Kelly Irvin and Free Books!

Helen Crough and Gabriel Bless have so much in common—the loss of their beloved spouses, the experience of raising their families alone, their rock-solid faith—so why can’t they seem to speak without arguing?

Before we visit with today's author, I want to announce that the winner of the signed copy of Shattered, by Dani Pettrey, is

rejordan79@ . . .

And the winner of the signed copy of For Love of Eli, by Loree Lough, is

heidivargas@ . . .

Congratulations! I'll email you today to get your mailing addresses, and we'll get your books to you right away. I encourage readers to keep commenting and/or subscribe at right (above my list of books) in order to participate in future book give-aways!

Now let's visit with novelist Kelly Irvin, author of Love’s Journey Home (Harvest House Publishing, February 2013).

Kelly Irvin is the author of the Bliss Creek Amish series, which includes To Love and To Cherish, A Heart Made New, and Love’s Journey Home, which released February 1. She recently signed with Harvest House Publishing for a three-book spin-off series entitled the New Hope Amish.

Kelly has also penned two romantic suspense novels, A Deadly Wilderness and No Child of Mine, published by Five Star Gale in 2010 and 2011.

The Kansas native is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and Sisters in Crime. A graduate of the University of Kansas School of Journalism, Kelly has been writing nonfiction professionally for thirty years, including ten years as a newspaper reporter. For more than nineteen years, she has worked in public relations for the San Antonio Parks and Recreation Department.

Kelly has been married to photographer Tim Irvin for twenty-five years, and they have two young adult children. In her spare time, she likes to write short stories and read books by her favorite authors.

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

-- In college, I spent three semesters in Costa Rica and I speak Spanish.

-- I hate sweet potatoes and snakes.

-- My first published fiction as an adult was a a short story called, “Fast Food,” published in a Sunday school magazine. I then published a poem called “Twenty-twenty Vision” in the San Antonio Express-News. It was another seventeen years before I published a novel.

-- I was editor of both the newspaper and the yearbook at my high school in Abilene, Kansas.

-- I was twenty-one before I saw the ocean for the first time and that year I saw both the Pacific and the Atlantic.

You obviously had the writing bug early on, Kelly! 

Please tell us a bit more about the plot of Love's Journey Home.

It’s been seven years since her husband died, but Helen Crouch is doing fine. She’s selling her jams at the bakery and making a living. But her whole world goes topsy-turvy when a new family moves to town.

Gabriel Gless has brought his children to Bliss Creek to escape the worldly influences in Indiana. Helen and Gabriel have so much in common—the loss of their beloved spouses, the experience of raising their families alone, their rock-solid faith—so why can’t they speak without arguing?

And that’s not all that’s going on in Bliss Creek this summer. In the middle of a drought, the community is must decide whether to establish a new settlement. As families say goodbye, each one must find the faith to follow the Lord’s direction.

What is it about Helen that will make your readers care about her?

Helen is a widow and parent of four children. Her efforts to do the right thing under difficult circumstances are endearing. She’s clumsy and socially inept, but sweet and good-humored. Nothing is more important to her than faith and family.

If you were the casting director for the film version of your novel, who would play your lead roles?

Tom Selleck would be Gabriel Gless.





And Valerie Bertinelli would play Helen.





Mention a scene in your novel and name a piece of music that would make good background music for that scene.

Gabriel and Helen meet for the first time at a Fourth of July parade in which Helen’s son, who is on his rumspringa (running around), drinks with his English friends and then drives a buggy through the parade route flopping his hat in the air and screaming, “Yee haw, rid’em cowboy.” He almost runs over one of Gabriel’s young daughters.

For some reason, the song that runs through my mind when I think of this scene is, “Should’ve Been a Cowboy”, by Toby Keith.

Such an interesting juxtaposition in an Amish novel!

What is the last novel you read that you would recommend?

For fans of Amish fiction, I enjoyed A Plain Death by Amanda Flower. It’s an Amish cozy mystery. She does a great job with quirky, fun characters. For fans of Christian romantic suspense Dee Henderson’s new Full Disclosure is a fun read. I enjoyed seeing some of her old O’Malley characters again and the plot has an interesting twist with a female assassin.

What are you working on now?

I’m working on A Plain Love Song, the third book in the New Hope Amish series that debuts later this year.

Where else can readers find you online?

www.kellyirvin.com. They can also follow me on Facebook (Kelly Irvin, Author) and Twitter (Kelly_S_Irvin)

The book can be purchased in fine book stores and online via the following buttons:




CBD.com


Finally, what question would you like to ask my readers?

How do you feel about overt references to faith in novels that are clearly identified as inspirational fiction? Do you like the spiritual theme to be subtle or do you mind if the characters make it very clear that their Christian faith is an integral part of how they live their lives?

Great question, Kelly. I'd like the answer to that, as well. 

Thank you for visiting with us and telling us about your novel. Readers, Kelly has offered to give a signed copy of her book to the winner of our drawing on Monday, February 18. To enter, leave a comment below in answer to Kelly's question, above. "Please enter me" won't get you entered. Leave your email address, in case you win, like so: trish[at]trishperry[dot]com.

Be sure to check out my interview with Nancy Mehl, below. Leave an appropriate comment at the bottom of the post to enter the drawing for a signed copy of the book.

And see my post about an exciting new cell phone plan I started using in 2012. I'm thrilled with it--unlimited talk, text, and data for $49/month, with no contract. Send me an email through the "Email Trish" button, above, if you'd like me to send you a link to learn more about the phone plan and the income opportunity it presents.

Finally, I'd love it if you'd connect with me on Facebook. Just click on my name at the right of today's post.

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