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Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Blog Tour - Amy Wallace and Healing Promises

Today, I have the privilege of wrapping up the month-long blog tour for Amy Wallace. We'll be revisiting this post again in May as part of CFBA, so you'll have *TWO* chances to win a copy of her book. Be sure and leave a comment to enter.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Amy Wallace is the author of Ransomed Dreams and Healing Promises, a wife, homeschool mom of three, speaker, Bible study leader, and avid chocoholic. She loves crafting high-action suspense that delves deep into heart issues, but who she really is can be summed up in a few short words: Amy is a daughter of the King learning to live and love with laughter. Please visit her at http://www.amywallace.com/. Sign up for her Dark Chocolate Suspense Newsletter and stay up to date on all of Amy's latest news.

And don't forget to visit the Defenders of Hope web site for more information about these books and the themes of inspiration behind them.

HEALING PROMISES
by Amy Wallace
Published by Multnomah Books

ABOUT THE BOOK

Chained To Yesterday
When tragedy struck and Gracie Lang lost everything, her faith crumbled, and nothing but the drive for justice propelled her forward. But after two years of dead-end searching, the truth Gracie seeks is the very thing her stalker will stop at nothing to hide.

Forgiveness Unlocks the Future
An FBI agent in the Crimes Against Children Unit, Steven Kessler spends his days rescuing other people’s children and nights caring for his son. He’s through with God, embittered by his ex-wife who abandoned them both, and definitely doesn’t expect what’s coming next.

The Past Is the Key
A plot to kidnap a British ambassador’s daughter dangerously intersects Steven and Gracie’s worlds–a collision that demands a decision. But are they willing to pay the high ransom required to redeem dreams and reignite hope?

Read the first chapter here.

Buy your copy of Healing Promises today!

Ransomed Dreams is the first book in this Defenders of Hope series. It's important to read this prior to reading Healing Promises. Healing Promises won't lose you as it can stand alone, but there are some spoilers in the first chapter and Amy would hate to ruin Ransomed Dreams for you if you haven't read it first.

Facing a new threat.
When FBI Agent Clint Rollins takes a bullet during a standoff, it might just save his life. But not even the ugly things he’s seen during his years working in the Crimes Against Children Unit could prepare him for the overwhelming powerlessness of hospital tests revealing an unexpected diagnosis. If only Sara weren’t retreating into doctor mode…he needs his wife now more than ever.

Frozen in fear.
Sara Rollins is an oncologist with a mission–beating cancer when she can, easing her patients’ suffering at the very least. Now the life of her tall Texan husband is at stake. She never let the odds steal her hope before, but in this case, the question of God’s healing promises is personal. Can she hold on to the truth she claimed to believe?

Faith under fire.
As Clint continues to track down a serial kidnapper despite his illness, former investigations haunt his nightmares, pushing him beyond solving the case into risking his life and career. Clint struggles to believe God is still the God of miracles. Especially when he needs not one, but two. Everything in his life is reduced to one all-important question: Can God be trusted?

Read the first chapter here.

Buy your copy of Healing Promises today!


AUTHOR INTERVIEW

1. Healing Promises is book 2 in your Defenders of Hope series. What gave you the inspiration for this story?

One of the major storylines for Healing Promises came from a question I posed to the federal agent I interviewed before writing Ransomed Dreams. I had the seed of an idea about FBI Agent Clint Rollins's emotion journey, so I asked, "What would a federal agent do if he was diagnosed with a life-threatening illness?" My expert advisor said that many agents would end the battle fast. I knew then I wanted to explore how a Christian federal agent would handle a life-altering medical diagnosis.

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

I didn't realize until writing the end of Healing Promises how much of my recent journey through intense physical pain from a shoulder injury and my faith struggles were woven into the characters and their experiences. All I was aware of doing was pouring my soul into the pages. My writing mentor calls this "bleeding into your work." The process is painful, and yet it's one of the best ways to bring stories to life.

But the characters in Healing Promises are far less me and more composites of real-life heroes and heroines who've faced life-threatening illnesses and held onto Jesus. At the same time, Clint, Michael and Steven along with Sara, Hanna and Gracie have their own unique quirks and ways of approaching life. The result of taking different personality elements and blending them in various ways provides one of the most fun parts of writing.

3. What themes exist in Healing Promises that you hope the reader sees? Are there any themes that weren't overt but developed as the story progressed?

My prayer is that readers will experience a deeper sense of the goodness and trustworthiness of God, even when life doesn’t go according to plan. I also hope readers will see that at the end of ourselves only one truth remains—God is good. What we do with that fact changes everything.

The theme of weaknesses and how we deal with them grew as I dug into the story and got to know the characters better.

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

The hardest parts to write were the scenes in the killer's POV. But I longed to write them well so parents could see some of the "tricks of the trade" kidnappers use and be a little more informed about keeping their children safe.

The best parts to write were at the end, so I can't really elaborate on them. :) But there are two scenes that still make me cry—even after editing them over and over and over again. I can say that I loved writing the depth of relationship that exists between various characters: Clint and Sara, Steven and his sister, Hanna, and the friendship between Clint and Steven and Lee and Michael. Writing those character's interactions were usually a great deal of fun.

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

Enduring Justice, the third book in the Defenders of Hope series, releases in spring of 2009. This is Michael and Hanna's story and focuses on a painful secret and a racially motivated killer. When circumstances simplify the options to fight or fear, Michael and Hanna learn that the difference between executing vengeance and pursuing justice is their choice to heal.

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

Readers, leave a comment for your chance to win a FREE copy of Healing Promises.

If you wish to comment but don't want to be entered, say so when you post. Make sure you also leave your email address (name at domainname dot.com/net) or that it's available for viewing in your blogger profile. Wouldn't want you to miss out on winning a book. :)

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 I announce the winner.

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

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7 comments:

Cherie J said...

Ooh! Would love to win this one. The first book of the series was great!

windycindy said...

Happy Wednesday! I have followed her virtual book tour until your site! It is interesting to read how different individuals react and respond to the difficult times in their lives. Do they count on their faith? I also like when she interview the federal agent and asks how they would react to a grim diagnosis and then she decided on a Christian federal agent's handling of it! Please enter me in your drawing. Many thanks,Cindi
jchoppes[at]hotmail[dot]com

Donna said...

Please enter me in the drawing. runninmama[at]sbcglobal[dot]net

ChristyJan said...

This sounds like such a wonderful book! Please enter me to win a copy.
hawkes(at)citlink.net

Carole said...

I plan to get this book as soon as I read the first one. I love this book's storyline, and would love to win a copy. Thank you for the opportunity.

cjarvis [at] bellsouth [dot] net

Amy Wallace said...

Thanks everyone for your great comments! It was fun to visit Tiff's blog and chat about the characters and writing. Thanks for having me over, Tiff!

And a special thanks to those of you who followed the Healing Promises blog tour! Very fun to see your posts along the way. ;-)

Tiffany Amber Stockton said...

We have a winner for this drawing, and that is:

CINDI!

Congratulations. I have your mailing information and will sending out your book within the week.

THREE other winners posted. Check out the comments on the other spotlights back to Janet Lee Barton's to see if you've won.

As always, thank you for your continued support.