Angela Ruth Strong's BOOK birthday and the inside scoop about her stories

Welcome my dear friend Angela Ruth Strong to the blog today!

She's here to share her thoughts on the story behind her "Finding Love" series of books.

This is a special day for Angela because it's the official release date of her latest book in the series, "Finding Love in Eureka, California"! So please wish her a "Happy BOOK birthday" in the comment section after you read her guest post.

God bless you! 

~*~

Four Weddings and a Symbol
A guest post by Angela Ruth Strong

When I first started writing Finding Love in Sun Valley, I didn’t want to preach a sermon on getting saved. I wanted to create characters who were already Christians and who learned to make better decisions for their lives by reading the Bible. With this goal in mind, I basically integrated a Bible study on water into the novel.

Unexpectedly, the book became the first in a series, and with every sequel, I picked another part of nature to study. It took me deeper into the Word so that the sermon was preached to me. In case you haven’t read my books yet, I’ll sum the messages up for you.

Finding Love in Sun Valley—Water. God hovered over the water on the very first day of creation. As water is essential for life, it plays a big part in Bible stories from floods to fishing to healing to baptism. Ultimately, my characters learn to trust God for living water. And they are drawn together by God’s call to “come to the water.”

Finding Love in Big Sky—Stars. Being a Christmas story, the star was an easy choice. The setting is even at Bright Star Ranch, and the movie producer who is developing this book for film, has retitled it Bright Star Christmas. In this one, I shared the idea that God leads us all the same way he led the Wise Men to baby Jesus. The symbolism here is about how precious we are to Him. Like stars in the sky that God calls all by name.

Finding Love in Park City—Mountains. Park City hosted part of the 2002 Olympics above Salt Lake City because of its majestic mountains, so it’s the perfect setting for my characters to overcome the figurative mountains in their lives. It’s also the perfect place for God to “meet” them as He does on so many occasions in the Bible. It’s through CJ’s love of her son that she sees how much God must really love us to sacrifice His own son on a mountain.

Finding Love in Eureka—Trees. Oh man. This one rocked me. I read every verse in the Bible on trees and made a connection I’d never made before. In the beginning, we are cursed and lose access to the Tree of Life. In the end, we are given the Tree of Life once again. All because in the middle, Jesus died on a tree and took our curse upon himself. This connection is especially powerful for my heroine who stops reading the Bible when she gets to the part about children being cursed for the sins of their fathers up to four generations. She doesn’t think this is fair to either her or the adopted siblings in her family tree, but eventually, she seeks understanding. Being set in the Redwood Forest made this lesson of redemption even more real for her.

Though I consider Eureka to be my “least Christian” novel, it has the strongest message for Christ. It humbled me and made me fall in love with my savior all over again. And that’s really why I write Christian romance. To show that a romance can’t be a love story if God is not involved because God is love.

So though I started out not wanting to preach on salvation, every wedding I ever write about will be a symbol of how God is the bridegroom and we are the bride. My characters may live happily-ever-after, but only because we get to live happily FOREVER after. And that’s worth writing about.

~*~
Author Bio: 

Angela lives in Idaho with her hubby and teenagers. 

She also works at an airline and teaches yoga because she'd rather get paid for her hobbies than actually work. 

That doesn't mean writing is easy, but her readers are worth it. She's got a lot more fun stuff headed your way, so check it out at www.angelaruthstrong.com.

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Blurb for Finding Love in Eureka, California: Raised in a family of six adopted siblings, Genevieve Wilson fights to keep her dysfunctional brothers and sisters together, but everyone still seems to leave. 

If she’s not good enough to prevent her birth parents or siblings from abandoning her, then there’s no way she would ever be enough to have a lasting relationship with the successful pilot from work…which is exactly what makes him a safe subject for her daydreams.

Matt Lake is dating the perfect woman and working a great job. Life is easy until he starts to enjoy hanging out with the airline employees more than with his girlfriend—one redhead in particular. He tells himself he’s only intrigued by Gen’s quirkiness, but nobody else makes him smile the way she does.

Can Matt give up the flawless life he’d planned in exchange for the messiness of love? And if so, will Gen risk her heart on reality when it’s never paid off in the past?

~*~

Buy Angela's book on Amazon

Spring into Love: An Unlikely Hero

Interview with Mary Davis, author of “An Unlikely Hero”:

Alexis: What makes 1 Samuel 16:7 the focus of this story? Explain the significance.

Mary: This is the verse where God doesn’t look on a person’s outward appearance like people do. My hero in this story was always judged by his small size and deemed incapable. The Pony Express hired only small men and boys to have less weight on the horses so the horses could run faster. And like most other people, the heroine also misjudges the men at the station by outward appearance as to their ability to protect her.

Alexis: Your story is set at the Head of the Echo Canyon Pony Express Station in 1861. Would your book be a historical romance then? Explain what that means in this case.

Mary: Yes, “An Unlikely Hero” is a historical romance. People often get a historical romance mixed up with a historical with romantic elements. What’s the difference you might ask? A historical story is a story set in the past, in a historical setting and can encapsulate a variety of other genres with it and may or may not have romance. For instance, the TV series Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman is a historical with romance elements. The romance isn’t the main part of the story, but there is romance. A historical romance is a romance first and historical second. If you tried to take the romance out of a historical romance, the rest would fall apart and you wouldn’t have a story. It’s a story about a boy and girl falling in love that happens to be set in the past.

Alexis: BethAnn White is the heroine of your story. What does she look like? What are her life passions and goals? How does she act and why?

Mary: You wouldn’t think so, but this question gives me pause. It seems like a simple enough one, but I’ve written another novella and a novel as well as several proposals since finishing “An Unlikely Hero,” so let me think a minute. BethAnn has golden blond hair and blue eyes. Her current goal in the story is to keep herself and her sister safe. She is a helpful person. She treats all people kindly and doesn’t think of some people as better than others.

Alexis: What was the terrible mistake that BethAnn made and why is she in grief?

Mary: When BethAnn’s other sisters and parents got gravely ill with diphtheria, she mistakenly allowed the wrong sort of man to help her with medical expenses and then funeral costs. Her other sisters and parents died, thus the reason for her grieving. So now it is just herself and her little sister, Molly.

Alexis: How old are BethAnn and her younger sister? Why are they on the run?

Mary: Hold on a second while I look that up, BethAnn is in her early twenties. Her sister is twelve. They’re on the run because the man who gave BethAnn money to pay for medical treatment for her family is demanding repayment . . . in one form or another. He’s not a nice fellow.

Alexis: Why does BethAnn believe that she needs to find a strong man to protect she and her sister?

Mary: Because the man she owes money to is coming after her, and she mistakenly believes that only a “big, strong man” can protect her from this other man.

Alexis: Fox is the hero of this story. Tell us about his looks, personality, and heart. What makes him “An Unlikely Hero”?

Mary: He has red hair, “kind, gentle green eyes with flecks of gold,” and is small in stature. Think horse jockey. He has a quiet personality and the heart of a romantic. He has a knack for drawing and fills his sketchbook with secret drawings of BethAnn. What makes him “An Unlikely Hero”? His size, but not his heart.

Alexis: How did Fox start riding for the Pony Express and how long has he done that?

Mary: When the Pony Express first started looking for riders, Fox answered the recruiting poster asking for “Young, Skinny, Wiry Fellows not over eighteen. Must be expert riders, willing to risk death daily. Orphans preferred.” This was the one place that Fox’s smaller size was wanted and needed. There were riders over eighteen even up towards thirty, but most were teenaged boys. Fox joined at the beginning, so since April of 1860. The Pony Express ran for about eighteen months. My story takes place near the end of the Pony Express, which ended in October of 1861, so he’s been riding for them for over a year.

Alexis: Describe BethAnn and Fox’s meet-cute. What draws them together and what keeps them together?

Mary: BethAnn’s sister nearly gets run down by a speeding Pony Express horse and rider with the setting sun in his eyes. Fox swoops in from out of the shadows and gets her sister out of harm’s way and rolls her to safety. BethAnn approaches and thanks him profusely. This event draws them together, and both being at the station keeps them together.

Alexis: What is it about BethAnn that makes Fox fall in love with her?

Mary: Her appreciation for him. Because of his smaller size, no one had ever appreciated anything he did. Her kind heart and willingness to help others.

Alexis: What is it about Fox that BethAnn admires? Explain.

Mary: His quiet way and his willingness to risk his life for a stranger. His kind heart and helpfulness. His actions and sketches speak more than his words because he doesn’t do a lot of talking. When he isn’t on a ride, he’s near to BethAnn and her sister, helping them in various ways. He helps them in the garden and teaches Molly to sketch.

Alexis: What role does faith in God play in this story and how does it affect the ending?

Mary: Both BethAnn and Fox are Christians and believe the good things that happen are because of God. If they both didn’t believe in God, I don’t know that they would get together at the end. BethAnn might not have stayed as long as she did if the Lord didn’t make her feel safe at the station, and Fox would have left when he felt BethAnn thought poorly of him and wouldn’t likely fall in love with him.

Alexis: As the author, how does your faith in God in the real world affect your fictional storytelling?

Mary: Every story I write is through the filter of knowing a loving God who never gives up on me and sees more than what is on the outside.

Alexis: What was the most challenging aspect of writing this story?

Mary: Creating a believable hero from a jockey-sized man. But I believe I’ve succeeded in creating a man who measures up to hero status regardless of his height.

Alexis: What’s the moral of the story?

Mary: Don’t judge a book by its cover or, in this case, a hero by his size.

Alexis: If you were not a writer, what would you like to be? Why?

Mary: A craft teacher. I love to sew, quilt, and do various other crafts. Being able to help someone else create something wonderful out of this and that is quite rewarding.

Alexis: Thanks for the interview, Mary! God bless you. 

Mary: You’re welcome! I had fun!

~*~

Author bio: 

Award-winning novelist Mary Davis has over two dozen titles in both historical and contemporary themes. 

She is a member of ACFW and active in two critique groups. 

Mary lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband of over thirty years and two cats. 

She has three adult children and one grandchild.

~*~
Book Blurb for Mary's story inside The Pony Express Romance Collection: 

In "An Unlikely Hero", BethAnn is running from a mistake and finds security at a Pony Express station and love in the quiet affection of a shy Pony Express rider known as the “Fox.”

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Connect with Mary: 
Website - http://marydavisbooks.com
Facebook -  https://www.facebook.com/mary.davis.73932
Amazon - http://amzn.to/2qKxFzs
Barbour Books - http://bit.ly/2qxWl1P
Barnes & Noble - http://bit.ly/2pbTdDX
Blog - http://marydavis1.blogspot.com/

~*~

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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A Tour of Wildflower Island, led by a story character

Give a hearty "hello" to one of our blog friends, Kimberly Rose Johnson! She's a regular visitor to this blog and this time, she brings a special treat for you, my lovely readers! :)

Today, the hero of her book Island Dreams is going to give you a tour of Wildflower Island which is the setting for the story. Enjoy the tour! 

Hi there, my name is Chase Grayson. I’d like to take you on a tour of my home, Wildflower Island! 

It’s best to start from the ferry landing. You may notice that we don’t have a sandy beach. I suppose most people would prefer sand, but God gave us a pebbled beach instead, which suits me fine. If we had white sandy beaches the tourists would be flocking to my small island in the Puget Sound. It’s not really my island, but I love it as if it were my own. 

Just yesterday I was reminded when the ferry dropped off Piper Hunt—a land developer whose family owns about half of Wildflower Island—that this land is not mine. In fact, I own a very small portion. I still can’t believe what she wants to do. She plans to build a resort. A resort! And her land abuts mine. No way do I want a resort next door. 

Sorry, I get distracted thinking about that woman and her plans. Anyway, back to the tour.

Up ahead and on the left is the driveway to Wildflower B&B where Piper is staying. The B&B is a nice place and has a great view of the Sound from the backyard. 

If you continue on inland you’ll pass by the general store, but don’t blink or you’ll miss it. A little further on and you’ll happen upon the golf club, which has the only nice restaurant on the island. I’m meeting Piper there tonight for dinner, so she can show me her new plan for her resort. She seems to think I have the ability to push her project though to the town council. But as far as I’m concerned we don’t need more people clogging our roadways. Plus there aren’t enough businesses to service the amount of people Piper’s resort would bring anyway. I digress. Sorry about that. 

I know you want a tour, but there’s really not much more to see except a few churches, an old schoolhouse, a bunch of trees with houses sprinkled in here and there, and a few lakes. We’ve done a good job at preserving the natural beauty of the island. People who come here to visit enjoy water sports, hiking, biking, and relaxing. I personally enjoy kayaking. It’s a favorite pastime. 

Oh, but before you go I’d love to give you a tour of my yard. I’ve worked hard making it a showpiece for my landscaping business. I designed a lookout that has an amazing view of the Sound. And here we are. The driveway is long and private just the way I like it. Isn’t the view something? The sailboats are my favorite to watch on nice days like today. Feel free to enjoy the view, but I need to head in and get ready for my dinner date with Piper. Somehow I have to convince her that this island is a bad choice for her development. I know I’m playing with fire when it comes to Piper, but I actually like her. She’s nice and seems to want to do right by the land. I at least need to give her a chance to pitch her proposal to me. Not that what I think matters, but I suppose anyone would appreciate a supporter. 

Thanks for visiting. I’m sure you can find your own way back to the ferry.

~*~

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.

 

~*~

Book blurb:

Piper Hunt arrives on Wildflower Island to develop family property into an upscale resort knowing this may be her last chance to prove her worth to her father. With grandiose ideas, she soon finds herself at odds with adjoining property owner, Chase Grayson.

As she begins to appreciate the simplicity of the island, she struggles to maintain balance between her father’s wishes, preserving the natural beauty of the island, and her attraction for Chase.

Chase Grayson values the peace and quiet of Wildflower Island. That serenity is threatened when Piper Hunt discloses her plans to develop an upscale resort that not only butts up to his property, but will turn the island into a busy tourist destination.

In fighting her plans, he also finds himself fighting his attraction to her. If he doesn’t stop her plans for the resort, his life will be altered forever. If he succeeds, it means he will never see her again. Can he live with either choice?

True Love Stories: My Hero

"I Believe in You and Me" is a song to that comes to mind when I think of today's featured true love story. Whitney Houston sung that song so beautifully on the soundtrack to the movie The Preacher's Wife (1997). It was a classic movie in which Whitney plays the preacher's wife and Denzel Washington plays an angel of God sent for divine intervention. 

The song lyrics talk about how she believes in miracles and God sent her a miracle because the man in her life is a dream come true. Such is the case for Mrs. Angela Ruth Strong. God restored her from heartbreak to happiness. Here's the story...

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My Hero

Angela Ruth Strong's True Love Story

My love story is one of remarriage. So there’s a sad story that comes before this one. But I think like in every romance novel, the darker the black moment, the more powerful the conclusion. My black moment included, and I quote from one of many counseling sessions, “I can’t keep a husband, I can’t get a job, my kids don’t want to be with me, and I’m in trouble with the law.” Thankfully, the ridiculous charges were dropped, my kids became my best friends and I got a job I loved working in the publishing industry. But I still didn’t have a husband.

Enter Jim Strong. Great smile. Sporty. Intelligent. Funny. Loyal. Hard-working. And oh yeah, he could sing. The man of my dreams.

I knew I was in love with him the moment he came home from a softball tournament in Reno with three stuffed bears he’d won for my kids by playing a pitching game at Circus-Circus. Not only did he bring them home, he wore them home in his backpack with their heads poking up behind him like they were in a baby carrier. Plus, he’d been sending me pictures of the bears the whole weekend so I could show the kids. Pics of them buckled into the back of a taxi and sleeping in a drawer with blankets and pillows. *swoon*

But I was scared. Oh, how I was scared. See, right before my ex left, I’d had this talk with God. I’d been reading Psalms and decided to repeat David’s prayer of, “God, you are my all.” But then I thought, “Is this really true?” And I thought about how David had said, “Test me.” So I cried while writing in my prayer journal, “Test me.” And it just so happened that was the same week my ex started his affair.

I knew in my head that God wasn’t saying, “You want a test? I’ll give you a test.” I knew it had been Him preparing me. “You know I’m your all, Angela. You know it.” But I’d still made the connection of telling God to test me with my ex-husband leaving. So whenever Jim said to me, “You’re a gift from God,” I could never say it back. Because what if I hadn’t passed my test yet? What if God was going to take Jim away, too?

It was on a jog where God opened my eyes. And the funny thing was that I’d been praying, “God, open my eyes,” but thinking about something completely different.(God knows how to answer the questions we aren’t smart enough to ask.) He gave me this verse: "Every good and perfect gift is from God"(James 1:17).

Everything about Jim had seemed too good to be true. But if he really was that good, then he would be a gift from God. I ran home and looked up every scripture I could find with the word “good” in it.

First one: Taste and see that the Lord is good (Psalm 34:8).

Last one: Now you have seen that the Lord is good (1 Peter 2:3).

This was the moment where I finally accepted Jim as a gift from God. I bawled my eyes out. Overwhelmed with gratefulness. Because I really didn’t deserve him. (I’d been in trouble with the law only a year before, remember?) But God gave Jim to me anyway.

He rescued me because he delighted in me. –Psalm 18:19

Jim proposed in a movie theater. I thought we were going to a movie. I had a mouth full of caramel corn when I realized that the preview was really a slideshow of us. And that all the other movie viewers were really friends and family.

We got married in the English garden at my mom’s tea house. Dad did the wedding. My son walked me down the aisle to the song “How He Loves Us.” The kids shot silly string at us when we kissed. Then I hopped on the front of Jim’s decorated knee cart (Achilles surgery—another story) and we rolled away to the sound of a Harley revving its engine. There was also a carriage ride involved. And my daughter’s stuffed rabbit joined us for our first dance. The evening ended with him crooning to me like Michael Buble. “I’m feeling good…”

It was better than a fairytale because it was real life. But the thing about real life is that our tests never end. We still have Achilles issues and the blending of families and the headache of finances. But when I feel like we can’t handle anymore, I remember the lesson I’ve already learned.

God will rescue us because he delights in us. So in knowing that God is the hero of every story...we can all live happily ever after.

~*~

Angela Ruth wrote a book! Here's the book cover and blurb: On shoot in beautiful Sun Valley for her newest film, rising starlet Emily Van Arsdale meets handsome stunt consultant Tracen Lake. Despite their different lifestyles, the adventurous duo shares a bond. As filming wraps up, will Emily be able to leave Sun Valley--and Tracen--behind? 

Buy Angela's book, http://amzn.to/163rDPT

Author bio: Angela Ruth Strong writes romance as well as middle-grade novels. When she's not writing, you can find her teaching aerobics, hanging out with her hubby and three teen/tweens at home in Idaho, or on some new adventure like winning a hamster ball race. She'd love it if you'd drop by to visit her at www.angelaruthstrong.com and share your story with her.