Interview/Giveaway with Yvonne Harris and "Vigilante's Bride"

Montana Territory 1884

Back Cover: Robbing a stagecoach on Christmas eve and abducting a woman passenger is the last thing Luke Sullivan expected to do. He just wanted to reclaim the money stolen from his pa, but instead ended up rescuing a feisty copper -haired woman who was on her way to marry Sullivan's dangerous enemy.

Emily McCarthy doesn't take kindly to her so-called rescue. Still, she's hoping Providence will turn her situation for good, especially when it seems Luke Sullivan may just be the man of her dreams. Then Lucas crossed a vicious man, a powerful rancher not used to losing, and Emily is the prize he's unwilling to sacrifice.

Yvonne Harris

About the Author: Yvonne Harris earned a Bachelor of Science degree in education from the University of Hartford and has taught throughout New England and the mid Atlantic. She lives in southern New Jersey and teaches writing at a local college. She's a winner and three time finalist for the Golden Heart Award. The Vigilante's Bride was a 2009 finalist and is her first historical romance novel. Though Yvonne and her husband live in New Jersey to be close to family, she was raised in Alabama and considers herself a Southern writer.

My Take: Vigilante's Bride is a great read especially for a debut novel. Yvonne Harris has packeda lot into this historical western. Luke Sullivan has decided he doesn't want to be a vigilante anymore and sets out to find a new life. During his adventure he meets Emily McCarthy an independent young woman. Well, I guess I should say he kidnaps her - with the intention of letting her go. But now, Luke has crossed a powerful and mean rancher who is out to make Emily his wife. Will Luke be able to keep Emily safe? What happens between Luke and Emily? I wish I could tell you - but you will just have to read and find out for yourself. I wouldn't want to spoil it for you.

INTERVIEW WITH YVONNE

Yvonne, thank you so much for taking the time to visit with us and answer a few questions for inquiring minds.

1. How did you come up with your plot and characters for "Vigilante's Bride"?

I've always loved "western" books and movies. Vigilante's Bride is loosely based on fact and on historical events surrounding a real vigilante group in Montana in 1884. Like the group in the story, the real vigilante group were good guys. I started with a young Chicago teacher whose present life is about to change. The hero is a fast-draw vigilante who quits his job to put his past behind him. Later, as these two travel to new destinations and new lives, their paths collide.

2. This is your debut novel - can you tell us some of the rewards and challenges you experienced during the writing and publishing?

It is and it isn't my debut novel. Vigilante's Bride is my first or debut Western Romance novel, but it is not my first novel. I started off writing magazine articles, and then wrote political thrillers. Hindu Kush was published. After that, I took time off from writing--sick parent, family responsibilites, and virtually commuting from Jersey to Alabama. When I went back to writing, I experimented with different genres until I slid into into Western-Historicals, and it was a perfect fit. Action/Romance/Suspense but based on fact and history. Exactly what I love. This time, the hero rides a horse, instead of a helicopter.

3. What is your next project?

My next book is A River to Cross and is set in 1880. It's a Texas Ranger story. It will be out in August 2011.


4. As an aspiring author I always like to ask what advice you would give to those of us still working on our manuscript.

Contests. As soon as you have 20 to 30 pages polished, enter it in a couple of contests. They are the best way to get impartial feedback on your writing and later to get your work in front of an editor and or agent. Don't enter a contest to win. Enter only contests that provide feedback, for tips on how to make it better. Check the contest ahead of time. You want three judges, if possible. As soon as you final (not win, just final) start querying editors and agents, telling them you've finaled in XXXXX contest. It's an accomplishment and makes a good first sentence to a query letter. Don't wait to win. You might not. Publication doesn't just happen. You have to work at it to make it happen.

TO ENTER THE GIVEAWAY: (JUST USE ONE POST FOR ALL ANSWERS)

1. BE A FOLLOWER OR SIGN UP AS A FOLLOWER

2. VISIT YVONNE'S WEBSITE AT http://www.ylharris.com/bio.html AND LET ME KNOW.

3. SINCE I'VE HAD MY BLOG I'VE READ MANY DIFFERENT GENRES AND I'M SO GLAD I HAVE. I'VE FOUND THAT I ENJOY A VARIETY OF READING NOW. LET ME WHAT YOUR FAVORITE GENRE IS AND IF YOU WOULD BE WILLING TO BRANCH OUT TO DISCOVER OTHER GENRES? WHAT IS A RECENT BOOK YOU'VE READ OUTSIDE YOUR GENRE?

4. THE CONTEST WILL END ON SEPT. 18TH - BE SURE TO LEAVE A CONTACT EMAIL ADDRESS.

HAPPY READING!

BE ON THE LOOKOUT!

BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR TWO REVIEWS/GIVEAWAYS IN THE NEXT WEEK OR TWO.

THE FIRST ONE IS: "MISSING MABEL" BY NANCY MEHL AND THE SECOND ONE IS: "VIGILANTE'S BRIDE" BY YVONNE HARRIS. YOU DON'T WANT TO MISS OUT ON EITHER ONE OF THESE BOOKS!

Congratulations to the Winners!!!!!

AND THE WINNERS ARE:

A PDF COPY OF "NO OTHER" AND BRACELET FROM

SHAWNA WILLIAMS GOES TO: CARRIE P.

A COPY OF "WHITE PICKET FENCES" BY SUSAN MEISSNER GOES TO: NANCYE

AND LAST BUT CERTAINLY NOT LEAST THE BOX OF BOOKS TO CELEBRATE MY 100TH FOLLOWER GOES TO:

ANNE PAYNE

I will be in contact with all of you shortly. I want to take a minute to thank everyone for stopping by and leaving a comment. I appreciate all of your support and I hope that in some little way I can promote Christian Fiction for the authors hard at work.

Deborah M.

HAPPY READING!

Celebrate with me! 100 Followers

PLEASE CELEBRATE WITH ME. I'VE REACHED 100 FOLLOWERS! THANK YOU SO MUCH TO MY SUPPORTERS - THIS IS WHY I HAVE A BLOG. I REMEMBER WHEN I HAD ONLY ONE FOLLOWER AND THAT WAS ME! LOL NOW LOOK AT ME.

TO CELEBRATE I AM OFFERING A FREE BOX OF BOOKS AS WELL AS A FEW OTHER THINGS. ANYONE WHO SIGNS UP FOR THE GIVEAWAYS THIS MONTH - "NO OTHER" AND "WHITE PICKET FENCES" WILL BE ENTERED AUTOMATICALLY. TO ENTER PLEASE SIGN UP FOR ONE OF THESE GIVEAWAYS.

AGAIN, THANK YOU SO MUCH.

DEBORAH M

Just A Couple of Things for the Goodie Box!

Interview and Giveaway for "No Other" by Shawna Williams

NOTE: BE SURE AND SCROLL DOWN AND ENTER THE GIVEAWAY FOR "WHITE PICKET FENCES" BY SUSAN MEISSNER.

This will be the second giveaway for the month of August! I am so excited to have Shawna with us to share about her debut book "No Other" which is out in ebook form. Thank you so much Shawna for sharing your precious time with us. I have a Nook which I got for Christmas and I have throughly enjoyed it. There will always be paper books, but I think ebooks are going to be very popular in just a few years.

Shawna has graciously offered a free ebook of "No Other" as well as a bracelet she made to go along with it. Also, anyone who signs up for the two giveaways this month will be entered into a special giveaway I'm going to have when I reach 100 followers. I am 95 so it is not far away. We have lot's to talk about with Susan so without further ado here is Shawna Williams!

BACK COVER: In the aftermath of WWII all Jakob Wilheimer wants is to get over his pain, get on with life, and if at all possible, forgive those who've wronged his family -- including himself. But it's hard to do when there are constant reminders. One of them being his former schoolmate, now teacher, Meri Parker -- Miss Port Delamar Pearl, Mayor's daughter, Belle of the town -- Meri Parker.

After enduring the stigma and isolation associated with the internment camp, the awkwardness of going back to school should've been a cake walk. But Jakob didn't expect to find himself inexplicably drawn to Meri. Or to discover that the pain and loneliness of her life surpassed his own. She needed to be rescued from the wretched people seeking to control her life. And more than anything, he needed to be the one to save her.

I'm a lot of things: a Christian, wife, mother, friend, author, artist, rock hound, science geek and animal lover. The first four take priority. The rest tend to jostle for my attention. Since I'm always a dreamer, author usually wins.

Indeed, my first two books are the result of a dream -- an actual dream. It nagged me for six months as I mentally tried to fill in all of the gaps. I finally had to write it down. Since then, God has continued to bless with me inspiration at times of His choosing.

Technically, I'm an Inspirational Romance writer. But I like to think that romance includes more than the relationship between two people. It can also be about the era or place, or even a single moment in time, when an elusive whisper reaches inward and ever so gently taps the soul, saying, "This. Remember this."

It's my desire that my stories create such a moment.

Some of my methods for filling my creative reservoir are reading about the histories of small towns, pouring over old photos in antique shops and people's homes (if I'm at yours, I'll ask to see your picture albums) and asking prying questions about your best family stories. Oh! And if you ever see a lady on the side of the road, taking pictures of old, dilapidated houses and buildings, it's probably me.

MY TAKE: Once again, as I started reading "No Other" I wasn't sure what I was in for. From the very beginning I fell in love with the characters in this book. Shawna possessed great ability to make this story come alive. She took me to a place many of us are not familiar with - because we were too young, or we were not aware of what was going on right in America at that time. What and when was this? It was during WWII when many Americans of German decent were rounded up and put into interment camps to wait out the end of the war. "No Other" gives an inside view of what happens to someone who looses everything through no fault of their own. Watch the anger one young man, Jakob, holds onto melt away when he falls for his teacher, Meri, who is going through her own prison. You will be taken on a journey of freedom for both of these young people. The journey will not be smooth, but they begin to trust in the One who is stronger than both of them. I am really looking forward to the next installment of "No Other".

INTERVIEW WITH SHAWNA WILLIAMS

1. Did you always want to be a writer?
No. I actually didn't. I've always had a knack for writing, but it wasn't something I considered doing. About eight years ago I had a dream that was a really great story, and after thinking about if for six months I started writing. At first it was just so I could make sense of it. I still didn't consider trying to get published until almost three years ago.

2. How did you come up with the story and the characters for "No Other"?
It was that dream again. The dream was in scenes, and sometimes I was one of the characters and sometimes I was watching. But it mainly broke down into a young couple falling in love, parents with young children, the struggles of career vs family, and an old woman in a chair, watching a family who didn't know her. Some of this you'll recognize in No Other, and some in the sequel, In All things.

There were some things I always knew about the story, like my characters' names. I also knew that Meri was slightly older than Jakob, and somehow was his teacher. I knew that Jakob's family had been discriminated against, and last – and this goes with In All Things, which comes out in November – I knew that Meri eventually became an actress. Filling in all the gaps was an interesting experience, and that's how I came to really know and love the characters.

3. What have been the biggest challenges in your writing and what advice would you give novice writers like myself?
The biggest challenge is balance. Writing isn't something I can work on one minute, go cook dinner, and then come back and pick right up where I left off. I have to have quiet, and get myself focused on my characters' situation and state of mind. This takes me a little while, but I feel like this is one of the reasons my characters come through as believable. I usually write at night, and take care of my family during the day. The last few months have been demanding though because I've had two more books with deadlines. My family is great, and has helped a lot. But I'd like to become more disciplined in finding a way to balance writing and promotion with family and home life. I hate having a dirty house and right now mine is driving me bananas!

As for advice for new writer, I do have some. I've said this in other interviews, but I’m going to say it again because I think it's that important. Find your voice, and learn how to use writing guidelines (not rules) to compliment it, instead of impede it. Also, critique groups are great! And always pay attention to the criticism, but be mindful that suggestions on how to fix it are coming from someone with his or her own unique style, so listen, and see how a story can be tweaked with your unique style in mind. In the end you have to trust in God, and the ability that He gave you. I recommend praying for His direction every time you sit down to write. You'll be totally amazed at what happens.


4. What do you have planned for your next book/project?
In All Things comes out in November. It’s the sequel to No Other. I love No Other, but I think I might love In All Things a little more, probably because of the completeness. No Other and In All Things were originally one story. Now, the story has morphed quite a bit, but the core message has always been the same. I explained that in a previous question. Everything from my dream is still there.

Orphaned Hearts comes out in December. It's a sweet story, set in 1930s Arkansas. It's inspired by my granddad, who grew up in an orphanage during this era.

I've got several ideas brewing at the moment, but I'm not sure which one I'll tackle first. One of them is another historical, one is a contemporary, and one is science fiction. Lol! I actually love scifi, and intend to write one at some point under the pen name Dene' Stone (my middle name and mother's maiden. Hubby picked it out) I'm involved in edits right now, but once I'm done I'll start working on rough outlines and see which story gels first.

5. Can you tell us a little about the bracelets that you make and do you sell them? If so where can we go to learn more about them?
Since No Other is only available as an ebook at the moment, I thought something tangible might be a nice addition to the giveaway, so I've made these bracelets, and there's a story behind them that relates to why I chose to describe my stories, like No Other, as "Grace-Inspired."

A pearl starts as an irritant within the shell of an oyster. It's shape is determined by the way the oyster coats it so that it will be easier to live with -- not unlike people, and how our experiences -- good and bad -- mold us. Freshwater pearls are imperfect, but each is unique; and when they're strung together by an artist they form something beautiful. I like to think that God takes each of us and uses the experiences of our lives to do the same thing. We are transformed through His Grace into a one-of-a-kind work of art. Imperfect, but lovely just the same. So I plan to keep making these bracelets to go with my books, because as people read I want them to remember this, not just for the characters in the story, but for themselves.

I do plan to sell them. I may start on my blog, but I want to eventually have a site up. I actually make a lot of jewelry, and all of it will be for sale. These bracelets are special though, and I want to link them to my writing. Though one will not have to buy a book to get a bracelet. I just feel there's an important message there with the bracelet and the stories God gives me, and I hope that both can be used to glorify Him by touching someone's heart.

6. What do you want people to take from this story?
I wrote "No Other" because I wanted to tell an inspirational story about getting up after you fall. About how Christians don't just struggle, sometimes we blow it, but God doesn't abandon us. Even when our efforts to right things fail, He's still in control. Him, and No Other.

"In All Things" continues with this theme, by reminding us that we see the little picture, but God see the big one. And sometimes tragedy serves a purpose further down the road. I love this story! Sorry, I just do.

I love them both. They have been with me for so very long and it feels wonderful to have them out in words and to be able to share them with others.

TO ENTER THE GIVEAWAY:

1. Be a follower or sign up as a follower.

2. Visit Shawna's website at

http://shawnakwilliams.com/Home_Page.html.

3. Leave an email address so you can be contacted.

4. Tell me what you think the future holds for ebooks.

Contest ends Saturday, August 20th, 2010. Be sure and tell your friends!

HAPPY READING!

Interview and Giveaway for "White Picket Fences" by Susan Meissner

I am so excited to have Susan as a guest on my blog. Lets begin by posting the back of "White Picket Fences" and go from there. There will be a giveaway of a copy of this book so please look for the instructions later in the post. Thank you Susan for taking the time to spend with us!

Also, I'm having two giveaways this month and anyone who signed my blog this month will be entered into my special giveaway when I reach 100 followers!

Back Cover: The Janviers have the idyllic life -- a beautiful home, great jobs, two wonderful kids -- and surrounding it all is the proverbial white picket fence that protects them, offers them a serene sense of security... and hides all their secrets.

When her black sheep brother disappears, Amanda Janvier eagerly takes in her 16-year-old niece Tally. The girl is practically an orphan: motherless and living with a father who raises Tally wherever he lands-- in a Buick, a pizza joint, a horse farm -- and regularly takes off on wild schemes. Amanda envisions that she, her husband, Neil, and their two teenagers can offer the girl stability and a shot at a "normal" life, even though their own storybook lives are about to crumble.

Seventeen year old Chase Janvier hasn't seen his cousin in years, and other than a vague curiosity about her strange life, he doesn't expect her arrival will affect him much -- or interfere with his growing, disturbing interest in a long-ago house fire that plagues his dreams.

Tally and Chase bond as they interview to Holocaust survivors for a sociology project, and become startlingly aware that the whole family is grappling with hidden secrets, with the echoes of the past, and with the realization that ignoring tragic situations won't make the go away.

Will Talley's presence blow apart their carefully constructed world, revealing the hidden past that could destroy them all -- or can she help them find the truth without losing each other? From the author of The Shape of Mercy, one of Publishers Weekly's best religious fiction books of 2008, comes a tale of family secrets smoldering behind a white picket fence.

About Susan: Susan Meissner cannot remember a time when she wasn't driven to put her thoughts down on paper. Her novels include The Shape of Mercy, winner of the Christian book award for fiction, and Blue Heart Blessed. Susan and her husband, a pastor and a chaplain in the Air Force reserves, make their home in Southern California. They are the parents of four grown children.

My Take: I won "White Picket Fences" quite a while back from another blog giveaway. I have to admit I had so many books to read that this one went into my "to be read pile" where it stayed for quite a while. The other day I was looking through those books for my next read. For some reason this one caught my eye. I really had no idea what the genre was or what the book was about. I just started reading.

The protagonists were three cousins as well as a friend to one of them. When I first started reading I thought it was geared to young adults, but after reading a while longer I discovered this was a story for all ages! It is a story of people holding onto secrets and not wanting to let them go for fear of what might happen - but in the long run the secrets begin to come out and effect those who are involved. This story is about the Janviers family who appear to have the perfect life to those who know them, but inside of their home more than one person is holding onto a secret that is beginning to destroy their lives from the inside out. Can an unexpected visit from their niece/cousin be the catalyst that begins a healing for this family. I urge you to read the book and find out. I believe this is something everyone can relate to at one time or another in their lives. I love it when I am pleasantly surprised.

INTERVIEW WITH SUSAN

1. How did you choose the plot/subject for White Picket Fences? How about the characters?

Five years ago I was a court-appointed advocate for children involved in protective services for the state of Minnesota. There were times when I saw that even in a less-than-perfect home, a child could be loved there. Just because a parent is unconventional or unsuccessful career-wise or makes choices that buck societal norms, it doesn’t mean that he or she is by default a “bad” parent. Likewise, parents who we would traditionally call “good” -meaning they provide, they protect, they don’t hit, they don’t ridicule - can still make decisions regarding their kids that have hugely negative effects and yet their outward appearance would never lead you to suspect it. Even if you live behind a white picket fence, you still have to deal with the reality of a living in a broken world. You can’t hide from it. The perfect, idyllic life is an illusion. Life is a weave of both good times and hard times and it’s precisely these things that give it definition and depth. To ignore what is ugly is to cheapen what is beautiful.

2. At first I thought the book might be geared to YA, but the more I read I realized this is a book for all ages. Was this your intention or did it just happen?

Because I have a couple of young protagonists, the feel of the voicing might seem like a YA read, but I intended the book to speak across the generations. Jodi Piccoult often has young protagonists in her novels and I read once that this is intentional on her part. The young have a perspective the mature often lose sight of.

3. When/How did you start writing? What is your next project and when will it be out?

Though I’ve always love to write stories, I let fear of rejection keep me from doing anything serious for a long time. I didn’t concentrate on a writing career until 1998, when I was named editor of a small weekly paper in southwest Minnesota. I was honored to win several awards over the years, but the best part of my four years as editor was having my paper named the Best Weekly Newspaper in Minnesota by the Minnesota Newspaper Association in 2002. That year became a rather pivotal one for me as a writer. My beloved paternal grandfather died in July 2002 and his passing had a profound effect on me. I knew I didn't want to come to the end of my life having only dreamed of writing a novel, and was ready to live with rejection, instead of regrets. I resigned as editor of the newspaper, which was a very hard decision to make, and set out to write Why the Sky is Blue. It took four months to write and ten months to be accepted by a publisher. That first book was published in 2004. White Pickets Fences is my eleventh novel.

My next book, Lady in Waiting, will release in September 2010. I like to weave a historical thread into my contemporary setting. For this one, I chose the tender and remarkably moving story of Lady Jane Grey. She was queen of England for nine days at the age of 16, during the mid sixteenth-century.

You can check out a book trailer on Vimeo right here, if you wish: http://vimeo.com/13889642

4. I always like to ask what advice you have for novice writers like myself.

The advice I give most often is don’t give way to disappointment. Writing is an isolating art and often one that fails to win you a large audience or much affirmation. But writing because you are good at it and love it is enough reason to keep at it. Writing to be published is a fine aspiration but one that you can only control to a point. You can write the best that you can and make every effort to seek publication but you cannot control the market or the industry. Do your best at the part you can control. Leave the part that you can’t to the God who loves you. I also have more writer’s encouragements on my website:http://www.susanlmeissner.com/writers.html

TO ENTER THE GIVEAWAY

1. Be a follower or sign up as a follower.

2. Leave your email address so I can contact you.

3. Can you tell us about a book that pleasantly surprised you? We might want to read it!

4. Visit Susans website at

http://www.susanlmeissner.com and let me know if you've read any of her books.

5. The contest will end on Saturday, August 20th. Be sure and tell your friends!

HAPPY READING