Tessa's Teacakes by Mary Manners

My guest today is Mary Manners. Mary is an award-winning author of inspirational romance who lives in the beautiful foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains of East Tennessee with her husband and daughter. She is a member of the Romance Writers of America and Smoky Mountain Romance Writers.

In her free time, she likes to garden, take long walks with her husband, and read romance novels in a hammock beneath century-old shade trees.

Welcome to my little corner of the blogosphere, Mary. Let’s talk writing!

Anne - Do you have a fear, phobia, or habit you’d rather no one knew about?

Mary - I have a tremendous fear of heights! I get lightheaded driving over bridges, especially if they are over water. Last July I visited relatives in Western New York and they took me to see Niagara Falls. It was thrilling…and a real challenge for me. My husband is very understanding, and does the driving when it involves bridges, etc. If there’s one obstacle in my life I’d like to overcome, it’s my fear of heights.

Anne – Tell us about Tessa’s Teacakes. Btw, I adore the cover!

Mary - Thanks! Tessa, the youngest Spencer sister--and the most impulsive--rushes into the Mount Ridge crisis center bent on saving her brother-in-law. She's ready to handle Brent's abductor, with or without help. What she's not ready to handle is the effect policeman, Colin Phillips, has on her.

Romance is the last thing on Tessa's mind. She longs for the adventure and fast-pace of New York City, not being tied to Mount Ridge and a man who insists she shouldn't be so impetuous. After all "independent spirit" is what Tessa does best!

Colin transferred from the police force in Atlanta in order to find closure after the brutal murder of his younger sister. He wants a nice, safe future, not one filled with caring and worrying about another impulsive woman. His sister was naive and unpredictable, and while Colin is drawn to Tessa's spunk and vitality, her willingness to rush into danger scares him. No way could he cope with another devastating loss. His heart must remain closed where Tessa is concerned.

But God has His own plans--and His own way of changing hearts and cultivating love.

Anne - What do you enjoy most about writing? What part do you loathe?

Mary - I enjoy the early mornings, when I rise while the rest of the world is sleeping and write, write, write! The long stretches, coupled with a hot cup of flavored coffee, make my heart soar. I love seeing my characters take on their own personality, and they never cease to surprise me. On the other hand, I’m not exceptionally computer-literate, and some of my darkest moments come when I’m updating my website. Arghhh…computers can be the most frustrating beasts!

Anne – They certainly can be, but I have to be honest, I doubt I could exist without them. Of all the characters you’ve created, does one hold a special place in your heart? Why?

Mary - I adore Jake Samuels, the hero of my upcoming release, Wisdom Tree. He’s got such a tender heart, and he’s trying to make sense of a world that seems to make no sense at all. As a pastor, he fears no woman, especially Carin…the woman he’s fallen in love with, will ever see him for the ‘man’ he is. And to top things off, he’s raising his thirteen-year-old brother, who, um…adds a bit of a challenge to his dating life.

Anne - Outside of writing, what accomplishment are you most proud?

Mary - I have been a teacher for 26 years, and I have taught everything from special education classes to first grade, fourth grade, sixth, eighth and currently seventh grade English and math. I am so blessed to have been able to touch the lives of so many children over the years, and I certainly pray that I’ve made as much of a difference in their lives as they have made in mine!

Anne – Would you share an excerpt from Tessa’s Teacakes with us?

Mary – My pleasure!

“What do you mean—a hostage situation?”

The shock in Tessa’s honey-brown eyes took Colin’s breath away. Something in her stance reminded him of his sister Bailey—maybe the defiant tilt of her chin or the narrowed gaze that let him know she’d take on the world if she had to.

“This is Mount Ridge. We have soccer games and Fourth of July picnics…not hostage situations.”

“Take a breath, Tessa. You’re awfully pale.” Colin felt a sudden overwhelming desire to protect her. He took her elbow and led her down the steps and around the side of the building. “Follow me.”

The spiked sandals slowed Tessa as he eased her away from the crowd, off to the grass beside the crisis center. His foot throbbed where she’d tried to skewer him with her heel. Her sister—Mattie, was it?— followed. The two looked nothing alike, except for maybe the sets of their jaws, the no-holds-barred gleams in their eyes.

“Where are you taking us?” Tessa’s voice had an edge—a mixture of fear and worry that Colin was more than familiar with. Her eyes glittered with tears beneath the glow of floodlights along the perimeter of the crisis center. The hair stood up on his arms. He imagined the gravity of the situation was just beginning to sink in. Her brother-in-law was held prisoner by Jason Sloane, who, according to what Colin had gathered, had lost the will to live.

Colin took Tessa by the elbow. “You’ll be safe and stay dry inside one of the cruisers.”

“I don’t care about staying safe and dry,” Tessa protested as he opened the cruiser door and gave her a slight shove. She stumbled onto the passenger seat. “I want to help Brent.”

Colin leaned forward to peer into the cab. “Then shut your mouth and stay in there, and let me do my job.”

The force of his words had the effect Colin intended. Tessa’s eyes went wide and her voice silenced as he slammed the cruiser door. He strode away from the car, shaking his head as he glanced back to assure she stayed put. A real firecracker, that one. He felt a bit sorry for the sister, who probably suffered full-time trying to keep Tessa in line.

But Tessa’s words haunted him as he studied the shadows in the second-story window. The brother-in-law—Brent—had a wife and maybe a kid or two, as well. He had people who cared about him. Colin hoped Sergeant Becker, who was attempting to open communications with Jason Sloane, knew what he was doing.

Colin couldn’t bear another funeral.

Anne – I want to read more of Tessa's Teacakes! Where can readers reach you online?

Mary – At my website: www.marymannersromance.com and my blog: www.creativewritingforces.blogspot.com Plus at my author page on Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Mary-Manners/e/B004AL16YY/

Anne – Thank you Mary for dropping by to chat about Tessa’s Teacakes. It’s been such fun!

As always readers comments are welcome and appreciated.

Happy reading!

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Anessia's Quest by Karen Arnpriester

My guest today is Karen Arnpriester. Karen is a creative, passionate and adventuresome woman. She raised her two children, adores her seven grandchildren and is now a foster mom of two young ladies. She has been a self-taught graphic designer for twenty five years and started her own business twenty years ago.

The desire to write began as a hobby. She had an idea for a beginning and the end. The rest of the story flowed and took Karen on a journey. She cried and laughed as she followed the twists and turns of the characters. Once friends read the book, she was strongly encouraged to share her story with others.

When asked why she limits herself to Christian fiction, she simply explains that it is where her heart is. If she commits her precious time to writing, it needs to be of value and have God’s ultimate purpose in mind.

Thanks so much for dropping by today, Karen. Let’s talk writing!

Anne - Tell us something about yourself that you would normally only share with close friends. 

Karen - I was bullied for many years in school. You think you grow up, forgive, understand why you were bullied and leave it behind, but it touches you deep in your spirit. It pounds your self-esteem until you really don’t have any. I appear to be a very confident person but the little voices still creep in, trying to convince me that I am not good enough, something about me was off and that is why I was targeted. It has taken many years of healing, God’s love, counseling and loving family/friends to allow me to tell the voices to shut up! That I am worthy of love and happiness.

Anne - So many of us battle with that. Thank you for being so open about it. When did you first realize you were destined to be a writer?

Karen - My first real writing experience was a testimonial book for our women’s group. After the book was released, quite a few people came up to me and asked if I ever considered writing? They loved my submissions in the book. This started a spark, and I began my book on a whim. As the book progressed, I really liked it, and allowed several close friends to read as I wrote. Their encouragement to take the book seriously kept me motivated to finish. But the defining moment was when a reader called to discuss the book. She was quite emotional and upset. I asked her what was wrong, she told me that “Richie didn’t deserve it, he was a good boy.” I laughed to myself and reminded her that Richie was fictional. She insisted that she knew that, but she was still angry about what happened to him. I realized then that I had the ability to emotionally connect the reader with the characters. I was a storyteller.

Anne - Tell us about your book.

Karen - Anessia’s Quest follows the life of a woman born into dysfunction and neglect. The story takes you on her journey. A journey that begins with abandonment, abuse, and physical injury. Pagne (Pain) believes she is all alone, thrown away, but soon discovers that she is protected and guided by her guardian angel. A powerful relationship develops between this lost child and her loving protector that manifests as a unique method of communication.

Pagne encounters other broken people that become her family, friends and community. Her grace and compassion alter their destructive paths. She moves through her life unaware of the impact she creates, her purpose on Earth.

Her life is filled with tears, laughter, joy and heartbreak. She faces challenges that include ultimate betrayal, loss and shame. Challenges that are only bearable due to her trust and faith in heaven’s love and value for her. Love that is reinforced by her angel. She discovers the events that led to her mother’s indifference and neglect, and must decide how much grace she can extend to a woman she has hated for most of her life. The ultimate test of forgiveness.

When she faces her death, Pagne discovers the true value and power of forgiveness and love. She is shown how her life created ripples that spread into waves of glorious influence. She was not an accident, she was placed on Earth with divine intent.

Anne – Would you share an excerpt of Anessia’s Quest with us?

Karen – Yes! (Pagne is pronounced as Pain):

Now that she was awake, she heard the smoke detectors wailing. How did they all sleep through them? She jumped up and woke Macey.            

“Get downstairs now. Wake Grandma. We have to get out of the house.” Pagne saw her little, white Bible from Grandma on her nightstand and stuck it in the waist of her pajama bottoms. They both ran to the second floor. Macey threw open Grandma’s door and woke her by jumping on the bed. Pagne ran into the boy’s room and jerked them from their deep sleep by screaming their names. Grandma and Macey were first into the stairwell, heading to the first floor. Pagne was close behind, and the boys were following her.

As Macey and Grandma reached the bottom step, Grandma lost her balance and fell hard. She screamed out in terrible pain, then whimpered “My hip is broken, my hip.“ Tad pushed ahead of Pagne to help Macey pull Grandma out the front door. Pagne looked back to tell Chad to hurry and he wasn’t behind her.                               

“Where’s Chad?” she yelled.

Tad looked up, confused, “I don’t know. He was right behind me.”                             

Pagne ran back up the stairs, screaming for Chad. The flames had now made their way up inside the walls and were breaking through into the hall. Chad was in his doorway with his microscope and an armload of papers. “What are you doing you, idiot?” screamed Pagne.

“I can’t leave it behind,” he screamed back. As Chad moved toward Pagne, a portion of the ceiling fell, pinning Chad to the floor. Pagne moved in and began pulling the debris off of him. Feeling the heat and finding it harder and harder to breathe, she was struggling not to panic. She finally got him free, but he didn’t appear to be breathing. Pagne had no clue how to do CPR, and there was no time. She could feel the heat becoming unbearable. She drug Chad to the top of the staircase and pushed. He rolled down and landed at the bottom of the staircase with a loud thud. Just as Pagne headed down the stairs, the flames broke through the wall, and engulfed her. She had no idea what to do, so she ran down the stairs not realizing that she was feeding the fire that consumed her clothing and skin.

Anne - Goodness! I could feel those flames. Thank you. What do you enjoy most about writing? What part do you loathe?

Karen - I enjoy the ability to get caught up in my wildest imagination. To mold and shape events to my will, not at all like real life. Create a story that pulls the reader in and gives them the opportunity to see all sides to a complicated character, to understand why people might do what they do. It is hard to be objective in real life situations, but if you can have compassion for a unlovable character, it can carry over into the readers’ relationships.

The worst is realizing you need to change an event, but it dominos in the story and you have to rethink parts that you love. Balancing time between writing, family, home and work becomes very complicated at times and it feels like something is suffering.

Anne - Balancing life with writing is a struggle for me, too. I keep thinking there has to be a solution, but like with anything else it's a little of this and a little of that, as well as an ongoing thing! Of all the characters you’ve created, does one hold a special place in your heart? Why?

Karen - Yes, Ophelia Buttonhook. The first time I read the completed book, I realized that she was who I wanted to be. Caring, affectionate, patient and filled with God’s joy. I certainly struggle with those characteristics, especially patience. But she also represented my biggest fear, which is memory loss. As I get older, my short-term memory loss is very unnerving. I tell my kids that if I ever do suffer from severe dementia, to please put me somewhere safe with lots of gardens. That I will be fine if they come visit.

Anne - What activity (cause, charity, or organization) consumes your time when you’re away from the keyboard?

Karen - I used to be very involved in our church’s youth and community ministries. I was a youth leader for many years. I also supported a ministry at a women’s shelter by entertaining the children so that the mother’s could attend the studies. It was such a blessing to interact with these kids, kids needing to know they were special. We did games, holiday parties, crafts and much more. Every few months, my husband came in and we provided family portraits for them. Most of the families did not have family pictures and they were thrilled. I had to step back when we decided to begin foster care. My girls needed a lot of time and attention to adapt to their new life.

Anne – Where can readers reach you online?

Karen – at my website and on Facebook.

Anne - Thank you so much for chatting with me today, Karen. I'm certain readers enjoyed getting to know you better and reading the excerpt from Anessia’s Quest as much as I did. I wish you every success both at and off the keyboard!

As always comments are appreciated and welcome. Happy reading!

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Hearts Key by Marianne Evans

My guest today is Marianne Evans. Marianne is a happily married mother of two who calls metro Detroit her home. She’s Michigan born and raised, and has penned three contemporary romances for Kensington Publishing and an e-book, a contemporary romance “With This Kiss”, published by The Wild Rose Press.

Thanks so much for dropping by today, Marianne. Let’s talk writing!

Anne - Tell us about your book.

Marianne - My current release with White Rose Publishing is HEARTS KEY. Hearts Key is book 4 of my award winning Woodland Series, and I fell in love with these two characters when they were introduced in Hearts Surrender, book 2 of the series. Tyler Brock and Amy Maxwell have been through a lot to be together:

Life hasn't been kind to Amy Maxwell. Once the effervescent leader of the pack, her marriage should have been perfect. Instead, she escaped with nothing but the clothes on her back and her daughter, Pyper.

Tyler Brock is dazzling. The once shy teen has evolved into a powerhouse in Christian music, and when he returns to Woodland for a benefit concert, Amy can’t believe he is as faithful and tender as ever. He even manages to touch the heart of a doubtful Pyper.

But, Amy can’t escape her own self-doubt, and she questions the wisdom of her heart when it comes to the charismatic musician who is so different now, yet so much the same.

Can the key to their hearts unlock a lifetime of love?

Anne – What a powerful plot! Would you share an excerpt with us?

Marianne – I thought you’d never ask!

Hearts Key Excerpt:

Amy took a deep breath. It was time to move forward, and act like the friend she had always been. She made progress toward approaching Tyler, watching as he shook hands with members of his crew and received enthusiastic hugs of support. Then in came Rebecca. He saw her immediately and grinned while she made a dash for his ready embrace. She gave a happy shout as he lifted her up, and spun her in a full circle.

“You were great,” she enthused, her voice touched by the cadence of the south. “Honestly, what a show!”

“Inspired, wasn’t it, Becs? It feels so good to be home!”

Rebecca pecked both his cheeks and smiled into his eyes. Amy’s heart sank. His dynamic backup singer then greeted others around them and dissolved into the crowd of tour staffers.

In that instant, her mature, straightforward intentions vaporized. Hiking up her purse and camera strap, Amy kept a tight hold on them both as she turned to leave. She took a few steps toward the exit.

“Seriously?”

Amy froze at the sound of the smooth and deep voice that carried with it just a touch of the South. She closed her eyes, and she trembled. Bad.

“You were seriously gonna leave without sayin’ hello to me?”

She couldn’t pull in a proper breath. Her heart skittered wildly. Red-hot heat crawled up the skin of her neck and ignited her cheeks, melting and burning in one fell swoop.

Bravely she turned around, her lips pressed tight, though she fought through it all to offer a tentative smile. “Hey, Tyler.”

It was the best she could manage. His eyes were unspeakably gentle and tender. His attitude of warmth so typical of the Tyler she had known, once upon a life. Amy welcomed that fact, and at the same time, she was swept away by just looking at him.

“Hey, Amy,” he greeted softly. His smile bloomed when he took her hands. A beat later, he drew her in for a long, tight hug that left her aching. He felt so hard, and strong. So wonderful. A lump formed fast in her throat—a bit of mourning, she supposed, for all she missed.

“I, ah, didn’t want to interfere or anything.” As soon as the words crossed her lips, she realized how lame they sounded.

Tyler kissed her cheek, and Amy went a bit dizzy. A bit weak at the knees. “You couldn’t interfere if you wanted to.” He leaned back and drew a fingertip against her chin; he looked deep look into her eyes. “I’ve missed you.”

Anne – Thank you. I want to read more. J What do you enjoy most about writing?

Marianne - Those moments when the scene comes together in my heart and my head, and flows right out of my fingertips into the computer! There is truly no euphoria to match it.

Anne – Let’s visit the extreme opposite of the scale. What part do you loathe?

Marianne - The moment when I receive edits back from my editor (whom I adore beyond anything!) Once I actually dive into them, it’s not bad at all, but every “red mark” feels like I missed the mark, and I always have to move myself past that idea because that’s the devil talkin’!!!

Anne - How many rejections have you received?

Marianne - Oh, Anne, I’ve received plenty. In fact, I’ve stacked them all up, thrown a nice linen cloth over them and they make a fine little end table in my living room….  All kidding aside, rejection stings so much, and 99.9% of all authors experience it. My most memorable “rejection” came not in a letter but in a face-to-face meeting with an agent who told me, quite condescendingly, “Well, at least you’ll be able to say you wrote and completed a book. That’s something.” I held it together until I left the meeting room, then I ducked into the bathroom and burst into tears. From there, I decided there was no way I wouldn’t pursue the call on my heart, and prove her wrong. Eight books later, I think I’ve had the last word in that particular encounter.  J 

Anne – Agreed! What activity (cause, charity, or organization) consumes your time when you’re away from the keyboard?

Marianne - I enjoy volunteering my time at the Capuchin Soup Kitchen in downtown Detroit as well as Grace Centers of Hope, a homeless shelter/rehab compound in Pontiac. Both causes are very dear to my heart, and I consider it an honor to work with them.

Anne - Quick. Your five favorites – author, actor, movie, song, quote. 

Marianne – Author: Karen Kingsbury, Actor: Humphrey Bogart, Movie: Casablanca and Fireproof are old and new favorites respectively, Song: Slow Fade by Casting Crowns, Quote: ‘Effort Equals Results’ – Roger Penske

Anne – Where can readers reach you online?

Marianne – On my website www.marianneevans.com, blog www.marianneevans.blogspot.com

And on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Marianne-Evans/308711716744

Anne – Thank you so much, Marianne, for dropping by and sharing your story, both Hearts Key and what makes you the writer you are! I wish you every success.

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Are you an author?

Would you like to be interviewed and promote your latest release?

Email me at annekalbert AT gmail DOT com

LET'S  TALK  WRITING!

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Defending Glory Featured on iBookBuzz.com

Imagine what your life would be without power for seven (7) days. No this isn't a "what if" situation or a fictional premise. This is real life. This week. For seven long days!

No electric lights. No computer. No blogging. No nothing. That's what happened over at iBookBuzz this past week. That's why my blog comment did not appear November 1 as planned. But now that power has been restored, the blog is up and DEFENDING GLORY, book one of the Piedmont Island Trilogy, and the iBookBuzz Inspirational Book of the Month is as it should be!

Drop by iBookBuzz, say hello, leave a comment, ask me a question, or just start a conversation. I'll be there every day.

Happy reading!

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Linda Hall's Steal Away

My guest today is Linda Hall. Linda spent the early years of her writing career as a journalist and freelance writer. Then, in 1990 she decided to do something she'd always dreamed of doing. She began working on her first novel. That book, The Josiah Files, was published in 1992. Since that time she’s written eighteen more mystery and suspense novels.

Most of her novels have something to do with the sea. Linda grew up in New Jersey and her love of the ocean was born there. In 1971, she married a Canadian who loves the water just as much as she does. She moved to Canada and has lived there ever since. One of the things she and her husband enjoy is sailing. In the summer, they move aboard their 34' sailboat aptly named Mystery.

Welcome to my little corner of cyberspace, Linda. Let’s talk writing!

Anne - When did you first realize you were destined to be a writer?

Linda - I think I was born knowing that I would write. Well, maybe not quite at birth, but certainly from an early age my real life was intertwined with the stories I made up. I was an introverted shy kid, called a crybaby by some and stories provided a safe place to escape into. Nancy Drew was my hero. I made up and wrote down stories of my own. They usually involved me doing something brave to save my school, thus turning me into the hero rather than the invisible person that I always felt I was.

After high school I studied journalism. By this time I was writing, not stories so much as poetry and nonfiction articles. For a number of years I worked as a reporter writing hard news and features. I loved it! But something constantly niggled at the back of my heart. I wanted to write a novel. Twenty years ago I began my first book. Since that time I’ve written and published eighteen novels of mystery and suspense.

And I’m still a rather introverted adult, and shy. And I could even be described as a crybaby, although at my age I prefer the word ‘emotional’ or ‘empathetic.’ I realize that my tears are a gift. They allow me to get deeply inside the minds and hearts of my characters. I think I was meant to write stories.

Anne - Tell us about your book.

Linda - I wrote Steal Away around six or seven years ago and it was published by WaterBrook Press/Random House. It was going to be the beginning of a wonderful romance, with many more mysteries featuring the sleuthing skills of my PI character Teri Blake-Addison. But after one more book, the ‘series’ was dropped. But such is the way of publishing, and soon I was on to other things and new books and new contracts, and poor Teri was forgotten.

But not by me. I always intended to bring her back, and now with the advent of ebooks, I just might be able to! In the past few months I have re-written and edited through the original Steal Away, and am proud to bring it out as a $2.99 eBook - the first in a new series.

Steal Away begins the story of PI Teri Blake-Addison. Her specialty is finding people. But Teri often finds a lot more than her clients want! In this book she is hired by a well known televangelist to find out what really happened to his wife. Five years previously she was in a sailboat accident with two friends. Their bodies were found. Her's wasn't. The minister wants to get married again yet is troubled by "ghosts of the past" and he wants to put to rest once and for all what happened to his wife.

Of course, nothing is as it seems...

Anne – Would you give us a sneek peek via an excerpt?

Linda – Yes!

It took her three days to dig the grave. Exhausting work, and made more so by the fact that it could only be done at night. She could not risk Audrey finding out. Better if she didn’t know. Better if she lived the rest of her small life not knowing.

“She is gone. She’s just gone,” is what would be said to the child.

There was no coffin, no satin lined casket, no memorial service broadcast on national television, no flowers; just a body wound in a new blanket and hidden behind the foundation stones at the back of the house. She had toyed with the idea of taking the body out to sea. There was a wooden dory pulled up on the shore below the cliff. At high tide she could heave it down to the water, place the body inside and row out as far as she was able. But that presented its own set of problems. Could she manage to slide the body out of the boat without capsizing it? And what if the body, instead of sinking and burying itself in the layers of bottom mud, washed up on some distant shore, a product of these unpredictable tides and swirling currents? There would be fingerprints, hair and cloth fibers. There were things they could do now, things they could discover. DNA. She had no idea how these things worked, but she couldn’t take the risk. There was Audrey to think about. No. Burial in the earth would be a comfort, she thought. No one deserves to die at sea.

The site she chose was a hundred feet up the hillside, protected by trees, and offered a view of the bay. She had walked the length of these, her woods, that bordered the craggy foggy cliffs, and all was sea swept and harsh, save for this one sheltered space. Flowers actually grew here in the summer, and the ground was pliable for digging.

Anne – Thank you so much! Where can readers get a copy of Steal Away?

Linda – At Amazon and at Smashwords.

Anne - What do you enjoy most about writing? What part do you loathe?

Linda - I love the beginnings of books, when everything fresh and new, and ideas flow so freely they even wake me up at night. I get up with a smile, because I can’t wait to sit down at the computer and work on that wonderful masterpiece. Endings are nice, too. Finally the marathon is over. Finally, all of the sweat and tears are worth it. I love ‘having written.’

What I find loathsome are the middles of books. I’ve spent too much time up to this point to abandon the project and yet, what I’m writing usually feels like the worse thing I’ve ever cobbled together in my life. Everyone will hate it, and if I ever get through it I promise I will never write another word for the rest of my life! It’s long, it’s hard. It’s a true marathon taking months.

But, then I get to the end, and I begin the process all over again!

Anne - Of all the characters you’ve created, does one hold a special place in your heart? Why?

Linda - One of my favorite characters is Marnie in Steal Away. She runs a B&B on Grand Manan Island. She’s feisty and strong, a gossip, and addicted to romance novels, and online shopping. Despite the fact that she offers her guests ‘breakfast’, she’s a terrible cook. Most guests find excuses to head to town for coffee which hasn’t been boiled for ten minutes and fatty bacon dripping eggs. Teri and her husband spend time at Marnie’s B&B when they are tracking down the missing person. Marnie only tells them after one night, that a ghost haunts the room they were in, and did they see it?  But her constant gossiping is a boon when Teri needs to find out information about the locals.

Anne - What activity (cause, charity, or organization) consumes your time when you’re away from the keyboard?

Linda - I volunteer once a week at a local nursing home. I call myself an ‘old folk singer’ and in spite of the fact that I’m basically an introvert, if you put a guitar in my hand I will sing for anyone! So, once a week, my and my very old Martin guitar tromp off to a local nursing home where we sit in a circle and I sing old folk songs. I love the people there, and often they join in if the song is familiar. When I was looking at ‘giving back’ to my community in terms of volunteering, I decided I wanted to do something very different than my every day writing. I wanted something more hands on, and since I basically like older folk, (Please - my worst nightmare is volunteering at a daycare! Give me older people any day!) I decided that a nursing home would be something I would love. And I do. I usually come home energized.

Anne – Where can readers reach you online?

Linda – at my website, on Facebook, and on Twitter.

Anne – Thank you so much for dropping by, Linda. I wish you and Steal Away every success. Happy writing!

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