Following the death of her abusive husband, Jemma DuPree follows her quirky mother-in-law to the resort town of Loving to begin a new life, a life she never expected and one she struggles to accept. Before we meet today's author, I want to announce that the winner of the signed copy of Thread of Revenge, by Elizabeth Goddard, is:
sallyshupe1@...
Congratulations! I'll email you for your snail mail address, and we'll get your book right out to you. 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! Subscribers are entered a second time when they comment.
And now let's chat with novelist Gail Gaymer Martin, author of the contemporary Christian romance, Loving Treasures (Winged Publications, January 2018).
Best-selling and award-winning novelist, Gail Gaymer Martin is the author of contemporary Christian romance, sweet romance, and romantic suspense with 80 published novels and over 4 million books sold. Her novels have received several national awards, including: the ACFW Carol Award and RT Reviewers' Choice Award.CBS local news listed Gail as one of the four best writers in the Detroit area. She is the author of Writer Digests' Writing the Christian Romance and a founder of American Christian Fiction Writers. Gail is a keynote speaker at churches, civic and business organizations.
In her earlier career, she was a teacher of English, literature, and public speaking at high school and university levels and still enjoys teaching workshops at conferences.
Though living most of her life in Michigan, Gail now lives in Sedona, Arizona with her husband.
Please tell us one random thing we might not know about you.
I have been blessed with two talents, writing and also singing. I’ve sung in auditioned chorale groups, church choirs and solo work since I was a pre-teen. If readers are interested, they can hear an audio from our church when I sang the song Who Am I. The song is accompanied by photos of beautiful Sedona, AZ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UfcRHXH8R7s&feature=youtu.be
Please tell us a bit more about the plot of Loving Treasures.
Jemma Dupre, a young childless widow, longs to be independent, but she has no resources and Claire, her mother-in-law, is the only family Jemma has. After her husband Lyle's death, Claire decides to move back home to Loving.Jemma follows her to the resort town, and with the help of her wealthy cousin, Philip Somerville who owns the resort, Claire opens a boutique, Loving Treasures.
Though Jemma assists Claire in the shop and shares her living quarters, she wants a life of her own, and when Philip, the opposite of Lyle, offers her a job at his resort, she declines, finding herself attracted to Philip and not wanting to be a charity case.
But frustrated, she accepts the job, and Philip, who had loved and lost, sees Jemma’s loving ways and wants to give her the world, yet he must show her and himself that God’s plan includes the treasure of a second chance at love.
What is it about Jemma that will make your readers care about her?
Jemma a young woman filled with faith, but finds herself making mistakes. She is trusting and hopeful, but her bad marriage creates fear and doubt about love and life. Living with her quirky mother-in-law, Jemma begins to find herself and knows she wants something she’s never had—independence, and yet when people are kind, she often looks for an ulterior motive. But as her experience grows, she gains strength and confidence in her ability and proves that she has worth she never knew.
Share with us a quote you like from a book other than yours. Why do you like it?
"You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts."
2 Corinthians 3: 3.
This verse has become a guide to my writing. It reminds me that we are not just writing a story on paper, but our words and plots are touching lives and giving people hope and strength as they did with life’s troubles and failures. As writers then, we have a responsibility to write messages that are testimonies to God’s promises.
What is the last novel you read that you would recommend?
For Such a Time, by Kate Breslin. It is the story of a young Jewish girl who is saved from a firing squad but forced into working as a secretary for the SS-Kommandant Colonel at the transit camp in Czechoslovakia, while she watches other Jews be sent off to Auschwitz. The story is of her struggle to hide her Jewish background and save some of her countrymen. Exciting from beginning to end.
What are you working on now?
Loving is a seven book series that was published in the early 2000s, and I am now reissuing them with updated edits to meet my writing standards. Loving Treasures is Book #1 and I am presently working on Book #2, Loving Hearts.
Where else can readers find you online?
I have a website and am on numerous social media.
Website: www.gailgaymermartin.com
GoodReads
Google Plus
Finally, what question would you like to ask my readers?
What draws you to a novel, the cover, the blurb, word-of-mouth, first few pages or something else?
Thank you, Gail, for visiting and telling us about yourself and your book. Readers, Gail has offered to give away a free e-copy of her novel. To enter, leave a comment and your email below in answer to Gail's question, above. "Please enter me" won't get you entered. Remember that subscribers are entered an additional time in each drawing. The drawing is done by email, so leave your email address, like so: trish[at]trishperry[dot]com.
Many commenters are left out of the drawing because they forget to include a way for me to notify them of their win (their email).
Also readers, I'd love it if you'd connect with me on Facebook. Just click on my name at the right of today's post title.
Remember, if you'd like information on additional new releases, check out Christian Book Heaven, a new email newsletter for Christian book deals in whatever genres you select. You can subscribe here: ChristianBookHeaven
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, as well as my Disclosure of Material Connection HERE
11 comments:
I love a great cover...it really draws me to a book. When I read the blurb, there is icing on the cake!
The cover does draw me in or deter me. The most important thing though is the genre and how clean the romance is. Thanks for the giveaway!
I remember reading Loving Feelings when I was a teenager and really enjoyed it.
phantoms_labyrinth_2005(at)yahoo(dot)com
What draws me to a book is what you mentioned but also the publisher of the book. Some I'm very familiar with but others I would have to do some checking into.
Thanks for entering me in your giveaway.
Janet E.
von1janet(at)gmail(dot)com
What draws me to a book---the title, genre, cover, blurb, whether the author is known for writing clean fiction or whether the publisher publishes clean books. With all the independent publishing now days, it will be more work to decide whether to read books by a new author.
What draws me is first, the cover, then the first pages. If I still like what I see then it's a keeper!
If I'm just looking at books, the cover and blurb would have to draw me in. I'll go search for a book if I've heard about it. If I pick up a book to read the first few pages, I've already decided to get the book. Thanks, Gail, for a great interview!
sallyshupe1 at gmail dot com
The cover is the first thing that draws me to the book, along with the author's name. Reading reviews like this one, reading the blurb, or reading the first few pages will draw me to the books also. It's really a combination of things. Becky lelandandbecky[AT]reagan[DOT]com
I love a good cover, too! That's often the first draw for me, unless I've already heard good things about the book. The blurb is the second most compelling part, but I seldom read the blurb if the cover doesn't cut it.
Thanks so much everyone for commenting. I'm a cover person too -- and naturally a story line - or knowing the author whose books I've always enjoyed. Love to hear your comments. Sorry I'm late responding. I had surgery two days ago and though it was outpatient, I still am weak and my nose is bleeding still - nose surgery for 2 polyps and a deviated septum. I'm a mouth breather until the nose stints are out. Ugh. But I decided to get to the computer today to ready your comments and say thank you. The book is in the process of being available and whoever wins, I'll send it along as soon as I can. It should only be another day or so. This is the first in a long series so I hope you like it enough to give the other books a try. You'll be able to keep track of characters since they reappear in the other books - and you get to attend marriages, pregnancies and babies and even a death or two. Plus lots of love and faith.
I hope you heal well and soon, Gail!
I'm doing better and Loving Treasures is now up as a Kindle. Here's the link for those who'd like to take a look. http://amzn.to/2Cq0PJT
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