Winner!
And the winner of Tammy Barley’s Hope’s Promise is . . .
Carrie Fancett Pagels, Ph.D.
Congrats, Carrie! I’m sending you an email!
My Friend DeAnna – Interview and Giveaway
Welcome to Part II of my interview with DeAnna Julie Dodson! Today she’ll be talking about her historical trilogy and offering a copy of the first book in the series, In Honor Bound, to one lucky winner. If you’re interested in her contemporary mysteries, check out Part I!
To enter the contest, please leave a comment below with an email address–you must be a follower to enter, so be sure to click on that if you haven’t already!
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About the CHASTELAYNE TRILOGY
In Honor Bound
His father will stop at nothing to keep the royal bloodline “pure” –even murder. But his sins have nearly destroyed Prince Philip and the future of his reign.
Forced into a political marriage, Philip tells his bride, “I will not lie to you, I will not be unfaithful to you, and I will not love you. My heart is pledged to another and I am not a man to break an oath.”
His one true love is a lowly serving girl. When Philip refuses to set her aside in order to form a politically beneficial marriage, his father has the girl tried on false charges and executed. He then forces Philip to marry the beautiful and nobly born Lady Rosalynde. Devastated and embittered by his loss and his father’s betrayal, Philip is determined to never love again . . . not his father, not his wife, not his God. Although Rosalynde adores him, he withholds his heart from her, refusing to let even death end his devotion to the love he lost. Despite his coldness towards her, Rosalynde is determined to love him and teach him to love her — as determined as the God he has turned his back on. As civil war rages throughout the realm, Philip faces a greater struggle within himself. Will he open his heart to love again or let his pride destroy him and his kingdom?
By Love Re
deemed
Complete strangers on their wedding day and separated by war since their honeymoon, can they find true love together?
Even though their time together has been short, Prince Tom is eager for his bride’s return. Though his love for her has grown, Elizabeth makes it clear that she considers him a stranger, not to be trusted. Not to be loved.
Certain the lavish love he claims to have for her cannot be genuine, Elizabeth turns to a deceitful friend who feeds her doubts and insecurities, poisoning her mind against her young husband. Just as Tom’s patient tenderness begins to soften her heart, he is left with a heavier burden. His brother the king receives news that threatens the stability of the kingdom and his marriage. Forced to go in secret to find the truth behind it, he leaves Tom to deal with the undercurrent of treason and treachery that lies beneath the deceptive quiet of the court. Will Tom be able to hold the kingdom together and win his wife’s heart? Or will she let a seductive stranger lead her away from his unconditional love?
To Grace Surrendered
He has learned to love her with all his heart. Now he must learn to let her go.
There is peace in the kingdom at last and King Philip wants nothing more than to spend his days watching his children grow and enjoying the company of his beloved Rosalynde. Reghed, Lynaleigh’s neighbor to the north, suffers greatly under the heavy hand of its king, the evil and demented tyrant Sarto. But Philip resists God’s urging to bring aid to Reghed’s people until the night Rosalynde is torn from his arms and carried into Sarto’s dark realm. Despite the serious injuries he sustained trying to protect her from her captors, Philip insists on following after her and finds himself face to face with the suffering he has till now turned away from. Sarto eventually captures Philip, too, determined to kill him in order to fulfill his sinister plans. Can Philip free himself, Rosalynde and the people of Reghed? Or has his disobedience lost him the love and protection of God?
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About DeAnna
DeAnna Julie Dodson is the author of In Honor Bound, By Love Redeemed and To Grace Surrendered, a trilogy of medieval romances, and Letters in the Attic, a contemporary mystery in the Annie’s Attic series. She is currently working on The Drew Farthering Mysteries, a new series of books set in 1930s England. A graduate of the University of Texas at Dallas, she currently lives in North Texas with four spoiled cats and, when not writing, enjoys quilting, cross stitch and NHL hockey.
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What’s your latest book?
My newest release is Letters in the Attic, a contemporary mystery coming out this summer from DRG. That book is worlds away from my first three releases from Crossway Books, my medieval trilogy: In Honor Bound, By Love Redeemed and To Grace Surrendered. They’ve been out for a while now and can sometimes be hard to find, but I’m still quite fond of them.
Well, let’s chat about those! I’m a big fan of medievals, and these sound so interesting! What do you hope your readers will get out of the stories?
I hope that the vast depth and breadth and height of the love God has for all of us flows through every part of the series. The second book, By Love Redeemed, is in particular an allegory of how Christ loves and sacrificed Himself for all of us, though I believe all three books reflect that. And, of course, God chose the picture of marriage to illustrate the mystery of His union with His church. I thought the medieval setting was a particularly exciting and romantic backdrop for telling this story. People who don’t like romance probably won’t enjoy this series.
Then I’m safe! Love romance. Am still shocked that some people don’t, LOL. What’s your favorite genre to write? To read?
I enjoy so many different types of stories, it’s hard to say. I like historicals best, especially medieval romance and 1920s and 1930s mysteries, though anything from the middle ages up to WWII can be very wonderful. I love stories that have something redemptive about them, something that says, despite the hardships, God is there with us and He will never leave or forsake us. Give me a well-written story, and I’m happy.
I think we’d get along just fine, DeAnna. =) What are you reading right now—and what do you want to read next?
Right now, I’m reading Agatha Christie’s Appointment with Death. I’ve been on a real vintage mystery kick lately. I love Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers and the vastly underrated (and I think superior) Margery Allingham. They were the queens of mystery in the 1920s and ’30s, and I hope to learn from them for my own 1930s series, The Drew Farthering Mysteries. I love trying to solve the puzzles they present. The glorious period clothes and cars and social niceties are just icing on the cake.
Oh, how fun to submerse yourself in that! I’ve never had the ability to craft a great mystery, but the setting is one I dove into for my Mafia books. =) Looking forward to your new series! But getting back to your existing one, do you remember where you were when you got your first or most important call about a book contract?
Oh, I remember that day vividly. I had rather half-heartedly sent my query for my very first book, In Honor Bound, to Crossway Books and was amazed when they quickly asked for the full manuscript. I was even more amazed when, a couple of weeks later, I had a message on my office phone. The assistant editor who left the message mentioned that it was nearly five o’clock on a Friday, so I could call after nine on the following Monday morning. There was absolutely no way I could wait that long, so I took a chance and called right back. Thank goodness, she was still in her office and we had a nice chat about taking In Honor Bound to their publication committee. I’ll never forget it. It still makes me smile.
Makes me smile for you! What are you writing right now?
Right now I’m working on the second book in my Drew Farthering series, Civil as an Orange. In this one, Drew has to track down a killer who leaves cryptic clues pinned to the bodies of the victims, and soon Drew realizes that the murders are getting closer and closer to him. This one is about 80% finished already, though I still have plenty of work to do on it. I love this series though. It’s so much fun to write the clothes and the parties and the 1930s British dialogue. And I love the manners of the period. No, they weren’t as formal as before WWI, but gentlemen still rose when a ladies came into the room and still held doors for them and all those lovely little things that we seem to have lost these days. Readers can check out an excerpt of this and all my books on my website.
Sounds like fun!!
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Thanks so much for spending the week with us, DeAnna! Readers, be sure to check out her website at www.deannajuliedodson.com/index.php. You can find her books on Amazon.
Void where prohibited. Entry into the contest is considered verification of eligibility based on your local laws. Contest ends 8/19/10. Winner will have two weeks to claim book.
The Writing Roseanniversary Giveaway Extravaganza!
Here it is! My one-year-anniversary (a few weeks late) giveaway celebration! (And hey, only two days before my birthday, so we’ll say I’m celebrating that too. Woo hoo!)
I am bringing you seven–that’s right, SEVEN!–awesome giveaway options. How do you get your grubby little paws on some of them? Well, here’s the deal.
1.) You must be a follower
2.) You must tell me WHICH of the options you would like to win. (Feel free to list a few in order of preference.)
3.) You must leave a comment (obviously, given the above) with an email address where I can reach you. If you’d like to include in that comment your favorite part of Writing Roseanna, it would give me a grin. 😉
The giveaway will last two weeks. There will be seven winners.
Ready to discover the awesomeness?? Drum roll please . . . . . . . . . . . .
Option 1
is for you writers out there. I am offering a 30-page critique and edit of a manuscript of your choice. And given that I’m now an acquisitions editor, you never know where this could lead, right? *grins*
is for you writers out there. I am offering a 30-page critique and edit of a manuscript of your choice. And given that I’m now an acquisitions editor, you never know where this could lead, right? *grins*
Option 2
is a treat for your living room. A handmade plaque by fabulous friend Tiffany Harkleroad that will be in the style of the one pictured here, but will have the beloved scripture from Joshua “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
PLUS While I Slept, a beautiful coffee table book by Nancy Koehler, featuring a heart-touching poem and beautiful sunrise-at-the-beach photography.
Option 3
is, of course, the expected Stray Drop Gear. =) It will include a t-shirt (S, M, L, XL) which reads “One little drop to soil the garment/One little drop to cleanse the soul,” a signed copy of the novel, a bookmark, and a Companion Guide (not pictured).
Option 4
is my Teen Dream package. The complete Reinvention of Skylar Hoyt trilogy (including Me, Just Different, Out with the In Crowd, and So Over It) by Stephanie Morrill, a nice, hardback devotion for teen girls called His Princess: Girl Talk with God, and Kristin Billerbeck’s Perfectly Dateless.
Option 5
is a signed copy of The Healer’s Apprentice, due out the beginning of September! This is a young adult historical, a retelling of a fairy tale that sounds WAY too good to miss!
Option 6
is your choice of ONE of Julie Lessman’s four fabulous books: A Passion Most Pure, A Passion Redeemed, A Passion Denied or the latest, releasing-in-September, much-anticipated A Hope Undaunted.
Option 7
is a B&H Suspense Pack featuring: Deliver Us from Evil and Fear No Evil by Robin Caroll, Certain Jeopardy by Captain Jeff Struecker and Alton Gansky, and Double Cross by James David Jordan
Void where prohibited. Entry into the contest is considered verification of eligibility based on your local laws. Contest ends 8/26/10. Winners will have two weeks to claim prizes.
Remember When . . . Historians Duked It Out?
So I’ve had some frustration lately in the research department. Bear with me as I explain it to you.
It begins in the footnotes of my Bible. When looking at them for the Esther part of Jewel of Persia, it handily tells me that Xerxes’ successor is Artaxerxes (which I knew), who is mentioned in Ezra and Nehemiah. Okay . . . cool. Said notes tell me how he’s the king who funded the rebuilding of Jerusalem, the one that Nehemiah was the cupbearer for. Okay . . . cool. This makes perfect sense, right? Artaxerxes may well have been influenced by a certain Jewish queen that came on the scene when he was a boy, so my plot-loving self just thinks this is awesome.
Until I actually read Ezra. Then I’m left scratching my head and asking, “And you get that this is Artaxerxes I how?” Here’s the thing–all the kings in the dynasty used, like, four names. And they go in this order: Cyrus (the Great), Darius I, Xerxes I, Artaxerxes I, Xerxes II, Darius II, Artaxerxes II. (There’s another one in there for a few months, but I’m leaving him out for the sake of clarity.)
Now, we can see right away where this is confusing, right? But when reading Ezra, the tale goes something like this: Cyrus the Great released the captives. (Check.) They reminded Xerxes of Cyrus’s command to rebuild and got started. (Check.) But during the reign of Artaxerxes, their enemies sent him a letter whining about how rebellious these folks have been in the past, and Artaxerxes said, “Yeah, stop working on your temple, dudes. You’re causing trouble.” So construction halted until the second year of Darius. Then after these things, during the reign of Artaxerxes, Ezra came up from Babylon . . .
Do you see where my issue is here? I don’t get how in the world this is during the reign of the first Artaxerxes, given that after these things. My commentators tell me he’s just talking about one thing, then jumps back to the “real” story and the king in power when the whiners wrote that letter, but I just don’t see it.
The issue could be handily resolved by outside dates, but I’m not at all sure if the dates of completion of the temple, etc., are based on the commentators’ understanding of the kings, or if their understanding of the kings is based on known dates. It makes a huge difference.
And I’m left in this weird place of wanting it to be Artaxerxes I for plot reasons, but totally not buying that it is, LOL. I might go with it anyway–I mean, I write fiction. And it would agree with all the Bible footnotes I can find. But still. The historian in me cringes and demands a better explanation than my commentators will give me.
Then I get to growling at other historians too–apparently much of the info we have on the kings and their families after Xerxes comes from a historian so notoriously unreliable that other historians have ascribed him a special ring of hell, LOL. (Seriously–it’s in some ancient satire.) So I don’t have a clue what I can trust when it comes to information on the years following Xerxes’ assassination.
Why is this important, you ask? Because my hubby/publisher said, “I want to know what happens to Esther after Xerxes is killed. Write a sequel.”
Yeah . . . if only I knew what I could accurately put in it!
Story Time with DeAnna Julie Dodson – Interview and Giveaway
You guys are in for a special treat this week! Author DeAnna Julie Dodson is going to be with us both today and Friday–today to chat about her contemporary mystery, and on Friday to introduce us to her historical trilogy. So be sure and check out both interviews!
Today’s giveaway will be for Letters in the Attic, book four Annie’s Attic Mysteries. Leave a comment with email address for a chance to win, and be sure to let me know if you’re a follower!
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About Letters in the Attic
Up in her grandmother’s attic in Stony Point, Maine, Annie Dawson finds a stack of old lett
ers from her childhood friend Susan Morris. Annie remembers Susan fondly and would like to get back in touch, but nobody seems to know what’s become of her. Her friends at The Hook and Needle Club aren’t much help either. All they remember is that Susan left town more than twenty years ago to marry a very wealthy man, but none of them is quite sure who he was. And Annie can find no record of any marriage.
The more Annie searches, the more she begins to wonder if something has happened to Susan. Something bad.
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About DeAnna Dodson
DeAnna Julie Dodson is the author of In Honor Bound, By Love Redeemed and To Grace Surrendered, a trilogy of medieval romances, and Letters in the Attic, a contemporary mystery in the Annie’s Attic series. She is currently working on The Drew Farthering Mysteries, a new series of books set in 1930s England. A graduate of the University of Texas at Dallas, she currently lives in North Texas with four spoiled cats and, when not writing, enjoys quilting, cross stitch and NHL hockey.
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Tell us about your latest book.
I’m very excited about the release of Letters in the Attic, an Annie’s Attic Mystery. Letters is the fourth book in this new series about Annie Dawson, a widow from Texas who goes up to clean out and sell her late grandmother’s Victorian house in Maine only to find a whole attic full of intriguing and sometimes mysterious objects. The series particularly interested me because Annie and her friends are all needleworkers – knitters, crocheters, quilters, cross-stitchers – and I’ve been interested in needlework for as long as I can remember.
Letters in the Attic is scheduled to come out this summer from DRG.
Congrats! What’s your favorite part of the story?
I think I enjoyed writing Officer Roy Hamilton the most. I actually didn’t think much about him at first. He was meant to be a very minor character who was there just to take fingerprints. Soon, though, he let me know that that was not going to be enough for him. He put on his mirrored sunglasses and sauntered up to me and said he just knew I had something more important for him to do. And darned if he wasn’t right!
LOL. I love it when characters tell us how it is! What do you hope your readers will get out of the story?
I think the most important thing is that there is freedom in truth. Hiding from it only weighs you down and keeps you prisoner. Facing the truth breaks those chains and breaks the hold of those who would use the fear of that truth against you. Once it’s in the light of day, whatever it is you’re hiding from, it loses its power.
Wow, great message! Tell us a little about your writing. Is there any one thing or reference you keep handy when writing? Anything you kept around for this particular book?
Of course, the greatest reference tool these days is the internet. It’s made research so much easier, though you do have to be careful of which sources you trust. Still, I like to have some actual reference books handy when I’m writing. I especially like The Well-Tempered Sentence by Karen Elizabeth Gordon and Eats, Shoots and Leaves by Lynne Truss for solving those thorny grammar and usage questions. They’re both extremely practical while appealing to my sometimes-off-the-wall sense of humor.
For Letters in the Attic, of course, my best friend was the packet of series information the publisher gave me so my book would mesh with the others in the series. Since writing this kind of book was new to me, this packet was really a life saver.
I bet! Having never written such a series, I didn’t know publishers did that—makes total sense, and would definitely be handy. So, on a more personal writing note, are there any people (family, writing group, editors) who you rely on when writing?
Writing can be a very lonely and isolated job. And the worst part of it is that, once you’ve written something, you can never see it the way a new reader will see it. Obviously, you know what you meant to say when you wrote it, but does it really say that? Really? You just have to have a pre-reader look it over, someone who will speak the truth in love and tell you honestly what works and what doesn’t.
I met author Robin Hardy (The Chataine’s Guardian and many, many more) when I took a “Writing Christian Fiction” class at the local community college. At that point, I didn’t imagine I would ever actually be published. She was so gracious and so kind to this very green wannabe writer. She actually read through my 250,000-word manuscript (the one that became In Honor Bound) and showed me how to improve it and, more importantly, how I could cut it down to a manageable length. Now, years later, she’s still my first and best pre-reader and a terrific friend. She catches inconsistencies and stupid mistakes and tells me when something just falls flat. I would so much rather hear it from her than from my editor or, worst of all, from my readers. I’m so blessed to know her!
Aw, three cheers for Robin! (And I’ve got a couple 250K monstrosities still waiting to be cut down to size too, LOL.) Aside from writing, what takes up most of your time?
I’m addicted to cross-stitch and quilting. I have just a ton of projects yet to be done because I want to do everything. That’s one of the reasons I have enjoyed working on this series so much. I can relate to the ladies in the Annie’s Attic Mysteries who love to make beautiful things by hand.
How cool! I pieced a quilt for my wedding but then never did the finish work. Sigh. Okay, fun question. If someone were to give you $5,000 to spend on anything you wanted, what would you buy? (No saving of gifts to charities allowed!)
Oh, my, it would have to be a Tin Lizzie! No, not Model T Ford, but a quilting machine. I’ve tried them in the store and they’re wonderful. I’d love to be able to do some really fancy quilting!
LOL. Gotta say, I was thinking the car and wondering if you get a decent on for 5K. =)
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Thanks for visiting, DeAnna! Readers, check out her website at http://www.deannajuliedodson.com/index.php. You can find links to purchase at www.anniesmysteries.com/learn_more.php.
Void where prohibited. Entry into the contest is considered verification of eligibility based on your local laws. Contest ends 8/16/10. Winner will have two weeks to claim book.
About Me
Roseanna M. White is a bestselling, Christy Award winning author who has long claimed that words are the air she breathes. When not writing fiction, she’s homeschooling her two kids, editing, designing book covers, and pretending her house will clean itself. Roseanna is the author of a slew of historical novels that span several continents and thousands of years. Spies and war and mayhem always seem to find their way into her books…to offset her real life, which is blessedly ordinary.