Nelson Dooley's "Catherine's Pursuit"

Title: Catherine’s Pursuit
Publisher: Realms, the fiction imprint of Charisma Media

Cover blurb: The search for her sisters will become a spiritual journey for the entire family.

Raised by her father, Catherine McKenna has never lacked for anything, surrounded by people to take care of her every need. On her eighteenth birthday she discovers that not only did her mother die when she was born, but she has two identical sisters. Although her father vowed not to look for his daughters, Catherine made no such promise. Setting out on her own with one clue and her maid in tow, she's determined to find her sisters.

Collin Elliott has seen better days. After losing his ship to a violent and unexpected storm, he is trying to recover--physically and emotionally. When Angus McKenna sends him to find, follow, and protect his daughter, he wants nothing more than to finish his task and return home. Can he help her find her sisters?

And will the discoveries they make along the way teach them both what's most important in life?

1) How did this story come to you?
The McKenna’s Daughters series percolated in my brain for several years before my agent sold it. Identical triplets, born on a wagon train and separated at birth when their mother dies, presented all kinds of possibilities. They are raised in different kinds of families. Catherine’s Pursuit is book three in the series.

2) Tell us about the journey to getting this book published.
The story first came to me when Tracie Peterson, who was the Heartsong Present acquisition editor for already published Heartsong authors. This was when Heartsong started doing the three book states series. She was really interested in it, but the editors changed, and the next one didn’t buy it.

Then my agent and I decided I should expand the stories to longer novels, because it was hard to include all I wanted to in the Heartsong length. At the time Realms bought the series another editor was also interested in it.

3) Tell me three things about yourself that would surprise your readers.
I like to try different kinds of things to eat. I love turtle and froglegs, but don’t like alligator as much.
I started first grade when I was 5 years old, so I was always the youngest person in each class.
One summer, I attended two colleges at the same time.

4) What are you working on now and what's next for you?
I’m writing a new series called Love’s Road Home, and there’s a major publishing company interested in it, but they can’t contract it right away. And I’ve been offered a exciting writing gig that can fill part of the time till then, but I can’t announce what it is until I sign the contract.

5) Parting comments?
I love my readers, and welcome new ones. Readers keep me writing books. I like for them to connect to me. There are lots of places they can find me.

9) Where can fans find you on the internet?
Website: www.lenanelsondooley.com
Blog: Http://lenanelsondooley.blogspot.com
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/lenandooley
Facebook: www.facebook.com/lena.nelson.dooley
Twitter: www.twitter.com/lenandooley
Official Fan Page: www.facebook.com/pages/Lena-Nelson-Dooley/42960748768?ref=ts
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/333031.Lena_Nelson_Dooley
Shoutlife: www.shoutlife.com/lenanelsondooley
Blogs where I’m a part: http://justthewritecharisma.blogspot.com/ and http://www.bustlesandspurs.com/