Lorraine Beatty, Becky Wade & Janet Sketchley | New Novel News

 

Her Christmas Hero

by Lorraine Beatty

November 2015

Love Inspired

Purchase: Her Christmas Hero

Gemma Butler has a grand vision to transform the fledgling Christmas celebrations in Dover, Mississippi, and bring visitors to the town. It’s also the single mom’s last chance to provide for her son and revive her event planning business. But Gemma’s not the only one with something to prove. Linc Montgomery has the weight of the family business on his shoulders. And he’ll go down swinging before he’ll let anyone disrupt the traditions he holds dear. Yet when a storm threatens to destroy the holiday, he’ll join forces with the beautiful planner and discover she just might be the love he’s been searching for.



Get to know Lorraine...

Favorite dessert?
Bread pudding. With or without the rum. :)

Favorite season?
Spring. Wish it could be spring forever so the weather would be perfect and all the plants in bloom. I’m in the south so most of the flowers are toast by July and it’s hot! :)

What actress would play you if your life was a movie? 
A young Sally Field. I wanted to be her back when she was Gidget. Today, probably Candace Cameron Bure just because I admire her faith.

Love In The Details

by Becky Wade

October 27, 2015

Zondervan

Purchase: Love In The Details

Eight years have passed since Holly last saw her high school sweetheart, Josh. Now the wedding of Josh’s best friend has brought him back to Martinsburg, Texas. His duties as best man and Holly's as the church's volunteer wedding coordinator link them together. As they work behind the scenes to plan a beautiful November wedding for their friends, they're forced to confront painful reminders of what might have been.

Holly broke up with Josh all those years ago in an attempt to ensure his future success. However, she never told him the true reason behind her actions and now must decide whether to keep her secret hidden. She's terrified of letting herself fall for him because she barely managed to piece her life back together after losing him the last time.

Not a day's gone by since Josh parted from Holly that he hasn't thought about her. The pain of the past eight years has been too much to bear and he doesn't want to make himself vulnerable to her again. But the more time he spends with her, the harder it is to deny the love he still has for her.

Will Josh and Holly risk their hearts on the hope that God's timing really can be best?

Get to know Becky...
What are the names of your pets?
My Cavalier King Charles spaniel is named Sam. He's as sweet as he is cute and he makes a great writing buddy. His snores are my creative soundtrack!

If you could live in a fantasy world, who’s would it be?
My own. Why? Because heroes like Josh, Jake Porter, and Gray Fowler (star of the upcoming Her One and Only) live and breathe in the world of my imagination. Also, the settings of my books tend to be very cute, charming towns featuring coffee shops, yummy desserts, sweet families. My fictional towns would make great places to live.

What's your favorite chore?
Laundry. I really dislike grocery shopping, cooking, and doing dishes. But I don't mind laundry. It gives me a sense of satisfaction to move dirty clothes through two machines, sort and fold them into piles while watching TV at night, and then deliver them the next morning. My laundry efforts put my family's clothes back to rights for a whole hour or so before the dirty clothes hampers begin filling again.

Without Proof
Janet Sketchley

November 1, 2015

Indie Published
Purchase: Without Proof

"Asking questions could cost your life."

Two years after the plane crash that killed her fiancé, Amy Silver has fallen for his best friend, artist Michael Stratton. When a local reporter claims the small aircraft may have been sabotaged, it reopens Amy's grief.

Anonymous warnings and threats are Amy's only proof that the tragedy was deliberate, and she has nowhere to turn. The authorities don't believe her, God is not an option, and Michael's protection is starting to feel like a cage.

Get to know Janet...

Favorite place you’ve traveled to?
We took a European river cruise last year, and it was awesome. Still, I think the place I've loved most is Scotland, the countryside more than the cities. We were there over 30 years ago... it's way past time to go back!

Coffee or tea?
Tea, to the point where we currently have a moratorium on buying any more until we finish some of the varieties on hand. Morning starts with a hot cup of "regular" tea. My favourite special teas are a chocolate mint and a maraschino cherry, but hey, it's the fall, and I'm drinking pumpkin chai. Believe me, there's enough to share!

If you were stranded on an island what are three things you couldn’t live without?
My Bible, my music (with infinite power supply) and something to write with. (I'm assuming food is a given.)

Janet Sketchley {Writer Wednesday} + GIVEAWAY

Enter to win a copy of Secrets and Lies by leaving Janet a comment below or mention your favorite Thanksgiving food!

A little bit about Janet...

Janet Sketchley is a Canadian author with a passion for fiction. Like Carol in Secrets and Lies, she loves music and tea. Unlike Carol, Janet isn’t related to a dangerous offender, has a happy home life, and has never been threatened by a drug lord. May those tidbits continue to hold true! You can find Janet online at janetsketchley.ca. Christian suspense fans are invited to join her writing journey through her monthly newsletter: http://bit.ly/JanetSketchleyNews.

How to connect with Janet...

Website: http://janetsketchley.ca/
Blog: http://janetsketchley.ca/tenacity-blog/ 
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/janetsketchley 
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JanetSketchley 
Twitter: https://twitter.com/JanetSketchley 
Amazon Author Central: http://www.amazon.com/author/janetsketchley 
Newsletter: http://bit.ly/JanetSketchleyNews

Author Interview | Janet Sketchley

You and Writing

Tell us a little bit about yourself: How did you start writing? What has kept you writing?
...I started writing fiction as an at-home mom of toddlers, after an idea took root in my mind that I didn't want to daydream. I thought writing would get it out of my head, but instead it became my first published novel, many revisions and many more years later. What's kept me writing? When I quit, I feel miserable. When I write fiction, I feel alive.

Do you have a favorite book or work that you’ve written? If so, why?
...My novels are suspense and romantic suspense, but I think my favourite work might be a short story about a fictional character who comes to life and confronts his author about a plot point. It's fun, there's no emotional stress, and the character is my kind of hero.

If published, what was the hardest thing about publishing? The easiest?
...The hardest thing so far has been learning how to become my own publisher once my original publisher closed its fiction line. The easiest would be the happiness of holding a print copy of my own novel!

Your Writing

Tell us a little bit about your book. Why did you write it?  

Carol Daniels thinks she out-ran her enemies, until a detective arrives at her door with a warning from her convict brother. Minor incidents take on a sinister meaning. An anonymous phone call warns her not to hide again.

Now she must cooperate with a drug lord while the police work to trap him. Carol has always handled crisis alone, but this one might break her. Late-night deejay Joey Hill offers friendship and moral support. Can she trust him? One thing’s certain. She can’t risk prayer.

...Secrets and Lies is a book 2 in the Redemption's Edge series. I met Carol through writing her brother Harry's story in Heaven's Prey, and I knew her life had not been easy. I also knew she needed the Lord. Secrets and Lies gives her the chance to find Him—unless her enemies find her first.

Do you have a favorite character in this work? If so, why?
...You know what? It might be Joey, the deejay who listens so patiently to Carol's fears, prays for her, and keeps giving support even when she throws hostile words back at him.

What is one take-away from your book that you hope readers identify with?
...I think the core message in this story is that God’s heart longs to pick up the pieces of our lives and not leave us walking wounded and alone. We can trust Him.

Writing

Where do you find inspiration for your story/characters? Are they based on real life or pure imagination or both?
...It's a bit of both. They come from my imagination, but how much of that is really from my subconscious? To give an example, the detective's name was originally Norton—until I realized I'd named him after an Internet security program. Some things I keep, but that one I changed. He's now Detective Garraway.

...More closely based on real life: Carol has a strong controlling streak. That *ahem* may have come from some of my own personal tendencies. Shh...

When you write, what is your overall intention with your stories?
...I want to give readers a story that lets them escape their own lives for a while and then sends them back into the real world with a sense of hope that God can make a difference in their circumstances.

What advice would you give to aspiring authors for writing and/or publishing?
...If you love writing, keep persevering. Even when it's hard, and even when there's no recognition. Finish what you start, revise it to be the best you can make it, then write the next book. It's a distinct advantage to have multiple books already written before signing your first contract (or self-publishing your first book). The revisions and all that's involved with promotion (you are your best promoter, even if you sign with a huge publishing house) take so much time that you'll be glad not to be trying to create fresh material at the same time.

You

What will you/did you do for Thanksgiving?
...I'm Canadian, and we celebrated Thanksgiving in October. This was the first year we didn't have the entire family home for the feast, so it was a bittersweet event. We still ate well!

What is your favorite food of the Thanksgiving dinner?
...Now that's a tricky question! It might be cooked carrots and turnips, mashed with real butter. Not very exciting, but it's the one thing I insist on making even if nobody else would miss it.

What are three things you’re thankful for?
...Jesus is my Good Shepherd, I have a loving family, and I get to write fiction. 

Thanks so much for hosting me, Emilie. This has been fun. God bless!

______________________

Thanks for being my guest Janet!  I love the line where you say, "God’s heart longs to pick up the pieces of our lives and not leave us walking wounded and alone." because it is SO true! Carol's story sounds very intriguing! Also love your advice to "finish what you start". Amen and amen! Those are great things to be thankful for as well. 

Readers, don't forget to leave a comment for your chance to win a copy of Secrets and Lies.