Joselyn Vaughn's "Climbing Heartbreak Hill"

Publisher: Astraea Press

Cover blurb: Professional runner, Ryan Grant, blows out his knee training for another attempt at the Boston marathon and the dreaded Heartbreak Hill. Ryan retreats home, not looking for anything more than a fast recovery, but he finds solace in the arms of his tax preparer, Tara Mansfield.

Tara’s cheerleading career ended abruptly and she faces an upward climb beating the stereotype as dumb blonde in her new calling as an accountant. Framed with defrauding the IRS during the last weeks of the tax season, Tara’s tentative confidence is shaken, but Ryan coaches her in ensnaring the true perpetrator. She cheers him on in discovering his identity as a coach rather than an athlete.

With the help of the junkyard king and a mechanical bull, can Tara and Ryan find the courage to climb Heartbreak Hill together?

1) How did this story come to you?
 It started with Tara, a character from my first book CEOs Don’t Cry, being in her worst nightmare situation. Her boss goes into labor early, leaving Tara in charge of the office. It took a while to sort out who Ryan was. He went through several career changes: an IRS agent, a lawyer, a private investigator.

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

I have been very blessed that Astraea Press likes my writing and my stories, making the process of submitting less nerve-wracking. I always worry though, that the next manuscript won’t make the cut.

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

I’m training for my first marathon in thirteen years. It must have taken that long to erase the pain of the first one.

I write all my first drafts long hand.

I still have the first keychain my dad gave me when I turned sixteen on my keys. It glows in the dark and says ‘Smile God Loves You.’

4) What are you working on now and what's next for you?
I’m working on a story set in a little town called Pine Bottom. There are canoe races, multi-level marketing schemes, and wedding dress shopping.

5) Parting comments?
Thank you so much for having me. It was fun to be here. I appreciate everyone who was able to stop by. I hope you have a wonderful day. Happy Reading!

6) Where can fans find you on the internet?

Email: joselynvaughn@gmail.com

Website: http://joselynvaughn.com

Blog: http://joselynvaughn.wordpress.com

Amazon: http://amazon.com/author/joselynvaughn

Twitter: @joselynvaughn

Facebook: http://facebook.com/joselynvaughn

Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/authorjoselynvaughn

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2907038.Joselyn_Vaughn

Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/108834424670442500069/posts

Google+ page: https://plus.google.com/u/0/b/109436319714861523590/109436319714861523590/posts

Shelfari: http://www.shelfari.com/joselynvaughn

http://joselynvaughn.com

Sweet, small town romances

Help OneFundBoston - Climbing Heartbreak Hill - Astraea Press

 

Dorothy Featherling talks about her books...

What book(s) are you sharing this time?

I’m actually covering two books in the same series today. They are romantic comedies – one of the genres I love to write. I developed the “Second Time Around” series several years ago, believing there is an interest in stories about folks who have had a broken relationship due to death, divorce, or other circumstances. Many men and women have this happen today – in fact, we’ve probably all been there at one time or another.

Even though the series does not continue with the same characters in each book, the premise is applied to all the books – either through a female or male character.

Book 1 is “Sauce for the Goose” – Here’s the back cover copy:

“The girl has got to go!

 To save her son from a romantic mistake, Laurel Edmonds renews some former relationships of her own. Complications abound when new beau Mike Hudson is added to the mix.

 Her romantic dilemmas, her plot to save her son, and worries about her mother, aka the Bus Queen, force Laurel to cope with a fake engagement gone real, a surprise wedding, and a confession she never imagined she’d have to make.”

 Book 2 in the series is “Kissing Frogs” – Back cover copy:

“Until she decides to look for a husband, Em Snider is so-o-o-o in control of her life. But her trip on the internet matchmaking highway soon shows her that she can’t control the journey.

 Her first encounter is a warning. There are toads out there! A Christian internet matchmaking service provides Em a chance to discover Prince Charming, if she can survive the shocks.

Em is soon ready to quit, or will true love still come about in a way she never dreamed if she’ll quit stepping on the brakes and let God be in control?”

Both books have a surprise ending (at least I hope it’s a surprise) that readers will hopefully enjoy.

 What are you working on now?

At the moment, I have a manuscript out for critique for Book 1 of a new mystery series I’m writing – the “Staged for Murder” series. The series takes home stager Ari Ames and places her in precarious circumstances, complete with dead bodies, as she pursues her staging career. Book 1 is “Murder Outside the Box.”

I’m also editing two other books – Book 3 in the “Second Time Around” series – “Double Trouble”, and Book 1 of the “Out of Time” series (a futuristic suspense series) entitled “Time Out.”

 What do you do in your spare time?

What spare time?  Seriously, there isn’t a whole lot of it…but my first choice for a pastime is always reading! (No surprise there?) I try to read in my genres and also re-read some of the classics I’ve enjoyed over the years. Some of those bygone authors told a great story so I can learn from them as well as be entertained.

 I also like to spend time with my going-on-9-year-old grandson when possible and with my sisters who all live fairly close by.

 How can fans find you on the Internet?

I have a website:  www.dafeatherling.com and it will keep fans abreast of what I’m working on and what’s published and when.

 I’m also on Facebook: www.facebook.com/D.A.Featherling - please ‘like’ my author page for continuing up-to-date info about what’s going on.

James Rubart's "Memory's Door"

Got Freedom? The Next Book In The Well Spring Series Is Here!
James L. Rubart’s novel, Soul’s Gate, won both an INSPY award and a Christy Award, and now the highly anticipated sequel, Memory’s Door, has released. It’s an epic story of four warriors who have fulfilled a powerful prophecy by learning how to send their spirits into other people’s souls to fight for healing and freedom. But it’s also an extremely intimate story that explores the devastating consequences of holding onto our regrets—and how we can get free of them.

Q: I want to talk about Memory’s Door, but first let me ask you a quick question about the first book in the Well Spring series, Soul’s Gate winning a Christy. Was that a surreal moment for you?

A: That’s the perfect word for it. I’d won awards for my other books, heard from many wonderful people how my stories had changed their lives—but there was something about standing up there on stage, looking out at all these people I’d admired for so long and winning an award I’d dreamed of winning for what seemed like forever that made it a surreal moment in the best way.

Q: Authors are taught to “write what you know”, which you do by including the Pacific Northwest—where you live—into your books. You also include some pretty incredible spiritual elements in your novels. How do you come up with them? Does their inclusion mean you’ve had some unusual spiritual experiences?

A: I have had some unusual experiences but I’m not sure I should call them unusual. They’re certainly not unusual when you look at Bible. I think there’s so much more to God than we allow; certainly in the westernized culture we live in. Many of us take the most speculative, supernatural, fantastical book ever written—the Bible—and turn it into a list of rules, dos and don’ts, and principles.

I try to push my readers to think beyond that. I got an e-mail recently from a pastor who asked, “Where did you get your training? Where can my staff and I get more teaching like the things in your book?” I loved it. Love hearing about people who are pressing into the deeper things of God.

Q: Tell us about Memory’s Door. What’s the overarching theme?

Freedom from regret. I believe we all carry regrets, and Memory’s Door hits that issue head on. I believe it will set people free from the devastation of holding onto the past. Also, if readers liked Soul’s Gate, I think they’ll like Memory’s Door even more. The stakes are higher, the lows are lower and the battles are more epic. There were a number of scenes that brought dust to my eyes as I wrote them, and that’s always a good sign that I’ve captured a few elements that will go to the deep parts of people’s hearts. Here’s a book trailer my son and I put together that tells people little bit more about the novel: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dStdRfVx7sE

 Q: So far in your Well Spring series you have Soul’s Gate and Memory’s Door. How many others will there be?

A: Just one more. It’s called The Spirit Bridge which releases in May of 2014. I’m editing it right now and love the way it’s turning out. I have some brilliant editors who have really helped me shape the story into what I believe will be a stunning and powerful conclusion to the series.

Q: Please tell us three random things we might not know about you:

·         I can juggle three basketballs for at least two minutes
·         I used to voice radio commercials
·         The Lee in my middle name comes from Robert E. Lee

Q: The running themes through all your books are forgiveness and restoration. Why?

I think everyone has a theme that is at the core of their life—whether they know it or not. When I consult with other authors, I tell them I can figure out the theme of their life (and how they should brand/market themselves) if they’ll tell me what their three favorite movies are. In other words, what they are drawn to—what resonates with them—tells me what is deep inside them.

What resonates most deeply with me is the theme of my life is freedom. I’ve been all about that since I was a kid.  I believe most of us have too many chains around our bodies holding us back from our God designed destinies … and if we can find freedom, we can step into the glory God planned for us from before the beginning of time. So that’s what I write about.

Q: What is the best way for people to connect to you?

The best way is on my Website/blog and Facebook. I just launched a new website and if people sign up for my newsletter they’ll be able to find out where I’m speaking, find out about the occasional freebie I’m giving away, and the release of new books.

As always, thanks for having me, Dawn!

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JamesLRubart
Twitter: @jameslrubart

Website: http://jameslrubart.com/

James L. Rubart is the best-selling and Christy award winning author of, ROOMS, BOOK OF DAYS, THE CHAIR, SOUL’S GATE, and MEMORY’S DOOR. During the day he runs Barefoot Marketing which helps businesses and authors make more coin of the realm. In his free time he dirt bikes, hikes, golfs, takes photos, and occasionally does sleight of hand. No, he doesn’t sleep much. He lives with his amazing wife and teenage sons in the Pacific Northwest and still thinks he’s young enough to water ski like a madman. More at www.jameslrubart.com

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
 

 

June Foster's "Give Us This Day"

    Give Us This Day is June Foster's debut novel, the first in The Bellewood Series. Jess Colton gave his life to the Lord but failed to surrender an old habit. Fueled by alcohol, he spent the night with a former girlfriend, ignoring his Christian principles. Convicted of his wrong doing, he quit drinking but discovered another addiction. Now he can't manage his life as his weight soars and diabetes threatens to claim him. Jess is baffled when the beautiful Holly Harrison declares her love.

    Holly Harrison lived  to please herself. But everything changed when a deadly motorcycle accident altered her life forever. Nowhere else to turn, she looked to God for answers. Now, she's convinced no Christian man would find her attractive. She doesn’t plan on falling in love with  the handsome Jess Colton, seeing past his bulk to the godly, tender man within. When Jess drives a wedge between them, she loses hope of a future together.
  
  Can Holly overcome her handicap? Does Jess find control over his eating and his life? Only God can provide the answers.
  
  June Foster is a retired teacher with a BA in Education and a MA in counseling. She's  written four novels for Desert Breeze Publishing. The Bellewood Series, Give Us This Day – February 1, 2012, As We Forgive – September 1, 2012, and Deliver Us – April 1, 2013, and Hometown Fourth of July – July 1, 2012. June's book, Ryan's Father, will be available from WhiteFire Publishing January 2014. For All Eternity, Red and the Wolf, and Misty Hollow, God willing, will be published in the near future. June loves to write stories about characters who overcome the issues in their lives by the power of God and His Word. June uses her training in counseling and her Christian beliefs in creating characters who find freedom to live godly lives.




 

Dorothy Featherling's "It Adds Up to Murder"

Title: It Adds Up to Murder (Book 1 of series “It’s Murder at the Office”)

Cover blurb: Abigail Newhouse is forced to work temporary jobs to make ends meet. She discovers that while the jobs can be murderous, there aren’t usually dead bodies involved. Abby isn’t expecting crime at her first long term assignment, but when it occurs, she wants to help. Will Homicide Lieutenant Nick Vaughn believe that – or is she his main suspect? Abby soon finds sleuthing has placed her in deadly peril when she finally confronts a merciless killer face-to-face.

How did this story come to you?
My last ‘real’ job was as the administrator of a physics research center at a major university. I was trying to come up with an idea for a mystery (I just wanted to see if I could write one – I write in multiple genres and had never tried a mystery) so the thought came to me…what would happen if someone had a supposedly secure job, but then lost it through no fault of her own? I couldn’t remember ever reading a book of any kind that featured a temporary worker so I thought that was an original twist and left the door wide open for sequels. I decided to make Abby take temporary jobs and then have to face the issue of every time she changed jobs, she got involved in another murder? I decided a logical hero was a police detective and Nick Vaughn was created. Their relationship would develop throughout the series as well. Book 2 will be started soon and I’ve found I LOVE writing mysteries!

Tell us about the journey to getting this book published.
My journey to publication has taken a while. I began writing about 10-12 years ago and at first went through all the throes that a beginning writer does. I read, attended seminars and conferences, etc., essentially tried to learn the craft. Some family issues and health issues intervened after a couple of years and the writing went on the back burner. Several years ago I decided to have my own home staging business and I’ve done that for more than four years. Just recently, I decided to go back more to the writing since that’s always been my passion and have been working on that since. For me self-publishing seemed the most logical way to go due to having limited time available and I’ve done that and am pleased to have two books published and a third ready for publication.

Tell me three things about yourself that would surprise your readers.
 I’ve written seven novels and am publishing them one at a time, in multiple genres.
I won a national award for writing in a mystery suspense category in 2007.
I still enjoy re-reading some of my favorite “children’s” books like “The Lost Prince,” “The Little Princess,” “Swiss Family Robinson and have copies on my bookshelves.”

What are you working on now and what's next for you?
Right now, I’m about ¾ through with my second mystery series “Staged for Murder.” I hope to have it published in the fall. It’s about a home stager who keeps running into murder in houses she stages. Working title is: “Murder Outside the Box.”

Parting comments?
Since I love writing humor (several of my romantic comedies and a novella are humorous in nature), I hope to incorporate that at some point more in a mystery series. I strive to do things differently…not give readers the same plots, twists, and expectations as everyone else in a genre. Hopefully, I can keep that up.

Where can fans find you on the internet?
My author website is: www.dafeatherling.com
I also have a Facebook author page”  https://www.facebook.com/D.A.Featherling

Cynthia Hickey's "Cooking Up Love"

INTERVIEW QUESTIONS for Cynthia:

1. When did you discover your love for the written word? My mother said that, not having a Kindergarten close enough for me to attend as a child, that she taught me to read. I took to it easily and have always read above my level. Once I discovered the many worlds between the pages of a book, I was hooked.

2. When did you begin your writing career? I’ve made up stories for as long as I can remember, but it isn’t until a few years ago that I actually began to take the writing process seriously. My first novel, Fudge-Laced Felonies, was released through Barbour in 2007. At the American Christian Fiction Writers Association conference that year, I was awarded the new author contract.

3. Tell us something that people may not know about you? I’ve been on television twice. Once on the backdrop of a weather report filmed on Petit Jean Mountain in Arkansas and another time when a documentary was being filmed at the Pickle Plant where I worked.

4. Do you have a secret desire that may not ever come true? I’ve always thought it would be a blast to be in a movie. Not a walk on character, but an actual main character. An insane person would be fun.

5. Do you have a favorite book? The one book I own that has stood the test of time is Gone With the Wind and Little Women. I still love them.

6. A favorite author? I’d have to say that in today’s market, I love Diana Gabaldon. Her Outlander characters are so rich, I feel as if I know them.

7. Do you have a favorite book that you’ve written? No, I can’t say that I do. I guess Fudge would be it if I had to pick, it being my first and all.

8. Any suggestions for pre-pubbed authors? Never, ever, give up. If you’re meant to be an author, you need to write as much as you need to breathe.

Book blurb:

Tabitha McClelland knows accepting a job as a Harvey House waitress can be risky. Traveling alone to the rough-and-tumble West just isn’t done by young ladies of good breeding. But far more dangerous is her powerful attraction to Adam Foster. Family means everything to the widowed chef, but the self-sufficient Tabitha cherishes her freedom above all else.

Adam is captivated by the fiercely independent Tabitha. Fraternizing with the female employees is strictly forbidden, but the Harvey Girl awakens feelings too compelling to ignore. Can Adam convince Tabby to share his dream of a future in California–together?

Author bio:

Multi-published author Cynthia Hickey had three cozy mysteries published through Barbour Publishing, with a novella releasing in March 2013. Her first mystery, Fudge-Laced Felonies, won first place in the inspirational category of the Great Expectations contest in 2007. Her third cozy, Chocolate-Covered Crime, received a four-star review from Romantic Times. All three cozies have been re-released as ebooks through the MacGregor Literary Agency, along with a new cozy series. She has several historical romances releasing in 2013 and 2014 through Harlequin’s Heartsong Presents. She lives in Arizona with her husband, two of their seven children, two dogs, two cats, and a fish named Floyd. She has five grandchildren who keep her busy and tell everyone they know that “Nana is a writer”. Visit her website at www.cynthiahickey.com 

Cynthia Hickey (Melton)

www.cynthiahickey.com

http://christianfictionhistoricalsociety.blogspot.com

Author of Bestselling Summer Meadows mystery series

HICKEY Facebook Twitter MELTON Facebook Twitter 

Angela Strong's "Lighten Up"

Title: Lighten Up, Endurance Press

 Cover blurb:

Bethany Light is the daughter of a minister who can’t forgive her father for running off with the church secretary. She goes to her own pastor for counsel, never expecting to fall in love with him. To make matters worse, she’s personal training his fiancé in preparation for the big day and somehow ends up in their wedding.

Refusing to make the same mistake her dad made, Bethany tries to focus on fixing her family rather than face her own issues. How could a household that used to have it all together have fallen so far from grace? And how can she keep from following in her father’s footsteps when it feels so right?

1) How did this story come to you?
I had the pastor of a huge church fall into my arms sobbing after confessing a nine-year affair, my mom once caught our pastor in a phone sex scandal, and my dad took over as pastor of a church where the previous minister had run off with the church secretary. The subject was everywhere around me except in the book stores. It's sad. It's real. And it hurts a lot of people. So I did what I do best--I made the tragic entertaining with the hopes that the deep truths will shine through.

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

My agent at the time loved Lighten Up. While she shopped it, I decided to whip up a proposal for the Love Finds You series. When she called with good news, I expected it to be the sale of Lighten Up. It was not. Love Finds You in Sun Valley, Idaho released in 2010, but Lighten Up didn't find a home.

As an author, I'm often surprised by the reactions my writing gets, and this was one of those times. I labored over this story. I poured my heart into this story. But the other story sold. Maybe because of the "taboo" content in Lighten Up. Maybe because it was too outside the box. Maybe because it's not as good as I think it is. I don't know.

But through marketing Love Finds You, I got to know the manager for the local Family Christian Stores. When he told me he wanted to start a small press who published the kinds of books that the bigger publishers wouldn't touch, I submitted Lighten Up. And he loved it enough to sign me to a three book deal.

It's a learning experience for both of us. I'm just glad the story is out there. And that he supports me even though I'm no superstar.

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

First, I'm also an aerobics instructor--well, maybe that's no surprise since the book mixes fitness with faith, but it's my passion aside from writing. One demands that I keep my "butt in chair" for long hours, while the other forces me to move it. Probably a good balance.

Second, my husband left me after I sold Love Finds You in Sun, Valley, so I was writing the romance novel while my own marriage was falling apart. After that I decided I never wanted to write romance again. But then I met the most amazing man who showed me how powerful love really is. I'm back, and I know my writing is going to be better than ever because of what I went through.

Third, I wrote about forgiving an adulterer in Lighten Up before I went through the divorce. I read it again after the fact and got a lot out of it. Sometimes, my writing is more healing for me than anyone else.

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

Well, for Endurance Press, I'm writing two more books featuring Bethany's cousins: Shake it Up and Making Up. Besides that, I just finished Romancing the Throne, a fast-paced, light-hearted romantic suspense that finds Jacqueline James on the verge of becoming a modern day princess until the prince hires a P.I. to do a background check and discovers her father is a fugitive from the states. Determined not to let her fairytale fall apart, Jacqueline hires the P.I. to help her prove her father's innocence. Together they elude press, bounty hunters, and the Miami P.D., finding the truth and freeing Jacqueline for marriage to the future monarch...except now Prince Charming doesn't compare to her knight in shining armor.

5) Parting comments?

May the God of all grace…restore you and make you strong. --I Peter 5:10

6) Where can fans find you on the internet?

I have a blog that was started to help bring healing to unloved wives, but now it's for anyone who believes in the healing power of love. Hope to see you there. http://angelaruthstrong.blogspot.com

Mary Ball's "Escape to Big Fork Lake"

Mary Ball

Publisher: Inspired Romance Novels- now prism Book Group.

 Cover blurb: Will an inheritance bring new happiness or a trap for murder?

 Bad luck seems to follow Sam Blacker. She loses her job and faces daily struggles keeping her drunken neighbor away from her. When an unexpected inheritance gives her a chance for a new beginning, Sam, a city girl at heart, is hesitant. However, after a brutal attack she has no choice.

Making a decision that will forever change her life she flees to the small fishing town of Big Fork Lake, Alabama and soon finds herself in the arms of Noah Frye. A tumultuous relationship with Noah sparks buried desires of the heart, even if he is a Christian, surely, she can get around that little problem.

As Sam and Noah’s passion grows trouble lurks in the shadows, waiting and watching. Inescapable, Sam’s bad luck returns when she stumbles upon a murder and becomes the only suspect. Will she have to run again, this time to stay out of prison? Worse, will she lose the best man she’s ever found? And what about the newfound hunger in heart to know God—can she truly trust in Him?

 1)  How did this story come to you? One day while doing chores I got to thinking about a trip to the lake. The next I knew my mind was plotting the path for my characters to follow. Sounds crazy but most of my ideas God gives me when I alone with my thoughts.  

2) Tell us about the journey to getting this book published. The time it took me to go from manuscript to novel was almost two years. I believe I re-wrote the story four times.  I sent the manuscript off to about 45 publishers. Prism Book Group is wonderful at working with debut authors. Though I was green (still am in a lot of ways) the acquiring editor was willing to work with me and published my novel.

3) Tell me three things about yourself that would surprise your readers. I’m not a cooking person, at least not from scratch. I don’t like conflict, even though it’s in my novel.Pink is not my favorite color! Nevertheless, I seem to have a lot of that color.  

 4) What are you working on now and what's next for you?My coming soon novel is titled “Stone of Destiny” I hope you don’t mind me sharing a blurb.

The sapphire is said to symbolize mental clarity, faithfulness and truth. For centuries, the legion of the Harrison family revolved around a ring. The family stone believed to have divine favors that transform lives-sometimes forever.

Taylor has given up on everything but her work. After becoming the youngest CEO of Mugful’s Beverage Company, she believes life is complete. That is until her grandmother asks her to oversee renovations at the family home, in addition to searching for a missing heirloom.

First contact with what she believes is an insignificant ring, lost for fifty years, sends her life spinning. Taylor experiences strange dreams. Feelings surface; she doesn't understand; mere thoughts that should remain unspoken, are voiced. 

Taylor’s emotional journey begins, testing a heart as cold as the ring itself-forcing her to question everything she believes.

Is this a fairy-tale or her soul, reaching out for a different world, a life she can only find through faith and a divine trust in God?

I already have another novel in the works. It takes the readers into the life of Rob. He’s one of the villains in Escape to Big Fork Lake. This book has been challenging for me because it’s based on an alcoholic, his recovery and his path to God.     

5) Parting comments? Number one: Thanks for spotlighting me on your lovely blog. Number two: it’s my hope that people who read my novels either learn more about God’s mercy or get a deeper desire to know more about Jesus Christ.   

6) Where can fans find you on the internet?

My website is http://marylouwrites.weebly.com/.You can find me at inspires4mary.twitter.com. Also, my Face book page is: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Inspirational-author-Mary-L-Ball/

 

Gail Pallotta's "Stopped Cold"

Cover blurb:  Margaret McWhorter enjoys a laid-back Freshman year in high school flirting with Jimmy Willmore, swimming and hanging out with friends—until that day. Her brother, Sean, suffers a stroke from taking a steroid. Now he’s lying unconscious in a hospital. Margaret’s angry at her dad for pushing Sean to be a great quarterback, but a fire of hatred burns inside her to make the criminals pay. Looking for justice, she takes Jimmy and her best friend, Emily, through a twisted, drug-filled sub-culture. A clue sends them deep into the woods behind the school where they overhear drug dealers discuss Sean. Time and time again they walk a treacherous path and come face to face with danger. Even the cop on the case can’t stop them from investigating. All the while Margaret really wants to cure Sean, heal the hate inside, and open her heart to love.

1)      How did this story come to you?
First of all, I wanted the book to entertain young people. The most fun books I read were Nancy Drew/ Hardy Boys mysteries. The three amateur sleuths in Stopped Cold are reminiscent of the famous teen detective.

Through the PTA, I worked with children in grades one through eight. I’ve been a Sunday school teacher, swim team coordinator and an after-school literary instructor. I’ve seen a lot of pain when a child couldn’t live up to being number one. Whether the pressure came from within, peers, siblings or parents, the need to “be the best” rather than “do your best” often hurt and sometimes led to destruction. I wanted to let young people know they don’t have to be number one for God to love them. He’s given each of them a gift or gifts to use for Him.

Children today face a number of problems, but I wrote about steroids. One reason teens say they take them is to enhance athletic performance, which indicates they have a drive to be number one. Even though the use of steroids is going down, according to the latest statistics I could find on the internet there are around 125,000 who say they’ve used them. I imagine there are some who’ve used them, but didn’t say they did.

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

This book insisted on being published. I wrote a draft for it ten years ago. Then I polished it up and took it to a writer’s conference, where I met an editor who liked it. Unfortunately, it wasn’t right for her list. However, she edited my proposal and encouraged me not to give up on this book, but to keep writing and re-writing until it was ready to be published.

I followed her advice then attended another writers’ conference. There I met an author who advised me to send it to an editor she knew. The publishing company kept the book for one year then rejected it. I tossed it in a drawer, where it stayed gathering dust until I joined American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) two years ago.  

After my ACFW critique group finished the book I was working on, I had nothing to submit, so I pulled out Stopped Cold, and they critiqued it. Then I sent out a few queries, and Stopped Cold was accepted. When I received the publisher’s contract, it asked for a fee, so I declined to sign it. Later I attended the James Scott Bell writing seminar in Nashville, Tennessee. I took another book to work on while I was there, but when I came home, Stopped Cold called to me once again, and I made changes to it, applying what I’d learned from Mr. Bell. Then Lisa Lickel and I started critiquing. After I made a few more corrections, I emailed queries to several publishers as well as a couple agents. Now the book’s where it was meant to be—with Madison Connors at Front Porch Romance.

3)      Tell me three things about yourself that would surprise your readers.
I’m an Elvis Presley fan.

In college I had a friend who owned a small airplane. He picked me up in the sheep pasture in a valley near the mountain college we attended, flew to a town about fifty miles away, and took me out to dinner.

When I tried to learn to cross-stitch, I sewed the picture I was working on to the leg of the jeans I was wearing and had to snip the threads to get it off.

4)      What are you working on now?
I have a couple short stories coming out soon. I just finished a romantic comedy with mystery and suspense and am writing a book about a young woman with a mysterious, undiagnosed illness.

5)      Parting comments.
Two things. I was excited to learn last week that Stopped Cold is a best seller on All Romance E Books, and I appreciate you having me on your lovely blog.

6)      Where can fans find you on the internet?
My Web site is http://www.gailpallotta.com
My blog is http://www.gailpallotta.blogspot.com
Facebook http://www.facebook.com/AuthorsandMore

 

Sharon Srock's "The Women of Valley View: Terri"

  Title: THE WOMEN OF VALLEY VIEW: TERRI
  Publisher: HARBOURLIGHT 

Cover blurb:  Despite a bustling day care center and a new foster child, Terri Hayes hungers for a family of her own. Then a plumbing mishap leaves her homeless and questioning God’s plan. Steve Evans’s gracious offer of his basement apartment as a temporary solution is an answered prayer.

 
Steve is a successful writer and a good father, but Terri is horrified when Steve’s book research leads him to a harsh confrontation with the parents of her foster child.  She needs to distance herself from Steve, but her efforts fall short as his two scheming daughters plot to make Terri their new stepmother.  

Will harsh words and sneaky plans drive Kelsey’s family further apart and put a wedge between Terri and Steve? Or does God have another plan in store?
 

1)      How did this story come to you?

Terri’s story was the natural progression from the first book in the series, THE WOMEN OF VALLEY VIEW: CALLIE 

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

I began writing 5 years ago in a much delayed obedience to God. That obedience has opened doors, removed obstacles, and granted me my dream.  

3)      Tell me three things about yourself that would surprise your readers.
I love to mow the grass 
I HATE reality TV

My favorite pet was an iguana

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

Book 3 in the series is under contract, I expect to begin edits this week. I’m working on book 4. 

5) Where can fans find you on the internet?

Visit my BLOG at: http://www.womenofvalleyview.blogspot.com/
Connect with me on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/SharonSrock#!/SharonSrock
Follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/SharonSrock
Find me on Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6448789.Sharon_Srock  

Amazon: http://tinyurl.com/d9kwdcc

Barnes and Noble: http://tinyurl.com/cud7xb6

Pelican book group: http://tinyurl.com/cd5zqar