Heather Day Gilbert's Blog, page 5

Interview and Softcover #Giveaway with Jaime Jo Wright, author of The House on Foster Hill

Today I’m so glad to welcome author Jaime Jo Wright to my blog. Jaime’s such an interesting gal and we have some things in common–she loves Edgar Allan Poe, she loves coffee, and she knows her way around a lethal weapon (she bowhunts). Best of all, she writes mysteries that have me guessing until the end (hard to do for this die-hard Agatha Christie reader). I’ve been SO looking forward to sharing about her engrossing novel The House on Foster Hill, which officially releases today! Find it here on Amazon! Here’s my review on Goodreads:

“This book kept me riveted! I love mysterious stories that are tied in with old houses, and this one had some amazing plot twists. Also, as an aside, I really loved the character of Grant Jesse. Wright has a really fresh way of writing that enabled me to “see” the setting and characters and I was really rooting for both protagonists (since it’s a dual-timeline story). And speaking of dual-timeline, this one was impeccably done and I love how events in one era would kind of segue into the other. 

Continue reading Interview and Softcover #Giveaway with Jaime Jo Wright, author of The House on Foster Hill at HeatherDayGilbert.com

Five Ways to Touch Your Favorite Author’s Heart

I’ll be the first to admit I’m not a really emotional person. I tend to be the “buck up and soldier on through” type (dramatic change from my teen years, for sure). But as an author, part of me is always on display and raw. We write so much of ourselves into our books–is it any wonder scathing reviews can sometimes get under our skin?

But conversely, there are moments when we feel touched BEYOND words (which is crazy for authors, because our playground is words). And I want to share some ways my readers have blessed me and encouraged me to keep on writing. Below are five suggestions for you to try!

 

FIVE WAYS TO TOUCH YOUR FAVORITE AUTHOR’S HEART

1) Talk to the author like their characters are real.

Whether it’s an email telling me how a reader related to one of my characters, or whether it’s an in-person discussion about said characters, I’m always moved when I find out my characters seem like real people to my readers (like they are to me!). I recently had a book signing where a lady talked to me about the wolf in God’s Daughter, and I was just awed that the wolf had meant as much to her (and brought tears to her eyes) like it did for me.

Continue reading Five Ways to Touch Your Favorite Author’s Heart at HeatherDayGilbert.com

God’s Daughter is FREE/Ebook for October!

Just wanted to give a heads-up, in case you’re not subscribed to my email or you don’t follow me on Facebook, that my first Viking historical, God’s Daughter, is FREE for e-reader for the month of October, to celebrate Leif Erikson Day (he’s in the book!). Here’s what Historical Novel Society Reviews said about this book:

“The 10th-century world of the Vikings is conveyed in wonderfully vivid detail in Heather Day Gilbert’s absorbing and wholly satisfying fiction debut. Gudrid Thorbjarnardottir, trained to be a pagan Viking seeress, decides instead to embrace Christianity (the practical logistics of such thinking, usually glided over by novelists of this period, are here given in very convincing detail – the reader genuinely understands Gudrid’s motivations), and her faith is tested when she decides to accompany her husband Finn on a perilous voyage to the New World, to the mysterious harbor of “Vineland” that is still a mystery to archaeologists.

The life of Vikings in North America is energetically described, and the entire cast of characters feel fresh and vivid, including Leif Ericson and Gudrid’s father-in-law Eric the Red. God’s Daughter is the first in a projected series about Vikings in North America, and it is a remarkably assured tale, well-recommended.”

Please pick it up today if you’re interested in the real Viking men and women who sailed to North America!

Continue reading God’s Daughter is FREE/Ebook for October! at HeatherDayGilbert.com

Kill Zone: Ten Deadly Thrillers Release & a Giveaway!

Today is the release day for the Kill Zone: Ten Deadly Thrillers e-book boxed set! This set includes Undercut, my second romantic suspense novella in the Hemlock Creek Suspense series, and it’s partially set at The Greenbrier Resort in West Virginia. Read Carrie’s review of Undercut at the Reading is my Superpower blog here! Read more about ALL the ten novellas in this set at the Suspense Zone blog here.

To celebrate the release, there are two giveaways going on! The first one, pictured above, is FILLED with goodies–a Kindle Fire, BluRay suspense movies (my contribution was Wait until Dark with Audrey Hepburn), gift cards, softcovers, and SOOOO much more! Find that amazing giveaway here!

The second giveaway is for 2 ebook sets of Kill Zone: Ten Deadly Thrillers, and you can enter for a chance to win that here!

Finally, here are the links where you can purchase Kill Zone: Ten Deadly Thrillers:

Amazon: http://amzn.to/2sNjNFp

Nook: http://bit.ly/2tMFEBo

Kobo: http://bit.ly/2uL9TFG

iBooks: http://apple.co/2ti7vs2

I hope you can pick up this set this week, because on October 8, the price will be raised to $5.99!

Continue reading Kill Zone: Ten Deadly Thrillers Release & a Giveaway! at HeatherDayGilbert.com

Interview and Giveaway with Author Katherine Scott Jones

 

It’s a true delight to have author Katherine Scott Jones visit my blog today! Katherine and I have been friends for a while now, because I stumbled onto her book review blog here and I have loved it ever since. Not only was Katherine gracious enough to review my books for her blog, we also tend to have similar reading tastes, and I really value her opinions.

Katherine’s debut novel, Her Memory of Music, is unique in that while it’s mostly set in the USA, part of the action happens in Mumbai. Here’s my review:

“Moving story that probes many deeper themes such as infertility, sex slavery, and rape, but never with a heavy hand. The title weaves like a subtle thread through the novel, working its way to a meaningful ending. I appreciated that the scenes set in Mumbai always felt genuine, as if the author is familiar with the culture/customs there. For those searching for Christian fiction that brings spiritual themes to the table, but that shows characters wrestling with real-life issues in realistic ways (instead of portraying them as knowing it all, right off the bat), this is definitely the novel to read.

Continue reading Interview and Giveaway with Author Katherine Scott Jones at HeatherDayGilbert.com

Virtual Tour of The Greenbrier Resort, Part 3

Before we start the tour, just want to announce the random winner of the softcover novel The Faded Photo by Sarah Price is Christina Coryell! Will be contacting you about that, Christina, and thank you all for commenting. I hope you can all read this excellent novel.

And now, welcome to the final portion of our virtual tour of The Greenbrier Resort! If you’re new to this blog series, be sure to go back and check out parts one and two! Once again, I’ll explain why I’m sharing pictures of this overnight visit my husband and I were able to take for our twentieth anniversary–I have two novellas that are partially set at The Greenbrier: Out of Circulation and Undercut. Undercut will be releasing with the Kill Zone: Ten Deadly Thrillers collection on October third and it’s up for preorder for 99c right now! The price will go up to $5.99 post-release, so be sure to pick up your e-book copy here today!

A VIRTUAL TOUR OF THE GREENBRIER RESORT, PART 3:

So today, we had worked our way up to the afternoon tea at The Greenbrier.

Continue reading Virtual Tour of The Greenbrier Resort, Part 3 at HeatherDayGilbert.com

Interview & #Giveaway with Author Sarah Price

I recently read a fantastic novel, The Faded Photo, by author Sarah Price, and I knew I wanted to do an interview with her. I’m also offering a softcover giveaway of The Faded Photo. Read on to discover more about this moving book that features a protagonist who is diagnosed with breast cancer, and comment at the end for a chance to win. Winner will be announced next week.

But first, a bit more about Sarah:

Sarah Price comes from a long line of devout Mennonites, including numerous church leaders and ministers throughout the years. Her involvement with the Amish dates back to 1978 when she wrote her first novel, Fields of Corn, while studying anthropology and writing at Drew University. She was drawn to the amazing culture of the Amish of Lancaster County where Ms. Price is involved with numerous Amish communities and is considered family by some and friend by most others. Fields of Corn went on to become an Amazon bestseller and First Impressions, A Retelling of Pride & Prejudice, Sarah’s salute to Jane Austen from an Amish perspective, debuted on the ECPA bestseller list.

Continue reading Interview & #Giveaway with Author Sarah Price at HeatherDayGilbert.com

Virtual Tour of The Greenbrier Resort, Part 2

Let’s continue our virtual tour of The Greenbrier Resort, located in White Sulfur Springs, West Virginia! There is such a rich history with this resort that I couldn’t possibly begin to scratch the surface of it, but be sure to read up on it sometime.

Why are we “touring” The Greenbrier? Because my upcoming release, Undercut, is partially set at The Greenbrier. This romantic suspense novella releases October 3 in the Kill Zone: Ten Deadly Thrillers boxed set. Read more about the TEN bestselling Christian thriller/suspense writers in the set and pick it up for 99c for a limited time here!

And now, let’s head back to our tour. As you might recall, last time we stopped after my husband and I explored the grounds behind the main building. Today, we’re heading INSIDE…and I figure we’ll need one more tour day to share even a third of what we saw!

A VIRTUAL TOUR OF THE GREENBRIER RESORT, PART 2:

Since it was such a hot day when my husband and I visited The Greenbrier, it was a relief to head inside the air-conditioned main building to check in.

Continue reading Virtual Tour of The Greenbrier Resort, Part 2 at HeatherDayGilbert.com

Virtual Tour of The Greenbrier Resort, Part 1

Hello, readers! Today, I wanted to give you a little virtual tour of the famous Greenbrier Resort in West Virginia. Why? you might ask. Happy to share…

In my upcoming romantic suspense novella, Undercut, one of the main characters, Molly McClure, works as a wedding coordinator at The Greenbrier. Because I’d never been there, I first took a trip there last year with my mom, my daughters, and some lovely ladies from the church I’d grown up in. We had a BLAST.

Then, for our twentieth anniversary, when my hubby asked what I’d love to do, I knew I wanted to stay just one night at that illustrious resort. So we did it, and I took lots more pictures and canvassed the area so I’d get a feel for Molly’s job. The funny thing is, I found out a wedding coordinator is a real position at the resort (I thought I’d just made it up!), and in the next virtual tour session, I’ll share pics from the wedding planning room itself!

But I’ll take you step by step through the areas we visited while we were there.

Continue reading Virtual Tour of The Greenbrier Resort, Part 1 at HeatherDayGilbert.com

Mystery Reviews: The Cover Story and A Sticky Inheritance

As I mentioned in my last email, I’ve been reading several mysteries lately–some for fun, some for review purposes for publishers. Today, I wanted to share my (albeit brief!) reviews on a couple I’ve read recently. Oddly enough, both books are actually second-in-series books. I haven’t read the first in the Branigan Powers series, but I had read the first (novella) in the Maple Syrup Mysteries series.

The Cover Story by Deb Richardson-Moore:

I was given a copy of this mystery by Kregel Publishing for review, so I took it along on my vacation. While I didn’t manage to finish reading it there (it does require some focus; not a super-light read), I did complete it once I got home. Here’s my Goodreads review:

This was an interesting mystery and one with some unique twists. I was glad for the inclusion of the homeless as part of the storyline. For some reason, I found myself wishing I could get into Branigan’s head a bit more and I always felt a bit distanced from her as the lead sleuth and in her interactions with others, so for that reason, I did knock off a star.

Continue reading Mystery Reviews: The Cover Story and A Sticky Inheritance at HeatherDayGilbert.com