Jody Hedlund's "The Preacher's Bride"

We're happy to have Jody Hedlund with us today talking about her book, The Preacher's Bride. To learn more about Jody and her book, read on!

1) How did this story come to you?
The Preacher’s Bride is a tale about finding true love amidst the intense discrimination and persecution that existed after the Restoration of the monarchy in 1650’s England.
This book is inspired by Elizabeth Bunyan, the second wife of John Bunyan, author of Pilgrim’s Progress, one of the most popular books of all times. As I was reading a biography about John Bunyan, I ran across a small excerpt about Elizabeth.
I loved the brave way Elizabeth defended John during one of his trials when he was under arrest for his “unlicensed” preaching. Her strength to face a court of persecutors and her determination to faithfully support her husband touched me so deeply, that I decided her little-known story needed to be told to the world.

2) Tell us about the journey to getting this book published.
I spent about 6 weeks reading biographies and other time-period books. I sifted through plot ideas, wanting to stick as closely to the facts as possible, but also knowing I needed to dramatize the story to bring it to life.
A large part of my planning involved the process of getting to know my characters. I used an extensive character worksheet (available on my blog for free). I try to use what history has told us about the real characters, but then I filled in the rest and made them larger than life.
Then after my characters were living and breathing in my mind, and after I had a basic plot outline, I started the actual writing. It took me about nine months of writing during my little ones’ naptimes. When I finished, I spent several months editing it.
Finally, after about a year from when I first started, I queried the book to agents. It took me another nine months to get an agent to take me on as a client (an ACFW Genesis contest win really helped me). Then my agent shopped my book to Bethany House . . . and the rest is history!

3) Tell me three things about yourself that would surprise your readers.
1. I eat pie for breakfast. Yep. Anytime there’s pie in the house, I indulge myself in a piece for breakfast, especially if it has fruit in it of any kind because then I’m getting a couple servings of fruit.
2. I’m a fast walker. My kids usually have to run to keep up with me everywhere I go. I’m sure it looks quite comical to see me, the mother duck with my five youngun’s trailing after me, tripping over themselves!
3. Writing quirk? While I write, I stick bananas in my ears to block out the noise of my children. Okay, so not really. But I do wear headphones and listen to Pandora a LOT during my writing time.

4) What are you working on now and what's next for you?
I’m in the editing stages for my next book, The Doctor’s Lady (which will be published in September of 2011). And I’m also working on researching and plotting a third contracted book (to be published in 2012).

5) Parting comments?
I love meeting readers! Please stop by my Author Facebook Page and introduce yourself! I’d love to connect!

6) Where can fans find you on the internet?
Website: http://www.jodyhedlund.com/
Blog: http://www.jodyhedlund.blogspot.com/
Email: jodyhedlund@jodyhedlund.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/AuthorJodyHedlund

Twitter: http://twitter.com/JodyHedlund

Vicki McDonough's "Second Chance Brides"

We're happy to have Vicki McDonough with us today talking about her book, Second Chance Brides.  To learn more about Vicki and her book, read on!

1) How did this story come to you?
Second Chance Brides came pretty easily. I’d written The Anonymous Bride, and my editor asked for a sequel book. I already had the town and the characters, and I had two mail-order brides left over from the first book who needed to find a home—and a man to marry. Second Chance Brides is their story.

2) Tell us about the journey to getting this book published.
As I said above, this book came to me easily, but selling my first trade fiction book came about after a lot of hard work. I started out writing novellas, which are 20,000 words. Then I graduated to writing books for the Heartsong Presents book club, which are 45-50000 words. I’d sold 8 novellas collections and 8 Heartsongs, when my editor told me she’d like to see a proposal for a long fiction book. So I worked up one and sent it to her. She rejected my first idea, but liked The Anonymous Bride and bought it.

3) Tell me three things about yourself that would surprise your readers.
1. I lived on a kibbutz in Israel with my husband for a year, shortly after I was first married.
2. I bought a motorcycle when I was 14 and rode it all over the place
3. I love my blue jeans. I don’t even own a dress that fits. I used to have two of them, but I’ve lost weight and they no longer fit.

4) What are you working on now and what's next for you?
I’m currently writing the 2nd book in a short historical series for Heartsong that’s set in South Carolina. Next, I’ll write the 3rd book. Also coming next April, is the third book in my Texas Boardinghouse Brides series, Finally A Bride.

5) Parting comments?
I have a little sign taped to my desk that I picked up at a writer’s conference I attended when I first started writing. Maybe it will inspire you. It says: What would you attempt to do if you knew you could not fail?

6) Where can fans find you on the internet?
My website is http://www.vickiemcdonough.com/
I’m also on Facebook and Twitter.

Cathy Bryant's "A Path Less Traveled"

We're happy to have Cathy Bryant with us today talking about her book, A Path Less Traveled. Cathy has been kind enough to offer to give away a copy to one lucky blog reader. To learn more about Cathy and her book, read on!

1) How did this story come to you?
During the writing of my first novel in the Miller’s Creek Series (TEXAS ROADS), I really grew to love Andy’s character and knew that I wanted to find a romantic interest for him. Trish James made the most logical choice, though it meant a horrible accident for her husband.

2) Tell us about the journey to getting this book published.
I actually wrote most of the book in November 2009, but had to lay it aside to launch TEXAS ROADS. I finally had time to get back to it June 2010. In August, I started sending the book out to beta readers, and just recently sent the manuscript to proof-editors. The book is in the process of being published in both print and e-book format.

3) Tell me three things about yourself that would surprise your readers.
1) I have a music education degree with trumpet as my primary instrument.
2) I’m a reality TV junkie.
3) I was a drum major in high school.

4) What are you working on now and what's next for you?
I’m currently launching Book 2 in the Miller’s Creek series, A Path Less Traveled. Next on the agenda is writing Book 3 in the series.

5) Parting comments?
I’m currently taking pre-orders on A Path Less Traveled for a reduced rate. You can find out the details on my blog, WordVessel (http://wordvessel.blogspot.com/).

6) Where can fans find you on the internet?
My blog, WordVessel: (address above)
My website: http://www.catbryant.com/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/cathy.england.bryant
Twitter: http://twitter.com/CathyBryant

Lesa Henderson's "Someone to Trust"

We're happy to have Lesa Henderson with us today talking about her book, Someone to Trust. To learn more about Lesa and her book, read on!

1) How did this story come to you?
LOL. I have so many characters, places and story lines living in my head at one time it’s hard to say exactly. My stories usually develop as I write them – I have my ending and work toward that. It was birthed from the rising issue of infidelity in the home and the heartache it can cause a little girl and the lack of trust that develops in that little girl as she searches for love as an adult. Of course, in Someone to Trust this compounded by a horrible mistake the heroine makes as an adult and a second betrayal by a man.


2) Tell us about the journey to getting this book published.
Whew! I get tired just thinking about it. LOL. I actually wrote Someone to Trust about six years ago! I submitted the first three chapters and synopsis and the company requested the complete manuscript – which I gladly sent them. After about nine months I hadn’t heard anything from them so I made a polite inquiry. The manuscript had been lost and I was asked to resubmit via email this time. I did and the waiting game began again. This time a year went by and again I inquired – again it was lost. Unbelievable, I know, but it’s true. After a third submission it was rejected. I was totally disheartened and put the MS away. A couple of years later I heard about the White Rose Publishing and I felt prompted to get the MS out, dust it off, tune it up and submit it again. Someone to Trust by White Rose Publishing is the result.

3) Tell me three things about yourself that would surprise your readers.
Okay this is embarrassing…there are many days – I’d rather pull weeds or paint the house (two things I despise) instead of write.

I have an incurable sweet tooth and the icing filled chocolate-chip cookie I describe in Chapter One of Someone to Trust is my favorite.

As a little girl I played Charlie’s Angels with my sister and best friend and I was always Kelly (Jacklyn Smith). I’ve been making up plots and story lines my whole life.

4) What are you working on now and what's next for you?
 I’m working on YA novel with my daughter Tiffany as well as multiple articles and my husband Ken and I are working on our 4th Screenplay.

6) Where can fans find you on the Internet?
http://www.lesahenderson.com/
 Twitter and Facebook.

Ava Pennington's "One Year Alone with God"

We're happy to have Ava Pennington with us today talking about her book, One Year Alone with God. We're spotlighting this book, but there won't be a giveaway. It sounds like a wonderful book. I've heard of poeple who actually pray, using the name of God that fits their situation at the moment. To learn more about Ava and her book, read on!

1) How did this story book come to you?
I’ve been drawn to the names of God ever since I completed several Bible studies on this
topic. Two years ago, I wrote a package of thirty-one devotions for Haven Ministries, and realized that I didn’t want to stop at thirty-one! So the idea for a one-year devotional was born.

2) Tell us about the journey to getting this book published.
I attended the annual Florida Christian Writers Conference for several years, learning more about the publishing industry and honing my craft by participating in classes and workshops. During my fifth conference, I met with the editor from Revell Books and pitched the idea for a one-year devotional. She was interested and asked me to send her a complete proposal.

3) Tell me three things about yourself that would surprise your readers.
1. I never learned to ski – water or snow skiing.
2. I love to bake. One Christmas, I baked and decorated twenty-two gingerbread houses for family and friends!
3. I worked in lower Manhattan for twenty years as a Human Resources executive – just blocks from the World Trade Center, and moved to Florida two years before 9/11.

4) What are you working on now and what's next for you?
I’ve co-authored a series of children’s picture books called Faith Basics for Kids. The first two books, Do You Love Me More? and Will I See You Today? will be released by Standard Publishing January 3, 2011. And I’m working on a new adult non-fiction book on prayer.

5) Parting comments?
I’m excited about the impact One Year Alone with God will have, and I’m thrilled to say that Kay Arthur, founder of Precept Ministries International, has endorsed it!

6) Where can fans find you on the internet?
Website: http://www.avawrites.com/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/AvaPennington.AuthorPage
Twitter: http://twitter.com/AvaPennington

Free Kindle books...

Read free bestselling Kindle books on your PC

Back by popular demand...how to read ebooks without a Kindle...
The following is the link to a listing of free bestselling books on Kindle this week. If you don't have a Kindle, follow the steps at the bottom to add the app to your PC, which will allow you to read any Kindle book on your computer. It's free and it's easy!

http://www.amazon.com/gp/bestsellers/digital-text/ref=pd_dp_ts_kinc_1

When the Amazon page opens, the list to the left is the top 100 ebooks, the list to the right is the top free 100 ebooks. While you're browsing, please check out my new release by clicking on the link below.

Follow these steps to download the Kindle app:
1) Go to my Amazon page
http://www.amazon.com/Queen-of-Hearts-ebook/dp/B003EV5T3K/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&s=digital-text&qid=1270176182&sr=1-2
2) Scroll down. You'll see "Kindle for PC" to the right
3) Click to download the Kindle app
4) Go back to my page above and you can download my book to read the first few chapters for free. This will let you know it's working. When it downloads, you'll see the number "1" in the Archive at the top left.
5) Click on Archive to move the book over to your library.
6) Enjoy!
7) If you want to look at the bestsellers, click on "Kindle Books" on the toolbar at the top of the page. Click on "Kindle Bestsellers" to the left or follow the link above.
8) If you like the free viewing of "Queen of Hearts," I'd appreciate your supporting my work by buying the book. Thanks so much and enjoy the Kindle books!

Michelle Sutton's "First Love"

We're happy to have Michelle Sutton with us today talking about her book, First Love. To learn more about Michelle and her book, read on!

1) How did this story come to you?
The inspiration behind First Love came from a novella project I was working on with three other Barbour authors and I had to draft a first chapter and synopsis for it. Come to find out Barbour didn't think Tombstone would be very romantic so the project went nowhere even with best-selling authors also in on the project. So I just used what I had prepared. I wanted to show how hard it might be to date someone you used to sleep with on a daily basis and who broke your heart when they found God and left. So what happens if you are both Christians in the future and you find out you still have feelings for the other person and decide to give it another try? How do you keep from falling back into bed? How hard would that be? Of course, anyone who knows me knows that my characters usually mess up more than once before they get it together. That's the part I like best. I like writing emotional conflict when it clashes with spiritual values.

2) Tell us about the journey to getting this book published.
It wasn't hard at all because it was the second book in a series I sold so it was part of the proposal that I sent. The contracts all came around the same time for the series.

3) Tell me three things about yourself that would surprise your readers.
My mother was a nun before she met my dad.
I have a life outside of writing books
I'm allergic to cats, but I have one at home.

4) What are you working on now and what's next for you?
I'm working on the third book in the Tombstone Treasures series, First Response.

5) Parting comments?
I really enjoy writing for Desert Breeze Publishing.

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

A.K. Arenz' "Mirrored Image"

We're happy to have A.K. Arenz with us today talking about her book, Mirrored Image. To learn more about A.K. and her book, read on!

The teaser for this book is: Their faces were the same. Will their fates be as well?

1) How did this story come to you?
Like most of my stories, it just suddenly appeared in my brain – it wasn’t long before the characters were knocking around in there waiting to be let out. 

2) Tell us about the journey to getting this book published.
It actually started in 1986. That’s when the story of Cassandra Chase and Jeff McMichaels was first written. It’s been re-written almost every year since then. The current version is the best – better than I could ever have imagined all those years ago.

3) Tell me three things about yourself that would surprise your readers.
Um, let’s see . . . first would be that when I start a book, I NEVER know how it’s going to turn out. I’m an introverted introvert. And third . . . I’m a writer who has trouble using her hands because I’ve a neuropathy in my fingers. Sometimes I have to use pencils situated between my knuckles to type.

4) What are you working on now and what's next for you?
I’m currently working on my next novel, An American Gothic. It’s due out October 2011.

5) Parting comments?
I want to thank you for inviting me to visit with you and your readers, and invite you to check out all my books. I have two cozy mysteries, The Case of the Bouncing Grandma, which was a finalist in ACFW’s 2009 Book of the Year contest, and the second in the Bouncing Grandma Mystery Series, The Case of the Mystified M.D., which won ACFW’s 2010 Carol Awards (formerly Book of the Year).

6) Where can fans find you on the internet?
For more information you can find me at www.akawriter.com and www.sheafhouse.com

Vannetta Chapman's "A Simple Amish Christmas"

We're happy to have Vannetta Chapman with us today talking about her book, A Simple Amish Christmas. To learn more about Vannetta and her book, read on!

1) How did this story come to you?
I wanted an original storyline (doesn't every one), and it seemed to me that Amish women must struggle with some of the same problems that women everywhere do. I live in a small town now, but even when I lived in the Dallas area, I would see people move away, pursue their dreams, and then move back and try to find ways to fit in, to find their place in the community. That's Annie's story, but in the process she finds God's plan for her life.

2) Tell us about the journey to getting this book published.
I was writing contemporary romances, and my agent was shopping them around, but the market was very tight. My agent had had quite a bit of luck with Amish romances (she represents Amy Clipston, Beth Wiseman and Mary Ellis among others--all excellent writers). She suggested I try my hand at an Amish romance. I didn't know anything about the Amish, but I'm a great researcher! Once I started researching a little bell went off in my mind, and I went in search of an old box of family photos from the late 1800s. They were of my father's family, who lived in northern Pennsylvania. My father passed away 13 years ago, and there's no one I can ask about those photos, so I'm still running down that thread, but it's exciting to know I might have Amish relatives in my background.

3) Tell me three things about yourself that would surprise your readers.
I play the piano fairly well. I work a full time job plus some--I teach high school English and I teach as an adjunct professor at the local university. And my husband and I have four children between us and just finished paying fourteen years of college tuition, to which I always shout, "Praise the Lord" and dance a little jig.

4) What are you working on now and what's next for you?
I'm working on book 2 of my Shipshewana Amish Mystery series for Zondervan--book one is due out next fall. This is a cozy series set in Indiana and it is fun, fun, fun. The great Sue Brower is my editor (ACFW's editor of the year - go, Sue!). I'll also hear in the next few weeks about the future of Annie's family, as Abingdon will be making a decision on a follow-up for A Simple Amish Christmas. Watch my website and blog for announcements.
http://www.vannettachapman.com/
http://vannettachapman.wordpress.com/

5) Parting comments?
As a brand new author I've been completely blown away by the reception A Simple Amish Christmas has received. It's consistently had excellent rankings on Amazon, even before it released - so I'd like to thank readers of Amish fiction, who can't possibly know me. Readers who don't traditionally read Amish fiction, who were willing to give this book a try. Bloggers like yourself, who helped to introduce a newbie such as me to readers. And then of course the fine people at Abingdon who put together such a lovely book, including my editor, Barbara Scott.

6) Where can fans find you on the internet?
See above links, and I'm on FB and MySpace.

Melanie Dickerson's "The Healer's Apprentice"

We're happy to have Melanie Dickerson with us today talking about her book, The Healer's Apprentice.To learn more about Melanie and her book, read on!

1) How did this story come to you?
Dawn, this book came to me bit by bit over a period of several months. I knew the ending before I knew some of the middle parts, and I used to wake up in the middle of the night and plot the next scene or two, then go back to sleep.

2) Tell us about the journey to getting this book published.
Do you want the long version or the short version? Short? Okay … I was totally sold out for this book and believed with all my heart that it was going to be published. I pitched it at a conference, entered it in a lot of contests, queried a lot of agents, and sent the partial to a few publishers, but no one was interested in a Christian medieval story, and getting a Young Adult romance published by a Christian YA publisher seemed even less likely. After two years I found an agent brave enough to take it on. And after another year of rejections—although the book came close to getting published as an adult Christian romance a couple of times—even my agent was seeming to lose heart. Our one last shot was to send it to the YA editor at Zonderkidz. And praise God, she bought it!

3) Tell me three things about yourself that would surprise your readers.
I never watch TV and don’t even know what’s on anymore. I love writing historical romance but history was never a favorite subject of mine. I graduated from a tiny public high school in a class of 33 students.

4) What are you working on now and what's next for you?
I have a Beauty and the Beast story that my editor at Zondervan is looking at possibly publishing. I hope to write more medieval fairy tale retellings. I also have an adult romance series set in Alabama in the 1880’s that I’m hoping to find a publisher for very soon.

5) Parting comments?
Hold on to your dream, if you feel it is what God wants you to do, and never, ever, ever give up! Unless God tells you to. Be fully committed to listening to God and submitting yourself to His direction, because He loves you and knows what’s best for you.

6) Where can fans find you on the internet?
My website is www.melaniedickerson.com and I have a YA blog that I do jointly with several other YA authors, www.novelteen.com, and I am on Facebook and Goodreads.

K. Dawn Byrd's books

Killing Time
Mindy McLaurin, thinks it's the end of the world when she's incarcerated on trumped-up embezzlement charges. While in jail, she investigates the death of an inmate who allegedly died of an overdose. Mindy suspects foul play when her cellmate dies and she learns that both women had ingested the same drug. Mindy trusts no one, including Drew Stone, the handsome counselor she can’t stop thinking about. She faces many challenges, including constant interrogation by the Major and emotional abuse from the other inmates. Upon release, someone is stalking her and framing her for the murder. Can she prove to Counselor Stone that she’s innocent of all charges before she loses him forever?
 http://www.amazon.com/Killing-Time-ebook/dp/B003XYE8K8/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&s=digital-text&qid=1285640575&sr=1-7

Queen of Hearts
Daphne Dean is proud to be serving her country stateside during WWII as a reporter and an Office of Strategic Services operative. When the photograph she takes of the crowd at a murder scene places her on the mob's hit list, she's forced into hiding in a vacant mental asylum in the middle of nowhere with terrifying secrets of its own.

Daphne believed herself to still be in love with her ex-fiancée, Kenneth, until she spends several days locked away in the asylum with Vito, the mob boss' son. Can she put the terrifying events that occurred there behind her and allow herself to pursue a relationship with Vito? Or, will she return to Kenneth who has turned his back on his country by becoming a draft dodger and a black market racketeer? One thing's for sure, it won't matter if she can't escape the mental institution alive.
http://www.amazon.com/Queen-of-Hearts-ebook/dp/B003EV5T3K/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&s=digital-text&qid=1270176182&sr=1-2 

Linore Rose Burkard's "The Country Courtship"

We're happy to have Linore Rose Burkard with us today talking about her book, The Country House Courtship. To learn more about Linore and her book, read on!

1) How did this story come to you?By necessity! My readers and publisher wanted a third in the regency series I started with BEFORE THE SEASON ENDS, and, THE HOUSE IN GROSVENOR SQUARE, so I took the next oldest daughter of the family, the sister of the heroine from the previous books, and gave her a book of her own. It was actually quite fun.

2) Tell us about the journey to getting this book published.Well, since it was an addition to a series, there was no tough journey to publication. The tough part of publishing (aside from writing) is keeping your book “alive” on the shelf, ie., the work of keeping it on the minds of readers.

3) Tell me three things about yourself that would surprise your readers.Let’s see…a. I became a Christian at the age of 17. b. I was miraculously delivered from a cigarette habit at my conversion. c. I’d rather swim in a pool than anywhere else, even though I grew up on the edge of Long Island, and my family boated and did beaches.

4) What are you working on now and what's next for you?I’ve been having a wonderful time in the worlds of two books, one of which I’ve just finished and is with my agent. It’s a contemporary romance with a big fun factor, but also a real poignancy having to do with women’s issues. And right now I’m finishing up a time-travel that I started some time ago and put aside to complete the contemporary.

5) Parting comments?Some readers may be disappointed if I don’t come out with a regency next, but I want to assure them that I have many regencies in various stages of completion, and I do expect (and hope) to publish them in time. As God provides!

6) Where can fans find you on the internet?I have a website, a devotional blog and a more “writerly” blog; And I’m often guest blogging all over the place. If they’ve seen the website, then just google my name for my latest web posts.

Anita Higman and Irene Brand's "Under the Mistletoe"

We're happy to have Anita Higman and Irene Brand with us today talking about their book, Under the Mistletoe. To learn more about Anita and Irene and their book, read on!

Irene Brand and Anita Higman each have a Christmas novella in the new 2-in-1 compilation entitled, Love Finds You Under the Mistletoe. Also, both novellas are interconnected. Tell us about that process.

1. Was it difficult to connect your two stories?
Anita: Not at all. We had a brainstorming session by phone and by email and figured it out. Irene’s historical novella, An Appalachian Christmas is tied to my contemporary novella, Once Upon a Christmas Eve. They are connected through the passing of a mistletoe ball through the generations. It was a delight to work with Irene. She’s very easy to get along with. In fact, we’ve become long-distant friends.
Irene:
It wasn’t difficult. Actually, this may have been the easier part of the writing project. After we’d each read the other’s manuscript, I provided Anita with the information necessary for continuity, and she did the same for me. It was easy to insert the other story line into my novella

2. Do you think you’d consider working on another project together?
Anita: Yes, in fact we’ve been chatting about working on another project together.
Irene: It would appeal to me. Although our writing styles aren’t the same, still the differences seem to improve the book.

3. How did you come up with the idea for your story?
Anita: My novels are more character driven, and so my characters tend to move the story along. The idea for Once Upon a Christmas Eve may have started with my interest in the fairy archetype. I loved the movies Cold Comfort Farm and Chocolat for that very reason. There was something enchanting about those two heroines as they whirled around, fixing people’s lives. I gave my main character, Holly Goodnight, some similar fanciful qualities.
Irene: My husband and I spent a few days in Owsley County, Kentucky, where my novella is located. After we met the local people, visited the site where the action would be, and learned about the local history, the story was easy to develop.

4. Out of your novellas, which characters are your favorites?
Anita: Beyond the heroine I loved Van Keaton, the author. He was flawed in a number of ways, but he had enough endearing qualities to make him loveable too. At least that is what I hope readers will feel.
Irene: The hero and heroine turned out to be great characters, but Granny, the hero’s grandmother was a lovable person – the kind of grandmother all of us would have liked. (I don’t remember either of my grandmothers.)

5. What did you want the reader to take away from your story?
Anita: That no matter how impossible circumstances look, God can work all things for good.
Irene: That even when a romance seems hopeless, true love can overcome any barrier.

6. What does a typical workday look like for you?
Anita: I’m usually up at 5:30 to have breakfast and a devotion time with my husband. Then I go up to my office, reply to emails, and start on my writing. I stop for lunch, run a few errands, and then to go back to work again. I don’t watch TV in the evening, but I do treat myself to a new movie or two on the weekends.
Irene: My husband and I get up at 5:45 each morning. While he shaves, I prepare breakfast. We also have a devotional period before we eat. We’ve used THE SECRET PLACE, our American Baptist devotional material, since we were married. We have a list of different people for whom we pray at each meal time. Weather permitting, we take a 2-mile walk after breakfast. I open my e-mail next, then read the Bible and have private devotions. The last 3 days of the week, I prepare to teach my Sunday School lessons. I write as much as possible, but the time spent on my writing depends upon what else needs to be done. I’m very active in the work of my church – choir, playing piano, women’s work and teaching a Sunday School lesson. Unless I’m on a deadline, I don’t write after 6:00 p.m.

7. Where do all your ideas come from?
Anita: Ideas flood in from everywhere—while I’m running errands, or chatting with a friend, or drifting off to sleep. I can barely keep up with the flow. I have to write them down to use later.
Irene: From reading research books or fiction. I get ideas from talking with others, or news items on television.

8. What are you reading right now?
Anita: I’m reading, A Circle of Quiet by Madeleine L’Engle.
Irene: I’m reading a Regency romance, one I’ve had on my shelves for a few years. First Season by Anne Baldwin

9. What are your five favorite things about Christmas?
Anita: The birth of Christ, of course. But then I love the music, the scents, the special foods, and family time together.
Irene: Local church activities, music, baking and visiting shut-ins with goodies, Christmas dinner with extended family, holiday movies on TV.

10. Where can readers find you online?
Anita: I would love for folks to drop by my website at http://www.anitahigman.com/.
Irene: http://www.irenebrand.com/

Thank you for inviting us to your blog? Irene and I hope your Christmas is filled with the love of Christ and all things bright and beautiful!

Margaret Brownley's "A Suitor for Jenny"

We're happy to have Margaret Brownley with us today talking about her book, A Suitor for Jenny.  To learn more about Margaret and her book, read on!

More Love and Laughter in the Old West from Bestselling Author Margaret Brownley: A SUITOR FOR JENNY
Some timely advice for landing a husband from Margaret’s new book, A SUITOR FOR JENNY

• Charm and composure must prevail at all times. If a gunfight erupts, exit the scene with grace and serenity.
• If you don’t know whether or not to kiss a handsome man, give him the benefit of the doubt.
• Never engage in boisterous laughter. If you must show mirth, a polite smile or titter will suffice.
• Never criticize your beau. If it wasn’t for his faults he’d probably be courting someone else.
• A woman more knowledgeable than a man is obliged to hold her tongue and feign ignorance in all matters except, of course, childbirth.
• Never show affection in public. Love may be blind but the townspeople are not.
• Once your vows are exchanged devote yourself to domestication—his.
• Eschew secrets, for they are normally discovered at the worst possible time. If confronted, weep and deny everything.—

Blurb:

Jenny Higgins is certain falling in love and finding a husband are matters of the mind. But her heart has other plans.

After their parents died, Jenny felt responsible for seeing that her two younger sisters were well-taken care of. Tipped off by an article naming Rocky Creek the town with the highest number of eligible bachelors, Jenny rolled into this Texas town with a clear objective: find suitable husbands for her two younger sisters and then start fresh somewhere far, far away. Jenny believes that women who fall in love at first sight often wish they’d taken a second look, so she diligently begins to follow all the rules set forth in her handy manual on how to land a husband.

But while Jenny is interviewing the less-than-promising candidates, her sisters are falling in love the old fashioned way--with men of their choosing. And the longer Jenny stays, the more her sense of control slips away. The town isn’t living up to her expectations, her sisters are rebelling against her practical choices, and soon her own heart starts to betray her, as US Marshal Rhett Armstrong stirs up emotions in her that weren’t part of her plan.

To relinquish her control to God and calm her restless spirit, she’ll need to give up her foregone conclusions about marriage, love, and faith.

1) How did this story come to you?
This is the 2nd book in my Rocky Creek Romance series, and it was really fun to write. I came across a meeting notice in an old Kansas newspaper for The Society for the Protection and Preservation of Male Independence and my creative mind went in overdrive. I have no idea what happened to the society or if its members succeeded in staying single and independent, but I knew I had to write about it. Naturally in my book, all the suitable men belong to it—and that leads to a lot of headaches for a heroine determined to find suitable husbands for her two younger sisters.

2) Tell us about the journey to getting this book published.
This book was part of a three-book contract, so there really wasn’t much of a journey. The book had been perking at the back of my mind for years so when I actually sat down to write it, it pretty much wrote itself. This is rare. Most of the time writing is the process of hammering out each word with something akin to a sledgehammer.

3) Tell me three things about yourself that would surprise your readers.
• I pretty much failed English in school (Still can’t diagram a sentence).
• Ditto history (Who can remember all those dates and battles?)
• A historical writer who failed English and history in school isn’t surprising enough?

4) What are you working on now and what's next for you?
I just finished the 3rd and final book in my Rocky Creek series. A Vision of Lucy is scheduled for publication June 2011. I’m currently working on the first book in a new series, and I’m very excited about it. I can’t wait to share it with my readers.

5) Parting comments?
I just want to thank my readers for helping to make the first book in my series, A Lady Like Sarah, a bestseller! Please keep those letters and emails coming.

6) Where can fans find you on the internet?
You can find me at http://www.margaretbrownley.com/
I’m also a resident blogger at http://www.petticoatsandpistols.com/
If you want to enjoy a laugh, check out my book trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=prY2q9Oasp4
To order A Suitor for Jenny: http://bit.ly/98waTr
Have a little faith!

Trish Perry's "The Perfect Blend"

We're happy to have Trish Perry with us today talking about her book, The Perfect Blend. To learn more about Trish and her book, read on!

1) How did this story come to you?
My Harvest House editor and I brainstormed about series ideas on the phone one afternoon. She came up with the idea of a series wrapped around a quaint tea shop—apparently tea is very popular with readers!—and I came up with a couple of story ideas. We ran with it!

2) Tell us about the journey to getting this book published.
I had published four novels with Harvest House by the time we worked on this idea, but it still required “selling” the idea to Harvest’s publication committee. I think I submitted four or five different series ideas at once, and the tea shop idea rang a bell.

3) Tell me three things about yourself that would surprise your readers.
--I can’t swim. Not one bit.
--I have a black belt in Tae Kwon Do.
--I used to sing in a rock band. That was crazy fun.

4) What are you working on now and what's next for you?
I just finished writing the second installment in The Tea Shop Series, called Tea for Two (releasing April 1), and I just finished writing a really fun devotional with Kristin Billerbeck, Sandra Bricker, Diann Hunt, and Debby Mayne (Delight Yourself in the Lord…Even on Bad Hair Days, Summerside Press, March 2011). Now I’m writing Unforgettable, a romantic comedy set in the 1950s, for Summerside Press’ spring 2011 release.

5) Parting comments?
Readers, if you like romance and a bit of humor, I hope you’ll come visit my site and check out my books. And enter Dawn’s drawing, below! It’s been a pleasure to stop by. Thanks, Dawn.

6) Where can fans find you on the internet?
My website/blog link is http://www.trishperry.com/
My Facebook link is http://www.facebook.com/#!/profile.php?id=1459576628&ref=ts
My Twitter link is http://twitter.com/TrishPerryWrtr