Interview with Beth Steury: Spotlight her young adult novel "Before I Knew You"

We're happy to have Beth Steury with us today talking about her young adult novel Before I Knew You. Click on the cover below for more information at Amazon.

Genre of book: YA Contemporary

Name of Publisher:  Life Matters Publishing 

Please tell us five random things we might not know about you.

1.     I was found on a doorstep.

2.     I used DNA to find my birth parents.

3.     I have an obsessive relationship with Diet Coke.

4.     I have considered launching a campaign to have chocolate declared the sixth food group.

5.     I adore vacationing in new, exciting places.

Why did you choose to write this book?

The inspiration for Preston and Maggie’s story came from a radio interview I heard many years ago. Following a presentation, a well-known youth speaker met outside in the parking lot with a young man from the audience. The young guy leaned on his truck and looked up at the speaker. “What happens when true love didn’t wait?” he asked. The speaker went on to say how that young man’s question changed how he approached the subject of teenagers and sex. For days, that scenario played through my mind accompanied by the faces of the many teenagers I knew who also had stumbled into premarital sex. For many, that one decision changed the course of their life. Too often they felt like since they had already messed up, what was the point in even trying anymore?  I believe in saving sex for marriage. If possible, I believe even more in “renewed waiting.”

What one thing about writing do you wish non-writers would understand? 

It’s harder than it looks!

What do you hope readers to take away from your novel?

            Saving sex for marriage matters. “Renewed waiting” matters, too. Because it’s never too late to make wiser, healthier choices.

What accomplishment(s) are you most proud of, writing-related or not?

       The launching of both the “Choices Matter” fiction series and the “Waiting Matters” non-fiction series.

Please give us the first page of the book.

Memorial Day weekend

Preston

I

won’t do anything illegal or immoral. Just hanging out. No big deal.” Muttering to an empty room, I grabbed an Indianapolis Colts sweatshirt and opened my bedroom door to scope out the hall. Right toward Mom’s and Dad’s room, left toward my brother Patrick’s.

The hall was empty. Good.

I found Mom in the kitchen rinsing the supper dishes. “Hangin’ with the guys tonight, Mom. Won’t be too late.” Not that an almost seventeen-year-old should have to report his every move to his mom, but considering what I’d put my parents through last year, it wouldn’t kill me.

“Okay, Preston.” She tapped my arm with wet fingers. “Have fun.”

I zipped toward the front door, hoping to avoid Patrick’s older brother advice.

“No big deal.” More muttering, to convince myself there was nothing wrong with a night of hanging out with the guys. As I jabbed the key into the ignition, I scanned the front of the Jacoby family, ranch-style house.

Patrick filled the doorway, his arms crossed, a menacing glare shooting from his narrowed eyes.

I jerked away from his obvious disapproval and backed onto the street in my hand-me-down Honda Accord that would scream middle class in Jake Nelson’s east side neighborhood.

 What do you do for fun when not writing?

            I’m a confirmed genetic genealogy junkie who loves piecing together family trees and solving genealogical mysteries via DNA matches.

What are you working on now? 

Finishing book two of the “Choices Matter” series entitled, “because I know you.”

Where else can readers find you online?   

            Amazon Author Page:  amazon.com/author/bethsteury

Website:   Beth Steury – Saving sex for marriage cheerleader, YA Author, Christ follower

Facebook:     Beth Steury, Author

Twitter:         @Beth_Steury

Pinterest:      Beth Steury, Author

Goodreads:   Beth Steury, Author

Bio

Beth immerses herself in the YA world via substitute teaching, connecting with the teenage staff at the fast-joint where she claims the back booth as her office, and reading YA fiction.

She’s a cheerleader for saving sex for marriage. Her “Waiting Matters … Because YOU Matter” blog helps people of all ages navigate the choppy waters of saving sex for marriage and “renewed waiting.”

Beth is also a genetic genealogy enthusiast who used DNA to find her birth parents. Her journey to find and connect with her biological family is chronicled in “A Doorstep Baby’s Search for Answers.” Her “Slices of Real Life” posts find GOD in the day-to-day moments of real life.

All of Beth’s writing endeavors can be found on her website. Connect with her on Facebook, Goodreads, Pinterest, Instagram, and Twitter. Check out her books  available on Amazon in both print and ebooks.

Back cover blurb:

After a series of bad choices rocked his world, seventeen-year-old Preston charts a new course as far from his ladies’ man ways as he can get. He distances himself from the dating scene and avoids his party-loving friends—the things that once dominated his life. Then he meets Maggie, the new girl in town, the first day of their junior year. She’s beautiful on the inside and out, knows nothing of his past, and he can’t get her out of his mind.

When a disastrous first date leaves her skeptical about the guys at Madison High, Maggie slows down her pursuit of a guy to trust with her white-wedding-dress future. She wants a boyfriend, sure, but he’d have to be nothing like the jerk who forced her first kiss. Someone more like Preston, who’s been nothing but sweet and helpful, not to mention, easy on the eyes. But he is so out of her league.

Can Maggie afford to let her guard down around the charming Preston? Will Preston’s past jeopardize his chances with the one girl who could anchor his future?

Joi Copeland's "Christmas in Stoney Brook"

I'm so happy to have Joi Copeland with us today. Read on to learn more about Joi and Christmas in Stoney Brook!

When did you first discover that you loved writing?

My love of writing began at a young age. I wrote short stories for several years, and in 2009, I began writing my first novel, Hope for Tomorrow

Why do you write the type of books that you do?

I love writing about hope and redemption. No matter what people have done, there is always redemption and hope.

What was your greatest obstacle in writing and how did you overcome it?

My greatest obstacle in writing was anxiety. I was on a writing kick for a long time, and then I suffered multiple anxiety attacks that took me out of my groove. I was able to go on medication, and that has helped me overcome.

Has writing changed your life in any way?

Yes and no. Yes in that I get to do what I love, and no, in that I’m still the same person I’ve always been.

What Bible scripture has impacted your life the most?

Philippians 4:6-8

Is there a book you’ve read that has been truly spectacular?

Oh my! Too many to list! Reading is my self-care, so I’ve read a lot of books. Julie Arduini, JoAnn Durgin, are just a few that I adore. You can’t go wrong with Rachel Hauck, either!

What’s the funniest/quirkiest thing you’ve ever done?

One of the funniest things I did to my little sister, Jackie. She was sitting in the front seat of my older sister’s truck, and I was tucked behind the passenger seat. We had stopped at a light, and I made it look like my arm was my little sister’s. There happened to be a carload of guys next to us. I grabbed Jackie’s forehead and from the guys’ perspective, it looked like she was grabbing her own. It was so funny! We still laugh about it, and that was several years ago. J

If you could travel in a time machine would you go back to the past or into the future?

I’d go to the past.

If you could invite any 5 people to dinner who would you choose?

King David, Abraham Lincoln, my Nana and Papa who are now with Jesus, My step father-in-law who passed away, and my husband’s grandmother, who passed away.

If you were stranded on a desert island what 3 things would you want with you?

My husband, my bible, and chocolate

What is one book everyone should read?

The Bible…sorry, couldn’t resist. J

If you could meet one person who has died who would you choose?

Mother Theresa

Please tell us in one sentence only, why we should read your book.

If you’ve struggled with forgiving others, this book could be for you!

Any other books in the works? Goals for future projects?

In Apple Pie Order, should be out either in December or January.

What's one piece of advice you would give aspiring authors?

Critique partner/groups. They are vital.

Please tell us about the featured book: Christmas in Stoney Brook

He was hunting for revenge.
She was fleeing from the past.

Austin Birch wanted one thing and one thing only: seek revenge on the man who stole everything from his family. No matter what it took, he would see it come to pass. When his plans go awry, he is forced to settle in Stoney Brook, Colorado.

Addison McClave only wanted to live her life in peace, away from the man who took everything from her. When their paths collide, Addison is forced to deal with her past and face the one who turned her world upside down

Bio

Joi Copeland is married to a wonderful man, Chris, and has three amazing boys, Garrison, Gage, and Gavin. She lives in Denver, Colorado, but within the year, hopes to be living in Galway, Ireland. Reading is by far her favorite pastime!

Where can readers find you on the Internet?

https://www.amazon.com/Joi-Copeland

www.joicopeland.com

https://www.goodreads.com/Joi_Copeland

https://www.facebook.com/Joi-Copelands-Book-Page

http://booksbyjoicopeland.blogspot.com/

https://twitter.com/JoiCopeland4

https:// www.instagram.com/booksbyjoi/

Ada Brownell's "Love's Delicate Blossom"

Welcome everyone! I'm excited about getting my blog up and running again! My first post is from Ada Brownell, author of Love's Delicate Blossom.

 Ada, please tell us five random things we might not know about you.

1.     When we married 65 years ago, my husband Les was an agent- telegrapher for Rio Grande Railroad.

2.     He and I have moved nearly 35 times because he kept getting bumped. In addition to nice homes and shacks, we lived in a railroad depot and a boxcar. Most places the towns were so small we lived in what was available. Usually it was the only place in town for rent. Finally we bought a mobile home.

3.     I taught youth in Sunday school for about thirty years and also was a youth leader at two different churches.

4.     When I was eight years old, I carried the bridal train on my sister’s wedding dress. I misunderstood the directions at rehearsal because she wasn’t wearing the dress. I thought they said, “Put the train on the front seat,” so I kept pulling and lifting her dress up, but she kept pulling back and shoving her dress down. Finally, somebody told me I was supposed to sit on the front seat, not put her train there.

5.     I spent a night in prison. Colorado built a prison on the grounds of Colorado Mental Health Institute at Pueblo for mentally ill prisoners. The prison invited journalists, politicians, attorneys for the ACLU, and other dignitaries to spend a night in the new prison. I was a reporter for The Pueblo Chieftain, the hospital was on my beat, and I took them up on their invitation,and wrote about it. It was a miserable night on a concrete bed with a light glaring into my eyes, and guards’ boots continually walking outside my cell. I passed up the morning shower because guards watch the showers by video. But I didn’t write about my experience. I wrote about the other women who spent the night on that ward.

“I’m going to let all the prisoners out,” a politician from Denver said. She went to bed a beautiful lady and came to breakfast carrying the body pillow she smuggled in, looking like a hag.

A friend of hers from city council had a camera. “If you take my picture, I’ll kill you,” the Denver woman said, her hair all askew.

“I wouldn’t advise that,” the ACLU attorney said. “You’ll end up in a place like this for life.”

Why did you choose to write Love’s Delicate Blossom?

I am fascinated by the miracle of life in a blossom, plus my parents had a great romance. I would have liked to know them in their youth. I wanted to write about things that affected them, so some of what they experienced happens to my characters. Mom and Dad had many wonderful talents and characteristics. They were blessed in some ways, but World War I, the 1918 influenza pandemic, and 1917 economic depression, drought, plus the plight of widows and orphans affected them.

Yet they were strong, innovative, and often blessed people other than themselves. Both were born in 1900. They had faith in God and loved to work. Mama believed women should have some way to earn an income, so if something happened to the husband the children wouldn’t become orphans.

Mama was privileged to go to college, and my character, Ritah, goes too, and college opens new horizons. But when she meets Joe Nichols, she already has a beau who wants to get married.

My main character’s big problem is the kidnapping of a 14-year-old orphan. The kidnapper is opening a brothel, and he’s dangerous.

What one thing about writing do you wish non-writers would understand?  

I wish readers would understand these days the average writer makes little money. Most give hundreds of books free. Yet few readers understand an e-book costs less than a special coffee, and even a paperback is about what it costs for two or three coffees. The reader has hours and hours of entertainment and wonder created by a writer. Often a book is cherished for decades, and memories of characters and the events bring inspiration for years to come.

What is the toughest test you've faced as a writer?

Editing.

What do you hope readers take away from your novel?

A new vision of love, and awesome faith in God.

What do you do for fun when not writing?

Read, get together with friends and family, walk with my husband, play table games like Rook.

What are you working on now? 

I will be marketing Love’s Delicate Blossom and my other books, getting my office better organized, writing blog posts, and deciding which writing project I’ll do next. I’d like to make my book, Facts, Faith, and Propaganda into a paperback, and polish some small books I’ve started. I might do the fourth book in the Peaches and Dreams series.

The first page of Love's Delicate Blossom:

September 1917, Woodburn, Iowa

A horse and buggy clattered toward Ritah, rocking. The elaborate fringed buggy swayed, and a woman passenger wobbled and slid toward the street.

Ritah jumped aside, her packages scattering on the boardwalk. Clutching her pocketbook to her chest, she gasped as Tulip Quinlan almost fell into her path. The driver grabbed the girl’s arm and yanked her back into the buggy.

Her friend looked mighty strange. Her eyes nearly shut as a frown twisted her lipstick-smeared face into a ghastly masque.

The buggy clattered around the corner, the left wheels lifting off the road. Ritah shivered at the driver’s scraggly beard and bushy brows. A crooked scar puckered one eye. His vision caught hers and pulsed a warning.

Back cover blurb for Love’s Delicate Blossom

Third in the Peaches and Dreams series

Edmund Pritchett III wants to marry Ritah Irene O’Casey, but his intended has just begun her fight for the future. The beautiful redhead stands between Henry Hunter and Tulip, the orphan girl he kidnapped to work in his brothel, and he’s not giving up.

Excited about being one of the few women to go to college in 1917, Ritah hopes to become a teacher who can help widows keep their children when tragedy strikes. She also wants to enable mothers to know more about prevention and treatment of disease, in an era when few have access to a doctor. Instead, she ends up fighting for the lives of injured soldiers in a WW I Army health clinic, and finds her own life threatened by illness as well as sorrow.

When Ritah takes a teaching job, Joe Nichols, a handsome farmer, edges his way into her heart. But Edmund Pritchett III isn’t giving up, and neither is Henry Hunter.

Will Rita be able to continue to fight for women and families, understand enduring love, decide on who she’ll marry, and defend herself and her students when Henry Hunter bursts into the school shooting a pistol?

COMMENT FROM A READER: Your book set a tone and world from your grandmother’s time, the historical elements are what readers read the genre for.

ADA BROWNELL BIO

Ada Brownell is the author of nine books. She has written for Christian publications since age 15 and spent much of her life as a reporter for The Pueblo Chieftain in Colo.

A freckled redhead, she’s used to standing out in a crowd like her seven older sibling achievers she grew up with. She also is a veteran youth Christian education teacher, and most of her life sang in Christian gospel groups, including the Damascus Singers and Praise Trio. She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and Ozarks Chapter of American Christian Writers.

Read sample chapters of her books on Amazon or listen to the first chapter of her audio Imagine the Future You. Amazon author page is https://www.amazon.com/author/adabrownell

Connect with Ada at:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/#!/AdaBrownellWritingMinistries

 Book Fun Network: http://www.bookfun.org

Twitter: @adabrownell

Amazon Ada Brownell author page: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B001KJ2C06

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

Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1654534.Ada_Brownell

Blog: http://inkfromanearthenvessel.blogspot.com

Stick-to-Your-Soul Encouragement

Joselyn Vaughn's "Climbing Heartbreak Hill"

Publisher: Astraea Press

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I write all my first drafts long hand.

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

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

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

6) Where can fans find you on the internet?

Email: joselynvaughn@gmail.com

Website: http://joselynvaughn.com

Blog: http://joselynvaughn.wordpress.com

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

Twitter: @joselynvaughn

Facebook: http://facebook.com/joselynvaughn

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

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

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

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

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

http://joselynvaughn.com

Sweet, small town romances

Help OneFundBoston - Climbing Heartbreak Hill - Astraea Press

 

Dorothy Featherling talks about her books...

What book(s) are you sharing this time?

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

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

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

“The girl has got to go!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 What are you working on now?

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

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

 What do you do in your spare time?

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

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

 How can fans find you on the Internet?

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

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

James Rubart's "Memory's Door"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

As always, thanks for having me, Dawn!

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

Website: http://jameslrubart.com/

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

Shannon Vannatter's "Arkansas Weddings"

Title: Arkansas Weddings
Publisher: Barbour
 
Cover blurb: Arkansas Weddings: Love’s never easy in three Arkansas romances.

Pastor Grayson loves his wife. The problem is, Sara was killed by a hit-and-run driver two years ago. He knows he needs to move on, but it’s not until florist Adrea Welch arrives at his church that the seeds of healing are planted in his heart.

Laken left home eight years ago and never looked back. Who knew when she applied for the promotion to postmaster that she’d end up in Romance, Arkansas, and much too close to her past—and Hayden Winters?

Shell doesn’t have a good reputation. But no matter what everyone in Rose Bud, Arkansas, thinks of her, she’s back in town with a job to do. Ryler also has reasons for being in Rose Bud, and they don’t include Shell.

But God’s love can soften the hardest heart and overcome the darkest past. These hearts may not know it, but they’re about to change.

2) How did this story come to you? Arkansas Weddings is a 3 in 1 collection of my first three published books. Each story is set in Romance and Rose Bud. Both small towns are real and in west central, Arkansas. The Romance Post Office provides a re-mailing service. People send their Valentine cards and wedding invitations there to be re-mailed with a unique hand-stamped postmark from Romance. Couples also go there to get married at the post office or the Romance Waterfalls.

Rose Bud’s claim to fame is the Darden Gifford House. The house was built in the late 1800’s and is on the historical registry. I incorporated the local flavor into all three stories.

The first story—White Roses came from my dad getting my mom and me flowers or a balloon every Valentine’s Day. And I thought if anything happened to either of us, he’d probably continue the tradition and take his gifts to the cemetery. Once I caught the interest of an editor, the publisher wanted to make the book into a series.

Book 2 was based on this line from White Roses: Sylvie’s husband, an alcoholic, never stepped foot in church. Their two children, both grown and gone with lives of their own, never came for a visit. Instead of having empathy for the plight of Helen and Wade, since alcoholism controlled Sylvie’s life as well, she took all her heartache and picked apart the lives of others.

That’s all I had to go on when I decided that one of Sylvie’s children could be female. After I delved into Lauren Kroft’s psyche, I decided she never came home because her mother is a gossip maven and her father is the town drunk. Enter the heroine for White Doves.

Book 3 came from this line from White Roses: Just two years ago, she’d been the soon-to-be bride blissfully planning her own ceremony. Until three weeks before the big event, when Wade crushed her illusions with his curvy blond floozy, clad only in a towel.

From the time I wrote that line, I wanted to delve into the floozy. What would make a woman bust up an engagement? Why was she like that? I soon learned Shell Evans had a chip on her shoulder. Raised by a promiscuous mother, Shell learned everything in the school of hard knocks. And it skewed her view of the world. Low self-esteem put her on a constant search for love and she looked for it in all the wrong places just as her mother had. And Shell became the unlikely heroine of White Pearls.

3) Tell us about the journey to getting this book published.
It took me 9 1/2 years to get published. During that time, I attended writer’s group meetings and conferences, and read everything I could get my hands on about learning to write and getting published. Finally in 2008, I attended my fifth American Christian Fiction Writer’s Conference and pitched White Roses to an editor. Her eyes lit up over my story. Actually, I think it was the setting that sparked her interest, but hey, I’ll take it.

4) Tell me three things about yourself that would surprise your readers.
* My favorite TV channel is Halmark
* My favorite ice cream topping is caramel
* I still have my tonsils.

5) What are you working on now and what's next for you?
I just turned in the 6th book in my Texas rodeo series which comes out in April. I’m finishing up a proposal for my editor for three more books. After that, I’m going to finish a book about this French guy who has bugged me for several years. He’s the type of character who won’t leave me alone until I write his story.

6) Parting comments?
Thanks for having me Dawn. I’ll be around today if anyone wants to ask any questions.

7) Where can fans find you on the internet?
Website: shannonvannatter.com
Blog: shannonvannatter.com/blog
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shannontaylorvannatter
Twitter: stvauthor
 

 

June Foster's "Give Us This Day"

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

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