14 Days of Love: Dear Beth

Today, we're shining the spotlight on a book by my author friend Alyssa Schwarz.

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Book blurb for Dear Beth: 

After finishing his veterinarian training, Tye Prescott is back in Colorado and ready to give his relationship with Beth another chance, only she's made it very clear she wants nothing to do with him. 

Beth Walsh is a hopeless romantic, except when it comes to her own love life. In her opinion, love is best left to the storybooks. But when a few nosy octogenarians decide to play matchmaker, she grasps for the only excuse she can think of to avoid another set up.

Set against the backdrop of Loveland's historic Valentine's Day letter re-mailing program, Tye and Beth must work together to convince the town of their rekindled romance. But Tye has his own plans of winning back the woman who got away.

Might it finally be time for Beth to risk her heart again?

Set against the backdrop of Loveland's historic Valentine's Day letter re-mailing program, Tye and Beth must work together to convince the town of their rekindled romance. But Tye has his own plans of winning back the woman who got away.

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Author Bio:

Contemporary romance author Alyssa Schwarz is a graduate of the Colorado School of Mines with a Master's in Geology & Geological Engineering.

She also works as a professional watercolor artist along the Colorado Front Range and is a member of ACFW (American Christian Fiction Writers).

Alyssa's debut novel, The Glass Cottage, is set in the Colorado mountains, and is the first book in her new series, A Prescott Family Romance.

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Buy Alyssa’s book on Amazon

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Connect with Alyssa:
Website: https://www.authoralyssaschwarz.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authoralyssaschwarz/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alyssaschwarzauthor/
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/alyssaschwarzauthor/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21846420.Alyssa_Schwarz

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Enter this book giveaway contest for your chance to WIN a copy of this book by filling out the entry form on the Rafflecopter widget below: 

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Romantic Reads: A Change of Scenery

The Story Behind A Change of Scenery (book) by Davalynn Spencer

My start in the writing business was strictly nonfiction. As a crime-beat reporter for the Cañon City Daily Record, I dredged up the facts. As a features writer, I built human-interest stories around the facts. And as the religion-page editor, I laid out the page and added one of my photographs with an appropriate Bible verse and inspirational thought as a cutline. Again – facts, but from the Word of God.

However, at a small-town daily newspaper, reporters do what needs to be done whether it’s their gig or not. One of my ongoing assignments was to find interesting news items at the Royal Gorge Regional Museum and History Center for the paper’s Back In Time series.

As some might say, that place was a gold mine. It still is.

Gold was a big deal in Colorado’s late 1800s, but prospectors didn’t find much of the precious metal around Cañon City. However, there is more than one type of gold, and while hard-rock miners were chipping away at gullies and washes in the high country, ranchers and farmers were making a go of it down here in the Arkansas River Valley because, well, miners have to eat.

One area north of town is still referred to as Garden Park – where vegetables grew in well-laid-out farms and countless dinosaur fossils were unearthed and fought over by rival university’s paleontology departments.

Fruit orchards still dot the Arkansas River basin, and ranchers still run cattle on the sweet mountain grass. Much of the area is as it was in spite of the 21st century’s noise and clutter.

Cañon City is an Old West town that just happened to survive because the founders built most of the buildings on Main Street from locally quarried stone. When places like Cripple Creek (over the hill at 10,000 feet) burned to the ground – twice – Cañon City lived on.

The place is ripe with history, and in my reporter days, I spent hours at the history museum reading amazing accounts of early life here. And the more I read, the more I envisioned some of the pioneers who settled the area and their Native American counterparts who were here first. The more I envisioned, the more I wanted to tell the stories, but not in a history book.

I learned during my middle-school-teaching days that students will devour historical facts if they are laced through an interesting novel. But so do adults. Historical fiction remains a selling market because, as I like to say, life wasn’t easier in the past but it was simpler. And simple is something people crave today – a respite from the mad go-and-show world in which we live.

My three novels in The Cañon City Chronicles are each set against backdrops of historical mile-markers from this area. And so is Book 4, A Change of Scenery. Silent pictures were a big deal here in the early 1900s, but they weren’t called silent pictures because pictures had never talked.

The flickers that “flicked” through nickelodeons were not referred to as silent pictures until “talkies” came along.

As I studied this era of local history, I was fascinated by what I read. Moving-picture companies paid ranchers top dollar to “rent” their cattle, horses, and ranches for filming. Even the ranchers themselves were paid day-wages – a whopping $5 per man per day.

Anchored in the rich historical facts, a story emerged in my heart of a rancher who was smitten by a big-city gal with the Selig-Polyscope company. The “what-if” nerve of a novelist began to throb, and A Change of Scenery played across my mind’s eye, starring two little boys from Book 3 in the Hutton-family saga known as The Cañon City Chronicles.

Faith is always a character in my stories – an aspect that directs lives the same way it does in real life. This book has no preaching but plenty of wisdom shared by truth-speaking characters. God and His peace and presence weave through the book the same way they do in my daily life: intimately, steadily, tenderly.

Tragedy takes its place on the stage, just as it does in our lives. But how a character handles it determines how that character develops. Again, an aspect that mirrors the reality of our lives.

And isn’t that what fiction is all about? Mirroring reality. I hope you’ll read A Change of Scenery and be blessed by the challenges, heartaches, and blessings that adorn this tender Western romance.

~*~
Author Bio:

Davalynn Spencer is a Publisher’s Weekly and ECPA bestselling author and winner of the Will Rogers Gold Medallion for Inspirational Western Fiction.

She is the wife and mother of professional rodeo bullfighters and the author of sixteen titles, both contemporary and historical. She blogs monthly for Christian Authors Network, contributes to the American Christian Fiction Writers blog, and writes her own weekly inspirational blog.

Davalynn appears on the area radio broadcast, Write Time Radio, and teaches writing workshops when not wrangling Keeper the Cowdog and mouse detectors Annie and Oakley. 

Connect with her at https://www.davalynnspencer.com

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Blurb for A Change of Scenery:

Inspirational Historical Western Romance

 

A hidden fear. A daring challenge. A liberating love.

A motorcar accident on a rainy Chicago night steals Ella Canaday’s fiancé as well as her ability to ride. Clinging to the remnants of her independence, she cuts her hair and her ties with her wealthy father and takes a train west as the seamstress with a moving-picture company. 

Colorado offers the change of scenery she needs. But she doesn’t expect the bold cowboy who challenges her to reclaim both the loves she thought she’d lost forever.

Cale Hutton needs the money the moving-picture company is paying for use of his cattle and horses, but he’s not keen on some city gal gettin’ in the way at the ranch. Between the filming crew by day and a rogue cattle-killing bear by night, his attention snags on the little bob-haired seamstress. Something about her easy manner around his horse sets his mind to find out what she’s hiding and why she has such a pull on his heart.

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Buy Davalynn’s book, A Change of Scenery:

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1064987

Davalynn's website: https://davalynnspencer.com/books/a-change-of-scenery/

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08RWJBTWG/

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Connect with Davalynn:

Quarterly Author Update and free e-book: http://eepurl.com/xa81D

Blog: https://davalynnspencer.com/subscribe/

Website: https://www.davalynnspencer.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorDavalynnSpencer

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/davalynn-spencer

Twitter: https://twitter.com/davalynnspencer

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5051432.Davalynn_Spencer

Pinterest: https://pinterest.com/davalynnspencer/boards/

Amazon Author: https://amazon.com/author/davalynnspencer

CAN: http://christianauthorsnetwork.com/davalynn-spencer/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/davalynnspencer/

Romantic Reads: A Heart's Gift

Interview with Lena Nelson Dooley about her book, 

A Heart's Gift: A Love's Road Home Novel

Alexis: Congratulations on writing the first book in your new series “A Love’s Road Home.” What is this series about? How many books are in it?

Lena: There are five novels in the series. Each book is a standalone story that has a link to at least one other book in the series. In each of the stories, the hero, the heroine – or both –experienced something serious happen in their past so they don’t feel loved.

Alexis: A Heart’s Gift is the first book in this series. What inspired you to write it?

Lena: God created me with both the ability to write and an imagination that He uses to help show how He works through people’s lives. I’m not an author who preaches to readers. I just show the situations to them through what is going on in the characters’ lives. I pray a lot while I’m writing, and God gives me discernment and ideas.

Alexis: Describe your story’s hero Franklin Vine. What does he look like? Sound like? Act like? What are his greatest goals and worst faults?

Lena: Franklin Vine owns the Rocking V ranch in Summit County, Colorado. He is tall with ebony eyes and thick wavy hair that often curled over his collar. I used actor Dale Midkiff for my inspiration for how he looks. He interacts well with the other ranchers in the area. He’s compassionate and respected in the town of Breckenridge. He has shut down his heart against romance and marriage, but he worries about an heir.

Alexis: Tell me about Franklin’s ranch. Why is it special to him?

Lena: He has grown the ranch he inherited into one of the premier ranches in that area. He’s a good boss. He understands that he’s responsible for the livelihood of the people who work for him.

Alexis: The Colorado mountains are beautiful in real-life. Paint a picture with words of how this setting looks in your fiction story. What makes it memorable to the fictional people who live and work there?

Lena: One of the hallmarks of my historical novels is that I make them as authentic to the place and time period as I can. I do a lot of research. With this one I bought books that had the history of the area and a book with historical photographs, so most of the businesses I mention were actually in Breckenridge. I use the names of the rivers that are there, and I make the descriptions in the books fit the pictures. Actually, I’ve been to Summit County a couple of times—one in summer and one in winter. I took photographs then, too.

Alexis: What can you tell me about Franklin’s romantic relationship history that left him closed off to love, without spoiling the story?

Lena: His fiancé ran away with his best friend a few days before their scheduled wedding.

Alexis: Let’s talk about your story’s heroine Lorinda Sullivan. What does she look like? Sound like? Act like? What are her deepest desires and greatest fears?

Lena: Lorinda Sullivan is a petite blonde who came from poor family in Oklahoma. She has blue eyes. When the book starts, she’s married and living with her husband near their gold mine, which is also near the Rocking V ranch. She never wants to see her father or uncle again.

Alexis: Why does Lorinda believe that the men in her life are controlling and how does she break free from their control?

Lena: Her mother died when she was five-years old. She lived with her father and uncle until her first husband rescued her from them. They were controlling and abusive.

Alexis: What is it about Franklin that makes Lorinda feel like she can trust him?

Lena: At the time, she has no other option.

Alexis: What is it about a marriage of convenience that Lorinda and Franklin like?

Lena: She will be able to provide for her newborn son, and he will have an heir without giving away his heart.

Alexis: What do you want your readers to remember most about this story?

Lena: How God intervenes to save her life.

Alexis: Thanks for the interview, Lena! Would you like to share closing thoughts?

Lena: Thank you for having me here, Alexis. I want all your readers to know that I love readers, and as I write a book, I have them in mind. I love to hear from fans.

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Author Bio:

Multi-published, award-winning author Lena Nelson Dooley has had more than 950,000 copies of her 50 book releases sold. Her books have appeared on the CBA, Publisher’s Weekly, and ECPA bestseller lists, as well as Amazon bestseller lists. She has won a dozen awards. 

She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and the local chapter, ACFW - DFW. She’s a member of Christian Authors’ Network, and Gateway Church in Southlake, Texas.

She has experience in screenwriting, acting, directing, and voice-overs. She is on the Board of Directors for Higher Ground Films and is one of the screenwriters for their upcoming film Abducted to Kill. She has been featured in articles in Christian Retailing, ACFW Journal, Charisma Magazine, and Christian Fiction Online Magazine in which her article was the cover story.

In addition to her writing, Lena is a frequent speaker at women’s groups, writers groups, and at both regional and national conferences. She has spoken in six states and internationally. She also wrote and teaches Dynamic Writing Workshops.

Lena has an active web presence on Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, LinkedIn and with her internationally connected blog where she interviews other authors and promotes their books.

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Blurb for A Heart’s Gift:

Is a marriage of convenience the answer? 

Franklin Vine has worked hard to build the ranch he inherited into one of the most successful in the majestic Colorado mountains. If only he had an heir to one day inherit the legacy he's building. But he was burned once in the worst way, and he doesn't plan to open his heart to another woman. Even if that means he'll eventually have to divide up his spread among the most loyal of his hired hands.

When Lorinda Sullivan is finally out from under the control of men who made all the decisions in her life, she promises herself she'll never allow a man to make choices for her again. But without a home in the midst of a hard Rocky Mountain winter, she has to do something to provide for her infant son.

A marriage of convenience seems like the perfect arrangement, yet the stakes quickly become much higher than either of them ever planned. When hearts become entangled, the increasing danger may change their lives forever.

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Buy Lena’s book “A Heart’s Gift”:
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3q7kK9r
Barnes and Noble: https://bit.ly/3oDNhmY
Books-A-Million: https://bit.ly/2LAAOSm
Walmart: https://bit.ly/3oz3Ekr

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Connect with Lena:
Website: www.lenanelsondooley.com
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/lenandooley/
Facebook: www.facebook.com/lena.nelson.dooley
Twitter: www.twitter.com/lenandooley
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/333031.Lena_Nelson_Dooley
Instagram: www.instagram.com/lenanelsondooley
Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B001JPAIDE
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/lena-nelson-dooley

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Enter this book giveaway contest for your chance to WIN a copy of this book by filling out the entry form on the Rafflecopter widget below:

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My Blog's 10th Year Birthday Bash: Davalynn Spencer's book giveaway

Welcome to the 10th day of my blog's birthday bash!

Please welcome my author friend Davalynn Spencer.

She's here to giveaway two of her books!

Enter the book giveaway contest via the Rafflecopter widget the end of this blog post. Only residents of the USA are eligible to receive a signed paperback copy of this author's books. International residents will only receive ebook copies due to costs of mailing books outside of the USA.

Let's learn a little bit more about Davalynn and her books ...

Author Bio:

As the wife and mother of professional rodeo bullfighters, Davalynn Spencer has enjoyed a front-row seat on cowboys and their lifestyle. 

She writes Christian romance with a Western flair, both contemporary and historical, winning the Will Rogers Gold Medallion for Inspirational Western Fiction, and seeing two of her historical novellas on the ECPA and Publisher’s Weekly bestseller lists. 

Her countless nonfiction pieces have appeared in Prorodeo Sports News, American Cowboy, Western Horseman, The Upper Room, Power for Living, The Quiet Hour, The Christian Standard, and other periodicals. 

She’s also fairly certain her previous career as a rodeo journalist and award-winning crime-beat reporter prepared her for her life #lovingthecowboy in Colorado. 

When she’s not writing, teaching writing workshops, or playing the keyboard on her church worship team, she’s wrangling Blue the Cowdog and mouse detectors Annie and Oakley. 

Connect with Davalynn at https://davalynnspencer.com/

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Back Cover Blurb for An Impossible Price:

Christian Historical Western Romance 

He has to choose – keep his secrets or the woman he loves. He can’t have both.

With no husband of her own, midwife Sophie Price lives to keep others calm in their hour of need. But when a handsome horse handler steps off the train with a fiery stallion, he brings anything but calm as he looks her dead in the eye and clear through to her soul.

Clay Ferguson returns to the place he once called home, hunting a fresh start and the one woman who could draw him back. If he can hide his battered heart and the brutality of his past, maybe she’ll take another look and give him a second chance.

Both bear scars from their fathers. Both fight for life. Together, they may learn that love is worth its impossible price.

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Back Cover Blurb for Just in Time for Christmas:

She’s seventeen with a ranch to run, a fear of heights, and a cowboy intent on stealing her heart. 

Abigale Millerton leaves a Denver girl’s school and returns to her grandparents’ high-country ranch to find the boy she’d grown up with not a boy any longer—and butting in on her challenge with local timber thieves. If he’d stop telling her what to do, they might get along.

Seth Holt has loved Abigale since before he knew better. And now that she’s back in the high country, she’s still as bull-headed as ever. But Seth can match her, and he’s determined to keep her out of harm’s way and in his line of sight. Trouble is, he’d rather keep her in his arms.

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Connect with Davalynn:
Quarterly Newsletter sign-up and free e-book: http://eepurl.com/xa81D
Blog: http://davalynnspencer.com/subscribe/
Website: https://www.davalynnspencer.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorDavalynnSpencer
Twitter: https://twitter.com/davalynnspencer
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5051432.Davalynn_Spencer
Pinterest: https://pinterest.com/davalynnspencer/boards/
Amazon Author: https://www.amazon.com/Davalynn-Spencer/e/B002EZUEZK

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/davalynn-spencer

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Enter this book giveaway contest for your chance to WIN a copy of this book by filling out the entry form on the Rafflecopter widget below: 

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12 Days of Christmas Book Giveaways: Cindy Flores Martinez's stories

Let's welcome my author friend Cindy Flores Martinez to the blog!

She's here to give away one e-book copy of her Christmas story, Mia's Gift!

Meet Cindy:

Author Bio:

Cindy Flores Martinez is a USA Today bestselling author who writes Christian Romance.

She has an MFA in Creative Writing with an emphasis in Screenwriting. 

Her debut novel, Mail-Order Groom, started as a screenplay and movie project, which she shopped around Hollywood, New York, and other parts of the world. 

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Blurb and cover for Cindy's book:

Mia's Gift (Small-Town Christmas Wishes Series Book 1):

Mia Rosa is thinking of leaving Snowflake, Colorado for good. Her cupcake shop on Main Street isn’t doing well, and seeing her ex-fiancé around town is awkward. 

When she receives a letter from her old high school friend, Charity Hart, asking her to be a secret angel, she’s convinced that she can’t go through with it. 

But Mia soon learns that handsome Jesse Quinn and his fifteen-year-old niece, Kristi, are in desperate need of a miracle. The group home where Kristi lives is shutting down, and no other foster homes are available in Snowflake. 

Will Mia be able to secretly grant Jesse and Kristi’s wish for Kristi to stay in the town she calls home?

~*~

Connect with Cindy:

Website: www.cindyfloresmartinez.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cindyfloresmartinezauthor/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/AuthorCindy

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Enter this e-book giveaway contest for your chance to WIN Cindy's book, Mia's Gift, by filling out the entry form on the Rafflecopter widget below:

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Christmas on My Heart: Snow Angel by Davalynn Spencer

Interview with Lena Carver, main character from Davalynn Spencer’s book Snow Angel:

Alexis: Hi, Lena! Thanks for agreeing to an interview! You’re quite the character! First question: Do you think that the author of your story did a good job in telling it? Why or why not?

Lena: Yes, I think she did, because she showed grace about my disfigurement. She didn’t ridicule me for it.

Alexis: Your story is set in Colorado. Paint a picture with words of your surroundings and share your experience growing up there. What was your most favorite memory? Why?

Lena: I didn’t appreciate the colors much as a child, but as I grew up, I noticed the brilliant gold of the aspens in the fall. Even their poorer cousins, the cottonwoods, spruce up for the season. Woodsmoke flavors the crisp autumn air, and with the dropping temperatures, everything feels cozier. But Christmastime is probably my favorite because our community comes together more during that time than any other. It gives me a real sense of belonging.

Alexis: Did you expect to have a holiday romance? Why or why not?

Lena: Ha. I’ve never expected to have romance in my life, holiday or otherwise. Men don’t look at spinsters with abnormalities. But when someone came along who looked past my disfigurement, well, that caught my attention, shall we say.

Alexis: How do you like working for your physician brother as his medical assistant? Describe your day-to-day duties at work.

Lena: I’m convinced Tay went to medical school because of my childhood accident. He’d never admit it, but some things a person just knows. When he set up his practice, it was only natural for me to help him. My prospects of marriage were slim to none, Mama and Daddy had passed on, and we both needed someone. I cook and keep the house for the both of us, and help him keep the surgery clean, see that bandages and supplies are on hand, and help hold patients still when necessary. That’s a challenge, but I manage. And when I have trouble helping him set broken bones, our old buggy mare lends a hand, er, neck. Oh well, you’ll just have to read more about that particular incident.

Alexis: Are you self-conscious about your disfigurement from a childhood accident? How do you cope?

Lena: I guess you could say I’m self-conscious because of my habit of hiding it in my apron. But life goes on, right? And one must adjust, accommodate, and do the best one can. Quitting or feeling sorry for one’s self is out of the question. Self-pity merely robs us of energy and self-respect.

Alexis: Let’s talk about your hero Wil Bergman. How did you first meet him? Was your first impression of Wil good or bad? Explain.

Lena: Wil Bergman was a puzzle from the first moment I laid eyes on his broken, unconscious form being dragged through the front door. Until he scared the living daylights out of me later that night. Good thing I didn’t have my knitting needles in hand. I’m might have stabbed him.

Alexis: What is it about Wil that makes your heart believe that maybe, just maybe, love is within reach?

Lena: Unconditional. There’s no other word for it. His unconditional acceptance of me and obvious pleasure when spending time with me. Plus he can carry on a decent conversation. I couldn’t be with a man who didn’t know how to visit or laugh or hold up his end of an argument. His broad shoulders and beautiful dark eyes don’t hurt either. Don’t tell him I said his eyes were “beautiful.” It’d probably bruise his manly pride.

Alexis: Is there anything about Wil that you do not like? Share details.

Lena: If I let him, he would eat every cookie I ever baked, whether it was Christmas or not. The man eats like a mule. But I guess that means he enjoys my cooking, doesn’t it?

Alexis: What does your brother think of Wil? And does his view of him affect your own? Explain.

Lena: Tay had his reservations at the first, especially when he learned who Wil was related to. But my brother has a way of seeing deeper than a person’s skin and family, clear down into their heart. Maybe that’s what makes him a good doctor. He certainly saw through my poor attempts at hiding my feelings for Wil as well as Wil’s growing affection for me.

Alexis: What do you want readers to remember most about your story?

Lena: I want people to remember that God isn’t limited by our doubts or disappointments. He has messengers and means of delivering His blessings that we can only imagine.

Alexis: Why did Davalynn title your story “Snow Angel?”

Lena: I loved making snow angels when I was a little girl, and then, well, things happened. But who says there aren’t other kinds of snow angels?

Alexis: Thanks for the interview, Lena! Merry Christmas and God bless you.

~*~
Author Bio:

Davalynn Spencer is the award-winning author of eleven inspirational Western romance titles, both contemporary and historical. 

She is a former rodeo journalist, crime-beat reporter, and the wife and mother of professional rodeo bullfighters. 

When she’s not #lovingthecowboy, she’s wrangling Blue the Cowdog and mouse detectors Annie and Oakley.

~*~
Book Blurb for Snow Angel:

As a child, she lost something precious at Christmas. 

Twenty years later, she's about to lose her heart.

Lena Carver works as her physician brother’s medical assistant, housekeeper, and cook despite her disfigurement from a childhood accident.

Each year, the Christmas holidays come with contradictions—cherished memories of a mysterious encounter and painful recollections of a great loss. She lives with the belief that she is beyond love’s reach, until a dark-eyed cowboy arrives broken, bruised, and bent on changing her mind.

Wil Bergman wakes in a stranger’s house with a busted leg, a bullet-creased scalp, and no horse. Trail-weary, robbed, and penniless, his dreams and plans for a future are suddenly unattainable.

Forced to recuperate in the home of a country doctor, he finds himself at the mercy of a surgeon whose sister’s healing touch has power to stitch up his lonely heart and open his eyes to the impossible.

~*~
Buy Davalynn's book on Amazon

~*~
Connect with Davalynn:
Quarterly Author Update and free ebook: http://eepurl.com/xa81D
Blog: https://davalynnspencer.com/subscribe/
Website: https://www.davalynnspencer.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorDavalynnSpencer
Twitter: https://twitter.com/davalynnspencer
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5051432.Davalynn_Spencer
Pinterest: https://pinterest.com/davalynnspencer/boards/
Amazon Author: https://amazon.com/author/davalynnspencer
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/davalynn-spencer
CAN: http://christianauthorsnetwork.com/davalynn-spencer/

~*~
Enter this book giveaway contest for your chance to WIN a copy of this book by filling out the entry form on the Rafflecopter widget below:

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Author interview: Davalynn Spencer

Last week, I interviewed Melissa Tagg about her life as a former newspaper reporter turned novelist. This week, I’d like to introduce you to another former journalist who is now a successful author and speaker. Davalynn Spencer is her name and she has a wealth of wisdom and creative words to share with you in this interview feature on my blog today. So read on and enjoy!

Alexis: You are a former journalist! Tell me about your journey from the newsroom to becoming a novelist.

Davalynn: I started writing by telling the stories of people’s lives. When my husband was rodeoing full time, our children and I traveled with him across the United States, and I wrote feature stories and interviews for the Prorodeo Sports News, the trade paper for the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association. I also wrote for Western Horseman, American Cowboy, The Upper Room, Christian Standard, Power for Living, and The Line Rider which I edited for the Fellowship of Christian Cowboys, Inc. while my husband worked as the president and general manager of the nonprofit organization. All this led to my employment as a crime-beat reporter for the local newspaper. Funny how those things work out. Yet through all the years of writing, my goal was to be a novelist. I decided one day that it was time to pursue that dream so I did. Attended writers’ conferences, met with agents, followed agent/editor/author blogs, signed with Linda S. Glaz of Hartline Literary, honed my craft, and wrote novellas and novels.

Now that you’re a novelist, what genre do you write? Do you specialize in novels or novellas?

I write inspirational romance, both historical and contemporary, because I’m interested in relationships and happy endings. Everything isn’t pretty or perfect in my stories, but when a romance reader picks up a book, he or she knows that the situation will eventually work out. It’s the process of getting there—through the gunk—that makes the journey exciting and the ending worthwhile. I write both novellas and novels.

Is all of your work as a novelist fictional? Why or why not?

All novels are fictional, but they are woven together with threads of truth. There is a bit of myself in all of my stories, especially the contemporary books. Though it sounds ridiculously obvious to say, the human condition is universal. People everywhere experience the same emotions of anger, jealously, sorrow, pity, joy, love. Circumstances are different, but the emotions are the same and they are very real.

Where do you get the inspiration for your creative stories?

Sometimes a situation in my own life will spark a story. Or a location; setting is important to me. I wrote a novella based on a woman I saw sitting in her car in a parking lot talking on her cell phone. The story has nothing to do with a woman on a cell phone, but it was the germ to which my imagination attached. News stories also prompt ideas. And actual events in close friends’ lives that I have to “adjust” because readers would not consider the tales plausible otherwise. Truth really is stranger than fiction.

What would you say were the unique challenges of switching your writing style from print journalism articles to creative fiction stories?

One challenge is finding your writer’s voice. Journalistic writing has a distinct tone. But even as a journalist, I’ve always leaned toward feature writing which is warmer, less cut-and-dry. I prefer the “story” feel, and that may be what has helped me transition from reporter to author.

Melissa Tagg and Stacy Hawkins Adams who are now successful Christian fiction authors, used to be journalists too! What would you say to journalists who dream of making the jump from being in the newsroom to becoming a novelist like you?

I found encouragement from Mark Twain who was first a journalist and then a novelist, and so I would point those journalists to him and others like Tagg and Hawkins and many more—surprisingly many. But I would also share the words I read every day on a poster above my desk: “No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and fight for your dreams.” Learn the craft, don’t give up, and get used to using the serial comma. (They’ll know what I mean.)

How has your relationship with God helped your writing career?

One day I read the story in II Kings 4 about the widow and her jar of oil. She basically had nothing but the capacity to obey. When she chose to do so, miracles poured out. As I read, I related to her situation because I wanted desperately to write, yet at the same time, I was afraid I’d run out of things to say. The Lord impressed upon my heart that, like the widow, if I continued to pour it out, He would pour it in. Obedience is an act of faith. I have to trust Him to provide.

I have nothing of any value or worth apart from God. Jesus has walked with me through every valley, fire, and torrent and over every mountain, hillock, and verdant meadow. The one thing in my life that has been constant and true is His presence and faithfulness.

How has your award-winning work as a journalist played into your fictional stories?

Those many awards were confirmation that I was headed in the right direction at the time. A couple from which I took a great deal of encouragement were first-place awards from the Colorado Associated Press: the story of a police negotiator who caught a woman mid-air as she jumped from a ledge near the Royal Gorge, and the story of how the Columbine School tragedy affected our local high school students. Recently placing second in the Inspirational Reader’s Choice Awards with my contemporary romance, The Rancher’s Second Chance (Heartsong) has had the same effect: encouragement that I’m headed in the right direction.

What is the most rewarding aspect of your work?

On my website, readers will see the phrase “faith and fresh hope.” My goal is to write a story that brings faith and fresh hope into a reader’s life. Nothing beats hearing from someone who was comforted/encouraged/inspired by one of my stories, or who related to one of my characters so much that they want to read more about that individual and his or her life.

Did you always know you’d grow up to be a professional writer? Share the story of how and when you knew “This is it!”

I have written stories all my life, whether in my journal that no one else ever read, or for a newspaper, or as novels. There have been many moments of feeling that I’ve made it home at last. However, the journey never ends. There is always more to learn, more to experience, and more to write.

What is your favorite topic to write about as a novelist? Why?

I’m partial to cowboys and the western way of life, whether present day or historical. If I could, I would go back and live in the 1800s. It was hard, sometimes even brutal. But life was simpler, not as noisy. I like that.

Are you traditionally published? Do you have an agent? If yes, please share the name of who represents your work and share the story of how that happened.

My agent is Linda S. Glaz of Hartline Literary. I connected with her via the agency owner, Joyce Hart, whom I met through a webinar in 2010. Joyce liked my writing and gave my name to Linda. My first novella was published by Pelican Books, my four novels are published by Harlequin’s Love Inspired | Heartsong Presents, and I have two novellas in two Barbour collections, one releasing this November, Christmas Wedding Bell Brides, and one coming out summer 2015.

Are you married? Do you have children? Give my readers a glimpse into your personal life.

When a certain handsome, dark-eyed cowboy walked into church one Sunday morning, I knew my hopes of getting past him unscathed were slim to none. I’m so glad. Today we have three children, four grandchildren and a Queensland heeler named Blue.

You call Colorado home. What do you love about living there?

We live on the Front Range, on the lip of the mountains – there’s a word picture for you. It’s like straddling two worlds: the present and the past. Within a few miles of our home, I can be up in the parks (cow country) walking through an old square-log cabin on a homestead, leaning in close to pictographs left on rock face by early Native Americans, or waiting at a red light in town. And there’s nothing quite like watching a massive storm roll in off the plains and slam up against the mountains only to dump lightning and rain and then clear out leaving brilliant blue sky behind.

How do you spend your free time? What are your hobbies?

I love to read, to move into the story worlds of other authors. I also play the piano and guitar and only recently stepped down from playing on our church’s worship team. Walking is a favorite pastime as well.

You’re also a speaker. What topics do you cover and what’s your main message?

My messages all focus on one key idea: God is faithful. Sounds trite, but it’s true. The fun part comes in sharing the stories of how I know He’s faithful. One of my favorite topics is “Sometimes Life’s a Rodeo.” Everyone can relate, because who hasn’t found themselves face down in the dirt wondering what just ran over them?

What is your favorite Bible verse? Why?

That’s almost like asking me which child is my favorite! I have many favorites, depending upon what’s happening around and within me at the moment, but one I return to as a life verse is Psalm 16:8 – I have set the Lord always before me. Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken (NIV). Several years ago I published a book of thirty devotions for women titled Always Before Me. The devotional thoughts are stories from my life and have often served as the basis for speaking topics. Who but the Lord can be both ahead of us, leading us, and beside us, comforting us at the same time? He has it all covered.

What do you want your legacy to be?

I want my legacy to be that when I’m pushed up against the wall, Jesus comes out through the cracks in my life.

Thank you for the interview, Davalynn! Do you have a question for my readers you’d like answers to in the comment section? If you do please share! It’s been a joy hosting you on my blog! God bless you!

I’d like to ask readers how important the story’s setting is to them as they read.

~ End of interview ~

Author bio: 

Wife and mother of professional rodeo bullfighters, Davalynn Spencer began her writing journey in the national rodeo market and as a newspaper journalist, winning awards in both arenas. Today she continues to win acclaim with her inspirational western romance placing second in the 2014 Inspirational Reader’s Choice Awards, and finaling for the Selah Award and the Holt Medallion. Davalynn teaches writing at Pueblo Community College, and with her handsome cowboy has three children and four grandchildren. They make their home on Colorado’s Front Range with a Queensland heeler named Blue.

Connect with Davalynn online at www.davalynnspencer.com, www.Facebook.com/AuthorDavalynnSpencer and follow her on Twitter @davalynnspencer and become her fan and/or friend on Goodreads.

Davalynn’s books can be found:

On her website and blog, www.davalynnspencer.com

Amazon's Davalynn Spencer page, http://amzn.to/1nqzskB

Christianbook.com (http://bit.ly/1nbYdRw)