Shelley Shephard Gray, New Releases, and Free Books!

When an Amish farmer's barn bursts into flames, it sets off a series of events in one family's life.

We have a book to give away before we meet today's featured author. The winner of Sandra Robbins' novel, Final Warning, is:

thepeachykeenwriter@ . . .

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 meet novelist Shelly Shephard Gray, author of Forgiven (Avon Inspire, August 2009).

Shelley writes Amish romances for Harper Collins' inspirational line, Avon Inspire. Hiddenwas recently named a finalist in the Inspirational Reader’s Choice Contest. Wanted reached Number 10 in the Christian Book Distributers top selling fiction title list. Before writing romances, Shelley lived in Texas and Colorado, where she taught school and earned both her bachelors and masters degrees in education. She now lives in southern Ohio and writes full time.

Shelley is married, the mother of two teenagers, and is an active member of her church. She serves on committees, volunteers in the church office, and is part of the Telecare ministry, which calls homebound members on a regular basis. Shelley looks forward to the opportunity to continue to write novels that showcase her Christian ideals.

Over the years, Shelley has attended numerous conferences and reader retreats in order to give workshops and publicize her work.

Please tell us a bit more about the plot of Forgiven.

When a fire destroys the Lundy's barn, Winnie Lundy is injured trying to get the animals to safety. Confined to a hospital for weeks, out of touch with her loved ones who live too far away to visit, she must depend on Englisher Samuel Miller to keep her company. Though his family is part of Winnie's tight-knit Amish community, Samuel left years earlier to pursue a university education. Through their conversations, and Samuel's dedication to her recovery, a friendship forms. But despite her growing attraction, it can never develop into something more as long as Samuel chooses to remain in the outside world.

When Winnie returns home, she finds her brother struggling with his own pain. Cigarette butts were discovered in the debris of the barn and Jonathan is determined to find out who is responsible for destroying his property and putting his family at risk. But in this cohesive community, his suspicions could eat away at the trust and respect on which they depend.

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

I have to admit that though I dearly loved writing about Winnie and her romance with Samuel, and I loved investigating the idea of a person leaving the Amish community because of a love of knowledge and learning. That said, the person I was most interested in was Jonathan Lundy. Jonathan is a newlywed and was the hero of my second book, Wanted. However, it was his crisis of faith in this third book that really struck a chord with me. In Forgiven, Jonathan wants to forgive the person who burned his barn, but the person hasn't come forward…and Jonathan has to accept that he might never find out who did it. He has a tough time letting go and moving on . . . and I think that's a very honest emotion that all of us have struggled with one time or another.

Why will readers enjoy your novel?

I hope readers will enjoy the fast pace of the book and the multiple story lines. I have four characters struggling throughout the novel! It's also the conclusion to my Sisters of the Heart trilogy. So readers who have read Hidden and Wanted will enjoy seeing the series' storylines wrapped up.

This month I'm asking authors about dialogue. How would you advise a newer author to make her characters' dialogue ring true?

Read the dialogue out loud. Wait a few weeks, and then read it again. Sometimes newer authors put too many tag lines (shouted, exclaimed, mumbled, whispered, etc). When you read the words as they're described, they might sound a bit over dramatic. For example, most people don't yell all that much.

What facet of the writing craft comes easiest to you? What do you struggle with? Explain.

I actually love to write the first scene of a book and to revise. I can always visualize how I want the action to begin, and it's always easy for me to try and make a book I've written better. Of course, that means I really struggle with the middle of the book! I have to give myself page minimums to write every day.

Choose an inanimate object to represent you. Explain what you have in common with that object.

Hmm. I would have to say it would be a lamp. I'm a pretty stable person. I'm not very talkative, but I like the idea of getting myself across visually, like the lamp does when it illuminates.

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

I just returned from the Romance Writers of America National conference. I brought home lots of free books, and I've been reading those, just about a new book every three or four days. I'd say that those books have impacted me. Most were by authors I haven't read before, so it's always fun to try a new author. I also always enjoy reading what's recently been published. It helps me get an idea of some of the trends.

What are you working on now?

I am currently trying my best to finish Spring's Renewal, which is Book 2 of my new series, Seasons in Sugarcreek.

Where else can readers find you or your writing online? Please include the link for purchasing your book.

www.shelleyshepardgray.com
Shelley@shelleyshepardgray.com

Thanks, Shelley, for visiting with us and telling us about Forgiven. Readers, Shelley has offered to sign a copy of her book (as soon as it's released) for the winner of our drawing on Monday, August 10. To enter, leave a comment for Shelley, below. Leave your email address, in case you win, like so: trish[at]trishperry[dot]com. If you subscribe to my blog, at right (or if you're already subscribed), you'll be entered an additional time to this drawing and all future drawings.

Be sure to read my interview with Lena Nelson Dooley, below, and enter a comment below her interview to take part in this Thursday's drawing for her novel, Who Am I?.

And this Thursday we'll meet Barbara Dickson, author of Mountains for Maddi.


Finally, take a look at the excellent novels releasing this month:

1. All That Glitters, Scenarios for Girls, book 2, by Nicole O'Dell from Barbour Publishing. The reader will decide if Drew Daniels does the right thing when sudden popularity causes her to forget about things that were once important to her.

2. Forgiven, Sisters of the Heart Series, Book 3, by Shelley Shepard Gray from Avon Inspire, a division of Harper Collins Publishing. Tragedy strikes when a brother and sister find themselves facing two difficult situations.

3. Surrender the Wind, by Rita Gerlach from Abingdon Press. When a patriot of the American Revolution inherits his grandfather's estate in England, he inherits more than a crumbling manor house.

4. Sweet Waters, Otter Bay Series Book 1, by Julie Carobini from B&H Publishing Group. Sweet Waters is the story of a newly-jilted woman who talks her sisters into moving back to their hometown only to discover family secrets that threaten the fairy tale image she'd always had.

5. The Blue Enchantress, the Charles Towne Belles Series book 2, by MaryLu Tyndall from Barbour. An adventure-seeking woman and a security-minded captain are shipwrecked together.

6. The Last Woman Standing, by Tia McCollors from Moody. A man, his woman, and his ex-wife search for love again.

7. Truth or Dare, Senarios for Girls Book 1, by Nicole O'Dell from Barbour. Peer pressure threatens to drive Lindsay Martin to doing something she doesn't want to do; the reader will decide.

8. Under the Tulip Poplar, by Diane Ashley and Aaron McCarver from Heartsong Presents. When Rebekah Taylor and Asher Landon struggle to find their ways to the other, will they allow God to direct bring their separate dreams together as one?

9. You Make Me Feel Like Dancing, Book #1 in the VA VA VA BOOM series, by Allison Bottke from David C. Cook. When life is a dance and Disco is a state of mind, it's Mamma Mia goes Vegas!

Happy reading!