Susan Page Davis and What a Picture's Worth

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

SUSAN PAGE DAVIS is the author of more than forty novels, including the Prairie Dreams, Ladies’ Shooting Club, and Frasier Island series, and selected books in the Patchwork Mysteries, Miracles of Marble Cove, Texas Trails, and Secrets of Mary’s Bookshop series. She is a native of Maine, now living in western Kentucky. To learn more about Susan and her books, visit: www.susanpagedavis.com.

WHAT A PICTURE'S WORTH 
by Susan Page Davis
Published by Annie's Books

ABOUT THE BOOK

One of the most successful vendors in Shannon’s craft market is Fredo Benson, an eccentric and moody painter. All goes well until Shannon goes to his loft one evening to turn out lights and discovers detailed sketches of her home—sketches of the gardens, the mansion she inherited from her grandmother, and most concerning, items from inside the mansion.

That night her craft store is broken into, but nothing appears to be stolen. The following morning, Fredo doesn’t show up for an art class he was to teach. Shannon takes her 19-year-old son and goes to Fredo’s apartment, where they find the artist dead. Do his sketches hold clues about his reasons for stalking her? And how is his death connected to the store break-in? Who was Fredo really working for?

What a Picture’s Worth is published by Annie’s Books. To learn more about the Creative Woman series, go to: http://www.creativewomanmysteries.com.

Today, Susan is giving away a copy of What a Picture’s Worth. Leave a comment here to enter the drawing.

AND NOW A WORD FROM OUR FEATURE AUTHOR

A lot of my writing time is spent getting the details right. I get the story down, but then I have to make sure everything in it is as accurate as I can make it. That’s because I know how I feel when I come across something in a book that I know isn’t right.

Having lived more than fifty years in Maine, I came to Kentucky three years ago as a complete stranger, a newcomer to all things Kentucky. I notice things that are different. In our part of the state, there are many oak trees, of several different varieties—many more oaks than in Maine. But there are also fewer evergreens. The cedars look different, the pines look different, and I don’t see many of my old friends, spruce, fir, hackmatack, beech, and white birch. But I see other trees that I never saw in Maine—sycamore, persimmon, and redbud, to name a few.

We saw the snake yesterday. My husband and I like to walk for exercise, and when we walk in a certain direction, we walk as far as a small bridge and look over the railing. About half the times we go there, we see the snake. It’s huge. It suns itself on a log, but slithers into the water when we arrive and swims into the murky shade beneath a fallen tree. I think it’s a diamondback water snake.

Snakes in Maine didn’t scare me. There are no poisonous snakes in Maine, my parents taught me when I was small. I didn’t mind seeing them or even picking them up. But here in Kentucky there are at least four kinds of poisonous snakes in my area, and the water snake is one. I’m a lot more cautious than I used to be. I don’t go running through the long grass in shorts and sneakers anymore. I wear long pants if I’m going into the field or the woods, and I walk slowly. If I write a Kentucky story (I haven’t yet), it may very well have a snake in it, because snakes are one of the things that makes Kentucky different for me.

Birds are another. This place has an abundance of birds, and I love them! I see them on walks and outside my windows as I work. I hear them, day and night. We have most of my old friends of the bird world here, and lots that I never knew in Maine. Mockingbirds, for instance. Another of our walking routes takes us past some trees where there are nearly always mockingbirds. They sing to us. We whistle to them, and they whistle back.

But if I read a book that puts a mockingbird in Maine (which I recently did), I know it’s not right. Another story I read had pelicans on the beach in Maine. Nope. Almost never. I see something like that, and I know the author isn’t “best friends” with Maine. They might visit the Pine Tree State and love it dearly, but they’re grounded somewhere else, and they didn’t get the details right. I still enjoyed both of those books, but it would have been much nicer if the birds had been right. And it wouldn’t have taken two minutes to check online.

I’m sure I’ve made mistakes in some of my books. But I want to get it right. That’s why I have books on my shelf about very narrow subjects, like Wild Plants of the Four Corners, and Pacific Coast Tree Finder.

Right now I’m working on a mystery set in Pennsylvania. I’ve been to Pennsylvania several times, but I’ve never lived there. It would be easy to think the trees and birds and snakes here in Kentucky (or those in Maine) would also be in Pennsylvania. But I want to make sure, so I’ll be checking.

This week I am giving away a copy of What a Picture’s Worth. It’s set in Oregon, where they have Steller’s jays, not common blue jays. Comment and leave your contact information to be entered in the drawing.

Reader Question: In the last “new place” you visited, what jumped out at you as “different”?

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Thank you, Susan, 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 a free autographed copy of the book featured above. Your choice. 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 contiguous US residents for a print copy and international or Alaska/Hawaii residents for an eBook copy.

Guest Blogger Susan Page Davis and Lady in the Making

Susan and I recently sat together at the ACFW Awards Gala in Dallas, as one of her books was nominated for a Carol Award. She does multiple giveaways of her books every month through her web site, and several readers get the privilege of enjoying a free copy of their choice of her books. Be sure to visit her web site and use the "Enter Monthly Contest" form on the left side of the main page.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

SUSAN PAGE DAVIS is the author of more than 40 novels. A native of Maine, she now lives in western Kentucky. She’s the mother of six and grandmother of eight. Her books have won many awards, including the Will Rogers Medallion, the Inspirational Readers’ Choice Award, and the American Christian Fiction Writers’ Carol Award

LADY IN THE MAKING
by Susan Page Davis
Published by Barbour Publishing

ABOUT THE BOOK

Millie Evans has changed, choosing to leave rather than join an outlaw gang with her brother. Hoping for a new future, she boards a stagecoach and finds that one of the passengers is David Stone—a man she and her brother once tried to swindle. As she tries to convince David she’s changed, her brother’s gang holds up the stagecoach. Fighting beside David goes a long way to softening his heart, but he’s still not convinced. Someone is trying to keep him from reaching England to claim his inheritance. Is Millie involved? Millie must trust God to show David the truth, but will he see before it’s too late?

Readers, buy your copy of Lady in the Making today!

AND NOW A WORD FROM OUR FEATURE AUTHOR

Welcome! It’s a privilege to be a guest here this week!

As an author, I’m a late bloomer. My first novel was published the year I turned 50. I’d written a lot of nonfiction articles for magazines and newspapers—I was a news correspondent for about 25 years. But I didn’t think I could join the ranks of published fiction authors.

I decided to try when I realized I had a story in my head. It was a rather complicated story about a policeman and a difficult case he was trying to solve. I told my husband about it, and he encouraged me to write it down. It turned out to be a 100,000-word book. That story has never been published, but I have been writing fiction ever since.

About two years after I made that first effort, I began to sell short stories to national magazines. Selling to Woman’s World, GRIT, and Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine gave me confidence and justified all the money I’d spent on ink cartridges and postage!

During that time, I continued to write more books and market them to publishers. Nearly four years passed before an editor finally bought my first-to-be-published novel, Protecting Amy, and it took another year and a half for it to go through the publication process. Since then I have sold about 40 books. It’s been a great blessing to our family and a joy to me personally to become a fiction author.

I read somewhere that an author doesn’t really find her “voice”—that is, her tone or “attitude” of telling a story—until she’s written at least a million words of fiction. By the time Protecting Amy was published, I had written much more than that.

I was always a good student, and I’d learned to whack out full-length news stories in half an hour or so when I needed to, but I had a lot to learn about the craft of writing fiction. And I’m still learning. Every year I take classes and attended workshops and conferences that help me become a better writer. I read a lot and listen to what good writers have to say.

The wonderful thing is, writing is a skill you can develop and improve over a lifetime. Your stories will only get better as you learn more about how to present them to the reader. I do hope you enjoy A Lady in the Making.

This story is the third in my Prairie Dreams series. It can be read enjoyably on its own, but you might like it even better if you’ve read The Lady’s Maid, about two English women who join a wagon train going West, and Lady Anne’s Quest, about a lady searching in 1855 Oregon for her missing uncle.

Today’s featured book, A Lady in the Making, continues the story of that uncle, David Stone, who is heir to an English estate and title.

Although I used to live in Oregon and have done a lot of research on its history, I had to do quite a lot more, just to get David and Millie out of Oregon in this book. The time period (1857) is early for big, well-organized stagecoach lines, so I had to figure out how they would get from The Dalles, Oregon, to St. Louis, Missouri. It was doable, but things like Indian unrest in Idaho and troubled relations with the Mormons in Salt Lake City made it challenging. Once they cross the Mississippi, the characters can hop a train, but they are traveling a few years too early for the Transcontinental Railroad or bridges across the Mississippi. They also have to deal with unknown enemies who would like nothing better than to stop David Stone in his tracks. It’s all part of the writer’s job to get her characters into hot water—and then get them out again!

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Thank you, Susan, for sharing with us today.

Reader Question: Do you like historical novels better when they emphasize action and adventure, or when the romance takes center stage?

ENTRY RULES Readers, leave your email address (name at domainname dot com/net) along with your answer to the question for your chance to win a free autographed copy of the book featured above. If you do not answer the question, and your email address isn't provided, you will not be entered.

This week, the contest is open to anyone worldwide.

Spotlight on Christmas Mail-Order Brides

Rule of the spotlights here: answer the random question associated with this spotlight in the comments in order to be entered in the drawing.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

SUSAN PAGE DAVIS is the author of 30 published novels. She's a two-time winner of the Inspirational Readers' Choice Contest and a winner of the American Christian Fiction Writers' Book of the Year Award. She lives in Kentucky. Visit her website at: www.susanpagedavis.com

VICKIE MCDONOUGH is an award-winning author of 20 books and novellas. Vickie’s books have won the Inspirational Reader's Choice Contest, Texas Gold, and the ACFW Noble Theme contest, and she has been a multi-year finalist in ACFW’s BOTY contest. The Anonymous Bride, book one in her debut trade fiction series the Texas Boardinghouse Brides, released in April, and the sequel, Second Chance Brides, released September 1st. Vickie's books promise An Adventure into Romance. Vickie and her husband live in Oklahoma. She is a wife of thirty-four years, mother of four grown sons and grandma to a feisty four-year-old girl. When she’s not writing, Vickie enjoys reading, gardening, watching movies, and traveling. To learn more about Vickie’s books, visit her website: www.vickiemcdonough.com

THERESE STENZEL is obsessed with all things British. Her first book, A Bride By Christmas came out in 2008. Her next book, Christmas Mail Order Brides, comes out in September of 2010. She has also co-authored the book, God's Little Devotional Book for Grandparents. Her writing has appeared in Women's Day, Family Fun, and Time Magazines. In love with English history, English tea, and reading historical novels, she is also the founder of British Missives, an e-mail newsletter for those who love to read or write British novels. Sign up for it on her website. Currently, she is working on her fifth historical manuscript. She and her husband Neal keep busy raising their three kids. Her website is www.theresestenzel.com.

CARRIE TURANSKY and her husband Scott live in central New Jersey where they enjoy picking peaches, blueberries and Jersey tomatoes each summer. In the winter you’ll find them sipping cocoa and reading a good book by the fire as they watch the snowflakes fall. Carrie is the author of several novellas published by Barbour and novels published by Steeple Hill Love Inspired. You can learn more about Carrie’s books at www.carrieturansky.com.

CHRISTMAS MAIL-ORDER BRIDES
by Susan Page Davis, Vickie McDonough, Therese Stenzel, and Carrie Turansky
Published by Barbour

ABOUT THE BOOK

Ride the transcontinental railroad as marriage arrives by mail-order—and just in time for Christmas. Annika arrives in Wyoming to discover her intended is missing. Jolie’s journey to Nevada is derailed by disaster. Elizabeth carries a load of secrets to Nebraska. And Amelia travels to California to wrap up her final attempts at matchmaking. Will the holiday season be the ticket to spark love in unexpected ways?

Readers, buy your copy of Christmas Mail-Order Brides today!

AUTHOR INTERVIEW

1. This is a novella collection with 3 other authors. What gave you the inspiration for this story?

Susan: The other authors were discussing having the heroines be mail order brides who joined a Matrimonial Society—and I knew I wanted to write about the woman who organized it.

Vickie: For a long while, I’ve wanted to do a shotgun wedding type of story, but the right door never opened—at least until this collection came along. I wanted to see what kind of situation would cause a man to be “willingly” forced into a marriage, and I think it worked out well in The Prodigal Groom, my novella in Christmas Mail-Order Brides.

Therese:

Carrie: Vickie came up with the idea for the Christmas Mail-Order Bride collection, and I was excited when she invited me to be a co-author with her, Susan, and Therese.

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

Susan: None whatsoever, except that I like to help people and feel bad if my efforts go awry.

Vickie: Well. . .hmmm. I don’t have any experience with mail-order brides or shotgun weddings—other than to write about them. Guess I was born in the wrong century. :) I did do some rash things when I was younger, like Jolie, my heroine, does when she goes west to marry a man she’s never met. Maybe we have tenacity in common. Clay, my hero is estranged from his father because of something that happened several years ago. He wants to come home, but he’s stubborn and also feels what happened was his fault. When he becomes a Christian, he finally returns to his family’s ranch, with God’s help, to reconcile with his father. Clay is now a man of character, but he has a past history of being a troublemaker and a carouser that he will have to overcome before reconciliation can occur.

Therese:

Carrie: My story begins with twin sisters saying goodbye to each other at the Chicago train station. My heroine decided to travel west on the new transcontinental as a mail-order bride so that her twin sister feels free to marry the man she loves. I have twin daughters who are very close, and I’ve often wondered how they will respond when the first one receives a marriage proposal. They are blondes just like the sisters in the story. I dedicated the novella to Megan and Elizabeth.

3. If your hero/heroine were an ice cream flavor, what would he/she be and why?

Susan: Lennox is no-nonsense coffee, and Amelia is cookies and cream.

Vickie: Cherries, Pecan and Cream – My hero is a bit sweet at times, can be a hard nut to crack at other times, and he’s smooth—calm and collected in tense situations.

Therese:

Carrie: My heroine is from Sweden and has blond hair and blue eyes. I believe she’d be strawberry ice cream, very sweet and wholesome. The hero is a young rancher who is a little rough around the edges, but has a very kind heart. I think he’d be Mint chocolate chip.

4. Are there any themes in Christmas Mail-Order Brides that you hope the reader sees? Are there any themes that weren't overt but developed as the story progressed?

Susan: Forgiveness and making things right.

Vickie: The overall theme is: trusting God with your future, even when it looks bleak. God has far greater plans for our lives than we could ever imagine. Family reconciliation became a bit more of a theme than I’d first planned. Clay’s father has a hard time believing he’s really changed and thinks he’s just there to mooch off of him. Clay can’t see past his father’s stubbornness and believes the man only sees what he wants to. Clay and his father have a hard time forgiving one another, even though they care about each other.

Therese:

Carrie: I think all the novellas include the theme of God’s sovereignty and His loving plan for our lives. My novella, A Trusting Heart, also shows how God is faithful and trustworthy. He is at work on our behalf even when we don’t see him working, and that’s one more reason why we can trust Him.

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

Susan: The hardest part for me was the part about Lennox’s fruit packing business, because I didn’t know much about it. My favorite was his daughter’s blowup at the Christmas program.

Vickie: The fight scene in the barn was a bit hard to write. Lots of things are going on, and I wanted to keep the action level high, but I still needed to describe the scene clearly. My favorite? I love the scenes where Clay gives Jolie “wife lessons”. They are already married, btw. She grew up in an orphanage and had never been around a man before and knows nothing about the relationship between a man and a woman, so Clay graciously takes it upon himself to teach her. He can be such a nice guy at times.

Therese:

Carrie: The most difficult parts to write for me are those that have to do with riding horses and ranch life. My grandparents did own a farm in Oregon, but they raised crops, not cattle ro horses. So I don’t have too much experience with that. I asked Vickie and some other author friends to help me out with those scenes. Hopefully, I got it right.

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

Susan: On November 1, The Blacksmith’s Bravery will release. It’s the third book in my Ladies’ Shooting Club series, set in 1880s Idaho. By age twelve, Vashti Edwards was orphaned and working her way west in different saloons. Life in Fergus, Idaho, has given Vashti new hope in Christian friends from The Ladies Shooting Club and an employer who turned her saloon into a restaurant. But money is tight, and Vashti tries to get the job she’s always dreamed of--a stagecoach driver. Griffin Bane, local blacksmith, is overseeing the stagecoach line and admits he needs more help. But can a woman—even one known to be a good markswoman—handle the challenges and dangers on the trail? As soon as Vashti starts, the line becomes target of a band of robbers. Was Griffin a fool to put a woman at the reins, and can he brave the beautiful distraction she makes as he takes to riding shotgun? And of course the question is raised: Will The Ladies Shooting Club catch the bandits and bring the stubborn couple together?

Vickie: Second Chance Brides, book two, in my Texas Boardinghouse Brides series just released. It’s the sequel to The Anonymous Bride and tells the story of two of the rejected mail-order brides from book one. Shannon and Leah are stuck in Lookout, Texas. In order to survive, they must find a job in the small town-not an easy task for a woman-or find another man to marry.

Therese:

Carrie: My next book is Seeking His Love, an October Love Inspired novel. It’s a contemporary inspirational romance that tells the story of Rachel Clark, a young teacher who moves to Fairhaven, Washington, after being falsely accused of having an inappropriate relationship with one of her students. She takes a job as director of a youth theater program and must find a new location for her group. The Fairhaven Arts Center has the ideal space, but Cameron McKenna, who oversees the center, is not eager to include her or her kids. Cam lost his wife and young son in a tragic accident five years earlier, and being around children reminds him of the guilt he still carries. When a family crisis occurs, he must temporarily care for his fourteen-year-old niece, and he needs Rachel’s help and advice. She comes along side and not only teaches him how to relate to his niece, she also shows him how to overcome his past hurts and open his heart to love again.

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Thank you, Susan, Vickie, and Carrie for being in the spotlight with us.

NOTE! Readers, answer the question associated with the spotlight in the comments, then leave your email address for your chance to win a FREE autographed copy of Christmas Mail-Order Brides. If you do not answer the question, you will not be entered.

Bonus question. Answer either or both to be entered.

Question: Our Mail-Order Brides traveled west on the transcontinental railroad. Have you ever traveled by train, and if so, where did you go?

Make sure you also leave your email address (name at domainname dot.com/net). You won't be entered in the drawing without it. If you wish to comment but don't want to be entered, say so when you post.

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

Spotlight on Susan Page Davis and Gunsmith's Gallantry

Don't forget the new rules of the spotlights here. Random questions will be inserted in each spotlight for you to find and answer in the comments in order to be entered. So, be on the lookout!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

SUSAN PAGE DAVIS is the author of thirty novels. She and her husband Jim, a freelance editor, live in Kentucky with the youngest two of their six children. They also have six wonderful grandchildren. A native of Maine, Susan is adjusting to life in the South She’s an ACFW Book of the Year Winner, a two-time Inspirational Readers’ Choice Contest Winner, and her July book, The Crimson Cipher, from Summerside Press, was named a Top Pick at Romantic Times Book Reviews.

GUNSMITH'S GALLANTRY
by Susan Page Davis
Published by Barbour Publishing

ABOUT THE BOOK

The shy gunsmith has problems—women problems!

Hiram Dooley’s sister Gert is about to leave him to get married—if Sheriff Ethan Chapman would ever propose; his sister-in-law, Rose, thinks Hiram should marry her, since they’re both widowed; and the woman he truly loves, Libby Adams, is blind to his regard.

Schoolmarm Isabel Fennel has a different problem—a man claiming to be her uncle came to town…and then disappeared. She’s afraid her has to do with his disappearance. Hiram helps the sheriff end a brawl at Bitsy Shepard’s saloon, and a mysterious stranger claims to be heir to a mining claim. The mayhem continues when Cyrus Fennel shows up with a black eye and tries to sell his land.

Can Hiram and the sheriff, along with Libby and the other members of the Ladies’ Shooting Club, discover what’s behind the mysterious events in Fergus? Will the uproar derail Hiram and Libby’s blooming romance, or can the Ladies’ Shooting Club save the day once again?

Readers, buy your copy of Gunsmith's Gallantry today!

AUTHOR INTERVIEW

1. What gave you the inspiration for this story?

It grew out of the first book, The Sheriff’s Surrender. Hiram’s story was begging to be told. I knew it would take drastic events to get him to step up, so I put him in several uncomfortable situations. My husband used to be a gunsmith, and he was a big help on this series. Also, I wanted to deal with Cyrus Fennel, the man everyone in Fergus loved to hate.

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

Not a lot, other than having lived in the West and visited the Idaho mountains.

3. If your hero/heroine were an ice cream flavor, what would he/she be and why?

Hiram would be plain vanilla. Libby is black cherry—in a crystal dish.

4. Are there any themes in Gunsmith's Gallantry that you hope the reader sees? Are there any themes that weren't overt but developed as the story progressed?

Forgiveness and trust are big in this book and the entire series. Hiram can barely trust anyone enough to talk to them. Libby must trust her own instincts and forgive the annoying people in her life. Trudy has to trust Ethan and forgive his foibles. Isabel has perhaps the biggest leap—trying to trust her father.

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

My favorite part was the first time Hiram went into the Spur & Saddle with Ethan. The hardest was the big event at the ranch near the end of the book. I won’t say too much, but it took some choreography.

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

My July book is The Crimson Cipher, set in 1915. Emma Shutser’s father is murdered. The Navy was going to try to entice him to go back into the Signal Corps and solve ciphers. After his death, they recruit Emma instead. She soon finds herself pitted against an unseen enemy known as Kobold (German for “goblin”). As saboteurs work to prevent America from joining the Allies in war, Emma and her colleagues try to stop them.

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Thank you, Susan, for being in the spotlight with us.

NEW!! Readers, answer the question associated with the spotlight in the comments, then leave your email address for your chance to win a FREE autographed copy of Gunsmith's Gallantry. If you do not answer the question, you will not be entered.

Question: You may not have had to back your friend up in a saloon brawl, but when was the last time you had to step outside your comfort zone, and how did you deal with it?

Make sure you also leave your email address (name at domainname dot.com/net). You won't be entered in the drawing without it. If you wish to comment but don't want to be entered, say so when you post.

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

Blog Spotlight - Susan Page Davis and The Sheriff's Surrender

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

SUSAN PAGE DAVIS is a Maine native. She’s the author of two dozen published novels, mostly in the historical romance and romantic suspense genres. Her husband Jim is a retired news editor turned freelance editor. They have six children and six grandchildren. Visit Susan at her Web site: www.susanpagedavis.com.

THE SHERIFF'S SURRENDER
by Susan Page Davis
Published by Barbour Publishing

ABOUT THE BOOK

Gert Dooley has kept house for her brother, a gunsmith, for eight years and seems content, but she wishes Ethan Chapman, the new sheriff of Fergus, Idaho, would notice her. Ethan tries to solve the murder of his predecessor, without much success. Women come to Gert wanting to learn to shoot in order to protect themselves, their property, and their families. When the Ladies’ Shooting Club springs up, the men of the town aren’t happy. They want their women back in their kitchens, where they belong—not out shooting up all their lead. But when the murderer strikes again, it’s the Ladies’ Shooting Club that steps forward to help keep the town safe. Will Ethan listen to the men and disband the club, or will he surrender his heart to a crack shot lady?

Readers, buy your copy of The Sheriff's Surrender today!

AUTHOR INTERVIEW

1. What gave you the inspiration for this story?

This story came about from a number of factors. I wanted to write about Idaho. My daughter lives there, and in visiting her I’ve learned some of its fascinating history. I wanted to write about a group of women supporting each other. Most of my past heroines have been loners—very independent. In this book, you’ll find several strong, independent women who find even greater strength in unity. And I wanted to write a lighthearted mystery. I hope you enjoy it!

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

I was going to say almost none, but that wouldn’t be strictly true. My husband used to be a gunsmith, so I have that in common with Gert—I live with a man who fixes guns for other people (or used to. Please don’t bring him any guns now—he no longer does that). I’ve lived in a small town and had to learn to cope with changes. I’ve also worked around horses a lot.

3. If your hero/heroine were an ice cream flavor, what would he/she be and why?

Rocky road. Does everyone say that? Gert has a lot of bumps to dodge in her road to maturity.

(insert from Tiff: Yes. I'm thinking I should remove Rocky Road as an option. *winks*)

4. Are there any themes in The Sheriff's Surrender that you hope the reader sees? Are there any themes that weren't overt but developed as the story progressed?

The overriding themes are friendship, bearing each other’s burdens, and acceptance. The women of Fergus had to get past years of self-imposed isolation and reach out to each other.

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

My favorite parts were when Ethan tried to sort out his feelings for Gert. The most difficult was keeping the Penny Man’s identity hidden. I had to delete one scene where a couple of the women saw him because it wasn’t realistic that they would have the contact I described and not recognize him.

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

Book 2 in The Ladies’ Shooting Club series, The Gunsmith’s Gallantry, will come out in June. But before that, there’s another I’m quite excited about. In January, Mainely Mysteries will release. It’s a 3-in-1 anthology of cozy mysteries I wrote with my daughter Megan, set in Maine. The first two came out in 2008 as single titles, but the third one, Impostors at Blue Heron Lake, was never printed as a single title. Now it’s finally coming out as the finale of the Mainely Mysteries trilogy. These stories follow Emily Gray, a reporter who decides to leave her big-city job and return to Baxter, Maine, the tiny town where she grew up. She’s reunited with her childhood sweetheart, Nate Holman, who runs the marina on Blue Heron Lake. Together they stumble into solving mysteries, and they fall in love all over again.

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Thank you, Susan, for being in the spotlight with us.

Readers, leave a comment for your chance to win a FREE autographed copy of The Sheriff's Surrender.

Make sure you also leave your email address (name at domainname dot.com/net). You won't be entered in the drawing without it. If you wish to comment but don't want to be entered, say so when you post.

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 the winners are announced each time.

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

Spotlight on Susan Page Davis and Inside Story

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

SUSAN PAGE DAVIS is the author of 20 novels in the historical, mystery, and suspense genres. She is a Maine native, and uses her home state as the location for many of her stories. She's the mother of six and grandmother of five adorable children.

INSIDE STORY
by Susan Page Davis
Published by Harvest House

ABOUT THE BOOK

Claudia Gillette is a prize-winning journalist at a high-profile magazine. She prides herself in her cool independence—traveling the globe, beating the deadline. Landing the interview with Heidi Taber, the only female in an elite U.S. Navy special operations unit, is yet another rung on her ladder of career successes.

Lieutenant Bill White is not happy about the journalist standing in front of him in the midst of the Philippine jungle. He has no time for public relations campaigns—certainly not during a covert mission to rescue a well-known aerophysicist from terrorists.

As shells explode and tracer fire streaks the air, Claudia finds herself caught up in a danger she never expected...or wanted. With lives at stake, she fears her presence in the unit is their greatest detriment to survival. Will she find the strength to live through the nightmare…or has her ambition cost her her life?

Buy Your Copy of Inside Story today!

AUTHOR INTERVIEW

1. What gave you the inspiration for this story?

Readers begged to hear more about Pierre's family, and I decided to bring Marie's sister Claudia (book 2) together with Rachel's friend Bill (book 1). I'd also been reading about the communist and Muslim terrorism in the Philippines and decided it was a good location for a military adventure.

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

Well, I have sisters...Actually, Inside Story is pretty far from my actual experience, though I worked several years as a journalist (not nearly as upscale as what Claudia does, though).

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

Claudia would be Rocky Road, all the way.

4. Are there any themes in Inside Story that you hope the reader sees? Are there any themes that weren't overt but developed as the stories progressed?

Forgiveness is a big element here. Claudia not only seeks God's forgiveness, but must forgive herself for all the trouble she's caused. Bill, too, takes on a share of the guilt, especially for Stu's situation. Both must deal with those problems and set things straight with God.

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

Most difficult was putting a face to the villain, Cabaya. My favorite was Pierre's wrangling with Claudia.

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

On Feb. 1, On a Killer's Trail will release in the Love Inspired Suspense line. In this book, Detective Neil Alexander, in the Portland, Maine, P.D., investigates a Christmas Day murder. The girl who broke up with him six months ago shows up to cover the story for the local newspaper. Neil broke Kate's heart, but he's become a Christian since then. Will she—and her brother-in-law, who happens to be his boss—give Neil a second chance? And when a second murder occurs, will Kate's ideas blow their investigation and put her in danger?

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Thank you, Susan, for being in the spotlight with us.

Readers, leave a comment for your chance to win a FREE autographed copy of Inside Story.

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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Blog Tour - Snowbound Colorado Christmas

Today, I'm the middle stop along a 9-stop blog tour for some of my fellow Heartsong and Barbour authors with their new release...just in time for Christmas shopping season. Three of these authors I've known for several years, and one shares the great state of Colorado with me as her residence. :) Here is the schedule for the rest of the tour:

September 16 – Tricia Goyer
http://triciagoyer.blogspot.com/

September 23 – Lisa Buffaloe
www.ShoutLife.com/LisaBuffaloe

September 23 - Deborah Khuanghlawn
http://books-movies-chinesefood.blogspot.com/

September 30 – Linda Crow
http://www.2nd-cup-of-coffee.blogspot.com/

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Susan Page Davis is the author of ten historical novels, six romantic suspense, and two young adult books. She has co-authored a cozy mystery series with her daughter, Megan Elaine Davis. Susan's historicals have won awards in the Book of the Year and Inspirational Readers' Choice Contests. She's a homeschooling mother of six and grandmother of five. She and her husband Jim live in Maine, where Jim is a news editor. Visit her at her web site: http://www.susanpagedavis.com/.

Lena Nelson Dooley holds a BA in Speech and Drama, and she completed many graduate hours as well. She has served as a drama director for several churches. In addition, she has been the administrative assistant to two different pastors.

Snowbound Colorado Christmas is her 18th book release. Four more books will release in 2009. She is often a speaker at women's events, writers' meetings, and conferences. She's an award-winning, bestselling author. At present she serves as vice-president of DFW Ready Writers, the local chapter of American Christian Fiction Writers. She has a website, http://www.lenanelsondooley.com/. In the monthly newsletter, she gives away copies of her books and features reviews of her recent reads as well as what's new that month in Christian publishing. Her blog, http://lenanelsondooley.blogspot.com/, is popular with readers, because she promotes authors and their most recent works.

Award-winning author and speaker Darlene Franklin resides in the Colorado foothills with her mother and her Lynx Point Siamese cat Talia. She is the mother of two children. Her daughter has gone ahead of her to glory; her son lives in Oklahoma with his family. She loves music, reading, and writing. She is the author of five novels, and has contributed more than 150 articles to numerous magazines, anthologies, and devotionals. She has also written curriculum for children's Sunday school. Visit her web site: http://www.darlenehfranklin.com/.

A native Virginian, Tamela Hancock Murray has been writing all her life. She interned on Capitol Hill and at the U.S. Department of State before graduating with honors in Journalism from Lynchburg College in Virginia.

An award-winning, bestselling author, Tamela has over 20 fiction and nonfiction books to her credit. Upcoming releases include LOVE FINDS YOU IN MAIDEN, NORTH CAROLINA, and THE MASTER'S MATCH. She has discussed her work on radio and television. Her professional affiliations include Trois Riviere Fiction Writers and American Christian Fiction Writers. Tamela enjoys being an agent with Hartline Literary Agency, and she takes turns with her fellow agents writing a column for Christian Fiction Online Magazine http://www.christianfictiononlinemagazine.com/.

When she's not writing, Tamela spends wonderful times with her husband and their two daughters, as well as extended family and friends. Visit her web site: http://www.tamelahancockmurray.com/.

SNOWBOUND COLORADO CHRISTMAS
by Susan Page Davis, Lena Nelson Dooley, Darlene Franklin, and Tamela Hancock Murray
Published by Barbour Publishing

ABOUT THE BOOK

Relive the Christmas of 1913 in Denver through four stories told through the eyes of young people in love as snow falls in a record-setting blizzard. During Christmas the Christmas of 1913, Colorado is buffeted with snow and four couples find that taking refuge also means taking a look at the past and giving love a chance for the future.

Buy Your Copy of Snowbound Colorado Christmas Today!

AUTHORS INTERVIEWED

1. Who came up with the idea for the collection?

Lena: (The Best Medicine) Actually, I asked other authors on the email loop for Barbour authors for volunteers to be in a Christmas collection proposal. The four that I put together for this one were Tamela Hancock Murray, Susan Page Davis, Darlene Franklin, and myself. We sent several emails about possible ideas. I think I suggested being snowbound, but Tamela found the actual historical blizzard in 1913 Colorado that we decided to use for our stories.

2. Did you find it hard or easy to work within the series framework?

Darlene: (Dressed in Scarlet) I found Lena's theme--"a snowbound Christmas" (Tamela discovered the historical blizzard in Denver, the worst in the city's history)—-easy to work with. I LOVE snow. I started by searching for Bible verses about snow and came across Proverbs 31:21. "She is not afraid of the snow for her household; for all her household are clothed with scarlet." That sparked the idea of a heroine who used her red woollies to make hats and mittens for her household during a blizzard.

3. What part of the country do you live it? And why do you like that part of the country?

Tamela: (Fires of Love) I'm a native of Virginia and I love it here. The weather is temperate, yet we have all four seasons. Northern Virginia is hectic, crowded, and expensive. However, we're minutes from the Kennedy Center and the Smithsonian, so that has allowed us to expose our daughters to world-class operas and artwork of the masters. You'll find art galleries everywhere, and local companies perform ballets and plays. Several major concert venues and sports complexes are nearby, and we enjoy our annual trip to see car races as a treat for my daddy's birthday. We've hiked through mountains and forests in national parks. Our town offers conveniences such as two easily accessible major airports, fine international dining and day spas, yet horse and dairy farms are only a fifteen-minute drive away. Churches abound, and my husband and I have been able to send our daughters to a fine Christian school. By taking day trips, we also educate our daughters in culture and history, plus prepare them for interesting and varied life experiences while having lots of family fun.

4. Tell us about your novella.

Susan: (Almost Home) In "Almost Home," Patricia is stuck in the blizzard in a town ten miles from her Uncle Bill's ranch. She’s determined to get home, since her aunt is expecting her first baby. Trains and automobiles aren't running, and the liveryman refuses to rent her a horse in the storm. But Patricia runs into an old friend—Jared, who used to live on the ranch with them when his father was Uncle Bill's partner. Against his better judgment, Jared agrees to let Patricia ride one of his two horses, and they set out together. He soon regrets the decision and wonders if he can get her home safely to her family and deliver the special gift his father entrusted to him for Uncle Bill.

Be sure to visit http://triciagoyer.blogspot.com on September 16th for more information on these authors.

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Thank you, Susan, Lena, Darlene and Tamela, for being in the spotlight with us.

Readers, leave a comment for your chance to win a FREE autographed copy of Snowbound Colorado Christmas.

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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Spotlight on Susan and Megan Davis and Homicide at Blue Heron Lake

Happy Good Friday to you today. Only 2 more days until Easter, and we're headed out of town. So, I'm getting this one posted a smidgeon early.

Spotlight #2 this week features another of Heartsong Presents Mysteries cozy mystery books. Only this time, it's a mother and daughter team, where the mother is also a web design client of mine. That makes it double special. :)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Susan Page Davis is a Maine native and author of mysteries, suspense novels, and historical romance. She has won the short historical category of the ACFW Book of the Year and the Inspirational Readers' Choice Award. She’s the mother of six home-schooled children. Three daughters now hold degrees in creative writing. Her husband, Jim, is a news editor.

HOMICIDE ON BLUE HERON LAKE
by Susan and Megan Davis
Published by Heartsong Presents Mysteries

Join the Club Today!

AUTHOR INTERVIEW

1. This is your first novel with the recently launched Heartsong Presents Mystery Club, and one you've co-written with your daughter. What gave you the inspiration for this story?

I grew up in the beautiful town of Belgrade, Maine, nestled among several lakes. One of these served as Ernest Seton Thompson’s inspiration for On Golden Pond, complete with the mail boat that STILL runs in summer on Great Pond. I wanted to write a story about a guy (Nate in our book) who took mail to people in cottages on islands, who transported people over the lake and delivered packages. So Baxter Marina was born. I had the basic story line, and when I told my daughter Megan about it, she had a great idea for the plot. I asked her to write it with me. The result was our first book, Homicide at Blue Heron Lake.

2. How much of your own experiences influenced the characters of Emily and Nate? What aspects became traits that were theirs and theirs alone?

Emily is really more like Megan than me. She's young, lovely, poised on the brink of adulthood. Our heroine has been hurt, but she's made the best of it. We're proud of Emily and the way she deals with a scary situation.

3. What themes exist in Homicide on Blue Heron Lake that you hope the reader sees? Are there any themes that weren't overt but developed as the story progressed?

Confession and forgiveness are prominent. The character Raven Miller especially portrays this. The past has warped her, and she needs reshaping. Emily and Nate, on a smaller scale, have to overcome the past. All of them learn that, even when you thought a situation was irreversible, there’s always hope.

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

For me the hardest parts were scenes where several people gathered to talk about the murders. It's difficult to keep a scene moving when several people are talking and moving around. You have to focus on what will advance the story and stay with that, not get distracted by everything going on.

My favorites were when Emily and Nate were together. The chemistry between these two is great. Megan and I alternated chapters, and we both went over each section and then the whole thing to be sure the end product was seamless.

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

My next suspense book, Witness, releases in April from Love Inspired Suspense. In it, a woman witnesses a murder, but the police don’t believe her when they find no evidence of a crime. A couple of months later, I'll have a historical romance from Heartsong presents—Return to Love, set in Dover, New Hampshire, 1694. And Megan's and my second cozy mystery will release in August: Treasure at Blue Heron Lake. Those are written. I'm now working on my third Frasier Island Series book, Inside Story, for January 09 release.

Our MAINEly Murder series (Blue Heron Lake books) can be found at: http://www.heartsongmysteries.com/SusanDavis0001
And visit me at my Website: http://www.susanpagedavis.com/.

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Thank you, Susan, for being in the spotlight with us.

Readers, leave a comment for your chance to win a FREE autographed copy of Homicide at Blue Heron Lake.

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) or that it's available for viewing in your blogger profile. 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 type the email address where you'd like them sent. That way you'll be notified of any comments and will know when I announce the winner.

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

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