Interview with Gina Holder & Spotlight of No Greater Love...

We're happy to have Gina Holder with us today talking about her book No Greater Love. To learn more about Gina and her work read on!

Back cover blurb:

One Book Changed Her Life…and Her Eternity

He said he’d never risk leaving a widow.

She said she’d never love a man in uniform.

Paige McDonald collects antique literature and works at the largest bookstore in Portland, Oregon. When her grandfather, a firefighter, was killed, she vowed never to fall in love with a first responder. An old Bible leads to an unexpected discovery and disrupts everything she knows about herself, her family, and God. Her desire to know the truth sends her to the town of Whitman directly into the radar of Patrol Officer Hamilton Bryant.

After the loss of his best friend and fellow officer, Hamilton vowed never to marry. He won’t risk leaving a widow. Instead, he reserves his passion for serving his family and the town he’s sworn to protect. When a series of robberies and threats against the mayor correspond with Paige’s sudden appearance in Whitman, their paths intersect.

Please give us the first page of the book.

There isn’t another smell like this in the entire world.

The musty scent of vintage paper enveloped her like the familiarity of a security blanket, drawing her into her happy place. The smell of various perfumes and lavender vacuum powder lingered in the air. Several dimly lit, antique lamps sat atop the stand-alone marble-topped bookcases in the middle of the room. A terracotta rug and leather chairs gave the room the appearance of a cozy den. Paige McDonald closed her eyes and jostled her hand along the fraying spines where their roughness tickled the pads of her fingertips. She imagined the lives they’d lived, the places they’d been, and the stories they could tell beyond the ones written on their thinning, yellowed pages.

A shrill noise echoed in the distance, breaking into Paige’s daydreams. She lowered her hand and sighed, moving to open the interior door of the Rare Book Room. She stepped through the doorway into the Pearl Room on the third floor of the largest bookstore in the world. Florescent lights momentarily blinded her. She clicked the door shut behind her, protecting the rare literary volumes against the ultraviolet rays.

“Paige! Paige McDonald!”

Customers lifted their heads as the intrusive sound interrupted their browsing. The source of the offensive voice topped the stairs leading from the color-coded Red and Purple Rooms below. “I’ve been searching everywhere for you.”

“Yes, Mrs. Bastille. What can I do for you?” Paige clasped her hands behind her back and waited for instructions as the swanky assistant manager stalked her direction. Cat Bastille’s red hair complemented her fiery personality. She wore an outdated navy pantsuit and a gold scarf around her neck. Paige detested the woman, but she was all that stood between herself and the unemployment office.

The manager invaded Paige’s personal bubble and blew coffee breath in her face. Paige scrunched her nose against the odor. “The toilet is overflowing. Get in there and put a stop to it. Then, clean out the fridge in back. Some of the employees’ lunches are growing mold.” Cat tossed her hair over her shoulder with a show of dramatics. The woman should have been an actress…or a troll.

“Of course, Mrs. Bastille. I’ll take care of it.” Paige kept her voice sweet and submissive, when all she really wanted to do was grab the woman by her oversized hooped earrings and shake her. Cat repeatedly assigned her to the lowest and most demeaning tasks in the store. However, working at Powell’s City of Books in downtown Portland was the closest thing to her dream, and if it required groveling at the feet of Cat Bastille, then so be it. Without another word, she ducked under her boss’s outstretched arm, heading for the janitor’s closet on the second floor.

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

-        I have heterochromia, meaning my eyes are not the same color

-        I collect Precious Moment figurines.

-        I took horseback riding lessons for three years.

-        I play piano, organ, and I used to also play cello and guitar.

-        I’ve visited 15 countries and 43 states.

Why did you choose to write this book?

I wrote the book in such a way that if I share my inspiration for the story, I’ll give away spoilers! 

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

Writing a book is about 10 % inspiration and 99 % perspiration. (Yes, I’m aware that doesn’t equal 100%.)

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

When I was editing my debut novel, Whither Shall I Go, my husband took me away to a cabin in the mountains for us to work on the book together. Unfortunately, I was very sick the entire time, burning up with fever. When I got home, I was diagnosed with mono. I couldn’t do anything for the next two weeks.

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

A reminder of just how much God loves them. Also, a new or renewed appreciation for the first responders and their families.

 What do you do for fun when not writing?

I read books for fun and for review. I love to watch cheesy Hallmark movies with my husband. I spend time with my family. I’m addicted to social media and spend time each day surfing the web.

What are you working on now?

I’m beginning Book 2 of the Shadows of Whitman series, the sequel to No Greater Love. I’m also working on a historical romance called, In the Midst of the Sea, it’s book one of a shoot-off series from my debut novel.

Where else can readers find you online?

I can be found on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter under the name “storiesbygina”. I also have a blog at http://storiesbygina.wordpress.com.

  

Gina Holder dreamed of being a writer from her early teen years and completed the Long Ridge Writer’s Group “Breaking into Print” course. She also graduated from Faith Bible Institute. In August 2017, she published her first novel, Whither Shall I Go?, a historical romance. No Greater Love is her first contemporary romantic suspense.

She lives in Colorado with her husband and daughter. When she’s not homeschooling her daughter or working on her next novel, she enjoys reading, watching movies, singing, and playing the piano and organ.