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: Dana Mentink

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

Dana Mentink

Dana Mentink lives in California where the weather is golden and the cheese is divine. Her family includes two girls (affectionately nicknamed Yogi and Boo Boo.) Papa Bear works for the fire department and he met Dana doing a dinner theater production of The Velveteen Rabbit. Ironically, their parts were husband and wife.

Dana is a 2009 American Christian Fiction Writers Book of the Year finalist for romantic suspense and an award winner in the Pacific Northwest Writers Literary Contest.  Her October release, Betrayal in the Badlands, has been nominated for a 2010 Romantic Times Reviewer’s Choice Award. 

She spent her college years competing in speech and debate tournaments all around the country. Besides writing, she busies herself teaching Sunday school and working in second/third grade combination class. Mostly, she loves to be home with her family, a dog with social anxiety problems, a chubby box turtle and a quirky parakeet. 


Howdy, all. 


I’m Dana Mentink, a harried mom of two who writes inspirational romantic suspense for Harlequin’s Steeple Hill line. My newest book, Turbulence, is on bookshelves this month. Though I started out as a mystery writer, these days I write mostly suspense. I enjoy fast-paced, action-packed books which have a thread of mystery and intrigue running through them. My books are Christian fiction, which means they also have a faith element.

My newest release is about a woman who has suffered the tragic loss of her young nieces in an accident that leaves her father on the brink of death. In the process of delivering a prototype mechanical heart to him, her plane crashes into a snowy mountainside. One of the other survivors is Dr. Paul Ford, her former fiancé and the man she blames for the death of her nieces. Sticky situation, no? To make matters worse, someone is determined to make sure the little band of survivors doesn’t make it off that mountain alive.

My favorite character is Maddie Lambert, because she is stubborn, deeply wounded and angry at the world. It’s a great starting place for character growth, not to mention a lovely stewpot for tension and conflict! I got the idea for the story after I read about the Berlin Heart which is a prototype mechanical heart not yet approved for use in the U.S. If it’s eventually approved, it might save the lives of many people waiting for donor hearts.

My next few books are going to be about treasure hunting I think. What could be more fun in a story than a little romance, a smidge of treasure and a whole lot of suspense?

Frequently people ask me to recommend books on writing. Anyone who is interested in writing professionally should check out Donald Maas’s book , The Fire In Fiction. Also Stephen King’s book on writing is really inspirational. Fictionally speaking, one of the finest suspense writers I’ve ever read is Harlan Coben, though he’s not a Christian fiction writer. That man can fool me every time!

Thank you for letting me share today. I’d love to chat via my website at www.danamentink.com or my Facebook Reader Page.

Thanks again and happy reading! 

Posted by Janalyn Voigt, author of novel books

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Book Giveaway Drawing: Dana Mentink will give away a free copy of Turbulence 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 Thursday 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.


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

Meet and Greet Monday: Margaret Daley

Book Giveaway Drawing!

Margaret Daley is an award-winning, multi-published author in the romance genre. One of her romantic suspense books, Hearts on the Line, won the American Christian Fiction Writers’ Book of the Year Contest. Recently she won the Golden Quill Contest, FHL’s Inspirational Readers’ Choice Contest, Winter Rose Contest, Holt Medallion and the Barclay Gold Contest. She writes inspirational romance and romantic suspense books for the Steeple Hill Love Inspired lines, romantic suspense for Abingdon Press and historical romance for Summerside Press. She has sold seventy-five books to date.

Margaret serves as the Volunteer Officer for American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW). She is active as a teacher with that group, with Romance Writers of America RWA), and also mentors other writers. Now retired, she spent 27 years as a teacher of students with special needs. She has served as a Special Olympics coach and on the Outreach committee at her church.


Letter From Margaret:

Hi, I am Margaret Daley and I write for Love Inspired and Love Inspired Suspense. I am thrilled to join you today to tell you a little bit about me and my writing. I have been writing for over 30 years. I just recently sold my 75th book. I love writing Christian romances and suspense books. 

Last Friday I had surgery on my right shoulder because my rotator cuff was torn. So I am writing this using MacSpeech. It feels strange to dictate what I want to write. I have to learn to do things with my left hand. This is hard because I am right handed. We learn to take things for granted until something like this happens. I never realized how much I used my right hand until now. 

I am the Volunteer Officer for American Christian fiction writers. Through this organization I have met some amazing writers and industry professionals. ACFW is a wonderful place where writers can network and learn the craft of writing. I would not be where I am today without ACFW. 

This month I have a new book out called A Daughter for Christmas. It is the third book in my Helping Hands Homeschooling series. The back blurb says: 

Dr. Max Connors had no idea he had fathered a child 13 years ago. Or that his baby girl had been given up for adoption. He locates his daughter in a small Oklahoma town and moves there, hoping to become a part of her life. But when he meets her widowed mother, Max is unsure how to reveal his identity. As he helps Rachel Howard with her plans to homeschool the girl, he’s welcomed into the family. But with the holidays approaching, Max must tell Rachel who he really is. Can he make his dreams of family come true by Christmas? 

In December I have another book coming out called Christmas Bodyguard. This is a romantic suspense story for Love Inspired Suspense. This story is the first in my Guardians, Inc. series. This new series revolves around female bodyguards.

To learn more about Margaret and her books, you can visit her web site. At http://www.margaretdaley.com she offers excerpts from her books and information about new releases.

You can also visit Margaret online through her blog: http://margaretdaley.blogspot.com.

Find books by Margaret Daley at Christianbook.com or through Amazon.com (purchase boxes on the left).
Book Giveaway Drawing: Margaret Daley will give away A Daughter for Christmas to a reader of this blog. To enter, leave a comment to this post. Please include a way to reach you or your entry will become invalid. Entries will be accepted until this Wednesday at midnight (Pacific Time/US). The winner will be announced on Book Readers Central on Friday. If a winners fails to respond within a week of notification, the winner will be reassigned. Detailed rules of giveaways on Book Reader's Central on this blog are located in the footer of this blog.



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

Meet and Greet Monday: Jill Nelson

Book Giveaway Drawing! Details below.

Jill Elizabeth Nelson writes what she likes to read—tales of adventure seasoned with romance, humor, and faith, earning her the tagline: Endless Adventure, Timeless Truth. Jill speaks regularly at conferences, writer’s groups, library associations, and civic and church groups. When teaching classes for writers, she delights in bringing the Ahah! moment to her students as they make a new skill their own. Jill and her husband live in rural Minnesota where they raised four children and are currently enjoying their first grandchild.

Dear Reader:

I’m excited to “meet” you through the pages of my books. I write what I like to read-- tales of adventure seasoned with romance, humor, and faith; hence, my tagline: Endless Adventure, Timeless Truth. If this sounds right up your alley, pull up a seat and let me tell you about my latest release, Calculated Revenge.

Available on Amazon.com

Calculated Revenge begins when a young school teacher finds on the playground a backpack that belonged to her kid sister--victim of a murderous abductor eighteen years ago. Now she must team up with a reluctant investigator to stop this killer before her own daughter meets the same fate.

It’s been eighteen years since Laney Thompson’s sister was abducted and killed, but Laney’s pain and haunting guilt has never faded. Now the murderer is back, taunting Laney with mementos of her sister and threatening Laney’s young daughter. School principal Noah Ryder is her best hope for protecting her daughter—if she can convince the former investigator to take the case. As the threats escalate and clues lead to shocking secrets from the past, Laney’s survival—and that of her daughter—depends on the rusty gifts and skills Noah wants only to forget.

What do you think, dear Reader? Will you brave the deep waters of this tale of danger, abduction, and betrayal? My heroine is honest, sincere, sensitive, and caring. She’s also fiesty and can be touchy and a bit blind in defense of her family. My hero is strong, honorable, protective, and determined, but ultra-cautious about relationships. They both wrestle with guilt over past tragedies. I hope their struggles with issues of faith and forgiveness in the face of tragedy will strike a resonant chord in your heart.

My web site contains excerpts, links to purchase books, my speaking schedule, a monthly contest to win an autographed copy of my latest release, and an opportunity to sign up for my quarterly newsletter. Pop on by at http://www.jillelizabethnelson.com/. I have a readers’ group on Facebook where we chat about all sorts of things, book-wise. I’m also on Twitter and Shoutlife. Oh, and I have a blog on my web site, too. I give away lots of books there that are not my own.

Calculated Revenge released in April. My next book releases in October:

Legacy of Lies finds a cop’s widow scrambling to defend her family’s honor after the bones of a long-ago kidnap victim are found in her grandparents’ back yard. In order to unearth the truth, she must defy her hometown’s powerful founding family and team up with the last man on the planet for whom she’d like to feel attraction—another cop.

Blessings, dear Reader, in all your adventures within the pages of a good book.

Jill

Enter to win a free copy of Calculated Revenge by leaving a comment to this post, including your contact information. A link to detailed rules for Book Readers Central book giveaway drawings is located in this blog's footnotes. Entries will be accepted until midnight on Wednesday, July 21st. The winner will be announced on this blog on Friday, July 23rd.

Please consider following this blog to keep informed of future giveaways and for more great interviews and book reviews. An email sign-up form is located in the sidebar if you prefer to receive posts by email.