunderstandings and accusations from the press abound, leading Alec to wonder, even if he were prepared for a ready-made family, could sweet, church-going Jane ever find it in her heart to marry a sinner like him?
For Tracy - Trisha Grace - One phone call led to Sarah Carter becoming the guardian of her favorite student, Tracy, while waiting for Tracy’s Uncle Keith to show up. But Sarah has no idea Uncle Keith was Keith Sutton, Hollywood’s most eligible bachelor, and doesn’t realize how much trouble she is heading for.
Tropical Kiss Or Miss - Liwen Y. Ho - Therapist Olivia Chan can’t wait to escape it all—a failed marriage, a struggling practice, and her son’s recent health scare. The Hawaiian getaway she planned, however, gets rained on—quite literally—by a tropical storm and the unexpected arrival of her estranged husband Matthew, who’s determined to win her back.
To Gain a Mommy - Tanya Eavenson - When Hope Michaels decides to face her past, she unknowingly purchases the house across the street from her former fiancé—the man her twin sister married, then widowed. Fire Captain Carl McGuire can put out any flame, except for the one Hope sparks within him—some things never change.
Foolish Heart - Cindy Flores Martinez - Judy and Graham have feelings for each other, but they won’t admit it. After all, she lives in America and he lives in Scotland with his daughter, Mairi, who he could never leave to be with the woman he loves.
Author Bios
Lindi Peterson, USA Today featured author, lives in north Georgia, in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, with her husband and a lively array of cats, dogs and birds. She loves sharing life with her family and friends. Her passion for reading led her to writing, and then God spoke words of love into her heart and changed her life forever.
Website: Lindipeterson.comTwitter: @lindipeterson
Jenn Faulk is a native Texan who enjoys reading and writing chick lit. She's a pastor's wife, a stay-at-home mom, and a marathon enthusiast who loves talking about Jesus and what a difference He's made in her life. She has a BA in Creative Writing from the University of Houston and a MA in Missiology from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.
Website: www.jennfaulk.comFacebook: Jenn Faulk BooksTwitter: jennfaulk
Cindy K. Green has worked as a middle school history & English teacher, a frozen yogurt server and a golf magazine employee. Today she's a multi-published, award winning author, a mother, a wife, and a homeschooler too. This native Californian now resides in North Carolina with her husband, two sons, and their two cats Chloe & Kassey.
Website: http://www.cindykgreen.comFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/CindyKGreenT... https://twitter.com/cindykgreen
Trisha Grace graduated from Bradford University with an Accounting and Finance degree. She has always been an avid reader and has a passion for writing. After being a tutor for over six years, she finally sat down and penned her own novels.
Website: http://www.trishagracenovels.comFacebook page: https://www.facebook.com/TrishaGraceN... https://twitter.com/TrishaGraceBks
Liwen Y. Ho works as a chauffeur and referee by day (AKA being a stay at home mom) and a writer by night. She penned her first children's picture book, "A Rainbow of Nine Colors" in high school (now available at Meegenius.com) and has since published four romance books for grown-ups (with more on the way!). She also enjoys writing about real-life matters, such as marriage, parenting and faith because truth can be as strange and entertaining as fiction. Her work has appeared in various online publications, including LiteraryMama.com and MomLifeToday.com, and she is a contributor at StartMarriageRight.com. In her pre-author life, she received a Masters degree in Marriage and Family Therapy from Western Seminary, and she loves makeovers of all kinds, especially those of the heart and mind. She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her techie husband and their two children, and blogs about her adventures as a recovering perfectionist at www.2square2behip.com.
Website: www.2square2behip.comFacebook: www.facebook.com/2square2behipTwitter: @2square2behip
Tanya Eavenson is an inspirational romance author of the series Unending Love. She has also written several Bible studies that have been translated and published into different languages with Christ to the World Ministries. Tanya and her husband have been involved in ministry for seventeen years, teaching youth and adults. She enjoys spending time with her husband and their three children. Tanya is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and Word Weavers International. Her favorite pastime is grabbing a cup of coffee, eating chocolate, and reading a good book.
Website: www.tanyaeavenson.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Tanya-Eavens... https://twitter.com/tan_eave
Cindy Flores Martinez is an Amazon bestselling Spanish romance author. She writes sweet romantic comedy and Christian romance. She has an MFA in Creative Writing with an emphasis in Screenwriting. Her debut novel, Mail-Order Groom, started out as a screenplay and movie project, which she shopped around Hollywood, New York, and other parts of the world.
Website: www.cindyfloresmartinez.comFacebook: www.facebook.com/cindyfloresmartineza...
Twitter: www.twitter.com/AuthorCindy
BUY LINKS
Amazon:https://www.amazon.com/Kisses-Kids-Bu... 
Kobo:  https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebo... 
https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/kiss... 

Leeann Betts is giving away "Broke, Busted, and Disgusted"

We're happy to have Leeann Betts with us today talking about her book, Broke, Busted, and Disgusted, which is book number five in the By the Numbers Series, featuring Carly Turnquist, forensic accountant. Please leave her a comment with your email address for your chance to win. The book will be available on November 30.


From the cover: Wherever  you find Carly Turnquist, trouble is sure to follow. 
At least, that's what her husband Mike says.
Back in Bear Cove, Carly's best friend is being courted by a smarmy stranger, and Mike's latest client is unhappy with him.
When the client turns up dead and Mike is nowhere to be found, the police suspect him, and the video and paperwork they have that shows someone matching Mike's description maxed out their credit cards and cleaned out their bank accounts is compelling.
But Carly knows her husband couldn't kill anybody.
Could he?
How did this story come to you?  In trying to come up with a series idea, set in 2002 and 2003, I looked for plot ideas that could get an accountant into trouble. 
Tell us about the journey to getting this book published. The journey started in 2002 when I wrote the first book during NaNoWriMo because I wondered if I had at least one book in me. The series idea came at the end of that because I loved Carly and Mike so much (it’s somewhat autobiographical when it comes to them), and so I wanted to keep writing about them.
Tell me three things about yourself that would surprise your readers.  
I am a pen name born about 5 years ago. I have to work at being quirky. I am not nearly so quick on the comebacks or quick thinking as Carly is.
What are you working on now and what's next for you?  
Next for me will be to re-write a novella I wrote a couple of years ago by adding two or three more points of view so I can hopefully make it more marketable in a longer version. My real-life persona is under contract with Barbour Publishing in a 9-in-1 novella collection that releases in April 2017, Hearts of the Pony Express. After that, she has several ideas for another historical set in World War I and World War II, and I will have another adventure for Carly to write.
Parting comments? 
 I really appreciate your readers stopping by today, and hope they leave a comment to enter the drawing for a free copy of Broke, Busted, and Disgusted when it releases later this month.
Where can fans find you on the internet? I publish a free quarterly newsletter that includes a book review and articles on writing and books of interest to readers and writers. You can subscribe at www.LeeannBetts.com or follow me at www.AllBettsAreOff.wordpress.comAll books are available on Amazon.com in digital and print. Facebook: http://bit.ly/1pQSOqV Twitter: http://bit.ly/1qmqvB6 Books: http://amzn.to/2dHfgCE

Joi Copeland is giving away an ebook copy of Christmas Snowe and Peppermint Cocoa

We're happy to have Joi Copeland with us talking about her book Christmas Snowe and Peppermint Cocoa. She's giving away an ebook copy to one lucky reader. For your chance to win, please leave her a comment. To learn more about Joi and her book, read on!


What would you like readers to take away from your book? 
I would love for readers to take away there is always hope and redemption. Always. Jesus gives us hope and redeems us, no matter how messed up we are!


What kind of planning do you do before writing a novel?  I pray. Really, that’s what I do. I pray and ask God what I should write about.

Are you a plotter or a pantzer? 
I am a pantzer! I can’t plot out my writing if my life depended on it.   



What are you working on right now? I am working on Chance in Maine, the third book in the Maine series.
Tell us a little more about yourself, with three things not many people know about you. 1) My family and I have been called to be church planters in Ireland. We are raising support and hope to be there in August of 2017. 2) I had an extra thumb attached to my right thumb at birth. The doctor who took it off kept it in a jar. I still have a scar. 3) My husband and I have an on-going battle who is funnier. Of course, it’s me. :)  
How can readers get in contact with you? (mail, email, website)booksbyjoi@copelandclan.comwww.joicopeland.com
Click on cover to purchase: 

Johnnie Alexander and "When Love Arrives"

We're happy to have Johnnie Alexander with us talking about her book When Love Arrives. 
What did you learn while writing this book?  This story had its challenges. While I knew the heroine resented the hero (who wasn’t even aware of her existence until they met), I didn’t know why she was mad at him for the longest time. Eventually, during a walk in the pasture, everything fell into place. A flippant decision I made when writing the first story in the Misty Willow Series—that the hero’s parents had died in a plane crash—was an important element in this novel.
Which books on writing have been the most helpful to you and why?  Self-Editing for Fiction Writers by Browne and King is indispensable for novelists. Every writer should read it then read it again.
Story Trumps Structure by Steven James is another one of my favorites. I’m an organic writer (mostly) so the concepts in this book make sense to me.
What are your favorite writing conferences and why?  The first major writing conference I attended was the Florida Christian Writing Conference. I’ve been to it more than any other—it’s where I met several women who became my best friends, where I met an editor who encouraged me to finish a manuscript, where I met an agent who referred me to the person who became my agent.
I’m also fond of the Mid-South Christian Writers Conference. (I’m on the planning committee so I’m a little prejudiced!)
The Autumn in the Mountains Novelist Retreat is terrific, too. It’s small, relaxing, and inspiring.
What are you working on right now? I’m breaking the unwritten “don’t change genres” rule. Again! J My next stories will be two cozy mysteries for Annie’s Fiction. This is the path God has set out for me, and I love it!
What do you do for fun when not writing?  I’ve been traveling and that has been so fun. My sister and I spent a week recently in Prince Edward Island, and I’ve been sharing photos on my blog for the #Write31Days Challenge. 
While answering this question, I’m sitting in a Comfort Inn in Willow Springs, Missouri because tomorrow I’m meeting a friend at the Laura Ingalls Wilder Museum in Mansfield, Missouri. (P.S. We had a great time!)
I’m also taking my collie Griff to obedience and agility classes. We’re just starting out so we haven’t competed yet. But that’s in our future.
Tell us about your latest release and what you think readers will enjoy about it.
Brett Somers, the hero of When Love Arrives, was the not-so-nice-guy in the series’ first story. Faced with the tragic consequences of his actions, he wants to live a different kind of life, to be a different kind of man.
One Amazon reviewer writes: “When Love Arrives is an emotionally charged story of forgiveness and restoration with a strong dose of romance.” 
This is a story of second chances, of forgiveness, and of redemption.
How can readers get in contact with you? (mail, email, website)
I love to hear from readers. Please write me at JohnnieAlexander@iCloud.com and visit my website at www.Johnnie-Alexander.com
Will you be doing a book giveaway? If so, the title of the book and will you be giving away a print or eBook?
Absolutely! A US winner can choose either an autographed print edition or an ebook edition of When Love Arrives; an international winner will receive an ebook edition.
Thanks for having me as your guest, and thanks to everyone who stops by!
Click on image to purchase:  From the cover:Dani Prescott came to the children's hospital to spy on Brett Somers--so how did she end up on a date with him? Weeks earlier she'd seen an interview in which he blamed her mother for the plane crash that had killed his parents. But the crash had killed her mother as well, so Dani can't believe the story Brett's trying to sell to the media.

Vowing to find a way to discredit the privileged--and maddeningly handsome--Brett, Dani has been following him and taking photos, hoping to find something she can use against him. But when she catches his eye instead, she quickly finds herself offering up a fake name and agreeing to a date. Brett knows this mystery girl is hiding something--but he's got his own secrets to keep. What will happen when he discovers who she really is? Will Dani and Brett look beyond their own heartaches to discover a love that could heal their deepest pain?

Fresh, flirty, and fast-paced, When Love Arrives is an engaging story that will have readers falling in love with the characters as they navigate the tricky waters between romance and revenge.

Johnnie Alexander is giving away a copy of "When Love Arrives"

We're happy to have Johnnie Alexander with us talking about her book When Love Arrives. When asked if she will be giving away a book, Johnnie replied, "A US winner can choose either an autographed print edition or an ebook edition of When Love Arrives; an international winner will receive an ebook edition." Please leave Johnnie a comment for your chance to win. To learn more about Johnnie and her book, read on!
What did you learn while writing this book?  This story had its challenges. While I knew the heroine resented the hero (who wasn’t even aware of her existence until they met), I didn’t know why she was mad at him for the longest time. Eventually, during a walk in the pasture, everything fell into place. A flippant decision I made when writing the first story in the Misty Willow Series—that the hero’s parents had died in a plane crash—was an important element in this novel.
Which books on writing have been the most helpful to you and why?  Self-Editing for Fiction Writers by Browne and King is indispensable for novelists. Every writer should read it then read it again.
Story Trumps Structure by Steven James is another one of my favorites. I’m an organic writer (mostly) so the concepts in this book make sense to me.
What are your favorite writing conferences and why?  The first major writing conference I attended was the Florida Christian Writing Conference. I’ve been to it more than any other—it’s where I met several women who became my best friends, where I met an editor who encouraged me to finish a manuscript, where I met an agent who referred me to the person who became my agent.
I’m also fond of the Mid-South Christian Writers Conference. (I’m on the planning committee so I’m a little prejudiced!)
The Autumn in the Mountains Novelist Retreat is terrific, too. It’s small, relaxing, and inspiring.
What are you working on right now? I’m breaking the unwritten “don’t change genres” rule. Again! J My next stories will be two cozy mysteries for Annie’s Fiction. This is the path God has set out for me, and I love it!
What do you do for fun when not writing?  I’ve been traveling and that has been so fun. My sister and I spent a week recently in Prince Edward Island, and I’ve been sharing photos on my blog for the #Write31Days Challenge. 
While answering this question, I’m sitting in a Comfort Inn in Willow Springs, Missouri because tomorrow I’m meeting a friend at the Laura Ingalls Wilder Museum in Mansfield, Missouri. (P.S. We had a great time!)
I’m also taking my collie Griff to obedience and agility classes. We’re just starting out so we haven’t competed yet. But that’s in our future.
Tell us about your latest release and what you think readers will enjoy about it.
Brett Somers, the hero of When Love Arrives, was the not-so-nice-guy in the series’ first story. Faced with the tragic consequences of his actions, he wants to live a different kind of life, to be a different kind of man.
One Amazon reviewer writes: “When Love Arrives is an emotionally charged story of forgiveness and restoration with a strong dose of romance.” 
This is a story of second chances, of forgiveness, and of redemption.
How can readers get in contact with you? (mail, email, website)
I love to hear from readers. Please write me at JohnnieAlexander@iCloud.com and visit my website at www.Johnnie-Alexander.com
Will you be doing a book giveaway? If so, the title of the book and will you be giving away a print or eBook?
Absolutely! A US winner can choose either an autographed print edition or an ebook edition of When Love Arrives; an international winner will receive an ebook edition.
Thanks for having me as your guest, and thanks to everyone who stops by!
Click on image to purchase:  From the cover:Dani Prescott came to the children's hospital to spy on Brett Somers--so how did she end up on a date with him? Weeks earlier she'd seen an interview in which he blamed her mother for the plane crash that had killed his parents. But the crash had killed her mother as well, so Dani can't believe the story Brett's trying to sell to the media.

Vowing to find a way to discredit the privileged--and maddeningly handsome--Brett, Dani has been following him and taking photos, hoping to find something she can use against him. But when she catches his eye instead, she quickly finds herself offering up a fake name and agreeing to a date. Brett knows this mystery girl is hiding something--but he's got his own secrets to keep. What will happen when he discovers who she really is? Will Dani and Brett look beyond their own heartaches to discover a love that could heal their deepest pain?

Fresh, flirty, and fast-paced, When Love Arrives is an engaging story that will have readers falling in love with the characters as they navigate the tricky waters between romance and revenge.

"The Physics of Love" by Donna Schlachter

Mark your calendar... Donna Schlachter's Physics of Love  will release on October 31.
From the cover: A woman looking for love, a boy looking for family, the man who found both. This story, set in Newfoundland in the 1930’s and 40’s, isn’t unique, but the characters are. Follow the cynical and love-deprived Laura as she struggles to prove to her father that she isn’t unredeemable even while she makes bad choices just to spite him. Join Richard as he grows up in a family that he later learns isn’t truly his. And rejoice with the pragmatic, logical man he becomes who finds the two thing he’s longed for—love and family—even as he discovers he had both all along.
How did this story come to you? This story is loosely based on my father’s life story. He wanted me to write this book for our family, but he also felt it would have general market appeal because of the setting and history.
Tell us about the journey to getting this book published. My father and I spent about two years talking about what to include in the book and what to leave out. In the end, we decided to ‘tone down’ the family version because several of the characters are still alive and we couldn’t prove that some of the stories were true. However, for the market version, we decided to tell it like it is. We changed the names for the market version, but felt the location was of interest, so kept that the same.
Tell me three things about yourself that would surprise your readers. I am a Canadian by birth, an American by choice. I’ve always wanted to be an American. I met my husband on the Internet.
What are you working on now and what's next for you? I am working on Book 5 in my mystery series which publishes under my pen name, Leeann Betts. And I am under contract with Barbour Publishing in a 9-in-1 novella collection that releases in April 2017, Hearts of the Pony Express. After that, I have several ideas for another historical set in World War I and World War II.
Parting comments? I really appreciate your readers stopping by today, and hope they leave a comment to enter the drawing for a free copy of The Physics of Love when it releases later this month.
Where can fans find you on the internet? Blog: www.HiStoryThruTheAges.wordpress.comWebsite: www.HiStoryThruTheAges.com. Subscribe for a free quarterly newsletter. Facebook: www.Facebook.com/DonnaschlachterAuthorTwitter: www.Twitter.com/DonnaSchlachterBooks: http://amzn.to/2ci5Xqq

Mark your calendar....new release and giveaway of "The Physics of Love" by Donna Schlachter

Mark your calendar... Donna Schlachter's Physics of Love  will release on October 31. However, one lucky reader can register to win a copy by leaving Donna a comment below. She'll be giving away a print or E copy, winner's choice inside the U.S. only. To learn more about Donna and her book, read on!


From the cover: A woman looking for love, a boy looking for family, the man who found both. This story, set in Newfoundland in the 1930’s and 40’s, isn’t unique, but the characters are. Follow the cynical and love-deprived Laura as she struggles to prove to her father that she isn’t unredeemable even while she makes bad choices just to spite him. Join Richard as he grows up in a family that he later learns isn’t truly his. And rejoice with the pragmatic, logical man he becomes who finds the two thing he’s longed for—love and family—even as he discovers he had both all along.
How did this story come to you? This story is loosely based on my father’s life story. He wanted me to write this book for our family, but he also felt it would have general market appeal because of the setting and history.
Tell us about the journey to getting this book published. My father and I spent about two years talking about what to include in the book and what to leave out. In the end, we decided to ‘tone down’ the family version because several of the characters are still alive and we couldn’t prove that some of the stories were true. However, for the market version, we decided to tell it like it is. We changed the names for the market version, but felt the location was of interest, so kept that the same.
Tell me three things about yourself that would surprise your readers. I am a Canadian by birth, an American by choice. I’ve always wanted to be an American. I met my husband on the Internet.
What are you working on now and what's next for you? I am working on Book 5 in my mystery series which publishes under my pen name, Leeann Betts. And I am under contract with Barbour Publishing in a 9-in-1 novella collection that releases in April 2017, Hearts of the Pony Express. After that, I have several ideas for another historical set in World War I and World War II.
Parting comments? I really appreciate your readers stopping by today, and hope they leave a comment to enter the drawing for a free copy of The Physics of Love when it releases later this month.
Where can fans find you on the internet? Blog: www.HiStoryThruTheAges.wordpress.comWebsite: www.HiStoryThruTheAges.com. Subscribe for a free quarterly newsletter. Facebook: www.Facebook.com/DonnaschlachterAuthorTwitter: www.Twitter.com/DonnaSchlachterBooks: http://amzn.to/2ci5Xqq

Bettilu Davies and "Shepherd's Song"

We're happy to have Bettilu Davies with us today talking about her book, Shepherd's Song. To learn more about Bettilu and her book, read on!



Why do you write?
I’ve always enjoyed writing; I have made up stories and poems from the time I could hold a pencil, filling papers with stories about my imaginary friends. When I took piano lessons, Mrs. Matthews took part of my lesson to play classical music and would ask me to tell her what story I was hearing. That stimulated my imagination even further.Several years ago my husband’s company was moving, and our future was uncertain. We didn’t know ifwe would be moving or where. At a Bible conference, Paul and I committed ourselves in separate workshops to going anywhere and doing anything that God wanted us to do.  In the next service at our home church, the pastor directed us to a verse in Revelation: “the Spirit said unto me write.” I didn’t hear anything else he said, because I was so astounded by those words. Our five children were sitting between Paul and me, but when the service was over, both Paul and the pastor came straight to me, both of them wanting to know what had happened to me. I simply said, “The Spirit told me to write.”
The Zondervan Corporation published The Secret of the Hidden Cave and Moody Press published the four books of my Marty series: “Really Marty!” Tall Trouble, Marty’s Double Life, andMarty and the Scholarship.
I wrote several more books, all rejected. I became discouraged. My children kept me busy, as did the piano lessons I taught. I also taught during the day at our church’s Christian school, so eventually the writing fell by the wayside, but there was always that niggling feeling that I should be writing. I returned to the writing two years ago, creating Shepherd’s Song.

Why did you write this book?
I subscribed to music magazines for years. In one issue I read about an orchestra leader who was also a body builder. He believed that it took a lot of stamina to be a musician, but most musicians spend much more time practicing their art than they do taking care of their bodies. I was practicing the piano from three to five hours a day, besides teaching several hours each night. I knew that I was often exhausted because I wasn’t taking good care of myself.  I was also studying with a concert pianist who told me of joys mishaps at concerts, the difficulties and the loneliness of the concert life. I combined these elements with my own teaching experiences and a lot of imagination and came up with Shepherd’s Song.
What’s next for you?
I have fibromyalgia and extensive arthritis. Sometimes it is very difficult for me to keep up my responsibilities. It occurred to me that there are few, if any, books where the protagonist has a chronic disease, but there are well over five million people in the United States who have been diagnosed with fibromyalgia. I have written Defeating the Enemy, which I am hoping to publish soon to fulfill a need. I have also resurrected some old manuscripts, Whom My Soul Loves and The Puppeteers,which I also hope to see published soon. Finding a publisher is at least as difficult as writing a book in the first place.
What do you do for fun when not writing?
I like to paint a variety of pictures, most of which I give as gifts. I also knit, crochet, and do paper crafts. I read a lot, averaging from ninety to one hundred books a year.What is your personal definition of success?No matter how important writing is to me, the most important part of my life is my family. “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in the truth.” (Third John 4) When one of my children told me that something that I wrote in Shepherd’s Song had answered some God-oriented questions for him, I knew it was worth all the work I put into it. 
How can readers get in contact with you? (email, website)
Email: Bettilu@charter.net; Website: bettiludavies.wordpress.com 
To purchase, click on image below: