Hannah Conway: June 2015

Friday, June 26, 2015

Author Spotlight with Darlene Wells & Novel Giveway!!

Welcome Dear Readers! Today we have Author Darlene Wells with us! I have come to really enjoy getting to know her, and I know you will as well. She's giving away a signed copy of the first two books in her Days of Grace Trilogy, Redeeming Luke, and Finding Olivia. Enter to win below! Share with your friends and family for more entry points!

Meet Darlene!

Darlene lives in the San Francisco North Bay, in California, with her husband of nearly 27 years, her two college age sons, and her only daughter, a 15 year old Shih Tzu named, Lucy. She has been an ACFW member since 2004 and currently writes for Indie Publishing Group, Wings of Hope. Darlene has authored two solo novels, and two novellas, all of which can be found on Amazon.com

The Book Blurb Sizzle for Finding Olivia!!

Convinced that Hollywood holds the key to her future joy and contentment, Olivia Hawkins refuses to pay heed to the voices that warn her of the inherent dangers.

Nathan Grant, an ordained minister has seen Hollywood ruin more lives than he cares to count, especially the one for which he carries a burden of guilt. He won’t stand by and watch it happen again.

Excitement, rejection, and terrifying betrayal daunt Olivia’s journey and threaten her relationship with God. Caught in a struggle between worldly fame and fame in the eyes of the One who created her, she must decide which is of greater worth: stardom or true peace?

Darlene, thank you for being here with us today! Can you give us a little inspiration behind this novel?

My latest novel is titled, Finding Olivia. It is the second novel in my Days of Grace trilogy, the first being Redeeming Luke. The inspiration was to take a character from the first book, and take her on her own journey of finding herself in Christ. The main character, Olivia, had a prevalent presence in Redeeming Luke, and I felt her story had just begun. Writing her story was truly a roller coaster!

Ha! I totally get that whole writing a roller coaster story! So...it's just us talking here...well...and others peeping in, but care to share on any current projects you're working on?

The project I’m working on now is titled, Loving Tilly. It’s the third book in the Days of Grace trilogy, which takes us right back to the setting of the first book in the series. I knew readers wanted to see more of those characters, so this way, they can while also meeting a new character in Tilly.

~~Thanks so much for cluing us in! Looking forward to dive into that book!~~

~~Switching gears and getting a little personal. I'd love if you'd share your favorite scripture with us.~~

2 Corinthians 12:9. Because God gave it to me during a difficult time of fighting clinical depression, showing me that Paul had a thorn in his flesh as well, but that God’s grace IS sufficient, and that His power truly is made perfect in our weakness.

Thanks Darlene, and thank you for answering so personally. You're right, His power is made perfect in our weakness. I've had several times in my life when I've felt completely weak.

Now, let's have a little fun! I’m an Army Wife, and all Military Wives have to be flexible. Plans change at the drop of a hat. So, pretend you’re a Military Wife. Ok. Ready?! Your spouse came down on orders to relocate and you’ve got 30 days to move. What are the first three things you do to prepare? GO!

I panic and call Hannah Conway!

Ha! I totally just laughed out loud!! But seriously now, are you a veteran or do you have someone in your family that served in the Military? We'd love to hear!

My dad was in the Air Force, my father-in-law was as well. My “bonus son” is currently serving in the Navy. A cousin of mine was also in the Navy and taught SEALS to dive. An uncle was in Vietnam and was shot down in a helicopter, which affected him for the rest of his life. He was never the same. I could go on, but suffice it to say, my family is extremely patriotic and takes service to our country very seriously. I am so proud of our military!

We're so grateful for your family's service. I too am so proud of our military men and women!

Ok, this question is for me and all the Stay-at-Home-Mommas out there. It gets a bit crazy around my house especially when I have edits to get to! Could you share some advice for all those parents out there raising their babies?

ENJOY IT! I remember when my kids were little and I thought I was going to lose my mind. I couldn’t WAIT for them to grow up and be a little more independent. And now, one is getting ready to move out of the house, and the other will be soon. I wish I had slowed down and taken time to enjoy them while they were little.

Time flies, right? Our time is fading on this post too...so real quick...what are three books every reader should read?

I have two: To Kill a Mockingbird, Pride and Prejudice.

FANTASTIC READS!!! I gotta agree with ya! Ok, we are about outa time...anything you wanna say to your readers? I know they’d love a personal note.

I would love to say thank you. I have dreamed of being a writer since I was a little girl. Teachers told me I should consider being a writer. And I’ve been working at it for 10 years. This is a dream come true, and the glory for that goes to God, but what makes an author an author, is READERS!

Darlene, it's been such a pleasure having you on as our guest! Readers, thank you so much for stopping by! Remember to enter to win two of Darlene's novels below!

Contact Darlene:

Website: www.darlenewells.com

Email: Gracewriter43@yahoo.com

Facebook: Darlene Wells Christian Fiction Author

Twitter: @DarleneWells_

Pinterest: Darlene Wells Author

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Friday, June 19, 2015

A Secret to Keep: Book Review, Extras, & Giveaway!

Keeping secrets is a horrible way to live. Sloane Davis should know.

She's kept her son a secret from his father for almost a year.

Now, her worst nightmare is coming true. Her ex is re-entering her professional life in the midst of the biggest project of her career. She's about to come face to face with the only man she's ever loved - her son's father.

Gates McCall is a brash man. He hasn't always been this way, but when Sloane walked out on him, something inside him broke. When his company's newest acquisition brings the two of them together once more, little does he know seeing her will bring back a flood of memories, feelings, and an unexpected surprise.

Purchace your copy here:

Barnes&Noble Pre-Order Link: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-secret-to-keep-railyn-stone/1121917126?ean=2940151590198

Railyn Stone hails from the Tar Heel State and is a romantic at heart. She believes you can find romance in the simplest aspects of life and enjoys letting her imagination run wild. Trying new restaurants, listening to music, playing golf and writing over the top stories about ordinary people are the hobbies she cherishes most.

Links for social media

Twitter: @railynwrites

Facebook Author Page: www.facebook.com/railynst

Website: www.railynstone.com

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8571072.Railyn_Stone

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/railyns/

Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/Railyn-Stone/e/B00NR66YMW/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1431815257&sr=1-2-ent

Railyn definitely reels the reader in with a hook of a title and plot line. I jumped at the opportunity to review this novel through Loving The Book. I love the friends of the main characters in this novel, and their down to earth appeal and advice to Sloane and Gates, who both desperately need some wisdom in their lives. I also appreciate the interracial couple...with so much hate in the world, I LOVE a story that shows unity among individuals no matter the skin color or background.

I do say, as a Jesus follower, I wish there were spiritual elements, though, Railyn does not profess to be a Christian Author. Her characters, Sloane and Gates, were intimately involved before marriage, which, God can totally redeem all situations, circumstances etc, if she'd allow. Both main characters have internal struggles that are very real, and I applaud Railyn for being so honest with her characters thoughts/feelings. That whole "I do what I don't wanna do" thing discussed in the Bible is definitely going on in this book, but without a God factor. The pacing was a bit too slow, however, I really did want to know how the book ended, so Railyn kept me hanging in there! :)

I give this book 3 stars.

Top 10 Movies I love:

1) Pretty Woman

2) The Color Purple

3) Pirates of the Caribbean (All of them)

4) Fast & Furious (All of them)

5) The Wedding Date

6) What’s Eating Gilbert Grape?

7) Goodfellas

8) Gone in 60 Seconds

9) Purple Rain

10) The Usual Suspects

Character Casting

Sloane Davis - Tamera Mowry Housley

Gates McCall - Matt Bomer

I have a Pinterest board that shows all of the people I would cast for the entire book. :)

https://www.pinterest.com/railyns/a-secret-to-keep/

Excerpt

“Hey, come back to the here and now. Sloane come on, we have to focus. Are you going to be able to do this?” Liyah snapped her fingers in front of Sloane to get her attention. “Sloane? Sloane?”

“Oh, Liyah, I’m sorry. What were you saying?” Just as Liyah was about to answer her, she quieted and Sloane followed her gaze toward the door where her unbelievably handsome ex-fiancé stood.

“Santo cielo.” Liyah breathed and stood straighter, adjusting her jacket.

“He’s just a man in a suit,” Sloane said, trying to convince herself more than Liyah that he was just a man in a suit. She busied herself by stacking and reorganizing an already organized stack of papers. She could feel one single bead of sweat slowly meander its way down her back. But Gates’ magnetic pull soon had her staring at his deep-set hazel orbs. She tried to look away, but there was something about this man who was able to suck her in like cake flour through a sieve.

“He is so not just a man in a suit.” Liyah swallowed hard, shaking her head at Sloane’s dismissal of him. “I’m beginning to understand why you’re so nervous about this. Wow. You know, I didn’t realize how much Brayden looks like him.”

“Shh, keep your voice down.” Sloane tried to move, to blink, to do anything, but her body betrayed her wishes and she could only stare as Gates mingled through the room before he stopped near the two of them. She felt the individual hairs on her neck called to attention as his deep voice rumbled over her.

“Liyah, hello. It’s been a while. Sloane.” Finally regaining her faculties Sloane pulled herself up to her full height of 5 feet 6 inches and smiled. The unmistakable maleness of him filled her senses as she looked into those familiar eyes. Prickly chills scampered up her spine as she stood face to face with the father of her baby boy.

“Hi, Gates.” Liyah interjected, trying to break the obvious awkwardness.

“Gates, it’s good to see you again.” Sloane stammered while inwardly cowering under his intense gaze.

“Is it really?” Smirking, Gates continued past her to meet and shake hands with a few of the representatives from the various companies with bids on the table.

“Okay, so that went well.” Both ladies turned to watch him weave through the crowd of people as he headed towards the front of the room before Liyah turned to Sloane. “You up for this?”

“I don’t have much choice, do I? I guess he really does hate me.” Sloane swallowed the big lump of nerves in her throat and tried to pull herself together for what she knew was going to be the fight of her life. She and Liyah took their seats as the meeting got underway and she was never so glad to sit down. Her legs felt weak and her stomach was queasy. If it weren’t for the fact she hadn’t been with anyone since Gates, she would have sworn she was experiencing morning sickness all over again.

“Maybe not so much hate, as maybe severe dislike.”