CARLY'S DREAM - Birdie L Etchison - One Free Book

Readers, this happened long ago. Birdie was Writer of the Year at Warner Pacific College in '83 after two juvenile books were published. Her collection of four Heartsongs in  OREGON was the runner up selection in the Christian Book publication.

Welcome back, Birdie. Why do you write the kinds of things you do? Writing for the inspirational market, whether it be romance or articles, is rewarding and makes me feel good.
Besides when you came to know the Lord, what is the happiest day of your life? It is difficult to narrow it down to just one incident. The birth of my children is an awesome memory. Making the first sale of writing; signing the first book contract.
How has being published changed your life? It’s a fulfillment of a dream. I wanted to be a writer since I received a diary for my 8th birthday. Schooling, marriage, and children kept me from writing until one day when I began in earnest.
What are you reading right now? Samuel Hall’s Daughter of the Cimarron
What is your current work in progress? Another 3-book series Mountain Music – Wind in the Pines is Book I
 What would be your dream vacation? Having a week alone to work on writing. Currently I am house-sitting in Port Townsend and enjoying my time here. I take evenings off to sight-see.
How do you choose your settings for each book? I choose a place I’ve never been and then explore it for a week or so. I went to an Amish community in Ohio to do research for Carly’s Dream.
If you could spend an evening with one person who is currently alive, who would it be and why? Earl Emerson, mystery writer from Seattle. He works with the fire department there and his books always have that background. I think it would be a fascinating evening.
What are your hobbies besides writing and reading? Cooking and baking. I tend to include both in my writing.
What is your most difficult writing obstacle and how do you overcome it?Procrastination. Finishing a book. There are no easy answers to this. Getting a contract helps.
What advice would you give a beginning author?Keep writing. Keep submitting. Never give up on a writing project. Persistence is the key.
Tell us about the featured bookI got the idea in the middle of the night – it was a dream. I couldn’t get it out of my thoughts. It was an Amish story, starting with a young girl. She has a mystery to solve.
Please give us the first page of the bookPROLOGUEHe didn’t want to leave her here alone like this. She was only five and was all he had anymore. He’d lost his family. His wife, this child’s mother. And now her.
He hadn’t prayed to God much. There seemed to be no point. He’d done the worst thing when he went to live with the Englischers. Why hadn’t he returned after the year’s time? If only he hadn’t met Bethy. Her smile and warm gaze spoke to his heart. Though shunned by everyone he knew and loved, there was no turning back. He had stayed in Indiana.
He stopped the car alongside the road. He would walk her a few yards up the driveway, but he couldn’t go the whole way. This was already too close.
The letter was pinned to her coat. He watched her clutch the small bag containing her clothes and toothbrush.
A lump caught in his throat. How could he assume they would care for her? Yet he knew this was better than the kind of wanderlust life he had to offer.
He looked at the small round face, so like her mother’s, the same deep blue eyes that matched the sky on a cloudless day. She wasn’t an Amish child, but soon she would be dressed like the others. And she would belong.
He bent down and pulled her close. “You’ll always be in my heart.”
He let her go then and hurried back to the car. Jumping into the driver’s seat, he made a U-turn and headed toward town.
He didn’t dare look back.                                                            ****Albert Hostetler was in the barn cleaning stalls when he heard the scream. He dropped the broom and ran outside. Nobody he knew ever screamed. Did someone get hit on the road out front? Mamm and Daed had gone to town for supplies. His brothers were out in the field, preparing the ground for planting. So who could it be?
He could see nothing from where he stood, as the farmhouse hid most of the driveway. But someone was definitely in trouble.
As he stood there undecided, Rufus came running toward him barking, as if to say, “Come.”
Another scream and Albert raced toward the sound.
Within seconds he spotted the pitiful form. The tiny girl was turned toward the road, arms outstretched as she wept.
Albert gasped. This had to be a mistake. She wasn’t Amish. Her dress barely covered her knees. No kapp on her head, and she had shoes. Strong sturdy ones. Hair short, she definitely looked like an Englisher.             
How can readers find you on the internet?AmazonBarnes & NobleGoodreadsLibraryThing.comFacebook: Birdie L.Etchison writerI also have several e-books out through Forget Me Not Romances, a division of Winged Publications

Thank you, Birdie, for sharing this new book with us.

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Carly's Dream - paperback
Carly's Dream - Kindle

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