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

 

Jo Huddleston's "Beyond the Past"

Beyond the Past back cover blurb
An inspirational Southern Historical with Threads of Romance
Emmajean Callaway’s life in Atlanta plummets from bad to worse. Can big brother, Jim, lead her back to the family who loves her and also hold the imploding Callaway family together?

Jim Callaway looks forward to 1951 and the chance to forge a relationship with Caroline after twenty years apart. He’s sidetracked when his sister and his best friend need his help. His baby sister, Emmajean, skids into jail on drug charges in Atlanta. The ordeal of incarceration and trial diminishes her and she needs rescuing, not only physically but spiritually. She struggles toward recovery and restoration with her lawyer’s help as he champions her inside and outside the courtroom. Jim’s nephew Joe is one step ahead of the truant officer, wrecks his car, and officials suspect alcohol is involved. Joe awaits his fate at the hands of the juvenile court judge. Jim and Caroline continue their bumpy journey as they seek realization of their dreams, wondering if they really can overcome obstacles to their being together after so many years.

1) How did this story come to you?

Beyond the Past is book #2 in the Caney Creek Series. The series is set in the Southern Appalachians of East Tennessee where I and my ancestors grew up. At annual family reunions as a little girl, I’d listen to my relatives’ stories about time before TV and air conditioning. All those stories stayed in my mind from year to year. Those stories needed to be told. This book is fiction but it came to me from listening to real people.

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

The first book in the series, That Summer, started simmering in my head in the late 1990s. In 2001 I was diagnosed with a health problem that prevented me to write, either by hand or computer (this was before speak-to-type). I thought my writing career was over. In 2008, I regained ability to hold my fingers on the home keys of the computer and finished book #1 soon thereafter. But getting an agent or a publisher for a first time novelist seemed impossible. I discovered ACFW, joined, and found my publisher on ACFW’s list of recognized publishers. I couldn’t write That Summer and not have a book #2 so I wrote book #2, Beyond the Past.

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

Well, not much surprises folks these days, but here goes:
I played varsity basketball in high school
I am claustrophobic
I chew my ice cream

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

I’ve begun book #3, Claiming Peace, in the Caney Creek Series. I hope to be able to start another series but that’s not settled yet.

5) Parting comments?

Dawn, it was my pleasure to visit with you and your readers on your blog. Thanks for having me.

6) Where can fans find you on the internet?

Website/blog: http://www.johuddleston.com