Wednesday, July 29, 2009

WINDOWS INTO HEAVEN to be released August 14, 2009!



Hello, everyone! I'm Julia K. Moore, one of the newest authors to come aboard at White Rose Publishing. I've been published before, but I felt the call to take a new course and write inspirational romance. I wanted to share my love of God and my love for true romance, which I feel is the touch of Grace. The first fruit of this is my novella, WINDOWS INTO HEAVEN.

Here's the story:
When Rachel Murphy hires the mysterious new man in town to help repair her run-down Texas home, she thinks she’s doing him a favor by giving him a hand up. But she discovers Cash Thompson is more than just a master of repair and renovation. When he begins to stir the embers of her cautious heart, she has to push him away. If he ever finds out her tragic past, it will shatter the illusions that keep her safe.

Cash can see the torment behind Rachel's eyes, but he won't allow her self-imposed solitude to drive a wedge between them. He knows what it’s like not to be able to escape your past, and he vows to stick by her regardless of the secrets she holds close to her heart.

Will Rachel allow Cash to be the healing love she needs, or will she turn away her last chance at happiness?


I hope you will enjoy WIH as much as I loved writing it. In the months before writing this novella, I lost my father to cancer. I also lost everything I had inside me that moved me to write. I really feared it would never return. But God is a healing God, and over time what I once had was restored. WINDOWS INTO HEAVEN poured out from that renewed pool of living water. I hope it will touch you, fill you with hope, and give you joy. It did for me.

WINDOWS INTO HEAVEN is on sale at White Rose Publishing, effective August 14, 2009. Please keep watch for it, and please give it a read! My author website is http://jkmoorebooks.blogspot.com. For now, it will also be known as Contest Central! :) If you'd like to win a FREE PDF DOWNLOAD of Windows Into Heaven, it's easy...choose a number from one to fifty, then email your full name and your winning number pick to: jkmoorebooks@aol.com It's as simple as that!

I'll announce the winner both at my website and here at WRIB on August 17th. Until later,

Blessings,
Julia K. Moore


Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Welcome Author Betsy Ann St. Amant


Betsy Ann St. Amant has one full length novel and two short stories with White Rose Publishing. In addition, this month her first Steeple Hill Love Inspired book, Return to Love was released. I recently had a chance to talk with her about her writing and I'd love to share Betsy Ann's responses with you.

1. Here's the blurb from your new release Return to Love - "I'm Not The Man I Used To Be!" If only Gracie Broussard could believe that! Years ago, Carter Alexander broke her heart and betrayed her. Now, just when she needs him most, he's back—asking her to believe he's changed. But this time, it's not just Gracie who'll be hurt if he disappears. A penguin keeper, Gracie urgently needs to find a new home for her beloved birds. Carter is the only one who can help. He promises that she can trust him, that he's not the rebel he once was. And that he needs Gracie as much as her birds do.

Please tell us a little about Return to Love.

Of course! RETURN TO LOVE is a contemporary romance set in New Orleans. The heroine, Gracie, works at the Aquarium of the Americas as a penguin keeper. She is hosting a fundraiser gala to expand the penguin exhibit to house homeless birds from upstate, but meets disaster at every turn. Her only hope of a successful event rests on her childhood-best friend, Carter, who she has never been able to fully trust. He's an ex musician and the man who broke her heart. Will this mismatched couple find their way back to friendship--or even to love?

2. How did you research your heroine's unusual job?

I simply called the Aquarium, and spoke with several people on the phone and through email until I had all my questions answered. Tom Dyer, the current penguin keeper, was exceptionally helpful and even let me use the real names of the current penguins residing there now! It was very fun. He is very good at his job!



3. What are you working on now?

I am steadily working on my newest contracted novel with Steeple Hill, entitled RODEO SWEETHEART, which is set for an April 2010 release. My deadline is rapidly approaching...yikes! Gotta keep at it!

4. How has your life changed since becoming a published author?

I'm busier, but that's a good thing! It's taught me balance - working, being a mommy and wife and housekeeper and writer. Lots of hats there! It's also taught me to loosen up a bit and prioritize things. Laundry isn't as important as family time or writing time. That's been hard for a Type A like me but God is working on me daily! =)

5. Tell us a little about the other great work in your life - your daughter Audrey.

Awww, my favorite topic!! She just had her first birthday and continues to be the light of my life. I recently was able to quit my day job and stay home to be a full time mommy and author, and I am so super blessed! God provided big time. And kudos to my generous hubby for making this happen! Our hero!

Betsy Ann, thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to answer my questions!

I recently finished Return to Love and it was great! Lots of conflict, characters you can really care about and a fun setting. What more can you ask for? I highly recommend it.

Monday, July 27, 2009

What Inspired Our New Release


When embarking on the magical course of publishing our first book with Sr. Editor, Nicola Martinez, we were presented with what we considered a small “catch”. She wanted to acquire our manuscript entitled Answering Her Call, but... Would we be willing to re-title the novella Jewel of the Adriatic, a more fitting title in Nicola’s opinion in the context of the book?

“Yes, yes, yes!”

A contract package was the thrilling result. And we truly liked the new title better than the original.

Completing a Manuscript Information Sheet, part of the paper flow process working with our publisher, we encountered the question, “Is this is a series?”

Something triggered the response, “Yes.” We filled in the blank and continued writing, “Jewel of the Adriatic, Rose of the Adriatic and Pearl of the Adriatic.” We hit send.

Nicola emailed us to acknowledge receipt and posed, “Did I miss something? This is a series?”

We could only answer, “Thanks to you, it is now.”

What a wonderful miracle of the imagination that a four-word title could spark a clear vision of some 50,000 words. Anna, the visionary, simply had to have her own story and Dr. Matt Robbins apparently became determined to travel to Valselo as Jewel of the Adriatic closed.

Rose of the Adriatic represented so many delightful opportunities for us as authors: we could revisit Valselo and spend time again at Katarina and Mikhail’s pansion, check in with Maya and Colin and acquaint ourselves with the mysterious Anna who bears the awesome responsibility of conveying messages she receives directly from the Mother of God. We also could throw the brilliant, troubled, doubting Matt into Anna’s world where all empirical testing of supernatural occurrences proves nothing. Faith can’t be detected under a microscope.

As with the prequel, historic and contemporary sites of Marian apparitions around the world deeply inspired our writing. In Rose of the Adriatic we explored the types of miracles associated with places on earth where Mary has appeared: healings, supernatural phenomena and most importantly, conversions.

Rose of the Adriatic releases from our beloved White Rose Publishing on Friday, July 31st! We’re spinning in anticipation. This is our favorite K.M. Daughters book to date (our fifth published book), maybe because its theme centers on the healing power of love, or because the Virgin Mary’s documented messages are woven into our fiction. But surely because the tiny spark that was its genesis ignited when we began our relationship with an Editor to whom we’ll always be grateful. Nicola, we’re still batting around Pearl of the Adriatic. So far heaven hasn’t inspired anything more than a title.

Sunday, July 19, 2009

Night Waves Releases this Friday, July 24th!

Hello! I'm pleased to announce my newest inspirational romance, Night Waves, is due to be released Friday!!!

Here's the blurb:
Newspaper reporter, Cali Stevens, boldly walks into Sheriff Nick Justice's office, with one goal in mind: To find her best friend who disappeared while vacationing. When the no-nonsense sheriff refuses to give her details of the investigation, Cali takes matters into her own hands and starts her own investigation. She never intends to fall for the sheriff...or into the clutches of the Coral Isle's first serial kidnapper.
Coral Isle's recent abductions give Nick Justice enough to worry about without adding any complications into the mix, and his attraction to Cali Stevens is definitely a complication. When Nick encourages Cali to leave the island, she refuses. Now he must manage to find the missing women while keeping Cali and the rest of the women on Coral Isle safe.

I'd like to thank Nicola Martinez for her amazing talent in designing the cover, and for her wonderful help with editing. Thanks Nicola!!!

If you would like to enter to win a copy of Night Waves, simply contact me through my website at www.wendydavy.com, and I'll put your name in the drawing. I'll be giving away either a digital copy, or an autographed print copy (Winner's choice!) on July 24th.

Thanks,

Wendy Davy
www.wendydavy.com

Thursday, July 16, 2009

Author Spotlight - Susan May Warren


Susan May Warren is the award-winning, best-selling novelist of over twenty-four novels, many of which have won the Inspirational Readers Choice Award, the ACFW Book of the Year award, and been Christy and Rita finalists. Her compelling plots and unforgettable characters have won her acclaim with readers and reviewers alike. After serving as a missionary for eight years in Russia, she returned home to a small town on Minnesota’s beautiful Lake Superior shore where she, her four children and her husband are active in their local church. You can find her online at: www.susanmaywarren.com


Tell us about your current release and where you got the inspiration for it.


I’m really excited about my new book, Nothing but Trouble – it’s a fun, romantic, light suspense series about a wanna-be PI who just can’t seem to stay out of trouble. I’ve been working on it for about three years. (or, maybe doing the research all my life, hmmm) Here’s the blurb:

It's not fair to say that trouble happens every time PJ Sugar is around, but it feels that way when she returns to her hometown, looking for a fresh start. Within a week, her former teacher is murdered and her best friend's husband is arrested as the number-one suspect. Although the police detective investigating the murder--who also happens to be PJ's former flame--is convinced it's an open-and-shut case, PJ's not so sure. She begins digging for clues in an effort to clear her friend's husband and ends up reigniting old passions, uncovering an international conspiracy, and solving a murder along the way. She also discovers that maybe God can use a woman who never seems to get it right.

It hit the stands just in time for a summer beach read and is available now at your local bookstore. Go to: http://gotsugar.susanmaywarren.com for sneak peeks and to sign up for free stuff and updates!


Is there a particular event that helped you become an author?

I’ve always been amazed at the journey God has taken me on. I always loved to write, but being a missionary in Russia, I never dreamed about being an author. I just tried to do the best with what God had entrusted to me, and for me that meant writing missionary newsletters. I honed my skills through my newsletter, and then, after a number of years, began to write devotionals and magazine articles. Although I tried my hand at writing novels (I wrote 4 before I ever had one published), I never thought I would get anything published. But I diligently studied craft and analyzed books, even though I was hidden away in Siberia. I’ll always be grateful that Tyndale and later Barbour and Steeple Hill took a chance on me! I’m still learning, and still trying to be a good steward of what God has entrusted to me.


What advice would you give to writers wishing to have their works published?

Read – figure out why you like the book, Read more, Write, get feedback, implement feedback, Read, Write more, and eventually go to a writer’s conference and pitch your story. Most of all, spend time in the Word, filling up, so you can pour out.

What is your next project?

I wrote a Christmas book! I’m so excited for my Christmas novella – the Great Christmas Bowl, a story that I wrote two years ago when my family took sick over the holiday season. For eight days over Christmas, I made soup and handed out Vicks…and conjured up a book about the crazy things mothers do, the looming threat (and joy) of empty nests and the universal desire to create memories for our children. I live in a small town, so of course, I had to write about the crazy, wonderful small town Minnesota life. (Go Big Lake Trouts!) Yes, it’s a mother book. (But did I mention it also has FOOTBALL in it?) It’s also a book about reclaiming romance after the kids are grown, and discovering that all your years of investing in your children do bear fruit.

I am overjoyed at this story; this holiday tale of my heart. It comes out in October!

Do you have a quote that motivates you?

This is the quote I had above my computer as I started to write novels…J "Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it." (Johann Wolfgang von Goethe)


Excerpt - The Great Christmas Bowl:

There are some Christmases that slink by, their significance lost amid the flurry of parties, holiday card mailings, and the endless lists of stocking stuffers. They end well, perhaps, with a sigh of relief and a warm curl of happiness that signifies, once again, a successful season had by all.

There are other years, however, that stand out in stark relief. Moments where the trudge of time, however briefly, hiccups. Years when we remember exactly why we gather with family to celebrate a day of peace, of grace.

For me, such a stumble in time came in my forty-eighth year. The year I turned into a fish.[1]

It happened by accident, as all monumental occurrences do. In fact, it wasn’t until afterward that I realized the depth of what had transpired. My youngest son claims that I entered into my state fully cognizant of the ramifications. My perspective suggests I was tricked, baited by the hope that my youngest son might find inspiration and purpose in my humble transformation and sacrifice.

Perhaps he did. But that year, the year I became a fish, also turned out to be the Christmas that would remind me, in years hence, that children do remember. They hold the memories we create as nourishment, filling in the nooks and crannies of their lives to make them stronger.

And eventually, they pass them on.



Thank you, Susan. I can't wait to pick up your new books. I'm sure they're as wonderful as your other novels,
Cami


Cami Checketts is a wife, mother, author, and exercise scientist. For exercise routines, please refer to her blog – fitmommas.blogster.com. Her latest novel, The Sister Pact, will be released August 1, 2009.

Monday, July 13, 2009

Author Spotlight - Kathi Macias

Kathi Macias is a multi-award winning writer who has authored nearly 30 books and ghostwritten several others. A former newspaper columnist and string reporter, Kathi has taught creative and business writing in various venues and has been a guest on many radio and television programs. Kathi is a popular speaker at churches, women’s clubs and retreats, and writers’ conferences, and recently won the prestigious 2008 member of the year award from AWSA (Advanced Writers and Speakers Association)atthe annual Golden Scrolls award banquet. Kathi “Easy Writer” Macias lives in Homeland, CA, with her husband, Al, where the two of them spend their free time riding their Harley.

www.kathimacias.com

http://kathieasywritermacias.blogspot.com/

Tell us about your current release and where you got the inspiration for it.

My most recent release (I’ve had four within the last year, with five more scheduled in 2010) isMothers of the Bible Speak to Mothers of Today from New Hope Publishers. It is a beautiful hardbound gift/devotional book, with stories about fifteen different biblical mothers who dealt with issues similar to those encountered by mothers today. The book includes a dedication page for gift-giving, as well as a mother’s prayer and making it personal section at the end of each of the fifteen chapters. This book was suggested to me by my former agent when we were chatting about ministering to moms, which is where my heart is.

Is there a particular event that helped you become an author?

I can’t remember when I’ve ever wanted to do anything but write. I love words, and communicating God’s truth, whether in speaking or writing, is my passion. My first book was published by Regal Books in 1988, when I was working in their editorial department. I imagine having that connection was a huge step in getting that first book accepted for publication.

What advice would you give to writers wishing to have their works published?

My journalism professor once told me, “Whether you want to be a good writer or mechanic or teacher, find someone who already does it well and hang around them.” Excellent advice! Find a good writers’ conference in your area (they’re everywhere!) and go there. Soak up everything you can; meet with authors, editors, publishers, agents; and maybe even get your proposal into the right hands at the right time.

What is your next project?

I am currently in the middle of a four-book fiction series for New Hope Publishers (their first-ever venture into fiction) titled the “Extreme Devotion” series, which deals with stories based on real-life modern-day martyrs of the faith in different countries (South Africa, Mexico, China, Saudi Arabia). I also just finished co-authoring a stand-alone historical (third-century) novel with Susan Wales; the book will be released by Abingdon Press in Fall 2010.

What other work of yours has been published?

I have actually published thirty books of my own, hundreds of magazine articles and short stories, and have ghostwritten/collaborated on at least 100 other books. One of my more recent releases,How Can I Run a Tight Ship when I’m Surrounded by Loose Cannons? (also from New Hope), is closest in style and focus to Mothers of the Bible Speak to Mothers of Today.

Who is your favorite author?

Oh, that’s a tough one! For nonfiction, I love Brennan Manning, Max Lucado, and C.S. Lewis (also one of my favorite fiction writers, as I love the Chronicles of Narnia). For fiction I love to read Francine Rivers, the Thoenes, Susan Meissner, Mary DeMuth, Jeanette Windle, and Bonnie Grove.

Do you have a quote that motivates you?

Oh, my goodness, again, there are so many! Apart from the Scriptures, I suppose I have been most motivated by a quote for whom I have no author but heard it often from my high school creative writing teacher: “If there is owing in the eyes of the giver, there is no gift.” I’ve never forgotten that, and it motivates me to life selflessly.

BLURB:

Challenges that mothers face day in and day out are not unique to this time, and modern-day moms have much wisdom to gain from true examples recorded in Scripture. InMothers of the Bible Speak to Mothers of Today, readers meet ordinary women of their day who, by God’s incomparable grace, were used for extraordinary purposes. Beautifully designed, this book makes the perfect gift for a mother on any occasion.

Excerpt:

Chapter 3

Rebekah: Playing Favorites

Before he [Abraham’s servant, Eliezer] had finished praying,

Rebekah came out with her jar on her shoulder….

The girl was very beautiful, a virgin

(Gen. 24:15, 16).

Suggested Scripture Readings:

Gen. 23:17-20; 24:1-4, 58, 66-67; 25:20, 21-26, 28; 27:6-12; 28:5

As a mother, have you ever been tempted to cover or even lie for your child in order to obtain special treatment or to override negative consequences in that child’s life, rather than trusting the Lord to work according to His purposes? Have you ever been involved in a family situation where there were “favorites” among siblings? Though this chapter depicts Rebekah as a loving wife and mother of twin boys, she ends up favoring the younger son, while her husband favors the elder. This results in a lot of manipulating and maneuvering, as well as downright deceit and trickery, which literally leads to the physical breakup of the family. It is a tragic story, with much to speak to us in similar situations today.

***

Rebekah is first introduced to us, literally, on “the wings of a prayer.” As Abraham’s servant Eliezer later told Rebekah’s brother Laban, “Before I finished praying in my heart, Rebekah came out” (Gen. 24:45). In a setting of romance and purity, bathed in prayer, this beautiful virgin girl, fulfilling the mundane task of drawing water for herself and her family, appears and steps into her God-ordained destiny, agreeing to marry Abraham’s son Isaac and eventually becoming one of the great matriarchs of the Bible. It is an idyllic, scriptural way for a marriage to begin, but—as many of us can attest—our lives and relationships haven’t always begun with or followed such a perfect pattern.

But before you think Rebekah’s life can’t possibly have any relevance for your own, let me assure you that this young woman experienced many trials and heartaches in the fulfillment of her life’s calling as wife and mother. Let’s take a look at Rebekah—where she came from, how she ended up where she did, and the price she paid for some of the decisions she made in her life.

Thank you Kathy for sharing your talents with us,

Cami

Cami Checketts is a wife, mother, exercise scientist, and proud supporter of Cold Stone Creameries. Her third novel, The Sister Pact, will be in bookstores August 1, 2009.


Monday, July 6, 2009

Murder and Romance?



I'm often asked how can you write a Christian romance and a murder mystery and put them both in the same book? Honestly, I never really thought about it until the first time I was asked.

The truth of the matter is that romance has always been my first love, a few years ago I discovered cozy mysteries. Naturally I wanted to combine both my reading passions.

I'm not sure you're interested in the "how" I do it, but I think I'll share anyway.
1. I come up with two people that I want to fall in love.
2. I give them a murder to solve.
3. I make one of them, either the hero or the heroine, the major suspect or someone close to them the suspect.
4. Then I have the other one want to solve the murder to keep the hero or heroine out of jail or their family member.
5. In the case of Claire Parker in Lethal Lasagna, she wanted to clear her own name and discover who murdered her best friend. The hero, Brandon meets Claire and wants to help her. Is it love at first sight? maybe, maybe not.
6. Hero and Heroine work together to solve the mystery and in the process fall in love.

That's how I do it.

I'm curious, how many of you readers like to read romance with a hint of mystery in them?

Wednesday, July 1, 2009

Special Guest - Bess McBride

Happy July 1st!

I know, we celebrate our country's independence on July 4th, but hey, what's wrong with starting early?

Today the White Roses would like to welcome fellow TWRP author, Bess McBride with two of her five books as our special guest!

Thanks, Roses, for spotlighting me today. I’m happy to be here. I’m Bess McBride, and I write romances in several different genres...contemporary, light paranormal/fantasy (lovelorn ghosty stuff a la Ghost and Mrs. Muir), time travel and romantic suspense. I have five books in print with The Wild Rose Press, and two more on the way. You can contact me through my web site at www.bessmcbride.com. My tag line is “Romances for the Shy Girl in All of Us,” and I tend to write romances where the love scenes are fade to black, if not sweet. That’s what I like to read, and that’s what I like to write! I hope you enjoy the blurbs.”

A Train Through Time, time travel, sweet

Blurb: College teacher Ellie Standish thinks she’s on a sleek modern train heading to a conference on women’s studies in Seattle, but she awakens from a night’s doze to find herself on a bizarre historical train full of late Victorian era reenactors who refuse to come out of character. When the leader of the group—one handsome, green-eyed Robert Chamberlain—finally convinces her the date is indeed 1901, a skeptical Ellie decries any eccentric theories of time travel and presumes she is smack dab in the middle of a very interesting historical dream. She turns the directorial reins of her dream over to one smitten and willing Robert, only to realize that dreams cannot last forever. Someday, she must wake up to reality, though Ellie no longer has any idea what reality is. She only knows that Robert must play an important part in her future. But how can he...if he’s only a figment of her imagination or worse yet...a man who belongs to an era long past?

Caribbean Dreams of Love, light paranormal/fantasy, sensual (no explicit love scenes/fade to black)

Blurb: Daisy and her sixteen-year-old daughter, Lily, are embarking on a Caribbean cruise. She isn't looking for anything special on the cruise other than a pleasant break from her humdrum existence as long-time divorced single mother to a busy teenage girl. She certainly isn't prepared for an enigmatic man named Peter whose idiosyncrasies in dress and speech mark him as an eccentric person to avoid. But Daisy can't avoid him. In fact, she begins to obsess about him from the first moment she catches him staring at her in the cruise ship terminal. Peter remains elusive and mysterious throughout the cruise. She catches sight of him occasionally, never often enough to please her, and they connect one wonderful night as he sweeps her into his arms for a waltz. A waltz? On a Caribbean cruise ship? While Daisy's dinner companions share nightly tales of the legends of cursed pirates, Daisy dreams of the mysterious man who has captured her heart.

Wow, find out more about Bess's titles at her website or The Wild Rose Press!

Hope you've enjoyed our guest today. Come back often to see what's going on in the lives and writing careers of the White Roses.

Until later...take care and Be Blessed!