Monday, January 30, 2012

Welcome author, Becky Lyles!



Debut novelist Rebecca Carey Lyles grew up in Wyoming. Her nonfiction titles, both available on Amazon, are It's a God Thing! Inspiring Stories of Life-Changing Friendships and On a Wing and a Prayer–Stories from Freedom Fellowship, a Prison Ministry. Currently, she and her husband, Steve, live in the neighboring state of Idaho. She enjoys the creativity and beauty that abound throughout her adopted state as well as opportunities to hike, camp, snowshoe and cross-country ski in the midst of God’s grandeur. http://www.beckylyles.com





Fresh out of a Pennsylvania penitentiary armed with a marketing degree, Kate Neilson heads to Wyoming anticipating an anonymous new beginning as a guest-ranch employee. A typical twenty-five-year-old woman might be looking to lasso a cowboy, but her only desire is to get on with life on the outside—despite her growing interest in the ranch owner. When she discovers a violent ex-lover followed her west, she fears the past she hoped to hide will imprison her once again.

Becky, tell my readers what led you to write this story.

My inspiration to write a novel began years ago in a writers group. We’d heard dime novels were making a comeback, so we each decided to write one. How hard could it be? The books were short—one-hundred pages or less.

Though the resurgence of dime novels was short-lived, I now had a plot for a longer book. A young woman would tire of life in the big city—Pittsburgh, to be exact—and move to Wyoming. Sad to say, that was the entire plot. So, of course, my attempt to write the story quickly bogged down, because it was going nowhere. But I didn’t give up. Instead, I read books about writing, attended writing classes, workshops and conferences, joined another critique group, submitted early chapters to contests to receive feedback from judges—and kept working on the novel.

In the meantime, I wrote a nonfiction book about a street ministry and another about a prison ministry. And I began leading Bible studies in a women’s prison. That’s when the notion entered my head that the protagonist would be a young woman who’d just been released from prison in Pennsylvania. She would move to Wyoming to escape her past. But, of course, her past would follow her and try to drag her back to her former life.

As you can see, my inspiration for Winds of Wyoming did not come in a one-time “a-ha!” moment. My path to formulating a believable plot line was indirect and my journey to publication long and slow, but I learned much about fiction writing along the way. Based on reader feedback, the result was worth the delay.

Thanks for sharing about Winds of Wyoming, Becky. May God use this work in many lives!

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Upcoming release: SECOND CHANCE!



Excited to announce the upcoming release of my fourth novel, SECOND CHANCE, a poignant story of middle age, surprising friendships, and unexpected places.

Mave Robertson, a recent empty nester, wants the fire back in her marriage, but her husband, Jerry, remains aloof. Is he having an affair? A midlife crisis? When a neighbor suggests she “get a life,” Mave accepts the challenge and volunteers at an inner-city teen ministry where she is thrown into a culture of drugs, gangs, and unwed teen moms. She soon discovers someone she can help, but might he also be the cure for both her stale marriage and her crumbling relationship with her father?

~~

Dareece Jackson, a teen from the projects, wants something in Mave’s purse…and he’ll stop at nothing to get it.

~~

“Gently unfolds the truth that sometimes, the best is yet to come, from unexpected people, and places, and hearts.”
—Sandra Byrd, author of To Die For: A Novel of Anne Boleyn

“Transcends race and reaches the extremes—from suburbia to the ghetto, from guilt over a loved one’s murder to a marriage gone dull. With a dash of humor for balance, Second Chance will speak to your heart, no matter your station in life.”
—April W. Gardner, author of the Creek Country Saga; Sr. Editor of the literary site, Clash of the Titles

“Refreshing and thought-provoking.”
—Jennifer Slattery of Novel Reviews and Clash of the Titles

“Transports readers into the worlds of two very diverse characters. With laughter, tears, and sighs, you’ll enjoy every turn of the page.”
—Fay Lamb, author of Because of Me, Treble Heart Books

Vist www.eileenrife.com to read chapter one.

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Welcome author, K. Dawn Byrd!



K. Dawn Byrd is an author of inspirational romance and romantic suspense with five books published so far. Recently, she tried her hand at young adult fiction and found that she really enjoyed writing it. Three books in the Zoe Mack Mystery Series are scheduled to release January, June, and December 2012. Shattered Identity, the sequel to Mistaken Identity, will release in April.

K. Dawn Byrd is an avid blogger and gives away several books per week on her blog at www.kdawnbyrd.blogspot.com, most of which are signed by the authors. She's also the moderator of the popular facebook Christian Fiction Gathering group at http://www.facebook.com/#!/group.php?gid=128209963444.

When not reading or writing, K. Dawn Byrd enjoys spending time with her husband of 16 years while walking their dogs beside a gorgeous lake near her home and plotting the next story waiting to be told.




Zoe's cousin Emma thinks she's the recipient of some sick joke when an old boyfriend she thought dead shows up on the internet. Can Zoe solve the mystery that's causing Emma so much pain when her attraction to the town bad boy is so distracting?

When Zoe Mack moves in with her grandparents to start college, she's thrown into more mystery than she bargained for. Her cousin, Emma, is terrorized by a stalker who breaks into her house and leaves a photo-shopped image of Emma hanging from a tree. Nothing is as it seems and Emma soon learns that even the man she thinks she can trust is suspect.

Zoe can't wait to reunite with Nate, the bad boy who doesn't talk about his feelings much, but the passionate kiss he gave her last summer had to have meant something. When she arrives back in town and discovers that he's in trouble with the law, she must take matters into her own hands in order to clear his name. She has her hands full with a needy Emma, a cop who gives her the creeps, and Nate, the guy she desperately wants to call her own. Can Zoe solve the mystery, clear Nate's name, and make him fall in love with her?

Dawn, tell my readers how this story came to you?

Sometimes I get the strangest ideas! I love a good mystery and I love romance, but you don't find the two together very often. Also, there are very few books available with college-age characters. I pitched the idea of combining all of the above to Desert Breeze and the rest is history.

Tell us about the journey to getting this book published.

I had already published several books with Desert Breeze when they opened a young adult line. I'm excited that they liked the idea for this new series

Tell us three things about yourself that would surprise your readers.

I own two hairless Chinese Crested dogs.
I love sour things....pickles, lemons, sour candy.
I used to ride a Harley, but gave it up in order to have more time to write. (My husband always wanted to stay out way too long and take the scenic route home. He still has his bike, but I don't miss mine at all.)

What are you working on now and what's next for you?

I just finished the edits on my April release, Shattered Identity, which is the sequel to Mistaken Identity. I'm now working on the second book in the Zoe Mack series.

Any parting comments you'd like to share with my readers?

Thank you for hosting me! For those of you who love Christian fiction, please check my blog for weekly book giveaways. I interview 3-5 authors a week who give away their books. www.kdawnbyrd.blogspot.com

Links where you can find Dawn and her books.

Website: www.kdawnbyrd.com
Blog: www.kdawnbyrd.blogspot.com and www.zoe-mack.blogspot.com
Twitter: kdawnbyrd
Book trailer on youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n1aJrlR0fd4&context=C37a6c3aADOEgsToPDskI03937RSubxSN3pzKZqfrl

Thanks, Dawn, for stopping by today for an interview! God bless your continued efforts through the written word.

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

His Kingdom, Not My Kingdom



My trip through the Old Testament has brought me to 1 Samuel. And I'll tell you--the Bible is anything but boring!

Romance that melts your heart
Murder, cold-blooded and premeditated
Battles that rival any Mel Gibson film
Kingdom threats that shake up, well, even Shakespeare

And speaking of spears . . .

My stopping place today was 1 Samuel, chapter 22 where David hides in a cave from King Saul, who on several occasions sought to kill the young man by hurling his spear in his direction.

Unchecked, unrestrained, vicious jealousy has a way of prompting such actions.

In a previous passage, David told Jonathan there was hardly a step between him and death. This due to Saul's relentless jealousy over David's conquests. He knew the hand of the Lord was with David. And he feared for HIS kingdom. Somehow, Saul had lost sight of Whose Kingdom it really was.

Once anointed and empowered by the Holy Spirit, Saul is now bereft of the Spirit. Remember, this is an Old Testament dispensation when the Holy Spirit did not dwell within man as a permanent gift. The permanent indwelling of the Holy Spirit within a believer is recorded in Acts after Jesus ascends back into heaven.

My takeaway:

Guard my heart. Protect my allegiance and devotion to the Lord. While the Holy Spirit will not be taken away from a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, it is still possible to quench Him and grieve Him (Ephesians 4:30). My mandate is to keep my heart "current" with the Lord. Allow the Spirit to uproot any jealousy or other issues that might be clouding my vision and my open heart response to Him, remembering that I am an important part of building HIS Kingdom.

HIS Kingdom, not MY kingdom.

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

My Simple Garden seven days after planting . . .




My simple garden seven days after planting.

Lettuce sprouted first, then basil, then tomato in the center. Greenhouse lid came off when the first two seed leaves appeared.

A Grandchild's Lavish Love

  I sat in the church pew with a shredded heart. The week had been tough on multiple fronts, emotion running high, mostly over the injustic...