Two July Releases by Sandra McGregor

Starry Night Amulet

TWO JULY RELEASES-Two Ways To Win

DAD NEXT DOOR and AMANDA, Book 1 in the Georgia Hearts series.

In AMANDA, she receives a locket that once belonged to her Grandma Templeton. The “Starry Night” Amulet will go to one lucky person who leaves a comment this month. The drawing will be at midnight on July 31, 2014 and the winner will be announced August 1^st. 

 

 AMANDA

Book One in the Georgia Hearts series

A decade ago, Amanda Templeton and James Hudson planned to elope. Instead, he left town without a word and without her.

Now she's a Family Law attorney, but no longer certain about her chosen career. She wants to do something to help people and she has seen too many marriages torn apart and too many children hurt by feuding parents.

She's also not certain James ever loved her since he moved on, married someone else and now is a widower with a precocious four-year-old daughter, Savannah. Can she believe his explanation for leaving her? And can she put the past behind her and give them another chance?

(Below is an excerpt)

Up ahead, on the far side of the street, a two-story, brick building still sported a fifty-something-year-old Coke advertisement. Even though the ad was painted directly on the bricks and had faded over the decades, the huge Coke bottle was still recognizable. Some things never change.

Caught up in her musing, the toot of a vehicle’s horn jerked her thoughts and her gaze from the used-brick wall. The young man behind the wheel of the older-model van held up a hand, giving her a flirtatious wave as he drove slowly past, rolling to a stop half a block in front of her at the intersection’s red light. Her pace slowed at the same time a quick request winged heavenward—a request that the driver was on a very tight schedule and would continue on his way before she reached the corner.

Amid the metal-on-metal screech of grinding gears, the vehicle lurched forward before it lumbered around the corner at the next intersection to disappear beyond a bend in the road as he headed in the direction of Interstate-75.

She glanced toward the cloudless sky, offering a silent thank you as she rounded the corner to jog along the row of shops.

“Uph!”

Before Amanda could draw a breath, she was sitting on the sidewalk, her running shorts hiked up and her hands palm-down on the cement. Her hard landing left her in a less than lady-like pose and momentarily speechless.

Her ponytail brushed against her back as she lifted her chin up, and up further, until her gaze connected with the dark, guarded depths belonging to the man she had successfully avoided since her arrival back in town. James Hudson.

He stood like a brick wall—a wall with a broad chest and thick, dark-brown hair. Deep-set eyes, like the eddies on Lake Dow, stared down, telling her nothing, but dredging up ten years of confusion, hurt and betrayal.

“Hi, Mandy.”

Deeper and more mature, his voice washed over her, gently caressing each nerve and bringing back an unwanted reminder of stolen hours at Lookout Point—a time and place when words had not been necessary. In high school, he had been the object of her dreams—now he was Sweetwater’s new Chief of Police.

Amazon         Smashwords                        

DAD NEXT DOOR

A single mother of two boys reluctantly agrees to take them camping, but only in a cabin so she can lock out the scary things lurking out in the forest—things like bugs and snakes and maybe even a bear or mountain lion. She never thought love would be lurking through the woods in the cabin next door.

( Below is an excerpt )

For two years she had lived as if her world were tilted on its axis, but it had righted. The boys had weathered a rough spot on the road of life, moved on and were now fine. She could feel a load lifting from her shoulders.

“Hurry up.” “I am.” “Let me tell her.” “No, I found…” “Shhhhhh!”

“My goodness, sound sure carries in the mountains.” Despite the hissed bickering she could hear between her sons, she smiled. “It’s only two boys, but it sounds like an army has arrived.”

Two heads appeared over the edge of the deck and soon they were hurling toward her like cannonballs in flight. Toby radiated excitement, but Andy was unusually quiet and reserved. Her smile slipped, but with determination, it remained. “What’s going on?”

Their hair hung in dark clumps, plastered against their foreheads as excess sweat trickled down the sides of their faces. The distinct odor of sweaty little boys reached her before they skidded to a halt. These were her babies, even though they had their father’s eyes and his energy level. She’d never forget when each of them had been placed in her arms for the first time. It had been…

“Mom! Listen!”

She jerked her thoughts back to Toby as he danced impatiently from one foot to the other, his eyes bright with excitement. “Yes, I’m listening. What did you guys see out there in the wilds?” Her gaze slid to Andy who was now avoiding her eyes. Unlike his brother, he didn’t look excited…but…wary…and almost… hopeful? Her resolve firmed. Whatever they wanted to take home, the answer was no. They didn’t need another lizard or turtle in the house.

Her thoughts of exotic creatures sharing their home stopped dead in their tracks as her youngest son bubbled over, no longer able to hold back his news. Surely she had heard wrong. He now had her full attention. “What did you just say?”

“We met a man in the woods and he knows how to fish!” 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Amazon       Smashwords 
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Okay, so there you have it. Oh, but, wait... I've forgotten something. I said there were TWO ways to win.

For the month of July, whomever leaves a comment on this blog will have their name entered in the contest to win the locket, but after you leave a comment, if you Tweet or Facebook this contest, your name will be entered a second time (or third?), giving you an even better chance to win. So tell your friends !! And Good Luck!

Then check back each month for the rest of the year because there will be a new release every month and a promotional give-away each month to celebrate.

July:                    Amanda     Book 1 in the Georgia Hearts series

                                Dad Next Door

August:               Jessie          Book 2 in the Georgia Hearts series

                                Behind Door Number Two

September:          Katie          Book 3 in the Georgia Hearts series

October:              Emma Rose Book 1 in the Colorado Hearts series

November:           Cora Jean   Book 2 in the Colorado Hearts series

December:           Betty Ann   Book 3 in the Colorado Hearts series

Welcome Inspirational Author, DEBBIE KAUFMAN!!

    I'm pleased today to have as my special guest                   Debbie Kaufman,  
                 author of Harlequin’s latest 
                    Love Inspired Historical, 

                    The Doctor’s Mission

      I took a few minutes and sat down with Debbie to ask her some questions that I thought might interest her readers, but if I miss something that you want to know, be sure to leave your question for Debbie.  This will also give you a chance to win your own, autographed copy of Doctor's Mission.

So, without wasting another moment, let's get to the interview.

1)      Debbie, where did the idea for your missionary book come from and why did you set the story in Libera? 

I was knee-deep in revising a suspense story when my daughter and son-in-law brought me a book about a missionary relative of his.  The book was co-written with H. B. Garlock. a pioneering missionary in 1918 Liberia, Africa.  Garlock like others before him, came face-to-face with the cannibal tribes of that place and survived.  I finished reading it one evening while lying in bed, turned to my husband and told him about all the cool things that God had done for this missionary family.  The next words out of my mouth were “I wonder if I could set a romance there.”  And, so I did!  

2) Since this is your debut book, tell us the most difficult part of the process.  

The book was easy, it’s everything else that is difficult.  For example, action items like getting my website up and running, creating and updating Facebook and Twitter accounts, deciding on promotional events, designing bookmarks, and even keeping up with the blog tour while trying to write book two all kept me just a little behind schedule.  

3) Since your book is set in early 1900’s, how much research did you have to do?

A lot!  I spent countless hours researching the place through reading missionary accounts, explorer’s journals, online sites dedicated to the country.  For the period clothing, I got together with a local costumer who is a close friend and discussed wardrobes.  I spent even more time trying to find detailed maps with places and locations.  Liberia itself wasn’t thoroughly mapped at the time.  Exploration was still going on and different groups, like the 1920’s Harvard Expedition were still creating their own maps.  On this first book, it was the mapping that I found most difficult and time consuming.

Just to give you a better idea, on my current book-in-progress, I spent more than 30 hours researching when the capital city first got electricity.  You would think that was an easy fact to check, but it wasn’t.  First, Google searches, no matter how you worded them, brought up the restoration of some electrical power five years after the seven-year civil war (1989-2003) which destroyed most of the country’s infrastructure.  Second, communication within Liberia is still difficult and emails to universities and museums largely went unanswered. 

4) If it took 30 hours just to find out about the electric lights, how long, in hours, days or weeks, did it take you to complete all the research needed to complete the book?

If I had to guess, I’d say I easily put in 200+ hours on research, and the number is low because I am a very, very, fast reader. 

5) Now a quick question for our author friends.  If you were giving advice to an aspiring historical author, what advice would you give? 

Don’t skimp on the research, but learn when to use it and when to keep it to yourself.  Your book isn’t meant to be a history lesson.  The fruits of your research should show up naturally in your story, and what does will probably only about be about 10% or less of all you now know on the subject.

6) Okay, I have to say at this point that I've read The Doctor’s Mission and I loved it.  Give us a quick glimpse of the next one.   

My next book is also set in the Liberian jungle, this time in 1920.  It involves a female missionary, a hunky mining engineer, and, of course, cannibals. 

7)  Let's steer away from your writing for a moment so I can ask a few personal questions so your readers can get to know you better.  What is your favorite pastime when you’re not researching or writing?

     Reading.  There can never be too much reading, LOL! 

8) What is your dream vacation location?

     The Continent and the British Isles.  I’d love to do the whole tour, starting with Italy.    

9) Let’s assume you’re at a Reader’s Luncheon.  Other than your name, give us five things you’d tell a complete stranger about yourself within the first ten minutes of meeting him or her.

Hmm.  I think there are a lot of things we consider baseline information.  For example, I’ve been married to the same wonderful man for 34 years now.  I have four children and three grandchildren.  My fourth child is from China, a product of the international adoption program I helped start back in the 1990’s.  And let’s not forget that I totally love to read almost anything: suspense, urban fantasy, paranormal, historical, futuristic, contemporary, and the occasional comedy.  

Below is an excerpt from The Doctor's Mission that I'm sure you'll not only enjoy, but will intrigue you enough that you'll want to hop right over to Amazon and order her book.

                               ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    Privately, Mary doubted this healing tale.  She’d bet the story traveled and grew with each telling.  Prayers of dying men assaulted her ears at Argonne and no heavenly relief came.  Her own were uttered in vain.  

     She concealed her thoughts, so as not to destroy Hannabo’s fervor.  Instead she only asked for clarification.  “How did this lead to their deaths?  You say Nana Mala wanted their medicine?  Who is Nana Mala?”

     “Nana Mala is an evil man who does not know the true God.  When he heard of the healing, he sent for Nana Pastor Joseph and Mammy Ruth.  They went to preach, but Nana Mala just wanted the secret of their magic.  When he did not like their answers, he killed them and took their magic for himself.  This is my fault.”  Hannabo’s eyes looked downward in shame.

     Oh my.  This explained a lot about Pastor Mayweather’s calling.   But Hannabo shouldn’t carry the guilt for what another tribesman had done.  She sought to reassure him.  “This is not your fault, Hannabo.  You are not to blame for the actions of others.”

     “But Mammy Doctor.  It was my fault.  I was that man.”

     “Which man are you talking about?

     “The one Nana Joseph healed.  I bragged to many people, especially Nana Mala.” 

     “Oh, I see.”  Mary masked her surprise.  Hannabo believed he’d experienced a miracle first hand.  She couldn’t tear apart his faith, but she could set him straight on his guilt. 

     “Hannabo, it was fine to tell others.  The Bible often tells of people who were healed and told many others.  It’s natural.  What’s strange is Nana Mala believing he could get magic from Pastor Mayweather’s aunt and uncle.” 

     “No, no.  Not strange.  Every bush man knows how to take magic.”

     “Okay, so how did he think he could take their magic?”

     Hannabo cocked his head to one side and looked at her like she was a simpleton.  Even his tone seemed one of patient explanation to a lesser mind.  “By eating them, of course.” 

                                                                                 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thank you so much for visiting with us today and if you leave a comment and/or ask Debbie a question, you'll be in the drawing to win a free print copy of her novel.  Good luck and happy reading!

The Doctor's Mission   To buy a copy of her book, just click on the link provided.

 If you'd like to find out more about Debbie Kaufman or if you'd like  to follow her on Facebook or Twitter
                            

For more about Debbie, visit her website: www.debbiekaufman.com

To read an excerpt of The Doctor’s Mission: www.debbiekaufman.com

You can also find Debbie at: www.facebook.com/debbiekaufmanfanpage and on Twitter: www.twitter.com/debbie_kaufman