Creston Mapes and Free Books!

There are some bad seeds you never want to meet. A year from retirement and still reeling from daughter Leena’s kidnapping, Portland PD Detective Wayne Deetz is called upon to check on a domestic violence case, and that’s where he runs into the lawless toxic steamroller Blaine Milligan.

Before we talk with today's author, I want to announce that the winner of the free copy of the historical novel, The Moonlight School, by Suzanne Woods Fisher, is:

jacsmi75@...

Congratulations! 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 learn about new releases! U.S. subscribers are entered in the drawings a second time when they comment.

And now let's revisit with novelist Creston Mapes, author of the Christian suspense thriller, I Pick You (Rooftop Press, December 2020).

Creston Mapes grew up in northeast Ohio, where he has fond memories of living with his family of five in the upstairs’ portion of his dad’s early American furniture store - The Weathervane Shop. Creston was not a good student, but the one natural talent he possessed was writing.

He set type by hand and cranked out his own neighborhood newspaper as a kid, then went on to graduate with a degree in journalism from Bowling Green State University. Creston was a newspaper reporter and photographer in Ohio and Florida, then moved to Atlanta, Georgia, for a job as a creative copywriter for a printing firm/ad agency.

Creston served for a stint as a creative director, but quickly learned he was not cut out for management. He went out on his own as a freelance writer in 1991 and has been doing it ever since—for Chick-fil-A, Coca-Cola, The Weather Channel, Oracle, ABC-TV, Johnson Controls, TNT Sports, colleges and universities, ad agencies, and more. He’s ghost-written more than ten non-fiction books.

Along the way, Creston has written nine contemporary thrillers, achieved Amazon Bestseller status, and had one of his novels (Nobody) optioned as a major motion picture. His hope is to continue writing fiction into the sunset.

Creston married his fourth grade sweetheart, Patty, and they have four amazing kids who range from about 20 to 30 years old. Creston loves his part-time job as an usher at local venues were he gets to see all the latest-greatest concerts and sporting events. He loves reading, fishing, time with his family, and dates with his wife.

That usher job is a great idea, Creston.

Please tell us one random thing we might not know about you.

About five years ago my son began freshwater fishing and got me hooked. Now it is my favorite hobby/pastime.

Please tell us a bit more about the plot of I Pick You.

There Are Some Bad Seeds You Never Want to Meet.

A year from retirement and still reeling from daughter Leena’s kidnapping, Portland PD Detective Wayne Deetz is called upon to check on a domestic violence case. From the moment Deetz and his friend Callie Freeland show up to help Sunny Carlisle, they are blindsided by a lawless toxic steamroller named Blaine Milligan.

At a breakneck clip, things go from bad to worse as Callie is eerily stalked and her fiancé Tyson is lured into Blaine’s web of evil and madness. While the city of Portland is being burned and dismantled by rioters, Deetz must race against the clock to protect Sunny, Callie and Tyson, and possibly even his own family.

What is it about Wayne Deetz that will make your readers care about him?

Detective Wayne Deetz is close to 60 and retirement. He’s a likeable family man who, over the past two books in the series (Signs of Life, Let My Daughter Go) has been through immense trauma and tragedy. He’s hanging on to get his pension, but his city of Portland is full of police-haters and rioters—plus he’s dealing with a domestic violence maniac who’s threatening his closest friends and his own family.

Imagine you’ve been contracted to write a novel about a real person. About whom would you want to write?

Clint Eastwood.

Oh, that would totally make my day.

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

I’ve been reading all of Patricia Highsmith’s novels. She’s not with us anymore, but her novels were filled with very real, quirky characters with a lot of tension/suspense. I’ve loved every one I’ve read thus far.

I need to read her work. The Talented Mr. Ripley was such an excellent film.

What are you working on now?

Charm Artist is book number four in the Signs of Life Series. It will come out in perhaps six months.

Where else can readers find you online?

This is my Amazon Author Page

And this is my website: www.crestonmapes.com

The book can be purchased online via the following button:



Readers, you can access a sample from the novel by going HERE and clicking on Look Inside.

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

Why do you love Trish Perry novels so much?

Ha! How kind of you, Creston. Thank you for visiting and telling us about yourself and your book. Readers, Creston has offered to give away a free copy of his book. To enter, click on the word "comments" below to reach the comments page, and leave your answer and your email in answer to Creston's question above. "Please enter me" won't get you entered. Remember that U.S. 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. 

Only United States residents are eligible for the drawing, but anyone can subscribe to the blog posts via the GDPA-compliant Feedblitz box above my list of books, at right.

Also readers, if you connect with me on Bookbub, you'll get alerts when my books release and when they're available at special sale prices. And if you'd like to connect with me on Facebook, just click HERE or on my name at the right of today's post title.

Annoying legal disclaimer: as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases; drawings void where prohibited; open only to U.S. residents; the odds of winning depend upon the number of participants. See full disclaimer, GDPA notice, and my Disclosure of Material Connection HERE

Suzanne Woods Fisher and New Books!

The Moonlight School is about a young woman who arrives in Appalachia to help her cousin with a farfetched idea—opening the rural schoolhouses on moonlit nights so illiterate adults (over a third of the county) could learn to read and write. Would anyone come?

Before we talk with today's author, I want to announce that the winner of the free copy of the historical World War II novel, Night Bird Calling, by Cathy Gohlke, is:

nina4sm@...

Congratulations! 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 learn about new releases! U.S. subscribers are entered in the drawings a second time when they comment.

And now let's revisit with novelist Suzanne Woods Fisher, author of the historical novel, The Moonlight School (Revell, February 2021).

Suzanne Woods Fisher loves stories worth telling about people worth remembering. With over a million copies of her book sold worldwide, this bestselling, award-winning author of more than 30 books is always on the lookout for the unsung hero with an untold story.

Please tell us a bit more about the plot of The Moonlight School.

What’s so wonderful about this novel is that it’s based on a true story, so even if I tell you the entire plot, it won’t stop you from reading (I hope!). 

I want everyone to know about what happened on September 5, 1911. So here goes the quick version: Cora Wilson Stewart, superintendent of education for Rowan County, Kentucky, had an idea to open the rural schoolhouses on moonlit nights to illiterate adults. She hoped 150 adults would come…and over 1,200 came! Within two years, she had eradicated adult illiteracy in her county.

How terrific!

What is it about your lead character--Lucy Wilson--that will make your readers care about her?

So, in the prior question, I gave you the basic plot. But Cora Wilson Stewart isn’t the lead character, and there’s a reason for that. Every novel needs a love story, and that just wasn’t going to work for Cora. She had been divorced three times (twice to the same man!), and marriage was not her thing. Instead, she threw her passion into her work. 

Thus, I created a fictitious character, Lucy Wilson, who came to Rowan County at Cora’s request. Lucy’s father was Cora’s cousin, and raised his daughter to enjoy a refined, well-educated life in Lexington. Facing the poverty of Appalachia was a shock to Lucy’s system. Little by little, she was able to get past her initial prejudice to discover the beauty of the culture, the traditions, the community. Helping her along in her journey was a handsome stranger with a little mystery, too.

This month I've been asking authors to imagine being contracted to write a novel about a real person. You've essentially done that with this novel.

Yes, Cora Wilson Stewart was such an intriguing woman to me—way ahead of her times. The conventional academic thinking of the day was that adults couldn’t learn to read and write. Once childhood ended, a door snapped shut. Cora accepted that thinking until three encounters changed her mind. She challenged convention…and looked what happened next!

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

A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles. The main character created an entire life for himself within a hotel—purpose, community, enrichment--and I think there’s a wonderful lesson about accepting circumstances that all of us need during this global pandemic.

I've heard a lot of people recommending that one, and I see it's going to be a limited series for TV, directed by Peaky Blinders director, Tom Harper. I'll need to read the book beforehand!

What are you working on now?

Just starting a new novel (first in a new series!) about an ice cream shop on Cape Cod. Set during the summer, of course.

Where else can readers find you online?

You can always find me through my website: www.suzannewoodsfisher.com and also on Facebook and Instagram.

The book can be purchased online via the following button:



Readers, you can access a sample from the novel by going HERE and clicking on Look Inside.

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

I liked your question, Trish, and I’d love to ask readers that same question. What makes a book one they’d recommend?

Thanks for letting me hang out with your readers, Trish! It’s always a pleasure. You’re so generous with authors and readers.

Stay well, stay home, and read!

Thank you, Suzanne, for visiting and telling us about yourself and your book. Readers, Suzanne has offered to give away a free copy of her book. To enter, click on the word "comments" below to reach the comments page, and leave your answer and your email in answer to Suzanne's question above. "Please enter me" won't get you entered. Remember that U.S. 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. 

Only United States residents are eligible for the drawing, but anyone can subscribe to the blog posts via the GDPA-compliant Feedblitz box above my list of books, at right.

Also readers, if you connect with me on Bookbub, you'll get alerts when my books release and when they're available at special sale prices. And if you'd like to connect with me on Facebook, just click HERE or on my name at the right of today's post title.

Annoying legal disclaimer: as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases; drawings void where prohibited; open only to U.S. residents; the odds of winning depend upon the number of participants. See full disclaimer, GDPA notice, and my Disclosure of Material Connection HERE

Cathy Gohlke and Free Books!

After fleeing an abusive marriage, Lilliana seeks sanctuary with her great-aunt in No Creek, North Carolina, where she helps a young girl hiding troubles similar to her own, works to open a library for all regardless of the color of their skin and risks everything in a stand against violence and injustice that threatens them all.

Before we talk with today's author, I want to announce that the winner of the free Kindle copy of the historical romance, A Song for Her Enemies, by Sherri Stewart, is:

nj.bossman@...

Congratulations! 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 learn about new releases! U.S. subscribers are entered in the drawings a second time when they comment.

And now let's chat with novelist Cathy Gohlke, author of the historical World War II novel, Night Bird Calling (Tyndale House Publishers, January 2021).

Best selling and four time Christy Award-winning author, Cathy Gohlke, writes novels steeped with inspirational lessons, speaking of world and life events through the lens of history. She champions the battle against oppression—chains forged upon us and those we forge ourselves—and celebrates the freedom found only in Christ. 

When not traveling to historic sites for research, she and her husband of thirty-eight years, Dan, divide their time between Northern Virginia and the Jersey Shore, enjoying time with their grown children and three grandchildren.

Cathy is one of my very favorite novelists, I should mention.

Please tell us one random thing we might not know about you.

I’ve always loved wild birds and gardening, but after a move to a townhouse during the early days of the pandemic, I feared I’d lose access to both. With so much time at home I became fascinated with container gardening and feeding birds from my back deck and small front garden dogwood tree. Flowers in pots during warm months and “flowers with wings” in the winter—I’ve loved the colors and songs in every season and have discovered we can truly bloom wherever we’re planted.

How wonderful. I swear, I lived in my townhouse for ten years, always intending to try container gardening, and I never got around to it! My brown thumb intimidates me (and the plants).

Please tell us a bit more about the plot of Night Bird Calling.

When Lilliana Swope’s beloved mother dies, Lilliana gathers her last ounce of courage and flees her abusive husband for the home of her only living relative in the foothills of No Creek, North Carolina. Though Hyacinth Belvidere hasn’t seen Lilliana since she was five, she offers her cherished great-niece a safe harbor. Their joyful reunion inspires plans to revive Aunt Hyacinth’s estate and open a public library where everyone is welcome, no matter the color of their skin.

Slowly, Lilliana finds revival and friendship in No Creek—with precocious eleven-year-old Celia Percy, with kind-hearted Reverend Jesse Willard, and with Ruby Lynne Wishon, a young woman whose secrets threaten to destroy both them and the town. When the plans for the library also incite the wrath of the Klan, the dangers of Lilliana's past and present threaten to topple her before she’s learned to stand.

With war brewing for the nation and for her newfound community, Lilliana must overcome a hard truth voiced by her young friend Celia: Wishing comes easy. Change don’t.

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

Though Lilliana flees an abusive husband and father, she determines to help a young woman with troubles not unlike her own. At great risk to herself she’s a valiant protector and helper of those in need, even while making the emotional journey to learn that she, too, is a valued daughter of God and worthy of love, forgiveness and help.

Imagine you’ve been contracted to write a novel about a real person. About whom would you want to write?

I’d love to research and write about Mary Morris Knowles (1733-1807), a British Quaker widow active in the abolition of slavery movement.

I'd definitely read that book, if you ever got the chance to write it.

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

This Tender Land by William Kent Krueger taught me much about the Native American experience in orphanages and schools determined to strip a people of its language and culture, and the extent which all people will go to be free. Beautifully, exquisitely written with much heart and pathos, This Tender Land is a story and an author I will not forget.

It sounds terribly sad, too, as most novels about Native American history are. Thanks for the recommendation, Cathy.

What are you working on now?

I’ve just finished writing a second No Creek Novel, A Hundred Crickets Singing, and am ready to begin edits. Here is a rough idea: When a 1944 storm rips open a sealed attic room, the contents of a false bottom trunk expose old wounds and reveals a hidden longstanding wrong. Can clues from a Civil War diary lead Celia and Joe to right that wrong and help No Creek’s citizens toward reconciliation and a path forward, or is the threat of danger still too great?

Exciting! A follow-up ready once we've finished Night Bird Calling!

Where else can readers find you online?

www.cathygohlke.com
Face Book @ cathygohlkebooks
Bookbub
YouTube Book Gems with Cathy Gohlke
Twitter
Instagram
Goodreads


The book can be purchased online via the following button:



Readers, you can access a sample from the novel by going HERE and clicking on Look Inside.

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

When reading historical fiction, what time period and country do you most like to read?

Thanks, Cathy, for visiting and telling us about yourself and your book. Readers, Cathy has offered to give away a free copy of her book. To enter, click on the word "comments" below to reach the comments page, and leave your answer and your email in answer to Cathy's question above. "Please enter me" won't get you entered. Remember that U.S. 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. 

Only United States residents are eligible for the drawing, but anyone can subscribe to the blog posts via the GDPA-compliant Feedblitz box above my list of books, at right.

Also readers, if you connect with me on Bookbub, you'll get alerts when my books release and when they're available at special sale prices. And if you'd like to connect with me on Facebook, just click HERE or on my name at the right of today's post title.

Annoying legal disclaimer: as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases; drawings void where prohibited; open only to U.S. residents; the odds of winning depend upon the number of participants. See full disclaimer, GDPA notice, and my Disclosure of Material Connection HERE

Sherri Stewart and Free Books!

She has the voice of an angel, but the devil is listening.

Before we talk with today's author, I want to announce that the winner of the free Kindle copies of my new contemporary romance, You're Where I Want to Be, are:

tumcsec@... and lhanberry1@...

Congratulations! I'll get your books right out to you. I encourage readers to keep commenting and/or subscribe at right (above my list of books) in order to learn about new releases! U.S. subscribers are entered in the drawings a second time when they comment.

And now let's meet novelist Sherri Stewart, author of the historical romance, A Song for Her Enemies (Heritage Beacon Fiction, March 2021).

Sherri Stewart loves a clean novel, sprinkled with romance and a strong message that challenges her faith. She spends her working hours with books—either editing others’ manuscripts or writing her own. Her passion is traveling to the settings of her books, sampling the food and visiting the sites. 

Her trip to the Netherlands engendered a love for the town of Haarlem, and she’s learning Dutch for future visits. 

A recent widow, Sherri lives in the Orlando area with her lazy dog, Lily, and her son, Joshua, who can fix anything. She shares recipes, tidbits of the book’s locations, and pix in her newsletter. Subscribe via the link at the bottom of the interview.

Please tell us one random thing we might not know about you.

I earned my law degree in my fifties, studying at an online Christian law school while teaching full-time during the day.

Wow, that's impressive, Sherri! I would imagine that knowledge could inform some of your writing as well.

Please tell us a bit more about the plot of A Song for Her Enemies.

After Nazi soldiers close the opera and destroy Tamar Kaplan’s dream of becoming a professional singer, she joins the Dutch Resistance, her fair coloring concealing her Jewish heritage. Tamar partners with Dr. Daniel Feldman, and they risk their lives to help escaping refugees. When they are forced to flee themselves, violinist Neelie Visser takes them into hiding. 

Tamar’s love for Daniel flowers in hardship, but she struggles with the paradox that a loving God would allow the atrocities around her. 

When Tamar resists the advances of a Third Reich officer, he exacts his revenge by betraying the secrets hidden behind the walls of Neelie’s house. 

From a prison hospital to a Nazi celebration to a concentration camp, will the three of them survive to tell the world the secrets behind barbed wire? 

A Song for Her Enemies is the story of a talented young opera singer and the bittersweet love that grows amid the tyranny and fear of World War II, set against the backdrop of neighbors willing to risk their lives in the German-occupied, war-torn Netherlands.

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

Tamar Kaplan was a sheltered young woman, not a hero by any means, whose main goal in life was to become a lead soprano at Haarlem’s opera. Circumstances forced her to shed her fears, take charge, and become the woman God intended her to be for the sake of her loved ones.

Imagine you’ve been contracted to write a novel about a real person. About whom would you want to write?

Corrie ten Boom has always been my hero. She offered her home as a refuge for the Jews whom God sent to her door and paid the ultimate price by being sent to three labor camps. After her release in 1945, she spent the rest of her life travelling the world to tell them that there was no pit so deep that God’s love was not deeper still.

Oh, my goodness, yes. Her book, The Hiding Place is absolutely stunning and gripping. I would recommend it to anyone. She's my hero as well, Sherri. 

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

The German Midwife by Mandy Robotham is the best book I’ve read in years—so much so that I read it twice. It’s about Anke Huff, a political prisoner in a concentration camp, who is recruited to become the midwife of Eva Braun, mistress of Adolf Hitler. The story, of course, is pure fiction, but it’s believable, compelling, and most of all, beautifully written.

What are you working on now?

I’m working on the sequel to A Song for Her Enemies, which takes place five years after the war’s end. Haarlem’s heart has been damaged in every way, and Tamar and Daniel are trying to find their place in it. Whereas A Song forced Tamar to respond to her world falling apart, now she is dealing with the need for justice to be done. And it starts with a painting she spirits away from her former house.

That sounds like a wonderful sequel to your current release. 

Where else can readers find you online?

Amazon author page
Facebook
Twitter
Goodreads
www.stewartwriting.com
Instagram
Bookbub
Newsletter sign-up

The book can be purchased online via the following button:



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

1. What heroine would you like to read about in a historical fiction?
2. Do you like to read novels with mentions of God in them? In what way?
3. Do you gravitate toward books that are realistic—even gritty—or to lighthearted books?

Readers, feel free to answer any or all of Sherri's questions. I appreciate hearing your thoughts!

Thanks, Sherri, for visiting and telling us about yourself and your book. Readers, Sherri has offered to give away a free copy of her book. To enter, click on the word "comments" below to reach the comments page, and leave your answer and your email in answer to Sherri's above question(s). "Please enter me" won't get you entered. Remember that U.S. 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. 

Only United States residents are eligible for the drawing, but anyone can subscribe to the blog posts via the GDPA-compliant Feedblitz box above my list of books, at right.

Also readers, if you connect with me on Bookbub, you'll get alerts when my books release and when they're available at special sale prices. And if you'd like to connect with me on Facebook, just click HERE or on my name at the right of today's post title.

Annoying legal disclaimer: as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases; drawings void where prohibited; open only to U.S. residents; the odds of winning depend upon the number of participants. See full disclaimer, GDPA notice, and my Disclosure of Material Connection HERE

Free Copies of New Release: You're Where I Want to Be!

To celebrate the release of my new contemporary romance, You're Where I Want to Be, I'm going to give away a free Kindle copy to two commenters who answer my question below.

But first I want to announce that the winner of the free copy of Vickie McDonough's Christian historical romance, Wild at Heart, is:

richmond.abigail@...

Congratulations! 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 learn about new releases! U.S. subscribers are entered in the drawings a second time when they comment.

And now, with regard to this week's give-away, here's what You're Where I Want to Be is about:

As a pregnant teen, Delaney Shaw had to grow up quickly. Now she’s forty and embracing experiences she missed as a hard-working single mom—college, independence, and…romance? No, thank you. No time for romance.

But Delaney’s grown daughter, her best friend, and a dashing-but-vexing professor might change her mind.

Delaney’s been blessed with a chance to change her future, if her past and present hang-ups can just get out of the way.

If you would like to be entered in the book give-away, share your answer to this question:

What is something you thought was beyond your grasp--because it was too late--that you went ahead and attempted anyway, and how did it work out?

To enter, click on the word "comments" below to reach the comments page, and leave your answer and your email in answer to Vickie's above question. "Please enter me" won't get you entered. Remember that U.S. 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. 

Only United States residents are eligible for the drawing, but anyone can subscribe to the blog posts via the GDPA-compliant Feedblitz box above my list of books, at right.

You're Where I Want to Be can be purchased online via the following button:

Also readers, if you connect with me on Bookbub, you'll get alerts when my books release and when they're available at special sale prices. And if you'd like to connect with me on Facebook, just click HERE or on my name at the right of today's post title.

Annoying legal disclaimer: as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases; drawings void where prohibited; open only to U.S. residents; the odds of winning depend upon the number of participants. See full disclaimer, GDPA notice, and my Disclosure of Material Connection HERE