Spotlight on Kaye Dacus and A Case for Love

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

KAYE DACUS is the author of contemporary and historical romances with Barbour Publishing and Harvest House Publishers. She holds a Master of Arts in Writing Popular Fiction from Seton Hill University, is a former Vice President of American Christian Fiction Writers, and currently serves as President of Middle Tennessee Christian Writers. She loves action movies and British costume dramas; and when she’s not writing, she enjoys knitting scarves and “lap blankets” (she’s a master of the straight-line knit and purl stitches!). Kaye lives in Nashville, Tennessee, and even though she writes romance novels, she is not afraid to admit that she’s never been kissed. To learn more about Kaye and her books, visit her online at kayedacus.com.

Additional places to find Kaye:
http://twitter.com/kayedacus
http://www.facebook.com/kayedacus

A CASE FOR LOVE
by Kaye Dacus
Published by Barbour Publishing

ABOUT THE BOOK

Welcome back to Bonneterre, Louisiana, for the delightful conclusion to the Brides of Bonneterre series.

The Alaine Delacroix that all of Bonneterre knows is the carefully polished image she puts forth every day on her noontime news-magazine program. When her parents’ home and small business is threatened by the biggest corporation in town, Alaine is forced to choose between her image and fighting for the life her family has built.

Lawyer Forbes Guidry is used to making things go his way. But when he’s asked to take on a pro bono case for a colleague, he’ll learn that he can’t control everything—including his feelings for his new client: Alaine Delacroix.

Alaine’s only option to help her family is hiring Forbes, but can she bring herself to trust the handsome, disarmingly charming lawyer? And will Forbes Guidry be able to make a case for love before losing his job and family? Can both trust that God will present a solution before it’s too late?

Readers, buy your copy of A Case for Love today!

Also available at CBD and B&N.

AUTHOR INTERVIEW

1. What gave you the inspiration for this story?

In Stand-In Groom, the first book in the Brides of Bonneterre series, with hidden identities and secret celebrity weddings, I needed a puppet-master, someone local who knew all the players and was in a position of power to be able to pull their strings. Enter Forbes Guidry.

The idea for a character like Forbes didn’t start with Stand-In Groom, however.

Before I ever had the idea for a story about a wedding planner falling in love, I had an idea that I might one day write a contemporary-set story loosely based on the storyline of Pride and Prejudice. The hero would be a local politician running for state office—orchestrated by his wealthy aunt—and the heroine would be someone who worked for some kind of advocacy group that was trying to either get him on board with the worthy cause they advocated or get him defeated

When it came time to come up with a proposal of two more books to go with Stand-In Groom I already had the idea for Menu for Romance. I knew it was time to resurrect that P&P idea. And even though the story idea I initially sent in was dismissed and a new storyline not involving politics was called for, the character who would become Forbes remained the same throughout the entire process. But now he was a lawyer (as of Stand-In Groom) and he was a self-professed control freak (as of Menu for Romance). So I needed someone who could handle him. And I realized I had already introduced the perfect foil for Forbes in Menu: Alaine Delacroix, the local TV society reporter. And the story took off from there.

2. How much of your own experiences influenced your characters? What aspects became traits that were theirs and theirs alone?

There’s always something of me in each of my characters—Anne’s and Meredith’s desire to create events that will please the attendees; Major’s love of food; Forbes’s control-freakishness; Alaine’s concern with what other people think of her. For the most part, though, their professions and their experiences with falling in love are uniquely their own as, so far, I have not written a character who’s had any job that I’ve ever had (though I have done lots of event planning over the years and even worked in a restaurant my senior year of high school), and I’ve never experienced falling in love with someone who was also falling in love with me. I think I have a tendency to give my characters traits I would like to have so that as I explore those traits when I’m writing those characters, I will hopefully pick up a little bit of it myself.

3. If your hero/heroine were an ice cream flavor, what would he/she be and why?

If Alaine were an ice cream flavor, she’d be cinnamon-honey. Being half-Portuguese, she’s very exotic looking, she has a bit of “spice” to her personality, but underneath her take-on-the-world exterior, she’s really sweet and natural inside.

Forbes would be hand-cranking two ice cream makers: one filled with vanilla ice cream and one filled with chocolate. Straightforward and unpretentious, he expects everything around him to be clear-cut and black-and-white; no frills, no add-ons; nothing unexpected.

4. Are there any themes in A Case for Love that you hope the reader sees? Are there any themes that weren't overt but developed as the story progressed?

I’m the world’s worst at trying to figure out what the themes in my books are until someone else points them out to me! On the surface, the story in Case juxtaposes the story in Menu somewhat. In Menu for Romance, Forbes helps Major to see that Major has not been living up to the commandment that calls for us to honor our parents. Yet in A Case for Love, Forbes makes the decision to stand in opposition to his parents. But in reality, both of these stories show different ways in which we honor our parents. In Major’s case, it’s by not being embarrassed by a parent with a disability. In Forbes’s case, it’s taking a stand to try to remind his parents of the very ethics, morals, and Christian values they raised him to have.

A theme I didn’t expect that started developing in Menu for Romance and became much clearer in A Case for Love is the search for identity all of us go through in our twenties or thirties—when we come to a point when we realize we have to separate ourselves from the children we once were to independently functioning adults, especially in a family that’s as close as my fictional Guidry family is. It’s a theme of learning to stand alone, separate from being daughter/sister/granddaughter, yet learning to reweave those relationships into something supportive and sustaining that will be there eternally.

5. What were your most difficult parts to write? Your favorite?

Most difficult? FORBES GUIDRY. That control freak did not want to let go and let me get inside his head. I think it’s because he knew I was going to start taking away his control over everything in his life and he didn’t like it, not one bit. Eventually, we negotiated a settlement and he was much more forthcoming. But, oh my goodness, how he frustrated me the first couple of months I was trying to write this book.

My favorite part of every book I write—but especially in A Case for Love—is the ending, the final scene in which the hero and heroine finally come back together and work everything out and get their happy ending.

6. When is your next book coming out and what is the story?

My next book coming out is Ransome’s Crossing, book two of the Ransome Trilogy from Harvest House, which is set to release June 1, 2010. It’s a continuation of the story from Ransome’s Honor, picking up the day after that book left off. The focus shifts more onto William’s younger sister Charlotte and her desire to leave England to join her secret fiancé in Jamaica. To do so, she disguises herself as a midshipman and signs on as part of the crew of one of the ships in the convoy William is leading to Jamaica. Charlotte is quickly going to discover that the peril of life at sea isn’t the most dangerous part of her Atlantic crossing.

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Thank you, Kaye, for being in the spotlight with us.

Readers, leave a comment for your chance to win a FREE autographed copy of A Case for Love.

Make sure you also leave your email address (name at domainname dot.com/net). You won't be entered in the drawing without it. If you wish to comment but don't want to be entered, say so when you post.

And if you want to make certain you don't miss anything, check the box that says 'email follow-up comments to:' when you leave a comment and they'll be sent to the email address associated with your blogging account. That way you'll be notified of any comments and will know when the winners are announced each time.

This week, the contest is open to US/Canada residents only.

Blog Spotlight Winners -- December and January

First, let me offer my sincere apologies for allowing so many weeks to pass without choosing winners from my spotlights. I book so far in advance and schedule so many weeks ahead for the spotlights to automatically post, when life gets hectic, I sometimes forget to come back here to select winners.

Of course, this time, the reason has been a sick daughter who hasn't been sleeping well, which means Mama hasn't been sleeping well either. There have also been increased demands from work that have all but zapped my free time.

But I'm SO embarrassed that 8 weeks of spotlights have gone without winners. Thank you for continuing to leave comments though, and a special thanks to those who have emailed me asking if I was all right, as well as offering to pray. I truly appreciate your support. So much more than words can say.

And now, I'm making up for my lapse by listing all the winners here:

Dan Walsh's THE UNFINISHED GIFT
SuperMOM - ladyverlina

Robert Liparulo's WHIRLWIND
Warren - wjuhnke

Margaret Daley's MERRY MAYHEM
Mark - marcus802001

Susan Page Davis' THE SHERIFF'S SURRENDER
Carolynn - carolynnwald

Margaret Brownley's A LADY LIKE SARAH
JoAnn - joann4us

Julie Klassen's THE SILENT GOVERNESS
Sylvia - Samitude

Kim Sawyer's KATY'S NEW WORLD
Suz - suzbeav

C.J. Darlington's THICKER THAN BLOOD
Anne - annepatrick07

And that's all folks...for now. Another winner next week. I believe I contacted all of you, but if you see your name here and did NOT receive an email from me, let me know.

Congratulations to all the winners. Would that we could have more than 1 winner for each spotlight. But keep coming back and leaving comments. You just never know when the next win will be you!

Thanks so much for your continued support.

Spotlight on Martha Rogers and Becoming Lucy

One day late, but the author had computer problems. :)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

MARTHA ROGERS is a Christian freelance author of both fiction and non-fiction and speaker. Her stories and articles have appeared in a number of compilations and magazines. Her first fiction will be released in 2007. Her experiences as a public school teacher, Sunday school teacher, youth leader, First Place leader, Mom and Grandmother give Martha a unique field of ministry.

BECOMING LUCY
by Martha Rogers
Published by Strang

ABOUT THE BOOK

After her parents' deaths, 17-year-old heiress Lucy Bishop takes refuge on her aunt and uncle's ranch in Barton Creek, Oklahoma. If it weren't for ranch hand Jake Starnes, the genteel young woman wouldn't survive the backbreaking work. But a dark secret torments him. Can Jake face his past before somebody claims Lucy's hand---or her life? 304 pages, softcover from Realms.

Readers, buy your copy of Becoming Lucy today!

AUTHOR INTERVIEW

1. What gave you the inspiration for this story?

Driving back and forth to Tulsa to visit our son and his family, we always stopped at the Oklahoma Tourist Info Center for a break. I picked up a book about Oklahoma and liked the history. I decided I had to write a story about those years before statehood.

2. How much of your own experiences influenced your characters? What aspects became traits that were theirs and theirs alone?

Lucy is like me in some ways, but she is her own person. I am adaptable and have a giving spirit and determination to make things work like Lucinda had when she first came to Barton Creek. Jake is not like anyone I know. He had great faith to go back and face the consequences of his actions when he had just found the girl he could love the rest of his life.

3. If your hero/heroine were an ice cream flavor, what would he/she be and why?

Lucy would be strawberries and cream because it's just the right blend of tart and sweet at the same time.

4. Are there any themes in Becoming Lucy that you hope the reader sees? Are there any themes that weren't overt but developed as the story progressed?

The main one is that God's great love forgives us and reconciles us to Him no matter what we've done. The other more subtle one is that of God's protection for His children. All my books carry a theme of reconciliation and reunion.

5. What were your most difficult parts to write? Your favorite?

The most difficult part is keeping up with conflict because I dislike confrontation and don't like to write conflict. I love to write about love and how a couple grows and discovers truths about each other as they fall in love.

6. When is your next book coming out and what is the story?

Book 2, Morning for Dove will be out May 1st.

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Thank you, Martha, for being in the spotlight with us.

Readers, leave a comment for your chance to win a FREE autographed copy of Becoming Lucy.

Make sure you also leave your email address (name at domainname dot.com/net). You won't be entered in the drawing without it. If you wish to comment but don't want to be entered, say so when you post.

And if you want to make certain you don't miss anything, check the box that says 'email follow-up comments to:' when you leave a comment and they'll be sent to the email address associated with your blogging account. That way you'll be notified of any comments and will know when the winners are announced each time.

This week, the contest is open to US/Canada residents only.

Title Trakk Blog Tour - C.J. Darlington and Thicker Than Blood

TitleTrakk.com Blog Tours Presents:

Thicker than Blood
by C.J. Darlington
Published by Tyndale House

Winner of the
2008 Christian Writers Guild Operation First Novel Contest!

Christy Williams finally has her life on track. She’s putting her past behind her and working hard to build a career as an antiquarian book buyer. But things begin to unravel when a stolen Hemingway first edition is found in her possession, framing her for a crime she didn’t commit. With no one to turn to, she yearns for her estranged younger sister, May, whom she abandoned after their parents’ untimely deaths. Soon, Christy’s fleeing from her shattered dreams, her ex-boyfriend, and God. Could May’s Triple Cross Ranch be the safe haven she’s searching for? Will the sisters realize that each possesses what the other desperately needs before it’s too late?

MY REVIEW

From the back cover copy, this book had me hooked. As an author, who could resist a premise dealing in classic and antique books, especially first edition collectibles? Throw in the transition to the cattle ranch, and I couldn't stay away. :) I was impressed with the characterization, depth and emotion in C.J.'s first novel. It read more like a seasoned author in both flow and pacing. She tackled the difficult issues of alcoholism, domestic violence and shame with skill and extreme care, her attention to detail amazing. I felt like I was right there in the book shop, smelling the pages of the old volumes, or right there on the ranch smelling the musty hay, and deeply involved in the sisters' lives. The suspense only heightened the enjoyment. But most of all, I appreciated the fact that Christy's path toward healing didn't become predictable or superficial. Super kudos to C.J. on her debut novel! This is one author you should put on your watch list!

ENDORSEMENTS

With careful attention to detail, emotion, and scene-setting, C.J. Darlington scores with her debut effort. Here is a special writer you won’t want to miss.
--Jerry B. Jenkins, New York Times best selling author

If you love a good read filled with adventure and ultimately redemption, I encourage you to brew the tea, settle into your favorite chair and pick up the page turner that is C.J. Darlington’s imaginative new novel of a modern day sisterhood that triumphs over separation and the raw challenges of life to find the real endurance of both family ties and God’s amazing grace.
--Rebecca St. James, Grammy award winning Christian singer and bestselling author

With Thicker than Blood, C.J. Darlington proves she's a novelist for the long-haul, a strong new voice in Christian fiction. This book speaks to the heart, from the heart, about the heart. Readers will not soon forget it.
--Sibella Giorello, Christy award-winning author of The Rivers Run Dry & The Clouds Roll Away

Watch the book trailer:

About the Author:
C. J. began writing the story that would become Thicker than Blood (her first novel) when she was a fifteen-year-old homeschool student. She has been in the antiquarian bookselling business for over a decade, scouting for stores similar to the one described in the novel before cofounding her own online bookstore. Thicker than Blood was the winner of the 2008 Christian Writers Guild Operation First Novel.

C. J. co-founded the Christian entertainment Web site TitleTrakk.com with her sister, Tracy, and has been actively promoting Christian fiction through book reviews and author interviews. She makes her home in Pennsylvania with her family and their menagerie of dogs and cats. Visit her website www.cjdarlington.com for more info.

QUICK LINKS:

• The 1st chapter of Thicker than Blood
• The "Story Behind the Story" of Thicker than Blood
• More endorsements from Jenny B. Jones, James Scott Bell, Susan Meissner, and more!
• Our interview with C.J. at TitleTrakk.com
  
• Buy Thicker than Blood at Christianbook.com
• Buy Thicker than Blood at Amazon.com
• List of the other 85+ Thicker than Blood blog tour participants!

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Readers, leave a comment for your chance to win a FREE copy of Thicker Than Blood.

Make sure you also leave your email address (name at domainname dot.com/net). You won't be entered in the drawing without it. If you wish to comment but don't want to be entered, say so when you post.

And if you want to make certain you don't miss anything, check the box that says 'email follow-up comments to:' when you leave a comment and they'll be sent to the email address associated with your blogging account. That way you'll be notified of any comments and will know when the winners are announced each time.

This week, the contest is open to US/Canada residents only.

Spotlight on Kim Vogel Sawyer and Katy's New World

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

KIM SAWYER is a bestselling, award-winning author who wears many hats besides “writer.” As a wife, mother, grandmother, and active participant in her church, her life is happily full. But Kim’s passion lies in writing stories of hope that encourage her readers to place their lives in God’s capable hands. An active speaking ministry assists her with her desire. Kim and her husband make their home on the beautiful plains of Kansas, the setting for many of Kim’s novels.

KATY'S NEW WORLD
by Kim Vogel Sawyer
Published by Zondervan

ABOUT THE BOOK

When Katy Lambright is given the opportunity to attend a secular high school outside her Mennonite community, she is ecstatic. But as Katy begins to adjust to life outside her community and begins to make decisions for herself, her relationships with her family and lifelong friends become strained. Can Katy balance her new world with the Old Order?

Readers, buy your copy of Katy's New World today!

AUTHOR INTERVIEW

1. This is your debut young adult novel. Congratulations! What gave you the inspiration for this story?

In my "former life," I was a teacher. I'm also a mom of three daughters. So I have a desire to be an encouragement to young people. There's an incredible pull for teens to be accepted by their peers, yet acceptance sometimes involves compromising principles. I truly hope these stories will give young readers the courage to hold tight to their convictions regardless of what the "crowd" tells them to do.

2. How much of your own experiences influenced your characters? What aspects became traits that were theirs and theirs alone?

Like Katy, I grew up Mennonite. I had a fascination with words and writing--had to write out my thoughts or I feared I'd explode. Unlike Katy, I have never lived on a farm, and I had the privilege of two parents. I was painfully shy as a kid--Katy has a lot more spunk than I possessed at that age.

3. If your hero/heroine were an ice cream flavor, what would he/she be and why?

I think Katy would be something unique, like Creme Broulee. She stands out in her Mennonite community because of her desire to continue her education; she stands out in the secular high school because of her Mennonite dress. So she'd have to be something outside of the norm, flavor-wise.

4. Are there any themes in Katy's New World that you hope the reader sees? Are there any themes that weren't overt but developed as the story progressed?

Obviously, I hope readers recognize the importance of holding tight to Christian convictions. Some things that emerged effortlessly was the importance of family relationships as well as reaching others with the gospel. I can't say any more than that without giving things away. :)

5. What were your most difficult parts to write? Your favorite?

Well, it has been a while since I was a 16-year-old girl! (lol) Sliding into the teenage mindset proved more challenging than I had anticipated. I loved the scenes between Katy and her father, as well as the scene with Katy and her grandmother. I enjoyed replaying some tender moments with my own dad and step-grandma as I wrote the story.

6. When is your next book coming out and what is the story?

I'll have two releases in June--the second book in the Katy Lambright series, titled Katy's Debate, and an historical, A Hopeful Heart, which features women from the east attending a herdsman school in Kansas to learn the skills needed to survive as western ranchers' wives. I hope readers will look for both stories.

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Thank you, Kim, for being in the spotlight with us.

Readers, leave a comment for your chance to win a FREE autographed copy of Katy's New World.

Make sure you also leave your email address (name at domainname dot.com/net). You won't be entered in the drawing without it. If you wish to comment but don't want to be entered, say so when you post.

And if you want to make certain you don't miss anything, check the box that says 'email follow-up comments to:' when you leave a comment and they'll be sent to the email address associated with your blogging account. That way you'll be notified of any comments and will know when the winners are announced each time.

This week, the contest is open to US/Canada residents only.