Here’s something fun! I’m one of the featured authors this week and next on Lena Nelson Dooley’s blog, A Christian Writer’s World. Come on over and sit a spell…I’ll be watching for you! 
A Christian Writer’s World Interview
Calico Canyon
Okay, folks…it’s been a little while since I posted a review. I’ve been busy doing everything except reading and writing. When I finally did pick up a book, mostly because it had been sent to me for review, I simply could not put it down. Calico Canyon, by Mary Connealy, is such a fun, warm, wonderful historical romance! If you’re going to buy one book this summer, buy this one. You won’t regret it…
Here’s my take on Mary’s beautiful novel - the second of nine the author has contracted with Barbour Publishing:
Grace Calhoun has not had a good day. In addition to a heart-pounding encounter with a snake, she has sat on a tack, had a face-off with a precocious child, and publicly lost her skirt—twice! She can attribute all of her woes to five rambunctious students and their hard-headed widower father, Daniel Reeves, who manages before the awful day is finished to get her fired from a teaching job she needs worse than anyone knows.
Just when she’s convinced things can’t go any further downhill, 17-year-old Grace’s past shows up in the form of her adoptive father—the last person she wants to see. On the run from this cruel, sadistic man, Grace finds herself stowed away in Daniel’s wagon and carried off to his home on the mountain…and his five little terrors.
Circumstances converge to force Grace and Daniel into a marriage neither of them want. To their surprise, they soon find themselves drawn to one another, and Grace even falls in love with Daniel’s undisciplined rapscallions. But her husband seems determined to keep her at arm’s length—for her own safety. What can she do to convince him she’s not made of china?
When Grace’s nemesis eventually finds her in her new home, Daniel and the boys discover just how much they’ve come to love the prudish schoolteacher—who has shown them a wonderful, warm, loving “other” side to her personality. With the Reeves clan willing to go to any lengths to protect their new “Ma,” her cruel father discovers it won’t be an easy task to deal out his special brand of punishment to this wayward child.
The author weaves a mesmerizing tale with a good number of laugh-out-loud moments—and just as many that twist the heart and turn on the tears. A generous spattering of godly wisdom and divine inspiration is expertly woven into the storyline. Their purpose is well served without once becoming preachy or pious.
A good book with a gripping storyline. Calico Canyon is a whole cave full of family fun!
How did you meet your honey?
Did you and your sweetheart meet in a funny…romantic…unexpected…newsworthy way??? Tell me about it and win!
Warning: You may find your story tweaked and twisted and turned into a novel!
Review: Leaving November
Okay, gang…I just finished Leaving November, and let me tell you, you gotta read this one! Deb Raney has a wonderful gift for placing the reader right in the place where her characters are and making them feel those same emotions. I loved the prequel to this book (Remember to Forget), and Leaving November does not disappoint. My review is below.
by Deborah Raney
Vienne Kenney is back in her hometown of Clayburn, Kansas - but not by choice. After investing years of time and energy, to say nothing of money from a source she’d prefer to forget, she fails the state bar exam that would secure her future as a lawyer. But before she can fully absorb the impact this crushing disappointment will have on her life, her mother is struck down by a major stroke, and Vienne finds herself once again the resistant resident of a town filled with bitter memories.
Jackson Linder returns to Clayburn willingly, but with no fewer shadows in his past. Fresh out of rehab, he’s determined to reopen his art gallery and make a success of his life - clean and sober this time. But he finds himself tempted by more than an alcohol addiction when the coffee shop across the street takes on a new look, a fancy new name - Latte-dah - and a new owner with mesmerizing turquoise eyes.
Jack is the very kind of man Vienne has sworn to never love. Never mind the crush she had on him in high school. Never mind his heart-stopping smile and kind eyes. She’s suffered the effects of alcoholism enough for three lifetimes, and is determined not to make foolish decisions that will force her to relive her mother’s sad existence. So what is she to do with her overwhelming attraction to the handsome artist across the street?
Second in Deborah Raney’s Clayburn novels, Leaving November is yet another unforgettable journey into this charming town where everyone knows everyone else…or do they? Even simple folks have secrets, some of which have the power to shatter dreams, break hearts and destroy lives. This particular jaunt into Clayburn takes the reader on an exploration of heartbreak and healing, failure and forgiveness, and welcome redemption.
Due in no small part to Ms. Raney’s deceptively simple writing style and captivating storyline, it’s hard to say good-bye to the residents of this lovely town after each sojourn down its sidewalks. Remember to Forget was a beautiful introduction; Leaving November provides the reader a personal “stake” in Clayburn. I plan to take a little room next door to Latte-dah and wait impatiently to see whose story comes to light in Yesterday’s Embers.
Interview: Suzanne Woods Fisher
SUZANNE WOODS FISHER’s just-released historical novel Copper Fire, is the sequel to the three-time award-winning Copper Star, a World War II love story inspired by true events. Fisher was a contributing editor to Christian Parenting Today magazine. Her work has appeared in Today’s Christian Woman, Worldwide Challenge, ParentLife, and Marriage Partnership. She has contributed to ten non-fiction books, including Chicken Soup for the Soul: Children with Special Needs. A wife and mother, Fisher lives in the San Francisco Bay Area and raises puppies for Guide Dogs for the Blind. The best thing about being a writer, she feels, is that all of life becomes material for writing. It’s all grit for the oyster.
Suzanne can be found at www.suzannewoodsfisher.com.
During the month of June, Suzanne is running a book-a-day-giveaway contest. To enter, scoot on over to her blog (www.suzannewoodsfisher.blogspot.com) to pop her an e-mail: Suzanne@suzannewoodsfisher.com
Interview:
MBB: Welcome, Suzanne! I’m delighted to welcome you to My Book Bag. To get the ball rolling, why don’t you tell us a bit about Copper Fire.
SWF: Copper Fire is the sequel to Copper Star, picking right up at the very end of World War II. On a summer day in 1945, my main character, Louisa, receives a telegram from the International Red Cross Tracing Service. She discovers that her cousin, Elisabeth, has just been released from Dachau. Louisa is determined to go to Germany to get Elisabeth…and that’s where the story begins.
MBB: Sounds like a page-turner! Now tell us a little about yourself.
SWF: My name is Suzanne, I’m 48, happily married (most of the time) for 26 years, with four kids (two boys and two girls), ages 16-25, and now, a son-in-law! I live in the San Francisco Bay Area.
MBB: Well, with all that going on, I gotta ask…how many cups of coffee do you drink a day?
SWF: Just one. One BIG one.
MBB: LOL Sounds about right. And what¹s the one thing you refuse to eat?
SWF: Fish. A great cosmic joke on me because my last name is Fisher.
MBB: What’s your favorite movie moment?
SWF: In Father of the Bride, Martin Short (wedding planner) walks up to Steve Martin’s (father of bride) house, oozing, “It’s perfect!” Then he whispers to his assistant, “We change everything.”
Now…does that sound like an editor or what?
MBB: (Groan) Too much so! What’s the one thing you’ll never understand?
SWF: Sigh. Algebra. I had a Persian teacher with a very, very thick accent and I ended up with a D in his class. I re-took the class in summer school. There, at the front of the classroom, sat my Persian teacher. He looked at me with just as much disappointment as I felt. I got another D.
MBB: Can’t say I’m too big on algebra myself! How many books have you read in the last year?
SWF: Too many to count! I’m always reading five at once.
Q: What¹s your favorite book?
SWF: To Kill a Mockingbird
MBB: I love that one too. Can you tell us what’s on your desk right now? What can readers look forward to?
SWF: In late August, Grit from the Oyster: 250 Pearls of Wisdom for Aspiring Writers, will be released from Vintage Spirit. I wrote Grit with three other very talented authors.
And another piece of great news! I just received a contract from Revell/Baker for a non-fiction book called Amish Peace in an English Life. It won’t be out until 2010…but it is taking up 90% of my brain right now.
MBB: Well, Suzanne, it’s been a pleasure having you with us! You sound like such a fun person, and a genuinely nice lady. I, for one, can’t wait to read this book.
SWF: Thanks for letting me hang around, Delia!
Find Suzanne on-line at www.suzannewoodsfisher.com
Copper Star (ISBN: 0-9793327-4-5) and Copper Fire (ISBN: 978-0-981-5592-0-9) are available at Amazon or other on-line booksellers, at Suzanne’s website, or can be ordered through your favorite bookstore.
Interview: Children’s Author V.K. Sansone
Our new guest is V.K. (Katie) Sansone, author of an adorable children’s book series called The Adventures of Katie-Bear.
MBB: Welcome to My Book Bag, Katie! It’s a pleasure to have you. Congratulations on the publication of your first children’s book, The Adventures of Katie Bear. I’ve been prowling around a few of Katie-Bear’s online hangouts, and I’m falling in love with this cute little cub already! (Does anyone ever really outgrow children’s books?) But I’m getting ahead of myself…before we talk about Katie-Bear, let’s talk just a bit about you. Who is Katie Sansone, the lady next door?
VKS: Thanks for inviting me. Katie Sansone, the lady next door, huh? Well, I am a good neighbour. I do keep to myself but am friendly with all of my neighbour’s when we see each other. I have lots of online friends (some for about 10 years now) and the friends I have had in my life are still in my life. I have had some school friends for nearly 44 years now! I still keep in contact with them and we visit back and forth too. People say I am friendly and a loyal person, so I guess that is who I am as a person. I love to work in my flower garden and we do BBQ grills a lot in the summer! Have the grandkiddies over for “sleep-overs” a lot and they love it. Mostly I am a loner I guess, but I dearly love my family and when friends come, I seem to blossom out like a flower!
MBB: Well, we like blossoms - and bears, so you’re in excellent company! How long have you been writing?
VKS: Privately for many years—to be published…about a year or so.
MBB: If I’m not mistaken, The Adventures of Katie-Bear contains five different stories. How long did it take you to write the entire series?
VKS: Believe it or not, it was written in about a day. The ideas just poured out and all of the words came together and “boom”, there she was on paper!
MBB: What inspired you to write about a bear family, and where do 
you get your ideas for the various stories?
VKS: Well, I love animals, and bears are cute…kind of like Goldilocks and The Three Bears type of thing, you know? The other ideas just come to me, kind of like a diver who has to surface for air, the ideas flow in my mind and I get up to write what I am thinking about at that time.
MBB: How much time do you devote to writing?
VKS: When I get started, I will be a whole day working on it. The Katie-Bear series took me a few weeks. I think there will be several other books ready to print through the months for a few years now.
MBB: They say most authors have some kind of weird little hang-up. I heard about one who writes everything in longhand, and only with one particular brand of pencil. Another can’t write a word unless she’s wearing a certain garment. Some act out their scenes – often with unexpected results. What’s your strangest writing “quirk”?
VKS: Well….let me see. The only thing I can say is I sit “Indian-style” at the computer for my own comfort. Other than that, I must be a weird person to not have a quirk or hang-up. Honestly, I can’t think of a one thing that I “must do or have” to write!
MBB: Hey, nothing wrong with being sane. LOL What’s next? Any other books on the horizon?
VKS: My Christian fiction is coming out next month, Living Waters tells me, so that will be my second book. Katie-Bear #2 will be out soon, too! I have several other kiddie books also coming out, hopefully by the holidays.
MBB: That gives us something to watch for! What about you, Katie - what kind of books do you like to read? Which titles are on your nightstand right now?
VKS: I like a lot of books, really. Nothing “R” rated, you know? Love the books by Ruth Bell Graham! She was a great lady and very good author/poet. I love all of the Little House series, and have read all of the Harry Potter series too. The Shack was a wonderful book! I guess I am pretty versatile in my reading.
MBB: It certainly sounds that way! Thank you for stopping by My Book Bag, Katie. It’s been a pleasure to have you and Katie-Bear with us.
VKS: Thanks so much for your time and consideration here with me.
V.K. SANSON was born in Kentucky, and was a child of the ’60’s “flower-power” era. She describes herself as a “Christian first, then wife, mother, gramma, friend, and a new author of a kiddie book series called: “The Adventures of Katie Bear: Fun Days At School.”
Katie lives in the Midwest with her hubby of twenty-two-plus years and their four little doggies. She has two daughters and six grandchildren.
Follow the links below to order Katie Bear and pre-order My First 24 Hours in Hell.
http://www.jnksansone.com/KATIES_BOOK_DEN.html
http://store.livingwaterspc.com/ourbooks.htm
