Tessa Stockton's "The Unforgiveable"

Title: The Unforgivable

Publisher: Risen Books

Cover blurb: Accused of the worst war crimes in the history of Argentina, Carlos Cornella is despised by a wounded nation…
“I’m in love with a monster. That’s what people call him anyway: monster, murderer, kidnapper, torturer, sociopath, even the devil. His crimes are so terrible that he may be unforgivable. But I have come to know him as something else. I know him as God’s Treasure. And I’m not sure what to do about that. So, here’s my story.”

1) How did this story come to you?
About 16-17 years ago, I was involved in human rights groups. In fact, I choreographed a dance suite in memory of victims of Argentina’s Dirty War. Then I sort of had an epiphany. God gripped my heart and compelled me to pray for the very people whom acquaintances wanted to see brought to trial. The rest came from dreams and ideas along the way, making its own sort of history.

2) Tell us about the journey to getting this book published.
Well, it took about ten years full of rejections and the attempt to write and explore writing in every genre to find what felt right. I’ve come full circle, now that I’ve received a three-book contract for what sparked my interest in writing in the first place. The entire experience I’d say helped me gain a thicker skin, which I needed, and greater patience, which I needed, I’m grateful for the past experiences, which have finally brought me to this point in my literary journey.

3) Tell me three things about yourself that would surprise your readers.
I have regular conversations with my vacuum. I used to ride motorcycles, owned my own. And…I’ve eaten anything from ant soup to dog (although not together and not deliberately) during my worldwide adventures.

4) What are you working on now and what's next for you?
The Unforgivable is the first in a series, Wounds of South America. Each book in the series is about love and redemption in the midst of some of the desperate political situations in the southern cone. The second manuscript, set in Colombia, is turned in (to be released in 2012) so I’m working on the third installment. And I’m always chewing on other ideas in different genres, as well.

5) Parting comments?
There were times I experienced discouragement in my novel journey and even quit once. But my novel wouldn’t let me. Months later I was writing again. You know it’s a calling if you let it go, but it doesn’t let go of you.

6) Where can fans find you on the internet?
You can find me on Facebook, or Twitter, or any of those fine online social networks. I do a weekly blog, Pressing Through, on http://www.tessastockton.blogspot.com/. I’m also a monthly contributor at http://www.internationalchristianfictionwriters.blogspot.com/. Other than that, come harass me at http://www.tessastockton.com/!



BIO: A former contemporary dancer, Tessa Stockton, who was also active in politics and human rights groups, now writes novels. The Unforgivable is her first book in the Wounds of South America, a political intrigue series. Available in paperback, Kindle or Nook, The Unforgivable is set against the backdrop of Argentina’s Dirty War, where a Christian woman falls in love with a man accused of war crimes.

Michelle Griep's "Undercurrent"

Title: Undercurrent
Publisher: Risen Books


Cover blurb: 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.

1) How did this story come to you?
There’s an old family story my mom told me about her mom, Clara Brekke. Sometime back in the early 1900’s, Clara’s father took her two-year-old sister and walked out the front door. Just like that. No bags packed. Not a word about where they were going or when they’d return. Nothing. No one ever heard from them again. As a result, I’ve always been curious about missing people. Assuming they’ve not met with foul play, where exactly do they go?

2) Tell us about the journey to getting this book published.
This book started out with an agent, who pitched it to 3 or 4 CBA houses, all of which turned it down. Vikings don’t fit too neatly into the sweet and/or fluffy category and were a little too raw for most. So I pitched it myself to indie publishers and was picked up.

3) Tell me three things about yourself that would surprise your readers.
I can dance a mean polka. I hate fruit. I’m a recovering Trekkie.

4) What are you working on now and what's next for you?
I started a Viking sequel but what might very well be next is a historical that I recently finished. It’s a pre-Regency (Georgian for history buffs) about an opium addict and a fella who’s going insane.

5) Parting comments?
Go for the dark chocolate. It’s healthier.

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

Carrie Turansky's "Surrendered Hearts"

Title: Surrendered Hearts
Cover blurb: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?

1) How did this story come to you?
I read an article in our local newspaper about a gas pipeline explosion and the fires that followed, and I began wondering what it would be like for someone who had lost everything in a situation like that. The question, what makes a woman truly beautiful, also came to mind as I thought about surviving burn injuries.

2) Tell us about the journey to getting this book published.
I originally wrote Surrendered Hearts in 2007 as a sequel to my first published novel, Along Came Love. It did not find a home with traditional publishers, but I’ve always loved the story, so I decided to publish it as an e-book.

3) Tell me three things about yourself that would surprise your readers.
1. Our family spent a year in Africa and we loved it. 2. I homeschooled our five kids over eighteen years and received a wonderful education. 3. I still find it challenging to plug my way through a novel even though I’ve written at least a dozen.

4) What are you working on now and what's next for you?
I am writing a contemporary romance for Love Inspired titled, A Man To Trust. It comes out March 2012.

5) Parting comments?
This is an exciting time to be a novelist! Publishing seems to be changing rapidly, and there are many new opportunities for authors to see their books go out as e-books as well as traditional books. Thanks for allowing me to connect with your blog readers.

6) Where can fans find you on the internet?
My website is: http://www.carrieturansky.com/ . Please sign up for my newsletter so we can stay in touch.
On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/carrie.turansky
On Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/carrieturansky

I have a coupon code I can send to the winner via-mail so they can download a free copy of Surrendered Hearts.

Elizabeth Camden's "The Lady of Bolton Hill"

Title: The Lady of Bolton Hill
Publisher: Bethany House

Cover blurb: Clara Endicott is beginning to make a name for herself as a journalist who is intent on exposing the dark side of industry. In the splendor of gilded age America, she soon finds herself face to face with the childhood sweetheart who is no longer the impoverished steel worker she once knew.
     Daniel Tremain has risen to become a powerful industry giant. He always idolized Clara, but when she writes an exposé about his company, her words trigger a series of events that threaten to destroy them both.

1) How did this story come to you?
When I was in college, I found myself paired with a complete stranger for a roommate. She was a worldly city-girl with a Brooklyn accent so think it was hard to understand her. I was tidy, she was messy. I was quiet, she had a laugh loud enough to be heard in the next county. We had absolutely nothing in common except we both adored an extremely obscure singer from Ireland (The Pogues, in case anyone is interested.) In an instant, all the differences were swept aside and we immediately bonded over a mutual love of a musician no one on this side of the Atlantic had heard of.
I drew upon that unlikely friendship to form the initial flare of attraction between Daniel and Clara. They have wildly divergent temperaments and upbringing, but they both adore the deeply romantic music of Frederic Chopin, and that bond serves as a foundation upon which a magnificent romance ultimately blossoms.

2) Tell us about the journey to getting this book published.
I’m afraid I made one mistake after another on my path to publication. I suppose my biggest problem is that I am an intense introvert, which means I have a real problem dragging myself out of the house to network. I assumed that writing groups were all about trading manuscripts and critiques. I didn’t think I needed support in terms of my writing, and I was probably right on that score. What I didn’t understand was that some decent networking could have shown me the ropes in landing the correct agent, targeting the right market, and avoiding a ton of mistakes on the business side of publication. It took me a while to figure out the process, but once the ball started rolling, things happened very quickly.

3) Tell me three things about yourself that would surprise your readers.
a. My house is so crammed with books, I have a one-book-in, one-book-out policy. Sad, but necessary.
b. I am a spinach fanatic. I’ve made up recipes called Spinach Pie; Spinach Delight; Spinach Extravaganza, and my favorite, Spinach Meatballs.
c. My family calls the spinach recipes I make up “rabbit food” and won’t eat any of it, which leaves more for me!

4) What are you working on now and what's next for you?
My next book is The Rose of Winslow Street, slated for publication in early 2012. The setting is a small New England town in 1883. Into this peaceful, idyllic village comes a brash warrior from Romania, who storms into town with a wealth of mystery, long-buried secrets, and a heart as wide and deep as the Atlantic Ocean. He is a strong, fearsome man, but pretty quickly he develops a soft-spot for the heroine, which is a huge complication for him. It is hard to say more without delving into spoiler territory, so I’ll leave it at that for now.

5) Parting comments?
Just that I am thankful for the chance to be in this business. Reading novels was a huge part of my life, and if I can give back just a tiny fraction of the joy I have had from reading, I will be very grateful indeed. Thank you for the opportunity to help me get the word out!

6) Where can fans find you on the internet?
I blog at http://elizabethcamden.com/blog