Lena Nelson Dooley's "McKenna's Daughters" series

My Mckenna’s Daughters series was published by Realms, the fiction imprint of Charisma Media.
The titles are: Maggie’s Journey, Mary’s Blessing, and Catherine’s Pursuit

1) Your cover blurb:
This is the blurb for the series: The heroines are identical triplets, born on one of the last wagon trains on the Oregon Trail. Their mother dies giving birth to them, and they’re separated. They don’t find out until near their 18th birthday that they have sisters. Each book is one of the sisters’ story.

2) How did this story come to you?
I’m not sure when this story first entered my mind. I do know that the idea came from the Lord, and it percolated in my brain for several years before I wrote the series.

3) Tell us about the journey to getting this book published.
I do remember now. When Tracie Peterson was the acquisition editor for Heartsong Presents, when they started the states series, she told the Heartsong authors that three of us could propose ideas for a three book series. I had the idea and I asked two of my friends to join me in the proposal. Tracie liked it a lot, and we thought she was going to buy it. After she resigned so she could concentrate on her own writing, the new editor decided to give the proposal back to us.

The idea wouldn’t let me know, so a few years later, I asked my friends if they would mind if I took my story and added two more, not at all like their stories, and submitted it. They agreed.

Three other editors liked the series, but finally gave it back for differing reasons. The LI Historical editor said it was too involved for their line, but she really liked it. When my agent sent it to the Realms editor soon after they started their new fiction line, she bought it right away.

4) Tell me three things about yourself that would surprise your readers.
I was raised in the Ozark Mountains on fish farms.
I graduated fourth of my graduating high school class of fifty.
I was not born a redhead.

5) What are you working on now and what's next for you?
I am working on another three book series that my agent is shopping right now.
My actual next project is adapting Pola Muzyka’s novel Abducted to Kill into a screenplay for a Christian movie. We’re already in pre-production meetings.

6) Parting comments?
I’m giving away a pdf copy of the winner’s choice of any of the McKenna’s Daughters books.

7) Where can fans find you on the internet?
 I love my readers. I like to hear from them at any of these places:
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
Blogtalk Radio: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/search/gate-beautiful-radio-show/
Other blogs where I’m a regular contributor:
http://christianfictionhistoricalsociety.blogspot.com/
http://justthewritecharisma.blogspot.com/

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/