Trish Perry's "Tea for Two"

We're happy to have Trish Perry with us today talking about her book Tea for Two. To learn more about Trish and her book, read on!

Title: Tea for Two
Publisher: Harvest House Publishers

Cover blurb: Zack Cooper tries his best to raise his children, but he's losing his grip on them in their teen years. They've both had scrapes with the local law.
Tea Shop owner Milly Jewel has the perfect woman in mind to help Zack. Counselor Tina Milano meets weekly at the tea shop with her women's group. Milly encourages Zack and Tina to work together to draw the teens back before they get in even hotter water. Milly never thought things might heat up between Zack and Tina. Or did she?
Tina's connections with the Middleburg police department prove a mixed blessing for Zack and his kids. Both her best friend and old boyfriend are officers on the force.
And when Tina's women's group gets wind of her personal pursuits and clashes, they want to help. The group's meetings at the tea shop take on a slightly different flavor. Tina wonders who, exactly, is counseling whom.

1) How did this story come to you?
This book is a follow-up to The Perfect Blend, the first book in my Tea with Millicent series with Harvest House. After my editor first suggested the series to me, I put together a few story ideas that could revolve around Milly, the tea shop proprietress who figures in all the books. I already planned to have a women’s group that met regularly at the shop, so this book focused on the counselor in charge of that group. And because Middleburg is a town with a wide socio-economic spectrum, I wanted to incorporate someone from farming or horse breeding into the plot. So our hero’s connection to the shop is the produce he provides. After that, it was a matter of getting the young farmer and the busy counselor together so they could fall in love!

2) Tell us about the journey to getting this book published.
This series concept wasn’t my idea. My editor contacted me with the suggestion, and I loved the character and storyline possibilities. Since I’ve already worked on a number of books with Harvest House, I provided one-page summaries for Tea with Millicent, as well as a number of different series ideas. This was one that came to fruition, and I couldn’t be happier.

3) Tell me three things about yourself that would surprise your readers.
a) I met Telly Savales at a disco in Washington, D.C. in the 80s. He was a charming gentleman.
Even though I had been thoroughly warned ahead of time, I almost fell prey to a pickpocketing ruse in Rome. b) It was the forewarning that finally came to mind and foiled the attempt.
c) I once had dinner at a restaurant in Jamaica while a donkey stood outside, repeatedly poking his entire head in through the window by my table.

4) What are you working on now and what's next for you?
I’m finishing up devotionals for Summerside Press’s Your Grace is Sufficient But Decaf is NOT, a follow-up devotional to Delight Yourself in the Lord…Even on Bad Hair Days, which released March 1. Then I’ll write Labor of Love for the Barbour collection The Midwife’s Legacy, releasing March 2012.
And I recently turned in my manuscript for my Christmas novel, ‘Tis the Season, which will be coupled with Debby Mayne’s Deck the Halls in Summerside’s September release, Love Finds You on Christmas Morning.

5) Parting comments?
Lately I’ve come across a few fellow authors who have received some pretty harsh online reviews on their books. We’ve all received them—that’s just part of this business. But if you’re a writer, I want to encourage you to stay focused on what the Lord puts on your heart to write, and then do the very best you can with the talent He’s given you. You can’t do any more than that. And if you’re a reader, I want to encourage you to remember that most novelists pour their heart and soul into what they write—especially those who try to serve God and entertain readers with their writing. And all of them are people, just like you and me.

6) Where can fans find you on the Internet?
My site is http://www.trishperry.com/. I feature fellow inspirational fiction authors twice a week, and they give away signed copies of their latest releases to readers who comment.
I’m also on Facebook as Trish Hawley Perry and on Twitter as TrishPerryWrtr.

Linda Yezak's "Give the Lady a Ride"

We're happy to have Linda Yezak with us today talking about her book Give the Lady a Ride. To learn more about Linda and her book, read on!

Title: Give the Lady a Ride
Publisher:  SkySail, an imprint of Port Yonder Press

Cover blurb: Patricia Talbert is a high-class social coordinator from New York.
Talon Carlson is a rugged bull rider from Texas.
He thinks she’s too polished.
She thinks he’s insane.
Opposites aren’t quick to attract when the lady who enters the cowboy’s world is on a mission to sell the ranch. But a box of letters changes her mission–letters of unshakable faith and a love deeper than anything she’s ever experienced.
Soon she finds his integrity appealing. Her spunk draws him in. He has the faith she craves; she may be the love he longs for. But faith and love aren’t achieved in a single weekend.
To buy time to explore the possibilities between them, she issues a challenge: “Teach me to ride bulls.”
From here on, they’re in for the ride of their lives.

1) How did this story come to you?
In the years 2003-2007, Country Music Television (CMT) had a couple of reality shows I couldn’t resist: “Cowboy U,” where city folks learned about ranch and rodeo work through hands-on experience, and a show whose title describes the content, “Ty Murray’s Celebrity Bull Riding.” Both shows took people out of their elements and dropped them into new situations with hilarious results. I couldn’t resist doing the same to a New York socialite. She endures some ribbing and practical jokes from the cowboys on the ranch, things similar to what I saw on “Cowboy U,” and learns how to ride bulls using techniques I saw on “Ty Murray’s Celebrity Bull Riding” as well as ideas derived from an interview with a former bull riding champion. Taking these two shows and creating a story line that ultimately centers around faith and love was so much fun, I often found myself giggling at my characters’ antics.

2) Tell us about the journey to getting this book published.
Give the Lady a Ride got some of the nicest rejection letters imaginable. Agents and editors who took the time to read the submission were impressed with it. Of course, it received a few form letters too, but mostly I was encouraged by the notes I received. Because I didn’t follow the format of some publishers, Ride wasn’t eligible for them, and because it’s so short, it wasn’t eligible for others. When I wrote it, things like “word count” never crossed my mind, and the idea a book could be “too short” certainly never crossed my mind. I had a time trying to increase the word count and still maintain the integrity of the story. I actually succeeded in making the book longer, but, as one editor pointed out, the scenes I included delayed the attraction between my main characters. I cut the scenes, and landed back where I started from.
Fortunately, Chila Woychik liked my work even before she bought Port Yonder Press. I’m honored she’s including it in her second year of publications.

3) Tell me three things about yourself that would surprise your readers.
First, I love to fish. I’m a fisherwoman from way back. Sometimes, when Dad had to work out of town, Mom would get me out of school and we’d head off to the river, or the lake, or a private pond we had access to and fish the afternoon away.
On our way to and from our favorite fishing hole, we’d have the CB radio going and would chat with whoever would break “1-9" for us. That’s the second thing some of my readers wouldn’t know about me. My nickname, "Peppermint," given to me because I’m a redhead, comes from my CB days. God took care of us then. The truckers we "met" on the airwaves were family men and kept close watch over us. We enjoyed chatting with them, and never came across anyone offensive.
Third, I decided to keep Peppermint as my screen handle when I learned the Christmas legend about peppermint canes and how they symbolize Jesus. I tagged the 777, God’s perfect number, along with it to signify Who I belong to.
I found out peppermints aren’t red and white everywhere. I had an on-line bridge partner from another country who could never understand what being a redhead had to do with peppermints. In her country, they’re green and white!

4) What are you working on now and what's next for you?
My work in progress is The Cat Lady’s Secret, a story that is more “chick lit” than romance, although romance is definitely involved. The cat lady–Millie–is a personality I couldn’t resist. She walks everywhere she goes, and everywhere she goes she encounters people with needs and wishes–and all are met. But what will happen to the town’s benefactor if the journalist dogging her reveals her identity?
My dream is to finally finish Cat Lady this year, while promoting Ride and increasing my number of speaking engagements–and keeping my house clean, my husband happy, and my mother healthy.

5) Parting comments?
Faith is the theme in Give the Lady a Ride. Patricia had lost faith in herself, but needs to find faith in God. Talon has faith in God for his safety, but not for his dream of falling in love again. In my little story, I hope the readers will see that with faith, all things are possible. Even riding bulls.

6) Where can fans find you on the internet?
Readers wanting to know more about me can find me at 777 Peppermint Place. Readers interested in my writing tips will find me among the authors of my coop-blog, AuthorCulture. Anyone wanting to know just what a nut I am should friend me on Facebook. That’s where I go to play.

Jeanne Brooks "Across the Wilderness"

We're happy to have Jeanne Brooks with us today talking about her book Across the Wilderness. To learn more about Jeanne and her book, read on!

Title: Across the Wilderness
Cover blurb:Isobel dreams of marriage and a family of her own after graduation from college. Her plans come to a grinding halt when her potential in-laws reject her because of her ethnic appearance. She doesn’t fit into their class-conscious, blue-blooded, American society. Broken-hearted, she retreats to the home of her last living relative, Aunt Betty. When her aunt dies, she discovers a family secret: that she isn’t who she thought she was! Isobel was raised to believe she was part Japanese and part Caucasian-American, but she finds proof that her ethnicity is totally different and that her birth mother might still be living. She determines to seek out her biological family and in the process finds a heritage far greater than she ever anticipated.

1) How did this story come to you?
A close acquaintance, when he was over 50 years old, learned that the man he knew as his father was not his father. The knowledge was traumatic and life-changing. That particular incident combined with my love for other cultures helped me to build this story. As the mother of bi-racial children, I also saw situations of rejection purely because of the appearance or ethnicity and wanted to carry that into my main character’s life.

2) Tell us about the journey to getting this book published.
This book is one of four books, called Journey of Faith, about friends who graduated together from a Christian college. Each book follows one woman on hers. Having self-published my first book (“Through the Waters”) it seemed natural to continue that path for this one, although I chose a different publisher for several reasons.

3) Tell me three things about yourself that would surprise your readers.
 was the first female in my career field in the United States Air Force: Aircrew Egress Systems Repairman,
 worked in a male, medium-high security prison for nine months, and
 married nearly 38 years and have 10 grandchildren (guess that’s a two-fer)

4) What are you working on now and what's next for you?
I tend to work on multiple projects at the same time. Right now I am working on completing the Journeys of Faith, with the third named “Out of the Valley” which I hope to have out later this year, and a fourth, “Over the Mountain” which will be out early 2012 if all goes according to plan.

5) Parting comments?
Jeremiah 29:11 is my favorite Bible verse, “I know the plans I have for you, they are plans for welfare and not for evil, plans to give you a future and a hope.” ESV

6) Where can fans find you on the internet?
 http://www.jeannebrooks.com/
 Facebook Author page: Jeanne F. Brooks
 Twitter: Author4Him
 Amazon Author Central: Jeanne F. Brooks

Jeanne Brooks' "Through the Waters"

We're happy to have Jeanne Brooks with us today talking about her book Through the Waters. To learn more about Jeanne and her book, read on!

Title: Through the Waters
Cover blurb: MADELINE MARIE GALLOWAY is a single, solidly Christian young woman excited about the future until she experiences the loss of her father and a violent attack resulting in a pregnancy. How could God let this happen to one of his faithful? How could she ever offer herself to her future husband now that she was no longer pure? And what about the baby? Abortion, Single parenthood? Adoption?
JIM AND SUZANNE are a young couple looking forward to raising a family and having a loving Christian home. They experience multiple disappointments until tragedy forces them toward a choice they never expected to make. Unexpectedly, the result brings them great joy, but will their happiness last? Why do tragic things happen to good people?
Watch how God carries them through their trials and tears. See how “all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:27-29 KJV

1) How did this story come to you?
As a medical professional for over 30 years, I have had the opportunity and challenge to work with many of these situations. Probably the one event in my life that strongly impacted me was when my oldest sister became pregnant after an attack and chose to give up the child for adoption. Combining my personal experience with various individuals I’ve treated helps me build strong characters. Recalling how my faith has carried me through various losses: grandparents, father, daughter, helped me insert that into this story in a realistic manner.

2) Tell us about the journey to getting this book published.
Honestly, I never approached an agent or traditional publisher to attempt to get published. I have been writing for years, but struggled with self-esteem issues, so wasn’t willing to risk rejection. Instead, I decided to test the market by putting this quartet of books out there using self-publishing. I prayed hard about it and felt impressed to go this path, even though I knew that many did not respect self-published authors. I’m glad I chose self-publishing because it has allowed me to continue my primary job, working with soldiers before and after deploying to war. I was even able to freely give copies to soldiers heading to the combat zones without feeling guilty; the cost was on me and my publisher carried no risk.

3) Tell me three things about yourself that would surprise your readers.
 was the first female in my career field in the United States Air Force: Aircrew Egress Systems Repairman,
 worked in a male, medium-high security prison for nine months, and
 married nearly 38 years and have 10 grandchildren (guess that’s a two-fer)

4) What are you working on now and what's next for you?
I tend to work on multiple projects at the same time. Right now I am working on the third in this series, Journeys of Faith, named “Out of the Valley”. The second book entitled “Across the Wilderness” came out in January, so I hope to have number three out this summer or fall. There is a fourth, “Over the Mountain” which will be out early 2012 if all goes according to plan.

5) Parting comments?
Jeremiah 29:11 is my favorite Bible verse, “I know the plans I have for you, they are plans for welfare and not for evil, plans to give you a future and a hope.” ESV

6) Where can fans find you on the internet?
 http://www.jeannebrooks.com/
 Facebook Author page: Jeanne F. Brooks
 Twitter: Author4Him
 Amazon Author Central: Jeanne F. Brooks