Love Finds You in Golden, New Mexico

Lena Nelson Dooley's "Love Finds you in Golden, New Mexico"

We're happy to have Lena Nelson Dooley with us today talking about her new book, Love Finds You in Golden, New Mexico. To learn more about Lena and her book, read on!


1) How did this story come to you?
Actually, two other authors and I first proposed a mail-order bride proposal for a three book series. The proposal was rejected. So two of us took our stories and reworked them to propose to different publishing houses.

2) Tell us about the journey to getting this book published.
When my agent Joyce Hart sent it to Summerside Press, the editor liked it right away. The company asked if I would be willing to wait for the contract. Since I really wanted to sell to Summerside, Joyce and I decided it was worth waiting for. The rest, as they say, is history.

3) Tell me three things about yourself that would surprise your readers.
* I was a runner-up in a beauty contest when I was a senior in high school.
* I was painfully shy until I was a senior in high school.
* I grew up on fish farms.

4) What are you working on now and what's next for you?
I’m working on a contemporary women’s fiction titled Beyond Redemption. It hasn’t been contracted, but a major house is considering it right now. I also have proposals for two separate 3-book series at publishers right now. I’m waiting for something to sell. In the meantime, I’m scheduled to speak several places this year. Readers can find out where on the Newsletter page of my blog: http://lenanelsondooley.blogspot.com/

5) Parting comments?
The print edition of Love Finds You in Golden, New Mexico releases May 1, but the Kindle edition is already available from Amazon.

6) Where can fans find you on the internet?
http://www.lenanelsondooley.com/
http://lenanelsondooley.blogspot.com/ - Author interviews/Free books
http://www.bustlesandspurs.com/ - Regular Blogger
www.facebook.com/lena.nelson.dooley
www.twitter.com/lenandooley
www.shoutlife.com/lenanelsondooley

Jill Williamson's "To Darkness Fled"

Jill Williamson's "To Darkness Fled"

We're happy to have Jill Williamson with us today talking about her new book, To Darkness Fled. To learn more about Jill and To Darkness Fled read on!

Your title: By Darkness Hid and To Darkness Fled (Blood of Kings books 1 and 2)

1) How did this story come to you?

Two things happened close together that inspired this story. First, I was walking with my son one day in Burbank , California , and we came upon a burned-down house. I stopped to look at it and noticed a tree in the front yard. The part of the tree that hung over the fence and above the street was leafy green, rocking and rustling in the wind. But the branches of the tree near the house were charred and stiff.

I stared at that tree for a long time, then took off for home, pushing that stroller at top speed. I went straight to the computer, opened Adobe Photoshop, and made the image of the tree that is the header on my author website. I couldn’t wait to write a story about this tree!

Around that same time, I had a weird dream where a guy had amnesia. Little did everyone know that he was someone very important. When I woke up, I liked the idea of this lost character, so I put him together with my ideas for the half-living, half-dead tree and I was off and running.

2) Tell us about the journey to getting this book published.
I didn’t intend to pitch this story to Jeff Gerke and Marcher Lord Press. I was attending the Oregon Christian Writers Summer Coaching Conference and there was only one editor interested in looking at young adult novels that year. I had met Jeff at a previous conference, so I put the first chapter of my fantasy story in to him to see what he thought. I was surprised when he wanted to talk. “Why does it have to be YA?” he said.
I was even more surprised when he wanted to publish it.

3) Tell me three things about yourself that would surprise your readers.
1. I’m from Alaska . I grew up in a home with no electricity and an outhouse.
2. I once started my own wedding gown business called Lugano. My first dream in life was to be a fashion designer. Once I became fed up working in the industry, and before I started writing, I designed a line of nine better wedding gowns and went to the Chicago Bridal Market as a vendor. It was a tremendous amount of work, especially considering I hate to sew.
3. I speak a little Japanese. I went to Okinawa on an exchange program back in high school. Konnichiwa! Genki desu ka? (Hello! How are you?)

4) What are you working on now and what's next for you?
I am working on From Darkness Won (Blood of Kings, book 3). I’m hoping to sell one of my other young adult novels. I plan to visit more middle and high schools as an author and encourage teens who love to read and write.

5) Parting comments?
Thanks for having me here! I appreciate getting to know you all. If you’re not sure if my books are for you, visit my website and read the first chapters. That’s a good way to find out if you like the story.

6) Where can fans find you on the internet?
I’m everywhere! My website is www.jillwilliamson.com. I’m also on Facebook, MySpace, Shoutlife, Shelfari, GoodReads, Twitter, Amazon…

On top of that, I run two blogs. The first is Novel Teen Book Reviews at http://www.novelteen.com/. It’s a website that reviews clean teen fiction. This is a great resource to see what books are available in the Christian market for teens. The other blog is for teen authors, though adult authors may find some useful tips too. http://www.teenageauthor.com/.

"Yesterday's Promise" by Vanessa Miller

Vanessa Miller's "Yesterday's Promise"

We're happy to have Vanessa Miller with us today talking about her new book, Yesterday's Promise. To learn more about Vanessa and Yesterday's Promise read on!


1) How did this story come to you?
I was doing a book signing at an expo and the lady next to my table was signing copies of her book that talked about the struggle for women to preach. Since the bishop of my church is a woman and we have women preach at my church all the time, I had never thought anything about any struggle that women faced when it came to preaching. But then a man walked into the room where we were signing our books. He took one look at Pastor Notoshia Howard’s book and started screaming at her. He told her that she had no business trying to preach to men and that women were not allowed to preach. That’s when the idea of Yesterday’s Promise was dropped in my spirit. I wanted to write a book that details the struggles women who have been called by God have to deal with in order to preach the gospel.

2) Tell us about the journey to getting published.
I was about nine years old when I realized I wanted to be a writer. I didn’t have the first clue as to how I would accomplish this goal, but I knew that I loved the written word. As a teenager, I wrote poems and short stories. However, in my early twenties I attempted my first novel. I got halfway through and couldn’t finish it. The same thing occurred with the next three novels I attempted. The first novel I completed was Former Rain and it took seven years from the start of that book until it was published.

I was so excited about finally completing a novel that I didn’t want to wait on a publisher to agree to publish my novel. So I self-published it in 2003. By 2006 I signed a contract with a mainstream publisher. That deal provided me with better distribution. Now, in 2010, I have 4 new books releasing by three different publishers. The one thing I’ve learned through this journey is that God is faithful. He will never fail us, if we put our trust in Him.

3) Tell me three things about yourself that would surprise your readers.
I have a two year old granddaughter
A one year old grandson
And I drive to most of my tour locations because I hate to fly.

4) What are you working on now and what's next for you?
Right now I working on edits for the sequel to Yesterday’s Promise. That book is titled, A Love for Tomorrow. I have four books releasing this year, so a lot of touring, promoting and drinking Mountain Dew is what’s next for me.

5) Parting comments?
My hope is that everyone will check out my new book, Yesterday’s Promise. So, I guess my parting words would be… come on, give my book a try, please.

6) Where can fans find you on the internet?
My web address is: http://www.vanessamiller.com/ I also have a fan page on Facebook. Just search for Vanessa miller. Thank you so much!

Queen of Hearts Review by Shawna Williams

Queen of Hearts Review by Shawna Williams. Register in the post below this one for the end of month giveaway.

What a great read! K. Dawn Byrd has crafted a story that blends romance, suspence,and history into an entertaining experience called, Queen of Hearts. The story begins with ambitious reporter, Daphne Dean, deciding to add a little more adventure to her life by joining the O.S.S. during WWII. She's suddenly thrust into a situation she's ill-prepared for, and isn't sure who to trust. There's her ex-boyfriend, Kenneth, who still holds her heart. By all reason she should trust him since she's known him her whole life, but war has brought out a different side to him that makes Daphne leery. Then there's the new guy, mysterious Vito, with shady family connections and secrets he's unwilling to divulge, yet something about him engenders trust. Should Daphne give it?

As the situation escalates, Daphne finds herself in hiding in an abandoned mental hospital. Both men insist they want to protect her, but is that really the case?

Is it terrible that I really want to find this institution to explore? Seriously, K. Dawn's description was so vivid and intriguing that this fictional setting is now listed in my top ten places I "must see" before I die. (Not sure how that's going to work out.) The whole story was great, but the last part was a major page turner, that kept me guessing until the very end. And I loved the growth of the characters shown in the book's conclusion. Most satisfying indeed. K. Dawn Byrd is a masterful suspense writer, and I look forward to her next title, Killing Time, in August, 2010.