Ann Lee Miller is giving away downloads of "Kicking Eternity!"

Note: Anyone who leaves a comment with an e-mail address (JaneReader[at]msn[dot]com) will receive a free e-book copy of Kicking Eternity. Those who don’t want to leave an e-mail may contact Ann for their free book at AnnLeeMiller.com.

Title: Kicking Eternity, First Place Winner, Long Contemporary in the 2009 Romance Writers of America Faith, Hope, and Love Contest

Cover blurb: Stuck in sleepy New Smyrna Beach one last summer, Raine socks away her camp pay checks, worries about her druggy brother, and ignores trouble: Cal Koomer. She’s a plane ticket away from teaching orphans in Africa, and not even Cal’s surfer six-pack and the chinks she spies in his rebel armor will derail her.

The artist in Cal begs to paint Raine’s ivory skin, high cheek bones, and internal sparklers behind her eyes, but falling for her would caterwaul him into his parents’ live. No thanks. The girl was self-righteous waiting to happen. Mom served sanctimony like vegetables, three servings a day, and he had a gut full.

Rec Director Drew taunts her with “Rainey” and calls her an enabler. He is so infernally there like a horsefly—till he buzzes back to his ex.

1) How did this story come to you?
Like the main character, my daughter has had a life-long passion to become a foreign missionary. Also, a friend was devastated when the man she believed God told her to marry broke their engagement. In Kicking Eternity the hero has to come to terms with the same dilemma.

2) Tell us about the journey to getting this book published.
I wrote my first novel fifteen years ago and have been writing full-time for ten years while trying to break in to traditional publishing. Last summer my agent let all her unpublished authors, including me, go. In the midst of my despair, God nudged me to indie e-publish. So, I swallowed a hairball of pride and walked down the self-publishing road. The part of me that clamors for validation still hopes for a traditional publishing contract. But how can I go wrong obeying God?

3) Tell me three things about yourself that would surprise your readers.
• I lived on a sailboat as a child and rode my bicycle down the dock each morning to attend school. After school every day, I tossed my books onto my bunk, shimmied into a swim suit, and jumped overboard.
• My father was often mistaken for Willie Nelson.
• I and my three sons are color blind.

4) What are you working on now and what's next for you?
In addition to Kicking Eternity, The Art of My Life debuts in September, Avra’s God in December, and Tattered Innocence next March.

5) Parting comments?
Readers who enjoy Ann Brashares (The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants) may like my books. I aim for her fast pace, depth, and passion.

I was thrilled to receive an endorsement from Jenny B. Jones, author of the Katie Parker Production Series from Think and The Charmed Life Series, and others from Thomas Nelson:

“Ann Lee Miller writes stories straight from the heart with characters who'll become friends, remaining with you long after you turn that final page. You won't want to miss Kicking Eternity!”

6) Where can fans find you on the internet?
http://www.annleemiller.com/
Twitter @AnnLeeMiller
Facebook Author Page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Ann-Lee-Miller/356653761022022

Bio: Ann Lee Miller earned a BA in creative writing from Ashland (OH) University and writes full-time in Phoenix, but left her heart in New Smyrna Beach, Florida, where she grew up. She loves speaking to young adults and guest lectures on writing at several Arizona colleges. When she isn’t writing or muddling through some crisis—real or imagined—you’ll find her hiking in the Superstition Mountains with her husband or meddling in her kids’ lives.