Showing posts with label fictional characters. Show all posts
Showing posts with label fictional characters. Show all posts

Monday, February 11, 2019

When Love Inspires: Gail's story


When Love Inspires: Gail's story

When asked what inspires me to write sweet romance stores, that was a complicated question. I have many reasons for writing what is termed as “sweet”, which in the total romance novel genre, means “no sex on the page." 
Taking that one step further, for me it doesn’t mean it’s okay behind closed doors. As a writer of Inspirational Romance, that means the hero and heroine do not indulge until after the wedding. Since the books usually end with the proposal, that means you won’t read that in my books.

My first goal is to show the world that love can be just that 
– love first, consummation later, when the love is established and solid. For me, that’s what romance is all about – building a relationship and companionship that will last a lifetime. That is a realistic and attainable goal. 

Another goal was that when my kids were small, word traveled that I wrote romance books. Not that I thought my sons (count ‘em, 3 boys) would read mommy’s romance novels, but they had friends who were girls, who could, not to mention other parents around the school. I wanted to write books that I would not be ashamed for my kids, and my kids’ friends, to read, or moreso, that even for the parents, who would usually read them first, there was nothing even PG-13. Just a wholesome and entertaining love story.

When I first started writing, I joined a local RWA writers’ group. One of the ladies who had published many novels with Harlequin told me that people she knew asked her if she actually did the things she wrote that her hero and heroines did. She was offended. At the time I thought, if you write material some people find offensive, and wasn’t offended to write it, she shouldn’t have been offended to be asked about it. I would never write something I would be ashamed for people to read, knowing it’s my real name on the cover.

In all my stories I want to portray the growth of a realistic and healthy relationship. Then, my goal is to make the story interesting, and bring a smile to those who read them. The smile is important. There is enough stress in real life, so I want to make my fiction an escape from stress.

I chose to feature an older novel, Vancouver, for this blog. This is a series of four short novels, each one a standalone, but best if read in order, together. 
My publisher put the four novels together to make Vancouver, which is best read in Kindle, because it’s a big book. 

I’ll never forget how excited I was when my editor emailed me the cover, which I was delighted to see was a skyline shot of the city of Vancouver. I’ve been to that same place many times, as that is where I live. The photo was taken from on the seawall walkway that circles Stanley Park, on the portion that faces downtown Vancouver. 

When the stories originally came out, three out of four of them were voted in the favorite top three Heartsong Presents novels of the year by the bookclub members when they first came out. Actually, three of them were released the same year, so it wasn’t likely that all three would be in the top three. But two were. With that kind of response from the book club, it seemed a natural choice to combine the series and re-release it to the general public.

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Author Bio:


Gail Sattler lives in Vancouver BC Canada, where you don't have to shovel rain. 



When she's not madly writing (Gail Sattler has over 40 published novels and novellas, plus a few works of non-fiction) she plays bass for an Elton John tribute band as well as a community jazz band, plus she plays piano for a smaller private jazz band. 

When she's not writing or making music (or at her day job) Gail likes to sit back and read a book written by someone else, along with a good cup of hot coffee. 


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Blurb for Gail's book, Vancouver (Romancing America):

What is the best thing about living in a beautiful, modern city--being surrounded by buildings, people, and activity? Or just getting away from it all? 


Meet four women who hold different views of life in Canada's jeweled city.... Roberta, desperate for some solitude in which to reevaluate her life, has left downtown and Gone Camping. But as a novice in the great outdoors, she finds herself depending on the local park ranger's assistance - again and again. If she can't be alone, how will she find true peace? 

Molly works in Vancouver's business district. On her new boss's first day she accidentally breaks his arm - and soon is caught up in rumors of a "tawdry affair." Can she save her job by keeping romance At Arm's Length? 

Gwen's summer job - helping to drive her uncle's semi trucks - takes her away from the city, across the Canadian border, and On the Road Again. Reluctant to be paired with a handsome codriver, can Gwen maintain a friendly distance until they get the job done and return home? 

Patricia, helping at her father's Vancouver church, hears My Name Is Mike whenever she takes a recovering alcoholic to his mandated meetings. Can she give him guidance toward a better life without entangling her heart? Laugh and cry with these resourceful Canadian women and watch how faith and love uphold them on the drifting currents of life.

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Connect with Gail:
Website: www.gailsattler.com
Facebook personal page: https://www.facebook.com/gail.sattler.3
Facebook Author Page


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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: 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Sunday, July 12, 2015

Book spotlight: Island Refuge

Kimberly Rose Johnson, author of the book Island Refuge, is here today to talk about the creative process she experienced in writing her book. 

I hope you will enjoy learning more about what helps an author create a good book! :) This guest post by Kimberly is delightful. I loved it and I hope you will too.

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My Creative Process

By Kimberly Rose Johnson

Have you ever had a song in your head you couldn’t stop from playing over and over in your mind? That’s what Island Refuge was like for me when the story came to me. I had gone on a research trip via Amtrak to Leavenworth, Washington. The route ran along the Puget Sound for part of the trek. It was gorgeous!

I’m a huge fan of the scenery in Washington. I lived there while I went to college and had a million dollar view of Lake Washington and Mt. Rainer from my dorm room window. It was spectacular. While in college I was in my school’s traveling choir, so I had the opportunity to visit one of the islands in the Sound as well as travel all over the state which gave me a good feel for the area where I like to set my stories.

While I was in Leavenworth I visited a B&B (bed and breakfast). The funny thing is, I was there to research for a series I was writing for Harlequin’s Love Inspired Heartsong Presents line and left with another story idea.

My mind meshed the idea of a B&B with the Puget Sound and suddenly Wildflower Island was born. The story percolated in my thoughts for several months before I decided I’d better write it.

My Wildflower B&B Romance series follows the lives of three women whose lives where changed when they came to Wildflower Island, specifically Wildflower B&B.

In book one, Island Refuge we meet Zoe, a five-star-executive chef. She is running from her past, but discovers that in order to face her future she must come to terms with her past.

In book two, Island Dreams, Piper, a land developer, comes to Wildflower Island with the hope of building a resort. She is faced with a lot of opposition and must learn that she can’t do it on her own.

In book three, Island Christmas, Rachel, a strong secondary character from book one returns with dreams of her own.

These woman are all strong women with a dream and it was a blast writing their stories. I truly loved writing this series of sweet romances that are more than just another romance, but stories with easily fit into the women’s Christian fiction genre as well.

If you would like to read more about them here is the link to my Amazon Author page that shows the back cover copy for the books- http://amzn.to/1gd6Ka5

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Author bio:
Kimberly Rose Johnson, soon to be empty-nester, lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and their yellow lab. 

Island Refuge is her sixth published book and the first in a series of three. 

Kimberly enjoys long walks, chocolate, and mochas, not necessarily in that order. 


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Buy Kimberly’s book:
Amazon - http://amzn.to/1IlZqmD
Barnes & Noble - http://bit.ly/1F1RmGC 








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