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Watching a book come from idea to something you can actually hold in your hands is always exciting. For an author. And for those who love her. And I can tell you right now, I love the author who is my guest today. Sarah Heatwole is part of our local author group, and I am cheering so loud as her first book releases this week. From the snippets I've read during our critique times, I can promise it's as beautiful as the cover. See what you think and make sure to read all the way to the bottom. She's doing a giveaway!  Thank you, Amy, for having me as your guest author. To your readers, let me tell you Amy is as much a delight in person as she is on this blog. She has been a great inspiration to me on this writing journey.
I have a book coming out in two days! Speaking those words seems surreal. This has been a faith filled supernatural journey; only by God’s grace have I been able to get this far. I didn’t aspire to be a writer. In fact, when I was a little girl, I remember driving up I-71 into the heart of Cleveland, seeing the skyscrapers and dreaming about my power suit and fancy office. As an adult, I spent years building my career, working my way up to Executive Director in an assisted living community–until it collapsed.
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 Can I be honest here? Christmas in July is NOT usually my thing.
Summer in TN can be really hot. Way too hot for me to think about Christmas as I'm used to it. That being said, I also can't avoid thinking about Christmas around this time of year. I'm often editing a book set around that time. Or writing one! And, because there are so many people who enjoy celebrating Christmas in the middle of the year, why not join in? Feeling mysterious today? Well, we have another mystery author joining us today. Sandra Kay Vosburgh is here, chatting about parts of her life that sneak into her books and why she loves mysteries. She's offering her first two books to a lucky reader, so be sure to leave a comment at the end!  What first led you to want to write mysteries? Why that genre?
I was introduced to Agatha Christie when I found my mother’s copy of Halloween Party. I love the mental challenge a mystery presents, and Christie’s plotting was so complex, I rarely picked the right suspect. I attribute my suspicious nature to her. Does your life as a pastor's wife incorporate itself into any of your writings? Working in women’s ministry had a great impact on my current novel, which is a women’s contemporary with a bit of mystery. The theme is the effect of negative fathering on the soul of a little girl—how a father’s failure to affirm and value his daughter impacts her adulthood. I’ve seen women well into their later years weep when they spoke of their father’s absence or indifference. This moved me to write The Girl in Her. Is your hometown known for anything special? Any spies? Ever read a book set in someone else's hometown that makes you want to go visit? Today, fellow author Ellen Withers is sharing about her hometown setting in her mystery series. And it sounds fascinating. No wonder she set her books there! See what you think.  Learning and reading about spies active during the Civil War is fascinating to me. Historians have discovered several of these spies were women. Some conducted their spying activities as a normal woman from the times, while others enlisted in military service and passed as a male soldier. In writing a book that includes the history of the Union Army’s occupation of my hometown during the War Between the States, I wanted to create a fictional spy within their midst and have an ordinary woman help gather evidence of the spy.
 I discovered Janet Ferguson's books years ago and have followed her for several years since. She writes beautiful stories of love and hope, set in gorgeous places. If you haven't checked her out before now, you can try out one of her stories for free. Grab The Art of Rivers as her gift along with her newsletter. Here's the link https://dl.bookfunnel.com/yt91p8u5qo And be sure to check out this fun interview to learn more about Janet and her stories. Janet, I've read most of your stories, and they're gorgeous. Where do you come up with your ideas?
Thank you so much for the kind words. I know without God, there’s no way I could write a novel. To Him be the glory. My ideas usually just drop in on my mind. Again, I believe it’s a God thing. Someone might say something, or I’m in a certain setting (like the beach), and an idea pops up. I know you have stories set in Mississippi where you're from, but also Georgia (loved visiting St. Simon's again through your book), and now Wyoming. How do you choose the best place to set a story? Other than the first series that was set in Oxford, Mississippi, which I have been to many times, I was actually in the setting when the ideas came. I love to travel. I see God so clearly in nature away from my everyday busy life. In that quiet, the ideas have room to grow. Today starts a fun new series on my blog that I think we're all going to enjoy--a monthly book spotlight! Each month, I'm going to let another author take over my blog for a day to share a fun story about one of her books. Today, Suzie Waltner, a fellow Tennessean and fellow Anaiah author, is sharing about a fun roadtrip story. This sounds like a great read. And make sure you go all the way to the bottom because she's doing a giveaway too!   As a romance reader, the friends-to-more trope has always been my favorite. Since my Love in Color series features a group of friends who not only grew up together and hang out often, but also work together, I knew from the first book that two of them needed to become more than just friends.
But what would be the catalyst for them to realize their feelings for each other went beyond friendship? My solution? Send them on a road trip across the country in search of answers to questions each of them has about their families.  Welcome to the inaugural Back to School Christian Fiction Scavenger Hunt. We hope that throughout this hunt, you discover some new books and get to know a little more about us.
A few things before you begin: This hunt is a blog hop. Collect the “clues” (pieces to the longer phrase) at each stop. Enter the individual giveaways along the way, then click on the link to the next stop and repeat until you reach #28, where you will input the full phrase as your entry to the grand prize drawing. The hunt begins August 30, 2023, at noon EST and ends September 4, 2023, so you have plenty of time to visit each stop. If you need to step away and come back later, make a note of the last stop you visited, and go to this post with the list of all stops on the hunt. If you are having trouble viewing the posts, you may need to switch browsers. Chrome and Firefox sometimes work better than Microsoft Explorer or Edge.  I haven't read Shannon Sue Dunlap's new book yet, but it's definitely on my TBR list. It sounds like so much fun, and today, I am thrilled to get to know Shannon a bit more too. See what you think about this new-to-me author and her books. Be sure to read all the way to the end to find out how to get one of Shannon's stories for free. Your new story revolves around a mayoral election. What made you choose politics for your romcom?
I don’t consider myself very political and hope readers won’t be wary of the election setting. I’d created the adorable town of Sweetheart for an indie romance called Decoy Valentine. In that story, Lanette Johnson, the mayor’s opinionated wife, played a prevalent role. After I’d finished the book, I was going about my normal life when a question occurred to me. What if Lanette got mad at her husband and decided to run against him for mayor? That’s all it took. It was too hilarious a setup to ignore. Your characters are a small-town girl and a big-city guy. Which one do you think you're more like? Or are you comfortable in both places? I’m big-city all the way and relate to my hero Ryan’s ignorance of the small-town pace. For almost a month now, I've been giving sneak peeks into MY story in the novella collection that released on the 27th. But today, I'm passing the torch and letting Regina Rudd Merrick post about her story and why spring is such an intrinsic part of it. Be sure to read to the end so you won't miss the next clue in our scavenger hunt!  Spring has sprung,
The grass is riz, Wonder where the flowers is? They are nowhere to be found, ‘Cause they’re underground. I’ve always had an affinity for springtime in Kentucky, being born in March, so it was no stretch for me to write a story based on the season! I could also say that, like my character Maia Pascal, I have a love/hate relationship with the season. In the LOVE category are the feelings of refreshing, new birth, plus the colorful flowers and budding trees after a somber late winter! It brings hope every year. On the flip side (I can’t use the word HATE, unlike Maia!), there are the following issues:
For almost a month now, I've been giving sneak peeks into MY story in the novella collection releasing TOMORROW! But today, I'm passing the torch and letting Heather Greer post about her story and why winter is such an intrinsic part of it. Be sure to read to the end so you won't miss the next clue in our scavenger hunt!  Spring is too wet and the ground is a big muddy mess. Summer is too hot and not even the draw of a great glass of lemonade can make it less so. Autumn is perfect. Always. Winter is often cold and dark.
Why, then, did I choose winter for my novella, Sugar and Spice? While the temperatures may leave something to be desired, I cannot deny the beauty of the season. Despite the cold, there’s beauty in winter. When snow blankets the bare branches of trees and rests on the needles of evergreens set against a wintery blue sky, the result is breathtaking. When sunlight hits the snow-covered ground creating an ocean of sparkling diamonds out of the field behind my house, the two sights blend with the unique hush accompanying snow to evoke a sense of serenity. |
This is a place for me to tell you about what I'm writing, talk about the process or where some of my ideas came from, or even have other authors come in and talk about their books.
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