Jennifer AlLee and Free Books!

When Maura Sullivan realized the "other woman" in her marriage was her husband's congregation, she ran. Now she must face the husband--and the congregation--she left behind.

Before we chat with today's featured author, I want to announce that the winner of the drawing for my novel, Too Good to Be True, is:

oceandreamerfla@ . . .

Congratulations! I'll contact you today for your snail mail address, and we'll get your book to you right away. I encourage readers to keep commenting and/or subscribe at right in order to participate in future book give-aways!

And now let's chat with Jennifer AlLee, author of The Pastor's Wife.

As a child, Jennifer AlLee lived above a mortuary in the heart of Hollywood, California, which may explain her unique outlook on life. Her publishing credits include The Love of His Brother, a contemporary romance from Five Star Publishing (November 2007), as well as skits, activity pages, and over one hundred contributions to Concordia Publishing House's popular My Devotions series. Her latest novel, The Pastor's Wife, released February 1 from Abingdon Press. She's an active member of American Christian Fiction Writers and serves as the Nevada Area Coordinator. Jennifer resides in the grace-filled city of Las Vegas, Nevada, with her husband and teenage son.

Tell us a bit more about the plot of The Pastor's Wife.

Maura Sullivan never intended to set foot in Granger, Ohio, again. But when circumstances force her to return, she must face all the disappointments she tried so hard to leave behind: a husband who ignored her, a congregation she couldn't please, and a God who took away everything she loved.

Nick Shepherd had put the past behind him. At least he thought he had, until the day his estranged wife walked back into town. Intending only to help Maura through her crisis of faith, Nick finds his feelings for her never died. Now, he must face the mistakes he made and find a way to give and receive forgiveness.

As God works in both their lives, Nick and Maura believe they can repair their broken relationship and reunite as man and wife. But Maura has something to tell Nick before they can move forward. It's what ultimately drove her to leave six years earlier, and the one thing that can destroy the fragile trust they've begun to rebuild.

Intriguing!

Tell us what your writing process is like, Jen.

When I started out, I was a 100 percent seat-of-the-pants writer. That means I'd sit down at the computer with just an idea in my head and let it all unfold from there. But over the last few years, I've become a little more strategic in my approach. When you submit a proposal to an editor, you have to provide a synopsis of the entire book, from beginning to end, whether you've finished writing it or not. While I used to hate it, I've now come to appreciate the process. It forces me to think things through so that when I do sit down to write, I don't spend as much time wondering what comes next. But I'm still quite fluid. If the story changes course in midstream, I go with it.

Authors sometimes say their characters take over the story. Have you ever had that happen to you?

Oh yeah. I love it when that happens! It makes me feel like God's got a firm hold on the reins and He's steering me in the right direction. In The Love of His Brother, I had a group of four teenagers in a mall. They were only supposed to be in that one scene, but they kept popping back into the story. They went from being mere walk-through characters to being important supporting players who deepened the story.

What advice do you have for new authors?

From a craft standpoint, there are two things you can do to become a better writer: read and write. Read books about the craft of writing and read other books in your genre. But don't stop there. If you write sweet romances, stretch yourself and pick up a thriller. If you write historicals, try out a sci-fi or fantasy novel. Great writing is great writing, regardless of the subject matter. You can learn a lot by reading broadly.

For personal well-being, I would encourage every writer, no matter what stage you're at, to have a support system. This includes belonging to a writer's organization. I'm a member of American Christian Fiction Writers, which has been a huge blessing to me. Through it, I've cultivated friendships with other writers, including my best friend who is also my critique buddy. It's great if your family supports your writing, but trust me, you need to have people you can go to who "get" you.

You grew up in Hollywood. How did that happen?

My grandparents met on the vaudeville circuit. Grandma was a dancer and my grandfather was a concert violinist from Hungary: Duci deKerekjarto (how's that for a last name?). Duci immigrated to make his mark in Hollywood, which is how our family ended up there.

He remained friends with another Hungarian performer, a Shakespearean actor named Bela Lugosi. (Yes, the original Dracula.) Bela died before I was born, but my mom remembers sitting on his lap and calling him Uncle Bela.

My own minor brush with fame came on the day I was born. Michael Landon Jr. and I were in the same hospital nursery in neighboring basinets.

My Aunt Karen nearly passed out when she realized proud father Michael Sr. was standing at the window next to her!

What do you do for fun?

I'm a TV/movie junkie. My tastes cross genres, but I tend to like weird stuff. My favorite current TV shows are LOST, Flash Forward, Lie to Me, and Bones. Recent favorite movies are the new Star Trek, UP, and The Blind Side. Of course, live theatre is the best, but it's so expensive that I rarely go. A few months ago my son had to do a review of a live production for his drama class, which was the perfect excuse to see Phantom of the Opera. Man, that first blast of music in the overture gave me chills. I wanted to jump right out of my balcony seat and onto the stage to join them.

Tell us how readers can find you online, Jen.

website: www.jenniferallee.com
personal blog: jenniferallee.blogspot.com
group blog: inkwellinspirations.blogspot.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/jennifer.allee
Twitter: http://twitter.com/jallee

Here's the link for The Pastor's Wife: Amazon

Thanks, Jen, for visiting with us and telling us about The Pastor's Wife. Readers, Jennifer has offered to give a copy of her novel to the winner of our drawing on Monday, February 15. To enter, leave a comment for Jennifer, below. Leave your email address, in case you win, like so: trish[at]trishperry[dot]com.

Check out my interview with Susan Page Davis and Megan Elaine Davis, below, and leave a comment for Susan and Megan to be entered in the February 11 drawing for a signed copy of Mainely Mysteries.

Also, leave a comment after my feature on Gail Gaymer Martin's latest release and get entered an additional time in the drawing for Susan and Megan's book.

Annoying legal disclaimer: drawings void where prohibited; open only to U.S. residents; the odds of winning depend upon the number of participants.


Finally, take a look at some of the excellent inspirational fiction releasing this month!

1. Abigail: A Novel, The Wives of King David, Book 2, by Jill Eileen Smith from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group. Turmoil marks her life - what price will she pay for love?

2. A Valentine Wish, by Betsy St. Amant from Steeple Hill Lori, chocolate-lover extraordinary, is unemployed, single, and out of brownie mix. But when a secret admirer pops up at her new job running a chocolate boutique, she might have the ingredients for a special Valentine's after all!

3. Deliver Us From Evil, by Robin Caroll from B&H Publishing. When a female helicopter rescues a US Marshal escorting a heart, they must race against time to uncover the largest child trafficking ring in history.

4. Hometown Promise; First in the Kellerville Series, by Merrillee Whren from Steeple Hill. Kellerville: Finding family, community and love in one small town

5. Love's Winding Path, by Lauralee Bliss from Heartsong Presents, Barbour Publishing. A prodigal's life is never out of God's reach and His love as two lonely adventurers are about to discover.

6. The Marriage Masquerade, by Erica Vetsch from Heartsong Presents, Barbour Publishing. Sometimes running away brings you right back where you started.

7. Meander Scar, by Lisa Lickel from Black Lion. When Ann is ready to jump back into life with a new love, she discovers the devastating truth behind her husband's disappearance.

8. My Deadly Valentine, by Lynette Eason and Valerie Hansen from Steeple Hill Love Inspired Suspense. Two suspense filled stories about stalkers and the men determined to protect the women they love.

9. On Wings of Love, by Kim Watters from Steeple Hill Love Inspired. A dedicated nurse devotes her life helping others, only to discover the man who steals her heart doesn't want her help..

10. The Pastor's Wife, by Jennifer AlLee from Abingdon Press. A woman must face the husband - and the congregation - she ran from six years earlier.

11. Walking on Broken Glass, by Christa Allen from Abingdon Press. Leah Thornton stops numbing her pain with alcohol, but discovers the road to redemption might still be under construction.

Happy reading!

Gail Gaymer Martin and Free Books!

Friends, Four-legged Friends and Love.

On occasion I'm going to feature a new release, apart from my interviews with authors. Rather than giving the author's book away, I'll simply add commenters' names an extra time to existing drawings.

Today I'm highlighting Groom In Training, by Gail Gaymer Martin. This is the second book in the Man's Best Friend Series from Steeple Hill Love Inspired.

What's it about?

A widow with a sad past, Steph Wright, finds comfort in her faith and her adorable Border Collie, Fred. When Fred becomes enamored with the neighbor's pedigreed Bouvier, Steph meets Nick. With a broken engagement and a busy job, Nick isn't open to love and romance. But when Nick steps in to defend Steph, long talks ensue during dog walking, and both begin to learn that God has plans for each of them, especially Steph who sees some unexpected "groom-in-training" going on.

Endorsements from readers:

"Had a hard time putting this book down. I highly recommend Groom In Training, and look forward to reading more from Gail Gaymer Martin." (Rikki Lee Howland, Reader)

"A delightful story of two hearts discovering where they belong." (Jo Huddleston, Reader)


About Gail:

Multi-award-winning author, Gail Gaymer Martin writes fiction for Steeple Hill and Barbour Publishing, where she was recently honored by Heartsong readers as their Favorite Author of 2008. Gail has written forty-four contracted novels with three million books in print. She is the author of Writing the Christian Romance, a Writers Digest Books release. Gail is a co-founder of American Christian Fiction Writers. She is a keynote speaker at churches, libraries and civic organizations and also presents workshops at conference across the US. Gail has a Masters degree and post-master’s classes from Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan and is a licensed counselor. She lives in Michigan with her husband.

Links:

Website: www.gailmartin.com
Gail's Thoughts: www.gailmartin.blogspot.com
Writing Fiction Right: www.writingright-martin.blogspot.com
Facebook:: www.facebook.com
Twitter: www.twitter.com

Groom In Training available where books are sold or click below
amazon.com

You can find this book and the first book in the series, Dad In Training, at
amazon.com

Leave a comment below to be added an additional time to the drawings on February 8 and February 11. Leave your email address (in case you win) like so: trish[at]trishperry[dot]com.

Susan Page Davis, Megan Elaine Davis, and Free Books!

When Emily moves back to the sleepy lakeside town of Baxter, Maine, mysterious things start happening.

Before we chat with today's featured authors, I want to announce that the winner of the drawing for Out with the In Crowd, by Stephanie Morrill, is:

gasweetheart211@ . . .

Congratulations! I'll contact you today for your snail mail address, and we'll get your book to you right away. I encourage readers to keep commenting and/or subscribe at right in order to participate in future book give-aways!

And now let's chat with mother-daughter novelist team, Susan Page Davis and Megan Elaine Davis, authors of the anthology Mainely Mysteries (Barbour Publishing, January 2010). This anthology contains three full-length mystery novels: Homicide at Blue Heron Lake, Treasure at Blue Heron Lake, and Impostors at Blue Heron Lake.

Susan Page Davis is a Maine native and author of 25 novels in the mystery, romantic suspense, and historical romance genres. She and her husband Jim (a veteran editor of news and books) have six children and six grandchildren.


Megan Elaine Davis is now Mrs. John-Mark Cullen, living in England, where she continues to write and makes extraordinary hand-crafted animals and soft sculpture.

Please tell us a bit more about the plots in your anthology.

Emily Gray returns to Baxter, Maine to prepare her mother's island cottage for sale.

In Homicide at Blue Heron Lake, she is reunited with her childhood sweetheart, Nate Holman, who owns the marina beside the lake. When Nate takes her out to the island, they discover the body of Emily's elderly neighbor, Henry Derbin. As they help solve the murder, Emily decides to give up her high-powered job in Connecticut and move back to the island.

In Treasure at Blue Heron Lake, Emily spends the winter on shore, rooming with the weekly newspaper's editor, Felicia Chadbourne. Nate takes Emily to visit Lakeview Lodge, a sporting camp owned by his friend Jeff Lewis, and proposes to her there. A few weeks later, one of the hunting guides working at the lodge is found murdered in his room and Jeff--the main suspect--calls on Nate and Emily to help him.

In the third book, Impostors at Blue Heron Lake, Nate has finished training and is now a county sheriff's deputy. Emily goes to interview the owner of a historic house and finds Stella Lessard dead in the kitchen. When Stella's attorney begins searching for the heir to the estate, two young women with the same name show up and try to claim it. As Emily and Nate plan their wedding, they try to untangle the claims and find out how Stella really died.

Which character in your novel most interested you while you wrote?

I love Nate and Emily. They are true Mainers, even though Emily tried to move to the big city. I also like Felicia, the editor of the tiny newspaper that Emily's family used to own. She's practical and no-nonsense, but has a flair for the news. Rocky is also a favorite. Megan and I just love him, in spite of his foibles.

Why will readers enjoy this anthology?

Smalltown Maine is always a fascinating place to be, and we've added mystery and romance. With characters you might encounter at every turn in real life (provided you have strange neighbors), this anthology is just plain fun.

This month we're looking at character motivations. Let's say you're working on a new novel in which a minor character, an elderly woman, simply dislikes your protagonist. Your protag eventually learns why. What's the problem?

The elderly woman (lets call her Annie) sees herself in the young woman (we'll call her Zoe). Annie wishes she'd spent her life differently. When she was Zoe's age, she had all sorts of plans and dreams. But she married the boy next door and has worked in the shoe factory for fifty years because boy-next-door grew up to be the town's dump attendant. Now, if she had gone to college and opened her own detective agency like Zoe has, things would be different!

Aw, poor Annie.

What are you working on now, Susan?

I'm now writing my third book in The Ladies' Shooting Club series, westerns set in Idaho in the 1880s. The first book, The Sheriff's Surrender, released in December. It's a fun mystery with a cast of feisty women and the men they put up with.

I just happen to be reading The Sheriff's Surrender right now! I have about ten nail-biting pages left, so I'll finish it tonight. I've completely enjoyed the book, and I plan to post positive reviews on all the online bookstore sites in the next day or so. Lots of fun. I recommend it, readers!

Where else can readers find you or your writing online?

Buy Mainely Mysteries at Amazon.com.

I'd love to see you over at my Web site: www.susanpagedavis.com, and Megan's teeny tiny animals can be found at: www.etsy.com.

Thanks, Susan, for visiting with us and telling us about Mainely Mysteries. Readers, Susan has offered to give a copy of her anthology to the winner of our drawing on Thursday, February 11. To enter, leave a comment for Susan, below. Leave your email address, in case you win, like so: trish[at]trishperry[dot]com.

If you'd like to win a signed copy of my novel Too Good to Be True, stop by my post below and leave an appropriate comment. I'll draw a winner's name from the comments on Monday, February 8.

Annoying legal disclaimer: drawings void where prohibited; open only to U.S. residents; the odds of winning depend upon the number of participants.

Ren and Tru and Free Books!

When I interview an author, I usually ask who would play the lead roles in the movie version of her novel. Recently I shared the same information about one of my own books. I'm going to do that again, with Too Good to Be True, and give the book away.

Before I show you my characters, I'd like to announce that the winner of Linda Hall's novel, Storm Warning, is:

augustlily06@ . . .

Congratulations! I'll contact you today for your snail mail address, and we'll get your book to you right away.

I encourage readers to keep commenting and/or subscribe at right in order to participate in future book give-aways!

Now let me show you my movie leads for Too Good to Be True.

This is similar to how I pictured Ren Young, the heroine of Too Good to Be True. I've used a black and white photo, because Ren has dark hair, and this helps give that impression. This actor is Kate Winslet, by the way.



And this is how I pictured Tru Sayers, the hero of the story. The actor is Vincent Perez. Very romantic actor.



What do you think? If you've read Too Good to Be True, I'd love to hear if these two match what you pictured. If you'd like to read the book, I'm going to give away a signed copy Monday, February 8. But you have to leave a comment below, specifically about this post. Leave your email address like so, in case you win: trish[at]trishperry[dot]com.


Check out my interview with Stephanie Morrill and leave a comment for Stephanie below her interview to be entered in a drawing for her novel, Out with the In Crowd. If you subscribe to my blog, at right, you'll be entered a second time and will be automatically entered into future drawings as well.

This Thursday we'll revisit with Susan Page Davis, author (with her daughter Megan Davis) of Mainely Mysteries.

Annoying legal disclaimer: drawings void where prohibited; open only to U.S. residents; the odds of winning depend upon the number of participants.

Stephanie Morrill and Free Books!

Eighteen-year-old Skylar knew changing her life wouldn't be easy, but she never knew it'd be this hard.

Before we chat with today's featured author, I want to announce that the winner of the drawing for Welcome Home--Our Family's Journey to Extreme Joy, by Kimberly Woodhouse, is:

barn1451@ . . .

Congratulations! I'll contact you today for your snail mail address, and we'll get your book to you right away. I encourage readers to keep commenting and/or subscribe at right in order to participate in future book give-aways!

And now let's revisit with novelist Stephanie Morrill, author of Out with the In Crowd (Revell, January 2010).

Stephanie Morrill is a twenty-something living in Kansas with her high-school-sweetheart-turned-husband and their daughter. She's the author of The Reinvention of Skylar Hoyt series and loves writing for teens because her high school years greatly impacted her adult life. That, and it's an excuse to keep playing her music really, really loud.

Please tell us a bit more about the plot of Out with the In Crowd.

Skylar Hoyt may have vowed to change her partying ways, but it's not so easy to change her friends. Even though the old Skylar is gone, she's still not sure who this new Skylar really is. Add to that two parents battling for her loyalty, a younger sister struggling with a crisis pregnancy, and a new boyfriend wishing for more of her time, and Skylar feels like she can't win. After all, how do you choose favorites among the people you love most?

Which character in your novel most interested you while you wrote?

Skylar's 15-year-old sister, Abbie, was the hardest and most interesting character to me. Because of the pregnancy, every single scene of hers was full of conflict and emotion.

Why will readers enjoy your novel?

In the first book, Me, Just Different, Skylar's biggest struggle was moving away from popularity toward the path God had laid out for her. In Out with the In Crowd, Skylar's trying to figure out what it means to be a Christ follower in her imperfect world. Sometimes she does a great job at this, and other times she fails, same as everybody else. I think her struggles are very real and identifiable.

Yeah, that's definitely a situation with which Christians of all ages can identify!

I asked you this when you visited last, but refresh my memory. If you were the casting director for the film version of your novel, who would play your lead roles?

Last time I was here, I mentioned that the model on the covers of the books better be able to act, because she's a perfect Skylar.

I think I also said Adam Brody for Connor.



And Allison Munn for Abbie.




Jodi plays a pretty critical role in Out with the In Crowd, so I'll add that I'd cast Blake Lively for her.



This month we're looking at character motivations. Let's say you're working on a new novel in which a minor character, an elderly woman, simply dislikes your protagonist. Your protag eventually learns why. What's the problem?

I think the elderly woman had a daughter very similar to Skylar--pretty, popular, into fashion. The elderly woman kept trying to push her daughter toward things of meaning and substance, but the daughter resisted to the point where they no longer speak without fighting. Because of her experience with her daughter, she isn't able to see that there's more to Skylar than fab clothes.

Aw, that's sad. It's also interesting that you featured the lady in another book with Skylar--you're definitely rooted in Skylar's world right now!

What is the last book you read that moved you? How did it affect you?

Definitely A Stray Drop of Blood, by Roseanna White. It's her debut novel, and it's utterly fabulous. The story is set in Jesus' time, and I was fascinated to read about the early Christians and the struggles and questions they had. Made me extremely grateful to have a personal copy of the Bible, shelves of commentaries, mentors, and a wonderful church.

I just featured Roseanna last week. That book looks excellent.

What are you working on now?

Edits for the third book in the Skylar series, So Over It, which releases in July.

Where else can readers find you or your writing online?

www.StephanieMorrillBooks.com. I blog daily, and you can read the first chapters of both Me, Just Different and Out with the In Crowd. I'm all about trying before buying!

Out with the In Crowd can be purchased here: Amazon.com.

Thanks, Stephanie, for visiting with us and telling us about Out with the In Crowd. Readers, Stephanie has offered to give a copy of her novel to the winner of our drawing on Thursday, January 28. To enter, leave a comment for Stephanie, below. Leave your email address, in case you win, like so: trish[at]trishperry[dot]com.

Check out my interview with Linda Hall, below, and leave a comment for Linda to be entered in a drawing for her latest book, Storm Warning. I'll draw a name this Monday, January 25.

Annoying legal disclaimer: drawings void where prohibited; open only to U.S. residents; the odds of winning depend upon the number of participants.