A CHAT WITH AUTHOR KATY LEE!

It's so wonderful to host Katy Lee today and all through the weekend. Katy, thanks for dropping in! For those of you who aren't familiar with Katy and her work, here is her bio:

Katy Lee writes higher purpose stories in high speed worlds. As an inspirational author, speaker, home-schooling mom, and children’s ministry director, she has dedicated her life to sharing tales of love, from the greatest love story ever told to those sweet romantic stories of falling in love. Her fresh and unique voice brings a fast-paced and modern feel to her romances that are sure to resonate with readers long after the last page. Her debut novel Real Virtue is a finalist in many writing contests, and took second place in the 2011 Georgia Maggie Award of Excellence

What's Katy's book, Real Virtue about? So glad you asked!!

In a virtual reality game where she can fly, someone’s aiming to take her down.

Mel Mesini is a New York City restaurateur and an avid, virtual reality world traveler. But her successful life—both online and in reality—takes a swerve the night her father is seriously injured in a hit-and-run. To make matters worse, Officer Jeremy Stiles, the man who had once cut her deep with his harsh, rejecting words, is heading the investigation.

When Jeremy realizes Mel is the actual target, he plans to protect her—whether she wants him to or not. What he wants is answers, especially about this online game she plays. Is it a harmless pastime as she says? Or is she using it to cover something up? As a faceless predator destroys the things that matter to her, Jeremy knows he’s running out of time before she loses the one thing that matters most—her real life.

Real Virtue will release on April 4^th in ebook format, paperback in September. It will be available on Amazon.com and Barnesandnoble.com.

Katy is giving away a free e-copy of Real Virtue this week to one commenter! (So leave a comment and you'll be entered into the drawing!)


And if you are planning to attend the RT Convention in Chicago, make sure you stop by Katy EXPO table.

And now for my chat with Katy...

        1    In which genre do you write?

Hello Andrea, thank you for having me. I am excited to be here today to share about myself, but also about my debut novel, Real Virtue. I write Inspirational-romantic-suspense. I’ve tried to write contemporary romance, but no matter what I do, a villain ends up rearing his, or her, ugly head.

      For the most part, my stories are contemporary, but I am presently plotting a historical. Not sure if it will ever see the light of day, but I am having loads of fun with it! This past weekend I attended a showing of 19^th century fashion at my local university. The dresses were beautiful, and I loved hearing about why certain patterns and fabrics became the rage for the ladies in these times. A writer’s delight, for sure!

2)     What motivates you? 

      Believe it or not, deadlines. Give me a deadline and it will be done. Even if the deadline is tomorrow. Just last evening, my publisher gave me the final edits and told me I had until five o’clock today to proof them. I got them back to her at 4:55. Whew! The saying goes, you want something done, give it to someone who is busy. An object in motion stays in motion. Well, I am that person in constant motion…just make sure you give me the deadline.

3)   How does your faith affect your daily life?

      I don’t make a move without God’s direction. When I have feelings of worry, I remind myself that worry is fear, and God did not give us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and a sound mind. I handle the task at hand, and trust He will provide what I need for it when I need it.

4)    How much spirituality do you weave into your story?

      

      My stories are not sermons, however, I allow my Christian characters free rein when it comes to The Great Commission. As the story progresses their faith shines through as another thread, but more importantly, they demonstrate what the Christian life looks like.

5)    What is your general purpose as an author?

        My general purpose as an author is my general purpose in everything I do­­—to glorify Christ. But the message I hope to convey to my readers through my stories, is that God is in the business of rehabilitating lives, and there is no one not worth His time.

6)   What is your greatest challenge in your writing?

       My greatest challenge is time. I home-school my children, and I am also the Children’s Ministry Director for my church. Both take up huge chunks of time, but they are commitments I have made, and I need to be obedient and responsible in carrying those duties out. If it means I start my day at 4AM to get my word count in, then that is what I do. People ask me all the time how I am able to write. I tell them the question isn’t how I am I able. The question is how much do I want it?

Thank you, Andrea for having me on your blog! Readers, I love comments and would love to hear from you.

And please keep in touch with me at my website: www.KatyLeeBooks.com

You will see links for Twitter and Facebook. Let’s connect and get to know each other!

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Thank you, Katy. It's been great getting to know you. I'll look for your book on store shelves in a couple of weeks!

GETTING TO KNOW MARY MANNERS

Today through Thursday I'm hosting author Mary Manners on my blog.

Mary is an award-winning author of inspirational romance who lives in the beautiful foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains of East Tennessee with her husband and teen-aged daughter. She is a member of the Romance Writers of America and Smoky Mountain Romance Writers.

During the school year, she teaches middle-schoolers reading and algebra. In her free time, she likes to garden, take long walks with her husband, and read romance novels in a hammock beneath century-old shade trees.

Visit Mary at  www.marymannersromance.com

Here's a blurb about Mary's most recent release:

In eight seconds Dalton Merrill's professional bull riding days—and the fame he enjoyed—ended. When the adrenaline-junkie returns to Lone Creek Ranch to heal, he discovers a single reckless romp with sweet Emilee Walker has left her with more than a little heartbreak. She’s carrying his child. The last thing he wants is to be tied down with a wife and a son. Emilee Walker trusted Dalton with her heart, and he left her for the rodeo. She wanted Dalton to return home, but not like this. Now she wonders if it's responsibility or love that holds him on Lone Creek. This time she vows to show him what family ties and faith in God really means.

And now for the interview with Mary:

1    What genre do you write in? (Historical, contemporary, romance, etc.)

I write contemporary inspirational romance with a focus on family elements.

2   What motivates you?

I have loved to write for as long as I can remember. My motivation is to get as many stories down on paper, to share with others, that I can. If only there were more hours in the day! I have so much I want to share.

3    How does your faith affect your daily life?

Writing is a form of worship for me. I write to glorify God. My books deal with real-life issues and my characters have real flaws and fears. I hope my readers can relate.

4    What is your greatest challenge in your writing?

My greatest challenge is to tackle marketing along with writing. I am not very computer literate, so working with Facebook, etc. can be a challenge.

5    What message do you hope to convey to readers, either in this latest book or in all your books?

I want readers to know that, although we make mistake, there is always hope for and the possibility of redemption.

6    As an author, what are your goals for the future? I would like to write full-time.

Currently, I teach 7^th grade math (my 26^th year teaching). Being able to stay home and write would be a blessing.

       7    What’s next for you as an author? Any books in the hopper?

I am currently under contract for 21 books/novellas with Pelican Book Group. Lullaby in Lone Creek is the 13^th to release, so there are many more to come!

WOW! 21 books? That's awesome, Mary. I wish you continued success. 

To my readers: THANK YOU for visiting my blog and reading my interview with Mary Manners. It's great to get to know her better.

An Interview with Author, Sandra Orchard!

It's my pleasure to feature Sandra on my blog today. For those of you who aren't familiar with Sandra and her work, here's more about her:

Sandra Orchard hails from rural Ontario, Canada where inspiration abounds for her Harlequin Love Inspired Suspense novels set in the fictional Niagara town she's created as their backdrop. Winner of the 2009 Daphne DuMaurier Award of Excellence in Mystery/Suspense, she is an active member of American Christian Fiction Writers, Romance Writers of America, and The Word Guild. Sandra enjoys offering her readers “extras” to enhance their experience of her books (think DVD extras). You can check out these, along with other resources for readers and writers, at her website: http://www.SandraOrchard.com

You can also connect with her on Facebook at: http://www.Facebook.com/SandraOrchard and visit her blog: http://www.SandraOrchard.blogspot.com

Now for the interview:

1)  What’s your favorite part of being published?

Hearing from readers. My dream has always been to touch readers’ hearts through my stories with the message of God’s love for them. I love to hear how readers have related to the story. 

2)  Outside of writing, what accomplishment are you most proud?

Raising and educating three wonderful, hard-working children who love the Lord (and their mom ).

3)   Share a verse or Scripture passage with us that is special to you.

One that became dear to me while writing Shades of Truth, in which the hero can’t forgive himself for a terrible mistake in his past, is 2 Corinthians 5:18-19a “All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them.”

4)    How did you come up with the Shades of Truth story? Was there a specific 'what if' moment? 

I introduced the heroine, Kim, in Deep Cover as that heroine’s sidekick. While I was in the middle of revising that book, a young woman from our church shared her experiences working at a Christian youth detention center. I was enthralled by her passion for the youth, and her sincere insistence that she learned far more from them than she was teaching them. That very night I decided Kim would work at a youth detention center.

A year later I began her own story. I decided the hero would work undercover at the facility and be haunted by an action in his past that had landed him in a similar facility. The story started to really meld when I asked, “What if a loving daughter fighting to preserve her dying father’s legacy must choose between protecting her father or acting on the moral principles he raised her to live by?”

5)     Have you drawn on any of your own life experiences or interests in the novel, or done any special research that might interest readers?

There are a few tidbits in the novel that are drawn from events in my lift. But for the post part, I relied on research and my imagination. I interviewed the young woman who was the inspiration for my heroine’s occupation and studied her training manual. I also attended a Writers’ Police Academy where I learned—and experienced hands on—a wealth of the small, but significant details that make a cop story come alive. The highlight was participating in firearms simulation training, in which we had to make split-second decisions on whether to use lethal force to subdue a suspect—and experienced the full range of emotions and visceral responses that go along with them. I also interviewed several police officers, and joined an online writing group on which LEOs and other experts answer author’s questions.

6)    The cover is eye-catching. What’s the setting?

All of the books in my Undercover Cops series take place in the fictional community of Miller’s Bay situated along the shores of Lake Erie in the heart of the Niagara Region of Ontario, Canada. I’ve lived in Southern Ontario all my life, half the time in cities, the other half in rural settings. In creating Miller’s Bay, I borrowed aspects of various real towns and blended them together into one that suited my needs.

The focus in this particular story is on Hope Manor, which sits on the outskirts of town, surrounded by farmland. The book jacket effectively portrays the tension between the serenity of the countryside (i.e. the bright colors and pastoral scene) and the danger that lurks nearby (i.e. the dark clouds, the shadow over the right side of the barn, the barbed wire). I think the artist did a fabulous job.

7)    Which was your favorite scene to write?

Oh, without question, it’s when Ethan reveals his past to Kim. I love writing a hero who’s not afraid to bare his heart, be vulnerable, no matter the consequence.

8)    The theme that seems to span all of the books is the battle between truth vs lies and secrecy vs deception. How does this impact your characters and their stories?

Yes, each main character grapples with some form of deception. At the root is a kind of self-deception that they’ve convinced themselves is true, for some it’s to protect their hearts, for others it’s out of a misguided sense of protecting others.

9)      Will there be more books in the series?

Yes, the next book, Critical Condition, is due to release October 2012. ~A nurse. An undercover cop. A killer who’ll stop at nothing to avoid being caught.

Zach, the hero, was first introduced in book one as Rick Gray’s mentor and I’ve been longing to write his story ever since.

10)    What are you working on now?

I just finished final edits for Critical Condition, and am working on a proposal for a fourth. And…I just received an offer for a new trade-length romantic suspense series with another publisher! I hope to be able to announce details very soon.  

INTERVIEW WITH CHRISTY AWARD WINNER, DIANN MILLS & Book Give-away!!!

DiAnn, thank you so much for being my guest on Everything Writerly. For those who don't know DiAnn, here's a brief bio:

Award-winning author DiAnn Mills is a fiction writer who combines an adventuresome spirit with unforgettable characters to create action-packed, suspense-filled novels. She currently has more than fifty books published.

Her titles have appeared on the CBA and ECPA bestseller lists and have won placements through the American Christian Fiction Writer’s Carol Awards and Inspirational Reader’s Choice awards. DiAnn won the Christy Award in 2010 and 2011.

DiAnn is a founding board member for American Christian Fiction Writers, Romance Writers of America, and Advanced Writers and Speakers Association. She speaks to various groups and teaches writing workshops around the country. DiAnn is also the Craftsman mentor for the Jerry B. Jenkins Christian Writers Guild.

DiAnn, please tell us about your book. 

        

      The Chase is my newest release, first book in the Crime Scene: Houston series. This series is based on solved cold cases from Houston’s FBI. It’s currently an e-reader download for $2.99 - limited time. E-copy releases March 20th. Hard copy releases March 27th.     

      

   Here's a blurb:

       To the FBI it's a cold case. To Kariss Walker it's a hot idea that could either reshape or ruin her writing career. And it's a burning mission to revisit an event she can never forget. Five years ago, an unidentified little girl was found starved to death in the woods behind a Houston apartment complex. A TV news anchor at the time, Kariss reported on the terrifying case. Today, as a New York Times bestselling author, Kariss intends to turn the unsolved mystery into a suspense novel. Enlisting the help of FBI Special Agent Tigo Harris, Kariss succeeds in getting the case reopened. But the search for the dead girl's missing mother yields a discovery that plunges the partners into a witch's brew of danger.

  And now the interview with DiAnn:

     

   1.    What genre do you write in? (Historical, contemporary, romance, etc.) 

Romantic suspense   


2.    What motivates you? 

To show real, courageous women in unlikely roles 

3.     How does your faith affect your daily life? 

      Every breath I take. My writing is a ministry. I’m  also the Craftsman mentor for Jerry B. Jenkins Christian Writers Guild.     

         

            4.     How much spirituality do you weave into your story? 

      My goal is to show one character solving his/her problem from a Christian worldview. For me, it’s not about scripture or prayer but showing the reader how a Christian reacts and responds to the world around him/her.          

            5.     What is your general purpose as an author? 

       To entertain, to inspire, and to encourage the reader to be a better person. For the unbeliever, to show a real Christian and move them to seek God.  

    6.   What is your greatest challenge in your writing? 

        Making sure my characters use all the technology out there. Sometimes if I need technology to do something, I write it anyway, know that by the time the book is released, it was be accurate.    

    7.    What message do you hope to convey to readers, either in this latest book or in all your books? 

      Good guys win and bad guys lose.   

    8.    Do you believe there is evil in the world and, if you do, how do you portray it in your novels (or do you portray evil in your novels? 

      Evil is thriving in today’s world. And I definitely portray evil and do it realistically.      

     

    9.    As an author, what are your goals for the future?

      To be right in the middle of God’s will. It’s His call, not mine.    

    10.   Did you ever have a memorable book-signing? (Sad, humorous, or awesome?) If so, please share it. 

       My one and only nonfiction book about the Lost Boys of Sudan. 1017 books sold. Every penny went to a nonprofit organization to help the Sudanese.

       

    11.   How do you deal with rejection letters or an irate reader? 

      Grace - but it’s hard. :)   

    12.   What’s next for you as an author? Any books in the hopper?     

       Just finished The Survivor, the second book in the Crime Scene: Houston series. Writing the third book. Got lots of ideas. :)

   Sounds interesting, DiAnn, and I know we can "expect an adventure" from all your books! :) 

  Thank you so much for being my guest on Everything Writerly. I wish you God's best on all you do!

To my readers: Please leave a comment and you will be entered into a drawing held on Wednesday, March 21, 2012 to win a FREE BOOK from DiAnn. 

Thanks for stopping by!

~Andrea

The Value of Broken Things

Many apologies to my readers for my absenteeism from posting on my blog. My mother died in mid-February and the weeks that have followed have been filled with every kind of emotion imaginable. How grateful I am that my brother, sister, and I were able to spend the last three days of her life together and with Mom.

On the day of the funeral, things began to get weird in the way of family dynamics. People mourn in so many different ways. Some cry (like me). Some lash out in anger when really deep inside they are hurting beyond what words can describe. Some refuse to talk about the death while others babble nonstop. Some people isolate themselves, thinking no one can understand the depths of their pain. Other folks can’t stand to be alone. And then there are those who keep themselves so busy they don’t have time to feel or deal with their loss. It’s been interesting as well as heart-wrenching to watch the gamut of reactions within my family.

And then there’s my mother’s stuff. Stuff – with a capital S. An oriental art history major, Mom worked as an appraiser and collected pieces here and there. Mostly here. She’d given much of her collection away after receiving the diagnosis of terminal breast cancer and kept that much more. However, many items had been chipped or cracked and glued back together. My mother saw the value in everything. To me, however, her cracked and chipped collection looked like garbage. My brother jokingly suggested we call 1-800-GOT-JUNK. I rather agreed – seriously. Still, my sister and I returned Mom’s apartment almost every day since her death, sorting and pricing. Handling Mom’s precious things was very healing for me. But the question remained: Would anyone show up at the estate sale and buy this stuff?

I was surprised when on Friday morning my husband and I arrived at her place at 7:00 am and already 10 people waited at the door. An hour later, 20 people waited. We didn’t open until 9:00 am! When we did, we let only a few people in at a time and amazingly her chipped collection flew off tabletops and the fireplace mantel. While the pieces appeared worthless, they were still popular with collectors who paid good money for them.

The experience got me  thinking about the Lord and how He loves even those people we deem as “worthless” or un-lovable. Can you think of someone like that? Several people come to my mind. And yet, God loves those folks so much He sent His only begotten Son to die a horrendous, torturous death on the cross for their sins. Remember, Jesus came not for the righteous, but the unrighteous. He sees the value in what others assume is worthless. Like my mom’s cracked and chipped oriental collection in her eyes (and in the eyes of antique dealers too), the redeemed of the Lord are His treasures.

But I shouldn't be so surprised, really. This is the very theme of my e-book Broken Things. I hope you'll download your copy soon. I think my books speaks to so many times in life -- and in death -- when we're broken. But the beauty is that God can rebuild. He's doing that in my heart now, rebuilding so I'm stronger and better-able to serve Him in the future.

When was a time in your life when you were totally broken by a situation?