New Release tomorrow!

Terri Reed here on this abnormally hot Oregon day. Whew! 

I have a new release in July that I wanted to share with you all. 

Joint Investigation is the second book in my Northern Border Patrol series from Love Inspired Suspense. 

LONE AGENT 

Under other circumstances, FBI agent Samantha Bennett might welcome a bit of backup—but not from an overprotective Mountie. She's been on the trail of a serial killer for six months and no one has ever taken the case seriously…until now. When Royal Canadian Mounted Police inspector Drew Kelley saves her life, he decides that the hunt for "Birdman" is his problem, too. Together they begin a cross-continent chase to stop the madman before he strikes again. However, Samantha fears her growing feelings for the lawman may weaken her focus, or worse—put Drew directly in the killer's sights… 

Northern Border Patrol: Keeping the U.S.–Canadian border safe

To celebrate my new release I'll be guest appearing on several blogs throughout the month of July. If you would like to see my blog schedule you can stop by my webpage to sign up for my latest newsletter.  I have several interview type blog posts as well as sharing some behind the scenes information about this book and also sharing a recipe for a Summer Fruit Treat.

Also stop by my webpage sometime between July 7th and July 31st and comment to enter in a giveaway I'll be doing on my webpage.  

And stop by Goodreads to enter to win a copy of Joint Investigation

I can hardly believe July is upon us. I have taken four writing related classes this year and have more coming up. I believe strongly in continuing to improve my writing and my research.  I just finished a class through Writers University-- M.A. Taylor's "Law Enforcement: Making Your Cop Real".

It was fascinating. The instructor was informative and knowledgeable. She went the extra mile for the students by contacting other agencies with questions from the class.  She even contacted Scotland Yard!  

I'll be heading to New York City in the later part of July to attend Romance Writers of America's national writers conference in the heart of the city. 

Then in August I'll be heading to the mid-west for the Writers Police Academy conference to learn more about the men and women of law enforcement, emergency personnel and fire fighters. I signed up to ride in a fire engine. I wonder if they'll let me drive it? 

I wish you a wonderful, safe and exciting Independence Day!

Endings

The final pages of a good romance have me racing to reach The End. When I do, I close the book and heave a satisfied sigh.

And then I feel a strange sense of loss. After all, I've spent hours with the couple, getting to know them. At times I feared for them. Other times I cheered for them.

But they've reached their Happy Ever After, and I must move on to the next story.

The same is true in my writing world. I work hard on a story, wait a year or more for it to hit the shelves and then enjoy the joyful frenzy that is release month.

My first Love Inspired Historical was officially released on June second. I participated in a successful Book Release Party on Facebook along with the other June LIH authors, hosted a highly successful look Book Launch at the very rail depot where the hero and heroine in Family of Her Dreams met, was a guest on sixteen blogs, gave away many copies of my books and met lots of enthusiastic readers. I was crazy busy, but I had a blast.

But now the month is drawing to a close. The June titles will still be available online, but the focus will soon shift to the July titles.

My book's time in the spotlight is over, but I have a host of happy memories. Reality has returned, with my days spent working on my next story in solitude, but I'm content. That is the ebb and flow of a writer's life.

How do you feel when something you've anticipated for a long time is over?

Sharon is the winner of our quarterly giveaway!

Congratulations to Sharon H. for winning our quarterly giveaway basket! (Sharon, I’ve emailed you so please contact me if you didn’t get it.)

Be sure to re-enter every quarter. Click here for the entry form.

Also, get extra entries by commenting on our blog! (One extra entry per person per blog post.)

Get a peek at the new giveaway basket here.

Thanks for reading and loving Love Inspired romances!

~The Love Inspired authors

Groceries by Leann Harris

The other day my husband and I went grocery shopping. Since I had cancer, he was in charge of the shopping. Now that I'm well, we take turns going to the store. This day as I put things into the cart, my husband told me he had a system. Cold items go in the seat area in a neat pile. Well, I couldn't believe my ears, so I just tossed in the items we needed. He would stop and reorganize. He informed me it was easier to take things out of the cart and put on the cashier belt. Over 44 years of shopping and now suddenly I'm doing it wrong. Go figure. At least he's doing the shopping.

I also took him by the book section of the store and showed him my latest book. He was amazed.

Allie Pleiter on...wait, I forgot...

It’s all material….

image courtesy of WikiHow

It had to happen.  

After all, romance author is probably the only career—except maybe soap opera star—where experiencing an episode of amnesia is a professional resource.  I was bound to do an amnesia story one of these days.  And this year, A RANGER FOR THE HOLIDAYS (November 2015) is just that.

In June of 2010, I woke one morning with no ability to retain short-term information. I remember only glimpses of this, but my son CJ tells me I recognized him and all our family, but not that my daughter was at camp or the things we had bought the day before.  Now, CJ is no stranger to medical crises, so he wisely asked me things like what day it was, etc.  I could not answer any of them.  Smart kid, he sat me down on the couch with my dog, said “here, pet Bella while I call Dad.”  CJ and Dad decided it was time to call an ambulance.  CJ was in cancer treatments at the time, so the immediate theory was that I had suffered a stroke from the stress of his illness.

I remember none of this.  I don’t remember the ambulance ride nor most of my days in the hospital.  Evidently, I asked the same 12 questions over and over (think “50 First Dates” only nowhere near as charming) and gave identical responses to the answers.  Can’t you just see the headline now?  “Teenage cancer patient calls 911 on amnesiac romance author mom”

It’s almost amusing now that everyone is okay.  CJ is healthy and in very successful remission, our house is not in any medical chaos whatsoever, and my doctors tell me that I experienced not a stroke but Transient Global Amnesia—a once-in-a-lifetime vascular phenomena known to happen to migraine patients and people who take cholesterol drugs (I am both).  And, it makes a fascinating story.

I don’t recall many facts, but the emotions are still vivid for me.  Feeling like a freak, feeling as though your missing memory is stalking you, the desperate need to feel safe, all these things were useful to me as I crafted Texas Ranger Finn Brannigan.  And now I really can say, “It’s all material…”  

If the story is vivid and compelling to you, now you know why.

New cover starting a new series....

Jenna Mindel here, excited to share the cover of the first book of my new Maple Springs series.   The book doesn't release until the end of summer, but hey, might as well get the word out now, right? 

The Widow's Surprise Baby.....

When Annie Marshall discovers just weeks after her husband’s death that she’s carrying his baby, her sadness turns to hope. Scared of facing this all on her own, she reluctantly accepts the help of her husband’s best friend, Matthew Zelinsky. The kiss they shared after the funeral was just two friends comforting each other—or so she tells herself. Yet spending time together makes them wonder if what they feel is more than friendship.When people in town start raising eyebrows and her business begins to suffer from the gossip, Annie must decide if loving Matthew is worth the risk.






I'm excited about this for a several reasons.  It's my first, very own Love Inspired series, and each book I have planned highlights some really cool and unique occupations that I've encountered since living in Northern Michigan.  Also, the town of Maple Springs is inspired by the area where I currently live.   Now, I'm crazy about Northern Michigan - but I can't help but wonder if there's certain series settings that are your favorites...

What's your favorite kind of place to read about? 
  
Have a blessed day, and check out more about upcoming books in the Maple Springs series at my website jennamindel.com

Summer by Leann Harris

Summer's here. It's been a wet beginning to the season, but welcomed. I grew up in a small town in Colorado. If you wanted to go anywhere, you walked. I'd pick up a friend and we'd walk to the Woolworth's or ice cream store. Or I'd walk down another big hill to the pool. In a different direction was the rec center. But what I remember are the sounds--kids playing, dogs barking or the wind in the trees and the brook at the bottom of the hill. You could let your imagination fly.

I guess that's when I became a writer. I miss those days.

WHERE DO IDEAS COME FROM? by Marta Perry

Where do your ideas come from? Writers are asked that question so often that I've posted about it numerous times. Still, no matter what I say, I'm not sure I've answered the question.The easy answer is--Everywhere! But usually people want something more specific, since they can't imagine coming up with ideas for over 50 books.

Two great sources of ideas for me are personal experience and research. No, I haven't experienced all the things that happen to the characters in my novels, I'm thankful to say. But even if I've never run from a deranged killer in the dark, I have experienced that initial chill of being alone in the house and hearing a door open. Thank goodness, there's always been an innocent explanation, but I can imagine what it might feel like to be in that situation and find a stranger with a knife in the kitchen!

In my new book, THE RESCUED, releasing today from Berkley Books, the personal experience aspect of the story comes from the stories I tell my grandchildren. The stories they like most are those about their parents when they were small. Perennial favorites are "When Daddy went Fishing for Chickens" and "The Day Mommy Unrolled a Whole Package of Dental Floss." (You probably don't want to know the why for either of those activities!) So in my Keepers of the Promise series of three books, a grandmother is sharing the stories of their family with three granddaughters. Each woman finds strength for her own future in those precious stories of the past.

Another source of ideas is research. Most people might say they're looking for facts when they do research, not ideas. But every new little tidbit I learn may well lead to a whole new story idea. I discovered the premise for the past story in THE RESCUED while researching something else entirely. I happened to run across a wonderfully evocative black-and-white news photograph of Amish schoolchildren running into a cornfield to escape being forced to attend an English school. From there it was a few clicks to the astonishing story of over a hundred Amish parents being arrested and sent to jail for refusing to send their children to a consolidated school. And this didn't happen in the 1800s--it occurred in 1953 in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. It was a short leap to the back story in my book of a woman who faces just that dilemma in her own life.

To read an excerpt from THE RESCUED, go to http://www.martaperry.com/book_rescued.html.
Blessings,
Marta

Getting a Fresh Start

Keli Gwyn here to talk about new beginnings. I'm experiencing my exciting start as a Love Inspired author this month. My first Love Inspired Historical, Family of Her Dreams, will hit shelves any day now. Be sure to see the giveaway below.

I've been though the thrill of a book release before. Barbour Publishing released my debut novel, A Bride Opens Shop in El Dorado, California, in the summer of 2012.

Three years passed between my first and second contract offers, in which I felt like a One-Book Wonder. I came to dread the question, "What's next?" I'd give the eager reader a polite smile and assure her I was working on a new story I hoped would soon find a home.

It did!

On a memorable day in December 2013 my agent, Rachelle Gardner, called to tell me my dream of writing for Love Inspired Historical had come true. I did some serious happy dancing.

A First Sale is an incredible experience, but my second sale made me every bit as happy. I fell in love with the sweet Harlequin romances of the 70's when I was a teen and dreamed of writing stories like them. Here I am forty years later doing just that.

Some things are worth waiting for. That's a lesson Tess Grimbsy, the heroine in my first LIH, Family of Her Dreams, has to learn. She arrives in the small town of Shingle Springs, California eager to land a job as Spencer Abbott's housekeeper. The trouble is, she was dismissed by her previous employer.

Recently widowed with two small children, Spencer needs help, but he's hesitant to welcome another woman into his home. Even so, he gives Tess the opportunity to show him what she can do.

Tess embraces the fresh start she's been given, pouring her heart into caring for Spencer's two young children and his home. Along the way, she develops feelings for her grieving employer, but he's not ready to marry again. Will he ever be? And would he even consider her if he was?

I'm giving away an autographed copy of Family of Her Dreams
to one blog visitor with a US address.

To enter the drawing, leave a comment
with your answer to the question below.

 What fresh starts have you experienced in your life?

  

I'll choose a winner tomorrow and post the name here.

Be sure to leave your email address when prompted so I can contact you if you win.
Please don't leave any personal information in the comment itself.
We don't want spammers to get it and trouble you. 

 

A Family to Cherish

Headstrong Tess Grimsby loves her new job caring for the children of a recently widowed man. But she never imagined that she’d fall for her handsome employer. Yet Spencer Abbott is as caring as he is attractive, and Tess can’t help but feel for him and his family. Though, for the sake of her job, she’ll keep any emotions about her boss to herself.

Between his stationmaster responsibilities in a Gold-Rush town and trying to put his family back together, Spencer has his hands full. He soon finds his new hire’s kind personality warming his frosty exterior. But could he ever admit to seeing her as more than just an employee?

Copyright © 2015 by Harlequin Enterprises Limited
Cover art and cover copy used by arrangement with Harlequin Enterprises Limited.
® and ™ are trademarks owned by Harlequin Enterprises Limited
or its affiliated companies, used under license.