Meet and Greet: Angela Breidenbach

Book Giveaway Drawing!
Read the details later in this post.


Angela Breidenbach is Mrs. Montana International 2009, a multi-award winning inspirational speaker and the author of the Gems of Wisdom: For a Treasure-filled Life from Journey Press, the Creative Cooking Series including the new release of Creative Cooking for Simple Elegance and the new Kindle release, Creative Cooking for Colitis. 


Other works by Angela include compilation books and devotionals from Guidepost, Group, and articles in magazines, ezines, and newspapers. She connects missions to her work with Hope’s Promise Orphan Ministries and the Jadyn Fred Foundation. 


Angela also teaches online classes and coaches one-on-one in courageous confidence, personal growth, and powerful living. She’s certified in mentor/peer counseling as a Stephen Minister and life coach. Angela serves as an assisting minister for her congregation in Missoula, MT. She volunteered as the American Christian Fiction Writer's publicity officer for two years. Not only did she walk the hard line of deciding to donate her mom's brain for the study of schizophrenia, but she’s also on the brain donation list at the Brain Bank-Harvard McLean Hospital. Angela is married with a combined family of six grown children and two grand children. 


Gems of Wisdom: For a Treasure-filled Life releases May 2011 from Journey Press, a Sheaf House imprint.


BRC: Welcome, Angie! What brings you to Book Readers Central?


Angie: I'm hoping to really reach out to women who want to overcome negative attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors so they can lead an intentional, missional life style. As I spoke more and more on the topics from Gems of Wisdom: For a Treasure-filled Life, I found two surprising results.

First, women love doing this book in small groups. That just blew me away. I had no idea I'd written a small group or personal study. I thought readers would want to work through this privately only. The stunning dynamics have happened in the group settings. The interaction has opened up break-through moments for healing in relationships.

The second unexpected result is the amount of women who harbored misunderstandings and/or anger toward their own moms. I really want to offer freedom from the burdens of buried issues and empower people to live the calling God has placed on their lives.

BRC: What type of books do you write?

Angie: I'm an eclectic writer. I write Christian fiction, devotionals, cookbooks, and this one (Gems of Wisdom: For a Treasure-filled Life) is considered Christian Living/Women's Issues. I also write articles and have a monthly feature in the Christian Fiction Online Magazine. 

BRC: Why do you write?


Angie: My mind is full of questions and stories. I really want to help people heal from the past and grow into their life purpose. I think God just made me to write and speak. I describe it as having a busy bee buzzing around in my head. She has to get out and pollinate the keys on my laptop to tell her stories. ;-) My husband says it's just because I'm full of awe attacks and can't keep quiet about it, lol.

BRC: How would you describe your newest release?

Angie: Gems of Wisdom: For a Treasure-filled Life is very transparent. I use real historical pirates to embody negative attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors. Then the gemstones are gems of wisdom God uses to help us live fulfilled and valuable lives in His will. 

About the book: In Gems of Wisdom: For A Treasure-Filled Life you'll embark on a treasure hunt for God's unique gems of wisdom. Be empowered, learn to influence through your own life lessons, and preserve important relationships. Gems of Wisdom invites the reader on a treasure hunt to find important life concepts represented by the beautiful stones God created. Excellent for small groups as well as individual study. Tracie Peterson, best-selling inspirational author of over 80 books says, “Angela’s book is thoughtful, insightful, and heart touching.”

BRC: What do you hope the reader takes away after reading it?

Angie: If I could tell you one thing? It's that all of our experiences, negative and positive, help us to really change the world and leave a legacy. It's those experiences that God uses to shine His strength in our weaknesses. We naturally want to hide, forget, or avoid those moments we wish never happened. But when we go on the treasure hunt, God shows us His wisdom and fills our treasure chest with gems of wisdom that overflow to touch other people's lives. 

BRC: Which is your favorite character from your book?

I really love Cookie Smythe. He's a funny old pirate that embodies the sense of God bringing good out of our shameful moments.

BRC: Do you have a funny or touching story that relates to your book?

Angie: During interviews with volunteers, one of the most poignant stories belongs to my friend Rachel. She had the "perfect" mom while I didn't. But as we told one another our stories and bonding at a writers retreat in front of a roaring, crackling fire, a sense of grace and mercy changed both of our lives. Because of that profound experience, I share that specific story in Chapter 1. It was that powerful to me.

BRC: Tell us about your writing process.

Angie: I tend to have a fiction and non-fiction happening at the same time because the different styles feed my creativity. I do a lot of marketing though and break up the day with important details to promote my work. Both have to be in each day for my career goals. If it's not in your daily schedule, it's not attainable.

BRC: What will you write next?

Angie: I'm currently working on a 365 day devotional and an inspirational historical trilogy. But every now and then I pull out a contemporary romantic comedy to tickle my funny bone. I am getting some questions about the next Gems of Wisdom book, but I have some requests I need to fulfill first.

BRC: Which books do you recommend to readers?

Angie: Tracie Peterson used Gems of Wisdom: For a Treasure-filled Life to research her upcoming trilogy from Bethany House. The House of Secrets first book in the series will be coming out this fall. Tracie and I plan to do some speaking events together and co-promote because our books are not competitive, but rather build and deepen the experience for the reader. I'm just so excited because I've had the honor of pre-reading quite a bit of the first book as Tracie went through her writing process. I've also had the honor of having Tracie read mine. I can't wait for her series to release!

BRC: Where can readers find you online?

Readers can interact with or learn more about me at the following links:

AngelaBreidenbach.com

MyGemofWisdom.com

GodUsesBrokenVessels.com

ColitisCooking

TheFaithGirls.com (Weekly Wednesdays)

Facebook for Angela Breidenbach

Twitter for Angela Breidenbach

LinkedIn for Angela Breidenbach

Youtube for Angela Breidenbach


BRC: How can readers contact you?

Readers may email me at: angela (at) mygemofwisdom (dot) com 

Posted by Janalyn Voigt, author of novel books

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Book Giveaway Drawing:

Angela Breidenbach will give away a free e-book copy of Gems of Wisdom: For a Treasure-filled Life to a reader of this blog. To enter, leave a comment to this post. If you are a follower of Book Readers Central and tell me so in a separate comment, I'll give you an extra chance to win. 

Please include a valid email address in an anti-spam format (example: youremailhandle[at]gmail[dot]com]) or your entry will become invalid. Entries will be accepted until this coming Sunday at midnight (Pacific Time/US).

I'll announce the winner on Book Readers Central next Monday. The winner must respond within two weeks of notification. Detailed rules of giveaways on Book Reader's Central are located in the footer of this blog.

As an Amazon Associate, Janalyn Voigt benefits when products are purchased on Amazon through links from Book Readers Central.

Meet and Greet: Elizabeth Johnson

Book Giveaway Drawing!

Read the details later in this post.

Liz Johnson grew up reading Christian fiction, and always dreamed of being part of the publishing industry. In 2006 she got her wish when she accepted a publicity position at a major trade book publisher. While working in the industry, she decided to pursue her other dream—becoming an author. Liz makes her home in Nashville , TN , where she enjoys theater, exploring the local music scene, and making frequent trips to Arizona to dote on her two nephews and three nieces.

BRC: Welcome to Book Readers Central.

I’m thrilled to have been invited to Book Readers Central to talk about my writing and my most recent book, Code of Justice.

BRC: What type of books do you write?

So far, I’ve published three romantic suspense novels, but I’m open to writing any love stories. I’ve put together some contemporary romance stories, and even an historical romance. I just love love!

BRC: Tell us, why do you write?

I’ve always had ideas, stories and characters who just want me to tell their tale. But it’s not that easy. Writing takes a lot of hard work, so what keeps me writing is believing that God has given me a talent for writing. In the New Testament Jesus tells a parable of a man who takes what he’s been given and buries it. In the end what he was given is taken away. But in that same story, Jesus speaks of a man who is given many talents and puts them use. His talents are multiplied. I’d rather be the latter, so it keeps me working on my writing, continuing to improve.

BRC: You have a good attitude. 

How would you describe your newest release?

Code of Justice is a story of a sister’s love. FBI agent Heather Sloan is broken when her sister Kit dies in a helicopter crash, and Heather vows to figure out who’s responsible. Her love for her sister leaves Heather willing to risk her own life to find the killer. But that drive also risks her budding romance with sheriff’s deputy Jeremy Latham, who’s assigned to investigate the crash. Heather must discover if justice and mercy can go hand in hand.

BRC:What do you hope the reader takes away after reading it?

I hope that the readers take away a reminder that we can trust God to be just in every situation. When we love mercy and put our trust in God, we free ourselves from the prison of hate and vengeance and open ourselves to the amazing things that God has in store for us.

BRC:Which is your favorite character from your book?

I love Heather, who I first introduced in my second book, but I think that Kit may be my favorite character. She doesn’t live far past the first page, but her fingerprint is all through this story. Who she is is a direct reflection on how Heather reacts to losing her.

BRC:Do you have a funny or touching story that relates to your book?

I’m not sure I have a funny or touching story, but I am very thankful for the reminder that writing this book brought me. Sometimes it’s easy to take my amazing family for granted, especially my sister. Writing this book reminded me of how special our bond is and how much I appreciate and love being her sister. I was reminded to tell her that every chance I get. This book is incredibly special to me for just that reason.

BRC:Tell us about your writing process.

Every one of my books has started with a simple idea sparked by a trip I’ve taken or a map I saw or something like that. And from that comes a question. What if. What if there was a girl who did this? What if there was a guy who did that? Then I build on that. I start to flesh out the ideas, writing a several-page summary. At some point in this process, I begin to really get to know my characters, including finding pictures of people who look like them. This helps me keep the characters in mind, figuring out their motivations and goals. When I have the summary and characters figured out, I divide it up by chapters and begin writing. When I finish the first draft, there’s lots of editing to be done, and I’m very thankful to have a great editor.

BRC:What will you write next?

My next book is a novella called A Star in the Night, which is part of A Log Cabin Christmas Collection, releasing from Barbour in September. It’s an historical romance set near Franklin, TN at the end of the Civil War. All the stories in this collection are set in log cabins at Christmas-time. After that I’ll be working on more romantic suspense novels as well as a contemporary romance.

BRC:Which books do you recommend to readers?

I recommend books that I love! For humor I recommend Save the Date by Jenny B. Jones. For overall uniqueness, I always recommend The Princess Bride, which is one of the most original novels I’ve ever read. It’s so smart! For YA, I recommend nearly anything by Meg Cabot, who’s written across genres but maintains really amazing characters.

BRC:Where can readers find you online?

I blog at www.lizjohnsonbooks.com. I’m also on twitter @lizjohnsonbooks. I love hearing from readers, so stop by any time.

Book Giveaway Drawing: Elizabeth Johnson will give away a free copy of Code of Justice to a reader of this blog. To enter, leave a comment to this post. If you are a follower of Book Readers Central and tell me so in a separate comment, I'll give you an extra chance to win. 

Please include a valid email address in an anti-spam format (example: youremailhandle[at]gmail[dot]com]) or your entry will become invalid. Entries will be accepted until this Friday at midnight (Pacific Time/US).

I'll announce the winner on Book Readers Central on Saturday. The winner must respond within two weeks of notification. Detailed rules of giveaways on Book Reader's Central are located in the footer of this blog.

Posted by Janalyn Voigt, author of novel books

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*Janalyn Voigt is an Amazon Associate and benefits when books are purchased on Amazon through links from Book Readers Central.

Meet and Greet: Eddie Jones

Book Giveaway Drawing!

Read the details later in this post. 


Eddie Jones is a full time freelance writer and author of five non-fiction books, one young adult novel, and an adult romantic comedy. He has written over one hundred articles that have appeared in 20 different publications. He serves as Acquisition Editor for Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas and is a contributing writer for CBN.com, Christian Devotions Ministries, Living Aboard Magazine, The Ocracoke Observer, and Carolina Currents.

He has taught writing classes from Pennsylvania and the Carolinas to Colorado. As a book consultant, he has helped clients place completed projects with literary agents, book publishers, and magazine editors. Eddie has a keen eye for evaluating manuscripts and can advise clients on the marketability of their work.

Ahoy there, matey!

I'm a boat swab at heart, and a thief and liar when honest work proves unprofitable. This is why when my boys were little (and by this I mean we could still feed them without maxing-out our credit cards at the grocery store or causing a world-wide food shortage) I’d tell them pirate stories on our sailboat. I no longer have a sailboat. What I have instead are two boys in college. This is way better than a boat because unlike owning a boat, college tuition payments end—if not upon graduation then when the free frat parties stop. Boat alimony, on the other hand, goes on forever. I’m sure in some way, Noah is still paying on the Ark. B.O.A.T., by the way, means: “Break Out Another Thousand.” But if you’ve ever owned a boat you know this.

Anyway, at night, before I’d tuck my small boys into their bunks (a storage locker where we kept the anchor), we’d sit on the bow of our sailboat and I’d make up stuff. Today I do this as a writer but editors have shorter attention spans than my tiny tots. At least that’s what my agent says. So I’d tell these tidal tales and the hero of the story was this guy named Captain Stinky Foot. Captain Stinky Foot was named after my youngest son. If you’ve ever spent any time on a boat in August with a crew of unwashed young males then this needs no further explanation. 

Telling pirate stories came naturally to me. I've always been fascinated by the stories of boys snatched away from London and Bristol and forced to serve before the mast. Seems to me life at sea was more fun than peeling potatoes. And more dangerous.

I’d use whatever props I could spy from the bow—a channel marker, boat fender, or crab pot—and I’d work it into the story. A few times every year my boy’s school would invite me in to tell pirate stories. My talks followed a predictable pattern. The teacher would ask everyone to sit quietly and listen, but you know how it is with kids. There’s always some smart aleck who insists on cutting up. The teacher would interrupt, scowl and eventually nod for me to continue. Almost immediately, she’d have to stop me again: this time raising her voice. By the third time I knew she meant business. I also knew I’d get sent to the principle's office if I didn’t straighten up.

Now, when I’m asked to describe The Curse of Captain LaFoote, I explain that it’s a pirate tale awash in buried treasure, romance and dead men's bones. The truth is, this book and the ones that follow in the Caribbean Chronicle series are love stories. But all good books are—or should be. For Ricky Bradshaw, the hero of the book, the story is a quest to find his soul mate and manhood. There are a lot of other deep and important themes explored in the book too. Things like what the poop deck is and why cruise ships no longer use them, the secrets inside Davy Jones’ locker and why Micky Dolenz and the other Monkeys kicked Jones out of the band, why you shouldn’t walk downwind of a pirate who’s just eaten turtle soup. Best of all I attempt to explain how the Apostle Phillip was magically transported from Gaza to Azotus after his encounter with the Ethiopian eunuch. By the way, I DO NOT explain what a eunuch is. I’ll leave that delicate subject in the hands of the Pope.

But the book is more than just a fun read. It’s a cure for global warming, partisan polices and plantar warts.

Seriously, I’m a romantic at heart and love reading. Always have. I blame part of this on Mark Twain. Until the ninth grade, every book report I wrote was on Tom Sawyer. I even borrowed from Tom in this book and named the pirate ship the Black Avenger in honor of Tom and his friend Joe Harper. So for me, playing make-believe comes naturally.

But I’ve noticed that increasingly boys are drawn to video games, movies and television, instead of books. In fact, according to KidSay Market Researchers, teen and tween online video and virtual gaming increased from 65% in 2007 to 91% in 2010. I’m a writer, not a math whiz, so I have no idea what those numbers mean but they sound really scary. So part of my goal is to give boys a compelling story they can fall into. If I learned anything from English literature classes it’s that life is too short to read boring books—and there were some really dull books printed before the plagiarism of Dan Brown’s work became popular.

So I want to inspire boys to dream of what might have been and what could be. I want them to fall in love with their imagination and pretend, play and create in their heads—not just absorb what’s shoved at them from the flickering screen. I want to create within them a desire to read and set sail for a life of adventure, wherever that journey may take them. When I close my eyes I can see Ricky Bradshaw standing on the sugar-white sands of that island just south of Hispaniola. I am that boy. And so are a lot of other boys. 

More than that, I want these pirate stories to speak to boys that don’t have father figures. I want them to know what it means to be a man and what bravery and sacrifice, courage, responsibility, and compassion look like. That’s why in each book I introduce one of the twelve virtues that make any person fully rounded. I show what it’s like to live courageously and with compassion. 

Finally, I hope to draw attention to those suffering from epilepsy.

Early in the writing process I needed a way to thrust Ricky back into the age of pirates. I mentioned this to a friend of mine. She suggested I allow Ricky to suffer from epilepsy, explaining that one of the symptoms is that sometimes you “zone out.” In Ricky’s case, his episode happens while he’s leaning over the water trying to save a mangy mutt with shrimp breath that’s fallen into a cold creek. It’s this incident, and his accident in the creek, that kicks him back into the main part of the story.

Turns out, the epilepsy idea was providential because I’ve since met others who suffer from epilepsy and it’s because of that element and their struggle that Port Yonder Press agreed to donate “a few pieces of eight” (half a sandy dollar) to the Epilepsy Foundation’s Heroes Among Us program. Look, it’s not like we’re going to cure this by selling a few thousand books, but if The Curse of Captain LaFoote can raise awareness and a little money for a cure, then it’s a success, regardless of how well it sells.

Posted by Janalyn Voigt, author of novel books 

www. CaptainLaFoote.com www.
EddieJones.org 
 www.WritersCoach.us 
 Follow Eddie on Facebook

Become a Facebook Fan of the Caribbean Chronicles series. Learn more about The Curse of Captain LaFoote at www.captainlafoote.com. If you're a teacher, home school parent, or young lad or lass who loves adventure and romance, contact us. Maybe we can speak to your school or group.

Apply to be a pirate! We’re also lookin’ fer crew to sail aboard the Black Avenger in our next novel, Dead Calm, Bone Dry. No experience required. We’ll teach ya how ter talk like a pirate, sail like a crusty seaman and steal from the devil. We may even invite ya to go treasure hunting with us on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Join our crew for a chance to win prizes AND (maybe) be a lead character (or a dead one) in our next book.

Follow Eddie on Twitter

Listen to Eddie on He Said, She Said Radio.

Read Eddie's Blog Here you'll read the "un-edited" thoughts and prose that prompt Eddie's novels, devotions and humorous boating columns.

Send Eddie an email: aground@mindspring.com

The Curse of Captain LaFoote Giveaway

To sign up for our free book giveaway please fill out this form. We'll be drawing winners throughout our book tour so if you miss out at this port, sail to the next. (See the link to our book tour page below for other stops on this treasure hunt.)www.captainlafoote.com/category/book-tour/

* Required

Your Name 

Your Blog URL address http:// 

Your Email Address * 

Your Mailing Address US only. 

If I win, I'd like to receive the following eBook!

•  In God We Trust, A Journey to Financial Dependence
•  Spirit & HEART: A Devotional Journey
•  Answering the Call - Inspirational Devotionals from a Tested Paramedic
•  He Said, She Said: A Devotional Guide to Cultivating a Life of Passion
•  PLOTTING, NOT PLODDING: Story Structure Tips From the Prodigal Son
•  The Curse of Captain LaFoote

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Meet and Greet: Shannon Taylor Vannatter

Book Giveaway Drawing!
Read the details later in this post.

Shannon Taylor Vannatter married her high school sweetheart. Since then her husband answered the call to preach and they became first-time parents 16 ½ years into their marriage. 26 years later, she is a stay-at-home mom/pastor’s wife/writer. When not writing, she runs circles in the care and feeding of her husband Grant, their eight-year-old son, and their church congregation. Home is a central Arkansas zoo with two charcoal gray cats, a chocolate lab, and three dachshunds in weenie dog heaven. If given the chance to clean house or write, she’d rather write. Her goal is to hire Alice from the Brady Bunch.

Her series with Heartsong Presents launched in May with White Roses, followed by White Doves in October, and White Pearls in January. Each title releases to the 10,000-member Heartsong book club before releasing to stores six months later. All three books are set in Romance and Rose Bud, Arkansas. Brides and lovebirds take advantage of the re-mailing program to have wedding invitations and Valentines cards mailed from Romance with a unique postmark. Romance also hosts several annual weddings with Valentine’s Day the most popular date.

BRC: How would you describe White Pearls?

Shell Evans and Ryler Grant are both unsaved, drifting and searching. They've had a previous intimate relationship and fell for each other, but it scared them to death because they've always been no string types. When they're forced to work together, restoring a historical plantation into a bed and breakfast, they've realized their lives are empty, but they don't know what to do about it. It's the story of two lost souls who have tried everything to feel complete, yet they're still empty.

What message do you hope your book conveys? 

That we all have a God-shaped hole in our souls and we'll never be complete until we accept Christ.
What did you enjoy most about writing this book? It was fun and different writing both a hero and heroine who were unsaved. Exploring their darkest thoughts and immorality. Writing a character with no moral code opens up lots of possibilities, but I didn't want to go far enough to offend anyone. It was a delicate balance.

What did you dislike most about writing this book? When it ended. Back when I was writing the first book in the series, White Roses, I thought Hmm, I'd like to explore the blond bimbo and convert her. It was fun slowly changing her and watching her blossom.

What inspired you to become a writer? 

I've answered this question before in a previous interview here, so I'll expand. I couldn't find any clean romances anymore and didn't know the inspirational market existed. At the same time, I had a story in my head from the time I was 15. I'd replay it over and over, but didn't know what to do with it. Finally, 15 years later, I realized it could be a book. And it was, my first really badly written manuscript. Maybe someday I'll try to rework it with what I know now.

BRC: What are you working on now? 

I'm reworking a rodeo series and a longer romance between an estranged married couple.
What books do you enjoy reading? Inspirational romance. I don't get to read as much anymore, but I really like Christine Lynxwiler's books and I've only read one of Annalisa Doughty's, but I really enjoyed it.
Where can readers buy your book? As of January, it will be available through heartsongpresents.com. It will hit stores and Amazon in July.

Learn more about Shannon and her books at http://shannonvannatter.com. Her blog, The Inkslinger, features true love stories, inspirational author’s real-life romances, insight into the love lives of their fictional characters, book excerpts, romantic destinations, and weekly book giveaways at http://www.shannonvannatter.com/blog. Her group blog: http://www.inkspirationalmessage.com features ten writers on life and writing. She’s active on Facebook: facebook.com/shannontaylorvannatter and Twitter: @stvauthor.

Book Giveaway Drawing: Shannon Taylor Vannetter will give away a free copy of  White Pearls to a reader of this blog. To enter, leave a comment to this post. If you are a follower of Book Readers Central and tell me so in a separate comment, I'll give you an extra chance to win. 

Please include a valid email address in an anti-spam format (example: youremailhandle[at]gmail[dot]com]) or your entry will become invalid. Entries will be accepted until this Saturday at midnight (Pacific Time/US). 

I'll announce the winner on Book Readers Central on Friday. The winner must respond within two weeks of notification. Detailed rules of giveaways on Book Reader's Central are located in the footer of this blog.

©2010 Janalyn Voigt, author of novel books

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Meet and Greet Monday: Vickie McDonough

Book Giveaway Drawing! 

Read the details later in this post.

Award-winning author Vickie McDonough has lived in Oklahoma all her life, except for a year when she and her husband lived on a kibbutz in Israel. Vickie is the author of 20 books and novellas, including the Texas Boardinghouse Brides series. Historical Christian romance is her favorite genre to read and write. 


Vickie is currently the ACFW Treasurer and a founding member of WIN, an ACFW chapter in Tulsa, OK. She is a member of RWA, CAN, Women Writing the West, OKRWA, and OWFI. Vickie's books have won the Inspirational Reader's Choice Contest, Texas Gold, and the ACFW Noble Theme contest, and she has been a multi-year finalist in ACFW’s BOTY contest. This year she is a triple finalist in the ACFW’s Carol Awards(formerly BOTY) She is a wife of thirty-five years, mother of four grown sons and grandma to a feisty four-year-old girl. When she’s not writing, Vickie enjoys reading, gardening, watching movies, and traveling.


BRC: How would you describe your new book? 

Second Chance Brides is a light-hearted Christian historical romance that deals with some difficult issues.


BRC: What message do you hope it conveys?  


The theme of the book is trusting God when your situation seems impossible. I want readers to know that no matter what they’ve done and whatever their circumstances are, God is just a prayer away. He’s always waiting for us to put our faith and trust in Him and He will walk with us and help us through the hard times.


BRC: What did you enjoy most about writing this book?  


I put my poor characters through some rough situations. They’re probably still mad at me for making them endure so much.


BRC: What did you dislike most about writing this book?  


Second Chance Brides was close 100,000-word book. You have to have a lot happening in a book that long to be able to hold a reader’s interest. I really prefer writing a book that’s shorter, more like 70,000, so I found writing this a bit of a struggle.


BRC: What inspired you to become a writer? 


It was a God thing. For years and years I’d prayed that God would give me an idea for a home business. I also wanted to travel. We couldn’t afford to travel much when our four boys were young. I never consider becoming a writer until a story started running through my mind
and wouldn’t go away. I finally wrote it down in hopes it would leave my head, so I could sleep at night. 


I just kept writing, and taking writing classes, attending conferences, and about three years later, I sold my first novella collection. God opened the door for me to become published, thus answering my prayer to bring in extra income for our family. A side perk I never anticipated is being able to travel to conferences and on research trips—another answered prayer—and these trips are writing expenses, thus tax deductible. J Isn’t it cool how God works?


BRC: Tell us about your writing process. 


Uh. . .well, I just sit in my recliner, get my laptop, and start writing the next scene in my current wip (work in progress). I do most of my research ahead of time. I plot out my stories and my charcters in fairly good detail so I know what needs to happen in each scene—and then I start writing.


BRC: What are you working on now? 


Actually, you caught me in-between books. I just turned in Secrets of the Heart, which is the second book in my South Carolina historical series for Heartsong. I’ll be working up a synopsis for the first book in a prairie series that I’ll be writing next spring for Guideposts, then I’ll be starting on the third SC book, Dueling Hearts.


BRC: What books do you enjoy reading? 


I love historical romances set in the late 19th century with a western America setting. I read other genres, but that’s by far my favorite.


BRC: Where can readers buy your books? 


Most of my books are available at Christianbook.com and Amazon.com or in local book stores.


BRC: Where can readers find you online? 


My website is www.vickiemcdonough.com. Leave a message in my Guestbook and you’ll be entered in my quarterly drawing. I’m also a regular contributor at Bustles & Spurs blog. www.bustlesandspurs.com.

Posted by Janalyn Voigt, author of novel books.

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Book Giveaway Drawing: Vickie McDonough will give away a free copy of  reader's choice of any of her Christmas books, which can be seen on her website under the Novellas tab, to a reader of this blog. To enter, leave a comment to this post. If you are a follower of Book Readers Central and tell me so in your comment, I'll give you an extra chance to win. 

Please include a valid email address in an anti-spam format (example: youremailhandle[at]gmail[dot]com]) or your entry will become invalid. Entries will be accepted until this Thursday at midnight (Pacific Time/US). 

The winner will be announced on Book Readers Central on Friday. The winner must respond within two weeks of notification. Detailed rules of giveaways on Book Reader's Central are located in the footer of this blog.

*Janalyn Voigt is an Amazon Associate and benefits when books are purchased through links from Book Readers Central.