JUDYTHE MORGAN ~ Seeing Clearly ~ Behind the Story

 

The Story Behind my newest release, Seeing Clearly

by Judythe Morgan

 The idea for Seeing Clearly began in 2003. That plot-line was more an inspirational women’s fiction with a grandmother raising her baby grandson after his parents died in a car accident and how she adjusted. The idea was loosely formed and even looser written.  

I started participating in ACFW craft courses. My writing improved as I worked with critique partners. A new romantic suspense story with the same characters began to take shape.

 Once I had a better developed story, I entered the manuscript in contests for additional feedback. My scores were all over the place. According to many contest critiques, the story still needed a lot of work. I reworked and entered more contests.

 In 2008 Seeing Clearly placed third in a Florida Romance Writers of America chapter. I was so excited and started to submit to editors and agents. The rejections rolled in.

 At that point, I accepted it was not God’s timing. I put the manuscript aside and worked on another story idea that had been bouncing around in my head and kinda forgot about Seeing Clearly.

 In 2019 I had an opportunity to attend a conference where Michael Hague was the speaker and participate in a one-on-one small group session to discuss our works-in-progress. I chose Seeing Clearly for the individual tutoring sessions.

After the conference, a small group of us who attended formed a critique group. Between Michael’s input and brainstorming with my new critique group Seeing Clearly finally evolved into a viable story and my characters came to life.

 Evie Parker is a forty-something grandmother raising her toddler grandson who is attracted to an ex-cop employee a decade younger. It was her story and I couldn’t bring myself to change it. Thanks to Michael and my critique group, my unconventional character became real.

 When I started writing Seeing Clearly, a story of later-in-life romance was a little too outside the box for a typical romantic suspense story. That probably explains the conflicting contest scores and so many rejections. Readers weren’t there.

 After months of rewriting, in February of 2020 I entered another contest and placed third. I knew then it was time to publish. Seeing Clearly released in May 2020. According to the reviews posted, readers love Evie and Dawson and their story. The timing was finally right.

 This book’s road to publication was indeed a long one. I worked hard, but it was so worth it. I learned so much. I hope sharing about Seeing Clearly’s journey with readers will help them enjoy the book more.

 And, writers who are reading Peg’s blog, I share to remind you never give up.

 About Your Book  

• Title: Seeing Clearly
• Author: Judythe Morgan
• Publisher: The Danfield Press
• Release Date: May 12, 2020
• Genre: Romantic Suspense
• Series/Stand-Alone: Stand-Alone
• Target Audience: PG, Ages 12+

Seeing Clearly Back cover Blurb

Evie Parker is a widow and trusting to a fault. She’s raising her grandson after her only child and his wife die in a suspicious car accident.

 Dawson McKey is a divorced, overly cautious ex-cop, who now manages Evie’s shipping company. He trusts no one after his twin sons were killed by a cartel’s bomb.

 There’s undeniable attraction even though she’s twelve years his senior. But she’s convinced their age difference will haunt their relationship. Dawson’s vowed never to love again but being with Evie challenges his thinking.

 Drugs show up in a company shipment at the same time mysterious emails threaten Evie’s grandson. Then the nanny she hired against Dawson’s advice disappears with her grandson and Dawson suspects cartel involvement.

 Can their search for the toddler renew their trust and bring their hearts together?

 Seeing Clearly Buy links

• Amazon Kindle: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08768ZJQX
• Nook Book: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/seeing-clearly-judythe-morgan/1136871829
• BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/books/seeing-clearly-by-judythe-morgan
• Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/53746639-seeing-clearly
• Amazon Author Page https://amazon.com/author/judythemorgan

  Excerpt from Seeing Clearly

 Darkness swirled in Evelyn Parker’s head. Dawson McKey’s voice drifted like a soft light through the blackness. “Evie.”

She heard her name, the drone of whispered words, and other sounds she couldn’t identify. It was like trying to thread a needle, blindfolded.

An antiseptic smell made her cough. She opened her eyes and reality came crashing through her haze. Hospital. Accident. David and Mandy dead.

She pushed upward from the hard, cold medical center floor. “No.”

“Lie still, Mrs. Parker.” A fresh-out-of-medical-school doctor lightly touched her wrist, checking his watch. “You fainted and gave yourself a nasty bump.”

Fainted? She snatched her hand from the doctor’s grip. She never fainted. Not even three years ago when her husband died in her arms. “I’m fine. Where’s my grandson?”

Tiny bumps pebbled across her neck. Did she already know that answer? Is that why she fainted?

The way-too-young-looking doctor pointed to a room adjacent to the busy ER waiting area. “Why don’t we go in there and talk? I can check that bump.”

His voice sounded soft and sympathetic. She searched his face for any sign of hope against the truth she feared.

Dawson, her friend and Parker Industry’s Director of Security, eased his arm behind her back. Her legs wobbled.

“Steady,” he whispered, tucking her into his side.

She leaned into the solace of his chest for a nanosecond then straightened her shoulders and followed the doctor to a closet-like room with an ancient metal desk and two chrome-armed chairs that had seen better days.

Evie sank into the nearest chair. The doctor gently rubbed the back of her head. She flinched.

“Everything looks fine. However, if you develop a headache, become nauseous or dizzy, you need to come back immediately. You don’t want to mess with a head injury.”

“I will. Now, what about my grandson, Dr.—” She glanced at his name badge. “Morrison. Is Michael okay?”

Dawson’s large, warm hand covered hers. She wanted to nestle into his heat, lean against his strong body, to hide until all of this went away. She stiffened her spine instead.

Dr. Morrison studied her face. “Your grandson’s doing okay. He appears to have only cuts and bruises. His seatbelt harness snapped when the SUV was hit, throwing him from the vehicle as it flipped. He escaped the fire, and the car seat protected him. We’ve done X-rays and MRIs to be sure. Results aren’t back yet.”

The room tilted. A fiery image flashed in her mind’s eye sending a cold chill down her spine. She swallowed. She couldn’t allow her brain to go there, wouldn’t go there. Doing well sounded a little iffy, but—thank you, Lord—not as final as dead.

She pressed her fist to her lips, pushed back the dizziness, and managed to connect with the doctor’s gaze. “When can I see him?”

The doctor opened the door. Clatter and chatter from the ER waiting area filled the room. “Follow me.”

Evie planted her flip-flops on the floor with a thud. The clip-clop of the rubber soles boomed in rhythm with her pounding heart as she followed.

~~

Dawson slowed his pace to Evie’s stride. He drew deep on years of training to keep his body language relaxed while his senses were on high alert after what the investigating officer told him. A witness reported another car clipped David’s SUV by accident, causing it to careen off the road.

By accident? Not likely. Not with the gambling debt David Parker had. More likely a deliberate act executed by someone he owed or the cartel. He’d bet the cartel.

Either way, it was one more question to add to his ever-growing list of unanswered questions about Evie’s son.

Parker had risked everything and lost. Traded his love of gambling for life and family. You don’t mess around with the cartel. How well Dawson knew.

He’d promised her dying husband he’d take care of her. If she knew what he was doing, she’d send him away. She thought she could take care of herself. He should explain his suspicions about her son. Pointless, she’d never believe David hadn’t reformed like he promised. Not without proof. Proof he didn’t have. Yet.

Dr. Morrison motioned them inside. Their hands still clasped, Dawson guided her to Michael’s crib side.

His vision blurred. A fire exploded in his gut. In that instant, he made another vow. Whoever had done this, he’d find them and make them pay.

Same as he’d vowed to find the cartel leader Marco Torres and make him pay for what he’d done to his boys.

~~

From the waiting room of Mercy Regional Medical Center, the man watched Parker’s Madre and McKey approach, trailing behind the doctor down the corridor. Anger stiffened his back and burned his eyes. Would he ever be rid of McKey?

His first plan to do away with the nuisance had bombed. Now this. Another big screwup. This one threatened their supply chain. Prickles of apprehension twined with his anger. Not good. Not good at all. Mistakes in a business with no margins for error made him look weak. Made the cartel bosses wonder why he was here. His papá was not going to be happy. And when papá was not happy, it was never a good thing.

 

Judythe’s BIO

Award-winning author Judythe Morgan was an Air Force daughter then an Army wife and a one time-Department of Army Civilian employee. She’s traveled a lot of this world.

An antiques dealer, teacher, former mayor's wife, and sometimes-church pianist, she's had some interesting experiences.

As mommy to an Old English sheepdog named Finnegan MacCool and a Maltese named Buster, there are always wild adventures in the works.

Her travel, experiences, and wild adventures always find their way into her award-winning stories. Check her website  https://judythemorgan.com for details.

Besides her fiction, she writes a weekly blog with her urban farmer daughter, Chicken Wrangler Sara. You can follow at www.judythewriter.com 

Sign up for her free newsletter to keep up with her latest news and subscriber-only sneak peaks.

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• Amazon Author Page https://amazon.com/author/judythemorgan

 

SOWN IN PEACE ~ Joy Avery Melville ~ The Story Behind the Story

SOWN IN PEACE

The Story Behind the Story

Joy Avery Melville

 

Sown In Peace would not be the story it is without some amazing input from two of America’s wounded warriors, but let me back up just a little. After God gave me the idea for this novel, and after I quit arguing with him about writing it, I did a mammoth amount of reading from non-fiction books I purchased at Amazon.com. I knew it wasn’t enough. There was a niggling within that had me sensing a need to dig deeper, which led me to pray for a human resource. Someone who’d been there and done the things I wanted to include in my novel. Someone who wouldn’t fear talking about their take away from their years of service.

 

Since I don’t believe in coincidences, I can say with all sincerity, God nudged two people to answer my prayers. Through an editing client, I met an extraordinary soldier… a wounded warrior. Then, God connected me with another outstanding, Army wounded warrior, through the editor of my books. These two men, Jeremy Rockstroph (Rock) of Indiana and Keith Youngblood (Big guy) of Texas have PTSD, and yet, were willing to open up and give me insight into that devastating result of their service to our country. They were able to share what no text book or reference source I’d been through had given me. These soldiers gave me what I needed so badly for the characters in the story.

 

When I first interviewed each of them, it was to gain information as to military terms, the types of vehicles and how they were used, base life, and the atmosphere. Then, as I spent time with them over the many months we talked, via email, FB Chats, by phone, email, and even in person with Rock, I learned they had so much more to say that would impact the novel. These men shared their very hearts with me, bringing so much more life to the novel and two very important characters.

 

I am grateful for the ideas God put in my head and heart, the strength He gave me to put them into book form, but my life has been changed for having known these men. I will be forever indebted to them… the heroes I am now privileged to call family!

Lest you think this story is all about military life and PTSD, I promise, there are emotional and romantic elements running through this novel. See below ~

 

From the back cover:

 

How much can one wounded soul take?

 

Victoria (Tori) Archer has the heart of a soldier. Taken down by an IED during her fourth deployment, she’s permanently separated from her military career and left with physical scars as well as PTSD. Moving back to her hometown of Three Rivers, Michigan, she’s forced by circumstances to live with an irascible and unsympathetic aunt. Tori’s battle with pain, horrific memories, and loss of independence creates a deep yearning for peace. Will God grant her even a small measure of it?

 

Retired Military Dog Handler Griffin (Griff) McKay turns to training dogs at his farm for wounded warrior therapy, desiring to bring former military men and women emotional and mental healing. Implementing his plan proves to be more difficult than visualized with the arrival of one stubborn soldier. Why has God placed that particular warrior in his path?

 

 

One thing God has allowed me, while writing the genre He nudged, pushed, and then affirmed I write, is a strong Romance thread and ultimately a sigh-worthy ending. Something my Advanced Readers have assured me, is there.

 

Keith Youngblood read the e-book format of Sown In Peace last week then left a comment on my Facebook page with five bright yellow stars. He said the following:

 

“Everyone needs to get a copy of this book!! It is a Faith Based Fictional, yet very realistic story about a Wounded Warrior (IED explosion) returning home after being medically retired from the Army. She has to learn to live with her physical and mental injuries.

I also have a personal connection to this book, as the author, Joy Avery Melville was initially put in contact with me in order for her to get technical info for the book. Well it turned in to much more than that. Throughout the process, I got to know Joy and got comfortable enough to start sharing stories about my life and my struggles in the Army and since retiring. We have now become life-long friends. I love you Ladybug.” (unedited)

 

Needless to say, my eyes leaked when I read that. I am indebted to both men, for their candor. I look forward to working with them each again as I begin Pursuit Of Peace in the next month or so.

 

About the author:

 

Fully intending to write Historical Romance—had in fact— Joy had no plans to deviate from that. God had something else in mind for that ‘call’ He’d made on her life back in 1967. A mere eighth grader at the time, she had no clue about the topics she’d be drawn to write about.

Surrendering to the genre God placed on her heart has given Joy new insight into the hearts and lives of those who too often hurt in silence.

The settings of Joy’s books are near where she lives in Schoolcraft, Michigan with her husband of nearly 47 + years and their 21 mo-old Yorkie, Is-A-Bella Bindi, (Is-a-beautiful little girl) who thinks she’s a much larger breed with tomboy tendencies.

Joy loves to hear from readers and will respond! 

• Email       joyjournaling@gmail.com
  
• Twitter    https://twitter.com/Journeystojoy 
• Website  https://www.joyaverymelville.com 
• Blog        https://www.journeystojoy.net 
• Facebook Author Page http://facebook.com/jamauthor 
• Facebook Personal Page http://facebook.com/joy.averymelville 
• Amazon:         https://www.amazon.com/author/joyaverymelville
•  Goodreads:     https://www.goodreads.com/joyjournalinggmailcom 
• Bookbub:      https://www.bookbub.com/profile/joy-avery-melville

 

 

 

 

 

The Story Behind the Story ~ Linda Shenton Matchett ~ Love's Belief

It's Wahoo Wednesday again, this time with author Linda Shenton Matchett, and "The Story Behind the Story of "Love's Belief."

Go, Linda ... I'm eager to hear about this new book from you.

~ ~ ~

Late last year, I read a book called German Voices, written by a man who was born in San Francisco, German immigrants, and then moved to Germany with them in 1933, just as Hitler was coming into power. He was unable to return to the U.S. to reclaim his citizenship until 1949. Reading his story was a moving and eye-opening experience, making me realize how uninformed I was about the German home front during WWII.

When it came time to consider the next volume in my Wartime Brides series, I knew I wanted to locate the story in Germany but was uncertain what aspect of life to explore. Each book in the series is a retelling of a biblical story set during WWII, so I searched my Bible for an appropriate story. During my investigation, I discovered a six-verse narrative in Exodus about Shiprah and Puah, two Hebrew midwives who disobeyed Pharaoh’s laws to kill male Jewish babies. These women had no shortage of imagination. When he asked them why they let the babies live, they said, “The Hebrew women are not as the Egyptian women; for they are vigorous and give birth before the midwife can get there.” (NASB).

Because of German Voices and additional reading I knew there was a cadre of people within Germany who protected and saved Jewish people and others considered “undesirables” according to the Nuremberg laws. Some who helped were part of the German Resistance, while others simply followed their conscience and did what they could when opportunities arose.

Further research led me to Nanna Conti, head of the German Midwives Association. Despite her extreme anti-Semitic views, she made great improvements to the midwife profession and pre-natal care for mothers, and she was highly placed within the Nazi organization, unusual for a woman. She played a large role in ensuring “her” midwives” adhered to the laws.

The final piece came together when I read about the Rosenstrasse protest that occurred in Berlin between the end of February and the middle of March in1943. A group of Jewish men who had previously been protected because of being married to Gentile women were arrested and targeted for deportation. They were held at a facility on Rosenstrasse (Rose Street) awaiting transportation. Their wives showed up in droves and demanded the return of their husbands. They faced down soldiers and stood for hours in the freezing weather. Word got out of Germany, and Goebbels realized he had no choice but to release the men.

Combining actual events from the war with inspiration from the story of Shiprah and Pual, Love’s Belief shows how one person can change the world.

About Love’s Belief:

Midwife Pia Hertz and her mother Sabine have been delivering babies long before the Nazis came to power. Now, the Third Reich has implemented mandates that require Jewish babies and other “undesirables” to be killed as part of The Final Solution. Is Pia’s new faith in Christ strong enough to defy the laws of man?

Despite the agony of the injury at the Battle of Drøbak Sound that took his arm, Dieter Fertig is relieved he’s no longer part of Hitler’s army. He returns to Berlin and discovers Jews are being deported by the thousands. When he realizes the Nuremberg Laws require his best friend’s baby girl to be killed, he must find a way to spirit the child out of Germany before the Nazis discover her existence. 

Inspired by the biblical story of Shiprah and Puah, the midwives who saved Jewish babies during Pharaoh’s reign, Love’s Belief shows how one person’s actions can change the world.

Available from:

Amazon: https://amzn.to/2V6ShRg

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/love-s-belief

Apple Books: https://itunes.apple.com/book/id1459365377

Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/loves-belief-linda-shenton-matchett/1131299569?ean=9780998526553

About the Author: 

Linda Shenton Matchett is an author, speaker, and history geek. A native of Baltimore, Maryland, she was born a stone’s throw from Fort McHenry and has lived in historic places all her life. Linda is a member of ACFW, RWA, and Sisters in Crime. She is a volunteer docent and archivist at the Wright Museum of WWII.

Linda's Social Media:

Website: http://www.LindaShentonMatchett.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/lindasmatchett

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Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Linda-Shenton-Matchett/e/B01DNB54S0

Goodreads Author Page: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15140007.Linda_Shenton_Matchett

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/linda-shenton-matchett

Newsletter sign up (receive a free short story): https://mailchi.mp/74bb7b34c9c2/lindashentonmatchettnewsletter

The Pony Express collection ~ Donna Schlachter~ Giveaway

Please welcome author Donna Schlachter as she shares a 'story behind the story' post about a book from her backlist on "Everything Old is New Again" feature.

Take it away, Donna!

The Story Behind the Story of Echoes of the Heart, from The Pony Express Romance Collection

By Donna Schlachter

 If you’ve ever wondered if a writer’s conference is worth the time, effort, and expense, let me assure you: it is!

My involvement in The Pony Express Romance Collection began several years ago at an ACFW Conference, where I met up with my dear friend, Mary Davis. I asked her what she was working on, and she said she was putting together a proposal for a Pony Express novella collection. I said, “I’d love to be part of that” to which she replied she already had the four authors she needed but if anything changed, she’d contact me.

The next month, hubby and I were planning a long weekend away, and I suggested we do some Pony Express research, “just in case”. So we traveled to Julesburg, Colorado and on into Wyoming, following the trail. Along the way, we stopped and talked to folks at visitor information centers, museums, and anywhere that advertised the Pony Express. People still love the romance and allure of the Pony Express, and it seemed as though everybody had a story.

Another month goes by, and Mary emailed to say an author had to drop out because of other commitments and was I still interested. You bet I was! The initial concept was four stories told in chronological order at the same station, Echo Canyon Utah, with some carryover of characters from one story to the next.

And so began my romance with the Pony Express. We went through several iterations of the proposal, and the format changed to nine authors at different stations with no overlap of characters.

If I hadn’t been at that conference, I wouldn’t have known about this opportunity. At other conferences, I’ve made contact with other editors, publishers, and book packagers and been blessed to work with them on various projects. So while classes are important, don’t forget the benefits of networking!

Donna lives in Denver with husband Patrick, her first-line editor, and biggest fan. She writes historical suspense under her own name, and contemporary suspense under her alter ego of Leeann Betts. She is a hybrid publisher who has published a number of books under her pen name and under her own name. Her highlighted release, Echoes of the Heart, in a 9-in-1 novella collection titled "Pony Express Romance Collection" released April 2017. Donna is also a ghostwriter and editor of fiction and non-fiction, and judges in a number of writing contests. Donna loves history and research and travels extensively for both.

www.HiStoryThruTheAges.wordpress.com

www.HiStoryThruTheAges.com

Facebook: www.Facebook.com/DonnaschlachterAuthor

Twitter: www.Twitter.com/DonnaSchlachter

Books: http://amzn.to/2ci5Xqq

Echoes of the Heart: http://amzn.to/2lBaqcW

Donna is offering a FREE print copy of this book (US only, please,) to one reader of this blog who leaves a commnt below, with  name and contact information.

Giveaway ends Monday, September 24, at Midnight, Central Time.

Thanks, Donna, for sharing this look into one of your older books. God bless!

The Story Behind the Story of A Deadly Dissolution ~ Leeann Betts #Giveaway

The Story Behind the Story of A Deadly Dissolution

By Leeann Betts

A series is a completely different animal to write than a stand-alone. In a stand-alone novel, you write about characters and events that you hope resonate with your readers, perhaps including an issue or topic that’s close to your heart, such as sex trafficking or the breakdown of the family. And then you’re done, and you can move on to the next collection of characters, settings, maybe a new issue or even the same one told from a slightly different context. A series, however, involves the same or at least some recurring characters, perhaps recurring locations, but different events.

So how to make every story in a series new and fresh, without confusing new readers starting in the middle, or losing existing readers who want some continuity without boredom?

In the case of A Deadly Dissolution, I took a recent event that thrilled me: I had the opportunity to go to Guernsey, Wyoming in October 2017 to see the total solar eclipse. The area was busy but not packed, because most people went to larger metropolitan areas in Wyoming and Nebraska to view the event. However—and isn’t there always a ‘however’? —those other places clouded over and where we were was the perfect viewing location.

I figured—and I say this a lot— “that has to go into a book”.

I did some research, and unfortunately, there were no solar eclipses—total or otherwise—in 2004 or even early 2005 on the east coast. I wanted this story set in Bear Cove, Carly’s hometown, because the last two books were set elsewhere, and I felt I needed to bring readers back to Bear Cove. But I did find out there was a lunar eclipse, and that everything west of New York was clouded over. Which fit perfectly into my story.

The title was the tricky element this time around. Usually I have the title in my head and simply write the story that goes with it. This time I had the story but no satisfying title. Because of the accounting connection, I wanted something to do with accounting, of course. I settled on A Deadly Dissolution and referred to it near the end of the book. A dissolution is when a partnership dissolves, and it’s not usually amicable.

About A Deadly Dissolution:

The total lunar eclipse of October 2004 leaves more than Bear Cove, Maine, in the dark. The town’s newly-elected mayor, Walter Akerman, hires Carly to audit the town’s books but is then caught in a compromising situation with his secretary Evie Mack. 

A journalist in town to cover the eclipse turns up dead. Tom and Sarah’s adopted son Bradley comes to stay overnight to see the eclipse, then goes missing on a walk in town. When Mike’s car is in a serious wreck which the police say is an accident, Carly thinks somebody is trying to send her a message to stay away. 

How can she solve all these mysteries while not completely wearing herself to a frazzle? 

 About Leeann:

Leeann Betts writes contemporary suspense, while her real-life persona, Donna Schlachter, pens historical suspense. She has released seven titles in her cozy mystery series, By the Numbers, with number 8, A Deadly Dissolution, releasing in June. In addition, Leeann has written a devotional for accountants, bookkeepers, and financial folk, Counting the Days, and with her real-life persona, Donna Schlachter, has published two books on writing, Nuggets of Writing Gold and More Nuggets of Writing Gold, a compilation of essays, articles, and exercises on the craft. She publishes a free quarterly newsletter that includes a book review and articles on writing and books of interest to readers and writers. You can subscribe at www.LeeannBetts.com or follow Leeann at www.AllBettsAreOff.wordpress.com All books are available on Amazon.com in digital and print, and at Smashwords.com in digital format.

Website: www.LeeannBetts.com Receive a free ebook just for signing up for our quarterly newsletter.

Blog: www.AllBettsAreOff.wordpress.com

Facebook: http://bit.ly/1pQSOqV

Twitter: http://bit.ly/1qmqvB6

Books: Amazon http://amzn.to/2dHfgCE  and Smashwords: http://bit.ly/2z5ecP8

Leeann is offering a FREE digital copy of A Deadly Dissolution to one reader of this blog who leaves a comment on this post. Just leave your name, contact information and answer this question: Do you choose a book based on the cover design, the title, or the back-cover copy?

Here's an alternative question: Have you ever seen an eclipse ... lunar or solar? When and where?

Answer either one, or to make it exciting ... both!

A randomly-drawn winner will receive a free eBook of A Deadly Dissolution. 

Giveaway ends one week from today, July 10, 2018, at Midnight, CDT.

 

When it Feels Like Home ~ Alice K. Arenz ~ Giveaway

Please welcome friend and author Alice K. Arenz as she takes us behind the scene and into the Story Behind the Story of her recent release The Wedding Barter, a book I thoroughly enjoyed ... and reviewed. (see link below**) - AND a free book. Details below.

When It Feels Like Home

 by Alice K. Arenz

No, this is not Tarryton - image courtesy pixabay.com

Have you ever read a book where the place described feels so much like home that you’d actually like to live there—or, at least, read more about the people who do? I know I’ve felt that way and hoped one day to create just such a place for my readers. I just never thought about feeling so comfortable with one of these fictional communities I’d want to return there for a book totally unrelated to the reason it was invented in the first place.

Confused? That’s ok because it happens to me all the time! But, seriously, this was how I felt when I signed on to write a new Christian romance for a collection my publisher was putting together. After getting over the initial reaction of switching gears from mystery/suspense to romance, all I could think about was location, location, location! I was already stepping out of my comfort zone, so I knew there had to be a solution that could cushion me as I dared cross over into an unfamiliar genre. Then, suddenly, it came to me! Tarryton, Missouri, the fictional location from the Bouncing Grandma Mystery series was perfect...and my publisher agreed!

Tarryton already had a population of characters just waiting to pop out of the past and into the future—nine years older than when they were/are in the Grandma books, but still filled with an abundance of personality. Even the town had the requisite businesses—it was a place burgeoning with life and possibilities, a perfect setting for The Wedding Barter!

Tarryton was already on my mind when I signed on to join the novella collection—I’d recently re-read The Case of the Bouncing Grandma and The Case of the Mystified M.D. in preparation of beginning a third book in the series. It was long overdue, I know, but the excitement of revisiting that town and characters like Glory Harper with her insatiable appetite for solving mysteries had become all-consuming.

No, The Wedding Barter wouldn’t be a mystery and would be set in the present, but it would be able to borrow upon a foundation already established. From Randi’s Dandies Bakery to Kelly’s Garden and Landscaping, to Marcello’s Restaurant, Tanner’s Truck Stop, and Centerview Park, the town was waiting to be used and populated with another cast of characters. I could close my eyes and picture it even more clearly than where I lived now or had grown up. It was filled with friends and acquaintances who wanted to share their stories with new readers, waiting to charm, disappoint, and amaze. They were home . . . and they were ready to welcome us into their world.

I hope that you, dear readers, will feel the same about Tarryton as I do! God Bless.

The Giveaway: Alice is offering a free eBook copy of The Wedding Barter to one of my readers. Entering is easy ... just leave a comment below with your name and email (e.g. you(at)123xyz(dot)com). Followers of this blog will get an extra entry. Just let me know in your comment. Contest runs through Tuesday, February 6. 2018, at Midnight CST.

Though Alice K. Arenz is known for her cozy mysteries and romantic mystery/suspense novels, the Carol Award winning author has branched out with her newest release, The Wedding Barter, a romance that is both serious and funny.

Arenz is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers. Her first three novels were honored by two finals and one win in ACFW’s Carol Awards: cozy mysteries The Case of the Bouncing Grandma (a 2009 finalist), The Case of the Mystified M.D., (2010 winner), and mystery/suspense Mirrored Image (a 2011 finalist). These novels have been followed by An American Gothic, Portrait of Jenny, and short story, Home Cookin’.

Visit her at her website www.akawriter.com

**If you're interested in the review I wrote for The Wedding Barter, just follow this link.