Kissed by a Cowboy by Debra Clopton

Cassidy Starr has returned to the home of her beloved aunt to pick up the broken pieces of her life. The rambling home was bequeathed to her, and she has visions of creating a bed & breakfast and organic strawberry farm. After going through a devastating divorce, Cassidy is determined to remain independent and not allow any male to sway her otherwise.

Next door neighbor and rancher, Jarrod Monohan has other things in mind... like convincing Cassidy to open her heart to him. Their shared kiss years ago still haunts him. Will she let him get close enough to kiss her again?

Kissed by a Cowboy is the final tale in Debra Clopton's 'A Four of Hearts Ranch Romance' series. Debra has a way of spinning stories that has the reader clamoring for more. You won't want to miss this book. I give a 4.5 out of 5 for happily-ever-after endings.

This book was provided free for review by Thomas Nelson, 2016.

Rebecca Jepson

It's an overcast day in PA following a snow/ice storm. When we have weather like this I love curling up with a new book. Today Rebecca Jepson is here to tell you about her writing life.

Welcome, Rebecca. The first question I usually ask is....How did you develop a 'love of story'?

My love of story began with reading. Actually, it started even before I learned to read! At night, my mom would read aloud to us kids, children’s classics like Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Little House books and The Secret Garden. When I was old enough to read on my own, I devoured The Bobbsey Twins and Boxcar Children—then on to Trixie Belden and Nancy Drew. When I was a teenager, I couldn’t get enough of the early Christian fiction authors like Janette Oke, Gilbert Morris, Michael Phillips and Judith Pella. Not only did my “love of story” grow as I read, so did my dream of being a writer.

I had to chuckle when I read your list of books and authors because they almost mirrored my reading as a child. :) Where do you get ideas?

I often look through books of paintings for inspiration, especially paintings of landscapes or cityscapes. A simple image like a broken-down fence dividing two properties, or a village with a quaint city-square, can inspire an entire plot. Traveling is really inspiring for me too. Learning the history of a place often sparks an idea for a story. 

Ooh. I like that idea. I'll have to try it sometime. :) What qualities do you look for in a hero and heroine?

I like to see growth in my characters. I want them to mature spiritually and emotionally throughout the book. So I generally give them some sort of baggage to overcome, or occasionally I make them young in the beginning, with depth of character to gain. I also imagine how their circumstances and surroundings might have shaped them, especially their historical setting. I ask myself, “What would it be like, living in this era, in this set of circumstances, in this world I’ve put my character in? How would I really feel, sailing on the Mayflower, traveling west in a covered wagon, or ‘debuting’ at an oh-so-proper ball?”

Great ideas, Rebecca. Thank you for sharing that.  How does your faith and spirituality work in with your writing?

I always include in my writing a truth God has used to comfort me or stretch my faith. These spiritual elements in my books usually revolve around a particular passage or verse in the Bible. I’ve done themes of God’s sovereignty, human suffering, and keeping one’s faith amid life’s storms. In A Highbrow Hoodwink, my heroine, Katie, has to learn to trust God’s ability to make her truly “clean.” These types of lessons spring from my own experiences. 

     

Well said. What is the farthest place from home that you've traveled?

Indonesia. A missionary couple from our church became ill with dengue fever, and needed help taking care of their two small children. So I turned eighteen in the city of Surabaya, on the beautiful island of Java. Another faraway place I’ve been is Russia, and it was an honor to meet the brave Christians there who’d persevered through the years of Communism. I later wrote a story about them called “The Camouflage Bible,” which was published in Clubhouse Magazine.

Wow! You have had quite the travel experience. :) If you have a day off, what's your favorite thing to do?

I love to take walks with my husband. We’ll stop at a coffee shop first, then walk downtown along the river or meander through a Tahoe skiing village. When we return home, I always feel refreshed and ready for another day of writing. 

I can picture it, and it gets me in the mood to write. :) Thanks for stopping by today, Rebecca.

Don't forget to leave a comment to be entered into February's mystery drawing. :) Be sure to stop by next week to visit with Joi Copeland. Hope you have a great day. 

The Story behind Always With You by Guest Blogger Elaine Stock

I have a funny and a too serious story of how Always With You developed. First, as part of a writing workshop in Saratoga, NY (a horse racing Mecca), I was given a horse’s name and assigned to develop a story idea. Racehorses have long names! My horse was named Don’t-Tell-Isabelle, which became my story’s original title because so many people have kept family secrets from Isabelle. Throughout her childhood Isabelle had always heard her dad and grandmother whispering Don’t Tell Isabelle. A BTW: I don’t go to the track or gamble on horses!

Then, 9-11 happened. I felt compelled to write a story of how love and faith could conquer horror, and how we all need to love each other no matter our races or faiths.

Always With You was slowly written and re-written a few years after these two influences.

Here’s the premise of the story: This is the story of a lonely, intelligent but a wee naïve young adult who falls in love with a young man who offers her everything she desires: love, faith in God (she’s from an atheistic family), and family. Against her dad’s wishes, Isabelle and Tyler fall in love. In blaming the group that Tyler is associated with, The Faithful, her dad ostracizes her. Now, Isabelle wants love, faith, and family even more and marries Tyler. Only when she’s pregnant does she open her eyes to the truth that her husband’s secrets may very well put her unborn baby in jeopardy if she stays or endanger her own life if she leaves.

A mighty big God can lead people to overcome evil in this world, and that this same powerful faith can help one to overcome past or current trials.

Book Blurb:

Can she move forward without knowing her past?

Will he enjoy his present if he can’t free himself from what he left behind?

In the heart of the Adirondacks, Isabelle lives in the shadow of a dark family secret whose silent burden strips her family of emotional warmth and faith in God. Tyler belongs to the religious sect called The Faithful, which Isabelle’s father dislikes immensely. Yet, because Tyler belongs to this group, Isabelle sees only a man devoted to his family and faith.

She wants it; she gets it; they marry.

And when the truth comes out, Isabelle faces two choices:

Staying could endanger her child.

Leaving could cost her life.

Bio:

A former Brooklyn gal, Elaine Stock lives in the Northeast with her husband where she enjoys spring, summer, autumn, and puts up with the winter. A member of ACFW and WFWA, she also is a contributing author to the international “Happy Sis Magazine.” In addition to Twitter, Facebook, and Goodreads, she hangs out on her active blog, Everyone’s Story, dedicated to uplifting and encouraging all readers through the power of story and hope. You can check out more about her novel Always With You on her website.

 

Amazon: http://amzn.to/1JYAwNy  Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/1PfRyXX

If I Run by Terri Blackstock

Wow! If I Run is a book you won't want to put down. I don't read a lot of suspense, but I absolutely loved Terri Blackstock's new book. It had me eagerly flipping pages and then sad when I finished it. I can't wait for the next one in the series. I highly recommend this book.

Casey Cox is on the run. A crime scene is covered with her DNA and she doesn't stick around to tell the police what happened and that she's innocent. Besides, who would believe her? She needs to figure out what happened and what she can do about it.

Dylan Robert, recently discharged from the military, is hired to bring back a fugitive from justice who has crossed state lines. But the more he digs into the details surrounding the case, the more he finds things don't add up. Who is he to believe?

Check it out. You won't regret it.

This book was provided free for review by Zondervan, 2016.

Special Guest, Angela Strong

Welcome Angela Strong to my special 'love of story' feature. It's great to have you here today. Let's start with our usual first question. How did you develop a 'love of story'?  

My mom was a writer and would write stories about me for magazines like Women’s World. And my dad was a pastor who would tell stories about me in his sermons. Those stories made me feel special. And whether it was nature or nurture, I have always loved making up stories.

Even in elementary school, the kids in my carpool wanted to read my creative writing assignments on the way home. Then in high school when I wrote an article about a cheerleading accident, I sent it into American Cheerleader Magazine because that’s just what you do, right? They bought it, and I was hooked. I studied journalism at the University of Oregon and have always loved doing what I do.

What a great story. Thank you for sharing that. Could you tell your readers about a typical day in your life.

Monday through Thursday I get my kids to school then either go to the gym to teach Holy Yoga and take bootcamp or kickboxing, or I skip the gym and start writing/marketing. I usually forget about lunch unless there are yummy leftovers I really want to eat. I drink coffee when it’s cold out. I dance around the house when my writing is good, and I “network” on facebook when my writing is bad. Sometimes I get together with my writing group to write, though I usually end up talking about writing more than actually writing when I’m with them. They are better at this than I am, and they say things like, “Let’s do a writing challenge for the next 30 minutes,” to get me to shut up.

Then my kids come home and I clean the house and feed them and drive them around to their nine million extracurricular activities. After they go to bed, I spend time with my hubby. Tuesday nights my kids are with their dad, so Jim and I might go out on those nights. Fridays I do birthday party lunches with my writing group or go to lunch with Jim and go grocery shopping or get my nails done or meet a friend for coffee. I like Fridays, but I’m always ready for Mondays to come back around.

Whew! Sounds like a busy schedule. What is your favorite Bible verse and why?

My word for 2016 is “satisfied” and I have a verse that goes with it that I can’t stop thinking about. “Like a baby content in its mother’s arms, my soul is a baby content.” --Psalm 131:2b

Sounds like a great verse for the year. What writing project do you plan to work on next?

After I found out my debut novel was being considered for a production by a film company (http://www.beliefnet.com/columnists/faithmediaandculture/2012/07/mpi-to-bring-popular-love-finds-you-book-series-to-television.html), I got my rights back and am re-releasing Finding Love in Sun Valley, Idaho as the first book in a series titled Resort to Love.

I’m currently working on the romance novels for Tracen’s little brothers in Finding Love in Big Sky, Montana and Finding Love in Park City, Utah. Next week I’m traveling to the Sundance Film Festival for part of my research.

I have lots of other plans, including the release of my first book with Love Inspired Suspense in 2017, but I’ll stop here and let you keep updated at www.angelaruthstrong.com if you want to know more.

How exciting. What is one thing you hope readers will take away from your story?

Love changes lives. I quit writing romance when my first husband left me in 2009. Romance seemed like an illusion. But then I met Mr. Strong. When he first told me that he loved me, I said, “I don’t know what that means.” He responded, “I will show you with everything that I am.” And wow. What a beautiful design God created for relationship between man and woman. And what a beautiful symbol it is of Christ’s love for us. There’s nothing else I’d rather write about.

Aww, that' sweet. Thank you for sharing that. What advice would you give to new authors?

I was lucky in the way my mom was my very first editor and she took me to writer’s conferences with her when I was young. I knew the basics before I even started. But I couldn’t have done this on my own.

I made some great relationships through conferences and chatrooms and local critique groups. I got to grow along with my writer friends and share my passion and cheer for them as they cheered for me. It reminds me of the quote about how we can go faster alone, but we will go farther together. My advice is to build relationships so you can go farther. Then even if you don’t, you will have learned and laughed a lot along the way.

Great advice, Angela. Thank you so much for stopping by today. Next week Rebecca Jepson will be joining us. Also don't forget to leave a comment for your chance to participate in the mystery February drawing. :)

Guest Blogger Darlene Franklin

Welcome guest blogger, Darlene Franklin, as she shares about her new book.

Blurb: When Mahala Kent’s tea party honoring her brother’s marriage turns into a brawl over tea, she’s forced out of her wealthy neutrality. A public debate on the subject pushes her even closer to her childhood friend and hoped-for suitor, Jothan Stout. Will the arrival of a tea shipment in Greenwich push Jothan and Mahala further apart—or give them a common taste for herbal infusions?

How did I come up with the idea for Infusion of Love? A few years ago, while Barbour was publishing four-novella Christmas collections, I discovered that there were at least four tea protests in the Colonies besides the famous Boston Tea Party.  Both the first and the last tea “events” took place at Christmas time, so we proposed a collection called A Tea Party Christmas. 

The other authors were very interested in Boston, Philadelphia, and Charleston, so I took Greenwich, NJ, by default. I also have an interest in New Jersey, because I attended college there. Since it was the last of the tea events, and I called my story The Last Tea Party. 

Barbour changed its policies and the collection fizzled until my new publisher, Forget Me Not Romances, put together a collection called Teacup Courtships, which are all historical. A Touch of Sugar by Cynthia Hickey is also available at this time. They are paired with Mocha Marriages, which are contemporary. There will be five titles in each collection.

Of course The Last Tea Party came to mind, but I had to change the title. The editor and I brainstormed a title, and since the patriots drank herbal infusions instead of British tea, we decided on Infusion of Love. I confess I fell in love with the story as I was writing it. Writing a brawl scene with the best of Greenwich’s ladies in 1774 was a blast—as was imagining what it was like to steal tea from a warehouse in the middle of town and burn it to the ground. 

I hope you enjoy reading this journey into our beginnings as much as I enjoyed writing it. 

Bio: Best-selling author Darlene Franklin’s greatest claim to fame is that she writes full-time from a nursing home. She is an active member of Oklahoma City Christian Fiction Writers, American Christian Fiction Writers, and the Christian Authors Network. She has written over fifty books and more than 250 devotionals.

Website and blog

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Amazon author page

Purchase Link: http://www.amazon.com/Infusion-Love-Christian-Historical-Courtship-ebook/dp/B01AZMYD28/