Kimberley Woodhouse and Denali Dreams Giveaway

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

KIMBERLEY WOODHOUSE is a multi-published author of fiction and non-fiction with Moody, Focus on the Family, B&H Publishing Group, Barbour Publishing, and Bethany House Publishers. A popular speaker/teacher, she’s shared her theme of Joy Through Trials with over 150,000 people at over 1,000 venues across the country. She lives, writes, and homeschools in beautiful Colorado with her husband of more than two decades and their two awesome teens.

Connect with Kim - http://www.kimberleywoodhouse.com and http://www.facebook.com/KimberleyWoodhouseAuthor and http://www.twitter.com/kimwoodhouse

DENALI DREAMS
by Kimberley Woodhouse and Ronie Kendig
Published by Barbour

ABOUT THE BOOK

Vast and rugged, Denali National Park brings adventure and love into the lives of four courageous women. Will cancer survivor Karon reach Mt. McKinley’s summit? Will heiress Jolie survive against the terrain and an assassin? Will flightseeing tour guide Deline save her stalling business? Will love conquer all for ranger Deanna?

Readers, buy your copy of Denali Dreams today!

AND NOW A WORD FROM OUR FEATURE AUTHOR

Behind the Scenes: Writing with a Co-Author
Kimberley Woodhouse

We get a ton of questions whenever we travel on tours, or just simply through our website. Some are about our Extreme Makeover: Home Edition or one of the other television experiences, a lot are about our daughter Kayla’s rare condition, and a lot are about the writing process.

Over the past year, I’ve received more and more questions about writing with a co-author. My daughter and I wrote No Safe Haven and Race Against Time together, Ronie Kendig and I collaborated on a collection entitled Denali Dreams, and Tracie Peterson and I wrote All Things Hidden releasing from Bethany House January 2014. I wouldn’t say that I’m now an expert on the subject, but I can definitely share my two cents with readers. I know as a reader, I often wondered what went on behind the scenes as well, so I totally understand the curiosity!

Each experience has been totally different, but they’ve all been fun. All the readers who write in want to know how it’s done. In summary? I don’t have a set formula, each collaboration has been unique. But I will say this: the authors need to pray for one another, they need to trust one another, they need to be good communicators, and they need to agree to a plan. :)

Writing with my daughter, Kayla (who became the youngest published full-length novelist from a royalty paying publisher with the release of No Safe Haven), was incredible. I wrote the adult characters’ POVs and she wrote the teens’. We wrote it in twenty-eight days total and had you been a fly on the wall, you would’ve seen lots of scribbling on white boards, jump-drives flying across the room as we shared scenes back and forth, and lots of laughter and M&Ms (Kayla’s favorite).

Writing with my dear friend, and not to mention best-selling author, Ronie Kendig was also incredible. In Denali Dreams (a collection of four novellas set in Alaska about the Talkeetna Rangers), Ronie and I plotted out our stories over the phone, developed our characters, and decided how the stories would tie in to each other. She wrote two of the novellas, and I wrote two. We wrote them in about a week. (Yes, we’re both pretty fast.) And we talked on the phone a lot. Another amazing experience—not just because I love the stories, but because I love Ronie so dearly. If you haven’t read any of her other books, you need to GO BUY THEM NOW. Seriously. She’s awesome.

And last but definitely not least, writing with Tracie Peterson. Wow. What could I possibly say? She’s best-selling and award-winning. Her 100th book will be releasing in 2014. She is one of my closest friends, but I would never have dreamed that I’d be given the opportunity to write with her. With All Things Hidden (1935 Matanuska Colony in Alaska), we did tons and tons of research together. We plotted. And plotted. And plotted some more. The string of emails with all our multi-colored notes back and forth was over forty pages! Then, we wrote a seriously long synopsis together (about thirty pages, again going back and forth), then our drafts of the manuscript went back and forth. It was another incredible experience and I learned so much from it.

Happy Reading!

~Kim

Reader Question: For our giveaway this week, I'd like to ask you-the readers-a question. What is your favorite co-author/collaboration? Leave the title of the book/series and the authors’ names for a chance to win a copy of No Safe Haven, Race Against Time, or Denali Dreams. (One copy of each book will be given away.)

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Thank you, Kim, for sharing with us today.

ENTRY RULES Readers, leave your email address (name [at] domainname [dot] com) along with your answer to the question for your chance to win ONE OF THREE free autographed copies of these three books: Denali Dreams, No Safe Haven, Race Against Time. If you do not answer the question, and your email address isn't provided, you will not be entered.

This week, the drawing is open to US/Canada residents.

Spotlight on Leanna Ellis and Lookin' Back, Texas

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

LEANNA ELLIS formerly known to readers as Leanna Wilson, sold more than one million romance books and won numerous awards before taking a new creative direction with her much-acclaimed 2007 novel, Elvis Takes a Back Seat. She lives with her family in Texas. She is the winner of the National Readers' Choice Award and Romance Writers of America's Golden Heart Award. She writes women's fiction for B&H Publishing. Her latest book, Lookin' Back, Texas released September 2008. Visit her website at http://www.leannaellis.com.

LOOKIN' BACK, TEXAS
by Leanna Ellis
Published by B&H Publishing

ABOUT THE BOOK

Betty Lynne Davidson is planning her husband's funeral while overlooking one thing: he's not dead.

When Suzanne Mullins (42) gets the call from her father to come back home to Texas because her mother has gone off the deep end, she knows it will mean having to look at the faulty foundations of their marriage as well as her own. Betty Lynne has always upheld a perfect facade of home and family, and Suzanne has followed suit. But her life with husband Mike and son Oliver is cracking under the pressure of its own unspoken history.

Looking her past in the eye once and for all, Suzanne hopes that trusting in God's love and mercy will set all of this craziness straight—even if it does mean having to watch her father give the eulogy at his own funeral.

Buy Your Copy of Lookin' Back, Texas Today!

AUTHOR INTERVIEW

1. What gave you the inspiration for this story?

Explaining the way my mind works is not easy. But basically, one day an idea popped into my head about a woman who returned to her hometown only to figure out as she spoke to neighbors that they believed her father was dead due to a story her own mother created. That intrigued me. What would make a woman pretend her husband has died? What would that daughter do? And what if that woman had a secret of her own? It took a while to massage the story idea to make it all work but that's usually my process.

2. How much of your own experiences influenced your characters? What aspects became traits that are theirs and theirs alone?

Experiences are filtered through me and refracted in some way into my work. But still, the characters are total figments of my imagination.

3. If one of your characters were an ice cream flavor, what he/she be and why?

Oh, Suzanne would probably like a peach flavor. Being from peach country around Luckenbach. She's probably like something mellow like mango too.

4. What themes exist in Lookin' Back, Texas that you hope the reader sees? Are there any themes that weren't overt but developed as the story progressed?

Forgiveness is the main theme of the book, but another theme that I enjoyed exploring was perfectionism. In case you can't tell, the mother of my heroine is a perfect example of perfectionism gone amok.

5. What were your most difficult parts to write? Your favorite?

The beginning was probably the most difficult part for me. But that's usually true until I hit my stride. I really enjoyed writing scenes with Betty Lynne because I never knew what she would do. She suprised me constantly.

6. When is your next book coming out and what is the story?

My next book is Ruby's Slippers. It comes out April 2009. When Dottie Meyers (44) loses her 'somewhere over the rainbow' after a devastating tornado, she must find a new yellow brick road to travel. Wanting to cling to her past, she sets off with a new set of friends on her journey to find the faded ruby slippers that belonged to her mother. But her sister who seems more like the Wicked Witch of the West wants to find them first. Did she steal them out of the Judy Garland museum? Will she sell them and keep the money? Their journey leads them to their long lost father. But he's no wizard who can solve their family problems. Only the love of a heavenly father can heal the wounds and form a bond between them.

Thanks so much, Tiff, for having me here on your blog! It's been a lot of fun! Blessings, Leanna.

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Thank 8you*, Leanna, for being in the spotlight with us.

Readers, leave a comment for your chance to win a FREE autographed copy of Lookin' Back, Texas.

If you wish to comment but don't want to be entered, say so when you post. Make sure you also leave your email address (name at domainname dot.com/net). Wouldn't want you to miss out on winning a book. :)

And if you want to make certain you don't miss anything, check the box that says 'email follow-up comments to:' when you leave a comment and they'll be sent to the email address associated with your blogging account. That way you'll be notified of any comments and will know when I announce the winner.

This week, the contest is open to anyone worldwide.

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CFBA Blog Tour - Rebeca Seitz and Sisters, Ink

This week, the
Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
is introducing
Sister's Ink
Broadman & Holman Books (February 1, 2008)
by
Rebeca Seitz

Today's spotlight is enjoying the release of the first novel in a series of four about scrapbookers, but she has made a significant name for herself in the publicity realm by starting a well-known publicity firm for authors -- GlassRoad Public Relations. It takes what CFBA does for authors a few steps further and offers an all-encompassing publicity package explicity for Christian worldview books.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Rebeca Seitz is Founder and President of Glass Road Public Relations. An author for several years, PRINTS CHARMING was her first novel. Rebeca cut her publicity teeth as the first dedicated publicist for the fiction division of Thomas Nelson Publishers. In 2005, Rebeca resigned from WestBow and opened the doors of GRPR, the only publicity firm of its kind in the country dedicated solely to representing novelists writing from a Christian worldview. Rebeca makes her home in Kentucky with her husband, Charles, and their son, Anderson.

ABOUT THE BOOK:

Sisters, Ink marks the first in a series of novels written by, for, and about scrapbookers. At the center of the creativity and humor are four unlikely young adult sisters, each separately adopted during early childhood into the loving home of Marilyn and Jack Sinclair.Ten years after their mother Marilyn has died, the multi-racial Sinclair sisters (Meg, Kendra, Tandy, and Joy) still return to her converted attic scrapping studio in the small town of Stars Hill, Tennessee, to encourage each other through life's highs and lows. Book one spotlights headstrong Tandy, a successful yet haunted attorney now living back in Orlando where she spent the first eight years of her life on the streets as a junkie's kid. When a suddenly enforced leave of absence at work leads her to an extended visit with her sisters in Stars Hill, a business oppor­tunity, rekindled romance, and fresh understanding of God's will soon follow.

Endorsements:

"What more can any woman want? Sisters, Ink weaves the love of sisters, the fun of scrapbooking, and a romance as sugary and tingling as Sweet Home Alabama. A must read for those who love southern fiction." --DiAnn Mills, author of Leather and Lace and When the Nile Runs Red

"Fun . . . funny . . . fantastic! Rebeca Seitz has brought together scrapbooking and sisterhood in a lively romp, with a love for going home again."--Eva Marie Everson, coauthor of The Potluck Club series

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Readers, leave a comment for your chance to be entered in a drawing for a FREE copy of this book. If you do not wish to be entered, say so when you post. Make sure your email is available or that you return next week to see if you've won. Would hate to see you miss out on winning a free book.

This week, the contest is open to US/Canada residents only.

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CFBA Blog Tour - Karen Ball and What Lies Within

You'd never believe from the content of her latest books that this author is a side-splitting riot when she does speaking engagements and live talks. Not only is she a prolific and established author, but she's been an editor of many top names in the Christian book industry and worked for Zondervan, among many other publishers.

Now, partnering with David Webb of B&H Publishing, she is helping to relaunch their fiction line with a new and innovative brand.

This week, the
Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
is introducing
What Lies Within
Multnomah Fiction (November 20, 2007)
by Karen Ball

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Karen Ball , bestselling novelist, is also the editor behind several of today's bestselling Christian novels. Her love for words was passed down through her father and grandfather - both pastors who shared God's truth through sermons and storytelling. Blending humor, poignancy, and honesty, Karen's writing style is a powerful force for revealing God's truth. She lives in Oregon with her husband, Don, and their "kids," Bodhan, a mischief-making Siberian husky, and Dakota, an Aussie-terrier mix who should have been named "Destructo."

ABOUT THE BOOK:

Nothing’s going to stop Kyla…

until the ground crumbles beneath her feet.

Kyla Justice has arrived. Her company, Justice Construction, is one of the most critically acclaimed, commercially successful companies in the Pacific Northwest. And yet, something is missing. Not until she’s called on to build a center for inner-city kids does she realize what it is: her sense of purpose. Now nothing can stop her, not the low budget, not supply problems, not gang opposition, not her boyfriend’s suggestion that she sell her business and marry him–and most especially not that disagreeable Rafael Murphy.

Rafe Murphy understands battle. Wounded in action, this Force Recon Marine carries the scars–and the nightmares–to prove it. Though he can’t fight overseas any longer, he’s found his place as a warrior in the civilian world. So he soldiers on, trusting that one of these days, God will reveal to him why Rafe survived the ambush in Iraq. That day has arrived.

Kyla and Rafe both discover that determination alone won’t carry them through danger and challenges. When gang violence threatens their very foundations, there’s only one way to survive: rely on each other, be real–and surrender to God. In other words, risk everything…

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Readers, leave a comment for your chance to be entered in a drawing for a FREE copy of this book. If you do not wish to be entered, say so when you post. This week, the contest is open to US/Canada residents only.