We're excited to have Judythe Morgan with us today talking about her book When Love Blooms, a novel about the Fitzpatrick Family. To learn more about this award winning author and her book, read on!

Please tell us five random things we might not know about you.

~I like to sing Sacred Harp. It’s also called fa so la singing and been around since the 1840s. Check it out, depending upon where you live, there might be a singing near you.

~I’m addicted to having an afternoon cup of Brewley’s Irish tea. It’s a habit I picked up on my many trips to Ireland.

~I taught computer literacy for seven years. Looking back, I’m still amazed we covered word processing, databases, spreadsheets, programming, telecommunications, technology futures, and ethics in an eighteen-week semester.

 ~I love snow. The ice that follows a beautiful snowfall, on the other hand, is not my friend.

~I’m a fifth generation Texan, back home after living in ten different states and South Korea.

Why did you choose to write this book?

This book grew from a contest I entered in 2009. Sadly, it didn’t win. I shelved Andy and Darcy’s story. Years later, in talking about the story concept, writer friends suggested it would make a great series. I dug out the old contest entry, worked with a story editor, and the Fitzpatrick Family series was born. Two of the eight Fitzpatrick siblings, Andy and Becca, have had their stories published. The others’ stories will be coming.

What one thing about writing do you wish non-writers would understand? 

I do wish friends understood why I sometimes say “no” when asked to do something or go somewhere, especially if I’m on deadline.

What is the toughest test you've faced as a writer?

It’s not exactly a test, though it does challenge me. Marketing and self-promotion is so hard for me. I’m very, very thankful for people like K. Dawn Bryd who make it so easy.

What do you hope readers take away from your novel?

I hope Darcy and Andy’s story will encourage readers to see that forgiveness can lead to happy endings.

What accomplishment(s) are you most proud of, writing-related or not?

I feel so proud when readers stop and talk to me about how much they enjoy my books.

What do you do for fun when not writing?

I love to play contract bridge and cook. Not at the same time, of course.

What are you working on now?

I’m plotting the next Fitzpatrick story for Joshua -When Love Trusts.   

Where else can readers find you online?   

Visit Judythe’s website to learn more about her.

Read her award-winning blog View from the Front Porc

Friend her on Facebook and Goodreads

Follow her on Twitter

Please give us the first page of the book.

Darcy Clark tightened her grip on the teetering wheelbarrow piled high with bags of black peat mulch for flowerbeds and focused on the four Goth-attired boys with spiked hair who watched her approach. The two girls standing beside them sported raccoon-eye mascara and brassy makeup. Mingling in the garden area of her high school alma mater, the group looked more like escapees from county juvie than students.

One of the boys, a rail-thin kid in a dirty heavy-metal band tee shirt with the logo so badly faded as to be unrecognizable, stomped on a row of dianthus. The others snickered.

“Stop! What do you think you’re doing?”

Darcy raced down the sidewalk heaving from roots of the massive oaks planted with the building construction in the 1950s when the small town of Burton finally had the population to warrant its own school district. For weeks, she’d landscaped the grounds for her upcoming ten-year reunion. Those hooligans were not going to destroy all her hard work. She cringed at the shredded flower petals and plucked foliage.

“What’s it to you, lady?” A different teenager with a defiant smirk plucked a primrose and crushed the tiny crimson blooms between his thumb and fingers.

“Yeah. It’s our school. We can pick flowers if we want.” The girl with a fuchsia streak in her midnight black hair pinched a white bloom from the bush, sniffed, and placed the flower behind her ear Hawaiian-style.

The ribbing escalated, each taunt becoming a little cruder than the last.

“I’m calling security.” Darcy reached in her pocket only to discover she had left her cell phone in the truck.

“No need for that.” A bearded man came from behind her and joined them. He shifted a black book under his arm and extended his hand. “Andrew Fitzpatrick. I apologize for my students. Everyone out of the flowerbeds. Now.”

Darcy pulled off her dirty glove and reluctantly shook his hand. Matthew Fitzpatrick’s younger brother had been a pimply-faced tween the first time she met him. Wanting to believe she could have handled the situation, at the same time thankful for his presence, she shot a suspicious glance at the students.

“Darcy Clark. If they’re your students, why aren’t you paying attention to what they’re doing? On second thought, how do I know you’re a teacher? I’ve heard the stories about drugs on campus. Maybe that book is your accounts book and you’re checking on your pushers.”

A stocky kid with an acute case of acne jumped off the flowerbed edging and gave a toothy grin. “Mr. Fitz a pusher? Nah, he’s too soft.”

Andrew Fitzpatrick whipped the black leather book out and flashed the title, Selected Poetical Works of Elizabeth Barrett Browning. “See? Poetry.” Meeting Darcy’s gaze, he said, “I should have been paying more attention. English poetry is not a teenager’s favorite subject. I do apologize.”

Back cover blurb

After a hit-and-run accident leaves her mother confined to a special care facility, Darcy Clark abandons her dream of an art career to focus on the family’s struggling landscape business.

At-risk students from her old high school become the labor force on a city park project, and their teacher, Andy Fitzpatrick shows up to supervise his students. The chemistry between Darcy and Andy is instant.

But will a secret link between Andy and her mother’s accident kill the attraction before love can bloom?

Bio

Award-winning author Judythe Morgan was an Air Force daughter then an Army wife and a one time-Department of Army Civilian employee. She's seen a lot of this big world.

She's also a mother/grandmother, antiques dealer, teacher, former mayor's wife, and sometimes-church pianist. Recently, she's ventured into Sacred Harp singing and playing bridge. And she always finds time to love on her Old English sheepdog Finnegan MacCool and his Maltese brother, Buster.

Her diverse experiences have made her life full, her stories authentic, and her characters vivid and that, in turn, has earned her fiction numerous writing awards. She writes from a Christian worldview and there’s always an emotionally satisfying ending.

With her husband, a preacher’s kid, and her son, a preacher, she has a wealth of material for her Fitzpatrick Family series about eight preacher kids and their sweet romance stories. When Love Blooms is Andy’s story and first of the series.

Judythe is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) and Romance Writers of America (RWA).

Barbara Britton Interview & Jerusalem Rising...

We're happy to have Barbara Britton with us today talking about her book Jerusalem Rising. To learn more about her and her book, read on!

Why did you choose to write this book?

I have taught the story of Nehemiah many times in Vacation Bible School. Kids love tearing down fake rocks and rebuilding them into a wall. Nehemiah was tasked with restoring the wall around Jerusalem and he also pointed the Hebrew people toward God. I was shocked to learn the daughters of Shallum helped rebuild Jerusalem’s wall. I thought their take on the construction project would make an interesting story. Women construction workers in Bible times were rare. I also discovered a prophetess in the book of Nehemiah who was new to me. She’s not a nice prophetess.

I enjoy bringing little known Bible stories to light. I wanted to share all the “new things” I discovered in the book of Nehemiah: women wall builders, a nasty prophetess, all the men who worked against Nehemiah and God. Spoiler alert. God wins.

What is the toughest test you’ve faced as a writer?

Even with three books published and three in the publishing pipeline, I sometimes doubt my writing skills. I need to cast the doubts aside and realize God gave me my passion. When I finish a manuscript, I look at the amount of work and say, “How did I do that?” With God. I’ve spent many years learning the craft of writing and I pray God will use me to shine a light on Him and His Word.

What do you hope readers take away from your novel?

The theme for “Jerusalem Rising” is be strong and courageous and do God’s work. It isn’t always easy to do Kingdom work or stand up for God, but God calls us to make disciples and share the Gospel. I hope people are encouraged by Adah and Nehemiah’s story.

What accomplishments are you most proud of, writing-related or not?

I am personally proud that I am active in ministry even though I have a lot of writing tasks. I love teaching Bible study and mentoring women, and I have honored those commitments even though life can get hectic at times. God gives us gifts to use in His church and I want to be faithful to Kingdom ministry.

Book Blurb:

When Adah bat Shallum finds the governor of Judah weeping over the crumbling wall of Jerusalem, she learns the reason for Nehemiah’s unexpected visit—God has called him to rebuild the wall around the City of David.

 Nehemiah challenges the men of Jerusalem to labor on the wall and in return, the names of their fathers will be written in the annals for future generations to cherish. But Adah has one sister and no brothers. Should her father who rules a half-district of Jerusalem be forgotten forever?

Adah bravely vows to rebuild her city’s wall, though she soon discovers that Jerusalem not only has enemies outside of the city, but also within. Can Adah, her sister, and the men they love, honor God’s call? Or will their mission be crushed by the same rocks they hope to raise.

The first page of  Jerusalem Rising:

Seventeen-year-old Adah bat Shallum breathed deep. Deep enough to carry the pomegranate, cassia, and aloe scents from the length of her nose to the depths of her lungs. Was this fragrance a treasure or a stench? She trusted her senses. Her patience had produced a precious perfume worth several silver coins. Possibly some gold ones too. Careful not to spill a single drop, she poured her afternoon’s labor into small glazed jars, and lined them one finger length from the edge of the shelf and one thumb width apart. A piece of whittled poplar closed every opening and kept her fragrance captive.

“Adah. Judith.” The summons echoed down the street. A harsh inflection deepened her father’s voice.

She peeked through a hole in the wall—a roughedged reminder of Nebuchadnezzar’s siege—and spied her father’s forward-leaning march. Wiping her hands on a clean rag, she scurried around the acacia wood table, a centerpiece to the small space she recently called her own. She crossed the threshold of her storeroom and hastened into the dirt lane.

What do you do for fun when not writing?

I love to read books by author friends. As Elizabeth Bennet said in the movie Pride and Prejudice, “I’m very fond of walking.” I don’t walk as much outside due to the cold Wisconsin winters.

What are you working on now?

I am finishing a mini-series about the daughters of Zelophehad. “Lioness: Mahlah’s Journey” will release in October of 2019 and tell the story of these five orphaned sisters. The remaining two books show their journey to inherit their land…and find love.

Where else can readers find you?

I have a website www.barbarambritton.com, and I am on Twitter, Facebook, and Goodreads.

Barb’s Bio:

Barbara M. Britton lives in Wisconsin and writes Christian Fiction for teens and adults. She has a nutrition degree from Baylor University but loves to dip healthy strawberries in chocolate. Barb brings little-known Bible characters to light in her Tribes of Israel series.

What Bible story would you like to know more about?

Gail Sattler's Interview & Spotlight of Mercury Rising

I'm happy to have Gail Sattler with me today with a spotlight of her book Mercury Rising. Click on the cover image for more info. To learn more about Gail and her book, read on!

Gail, please tell us five random things we might not know about you.

My first published book contracted on my 40th birthday

I have owned many pets but I have never had a cat

My car is a manual transmission

My favorite color is green

I've always wanted to play the violin

Why did you choose to write this book?

This book is based on a true story, with my husband as one of the affected victims. I thought it was intriguing, and so I built a story around it.

What one thing about writing do you wish non-writers would understand? 

The easier a book is to read, the harder it was to write.

What is the toughest test you've faced as a writer?

Short deadlines

What do you hope readers to take away from your novel?

Hope, because life is full of happy endings.

What accomplishment(s) are you most proud of, writing-related or not?

That I'm self-taught on the bass guitar, because I don't play guitar, my first instrument is piano.

Please give us the first page of the book. 

CHAPTER 1

When he first joined the FBI, Steve Gableman had anticipated a life of action and intrigue. International espionage. Secret missions. Dangerous liaisons. But this wasn’t one of them. After the fallout from his last assignment, he’d been downgraded. Just surveillance.

Although, he couldn’t complain. It wasn’t often an agent got running water with indoor plumbing on a stakeout, much less a whole house with comfortable furniture, a full fridge, and not a rodent in sight.

An elderly lady had called the FBI’s tip line after a bomb threat at her grandson’s school, saying the teen tried his luck on the Internet to see how difficult, or easy, it would be to build a bomb. While researching, the boy read a post from Jeff Schuster, the owner of a hydroponics store, also asking questions on building a bomb and then planting one. Except, unlike the boy, Schuster’s enquiries were serious. The FBI sent a mole into Schuster’s store, confirming that Jeff Schuster was indeed collecting the components to construct a bomb.

However, so far they hadn’t uncovered his target or his timeline.

When the FBI began their surveillance of Schuster’s home, they’d observed a group of four men who visited him at least three times a week, using different cars on rotation. They came and went quietly, returned a few days later in a different car, and the cycle repeated.

Schuster’s cohorts were quite an eclectic group. A couple of them had prison records, and only one had a real job. Steve’s team had a number of good leads, and they were following them.

Then there was Schuster’s neighbor, Cheryl Richardson, in the other half of Schuster’s duplex. Every second day, Schuster quietly knocked on her door and gave her a bag of unknown contents from his store. She always accepted it then quickly went back inside.

It had taken a month, but Steve finally managed to discover the contents of the bags.

Tomatoes. Grown in his hydroponics store to demonstrate his equipment.

She wasn’t helping Schuster make a bomb. She was making salad. His surveillance of her showed that other than accepting the unknown bags from Schuster, she led a clean and relatively boring life. She was a florist. She went to church faithfully. The highlight of her week was taking her small, fluffy dog to the library.

Tonight, here he sat, alone in a dark house, documenting the cleanest suspect he’d ever had the misfortune to be assigned. His report concluded that Cheryl Anne Richardson had no part in the operation. He could now re-join his team to research the real suspect.

He checked the monitors one more time. He'd planted two surveillance cameras to watch her, both planted in his own yard, so he had visual, but not audio. The camera in the front caught both Cheryl and Schuster's front doors in front of the duplex, allowing both Steve and his team, depending on who was on duty to watch, to capture images of who came and went. The second was mounted on a tree in his back yard, for now aimed both rear patio doors which exited to the shared porch. Cheryl Richardson had gone back in the house, and the pattern of lights turning off showed that she’d gone to bed.

He would complete his report in the morning.

His head had barely touched the pillow when his monitor beeped. Steve grumbled and trudged to his display to see what she was doing. The panel indicated movement, so he flipped on the view screen. The sliding door to the back yard was open. Cheryl stood in the gap, bundled in her housecoat. He turned the camera remotely, to watch the same thing that he did every night at this same time. Her fuzzy little dog made his way to a tree in the middle of the back yard,  did his business, and hobbled back into the house.

Steve nearly groaned. The most exciting thing the woman had done in twenty-four hours was let the dog out.

When the door closed, he reached to aim the camera back at the house, and then he'd turn off the monitor. His finger had begun its downward path to press the button when the light on the motion detector flashed again. He froze. He couldn’t see what, but something in the yard had moved, and it wasn’t her dog.

 What do you do for fun when not writing?

I play bass in a local jazz band as well as an Elton John tribute band, and I play piano for a community jazz band.

What are you working on now? 

A five book series featuring five members of the Kozlowski family, starting when four of Zac Kozlowski's relatives move in to his house for different reasons, all at once, and his neighbor tries her best to help. Or does she?

Where else can readers find you online?   

Visit Gail Sattler's website at www.gailsattler.com - and click on her blog to see what goes on in the mind of a writer

Facebook  - https://www.facebook.com/gail.sattler.3

Gail Sattler's author page at https://www.facebook.com/Gail-Sattler-author-568988573496833/?modal=admin_todo_tour

Bio

Gail Sattler lives in Vancouver BC Canada, where you don't have to shovel rain. When she's not feverently writing (Gail Sattler has over 40 published novels and novellas, plus a few works of non-fiction) she plays bass in an Elton John tribute band and a community jazz band, as well as  piano in a smaller private jazz band. When she's not writing or making music (or at her day job) Gail likes to sit back and read a book written by someone else, along with a good cup of hot coffee.

Back cover blurb

Mercury Rising - by Gail Sattler

Michael wants to save his daughter, but first he’s got to save the world.

Michael and Charlotte meet when Michael is trying to find Ashley, his missing daughter who has fallen into drug abuse, and Charlotte is searching for her son Jon, a brilliant and aspiring young scientist who has also gone missing.
Ashley and Jon should have nothing in common, but after the murder of Jon’s favorite professor, they become ensnared in a tangled web that becomes worse with every new discovery.
When Michael and Charlotte join together to figure what their children have become involved with, they, too, are sucked into a sinkhole for which there are no answers, only more questions. 
When all seems lost, will they all recognize the source of strength offered to them, and… will they take it?

Sara Foust Interview and Spotlight of "Of Walls"

I'm happy to have Sara Foust with me today talking about her novella Of Walls. For more information, click on the title or the book cover.

Sara, please tell us five random things we might not know about you.

1.     I put peanut butter on just about anything, including Oreos, Chips Ahoy, bananas, apples, and strawberry cereal bars. (K. Dawn- I put ketchup on everything to the point that my husband says, "You eat ketchup with your ketchup.")

2.     I hope to someday visit Italy, Alaska, and the pirate haunts of the Caribbean. (K. Dawn- I just finished one item on my bucket list...visited New York City two weeks ago.)

3.     My favorite day trip activity is visiting Cades Cove, here in East Tennessee. (I've actually hard of it. I live in SW VA.)

4.     I have a pygmy goat named Razberry who sneaks in my house whenever he can. His favorite snack is Ritz crackers and I would take him places with me if I could figure out how to keep him from pottying everywhere. (What a neat pet!)

5.     I love adventure movies and books like Indiana Jones, The DaVinci Code, etc. (I'm a suspense lover.)

Why did you choose to write this book?

Of Walls is the story of a mom and homemaker named Julie. She loves her family and her role in it, but her marriage is struggling. I wrote this story because it is realistic. Not that Julie’s story is exactly my story, but that the struggles to temptation, the oppression of everyday life, and the glory of God’s love and truths are things real women in the real world face. I wanted to write a moving, at times heartbreaking, story about a fictional woman who learns how to deal with something raw and real with grace because of God’s presence in her life.

What one thing about writing do you wish non-writers would understand? 

It is a job. Even though I am not some famous superstar making bazillions, I consider writing my primary career, because it is my primary passion and my calling from God.

What is the toughest test you've faced as a writer?

I think for me getting started was the hardest part. I was filled with such self-doubt and fear. I worried that if I got rejected I would give up and never live my dream. I am just thankful that God gave me good support in the beginning and that I had people encouraging me not to quit. Because now I can say I get to wake up every day and live my dream of being a “real” writer.

What do you hope readers to take away from your novel?

I hope readers will realize that none of us is perfect. We all face trials and temptations and think things we would be ashamed to say out loud. But the truth is, no matter what happens God’s love for us can bring us through, is merciful and forgiving, and, in the end, we are stronger than we think.

What accomplishment(s) are you most proud of, writing-related or not?

I am proud, but mostly thankful, that I have managed to stick with a writing career even though life is hectic and crazy all the time, with 5 homeschooled kiddos, a work-from-home part-time job, and a very busy schedule.

The first page of Of Walls.

Chapter One

  “I really need this trip.”

He just looks at me. Trying to figure out my subtext? I send messages to my eyes to pretend there isn’t any. I’m not brave enough to illuminate the truth. Not yet.

“Our finances are never going to get better.”

I roll my eyes. Of course they aren’t. There’s no hope in anything, according to you. “You know, I have confidence when I get home I can take this course and provide for myself.”

He lifts his eyebrow.

I’ve crossed a line. I try to backpedal, cover my almost truths. What I want to say is, “I don’t want to be married to you anymore. I’m done. I give up.” My tongue hurts with permanent teeth impressions by now. If I say the things in my mind, I won’t be able to stuff them back in. Won’t be able to erase them. Won’t be able to put the smashed bricks back into place. What if I am blatantly, brutally honest and regret it? I see the fear flitting across his eyes. The anger igniting beneath the hazel irises. “That’s not what I mean.” I take a deep breath. “I really need this trip.”

He drops his gaze. “I know.”

Does he? Does he sense the wall of barbed wire squeezing my heart? The pain? The desperation? Despair? “We will figure out the money when I get home. It’s going to work out somehow. God has taken care of us this long, He won’t stop now.”

 What do you do for fun when not writing?

My favorite things to do are read, camp, hike, and spend time with my family. (K. Dawn- I love to read as well and I just taught myself to knit. Go youtube!)

What are you working on now? 

The third Inspirational Romantic Suspense book in the Love, Hope, and Faith Series from Mantle Rock Publishing, Inc., is in editing right now, awaiting release in early March. I am writing the first book, The Jade Owl, in a new Romantic Suspense series, The Serafina Jones Series.

Where else can readers find you online?   

www.saralfoust.com

Sara's Bio:

Sara is a multi-published, award-winning author and homeschooling mother of five who writes amid the beauty of East Tennessee. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Animal Science from the University of Tennessee and is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers. She is the author of the Love, Hope, and Faith Series, which includes Callum's Compass (2017), Camp Hope (2018), and Rarity Mountain (March 2019).  She also has a story, “Leap of Faith,” in Chicken Soup for the Soul: Step Outside Your Comfort Zone. Sara finds inspiration in her faith, her family, and the beauty of nature. When she isn’t writing, you can find her reading, camping, and spending time outdoors with her family. To learn more about her and her work or to become a part of her email friend’s group, please visit www.saralfoust.com. 

Back cover blurb of Of Walls.

Julie Johnson's life as a mom and homemaker is richly blessed, but her marriage is struggling. Years of busyness, exhaustion, and hurt have taken their toll on her emotional and spiritual life, building impenetrable walls around her heart. When she feels God calling her to a mission trip on the other side of the world, Julie puts her faith in Him and leaves her family for ten long days. What she learns about herself, her marriage, and her faith will change her life forever.  

Answer the following question... I eat so much _______________, it's easy to say I eat it on almost everything. 

Interview with Beth Steury: Spotlight her young adult novel "Before I Knew You"

We're happy to have Beth Steury with us today talking about her young adult novel Before I Knew You. Click on the cover below for more information at Amazon.

Genre of book: YA Contemporary

Name of Publisher:  Life Matters Publishing 

Please tell us five random things we might not know about you.

1.     I was found on a doorstep.

2.     I used DNA to find my birth parents.

3.     I have an obsessive relationship with Diet Coke.

4.     I have considered launching a campaign to have chocolate declared the sixth food group.

5.     I adore vacationing in new, exciting places.

Why did you choose to write this book?

The inspiration for Preston and Maggie’s story came from a radio interview I heard many years ago. Following a presentation, a well-known youth speaker met outside in the parking lot with a young man from the audience. The young guy leaned on his truck and looked up at the speaker. “What happens when true love didn’t wait?” he asked. The speaker went on to say how that young man’s question changed how he approached the subject of teenagers and sex. For days, that scenario played through my mind accompanied by the faces of the many teenagers I knew who also had stumbled into premarital sex. For many, that one decision changed the course of their life. Too often they felt like since they had already messed up, what was the point in even trying anymore?  I believe in saving sex for marriage. If possible, I believe even more in “renewed waiting.”

What one thing about writing do you wish non-writers would understand? 

It’s harder than it looks!

What do you hope readers to take away from your novel?

            Saving sex for marriage matters. “Renewed waiting” matters, too. Because it’s never too late to make wiser, healthier choices.

What accomplishment(s) are you most proud of, writing-related or not?

       The launching of both the “Choices Matter” fiction series and the “Waiting Matters” non-fiction series.

Please give us the first page of the book.

Memorial Day weekend

Preston

I

won’t do anything illegal or immoral. Just hanging out. No big deal.” Muttering to an empty room, I grabbed an Indianapolis Colts sweatshirt and opened my bedroom door to scope out the hall. Right toward Mom’s and Dad’s room, left toward my brother Patrick’s.

The hall was empty. Good.

I found Mom in the kitchen rinsing the supper dishes. “Hangin’ with the guys tonight, Mom. Won’t be too late.” Not that an almost seventeen-year-old should have to report his every move to his mom, but considering what I’d put my parents through last year, it wouldn’t kill me.

“Okay, Preston.” She tapped my arm with wet fingers. “Have fun.”

I zipped toward the front door, hoping to avoid Patrick’s older brother advice.

“No big deal.” More muttering, to convince myself there was nothing wrong with a night of hanging out with the guys. As I jabbed the key into the ignition, I scanned the front of the Jacoby family, ranch-style house.

Patrick filled the doorway, his arms crossed, a menacing glare shooting from his narrowed eyes.

I jerked away from his obvious disapproval and backed onto the street in my hand-me-down Honda Accord that would scream middle class in Jake Nelson’s east side neighborhood.

 What do you do for fun when not writing?

            I’m a confirmed genetic genealogy junkie who loves piecing together family trees and solving genealogical mysteries via DNA matches.

What are you working on now? 

Finishing book two of the “Choices Matter” series entitled, “because I know you.”

Where else can readers find you online?   

            Amazon Author Page:  amazon.com/author/bethsteury

Website:   Beth Steury – Saving sex for marriage cheerleader, YA Author, Christ follower

Facebook:     Beth Steury, Author

Twitter:         @Beth_Steury

Pinterest:      Beth Steury, Author

Goodreads:   Beth Steury, Author

Bio

Beth immerses herself in the YA world via substitute teaching, connecting with the teenage staff at the fast-joint where she claims the back booth as her office, and reading YA fiction.

She’s a cheerleader for saving sex for marriage. Her “Waiting Matters … Because YOU Matter” blog helps people of all ages navigate the choppy waters of saving sex for marriage and “renewed waiting.”

Beth is also a genetic genealogy enthusiast who used DNA to find her birth parents. Her journey to find and connect with her biological family is chronicled in “A Doorstep Baby’s Search for Answers.” Her “Slices of Real Life” posts find GOD in the day-to-day moments of real life.

All of Beth’s writing endeavors can be found on her website. Connect with her on Facebook, Goodreads, Pinterest, Instagram, and Twitter. Check out her books  available on Amazon in both print and ebooks.

Back cover blurb:

After a series of bad choices rocked his world, seventeen-year-old Preston charts a new course as far from his ladies’ man ways as he can get. He distances himself from the dating scene and avoids his party-loving friends—the things that once dominated his life. Then he meets Maggie, the new girl in town, the first day of their junior year. She’s beautiful on the inside and out, knows nothing of his past, and he can’t get her out of his mind.

When a disastrous first date leaves her skeptical about the guys at Madison High, Maggie slows down her pursuit of a guy to trust with her white-wedding-dress future. She wants a boyfriend, sure, but he’d have to be nothing like the jerk who forced her first kiss. Someone more like Preston, who’s been nothing but sweet and helpful, not to mention, easy on the eyes. But he is so out of her league.

Can Maggie afford to let her guard down around the charming Preston? Will Preston’s past jeopardize his chances with the one girl who could anchor his future?

Joi Copeland's "Christmas in Stoney Brook"

I'm so happy to have Joi Copeland with us today. Read on to learn more about Joi and Christmas in Stoney Brook!

When did you first discover that you loved writing?

My love of writing began at a young age. I wrote short stories for several years, and in 2009, I began writing my first novel, Hope for Tomorrow

Why do you write the type of books that you do?

I love writing about hope and redemption. No matter what people have done, there is always redemption and hope.

What was your greatest obstacle in writing and how did you overcome it?

My greatest obstacle in writing was anxiety. I was on a writing kick for a long time, and then I suffered multiple anxiety attacks that took me out of my groove. I was able to go on medication, and that has helped me overcome.

Has writing changed your life in any way?

Yes and no. Yes in that I get to do what I love, and no, in that I’m still the same person I’ve always been.

What Bible scripture has impacted your life the most?

Philippians 4:6-8

Is there a book you’ve read that has been truly spectacular?

Oh my! Too many to list! Reading is my self-care, so I’ve read a lot of books. Julie Arduini, JoAnn Durgin, are just a few that I adore. You can’t go wrong with Rachel Hauck, either!

What’s the funniest/quirkiest thing you’ve ever done?

One of the funniest things I did to my little sister, Jackie. She was sitting in the front seat of my older sister’s truck, and I was tucked behind the passenger seat. We had stopped at a light, and I made it look like my arm was my little sister’s. There happened to be a carload of guys next to us. I grabbed Jackie’s forehead and from the guys’ perspective, it looked like she was grabbing her own. It was so funny! We still laugh about it, and that was several years ago. J

If you could travel in a time machine would you go back to the past or into the future?

I’d go to the past.

If you could invite any 5 people to dinner who would you choose?

King David, Abraham Lincoln, my Nana and Papa who are now with Jesus, My step father-in-law who passed away, and my husband’s grandmother, who passed away.

If you were stranded on a desert island what 3 things would you want with you?

My husband, my bible, and chocolate

What is one book everyone should read?

The Bible…sorry, couldn’t resist. J

If you could meet one person who has died who would you choose?

Mother Theresa

Please tell us in one sentence only, why we should read your book.

If you’ve struggled with forgiving others, this book could be for you!

Any other books in the works? Goals for future projects?

In Apple Pie Order, should be out either in December or January.

What's one piece of advice you would give aspiring authors?

Critique partner/groups. They are vital.

Please tell us about the featured book: Christmas in Stoney Brook

He was hunting for revenge.
She was fleeing from the past.

Austin Birch wanted one thing and one thing only: seek revenge on the man who stole everything from his family. No matter what it took, he would see it come to pass. When his plans go awry, he is forced to settle in Stoney Brook, Colorado.

Addison McClave only wanted to live her life in peace, away from the man who took everything from her. When their paths collide, Addison is forced to deal with her past and face the one who turned her world upside down

Bio

Joi Copeland is married to a wonderful man, Chris, and has three amazing boys, Garrison, Gage, and Gavin. She lives in Denver, Colorado, but within the year, hopes to be living in Galway, Ireland. Reading is by far her favorite pastime!

Where can readers find you on the Internet?

https://www.amazon.com/Joi-Copeland

www.joicopeland.com

https://www.goodreads.com/Joi_Copeland

https://www.facebook.com/Joi-Copelands-Book-Page

http://booksbyjoicopeland.blogspot.com/

https://twitter.com/JoiCopeland4

https:// www.instagram.com/booksbyjoi/