Shannon Vannatter's "Arkansas Weddings"

Title: Arkansas Weddings
Publisher: Barbour
 
Cover blurb: Arkansas Weddings: Love’s never easy in three Arkansas romances.

Pastor Grayson loves his wife. The problem is, Sara was killed by a hit-and-run driver two years ago. He knows he needs to move on, but it’s not until florist Adrea Welch arrives at his church that the seeds of healing are planted in his heart.

Laken left home eight years ago and never looked back. Who knew when she applied for the promotion to postmaster that she’d end up in Romance, Arkansas, and much too close to her past—and Hayden Winters?

Shell doesn’t have a good reputation. But no matter what everyone in Rose Bud, Arkansas, thinks of her, she’s back in town with a job to do. Ryler also has reasons for being in Rose Bud, and they don’t include Shell.

But God’s love can soften the hardest heart and overcome the darkest past. These hearts may not know it, but they’re about to change.

2) How did this story come to you? Arkansas Weddings is a 3 in 1 collection of my first three published books. Each story is set in Romance and Rose Bud. Both small towns are real and in west central, Arkansas. The Romance Post Office provides a re-mailing service. People send their Valentine cards and wedding invitations there to be re-mailed with a unique hand-stamped postmark from Romance. Couples also go there to get married at the post office or the Romance Waterfalls.

Rose Bud’s claim to fame is the Darden Gifford House. The house was built in the late 1800’s and is on the historical registry. I incorporated the local flavor into all three stories.

The first story—White Roses came from my dad getting my mom and me flowers or a balloon every Valentine’s Day. And I thought if anything happened to either of us, he’d probably continue the tradition and take his gifts to the cemetery. Once I caught the interest of an editor, the publisher wanted to make the book into a series.

Book 2 was based on this line from White Roses: Sylvie’s husband, an alcoholic, never stepped foot in church. Their two children, both grown and gone with lives of their own, never came for a visit. Instead of having empathy for the plight of Helen and Wade, since alcoholism controlled Sylvie’s life as well, she took all her heartache and picked apart the lives of others.

That’s all I had to go on when I decided that one of Sylvie’s children could be female. After I delved into Lauren Kroft’s psyche, I decided she never came home because her mother is a gossip maven and her father is the town drunk. Enter the heroine for White Doves.

Book 3 came from this line from White Roses: Just two years ago, she’d been the soon-to-be bride blissfully planning her own ceremony. Until three weeks before the big event, when Wade crushed her illusions with his curvy blond floozy, clad only in a towel.

From the time I wrote that line, I wanted to delve into the floozy. What would make a woman bust up an engagement? Why was she like that? I soon learned Shell Evans had a chip on her shoulder. Raised by a promiscuous mother, Shell learned everything in the school of hard knocks. And it skewed her view of the world. Low self-esteem put her on a constant search for love and she looked for it in all the wrong places just as her mother had. And Shell became the unlikely heroine of White Pearls.

3) Tell us about the journey to getting this book published.
It took me 9 1/2 years to get published. During that time, I attended writer’s group meetings and conferences, and read everything I could get my hands on about learning to write and getting published. Finally in 2008, I attended my fifth American Christian Fiction Writer’s Conference and pitched White Roses to an editor. Her eyes lit up over my story. Actually, I think it was the setting that sparked her interest, but hey, I’ll take it.

4) Tell me three things about yourself that would surprise your readers.
* My favorite TV channel is Halmark
* My favorite ice cream topping is caramel
* I still have my tonsils.

5) What are you working on now and what's next for you?
I just turned in the 6th book in my Texas rodeo series which comes out in April. I’m finishing up a proposal for my editor for three more books. After that, I’m going to finish a book about this French guy who has bugged me for several years. He’s the type of character who won’t leave me alone until I write his story.

6) Parting comments?
Thanks for having me Dawn. I’ll be around today if anyone wants to ask any questions.

7) Where can fans find you on the internet?
Website: shannonvannatter.com
Blog: shannonvannatter.com/blog
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shannontaylorvannatter
Twitter: stvauthor
 

 

S. Dionne Moore's "Promise Brides"

Title: Promise Brides
Publisher: Barbour Publishing

Cover blurb: Life and love in historic Pennsylvania is challenging. Theodore risks enemy lines for Ellie, but can their hope of a future together be realized? Marylu wants to trust Chester, but one broken heart is enough. Alaina and Jack battle flood waters that threaten any future they might have.

1) How did this story come to you?
Promise Brides is a compilation of three historical romances all set in historic Pennsylvania. Promise of Tomorrow, a 2011 Carol Award finalist, is set in Johnstown, PA, and takes place before, during, and after the devastating Johnstown Flood of 1889. Promise of Yesterday takes place in Greencastle and Mercersburg, PA, and Promise of Time in Gettysburg. The series came to me after visiting Johnstown, Pennsylvania. It occurred to me that I had never read a fiction book with that setting. Being that Barbour was doing sets based on a single state at the time, I sat down and wrote out a plausible plot for the story that became Promise of Tomorrow. I really, really wanted to highlight locations within my home state. I’m surrounded by history! And I don’t mean my husband. :)

2) Tell us about the journey to getting this book published.
After the close of Barbour's cozy mystery line, one thing was clear, I would have to set aside the character of LaTisha Barnhart, but I still wanted to stay with Barbour. When I proposed the idea of Promise of Tomorrow to JoAnne Simmons, she liked it. To date, I've written 9 books for Barbour. But now that the Heartsong line has sold and I'm finished with my contracts there, I've turned my attention to Abingdon's new Quilts of Love series and my next book, A Heartbeat Away.

3) Tell me three things about yourself that would surprise your readers.
I hate editing. Like, with a passion. Most authors love that phase and hate the actual writing process, I'm the opposite, I love the writing and hate the editing. Let’s see. . .Your readers might be interested to know that I'm really 30, but look much older so that pride won’t be able to work on me, and, three, aging has made me dumber. I never thought that would happen, but now I must rely on my sixteen year old for wisdom and advice--she knows it all!

4) What are you working on now and what's next for you?
A Heartbeat Away, part of Abingdon Press's Quilts of Love series, is set in Sharpsburg, MD, During the Battle of Antietam and releases May of 2013. One woman's journey to find rest from heart ache, a shattered man’s memory of a betrayal, and the quilt that binds their hearts together and makes them whole.

5) Where can fans find you on the internet?
Website: http://www.sdionnemoore.com/
Twitter: @sdionnemoore
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/sdionnemoore/
Linkedin: http://www.linkedin.com/in/sdionnemoore
The Borrowed Book: http://www.theborrowedbook.blogspot.com/

Becky Melby's "Tomorrow's Sun"

Title: Tomorrow’s Sun
Publisher: Barbour Publishing

Cover blurb:  One house. Two loves. A century and half apart.

Her fractures have mended, her scars faded, but Emily Foster can’t move on until she makes restitution for a past mistake. Flipping houses seems like the path to her goal. Yet, instead of finding a door to the future, the 1840s house she plans to remodel opens windows to the past.

Contractor Jake Braden hates Emily’s plan to modernize the old house, but the cost of fighting for guardianship of his late sister’s twelve-year-old twins forces him to take the job anyway. When a hidden door and faded love letters connect the house with the Underground Railroad, he and Emily embark on a mission to uncover the fate of young lovers.

As Emily and Jake unravel the long-forgotten love story, words of faith in the face of fear inspire, convict, and draw them to each other. . .but will they be prepared when faced with the greatest test yet?

1) How did this story come to you?
My husband and I were having lunch at a restaurant in Rochester, Wisconsin, not far from where we live. As I read the history of the building, built in 1843 and originally called the Union House, its possible connection to the Underground Railroad sparked an idea. I looked at my husband and said, “There’s a story here.”

2) Tell us about the journey to getting this book published.
I’ve written for Barbour for many years and I was blessed when two of the editors approached me at an ACFW conference and asked if I would consider writing for their full-length fiction line. Later, when Rebecca Germany requested a proposal, the idea for Tomorrow’s Sun and two other books containing hidden rooms and long-forgotten writings was already cooking in my head.

3) Tell me three things about yourself that would surprise your readers.
1) My husband and I have backpacked in the Tetons, Smokies, and Rockies—carrying all we need for four or five days on our backs.
2) As of January 19, I am the proud grandmother of an even dozen amazing kids.
3) I’m planning a road trip on the old Route 66 for my next series.

4) What are you working on now and what's next for you?
I just finished Today’s Shadows, the third book in the Lost Sanctuary series. Right now I’m working on a proposal for another contemporary series with historical elements.

5) Parting comments?
Thank you so much for the opportunity to share with your readers.

6) Where can fans find you on the internet?
http://www.beckymelby.com/. Stop by and click on the link to my blog if you enjoy “spiritual Cinderella stories.” My tag line is “stories of tarnished dreams refinished by grace.” I’ve had some fascinating guests who share their real-life journeys from tragedy, disappointment, and shattered dreams to finding hope and joy through the grace of God.

Rhonda Gibson's "A Biltmore Christmas"

Title: A Biltmore Christmas
Publisher: Barbour Publishing

Cover blurb:Explore the luxuries of America’s largest home through the eyes of the fiction Bradford sisters. Having been orphaned, they each secure work and lodging at the Biltmore estate. Charity, a laundress; Peggy, an assistant cook, Selma, a chambermaid; and Melissa, a stable "boy" each experience adventures in employment and romance that culminate at Christmastime when the Vanderbilts’ hospitality is at its grandest level.

1) How did this story come to you?
Sylvia Barnes approached me about joining this collection. Peggy is the oldest sister and I just knew she’d be a wonderful cook but I also knew she’d be allergic to bees. The Biltmore house fascinated me from the beginning and Peggy’s story simply unfolded as I researched this wonderful piece of history.

2) Tell us about the journey to getting this book published.

I am very lucky to have a support group called The Bards Of Faith. We like to brainstorm and help each other get published. This book started with the Bards and has been a wonderful adventure. One of our members pitched the story at the ACFW conference to Rebecca Germany. She liked the idea and from there we researched and wrote our stories.

3) Tell me three things about yourself that would surprise your readers.

1. The older I get the more recluse I become.

2. I love to read fantasy fiction

3. I have moved out of my writing cottage and into an office, if you’ve been following me for long, you know I LOVED my writing cottage.

4) What are you working on now and what's next for you?

Right now I’m working on a mail order bride historical romance. My next release will be in May and is a Love Inspired Historical titled, The Marshal’s Promise. I’m thrilled to be a part of the LIH family!

5) Parting comments?
I love writing and would enjoy hearing from readers. Feel free to email me at rgib2001@yahoo.com Thank you for having me. This has been fun!

6) Where can fans find you on the internet?
www.rhondagibson.com or visit my blog at http://rhondagibson.blogspot.com 

Tiffany Amber Stockton's "Bound by Grace"

Title: Bound by Grace

Publisher: Barbour Publishing / Heartsong Presents

Cover blurb: While young ladies happily attend parties, gossip, and pursue eligible gentleman, Charlotte would rather run her bookshop and discuss great literature with her customers. But when her parents pressure her to agree to an advantageous match, Charlotte fears she'll be trapped in a loveless marriage. Richard Baxton feels pressure at every turn. The accidental deaths of his brother and sister-in-law leave him responsible for the family business and his niece Grace, who is unable to walk. When Grace's love for books leads him to Charlotte's bookshop, Richard is drawn to Charlotte's sweet spirit. But endless problems leave Richard unable to afford the surgery that may allow Grace to walk again and to assure Charlotte's parents that he could provide for their daughter. Time is running out before Grace is permanently paralyzed, Charlotte is forced to marry a man she barely knows, and Richard will lose the woman he loves. Will God's grace bind them together as they confront their challenges?

1) How did this story come to you?
I wrote a series that released in 2008, set in Delaware during the Colonial era. Many of my readers asked if I was going to continue that family’s story at some point. So, when my editor asked me for another 3-book series, I jumped forward a little over 100 years and continued the family a few generations down the line, using a book that figured prominently in the first book of the previous series to tie the couples together in each of the 3 books of the new series. It proved quite a challenge—albeit an enjoyable one—to research the area over 100 years into the future and map out the family lineage from where I left off to where I began with this book.

2) Tell us about the journey to getting this book published.
There isn’t much to say, to be honest. Since I had already sold 8 books to my publisher, I didn’t have to do anything more than pitch a paragraph or two about this series to my editor. She loved the premise and sent me a contract from a 2-page synopsis.

3) Tell me three things about yourself that would surprise your readers.
1) Before I married, I was the only living female Miller in my family (except my mother who married into the name).
2) My grandfather’s cousin married President Woodrow Wilson while he was president, so I’m somewhat related to “American Royalty.” :)
3) I work for international celebrity Jane Seymour, handling her fan mail and managing her web site.

4) What are you working on now and what's next for you?
I am currently writing book 2 in this series (Stealing Hearts), and it’s due in January. My next book releases in May 2012, and it’s a novella (Colonial Courtships) with 3 other authors. I’m also working on a 3-book series for Harvest House Publishers, and there’s a possibility of another book for an ongoing series partnering multiple authors from a single literary agency working in collaboration. That’s a relatively new development, so nothing is confirmed yet.

5) Parting comments?
I’d like to thank K. Dawn for having me here today, and you for stopping by to read this interview.

6) Where can fans find you on the internet?
Look me up anytime at http://www.amberstockton.com/. There, you will find links to my blog, Facebook fan page, and Twitter account. I love to hear from my readers, and anyone who follows or is interested in my writing career. Drop a note. I always respond within 48-72 hours, unless one of my 2 little ones interrupts my nicely made plans. :)

Interview with Lauralee Bliss

Title: “A Crossroad to Love” in A Quaker Christmas
Publisher: Barbour Publishing

Cover blurb: Christmas is a simple matter among the Quakers of the historic Ohio River Valley, but can it be a time to welcome love into four households? In Lauralee’s novella, “A Crossroad to Love” Mary Hall’s family runs an inn for weary travelers, but some guests, like Silas Jones, pressure them to compromise their steadfast Quaker ways. Could it be that Silas just needs a reminder of why simpler ways are often better?

1) How did this story come to you?
I was actually hiking the Appalachian Trail at the time the editor asked if I would be a part of this collection. I was staying with a couple then who took me in as a weary hiker, and the idea for an inn ministering to a weary traveler came into being.

2) Tell us about the journey to getting this book published.
As I alluded to, the idea of an inn came to me while I was out hiking last year, and from that initial premise, I pieced together a storyline. I had also done extensive research on the Quakers many years ago for a biography on William Penn that did not come through. He suffered quite a bit of injustice in his life as a Quaker, so I wanted to incorporate that aspect within the story.

3) Tell me three things about yourself that would surprise your readers.
1. I have hiked the entire Appalachian Trail twice, both north and south, one of only 24 women to have done this.
2. I make brownies from scratch using applesauce nearly every day - they are easier on my digestion, and I just love them!
3. Christmas is my favorite holiday. I go all out in decorating and celebrating the season.

4) What are you working on now and what's next for you?
I am working on another novella idea to take place in historic St. Louis. I am also writing an e-book for those interested in hiking the Appalachian Trail. And I am actively speaking about the Appalachian Trail to interested hikers.

5) Parting comments?
You never know what will cross your path on your journey in life. Just be open to what God brings your way.

6) Where can fans find you on the internet?
http://www.lauraleebliss.com/
http://www.blissfullifejourney.com/
http://www.blissfulhiking.com/
Readers of Lauralee Bliss on Facebook –
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Readers-of-Author-Lauralee-Bliss/170259122202





Cover blurb: "Love Finds you in Bethlehem, New Hampshire:
Sara McGee is not what Tom Haskins expected. The artist knew he was taking a risk when he reluctantly agreed to advertise for a mail-order bride but Tom assumed the woman who answered his ad would be more refined than the penniless and uneducated Sara McGee. Tom takes Sara under his wing but he knows he can never marry her— especially now that he’s suddenly receiving attention from accomplished pianist Annabelle Loving. While Tom’s sister is bent on transforming Sara into a lady, Sara knows she can never compete with Annabelle. Nonetheless, she finds herself drawn to the lovely mountain town of Bethlehem… and to the artist who brought her here. But without a marriage to Tom, Sara knows she cannot stay. As preparations for Christmas transform the tiny town, will Tom come to understand the message of the first Bethlehem—that the most precious gifts don’t always come as they’re expected?

Rose McCauley's "Christmas Belles of Georgia"

Title: Christmas Belles of Georgia
Publisher: Barbour

Cover blurb: Four letters are mailed from Monticello, a small antebellum town in Georgia. Sisters once, now heirs to a historic plantation, each young woman must come to terms with the circumstances of her birth…Will the sisters receive a traditional Christmas gift…of love?

1) How did this story come to you?
Jeanie Smith Cash developed the idea and asked me and Deb Ullrick and Jeri Odell to join her.

2) Tell us about the journey to getting this book published.
We submitted a proposal to Barbour consisting of our four synopses and my first chapter, since I was the new author. Then I received my contract last September at the ACFW conference in front of 600 people! I wrote the rest of the book last November, and it is now in stores!

3) Tell me three things about yourself that would surprise your readers.
I took violin lessons in second grade, I have been married forty-three years, my husband is the romantic one, but I write romance stories!

4) What are you working on now and what's next for you?
I have 4 more proposals waiting at Barbour, so I hope and pray one or more of them sells, so I get to enjoy doing all of this over again! I also have a women’s fiction for which I hope to find interest from an agent and publisher.

5) Parting comments?
Thank you so much for hosting me, K. Dawn. I’m glad we can visit each other’s blogs.

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

Susan Page Davis' "The Lady's Maid"

Title: The Lady’s Maid
Publisher: Barbour Publishing

Cover blurb: The Lady’s Maid features Elise Finster, who accompanies her young mistress, Lady Anne Stone, on a voyage to America in 1855. Lady Anne’s father has died, and her Uncle David is the new Earl of Stoneford—if he steps forward and claims the title. But David disappeared into the American West when Anne was a baby. Now it’s up to her and Elise to find him. Obstacles abound. Mules to tend, a lazy hired man, rugged mountains, unexpected romance, and a sinister stranger stand in their way. The Lady’s Maid is the first book in the Prairie Dreams series, and released October 1, 2011.

1) How did this story come to you?
My editor asked for a prairie story, and I was working at the time on a different book that involved royalty (Love Finds You in Prince Edward Island). I read a lot about the customs and protocol of the day. The idea of aristocrats on a wagon train struck me as a fun way to bring the Victorian period to the West.

2) Tell us about the journey to getting this book published.
Although this book was requested by the editor, I did have a false start. At first I had suggested another idea. She liked it “all right” but wasn’t crazy about it. I certainly wanted to give her a story she was crazy about, so I did some brainstorming and came up with my elegant ladies crossing the plains.

Once that was settled, it was a matter of fleshing out the plot, writing the book, rewriting, doing edits and revisions, and so on—the usual journey of about eighteen months from idea to publication.

3) Tell me three things about yourself that would surprise your readers.
It’s really hard to surprise people these days, but I’ll try. I am a Mayflower descendant and a stroke survivor, and I have no sense of fashion whatsoever. Oops, for anyone who knows me, that is no surprise.

4) What are you working on now and what's next for you?
I am working on the third book in this series, A Lady in the Making. (Lady Anne’s Quest comes in between). After that, I’ll be writing a contemporary mystery.

5) Parting comments?
Thanks for having me over, Dawn. This series is a lot of fun to write, and I hope the readers love the characters and their adventures as much as I do.

6) Where can fans find you on the internet?
My website is at http://www.susanpagedavis.com/.

Purchase links:
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/161626439X/suspagdav-20
Barnes & Noble: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Ladys-Maid/Susan-Page-Davis/e/9781616264390?itm=1&usri=the%20lady%20s%20maid
CBD:
http://www.christianbook.com/ladys-maid-prairie-dreams/susan-davis/9781616264390/pd/264390?item_code=WW&netp_id=881498&event=ESRCN&view=details

Cynthia Hickey's Candy-Coated Secrets

Title: Candy-Coated Secrets
Publisher: Barbour Publishing

Cover blurb: When a carnival train crashes in front of Summer Meadows’s house, she does what comes naturally—she acts without thinking and volunteers to lead an elephant to the fairground. The animal’s trainer follows close behind but disappears when they reach their destination. When Summer goes looking for the trainer, she finds something altogether different—a woman hanging dead in the shower of one of the trailers. A carnival slew of mishap and misadventure ensue when Summer and her fiancé, Ethan, set out to solve the murder.

1) How did this story come to you?
After my first mystery, Fudge-Laced Felonies, I wanted another idea just as fun for the sequel. During one of my many daydreaming episodes, I thought, “What if somebody asked me to walk an elephant a mile down the road?” Ta-da! Book number two.

2) Tell us about the journey to getting this book published.
I wrote my first cozy on a dare when Barbour asked for submissions. A friend dared me to write a cozy. I didn’t even know what one was. I had to look it up on the internet! Then, I figured it would be fun to try. I wrote it, submitted it in a contest, won first place, acquired an agent, and at the 2007 ACFW conference, Barbour presented me with the contract at the Friday luncheon. It was definitely a whirlwind.

3) Tell me three things about yourself that would surprise your readers.
I’m actually very shy.
I’ve been on television twice.
Beneath my fat suit, I’m really a size three

4) What are you working on now and what's next for you?
I’ve recently contracted a contemporary novella with Barbour that is releasing Fall of 2012. I’m working on a historical right now that I hope to find a home for.

5) Parting comments?
NEVER NEVER NEVER give up on your dreams!

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

Vickie McDonough's "Finally a Bride"

We're happy to have Vickie McDonough with us today talking about her book Finally a Bride. To learn more about Vickie and her book, read on!

Title: Finally A Bride, book 3 in the Texas Boardinghouse Brides series.
Publisher: Barbour Publishing

Cover blurb: Jacqueline Davis, a reporter for the Lookout Ledger, is bent on nabbing her story at any cost. When Noah Jeffers comes to Lookout as temporary pastor, Jack suspects there may be something hidden behind his shepherding ways. Soon though, Jack becomes attracted to the new pastor despite her initial hesitation. But as she uncovers the truth, will the story cost her too much? Will she reveal what she’s found, or keep it hidden to protect her heart and the town?

1) How did this story come to you?
I had finished the first book in the series, The Anonymous Bride, and my editor asked me for proposals for two sequel books. After writing about Jack, a rambunctious tomboy, in the first two books, I knew the last book had to be her story. I set the book ten years after the others and set about seeing what kind of trouble Jack could get into now that she was grown up. I also knew it would take a very special man to tame her.

2) Tell us about the journey to getting this book published.
Although Finally A Bride is my 21st book to be published, it is my first trade size book. I started out writing novellas (20,000 word stories) that were included in anthologies published by Barbour. In the mean time, I sent in several proposals to Heartsong. Sooner or Later, a book that won the ACFW Noble Theme contest, was later purchased by Tracie Peterson, Heartsong’s Acquisition Editor. She eventually bought two more books, to complete a series that later became Oklahoma Brides. After I’d written a number of Heartsong books, my novella editor, who also bought Barbour’s trade fiction books, asked me to submit a proposal for a trade fiction story. She rejected my first idea but then bought The Anonymous Bride, which led to selling the other two books in the Texas Boardinghouse Brides series.

3) Tell me three things about yourself that would surprise your readers.
1. When I was first married, my husband and I lived on a kibbutz in Israel for a year.
2. When I was 14, I used the money I’d earned babysitting and working odd jobs to buy a motorcycle. I was too young to drive a car, but I got a license to ride a motorcycle, and thus gained my freedom early.
3. I hate wearing dresses. I only own two of them, and one was the dress I wore to my son’s wedding ten years ago.

4) What are you working on now and what's next for you?
I’m currently writing Long Trail Home, which is the third book in a series that I’m writing with fellow authors Susan Page Davis and Darlene Franklin. The series is called “Texas Trails: A Morgan Family series” and spans several generations and 50 years of a Texas family. The first three books release this fall with the final three coming next spring.
Here’s the blurb for Long Trail Home: A weary soldier returns from the War Between the States to discover his parents dead, his family farm in shambles, and his fiancée married. Riley Morgan takes a job at the Wilcox School for Blind Children and tries to make peace with God and himself. When a pretty, blind woman who cares for the children reaches through his scarred walls and touches his heart, he begins to find renewed faith and hope for the future. But when he discovers Annie feigned her blindness just to have a home, will his anger and hurt drive him away and ruin all chances for a future filled with love, faith, and family?

5) Parting comments?
Thanks so much for having me as a guest again, K. Dawn. I always enjoy being here. I’d like to also let your readers know about a new series I have coming out next year. Guidepost Books will be publishing Whispers on the Prairie, which is set in 1870s Kansas. The first book is titled Winds of Change, but I’m calling it book my “Love Comes Softly meets Bonanza” story. What happens when a young woman finds herself stranded at a stage stop with three brothers and a matchmaking mother?

6) Where can fans find you on the internet?
I’m on Facebook, and my website is http://www.vickiemcdonough.com/. Stop by an leave a comment in my guestbook to be entered in my quarterly book giveaway. Also, I plan to start a newsletter soon. If you’d like to be on the list to receive it, please use the link on my website and email me.

Roger Bruner's "Found in Translation"

We're happy to have Roger Bruner with us today talking about his book, Found in Translation.
Title: Found in Translation
Publisher: Barbour Publishing

Cover blurb:Faith, obedience, and forgiveness intersect in a remote Mexican village. When Kim Hartlinger—eighteen and spoiled—arrives on a mission trip to Mexico and discovers, to her chagrin, that she’ll be doing construction in a remote village without plumbing and electricity, rather than evangelism in a medium-sized town with a fast food joint . . she has only two choices. “Rough it” (which isn’t exactly what Kim had in mind when she signed up for this trip) or turn around and head home.
Will Kim be able to touch the villagers’ hearts with the Gospel? Or will her time in Mexico be up before she gets the chance?
Kristi Rae Bruner lives in the Orlando area and enjoys reading, hanging out with friends, and cooking. During her teen years, she went on a life-changing mission trip to Mexico.
Roger Bruner worked as a teacher, job counselor, and programmer analyst before retiring to pursue his dream of writing Christian fiction full-time.

1) How did this story come to you?
When my daughter, Kristi, went on a Global Expeditions mission trip to Mexico, she didn’t follow the directions and had to pay for overweight baggage to bring things she didn’t need; she also failed to bring some of the items she did need. Kristi’s well-intended bad beginning—along with the fact her group did construction and the area had a lot of trash on the ground—stirred my imagination. Found in Translation started out as a short story, but—from the beginning—I knew it would eventually become a novel. Kristi wrote the foreword.

2) Tell us about the journey to getting this book published.
Despite the fact that Found in Translation won first place in the novel competition at the 2006 Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference, it turned out to be far from publishable. But I didn’t realize how far until James Scott Bell looked at the first page a year or two later and said, “You’re not even starting with a scene.” Long story (slightly) shorter, I cut the first fifty pages and came up with a better beginning. Kimberly Shumate, then at Harvest House, became one of my biggest fans, even though HH couldn’t use my novels. When I sent her a sample of Found in Translation, she requested the whole thing. Later that week, she told me she’d sent it to Terry Burns at Hartline and I now had an agent. Although another year passed before I was offered contracts for Found in Translation and its sequel, Lost in Dreams, that was largely a matter of continuing to write while waiting and pretending to be patient while Terry did the work.

3) Tell me three things about yourself that would surprise your readers.
When I was in the eighth grade, I had acute viral encephalitis. The doctors said that—even if I came out of the coma and recovered—I might just be a vegetable. God intervened, and you can see what kind of vegetable I am now.
I was a PK—a preacher’s kid—but I turned out reasonably normal in spite of the fact I hated being a PK.
When I was a teen, my parents didn’t want me to bother saving for a nice guitar; they thought that would be just one more of many hobbies I started and abandoned. Boy! Were they pleasantly surprised when I stuck with it and proved I had songwriting talent as well as guitar playing ability.

4) What are you working on now and what's next for you?
I’m trying to decide whether to take a chance on Barbour’s contracting a third and fourth novel in the Altered Hearts series or to work on something totally unrelated. In the meantime, I’m editing and revising two other novels—a YA called Wherefore Art Thou Ramón and a somewhat-whimsical speculative novel called The Devil & Pastor Gus.

5) Parting comments?
I never expected the after-sixty part of my life to be the most exciting and fulfilling part, but it has been so far. I can hardly wait to see how God uses my writing!

6) Where can fans find you on the internet?
My website is http://www.rogerbruner.com/. Please feel free to send me a friend request at www.facebook.com/roger.bruner. You can watch my book trailer at www.youtube.com/watch?v=k3JXf5WUSCA.



Susan Sleeman's "Nipped in the Bud"

We're happy to have Susan Sleeman with us today talking about her book, Nipped in the Bud. To learn more about Susan and her book, read on!

Title: Nipped in the Bud


Publisher: Barbour Publishing

Cover blurb: Paige Turner has secured her first landscaping contract, sprucing up the city park for the upcoming Pickle Fest. But after a confrontation with the city manager, she finds him dead in a mound of mulch. With no alibi for the time of death and, according to the police chief, with plenty of motive to carry out the murder, Paige must dig her way out of the mess by finding the real killer. Attorney Adam Hayes aids in her search as he works hard to keep her out jail—and his heart.

1) How did this story come to you?
I love to garden and I love to kill people—on paper that is, LOL—so it was only natural for me to combine both together in Nipped in the Bud. I also wanted to share gardening tips in a humorous format a cozy mystery like Nipped in the Bud is a perfect format to do so.

2) Tell us about the journey to getting this book published.
Wow, that’s a story. I was awarded my contract for Nipped in the Bud at the American Fiction Christian Writer’s conference in September of 2008 for Barbour’s Heartsong Presents Mystery imprint. Then in January, the line folded and my dreams died. Or so I thought. But a year later Barbour decided to publish the contracted mysteries in a new single title line called Hometown Mysteries and they selected Nipped in the Bud to release in the first six mysteries.

3) Tell me three things about yourself that would surprise your readers.
Hmm, let’s see. I have lived in nine states, one twice. But that was Texas and it’s such a big state you have to live there twice, LOL. I used to teach computers to kindergartners through eighth graders and that job also included doing hardware repair for the computer lab. One day, in my younger years, my husband went to work and I decided to take down all of the walls in the second story of our house to open up the rooms. He came home and all that was left were wires hanging from the ceiling. FYI, we were planning to this, I just got a head start.

4) What are you working on now and what's next for you?
I am working on the edits for Behind the Badge, a romantic suspense book releasing in June with Love Inspired Suspense and writing Relentless Pursuit another romantic suspense book releasing in the fall of 2011 also with Love Inspired Suspense

5) Parting comments?
Thank you for having me here, today and I’d like to say a special thank you to all the readers who have bought both High-Stakes Inheritance and Nipped in the Bud this fall. I am so appreciative of all the kind readers out there.

6) Where can fans find you on the internet?
I love to connect with readers and here are a few places I can do that.
http://www.susansleeman.com/ Personal website
http://www.thesuspensezone.com/ Book review website
http://hometownmysteries.com/  Hometown Mystery Website
http://www.twitter.com/susansleeman Twitter
http://www.facebook.com/susan.sleeman Facebook friend’s page
http://www.facebook.com/SusanSleemanBooks Facebook fan page
http://www.loveinspiredauthors.com/ Love Inspired Authors