VANCOUVER ~ Gail Satt;er

Hello, Whispers in Purple readers. I am so tickled to bring you author GAIL SATTLER for "Timeless Thursday. Her delightful tagline is 'Serious Comedy - no kidding!'

    

I have met Gail, and yes she is a funny lady! So sit back and enjoy her visit. 

Take it away, Gail!

Vancouver, BC, Canada. Image courtesy pixabay.com

As I look back, I have the fondest memories of a series put together that were in the Heartsong Present line, four books that were a series, then put together under one cover …VANCOUVER.

The first book was inspired by my family’s purchase of an old, beat-up tent trailer, so we could try camping as a family but not sleep on the cold hard ground. The process of setting up the trailer was the inspiration for GONE CAMPING. My first time camping was an adventure.

The second book AT ARM’S LENGTH was inspired by my middle son, who was left-handed, and as a child, stereotypically clumsy. Only in this book, the hero, who is left-handed, falls victim to someone else who is clumsy.

The third book, ON THE ROAD AGAIN was inspired by my day job, which is in commercial trucking. Not many people appreciate all that truckers go through. A lot of the job is boring, but it’s always on a deadline, and often, that’s what makes it interesting.

The fourth book, MY NAME IS MIKE was inspired by a reader who sent me a letter and suggested I write a book about Mike, who was the bad guy in the first book. So I dug into the AA program, and wrote a book to get Mike, who did a lot of work, got to know God’s love, learned reliance on God, and got cleaned up and reformed from the bad guy to a good guy.

Vancouver:

What is the best thing about living in a beautiful, modern city--being surrounded by buildings, people, and activity? Or just getting away from it all? 

Meet four women who hold different views of life in Canada's jeweled city ... Roberta, desperate for some solitude in which to re-evaluate her life, has left downtown and Gone Camping. But as a novice in the great outdoors, she finds herself depending on the local park ranger's assistance - again and again. If she can't be alone, how will she find true peace? 

Molly works in Vancouver's business district. On her new boss's first day she accidentally breaks his arm - and soon is caught up in rumors of a "tawdry affair." Can she save her job by keeping romance At Arm's Length? 

Gwen's summer job - helping to drive her uncle's semi trucks - takes her away from the city, across the Canadian border, and On the Road Again. Reluctant to be paired with a handsome codriver, can Gwen maintain a friendly distance until they get the job done and return home? 

Patricia, helping at her father's Vancouver church, hears My Name Is Mike whenever she takes a recovering alcoholic to his mandated meetings. Can she give him guidance toward a better life without entangling her heart? Laugh and cry with these resourceful Canadian women and watch how faith and love uphold them on the drifting currents of life.

Amazon link  - https://www.amazon.com/Vancouver-Romancing-America-Gail-Sattler-ebook/dp/B00A73Q6Q2/ref=sr_1_fkmrnull_1?keywords=gail+sattler+vancouver&qid=1550638789&s=gateway&sr=8-1-fkmrnull

 

Gail Sattler lives in Vancouver BC Canada, where you don't have to shovel rain. When she's not madly writing (Gail Sattler has over 40 published novels and novellas, plus a few works of non-fiction) she plays bass for an Elton John tribute band as well as a community jazz band, plus she plays piano for a smaller private jazz band. When she's not writing or making music (or at her day job) Gail likes to sit back and read a book written by someone else, along with a good cup of hot coffee.

Visit Gail Sattler's website at www.gailsattler.com

Gail Sattler's blog - What Goes On In The Mind Of A Writer - http://www.gailsattler.com/category/new/

Facebook  - https://www.facebook.com/gail.sattler.3

Gail Sattler's Facebook author page at https://www.facebook.com/Gail-Sattler-author-568988573496833/?modal=admin_todo_tour

The Other Neighbor ~ Gail Sattler

The Other Neighbor - by Gail Sattler

Peg, here ... Please welcome author Gail Sattler, a dear lady with the most delightful sense of humor! Her 'tagline' is: 

Serious comedy - no kidding 

Enjoy this post from her.

Cheryl Richardson doesn’t know that her landlord who owns the other half of the duplex where she lives is plotting to build a bomb—but the FBI does. In order to discover what her landlord is planning to blow up, agent Steve Gableman moves next door to get closer to Cheryl to learn what she knows, namely the target and motive, so they can stop it. But when Steve involves himself in every area of her life, including her dog, will Cheryl be the one to explode?

Purchase link - https://www.amazon.com/Other-Neighbor-Gail-Sattler-ebook/dp/B07J6RD2W5/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1541881890&sr=8-1&keywords=neighbor+sattler

Just how well do we know our neighbors? Most of the time we wave at each other as we come and go, and sometimes we remember their names. More often, what we remember is the names of their dogs, as that's what we hear the most often. After all, people call their dogs, but dogs don't call their people.

Most of the time our neighbors are simply normal people just like ourselves, with ordinary lives. But sometimes, they're not. After all, everyone who makes the news, in both good ways and bad, are somebody's neighbor.

My neighbors are all nice, normal people. At least I like to think so.

Bio:  Gail Sattler lives in Vancouver BC, Canada, which is technically a rain forest, except that occasionally in the winter all that rainfall actually turns to snow. Regardless of the weather, Gail spends a lot of her time writing and has over 30 published novels and novellas, and a few works of non-fiction.

Visit Gail Sattler's website at www.gailsattler.com

On Facebook  - https://www.facebook.com/gail.sattler.3

Or Gail Sattler's author page at https://www.facebook.com/Gail-Sattler-author-568988573496833/?modal=admin_todo_tour

Humor and the Beholder ~ Thomas Albaugh ~ Giveaway

Humor and the Beholder

by Thomas Albaugh

(#Giveaway details below)

Brief Synopsis of Book

When a reality TV scout “discovers” Walter in a diner near the hospice where his father has been placed, his life has reached a low point. His father is dying, his college teaching career is under threat, and his life is adrift. The scout wants him for a reality show about religion. In a more self-assured period of his life, Walter would have rejected her offer, but now he wavers and allows himself to be drawn in. Maybe this is the jolt of energy his life needs. Maybe, if the show succeeds, his university will be so impressed that they’ll finally treat him with respect. Maybe the show will even be what the producers promise it will be, a serious inquiry into faith. Maybe he’ll become famous.

The show brings Walter attention, but for all the wrong reasons. He is misquoted, misinterpreted, misunderstood, and then shot after he has been dragged across the country in an increasingly frustrating and absurd series of challenges. Will his career and reputation survive the publish protests? Will his marriage survive the hints of affairs on the road? Will any kind of “reality” emerge to restore his self-respect?

Thomas here: 

One of my favorite teachers once pointed out that comedians never laugh. The next time I watched a comedy sketch, I realized he was right. The audience was laughing. The host was laughing. But the comedian appeared to be suffering.

“Comedy is serious business,” they say. Comedians may lead lives of pain or they may not. But they do find out what makes others laugh.

So I hesitate to call Apocalypse TV, my first novel, comedic, or even funny. In fact, I’ve long learned as a writer to stop “trying to be funny.” I’ve found it best to simply write my way into a scene, and if I stay awake to what one friend calls “life’s little ironies,” sometimes the humor surfaces. But even then, not everyone is going to “get it.” Everything depends on the reader.

I have noticed also that the best comedy dwells very close to the tragic. Readers of Shakespeare have long noticed that what sometimes separates his tragedies from his comedies is the ending. My favorite comedic novels often have a serious side. People still die in them or have bad things happen to them. But it is the seriousness that leads us to recognize the grounds for what is humorous.

For the most part, I can claim that my novel, Apocalypse TV, is comedic for some people. My book begins seriously enough with the death of the narrative character’s father. In this shadow, the action takes place on a reality show that is low comedy, even as it takes place in the setting of some serious American history, like the Plymouth Colony replica, a setting and subtext meant to show how the first pilgrims to this continent lived. So the puzzle game played by the reality show contestants happens on ground that might have raised questions about grace, the end of the world, and how the pilgrims saw their “red” neighbors. In this situation, of a religious reality show being played out on the American continent, the trivial and the momentous are never far from each other.

I don’t know that anyone ever just sets out to write humor any more than anyone can intentionally write something that is holy. We can provide the story and the forms, but everything depends on our audience. For example, when I’ve read in public a line on the first page of my novel, it has sometimes elicited laughs. Sometimes it hasn’t. I’m not sure why either reaction has happened.

My hope, finally, is that my readers will enjoy the story. Laughter is always welcome.

Thomas Allbaugh is an associate professor of English at Azusa Pacific University, where he has taught Composition and Creative Writing since 2001. Currently, he lives in Southern California with his wife and their three surviving children.  Apocalypse TV is his first novel.

Purchase Apocalypse TV on Amazon, at  https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_2?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=Thomas+Allbaugh

 Social Media Presence:

My website: www.thomasallbaugh.com Sign up here for my email newsletter

 Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/PretextsForWriting/ 

Twitter: @tallbaugh1

About the Giveaway:

Thomas is offering a free print copy of Apocalypse TV to one of this blog's readers. Entering is easy. Just leave a comment below with your contact information and your name goes in the hat. Giveaway ends one week from today on Wednesday, August 22, at Midnight CDT. 
Note: If you follow this blog (see sidebar) and make note of it in your comment, you'll get an extra entry in this giveaway.

Whispers for Whispers ♦ Ada Brownell

This guest post today really tickles me, and perhaps you can see why, given the title of this blog (big grin!)

Please welcome author Ada Brownell as she shares some thoughts about the subject, and talks about her new book, Peach Blossom Rancher

Also please note: FREE Books!

Ada Brownell’s book, Peach Blossom Rancher, an Inspirational Historical Romance, will be FREE from 11/20 to 11/24 on Amazon: A handsome young man inherits a ranch in ruin and hopes to bring it back to its former glory and also marry a beautiful young widow who is an attorney. But she takes up the case of a brilliant doctor committed to an asylum because of one seizure. Will the rancher, the attorney, and the asylum patient achieve their dreams?

Suspense, romance, humor, murder, insanity, hope, fun, wrapped in a Western you won’t forget.

http://amzn.to/2arRVgG                                                        

 https://www.amazon.com/author/adabrownell

Now, read on...

WHY WHISPER?

By Ada Brownell

We whisper for different reasons.

For instance, whispers can be romantic. Here a quote from my historical romance, Peach Blossom Rancher:

The next morning at the railroad station John disregarded Valerie’s black mourning dress, pulled her close and pressed his ready lips to her lightly painted ones. She blinked, and her eyes opened with surprise. Yet elegance radiated from her whole body.

“We didn’t have much time together,” he whispered near a small ear that held a diamond earring. A pleasing fragrance filled his nostrils. “I don’t want you to forget me when you get to Boston."

A whisper can also keep the wrong people from hearing what you say. This conversation occurs in an asylum for the insane in the same book.

Dillon, a physician committed because of one seizure, introduced them to Jimmy Cook, a former teacher paralyzed from the waist down, admitted only because of the paralysis.

A short distance from the other patients, Dillon told about Curly Hicks who had a thought disorder and Bobby Ward, who tried to kill his stepfather.

Archibald grasped Dillon’s shoulder. “Is there any way you can contact me?”

Dillon bent toward his ear, but Valerie could hear. “There is one really nice guard. I think he might mail a letter for me.”

“We anticipated that.” Archibald slid paper, two envelopes, and stamps from underneath his shirt.

Valerie turned her back, reached into her bosom, and brought out two pencils and handed them to Dillon. “Be careful,” she whispered. “The wrong person could use these as a weapon.”

The Bible talks about whisperers, who cause harm. The Psalmist wrote in Psalm 47:1 “All who hate me whisper together against me; Against me they devise my hurt.”

Some of us whisper when we pray. Here’s another example from Peach Blossom Rancher:

Abe prayed a powerful prayer for each person around the table, and goose bumps raised over John as he whispered his own prayer before lifting his head. Tears pooled in Bellea’s eyes but didn’t spill onto her cheeks.

Another quote: The sheriff’s voice sounded like he’d been eating sauerkraut. He stared at John. “I’ll wait until after Doc examines him and talk to a few people, but if I don’t get some answers, I’ll have to put you in jail.”

“Jesus, help me,” John whispered. With all he had to do on the ranch, he didn’t have time to sit in jail and wait for an incompetent sheriff to decide how B.J. died.

Many times I’ve sent a heavenward prayer in a whisper.

“God carries a big stick, doesn’t he Ada?” a co-worker asked me in the midst of a debate I wasn’t even a part of. What could I say? I knew everyone in the newsroom could hear my answer.
“Help, Lord!” I whispered.

Immediately I said, “I don’t know how we can look at [the]cross and say that.”

Another time a young friend came to see me and told me her widowed dad had remarried.

“I hate her!” she said. “He does all sorts of nice things for her he never did for my mom.”

I didn’t want to encourage such feelings. “Help me, Lord,” I barely breathed.
Immediately I had the answer. “Your dad gives her those good things because he wishes he’d done them for you mother,”

The girl and the stepmother developed a loving relationship after that.

God even whispers.

Elijah ran for his life when Jezebel wanted to kill him. Thinking he was the only prophet left, he hid in a cave. When God first tried to get Elijah’s attention the Lord commanded, “Go out, and stand on the mountain.” And behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces, but the LORD was not in the wind; and after the wind, an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice. 
Elijah heard it, wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood in the entrance of the cave. God said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” 1 Kings 19:11-13 (KJV)

That experience set Elijah’s feet back on the right path doing things for God.

Solomon wrote, “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in a setting of silver.” (Proverbs 25:11)

Ada Brownell, a devoted Bible student, has written for Christian publications since age 15 and spent much of her life as a reporter for The Pueblo Chieftain in Colo. She also is a veteran youth Christian education teacher. After moving to Missouri in her retirement, she continues to write books, free lance for Sunday school papers, Christian magazines, write op-ed pieces for newspapers, and blogs with stick-to-your-soul encouragement. She is the author of seven books and more than 350 articles and stories published in Christian magazines. She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and Ozarks Chapter of American Christian Writers. She and her husband have five children, one in heaven, eight grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

Her books: Read sample chapters on Amazon or listen to the first chapter of Imagine the Future You. Her Amazon author page is https://www.amazon.com/author/adabrownell

Connect with Ada at:

•  Twitter: @adabrownell
•  Amazon Ada Brownell author page: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B001KJ2C06
•   Google https://plus.google.com/u/0/+AdaBrownell/posts
•   Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1654534.Ada_Brownell
•   Blog: http://inkfromanearthenvessel.blogspot.com Stick-to-Your-Soul Encouragement

A Sense of Humor is Essential!

Have you ever laughed so hard it brought tears to your eyes and made you sides hurt? Yeah, me too. And it felt great, didn’t it?

Solomon wrote:

“A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance . . .” ~ Proverbs 15:13a [KJV]

My guest today agrees wholeheartedly. Please welcome Max Elliot Anderson.

 

NEWS Release FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

by Max Elliot Anderson

CONTACT: Max Anderson

PHONE: (815) 877-1514 mander8813@aol.com

The Sense of Humor

Let Humor Fast Track You to Healthier, Happier Living

Rockford, IL - Max Elliot Anderson announces the release of his new book, The Sense of Humor - Let Humor Fast Track You to Healthier, Happier Living, from Elk Lake Publishing. ISBN: 9781942513971 | ASIN: 1942513976

“April is National Humor Month,” Anderson said, “and kicks off on April Fool’s Day. During these uncertain times, what people need most is a good laugh. Imagine what would happen if we understood there is an untapped force, contained within us, that has the power to totally change our lives. And what if we discovered, all we had to do in order to unlock this secret, is to simply start using it?”

The New England Journal of Medicine estimates that 85% of all human illnesses are curable by the body’s own healing system. Recent data suggests the more positive input we can include in our lives, the more we are supporting our body’s ability to tap into its natural healing process.

The Sense of Humor is divided into two sections. The first explores the benefits of incorporating humor in medicine, relationships, the classroom, families, the workplace, by youth workers, pastors, counselors, and more. 

“This project began as a simple joke book,” Anderson continued. “But through my video production work with clients, I began to discover the healing value of laughter and humor plus the benefits being found in business and industry where humor was used.”

The second part of The Sense of Humor contains hundreds of jokes and humor arranged in sections that relate to each of the major subjects found in the first. 

Studies reveal that humor aids in the healing process. And a personal sense of humor helps combat stress and depression. In business, one of the primary traits the human resources department looks for is a healthy sense of humor in job applicants. People without a sense of humor aren’t expected to go far. 

A pastor notes, “Humor is disarming. It makes us deal with issues we wouldn’t face otherwise. Humor is more than a joke at the end of a sermon.” As one youth pastor puts it, “The way to a student’s heart is through his funny bone.” 

Education professionals tell us laughter encourages learning. Humor leads to an increase in attention span and it can help both the students and the teacher. Educators find, when used in teaching, humor promotes better retention, better understanding, along with more attentiveness and alertness. 

Research also demonstrates how humor can make sense in the life of anyone who is willing to use it. Outside of this primary benefit, humor touches the lives of everyone around the user in positive ways.

Max Elliot Anderson is best known for his many action-adventures and mysteries written for middle grade readers. The Sense of Humor, with its clean content, is intended primarily for adults.

The Sense of Humor is available wherever books are sold.

Bio for Max Elliot Anderson

Max Elliot Anderson has spent most of his life in the production of documentary and dramatic films, client videos, and television commercials. Most of his previous writing includes adventures and mysteries that bring the same visual excitement, and heart-pounding action from those productions into his books for middle grade readers 8 and up.

While producing video programs and commercials for clients, he observed the important role humor played in many different situations. The Sense of Humor is a culmination of those experiences and observations, and is intended to help people understand the power a positive sense of humor offers.

Mr. Anderson is listed in Who’s Who in America and his productions have won multiple Telly Awards. He and his wife Claudia have two children and four grandchildren.

 

Some Links for You:

Amazon link http://ow.ly/Zlcca

The Sense of Humor Promo blog http://yourhumorsense.blogspot.com

The Sense of Humor Promo Video 1 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5NcL0N9Vt5g

The Sense of Humor Promo Video 2 https://youtu.be/sa8dboA8IH4

Sneak Peak at Salsa and Speedbumps by Susan M. Baganz

One moment of sin leads to a path of pain . . . and unexpected love.

Welcome to Stephanie and Roberto's story! They have serious chemistry, but how many hurdles can they overcome? Both fun and deeply moving, this book will engage you from the start. Here's what readers have to say:

Fantastic read. Riveting from cover to cover. Susan has great storytelling skills that speak volumes. Although the book itself is fiction it did bring to the forefront the reality and seriousness of human trafficking.
Althea Zamzow (Amazon Review)

This book skillfully handles many issues in today’s society: date rape, addiction to pain killers, kidnapping, human trafficking, and the mafia. The well-written story keeps the reader on the edge of their seat and the book is hard to put down. How much more can Robbie and Stephanie take before they’re broken apart by life’s circumstances?

Victoria Pitts Caine (Amazon Review)

Listen in on a conversation from the book:

“Christmas is just around the corner.”
“Really? I hadn’t noticed.”
“Come on, dad and I didn’t do too bad getting a tree up and decorated.”
“You did a fine job. Much better than I could have managed with my bulging belling getting in the way.”
“I happen to be fond of your bulging belly. Reminds me of Santa Claus.”
“Very funny.” She snuggled up to Robbie’s side. “If you had a wish for Christmas, what would it be?”
“That forty years from now I would be as in love with you as I am today.”
Stephanie smiled. “I like that.”
“Did you have Christmas wish?”
“Mine wasn’t big enough.”
“What was it?”
“Really? You will laugh at me.”
“Really, I want to know.”
“I want a puppy.”
“A puppy.”
“Yes, a puppy.”
“We may need to wait awhile for that one. Dogs are not allowed on our lease.”
“I know, but you asked. Wishes don’t have to be realistic.”
“No, they don’t. But how about I lick your face and pant in your ear. Will that do in the meantime?”
Stephanie grinned and gave her husband a kiss, “Oh, that will do.”

So where did this story come from?

Susan, can you tell us what inspired you to write Salsa and Speedbumps?

The title was suggested by a friend after I wrote the first draft of Pesto & Potholes. I hadn’t really thought of writing a second novel but figured Renata’s roommate, Stephanie, who seemed to have things all together, might need to have her world shaken up a bit. I also knew someone who had been a victim of a date rape but those were words not really used much years ago. She kept the baby, met a great guy, became a Christian and married after the child was born. He adopted the little girl. And Roberto . . . well, I had to get some salsa in there somewhere so having a Hispanic character seemed a good way to do that along with busting some stereotypes about that culture in the process. Roberto’s back issues . . . well, I’ve struggled some with that but have known people with far worse pain like what he experiences . . . so he struggles with an issue many people have but don’t talk about, intense pain while recovering from an addiction to narcotics. The story became far more intense than I ever anticipated too and the heat between Roberto and Stephanie starts to build pretty early in the story.

The bigger question other than the issues was how does a Christian woman and man stay true to their faith and have integrity when life throws curveball after curveball their way. How do they navigate a relationship in the midst of those trials as well? It was fun to explore.

About the book:

Stephanie’s life hits a speedbump in the wake of her boyfriend’s sin. Splitting up with him, she faces a future of difficult choices shaded in shame. She wants to do what is right but the new man in her life leaves her fantasizing about a future that is now beyond her grasp.

Roberto finds his heart and professional world turned upside down by the beautiful bombshell. He struggles with his own inner demons and past so he’s not about to cast stones. When he is accused of immoral behavior, and temptation haunts him from every side, can he stand true to the calling God has given him?

Joining forces to face the future though comes at a high cost for them both as their individual pasts rise up to destroy them and their relationship. Integrity comes with a high price tag. With a deep faith in God and the help of friends at Orchard Hill Church, can they find happiness and love they long for?

Find the book on Amazon

Meet the author:

Susan M. Baganz chases after three Hobbits and is a native of Wisconsin. She is an Acquisitions Editor with Prism Book Group specializing in bringing great romance novels and novellas to publication. Susan writes adventurous historical and contemporary romances with a biblical world-view.

Susan speaks, teaches, and encourages others to follow God in being all He has created them to be. With her seminary degree in counseling psychology, a background in the field of mental health, and years serving in church ministry, she understands the complexities and pain of life as well as its craziness. She serves behind-the-scenes in various capacities at her church as well as on the board of the local ACFW (American Christian Fiction Writer’s) chapter. Her favorite pastimes are lazy ones—snuggling with her dog while reading a good book, or sitting with a friend chatting over a cup of spiced chai latte.

You can learn more by following her blog www.susanbaganz.com, her twitter feed @susanbaganz or her fan page, www.facebook.com/susanmbaganz/me

Spotlight on "Anything for a Story" by Cynthia Hickey

Stormi is delightful as the accident-prone and bumbling wanna be detective. What she lacks in skill she makes up for in nosiness. Add in the sexy detective and a slightly nutty family and our lead character has her hands full.

~Amazon reviewer

About the book:
Stormi Nelson, best-selling romance author, moved into her huge Victorian house in the private community of Oak Meadows Estates. When her agent tells her that her characters are becoming too cardboard and that she needs to get out and mingle with people, she comes up with the idea of a Neighborhood Watch Program. The only problem is … she’s the only member. On her first night of patrol, she stumbles over a dead body, meets a hunky detective, who happens to be her neighbor and clearly frustrated with her, and her mother, sister, niece and nephew arrive to shake up Stormi’s peaceful life. As she is immersed ever deeper into the mystery surrounding a neighbor’s murder, she decides to change writing tactics and write a romantic mystery based on her experiences. What follows is a frolicking good time as Stormi finds herself the nosiest neighbor of them all. Can she find the killer before she becomes the next victim?

PURCHASE

Amazon

 

A note from the author, Cynthia Hickey:

"Why I Became a Writer"

Funny how this roller-coaster business can tug on someone until it’s either write or die. A bit dramatic, yes, but that’s how most writers feel.

I started reading at the young age of five and became hooked on words and stories. Being a shy child, I would make up stories to act out, but it wasn’t until Junior High when an English teacher assigned a

writing project that I realized how much I loved putting the story to paper. I began writing short stories in which my younger brother was featured as the hero, or I’d write a romance featuring me and whatever boy I had a crush on at the time.

When I turned fifteen, I wrote my first “real story” about terrorists taking over a high school. Funny how I have now seen that very plot made into a movie. I couldn’t be stopped after that first “book.” I kept writing, keeping my stories in a notebook, which I unfortunately lost when I married and moved out of state. Then, life happened and I didn’t take up writing again until the age of forty when my children were older and I had time to devote to it.

In 2007, I published my first cozy mystery, Fudge-Laced Felonies, with Barbour Publishing and haven’t slowed down since. Forty books later, and several genres added to the mix, I have no intentions of stopping this crazy career any time soon. It’s as much a part of me as breathing.

 

About the author:

Multi-published and Amazon Best-Selling author Cynthia Hickey had three cozy mysteries and two novellas published through Barbour Publishing. She had several historical romances release in 2013, 2014, 2015 through Harlequin’s Heartsong Presents, and has sold half a million copies of her works. She is active on FB, twitter, and Goodreads, and is a contributor to Cozy Mystery Magazine blog and Suspense Sisters blog. She and her husband run the small press, Forget Me Not Romances, which includes some of the CBA’s well-known authors. She lives in Arizona with her husband, one of their seven children, two dogs, two cats, three box turtles, and two Sulcata tortoises. She has seven grandchildren who keep her busy and tell everyone they know that “Nana is a writer”. Visit her website at www.cynthiahickey.com

Guest Blogger author Carole Brown

What a Lovely Evening, by Carole Brown

Alex hurried inside dragging Kayla with her, but I paused outside, taking in the sky that seemed to stretch forever. Out west, the sky did that. It took a fella down a little to face up to the fact of his own insignificance in the grand scheme of things. It was so easy to get caught up in one’s own little world, letting it go to your head and thinking a mite bigger of yourself than one should.

Tonight I wondered. Did I matter? -- Excerpt from Bat Crazy, Book 2 of the Denton and Alex Davies Mysteries

Do I matter?

“Come on, Grandma. Lay down here and watch the stars with us.”

How could I resist such a sweet plea? I couldn’t. Clambering onto a pile of boards my son and daughter-in-law had stacked to save for another day, banging my ankle against a particularly rough edge, I joined my two grandsons (10 year old Wes and 3 year old Jonathan) on their “bed.”

“Lay back, Grandma.”

Groan. Edging backward, I finally settled into an uncomfortable position (propping my head up with my clenched hands) and joined my younger companions in star-gazing.

“Look at that shooting star.” This was from Wes and since he was older I expected to see a lit-trail of glory blossoming across the dark heavens.

I didn’t. But again and again I was urged to look.

Until . . .

I got caught up in the moment, that beautiful time when reality and thought become enchanted with the glory of God. No matter if my grandsons were imagining their sights or if their more perfect vision was seeing what I at first hadn’t. I finally let myself stare at the sky with them and let myself be wrapped in their magical moment.

And I saw it . . .

Tiny, and lightning quick, I saw a tail of something. I like to think it WAS a shooting star. A moment in time where anything can happen. A moment in time when a person realizes their insignificance and then, just as quickly, knows that God is real and big and cares.

It only took a few minutes to make and share an outstandingly lovely memory with my grandsons. Uncomfortable as it was, I think God gave me a nudge of encouragement in that brief glimpse of his glory.

Like Denton, in my BAT CRAZY novel, I was reassured of God’s ever and ongoing love for me and that what I do--simple as it is--is important to him.

What a lovely evening.

~♦~♦~

Please welcome my guest, author Carole Brown. Carole and I were part of an e-mail critique group about ten years ago, and about a year later I got to meet her in person at the 2006 ACFW (American Christian Fiction Writers) conference in Dallas. TX. So it is my particular pleasure to have her here today.

I posted her sweet story above before anything else,  because I thought it charming, and it starts with a line from the book we’re featuring here.

~♦~♦~

Monster Bats with red eyes that attack humans?

Denton doesn’t think so and Alex hopes not, but who are they to quibble with the local gossip?

Transmission problems and a blown tire land Denton and Alex Davies right in the middle of a dilapidated, unfriendly town that’s welcoming no strangers, least of all nosy ones with a bent toward solving mysteries.

But with support from the town detective--an admirer of the Davies--and their own tenacious personalities, Denton and Alex aren’t easily scared off. Not when warnings in the form of painted bats show up on the porch of their rented cabin, not when the mayor threatens to run them out of town and not even when Denton finds the bones . . .

An ancient story, a bit of a map, a lost jewel and even a bat clan serve to provide the Davies and their sidekick, Taffy, the dog, their hardest case so far.

Available on Amazon and other online stores:

http://www.amazon.com/Carole-Brown/e/B00EZV4RFY/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1427898838&sr=8-1

~♦~♦~

Carole Brown not only has her award winning (Winner of the 2015 Christian Small Publisher Award in General Fiction, nominated for an Epic Award, RWA International Digital Awards finalist in Inspiration, Laurel Award finalist, Selah finalist; Genesis semi-finalist) debut novel, The Redemption of Caralynne Hayman, available for purchase now, but a companion book called West Virginia Scrapbook: From the Life of Caralynne Hayman, filled with tidbits of information about West Virginia.

A fun, lighthearted mystery series began with the first book: Hog Insane, introducing Denton and Alex Davies and now her second book in this series, Bat Crazy. Her WWII romantic suspense Spies series began with With Music In Their Hearts, featuring three red-headed sisters, three spies, and three stories.

Besides being a member and active participant of many writing groups, Carole Brown enjoys mentoring beginning writers. She loves to weave suspense and tough topics into her books, along with a touch of romance and whimsy, and is always on the lookout for outstanding titles and catchy ideas. She and her husband reside in SE Ohio but have ministered and counseled nationally and internationally. Together, they enjoy their grandsons, traveling, gardening, good food, the simple life, and did she mention their grandsons?

• Personal blog: http://sunnebnkwrtr.blogspot.com/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CaroleBrown.author
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/browncarole212
• Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/sunnywrtr/boards/
• Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/5237997-carole-brown
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=67381031
• Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/113068871986311965415/posts
• Stitches in Time: http://stitchesthrutime.blogspot.com/
• Barn Door Book Loft: http://www.barndoorbookloft.net/

~♦~♦~

Carole, thanks so much for being my guest today. It’s been an honor and a pleasure to host you. Please come back again . . . any time!