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Wednesday, November 11, 2009

CFBA Blog Tour - Golden Keyes Parsons and A Prisoner of Versailles

This week, the
Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
is introducing
A Prisoner of Versailles
Thomas Nelson - September 1, 2009)
by Golden Keyes Parsons


ABOUT THE AUTHOR

GOLDEN KEYES PARSONS - In her deep plowing of the heart, moving from tears one moment to laughter the next, Golden will touch your heart with her dynamic Bible teaching, combined with her vivid personal examples, moving from tears one moment, to laughter the next, all the while communicating the message that God is faithful--keep trusting Him. She has a passion to communicate the Word of God in such a manner that will lead to godly living.

Golden, and her husband, Blaine, have just retired as pastors at Faith Mountain Fellowship Church in Red River, NM. They have three grown daughters and eight grandchildren. Her testimony and myriad of life experiences lend a touch of authenticity to her teaching. She loves to speak for women's conferences, seminars, luncheons, retreats and Mother/Daughter events.

If deep Bible teaching that brings the Scriptures alive is what you want, Golden is the speaker you need.

A PRISONER OF VERSAILLES
by Golden Keyes Parsons
Published by Thomas Nelson

ABOUT THE BOOK

Madeleine's faith puts her at odds with an intimidating rival: King Louis XIV.

Having fled their homeland of France because of the persecution by Louis XIV, the Clavell family seeks refuge in Switzerland. However, the king is not about to let the recently widowed Madeleine, his childhood sweetheart, escape that easily. He sends musketeers to kidnap her and her oldest son, Philippe, holding them captive in his opulent palace. King Louis is suspicious that Philippe could be his son, and he's enraged by the growing affection of one of his courtiers for Madeleine.

Will Madeleine escape the king with her life or lose everything that she's fought so hard to keep?

If you would like to read the first chapter of A Prisoner of Versailles, go HERE.

Readers, buy your copy of A Prisoner of Versailles today!

AUTHOR INTERVIEW

1. What gave you the inspiration for this story?

It is a continuation of the story of my Huguenot (French Protestants) ancestors' flight from the persecution of the Catholic government in 17th century France. The story line of "Prisoner" is entirely fictionalized, but the historical facts are accurate.

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

I think within every character developed by an author at least germs of the author's own experiences lie embedded. In "Prisoner" there is a point where my heroine is angry with God and offended because of her circumstances, and she rails against him. I have been there. I have been offended by things in my life that God allowed -- illness, loss of career, a rebellious child.

I don't know that I would have the courage that Madeleine had to formulate a plot and carry it through to save my family. Although she experienced periods of weakness, she was victorious in the end and was able to remove them from harm's way.

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

She is anything but plain vanilla, so I'm going to say Jamoca Almond Fudge. She has a strong flavor to her personality, with some "hard" places, but also with swirls of richness and sweetness.

4. Are there any themes in A Prisoner of Versailles that you hope the reader sees? Are there any themes that weren't overt but developed as the stories progressed?

That the journey of faith is never easy, and all of us fail from time to time, but God is faithful.

The theme of forgiveness and reconciliation as illustrated by the relationship between Pierre, the courtier and Madeleine's rescuer, and his father, Commander Bovee. The Commander had not been a father to his son as he pursued his career as a dragoon soldier serving the court of King Louis XIV, but the two are reconciled as the story progresses.

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

The most difficult thing for me was giving layers to Madeleine, my heroine, to make her relatable. I gave her character flaws; cited her failures; made her vulnerable, but for some reason, she was still difficult for some readers to relate to. I worked really hard on that, but that is difficult when the female protagonist is a strong woman.

I think one of the best scenes is when King Louis is questioning Pierre about his mission to find Madeleine. The double talk that Pierre has to maneuver through to avoid giving himself or Madeleine away without lying was fun to write, but a bit tricky.

Writing the dance scenes was fun. I actually found videos of 17th century French dances and viewed them over and over.

I also like the scene where Commander Bovee ambushes King Louis' soldiers. I think it is tight and full of page-turning tension.

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

When Hearts Are Free comes out in the fall of 2010. The story takes up six years later in Pennsylvania where the Clavells have settled. Madeleine is still a part of the story, but the new heroine is Madeleine's son, Philippe's, love interest, Brigitte Barrington. Philippe and his brother have been indentured as servants in Philadelphia, and the story deals with their adventures to be free and settle with the family, and the troubled romance between Brigitte and Philippe. My ancestors actually were indentured as servants in Philadelphia.

* * * * *

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

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

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.

19 comments:

Casey H. said...

I would lOVE to read this book- it looks like a fantastic read! Please enter me!

libraryhelper(at)harneyesd(dot)k12(dot)or(dot)us

Unknown said...

Thanks for the great interview. I look forward to reading the comments. I love hearing from readers!

Anonymous said...

Sounds like a great book to read.....I would love to win it and read it. Please enter me.
Thanks.
jackie.smith(at)dishmail(dot)net

Anonymous said...

a fabulous post...I would enjoy reading this book...thanks for the opportunity.

karen k
kmkuka(at)yahoo(dot)Com

Carole said...

Based on Golden's first book, this should be another incredible read. And those 17th-century dances are certainly fun to watch. Thank you for the interview and giveaway.

cjarvis [at] bellsouth [dot] net

Melanie Dickerson said...

This is a great series! I have In the Shadow of the King and Prisoner of Versailles, and they're both great! :-)
Very nice interview.

Roseanna White said...

This is a fabulous book--even better than Sun King--and Golden is such a sweetheart! I don't need to be entered to win, but I had to say how much I enjoyed the interview!

Cherie J said...

Sounds like a wonderful book. I have been hearing great things about it. Please enter me in the drawing. Thank you!

cherierj(at)yahoo(dot)com

Ruth Axtell Morren said...

This is a great story. As I read it, I wanted to know what was fact, what was fiction, since it all sounded believable.
I agree with Golden, it's sometimes hard to write stronger female protagonists, I think you were very successful w/Madeleine.

Unknown said...

Ah, thanks for the great comments, especially that Madeleine was a character whom you liked. I had some responses otherwise, and I'm wondering if a strong female protagonist is threatening to some, just as a strong woman is intimidating in real life. What do you think?

Thanks for adding to the conversation.

Martha A. said...

I read the first book and my that was a powerful book, I am sure this one will be nothing less. I was reading some of the reviews on Amazon and find it funny that people will write a negative review because there was too much God in a book that is a Christian book. It is like me complaining that a non-Christian book lacked mention of God.....that said, I am thankful this one has such a great mention of God in it and am looking forward to reading it! martha(at)lclink(dot)com

Unknown said...

Well, yes! And especially when the subject is religious persecution ... hello!

Another thing that gets me (may I vent for a moment? :) is when someone considers themselves somewhat an "expert" on the era and then an makes inaccurate statement in a negative comment.

Oh, well. We have to take it all in stride and bless them anyway, don't we? I appreciate all your kind comments

Blessings!

Renee (BlacknGoldGirlsBookSpot) said...

Oh this sounds so good! I just got a copy of In the Shadow of the Sun King from Golden and would love to read this too! Thank you! It's so nice to read books from different eras of history!

xoxo~ Renee
steelergirl83(at)gmail(dot)com

Martha A. said...

Yeah, I don't get that. Why on earth would you pick to review a book on religious persecution in the first place...."sigh" At least most of the people reading the reviews will want to read it because of that negative review because they want they complained about!

Linda said...

I haven't read any book by Golden Keys Parson. Please enter me. Thanks.
desertrose5173 at gmail dot com

Anonymous said...

I LOVED Golden's first book. Please enter me for this one.

rebornbutterfly at sbcglobal dot net

Unknown said...

That's a positive way to look at the negative reviews, Martha. I like that! I simply pray that something in the book will speak to hearts despite the criticism. I know from experience that we can trust the Holy Spirit to do that.

Blessings to all of you for your participation.

Golden Keyes Parsons

Anonymous said...

Oh, please please enter me!! I can hardly wait to get this book!!
~Abby

abster dot rose at yahoo dot com

Tiffany Amber Stockton said...

We have a winner from this drawing and that is:

CHERIE

Congratulations! I have sent your information to Golden so she can send out your book.

As always, thanks to everyone for your continued support.