Robin Fuson's "Rosita Valdez and the Giant Sea Turtle" interview & book giveaway

Hello All! Please join me in welcoming Robin Fuson to my blog. She's here to tell us a little about herself and her book, "Rosita Valdez and the Giant Sea Turtle."

Tell us a little about yourself.

I have been teaching and a storyteller for over 30 years. As an AWANA missionary with my late husband, I trained teachers in Colorado, Ukraine, and Russia. I have a children’s book published, Rosita Valdez and the Giant Sea Turtle. My articles have been published in various online magazines and blogs. Robin is a member of ACFW, John316 Marketing Network, Author Marketing Club, and a critique group. I am married and between the two of us we have 15 grandchildren. Family is important to us and keeps us busy.

Why do you write the kind of books you do?

I love to tell stories and my audiences for the most part have been children. I feel that stories should be entertaining, but need to have a reason or point to them. I feel strongly that a person can learn important truths through stories. My book is an out flow of that passion.               

Besides writing, what are some of your favorite hobbies?

I love to read. Redecorating or remodeling my house is always fun. I like to have and work in a garden.  Also, I like to do crafts, especially preparing them for my grandchildren. Watching them create them is very rewarding. I sing in two community choirs. I have been singing since I was a child. I don’t think about it as a hobby, but as part of who I am.

Have you always wanted to be a writer?

I have always been a storyteller that is what I love to do. Writing is a way to get my stories to thousands more people. I find it almost as rewarding as face to face.

What advice would you give to a beginning writer?

 It takes work but keep working. Be open to instruction and criticism. Learn from others and have your work read by others. Don’t be afraid to try new things or go to places that are only in your dreams.

What book are you currently working on?

My Rosita book is a series. I have book two and three written. I am polishing up book two, getting it ready for readers and then the editor. I just wrote a fast fiction for a contest and am working on a hi/low Christian Historical Romance also for a competition. The hi/low means: high interest but low reading grade for people new to English. I write in that grade level already. It is fun to stretch into a different genre.
Please tell us a little about your book.

Rosita Valdez and the Giant Sea Turtle is about a young girl who lives on an island in the Pacific Ocean. Her family has Spanish roots and owns a plantation. She has a large family and two best friends. During a game of hide and seek in the cove she encounters a giant sea turtle, who takes her on adventures. She is the only one who sees him which causes doubt and jealousy. The question of is he real or make believe brings Rosie to a crisis of honesty. At the end of the story, the sea turtle helps her divert a disaster.

How can readers find you on the Internet?
http://rositavaldezbook.com/
http://www.kidbiblelessons.com/
http://www.robindensmorefuson.com/
https://www.facebook.com/AuthorRobinDensmoreFuson
https://twitter.com/RobinLFuson 

Drawing will be held November, 2

Carole Brown's "The Redemption of Caralynne Hayman" interview & book giveaway

Hey, All! Please join me in welcoming Carole Brown to my blog. She's here to share with us and a little about herself and her book, "The Redemption of Caralynne Hayman."

Winner alert! Congratulations goes to... AMY C.

Tell us a little about yourself.

I live in SE Ohio, full of rolling hills and lots of beautiful woods. Our country and small town life consists of flower gardens for me, walks in the woods, too many cats, three dogs and one horse. We’ve had cattle before (and don’t ask me about the bull we had that hated me!), a potbellied pig, and chickens. But we’re not farmers! I always said I’d never marry a farmer (for some reason! Lol).

Seriously, we’ve traveled a lot and enjoyed many of the states, met lots of friends, and experienced tons of thrilling things including gold panning in the mountains out west with a real live mountain man, eating fried sheep’s intestines and ministering to a “Bonnie and Clyde” couple. Less you think us really unsophisticated, we also enjoy several times a year, dinners and shows at theaters and take in other interesting events too.

Our best experience in the last two years was gaining three grandsons! Two are adopted and now eight and ten, and we love them dearly! The third is a birth grandson and the light of our eyes. I never get tired of talking about them. J

Why do you write the kind of books you do?

Suspense and mysteries have always been my favorite genre from a child up. In my current book, I not only employ suspense but added some romance and a real, today’s-world-topic of abuse. Throw that mixture into an evil cult and you have suspense multiplied several times over.

Besides writing, what are some of your favorite hobbies?

Besides enjoying our grandsons? Reading together, walking, working in our gardens and fruit trees, family time with out two sons, boating and fishing occasionally, some traveling and keeping up with our friends and relatives. We’re never NOT busy. My husband’s dream is to retire early and travel extensively throughout the country. He’s not quite got me convinced; not sure if I could do without seeing my grandsons that long.
ave you always wanted to be a writer?

I’m not sure when I consciously realized I would be a writer/author some day. I’ve written all my life and still remember in grade school the class clapping after one of my readings. I’ve dabbled with short stories, articles, poems and research papers until one day I knew it was “the time.” Now or never, and I hit the re-learning hard: conferences, critique groups, agent and finally, publisher. A long journey, but worth it.
What advice would you give to a beginning writer?

Never, ever quit. If you have a desire in you to write, then write. Of course, you’ll run into obstacles. Of course, you’ll become discouraged. But don’t give up. Discover where you need to go with your writing and aim for that goal. There are too many possibilities in the world today to give up.

What book are you currently working on?

I’ve been focusing on marketing, editing two books and working on a Companion book for The Redemption of Caralynne Hayman. That’s more than enough to keep me busy.

But when I can I want to get back to a historical (with a little suspense) I’m writing--a fun, lighter novel and have second books in a couple series I’m working on when I can. I never run out of ideas.

If I do a sequel to The Redemption of Caralynne Hayman, this is a brief blurb of what it will be about:

It begins with a baby kidnapping. Elder Simmons, the antagonist, will not let go. He is determined to wreck vengence upon the MacFarlands, even if he has to do it from prison.

Cara and Dayne, now happily married, go through trials that will shatter their self-complacency and test their love. Dayne will be lied about and like Joseph in the Bible must hold steady for God’s timing. Cara has suffered hurts and abuse from her former marriage. With Dayne she thought everything would be smooth sailing. But when the lies surface, can she trust him, does she love him enough to stay strong for his sake? Will her mustard seed faith grow or be uprooted?
Please tell us a little about your book…

The Redemption of Caralynne Hayman:                                                                 
How far would YOU go to avenge the murder of a daughter?

Caralynne Hayman is angry and bitter over the abuse and death of her eleven-year- old daughter from the hands of her religious group, The Children of Righteous Cain. When her husband suffers a sudden heart attack, she does nothing to help him. In her eyes someone needs to pay, and if that means all of the men in the group, then so be it.

Dayne MacFarland is sent away to college by the senior elder of the group to learn ministry. When he returns after finding salvation, determined to bring the truth to the people he’s known all his life, he rediscovers Cara and realizes the love he once felt for her is still deeply embedded within his heart. 
Dayne faces men unwilling to turn their backs on the cult training he despises. Cara faces men who follow their leader in abuse toward their wives and the young girls of the group. Cara is considered rebellious and inappropriate to befriend. Dayne is the apple of Elder Simmons’ eye—until he takes a stand against their teachings.
Can Cara overcome the feelings that have governed her most of her life? Can she learn to trust

Dayne, and most of all a God whom she sees as uncaring—if he’s really there at all? Only Dayne’s prayers and love can reach Cara and show her the way to redemption, and Cara must recognize and accept God’s love and forgiveness before she goes too far.

 How can readers find you on the Internet?
I’d love to connect with readers at:                          
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CaroleBrown.author       
Twitter:  https://twitter.com/browncarole212                             
Goodreads:  http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/5237997-carole-brown                                                 
Website: http://carolebrownauthor.com/             
I also participate on:        
Barn Door Book Loft http://www.barndoorbookloft.net                                                                                                                   Geezers Gals and Guys: http://geezerguysandgals.blogspot.com/  
Stitches in Time: http://stitchesthrutime.blogspot.com/

 Thank you for hosting me, Debra! I really appreciate it.

 
Thank you, Carole for visiting with us this week. I really enjoyed it!

Drawing will be held October, 26

Paulette Harper Johnson's "The Sanctuary" interview and ebook giveaway

Hello, All! Please join me in welcoming Paulette Harper-Johnson to my blog. She here's to share with us a little about herself and her book "The Sanctuary." And she's going to be giving away a Modi format copy of her book.

Congratulations goes to . . . LINDA

Tell us a little about yourself.

Paulette Harper is an award-winning and best-selling author. She is the owner of Write Now Literary Virtual Book Tours and is passionate about helping authors succeed in publishing and marketing their books. Paulette has been writing and publishing books since 2008.  Paulette is the author of That Was Then, This is Now, Completely Whole and The Sanctuary. Her articles have appeared on-line and in print.


Why do you write the kind of books you do?
I write to encourage and inspire readers. Although my latest books are fiction, finding stories relatable to everyday lives is a joy to me.

Besides writing, what are some of your favorite hobbies?
Besides writing, I enjoy walking alone the ocean, playing spades, listening to jazz and shopping for the latest Dooney and Bourke purse.

Have you always wanted to be a writer?
To be totally honest, I would have to say no.  I actually started my publishing journey in my mid-forties. It was during a major transition in my life that the passion and desire to write became apparent.  I wrote my first non-fiction book in 2007, and it was released in 2008; and I have continued to release a book each year thereafter.

What advice would you give to a beginning writer?

Promote, promote, promote. I would suggest they start early. Contacting everyone that could possibly help with the finances and marketing. Looking on the internet for ways to reach your readers, getting a web site, flyers and if you could afford it, hiring someone to help promote. 

What book are you currently working on?

Currently working on Mending My Heart, the sequel to The Sanctuary

Please tell us a little about your book.
The Sanctuary will make you laugh, cry, and get caught up in the drama-filled lives of the saints in Trinity Lakes.  Watch God take the lives of ordinary people and transform them through their unyielding faith in Him. The Sanctuary, a gripping Christian Fiction tale of unyielding faith, dark secrets, and the difficult road to redemption.”

How can readers find you on the Internet?
Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/PauletteHarperAuthor
Amazon Author Profile and Full Book List:  http://tinyurl.com/mvzj65j
Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/pauletteharper
LinkedIn:  http://www.linkedin.com/pub/paulette-harper-johnson/7/a29/8a7

Pinterest : http://pinterest.com/pauletteharper/

Website: www.pauletteharper.com

Thank you so much, Paulette, for visiting with us this week!

Drawing will be held October 18

Melanie Dickerson's "The Captive Maiden" interview & book giveaway

Hello All! Please join me in welcoming my dear friend Melanie Dickerson to my blog once again. She visiting this week to tell us a little about herself and her book "The Captive Maiden."

Winner alert! Congratulations goes to...NATALIE MONK

 

Tell us a little about yourself.

 

Hi, Debra! Well, I live in north central Alabama, and I’m originally from L.A.—Lower Alabama, that is. I have two daughters and a husband, and we are a pretty boring family. J We all like to read and watch old episodes of Psych and Duck Dynasty, both of which we recently discovered, and Jane Austen movies. Well, I should clarify. My daughters and I like to watch Jane Austen movies. My husband gets tired of them after once or twice. He actually prefers football.

Why do you write the kind of books you do?

Hm … well, since my books are several different genres in one, I will make this a multi-faceted answer. J I write romance stories because romance is the genre I most enjoy reading and watching myself, and I write Medieval stories because that time period has always fascinated me, and I write fairy tale retellings because it is so fun to take a familiar story and twist and change and embellish it and make it as romantic as I can, and I write Christian stories because God is the agent of change in my life and my characters’ lives, and novels are all about characters who change and grow and become better people.

                                                                                                      

Besides writing, what are some of your favorite hobbies?

Hobbies? People think I have hobbies? Haha! Just kidding. Sort of. J Actually, I used to be into scrapbooking all my children’s photos, but that has sort of gone by the wayside since I started writing novels. Hm. Hobbies. Does exercise count? I try to make it to the gym three times a week. Although you wouldn’t know it to look at me!

Have you always wanted to be a writer?

 

I wanted to be a writer all through junior high and high school, but I put it aside when I started college and didn’t pick it back up again until about 15 years later.

What advice would you give to a beginning writer?

Read and learn all you can from books on writing and writing blogs and websites. There’s lots of great information on the internet. You can never know everything, so keep reading! And practicing! Write as much as you can, and pray. God knows how to bless your writing.

What book are you currently working on?

I am currently working on my fifth fairy tale retelling, which is a Frog Prince story about Margaretha, Gabe’s sister, who is also Rose and Wilhelm’s daughter.  I also have been working on a Regency series, but no official word on when that might be published. But stay tuned to my facebook page and blog for any news!

Please tell us a little about your book.

The Captive Maiden is a Cinderella story, and it’s also the story of Valten, Gabe’s brother from The Fairest Beauty. It’s kind of a cross between Cinderella and Ivanhoe, since Valten is a knight and he competes in a jousting tournament in this story. It’s quite exciting and romantic, if I do say so myself. J It seems to be a favorite with my beta readers as well, including my two daughters. They like it even more than The Fairest Beauty, but maybe I shouldn’t say that.

How can readers find you on the Internet?

 
I have a website, www.MelanieDickerson.com, which includes my blog, and they can watch my trailers there as well. And they can keep up with any breaking news about my books, and interact with me, on my facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/MelanieDickersonBooks. I like facebook, so I’m on there a lot. J I’m also on Twitter. @melanieauthor is my Twitter name. I love hearing from my readers, so don’t hesitate to say hello!

Thanks so much for having me on your blog, Debra! You’re a great friend!!!

 

I enjoyed having you on my blog again, Melanie. I absolutely love your books. I am so looking forward to reading this one too!!  Love the cover :)

 

Now, because only one winner will be chosen, and you'd love to get your own copy of "The Captive Maiden" Here's the Amazon link : http://www.amazon.com/The-Captive-Maiden-Melanie-Dickerson/dp/0310724414/ref=sr_1_1_bnp_1_pap?ie=UTF8&qid=1377963503&sr=8-1&keywords=the+captive+maiden+melanie+dickerson

 

Drawing will be held, October 12