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.
1) I met Telly Savales at a disco in Washington, D.C. in the 80s. He was a charming gentleman.
2) Even though I had been thoroughly warned ahead of time, I almost fell prey to a pickpocketing ruse in Rome. It was the forewarning that finally came to mind and foiled the attempt.
3) 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.

Register to win Eddie Snipes' "I Called Him Dancer"

We're happy to have Eddie Snipes with us today talking about his book, I Called Him Dancer. To learn more about Eddie and his book, read on!
Title: I Called Him Dancer

Cover blurb: 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 windows 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.

1) How did this story come to you?
Tralena Walker and Tom Webster spoke at the Atlanta Writers Club in September of 2009 to talk about song writing. I almost didn’t stay for their segment. In fact, I was walking down the hall to leave and said to my wife, “Let’s go ahead and stick around. Maybe it will be interesting.”
I’ll spare you the details of their talk, but they performed a song titled, ‘I Always Called Him Dancer.’ At the end of the song one of them said, “I’ve always pictured this as a good idea for a book. We’ve been trying to get someone to turn it into a novel.”
My head exploded at those words and the plot of ‘I Called Him Dancer’ unfolded in an instant. I spoke with them after the meeting and we’ve been working together since 2009 to sharpen the manuscript and tell the story both of us envision for the song.

2) Tell us about the journey to getting this book published.
My journey is part of the reason for starting my publishing company. Most agents and publishers liked the story, but don’t think this type of genre can sell in today’s market. I’ve been in contact with 43 agents and publishers. The ones who showed interest wanted to change the story are add things that go against my vision of having a Christian-friendly story. Plus, I wanted this to be a testimony that would appeal to non-Christians as well.
I came to the conclusion that my vision was not the same as our current market driven industry, so I researched the pros and cons of self-publishing. I finally decided that if done right, independent authoring was a good option. Time doesn’t permit me to give the reasons for and against, but in the end, I decided launching a business was the best platform for launching my book.

3) Tell me three things about yourself that would surprise your readers.
I’m dyslexic. But remember, slysdexics are teeple poo.
I hated writing until I was in my thirties.
I never read fiction until I started writing it. I read over a hundred novels and a dozen books on the craft of writing to get a feel for fiction and good story telling.

4) What are you working on now and what's next for you?
I have another completed first draft manuscript. I actually wrote it before ‘I Called Him Dancer’, but put it aside until I finished this book. I have four more books outlined, and have started writing one of them. Plus I’ve published a technical book about designing a hosted WordPress site.

5) Parting comments?
A band of Contra Rebels kidnapped my dog. They said they would only release him if my book becomes a bestseller. I’m depending on you to help rescue my poor dog.

6) Where can fans find you on the internet?
http://www.eddiesnipes.com/
Twitter @eddiesnipes
Facebook – eddiesnipes
Linked in, you guessed it - http://www.linkedin.com/in/eddiesnipes

Tom Blubaugh's "Night of the Cossack"

We're happy to have Tom Blubaugh with us today talking about his book Night of the Cossack. To learn more about Tom and his book, read on!


Title: Night of the Cossack
Publisher: Bound by Faith Publishers.

Author recommendations:Tom Blubaugh takes the reader to a neglected time and place in this touching exploration of his own roots. An encouraging story that should inspire appreciation of one's own family heritage. -Author J.B. Cheaney, My Friend the Enemy

In Night of the Cossack, Tom Blubaugh has created an interesting fictional account of a young boy facing a series of tough life-or-death decisions when forced into the life of a Cossack soldier. Readers are sure to be entertained by this tale of Nathan Hertzfield's life, his struggle to maintain the upstanding character and morality set forth by his mother. -Author Michelle Buckman, Christy award finalist

1) How did this story come to you?
Both of my grandfathers passed away before I was born. What little I knew about my maternal grandfather intrigued me. I researched his life for myself and then decided to write about him so my children and grandchildren would know about him. It developed into a novel.

2) Tell us about the journey to getting this book published.
This is definitely a God thing. I helped a friend develop a website for a ministry. He approached me about another site for a Christian publishing company he and his wife were starting. He didn’t know I was writing a fiction novel. I showed him my site which has the first chapter of the novel on it, which he went home and read. He asked to read more and then asked me if he could publish it.

3) Tell me three things about yourself that would surprise your readers.
I was homeless in 1998; I disliked English in high school; I was not encouraged to read as a child.

4) What are you working on now and what's next for you?
I’m working on a novel about how both my maternal grandparents immigrated to America, met, fell in love, married and started a family. I’m also writing a devotional book.

5) Parting comments?
A critique group made a major difference in me as a writer. They were kind and very helpful and encouraged me to write seriously.

6) Where can fans find you on the internet?
http://tomblubaugh.com/ where you can also read the first chapter.

Laura Hilton's "Patchwork Dreams"

We're happy to have Laura Hilton with us today talking about her book Patchwork Dreams. To learn more about Laura and her book, read on!

Title: Patchwork Dreams
Publisher: Whitaker House

Cover blurb: Becky Troyer has committed the ultimate sin, and finds herself on the edge of her Amish community. Jacob Miller believes he was sent to the Old Order Community in Missouri to help out a distant cousin. Instead, he discovers he was part of an arranged swap--sending men from his Pennsylvania district to the Missouri district to bring new blood into the Amish community. Becky dreams of marriage, but doesn't dare hope that anyone would choose her--not with her history. Can God use the lies that have affected Becky and Jacob to bring them together? Or will Jacob rebel and head home to his first love?

1) How did this story come to you?
My agent suggested I try an Amish story since I love to read them. I thought about it awhile and I knew that Amish men are sometimes transferred to different communities to lower the rate of DNA related diseases. So I thought I’d write about that happening.

2) Tell us about the journey to getting this book published.
Well, I wrote three chapters and a synopsis and sent it to my agent. I was rather shocked that within a day or two I had three requests for the whole manuscript, (which I hadn’t written) and the next day, it was sold – from the synopsis and first three chapters. I had six months to write the story – which I did – and the book will be out next month.

3) Tell me three things about yourself that would surprise your readers.
I’m a breast cancer survivor.
I have five kids and I’m a homeschool Mom.
My grandparents on my maternal side left the Amish.

4) What are you working on now and what's next for you?
I recently sent in the second book in my three book Amish series—A Harvest of Hearts, releasing in September of this year – and now am working on marketing for Patchwork Dreams and writing the third book in this series, yet untitled.

5) Parting comments?
Thanks for having me here.

6) Where can fans find you on the internet?
http://lighthouse-academy.blogspot.com/ (for my book reviews) or http://lauravhilton.blogspot.com/ for my personal blog. I’m also on facebook.