Musings on This, That, and the Other Thing

A New Year... What the Heck?

2012-01-13T11:29:00.000-08:00

Here we are, almost two weeks into 2012... and I'm just now putting up my first blog of the year. My goal (as always) to post more frequently, but we'll see how that goes. In the meantime, let me prove that I haven't been sitting around idly...

I spent the end of last year writing furiously on my fourth book: A Wild Goose Chase Christmas. I essentially had about three months to write it from scratch. You see...

Abingdon Press is launching a new series called Quilts of Love. A call was sent out for pitches. Basically, a one or two paragraph summary of what your book will be about. So I sent in mine, centered around a Wild Goose Chase pattern quilt. I didn't hold out much hope of being chosen, especially when I found out that over 100 pitches were received, and there were only 17 spots to be filled. Imagine my delight to receive the phone call from my agent saying that not only was my book chosen, but they wanted it to be the Christmas title. (At the time I pitched it, the title was Izzy and the Wild Goose Chase, and it was not set at Christmas time. But making that change proved easier than I thought, and really improved the story.) Since my book is set to release November 2012, I had to have it completely done by December 1st. So I wrote until my arms hurt... literally. Toward the end, my arms and wrists were sore before I even started my daily writing. But it was worth it. I love the finished novel, and am really excited about it.

2012 will be the first time I've had two books release in the same year. The Mother Road comes out April 1st, and the reaction from advance readers has been amazing. It's humbling when you realize that not only do people "get" your work, they enjoy it.

What else have I been doing... I still blog at Inkwell Inspirations. If you want to see what Christmas was like for me as a kid, you can check out my post, Thoughts of Christmases Past.

Of course, there have been lots of holiday-related things going on. And that basically catches us up. I hope the new year is off to a great start for you! See you (hopefully) soon :)

First Trailer for THE HOBBIT

2011-12-21T12:16:00.000-08:00

I am beyond excited about Peter Jackson's latest middle-earth offering, The Hobbit. Bummer that we have to wait until December 2012 for it, but at least we've got a trailer to check out.

Chuck Testa! Coolest Taxidermist Ever!

2011-11-08T16:14:00.000-08:00

I've had a bit of a blogging sabbatical. Been busy writing a book, living life... you understand. But today my son shared these videos with me and thought, "Hey, I've got to share this fun with my friends." So here we go...

The first video is real, for taxidermist Chuck Testa:

Now that you've seen the original, you can fully appreciate the Songify version... and I dare you not to sing the chorus hours later... Chuck Testa!

CFBA Presents LOVE ON THE LINE by Deeanne Gist

2011-10-18T21:57:00.000-07:00

This week, theChristian Fiction Blog Allianceis introducingLove on the LineBethany House (October 1, 2011)byDeeanne Gist

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

After a short career in elementary education, Deeanne Gist retired to raise her four children. Over the course of the next fifteen years, she ran a home accessory and antique business, became a member of the press, wrote freelance journalism for national publications such as People, Parents, Parenting, Family Fun, Houston Chronicle and Orlando Sentinel, and acted as CFO for her husband’s small engineering firm--all from the comforts of home.

Squeezed betwixt-and-between all this, she read romance novels by the truckload and even wrote a couple of her own. While those unpublished manuscripts rested on the shelf, she founded a publishing corporation for the purpose of developing, producing and marketing products that would reinforce family values, teach children responsibility and provide character building activities.

After a few short months of running her publishing company, Gist quickly discovered being a "corporate executive" was not where her gifts and talents lie. In answer to Gist’s fervent prayers, God sent a mainstream publisher to her door who licensed her parenting I Did It!® product line and committed to publish the next generation of her system, thus freeing Gist to return to her writing.

Eight months later, she sold A Bride Most Begrudging to Bethany House Publishers. Since that debut, her very original, very fun romances have rocketed up the bestseller lists and captured readers everywhere. Add to this two consecutive Christy Awards, three RITA nominations, rave reviews, and a growing loyal fan base, and you’ve got one recipe for success.

Her latest releases, Beguiled, Maid to Match, and Love on the Line are now available.

Gist lives in Texas with her husband of twenty-eight years and their border collie. They have four grown children. Click here to find out the most up-to-the-minute news about Dee.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Rural switchboard operator Georgie Gail is proud of her independence in a man's world ... which makes it twice as vexing when the telephone company sends a man to look over her shoulder.

Dashing Luke Palmer is more than he appears though. He's a Texas Ranger working undercover to infiltrate a notorious gang of train robbers. Repairing telephones and tangling with this tempestuous woman is the last thing he wants to do. But when his stakeout puts Georgie in peril, he realizes more than his job is on the line.

If you would like to read the first chapter of Love on the Line, go HERE.

JEN'S THOUGHTS

Deeanne Gist remains one of my favorite authors of historical fiction. She always finds away to bring new, fresh twists to stories of days gone by. Love on the Line is no exception. I'm sure you'll enjoy this offereing from a master storyteller!

If you haven't tried one of Gist's books yet, check out Maid to Match, which is available right now as a free Kindle download.

Interview and Giveaway with Author Rose McCauley

2011-10-11T00:01:00.000-07:00

It's a great pleasure to welcome back my dear friend (and debut author!) Rose McCauley.

Q: What was your inspiration for Christmas Belles of Georgia?
A: Jeanie Smith Cash came up with the idea and graciously asked me to join her and Debra Ullrick and Jeri Odell.

Q: Have you always wanted to be a writer?
A: Yes, I have written since a young child, but only started pursuing publication about 10 years ago.

Q: How do you come up with your story ideas?
A: Many different ways—something I see or hear or read about, or sometimes I come up a character first and then write a story about them.

Q: How does your faith impact your writing?
A: Like life, I think our faith should impact everything we do. I like to put my characters in situations that cause them to reach out to God for help or insight.

Q: How long does it take you to complete a novel?
A: Since this was a novella (20,000 words) I was able to write it in a month. How many drafts do you go through? After the initial writing, I sent it to 3 crit partners who gave me some suggestions, then I sent it to the other three authors in the collection for their suggestions, then made a few more and sent it in, so this book went through 4 minor drafts. I have a longer novel (over 80,000 words) that has gone through several drafts!)

Q: Do you plot out your story ahead of time, or do you think it up as you go?
A: Since Barbour requires a complete synopsis of the whole book, this story was well plotted out before I started, making the writing go faster, but there were still minor changes as I went. The first story I wrote I just started with my characters and took them on a journey, but that story took much longer to write and is not published! One of the things I learned from that experience is to have more structure before I start, but to still allow myself and my characters to change direction if needed to make it a more compelling story.

Q: After becoming a published author, what surprised you the most?
A: How much hard work still remained to market the book.

Q: What’s the most important piece of advice you would give to a fledgling writer?
A: Keep studying the craft of writing, keep reading and keep writing.

Q: If you weren’t a writer, what would you be doing?
A: Since I already had a career of 27 years of teaching, I am enjoying writing as my second career!

Q: What does your family think about your crazy career?
A: They are all very proud and supportive, and my husband has washed a lot of dishes in the past few years!

Q: There’s been a lot said about the future of publishing and the possible death of the print book. What’s your take on eBooks, self-publishing, and such?
A: I do not have a kindle, but my daughter and granddaughter do and love them. I have downloaded several books to my computer kindle but have not completed one yet! I still love to hold a book in my hands and I love to share my books with others, so will keep buying printed books.

Scenario: You’re about to be dropped off on a deserted island. You can take along one survival item, one book, and one person (living or dead… but they’ll be alive on the island). What and who do you take?
A: I am very practical. I would take a blow-up mattress, a Bible, and my hubby. He is the McGyver-type, so he could build anything we needed!

Thanks for hosting me, Jen. This was a fun interview!

And thanks for joining us, Rose. I'm so happy for your success!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Rose McCauley
Rose has been writing for over ten years and has been published in several non-fiction anthologies and devotionals. She is happy for this to be her first fiction anthology because Christmas books are her favorites. A retired schoolteacher who has been happily married to her college sweetheart for 41 years, she is also mother to three grown children and their spouses and grandmother to three lovely, lively kids! You can reach her through her website http://www.rosemccauley.com/ or blogsite at http://www.rosemccauley.blogspot.com/

ABOUT THE BOOK: Nick’s Christmas Carol in Christmas Belles of Georgia

“God sets the lonely in families…” Psalm 68:6

Nick Powers worked hard to earn his college degree and his dream job. He doesn’t know what to expect when he finds out new owners will be taking over Bellingham Plantation soon. When Carol Wells comes to town, she and Nick get off to a rocky start, but soon combine forces to make Christmas a happier time for others. Can they find their own Christmas happiness?

WIN THE BOOK
If you’d like to be entered to win a copy of Christmas Belles of Georgia, just leave a comment on this blog. I’ll pick a winner at random on Friday, October 14th. (NOTE: This time round, US addresses only. Thanks.) Please leave an email address so I can contact you if you're the winner. (To prevent spammers from trolling for your email, please use this format with the brackets--you [at] yourmail [dot] com--or something similar.) Good luck!

Interview and Giveaway with Author Alice J. Wisler

2011-10-04T00:11:00.000-07:00

It's my pleasure to welcom Alice J. Wisler to the blog.

Q: What was your inspiration for A Wedding Invitation?
A: I received a wedding invitation intended for the previous owner of my house. The invitation was beautiful and the reception was to be held at a country club in New York. I wondered: What if I crashed this wedding? Instead, I let my main character end up at the wrong wedding.

Q: Have you always wanted to be a writer?
A: Yes, ever since I was in first grade and I wrote stories with stick-figure illustrations and stapled them together.

Q: Do you plot out your story ahead of time, or do you think it up as you go?
A: I plot ahead of time. Publishers want a synopsis, so this makes me go deep into the story and get it all lined up before I set out to write it.

Q: What’s your favorite part of the writing business? What’s your least favorite?
A: I love it when I’m about ¾ of the way through writing a novel. That’s when I love, love, love to spend all my time writing. Hours pass and I’m in my own world. Sometimes I even forget to eat.

Q: After becoming a published author, what surprised you the most?
A: What do you mean Oprah doesn’t know who I am? :)

Q: What’s the most important piece of advice you would give to a fledgling writer?
A: Don’t give up. Keep writing to improve your voice and the craft.

Q: If you weren’t a writer, what would you be doing?
A: I’m sure I would have discovered some drug that would help others and earn me millions.

Q: What event, writer, or book has most impacted your writing life?
A: The cancer-related death of my four-year-old son Daniel in 1997 has impacted my writing more than anything else. He was a sweetheart and I miss him each day.

Q: What’s the one far out sci-fi technology you’d most like to see become a household item?
A: A robot that cleans the entire house with one press of a button.

Thanks for taking the time to visit with us, Alice. Blessings to you!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Alice J. Wisler is the author of RAIN SONG (Christy Finalist 2009), HOW SWEET IT IS (Christy Finalist 2010), HATTERAS GIRL and A WEDDING INVITATION----all by Bethany House Publishers. In memory of her son, she teaches online grief-writing courses---Writing the Heartache---and at conferences across the country. Visit her website: http://www.alicewisler.com/.

ABOUT THE BOOK: A Wedding Invitation
Samantha Bravencourt ends up at the wrong wedding in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and from there, the past starts to come alive. She meets Lien, a former student from her days of teaching English-as-a-second-language at a refugee camp in the Philippines as well as Carson, the man who taught with her, the man who broke her heart. Now she and Carson are asked to help Lien find her mother before Lien's wedding date. Why is the past so hard to forgive? And dare she take another chance on love?

WIN THE BOOK
If you’d like to be entered to win a copy of A Wedding Invitation, just leave a comment on this blog. I’ll pick a winner at random on Monday, October 10th. Please leave an email address so I can contact you if you're the winner. (To prevent spammers from trolling for your email, please use this format with the brackets--you [at] yourmail [dot] com--or something similar.) Good luck!

Interview and Giveaway with Author Susan Page Davis

2011-09-27T00:01:00.000-07:00

It's a pleasure to welcome author Susan Page Davis back to the blog!

Q: What was your inspiration for Captive Trail?
A: Vickie McDonough, Darlene Franklin, and I are all clients of the same agent. He asked the three of us if we’d like to put together a book series set in Texas. When we began looking at a timeline of Texas history for ideas, the story of Cynthia Ann Parker jumped out at me. She is one of the most famous Indian captives of all time. I wanted to write a story about another girl who underwent the terror of capture and isolation from anyone she knew, but who had a happier outcome than Cynthia did.

Q: Have you always wanted to be a writer?

A: I suppose I have, although when I was in first grade, I thought I would like to run a store. Later I thought owning a hotel would be the best job on earth, and for a while I considered going into nursing. I don’t think I considered “writer” as a possibility for me at that time.

Q: How do you deal with writer’s block?

A: I don’t encounter it very often. Occasionally I’ll get “stuck” writing a particular scene. When that happens, I either push through it and leave it to be revised later, or skip right over it and go to the next part. Later, I think it over and decide whether I really need that scene. If I do, what is its purpose? Usually, focusing on the job that scene needs to do helps me write it.

Q: How long does it take you to complete a novel? How many drafts do you go through?

A: I would say that I go through at least six drafts, and the actual writing takes me anywhere from a month to six months.

Q: Do you plot out your story ahead of time, or do you think it up as you go?
A: I plot it out beforehand. It helps me stay on track as I’m writing.

Thanks for visiting with us today, Susan!

About Captive Trail:

Taabe Waipu has run away from her Comanche village and is fleeing south in Texas on a horse she stole from a dowry left outside her family’s teepee. The horse has an accident and she is left on foot, injured and exhausted. She staggers onto a road near Fort Chadbourne and collapses.

On one of the first runs through Texas, Butterfield Overland Mail Company driver Ned Bright carries two Ursuline nuns returning to their mission station. They come across a woman who is nearly dead from exposure and dehydration and take her to the mission.

With some detective work, Ned discovers Taabe Waipu’s identity. He plans to unite her with her family, but the Comanche have other ideas, and the two end up defending the mission station. Through Taabe and Ned we learn the true meaning of healing and restoration amid seemingly powerless situations.

Captive Trail is second in a six-book series, Texas Trails. You can read more about it at: http://www.texastrailsfiction.com/. Award-winning authors Vickie McDonough and Darlene Franklin also contribute to this series—we have two books each. And each book can be read on its own.

About The Lady’s Maid:
The Lady’s Maid is first in my new Prairie Dreams historical romance series. Elise Finster accompanies her young British mistress, Lady Anne Stone, on a voyage to America in 1855. Lady Anne’s father has died, and her Uncle David is the new Earl of Stoneford—if he steps forward and claims the title. But David disappeared into the American West when Anne was a baby. Now it’s up to her and Elise to find him. They join a wagon train in Independence, Missouri, not realizing they’re leading a killer straight to David.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Susan Page Davis is an award-winning author with thirty-seven published novels and novellas. A Maine native, she has also lived in Oregon and recently moved to western Kentucky.

Susan has six children and eight grandchildren and loves to spend time with them. She loves animals, puzzles, reading, and genealogy. In January, 2011, she was named Favorite Author of the Year among readers of Heartsong Presents books. She’s a member of Women Writing the West and American Christian Fiction Writers and a past winner of the Carol Award (ACFW’s Book of the Year) and the Inspirational Readers’ Choice Award.

WIN THE BOOKS
Susan is so awesome, she's giving away a copy of each of the books featured in this post! If you’d like to be entered to win one, just leave a comment on this blog. I’ll pick a winner at random on Monday, October 3rd. Please leave an email address so I can contact you if you're the winner. (To prevent spammers from trolling for your email, please use this format with the brackets--you [at] yourmail [dot] com--or something similar.) Good luck!

Interview & Book Giveaway with Author Anne Mateer

2011-09-09T00:03:00.000-07:00

A big welcome to one of the sweetest gals I know... debut author Anne Mateer!

Q; Have you always wanted to be a writer?
A: I’ve been a reader for as long as I can remember, but in 4th grade I was given the opportunity to attend a couple of summer honors camps—one for science, one for poetry. In the science class, we dissected a frog. Ew!! In the poetry class, we learned about poetry and then wrote our own. Bliss! From that moment on I knew I could make words work together and that I wanted to be a writer. In middle school I discovered historical fiction and fell in love. I wanted to weave together history and fiction but from a more overtly Christian perspective. (This was pre-Janette Oke!) Lo and behold, here I am!

Q: What was your inspiration for Wings of a Dream?
A: My grandmother was a born storyteller and often told us stories about her family. Long ago I heard about how her mother died while her father was fighting WWI in France and how her mother’s niece came to care for them. Only many years later, when piecing the story together by year, did I realize that my great-grandmother died in the influenza epidemic of 1918. After my grandmother passed away in January of 2000, I knew I wanted to spin this situation into a novel, but I couldn’t quite solidify a story and characters. Nine years later, after I’d learned much about writing and finished 4 other novels, the story fell into place. I’m still humbled and amazed that Bethany House liked it!

Q: Do you plot out your story ahead of time, or do you think it up as you go?
A: I’ve always been a seat-of-the-pants writer, mostly because I enjoy being surprised by the story and the characters. However, my first book contract was for two books—the first completely finished and the second only a paragraph blurb! So this past year, in order to make my deadline, I have learned to be a bit more deliberate in my planning for the story, mostly so I could avoid all the rewrites I experienced with Wings of a Dream to address weak plot points! Several things have helped me to map things out a little more beforehand, including Snowflake software by Randy Ingermanson, How to Find your Story by Jeff Gerke, and the writing software Scriviner, though much still takes shape as I go.

Q: What’s the most important piece of advice you would give to a fledgling writer?
A: Before you can move forward, you have to understand that talent alone is not enough. Just as an athlete who is naturally gifted must still work to hone his or her skill in a sport, a writer must work at craft—and be willing to learn! Read craft books. Attend conferences or listen to conference workshops on CD. Join a critique group. Write, write, write.

Q: What do you think about writing contests? Have you participated in any? What’s the benefit to an unpublished writer?
A: I entered several contests before I was published. They are a good way to get some feedback, to see where you are. However, my biggest caution is a person’s motivation. If it is all about the win, you’ll often be disappointed and discouraged. If it is about learning and growing as a writer, you’ll ALWAYS be a winner!

Wise words, Anne. Thanks so much for visiting with us today! And now I'd like to add my thoughts about Wings of a Dream...

THOUGHTS FROM JEN

How do I love this book? Let me count the ways.

I love that it's a historical novel written in 1st person. Brilliant! It made me feel like I was right there with Rebekah, facing each trial and each triumph.
I love how the story is as much about Rebekah's growth as a person as it is about romantic entanglements. The character arc is realistic and compelling.
I love how the prose flowed so seamlessly that I never wanted to put it down. Have you ever stood in the kitchen and stirred pots on the stove with one hand while holding a book with the other? Yep, it's that kind of novel.
I love that well-earned writing success has come to such a hard-working, lovely person as Anne. Yes, we are friends, but that's not why I'm recommending her book. It's just plain great!
And last but not least, I love that I can add Anne Mateer to my list of must-read authors. I'm looking forward to the next one!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Anne Mateer is a three-time Genesis Contest finalist who has long had a passion for history and historical fiction. She and her husband live near Dallas, Texas, and are the parents of three young adults.

ABOUT THE BOOK - Wings of a Dream

Rebekah Hendricks dreams of a life far beyond her family's farm in Oklahoma, and when dashing aviator Arthur Samson promised adventure in the big city, she is quick to believe he's the man she's meant to marry. While she waits for the Great War to end and Arthur to return to her so they can pursue all their plans, her mother's sister falls ill. Rebekah seizes the opportunity to travel to Texas to care for Aunt Adabelle, seeing this chance to be closer to Arthur's training camp as God's approval of her plans.

But the Spanish flu epidemic changes everything. Faced with her aunt's death, Arthur's indecisiveness, and four children who have no one else to care for them, Rebeka is torn between the desire to escape the type of life she's always led and the unexpected love that just might change the dream of her heart.

WIN THE BOOK

If you’d like to be entered to win a copy of Wings of a Dream, just leave a comment on this blog. I’ll pick a winner at random on Thursday, September 15th. Please leave an email address so I can contact you if you're the winner. (To prevent spammers from trolling for your email, please use this format with the brackets--you [at] yourmail [dot] com--or something similar.) Good luck!

Interview & Book Giveaway with Author Richard Mabry

2011-09-08T00:03:00.000-07:00

It's my pleasure to welcome back to the blog one of the nicest guys I know in the writing biz, Richard "Doc" Mabry!

Q: Have you always wanted to be a writer?
A: Absolutely not. I practiced medicine for thirty-six years, the last ten as a professor at a medical school, and as such I wrote or edited eight textbooks and over a hundred professional papers, but I had no aspirations to write beyond that. Then, after my first wife died, I used journaling as a coping tool, and friends urged me to use that material as the jumping off point for a book to help others suffering through grief. It took me several years to learn the craft well enough to write the book, but The Tender Scar: Life After The Death Of A Spouse was published in 2006 and continues a ministry of which I’m proud.

At my first writing conference, authors Alton Gansky and James Scott Bell encouraged me to try my hand at fiction. Four unsuccessful novels, forty rejections, and four years later my first novel was published. Lethal Remedy is my fourth novel of medical suspense.

Q: What was your inspiration for Lethal Remedy?
A: At my first writing conference, Alton Gansky told us that the concept of most of his stories begins by his asking “what if?” Although I’m retired from medicine, I keep up with it, and I was concerned by the continuing development of bacterial strains that are resistant to available antibiotics. I let my mind wander until I asked, “What if there were a resistant bacteria that caused infection that was universally fatal? And what if someone—a drug company, a doctor doing research—developed an antibiotic that would cure that infection, but with potential complications that were lethal themselves? And what if one of those someones decided to cover up the potential complications, so that they only show up after it’s too late?

There, in a nutshell, is the premise for Lethal Remedy. Simple, right?

Q: How long does it take you to complete a novel? How many drafts do you go through?
A: Ideally, I’d like to have a year to plot out and complete a novel to the point of a finished manuscript. Notice, I said “ideally.” In actuality, although I had a year to write and polish my first two novels, the third and fourth were written to a contracted deadline, and I completed each of them in six months. I think that may be good in some ways, because when you’re working without the pressure of time constraints, there’s often a tendency to revise and reshape that results in the loss of the original freshness of the work.

It’s hard to say how many drafts I go through, since I don’t do a rough draft per se to start. Rather, I write the first chapter or two, then when I go back to write the next chapter I read through the preceding work and edit it. That gets me back into the story, in addition to smoothing out rough edges as I go. Then, after the whole novel is completed, I go back over it at least twice more. Of course, my editor then does the same thing, but it makes me feel good to submit a manuscript that’s the best I can make it.

Q: How does your faith impact your writing?
A: I write from a Christian worldview, but rather than altar calls and evangelical pleadings, the Christian message in my writing is portrayed through the way the characters handle themselves in the face of misfortune. Some of them have deep faith, some have faith that has faltered or even disappeared, but there’s always a Christian message, and generally an applicable Scripture passage or two. I want the reader, when they finish the book, to walk away thinking about what they’ve read and how it might impact their own lives.

Q: How do you deal with writer’s block?
A: I wish I could say I’ve never experienced it, but that would be a lie. I believe every writer will at times hit a wall where the idea that advances the story just won’t come. What generally works for me is to put the work aside and do something else—write a short meditation, compose a blog post, go play golf (especially go play golf)—and then sleep on it. Maybe it’s inspiration, maybe it’s what Stephen King calls “putting the boys in the basement to work.” In any case, often I’ll wake up with the idea I need.

Q: Do you plot out your story ahead of time, or do you think it up as you go?
A: I’m most comfortable writing “by the seat of my pants.” For my first two novels, that was fine because I didn’t have to sell them to anyone until they were completed. But after that I had to write a synopsis to go along with sample chapters for submission through my agent to editors. To comply, I write a summary in as much detail as I can, but generally find that I have to change a few things as I go along. I guess you can say that now I’m half plotter, half pantser.

Q: After becoming a published author, what surprised you the most?
A: I was initially surprised that there wasn’t a banner headline in the newspaper and that people weren’t ringing my doorbell to get my autograph. (Just kidding). Seriously, I think I was most surprised at how many of my fellow authors offered genuine, heartfelt congratulations. Unlike so many areas, Christian writing is populated by people who, although they’re in a sense competing for a limited number of slots, are always supportive of the efforts of the people vying for the same slots. That’s neat.

I agree. The community of Christian authors is pretty awesome. Thanks so much for visiting with us today!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Dr. Richard Mabry retired from medicine after a distinguished career as a respected clinician, teacher, writer, and researcher. He entered the field of non-medical writing with the publication of his book, The Tender Scar: Life After The Death Of A Spouse, written after the death of his first wife.

Richard is the author of the Prescription For Trouble series of medical thrillers. The fourth novel in that series, Lethal Remedy, was just released by Abingdon Press. In addition to his “medical suspense with heart,” Richard is a frequent contributor to The Upper Room devotional guide, and his short pieces have appeared in In Touch and other periodicals.

He is a member of International Thriller Writers and serves as Vice-President of the American Christian Fiction Writers.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Dr. Sara Miles’ patient is on the threshold of death from an overwhelming, highly resistant infection with Staphylococcus luciferus, known to doctors as “the killer.” Only an experimental antibiotic, developed and administered by Sara’s ex-husband, Dr. Jack Ingersoll, can save the girl's life.

Crushed by the death of his wife, retired physician Dr. John Ramsey is searching to pull himself from the depths of depression by returning to medicine as a member of the medical school faculty. But his decision could prove fatal.

Potentially lethal late effects from the “wonder drug” send Sara and her colleague, Dr. Rip Pearson, on a hunt for hidden critical data. Can they find the answer and reverse the changes before it’s too late?

WIN THE BOOK
If you’d like to be entered to win a copy of Lethal Remedy, just leave a comment on this blog. I’ll pick a winner at random on Wednesday, September 13th. (NOTE: This time round, US addresses only. Thanks.) Please leave an email address so I can contact you if you're the winner. (To prevent spammers from trolling for your email, please use this format with the brackets--you [at] yourmail [dot] com--or something similar.) Good luck!

Interview and Giveaway with Author Anne K. Albert

2011-09-06T00:01:00.000-07:00

A big welcome to today's guest author, Anne K. Albert.

Q: What was your inspiration for Defending Glory?
A: Nothing makes me happier than a book with a murder to solve, a hero who will give his life to protect the heroine, and a happily-ever-after. I write and read books that chill the spine, warm the heart and soothe the soul…all with a touch of humor.

Q: How long does it take you to complete a novel? How many drafts do you go through?
A: Without interruptions, I can write the first draft of a novel in about six to eight weeks. However, since the release of my debut novel, it’s been difficult to find any time to write. Most of my days and nights are spent online tackling social media.

As to number of drafts, edits and full revisions I do, I refuse to count! It could easily be 15. Maybe more. I joke I just do it until my eyes bleed. (It’s a horrid image, my apologies, but my eyes really do hurt!)

Q: Do you plot out your story ahead of time, or do you think it up as you go?
A: I’m a seat-of-the-pants writer which means I just go. I have no idea what will happen from one sentence to the next until I write it down. That said, I write in chronological order, so the beginning has to ‘feel’ just right before I move on to the rest of the book. I will often write 10-20 first scenes (all variations of each other) before I hit upon the right one. This process used to drive me crazy, but I’ve learned that’s just the way I write. Still, if I could find a better (easier) way to write I’d adopt it in a heartbeat.

Q: After becoming a published author, what surprised you the most?
A: The majority of promotion and marketing these days falls onto the author’s lap. I had no idea how time consuming it could be, or that it would distract from my actual writing. As a result, I’m behind deadline. That’s the downside of blogging, tweeting and sharing on Facebook.

Equally surprising, however, are the perks of social media. I’ve met some wonderful people online who have become friends. What a gift!

Q: What’s the most important piece of advice you would give to a fledgling writer?
A: Write. Write often. Finish what you write. Treat writing as a job (because it is). Be open to new ideas, suggestions, and ways of doing things. And never, ever give up.

Q: What do you think about writing contests? Have you participated in any? What’s the benefit to an unpublished writer?
A: Writing contests are a superb training ground for the unpubbed writer. I entered my first contest shortly after I joined RWA, and like most newbies expected to win. My scores, however, put me at the bottom of the heap. (I ranked #98 of 100 entries.) I was devastated, but the judges explained why I scored so low. I worked hard to follow their advice, and entered more contests. Slowly, (as in years not months!) I moved up the ranks, became a finalist and eventually the winner. Contests are a great opportunity for an unpubbed writer to get feedback and build writing credits. Winning a contest can move you out of the slush pile and onto an editor or agent’s desk. I highly recommend entering contests as well as judging contests. Sometimes it’s easier to see what not to do in someone else’s work!

Q: There’s been a lot said about the future of publishing and the possible death of the print book. What’s your take on eBooks, self-publishing, and such?
A: The publishing world is changing, but then, so is the world and humans by nature resist change. Libraries were once filled with papyrus scrolls and stone tablets. The invention of the printing press did not make libraries obsolete, it just make reading more accessible to people regardless of their wealth or rank. I believe eBooks and self-publishing will achieve a similar positive result. Statistics indicate book sales increase with the purchase of an e-reader, plus readers around the globe can download a book (even mine!) in seconds. It’s an exciting time to be a writer.

Thanks Jennifer for this opportunity! Blessings to you and yours.

Thanks to you, Anne, for visiting with us today. It was a pleasure!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Anne K. Albert writes the romantic suspense Piedmont Island Trilogy series. DEFENDING GLORY, book one, was released in September 2010. PROTECTING HOPE, second of the series, will hit the shelves this fall 2011.

Anne also writes the cozy, comedic Muriel Reeves Mysteries. FRANK, INCENSE AND MURIEL, first of the series is the recipient of the 2011 Holt Medallion Award of Merit.

Readers can learn more at her website: http://www.annekalbert.com/

ABOUT THE BOOK - Defending Glory
Suffering from survivor's guilt and unable to resume his career with the FBI, Mac McKeown moves to northern Minnesota to start over as a general contractor and forget that fateful day that changed everything. When he discovers the body of the man who ended his career on Glory Palmer's property, along with a warning for her to leave while she still can, Mac realizes his past has come back to haunt him and an innocent woman's life is in danger. He vows to keep her safe during construction of the retreat, but can he protect his heart as well?

WIN THE BOOK
If you’d like to be entered to win Defending Glory, just leave a comment on this blog. I’ll pick a winner at random on Monday, September 12. Please leave an email address so we can contact you if you're the winner. (To prevent spammers from trolling for your email, please use this format with the brackets--you [at] yourmail [dot] com--or something similar.) Since this is an e-book, you will receive an email from Anne with information about how to download your book. Good luck!

CFBA Presents A WHISPER OF PEACE by Kim Vogel Sawyer

2011-09-05T21:03:00.000-07:00

This week, theChristian Fiction Blog Allianceis introducingA Whisper of Peace(Bethany House - September 1, 2011)byKim Vogel Sawyer

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Kim Vogel Sawyer is the author of fifteen novels, including several CBA and ECPA bestsellers. Her books have won the ACFW Book of the Year Award, the Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence, and the Inspirational Readers Choice Award. Kim is active in her church, where she leads women's fellowship and participates in both voice and bell choirs. In her spare time, she enjoys drama, quilting, and calligraphy. Kim and her husband, Don, reside in central Kansas, and have three daughters and numerous grandchildren.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Ostracized by her tribe because of her white father, Lizzie Dawson lives alone in the mountains of Alaska, practicing the ways of her people even as she resides in the small cabin her father built for her mother. She dreams of reconciling with her grandparents to fulfill her mother's dying request, but she has not yet found a way to bridge the gap that separate her from her tribe.

Clay Selby has always wanted to be like his father, a missionary who holds a great love for the native people and has brought many to God. Clay and his stepsister, Vivian, arrive in Alaska to set up a church and school among the Athbascan people. Clay is totally focused on this goal...until he meets a young, independent Indian woman with the most striking blue eyes he's ever seen.

But Lizzie is clearly not part of the tribe, and befriending her might have dire consequences for his mission. Will Clay be forced to choose between his desire to minister to the natives and the quiet nudging of his heart?

If you would like to read the first chapter of A Whisper of Peace, go HERE.

THOUGHTS FROM JEN
When it comes to historical fiction, you can't go wrong with a book from Kim Vogel Sawyer. She has a knack for creating characters who come to life on the page. This book just arrived last week, so I've only now started reading it. But like the best of Sawyer's books, it starts off strong, and I immediately want to know more about Lizzie. It's safe to say this will be another story I'll hate to see come to an end.

Interview and Giveaway with Author Mary Moore

2011-09-01T00:01:00.000-07:00

It's my pleasure to introduce Love Inspired Historical author, Mary Moore.

Q: What was your inspiration for The Aristocrat’s Lady?
A: The book revolves around Jeremiah 29:-12 “’For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.’” The heroine believes God has a certain plan for her life and she must not deviate from it. Then, when she comes close to doing just that, she believes she deserves the conflict and pain that arises from it. Several years ago my husband and I faced some very difficult trials and as a result, our lives changed. I thought I had God’s plan figured out, but realized His plan for us changes constantly, sometimes based on the choices we make, but often because He needs us in a new direction. When I rewrote this story, originally written about fifteen years ago, I wanted to incorporate what I had learned into the lives of the hero and heroine. I hope it makes the book a little more personal and the characters a little more vulnerable, thereby making it inspirational to others.

Q: How does your faith impact your writing?
A: My faith has become the impetus for writing. If it doesn’t have a godly message that touches the reader, then it is no different than a secular love story. As I mentioned above, my theme for the book was God’s plan for our lives. But when my agent sent it out to target readers, they were asked what they considered the major theme of the book. We got five different answers . . . and none of them matched mine! I was a little concerned about it, that the writing didn’t make the theme clear. But my agent thought it was wonderful because it touched each reader where they were in their own lives and their own spiritual walk. So that’s my prayer now for my writing.

Q: Do you plot out your story ahead of time, or do you think it up as you go?
A: No, I’m not a plotter!! I come up with the general premise, and I know the types of characters I want, then I start writing. I know there are teachers out there screaming, “No!” at the top of their lungs because I’ve read about the concept of plotting the story out, but it hasn’t worked for me so far. I don’t know what will come into my head that I think will really be cool at some point in the story, so I just jot a note down on a piece of paper so I don’t forget it and go back to the point I left off. I hope that gives someone writing now a little encouragement!

Mary, I'm not a plotter, either. I'm encouraged to find a kindred spirit :+}

Q: After becoming a published author, what surprised you the most?
A: Just about everything! The work left to do after you’ve been accepted by a publisher is hard, especially for a debut novel. There are revisions, and sometimes more than one. There are edits, always more than one! I knew absolutely nothing, so I joined just about every writers “loop” that was out there, and I have learned so much from the others on those loops. You have to get your name and the book “out there” so people learn who you are. But now I am trying to set up ways to work systematically should the Lord bless me with another book sale. Time-management is an absolute must, or you’ll get lost in the computer and lose valuable writing time. I hope having now pretty much been through the entire process from beginning to end, that I will have a better understanding of that process and recognize the things that are essential and ones that, while helpful, can eat up too much time. Yes, it has been one big surprise, but I’m not complaining, it’s a good one!

Q: What’s the most important piece of advice you would give to a fledgling writer?
A: I think I mentioned this on another blog, and I don’t know if it is the most important piece of advice; let’s just say it has helped me tremendously. After I’ve written a chapter, I go back and read it out loud to myself. First and foremost, you will hear it as the reader hears it, so you can see any stumbling blocks. You get a much better feel of the flow of the sentences together and how to reword them if necessary. Finally, I remember in my contest judging, I used too many of the same words too close together. When you hear it out loud, those instances jump out at you, as well as the last three paragraphs starting with “she” or “I.” It really gives me a sense of the grammar. Now computers do most of that for us, but until you read it out loud, you won’t get that feel that the computer cannot give you.

Q: What do you think about writing contests? Have you participated in any? What’s the benefit to an unpublished writer?
A: Personally, I think contests are a great resource for writers. I have, indeed, entered a contest, and though the critiques were hard to take at first, I soon began to see the benefit of making some of the recommended changes. Then once the recommendations were worked on, I realized the judges were honestly trying to help me grow, and I was very appreciative.

This year I was a judge in a contest for the first time. It, too, was an eye-opening experience. Wow, did I learn how hard that job was without being too critical! But I tried to turn my feelings of being criticized into a positive form of judging. I wanted to give as much positive reinforcement as suggestions to make the writing better. So in both instances, I think contests are really valuable to up and coming writers.

Q: What does your family think about your crazy career?
A: I think it runs the gamut of emotions. I think my dad is in shock. He’s 80 and he’s determined to read it though I’ve asked him not to try. He called me up last week to tell me he was into Chapter 5 and there hadn’t been one single sword fight! Sigh! My brothers and sisters are all being very supportive. My sister-in-law, Carol, has believed this book could be published from the time I wrote it 15 years ago. She is ecstatic and I love her for her belief in me. My husband is so happy for me as well, but I have to confess how sorry I am to him all the time that the computer takes so much of my time right now! I’m back up to the question about time-management…if I don’t develop it soon, I think I may have a mutiny on my hands - by him and the dog! Then my dad would be happy because that would have a lot of sword fighting in it!

Q: Scenario: You’re about to be dropped off on a deserted island. You can take along one survival item, one book, and one person (living or dead… but they’ll be alive on the island). What and who do you take?
A: Hmmmm, I think I would take a knife. I have no idea why, I just remember when I used to see scenes of “Survivor” the knife seemed the all important item to have. I don’t guess I could take fire with me? The book is easy, that would be the Bible. I have a feeling I would need to be in the Word big time stuck on an island. The person is also easy, I would take my husband. He’s a pretty handy guy to have around and I would want to be with him through anything (assuming that the Skipper and the Professor don’t count! :0)

Q: What’s the one far out sci-fi technology you’d most like to see become a household item?
A: Oh, this one is easy as well. I used to be a real Trekkie! Yes, I know, it’s hard to believe. I loved how they would go to their “cabins” at the end of the day, walk up to the wall and say, “steak, medium rare, a baked potato, and corn” and a door would slide up and there it would be! Ta Da! Yep, that is what I would want in my house!

I agree, Mary. A replicator would be awesome! Funny, though, how even when she used one, Captain Janeway could still burn dinner :+} Thanks a bunch for hanging out with us today.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Mary Moore
If there is anyone who has NOT seen my bio then this will be ok, but to everyone else just think back to the last blog! :0) I have been an avid student of the Regency-era since the 1970’s and I am a member of the American Christian Fiction Writer’s historic fiction community as well as a member of the Faith, Hope and Love and Beau Monde chapters of the RWA. I have been writing historical fiction for over fifteen years. I had to put my writing on hold due to some health issues, including a bout with breast cancer, but I’m now even more excited about my writing as I incorporate some of my struggles throughout my books; dedicated to encouraging others in the Lord and using my stories for His glory. A native of the Washington, DC area, my husband and I now live in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains of southwest Virginia, with our black lab, Darcy. When not writing, I enjoy time with my husband, watching romantic movies, reading and weekend getaways.

ABOUT THE BOOK: The Aristocrat's Lady
For a few moments on a moonlit balcony, Nicole Beaumont was just a beautiful woman catching the eye of the handsome Lord Devlin-but she knew the illusion couldn't last. If the enigmatic aristocrat knew her secret, he'd realize that her disability left her unfit for love. So who could blame her for hiding the truth a little longer?

Devlin had never met a woman like Nicole. Her unique combination of innocence and wisdom left him utterly intrigued. Yet what was she hiding? For a man who did not trust easily, discovering her secret was devastating. Overcoming their pasts and forging a future would take faith, forgiveness and trust. And second chances could lead to new beginnings.

WIN THE BOOK
If you’d like to be entered to win a copy of The Aristocrat's Lady, just leave a comment on this blog. I’ll pick a winner at random on Wednesday, September 7th. Please leave an email address so I can contact you if you're the winner. (To prevent spammers from trolling for your email, please use this format with the brackets--you [at] yourmail [dot] com--or something similar.) Good luck!

Interview & Book Giveaway with Author Shirley Kiger Connolly

2011-08-30T00:03:00.000-07:00

It's a pleasure to welcome today's guest, author Shirley Kiger Connolly!

Q: What was your inspiration for Say Goodbye to Yesterday?
A: As the wife of a retired pastor, for many years, I have counseled Christian women about their marriages and life situations. Many times we were able to work through those situations together with the help of God and through inspiration from His Word. I also did a lot of research on events that actually happened in the nineteenth century with Army wives and through personal diaries. It's interesting how so much of this information was not freely discussed years ago.

Q: How does your faith impact your writing?
A: My faith IS my writing. It is me. So there isn't much I can do without my faith entering into the scenario of what I'm writing, doing, saying, or thinking. In one way or another, faith becomes the theme.

Q: Do you plot out your story ahead of time, or do you think it up as you go?
A: I can't plot my story out first. I've tried. What I do end up doing, rather, is begin to brainstorm my way through, at least for a while. Once I get through about five or six chapters, I can begin to go back and see the thread, and the outline begins to take form. I guess you would call me a pantser more than a plotter.

Q: Do you treat yourself to something special when a project is completed?
A: A new pair of shoes. Probably Mary Janes. I LOVE SHOES. (LOL)

Q: After becoming a published author, what surprised you the most?
A: That my first book was really accepted! (As I look at that first book now, I realize how much I still didn't know back then about being a good writer, and what I've learned since then! I also know I STILL have a long way to go.)

Q: If you weren’t a writer, what would you be doing?
A: I couldn’t NOT be a writer, Jen. But if I wasn't, I would be doing what I already do -- teach women, do needlework, decorate and re-design my rooms, tend my animals, doodle around in my greenhouse with my veggies and flowers, and, oh, yes, sing and play my guitar and piano more. But the truth is, I'd still find a way to write…something!

Q: There’s been a lot said about the future of publishing and the possible death of the print book. What’s your take on e-books, self-publishing, and such?
A: I am published through two small publishing companies, where one does both print and e-book, and where the other, still newer, is quite active with e-books and plans to add the print at a future date. I have come to love the e-books, where I thought I wouldn't. I enjoy the fact that they are so assessable and you can change the font size to whatever you want. If your eyes are tired, the e-book will read out loud to you. It saves room, for you can put thousands of e-books in one leather book-sized folder. You can make notes on your pages, if there's something you want to remember for later. Just lots of things. It doesn't mean I no longer read print books. I do. But it's true, they do fill up the bookcase awfully fast. No, I don't think the print book will ever completely die out.

Self-publishing is another story, at least for me, personally. I shy away from them, but I don't look down on those who choose to go that route if they can truly write. I treasure every copy editor that's provided for me through my publishers. They are such a great asset in helping me fix my problems before it's too late. I also wouldn’t want to have to PAY to have my book published as you do when you self-publish. To me, it's just not the same. Besides, I don't have that kind of money. But I guess there are many who have enough confidence in what they do to go that route. Knowing my limitations, I'm not one of them.

Scenario: You’re about to be dropped off on a deserted island. You can take along one survival item, one book, and one person (living or dead… but they’ll be alive on the island). What and who do you take?
A: The one survival item I would take? The one survival item would probably a fruit bearing tree, like a coconut because it has meat and liquid in it to keep me alive. The book I would take: My BIBLE most definitely. The one person I would take: I think that would be my husband. He is such a part of me.

Thanks for visiting with us today, Shirley!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Shirley Kiger Connolly, a graduate of the Institute of Children's Literature, believes she uses both sides of her brain when it comes to writing. With her creative and inspirational mind she pens historical fiction romances, but with her more logical thinking cap, she writes nonfiction devotional books. It helps that she loves different hats. With another trusty hat she hopes contains a bit of wisdom, Shirley prepares and teaches Koinonia women's bible studies and mini-seminars and shares teaching reflections at retreats or luncheons. Outside her writing and speaking time, Shirley, an active mom and grandma, enjoys rearranging her furniture, cross-stitching, and watching old movies on TCM. As a part-time farm woman, Shirley devotes a lot of time to the veggies growing in her greenhouse, and mothers her chickens, ducks, dogs, and cats. She stays active in American Christian Fiction Writers and at Faith-Hope-Love, RWA where she presently serves as Critique Database Coordinator.

ABOUT THE BOOK
Scorned with disgrace, Annabelle Jordan and her daughters are no longer welcome in her reverend uncle’s community. She knows she needs a fresh touch of grace, but Annabelle’s in no mood to seek mercy. Not after carrying on her youthful affair with the same man, long enough to produce two daughters before she finally drove him out of her life.

Now without a home, Annabelle’s convinced her answer is to find the father again and force that marriage once and for all. At least the man who pledged her, his hand years earlier could provide her daughters the name, home, security, and future they need. Who else would show interest in a soiled, aging woman over thirty with two growing children?

That was before Major Carlton Radcliffe entered Annabelle’s life. How's she supposed to deal with a man far beyond her reach, loyal to the faith she's been fleeing, and honorably pledged to a wife and family of his own?

WIN THE BOOK
If you’d like to be entered to win a copy of the e-book, Say Goodbye to Yesterday, just leave a comment on this blog. I’ll pick a winner at random on Monday, September 5th. Please leave an email address so I can contact you if you're the winner. (To prevent spammers from trolling for your email, please use this format with the brackets--you [at] yourmail [dot] com--or something similar.)

Book Trailers that Work: Jane Lynch's Happy Accidents

2011-08-26T15:23:00.000-07:00

We authors are all trying to figure out this new beast called the book trailer. Some have been more successful than others. Here's a great example of a trailer that works.

Why does it work? Because it perfectly captures the persona that actress/author Jane Lynch has created for herself. Rather than fill the video with text snippets, still photos and earnest music, we get a snappy look into what Jane might do at her local bookstore. Of course, she wouldn't really do this. Neither would you or I. But I think any author who's found one title of her book hidden in a corner wishes she could do something like this.

Author Connie Stevens Shares About the Scars We All Bear

2011-08-23T00:00:00.000-07:00

Today's special post is from author Connie Stevens.

Have you ever wanted to hide? I’m not talking about playing hide and seek as a child or crouching behind furniture and jumping out to yell “Surprise!” to someone. I’m not even referring to ducking behind a display in a store because you just spotted your nosey neighbor and didn’t want to be engaged in an hour-long gossip session. There are some people who have found themselves in a dangerous situation and attempted to hide for protection, and of course we see news reports all the time about those who commit crimes and hide from the police.

In my latest book, SCARS OF MERCY, the main character, Everett, wants to hide. He’s not in trouble or danger. He doesn’t want to surprise anyone. His desire is to be alone. In fact, he wishes he could hide from himself. As this story unfolds, Everett loathes his own reflection. He survived the boardinghouse fire, but lives daily with the marks left by the flames. While he is grateful for his new-found faith, he doesn’t understand why God would allow the disfiguring scars, and he assumes he is destined to live a solitary existence.

We all live with scars—some are physical and visible. Others are emotional and known only to us. Regardless of whether other people can see our scars, human instinct drives us to hide those scars from the world. There is a deep, indwelling longing within us to be perfect, and when we aren’t, misplaced shame and humiliation compels us to seek a refuge. But where do we go to hide? Do we build a wall around ourselves? Do we withdraw from people? Sometimes painful experiences can motivate us to do that. It’s a defensive mechanism many of us have used at one time or other. Whatever our purpose, such actions always result in the same thing—loneliness.

In SCARS OF MERCY, Everett’s refuge was self-imposed solitude. Despite his loneliness, he might have been content to shut himself off from the world except for one thing—Tillie O’Dell. This feisty young woman sees Everett’s scars as noble and heroic, and she wishes she could make him see himself the way she does—the way God does. In trying to do so, she finds herself falling in love with Everett, changed from the hurtful, arrogant man he was to one redeemed and restored. This is much the way God sees us when we give ourselves over to Him.

I am reminded of the story in Jeremiah, chapter eighteen, in which the prophet went down to the potter’s house and watched the potter working on a vessel. But the vessel was marred—flawed—in the hands of the potter. So he started over again and remade the vessel into one of beauty and usefulness. This is a story of hope and second chances. The potter didn’t destroy or discard the clay. He reworked it. The flaw didn’t matter because the potter knew how to work around it. There was no need to hide the flawed vessel because the potter made it beautiful.

SCARS OF MERCY is a love story, but not just between Everett and Tillie. This story is an invitation to see God’s mighty, unwavering love for us, and how He wants us to hide ourselves in Him. Scars--whether visible or invisible, real or imagined, physical or emotional or spiritual--don’t have to be debilitating, because we have a God who hides us in the hollow of His hand.

Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence?
If I ascend into heaven, You are there; if I make my bed in hell, behold, You
are there.
If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
even there Your hand shall lead me, and Your right hand shall hold me.
If I say, “Surely the darkness shall fall on me,” even the night shall be light
about me; indeed, the darkness shall not hide from You.
But the night shines as the day; the darkness and the light are both alike to You.
Psalm 139: 7-12 (NKJV)

SCARS OF MERCY releases this month with Heartsong Presents, and is the third book in the Willow Creek series.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Connie Stevens lives in north Georgia with her husband of thirty-eight years, John, and one cantankerous kitty. She and John are active in a variety of capacities in their home church. When she’s not writing, she enjoys gardening, sewing, reading, browsing antique stores, and collecting teddy bears. An avid Atlanta Braves fan, don’t call her while there is a game on. Visit Connie’s website at www.conniestevenswrites.com

ABOUT THE BOOK
Everett Behr turns away from people to hide his disfiguring scars. A budding friendship with Tillie O’Dell eases his loneliness, but asking her to endure the humiliation of being with someone like him is out of the question. Tillie sees past Everett’s scars to his heart. His courage and compassion make him a man of character, but how can she convince Everett his scars are beautiful to her?

WIN THE BOOK
If you’d like to be entered to win a copy of Scars of Mercy, just leave a comment on this blog. I’ll pick a winner at random on Monday, August 29th. Please leave an email address so I can contact you if you're the winner. (To prevent spammers from trolling for your email, please use this format with the brackets--you [at] yourmail [dot] com--or something similar.) Good luck!

Interview & Giveaway with Author P.A. Baines

2011-08-18T00:00:00.000-07:00

It's my pleasure to welcome Splashdown Books author P. A. Baines to the blog today!

Q: What was your inspiration for Alpha Redemption?
A: Would you believe, atheism? I was heavily involved with discussing and debating Christianity with atheists on various Internet sites. It was suggested on more than one occasion that belief in God is irrational. That got me wondering what a purely logical creature would think if it read the Bible. At that moment one the main characters of Alpha Redemption, Jay, was born.

Q: How do you come up with your story ideas?
A: Usually it is a single scene that comes to mind, often while reading a book. I do almost all of my reading using audio books, and I often find my thoughts wandering. Sometimes an interesting scenario comes to mind, and sometimes that grows into a complete story.

Q: How does your faith impact your writing?
A: It is at the very core of my writing. I do not just want to write "stories". Rather, I want to glorify God through my work. He is at the center of what I try to do.

Q: How long does it take you to complete a novel? How many drafts do you go through?
A: The first draft of Alpha Redemption took three months. Add to that, two months of thinking about the plot, and another six months of revisions and editing, so about one year in total. My current story, on the other hand, was one I started five years ago but never got beyond the first chapter. The number of drafts tends to be quite low for me because I always edit my first drafts as I go. So, really, my first draft is more like a third draft.

Q: After becoming a published author, what surprised you the most?
A: The biggest surprise was that selling your story is as difficult (if not more so) than finding a publisher. People are generally quite reluctant to take a chance on an unknown author, so it is an uphill struggle. Good reviews help, but that does not necessarily mean people are going to rush out and buy your book.

Q: What event, writer, or book has most impacted your writing life?
A: I think "On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft" by Stephen King had the biggest impact on me as a writer because it showed just how difficult it can be to get published, even for someone as gifted as Stephen King. It also showed me that being "gifted" is not what it takes to be a good writer. You have to work hard and push on, even when the rejection letters come. So often we read about people hitting the big time with their first novel, of finding a publisher without even looking, but these cases are extremely rare and we should not look to them as examples of how the industry works. To be a writer, you have to be prepared for a lot of hard work and a lot of rejection. If you don't have a thick skin when you start out, you certainly will by the time you see your book on the shelves.

Q: What’s the one far out sci-fi technology you’d most like to see become a household item?

A: Anti-gravity devices. I think they would transform our lives. While this is something I would love to see, I am not convinced that it would be beneficial for everyone. Can you imagine how lazy it might make us? I think far more of us would become couch-potatoes if anti-gravity suits became available at our local supermarkets.

Thanks for visiting with us today, Paul!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Paul writes science fiction that is both contemplative and profound. Educated in Africa, he works as an analyst/programmer and is studying towards a degree in Creative Writing through Buckinghamshire New University in England. He currently lives in a small corner of the Netherlands with his wife and two children and various wildlife.
Visit his website at www.pabaines.com. He is also a member of the New Authors' Fellowship.

ABOUT THE BOOK - Alpha Redemption
From despair he fled, through tragedy he lived on, and journeyed to innocence.

His trajectory: the stars. His companion: a computer poised at the brink of sentience.

An unlikely friendship on a prototype spaceship at lightspeed towards Alpha Centauri, and redemption.

WIN THE BOOK
If you’d like to be entered to win the e-book, Alpha Redemption, just leave a comment on this blog. I’ll pick a winner at random on Tuesday, August 23rd. Please leave an email address so I can contact you if you're the winner. (To prevent spammers from trolling for your email, please use this format with the brackets--you [at] yourmail [dot] com--or something similar.)

Enter the Thomas Nelson $10,000 Giveaway

2011-08-17T20:23:00.000-07:00

From Thomas Nelson:

One of the highlights of our days in the Fiction department at Thomas Nelson? Receiving reader letters—either directly addressed to us or passed along from our talented authors. It’s critical to be reminded that at the end of our long days acquiring, editing, designing, selling, marketing, and publicizing books, those stories are reaching readers, striking nerves, changing lives. We want readers’ feedback. How stories have given you hope. Which authors’ series you can’t help from sharing with everyone you meet. We want to know what makes you stay up late in the night to finish a story, and conversely what turns you away.

We’re conducting a series of surveys—seeking answers from readers who love Christian fiction. Up for grabs is a free ebook for every respondent who completes the survery, as well as a $10,000 prize for one entrant. The responses we gather will help shape the future of the books we publish for years to come. As well as the data we’re collecting here, we’ll also seek more in-depth feedback from a panel we’ll develop over the next year. More details to come. The note below from one of authors gives a specific picture of how reader feedback shapes her work. In short, your opinion matters! We thank you for your time and appreciate your responding.

--Thomas Nelson Fiction

Dear Friends--

Your opinion matters. It really does. I love hearing from readers about what worked for them in a story and about what doesn’t work. Reader feedback changed the balance between romance and suspense in my novels. After the Rock Harbor trilogy, I wanted to write more suspense in my novels because that’s what I personally like. But readers really wanted more relationship and romance in the books so I moved back that direction to about the same mix of 50/50 that the Rock Harbor novels contained. I write for you even more than for myself.

I had no intention of setting a whole series of books at Bluebird, Texas. It was going to be only one book, but readers sent me requests in droves for more books. The fourth book in the Lonestar series, Lonestar Angel, will be out in October. The Rock Harbor novels were going to be complete at three. There are now five and I’m thinking about another one! All due to reader demand.

I’ve often asked for reader input on names and locations too. When I was struggling for a name for my hero in The Lightkeeper’s Ball, I turned to my readers. Harrison really fit my character, and my readers told me. Love that! When I was trying to decide on a location for the new Hope Beach series I’ve started, I asked readers. Their overwhelming response was for a series set in the Outer Banks so guess what I’m writing?!

That’s why we’re coming to you for answers. We want to give you what you really want! Don’t be afraid to let us know what you really think. We value your honesty and the time it will take to share with us. Looking forward to hearing what you have to say!

Your friend,

Colleen Coble

Interview & Giveaway with Author Christa Allan

2011-08-16T20:08:00.000-07:00

What fun to welcome back author Christa Allan!

Q: What was your inspiration for The Edge of Grace?
A: My brother, who is also my only sibling, told me over fifteen years ago that he was gay. I barely talked to him for years. We eventually evolved into an awkward relationship and that remained until our father died. At that point, I knew, that with our parents gone, we were all we had. Things grew better, and he and Ricky have been part of our family ever since…and they’ve been together for those fifteen years.

I struggled learning how to be the sister of a gay brother. I knew I wasn’t the only Christian with a gay sibling, so I figured we straight people had to come out of our own closets. When Ricky was beat up in the French Quarter and the last thing he remembered was the sound of his head hitting the concrete, that was my inspiration.

Q: Do you plot out your story ahead of time, or do you think it up as you go?
A: Both? I really, really, really want to be a plotter. But my brain really, really, really refuses to cooperate. I start with an organic plot (I think that’s a more interesting way to say I start with a murky idea), pound the keys for a few chapters, and then call my plotty friends and scream, “Good grief, I don’t have a clue where to go next.” They’re probably going to start blocking my calls, but until then, I rely on the plot-efficient to bring order to my chaos.

Q: I'm the same way, Christa. Plotting sounds great to me, but I'm just not wired that way. Do you treat yourself to something special when a project is completed?
A: Yes. Sleep.

Q: After becoming a published author, what surprised you the most?
A: Oprah ended her show without inviting me, Ellen has yet to call, and I’m not on the cover of Writer’s Digest. The marketing aspect of publishing surprised me in terms of the time, energy, and possibly money it required.

Q: What do you think about writing contests? Have you participated in any? What’s the benefit to an unpublished writer?
A: Long ago and far away when I started this crazy writing gig, a few writer friends whose steps I was following in the publishing minefield, suggested I enter writing contests. I’d not yet even finished half a book, but they thought the experience and the feedback would be helpful. So I did. Those contests provided, for the most part, valuable feedback. Plus, they forced me to put my work out to strangers who, like agents and editors, didn’t know I was sweet, charming, and generous. They were responding to my writing, not me. An important distinction.

Eventually, I stopped entering because if I wanted to publish, more than the first three chapters or fifty pages needed to be written. Some people become professional contest entrants who have refined the art of submitting polished three chapters. Now, sometimes contests can put your work in front of agents and/or editors, and I think that’s valuable. But, if not, then at some point a writer has to decide where to put his/her energy.

I’ve entered ACFW’s contests, never placed, but still found an agent and a publisher. I say that to offer hope! Also, every year and even in contests outside of ACFW, I would receive scores in the 90s and some in freezing temperatures. Guess what? I receive the same in reviews! Sometimes unpublished writers question other unpublished writers as judges. My philosophy is if you’re only writing for published writers, then you need to be writing “how to” books, not fiction. Not all of your readers will be published, and you can’t follow your writing. As my students say, “it is what it is.”

If you disagree with a judge’s comments, no problem. I disagree with a number of the reviews I’ve had. That’s the collateral damage of being a writer. And, before I take up all of Jennifer’s blog time…if you don’t agree with a judge’s comments, don’t send thank you notes with subtext that suggests anything but thanks. Unless, of course, you plan to respond to every one of your negative reviews!

Q: What’s the one far out sci-fi technology you’d most like to see become a household item?
A: One of those nifty machines like on Star Trek where you just say what food item you want and it appears. If course, I would probably need an at-home liposuction machine to go with it.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
A true Southern woman who knows that any cook worth her gumbo always starts with a roux and who never wears white after Labor Day, Christa Allan writes not-your-usual Christian fiction that’s unafraid to tackle the tough questions. Walking on Broken Glass, her debut novel, released in 2010. The Edge of Grace released in 2011 and received a starred review from Library Journal. Three more novels with Abingdon Press follow in 2013 and 2014. Love Finds You in New Orleans (Summerside Press) is set to release in 2012.

Christa is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers, Romance Writers of America and its Faith, Hope, and Love chapter. She also belongs to writing organizations in her community. Christa, a high school English teacher, and her veterinarian husband live in Abita Springs with their three neurotic cats. Christa is the mother of five and is totally smitten with her two grandgirls.

Thanks for hanging out with us today, Christa! And for all you readers, here's a special treat: The Edge of Grace is available for FREE on Kindle. But it won't last forever, so hurry on over there and download it while you can :+}

ABOUT THE BOOK - The Edge of Grace
An early morning call shatters Caryn Becker's world. Unable to cope with her brother’s news that he is gay, Caryn rejects him and disappears into her own turbulent life as a young widow and single mom. But when David is attacked and nearly killed, Caryn is forced to make hard choices about family, faith, and her own future; choices that take her to the very edge of grace.

WIN THE BOOK
If you’d like to be entered to win a copy of The Edge of Grace, just leave a comment on this blog. I’ll pick a winner at random on Monday, August 22. Please leave an email address so I can contact you if you're the winner. (To prevent spammers from trolling for your email, please use this format with the brackets--you [at] yourmail [dot] com--or something similar.) Good luck!

Mary DeMuth's New eBook a Must-Have for All Writers

2011-08-15T16:17:00.000-07:00

Mary DeMuth is one of those authors who truly knows how to engage her audience. When you read 11 Secrets of Getting Published it's almost like you're sitting down having a conversation with her. Not to say that the book's not meaty, because it is. Just about everything a fledgling author needs to know is here: learning the craft, dealing with rejection, insights into the publishing industry, how to market, tips for conferences, and more.

While this book is awesome for those who have yet to publish, it's also great for those who already have a few books on the shelves. We can always use inspiration and encouragement, and this book is full of both. I particularly like "Quick Writing Advice", which is one of three bonus sections.

Right now, the book is at the rock-bottom price of $2.99. According to Mary's e-newsletter, it will go up to $4.99 on August 22nd, which is still a bargain. Download it today and take the first step toward a stronger writing career.

And if you don't believe me, hear what an editor had to say. He was so impressed, he wrote a song about it.

Note: I received a copy of this book from the author for review purposes. I received no financial compensation.

CFBA Presents A MOST UNSUITABLE MATCH by Stephanie Grace Whitson

2011-08-11T16:14:00.000-07:00

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing A Most Unsuitable Match Bethany House; Original edition (August 1, 2011) by Stephanie Grace Whitson

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

A native of southern Illinois, Stephanie Grace Whitson has lived in Nebraska since 1975. She began what she calls "playing with imaginary friends" (writing fiction) when, as a result of teaching her four homeschooled children Nebraska history, she was personally encouraged and challenged by the lives of pioneer women in the West. Since her first book, Walks the Fire, was published in 1995, Stephanie's fiction titles have appeared on the ECPA bestseller list numerous times and been finalists for the Christy Award, the Inspirational Reader's Choice Award, and ForeWord Magazine's Book of the Year.

Her first nonfiction work, How to Help a Grieving Friend, was released in 2005. In addition to serving in her local church and keeping up with two married children, two college students, and a high school senior, Stephanie enjoys motorcycle trips with her family and church friends. Her passionate interests in pioneer women's history, antique quilts, and French, Italian, and Hawaiian language and culture provide endless story-telling possibilities.

ABOUT THE BOOK

An unlikely attraction occurs between two passengers on a steamboat journey up the Missouri River to Montana...

She is a self-centered young woman from a privileged family who fears the outdoors and avoids anything rustic. He is a preacher living under a sense of duty and obligation to love the unlovable people in the world. She isn't letting anything deter her from solving a family mystery that surfaced after her mother's death. He is on a mission to reach the rejects of society in the remote wilderness regions of Montana. Miss Fannie Rousseau and Reverend Samuel Beck are opposites in every way... except in how they both keep wondering if their paths will ever cross again.

If you would like to read the first chapter of A Most Unsuitable Match, go HERE.

Interview & Giveaway with Author Sarah Sundin

2011-08-08T00:00:00.000-07:00

Please help me welcome today's guest, author Sarah Sundin!

Q: How do you deal with writer’s block?
A: I rarely get writer’s block. I have the book plotted out beforehand, so I know what I’m going to write when I sit down. However, sometimes the start of a chapter will hang me up for a while. My cure is to get a running start by reading the last chapter or two. If that fails, I just start writing something, anything, telling myself I’ll come back and find a better starting place later. The funny thing is those tend to be my favorite chapter openings.

Q: How long does it take you to complete a novel? How many drafts do you go through?
A: For the Wings of Glory series, each novel took about two years—one for research and plotting, and one for writing. I wrote the first two books before I had a contract, and I’ve lost count of how many drafts they went through as I learned more about writing and refined the manuscripts. Blue Skies Tomorrow “only” went through three drafts, which about gave me palpitations, but I’m writing cleaner and tighter now. For my next series I have to write a book a year, which is faster than I’m used to. However, my children are older now, and I have more time to write, so it’s working.

Q: Do you plot out your story ahead of time, or do you think it up as you go?
A: I’m definitely a plotter. I do lots of research before I start, plus character charts and outlines. However, I don’t always have all the plot points worked out in advance, and side characters have a way of springing out of nowhere. And despite my plotting, often a scene will turn out quite different from how I originally planned it.

Q: After becoming a published author, what surprised you the most?
A: I was surprised at how much juggling was required. Right now I’m doing publicity for Blue Skies Tomorrow, polishing the first book in my next series for its September 1 deadline, and plotting the second book in the series. In addition, social networking, blogging, and publicity stretch my multi-tasking skills.

Q: What’s the most important piece of advice you would give to a fledgling writer?
A: Be teachable and learn as much as you can about the craft of writing and the publishing process. Join a writers’ group, attend conferences, read books on writing, and join American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW). Keep writing, keep submitting, and keep praying.

Q: If you weren’t a writer, what would you be doing?
A: I might be working more hours as a pharmacist now that my children are older. Or I might be doing what I did before writing struck me—pathetic attempts at whatever craft was fashionable with stay-at-home moms. I tried stamping, stenciling, scrapping—I’m horrible at that kind of thing.

Q: What does your family think about your crazy career?
A: My poor scientific, business-oriented husband has been baffled by the whole thing, but he supports me. My two sons (13 and 18) are pretty excited, especially the youngest. My daughter, 15…well, she once declared (insert dramatic teen sighs) that I sought publication for the sole purpose of ruining her life. It’s no mistake that God gave me a publishing contract and a teen girl (who is bright and beautiful and witty, by the way) at the same time. She keeps me humble.

Q: What’s the one far out sci-fi technology you’d most like to see become a household item?
A: The Star Trek food replicator. Speak your order, it hums and sparkles, and voila! A full complete meal made to order. I want one.

Oh yes, put me down for one of those, too! Thanks so much for visiting today, Sarah.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Sarah Sundin lives in northern California with her husband and three children. When she isn’t ferrying kids to soccer and tennis, she works on-call as a hospital pharmacist and teaches Sunday school. She is the author of the Wings of Glory series—A Distant Melody (Revell 2010), A Memory Between Us (2010), and Blue Skies Tomorrow (August 2011).

ABOUT THE BOOK
Blue Skies Tomorrow is the third book in the Wings of Glory series, which follows the three Novak brothers, B-17 bomber pilots with the US Eighth Air Force stationed in England during World War II. Each book stands alone.

Lt. Raymond Novak prefers the pulpit to the cockpit, but at least his stateside job training B-17 pilots allows him the luxury of a personal life. As he courts Helen Carlisle, a young war widow and mother who conceals her pain under a frenzy of volunteer work, the sparks of their romance set a fire that flings them both into peril. After Ray leaves to fly a combat mission at the peak of the air war over Europe, Helen takes a job in a dangerous munitions yard and confronts an even graver menace in her own home. Will they find the courage to face their challenges? And can their young love survive until blue skies return?

WIN THE BOOK

If you’d like to be entered to win a copy Blue Skies Tomorrow just leave a comment on this blog. I’ll pick a winner at random on Sunday, August 14th. Please leave an email address so I can contact you if you're the winner. (To prevent spammers from trolling for your email, please use this format with the brackets--you [at] yourmail [dot] com--or something similar.) Good luck!

Interview & Giveaway with Author Judy Christie

2011-08-05T00:00:00.000-07:00

It's my great pleasure to welcome back fellow Abingdon Press author Judy Christie!

Q: What was your inspiration for a series about the town of Green, Louisiana?
A: A long-time newspaper editor and a southerner, I thought it would be interesting to plop a big-city journalist down into a little Louisiana town and see what happened. The first book was “Gone to Green,” about Lois Barker’s move to Green. But I knew immediately I wanted to write a series and let readers follow the characters. There’s always a lot going on in Green, from marriages to tornadoes to the current threat to close the school. Readers tell me they look forward to seeing what happens next. “Rally ‘Round Green” is the fourth book in the series. “Downtown Green,” book 5, will be out next year.

Q: Have you always wanted to be a writer?
A: I didn’t try to write my first novel until I turned 50. It was my birthday gift to myself, and I committed to write a novel before I turned 51. So, I sat down and stared at my laptop for a while and started typing. That was four years ago, and my fourth novel just released. I’m still amazed! I have kept a journal since I was nine and have all of them. For many years I was a journalist and wrote or edited daily. I love putting words together and consider it a wonderful gift from God. I also love to talk! 

Q: How do you come up with your story ideas?
A: I have tons of ideas waiting to be turned into novels. I get most of them by paying attention to the world around and making up crazy scenarios in my mind. I ask “what if?” a lot. I carry a notebook everywhere and jot notes on everything from how the sky looks to something one of my brothers tells me. Two of my Green readers recently gave me a subscription to their small-town newspaper because it reminds them of the fictional Green News-Item.I always see potential novels in that paper!

Q: How does your faith impact your writing?
A: I believe each of is created to do something with our lives and that we are to slow down and enjoy each day more, using our gifts. I trust God to guide me in my daily life and to help me take the best next step, whatever that might be. I pray every day – including about my work and how God wants me to use my time and energy.

Q: Do you plot out your story ahead of time, or do you think it up as you go?
A: I’m a Seat of the Plotter writer, a combination of seat of the pants and outlining. I always know the beginning and end of each novel when I start. I have a general idea of what will happen along the way, but much of it unfolds as I’m writing.

Q: Do you treat yourself to something special when a project is completed?
A: I celebrate everything! I think we all should enjoy life more. My husband and I throw a party of some sort for every book I have published – with cake and other refreshments. I have stamps made with the cover of my book on them and send out real snail-mail invites. And, I treat myself along the way. When my first novel sold, for example, I bought expensive and wonderful personalized note cards with a typewriter on them and use them to write notes to the many people who encourage me.

Q: After becoming a published author, what surprised you the most?
A: How hard it is to maintain the discipline of sitting down at the computer and writing. There are many distractions, and they all seem more immediate than the need to finish a manuscript. My agent told me early on to guard my writing time, and I try to live by that advice. I am thankful for the opportunity to be a writer. My mother worked in food services, and that’s much harder work than making up stories. I try never to whine about the job of writing.

Q: What’s the most important piece of advice you would give to a fledgling writer?
A: Sit down and write. I have a free, very un-fancy tip sheet I send to people who want to write a book. Just e-mail me at judy@judychristie.com if you want a copy. The sheet includes a handful of tips that have helped me.

Q: There’s been a lot said about the future of publishing and the possible death of the print book. What’s your take on eBooks, self-publishing, and such?
A: Our world is full of change, and somehow we adapt. When I was a teenager, I listened to albums, then 8-track tapes, then cassettes, then CDs and now my iPod. I still listen to music, just in a different form. I like to read certain books in their “old-fashioned” format, but I also enjoy e-readers. My goal is to write good stories that grab readers, no matter how or where they choose to read. I keep a close eye on trends but try not to obsess on this. I have an excellent agent, and I like working with publishing houses who know way more about publishing and distributing books than I do.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
The first place Judy Christie ever drove was to the public library. A longtime journalist, she entered the newspaper world as the editor of The Barret Banner in elementary school. She loves primitive antiques with peeling green paint, walking in the park near her North Louisiana home and sitting on her vintage green Kitchen Couch! She’s the author of the Green series of novels and the nonfiction Hurry Less Worry Less series, including the upcoming “Hurry Less Worry Less for Moms.” Her first Young Adult novel, “Wreath,” will be released this fall. For more information, see www.judychristie.com. Judy loves to visit with readers on Facebook, too.

ABOUT THE BOOK
Rally ’Round Green (Abingdon Press) is the fourth book in the Green series, about the owner of a small-town newspaper in Green, La. Journalist Lois Barker Craig changes the town, and the town changes her. In book 4, newlyweds Lois and Chris want life to return to normal after a horrific tornado, but other threats loom on the horizon. Lois, Mayor Eva, and a group of Green School graduates unite to fight to keep their school open, with surprising – and unexpected -- results.

WIN THE BOOK
If you’d like to be entered to win a copy of Rally 'Round Green just leave a comment on this blog. I’ll pick a winner at random on Thursday, August 11th. NOTE: This time round, US addresses only. Please leave an email address so I can contact you if you're the winner. (To prevent spammers from trolling for your email, please use this format with the brackets--you [at] yourmail [dot] com--or something similar.) Good luck!

New Christian Fiction Titles for August 2012

2011-08-04T00:00:00.000-07:00

Here's a partial list of this month's new Christian fiction titles. I say partial because it only includes members of American Christian Fiction Writers. If your favorite author isn't here, that doesn't mean he or she doesn't have a new book. More in-depth descriptions of these books can be found on the ACFW FictionFinder website.

A Horseman’s Heart by Myra Johnson -- Romance from Barbour/Heartsong. When Kip Lorimer shows up with a horse to donate to the family's equine therapy program, Sheridan Cross can't help but be suspicious. A cowboy a thousand miles from home and living out of a horse trailer? What's wrong with this picture?

A Most Unsuitable Match by Stephanie Whitson -- A Historical from Bethany House. They are opposites in every way. . . except how neither one can stop thinking about the other.

Agent Undercover by Lynette Eason -- Romantic Suspense from Love Inspired. A little boy with a secret, a killer with a vendetta, and a man and a woman who will stop at nothing to protect the child while catching the killer.

Aquasynthesis by Grace Bridges, Fred Warren, Caprice Hokstad, P.A. Baines, Adam Graham, R.L. Copple, Travis Perry, Mike Lynch, Keven Newsome, Kat Heckenbach, and Ryan Grabow. -- Fantasy from Splashdown Books. From classic-style fantasy and science fiction stories, through speculative tales that delve deeper into motivations and meanings, we move from humor to sacrifice by a linking story that connects many very different themes.

Blue Skies Tomorrow by Sarah Sundin -- General Fiction Historical from Revell. In a time of peril, can they find the courage to confront their fears and embrace a love that lasts?

Edge of Grace by Christa Allan -- General Fiction from Abingdon. Unable to cope with her brother’s news that he is gay, Caryn Becker rejects him. But when he is attacked and nearly killed, she is forced to make hard choices that take her to the very edge of grace.

Lost in Dreams, Book Two; Altered Heart Series by Roger Bruner and Kristi Rae Bruner -- Young Adult from Barbour. Eighteen-year-old Kim Hartlinger discovers the victory Jesus provides during the most trying of circumstances as she learns to lean on other Christians.

Marrying Miss Marshall by Lacy Williams -- Romance from Bethany House. Her job is to protect the town... but who will protect her heart?

Out of Control by Mary Connealy -- Romance from Bethany House. Rafe Kincaid controls everything in his life . . . until he meets Julia.

Ransome’s Quest by Kaye Dacus -- Historical Romance from Harvest House. Romance, intrigue, and swashbuckling leaps of faith create a wonderfully heroic close to this beloved series.

Something Old by Dianne Christner -- Romance from Barbour. Love is rarely plain and simple.

Surrender the Dawn by Mary Lu Tyndall -- A Historical from Barbour. You’ll be swept away in this seafaring romance between a plucky damsel-in-distress and a nefarious rake who’s selling out his country amid the War of 1812.

The Matrimony Plan by Christine Johnson -- Historical Romance from Love Inspired. A rich girl falls in love with a poor boy -- until the tables are turned.

CFBA Presents OUT OF CONTROL by Mary Connealy

2011-08-02T14:49:00.000-07:00

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing Out Of Control (Bethany House; Original edition - August 1, 2011) by Mary Connealy

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Mary Connealy writes romantic comedy with cowboys. She is a Christy Award Finalist, a Carol Award Finalist and an IRCC Award finalist.

Petticoat Ranch was a Carol Award Finalist. Calico Canyon was a Christy Award Finalist and a Carol Award Finalist. Along with Gingham Mountain, these books are now available in the Lassoed in Texas Trilogy.

Montana Rose, The Husband Tree and Wildflower Bride make up the The Montana Marriages Series. Montana Rose was a Carol Award Finalist.

Cowboy Christmas was the 2010 Carol Award winner for Best Long Historical Romance, and an Inspirational Readers Choice Contest Finalist.

She is also the author of The Sophie's Daughters series, comprised of Doctor in Petticoats, Wrangler in Petticoats, and Sharpshooter in Petticoats; Black Hills Blessing, a 3-in-1 collection of sweet contemporary romances; Nosy in Nebraska, a 3-in-1 collection of cozy romantic mysteries; and she's one of three authors contributing to Alaska Brides with her Carol Award Winning historical romance Golden Days.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Julia Gilliland has always been interested in the natural world around her. She particularly enjoys her outings to the cavern near her father's homestead, where she explores for fossils and formations, and plans to write a book about her discoveries. The cave seems plenty safe--until the day a mysterious intruder steals the rope she uses to find her way out.

Rafe Kincaid has spent years keeping his family's cattle ranch going, all without help from his two younger brothers, who fled the ranch--and Rafe's controlling ways--as soon as they were able. He's haunted by one terrible day at the cave on a far-flung corner of the Kincaid property, a day that changed his life forever. Ready to put the past behind him, he plans to visit the cave one final time. He sure doesn't expect to find a young woman trapped in one of the tunnels--or to be forced to kiss her!

Rafe is more intrigued by Julia than any woman he's ever known, but how can he overlook her fascination with the cave he despises? And when his developing relationship with Julia threatens his chance at reconciliation with his brothers, will he be forced to choose between the family bonds that could restore his trust and the love that could heal his heart?

If you would like to read the first chapter of Out Of Control, go HERE.

THOUGHTS FROM JEN

I love, love, love Mary Connealy! She has an incredible knack for writing funny, well-rounded, realistic characters. Because my son's been sick (and is in fact having surgery in a few days, so any prayers would be appreciated) I haven't been able to read much of this book yet. But just the first chapter tells me it offers everything I expect from Mary, plus a little something extra. I look forward to following the adventures of all the Kincaid brides.

Watch the book trailer:

Free Fiction from Tyndale House

2011-07-25T16:26:00.000-07:00

Last month, Tyndale House launched its new Digital First line with four great novels. These titles are being released first as ebooks, with paper editions to follow. Cool, huh? But here's the really awesome news... for a limited time, all four titles are FREE! The links below are for the Kindle editions, but I believe they're available for free on the Nook as well. I don't know how long this will last, so get 'em while you can.

Reinventing Leona - by Lynne Gentry

Leona Harper loves being a pastor's wife. Her impressive resume touts thirty years of coaxing hot water from rusty parsonage plumbing, planning church potlucks, and standing beside her husband while members take potshots at his sermons. Except for the little tiff with her grown children, Leona feels her life is right on track with the wishes of the Almighty . . . until her husband drops dead in the pulpit.

When the church board decides to fill the Reverend's vacated position, Leona is forced to find a paying job, mend her fractured family, and tackle her fears. With life spiraling out of control, Leona might find the church members' antics comical if she weren't so completely panicked. Can the faith of an overwhelmed widow withstand the added heartache of two resentful children and several underhanded church members? If Leona can't trust God, how will she learn to trust herself?

Stealing Jake - by Pam Hillman

When Livy O'Brien spies a young boy jostling a man walking along the boardwalk, she recognizes the act for what it is. After all, she used to be known as Light-fingered Livy. But that was before she put her past behind her and moved to the growing town of Chestnut, Illinois, where she's helping to run an orphanage. Now she'll do almost anything to protect the street kids like herself.

Sheriff's deputy Jake Russell had no idea what he was in for when he ran into Livy--literally--while chasing down a pickpocket. With a rash of robberies and a growing number of street kids in town--as well as a loan on the family farm that needs to be paid off--Jake doesn't have time to pursue a girl. Still, he can't seem to get Livy out of his mind. He wants to get to know her better . . . but Livy isn't willing to trust any man, especially not a lawman.

Delivery - by Diana Prusik

Livi finds new purpose in her troubled life when she joins her family's small-town florist shop. There, the strong and wacky Wilson's Florist gang monitors the pulse of Mount Helicon, where customers carry stories even the local newspaper does not contain. Tales of birth and death, sickness and sorrow, love and betrayal, and even forgiveness—Livi hears them all. Privy to some of the community's deepest secrets, she sometimes wishes she didn't know so much, especially when news arrives that a dear family friend is dead. Faced with servicing his funeral, she is blasted with painful memories she's struggled for decades to ignore. Soon, guilt and grief over childhood and adult tragedies close in. Instead of turning to loved ones or God for comfort, she leans on alcohol, her long-time clandestine companion—but secrets rarely escape the close-knit flower shop crew, who makes Livi's business its own. Fumbling through life's challenges together, the Wilson gang often delivers more than flowers, yet when Livi needs delivery, can the bonds of faith and friendship dissolve her defenses?

Cash Burn - by Michael Berrier

Billions of dollars flow through Jason Dunn's banking office each year. When he suffers a series of career setbacks and his marriage begins to crumble, he and his attractive new assistant devise a plan to disappear with a slice of the bank's cash flow. The unwelcome appearance of his brother on the scene, just released from prison, threatens to sidetrack Jason's plans. But Jason's brother "Flip" has his own problems with a parole officer who isn't fooled by this dangerous parolee. In the race to the jackpot between Jason and Flip, and the unwinding of their troubled history, the question soon becomes, Who will get burned?

Interview & Book Giveaway with Author Cara Lynn James

2011-07-19T00:03:00.000-07:00

My guest today is author Cara Lynn James. Let's make her feel at home!

Q: So Cara, have you always wanted to be a writer?
A: I’ve wanted to be a writer since I was 7 years old—quite a while ago! I wrote a 20 page ‘book’ for my parents’ wedding anniversary. It was based on the Bobbsey Twins books, one of my favorite series at the time. Even though I didn’t pursue my dream of writing until I was much, much older, the desire to write a novel stayed in the corner of my mind collecting cobwebs. Getting published seemed way out of my reach! But after I discovered writers’ groups and other aspiring writers and even a few published ones, I decided to dust off my dream.

Q: How does your faith impact your writing?
A: My faith just like everyone else’s is part of my worldview. It would influence my writing whether I wanted it to or not. Since I write inspirationals I include some aspect of my faith in a conscious way. Some books lend themselves to a faith thread more than others, but they all involve Christian principles to some degree. My faith also determines what I’ll write about, the type of plot and the personalities of the characters. Even if I didn’t write inspirational historical romance my faith would play a major role in the books I write.

Q: How do you deal with writer’s block?
A: I’ve never really had to deal with writer’s block for more than a short time. When I can’t figure out where a scene should go or I run into a figurative brick wall I usually try to take a break. Reading either a research book or a novel takes my mind off the problem and really seems to help. Retail therapy helps, too! I think my mind is subconsciously working to solve the problem when I’m doing something unrelated. The best thing is probably to work out the plot first and definitely know your characters inside out.

Q: How long does it take you to complete a novel? How many drafts do you go through?
A: Love on a Dime and Love on Assignment took me forever to write because they were the first books I completed. Actually I finished a short novel between the two, but it’s not salvageable so I usually forget I wrote it. Love on a Dime and Love on Assignment took years to finish because I was learning how to write a novel and build a story. My latest release and last in the Ladies of Summerhill series, Love by the Book, took me 4 ½ months from start to finish. I’m a slow writer and never would’ve believed I could write a long book in that short amount of time. But I had a deadline and I was determined to meet it on time. Nine months to a year would be much easier for me, but contracts tend to have tight deadlines.

I don’t do a set number of drafts, but I practically have the chapters memorized by the time I send it into my editor so I guess I do many drafts. After a while I quit because I’m too familiar with the work to find additional mistakes or ways to improve. I imagine if I had another few months I could look through the manuscript again with a fresh perspective and find places to tweak.

Q: Do you plot out your story ahead of time, or do you think it up as you go?
A: Both. I write a fairly detailed synopsis and then follow that with a skeletal outline of the plot with all the major plot points. Since I’m a visual person I like seeing the entire story laid out in front of me. I can spot holes in the plot etc. that way. I fill in any scenes that pop into my head, but I don’t try to conjure up scenes at this point. So I need to know where I’m going and I have some idea how I’m going to get there. I usually take one section of the story at a time and work at it. For example, I write down everything that needs to happen in the beginning, and then devise as many scenes as I can. Then I start writing. Actually working on the manuscript gets ideas flowing.

Q: Do you treat yourself to something special when a project is completed?
A: My husband and I go out to dinner. Maybe we should take a short vacation, too!

Q: Vacation sounds like fun! After becoming a published author, what surprised you the most?
A: The amount of promotion involved surprised me. I envisioned staying in my writer’s cave without ever peeking out. I also didn’t realized how satisfying it would be to hold my book in my hand!

Q: What’s the most important piece of advice you would give to a fledgling writer?
A: If you’re really serious about getting published then write, write, write. Also, join writer’s groups both online and in person, join a critique group, enter contests and learn from the feedback. Don’t quit! When you get discouraged—and you will from time to time—lick your wounds and then get back to your writing.

Q: What do you think about writing contests? Have you participated in any? What’s the benefit to an unpublished writer?
A: As an unpublished writer I submitted to many contests and finaled in several. At first I didn’t do so well, but I took the judges’ advice, improved my writing and submitted again. If wasn’t always a pleasant process, but it was beneficial. Eventually I received requests for full manuscripts from both editors and agents. In 2009 I finaled in the Golden Heart. Because of that final I received an offer from Thomas Nelson Publishers.

Q: If you weren’t a writer, what would you be doing?
A: I’d be enjoying my husband’s retirement and spending more time with my grandson. I wouldn’t be cleaning the house more!

Q: What does your family think about your crazy career?
A: They think it’s great and they’re very supportive. They’re really fantastic cheerleaders. After I sold they understood I now have deadlines to meet, so they’ve pitched in to help more.

Q: There’s been a lot said about the future of publishing and the possible death of the print book. What’s your take on eBooks, self-publishing, and such?
A: The Ladies of Summerhill series are all available as e-books as well as in print. Personally, I like both. The disadvantage I see in e-books--a writer of e-books usually gets paid through royalties, but not an advance. I think advances are important for any author who wants writing to provide an income, not just pin money. E-books are great because they won’t go out of print. It seems as if the publishing industry is heading in that direction more and more.

Q: What’s the one far out sci-fi technology you’d most like to see become a household item?
A: A robotic housekeeper.

Amen on that housekeeper. Thanks a bunch for visiting with us, Cara!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Cara Lynn James lives in northwest Florida with her husband, daughter, son, grandson, and Papillion, Sparky. She writes full time despite this crowd. She’s lived in several states—Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Texas, California, Virginia and Vermont. During this time she’s served as a Naval officer, bookshop owner, and stay-at-home, home-schooling mom.

ABOUT THE BOOK - Love by the Book
Savor this sweeping love story set in a lavish seaside mansion in 1901 Rhode Island.

Melinda Hollister is a society lady, intent on finding a rich husband before her peers discover her quickly diminishing wealth. Nick Bryson is all business, focused on making a name for himself in his father’s steamship line. Despite the marriage of their siblings, they rarely gave each other a second glance—until a tragic accident results in Melinda and Nick being appointed as co-guardians of their three-year-old niece Nell.

In order to get better acquainted with Nell and one another, Melinda and Nick agree to spend the summer in their own private quarters of the Bryson family vacation home, Summerhill. As their love for Nell grows, so does their attraction to each other. And for the first time in their lives, they sense that God has a bigger plan in motion.

Yet old habits die hard – and Melinda and Nick each find it difficult to resist the pull of their former worlds.

When the unthinkable happens, they find themselves faced with seemingly impossible choices and a new understanding of God’s true love.

WIN THE BOOK
If you’d like to be entered to win a copy of Love by the Book, just leave a comment on this blog. I’ll pick a winner at random on Monday, July 25th. NOTE: This time round, North American addresses only. And we need to have at least 10 comments for the giveaway... so let us know you were here! Please leave an email address so I can contact you if you're the winner. (To prevent spammers from trolling for your email, please use this format with the brackets--you [at] yourmail [dot] com--or something similar.) Good luck!

The Harry Potter Saga in Six Minutes - VIDEO

2011-07-15T20:30:00.000-07:00

So, the final Harry Potter movie came out today. My son lost interest in Harry two movies ago, but I really want to see how the whole thing ends, so I'll be seeing it by myself. (Nope, I haven't read any of the books. GASP!)

I'm curious... who among you is planning to go? And who already braved one of those midnight showings?

And, in case you need to brush up on your Potter back story, here's a video from Warner Brothers that gives you the whole thing, and a preview of the end, in about six minutes. My, those kids have grown. Just listen to how high Harry and Ron's voices were in the beginning. Enjoy!

Interview & Book Giveaway with Author Trish Perry

2011-07-06T12:53:00.000-07:00

A big welcome to a dear lady and great author, Trish Perry!

Q: What was your inspiration for Unforgettable?

A: When Summerside Press indicated an interest in working with me for their When I Fall in Love line, they gave me several song titles to choose from (each book’s title is the title of a popular song). I chose Unforgettable, because I’ve always loved Nat King Cole’s rendition. Of course, I’m a little sick of it now, after hearing it in my head every day for several months. But that’s an occupational hazard I can live with. The books in the When I Fall in Love line all focus on the time frame during which each song was released. I was born in the Fifties, so I was too young to truly experience the era, but history shows there was so much going on in that decade—especially in the early Fifties, not long after the war, when much was changing and building in our country and in the lives of young men and women. And ballroom dance was just starting to become nationally competitive, so I saw a fun romance possibility there.

Q: Have you always wanted to be a writer?

A: No! Or, rather, I didn’t think of myself that way until I was an adult. I dabbled here and there with silly little short stories when I was young, and I’ve always been a huge fan of fiction and film. It wasn’t until I went back to college as an adult that I realized how much I loved writing stories. It’s never too late if it’s something the Lord has planned for you!

Q: How does your faith impact your writing?

A: I wouldn’t be a writer if it weren’t for my faith. I know the Lord directed me to return to school in my adult years, and He was the one who lit the fire in me to switch my plans away from becoming a psychological counselor in order to write novels. I learned so much about creative writing in college, and then at classes and conferences elsewhere. Now I don’t even try to write a story before going to Him first. I honestly have a hard time answering that question, “Where do your ideas come from?” because half the time I can’t remember their beginnings. I think that’s because He puts the ideas in my mind while I’m not even trying. Not only does He bless me that way, but also He blesses me by allowing me to play a role in the lives of some of my readers. I don’t wrestle with the “message” of my stories, because I know He’s using whatever falls out of my imagination to touch a reader who needs to know how much He loves them. And He touches them in a way I couldn’t possibly plan.

Q: Do you plot out your story ahead of time, or do you think it up as you go?
A: I do quite a bit of character design before plotting, and then I get my basic plot planned. Then I write the first several chapters before filling in more of my plot. So my specific chapters are only plotted out about four chapters ahead of what I’m writing. I’m always on my way to a major plot point, but how I get to each one isn’t always set in stone before I start writing the book. I’ve always loved planning more than doing, so I have to write this way to keep from procrastinating with the actual writing. Otherwise, I’d plan until the Second Coming.

Q: Do you treat yourself to something special when a project is completed?
A: No, I treat myself to something special the entire time I’m working on a project! I spoil myself rotten. I mean, I spoil myself in little ways. Like, dinner is my reward for reaching my daily word count—otherwise, I’d break for dinner and find a reason not to come back and finish. I’m the proverbial donkey with a carrot in front of herself—that keeps me seated here at the computer, making progress. But I don’t set something special out there, like a new pair of shoes or a night at the movies with friends or a trip to Europe, which I’ll give myself when I finish a novel. Just finishing the project is a huge thrill and relief for me. I must admit, though, that a trip to Europe would probably be a bigger thrill—maybe I should rework my methods.

Q: What’s the most important piece of advice you would give to a fledgling writer?
A: I’m like a broken record with this, but it’s so important. If you feel led by God to write, start every day by going to Him and dedicating your writing efforts to Him. Then just do your best with the day you’re given. Write what you can, attempt what you can to find publication, and accept rejection as a part of the process. As long as you’re writing to honor Him, He will bless what you do. He won’t use rejection to tell you to give up. We all get turned down at some point in this business. But pay attention to your drive—do you feel joy in writing? Or is there something else that draws you more? If you feel drawn elsewhere, He’s probably guiding you there. If you feel joy in writing, He’s guiding you there. So write. Give it to Him. Be patient.

Q: What do you think about writing contests? Have you participated in any? What’s the benefit to an unpublished writer?
A: I’m a believer in the merits of writing contests. I still enter a few each year. I found my wonderful agent as a result of a writing contest, so, indirectly, I’m published because of a writing contest. And I know I’m not alone in that. For the unpublished writer, the best thing about entering contests is getting your writing in front of agents and editors who will read something of yours they might not have read otherwise. Once you’re published, it’s still a good idea, because it gets your book in front of more readers and might even lead to an accolade you can list on your book page. Every bit of promotion helps!

Q: What does your family think about your crazy career?
A: They’ve been wonderfully supportive and always express a lot of pride in my efforts. My daughter was already an adult by the time I started publishing, but my son has grown up around my writing, and I think our conversations influenced his choice to go into filmmaking in college. We talk a lot about story and character when we watch anything together.

Q: There’s been a lot said about the future of publishing and the possible death of the print book. What’s your take on eBooks, self-publishing, and such?
A: I don’t like the idea of print books becoming a thing of the past, ever. I love books—love to have them around, to hold them as part of the reading experience, and to share them with friends. But I think there are some rather exciting developments taking place in the industry because of e-books and the increasing availability of e-publishing. As someone who generally publishes romantic comedy, I like the idea that I might be able to e-publish something a little different, perhaps in an entirely different genre.

The drawback to self-publishing remains what it’s always been. Anyone with sufficient funds can self-publish anything, whether through print or e-book, whether well written or abysmally bad. And self-publishing an e-book is far less pricey than self-publishing a print book. So there will be much more junk out there. But I think the market will adjust to that. Both professional and everyday reader reviews will gain more value. Word-of-mouth will play a larger role in a book’s success. And untrained, mediocre authors who slapdash something together and e-publish it will get bad reputations quickly.

I do hope the publishing industry will make whatever adjustments they can to remain solvent. I love my personal library, and holding an electronic device with a file containing one’s labor of love? Just not the same.

Thanks for stopping by, Trish. It's always a pleasure!

If you'd like to read what Trish has to say about writing with humor, visit her guest post at Seekerville.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Award-winning novelist Trish Perry has published eight inspirational romances as well as two devotionals. Before her novels, Perry published numerous short stories, essays, devotions, and poetry in Christian and general market media. She has served as a columnist and as a newsletter editor over the years, as well as a 1980s stockbroker and a board member of the Capital Christian Writers organization in Washington, D.C. She serves on the Board of Directors of CCW and is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and Romance Writers of America. She holds a degree in Psychology.

Trish’s nostalgic romance novel, Unforgettable (Summerside Press), released in March and Tea for Two, Book Two in her Millicent’s Tea Shop series (Harvest House), released in April. She invites you to visit her at http://www.trishperry.com/

ABOUT THE BOOK
Rachel Stanhope tries to see the good in everyone. But even her good graces are challenged when she meets Josh Reegan outside her Arlington, Virginia dance studio on a brisk fall morning in 1951. Admittedly, he’s attractive, but she finds his cynicism and cockiness hard to tolerate.
A hard-news journalist and former World War II Air Force pilot, Josh considers distractions like ballroom dancing frivolous wastes of time. He has yet to shed his wartime drive to defend good against evil whenever he can. Yes, Rachel’s confident nature is a refreshing challenge, but he wouldn’t tangle with her if his newspaper hadn’t roped him into covering one of her studio’s competitions in New York City.

Between Arlington and New York, between the melodrama of ballroom antics and the real drama of political corruption, between family involvement and romantic entanglement, Rachel and Josh have their hands full. The last thing either of them expects is mutual need and support. But once they stop dancing around the truth, the results are unforgettable.

WIN THE BOOK
If you’d like to be entered to win a copy of Unforgettable, just leave a comment on this blog. I’ll pick a winner at random on Tuesday, July 12th. (NOTE: This time round, US addresses only. Thanks.) Please leave an email address so I can contact you if you're the winner. (To prevent spammers from trolling for your email, please use this format with the brackets--you [at] yourmail [dot] com--or something similar.) Good luck!

Happy Independence Day!

2011-07-04T00:03:00.000-07:00

PROCLAIM LIBERTY THROUGHOUT ALL THE LAND

UNTO ALL THE INHABITANTS THEREOF

Leviticus 25:10

Inscribed on the Liberty Bell

May you be blessed this Independence Day!

Possibly the Best Book Video to Date - Overbite by Meg Cabot

2011-06-24T00:03:00.000-07:00

Lately, there's been a lot of talk on the author loops about book videos, or book trailers. The debate rages about how effective they are, what makes a good video, and whether it's a necessary addition to our marketing arsenal.

I don't have any hard data on how BVs affect sales, but I can share my personal thoughts. BVs are fun, but they need to be done well, because a poorly executed video can turn a reader off quicker than expired mayonnaise. I've seen quite a few BVs that I liked and were quite professional. A few have made me decide to buy the book if I already knew about it and was considering the purchase. But honestly, I've yet to see one that made me want to buy a book I knew nothing else about.

Until today.

The video below is for Meg Cabot's new book, Overbite. Take a look, then let's discuss.

So, what makes this video so great? Lots of things.

First off, the author is right there, interacting with you, sharing her personality. Yes, it's quirky and a bit over-the-top, but if you've ever read one of Cabot's books, you know how perfect that vibe is.

Second, the video engages the viewer. Rather than little snippets of text telling you what the book is about, you are drawn into the story. New York is full of vampires... from New Jersey! Read this book or die! If you can watch that BV without laughing, well, maybe the vampires got to you already ;+}

Third, this is a great example of promotion on a budget. Oh, I'm sure they spent a fair penny making this particular BV. After all, Cabot is a NYT Best-Selling author, and HarperCollins is one of the big boys. BUT, if you look at the video, you can see how something similar could be made on a budget. There are no special effects, unless you count the cannolis, which do look special indeed. But you see what I mean.

I love this video because it shows what a BV can be. Like lots of others, I'm learning about this new medium and hoping to create something that doesn't suck. (Ironic, how her book is about vampires, who do suck, yet the video doesn't. Hmmm...)

Your turn... what do you think of this video? (Not the book itself... I realize vampires aren't everyone's cup of tea. I may be the only female in America who hasn't read a single Twilight book, nor followed the movies.) Have you made, or are planning to make, a Book Video? What's your gameplan? Maybe we can learn from each other.

CFBA presents SHE MAKES IT LOOK EASY by Marybeth Whalen

2011-06-23T22:24:00.000-07:00

This week, theChristian Fiction Blog Allianceis introducingShe Makes It Look EasyDavid C. Cook (June 1, 2011)byMarybeth Whalen

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Marybeth Whalen is the wife of Curt and mom of six children. The family lives outside Charlotte, NC. Marybeth is a member of the Proverbs 31 Ministries writing team and a regular contributor to their daily devotions. Her first novel,The Mailbox was released in June 2010. Her next novel, She Makes It Look Easy, was released in June 2011. Additionally, she serves as director of She Reads, Proverbs 31 Ministries' fiction division.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Ariel Baxter has just moved into the neighborhood of her dreams. The chaos of domestic life and the loneliness of motherhood, however, moved with her. Then she meets her neighbor, Justine Miller. Justine ushers Ariel into a world of clutter-free houses, fresh-baked bread, homemade crafts, neighborhood play dates, and organization techniques designed to make marriage better and parenting manageable.

Soon Ariel realizes there is hope for peace, friendship, and clean kitchen counters. But when rumors start to circulate about Justine’s real home life, Ariel must choose whether to believe the best about the friend she admires or consider the possibility that “perfection” isn’t always what it seems to be.

If you would like to read an excerpt of She Makes It Look Easy, go HERE.

JEN'S THOUGHTS

In her latest novel, Marybeth Whalen presents a tale any woman can relate to. We've all known women like Justine, those in our circle who were always presentable, their homes always immaculate, their children picture-perfect. They made everything look easy. And they made us feel like we weren't doing enough. But what really goes on behind the Martha-Stewart-perfect facade? That's the question in this engaging, masterfully written novel of the grass being greener on the other side of the fence. But which side is truly greener? Thumbs up to Whalen! I highly recommend this novel to any woman who thought she could do it all "if only..." Do yourself a favor. Let the dusting go for a day, grab this book, sit in your favorite reading spot, and enjoy. You'll be glad you did.

CFBA presents WINNING HIM WITHOUT WORDS by Lynn Donovan & Dineen Miller

2011-06-22T00:03:00.000-07:00

This week, theChristian Fiction Blog Allianceis introducingWinning Him Without WordsRegal (February 15, 2011)byLynn Donovan & Dineen Miller

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Lynn Donovan

Verse: John 15:5 Apart from Me you can do nothing.

Tagline: Challenging Women to Live in Truth

A passionate writer and speaker, Lynn is a woman who presents a compelling message to encourage women to thrive in their marriage. She speaks at events nationwide where she challenges the myths women believe about love, pointing them to life-changing freedom through a relationship with Jesus. She reveals the zany yet meaningful stories of marriage challenges, truths, and triumphs in her life and invites women to share her view from her front row seat to an amazing journey; life lived for Christ.
Married since 1992 to her best friend and biggest enthusiast, Mike, she lives in Temecula, California. They have a son and a daughter and a wacky dog named Peanut. She loves to laugh, enjoys a strong cup of coffee and Fantasy Football and not necessarily in that order.

She lives each day in awe of the grace of God in her ordinary life.

Dineen Miller

Verse: Romans 8:28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

Tagline: Igniting the Soul

Dineen readily admits that one of the greatest lessons she’s learning about life is that there’s purpose in our trials. And it’s all about trusting God and putting our hope in Him. Her favorite stories will always be of the miracles God has wrought in the lives of her family.

Through this lens she also believes her years as a youth counselor, a Stephen Minister, a women’s ministry leader, and a small group leader have prepared her for God’s calling on her life—to write for and speak to those in mismatched marriages like hers.

In addition to writing for Spiritually Unequal Marriage, Dineen writes for Laced with Grace and various other fiction online magazines and newsletters. She’s also won several prestigious awards for her fiction, and her devotional writing has been featured in Our Journey and Christian Women Online Magazine.

Married for 23 years to a guy who keeps her young, she lives in the Bay Area with her husband, two precious daughters, and their dog Shasta, who no doubt is an angel in disguise.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Week after week, they sit in church . . . alone. They are the spiritually mismatched, those who are committed to a spouse who does not share their faith. Feeling abandoned by their spouse and forgotten by their church, they live out their faith in survival mode, guarding the spiritual flame yet never feeling free to share it. But God wants them to thrive—not just survive.

Winning Him Without Words presents 10 Christ centered keys to thriving in a spiritual mismatch. Readers are encouraged to commit to Christian community, to release their spouse to God’s capable hands, to find peace in their relationships with Christ and with their spouse, to continue their pursuit of a growing faith and to love their spouse with fresh enthusiasm. God wants every marriage to exude peace and love, and Winning Him Without Words empowers readers to create that environment in their homes and thrive as God works.

If you would like to read a sample chapter of Winning Him Without Words, go HERE.

Fantasy Makes Christianity More Real by R.L. Copple

2011-06-21T15:26:00.000-07:00

“Really?” you may ask. “How can that which is not real make reality more real?” A good question that I will seek to answer.

In the interest of full disclosure, I write Christian-based science fiction and fantasy. I have two fantasy books out from Splashdown Books with one more book to follow next year. Reality’s Dawn is a novel-sized set of stories about Sisko, who is given a task to “be his brother’s keeper” and the power to do so through a miracle enabling-ring. Through his experiences, his relationship with God is tested as he works to avoid the ring’s curse. Reality’s Ascent follows Sisko twenty years after the first book, now married with children, but a demon seeks out his ring, imprisons Sisko’s wife in a crystal that can only be unlocked by finding seven keys by people exhibiting a virtue, which sends Sisko and his two children, Kaylee and Nathan, on a quest that tests their character and souls.

I know there is a segment of Christians out there who automatically dismiss anything in those genres, either because they distrust anything that comes from imagination, or they have labeled such as a “lie,” or simply fear that giving credence to fantasy elements linked with God will make people feel God is a fantasy as well. Others see no value in what appears to be pure entertainment.

So what has moved me to write fantasy like the above books despite those objections?

If you’ve read much science fiction or fantasy, you’ll see a lot of secular influence, or in fantasy’s case, often some pagan influence. Fantasy specifically used to be dominated by Christians. Whether we’re talking about “Pilgrim’s Progress,” “Chronicles of Narnia,” “Lord of the Rings,” or many other such examples, the Church has had a history of writing good Christian-based fantasy, sometimes more overt, sometimes more subtle. But in recent decades, it seems due to the aversion many Christians have taken to such works, there has been a dearth of good Christian writers. Some of that is changing, I believe, but during the last century we left those genres of fiction to the secularist and the pagans.

And I believe this has resulted from the acceptance in the Church of a secular way of looking at life: over here is the sacred, and over there is the secular, and we can’t allow the two sides to intersect with each other or the sacred will be tainted and no longer sacred. But the problem is, this creates a realm where God cannot have influence, lest He become “unholy,” as if that could ever happen. Yet, isn’t that what we’re saying? Traditionally the Church has seen God as the source of all, and the only one who can make anything holy and sanctified for His purpose. God was understood to be involved in all areas of our life, so even the Israelites when it didn’t rain for a long time and their crops failed, didn’t look to any scientific explanation to explain that, because they weren’t interested in the “how.” They were interested in the “why.” And the “why” usually involved God.

Today, we label such things as “superstitions.” And sometimes for sure God wasn’t trying to say anything to people just because of the weather or a disaster. Such Jesus pointed out concerning the tower that fell upon people, that it wasn’t due to their sins that such a tragedy befell them, but just chance due to a fallen world. But sometimes God is using such things to speak to us, as when He had Elijah pray to prevent it from raining in Israel until Ahab gave into God’s demands. While I’m not promoting that we spiritualize everything, it is obvious that our secular culture has influenced us to the point that there are areas that are now off limits to God. And for many Christians, one of those areas if fantasy.

But fantasy goes against the secular grain. It posits worlds where miracles happen, where God influences everything, is Lord over everything, including “magic” or “wizards.” It expands the realm of “what’s possible” to include God’s miracles, because if we can’t imagine the supernatural to happen, it blocks God’s power in our own lives, keeps us locked in the secular vs. sacred box, unable to experience God because such fantastical things as we read about in the Bible just don’t happen today. Why? Is it because those stories are really fantasy, as many secularist would believe? Or is because we are so locked into a scientific mindset that if we can’t see it, measure it, touch it, break down its components in a test tube, it must not be real?

So one reason I write fantasy is because I believe it brings back the Christian understanding of a God who is not limited by our secular mindset, nor even really my imagination. He is so much more amazing than anything I could ever dream up on a written page. He will surprise us all once we see Him face to face. Writing and reading fantasy actually helps us to accept His “beyond our wildest imaginations” reality as real, instead of just some stories someone told us about that happened a long time ago, but nothing like that happens today. It makes His reality more real to us.

Is fiction’s primary purpose to entertain? Sure. When someone picks up a fantasy or science fiction book, they mostly want a fun and cool story they can escape into. But here’s the catch. It’s not the fact that they are escaping from real life that is the issue. We can all use some time to do that, to rest from the real word issues. That’s the definition of going on a retreat, which is so popular in many Christian circles.

But the real question is what are they escaping into? Into a secular based world, where God doesn’t exist except as some fallible beings with a lot of power that’s corrupted them? Or into a world that God controls? Are they escaping into literature which supports and promotes a secular world, where God is only relegated to church services for the purpose of keeping the uneducated masses in check, but shut out of anything really important, like creation of the world? Or is He working with the sinner, the harlot, and the murder as He shows us He does in the Scriptures?

One goal I have in my stories is to leave the reader pondering a new point of view. That is something fantasy stories, and other genres of fiction can do best. Not beating anyone over the head with Christianity, but help people see reality from a new perspective, leave them thinking, whether they are Christian or not, and hopefully move some one step closer to God in the process. That is what a good Christian-based fantasy story can do, in a way that no devotional, sermon, self-help book, or non-fiction can do. Once someone gets sucked into a good story, they experience things from that character’s view point. And if it is Christian-based, then it will ultimately support, promote, and “make real” God’s reality, even in the midst of failure, sin, and death. Because all good fantasy touches on the realities we all face, only in a different world and unique characters.

What are some benefits of fantasy that you see for the Christian life?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
As a young teen, R. L. Copple played in his own make-believe world, writing the stories and drawing the art for his own comics while experiencing the worlds of other authors like Tolkien, Lewis, Asimov, and Lester Del Ray. After years of writing devotionally, he returned to the passion of his youth in order to combine his fantasy worlds and faith into the reality of the printed page. Since then, his imagination has given birth to The Reality Chronicles trilogy, along with numerous short stories in various magazines. In his Texas Hill Country residence, he continues to create and give wings to new realities so that others might enjoy and be inspired by them.

WIN THE BOOK
If you’d like to be entered to win the ebook of either Reality's Dawn or Reality's Ascent, just leave a comment on this blog. I’ll pick a winner at random on Monday, June 27th. Please leave an email address so I can contact you if you're the winner. (To prevent spammers from trolling for your email, please use this format with the brackets--you [at] yourmail [dot] com--or something similar.) E-book in the winner’s choice of format (nook, Kindle, PDF) can be downloaded from Smashwords (with free coupon code) or emailed.

The Birth of a Novel by Louise M. Gouge

2011-06-16T00:03:00.000-07:00

Thank you for inviting me to your blog, Jen. You posed an interesting question I’d like to answer: How do I develop a story? This is a great topic that writers often discuss amongst themselves, with every writer having her/his own methods and opinions. Do you start with plot, or do you start with characters? Or maybe you start with a setting? Or a theme? I have used all of these as starting points, but one thing is certain: every story must have a plot.

The plot, the sequence of events (including at least one major conflict), can be inspired by just about anything: newspapers or television news, a family legend, a real life humorous or tragic or complex situation, even a movie or television program that I’d like to see happen differently. One of my soon-to-be e-published books began with a real life rebellion in a foreign country. Certain things happened historically, so parts of the plot were pretty well laid out for me. Beginning a book with a plot means finding a conflict and moving on to the subsequent human reactions to it. That brings us to characters.

Without characters, there is no story. The conflict must happen to or within a being of some sort. I begin most of my books with one or more characters. When I was writing Ahab’s Legacy Trilogy, Ahab’s Bride, Hannah Rose, and Son of Perdition, I developed my protagonists based on Captain Ahab in Herman Melville’s Moby Dick. My characters grew spiritually and emotionally as a result of their responses to this mythical anti-hero. Some of my other books resulted from a minor character clamoring for his or her own story. The hero in The Captain’s Lady is a minor character in the previous book, Love Thine Enemy. Jamie Templeton kept telling me what a great hero he would make, so I gave in and wrote his story, which he insisted should take place in England. That brings us to setting.

Stories have to take place sometime, somewhere, and within some social environment (the social assumptions and customs within any given culture). When I discovered that Florida, my home state, was a British colony during the Revolutionary War, I wanted to set a story here. I had my time and place, but what about the social environment? As it turns out, the people who inhabited this colony at that time were Americans loyal to the British Crown and Englishmen who were in the business of colonizing. How did they interact? What were their dreams and aspirations? What would be my conflict? The more I researched the East Florida Colony, the more my characters and plot came to life, and the results were Love Thine Enemy and At the Captain’s Command. Naturally, because they were set in the American Revolution, each book had a wartime theme, with characters reacting to events over which they had no control. That brings us to theme, and while it may seem odd, I think some of the best stories have war themes.

A book’s theme is the overall statement the author wants to make about her characters or a time in history or some social issue. My husband, David, is a decorated Viet Nam war veteran, and I take pride in his service to our country. However, men and women returning from war often suffer many difficulties as they try to adjust to “normal” life. Like many Viet Nam veterans, David didn’t talk much about his experiences, but when I began to write my post-Civil War series, he opened up. His knowledge and experience undergirded my theme of God’s healing touch on men shattered by war as I wrote Then Came Faith and Then Came Hope. Because it touched my own life so deeply, I’m very proud of that series.

Another book of mine that began with setting is The Gentleman Takes a Bride in the anthology The Wedding Season, with Deborah Hale. This time, my editor asked me to write a Regency romance, which in one word gave me the time, place, and social environment. My theme was an interrupted wedding. Coming up with the perfect plot and characters was a delightful challenge. Here’s what I ended up with: Surely Elizabeth Moberly was born to be a nobleman's bride. She can't possibly be attracted to the untitled stranger who interrupts her cousin's wedding. Yet Elizabeth finds herself drawn to Philip Lindsey's tender heart and strong faith. And if Philip has his way, he'll convince Elizabeth the only title she needs is Mrs. Lindsey, beloved wife.

If you love Regency novels OR would like a chance to form an attachment to them, please give The Wedding Season a try. They’re in Walmart right now and also available at amazon.com and cbd.com. If you would like to know more about my books, please check my website at http://blog.louisemgouge.com/.

The world is full of stories. Why don’t you write one? Whether you begin with plot, character, setting, or theme, or maybe something entirely different, dig deep and you’ll find a whole new world opening up inside of you.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Award-winning Florida author Louise M. Gouge writes historical fiction, calling her stories “threads of grace woven through time.” In addition to numerous other awards, Louise is the recipient of the prestigious Inspirational Readers’ Choice Award. Married to David Gouge for forty-six years, Louise is a mother of four and grandmother of six children. In addition to writing, she teaches English and humanities at Valencia Community College in Kissimmee , Florida. To learn more about Louise, visit her website at http://blog.louisemgouge.com/.

WIN THE BOOK
If you’d like to be entered to win a copy of The Wedding Season, just leave a comment on this post. PLEASE NOTE: USA and Canadian residents only for this one. I’ll pick a winner at random on Wednesday, June 22nd. Please leave an email address so I can contact you if you're the winner. (To prevent spammers from trolling for your email, please use this format with the brackets--you [at] yourmail [dot] com--or something similar.) Good luck!

Interview & Book Giveaway with Author Keven Newsome

2011-06-14T17:30:00.000-07:00

It's a pleasure to introduce today's guest, author Keven Newsome. Welcome, Keven!

Q: What was your inspiration for Winter?
A: Many different factors contributed to the formation of Winter. I suppose the original germ was to write about a Goth Christian, to show how God can use any person no matter what other people may think of them. And in truth, that’s the simplest description of the book. In the flashback story, we see Winter’s decline into the Gothic subculture and her self-destructive behavior as she deals with the slow death of her mother and a new life with her estranged dad. But in the primary story, we see her having overcome her past. She’s now being used in a miraculous way by God. Giving her the gift of prophecy and having her fight a Satanic priest, was just for fun. To me, the real story is about Winter.

Q: Have you always wanted to be a writer?
A: I got an early start writing. My first piece was fan-fic based on a RBG video game. Oh, and I was eleven. I had wrote about three pages in the King’s English. Why? Because the video game used that kind of language. My classmates tell me I never stopped writing, but I don’t think I seriously considered writing until Junior High. That’s when I started to develop story ideas that I would write in High School. I took a break in college, writing my “practice book” after graduating. I’ve been working on Winter for four years now. Have I always wanted to be a writer? No. At times I wanted to be something else. But I think I have always been a writer, even if I wouldn’t admit it.

Q: How does your faith impact your writing?
A: This question is the reason I didn’t write in college. In High School, I didn’t care about mixing faith and writing. But as I grew closer to God, I couldn’t bring myself to write contrary to my faith. It took several years for me to get an answer. In part I have Frank Peretti to thank for inspiring me to write exciting stories of faith. My heart was originally for fantasy, and there was little Christian fantasy to be found for me to learn from. After much prayer, I began my “practice book” and wrote it as a fantasy allegory. Winter, a modern day supernatural thriller, came a little easier. Now, I enjoy creating stories that bring the supernatural to light in a very real way. But fear not…I have another fantasy in cue to write, too.

Q: Do you plot out your story ahead of time, or do you think it up as you go?
A: I am a meticulous outliner. I didn’t even start Winter until I had done a basic outline for the whole series. Then I did a complete outline for Winter. THEN I went back and wrote at least a paragraph describing each chapter in the outline. Only after completing that step for half the book, did I actually start writing. I do let the story grow and become what it wants to become. But when the story makes changes, I have to go fix my outline.

That being said…I have never outlined a short story.

Q: What’s your favorite part of the writing business? What’s your least favorite?
A: My favorite part is writing, of course. Being created in the image of God, humans can’t help but be mini-creators. Immersing in the creative process is the closest I can get to being like God. And isn’t that what we’re supposed to do? Try to be like God? I just pray that my efforts are pleasing to Him. My least favorite part is submitting. Nobody likes to be rejected over and over and over. Can’t we find a way to skip that part?

Q: What’s the most important piece of advice you would give to a fledgling writer?
A: Write. Write. Write. You want to be a writer? Write. Don’t dream about it. Don’t talk about it. Don’t spend all your time studying about it. Do it. And while you write, assume that every other writer is better than you. Listen to them. Learn from them. Grow. And keep writing.

Q: Scenario: You’re about to be dropped off on a deserted island. You can take along one survival item, one book, and one person (living or dead… but they’ll be alive on the island). What and who do you take?
A: Item – satellite phone. Book – A Practical Course in Wooden Boat and Ship Building. Person – the Survivorman, Les Stroud.

Q: What’s the one far out sci-fi technology you’d most like to see become a household item?
A: I want my flying car. Seriously, it’s 2011. Where’s my flying car?

I agree. I want the flying car and the briefcase it folds up into :+} Thanks for stopping by today, Keven. It was a blast!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Keven Newsome is a graduate student at the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, where he is pursuing a Master of Arts in Theology specializing in Supernatural Theology. He writes stories that attempt to portray the Supernatural and Paranormal with an accurate Biblical perspective. He is the author of Winter, a thriller published by Splashdown Darkwater. He currently lives in New Orleans, LA with his wife and their two children. Keven is also the founder and administrator of The New Authors’ Fellowship and produces music and video through Newsome Creative.

Find him online at http://www.kevennewsome.com/ (mind the Es, there are four), on Facebook at www.facebook.com/thewordcrafter, and on Twitter at www.twitter.com/kevennewsome.

ABOUT THE BOOK - Winter
Winter Maessen didn’t ask for the gift of prophecy. She’s happy being a freak – but now everyone thinks she’s crazy. Or evil. Goths aren’t all the same, you know. Some are Christians….Christians to whom God sends visions.

Students at her university are being attacked, and Winter knows there’s more than flesh and blood at work.

Her gift means she’s the only one who can stop it – but at what price?

View the trailer below

WIN THE BOOK
If you’d like to be entered to win the e-book, Winter, just leave a comment on this blog. I’ll pick a winner at random on Monday, June 20th. Please leave an email address so I can contact you if you're the winner. (To prevent spammers from trolling for your email, please use this format with the brackets--you [at] yourmail [dot] com--or something similar.) E-book in the winner’s choice of format (nook, Kindle, PDF) can be downloaded from Smashwords (with free coupon code) or emailed.

Interview & Book Giveaway with Deborah Raney

2011-06-07T00:03:00.000-07:00

It's a great pleasure to introduce you to one of the sweetest gals I've ever met, author Deborah Raney!

Q: Have you always wanted to be a writer?
A: I’ve always written. Even before I could actually read or form letters, I drew pictures that told stories. But the summer I read all of Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Little House books was the first time I realized that being an author was a career one could aspire to. I was only 11 or 12, but I knew from that day on that someday I wanted to try my hand at writing a novel. It wasn’t until I was 38 years old that I actually sat down to write seriously.

Q: How does your faith impact your writing?
A: I actually wrote two versions of my first novel––one Christian and one secular. That experience told me that I simply could not write honestly or deeply unless I was allowed to explore the faith––or lack of faith––of my characters. I know it’s important not to “preach”, but from that day forward, I’ve always included a faith thread in my novels. Sometimes it’s very subtle, or present only as allegory, but it’s always there.

Q: How long does it take you to complete a novel? How many drafts do you go through?
A: It takes me anywhere from 6-12 months to finish a novel. The actual writing may only be 3-5 months, but when you add in research, and four different edits, including a rewrite, it’s rare that I can finish a book in less than 9 months. I always say that what my editor sees as a "first draft" is actually more like a 10th or 12th draft. That may be a bit of an exaggeration, but I go over everything at least 5 or 6 times, especially the first half of the book, which gets read more times than the second, since––as a seat-of-the-pants plotter––I'm still getting to know my characters and figuring out my plot early on.

Q: Do you treat yourself to something special when a project is completed?
A: We almost always go out to eat or go to a movie, or something special to celebrate me writing “the end.” But the biggest treat for me is being able to clean off my desk, and then take a week or two or three off to just read for fun, and catch up on email.

Q: What do you think about writing contests? Have you participated in any? What’s the benefit to an unpublished writer?
A: I wish I could say that awards mean nothing to me, but that wouldn’t be true at all. I think writers are generally very unsure about our writing until we begin to hear positive feedback from readers and professionals. (That’s why a negative review stings so much!) The awards I’ve won have reassured me that even if my books aren’t everyone’s cup of tea, several significant someones have declared my work worthy. That means the world to me.

I think I’m a little odd in one sense, concerning awards. I can’t even analyze why, but I’ve always been thrilled to the gills about finaling in a contest, but winning simply isn’t that important to me. Sure, it’s nice to win an award, but I’m every bit as pleased about my Christy finalist medallions as I am about any first place trophies and pins I’ve won.

Q: If you weren’t a writer, what would you be doing?
A: I’ve always been very interested in psychology, especially as it relates to family relationships. I get to “practice” that a little as a writer, but I could see myself as a counselor. I also love decorating and design, and think it would be fun to give decorating advice or stage homes for Realtors, etc.

Q: What does your family think about your crazy career?
A: My wonderful husband has read everything I’ve ever written. Ken has always been my biggest supporter and cheerleader. Because I began writing when our kids were 17, 13, 11 and 3, they very much took what I did for granted. Our oldest daughter served as a talented proofreader for me, but after she went out-of-state to college, she called me one day having seen my books in a Missouri library. Apparently the librarian had been impressed to learn I was her mom. Tobi called with awe in her voice. “Mom, you’re kind of famous!” Tobi is an elementary teacher now and a wonderful writer herself. She and I wrote a Marriage Perspectives column together for several years.

Our oldest son read my books in college while donating plasma twice a week (because the blood center didn’t allow donors to play video games.) And our youngest son only read one of my books because his sweet fiancée––now his wife––guilted him into it. But he, too, called to tell me how much he enjoyed the book––and how much of our family he saw in my stories. Our youngest daughter had no choice. I read one of my books aloud to her when she was ten or eleven. I feel incredibly blessed to be surrounded by supportive family, parents, in-laws, and friends, but for the most part, to them I’m “just Deb.”

Thanks, Deb. It's always a pleasure when you come to visit!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Deborah Raney's first novel, A Vow to Cherish, inspired the World Wide Pictures film of the same title and launched her writing career after 20 happy years as a stay-at-home mom. Deb's 20th novel releases June 14 from Howard. She and her husband, Ken Raney, enjoy the wildflowers and native grasses growing in the Kansas prairie garden in their large back yard. They also love traveling together to teach at conferences, and to visit four children and three little grandsons who all live much too far away.

ABOUT THE BOOK - Forever After
Lucas was a proud firefighter like his father. Now, not only has he lost his father and his best friend, Zach, in the fire at the Grove Street Homeless Shelter, but the devoted rookie can no longer do the work he loves after being crippled in the tragic event. When friendship with his buddy's beautiful widow turns into more, he wonders what he could possibly offer Jenna. Jenna is trying to grieve her husband's death like a proper widow, but the truth is, she never really loved Zach. His death feels more like a relief to her. But that relief is short-lived when she loses her home and the financial support of her in-laws. Now the secrets of her past threaten to destroy her future.

WIN THE BOOK
If you’d like to be entered to win a copy of Forever After, just leave a comment on this blog. (PLEASE NOTE: Continental US only on this one, folks.) I’ll pick a winner at random on Friday, June 13th. Please leave an email address so I can contact you if you're the winner. (To prevent spammers from trolling for your email, please use this format with the brackets--you [at] yourmail [dot] com--or something similar.) Good luck!

Angel Delgadillo - the Guardian Angel of Route 66 - VIDEO

2011-06-01T00:03:00.000-07:00

In my next book (The Mother Road, Abingdon Press, April 2012), two sisters set off on a journey, part of which takes them down historic Route 66. I came across this video of Angel Delgadillo, resident of Seligman, AZ, who carries the well-earned title "Guardian Angel of Route 66." It's a great example of the reach one person can have, and the joy he can bring into other people's lives. Hope you enjoy it.

Interview & Book Giveaway with Author Eddie Snipes

2011-05-31T00:03:00.000-07:00

Welcome to today's guest, author and president of the Christian Authors Guild, Eddie Snipes.

Q: What was your inspiration for I CALLED HIM DANCER?
A: In 2009 I attended a meeting for the Atlanta Writers Club. The first hour was an author talking about her memoirs and journey to publishing. The second hour was a song writer. I have no interest in song writing, so I didn't plan on staying for the second hour. My wife and I headed out during the intermission. On the way down the hall, I had a sudden urge to stay. We headed back in and listened to a few songs and the two song writers discuss story telling in lyrics. They performed a song called, Dancer. It was interesting, but not my cup of unpasteurized whole milk.

Without warning, one of them said, "We have been trying to get someone to turn this song into a novel."

I looked up and saw an anvil hovering. Just as I said, "I wonder what that is," it hit me. My head vibrated for a few seconds, then I realized, this is something for me. I should write the story. In an instant, my mind raced through the plot and I saw the dancer as clear as cheesecake hiding behind cellophane. I saw what happened to the homeless man in the song, how his life played out, and how the song would end.

To make a short story long, I met with the two song writers, Tralena Walker and Tom Webster. They sent me the lyrics and gave me feedback on the novel. Two years later, it was published.

Q: Have you always wanted to be a writer?
A: When I was a child, I got my first book. I flipped through the pages, then tore it apart. I didn't know it at the time, but that's exactly what you do when editing a manuscript.

I hated writing when I was younger. I only did what I had to do, and sometimes not even that. Writers block was more like writers dementia. My mind didn't return to me until after... hmmm. What were we talking about?

In 1998, I became active in prison ministry. Many of the men I ministered to were eager to learn. Someone asked me if I had my studies or notes on paper. I agreed to write out the next study and then my writing career was born. The problem wasn't that I couldn't write. It was that I didn't have something to say. Or didn't realize I had something to say. Over time writing transformed from a task to a passion.

Q: How does your faith impact your writing?
A: As a Christian writer, I am constantly presenting a Christian world view. Even when I'm not writing on a religious topic, I'm still influencing others in some way. Presenting a secular work in a wholesome way, undergirded by God-given values is a testimony in itself. Even when writing or speaking about a non-religious topic, people will perceive you are a Christian if you hold to what you say you believe. The absence of foul language, sensual focus, and the values spoken will tip off readers.

Ultimately, anything that has no eternal significance has no value. Even entertaining works should ultimately point to the Lord.

Sometimes people underestimate the power of story to teach truth. Jesus used two methods of teaching through his words. To the masses, he taught with parables. They were fictional stories that presented a spiritual truth. To those who sought a deeper understanding, Jesus taught doctrine. So he used a two-tiered teaching approach that included both fiction and non-fiction. Clearly both methods of communication have an important role in reaching our culture.

Q: How do you deal with writer’s block?
A: I hook wires to my earlobes. If I fall below 20 words a minute, I get tazed.

Another effective method is to just write. I believe it was Hemingway that was stuck in writers block for days. He broke the barrier by writing about the wall behind his desk. Write about anything. A lot of this depends on the style of writer someone is. I write like I speak. I have no idea what's coming until the words start. So when I sit down to write, I don't have anything in mind. This can be a big demotivation for me. If I can uncurl my rebellious fingers and start writing, my thoughts begin to flow.

Reading helps as well. My biggest problem is not writers block, but motivating myself to start writing. When I read a good story, I feel inspired to write.

Q: How long does it take you to complete a novel? How many drafts do you go through?
A: For fiction, my method for a first draft is quick. Some think I'm obsessed, but I like to call it focus-surplused. For both my full length novel manuscripts, I finished the first drafts in six weeks. The number of drafts I go through would require a supercomputer to calculate. For my book, I Called Him Dancer, I have over 500 files with that name. So that should give you an idea of the number of saved revisions. On the advice of a publisher, I rewrote the novel completely, hated it, and rewrote it again. At one point I saved my manuscript with 'final draft' in the file name. When I hit final draft 29, I decided to name it something more realistic. It wasn't close to being final.

When everything was complete and perfect, I gave it to my editor. I received it back with needed corrections on nearly every page. This is where flipping through the pages and tearing it apart came into play.

Q: There’s been a lot said about the future of publishing and the possible death of the print book. What’s your take on eBooks, self-publishing, and such?
A: The popularity of eBooks will continue to grow. People have the mistaken idea that there is only so much pie to go around, so if you give extra to one, you have to take a slice from somewhere else. Statistically, this has been shown to not be the case.

While eBooks continue to grow in popularity, printed books are selling more than ever. It may not seem that way since bookstores are fighting for survival. The problem isn't that books are not being printed or sold; the problem is how consumers are buying books. More consumers are buying online than ever before. Amazon is changing the way consumers buy books, but the printed book isn't going away - at least not any time soon.

Q: Why did you decide to self-publish?
A: I'm a tinkerer. I like technology and trying things out on my own. Several factors went into my decision. I did manage to get my manuscript in front of a publisher. They liked the story, but didn't think there was a market for this type of book. The title does create a challenge. Someone told me, "I normally wouldn't read a book like this, but I was truly surprised." Yet I still feel it is important to link the novel to the song.

There were things I wanted to communicate in the story that may not appeal to the masses. It is not churchy in the traditional sense. It also has a strong spiritual message. This is my vision for the book and I didn't want to lose that. I also don't want to 'spruce up' the romantic side of the book. I wanted a wholesome story without foul language and sensuality, but would tell a story that reveals what true love is. And what it means to struggle, ask honest questions about God, and show the difference between shallow faith and true faith. I’ve gotten much feedback and no one has complained that it isn’t steamy enough. Maybe a love story doesn’t need a peeping Tom approach.

Q: Have you been happy with your decision to self-publish?
A: So far I've been very happy with it. The quality of my book is outstanding, and the story is getting high reviews. I wouldn't rule out going traditional in the future, but I like the freedom of independent publishing. I created my own imprint so I could minimize the cost. It's a lot of work, but it has been worth it.

Q: What’s the biggest obstacle for a self-published author? What’s the biggest blessing?
A: There are a few obstacles to consider when self-pubbing. Editing is a must. Regardless of how great your story looks to you and your mother, it is filled with errors. Your eyes can't see it. Get it edited.

Anyone considering self-publishing should count the cost. It's a lot of work and garners little respect. Your book can be a best seller, and still will not be welcomed into the literary inner circle. I'm a member of several large writing guilds, and they don't acknowledge books unless they are published through approved companies. If respect is important to you, stick to the traditional road. If you don't mind taking care of the editing, cover design, printing, marketing, and all the other tasks that fall on independent authors, self-publishing is a good option.

A word of caution. Don't use any publishing house that charges thousands of dollars or can't get a novel on the market for under $10. The farther away from ten dollars you get, the fewer buyers you will have. Research. Either start your own imprint or find an honest publisher with reasonable costs.

Thanks, Eddie. A fun interview and lots of great information to boot!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Eddie Snipes is president of the Christian Authors Guild (http://www.christianauthorsguild.org/) and founder of Exchanged Life Discipleship (http://www.exchangedlife.com/), a teaching and discipleship ministry. He has served as a pastor and interim pastor. Eddie also contributes to several online resources including OnePlace.com. He’s a member of ACFW and the Atlanta Writers Club.

Over the last two years, Eddie has won five writing contests and in April, his first novel, I Called Him Dancer was released. I Called Him Dancer is a story about how one woman's enduring faith and unconditional love drives her to reach out to a homeless man who has given up on life. He has two other books in the process of being published. Watch for an upcoming release called Simple Faith.

ABOUT THE BOOK - I Called Him Dancer
For a moment, Michael danced on top of the world, but one bad choice turned his life upside down. The once promising Broadway star now washes windshields for tips and lives among the homeless. When his former dance partner recognizes him behind the fray of whiskers, shame drives him away from her. Angry at God and the world, the Dancer refuses to allow anyone into his life. When everything is stripped away, three things remain: faith, hope, and love. The greatest of these is love.

I Called Him Dancer is a story about how one woman's enduring faith and unconditional love drives her to reach out to a homeless man who has given up on life.

WIN THE BOOK
If you’d like to be entered to win a copy of I Called Him Dancer, just leave a comment on this blog. I’ll pick a winner at random on Monday, June 6th. Please leave an email address so I can contact you if you're the winner. (To prevent spammers from trolling for your email, please use this format with the brackets--you [at] yourmail [dot] com--or something similar.)

Good luck!

CFBA presents DARKNESS FOLLOWS by Mike Dellosso

2011-05-30T01:34:00.000-07:00

This week, theChristian Fiction Blog Allianceis introducingDarkness Follows(Realms - May 3, 2011)
byMike Dellosso

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Born in Baltimore, Maryland, Mike now lives in Hanover, Pennsylvania, with his wife, Jen, and their three daughters. He writes a monthly column for Writer . . .Interrupted, was a newspaper correspondent/columnist for over three years, has published several articles for The Candle of Prayer inspirational booklets, and has edited and contributed to numerous Christian-themed Web sites and e-newsletters. Mike is a member of the American Christian Fiction Writers, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance, the Relief Writer's Network, the International Christian Writers, and International Thriller Writers. His short stories have appeared with Amazon Shorts and in Coach's Midnight Diner genre anthology. He received his BA degree in sports exercise and medicine from Messiah College and his MBS degree in theology from Master's Graduate School of Divinity.

Mike Dellosso writes novels of suspense for both the mind and the soul. He writes to both entertain and challenge. In addition to his novels, Mike is also an adjunct professor at Lancaster Bible College and a faculty member at the Greater Philadelphia Christian Writer's Conference.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Sam Travis lives in a Civil War era farmhouse in Gettysburg, PA, where he awakens one morning to find an old journal with an entry by a Union soldier, Lt. Whiting…written in Sam’s own handwriting. When this happens several more times, both at night and during waking “trances,” Sam begins to question his own sanity while becoming obsessed with Lt. Whiting and his bone-chilling journal entries. As the entries begin to mimic Sam’s own life, he is drawn into an evil plot that could cost many lives, including his own.

Can the unconditional love of Sam's daughter, Eva, break through his hardened heart before a killer on the loose catches up with them and Sam’s past spurs him to do the unthinkable?

If you would like to read the Prologue and first chapter of Darkness Follows, go HERE

JEN'S THOUGHTS
From the first page of Darkness Follows, Mike Dellosso throws the reader into the middle of the action. Short chapters keep the pace zipping along, making it a hard book to put down. Set against the backdrop of Gettysburg, Delloso draws interesting parallels between contemporary times and the Civil War era. Most importantly, he creates characters who engage the reader. As important information is doled out, piece by piece, we become more invested in their stories, and must know what makes these people tick. As Dellosso himself has said, this is primarily a story of the pure love between a father and his daughter. All in all, he provides a profoundly satisfying - and sometimes startling - reading experience.

Because some readers are more sensitive than others, you may want to know there's a fairly high body count. Also, readers who dislike any kind of harm done to animals should proceed with caution. But I wouldn't let that stop you from reading this book. Darkness Follows is a powerful portrait of the darkness that seeks to devour mankind, and the only Light able to defeat it.

Watch the book video:

Interview & Book Giveaway with Author Caprice Hokstad

2011-05-26T09:22:00.000-07:00

Today's guest is Splashdown Books author Caprice Hokstad. Welcome, Caprice!

Q: Do you treat yourself to something special when a project is completed?

A: Yes. Sleep. Seriously. I almost always have to burn a lot of midnight oil to get something completed and getting done means I can catch up on sleep.

Q: Do you plot out your story ahead of time, or do you think it up as you go?
A: Both. My first book was almost completely seat-of-pants, but the second one was outlined and then filled in.

Q: There’s been a lot said about the future of publishing and the possible death of the print book. What’s your take on eBooks, self-publishing, and such?
A: I would like to see print reserved for only the most special books, with people buying the majority of their books in electronic formats. It’s easier, more cost-effective, more convenient, and saves trees. We do need a waterproof Kindle/Nook/whatever for the beachgoers and bathtub readers, such as myself, but once they put those out, I am all for closing bookstores completely and running the entire industry on the Internet.

My only problem with self-publishing is quality control. I have self-published myself, so I have seen both sides. It’s hard for readers to wade through all the choices, but eBooks are almost always offered with free samples, so it’s less of a risk. Self-published are actually better off in the land of eBooks.

Q: How long does it take you to complete a novel? How many drafts do you go through?
A: It really varies. My first novel’s first draft was done in four months, but then it needed the most extensive rewrites and redrafts. I didn’t count how many. It was a LOT. I edit as I go and now I don’t really do full roughs followed by full rewrites anymore. I do usually have a few crit partners read the draft and make suggestions and then I go back and polish.

Q: What’s the one far out sci-fi technology you’d most like to see become a household item?
A: Rosie, the robotic maid from the Jetsons.

Rosie is quite a popular choice. Whoever comes out with a viable robot-maid is going to make a fortune! Thanks for visiting with us today, Caprice. Lots of fun :+}

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Caprice Hokstad spends most of her time dreaming up other worlds to live vicariously in. Her first half-million words were spent on the fantasy setting of Byntar (where her published Ascendancy Trilogy novels are set). Her current obsession is a future Earth where the oceans are colonized (manifesting as seaQuest fanfiction). She attended Baylor University in Texas and lived in a log cabin in the mountains for ten years directly following college. She now lives--with her husband, two teens, a 7-year-old, a dog, a cat, two big rats, a tankful of guppies, and a leopard gecko--in a mobile home in southern California. She regularly stares at her simulated aquarium screensaver, singing "I Wish I Were a Fish" from "The Incredible Mr. Limpet". Her ultimate aspiration is to live in the first undersea colony, Atlantica, currently being built off the coast of Florida. She has been assured they will have electricity and internet and that there will be room for her laptop, so she can continue to write. At that point, she may change her screensaver, but no promises.

ABOUT THE BOOK - The Duke's Handmaid
Slavery. Loyalty. Torture. Passion. Betrayal. All the young outcast wanted was security in a world that destroyed her family and left her despised and rejected. Can the simple farmgirl find a new family through voluntary enslavement to the duke's household? Not if the prejudiced and conniving duchess has her way!

WIN THE BOOK
If you’d like to be entered to win the e-book, The Duke's Handmaid, just leave a comment on this blog. I’ll pick a winner at random on Monday, June 6th. Please leave an email address so I can contact you if you're the winner. (To prevent spammers from trolling for your email, please use this format with the brackets--you [at] yourmail [dot] com--or something similar.) E-book in the winner’s choice of format (nook, Kindle, PDF) can be downloaded from Smashwords (with free coupon code) or emailed.

Interview & Book Giveaway with Author Delia Latham

2011-05-20T09:42:00.000-07:00

A big welcome to today's guest, author Delia Latham!

Q: Have you always wanted to be a writer?
A: Always…or at least as far back as I can remember. I joke that I was born with a pen in my hand, and it’s not that far from the truth!

Q: Where do you find your story ideas?
A: Everywhere. Ideas are like chameleons—they’re there, but you need to be looking for them to spot them. I like Orson Scott Card’s quote: Everybody walks past a thousand story ideas every day. The good writers are the ones who see five or six of them. Most people don't see any.

So I get some of my story ideas on a chameleon hunt…others are free gifts from God. :)

Q: How does your faith impact your writing?
A: My faith is my writing. It’s a ministry, one in which I try to reach readers who might never darken the door of a church house, but they will pick up a book for entertainment. If I can insert something into my fiction…a seed of truth, a grain of encouragement, a mustard seed of faith…then I’ve accomplished my goal.

Q: How do you deal with writer’s block?
A: Are you sure you want to know? :) I kick and scream and rant and rave and threaten to throw my computer out the window. When that doesn’t work (which is pretty much every time), I lay aside what I’m working on and concentrate on another project for awhile. Most of the time, I find that the block has crumbled when I return to the original project.

Once in awhile, nothing works except falling on my knees and asking God what it is I’m saying that shouldn’t be said, or what I’m leaving out that needs to be said. Once I’m back on track with His message, I can write again.

Q: Do you plot out your story ahead of time, or do you think it up as you go?
A: I am such a pantster. I get the grain of an idea and start mulling it over—meaning I think about it while making beds, doing dishes, dusting furniture and trying to get to sleep at night. Sometimes I pick up a notebook and do a little “free association.” Usually, by the time I actually sit down to write, I have a fairly good idea where my story is headed. At least, where I want it to head. My characters often take over and change the original plan, but that’s okay. They usually do a better job than I could have on my own. :)

Q: What’s your favorite part of the writing business? What’s your least favorite?
A: 1. Writing. I love being “in the zone,” so wrapped up in my story that my characters are more real to me than what is real.
2. Marketing: In a perfect world, I could finish a book, then start immediately into another while someone else gets the word out. (((Sigh))) But God never promised a perfect world—not while I’m in this earthly body, anyway.

Q: What’s the most important piece of advice you would give to a fledgling writer?
A: Write, write, write! You can pore over a hundred different books on the subject, and attend just as many writing classes and conferences—but you’ll never be a writer until you apply your rear to your chair and your fingertips to your keyboard and write. You won’t get better at it until you get the worst out of the way through practice…lots of practice. Do read the books. Absolutely attend the conferences. Then fire up your computer and put what you learn to good use. Otherwise, you’ll be an avid reader with tremendous, non-working knowledge of writing. You’ll be a career conference attendee. But you won’t be a professional writer, because writers write.

Q: What does your family think about your crazy career?
A: They’re supportive, especially my husband, who puts up with my crazy obsession with tremendous patience and a touching confidence that someday I’ll be on those bestseller lists. :) Do they “get it”? Well, no. Do they think I’m a celebrity because I have books with my name on the front? Not in the least. And I like it that way. :)

Q: Scenario: You’re about to be dropped off on a deserted island. You can take along one survival item, one book, and one person (living or dead… but they’ll be alive on the island). What and who do you take?
A: Survival item: A case of Dr. Pepper (I’m pretty sure I need that more than bread and butter…)
Book: My Bible (In that one Book are all the stories I need for entertainment and encouragement.)
Person: Jesus Christ (Wow, what an opportunity! I’d be praying the rescue ship never showed up.)

Thanks for taking the time to hang out with us today, Delia. It was fun!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Born and raised in a place called Weedpatch, Delia Latham moved from California to Oklahoma in 2008, making her a self-proclaimed California Okie. She loves to read and write in her simple country home, and gets a kick out of watching her husband play Farmer John. The author enjoys multiple roles as Christian wife, mother, grandmother, sister and friend, but especially loves being a princess daughter to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. She loves to hear from her readers. You can contact her through her website or send an e-mail to delia AT delialatham DOT net.

ABOUT THE BOOK - Kylie's Kiss

On a dare, Kylie Matthews lands smack in the middle of Solomon’s Gate—Castle Creek’s new Christian dating agency—and she finds herself revealing exactly what she’s waiting for in a relationship: “The kiss that steals my breath away.”

What she doesn’t reveal is her lack of self-esteem or her irrational reaction to facial disfigurement. Neither is applicable to her quest to find the perfect match. But that seemingly superficial malady becomes all-important when her first agency-arranged date is Rick Dale—a man who is everything Kylie is searching for. He’s handsome, smart, fun. Rick has it all…including an angelic six-year-old daughter with severe scarring on one side of her face.

Hard at work founding a therapy camp for young female victims of deformity or disfigurement, Rick wants Kylie to be a part of those plans. She’d love to say yes…but how can she, when every contact with the facility’s guests—and Rick’s own daughter—will make her violently ill?

Kylie is ready to admit their relationship doesn’t stand a chance, but she’s forgotten that God makes a way where there seems no way.

WIN THE BOOK
If you’d like to be entered to win Kylie's Kiss, just leave a comment on this blog. I’ll pick a winner at random on Thursday, May 26. Please leave an email address so we can contact you if you're the winner. (To prevent spammers from trolling for your email, please use this format with the brackets--you [at] yourmail [dot] com--or something similar.) Since this is an e-book, you will receive an email from Delia with information about how to download your book. Good luck!

Interview & Book Giveaway with Author Connie Stevens

2011-05-17T00:03:00.000-07:00

A big HELLO to today's guest, Heartsong Presents author Connie Stevens!

Q: What was your inspiration for REVEALING FIRE?
A: The main characters in REVEALING FIRE were minor characters in my first book, LEAVE ME NEVER. Both Pearl and Hubert are in their mid-fifties—their “September years”. I so fell in love with these two people while writing the first book, I knew I had to give them their own story.

Q:How does your faith impact your writing?
A: I’ve been asked this question before and my answer is always the same. It’s imperative that everything I write is God-honoring. Because it was God who carved out my writing path, I MUST write to please Him. If I’m not writing for God, what’s the point? From the day I learned I was getting my first contract, I began praying for my readers. That is such an awesome responsibility because at some point I know that unbelievers might pick up my book and I want them to see Jesus in the lives of the characters and understand how He works in their lives.

Q: Do you plot out your story ahead of time, or do you think it up as you go?
A: I do both. I plot out the major points and character arcs. I have a general idea of where the story is going and how I’m going to get to The End. But in every book I’ve written, my characters have taken me on unplanned detours. In most cases, they had better ideas than I did, so I followed along to see where we’d end up. (My husband keeps trying to tell me these people aren’t real.)

Q: How long does it take you to complete a novel? How many drafts do you go through?
A: My writing schedule is an ever-evolving process. It used to take me 8-9 months to write a book, but I wasn’t following a schedule. Once I had more than one contract and deadlines, (throw content edits, copy edits, and galley edits into the mix) I knew I had to be better organized. Now I can turn out a book (50K words) in approximately three and half months. Because I edit as I go, and as I get my chapters back from my crit partners, I don’t do several drafts—usually only two.

Q: What’s your favorite part of the writing business? What’s your least favorite?
A: My favorite part is the creating and the research. I love historical research. My least favorite is probably the content edits (No offense, Rachel J)

Q: What’s the most important piece of advice you would give to a fledgling writer?
A: Don’t quit. God won’t start something in your life that He doesn’t intend to finish, so hang in there.

Q: What’s the one far out sci-fi technology you’d most like to see become a household item?
A: This is a funny question since I write historical romance, not sci-fi. My husband is the science fiction fan in our house, and I don’t know Star Trek from Star Wars, but I wouldn’t mind having a robot—like the one on The Jetsons. What was her name? Rosie? Rosie cleaned, and did laundry, and cooked the meals. Yeah, I’d like to have a Rosie.

I'd like to have, Rosie, too. Good choice :+} Thanks for joining us today, Connie. It was a pleasure!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Connie Stevens lives in her favorite place in all the world, within sight of the beautiful mountains of north Georgia. She and John, her husband of thirty-seven years, share their home with one cantankerous kitty, misnamed Sweet Pea. When Connie isn’t writing, she enjoys reading, gardening, browsing antique stores, sewing, and collecting teddy bears. She also likes making quilts to send to the Cancer Treatment Centers of America. Visit her website at www.conniestevenswrites.com or look for her on Facebook.

ABOUT THE BOOK - Revealing Fire
Pearl Dunnigan is in her “September years”, well beyond the age when most women fall in love. She married her childhood sweetheart years ago. Now, as a widow, she operates the only boardinghouse in Willow Creek, Iowa, and is content with life . . . until Hubert dares to convince her to dream again.

During Hubert Behr’s youth, blind ambition and careless actions destroyed his family and his marriage. Have the lessons he’s learned since then made him worthy of a second chance, or has his past made him unsuitable for love? Hubert is willing to try again, but what will Pearl say when she learns his secrets?

Hubert’s estranged son arrives in town, and his anger and scorn threaten to undo Hubert’s and Pearl’s plans. When all the truth is revealed, will their love be destroyed or refined by fire?

“Every man’s work shall be made manifest . . . because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is.”

1st Corinthians 3:13

WIN THE BOOK
If you’d like to be entered to win a copy of Revealing Fire, just leave a comment on this blog. I’ll pick a winner at random on Friday, May 20th. Please leave an email address so I can contact you if you're the winner. (To prevent spammers from trolling for your email, please use this format with the brackets--you [at] yourmail [dot] com--or something similar.) Good luck!

My Book Is Free... Please Take One!

2011-05-16T21:11:00.000-07:00

Thanks to my awesome publisher, Abingdon Press, you can now get an electronic copy of The Pastor's Wife for free! That's right, 100% free. From now until May 22nd it's available in several different formats. Here are the links:

Amazon Kindle
Barnes & Noble NOOK
Christian Book Distributors

Some folks have asked me how it benefits the author to give the book away for free. First and foremost, it's great to build exposure. The hope is that if you read the free book, you'll be excited about the release of my next book (The Mother Road, April 2012). You might even want to buy a copy of The Pastor's Wife to give to a friend. In any case, it's a win-win for both reader and author. So here's how you can help me...

Buy it - Hey, it's free. Even if you already have the paper version, you may want to read it on the go one day.
Review it - If you enjoyed it, a review on one (or more) of the sites would be a huge boost. It doesn't have to be long or complicated. Just whatever you have time for. Simple is sweet.
Tell your friends about it - You don't have to be married to a clergy person to read this book. You don't even have to be a woman. A surprising number of men have read it without having a gun pointed at their backs, and enjoyed the experience. So let all the book lovers in your life know about it... the more the merrier!

Interview & Book Giveaway with Author Carrie Turansky

2011-05-12T00:03:00.000-07:00

Today's guest is Christian fiction author Carrie Turansky. Welcome, Carrie!

Q: What was your inspiration for Surrendered Hearts?
A: I wrote Surrendered Hearts as a sequel to my first novel, Along Came Love. A few years ago I read an article in Real Simple magazine about a small town in Vermont. The article focused on the friendships of the women there, and that piqued my interest and set my imagination off on a journey. I visited Vermont and did some research and found an art and antique gallery in the converted barn that inspired the setting for both books. I’ve included photos of Country House Gifts and Antiques on my website. I also read an article in my local newspaper about a gas pipeline explosion and all the damage that did. I used that as part of my heroine’s past, and then had her work through accepting her scars and coming to faith through that experience as the main plot line for the story.

Q: Have you always wanted to be a writer?
A: I’ve always loved to read and be creative. But I was an art major in college and studied graphic design. I didn’t start writing until 1998 after our family returned from a spending a year in Kenya as missionaries. I missed Kenya so much, I decided to write a story set there as a way to relive some of those experiences. That became the setting for my first novel. I wrote five full-length novels and one novella before my first novella, Wherever Love Takes Us in Wedded Bliss, was accepted for publication in 2005. It took a lot of faith and perseverance to keep writing and submitting my books.

Q: How does your faith impact your writing?
A: My faith has a huge impact on my life and my worldview, so it is very evident in my writing. I like to put my characters in tough situations where they discover new things about their faith and how God can help them in their situation. Through my stories readers can see my characters learn about issues like forgiveness, honesty in relationships, self-sacrifice for the sake of someone you love, and other issues. In Surrendered Hearts, my heroine struggles with revealing her scars to others and reconnecting with God after some very painful losses. I hope my readers will be drawn closer to God by reading my stories and stepping into the lives of my characters.

Q: Do you plot out your story ahead of time, or do you think it up as you go?
A: I outline my stories and plot out the main points. I need to know where I am going and what makes my characters tick, but I don’t fill in all the details. That gives me some room to be creative and enjoy the writing process. Most of the publishers I have written for require a synopsis, so I have to plot it out for them to consider contacting the book.

Q: What do you think about writing contests? Have you participated in any? What’s the benefit to an unpublished writer?
A: I entered several writing contests before I was published and I appreciate the feedback and critiques I received from the judges. Those suggestions showed me how to improve my writing. I was a finalist in several contests and the winner of one. That gave me motivation to keep pressing on to publication.

Q: What does your family think about your crazy career?
A: My family is very supportive of my writing. My husband and my daughters all read my books and have offered me a lot of encouragement. My mother-in-law is also a great encouragement to me. I am blessed that they are interested in my books and writing career.

Q: There’s been a lot said about the future of publishing and the possible death of the print book. What’s your take on eBooks, self-publishing, and such?
A: My featured book for this interview is a self-published e-book. I believe this is the wave of the future, and I want to jump in and ride that wave. I believe there will always be a market for print books, but e-books are on the rise as more readers purchase e-readers and that becomes the norm. I think it is an exciting time to be an author. I’ve written two articles about self-publishing my e-book and readers can read those in the notes section on Facebook if they’d like more info on that.

Q: Why did you decide to self-publish?
A: I wrote Surrendered Hearts a few years ago and submitted it to two publishers, but it did not find a publishing home. Because it is 60,000 words, it was not long enough to be considered by most CBA publisher who usually like their novels to be about 80 – 90,000 words. But I LOVE this story, and I wanted to make it available to my readers, so I decided to try the e-publishing route.

Q: Have you been happy with your decision to self-publish?
A: Yes, I have been very happy with this decision. It has been exciting to learn all these new aspects of publishing and promotion.

Q: What’s the biggest obstacle for a self-published author? What’s the biggest blessing?
A: You need to spend quite a bit of time on promotion to get the word out which can cut into your writing time, so you need to be careful and plan wisely. The biggest blessing is knowing a story that I love is now out there for readers to enjoy.

Thanks, Carrie. It was fun and informative :+}

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Carrie Turansky is the award-winning author of eight inspirational romance novels and novellas. She has been a finalist for the Inspirational Readers Choice Award, The ACFW Genesis, and ACFW Carol Award and winner of the WRW Crystal Globe Award. She has been a member of American Christian Fiction Writers since 2000. Her latest releases are Christmas Mail-Order Brides, Seeking His Love, and Surrendered Hearts. She lives in central New Jersey with her husband, Scott, who is a pastor, author, speaker and counselor. They have five young adult children. Carrie leads women’s ministry at her church, and when she is not writing she enjoys gardening, reading, flower arranging, and cooking for friends and Family. You may contact her though her website: http://www.carrieturansky.com/

ABOUT THE BOOK - Surrendered Hearts
Jennifer Evan’s life changes forever when a gas pipeline explodes, starting a fire at her apartment. Losing her home and beloved dog are terrible blows, but the ugly scars that cover her arm, neck and shoulder steal her confidence and cause her fiancé to desert her. With her funds depleted and her job on hold, she heads for Vermont where she hopes to reconnect with her brother and find a way to rebuild her shattered life. Bill Morgan, a strong and quiet man whose faith runs deep, challenges her view of God and faith. Will she hold on to the pain of her past, or will she surrender her heart and find the faith and love she seeks?

WIN THE BOOK
If you’d like to be entered to win Surrendered Hearts, just leave a comment on this blog. I’ll pick a winner at random on Wednesday, May 18th. Please leave an email address so I can contact you if you're the winner. (To prevent spammers from trolling for your email, please use this format with the brackets--you [at] yourmail [dot] com--or something similar.) Since this is an e-book, you will receive a coupon code to use at the Smashwords website for the free book. They have formats that will work for just about any e-reader or for the computer. Good luck!

Interview & Book Giveaway with Author Michelle Griep

2011-05-10T00:03:00.000-07:00

A big welcome to author Michelle Griep. Make sure to leave a comment on today's post for a chance to win a copy of her new novel, Undercurrent.

Q: Have you always wanted to be a writer?
A: Yes, except for a short season when I kicked around the idea of becoming an astronaut. Two problems with that, though. First off, I hate science and math, both of which you should at least have a mild interest in to be successful in a space career. Secondly, when I found out that astronauts don’t actually wear cool Lt. Uhura uniforms, it was a deal breaker.

Q: What’s your favorite part of the writing business? What’s your least favorite?
A: Getting paid for penning down my daydreams is my fave. Least is marketing. There’s a reason I’m not a salesman. I stink at it.

Q: After becoming a published author, what surprised you the most?
A: The freak magnet effect. When people hear you’re a published author, you will be blown away by the connection that others instantly feel toward you. I’m convinced that 99.9% of the population are wannabe-writers with not only novel ideas, but entire epic trilogy tales. These people will corner you and tell you every detail of their story, then expect you to help them get it published.

Q: If you weren’t a writer, what would you be doing?
A: I’d be running a B&B in England. Near a castle. On a moor. With Mr. Rochester as my neighbor. Wow. Did I mention I’m an out-of-the-closet Charlotte Bronte fan-a-maniac?

Q: What event, writer, or book has most impacted your writing life?
A: My critique partners. These gals are ruthless. They’re cute when they wear their cheerleader costumes but my-oh-my…my head’s been on a platter many times over for lazy writing or a sagging plot. These writing buddies are always there for me whether I’m riding the crest of victory or weeping from rejection. I couldn’t play this game without them.

Q: What does your family think about your crazy career?
A: My husband knew I was certifiably insane when he married me, so no problem there. As for my kids… My oldest son thinks it’s great but only reads audio/technical textbooks. My second son reads my rough drafts, cutting out scenes that are too sissy and/or adding in some sweet moves to my fight scenes. My oldest daughter is too busy fixing her hair to notice that I write. And my youngest daughter is pretty sure Hollywood will make blockbuster movies of my stories, and can I please get her into a starring role?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Michelle’s been writing since she first discovered blank wall space and Crayolas. She seeks to glorify God in all that she writes…except for that graffiti phase she went through as a teenager. Find out more at www.mmgriep.com

ABOUT THE BOOK - Undercurrent
People go missing every day. Many meet with foul play, some leave the social grid by choice, but others are never accounted for. Such is the fate of successful linguistics professor Cassie Larson. She leads a life her undergrad students hope to attain, until she tumbles into the North Sea and is sucked into a swirling vortex…and a different century.

Alarik, son of a Viking chieftain, is blamed for a murder he didn’t commit—or did he? He can’t remember. On the run, saving a half-drowned foreign woman wasn’t in his plans.

Ragnar is a converted pagan shunned by many but determined to prove his Cousin Alarik’s innocence. He didn’t count on falling in love with Cassie or the deadly presence of evil that threatens his village in Alarik’s absence.

WIN THE BOOK
If you’d like to be entered to win a copy of Undercurrent, just leave a comment on this blog. I’ll pick a winner at random on Friday, May 13th. Please leave an email address so I can contact you if you're the winner. (To prevent spammers from trolling for your email, please use this format with the brackets--you [at] yourmail [dot] com--or something similar.)

Good luck!

Interview & Book Giveaway with Author Shannon Taylor Vannatter

2011-05-05T00:03:00.000-07:00

Welcome to romance novelist Shannon Taylor Vannatter!

Q: What was your inspiration for this series?
A: In the first book in the series, White Roses, I mentioned a bleached blond clad only in a towel who had wrecked the heroine’s romance. When my editor asked if the book could be made into a series, I immediately thought of the bleached blond. I wanted to explore what would shape her character and what it would take to tame her. With book two, White Doves, an illegitimate son was revealed, so White Pearls wrapped up that story and I knew I wanted to set it in a historical plantation house in Rose Bud, AR. It’s one of those houses I can never drive by without craning my neck to look. They used the actual house on the cover.

Q: Have you always wanted to be a writer?
A: I had one creative writing class in the 3rd grade and I loved it. But that was all, so I never even thought of being a writer. I had a story in my head from the time I was fifteen, but never knew what to do with it. Finally at about thirty, I realized it could be a book, but didn’t start writing until three years later.

Q: How does your faith impact your writing?
A: It just comes out. The very first book I wrote was supposed to be a clean romance, but my characters kept talking to God. That’s when I learned there was an inspirational market.

Q: How do you deal with writer’s block?
A: I’ve only had it once and I thought it was a myth until then. I’m a seat of the pants writer. I usually know how the book will begin, a couple of big turning points, and how it will end. For the second book in the series, I had to write the chapter by chapter synopsis before writing the book. When it came time to write the book with a deadline hanging over my head and the book already plotted out, I had my first case of writer’s block. I thought it was a myth until then. I went to a writers’ workshop taught by Kaye Dacus. She mentioned she was a pantser and how hard it is for her to write a synopsis before the book. So after the class I asked for advice. She said to put away the synopsis and work on something else until it was out of my head, then write the book. I did it and it worked. The words starting flying.

Q: Do you treat yourself to something special when a project is completed?
A: High heel shoes. I love them and have probably fifty pair, but my closet is overflowing, so I’m going to have to come up with something else.

Q: What’s the most important piece of advice you would give to a fledgling writer?
A: Join a local writers’ group and attend conferences. Join a national group geared toward your genre and attend all the national conferences you can afford.

Q: What do you think about writing contests? Have you participated in any? What’s the benefit to an unpublished writer?
A: I entered four or five contests and got 2nd place in two of them. I learned so much from the judges’ feedback. Some of it is subjective, but if two judges’ said the same thing, I paid attention. I learned to pray about the comments and then make changes accordingly. I recommend entering contests with feedback or where the final judge is an editor from the house you’re interested in.

Q: What event, writer, or book has most impacted your writing life?
A: American Christian Fiction Writers. I’ve attended the conference since 2005 and finally joined in 2007. If not for ACFW, I’d probably still be unpublished. Specific workshop: It all came together for me at the early bird in 2008. Margie Lawson’s EDITs class. The scales fell from my eyes and I knew what should be in a book and what shouldn’t. If writers ever get the opportunity, they should take it. She offers a lesson packet on her website.

Q: Scenario: You’re about to be dropped off on a deserted island. You can take along one survival item, one book, and one person (living or dead… but they’ll be alive on the island). What and who do you take?
A: I’m cheating here. My survival item would be my husband. I don’t rough it well, so I’d need him to survive. The book would be the Bible. And the person would be our son.

Thanks for visiting, Shannon. It was great fun!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Shannon Taylor Vannatter married her high school sweetheart. Since then her husband answered the call to preach and they became first-time parents 16 ½ years into their marriage. She is a stay-at-home mom/pastor’s wife.

White Roses, White Doves, and White Pearls is her first series with Heartsong Presents. All three books are set in Romance and Rose Bud, Arkansas. Brides and lovebirds take advantage of the re-mailing program to have wedding invitations and Valentines cards mailed from Romance with a unique postmark. Romance also hosts several annual weddings with Valentine’s Day the most popular date.

The 18th Annual Heartsong Awards named her #3 Favorite New Author, White Roses as #1 Contemporary Novel and #2 Favorite Contemporary Cover, and White Doves as #8 Contemporary Novel and #1 Favorite Contemporary Cover. She is currently working on a Texas rodeo series contracted with Heartsong Presents.

Learn more about Shannon and her books at http://shannonvannatter.com/. She’s active on Facebook: facebook.com/shannontaylorvannatter and Twitter: @stvauthor.

ABOUT THE BOOK - White Pearls
Shell doesn’t have a good reputation…

But no matter what everyone in Rose Bud, Arkansas, thinks of her, she’s back in town with a job to do. She’ll stick it out and make the best of things. But why does Ryler have to be the landscaper on this project? She was just getting her heart under control.

Ryler has his own reasons for being in Rose Bud, and they don’t include Shell. Spying on his birth family was going to be hard enough. He doesn’t have time to worry about a woman who dumped him…even if his heart says otherwise.

But God’s love can change even the hardest heart. In the light of His presence, even the darkest past can be overcome. They may not know it, but the people of Rose Bud are about the change!

WIN THE BOOK
If you’d like to be entered to win a copy of White Pearls, just leave a comment on this blog. I’ll pick a winner at random on Tuesday, May 10th. Please leave an email address so I can contact you if you're the winner. (To prevent spammers from trolling for your email, please use this format with the brackets--you [at] yourmail [dot] com--or something similar.) Good luck!

CFBA presents TO WIN HER HEART by Karen Witemeyer

2011-05-04T23:21:00.000-07:00

This week, theChristian Fiction Blog Allianceis introducingTo Win Her Heart(Bethany House - May 1, 2011)byKaren Witemeyer

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Karen Witemeyer is a deacon's wife and mother of three who believes the world needs more happily-ever-afters. To that end, she combines her love of bygone eras with her passion for helping women mature in Christ to craft historical romance novels that lift the spirit and nurture the soul.
After growing up in California, Karen moved to Texas to attend Abilene Christian University where she earned bachelor and master's degrees in Psychology. It was also there that she met and married her own Texas hero. He roped her in good, for she has lived in Texas ever since. In fact, she fell so in love with this rugged land of sweeping sunsets and enduring pioneer spirit, that she incorporates it into the pages of her novels, setting her stories in the small towns of a state that burgeoned into greatness in the mid- to late1800s.
Karen is living her dream by writing Christian historical romance novels for Bethany House. When she visited her publisher back in January of 2010, she was interviewed by the staff. If you'd like a behind-the-scenes glimpse into how she develops her story ideas and a description of her bumpy journey to publication, click here to listen to a podcast of that interview.

ABOUT THE BOOK

After completing his sentence for the unintentional crime that derailed his youthful plans for fame and fortune, Levi Grant looks to start over in the town of Spencer, Texas. Spencer needs a blacksmith, a trade he learned at his father’s knee, and he needs a place where no one knows his past.

Eden Spencer has sworn off men, choosing instead to devote her time to the lending library she runs in the town her father founded. When a mountain-sized stranger walks through her door and asks to borrow a book, she's reluctant to trust him. Yet as the mysteries of the town’s new blacksmith unfold, Eden discovers hidden depths in him that tempt her heart.

Eden believes she's finally found a man of honor and integrity. But when the truth about Levi's prodigal past comes to light, can this tarnished hero find a way to win back the librarian’s affections?

If you would like to read the first chapter of To Win Her Heart, go HERE.

THOUGHTS FROM JEN

I haven't received this book yet, so can't give a review. However, I can say that I loved Karen's first two books and am looking forward to reading this one. If you haven't read her debut novel, A Tailor-Made Bride, it's available for free right now on Kindle. Enjoy!

Interview & Book Giveaway with Author Louise M. Gouge

2011-05-02T00:03:00.000-07:00

A big welcome today to author Louise M. Gouge!

Q: What was your inspiration for AT THE CAPTAIN’S COMMAND?
A: I discovered a tidbit of history I hadn’t known and turned it into a three-book series. I have lived in Florida for thirty-one years, and yet for twenty-five of those years, it never sunk in that this state was once a British colony. Florida? Spanish colony, right? Yes, for most of two hundred years. But during one of those many European wars of past centuries, Spain had to hand over this colony to England in 1763. Out went the hapless Spanish settlers, many of whom had been born here. In came the eager English AND a bunch of Americans from the northern colonies. Many settled in the capital, St. Augustine, and others established plantations, where they grew oranges, lemons, rice, indigo, and many other products. Then, when the thirteen colonists rebelled against England, many loyalists had to flee their homes and come to Florida, which had no wish to separate from the mother country. Of course, all this conflict makes a wonderful setting for a romance novel. In my case, it’s been the inspiration for a series of three books.

The first book, Love Thine Enemy (Harlequin’s Love Inspired Historical 2009), takes place on one of those indigo plantations along the St. Johns River, and the hero and heroine are on different sides of the Revolution. Then, in one of those fun fiction happenings, a secondary character from that story asked for his own book, so along comes The Captain’s Lady (Harlequin’s LIH 2010). Again, the hero and heroine are on different sides in the conflict. For variety, this story takes place in London. What fun to imagine the drawing rooms and manor houses of England!

For the third book, At the Captain’s Command, I wanted to do something different, so I began to ask myself more questions. What if my hero and heroine are on the same side? Furthermore, what if they are both in favor of England winning the war? What conflict could I create? Easy. She’s an American Loyalist of no particular social status who has vowed never to marry a seafaring man. He is an English naval captain, the son of an influential earl who would forbid his son’s marriage to a “common American.” Conflict enough? I think so.

Q: Have you always wanted to be a writer?
A: No, not really. As a child, I had a very active imagination that didn’t quit as I grew older. But I wanted to become an actress and opera singer and trained for both. However, to show how serious I was about that show biz career, when I met my wonderful husband, I gave up those dreams and had a wonderful time becoming a wife and mother. I happily settled for taking part in church drama and choir for many years. But as my children grew older, I wondered what I would do with myself. A friend gave me a shove (hi, Pat Bickers!) to start writing the stories that I dreamed up. I had been writing church dramas for years, but writing a novel? Well, I decided to give it a try. That first nugget of an idea became two books, my first publishing credits.

Q: How does your faith impact your writing?
A: If it were not for my Lord Jesus Christ, I would not be a writer. He is the Ultimate Reality, the One we all need to know for this life and for eternity. So when I write a story, my characters mirror real life when they come to God for salvation and for help to walk through this crazy world. Not that everything turns out just peachy, because it doesn’t in real life. We all have grief and disappointment. The most important lesson we can learn is that He will be with us, no matter how bad things get. I try to live with that hope, and I pray my readers will find that joy through my stories.

Q: Do you plot out your story ahead of time, or do you think it up as you go?
A: I have a basic plot and know where I’ll end up. But sometimes on the journey, I have side trips and secondary characters who keep interrupting the main story. Those are lots of fun and really enrich the stories.

Q: What’s your favorite part of the writing business? What’s your least favorite?
A: I love the whole process of creating characters and the adventures they will experience. When I begin a new story, it’s like going on a journey with new friends. As we progress on the journey, I find satisfaction in helping them reach their goals. As far as the least favorite part, I don’t like to be “in between contracts.” LOL!

Q: What do you think about writing contests? Have you participated in any? What’s the benefit to an unpublished writer?
A: I do love contests. I didn’t enter any as an unpublished writer, but I’ve entered several published books in contests. In fact, one of my books won the 2006 IRCC for historical fiction. What a thrill! But I also judge contests and try to give the entrants some helpful suggestions to improve their writing. Often the winners will end up with contracts, so I rejoice for them. I believe contests are a great way to discover whether or not you’re equipped for this tough writing business.

Q: If you weren’t a writer, what would you be doing?
A: I do have another career that probably would be full time. I’m a college English and humanities professor at a nearby college. I love having an impact on my students, and they seem to respond to my efforts to interest them in a larger world.

Q: What does your family think about your crazy career?
A: My family has been wonderful in supporting me from day one. My dear husband is my first reader and often points out places where I could improve a story. My children and siblings encourage me and actually read my books and urge their friends to buy them. Long ago, when I first began, my kids would come home from school and ask what I’d written that day. They wanted me to succeed. Without that support, I doubt I would have continued.

Q: There’s been a lot said about the future of publishing and the possible death of the print book. What’s your take on eBooks, self-publishing, and such?
A: My attitude has completely changed in the past year. E-books are becoming very popular, so I’m excited to watch my sales go up in that format. As far as self-publishing is concerned, I know many people who have not been published traditionally are going that route when they can’t sell their books to traditional houses. Personally, I prefer that extra editing step before my book goes to print (or e-book). My editors have kept me from mistakes and have improved my writing. Too many people lack the skills to write, but they think readers will overlook that. Big mistake. If you must self-publish, at least hire a freelance copy editor or book doctor to spruce up your work. It will save you a lot of embarrassment. On the other hand, I may bring out some of my out-of-print titles that were published long before e-books came along and “self-publish” in that format. But these books have already been vetted and sold. Further, I’m a college English professor, so I know my grammar is correct. Aspiring writers should try very hard not to insult readers by offering inferior work just to stoke their own egos.

Q: What’s the one far out sci-fi technology you’d most like to see become a household item?
A: Oh, that’s easy. I would love to have a robot housemaid to clean my house and do all my cooking. I used to be such a great housekeeper, but when I have a deadline, the dust piles up. Fortunately for me, I have a wonderful husband who like to cook and is very good at it. In all fairness, though, I should do some of the cooking because he has a job, too. That’s when the robot would come in handy.

Thank you so much for having me as a guest blogger. I hope your readers will give my books a try.

Thank you, Louise! It was a pleasure.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Award-winning Florida author Louise M. Gouge writes historical fiction, calling her stories “threads of grace woven through time.” In addition to numerous other awards, Louise is the recipient of the prestigious Inspirational Readers’ Choice Award. Married to David Gouge for forty-six years, Louise is a mother of four and grandmother of six children. In addition to writing, she teaches English and humanities at Valencia Community College in Kissimmee , Florida. To learn more about Louise, visit her website at http://blog.louisemgouge.com.

ABOUT THE BOOK - At the Captain's Command (Harlequin’s Love Inspired Historical).
A heroic British naval captain, son of an influential earl, dares to fall in love with a provincial American girl. Then he discovers her family's devastating secret.

Loyal to the British Crown, orphaned Dinah Templeton has vowed never to marry a seafaring man, for her father died at sea and her merchant captain brother is always away. But when Captain Thomas Moberly sails into St. Augustine to defend the East Florida shores from American pirates, Dinah finds that her heart may overrule her head regarding this seafarer. Captain Thomas Moberly, captain of HMS Dauntless, has been assigned to capture the notorious American pirate Nighthawk, who plagues the Atlantic coast of East Florida. War-weary and hoping for a refreshing visit with his brother and sister, who live near St. Augustine, Thomas never expects to find love. But how can he resist the lovely Miss Templeton, even though she is what his father, Lord Bennington, would call a common American?

WIN THE BOOK
If you’d like to be entered to win a copy of At the Captain's Command, just leave a comment on this post. PLEASE NOTE: USA and Canadian residents only for this one. I’ll pick a winner at random on Thursday, May 5th. Please leave an email address so I can contact you if you're the winner. (To prevent spammers from trolling for your email, please use this format with the brackets--you [at] yourmail [dot] com--or something similar.) Good luck!

How Bad do You Want this Tuxedo?

2011-04-28T00:03:00.000-07:00

Earlier this week I took my son to Tuxedo Junction to rent his prom attire. This particular mannequin disturbed me... is it a representation of what the groom looks like after the wedding? Or does the rental cost an arm, a leg, and half a head? You be the judge...

A New Voice for the Aflac Duck

2011-04-27T11:16:00.000-07:00

I don't generally care about corporate mascots, but this time, it's different. Maybe it's because the duck is so cute. Maybe it's because he's always so earnest. Whatever the reason, I'm pretty happy that the duck's got a new voice.