It's a Dog's Life for Author Dana Mentink

Dear Readers ~

I hope you're having a fantastic summer and you're reading lots of great books!! Today I have the pleasure of hosting Dana Mentink on my blog.

Welcome, Dana!

For those of you unfamiliar with Dana, below is her bio:

Dana Mentink is a two time American Christian Fiction Writers Carol Award winner. She is the author of over thirty titles in the suspense and lighthearted romance genres. Her suspense novel, Betrayal in the Badlands, earned a Romantic Times Reviewer’s Choice Award and she has also been honored with a Holt Medallion Award of Merit. She is pleased to write for Harlequin’s Love Inspired Suspense and Harlequin Heartwarming. Besides writing, she busies herself teaching third grade. 

Mostly, she loves to be home with Papa Bear, Yogi, Boo Boo, an energetic doxie mix, a chubby box turtle, and a feisty parakeet.

Dana, please tell us how God inspired you to write your latest book.

"Fetching Sweetness came out of a question that the Lord continues to lay on my heart: How can I live out God's plan for my life?

"I'm a planner, you see. I love to lay out daily schedules and organize my life to suit myself. Sometime it consumes me to the point where I allow duties on my 'list' to overcome my sense of joy.

"Over the years, God has put several special dogs in my life and you know what I've learned from them? They are content. They do not worry about tomorrow or regret yesterday. They love today, this moment, the joy that God provides in each new morning.

"Our current rescue dog Junie, is absolutely overjoyed to greet the day. I love that about dogs and I think God uses them to teach us a lesson. I know I've learned so much about love and life and it was an absolute blessing and privilege to explore those themes in the Paws for Love series."

How true, Dana. My yellow lab named Miley is so spoiled that she's become our 100 pound lap dog...at least, she thinks she's a lap dog. :) 

So now give us a blurb about your book.

Standing Between Stephanie and Her Dream Is One Hundred Pounds of Lovable Trouble

It should have been so simple for Stephanie Pink: Meet up with Agnes Wharton in a small town in California, retrieve the reclusive author's valuable new manuscript, and be promoted to a full-fledged literary agent.

But Agnes's canine companion, Sweetness, decides to make a break for it before Stephanie can claim her prize. Until Agnes has Sweetness safely back at home in Eagle Cliff, Washington, Stephanie will never set eyes on the manuscript she needs to make her dreams come true.

When Stephanie tracks the runaway mutt to a campground, she meets Rhett Hastings—a man also on the run from a different life and a costly mistake. Rhett agrees to help Stephanie search for the missing dog...thus launching a surprising string of adventures and misadventures.

Once Sweetness gets added to the mix, it's a recipe for love and loss, merriment and mayhem, fun and faith in the backwoods of the Pacific Northwest.

The book sounds like a fabulous read. Thank you so much for visiting Everything Writerly today, Dana!

Readers, you can find out more about Dana by visiting her website at: http://www.danamentink.com/

Happy Friday, everyone! As you can see from my record of posts, that I've been sorely neglecting my blog. I'm striving to make a July 1st deadline. I'm writing book 3 in my Fabric of Time series. I'm really into the story, so the story is flying off my fingers; however, I sort of have to turn off the world while I finish. I'll keep you all posted.

In the meantime, I have a wonderful new interview for you all to read. One of my favorite authors, Louise Gouge. She won me over as a fan in the 1990s with her novel Once There was a Way Back Home. But Louise has come a long way since then. Here's her bio:

Award-winning Florida author Louise M. Gouge writes historical fiction for Harlequin's Love Inspired Historicals. In addition to numerous other awards, Louise is the recipient of the prestigious Inspirational Readers’ Choice Award for her 2005 novel, Hannah Rose. With her great love of history and research, Louise has traveled to several of her locations to ensure the accuracy of her stories’ settings. When she isn't writing, she and her husband love to visit historical sites and museums. Her latest release from Harlequin is The Proper Companion, a Love Inspired Regency novel. Her 2011 Regency novella, The Gentleman Takes a Bride, is a finalist for the IRCA.

Here is a blurb about Louise's latest book, A Proper Companion. 

She had nothing left but her faith…

With her father’s death, Anna Newfield loses everything—her home, her inheritance, and her future. Her only piece of good fortune is a job offer from wounded major Edmond Grenville, whose mother requires a companion. The Dowager Lady Greystone is controlling and unwelcoming, but Anna can enjoy Edmond’s company, even if she knows the aristocratic war hero can never return her love. Even amid the glittering ballrooms of London, nothing glows brighter for Edmond than Anna’s gentle courage. Loving her means going against his family’s rigid command. Yet how can he walk away when his heart may have found its true companion?

Louise has agreed to a drawing, so leave a comment and email address to enter to in a FREE BOOK (USA residents only).

-- And now for the interview with Louise ----

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

I always like to say I write historical novels because I like to live in the past. Of course, that’s a joke because I don’t think I could do without modern conveniences or modern medicine. However, I do love to write about an era when faith, morals, and manners were important to most people.

2. How does your faith affect your daily life?

I cannot imagine life without Jesus Christ. He is my Savior, my Guide, and my constant Companion. When I’m upset, He calms me down. When I grieve, He comforts me. And when I am happy, He shares my joy.

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

I try to create characters with realistic faith and spirituality. For instance, my current heroine, Anna Newfield, has great faith. When she loses everything—family, home, and inheritance, she clings to God, trusting Him just as Job did in the Bible. I have known people who have suffered great loss and yet never wavered in their trust in God. That is the life I try to live. So by showing that kind of faith through my characters, I hope my readers will also want to trust Him.

4. What is your greatest challenge in your writing?

It isn’t always easy to write about faith without using clichés and stereotypes. I try to present lifelike characters who are modeled on real life people whom I know. But every once in a while, it’s just too delicious to have a character from Central Casting who fits a certain mold. For instance, my Lady Greystone is a typically arrogant, privileged, demanding aristocrat. My challenge is to make her human enough so people won’t entirely hate her.

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

I pray that readers will want to emulate those of my characters who have reacted to the problems of life with enduring faith in Jesus Christ as Savior, Comfort, and Guide.

6. 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)?

Yes, I believe there is evil in the world. Even though it’s easy for us to point to news stories about those who commit serious crimes and think we’re above such evil behavior, I believe we all have a tendency toward selfishness and sin. I have created several characters who are very evil. In fact, in the book I’m currently writing, the antagonist is much like Iago in Othello. He is entirely evil and self-serving, and he seeks the destruction of good people. My purpose is to set up a contrast between him and my hero and heroine to show that the only righteousness anyone can have is through Jesus Christ.

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

A Proper Companion is the first book in my Regency set Ladies in Waiting series. I just finished writing the second book, A Suitable Wife, and have begun book three, yet to be named. I love to write series because I get to create a world and populate it with interesting people who interact with each other, devise all sorts of problems for them, and then bring them safely to a happily-ever-after ending. That’s the fun of being a writer!

My Web site is http://blog.Louisemgouge.com. My Twitter is @Louisemgouge.

Thank you so much, Louise, for allowing me to feature you on Everything Writerly.

And, readers, don't forget about the BOOK GIVE AWAY. Simply leave a comment with your email and we'll post the winner Sunday night or Monday morning. So stay tuned!

Meanwhile, read on!