Staci Stallings' "Deep in the Heart"

Title: Deep in the Heart

      Publisher: Spirit Light Publishing

Cover blurb: Just out of college and completely alone in the world, Maggie Montgomery has one shot left to save her life from an abyss of poverty and hopelessness. Clinging to the last shred of fuel and hope, she arrives at the mansion of Texas billionaire Conrad Ayers. Although Maggie is clearly not what Mr. Ayers and his wife have in mind for a nanny, they agree to hire her temporarily until they can find someone more appropriate to fill the position. However, Maggie's whole world is about to be up-ended by two way-over-scheduled children and one incredibly handsome hired hand. As she struggles to fit into a world she was never made to fit in, Maggie wonders if she can ever learn to become a perfect version of herself so she can keep the job, or is she doomed to always be searching for a life she can never quite grasp?

Keith Ayers despises his life. As the son of Texas billionaire Conrad Ayers and the fiance to a Senator from Texas' daughter, it looks great on the outside, but inside, he is dying. He would vastly prefer to manage and train his father's racehorses. However, everyone else thinks that is beneath him. He needs to get into industry and build on his father's success. Suffocating under the constrictions of his life, he meets Maggie who begins to teach him that wealth and power is not everything in this life. But can Keith defy the most powerful men in Texas to follow his heart?

1) How did this story come to you?

Of all 31 full-length novels I've written so far, this one started with the least amount of information--a name and a "presence."  I woke up one morning with the name Keith Anderson running through my mind, and I felt like I knew him--even though I didn't.  Even after I really woke up, I couldn't shake the name or the presence, nor could I shake the feeling that he was real. So I went and Googled the name, and there he was, the exact guy I was picturing.  All that day God gave me more and more of his story, and within a day, I was writing his and Maggie's story.  Who could have guessed that following that little thin thread of instinct would lead to my first #1 Best Seller?  God is so awesome!

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

I had published a couple of books as Kindle ebooks prior to Aug. 2011, but that was when I decided to go big into Kindle.  Deep in the Heart was one that had already gotten some good reviews when I gave it as a free ebook some years earlier, so I put that one as one of my first eleven novels on Kindle.  Then in April 2012, after a cover-change, I was looking for my next book to do free days with, and this one just kept coming to me.  So in defiance of some of the unwritten "rules" about how you're supposed to do free days, I put this one free in April, and it went to #1 on the Free Side for 36 hours.  Then it turned around and went #1 in four categories and all the way up onto the Top 100 Paid for 2 weeks.  Recently it was chosen as a 100 Books under $3.99 by Amazon and has been doing gangbusters since then!

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

First, I love to snowboard and skateboard... on the Wii.  I'm a chicken, and I get hurt really easy.  So I love that I can try kick-flips and double barrel rolls, and if my Mii crashes, I can get up and go again--no pain!  Second, I hate cooking.  It must be a generational glitch or something.  But the number one comment I get when I cook is, "What IS this?"  Followed closely by, "Yech! Can I have something else?"  (Oh, well, we can't be talented at everything!)  Third, my house is a disaster.  :)  I think it's that generational curse again, but despite my best intentions, my idea of cleaning is moving stacks from the top of the desk to the floor.  If a clean desk is the sign of a clean mind...  Don't ask!

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

I just had a third title go free in August, To Protect & Serve.  It and its sequel, White Knight, are doing very well, and I'm getting some great feedback on both of those.  The third in that trilogy will come out in November, and I already have readers beating down my door to get too it.  It's called "For Real," and the reviewer that called "Deep in the Heart" "the best Christian book I've ever read," said that "For Real" was even better!  So great stuff for my readers I hope!

5) Parting comments?

Thanks for having me, K. Dawn!  You have totally been a great and blessed friend on this writing journey, and I so, so appreciate your dedication to letting people know about the world of Christian fiction!

6) Where can fans find you on the internet?

My Christian living blog is at:  http://spiritlightbooks.wordpress.com  and my blog with first chapters, excerpts, and reviews of all of my romance novels is at:  http://ebookromancestories.com  Come over and visit.  You'll feel better for the experience!

Deep in the Heart is only $2.99 on Kindle for the month of September!  Get your copy today! 
Here's the link:  http://ow.ly/doEuZ or click on the cover below.

Lillian Duncan's "Dark Alleys"

Title: DARK ALLEYS
Cover blurb: Being innocent and proving it are two different things, especially when a powerful politician is involved Tessa’s life spiraled out of control and she finds herself in a dark alley on a cold wintry night. After she witnesses a murder, she almost becomes his second victim, but manages to escape—just barely.

Homeless and alone, she knows the authorities won’t believe someone like her, leaving her only one option—to run.

1) How did this story come to you?
It all started with one little phrase-the tituals of death. Those words kept knocking around in my head so I started writing and eventually they led to DARK ALLEYS.

2) Tell us about the journey to getting this book published.
Well...glad you asked that question. My Christian publisher thought it wasn’t Christian enough and a secular publisher thought it was too Christian! Both thought it was a good story and gave me suggestions on how to “fix it.” The problem was if I fixed it, it changed the message in the story and that was the message I wanted my readers to “get.” Sooo...that’s why I decided to self-publish it.

3) Tell me three things about yourself that would surprise your readers.
1. I’m very, very short! 4’ 8”. And believe me that makes for some interesting situations!
2. I love to watch TV! That’s right and I’m not ashamed to admit it!
3. I hate commas! I would prefer to write without them, but I know I can’t.

4) What are you working on now and what's next for you?
I have a Christmas-themed novella being released in November-THE CHRISTMAS STALKING. I’m in the process of final edits with it as well as starting on a few new stories.

5) Parting comments?
I want to thank you for letting me be a guest on your blog.

6) Where can fans find you on the internet?
My website is www.lillianduncan.net  and I have a devotional blog at www.PowerUpWithGod.com  I’m also on Twitter as @LillianDuncan and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/lillian.k.duncan

Cathy Richmond's "Through Rushing Water"

Title: Through Rushing Water
Publisher: Thomas Nelson

Cover blurb: Sophia Makinoff is certain 1876 is the year that she’ll become the wife of a certain US Congressman, and happily plans her debut into the Capitol city. But when he proposes to her roommate instead, Sophia is stunned. To flee the upcoming nuptials, she signs up with the Board of Foreign Missions.

With dreams of a romantic posting to the Far East, Sophia is dismayed to find she’s being sent to the Ponca Indian Agency in the primitive Dakota Territory. She can’t even run away effectively and begins to wonder how on earth she’ll be able to guide others as a missionary. But teaching the Ponca children provides her with a joy she has never known—and never expected—and ignites in her a passion for the people she’s sent to serve.

It’s a passion shared by the Agency carpenter, Willoughby Dunn, a man whose integrity and selflessness are unmatched. The Poncas are barely surviving. When US policy decrees that they be uprooted from their land and marched hundreds of miles away in the middle of winter, Sophia and Will wade into rushing waters to fight for their friends, their love, and their destiny.

1) How did this story come to you?
The trial of Standing Bear is the most important event in 1870s Nebraska, yet few outside our state have heard of it. While researching the events leading to the trial, I discovered one of the teachers at the Ponca Agency was Russian. A woman with the same name taught at Vassar College. Why would anyone leave what must have been the most comfortable job in the U.S. for the hardships and heartbreak of an Indian reservation? She would have been surrounded by people with a different skin color, different language, different culture. Their enormous needs must have overwhelmed her and their enormous faith humbled her... just as I had experienced when I went with my church on mission trips to Jamaica. I knew I'd found my heroine for Through Rushing Water.

2) Tell us about the journey to getting this book published.
Through Rushing Water is the second book in my contract with Thomas Nelson, so it was my first time with a deadline. I'm relieved to say, I made it! With God all things are possible!

3) Tell me three things about yourself that would surprise your readers.
I have grandbunnies! My daughter has two pet rabbits, Natty Bunpo and Professor Fritz. My son has a contract to write a children's book - at the ripe young age of 26. The most unusual place I've ever lived is Nantucket Island.

4) What are you working on now and what's next for you?
Ideas are scampering around my head like untrained puppies - I'm trying to figure out which one is ready for paper training!

5) Parting comments?
Through Rushing Water is dedicated to those who went out to change the world and returned with a changed heart. Have you gone on a mission trip? Were you amazed to see God in action? Surprised at the changes within you? This book is especially for you!

6) Where can fans find you on the internet?
I love to hear from readers!

http://www.catherinerichmond.com/, https://www.facebook.com/catherinerichmondfans, and Twitter @WriterCatherine.

Deborah Piccurelli's "Hush, Little Baby"

Title: HUSH, LITTLE BABY
Publisher: Sword of the Spirit Publishing

Cover blurb: Investigative journalist, Amber Blake, is a little person bent on payback for the death of her average-sized twin sister. Enlisted by her former partner and estranged husband, Evan, she poses as a counselor in an abortion clinic to expose the doctor responsible for fetal harvesting. As a Christian, she struggles with concealing her beliefs to maintain her cover, while the doctor’s overtures tumble her stomach. Amber agrees to date him for the sake of the story . . . but nothing prepares her for what’s behind a mysterious door in his office.

1) How did this story come to you?
Back in 1999, I saw a segment on Good Morning America about the story airing on 20/20 that night. I quickly jotted down a few lines on a small scrap of paper and filed it in my huge “story idea” folder. When the time came to find something to fit my characters, there was that scrap of paper at the bottom of the stack!

2) Tell us about the journey to getting this book published.
Abortion and fetal harvesting is not an appealing subject to many readers, so agents and editors turned me down left and right. Finally, a friend who had published with a newish small publisher suggested I try them, because they published what some of us call “edgy Christian fiction.” And the rest, as they say, is history.

3) Tell me three things about yourself that would surprise your readers.
1.) I can’t stand the smell of lamb chops cooking. Because of that, I’ve never even tasted them.
2.) I am a woman of few words. ‘Nuff said.
3.) I’m not trying to be snobby, but I’m older than I look. I included this only because I’ve been told, and I couldn’t think of any other third thing off the top of my head (you can go to my website at www.deborahmpiccurelli.com, take a look at my pic, and try to guess my age. I’ll send a free copy of my book to the first person who gets it right on the nose. Use my contact page and type “Age” in the comments box).

4) What are you working on now and what's next for you?
I’m working on a book with another “issue” and another physical challenge. It’s about a young legal secretary who overhears some incriminating information about an illegal activity. Then, on her way home from work, she is involved in a major auto accident, leaving her with a condition that practically eliminates her ability to protect herself. Was it really an accident? Or is someone trying to kill her? Hopefully, this will be what’s next for me.

5) Parting comments?
As I mentioned above, abortion and fetal harvesting are not topics appealing to some readers. But I hope you will give it a chance, as I feel I’ve handled the subject with tact and taste. It is a romantic suspense, and I’ve woven in eye-opening suspense, and a beautiful love story.

Also, 10% of the proceeds for this book will go to Life Dynamics, an organization that works to stop abortion and fetal harvesting.

9) Where can fans find you on the internet? All over, but here are the main ones:
www.deborahmpiccurelli.com
Twitter: @DebPiccurelli
www.facebook.com/#1/profile.php?id+100003395634363
Pinterest.com/DebPiccurelli

Debra Benson's "Perfect Wedding"

Title: Perfect Wedding

Publisher: Dorrance Publishing

Blurb: Leah is a successful weight-loss expert. She seems to have everything an independent girl ever wanted, but for one a perfect wedding. She had always dreamed of walking down the aisle with her father leading her toward her perfect mate. But she doesn't know her father. His identity has remained a secret for a very long time, and she knows she has to exhaust all her efforts to convince her mother to spill.

In the midst of her emotional turmoil, she meets Andrew, a man dumped by his wife, her new client, for being overweight. On one of their meetings, he notices her sad disposition and offers to listen; she opens up to him and all things begin to change.

Will Leah find her father and will she ever see her dream come true in a perfect wedding?

How did this story come to you?
The story came to me by trial and error. I was studying writing with Long Ridge Writer's Group and one idea led to another. Somehow with the guidance of my instructor's critique my story developed totally different from my first idea of a bad nurse.

Journey to getting this book published.
I guess you can say I cheated somewhat. By the end of my Novel course I was exhausted and working full time. Writing the query letter, finding an agent, looking for a publisher all seemed so overwhelming. I decided to pick up a telephone book one day. I found Dorrance Publishing a subsidy publisher. And the rest is history.

Working on next.
I am working on two projects. A sequel to "Perfect Wedding" and a short story "Not So Fast". I have hopes to write a memoir.

Parting comments.
I hope my writing will always inspire, inform, and encourage readers.

On the internet.
http://www.ollieleewords.com/
https://www.amazon.com/author/debrabenson


Sincerely,
Debra Benson

Click on cover for more info.

Sharon Leaf's "Lady and the Sea"

Title: Lady and the Sea by Sharon Leaf, a novel based on a true story
Cover blurb: After two failed marriages, forty-eight-year-old Rosie Atkisson struggles through the process of rebuilding her life with husband, Jesse, in Southern California. But the settled rhythm of her newfound comfort is interrupted by a tug in her heart when she encounters a haunting photo of another aging lady, the World War II vessel MS Restoration. A special mission to transport Russian Jews from the Black Sea to Israel means an adventure of a lifetime; does she dare pass up this dangerous assignment that will take her thousands of miles from her family and comfortable life? In spite of her fear of water and the unknown condition of the old ship, Rosie says yes to the inner voice that is saying GO!

After fourteen months on board the ship—from a hurricane to a heart attack, from miracles to the M word--menopause--and now being held at gunpoint in the Haifa harbor—Rosie wonders if she will ever return to her own safe harbor.

1) How did the story come to you?
After volunteering fourteen months on a World War II vessel in 1994-95, I knew I had to tell the ship’s story. When the government put the lock-knot ship in mothballs after the war, she thought her glory days were over, until forty years later when a retired Alaskan sea captain bought her, then gave her to a church in Sweden to transport Russian Jews from the Black Sea to Israel. The Titanic was the ship of dreams, but the MS Restoration was the ship of miracles. God saved the best for last for the old gal, showing the reader that the best is yet to come for us 40+ gals and guys.

2) Tell us about the journey to getting this book published.
One traditional publisher liked my manuscript but suggested I make two major changes. I have no problem making changes, but these two were critical for telling the story. So after much research and prayer, I indie-published. Instead of waiting months (or years) for Lady and the Sea to be accepted, then waiting another year (or perhaps two) for the publishing process, Lady and the Sea was published in seven months. The whole process, including the marketing, is on my time schedule. Because the two major changes remained, many readers have been blessed. The moral to my story? Stay true to yourself in the publishing process.

3) Tell me three things about yourself that would surprise your readers.
1. When I was an avid runner, I ran a ½ marathon (non-stop) and lived to tell about it.
2. I recorded a song in a honest-to-goodness recording studio 30+ years ago; no telling how famous our group “Sonshine” would be today if You-tube had been around then.
3. I guess I’m just an Annie Oakley kind of girl at heart because I love to shoot my 45 … at the shooting range, that is. And yes, I’m downright good!

4) What are you working on now, and what’s next for you?
In between promoting Lady and the Sea and enjoying life, family, and friends, I am re-writing my non-fiction, Lady on the Run, editing my young adult novel, Victory Run, and oh yes, since I self-published Lady and the Sea, I’m going to go ahead and write a screenplay for LATS (is that considered self-producing?)

5) Parting comments?
A thirteen-year-old girl read her mother’s copy of Lady and the Sea and learned about the Holocaust; an 89-year-old avid reader read Lady and the Sea in one day (oh, the joy of retirement) and after she re-reads it, she will loan it to her family members. Young or old, my prayer is that readers will find faith for their forgotten dreams.

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

You can order a signed copy of Lady and the Sea directly from me on The Book page, through Amazon.com, E-books, and other online bookstores.

About the author:
Sharon Leaf is the author of Lady and the Sea, a debut novel based on her adventures as a volunteer aboard a WWII ship secured for a hazardous mission, to rescue Russian Jews from the Black Sea to Israel. She traveled to over fifteen countries, lived in Sweden while attending Bible College, and travelled the Trans-Siberian Railway. At the age of sixty she received a degree in theology, proving that it is never too late to fulfill another dream. Sharon and her husband of twenty-four years now enjoy life in the sultry southern state of South Carolina.

Kim Watters' "And Father Makes Three"

Title: And Father Makes Three
Publisher: Harlequin’s Love Inspired

Cover blurb: “Your Daughter Needs You.”
She’s saved countless lives, yet there’s one person emergency room doctor Elizabeth Randall can’t rescue—her adopted daughter, Jordan. Perhaps meeting her biological father, Blake Crawford, will be the lifeline Jordan needs. The handsome, guarded firefighter takes risks every day. But facing the daughter he never knew—along with lovely Elizabeth—has him thinking about family. With fatherhood thrust suddenly upon him, there’s no way he can turn his back on his sick child. Will working together to give Jordan a second chance at life also lead them to a second chance at love?

1) How did this story come to you?
The idea for And Father Makes Three came from a personal situation. One of my dear friends from high school was diagnosed with Large Cell B non-hodgkins Lymphoma and needed to have a bone marrow transplant to put her cancer into remission. I twisted things around a bit and brainstormed with my critique group and came up with the premise of a child having leukemia and in need of a bone marrow transplant. Her biological father plays a key role in helping both his daughter and her adoptive mother tackle the illness and put it back into remission. In Carol’s honor, I have dedicated this book to her.

2) Tell us about the journey to getting this book published.
Well, aside from having to rewrite it a few times there isn't too much to tell. I sold it on proposal and then wrote the book. Three weeks before I turned the manuscript in, I discovered that I'd received some misinformation and had to change my entire plot and conflict for the book. I work a full-time job and my kids had just gone back to school so no pressure there. I turned it in on time and hoped my editor wouldn't notice the changes too much. I did get a revision letter back and had to rewrite the book even more with her comments. I even wrote scenes in the final line edit stage, but I feel the book is so much better with all the editorial input.

3) Tell me three things about yourself that would surprise your readers.
I’ve lived in Johannesburg, South Africa and Le Harve, France, I absolutely, positively HATE to fly, and I’m claustrophobic.

4) What are you working on now and what's next for you?
I just turned in another proposal to my editor with the working title A Christmas Angel.

5) Parting comments?
Thanks for having me here K. Dawn. It’s always a pleasure to share my works with your fans.

6) Where can fans find you on the internet?
http://www.kimwatters.com/  from there I have links to my social networking sites.

Maureen Lang's "Bees In The Butterfly GardenN

Title: Bees In The Butterfly Garden
Publisher: Tyndale House

Cover blurb: Raised in an exclusive boarding school among Fifth Avenue’s finest, Meg Davenport has all she’s ever needed . . . but none of the things she’s wanted most, like family, or dreams of a future that includes anything other than finding a suitable match. So when her distant father dies, she seizes the chance to throw etiquette aside and do as she pleases. Especially when she learns that John Davenport wasn’t the wealthy businessman she thought, but one of the Gilded Age’s most talented thieves.

Poised to lead those loyal to Meg’s father, Ian Maguire knows the last thing his mentor would have wanted is for his beloved daughter to follow in his footsteps. Yet Meg is determined, and her connections to one of New York’s wealthiest families could help Ian pull off his biggest heist yet. But are they both in over their heads? And in trying to gain everything, will they end up losing it all?

1) How did this story come to you?
So glad you asked! This is the first and so far only book of mine to be inspired by a title. I’m usually title-challenged, but one day I was sitting in my home and noticed the flowers I’d planted to attract butterflies to my yard were instead attracting bees instead. As I watched two huge bees hover over my flowers, I felt this sense of self-pity rise up. I said to myself, “I plant a garden for butterflies, and all I get are bees. Bees in the butterfly garden.” Even as I spoke those last few words aloud, I heard their potential for a title. All I needed was a book to tack on to it.

So how could I create characters that readers would still want to read about if, for the majority of the story, those characters are symbolic for bees? I hoped proper motivation would do it, as well as a clear road toward redemption. That, and surrounding them with characters I myself wanted to spend time with . . .

2) Tell us about the journey to getting this book published.
As I mentioned, the title came to me first. That was actually quite a number of years ago, and I dabbled with writing the story but never completed it. Before receiving my first contract from a traditional publisher back in 2004, I put together a proposal for this book, but it was rejected—from Tyndale, who is publishing it at last! I look back on that early version of the story and can see why it was rejected, but it still goes to show that writers should never really give up on ideas they care about. It might need some tweaking, but sometimes patience and determination are a writer’s best assets.

3) Tell me three things about yourself that would surprise your readers.
I’m sure this is true of many writers, but I always find it interesting as an introvert that I want very much to write about people but tend to enjoy life more when I’m alone.

I already have a song picked out to be played at my funeral, even though I’m not planning to die any time soon. Ironically, it’s one that I also had performed at my wedding. It’s called “How Could I Ask For More” and is about a person being grateful for everything God has given her, as I am, but that she’s learned the best things in life are the memories we make along the way, the simple truths, and that sometimes the hardest things we go through are blessings in disguise. Link to embed the song as sung by Cindy Morgan (my favorite) on YouTube:



I believe God’s most important assignment for me isn’t to write books, but to take care of my handicapped son (17 years old). God is a much bigger fan of him than of my books.

4) What are you working on now and what's next for you?
Book Two in my Gilded Age Series, and I’m having huge fun with it. The setting is Denver, 1887, so it’s quite different from the New York City setting in Bees In The Butterfly Garden. I’ve loved this story idea from the beginning, when all I knew was that I wanted to create a hero with a secret: when he was young and foolish he waylaid a coach on three separate occasions, with the sole intention of stealing all the money he could. Contrast his past to a faithful woman who is determined to help others, particularly women in need, and the fun began. My heroine needs a loan to open a place of refuge for any woman in need, including prostitutes, and my now-successful banker hero is in no way foolish enough to agree to such a bad investment—so his manager does it for him, without his consent. It’s now up to my heroine to prove the investment sound . . . if only she wouldn’t keep making bad business decisions. It was so much fun watching my impatient heroine crack the stodgy, self-protective shell my hero had erected. All In Good Time releases from Tyndale early spring, 2013.

5) Parting comments?
Thanks for having me! Your questions were fun, and I hope your readers enjoyed it as much as I did.

6) Where can fans find you on the internet?
My website and blog: http://www.maureenlang.com/  (I update my blog every Monday.)
I also blog ever other Wednesday at Christians Read, a blog dedicated to readers and hosted by a variety of talented Christian authors. Link: http://christiansread.wordpress.com/

Bonnie Leon's "Joy Takes Flight"

Title: Joy Takes Flight
Publisher: Revell

Cover blurb: She longs for the skies, but life keeps pulling her back to earth.
Will Kate finally find a future that satisfies? Newlyweds Kate and Paul are settling in their Alaskan home in the bush country. They rejoice when Kate finds she is pregnant, but soon it is clear that there are hurdles ahead. Should she continue in her dangerous profession as an Alaskan bush pilot? Can she really fall into the traditional role of a wife? Then disaster strikes, life begins to unravel, and Kate fears she may have lost Paul for good.

1) How did this story come to you?
The series idea grew out of stories my mother told me about her life in the Alaskan bush and how she and her family depended on bush pilots to deliver mail and supplies and on occasion a lift to town. She admired and trusted the pilots. Throughout the years she provided me with a small library of books about the brave men and women who risk their lives to serve the people of Alaska and to fulfill their own desire for flying adventures.

One day while reading one of the books, my writer’s mind took over. Soon I had a story idea—there was Kate and a mystery man (who was inspired by a man with a hidden past who lived on a homestead bordering my grandparents’ property), and I started blasting down notes.

The creative aspect of writing is a mystery to me. I don’t know where the stories come from, but they usually begin with a slice of truth and then my mind just seems to find them. Joy Takes Flight is the final book in a series so there were conflicts, questions and troubles I needed to resolve. Readers need to know what Kate decides to do with her life. And Paul’s secret must be told.

I’ve known the ending of this story for three years. It feels so good to finally have it completed, on the page and in print.

2) Tell us about the journey to getting this book published.
While writing the final book in the Sydney Cove series I started thinking about what to write next. I had several ideas and created a synopsis and a limited proposal for each, then sent the outlines to my agent. She and a co-worker looked them over and decided they liked the idea of a woman pilot standing up to the Alaskan wilderness during the 1930’s best. There wasn’t anything like it “out there” and the idea was intriguing, so we went with it.

I presented a full proposal to Revell Publishing and they loved the idea. Contracts were signed and I went to work. It wasn’t easy. There’s always endless research, but I needed to know how to fly.

I didn’t know the first thing about flying. But I found a pilot, Gayle Ranney, who had been flying as a bush pilot in Alaska for more than forty years. She’s the one who helped me plant readers in the cockpit of Kate’s Bellanca.

Book one had troubles and I actually wrote it twice. Books two and three flowed much more easily. It was fun to accompany Paul and Kate on their adventure. I’m sorry to say farewell to them.

3) Tell me three things about yourself that would surprise your readers.
1. Years ago, when I walked down the church aisle on my wedding day, I didn’t want to get married. I’m glad I did. Greg and I will celebrate our 41st anniversary next month.
2. When I send in a new book to my editor, I’m always nervous. I usually convince myself she’s going to hate the book.
3. I don’t fly. I have a disorder in my ears that makes flying miserable.

4) What are you working on now and what's next for you?
I’m heading into uncharted territory. I’ve decided to step out and write two books that are a new genre for me. I’m presently working on a true life story about a woman who grew up in Alaska and lived a life few people have experienced and most could never imagine. It’s truly incredible. I can’t wait to introduce this little Cherokee girl to my readers.

I also have a contemporary novel waiting to be written. It is the story of my heart, one I’ve longed to write for a very long time. It the story of five mismatched friends who set out on a cross country trip hoping to rediscover what most take for granted, a “normal” life. They find much more—friendship and dreams long forsaken.

5) Parting comments?
Thank you, readers. I don’t know if you realize how much writers love to write. It fills our lives. We find stories while watching the news, reading history or just allowing our minds to wander. You are the reason we can write. If you weren’t reading our books we’d be out of a job. So . . . thank you. And if you find a book or an author that you love, make sure to spread the word.

6) Where can fans find you on the internet?
It’s easy to find me. My website address is www.bonnieleon.com. Or I’m often visiting with friends on facebook. The address to my author’s page is www.facebook.com/BonnieLeonAuthor.

Designing Destiny $2.99 on Kindle

Coming soon in print.

When Destiny Dean's grandmother learns that she's been given six months to live, she grieves the fact that she won't be around to watch her only grandchild grow to adulthood. She ponders how she might have an impact on Destiny's life and an idea comes to her. Taking out a leather bound journal, she begins to write down all the advice she would have given Destiny had she been a part of her life.


This book is Christian-based and includes a section of encouraging Scriptures.


Chapters include:
1) Just Good Old Advice
2) Just Pain Fun
3) Giving Back
4) Love & Marriage
5) Education & Work Ethics
6) Emotional Health
7) Physical Health
8) Family
9) Finances
10) Friends & Relationship
11) Spiritual
12) Favorite Bible Verses

Designing Destiny, a Godly book of advice for women of all ages because a good pair of shoes and a little bit of advice go a long way!

David Bond's "A Time To Build"

Title: A Time To Build

Publisher: Desert Breeze Publishing 

Cover blurb:

Brian Marshall lives a quiet, serious life. At age thirty-three, he’s content and reasonably prosperous. When a new client steps inside his office one July morning, and he recognizes her strikingly beautiful face, his thoughts are thrown back in time thirteen years, to a time when he committed perhaps the greatest mistake of his life.

Hallie Grover has come a long way in thirteen years. When she left central Pennsylvania as a dispirited seventeen-year old to live with her divorced mother in California, she couldn’t have imagined the path her life was to take. Will she be able to handle her new life, owning and managing a small café in McCane, Pennsylvania? And will she be able to rebuild a relationship with her sister, and a thirteen-year old girl she’s never had the chance to know?

Brian fears Hallie will one day remember him. Hallie blossoms, but is she ready to embrace a relationship she wasn’t expecting?

1)      How did this story come to you?
Like most stories, it just did! This novel has actually gone through a number of significant “evolutions.” It was originally written in first person, but the publisher rejected it. I wish I could come up with a good answer to this question! Story ideas are always “popping up” in my head, and this is really the only thing I can say!

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

I already had a 3-book contract with Desert Breeze Publishing, and when an idea for another series came to me, I put together a proposal and submitted it. My proposal was accepted and I found myself contracted to write 6 full-length novels in a 2-year span. Concerning the journey for A Time To Build, as I just alluded to, this novel went through several iterations. It was actually originally entitled, “The Park,” based on a park where my main character loved to spend time. The last chapter was added after my editor suggested the ending, while good, needed a little more closure. And looking back, it was an excellent bit of advice.

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

First, I am blind. Second, I am a male who loves to read and write romance (there are some qualifiers which I won’t discuss here!). And, third, I am a type I diabetic.

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

My next release (after A Time To Build) is the sequel to my debut. It is entitled, “Sweet Music,” and will be available in October (2012). The manuscript for Sweet Music has just been submitted, and as of this date in June, I am now beginning to work on the sequel to A Time To Build, entitled, “A Time To Heal.”

5) Parting comments?

Based on feed-back from male readers of (mostly) my debut (The Attaché), I’ve kicked around the idea of marketing my novels as, “romance men find worth reading.” Or something like this! Not sure though, since women enjoy my novels as well.

6) Where can fans find you on the internet?

http://www.authordavidbond.com

Deanna Nowadnick's "Fruit of My Spirit"

Title: Fruit of My Spirit: Reframing Life in God’s Grace
Publisher: Rhododendron Books

Cover blurb: In a memoir of missteps and misdeeds, Deanna Nowadnick writes of the hugeness of God’s love and faithfulness. Reframing life in God’s grace, she discovers an indescribable, indefinable, inexplicable love that has encircled her without fail through joyous, sad, cringe-worthy, heartwarming, forgettable, memorable moments in life.

1) How did this story come to you?
I just wanted to my sons Kyle and Kevin to know how I met their father. One story became two stories; the chapter on Love went straight into the chapter on Self-Discipline. Soon I knew a theme had developed. Finally one day I said to anyone who’d listen, “I think I wrote a book.”

2) Tell us about the journey to getting this book published.
This is my first book. I fully expected to get a few things down on paper and then run up to Staples to make a couple copies. I was fortunate to find Sue Collier who put together a wonderful team of people who took me through the publishing process. As I said in the Acknowledgements, I could not have done it without them. Not only did they steer me through unchartered waters, but they protected my voice in the process. I am delighted with the book and truly grateful for their time and care.

3) Tell me three things about yourself that would surprise your readers.
1) Even though I majored in English in college, I never really enjoyed writing assignments. I actually think it had more to do with being told what to write, rather than the writing itself.
2) I love Downton Abbey and Mad Men.
3) I cannot cook, nor can I grow anything. Really! If there’s a national emergency tomorrow, I’ve got to be able to subsist on Quaker Chewy Dips!

4) What are you working on now and what's next for you?
A draft of Book 2 is done. Signs in Life: Meeting God at the Corner of Grace and Mercy tells of those times when God has come alongside and guided, directed and turned me. The book is another collection of short stories, this time recounting the times when God has met me at life’s crossroads, when I’ve been “on point” with God, not because of anything I’ve done, but because a loving, gracious, merciful God has been there time after time, again and again.

5) Parting comments?
I never expected the book to resonate with readers like it has. As I wrote, I knew that God was giving me special stories to share; I just didn’t expect to have the opportunity to share those stories in the form of a real book. Now I’m challenged to help others share their own stories.

6) Where can fans find you on the internet?
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/FruitofMySpirit
Twitter: @DeannaNowadnick
Website/Blog: http://fruitofmyspirit.com/

Pamela S Meyers' "Thyme for Love"

Cover Blurb: When April Love signs on to be an in-house chef at an old lakeshore mansion in Canoga Lake, Wisconsin, she comes face to face with her long- lost love, the drop-dead gorgeous Marc Thorne.


It doesn't take long for their old magnetism to recharge, but how can she trust the guy who left her nearly at the altar eight years earlier? Her gut tells her something happened to Marc in between--something he's reluctant to reveal.

When April's boss is murdered, Marc is accused of the crime. Unless April can find out who really killed Ramón Galvez, her chances for love will end up at the county jail. But someone else is just as determined she not solve the mystery...and will go to any length to stop her.

On the Road to Publication Be Sure to Pack A Lot of Patience!
When I received my first contract last year, it came almost seventeen years after I began my journey toward publication. Was it easy to wait all those years? I wish I could say yes, but it wasn’t. It’s never easy to be told your story isn’t ready yet, or to comethisclose to a contract and have the publisher’s line shut down. Those are just a few of the roadblocks I ran into along the way. It’s enough to lose your patience.

Over the years, as I had to exercise patience in the long wait, I learned that like a muscle becomes stronger when exercised, the ability to be patient becomes strengthened in the waiting.

Using the word patience, below are listed of the things that helped me to endure until the wonderful day I got THE call.

P is for persevering. When the going gets tough, the tough gets going is an old cliché with a lot of truth. From the outset, we have to determine to be in it for the long haul. I’ve met authors who after pursuing publication for a couple years gave up and self published or stopped writing altogether. If writing for publication is your calling, determine you will do what it takes for however long it takes.

A is for abidingness. I don’t know what I would do without sensing God’s calling to write, and His daily presence to assure me that I’m within the scope of His will. He tells us to abide in Him and He will abide in us, and He gives us all we need for life, the life He’s called us to live. If He’s called you to write, then He will provide all you need for the writing life in His due time.

T is for teachability. Even many of the most published authors takes writing workshops at conferences. When I look at the stories I wrote seventeen, ten, or even four years ago, I see how I’ve grown the craft. We can’t move up the scale to being a publishable writer if we don’t take those writing courses, read craft books, and practice our writing until our fingers bleed all over the keys.

I is for insistence. Don’t ever settle for mediocre. Insist on doing better next time in a writing contest, or wowing an editor who rejected your idea last year at a conference, or taking a rejected manuscript making it better.

E is for endurance. A form of the word patience in the Greek translates to patient endurance. The King James calls it long suffering. I think that’s an apropos description to describe years of waiting for publication. There were times when I asked God if I misunderstood His intent on my life, and every time He would allow something positive to happen, like a request for a full manuscript. So I kept on pursuing.

N is for nuts and bolts. We need to know more than how to write, we need to learn the nuts and bolts of the publishing industry: What editors are currently looking for, or what they are not so interested in at the moment. What are the market trends? How is digital publishing affecting the industry landscape and how might I adjust to that? We can never know too much about this ever-changing industry.

C is for courage. We need courage to make ourselves known in the industry, and to develop our platform even before we publish. Where are our spheres of influence and how can we grow them? A budding author must become a known entity on the social media platforms. Make his or her name recognizable. For the more outgoing this isn’t so difficult, but for the shy it can require a lot of courage to do this.

E is for energy. Hanging in there can take a lot out of us. For those with family responsibilities and a job outside the home, there is often little time for writing unless it is done in the wee hours. Learn what you personally need in the way of sleep and downtime and allow yourself to avail yourself of those times so you will have the needed energy to write. Pacing is important.

Even though I’ve landed some book contracts now, I still need to put these into play each day as I work toward a deadline or acceptance of a new book proposal. And I find that when I begin each day on my knees, God is always there ready to give me everything I need for the life of a writer.

Ann Lee Miller is giving away downloads of "Kicking Eternity!"

Note: Anyone who leaves a comment with an e-mail address (JaneReader[at]msn[dot]com) will receive a free e-book copy of Kicking Eternity. Those who don’t want to leave an e-mail may contact Ann for their free book at AnnLeeMiller.com.

Title: Kicking Eternity, First Place Winner, Long Contemporary in the 2009 Romance Writers of America Faith, Hope, and Love Contest

Cover blurb: Stuck in sleepy New Smyrna Beach one last summer, Raine socks away her camp pay checks, worries about her druggy brother, and ignores trouble: Cal Koomer. She’s a plane ticket away from teaching orphans in Africa, and not even Cal’s surfer six-pack and the chinks she spies in his rebel armor will derail her.

The artist in Cal begs to paint Raine’s ivory skin, high cheek bones, and internal sparklers behind her eyes, but falling for her would caterwaul him into his parents’ live. No thanks. The girl was self-righteous waiting to happen. Mom served sanctimony like vegetables, three servings a day, and he had a gut full.

Rec Director Drew taunts her with “Rainey” and calls her an enabler. He is so infernally there like a horsefly—till he buzzes back to his ex.

1) How did this story come to you?
Like the main character, my daughter has had a life-long passion to become a foreign missionary. Also, a friend was devastated when the man she believed God told her to marry broke their engagement. In Kicking Eternity the hero has to come to terms with the same dilemma.

2) Tell us about the journey to getting this book published.
I wrote my first novel fifteen years ago and have been writing full-time for ten years while trying to break in to traditional publishing. Last summer my agent let all her unpublished authors, including me, go. In the midst of my despair, God nudged me to indie e-publish. So, I swallowed a hairball of pride and walked down the self-publishing road. The part of me that clamors for validation still hopes for a traditional publishing contract. But how can I go wrong obeying God?

3) Tell me three things about yourself that would surprise your readers.
• I lived on a sailboat as a child and rode my bicycle down the dock each morning to attend school. After school every day, I tossed my books onto my bunk, shimmied into a swim suit, and jumped overboard.
• My father was often mistaken for Willie Nelson.
• I and my three sons are color blind.

4) What are you working on now and what's next for you?
In addition to Kicking Eternity, The Art of My Life debuts in September, Avra’s God in December, and Tattered Innocence next March.

5) Parting comments?
Readers who enjoy Ann Brashares (The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants) may like my books. I aim for her fast pace, depth, and passion.

I was thrilled to receive an endorsement from Jenny B. Jones, author of the Katie Parker Production Series from Think and The Charmed Life Series, and others from Thomas Nelson:

“Ann Lee Miller writes stories straight from the heart with characters who'll become friends, remaining with you long after you turn that final page. You won't want to miss Kicking Eternity!”

6) Where can fans find you on the internet?
http://www.annleemiller.com/
Twitter @AnnLeeMiller
Facebook Author Page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Ann-Lee-Miller/356653761022022

Bio: Ann Lee Miller earned a BA in creative writing from Ashland (OH) University and writes full-time in Phoenix, but left her heart in New Smyrna Beach, Florida, where she grew up. She loves speaking to young adults and guest lectures on writing at several Arizona colleges. When she isn’t writing or muddling through some crisis—real or imagined—you’ll find her hiking in the Superstition Mountains with her husband or meddling in her kids’ lives.

Jordyn Redwood's "Proof"

Title: Proof
Publisher: Kregel

Cover blurb: Here is the Amazon Blurb: Dr. Lilly Reeves is a young, accomplished ER physician with her whole life ahead of her. But that life instantly changes when she becomes the fifth victim of a serial rapist. Believing it's the only way to recover her reputation and secure peace for herself, Lilly sets out to find--and punish--her assailant. Sporting a mysterious tattoo and unusually colored eyes, the rapist should be easy to identify. He even leaves what police would consider solid evidence. But when Lilly believes she has found him, DNA testing clears him as a suspect. How can she prove he is guilty, if science says he is not?

1) How did this story come to you?
I was watching a Discovery Health Channel special and the idea was born.

2) Tell us about the journey to getting this book published.
For me, my publishing path started when I finally listened to the Lord and finished my novel. After attending the ACFW conference in 2006—I decided it would be most beneficial to attend another national conference only when I had my manuscript finished. When the ACFW conference came to Denver in 2009—I took that as the time to finish the book because I wouldn’t have to pay for airfare. One of my agent appointments led to Greg Johnson taking me on as a client. My publishing contract came in the spring of 2011.

3) Tell me three things about yourself that would surprise your readers.
I’m an okay acoustic guitar player. Fairly accomplished quilter. I love tea with the flavored coffee creamers in it.

4) What are you working on now and what's next for you?
Right now, I’m working on Book #3 of the Bloodline trilogy—tentatively titled Peril and also editing Book #2, Poison, that is set to release February 2013. Next, I’m researching for my next proposal which will either center on an elite security firm in Washington D.C. or near-death experiences. Haven’t settled on which yet.

5) Parting comments?
Thank you so much for hosting me!

6) Where can fans find you on the internet?
I have a medical blog for both historical and contemporary authors to help them write medically accurate fiction called Redwood’s Medical Edge. Also my website at http://www.jordynredwood.net/.