Congratulations to
MamaElk
winner of the 12 Days of Christmas Blog Hop.
She wins an e-copy of
Defending Glory
Seasons Greetings to you and yours, and as always,
Happy Reading!
Happy Reading!
* * *
12 Days of Christmas Blog Hop
Thanks for stopping by my little corner of cyberspace during the 12 Days of Christmas Blog Hop. I'd like to give a heartfelt thanks to Intoxicated by Books for organizing this event. It’s a great way to connect with readers, authors and bloggers, win some super giveaways, and share in the Christmas spirit.
"Ms. Albert has captured the essence of inspirational romantic suspence. With plot twists and characters one can relate to, I thoroughly enjoyed this novel that kept me guessing till the end. I plan to read more from this great writer." ~ Amazon reviewer
"The only question you will have at the end is...when will her next novel come out? Definitely a keeper on my bookshelf." ~ Amazon reviewer
To enter your name in the giveaway draw:
(1) Follow my blog
You've done that already? Then:
You've done that already? Then:
(2) "Like" my Facebook Fan Page - HERE.
Goodness! You've done that, too? THANK YOU! ;-)
(3) Well then, I guess all that's left is to share this post to your Facebook page!
Oh, and please leave a comment telling me you selected #1, 2 or 3.
Thanks again for taking part in the 12 Days of Christmas Hop. I wish you and yours all the best of the holiday season. Happy blogging, and happy reading!
***I’ll announce the winner on Christmas Day.***
Enjoy the rest of the 12 Days of Christmas Blog Hop!
* * *
Ann Gaylia O’Barr's Searching for Home
My
guest today is Ann Gaylia O’Barr. She’s led an interesting life and served as a
Foreign Service Officer with the United States Department of State from 1990 to
2004. Her assignments included tours in U.S. Saudi Arabia Algeria Canada Tunisia Washington , D.C.
Her
published books include Singing in Babylon
Anne
K. Albert – Welcome to my little corner of the blogsphere, Ann. Tell us
something about yourself that you would normally only share with close friends.
Ann
Gaylia O’Barr - Something I’ve only recently realized: My stories often begin
with the death of someone close to the protagonist. Perhaps this pattern comes
about because of a subconscious connection with the death of my father (to whom
I was very close) when I was thirteen.
Anne
K Albert - Tell us about your book.
Ann
Gaylia O’Barr - My most recent book is Searching for Home. A frustrated artist
and an ambitious U.S.
Anne
K Albert - Of all the characters you’ve created, does one hold a special place
in your heart? Why?
Ann
Gaylia O’Barr - I love Patrick, a protagonist in Searching for Home. He’s known
outstanding success in school and career. He craves the love he never had while
growing up or when, in his first marriage, he gave his love only to have it
repudiated, then lost the one person who loved him unreservedly. Revealing that
need to his new wife requires more risk than performing his job in a war zone.
Anne
K Albert - What is the most surprising thing you’ve learned about yourself from
writing?
Ann
Gaylia O’Barr - My characters and their stories lead me to find answers to my
questions about life and faith.
Anne
K Albert - Any words of advice for struggling, unpublished writers?
Ann
Gaylia O’Barr - Find enjoyment in life outside of writing. It will help you
when you are rejected. Keep a balanced spiritual life to be open for God’s
calling, whether in writing or other activities. Use writing as your gift, not
your god.
Anne
K Albert - Quick. Your five favorites – author, actor, movie, song, quote.
Ann
Gaylia O’Barr - Author: For pure escape, Georgette Heyer’s regency novels
(generic and formulaic as they come, but I love the witty dialog and the
characterization.
Actor:
Recently, I suppose Colin Firth in The King’s Speech.
Movie:
Any of the Jane Austen movies.
Song:
“The Clouds’ Veil” by Liam Lawton. I love Celtic music.
Quote:
easy: from Shadow of the Almighty, The
Life and Times of Jim Elliot by Elisabeth Elliot: “He is no fool who gives what
he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.”
Anne
K. Albert – Tell us something about your overseas experiences and how they've
shaped you as a person and as a writer.
Ann
Gaylia O’Barr - My tours in the U.S. State Department’s Foreign Service took me
to several Muslim-majority countries. I read about Islam and began to
understand that the unique gift of Christianity is God’s love, in a person,
Jesus Christ. Muslims revere Jesus as a prophet but cannot understand how a
sovereign God could allow himself to be killed, thus, they do not accept Jesus’
death or his divinity. I began to see this act as the definition of
Christianity: God’s love, sacrifice, forgiveness, resurrection, and call to a
new life is our unique message to a hurting world.
After
my tours overseas, I saw my country and especially American Christians with a
new perspective. We are a missionary faith, yet sometimes seem stuck only on
domestic concerns. We need knowledge of the rest of the world if we are going to
minister to it. Thus, many of my blogs and stories deal with Christians and
their place in world events. I draw attention to the Middle East and the world-changing
events happening there, from the overthrow of dictators to how the
corresponding Islamist awakening will affect Christians and other minorities in
those countries.
Anne
K. Albert – Where can readers reach you online?
Ann
Gaylia O’Barr – At my website: www.AnnGayliaOBarr.com
and at Oak Tara: http://www.oaktara.com/AnnGayliaOBarr
Anne
K. Albert – Would you share an excerpt with us of Searching for Home?
Ann
Gaylia O’Barr – Yes!
Patrick touched her arm. “Did you know
we can get married here in three days if we pay a special fee? Otherwise it’s
three weeks.”
People sailed a boat past them,
chattering, laughing. She didn’t understand the language. Greek, she guessed.
He peered at her. “Say something.”
“I’m sorry?”
“I’m asking you to marry me. Say
something.”
“Marry you?”
The luminosity left his eyes. “Bad
joke?”
“No,” she said, “not a bad joke. But
terribly unexpected. Unless, of course, that’s what you’re doing—joking.”
“I’m serious.”
“Do you often ask women to marry you
after knowing them three days?”
“No. You’re the first.”
“Why? Why should we get married?”
He studied the boat going out. “It
seems to me that we suit, don’t you think?”
We suit? When Vance proposed, he told
her not only that he loved her, but that he needed her and couldn’t live
without her. This man was asking her to commit herself to him because—because
they suited? What kind of arrogant elitist was he?
Before she could speak her anger, he
turned to her, and his eyes, bleak as a winter moor, captured her. Some need or
hurt spoke mutely like a child whose dandelions, meant as a gift of love, had
wilted.
“I need to think about it,” she said.
“Why?”
“Why? Surely, Patrick, you don’t
expect an answer tonight? Marriage for me is for keeps. I have to think about
my family, my religion, my career.”
“You’re twenty-three years old; we’re
both Christians—serious ones, in your phrasing—and you know you’re not cut out
for that job.”
A yearning seized her.
Perhaps his training taught him to
sense weakness in an opponent and thrust through it. He said, “We can exchange
e-mail addresses and send little messages back and forth. But you know as well
as I do that we’ll soon drift apart. My work—it’s pretty demanding. I can’t
handle a long-distance courtship.” He looked toward the boat, distant, then
back at her. “Now, or we leave as friends, nothing more. What’s your answer?”
Was it the need she saw in his eyes or
the horror of those cubicles?
“All right,” she snapped, as though he
dared her and she called his bluff.
He kissed her while the Mediterranean
tide smacked against boats, and a lone sail flapped. The remnants of her anger
dropped like an anchor into the sea.
Anne
K. Albert – What a fascinating excerpt! I can’t wait to read more. Thank you so
much, Ann, for visiting with me today. I wish you every success with Searching for Home, and as always,
happy writing!
*
* *
LoRee Peery's Sage and Sweetgrass
My guest today is LoRee Peery. A lifelong Nebraskan,
LoRee is the oldest of seven and grew up on a Nebraska
LoRee and her husband have tackled some interesting
projects over the course of their married life. For one, they built the home
they live in with their own hands. They used to want more acres further away
from city life, but one day LoRee realized they had their “greener on the other
side of the fence” already. All it took was removing that fence made of trees
and bushes.
She feels grounded in her sense of place and considers
it a blessing to have lived most of her life in the country. LoRee has a
contemporary romance series, Frivolities, with White Rose Publishing: Moselle’s Insurance, Rainn on My Parade, and coming soon, Sage and
Sweet Grass. Found in the Woods has been contracted.
Anne - Welcome, LoRee. I’m so glad you could drop by
to talk writing. Let’s get down to business! Tell us a something about yourself
that you would normally only share with close friends.
LoRee - Before 9/11, I nearly passed out giving a
blood sample. Since then, I’ve donated at the community blood bank on a regular
basis. I think it’s 52 times now.
Anne – Congratulations on overcoming your fear, and helping so many others at the same time. What do you enjoy most about writing? What part do
you loathe?
LoRee - I absolutely love it when I’m in a scene
between the hero and heroine and one of them does or says something that comes
out of nowhere, without any forethought on my part. And when a line of dialogue
sparks my next, unplanned connection between them; or a title, or an idea for
my next story comes through. Creativity sparks creativity.
Loathe is a pretty strong word. I’m going to say I get
upset with myself when I’ve edited a work a dozen times only to discover,
usually in edits from my editor, where I’ve used a word or phrase umpteen
zillion times, or said the same thing in the same way, that should have been
discovered much earlier on.
Anne – I can relate to being repetitious! Of all the
characters you’ve created, does one hold a special place in your heart? Why?
LoRee - I would say Abby Wilson, the heroine in my
first novel. Abby returns to her hometown and ends up in trouble while trying
to disclose that her father’s accidental death was really a homicide.
I learned most everything I know about writing while
working on her story (which will remain in its storage tub). Over a span of ten
years, I worked on Abby while I took a Writer’s Digest course, a couple fiction
writing courses at community college; and I discovered how to critique, how to take
criticism and be encouraged, how bad I was at story elements at first, that my
true passion is romance with a hint of solving a problem or disclosing a secret,
and to discover my own process.
Anne – Abby sounds like a wonderful mentor! What is
the most surprising thing you’ve learned about yourself from writing?
LoRee - When I’ve set aside a project and gone back to
it, only to discover words I didn’t recall writing. The words came from deep
within, on a different level of consciousness, from a source outside myself. So
I don’t take any credit, but simply say, “Thank You, Lord.”
Anne - Tell us about the defining moment when you felt
as if you’d finally made it as an author.
LoRee - My first contract was for Moselle’s Insurance. The manuscript was rejected
twice by White Rose Publishing editors, with the invitation to resubmit. I was
devastated by the second, very detailed letter, and quit writing for several
months. At our RWA chapter retreat in January of 2010, fellow writers
encouraged me to reconsider that best-kind-of-rejection letter. So I went
through the editor’s comments, agreed with her, revised, and resubmitted. Moselle’s Insurance was accepted in less than a week, and
I received my first contract on my birthday.
Anne – What a fabulous made-it moment! I can also
relate to those ‘best’ rejection letters. Like you, one took its toll and I
stopped writing as well. And yes, it was just before I got “the call!” Have you
experienced writer's block? If so, how did you work through it?
LoRee - I don’t call it being blocked, only
misdirected or sidetracked. Often, if the words don’t flow, I’ll go outside and
consider where I’m stuck in my story. I’ll play with the dog, and mull over
where I want to go with my writing, either with the characters or in the scene.
I spend time looking for God in nature, letting where I am in the story worm
its way through my thoughts.
And I’ll pray. His strength is reinforced through my
weaknesses. I’m always enlightened by something God has created, an odd-shaped
rock, tree, or cloud formation, flowers or butterflies in summer, or the beauty
of the seasons. If my fingers don’t fly when I return to my keyboard, I’ll do
something else.
While I’m cleaning or shopping or exercising, I’ll
have a flash of what to write next. After it’s worked its way through my
thinking process enough, my fingers will fly when I sit back down at the
keyboard. I’ve learned that I can’t force it. However, just writing creates
writing. I can always go back and delete what doesn’t make sense. It often goes
back to the inability to edit or fix a blank page.
Anne – “Just writing creates writing.” I don’t think I’ve
ever heard that before, but it’s so true. Thank you! Now, would you share an
excerpt with us from Sage and Sweetgrass? Btw, the cover is gorgeous!
LoRee – Thank you!
~ ~ ~
The sky was clear and enormous where it met the
horizon. The whinny of horses carried up from a pasture on the other side of
the barn. The acreage represented everything Lanae loved about being outside
the city limits. Expanse, horses, a sprinkling of trees in the distance…God’s
country.
When she caught sight of the cowboy, the vision was
complete.
She sighed. Home. How crazy. She felt like she’d come
home.
The cowboy rounded the corner of the wood-sided barn
that she guessed to be sixty feet long. He loped in the loose way of a man
comfortable on the back of a horse.
And she enjoyed every step as he approached.
He even tipped the brim of his hat. “Mornin’. You
Lanae?”
Wow was the only thing she could think to say. But she
kept it to herself.
Her mouth went dry.
His nose was bent, just off to the right of center. He
had a full bottom lip, thinner upper, all accented by what she supposed was a
year-round tan. Myriad facial lines gave testimony to a life lived outdoors.
She cleared her throat, mustered up some moisture for
her vocal chords in order to answer, “That I am.”
“Sage Diamond.”
When he drew close enough, Lanae was dumbfounded at
the impact of his eyes. They were an unbelievable piercing blue with a hint of
lavender.
“Did you have any trouble finding the place?” Sage
spoke in an unhurried manner.
Lanae wondered if he felt rushed about anything. She
started to open the door.
“You always leave your car running?” A hint of
amusement tugged at his mouth.
Oops. She turned the key. Great first impression.
He held the door.
Still caught in the lavender blue of his eyes,
shadowed now from his hat, Lanae swallowed what felt like the chaff of an
August hayfield.
No more singles ads for me.
~ ~ ~
Anne – I love Lanae’s inner
dialogue about Sage, LoRee, and can’t wait for Sage and Sweetgrass to be released! Where can
readers reach you on line?
LoRee
– At my website: www.loreepeery.com
Anne
– Thank you so much for chatting today, LoRee. I wish you every success with Sage
and Sweetgrass. Happy writing!
*
* *
Interview with Deborah H. Bateman
Deborah has a Daily
Bible Reading Blog where she does a Daily Bible Study. This is where “The Book
of Ruth” was started. Bible Verse Tweet is another of Deborah's blogs where she
shares a Daily Bible Verse. She also has a family favorite recipes blog she
calls Recipe for Life.
Deborah has
learned to trust God through the many trials of her life. She can relate
to Naomi and Ruth’s dependence on God to see them through their life’s
experiences.
Anne - Welcome,
Deborah! Tell us about your book.
Deborah - The name
of my book is: The Book of Ruth-A Story of Love and Redemption. It is available at
Amazon and most online eBook retailers.
Anne - What do you
enjoy most about writing? What part do you loathe?
Deborah - I enjoy
studying the Bible and sharing what I learned with others. The part that I hate
is when I am in a time crunch and don’t feel like I have given it my best.
Anne – Feeling rushed
does hamper one’s creativity. When did you first realize you were destined to
be a writer?
Deborah - I guess
you would say I stumbled upon it. I started a class to learn how to build
websites and blogs, and started sharing on there. Then, I started writing
articles, and took an eBook course and decided to turn some of my Bible Studies
into books.
Anne - Any words
of advice for struggling, unpublished writers?
Deborah - I would
tell them not to give up, but in the meantime consider self-publishing.
Anne - What
activity (cause, charity, or organization) consumes your time when you’re away
from the keyboard?
Deborah - I keep
three of my grandchildren in my home five days a week. I pick them up from two
different schools. I also pick up products that are donated by our local
grocery store and take them to a women’s shelter in town. I like participating
in the Women on Mission group and going to Bible studies at my
church when I can work it into my schedule.
Anne - Tell us
about the defining moment when you felt as if you’d finally made it as an
author.
Deborah - I am new
to all of this so I don’t know if you would say I have arrived yet or not. However,
there was actually two moments that moved me to tears. One was when I first
downloaded my book for publication. The other was when I had the Book Launch on
November 15, 2011 and found out that The Book of Ruth-A Story of Love and Redemption ended up on two bestseller lists.
Anne – Where can
readers reach you online?
Deborah – At my
website: http://www.DeborahHBateman.com.
At my Daily-Bible-Reading blog,
and on Facebook.
Anne – Thank you,
Deborah. It’s been a pleasure chatting with you today. I wish you every
success, and of course, happy writing!
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