Today I’m posting on the Australasian Christian Writers blog and talking about the benefits for authors from indie publishing box set collections.
Hope to see you there!
SPLASH! Interview with Marion Ueckermann, author of Orphaned Hearts
Book Description:
When his wife dies in childbirth, Zambian conservationist Simon Hartley pours his life into raising his daughter and his orphan elephants. He has no time—or desire—to fall in love again. Or so he thinks.
Wanting to escape English society and postpone an arranged marriage, Lady Abigail Chadwick heads to Africa for a year to teach the children of the Good Shepherd Orphanage. Upon her arrival she is left stranded at Livingstone airport… until a reluctant Simon comes to her rescue.
Now only fears born of his loss—and secrets of the life she’s tried to leave behind—can stonewall their romance, budding in the heart of Africa.
Narelle: Welcome, Marion. Can you please tell us more about the setting for Orphaned Hearts.
Marion: Orphaned Hearts is set in a place close to my heart—Zambia—land of my birth. When asked to write a story set in Africa with a water theme for this boxed set, I knew there was no other place for this story than the Victoria Falls and the mighty Zambezi River. Of course, having been there and seen it all helped cement my choice of African location.
Although the Vic Falls is mentioned in the story, focus is on this great river itself.
Narelle: I love your exotic African setting. How does your novella fit with the SPLASH! water theme?
Marion: South African Simon Hartley has lived close to this incredible river for over a decade where he’s doing his part for conservation with his elephant orphanage.
Having ridden on and fed one of these magnificent creatures, plus seen an eleven-week old ellie up close when we visited Zambia many years ago, I had to bring elephants into this story. What do they have to do with water, you ask? Elephants love and need mud, and so there’s a fun scene with the pachyderms and orphans down at the mudhole (that’s water, too…sort of).
This little baby below has such an amazing story about its conception, but I’d have to share that in a separate blog.
When his wife dies in childbirth, Simon buries her on his property beneath a giant sycamore tree on the banks of the Zambezi.
Over five years pass. Raising his daughter and orphan elephants consumes Simon’s life. When he offers help to a stranded Abigail Chadwick, fresh off the plane from England and in Africa for a year to teach the orphans of the Good Shepherd Orphanage, he finds himself reluctantly drawn to her. Their feelings for each other grow with a romantic sunset dinner cruise down the Zambezi on Valentine’s Day.
Narelle: The elephants are adorable and I love how they feature in your story. Is your novella connected to a series?
Marion: Initially it wasn’t. I was writing a story set in Africa for this boxed set, that’s all. Valerie Comer, who has championed Splash!, said I should consider turning this into a series. Series? Even though my first two published books, Helsinki Sunrise and Oslo Overtures (coming August 2015) are part of Pelican Book Group’s Passport to Romance series, and my Helsinki Sunrise hero and heroine make a brief appearance in Oslo Overtures, I’d never considered writing books connected to each other in some way, whether by character, location or theme. It didn’t take long to convince myself this was a great idea, and so my Heart of Africa series was born.
I plan to write and Indie publish two Heart of Africa stories a year. Book 2 will continue where Book 1 finished, but the hero will be one of the minor characters in Orphaned Hearts, and the heroine, someone who earned a one-liner in the same story. There’ll definitely be scenes at Mosi-oa-Tunya—the Smoke that Thunders, better known as the Victoria Falls. Maybe I’ll throw in a lunar rainbow or two for good measure.
I’m really excited about setting stories on my continent—who doesn’t love the idea of an African safari. But because Africa has so much more to offer than just its unique wildlife, there’ll also be, amongst other things, exciting desert experiences or time spent relaxing in the beauty of the Cape winelands. I hope readers will be excited to come along with me to the heart of Africa and fall in love.
Narelle: Marion, I can’t wait read more stories in you Heart of Africa series. Thanks for visiting today and sharing more about Orphaned Hearts with our blog readers.
MARION UECKERMANN’s passion for writing was sparked in 2001 when she moved to Ireland with her husband and two sons. Since then she has published devotional articles and stories in Winners, The One Year Devotional of Joy and Laughter, Chicken Soup for the Soul: Miraculous Messages from Heaven, and her debut novella, Helsinki Sunrise (White Rose Publishing, a Pelican Book Group imprint, Passport to Romance series). Her second Passport to Romance novella, Oslo Overtures, releases 2015. Marion lives in Pretoria East, South Africa in an empty nest with her husband and their crazy black Scottie, Wally.
You can find her at www.marionueckermann.com or her Amazon author page.
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NINE Refreshing Romances Filled with Faith!
Releasing June 23 and available for pre-order on Amazon Kindle for 99 cents.
SPLASH! Interview with Jan Thompson, author of Draw You Near
Book Description:
While on vacation in Savannah, Georgia, a year ago, Lars Cargill bought a small watercolor painting to hang in his estate in England. The more he stared at the artwork, the more he wanted to meet the woman in the painting. This summer, Lars returns to Savannah to find the elusive real-life Lady and the Sea. Problem is, the artist says she doesn’t exist. Of course, he doesn’t believe her. Otherwise he wouldn’t be showing up in her art classes and around town where she paints local scenes. He doubts she has the heart to turn him away, not when he shows her that he has artistic potential.
Abilene Dupree is busy trying to make a living as an artist and art teacher in Savannah. She sells commercial art, not personal stories. Although much of her heart goes into her paintings, she doesn’t reveal her soul, not even to the clean-cut guy with cute dimples who is searching for the woman in her Lady and the Sea painting. She keeps telling Lars that the illusive woman in the painting doesn’t exist. Well, the more she tells him that, the more she begins to believe her own words. Before she could give him the real answers he seeks, Lars’ own past shows up and he has to decide on his future. Will their relationship be like an unfinished painting?
Narelle: Welcome, Jan. Can you please tell us more about the setting for Draw You Near.
Jan: Savannah and Tybee Island are two of my favorite coastal Georgia towns by the Atlantic Ocean. I go there quite often. In fact, I had been researching coastal Georgia for my colonial fiction and Civil War series when the idea came to me to write a contemporary series in the same towns to contrast life now with life then. However, it took several more years before I was able to get to this series, and here it is, finally.
Narelle: I’ve always wanted to see the Atlantic Ocean and visit the US East Coast. A lovely location for your research. How does your novella fit with the SPLASH! water theme?
Jan: In Draw You Near, Savannah artist Abilene Dupree keeps her personal life out of her commercial paintings except one, a watercolor painting she called Lady and the Sea. That one painting has now brought Londoner Lars Cargill back to the coastal town and into her art world. Can she hold him at bay before he invades her personal space and paint his way into her heart?
Narelle: Abilene’s watercolor painting sounds intriguing. Is your novella connected to a series?
Jan: Yes. Draw You Near is the third novella in my Savannah Sweethearts series of multiethnic contemporary Christian novellas celebrating faith, hope, and love. Meet local Christians going about their daily businesses when they meet the loves of their lives. Or not. What is God’s will for each of them?
Savannah Sweethearts is all about life by the sea, which in essence, is not much different from life in landlocked cities. Inherently, the human nature is such that we all have in our hearts a need for the Lord, for His salvation, sustenance, and sanctification. There are seven books in the Savannah Sweethearts series, each showcasing a different aspect of man’s need for God and for one another against a backdrop of ocean, sand, and sun.
Savannah Sweethearts Series: www.janthompson.com/savannah
Narelle: Jan, I’m looking forward to reading your Savannah Sweetheart books. Thanks for visiting today and sharing more about Draw You Near with our blog readers.
Jan Thompson blends inspirational women’s fiction with clean Christian love stories to celebrate the grace of God and hope in Jesus Christ. Whether they are multiethnic contemporary Christian romance, international romantic thrillers, or regional historical fiction, Jan’s books are for readers who love inspiring stories of faith, family, friends, and yes, happy endings. Always. Jan is also an avid reader and enjoys reading good books on pleasant days. When she is not busy writing and publishing, she is a wife, mother, educator, family scribe, and chief of staff to the family cat.
Website: www.janthompson.com
Book News: www.janthompson.com/newsletter
Tweet Jan: www.twitter.com/ThompsonAuthor
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NINE Refreshing Romances Filled with Faith!
Releasing June 23 and available for pre-order on Amazon Kindle for 99 cents.
Introducing Time and Tide by Lynette Sowell
Book Description:
Karyn Lewis only plans on helping out for the summer season at Pine Breezes Campground just outside Chincoteague, Virginia. After losing her staff writer job at a Manhattan fashion magazine, she’s out of money to stay in the big city. She plans to avoid her past in Chincoteague as much as possible, but ends up facing the tragedy that drove her from the coast years ago.
Brodie Reed’s life is deeply ingrained in the island as a volunteer fireman and local contractor. Everything he does is to make a good life for his young daughter, Trista. Raising her without a mother has been hard, even with the help of his family. When Karyn returns to town, their paths cross again. This time, their hearts are involved. How will they make the decision to love without fear, and let time heal the wounds of the past?
NINE Refreshing Romances Filled with Faith!
Releasing June 23 and available for pre-order on Amazon Kindle for 99 cents.
Introducing The Lifeguards, the Swim Team, and Frozen Custard by Carol Moncado
Book Description:
Lifeguard Alivia Collins looks forward to another summer on the guard stand at the Serenity Landing Aquatic Center in Missouri. Still smarting from the spectacular implosion of her last relationship, she knows she’s going to have to work to keep herself from falling hard for fellow guard, CJ Kenton. Not only is he cute, but she discovers he’s nothing like any other guy she’s ever known. Keeping her heart safe proves to be more difficult than she imagined when he continually shows her his tender, gentle side. Will he convince her it’s time to take another chance with love?
NINE Refreshing Romances Filled with Faith!
Releasing June 23 and available for pre-order on Amazon Kindle for 99 cents.
SPLASH! Introducing Testing the Waters by Lesley Ann McDaniel
Book Description:
Testing the waters is one thing, but Teresa Reynolds is in serious danger of going overboard. Feeling down on herself after a breakup with her ultra-critical boyfriend, Teresa arrives in Crescent Cove, Oregon, for a weekend getaway. The trouble is, her ex-boyfriend’s claims that she’s uninteresting and unworthy of love have left her wishing she could be someone else. Then a chance encounter with a cute guy on the beach gives her the opportunity to reinvent herself…
Curt Mason is spending the summer avoiding women and getting over a broken heart. When he meets Terése from Paris on the beach in Crescent Cove, his vow quickly goes out with the tide. Who is this mysterious woman, and why is he suddenly wracking his brain to remember every bit of French he learned back in high school just to try to impress her?
Being Terése seems to bring out the best in Teresa, until her little game turns into a French knot of deception. Does she dare let Curt meet the person God made her to be?
Crescent Cove. Where true love comes in waves.
NINE Refreshing Romances Filled with Faith!
Releasing June 23 and available for pre-order on Amazon Kindle for 99 cents.
SPLASH! Interview with Heidi McCahan, author of Love Flies In
Book Description:
Southern belle turned sea kayaking guide Tisha McDowell is determined to buy her friends’ lakeside cabin and make Emerald Cove, Alaska, her permanent home.
Until seaplane pilot, Chase Binford, sets his sights on the same cabin. Now the race is on. She has a history of mocking his beliefs. He knows the heartache of falling for an unbeliever. Will the woman who ridiculed his faith finally win his heart?
Narelle: Welcome, Heidi. Can you please tell us more about the setting for Love Flies In.
Heidi: Love Flies In is set in the fictional town of Emerald Cove, Alaska. It’s a coastal community that’s very similar to the one where I spent my childhood in southcentral Alaska. A tourist-driven economy, fiercely independent residents and a healthy respect for the elements all combine to form a great backdrop for inspirational romance.
Narelle: An Alaskan cruise is on my travel wish list. How does your novella fit with the SPLASH! water theme?
Heidi: While Emerald Cove is a coastal town, I also focused the story around a lakeside cabin. The lake serves as the perfect spot for the hero of the novella, Chase Binford, to land his seaplane. Tisha, the story’s heroine, just happens to be taking care of the cabin during the owners’ absence.
Narelle: It’s so cool that Chase has a seaplane! Is your novella connected to a series?
Heidi: Yes, it’s part of my Emerald Cove series. The first book is called Unraveled. Love Flies In gives readers an opportunity to visit Emerald Cove and enjoy a satisfying, faith-filled romance, while offering a little tease of what’s to come in book two, which will feature Jeremy Tully as the hero. I haven’t finished writing it yet, but I hope to release that novel in late 2015.
Narelle: I love how novellas can sit between books in a series. Heidi, thanks for visiting today and sharing more about Love Flies In with our blog readers.
A Pacific Northwest girl at heart, Heidi was blessed to spend her formative years in Alaska. Her unique upbringing, coupled with Alaska’s breathtaking scenery, fueled her active imagination and loosely inspired her debut novel, Unraveled.
Heidi graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Sports Medicine from Whitworth University in Spokane, Washington and a Master’s Degree in Athletic Training from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. After a brief career as a Certified Athletic Trainer, Heidi married her husband, Steve. They live in North Carolina with their three active little boys.
When Heidi isn’t stepping on Legos, chauffeuring the boys around suburbia or watching one of their many sporting events, she loves to read and write heartwarming romance.
https://www.facebook.com/heidimccahan
https://twitter.com/HeidiMcCahan
NINE Refreshing Romances Filled with Faith!
Releasing June 23 and available for pre-order on Amazon Kindle for 99 cents.
SPLASH! Interview with Autumn Macarthur, author of More than Friends
Book Description:
Catriona Maclean is determined to give the special needs children in her Scottish church a seaside day out. She’s a nurse, her older brother is disabled, and she knows just how tough that can be for a family. But when a last minute hitch means she must call on the man she’s been secretly in love with since her teens for help, only her promise to God will carry her through.
Alistair Murray has seen Catriona almost every day for the last twenty years. She’s a work colleague, his best friend’s little sister, one of the guys. They even went to Sunday School together. The last thing he wants is to spend his day off working on her project, but for Cat, he’ll do it.
Will a summer’s day at the beach, together with a dog and a busload of very special kids, be the miracle it takes to show them they can be more than friends?
Narelle: Welcome, Autumn. Can you please tell us more about the setting for More than Friends.
Autumn: More than Friends is set in Edinburgh, Scotland. Both heroine Catriona and hero Alistair were born and grew up there, going to the same church and Sunday School all their lives, and also now work together at the same Edinburgh hospital. As my great-grandfather Murray was a Scottish immigrant to Australia, I could relate to the setting, and I also gave Alistair my ancestor’s family name. J
Narelle: I also have Scottish heritage and I’ve always enjoyed reading highland romances. How does your novella fit with the SPLASH! water theme?
Autumn: Most of the story takes place over one long day, the beach trip Catriona organises for disabled children from the church, their first ever special needs Vacation Bible School Day Camp. There are pirate hats, a treasure hunt, an unauthorised attempt at a boat trip, and even the most severely disabled child gets to enjoy the sea water. I didn’t realise until I began researching the story that Edinburgh has magnificent beautifully clean beaches within a very short drive. And yes, it DOES get warm enough to use them in summer!
Narelle: Wow, I’d never have thought of Edinburgh as a summer beach destination. Is your novella connected to a series?
Autumn: The story is part of the Macleans family series, but also links to book 3 of the Love in Store series. Catriona is sister to Mac, the Scottish hero of A Model Bride, and she and Alistair appear briefly in that book. There are at least two more Maclean stories to write, brothers Fraser and Brodie, and I suspect there will be cousins too. But maybe next year! First I need to complete the last two Love in Store books. Sports-mad Fraser at 26 isn’t quite grown up enough yet for a true committed relationship, and prickly disabled Brodie is just too difficult!
Narelle: Autumn, it’s great to hear how More than Friends is connected with your other series. I prefer to read series books in the right order. Thanks for visiting with us today.
AUTUMN MACARTHUR is an Australian writer of inspirational romance living near London with her very English husband, three spoiled cats, and a guinea pig with a dandelion addiction. She loves reading, cooking, gardening, and writing deeply emotional stories to make you smile and remind you how big and wide and deep God’s love and forgiveness can be.
She tends to talk a little too much and laugh a little too loud, her sleep schedule is all over the place so you’ll often find her on the internet at 5am, and she’s grateful to be blessed with some good friends and a very patient husband. She’s also eternally thankful for God’s great love and mercy.
When she’s not talking to her strawberry plants or cherry blossoms, she can be found blogging at www.faithhopeandheartwarming.com ; on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/autumn.macarthur , and on Twitter https://twitter.com/autumnmacarthur?lang=en-gb . She loves hearing from readers so do get in touch!
You can subscribe to her mailing list here- http://mad.ly/signups/116735/join, or follow her Amazon author page here – http://www.amazon.com/Autumn-Macarthur/e/B00N9KRHKY/
NINE Refreshing Romances Filled with Faith!
Releasing June 23 and available for pre-order on Amazon Kindle for 99 cents.
SPLASH! Interview with Valerie Comer, author of Sweet Serenade
Book Description:
Canadian river guide and canoe builder Reed Daniels stands by as his lifelong friends pair off. After all, he’s waited this long for the right woman… what’s a little longer? But when newcomer Carly shows up at the gang’s bonfire, he’s mesmerized. Could she be the answer to his prayers?
Water-sport enthusiast Carly Thorbergsen is starting over in Riverbend. Hired as a canoeing and hiking guide, she’s ready to focus on work and leave the personal stuff behind. That is until the competition, Reed Daniels, offers her a ride in his cedar-strip canoe. No resisting that!
But no matter how much they have in common, Carly can’t erase her past, and Reed is bound to discover the truth. When a date finds Carly and Reed running rapids on the outside of the canoe, they come face to face with the real reasons their new relationship might capsize.
Narelle: Welcome, Valerie. Can you please tell us more about the setting for Sweet Serenade.
Valerie: Sweet Serenade is set in Riverbend, British Columbia, Canada, near where I live. At least, it would be nearby if it were a real place! Instead, I took the best features of various communities in this region and combined them into the quaint little town you wish you were from, where seasons are celebrated, and love is in the air.
Narelle: I’d love to visit Canada one day. How does your novella fit with the SPLASH! water theme?
Valerie: The town of Riverbend is on the banks of the Sandon River, but that wasn’t enough to meet the water theme for the Splash! collection. Both of my main characters are avid canoeists and enjoy the outdoors, so quite a few scenes are set on or beside rivers and lakes. Also in the river when they capsize the canoe. Carly and Reed definitely made a splash that day.
My husband and I have enjoyed many hours in our canoe, including a nine-day trip on the Bowron Lakes Canoe Circuit in Canada a number of years ago. Several of our experiences found their way into Sweet Serenade!
Narelle: It’s years since I’ve been canoeing, and I do remember capsizing more than once. Thankfully the water was warm! Is your novella connected to a series?
Valerie: Yes, Sweet Serenade is the third novella in my Riverbend series. Each is a standalone, so readers don’t need to worry about getting lost entering via the third story. My goal is to show the seasons in the community of Riverbend. Secretly Yours is a winter/Valentine’s tale. Pinky Promise takes place in spring, and Sweet Serenade is the summer story. Two more, for autumn and Christmas, will round out this novella series later in 2015.
Narelle: A seasonal novella collection is a fun theme. Valerie, thanks for visiting today and sharing more about Sweet Serenade with our blog readers.
Valerie Comer’s life on a small farm in western Canada provides the seed for stories of contemporary inspirational romance. Like many of her characters, Valerie and her family grow much of their own food and are active in the local foods movement as well as their creation-care-centric church. She only hopes her creations enjoy their happily ever afters as much as she does hers, shared with her husband, adult kids, and adorable granddaughters.
http://facebook.com/valeriecomer.author
http://twitter.com/valeriecomer
http://pinterest.com/valeriecomer
NINE Refreshing Romances Filled with Faith!
Releasing June 23 and available for pre-order on Amazon Kindle for 99 cents.
ACRBA Tour Mirage by Jeanette Grant-Thomson
8 – 12 June 2015
is introducing
Mirage
(Ark House Press)
By
Jeanette Grant-Thomson
About the Book
Miraim is desperate. Her mind is a fog of drug-induced forgetfulness. She has forgotten her past, her family, even who she is. But who is the disturbingly familiar girl in the shopping centre?
Enmeshed in Soleternity, a cult in the Queensland outback, Miriam is pregnant. She believes her future – and that of her baby – lies with the cult.
Bronwyn is determined to rescue Miriam. She has not bargained on falling in love with the journalist helping her.
Away from Soleternity, Miriam faces conflicts. Sol . . .Soleternity . . .and now Anna and Christianity. How can she know the truth? Who is to be trusted?
About the Author
Jeanette Grant-Thomson has been writing since she was a child, having short pieces published. Her first book was Jodie’s Story (Anzea 1991 and two later editions), followed by two more biographies and two novels. She is a teacher and a writer, living in Redlands.