Today I’m happy to welcome Connie Stevens to my blog to chat about her romances from Heartsong Presents. She had one just release in January, and its sequel coming in the next month!

Connie has generously offered a copy of Revealing Fire to one lucky winner, to be sent once she gets her author copies (should be very soon). To enter, just leave a comment below with an email address!

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Pearl Dunnigan is in her September years, well beyond the age when most women fall in love.

She married her childhood sweetheart years ago. Now as a widow, she operates Willow Creek’s only boardinghouse and is content with her life. . .until Hubert dares to convince her to dream again.

During Hubert Behr’s youth, blind ambition and careless actions destroyed his family and his marriage. Have the lessons he’s learned since then made him worthy of a second chance, or has his past made him unsuitable for love? Hubert is willing to try again, but what will Pearl say when she learns his secrets? When Hubert’s estranged son arrives in town, his anger and scorn threaten to undo Hubert’s and Pearl’s plans.

Torn between what her heart knows and what she’d been told, Pearl is faced with a heart-rending decision. Is her love strong enough to do what is best, and will God give her the strength to endure what she must for the man she loves? When all the truth is revealed, will their love be destroyed or refined by fire?

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Connie Stevens lives in north Georgia with her husband of 37 years, John. One cantankerous kitty—misnamed Sweet Pea—allows them to live in her home. (John calls her Crabby Tabby.) When Connie isn’t writing, she loves reading, sewing, browsing antique shops, collecting teddy bears, and gardening. She also enjoys making quilts to send to the Cancer Treatment Centers Of America. Visit Connie’s Web site and blog at www.conniestevenswrites.com.

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The first book in the Willow Creek series was LEAVE ME NEVER, which was released in January. The latest book is the second in the series, REVEALING FIRE, which comes out in April with Heartsong Presents, division of Barbour Publishing.

The hardest scene for me to write was when Hubert asked the doctor when his son would recover, and the doctor had to give Hubert an answer he didn’t want to hear. I had to call on some painful memories and relive some brutal emotions in order to give those same emotions to my character.

I would hope a reader would realize their worth comes from who they are in Christ, and their value in His eyes doesn’t depend on how important or how wealthy they are or how the world views them.

I love to write and read historical romance.

Primarily I keep pictures of my son around me. I can almost him cheering me on. When I wrote REVEALING FIRE, I kept a small silver music box that belonged to my mother on my desk. A silver music box plays an important part in the story.

 I couldn’t write without The Posse. Not only are they the best critique group on the planet, they are some of my dearest friends and prayer partners. We bounce everything off each other, writing-related or otherwise.

 

Goodness yes!!  I was sitting with The Posse at the American Christian Fiction Writers conference (2009). They have a tradition on the first night of the conference. Two Barbour editors take the stage and announce the awarding of first-time contracts. When JoAnne Simmons announced the title of my first book (LEAVE ME NEVER) my first thought was I would have to come up with another title because someone else had the same title. My second thought was I wondered why The Posse was screaming. After that I vaguely remember hugging a bunch of people as I made my way to the front to accept the letter of intent from Barbour Publishing. It didn’t occur to me to scream myself until after the session was over. The expression “in a daze” has a whole new meaning for me now.

I once started to buy a Christmas present for Tessa Langford…until I remembered Tessa is one of my characters.

A generational historical series set in north Georgia. It begins in 1838 around the time of the Trail Of Tears.

The third book in the Willow Creek series, SCARS OF MERCY, will release with Heartsong Presents in August.

Fun stuff. Is there another author who has greatly influenced your writing? 

Kim Sawyer and DiAnn Mills. Both of these ladies taught me how reach deeply into myself and give the emotions I have experienced to my characters, thus creating people on the page who aren’t just fictional characters—they’re friends.

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Thanks so much for visiting, Connie! Readers, be sure to check out her website at www.conniestevenswrites.com. You can find her books at http://www.heartsongpresents.com.

Today I’m happy to welcome Liz Johnson to the blog to talk about her release from Love Inspired Suspence, Code of Justice. I’m sure you’ll enjoy the peek into Liz’s world!

Liz has been gracious enough to offer a copy of Code of Justice to one lucky reader, so please leave a comment below for a chance to win!

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About Code of Justice

“Follow the drugs.”

Her sister’s last words shake FBI agent Heather Sloan to the core. They also convince her that the helicopter crash only Heather survived wasn’t an accident. Sheriff’s deputy Jeremy Latham is assigned the case—he’s the one who can help Heather find the person responsible…once she convinces him they should work together. As they dig for the truth, they learn to trust and care for each other. Will they lose it all when the killer targets Heather? She’s willing to risk her life to find her sister’s killer—but her code of justice could cost her the chance to win Jeremy’s love.

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About Liz

 Liz Johnson grew up reading Christian fiction, and always dreamed of being part of the publishing industry. In 2006 she got her wish when she accepted a publicity position at a major trade book publisher. While working as a publicist in the industry, she decided to pursue her other dream-becoming an author. Liz makes her home in Nashville, TN , where she enjoys theater, exploring the local music scene, and making frequent trips to Arizona to dote on her two nephews and three nieces. She loves stories of true love with happy endings.

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What’s your latest book?

Code of Justice, from Love Inspired Suspense, just released March 1, 2011

It sounds great! What’s your favorite part of the story?

Code of Justice is a story about sisters, and I loved getting to explore what one sister would do to find justice when the other is killed. Writing it helped me really think through how I show affection and love for my sister and sister-in-law. I think it’ll be one of my favorites for a long time.

Funny how novels can make us better understand ourselves, isn’t it? =) Other than the Bible, what’s your favorite of all the books you’ve ever read?

My favorite novel of all time is The Witch of Blackbird Pond Elizabeth George Speare. It’s a Newberry Award winner from the 1950s and tells the story of Kit, a young woman who must move in with her only relatives, Puritans in New England. I love the way this book make history come alive for me and how I would reread it over and over again as a child. I fell in love with Nat Eaton (probably my first literary crush), the sailor who not only rescues Hannah, the Quaker woman called a witch, but also wins the heart of Kit.

Oooo, I read that back in 6th grade and LOVED it!! Such an awesome book, for sure. But back to YOUR books. Is there any one thing or reference you keep handy when writing? Anything you kept around for this particular book?

I’m never far from a thesaurus no matter what I’m working on. While I was writing Code of Justice, I kept several aircraft/helicopter websites open at all times, learning what I could about their anatomy and what might actually bring one down. 

Neat! What writing goal have you set for yourself that would be the hardest (or unlikeliest) but most rewarding to achieve?

When I turned 29 last summer, I wrote a 30 by 30 list. On there is to sign a 3-book series contract before my 30thbirthday. I thought it was really achievable when I wrote it, but I’ve discovered it’s not as easy as I thought. I can’t seem to get my proposal together. But I would really love to sign a 3-book deal this year.

He he, you’ve got a year on me. 😉 And I’d love to achieve that as well! Do you remember where you were when you got your first or most important call about a book contract?

I know exactly where I was when I got the call on my first book. It was July 15, 2008, and I was at the International Christian Retail Show in Orlando, FL. I was working as a publicist for a Christian publisher at the time, and I had an entire day of escorting one of my favorite authors from interview to interview. He had to stop to take a phone call, so I checked my phone as well, discovering that I’d missed a call from the 212 area code. The message was from the editor who I’d been going back and forth with on my manuscript for nearly 9 months. She asked me to call her back as soon as possible. Of course, I was busy working, so I had the rest of the day to talk myself into believing she was calling to let me down gently. In fact I was in such upheaval by the end of that day that I had to call my dad to calm myself down before I could call my editor back. Sitting on the floor outside my company’s hospitality suite, I got the best news of my life. Love Inspired Suspense offered me my very first contract for The Kidnapping of Kenzie Thorn.

That’s so cool!! But let’s delve toward the personal now. Have you ever taken someone in your family on a vacation? Where did you go?

My mom introduced me to Anne of Green Gables when I was a girl, and I fell instantly in love. So when I started writing seriously, I told my mom I would take her to Prince Edward Island when I sold my first book. Of course, no one tells first-time authors that they won’t make much money on the first book. So I told my mom we’d have to go after I sold my second. Sure enough, just a month after my second novel released, we flew to PEI and spent almost a week exploring the most beautiful island I’ve ever seen. It was incredible to walk where L.M. Montgomery had walked and stand on the beaches that inspired her words. We had an amazing time, and I can’t wait to go back again. 

Liz, we are kindred spirits! I’ve never been to PE Island, but L.M. Montgomery remains one of my all-time favorite authors. Oh, the Emily series!! But, again, back to you, LOL. Any upcoming releases we should keep our eye out for?

I’m really excited about A Star in the Night, a Christmas novella that I wrote as part of A Log Cabin Christmas collection, which comes out in September. I had so much fun researching the late Civil War era story set about 20 miles from my home in Nashville in historic Franklin, Tennessee.

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Thanks so much for visiting, Liz! Readers, be sure to check out her website at www.lizjohnsonbooks.com. You can find Code of Justice at Amazon.

Void where prohibited. Entry into the contest is considered verification of eligibility based on your local laws. Chance of winning depends on number of entries. Contest ends 3/18/11. Winner will have two weeks to claim prize.