Monday, September 27, 2010

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 MistletoeTo 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 BlendTo 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

Interview with Barbara M. Britton and spotlight of Lioness...

We're happy to have Barbara M. Britton with us talking about her book Lioness . To learn more about her and Lioness, please read o...