Lorn Seilstad's "A Great Catch"

We're happy to have Lorna Seilstad with us today talking about her book A Great Catch. To learn more about Lorna and her book, read on!

Title: A Great Catch
Publisher: Revell/ Baker Books

Cover blurb: She wants to change the world. He wants to change her mind. It's the beginning of a new century at Lake Manawa resort in Iowa, but some things never change. When Emily Graham's meddlesome aunts and grandmother take it upon themselves to find her a husband among the resort guests, the spunky suffragist is determined to politely decline each and every suitor. She has neither the time nor the need for a man in her busy life.
Carter Stockton, a recent college graduate and a pitcher for the Manawa Owls baseball team, intends to enjoy every minute of the summer before he is forced into the straitlaced business world of his father.
When their worlds collide, neither Emily nor Carter could have guessed what would come next. Will Carter strike out? Or will Emily cast her vote for a love that might cost her dreams?
The perfect summer novel, A Great Catch will enchant you with its breezy setting and endearing characters.

Endorsements
"A Great Catch weaves humor, history, romance, and spiritual truths into a delicious story that will delight readers' hearts. What a fun, relaxing read! I'd like to remain at Lake Manawa forever."--Laura Frantz, author of The Frontiersman's Daughter and Courting Morrow Little
"A Great Catch is a grand slam! In a story as refreshing and invigorating as lemonade, Seilstad raises deep questions about a woman's relationship with God, her dreams, and the people in her life--while making me laugh so loudly my kids came running to get in on the joke."--Sarah Sundin, author of the Wings of Glory series

1)How did this story come to you?
While I was researching Lake Manawa for the series, I discovered that baseball was such a huge thing at the time. I decided I wanted to somehow incorporate it in with the book. I also knew I wanted the heroine to be suffragist. After mixing the two together, I got A Great Catch.

2)Tell us about the journey to getting this book published.
This is the second book in the Lake Manawa Summers series. I contracted all three books after meeting Revell’s senior acquisitions editor, Andrea Doering, at an ACFW conference. Writing this book has been so much fun!

3)Tell me three things about yourself that would surprise your readers.
1. I played violin (badly) in elementary school.
2. I was once pulled over for armed robbery because my car matched the getaway car used by a bank robber. I didn’t think there was another ’73 Dodge Polara still in existence and neither did the state patrol officers who came to my door with their guns drawn.
3. The line in A Great Catch where Emily says she could trip over a chalk line drawn on the sidewalk is something my older brother once told me. It’s true. I relate a lot to Emily and her struggle with gracefulness.

4)What are you working on now and what's next for you?
Right now, I’m working on book 3 in the Lake Manawa Summers Series. It will feature a love interest with the roller coaster designer.

5)Parting comments?
Thank you for having me! Making Waves is available on Kindle free this month, so if you haven’t read it, be sure to download it. I am also having a special Baseball Gift Basket Giveaway for those who sign up for my newsletter by the end of May. You can sign up on my website.

6) Where can fans find you on the internet?
http://www.lornaseilstad.com/
http://www.inkspirationalmessages.com/ (10-writer blog)
On Facebook and on Twitter.

Karen Witemeyer's "To Win Her Heart"

We're happy to have Karen Witemeyer with us today talking about her book To Win Her Heart. To learn more about Karen and her book, read on!

Title: To Win Her Heart
Publisher: Bethany House, May 2011

Cover blurb: A blacksmith with a criminal past. A librarian with pacifist ideals. Do they have a fighting chance at finding love?
Having completed 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. But small towns leave little room for secrets. . . .
Eden Spencer has sworn off men, choosing instead to devote her time to the lending library she runs. When a mountain-sized stranger walks through her door and asks to borrow a book, she steels herself against the attraction he provokes. His halting speech and hesitant manner leave her doubting his intelligence. Yet as the mysteries of the town’s new blacksmith unfold, Eden discovers hidden depths in him that tempt her heart.
Levi’s renewed commitment to his faith leads Eden to believe she’s finally found a man of honor and integrity, a man worthy of her love. But when the truth about his prodigal past comes to light, can this tarnished hero find a way to win back the librarian’s affections?

1) How did this story come to you?
Have you ever wished there was an epilogue to Jesus' parable of the Prodigal Son? I have. When I decided to write To Win Her Heart, one question prompted the plot development: What happens after the Father welcomes the prodigal son home? So often we focus on the wonderful homecoming the lost son received, but have you ever asked what life was like for him after the celebration was over? How did he relate to his bitter older brother or the servants and townspeople who were only too aware of his past arrogance and wild living? My story plays on those questions.

2) Tell us about the journey to getting this book published.
This was book 3 of a three-book contract, so the journey was a more direct route than my first book. However, every book takes its own path. I had to do extensive research into the blacksmith trade, 19th century literature and lending libraries, the use of convict labor in Texas, granite and limestone quarries, and the Victorian art of flower pressing. I wrote a synopsis encompassing the major plot points, received approval from my editors, then began the writing journey. Ten months later I had a finished manuscript that, of course, wasn't truly finished until it passed through the substantive and copy edit stages. Now, I'm enjoying the beautiful view toward the end of the road with To Win Her Heart sitting on the bookstore shelves.

3) Tell me three things about yourself that would surprise your readers.
• I work full-time proctoring tests like the ACT and CLEP at a Christian university. (Exercising the left side of my brain so I can devote the right side to fiction writing.)
• I love old Hollywood musicals.
• I'm one of the few dinosaurs left in the world who doesn't own a cell phone. (Can you believe it? Although, I'm also about to have my first teenager in the house, so the no cell phone thing might be changing soon. But for now I'm living proof, that yes, you can survive and even be a productive member of society without a cell phone.)

4) What are you working on now and what's next for you?
I've been blessed to have signed another three-book contract with Bethany House, so you can expect at least three more historical romances from me over the next three years. Hopefully with more to follow after that.
The working title of my current project is Short-Straw Bride. Four brothers draw straws to see who will marry the heroine in this twist on a marriage of convenience story. All Travis Archer cares about is his brothers and his land, but when a good deed goes awry, he's stuck with a bride who endangers both.
One fun tidbit about the brothers in this story – they are all named for heroes from the Alamo. Travis is the main character, the next oldest is Crockett, the kid brother is Neill (for the Alamo's commander who missed being at the fight because of a family illness that called him away), and the third brother's given name is Bowie, but he refuses to answer to anything except Jim. I don't blame him. Poor guy. What we authors do to torture our characters.

7) Parting comments?
Thank you so much for having me here. It's been such fun. Please leave a comment or ask a question for a chance to win an autographed copy of Levi and Eden's story, To Win Her Heart. I'll try to respond to comments throughout the day.

8) Where can fans find you on the internet?
I'd love to have you visit me at my website: www.karenwitemeyer.com. I host a monthly giveaway of historical Christian novels from a variety of well-known authors as well as post interesting tidbits about my characters and the research behind their stories.

You can also find me on Facebook. Send me a message sometime. I'd be honored to chat with you.

Martha Rogers "Summer Dream"

We're happy to have Martha Rogers with us today talking about her book Summer Dream. To learn more about Martha and her book, read on!

Title: Summer Dream
Publisher: Realms Fiction of Charisma House.

Cover blurb: A bitter southerner, bound by his past, meets a stubborn Christian girl and finds hope for the future.

1) How did this story come to you?
I read about the great blizzard of 1888 in New England and decided I had to write a story with the storm in it. The storm plays a pivotal part in the hero’s life. History called it “The Great White Hurricane” and it happened in March of that year.

2) Tell us about the journey to getting this book published.
It came about because of the success of the books in my first series. They asked me to do a second series of four books.

3) Tell me three things about yourself that would surprise your readers.
1) I was in nurses training at Baylor University before I switched to Home Economics. I became ill and couldn’t handle the long hours of nursing classes and hospital rotations.
2) I was an editor for our high school newspaper and wrote a “gossip” column called “Around the Halls
3) I was working on my doctorate degree in education when I decided to quit and spend more time with pursuing writing.

4) What are you working on now and what's next for you?
I’m in the middle of second series and working on Book 3, Winter Promise

5) Parting comments?
I’m really excited about my new series and hope my readers will like it as much as they did Winds Across the Prairie series.

6) Where can fans find you on the internet?
http://www.marthawrogers.com/

Andrea Boeshaar's "Undaunted Faith"

We're happy to have Andrea Boeshaar with us today talking about her book Undaunted Faith. To learn more about Andrea and her book, read on!

Title: UNDAUNTED FAITH
Publisher: REALMS / CHARISMA MEDIA

Cover blurb: The McCabe brothers have their hands full. Trouble on the range and trouble in town. But they never expected their sweet schoolteacher, Bethany Stafford, to join in the mix of woe. When her reputation is unfairly tarnished, Pastor Luke McCabe is quick to propose marriage. But Bethany wants better than just a marriage of necessity to save her good name. Could Luke ever come to love a plain “little field mouse” like her?
Dr. Annetta Cavanaugh has her own questions about men and their intentions. While Pastor Jake McCabe seems sincere, she still has her doubts about him. But after he accompanies her on a medical call, she sees a whole new side of him and can't help but admit her attraction to the handsome pastor.
However, there’s evil brewing in town—a lawlessness that even the sheriff cannot tamp down. Finally, it comes face-to-face with both Luke and Jake and it threatens the lives of the women they love. Are the McCabe brothers ready for the fight of their lives?
Watch the book trailer on YouTube: http://youtu.be/cgwL11PDtYE

1) How did this story come to you?
I have always loved a good western. Growing up, my favorite movie was Butch Cassidy & the Sundance Kid. My mother encouraged westerns, as she had read all of Zane Gray’s novels.
After I became a Christian, I felt prompted to write a western with a spiritual element. I had already been writing about the McCabes, and I liked my characters Jake, Luke – and, of course Miss Bethany Stafford. Readers meet these characters in Book 2: Uncertain Heart.
So the idea for Undaunted Faith had been in my mind for some time. I knew I just had to right the story. It’s Book 4 in my Seasons of Redemption Series.

2) Tell me three things about yourself that would surprise your readers.
a) I have 4 grandchildren
b) My husband and I are empty nesters, so we love taking road trips together.
c) One of our favorite movies is RV, starring Robin Williams.

3) What are you working on now and what's next for you?
I just turned in the manuscript to my editors for Threads of Hope. It’s Book 1 of a brand new series called Fabric of Time. Here’s a description of the story.
Kristin Eikaas traveled all the way from Norway to Brown County, Wisconsin with hopes and dreams of making a new life for herself. But she only finds one disappointment after another. Worse, her contemptible and superstitious uncle comes to believe Kristin is cursed by his rival-neighbor’s Oneida Indian wife. Everyone knows the Sundbergs put spells on people –
Everyone except Kristin. Her accidental run-ins with Sam Sundberg only prove that he is a good man from a Christian family. But when her uncle discovers she’s been associating with a Sundberg, his temper flares. To spare her from the man’s ongoing wrath and poor judgment, Kristin is offered a job as the Sundbergs’ house girl. She gratefully accepts the position and finds solace at the family’s spinning wheel.
In the time Sam Sundberg spends with Kristin he sees both her hard working nature and her heart for the Lord. Their friendship develops into much more and Sam prays about a match between them. However, his father has bigger, bolder plans for Sam’s future – plans that include running for political office and garnering a position in the government’s Bureau of Indian Affairs. Citing those reasons, he forbids Sam to court Kristin. But Sam senses his father’s opposition is bound by chords of past infractions.
Can Sam and Kristin’s newfound love withstand the hate and prejudice surrounding them?

4) Where can fans find you on the internet?
Please see my website at: http://www.andreaboeshaar.com/
Via my site, readers can access me on Facebook, and read my blog. There’s also a listing of my books, past, present, and future, so I hope readers will stop by.