LOVE INSPIRED WEDNESDAY...Meet Debra Clopton and win a copy of her newest release...Operation Married by Christmas

I'm back with Love Inspired Wednesday's and this week I have a good one. I just finished Operation Married by Christmas. . . This is the second Debra Clopton book I've read. I started with Meeting Her Match right after the ACFW conference in September. I was so impressed with Debra's honest and real presence that I was eager to see if her style of writing matched her sweet personality.

Meeting her Match was very good. I was immediately drawn into the fictional town of Mule Hollow and right away ordered Operation Married by Christmas to see how Debra progressed with the lovable characters.

I wasn't disappointed. I loved Operation Married by Christmas. A story about a young woman who has left three men at the altar and comes home (wearing the wedding dress from her most recent escapade) only to run into the first man she left at the altar. It would seem that she never got over her love for him and the story is about the two of them coming to terms with their hurt and fears. It's a wonderful story of forgiveness and even how to take responsibility for our own actions, even when we feel we're the one wronged.

I'll be posting reviews of these books soon, but for now, I'd like to introduce Debra Clopton. :)

Debra, tell us about yourself. Your family, day job…basically, anything you want to share.

I write full time now and love it. I was married to my high school sweetheart for 22 years but have been a widow for four years now, a fact that has greatly influenced how I approach my writing. I have two wonderful sons ages 20 and 22 and in April will add a daughter-in-law to the family!

Boys are wonderful, and how fun that you're going to have a daughter soon. :)

What made you want to write a book? And why romance?

I’ve been an avid romance reader most of my life, I love happy endings. I despise books that don’t end well or someone I care about dies in the end. This sort of thing leaves me as stressed out at the end of the book as I may have been when I started it and that isn’t why I read. Also, I love that true romance edifies marriage between a man and a woman. To me a great romance makes a woman appreciate her mate and can help a young girl look for heroic qualities as she searches for her future husband. I want readers to read my books and say “that’s the kind of man I want to marry”. I love writing heroes who make the heroine feel safe, strong and fulfilled. My husband did that for me and so my heroes are modeled after him. Plus, I love writing romance that is fun and I try to never let it get boring!

I agree. I hate being frustrated when I'm reading. Who wants to feel stressed out when they put the book down? Now, what’s a typical day in your life and share your writing schedule with us.

I’m usually at the computer by 7 drinking a cup of coffee and checking email. By 8 or 9 at the latest I’m writing. I write all day, taking breaks every hour. I write at least 8 hours a day and many days, especially if I have a deadline, I write 12 hours or more. I love it!

Tell us about your writing journey and the day you found out you’d sold your first book.

This is sort of complicated but here goes. I wrote for 13 years—three of those years right before I sold my first book I didn’t actually write, I’d felt God urging me to give my full attention to my family so I did. At the end of that time my husband, the love of my life, died suddenly and I became a widow. I thank God everyday for the gift he gave me when He pressed upon me the need to focus on my family during those 3 years. I always tell others if you feel God leading you to stop writing by all means pause your career. You can always go back, but God may have a reason for asking you to lay your dream aside for a little while. Wayne died on July 5, 2003 and in my grief, needing something to help me during those dark lonely hours I was now faced with, I started reading Christian fiction. But, and by no means am I putting these author’s work down--because their work is a blessing to many and meets a need out there...it just wasn’t meeting my need. For me it seemed that all the Christian fiction I was reading was so heavy with the heartaches and “realisms” that the characters were suffering from that it was just too real to me and the fresh heartbreak I was dealing with. I didn’t need “real”, I needed escape, I needed something to help me smile. That’s when I felt compelled to start writing again. I pulled my last book that I’d written off the shelf, tweaked it a bit and sent it in. That was December of 2003 and, long story shortened, it was a romantic comedy about a wacky hairdresser who went to a small town in Texas to try and marry off all the cowboys! THE TROUBLE WITH LACY BROWN was a Golden Heart finalist and Joan Golan of Steeple Hill was judging. Since my story was targeted toward their Love Inspired line I hoped it would catch her attention. It did and she had Krista Stroever call me the week it arrived in New York with an offer! LOL…I was totally surprised—I knew the finalist were going to the editors desk that week but I wasn’t expecting the call to come so soon if it came at all. As it turned out I was the first GH finalist to sell that year. So after all those years of waiting for the call I was totally caught off guard. But I was happy! However, the call was bittersweet to me in that it was only 7 months after my husband’s death therefore while I was thrilled I was also so sad that Wayne wasn’t there beside me...but I knew in spirit he was and is. The reason I go on about this is because God has a plan for all of us and on the day I got the call I knew God was opening a new window for me. In His timetable He’d given me a new path for my life at exactly the time that I needed it most. I know my purpose is to write fun books that touch the hearts of readers. I write to help my readers laugh and escape the harsh realities of life for the little while they are reading one of my books. I strive to build a world where they can rest easy. Truly, the day I got the call changed my life.

I read my first book by you just a couple weeks ago. Meeting Her Match. Even though I don’t know you personally, I felt like I could see you in Sheri. Do you put a little bit of your own life in the Mule Hollow Books? And what about Mule Hollow? Is there a Mule Hollow in your life?

Yes, I’m in all of my books in little ways…but definitely in the way my speaking voice comes out on the page! Talk about voice, you can hear me loud and clear so I get that all the time :). But also, you will see snap shots of some of my life in the books although believe me, my life isn’t quiet as exciting as my characters—for instance Sheri had an encounter with an alligator in MEETING HER MATCH and so did I but hers was a lot more exciting than my own experience! And about Mule Hollow it is completely made up. However the small town I live in is a wonderful place full of great people but it isn’t Mule Hollow. I love that readers really wish they could move to Mule Hollow and I’ve had several people write to me asking if I could fix them up with a cowboy--I love that! I’m thinking maybe I should start an online dating service or something!


LOL, hey, I bet you'd be busy. I also just finished Operation: Married by Christmas. It was very good. The romance was fabulous. I could feel their pain and longing in each page. You did a great job making us believe their backstory. What makes your romances so good or what’s the key to writing a good romance?

Thank you so much for the nice comment! And I love this question, Sabrina. I believe understanding the dynamics of why two people are attracted to each other is key in building a romance. It is obviously part physical—very important to the dynamics of the sexual tension that makes real life and books exciting. But, the glue that binds it all together runs so much deeper and I believe foremost that two people have to make each other want to be better people. Also, something about the person has to make you feel alive in a way no one else can—got to have those sparks! Also, each hero and heroine has to be someone your readers connect with or it doesn’t work as a book. To achieve this I study movies with great dialog and story and also the same with books that I read. But I think for me I get it better through movies. I study why the relationships work on screen and why they don’t and I think it helps me with my work.

Any tips or advice for new writers that you wish you’d have known back before you were published?

Okay, take this with a grain of salt since I am still learning and growing myself! But I believe you need to always be open to learning and to changing the things that will make you a better writer. Learn what works for you, be true to how you would say it on paper—that’s your voice. Many new authors strive to please too many critique partners and so they don’t stand out. So my advice is: learn your voice and what works with it, what makes it better and then hone that voice until it stands out not blends in! People always say, “But how do you do that? How do you know if you have a voice?” Like I said earlier everyone has a voice, a way they say things, the way they see things. You just have to figure out how to get that to the page in a captivating way and then there you go--you have a voice. Yeah, I know, easier said than done .

You’ve created a great little town in Mule Hollow. How many more Mule Hollow stories do you have planned?

Thank you, I’m hoping everyone wants to visit Mule Hollow! I’m working on book 10 in the series (praise the Lord!)and since readers have embraced the books we’re keeping it going for now to fill that demand.

I’m so excited about the three books I have coming out in 2008 with Love Inspired and yes they are all set in Mule Hollow! The first book (Jan 08) NEXT DOOR DADDY is very special to me. I feel like it is one of my best books to date. It is about a widow and a widower who both have loved and lost their soul mates. Their journey to loving again is to me a very special one. It is a little different than my other books since it is heart wrenching in parts, but I balanced this out with tons of humor so that it is in keeping with my normal style. To do this I added a daredevil eight year old and a houseful of wonderful animals that are sure to make readers laugh! That book is followed by HER BABY DREAMS in April, this book is lighter and the hero was totally fun to create. He just won’t take no for an answer! Then comes THE COWBOY TAKES A BRIDE in July and it has the spunkiest, heroine who is a down and out actress with big dreams and she’s hoping Mule Hollow will help make them come true. All are fun books but each one is different and I hope meets readers expectations. You can read about them at my website debraclopton.com so please come on by and leave me a note!

I’ve enjoyed this interview Sabrina. Thanks for having me! I do hope readers will check out my website debraclopton.com and my new blog debraclopton.blogspot.com where I put out my newest news. And if you haven’t been to Mule Hollow yet—I hope you’ll grab a book and come visit me and the gang! God bless you all.

Thank you so much, Debra. This has been one of the most fun interviews. You're so kind to share of yourself with us. Now if you'd like to win a copy of Operation Married by Christmas, email me the answer to this question. What is the name of Debra's dog. :) The answer is on her website. And please leave a comment for Debra. :) Happy Sleuthing.

FREE BOOKS AND A REMINDER...

In the spirit of Christmas, I'm giving away a boatload of books in December. I'm mailing out Bayou Justice, For Her Son's Love, and Canteen Dreams, tomorrow to three lucky ladies...Stormie, Janna, and Melinda.

I'm also giving away a copy of Auralia's Colors if you leave a comment on the post before this one. Also, Debra Clopton is going to be on with an interview and I'll be giving away one of her books. Oh, and the girls from Big Apple Christmas are going to be sharing a Christmas memory with us and I'll be giving away a signed copy of that book also.

I'm planning on giving a way a lot more, so stop by often. :) And if you're in the Lafayette area tomorrow, December 1st, then you'll want to stop by the Carpenter's Son Christian Book Store. Cara Putman will be having her first booksigning. Oh and few other great authors will be there too. :) Colleen Coble, Brandt Dodson, Jamie Carie, Denise Hunter to be exact. It will be from 1-3 p.m. at 1165 S. Creasy Lane, Lafayette, IN. Stop by and support some great Indiana talent.

WIN AURALIA'S COLORS BY JEFFREY OVERSTREET

Leave a comment to be entered to win a copy of the book. :)

THIS WEEK THE CFBA BLOG TOUR

IS INTRODUCING

AURALIA'S COLORS

(WaterBrook Press September 4, 2007)

by

Jeffrey Overstreet


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:


Jeffrey Overstreet lives in two worlds. By day, he writes about movies at LookingCloser.org and in notable publications like Christianity Today, Paste, and Image.

His adventures in cinema are chronicled in his book Through a Screen Darkly. By night, he composes new stories found in fictional worlds of his own. Living in Shoreline, Washington, with his wife, Anne, a poet, he is a senior staff writer for Response Magazine at Seattle Pacific University.

Auralia’s Colors is his first novel. He is now hard at work on many new stories, including three more strands of The Auralia Thread.

ABOUT THE BOOK:

As a baby, she was found in a footprint.

As a girl, she was raised by thieves in a wilderness where savages lurk.

As a young woman, she will risk her life to save the world with the only secret she knows.

When thieves find an abandoned child lying in a monster’s footprint, they have no idea that their wilderness discovery will change the course of history.

Cloaked in mystery, Auralia grows up among criminals outside the walls of House Abascar, where vicious beastmen lurk in shadow. There, she discovers an unsettling–and forbidden–talent for crafting colors that enchant all who behold them, including Abascar’s hard-hearted king, an exiled wizard, and a prince who keeps dangerous secrets.

Auralia’s gift opens doors from the palace to the dungeons, setting the stage for violent and miraculous change in the great houses of the Expanse.

Auralia’s Colors weaves literary fantasy together with poetic prose, a suspenseful plot, adrenaline-rush action, and unpredictable characters sure to enthrall ambitious imaginations.

Visit the Website especially created for the book, Auralia's Colors. On the site, you can read the first chapter and listen to Jeffrey's introduction of the book, plus a lit more!

PRAISE FOR THE BOOK:

"Film critic and author Overstreet (Through a Screen Darkly) offers a powerful myth for his first foray into fiction. Overstreet’s writing is precise and beautiful, and the story is masterfully told. Readers will be hungry for the next installment."
--Publishers Weekly

“Through word, image, and color Jeffrey Overstreet has crafted a work of art. From first to final page this original fantasy is sure to draw readers in. Auralia's Colors sparkles.”
-–Janet Lee Carey, award-winning author of The Beast of
Noor and Dragon's Keep



“Jeffrey Overstreet’s first fantasy, Auralia’s Colors, and its heroine’s cloak of wonders take their power from a vision of art that is auroral, looking to the return of beauty, and that intends to restore spirit and and mystery to the world. The book achieves its ends by the creation of a rich, complex universe and a series of dramatic, explosive events.”
-–Marly Youmans, author of Ingledove and The
Curse of the Raven Mocker

Remember, leave a comment to be entered in the drawing for a copy of this great new book. :)

Cara Putman and her first release...Canteen Dreams

It is with great joy that I bring today’s interview to you. Most of my blog readers know that Cara Putman is a dear friend and crit partner since I’ve sang her praises before. Today I get to interview her and give away an autographed copy of her first release, Canteen Dreams. This is the first of four books that will be released in a little over one year. Cara has been on a fast track since meeting Colleen Coble in 2005. Cara met Colleen and Cara’s husband Eric mentioned to Colleen that Cara wanted to write a book. The rest as they say is history. :0)

Since that time, Cara has finished Canteen Dreams, Sandhill Dreams, and still has Captive Dreams to complete for her three-book commitment to Heartsong Presents. She also has a Love Inspired Suspense, Deadly Exposure, coming out next year. Whew…she’s a powerhouse to be sure. I have complete confidence that we’re going to see great things from Cara in the next few years. So, without further delay, here’s our interview. And read to the bottom to find out how to win a copy of Canteen Dreams.

Cara has been all over the blog sphere these days so I opted for a more fun quirky interview and I hope you’ll learn something new about Cara in the process.


Cara, if you could pick one moment in you and your husband’s marriage that would be a perfect book “scene” what moment would it be.

CP: In a prior life, I worked for a non-profit where I traveled most weekends to teach primarily college students how to get involved and be effective in politics. One of those seminars took me to Kamloops, British Columbia -- a truly rough assignment with Tim Horton donuts all around. Eric went with me and we planned to take a few days after to enjoy the area since we'd never been. While I was lecturing, Eric went exploring. The morning after I finished teaching, we got on the Rocky Mountaineer train and spent a wonderful day traveling to Banff. And we had a couple fantastic days in Banff. It's a beautiful resort town surrounded by range after range of the Canadian Rockies. It was wonderful.

SF: Oh. I know where Banff is. What a gorgeous place. I’m sure it was a fabulous trip. Now, if you could be any character in any book, who would you be?

CP: Uhhhh, now that's an easy question. Not. At one time, I would have said Scarlett O'Hara, because I loved the dresses and glamour of the pre-Civil War south. Then there was a time I wanted to join Laura Ingalls Wilder on the frontier. Then I realized I really love the amenities of modern life. Eric says he would be John Clark from the Tom Clancy books. I'd lean toward Jack Ryan, a reluctant but effective warrior. But I would love to be Deborah or Esther from the Bible. That's never changed. Deborah was a woman who filled what was traditionally a male role as she followed hard after God's calling on her life. And Esther rose from a position of insignificance to one of power, but never forgot God. And when He called her to do the impossible, she did, trusting in him. I hope I would respond as these women did when God calls me to go somewhere I don't think I can go.

SF: Wow, you are a very multi-layered girl, Cara. ;) Back to you and your hubby—-Your favorite date night with Eric.

CP: Any date. Really. In life that moves so fast, it's great to get time away just the two of us. Dinner and a movie. Coffee at a bookstore. Time to connect is the important part.

SF: It’s cool how compatible you two are. You seem to have such similar interests. Now, if you couldn’t be a writer or a lawyer, what would you be doing?

CP: Journalist. I always wanted Katie Couric's job on Good Morning America. Then I took a detour in college after working at a TV station for two years. While I worked around media for several years, I never got back into the active journalism aspects again. So, it was really fun to write Dani Richards in Deadly Exposure since she's a broadcast journalist.

SF: I could absolutely see you with Katie Couric’s job! Was there anything hard about writing Canteen Dreams?

CP: There really weren't any. That book almost wrote itself. The hardest part was going back in the rewrites and smoothing out some of the tension in the romance. I had a lot to learn, but had wonderful editors to work with who helped me id the problem areas.

SF: What was the easiest part of writing Canteen Dreams?

CP: The book wrote itself in three weeks. I've always loved World War Two history, and the early 40s. The songs and movies are some of my favorite even if I wasn't born for another 30 years. So, I enjoyed the process of stepping back in time and telling the story of the North Platte Canteen and my grandparents.

SF: Is there anything your readers might be surprised to know about you or your family?

CP: Another great question, Sabrina. Our idea of the perfect vacation is escaping
the crazy pace of day-to-day life. Eric and I both run at a really fast pace, so it's wonderful to escape and spend time playing lots of games with our kids. And we all love games. Board games. Card Games. Active games. We can spend hours playing together. I love that!

SF: Thanks, Cara, for stopping by. You know I’m one of your biggest fans and feel blessed to call you a friend. (Cara’s one of those girls that is such an encourager. She’s sweet and kind when she needs to be, and good with a kick in the pants when she needs to be. :0) Anyway, if you’d like to win a copy of Canteen Dreams go to Cara’s blog look for a post that Cara posted from her mom, Jolene Catlett, and find the answer to this question, Cara's mother isn't surprised Cara ended up writing and ultimately became published...not since she began journaling in ______. Find the answer and email me. I'll draw a name from the correct answers. :) Happy sleuthing.

CP: Thanks so much for having me, Sabrina! I so appreciate the friendship that has grown between us as we both chase our writing dreams. Can't wait to hold your book someday soon!

Welcome Robin Caroll...Author of Bayou Justice

In celebration of the release of her first book, I've invited Robin Caroll as a guest blogger to share with us today. After the interview please leave a comment and once I receive Robin's book I'll draw a name for a free copy. :) It's common knowledge that Robin is a dillegent writer. Working hard to hone her craft, she's quite competent at getting book after book completed. She just finished her fourth contracted book that will also be released through Steeple Hill. I figured it would be fun to hear about her journey from unpublished to published.

Welcome, Robin Caroll!

Author of the much anticipated Love Inspired Suspense,

Bayou Justice

Thanks for hosting me, Sabrina. As per your suggestion, I'm going to share a little bit about the challenges on the transition from unpublished to published.

The biggest challenge for me, personally, is to have realized that once you sell your book, it’s no longer your baby, but a product to sell. It’s been sold to the publisher, but now you have to work with your editorial team to focus on selling to the target consumer. The title, the characters, the plot twists, the cover…everything is focused on appealing to your target consumer—the reader. I found this challenging because I had NO IDEA what all is taken into consideration during this process.

Editors know what the readers of their specific lines look for, what they expect, and they help steer you in the direction of providing exactly that. The entire team from editors, line editors, proofreaders, typesetters, art departments, etc. all work toward the same goal as you—to make your book the best it can be to appeal to your target reader. It’s an amazing process, and I love seeing how all these different team members work together and get the final product out there to the readers. I’m blessed to be going through this journey with the awesome team I have with Steeple Hill.

Another challenge I found was acknowledging the fact that deadlines can be our best friends, or our worst enemies. It’s one thing to set yourself a deadline, make one with your cps, or even one from your agent, but it’s a totally different feeling when you have a deadline to turn in a manuscript, or revisions, or line edits, or front & back material, or galleys….there are many people waiting on you, expecting you to turn in on deadline so they can do their job, and aside from the contractual obligations, there’s the whole aspect of if you fall late, you push everyone else in the lineup running behind as well.

One other thing that’s a transition, but it’s not really a challenge, is reviews. I didn’t realize how I’d actually be nervous to hear there was a review out on my books. I’ve done the contest thing and cringed and celebrated over judges’ comments and overall scores. I guess that was preparation for handling reviews. I’m blessed that for now, I’ve gotten really great reviews. But I know a bad one’s coming—that’s just a fact because not every reader is going to love my book. I’m trying to prepare for the not-so-great review so it won’t sting. I’m a big girl. Rejections, bad scores, and so-so reviews are part of this industry. I can take it. Well, check with me after I get one and let’s see how I did! Our heads can tell us one thing, but the reality sure can sting! LOL

Thanks, Sabrina, for having me. I’ve had fun!

Robin Miller is writing as Robin Caroll. Deep South Mysteries for an Inspired Heart BAYOU JUSTICE--October 2007 Steeple Hill BAYOU CORRUPTION--February 2008 Steeple Hill BAYOU JUDGMENT-May 2008 Steeple Hill BAYOU PARADOX-September 2008, Steeple Hill

Thank you, Robin, for sharing with us. Good luck with the books and I can't wait to review Bayou Justice next week. :) Now leave those comments and I'll put you in a drawing for a free copy of Bayou Justice. :)

THE TROPHY WIVES CLUB...CFBA BLOG TOUR

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing
THE TROPHY WIVES CLUB
Avon Inspire (September 4, 2007)

by

Kristin Billerbeck

ABOUT THE BOOK:

Haley Cutler is the consummate trophy wife. Perhaps "was" is the more accurate term. Haley married Prince Charming when she was only twenty years old – back in the day when highlights came from an afternoon at the beach, not three hours in the salon.

When Jay first turned his eye to Haley, she was putty in his slender, graceful hands. No one ever treated her like she was important, and on the arm of Jay Cutler, she became someone people listened to and admired. Unfortunately, after seven years of marriage, her Prince Charming seems to belong to the Henry the XIII line of royalty. When Haley loses Jay, she not only loses her husband, she loses her identity.

With her first independent decision, Haley leaves LA and moves home to Northern California. Feeling freedom just within her grasp, Haley learns that her settlement payments must go through one of Jay's financial advisers, Hamilton Lowe. Haley believes he's nothing more than a spy. And the feelings of distrust are mutual. Yet, somehow, Hamilton finds himself handing over the monthly checks in person, and Haley can't deny that there's a kind of tenderness and protectiveness in Hamilton that she's never experienced in a man before.

But before Haley can even consider another relationship, she must learn to accept her inherent worth, and what it is to be loved for who she is, not what's on the outside.

****************************************
Q & A with Kristin Billerbeck

1. Does the Trophy Wives Club represent a departure in any way from your past books?

It does and it doesn’t. There’s romance, humor and a feisty heroine – which is normal for my books, but in this one, there are also some serious issues: a neglectful husband, an emotionally battered wife, and the fear of the unknown.

2. How did you go about creating the character of Haley?

I watched a husband take his wife for granted as though she were a plotted plant, and I thought, what would happen when that wife wakes up to her life? What might happen if she never did wake up and her life crumbles around her? I thought about the type of wife who tries to do everything right, but still can’t keep her marriage together, since it ultimately consists of two people.

3. Haley is able to draw strength she didn’t know she had from the refreshing example of a group of independent, professional women friends. What made you decide to focus in this way on the importance of female friendship?

Now that I’m older, I’ve watched marriages flourish, fail and flounder. One thing remains constant and that is your girlfriends. They will support you no matter what the situation is, and I wanted to pay homage to that.

4. Haley isn’t a committed Christian at the beginning of the book – she’s actually a skeptic. What do you think are the advantages to portraying a character who initially has no spiritual or religious leanings?

I don’t really think of it in terms of advantages, or crossing over. I just thought it went with Haley’s character. She was walking through life asleep and one day she’s forced to think about her actual opinions. Someone else has been telling her what they were and she was too weak to realize it. The stronger one person gets in a relationship, the more unbalanced, and the weaker the other person feels. That seemed to be where Haley was in her life. I wanted to be true to her, not preach a message. I write for women and I try to look at the harder questions in life and provide a humorous, lighthearted read at the same time. To me, story comes first.

5. The Trophy Wives Club has a clear inspirational message but isn’t heavy-handed in its use of religion. How do you think this helps the crossover appeal of the book?

I think this is indicative of my faith in general. I believe God meets us where we are. Some of us live godly, straight-and-narrow lives and some of us have to mess life up fantastically for Him to get our attention, but really, God doesn’t send floods or whales very often. He’s subtle.


I ended with this question because this is one of the reasons I loved the book so much. Kristin is right when she says God meets us where we are. Even among other Christians, we can be so different. We are so similar, yet so different. Something I allow my son to do a friend of mine might think I’m horrible. Then again, I may not agree with something she does with her children. I liked that Kristin’s heroine, Haley, was real. She spoke and acted like I would have acted. She was angry, and rightly so. Her scumbag ex-husband kicked her to the curb and she had no say over her situation whatsoever. I think the way Kristin had Haley progress from victimized wife to strong single woman was not only fabulous, it was believable.

If you love quick witted, snappy dialog, along with a great character driven plot, then be sure to pick up The Trophy Wives Club. I’d go so far as to say, if you know someone who’s been through divorce recently, even if they weren’t considered a “trophy wife”, they would enjoy this book. :)

Introducing Sushi for One? By Camy Tang

Hey everybody, here's the book blurb for Sushi for One along with an author interview with Camy Tang. To save space, I'm going to post my review of the book next week. I loved the book and look forward to sharing my opinion of her writing style. Now, about the book:


Lex Sakai’s family, big, nosy, and marriage-minded, is ruled by a crafty grandmother. When her cousin Mariko gets married, Lex will become the OLDEST SINGLE COUSIN in the clan, a loathed position by all single female family members.

Lex has not dated for years.

Grandma homes in on this fact and demands, bribes, and threatens Lex to bring a boyfriend (not just a date) to her cousin’s wedding.

Lex does not want to date ... not since that terrible incident a few years back ... but, Grandma doesn't give her that choice.

Lex's options are slim because she has used her Bible study class on Ephesians to compile a huge list of traits for the PERFECT man (and the more she dates, the more she adds to the list).

The one man she keeps running into (and is completely attracted to) doesn’t seem to have a single quality on her list. It’s only when the always-in-control Lex loses control and lets God take over that all the pieces of this hilarious romance finally fall into place.

The book link is: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0310273986

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Camy Tang is a member of CFBA and is a loud Asian chick who writes loud Asian chick-lit. She grew up in Hawaii, but now lives in San Jose, California, with her engineer husband and rambunctious poi-dog. In a previous life she was a biologist researcher, but these days she is surgically attached to her computer, writing full-time. In her spare time, she is a staff worker for her church youth group, and she leads one of the worship teams for Sunday service.

Sushi for One? (Sushi Series, Book One is her first novel. Her second, Only Uni (Sushi Series, Book Two) comes out in February 2008!

To celebrate the launch of her debut novel, she's got a huge contest going on. Camy is giving away baskets of Christian novels and an iPod Nano! Only her newsletter YahooGroup subscribers are eligible to enter, so join today.

For more information about the contest, visit her website.

Contest ends October 31, 2007!

Now let's meet Camy (as if there's anyone left who doesn't know the most well known blogger on the web...LOL)
Sabrina: Hi, Camy, congratulations on your fab new release, and welcome. Now, a lot of your bloggees and fellow ACFW members know the story about how Brandilyn prayed over you and you realized you were to write about your heritage. But what about your family? How did they perceive the book? Did they laugh with you, cry with you, try to find themselves in the book, etc... LOL.

Camy: It's kind of funny, because I purposefully made an announcement at a family party earlier this year: "NONE OF YOU GUYS ARE IN MY BOOK!" LOL

Seriously, none of my family is in my book. The characters are purely
from my rather scary head.

However, my family is SO proud of me. My mom especially is very proud because she was a high school English teacher and always encouraged me to write. She never once told me, "It's not really very likely you'll actually become published." She always just told me to keep writing,
and she even proofread my first manuscript.

Sabrina: Man, what a great mom. ;) I'm sure she's bursting with pride. Now, without giving too much away, what scene did you have the most fun writing?

Camy: The funnest scene was actually the first one in the Chinese restaurant at the Red Egg and Ginger party. For one, it involved lots of really good Chinese food--always a wonderful thing--and for another, it was so true to life about how a real Red Egg and Ginger party is like:
tables packed in a restaurant, people scrambling for food, waiters sliding in between chairs, the younger folk jammed into the back of the room and fighting for space.

Sabrina: That scene really drew us in right away. You did a great job helping us to see the scene.

Having read your blog, quite often, I know you are actively involved with the youth at your church and very involved in the lives of the kids you mentor. You could tell in the book, you have a handle on the young adult scene and how they live/talk/believe, so what did the girls you mentor think of the book?

Camy: Not many of the girls in my youth group read romance, but the ones who have read the book have liked it a lot. It's a little hard for them to relate to the protagonist, Lex, because she's a lot older than they are and dealing with different issues related to her stage of life, but they like the humor and the scenes with Lex's family, because they mirror their own families to an extent.

Sabrina: Some writers say they never use real life people for the idea of a certain character, I'm not one of those people. LOL. I have all kinds of people I've seen or known in my book, never the same as the real life people, but I know where they got their traits from. All that to ask, is there any Camy in the book? Though I think I might know this answer, I'm curious to see if I'm right. ;)

Camy: I do have a camy-o appearance in the book, it's a volleyball player who's not very good whose name is, incidentally, Camy. She gets beamed by a spiked volleyball and lands flat on her back. That actually happened to me. My volleyball friends call me the ball-magnet.

Sabrina: I thought that was so cute using your name. Now, tell us a little about book two.

Camy: Here's the blurb:

Will Trish Sakai be able to follow her three simple rules and hold out
against two gorgeous guys?

Trish Sakai is ready for a change from her wild, flirtatious behavior.
And her three cousins are anxious for her to change, too. Trish is
always knocking something over, knocking herself out, and taking hard
knocks in her perpetual confusion about men.

When Trish's ex-boyfriend, Kazuo the artist, keeps popping up at all
the wrong moments, Trish decides to be firm with herself. She creates
three simple rules from First and Second Corinthians and plans to
follow them to the letter. No more looking at men! No more dating
non-Christians! She will persevere in hardship by relying on God.

Except now Kazuo is claiming Trish is his muse, and he can't complete
his major work of art without her. And a gorgeous coworker is
reassigned, bringing him in daily contact with Trish. But her cousins
are determined to hold her accountable to her plan. She thought three
rules would be a cinch, but suddenly Trish's simple rules don't seem
so simple after all.

Sabrina: Man, I can hardly wait. I'm already ready for it...can't you write any faster, woman. ;) Actually that leads into my next question. Now that you have raving fans to think of, what's your writing day like?

Camy: I'm a night owl, so I tend to get up later in the morning and work late into the evening. I try to get some exercise done first thing (although that doesn't always happen) and I also spend time with God. (Right now I'm going through a lectio divina book that's totally fabulous, and I've done the Bible in 90 Days a couple times.) That time with God is the most important part of my day, because if I don't work to develop that relationship with Him, then He won't be in my stories, and if that happens, what's the point of writing?

I spend about 1-3 hours on email--it depends on what I have going on, for instance when the Genesis contest is running, I'll be spending time doing emails for that--and then the rest of the day is writing. Sometimes I'm plotting, sometimes I'm working on character, sometimes
I'm editing, sometimes I'm writing the manuscript. It depends on what
my next deadline is.

Sabrina: How long do your books take from concept to end?

Camy: Six months, although I'm trying to cut that down. That includes several months of planning and plotting, about 6 weeks of writing, a couple weeks for my crit partners to get the manuscript back to me, and a few days to incorporate their suggestions before turning it into
my editor. Then I get macro edits and after that line edits.

Sabrina: You left us wanting more at the end of Sushi. Will we see more of Aiden and Lexi in book two?

Camy: A little. They're minor characters in Only Uni, but they do play a significant role in Trish's story.

Sabrina: What's the take away for this book? What do you want people to feel or know by the end of the book?

Camy: While I hope the story encourages Christians in their spiritual walks, I won't lie--first and foremost, I hope they just enjoy the read.

Sushi for One is the kind of book I like to read--clean, funny, romantic, light, spiritual. It's not Oswald Chambers or Lee Strobel--it's a flirty, fluffy, entertaining novel with a message of
encouragement for women struggling with some of the same issues Lex is struggling with--identity, career, the shadows of her past, her relationship with God.

Sabrina: Thanks, Camy. I appreciate you taking the time to be here, and I look forward to all those fabulous books in your future. ;)

Camy: Thanks, Sabrina! I also want to remind everyone that I have a huge website
contest going on right now where I'm giving away baskets of Christian fiction and an iPod Nano! Only my newsletter YahooGroup subscribers are eligible to enter, so join today! (and mention you heard it here!)

Meet Ramona Cecil

Hey, folks, please welcome fellow Indiana Hoosier, Ramona Cecil. I've known Ramona for a couple years now and one thing I've learned about her in that time is she's passionate about her writing. She has a great desire to create a well crafted story and take the reader on a journey with the characters. I've had the pleasure of reading her book, Larkspur, and loved it. I thought it was wonderful and you can check out her website for my review.

So, Ramona, tell me about yourself...family...former jobs...anything you'd like your readers to know.

I'm a wife, mother, and grandmother and live in a small, Indiana town. I grew up in a rural area with parents who both had an interest in writing. Sadly, life intruded and neither enjoyed any real writing success. But they noticed my interest in writing early on and always encouraged me. I've written poetry since I was small. Between the mid-1980's and 1990's, over eighty of my inspirational verses were published by Dicksons Inc., a major producer of inspirational and Christian gift items.

I have worked many jobs including keypunch operator(remember the old punch cards that had to be fed into a giant computer?)to accounts payable clerk, to working at Wal-Mart in the toy department. My young grandson loved that one! LOL

What do you do in your free time? Hobbies or fun things you like to do with your family...

Our two grown daughters live away, so we don't get to see them as much as we would like. My husband and I like to take long drive(getting more expensive with the high gas prices),try out new restaurants, and visit places of historical interest. That works well, since I write mostly historicals.

I know you wrote poetry for years. Tell me about the experience that led you to write your first novel.

In the mid 1980's when our daughters were small, we took them to Conner Prairie, a living history museum near Indianapolis, Indiana. It was there, while visiting the "doctor's" house, that the idea for Larkspur was first planted in my imagination. In the kitchen, the "doctor's wife" introduced us to her hired-girl, a teen-aged girl working at the family's new-fangled iron stove. We were then invited to visit the surgery, then a separate log building behind the house. There, we were met by a young man who introduced himself as the doctor's apprentice. Well. . .my romantic imagination took off, and I thought "There's a story here!"


See that's why I'm not a historical writer. I visited the same place and thought, sheesh, can you imagine not having running water and indoor plumbing. LOL. I'm such a wimp. ;) Tell us about Larkspur and how it has changed over the years.

I had no idea what the craft of writing involved. All my life, I'd been a voracious
reader. I'd always made up stories in my mind, so assumed I could write one. But banging away on an electric typewriter was tedious and the pressing duties of motherhood and occasional jobs dragged me away from my story. I think I did a couple of rewrites(still having no idea of the proper way to craft a story)before I shoved it into a drawer somewhere to languish for years. It was about 1999 when our youngest daughter left home and I got a computer that I began to seriously consider trying to write again. For a long time, I didn't even get online. I just used my computer as a word processor. I continued to work on my own for a couple of years. I rewrote Larkspur again, a medieval that will never see the light of day, and several novellas. Knowing I needed help, I finally got online and found American Christian Romance Writers. I couldn't believe I'd found an entire group of people who did what I wanted to do. I quickly joined a critique group and began the process of actually learning the craft of writing. I took advantage of the wonderful writing courses offered by great, multi-published Christian writers. In 2003, I entered Larkspur in the Northeastern Indiana Opening Gambit Contest and it won third place. Encouraged, I submitted it to a publisher. It was rejected. That was a real blow, but great suggestions came along with the rejection. I had already begun writing Sweet Forever, a sequel to Larkspur. I put Larkspur away and didn't plan to do anything more with it. Then, I noticed a contest posted to the ACFW loop. A small publishing company that just published historicals was sponsoring a contest for inspirational stories. I decided to dust off Larkspur, rewrite it implementing some of the suggestions I'd gotten along with the rejection. I thought it would be a good way for to get my work looked at by another publishing company. I never seriously thought I'd win. But I did! Part of first place prize was a contract to have my story published. It was more than I could take in. At long last, Larkspur was actually going to be a published book I could hold in my hands! Oh, it had gone through many rewrites, but it was basically the same love story I'd envisioned twenty-three years earlier!

Twenty-three years!!! Oh you give me hope, Ramona. ;) What has been the hardest thing you've learned on your writing journey?

That no matter what happens or how discouraged I might get from time to time, I can never give up.

What do you think is the biggest misconception for new writers?

Probably the same one I had----that reading great writing is all the instruction one needs to author their own story.

And what was the most valuable advice you ever received about your writing?

Never give in. Never, never never, never give in! And it's just as true now as when Winston Churchill first said it. I've heard that from many writers during the six years I've seriously been working at the craft. Just as important, was the advice to turn my writing over to God, believing that there are no limits to what He can do. I did. And every time my heart cried out to Him to show me if I was still supposed to do this, he brought another encouragement.

With my last post about the Genesis contest, I have to ask, how do you feel about contests and how they help or hinder a writer?

Hmm. That is a tough one. They can be so subjective. But I've entered several contests and have learned something from each one. I do think they can be beneficial if you remember that they are subjective. But if you notice the same comment repeated by several judges, know that is something you need to work on.

I agree! Now tell us about your new Heartsong.

Sweet Forever picks up with the younger brother of the heroine from Larkspur. Ten years later, in 1845, Jacob Hale is a young minister in Madison, Indiana, a bustling town on the banks of the Ohio River. The heroine is Rosaleen Maguire Archer, a troubled young woman deposited on the banks of the Ohio at Madison after a steamboat explosion. Believing God hates her because she was born illegitimate, Rosaleen rebuffs Jacobs efforts to bring her to Christ. Always looking over her shoulder for the sinister gambler that killed her husband, Rosaleen longs to travel to New York where she hopes to become a concert pianist. But a growing attachment to Jacob, involvement in the Underground Railroad, and a burgeoning desire to make herself acceptable in God's eyes, keep delaying her plans.

What else are you writing now?

I just finished Charity's Heart, which is, I think, the last in the saga of the Hale/Morgan family. Set in 1866 in the towns of Vernon and Madison, Indiana, it deals with forgiveness in the context of lingering animosities following the Civil War. The hero, Daniel Morgan, is a veteran of the Union Army and survivor of Andersonville prisoner of war camp and the Sultana steamboat explosion. The heroine, Charity Langdon, is a refugee of the war-torn South, forced to flee north during Sherman's march through Georgia.

I'm also working on a long women's historical, The Heritage, set in my own southern Indiana county during the War of 1812.

You're a busy woman! Who has helped you on your journey...people or organizations?

First, I must say, God. I asked Him to put people in my way to help me, and He did---and still does. I must thank my parents for encouraging my writing from my earliest days. I thank my husband who has always believed in me and makes what I do, possible, and my daughters, who are my constant cheer-leaders. There are many, many writers and critique partners I've come to know and love dearly since joining ACFW who have encouraged me and taught me so much. I cannot name them all, but must mention a few. Colleen Coble, Diann Hunt, Staci Wilder, Pat Loomis, Kim Sawyer, and Louise Gouge are some of the wonderful, selfless Christian writers God has placed in my way to help me along on my journey.

Finally, thank you, Ramona, for taking the time to answer these questions, I know you're a busy woman.

Sabrina, thank you for allowing me to tell the story of my writing journey. I pray that my testimony will encourage others who write the words God lays on their hearts and dare to dream they might one day see their stories in print.

Now, for anyone who'd like to win a copy of Ramona's book, Larkspur, go to her website and find the answer to this question: Name three of Ramona's books listed on her website that are Germinating in her Story Garden. ;) Then email me at least three titles and I'll draw for a winner. ;) Happy sleuthing.

The Reluctant Runaway by Jill Elizabeth Nelson

Stolen Indian artifacts. . .

A dead museum guard. . .

A missing wife and mom. . .

A baby in mortal danger. . .

Museum security expert Desiree Jacobs and FBI agent Tony Lucano scramble to unearth the horrifying secret that links every incident. The investigation thrusts them into the path of something dark and sinister.

Something that craves blood sacrifice.

From the high society of the U.S. capital to the streets of Desi's beloved Boston to the mountain desert of New Mexico, Desi and Tony must thwart forces of darkness—relying on God’s guidance and strength—to save a young woman and her baby from a villain more desperate than they can imagine.