Preslaysa

Hello Readers!

I am pleased to announce the winners of our two recent contests.

The winner of Laura Hilton’s Patchwork Dreams is DEBBY LEE!!

The winner of Louise Gouge’s At the Captain’s Command is MARIA!

Congratulations winners! Send me your mailing address at preslaysa(dot)c(dot)williams(at)gmail(dot) com and we’ll get those books to you!

 For the current contest which ends on May 31st, one lucky winner will receive five inspirational novels by leaving a comment on this or any blog posted between April 16th and May 31st.  Multiple entries are welcome!  

And now, the interview with Margaret Daley….

I’m excited about today’s Fiction Friday Interview. Award winning, inspirational romance author, Margaret Daley has penned over 75 novels of faith and love. Her latest novel Trail of Lies releases this month.

Welcome to The Literary Mama, Margaret. What was your road to publication like?

I wrote for a few years in the late 1970s. In 1980 I sold my first book. I sold 20 books then hit a dry spell when my publisher stopped publishing the line I wrote for in the ABA market. Eight years later, I sold again and have gone on to sell fifty-five more books.  The best part of this is that I sold my first inspirational romance in 2000. Since I sold that book, I’ve been writing for the CBA market. I found my home.

You’re quite a prolific author. How do you manage to write so many great stories?

I’ve been writing for over thirty years. I write most every day. I’m a disciplined writer who has made time for the writing even when I was working as a teacher for twenty-seven years. I love telling stories–even when I was a little girl I was a storyteller.

You are also the President of the American Christian Fiction Writers. Tell us about the organization and your role.

American Christian Fiction Writers is an organization for writers who write Christian fiction. We are over 2300 strong. We focus on being the Voice of Christian Fiction in the industry. We offer a variety of programs to help educate writers on the craft of writing. Our email loops are a way for writers to network with others in the industry. Our conference in September in St. Louis is going to be fantastic.

 Now, about your latest book, Trail of Lies: what is the story about?

As the mother to a beautiful daughter and the wife of a wealthy entrepreneur, Melora Hudson seemed happy. No one knew about the secrets hidden behind closed doors—secrets Melora was forced to keep. Now, two years after her husband’s disappearance, the truth may be exposed. His body has been found, and everyone has questions. Texas Ranger Daniel Boone Riley comes to find answers and stays to protect the woman and child who win his heart. But the terror of Melora’s past isn’t over. Her late husband’s old “associates” want her to carry his secrets to her grave.

 What do you hope your readers walk away with knowing after reading Trail of Lies?

To forgive others is to set you free of the past.

Do you have any other releases this year?

Protecting Her Own is the second book in the Guardians, Inc series for Love Inspired Suspense. It will be out in June 2011. Nothing short of her dad’s stroke could bring professional bodyguard Cara Madison back to Virginia. But her homecoming turns explosive with a pipe bomb package addressed to her father. Cara knows two things for sure. First, someone’s after either her father or her…or both. And second, this job is too big to handle on her own. Unexpected help comes from Virginia state police detective Connor Fitzgerald. Years ago she’d walked away from him…and love. Now, despite their unresolved feelings, they must join forces—and settle their scarred differences.

Hidden in the Everglades is the third book in the Guardians, Inc series for Love Inspired Suspense. It will be out in September 2011. Bodyguarding is Kyra Morgan’s business–but this was supposed to be a vacation. Still, she can’t refuse the request from childhood friend and neighbor Michael Hunt. Michael’s sister Amy ran away after witnessing a murder. Michael needs Kyra’s help to find her and keep her safe. Yet as Kyra and Michael follow the trail along the Florida coast, their search grows more dangerous by the day. Terrorists are at work, and the stakes are perilously high. It will take everything they have–including trust they’re both reluctant to give–to escape the Everglades alive.

My first inspirational historical romance (not my first historical romance), From This Day Forward, will be out in September 2011 from Summerside Press. It is set in Charleston in 1816, not long after the War of 1812.

My first book in the A Town Called Hope series is entitled: His Holiday Family. It will be out in December 2011 from Love Inspired. This series is about a town on the Gulf coast of Mississippi recovering from a hurricane that hits it–how out of tragedy comes a new hope.

How can readers get in touch with you?

My website is www.margaretdaley.com I blog at http://margaretdaley.blogspot.com and my email is margaretdaley@gmail.com

 I’m also on Twitter and Facebook under the name Margaret Daley.

Thanks for stopping by Margaret!

You can order Trail of Lies at Barnes and Noble or Amazon.

Hey Readers,

Leave a comment with your email address on this or any other blog posted between now until May 31st and get entered to win five inspirational novels! To avoid trollers from tracking your email leave it in this format: yourname(at)youremail(dot)com

The more comments you post, the more chances you have to win!

If you don’t want to leave your email address here, send me an email at preslaysa(dot)c(dot)williams(at)gmail(dot)com. Winner announced on June 7th.

And now, the interview…

 

I’m excited about having writing team Travis Perry and Mike Lynch with us today.  Their fantasy novel The Crystal Portal releases this month.

Welcome to The Literary Mama Travis & Mike. Tell our readers a little about yourselves.

Travis:  I’m an Army Reserve officer currently deployed to Afghanistan.  Tammie, my wife of over twenty-two years, and I are from Montana, but we’ve lived in North Texas with our six kids for almost ten years now.  I’ve never had a job where my primary duty was speaking a foreign language, but for some reason I’ve picked up more languages than I have children…as a profession I’ve worked as a biomedical maintenance technician, but I sincerely hope to become a professional writer one day.

Mike: I currently reside in the San Francisco Bay Area with my wife and two children.  I graduated with a degree in history from San Jose State in 1986, and from San Jose Christian College in 1994.  I have been writing off and on since 1981, publishing my first novel, When the Sky Fell, in 2009.  Since then, I have since co-authored three more more novels, American Midnight, After the Cross and my latest, The Crystal Portal.  I have also published a number of short stories.  When I’m not writing I enjoy pursuing my interests in movies, history, and politics.  

What is The Crystal Portal about?

Travis:  The Crystal Portal poses the principle that God created multiple universes and that there are portals that pass through space and time between these different universes.  9.06, a robot from a future Earth, Zachariah, a boy from first-century Nazareth, and Lehkahn, an elf from a world of swords and magic become allies against Sargon Balal, a ruthless dictator from Lehkahn’s world who has escaped his due judgment through a portal.  These characters all pass through a crystal portal into the crystal universe, where the princess Agata comes to their aid in their struggle against Sargon.

Mike: I think Travis pretty well summed up the story.  I really have nothing to add.

Who are your favorite characters in this story and why?

Travis:  I’m really fond of all four of the main characters—Zachariah, Lehkahn, 9.06, and Agata, though if I were forced pick favorites among them, I’d probably rank them in the order I just listed.  “Zachariah” is the name of one of my sons and I’ve tried to weave some of my son’s sweetness and kindness into the character, which is probably why he’s my favorite.  Though in regard to the Zachariah’s constant curiosity and enthusiasm for learning, the character is more like how I was as a child than my son.

Mike:  For me, I would have to say 9.06 is my favorite character.  Drawn on some of the great robot models from movies and TV, like C-3PO in Star Wars, or the Robot in Lost in Space, Nine (as he is often referred to in the story), has a distinct personality with a very strong view of right and wrong.  He can also be quite humorous at times, much of it based on his inability to understand human logic and failings he experiences on a regular basis.  I think Nine’s most endearing quality is loyalty.  He was programmed to serve humans to the best of his abilities, which he does when he first meets Zachariah.  A 10-year-old boy from another time, Nine recognizes that he needs protecting, and so goes after him through the crystal portal, even though they barely knew each other at that time.  As the story unfolds, Nine rescues Zachariah again and again.  I think our lives would be a whole lot better if we had people in our lives who helped us undue the messes we made of our own doing.

How do you weave faith into this story?

Travis:  All the main characters believe in one God.  Jesus (Yeshua) is someone Zachariah knows personally.  Zachariah has limited understanding of who Jesus is, but accepts in the story that He must at least be a prophet.  Sargon, by contrast, acknowledges the existence of God but calls himself “the almighty” and attempts to substitute himself for God, making him an Antichrist figure.  The story shows a distinctly Christian version of the struggle between Good and Evil.

Mike:  I believe God created in all of us the ability to believe in something greater than ourselves.  In Judaism, Islam, and Christianity, that is a belief in a single God that we can know.  For people of other faiths, different forms of God.  There are, of course, people who do not have a belief in a personal God, but that hasn’t stopped them from looking to something else to give them identity.  It can be their job, the government, an entertainer, a sports team, a movement of some kind.  We all have an inherent desire to be a part of something bigger than us that defines us in some way.  I believe this is the way God created us.  That basic character trait comes through very strongly in The Crystal Portal.  It is also the source of great tension in the story.  You have people from different walks of life, and different dimensions for that matter, spending a lot of time together.  It is only natural that they start talking about what they believe and why after a while.  In many cases, it is those beliefs that form the foundation of that identity.  It made for some very interesting interactions between the different characters, especially when they didn’t always agree with each other about their view of who God is.

What sparked your interest in writing fiction?

Travis: I’ve always imagined other worlds, even before I can remember being exposed to much fiction myself.  Of course, being exposed to fiction, as I read Science Fiction and Fantasy as a teenager, stimulated my imagination, making me think about other worlds even more.  I finally reached a point in my 30s where I realized that my imagination is actually a gift from God which has the intended purpose of helping and encouraging other people.  That’s when I started writing fiction.

Mike:  It was kind of an accident for me.  I wasn’t much of a reader growing up.  Because I am a visual learner, I have always been much more interested in watching TV or going to movies.  However, I was also born a story teller.  It is just in my nature to sink my teeth into a really good story.  When you spend your life studying characters and plots in different genres while growing up, it is only natural that they start coming out of you after a while.  It started off writing little short stories for myself; I had no intention of ever publishing them.  Usually, an interesting story would come to me, and then I created a plot for it and typed it out on my typewriter (this was before personal computers came into being).  After a while, I graduated to novels, and have been writing both ever since.  Fortunately for me, I have had the good fortune to get them published.

Do you have any other books coming up in the future?

Travis:  I have at least twenty book ideas floating around in my head.  But the most important thing to mention here is that I plan to have a series of Portal books.  The next one I’d like to call The Dragon Portal, which I intend to have more dinosaurs than actual dragons.

Mike:  I actually have another novel coming out this year, co-authored with Brandon Barr.  It is entitled After the Cross.  This is an adventure story in which an 800-year-old letter is discovered in an archeological dig in Istanbul.  When the letter is translated, it makes the astonishing claim that the Cross Jesus was crucified on still exists, and has been safely hidden away.  The chase is on as to who will get to it first, those who will do everything in their power to make sure it never sees the light of day, or those who are trying to retrieve it all costs. 

How can readers get in touch with you?

Travis:  I’m on Facebook and don’t mind getting emails from people: tt_perry@hotmail.com.

Mike:  People can find out more about me and my novels on my website (www.mikelynchbooks.com), or e-mail me directly at:  lynchm@esuhsd.org.

Thanks for stopping by to visit Travis and Mike!

Travis & Mike: Thank you for giving us this chance to share about The Crystal Portal with your readers.

 You can purchase Travis & Mike’s novel The Crystal Portal by clicking on one of the following links:

Splashdown Books

Smashwords 

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Leave a comment with your email address on this or any other blog posted between now until May 31st and get entered to win five inspirational novels! To avoid trollers from tracking your email leave it in this format: yourname(at)youremail(dot)com

The more comments you post, the more chances you have to win!

If you don’t want to leave your email address here, send me an email at preslaysa(dot)c(dot)williams(at)gmail(dot)com. Winner announced on June 7th.

Hey Readers!!

The winner of a copy of one Stephen Bly novel is :

SHIRLEY STRAIT

Congratulations Shirley!

I’ll contact you via email for your mailing info.

Today is the last day to enter for a chance to win a copy of Louise Gouge’s “At the Captain’s Command” Leave a comment on her interview for a chance to win.

And now, the interview with Eddie…

I’m excited about having novelist Eddie Snipes with us today. Eddie’s latest novel I Called Him Dancer is out now!

Welcome to The Literary Mama Eddie. Tell our readers a little about yourself.

Those who knew me in my earlier years would have picked me as the least likely person to become a writer. My teachers would have laughed at the idea. In fact, one time my teacher came to visit my house. I’m certain it was to tell my mother how well I was doing. When I answered the door, my teacher said, “Eddie, is your mother home.”

“She ain’t here,” I said.

“Ain’t? Did you say ain’t?” My teacher dropped her hands on her hips and said, “Eddie! Where’s your Grammar?”

I shrugged at the odd question and said, “She ain’t here neither.”

In 1998 something changed. Me. My life had a dramatic transformation and I became very active in ministry. Prison ministry was my focus and when prisoners began asking for reading material from our lessons, I decided to write things out. The task that I hated for so many years didn’t seem quite so bad now that I had something to say.

My writing started off as a chore. A pleasant chore, but I still wrote based on necessity and not desire. Over the years, a deep love for writing grew in my heart, and now I look for opportunities to write because I truly enjoy it. For the last two years I’ve put a strong focus on connecting with other writers and in January of 2011, I began serving as president of the Christian Authors Guild.

What is I Called Him Dancer about?

For a moment, Michael danced on top of the world, but one bad choice turned his life upside down. The once promising Broadway star now washes windows for tips and lives among the homeless. When his former dance partner recognizes him behind the fray of whiskers, shame drives him away from her. Angry at God and the world, the Dancer refuses to allow anyone into his life. When everything is stripped away, three things remain: faith, hope, and love. The greatest of these is love.

I Called Him Dancer is a story about how one woman’s enduring faith and unconditional love drives her to reach out to a homeless man who has given up on life.

Where did you get the idea for this story?

In 2009, two song writers named Tralena Walker and Tom Webster visited the Atlanta Writers Club. They were scheduled to speak at the second hour of our meeting. I almost didn’t stay since I had no interest in song writing. I headed down the hall after the first session ended, but when I reached for the door, I had the strange urge to stay. At the end of their presentation, Tralena performed a song titled, Dancer, and then said, “I’ve been trying to find someone to write about this song. I think it would make a great novel.”

Until then, I was a passive spectator, but her words made my head explode. Embarrassed by the loud pop, I quickly scooped up the pieces and reassembled my head and discovered that the book was mixed into my brain matter. The whole story hit me at once. I met with them and we worked together shaping the story into what it is today.

What do you enjoy most about writing fiction?

Until a few years ago, I only wrote non-fiction. On a whim, I entered a flash fiction contest and discovered a whole new world of writing. Non-fiction writing is also uplifting for me, but mentally taxing. I have to analyze the information, write with accuracy, and take information from many sources to compile them into an easy to read format that hopefully will educate. After a few hours of non-fiction, my mind feels exhausted.

Fiction is the opposite for me. When I’m really into the story, I have written for 14 hours without stopping. Okay, I did stop for a bathroom break and a bite to eat, but not much more. I found myself wanting to get right back in there and write some more. With fiction writing, I enter the world of the plot, follow the story and characters, and then write what I see. Until it’s time to edit, I don’t have to figure anything out. Just see and write. Instead of feeling taxed, I feel excited and alive. Why, it’s better than TV.

Do you have any hobbies?

I used to swat gnats with a sledgehammer, but my wife downgraded me to a smaller tool and put wood in front of me. Now I just build things out of wood. I’ve won 12 ribbons in my wood working. I also like to vegetable garden. Nothing like fresh organic veggies on the table.

Do you have any other books coming up in the future?

I am currently working on a non-fiction book called Simple Faith. It’s a book about taking the biblical concepts our faith is founded upon, and explaining them in a way that inspires and shows the simplicity of the gospel. The Apostle Paul once said, “I fear that your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.” Many Christians think the Bible is filled with complicated theological ideas. This book seeks to show that knowing God is simple, inspiring, and a joyful journey.

I have another full length manuscript finished (if you can consider a first draft finished). Also, I have three other manuscripts in various phases of construction. I have the overall ideas for each of these books. Since I forget things, when I see a scene, I write it out and save it for future use.

How can readers get in touch with you?

You can flash a light on the clouds that says, ‘Free chicken fingers,’ and I’ll play Batman music and come running. Some people prefer the simpler route of connecting with me on Twitter @eddiesnipes. My facebook username is eddiesnipes. It might seem like a strange coincidence, but my LinkedIn name is also eddiesnipes. Even more crazy is my website: http://www.eddiesnipes.com. On each of these, I just closed my eyes and typed out random letters. I might have peeked on a few letters.

Thanks for stopping by to visit to Eddie!

 You can get Eddie’s novel I Called Him Dancer at http://www.amazon.com/Called-Him-Dancer-Edward-Snipes/dp/0983224706/

 

 

Louise is giving away a copy of her latest release At the Captain’s Command to one lucky person who comments on this blog post between now and Friday, April 15th. For a chance to win, you must comment on this blog post with your email address. To prevent trollers from accessing your address leave it in this format: yourname(at)email(dot)com

If you prefer not to leave your email but still want to participate, email me at preslaysa(dot)c(dot)williams(at)gmail(dot)com any time between April 9-15th.

Winners will be announced on April 23rd.

Now, for the interview…

I’m excited about having inspirational romance novelist Louise M. Gouge with us today. Louise writes historical novels for Love Inspired Historical fiction. Her latest book with Love Inspired, At the Captain’s Command, released this month.

 Welcome to The Literary Mama. Tell our readers a little about yourself.

Thanks so much for inviting me here, Preslaysa. I love your moniker The Literary Mama. As a writer, a mama of four, and a grandmamma of six, I feel right at home. I met my husband David in Denver forty-six years ago, and we married just twelve weeks later. A very short courtship but a very long romance! We’re empty-nesters now and still enjoy each other’s company. For us, it’s no cliché to say we’re best friends. He’s very supportive of my writing and often helps me with research.

 When did you get the writing bug…and when did you follow the call to write?

I’ve always had a very active imagination and, as a child, often entertained myself by creating stories. When I was a young mother, at a friend’s prompting, I began to write one of those stories and found it was great fun. I finished the novel and then went back to college to learn all I could about creative writing. After obtaining my degree, I began to attend writers’ conferences. An editor bought that first book and its sequel. I can’t imagine not having a story to tell or a book to write.

What is At the Captain’s Command about?

At the Captain’s Command tells the story of a heroic British naval captain, son of an influential earl, who dares to fall in love with a provincial American girl. Then he discovers her family’s devastating secret.

Loyal to the British Crown, orphaned Dinah Templeton has vowed never to marry a seafaring man, for her father died at sea and her merchant captain brother is always away. But when Captain Thomas Moberly sails into St. Augustine to defend the East Florida shores from American pirates, Dinah finds that her heart may overrule her head regarding this seafarer. Captain Thomas Moberly, captain of HMS Dauntless, has been assigned to capture the notorious American pirate Nighthawk, who plagues the Atlantic coast of East Florida. War-weary and hoping for a refreshing visit with his brother and sister, who live near St. Augustine, Thomas never expects to find love. But how can he resist the lovely Miss Templeton, even though she is what his father, Lord Bennington, would call a common American?

At the Captain’s Command is available at amazon.com, cbd.com, and Walmart.

If this novel were made into a movie, who would you like to play the hero and heroine?

Captain Thomas Moberly just happens to look exactly like Eddie Cibrian of CSI: Miami. What a great looking guy! And the lovely Naomi Watts would make a perfect Miss Dinah Templeton.

What type of research do you do for historical novels?

First, let me say that I love research. I love immersing myself in another time and place and social environment. I used to go directly to the locations of my stories, but these days it’s very easy to get much of what an author needs from the Internet. I can find out what springtime is like in Boston even in the middle of winter! Still, I had great fun going to St. Augustine (a two-hour drive from my home) and spending several days in the historical society library to research At the Captain’s Command and walking the streets of America’s Oldest City. That being said, I try very hard to capture life as it was in the time I’m writing about, such as the smells or sounds or sights my characters would have experienced. I make sure the true historical events I incorporate in my books are portrayed accurately and backed up by credible history resources. In other words, I don’t “bend” history to suit my plot. Even more important, I try to set up the correct social environment for my characters, for this often provides the greatest conflict and motivation for my hero and heroine.

 Do you have any other books coming up in the future?

Yes, I do. My novella, The Gentleman Takes a Bride, will be coming out in June 2011 in an anthology entitled The Wedding Season.

Here’s the blurb:

Surely Elizabeth Moberly was born to be a nobleman’s bride. She can’t possibly be attracted to the untitled stranger who interrupts her cousin’s wedding. Yet Elizabeth finds herself drawn to Philip Lindsey’s tender heart and strong faith. And if Philip has his way, he’ll convince Elizabeth the only title she needs is Mrs. Lindsey, beloved wife.

How can readers get in touch with you?

Come on over to my blog/website: http://blog.Louisemgouge.com. I’ll be glad to see you there.

Thanks for stopping by to visit to Louise.

Thank you again, Preslaysa.

Louise is giving away a copy of her latest release At the Captain’s Command to one lucky person who comments on this blog post between now and Friday, April 15th. For a chance to win, you must comment on this blog post with your email address. To prevent trollers from accessing your address leave it in this format: yourname(at)email(dot)com

If you prefer not to leave your email but still want to participate, email me at preslaysa(dot)c(dot)williams(at)gmail(dot)com any time between April 9-15th.

Winners will be announced on April 23rd.