Lynette Sowell: A Sweetheart Author From Texas

Everyone's Story welcomes this week author Lynette Sowell. Lynette's warm smile reflects the novels she writes: warm, feel-good stories. During her visit, Lynette is sharing with us many exciting things... all interwoven with a thread of Texas. First, based around her exciting Giveaway offer of *3* copies (see below) of her novel, THE SWEETHEART OF STARLIGHT, there's a blurb and an excerpt for your viewing. Then, Lynette shares thoughts on how she came close to surrendering her dream of becoming published, sharing with us a couple of photos of Texan scenery nearby to where Lynette lives that she says captures the perfect flavor of the setting of her current release. 

Enjoy some fun, slip into a Texan state of mind, and drop Lynette a line or two in the comment section. She'd enjoy hearing from you ♥

Lynette is offering 3 copies of her new release THE SWEETHEART OF STARLIGHT to 3 randomly chosen commenters--a very exciting and gracious offer! The winners will be announced between 4-5 PM EST on Friday, September 14th. Here's some previews of the novel:

Lynette says--

"My new release, The Sweetheart of Starlight, is the third in a contemporary romance series from Heartsong Presents (now an imprint of Steeple Hill/Harlequin). It's set in the central Texas town of Starlight very close to Fort Hood, and bears a striking resemblance to a number of towns in the area where I live. I loved writing it and the two books that came before it in the series, Counting On Starlight, and Catch A Falling Star." 

A blurb--

Tamarind Brown knows Texas barbecue.

She also knows how to run a restaurant, even if The Pit is a bit shabby around the edges and needs renovation. Her parents loaned the money for her dream, and her employees rely on her. Her place is a local favorite in Starlight, Texas. So why is she losing money?

Rick Mantovani knows pasta. His successful Italian restaurants on the East Coast take up all his time and energy. But he wants to conquer barbecue, and the place to prove himself is in the heart of Texas. The fact that Starlight is also the home of a beautiful, green-eyed barbecue champion doesn’t hurt. Rick’s recipe lost to Tamarind’s on the summer competitive barbecue circuit, but maybe now they can help each other instead of competing at the grill.

As their friendship grows, Rick visits Tamarind’s church to do a little business networking. He’s never had much time for God, and when tragedy strikes Starlight, Rick must wrestle with his lack of faith. Why believe in a God who has the power to take away everything? Can Rick learn to trust God even when bad things happen?

Excerpt--

     Rick remembered the first time he saw Tamarind back in June, as she hovered over a smoker, her wild dark hair pulled back with a red bandana, beads of perspiration on her forehead. With her toned arms, she’d flipped the brisket on the grill as if it were nothing then caught him staring at her. Just like he was doing again now.

     “So, you’re the one they were talking about at the Chamber of Commerce meeting.” The terse statement explained her glare.

     “I was going to shoot you an email, or call. . . .”

     “That would have been nice, you know.”

     “You didn’t miss me at all?” He tried to smile away her aggravation. “I’m on your side, really.”

     “Looks like you’re sampling my menu, is what you’re doing. Only two people know the secret of my sauce. That’s me and my dad. I’ll never tell you.” Tamarind glanced at the plates arrayed in front of him.

     “The pork is amazing.” He reached for a rib and took a bite. This sauce was different than the pork. Chipotle peppers, definitely.

     “Flattery won’t change the fact that you’re the one opening a barbecue restaurant in the old Millicent place. You went through rezoning and everything.” Tamarind bit her lip. “And you didn’t tell me.”

Behind The Stories by Lynette Sowell

A beautiful Texan creek with
limestone cliffs

There was a time in my writing career when I was seriously tempted to quit. Our kids still lived at home and were in school, and things were happening with them that made me think my writing was to blame.

After all, for some reason I'd developed the idea over the years that if God thought I loved something too much, He'd take it away from me. So maybe our family difficulties and challenges were a sign that I should stop writing.

I worked a full-time job, as did my husband, plus we had church commitments and the long list of “things to do” that families often have. Sports and other activities for the kids, you name it. I remember one spring night on the porch, talking to my husband and saying, “I think I should just quit writing. Maybe it's causing problems for us.” I hadn't been published yet in fiction. I'd finaled and placed in a few contests, and had some good rejections from editors, but no contract.

My husband, wonderful supporter that he is, suggested maybe I take the summer off from writing. Not quit, but just give myself a break. But he knew that God had given me a talent to write and to not write wasn't the answer. I was skeptical at his idea.

Texas Longhorn cattle

My kids, about age 12 and 14 at the time, caught wind of the idea. My daughter was horrified. “Mom, no. You can't stop writing. It doesn't bother us. It's something you do.”

While I'm aware there are things and people in our lives that can become idols, I also realized that being passionate and diligent about writing didn't make it an idol. I was exercising and using my talent that God had given me, with hopes of developing it more. The very fact that I was concerned about loving writing too much showed me that I probably hadn't made it an idol.

Every once in a while, I step back and breathe, and realize that there's much more to life than writing or thinking about writing, or musing over future book proposals. I give myself a break, but a very short one, whether it's an afternoon or a weekend, but then I'm right back on track again.

About three weeks after that conversation on the porch, I received my first fiction contract.

Author Bio:

Lynette Sowell is the award-winning author of more than a dozen titles for Barbour Publishing. When Lynette's not writing, she works as a medical editor and part-time newspaper reporter. Lynette was born in Massachusetts, raised on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, but makes her home on the doorstep of the Texas hill country with her husband and a herd of cats that have them well trained. She loves traveling, reading, cooking, watching movies, and is always up for a Texas road trip.

Web links for Lynette:

https://www.facebook.com/lynettesowellauthor   is where Lynette has most of her book news.

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/the-flashlight-reader  is Lynette's new venture, a weekly radio show for authors and readers online every Monday night

http://www.twitter.com/lynettesowell  where Lynette tweets.

Please consider helping Everyone's Story by adding your name on the Guest Book Page: http://elainestock.blogspot.com/p/guest-book.html

Tammy Doherty: Smiling Between Rough Patches And Sunny Times

Everyone's Story welcomes author Tammy Doherty as its new guest this week. I've had the pleasure of knowing Tammy for a few years, cyber wise, on our NE-ACFW loop, and in early July had an awesome time meeting her in person when we met for lunch at the Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, MA (yes--there's a great restaurant there!). Tammy is a great listener, intuitive, loving . . . and a fearless driver on those Massachusetts highways! I hope you enjoy getting to know Tammy as much as I have.

Tammy is graciously offering a Giveaway of her first novel CELTIC CROSS. A blurb follows below.

Book Giveaway

Tammy is offering the giveaway of one copy of CELTIC CROSS to one randomly chosen commenter. For convenience, please leave your email address within the body of the comment. The winner will be announced on Friday, September 7th, between 4-5 EST. Please check back then.

Here's a blurb of CELTIC CROSS:

Sometime you have to forget who you are to become who you should be.

Shot…bleeding…barely conscious…she’s dying!

A stranger arrives on the Donovan ranch one breath away from dead. Matt Donovan doesn’t hesitate to help, despite the risk that the man who shot her may come riding down the trail, shattering peaceful Glenpark, Colorado. When Cristeen wakes, she remembers nothing of her pat. One thought haunts her day and night – trust no one. Matt fears  Cristeen’s independence will lead to tragedy. Can he help Cristeen see the need to trust the Lord before it’s too late? Can Cristeen overcome her belief that loving only brings heartache?

Why I Write The Stories I Do by Tammy Doherty

The short stretch of highway known as The Podunk Pike is lined with tall pines and a smattering of maple and oak trees. Along one section there is a single landmark – a cross. The whitewashed wood is inscribed with one word – my name.

It’s not easy driving past the spot where I will die. 

While The Podunk Pike really exists and there is a cross with the name “Tammy” painted upon it, I do not believe it is a prediction of my future. But the poetic, Celtic part of my nature can’t help think up morbid stories to explain its presence. That vivid imagination drew me into the writing world. I’m quick to jump into the “what if” game that fuels the mind of novelists round the world. The morbid part of my personality is offset with a twisted sense of humor – I can find something to smile about in nearly any situation. I wasn’t always so gifted, or at least the gift has gone ignore at times.

Twenty-one years ago, my brother was killed in an alcohol-related car accident. Life went downhill like a rushing stream. At one point, driving home from work I saw a tractor-trailer coming from the other direction. I thought, “If I veer in front of that truck it would all be over and no one would care.” Even I was horrified by the thought. Slowly, oh so very slowly, I learned to turn to the Lord in times of trouble or sadness. Life goes up and down, but God stays the same. 

Sixteen years ago something happened that again drastically changed my life. I had a baby. Oh what a blessing she was, and still is! I’d made great strides in strengthening my faith but that little child did wonders for my soul. I saw things I hadn’t seen in decades, perhaps I’d never seen them at all in the past. She taught me to look at every little part of each day in a new way. After five years, I did something I hadn’t done since my brother’s death. I began to write.

Recently I came to the realization that I am a character-driven writer. The relationships between my characters are most important. It’s what I look for in a book, movie or TV show as well. Drawing on life experiences, I put myself into each character as I write, seeing and feeling as they see and feel. In my first novel, “Celtic Cross”, the heroine, Cristeen, trusts no one. Not even God. Sometimes she doesn’t even trust herself. I’ve been there, though not as drastically as Cristeen. I took from my life and made it into something bigger. Then figured out how to get Cristeen through that to a place where she could rely on God. In my third novel, “Celtic Knot”, I tried to explain the love of God. I drew on the love for and from my daughter, the experience of being a mother, and let the story’s heroine, Abby, experience the same.

Ironically, I got something more from “Celtic Knot” than just the satisfaction of a romantic suspense well-told. Abby’s late husband was named Liam, a name I’ve always liked. When my son was born, just a week before the release of “Celtic Knot”, we chose to name him Liam. Now he’s linked to my writing, too.

After three historical novels, I decided to leap forward into the present time. And a setting as familiar and natural to me as breathing. My first contemporary romantic suspense takes place in a small town in central Massachusetts. I took the four towns originally part of the Quaboag Plantation, mushed them together, chucked out some parts I don’t need, and created a whole new, fictional town. Some of the quirky things that happen around here are sure to find their way into this or future stories. The one question I have, though, is the town’s name. Currently it goes by the name of Naultag, which is actually the name of a small stream that runs through the western part of the area. I wonder, though, if I should call it Podunk. What do you think?

Author Bio:

Tammy Doherty lives with her family on a small farm in central Massachusetts, growing and selling perennials. She is also a customer service rep for Northeast Veterinary Supply Company. Juggling work and family leaves little time for writing but her imagination is always on overdrive. She is the author of three inspirational Western romance novels, Celtic Cross, Claddaugh, and Celtic Knot. All three are available in print online from Amazon (http://tinyurl.com/9zz4lkf)  and Barnes & Noble (http://tinyurl.com/8dxxzek). Look for them in eBook format later this fall. Visit Tammy at her website http://tammydoherty.com/or on her Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/TammyDohertyAuthor.

Blogs Tammy Can Be Found On:

http://mystiqueofnaultag.blogspot.com/

http://faith-fiction-friends.blogspot.com/

Please consider helping Everyone's Story by adding your name on the Guest Book Page: http://elainestock.blogspot.com/p/guest-book.html

Jordyn Redwood: Thankful For The One Moments She's Graced With

Everyone's Story warmly welcomes debut author Jordyn Redwood. Involved in ACFW, I connected with Jordyn when I sought the answer to a medical dilemma I was having with one of my own characters in a novel. Jordyn, a pediatric ER nurse and a one-time marching band geek, is also the host of Redwood's Medical Edge, a blog devoted to helping authors with medical advice, not only helped me with great insights but also featured me on her blog
--a true honor. This week, I have the pleasure of reciprocating and highlighting an author who surely is on her way to having an exciting writing career. 

Jordyn shares with us a recent incident that has occurred to a close friend. When a near-tragedy happens, it gives new focus to what is meaningful in life. Jordyn has taken this experience and has applied it in some ways I'm sure you will find very close to your heart. Plus, she's offering a Giveaway of her novel PROOF.

Book Giveaway: 

Jordyn is offering one copy of her debut novel PROOF to one randomly chosen commenter. Please leave your email within the body of the comment for contact purposes only. The winner will be announced on 

Friday, August 31, between 4-5 PM EST.

Here's an Amazon blurb on PROOF:

Dr. Lilly Reeves is a young, accomplished ER physician with her whole life ahead of her. But that life instantly changes when she becomes the fifth victim of a serial rapist. Believing it's the only way to recover her reputation and secure peace for herself, Lilly sets out to find--and punish--her assailant. Sporting a mysterious tattoo and unusually colored eyes, the rapist should be easy to identify. He even leaves what police would consider solid evidence. But when Lilly believes she has found him, DNA testing clears him as a suspect. How can she prove he is guilty, if science says he is not?
                                   

Amazon Link: http://www.amazon.com/Proof-A-Novel-Bloodline-Trilogy/dp/0825442389/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1337199475&sr=8-1

That One Moment by Jordyn Redwood

As both a mom and a pediatric ER nurse, I recently got a call from a friend of mine (who is also both a mother of seven and ER nurse) that crushed me on all levels. As their family was packing up their belongings from a social gathering, her four-year-old wandered off.

I don't know what it is about water—but it draws curious youngsters like true north pulls at the compass’s needle and he fell into the pool when no one else was looking. The second thing I still haven’t discovered as a pediatric nurse, but understand as a mother, is that niggling that hits your gut to go check, go look, in the place that holds the worst-case scenario. My friend’s husband and another man, who was a family practice doctor, went to check the pool.

Of course, my friend first innocently thought that a child may have left something unwanted there until her husband dove in and pulled the lifeless body of her son from the bottom.

I've known Shellie for over a decade. We met as fellow nurses in the pediatric ICU and I know she is a wonderful mother and amazing nurse. And here it came—the culmination of all those years of training and experience coalescing into this one moment. As she put her lips to her son's lifeless purple ones—would he live or die? And if he lived—would he be the boy he was before?

Miraculously, she received back the same boy who took three minutes of CPR to revive.

When we chatted after the incident on the phone, as a mother, my heart broke. As a nurse, I understood the miracle that they had been given. As an author, you would think I would have all these amazing, insightful things to say and what I could muster was a prayer of thanksgiving and these words: "I think that was your one moment." If you’d like, you can read my friend’s account here.

What is that one moment? It’s that particular time in your life when "the universe lines up" and everything magically comes together for a good outcome. Personally, I call this God’s intervention. It's Sully landing that airplane on the Hudson River. If you've never read about his training background prior to that event, it quickly becomes clear that he was the man for the job!

The writing life is hard—there’re no two ways about it. On those days when you're staring at a blank computer screen, the cursor mocking your mind as you struggle to put words onto paper, I think it's fun to think about what "that one moment" in writing might be.

I'd read a post from author James Pence who'd published a book and after that, had struggled with sales. Let's just say he wasn't living the glory of a James Patterson writing career. Not yet been gifted a seventeen million dollar contract and he began to wonder if his whole foray into this writing life had been a big waste of his time.

Then he received a note from a gentleman whose house had burned to the ground. Whose family had been murdered. And when that man cried out to God for an answer, he found one burned page from James’s fiction novel about a man who’d also lost his wife and children and that page was hope for him. You can read James's talk about this amazing account here.

What I've learned is that each of our moments is going to look different. Some authors may grab the attention of the national media and others may only see an e-mail sent by a reader that was deeply touched by their novel. But what we shouldn't discount is the impact of that one moment and what it means for that one person. Both for the author and the reader.

I recently got a letter from a fellow RN that I'd never met who said she'd bought Proof mainly because she saw that it was written by a nurse. She loved the story so much that she felt it could be a bridge for an unbelieving co-worker to have a conversation about the Gospel.

I don't know—maybe that will be my one moment but I may not know until I see her in heaven.

Has something special in your life occurred to spur you to keep going? Come share with Jordyn--she looks forward to hearing from you.

Author Bio:

Jordyn Redwood is a pediatric ER nurse by day, suspense novelist by night. She hosts Redwood’s Medical Edge, a blog devoted to helping contemporary and historical authors write medically accurate fiction. Her debut novel, Proof, garnered a starred review from Library Journal and has been endorsed by the likes of Dr. Richard Mabry, Lynette Eason, and Mike Dellosso to name a few. You can connect with Jordyn via her website at www.jordynredwood.net.

You may also find Jordyn at:
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/#!/profile.php?id=100001524971656
Goodreads:  http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5448455.Jordyn_Redwood
Pinterest:  http://pinterest.com/jordynredwood/
Twitter:  https://twitter.com/#!/JordynRedwood

Please consider helping Everyone's Story by adding your name on the Guest Book Page: http://elainestock.blogspot.com/p/guest-book.html

Julie L. Cannon: Re-fashioned By God And Lovin' It

Everyone's Story welcomes this week's guest, multi-published author Julie Cannon. Although Simon & Schuster describes her Homegrown Series as Southern-fried Soul Food, I'd like to think of Julie as a role model for hope. As you will experience in Julie's personal account below, back in college Julie was involved in a horrific accident. So bad, that her parents were cautioned by specialists of what to expect--or not expect--from a brain injury. And, as you will also see, Julie is a walking miracle. 

How does one still have faith in a God when all seems doom and gloom? Sit back in a comfy chair and visit with Julie as she shares her story. Plus, she's offering a dynamic book giveaway!

Book Giveaway:

Julie is offering one copy of her new release TWANG to one commenter. The winner will be announced next Friday, August 24th. For convenience, please leave your email address within the comment.

Thanks For A Brain Injury?! by Julie Cannon

When I was a Junior at the University of Georgia in 1984, I needed a bunch of P.E. credits in order to graduate. I eagerly registered for a class called Fitness for Life; an intensive, multi-sport approach. My class was biking down Milledge Avenue, sans helmets, when an elderly gentleman’s car slammed into me. I’ve got no memory until some sketchy images weeks later in a hospital physical therapy room; learning to walk between parallel bars, squeezing sponges of water from one bowl into another, bottles of phenobarbitol lining the shelf.

When the hospital sent a brain-injury specialist to prepare my family for their new reality, I was oblivious. Apparently my mother still dwells only on the good things because she often remarks, “You’re a walking miracle! God’s been good to you, Julie.”

Well, at first I was not so sure about all the ‘God’s been good to you’ talk. Trips to the neurologist revealed a “spark” shooting from the right front temporal lobe of my brain. I was told ‘It’s not a good idea for you to drive.’ I certainly wasn’t feeling the need to say thanks to Someone who’d let this happen.

Though I’d been raised by devout, God-fearing parents who carried me to church every time the doors were open, I’d never had the time, nor the desire for any of that religious stuff. Life was all about me. But as the months passed, and as I journeyed along in my recovery (particularly as I saw the drooling folks in wheelchairs in the neurologist’s waiting room) I began to see that I had indeed been spared, and that there was a greater power at work in me. I’m sure you’re heard people say it was their suffering that drew them closer to God, that it was while in the proverbial dark valley they discovered God was all they needed. For me, this discovery was a brand new, earth-shaking realization, one that blew the door wide open to my soul.

Going through that l-o-n-g valley taught me that God uses the hard things in our lives to re-fashion us. It was the catalyst for a trusting relationship, a peace with God that I would not trade for anything in this world.

Sometimes it still hits me right between the eyes - what a miracle it is that I can walk, that I still possess the mental clarity to tell the stories I’ve always loved to tell! The wreck, the brain injury, and my subsequent journey to recovery wasn’t fun. It wasn’t easy. But as many challenges as I faced, still face, it was worth it all. In an odd way, I’m even thankful for what became the pivotal moment in my life. I wouldn’t erase it even if I could. What it taught me, what it brought to me is of immeasurable value. I want to tell this to the world.

I like what Donald Maass has to say about writers conveying our passions: “They are always stronger in the mouths of characters than in the prose of the author.” One of the characters in my novel Twang  is Tonilynn Hamby, beautician to country music diva Jenny Cloud. Tonilynn has gone through her own valleys, times when she was teetering on the abyss of despair. Now she feels she has wisdom to offer recording star Jenny Cloud when it comes to ugly childhood memories:

“This world would be so much poorer without your songs. You’ve got to understand, hon, in God’s economy, nothing we experience in this earthly life is wasted. Please let him pour his love on hurting, vulnerable people through you. He can make something beautiful and good come out of your ugliest experiences, if you’ll just let him! I’m begging you, just ask him to help you dig it all up!”

Jenny is not sure she can trust Tonilynn’s faith or her advice. Tonilynn is not deterred. “It’s the only way to healing, Jennifer,” Tonilynn’s brown eyes went soft with concern. “Believe me, God cares, and he understands our hurt. He used my hurts as a way of ministering to others when I finally looked them in the eye, and he can use yours. Pull up whatever it is that’s still buried and use it to write a song.”

Jenny Cloud is stubborn. It takes a natural disaster to drive her to her knees.

Twang is about how to trust God with a despicable memory, something you think is totally unredeemable, and find out he’s got something beautiful he can fashion from it. If you like spiritually daring stories, I hope you’ll consider checking out Twang.

Can you relate to either Julie's experiences, or that of her characters Jenny Cloud or Tonilynn? Julie will enjoy hearing from you if you'd like to leave a comment ♥

Julie's Books:

Twang (Abingdon Press) Coming August 1 2012

I'll Be Home for Christmas (Summerside Press)

The Romance Readers' Book Club (Penguin Plume)

Those Pearly Gates (Simon & Schuster)

'Mater Biscuit (Simon & Schuster)

Truelove & Homegrown Tomatoes (Simon & Schuster)

Author Bio:

Julie L. Cannon is the author of the award-winning Homegrown series, published by Simon & Schuster and described as ‘Southern-fried soul food.’ Her novel I’ll Be Home for Christmas, Summerside Press, Sept. ‘10, made the CBA Bestseller List as well as Nielsen’s Top 50 Inspirational Titles. Abingdon Press will release Twang  in August 2012, and Scarlett Says in October 2013. When she isn’t busy tending her tomato patch, Julie can be found listening to country music or teaching memoir-writing workshops. She lives in Watkinsville, Georgia. Visit her website at www.julielcannon.com and connect with her on Facebook at www.facebook.com/julieLcannon and on Twitter at  http://twitter.com/JulieLCannon