Linda Goodnight | Cinderella at the Book Expo

I just returned from New York City and my very first trip to the Book Expo of America (BEA). For the uninitiated, BEA is an enormous trade show of publishers exhibiting their authors, books and other forms of media. People from literally all over the world gathered at the Javits Center on the Hudson River for several days of sales, book signings, workshops, and general schmoozing.

The BEA buzz is noisy, energizing and exhausting. My feet are still recovering. Authors from every genre—children’s books to nonfiction to romance-were in abundance. Posters and banners bearing names such as Debbie Macomber, Oliver North, R.L. Stine, and literally dozens of others lined the walls and hung from the ceilings. All were scheduled to sign free books for anyone willing to stand in some very long lines.

On a personal note, I had a couple of special highlights. One was a fun and friendly audio interview done by "All About Romance" to be aired online at their website at a future date. For someone with an Oklahoma twang, I’m a little nervous about hearing my voice online.

Probably my favorite thing was signing my latest release from Steeple Hill, THE BABY BOND, in the Harlequin booth.

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Jill Marie Landis | The Tale of THE ACCIDENTAL LAWMAN or The Book with the Big Headed Hero.

Last year Steeple Hill released HOMECOMING, my first western historical with an inspirational theme. The story is set in a fictional Texas frontier town named Glory and I found myself so involved in the characters and the setting that I wrote a second book, THE ACCIDENTAL LAWMAN, set in the same town. The hero and heroine from HOMECOMING make cameo appearances, so readers who missed that book might want to order it as well when shopping for THE ACCIDENTAL LAWMAN. (Okay, enough of the shameless self promotion--for now.)

Though I'm known for the emotion and characterization in my books, there is always a touch of humor that sneaks in, too. In THE ACCIDENTAL LAWMAN, humor comes to play in the opening scene, an accident that propels an unassuming writer with the dream of publishing his own newspaper into the unlikely position of the first sheriff of Glory. Hank Larson has moved to Texas to escape his old life, one that continually reminds him of his late wife. He's spent his entire savings on a printing press to enable his dream and is all set to launch "The Glory Gazette." He'll be editor, writer, and publisher. The problem? There is no newspaper in this one horse town because there's no news--not until he arrives and heads for the bank.

Click here to read the rest of Jill's blog, comment and to enter her contest.

Janet Dean | Orphanages

Thanks to Fresh Fiction for inviting me to guest blog today. November isn’t usually the prettiest month here in the Midwest, but it’s still a favorite of mine. I’ve always loved the Thanksgiving holiday and our first child was born in November. Although our daughter’s original due date was November 13, as babies will, she came a little later. Even with little sleep and the extra pounds I could have done without, we put our firstborn at the top of our “thankful for” list that Thanksgiving. And there she’s remained, joined by her younger sister and down the road, their husbands and our four grandchildren. Family means a great deal to me. Perhaps that’s why I was fascinated the first time I heard about the orphan train and decided to use this slice of history in a book.

Before writing my novel, I researched the orphan train phenomena. Between the years of 1853-1929, over 250,000 children were sent by train to new homes in the Midwest and beyond. The idea to place out orphans originated with Methodist minister Charles Loring Brace, founder of The Children’s Aid Society. At the time Brace came up with the plan, immigrants were pouring into the country. Problems with poverty and disease were staggering. Brace saw children working in sweatshops, peddling newspapers and living on the streets. His and other orphanages overflowed. He decided relocating these children to homes in agricultural areas would give them a chance for a better life. For some, it did. Others lived more like indentured servants than members of a family.

My “what if” moment became the kernel for Adelaide’s story in Courting Miss Adelaide, Steeple Hill Love Inspired Historical, September, 2008—What if a lonely spinster wanted a child and saw the orphan train as her last chance for motherhood? Though the town fathers refused to give a single woman a child, Adelaide wasn’t a quitter. Her life and that of editor Charles Graves becomes entangled with two of those orphans. Already at odds over dual ownership of the town newspaper, tensions rise for Charles and Adelaide when she insists a respected man in town is abusing William and Emma, the orphans in his care. Charles and Adelaide’s investigation tests their faith, threatens their livelihoods, and then their lives, yet, neither can turn away from a child in jeopardy.

It breaks my heart to think of children suffering under the hands of adults, especially those who are to love them. Sadly, the problem is still with us today. My prayer is that all children may one day live in the happy, safe homes they deserve. Until then, I hope someone will notice the abuse and speak up as Adelaide had the courage to do. To me family isn’t restricted to those sitting around our tables this Thanksgiving. Family includes all of us.

My second book, Courting the Doctor’s Daughter, Steeple Hill Love Inspired Historical, will release in May 2009. As I write my third book while leaves are falling and we brace for another winter, I want to express my thanks to all my readers. Your letters and e-mails are a huge blessing and I’m grateful for your encouraging words.

Janet Dean

www.janetdean.net/
www.janetdean.blogspot.com/
www.seekerville.blogspot.com/

Jill Marie Landis | Celebrate Every Day!

Aloha to all of you readers out there in cyberspace. How exciting to be back on the Fresh Fiction Blog and in such good company.

This month I have plenty to celebrate. HOMECOMING, my first book for Steeple Hill, will go on sale today.

Set in the 1870's, it's the story of a young woman who is “rescued” from the Comanche clan that abducted her as a child. She has no memory of her past when she is taken in by Hattie Ellenberg, a woman who has suffered at the hands of the Comanche herself. Joe Ellenberg is Hattie’s son. He’s a man who has lost his faith and his hope for the future—until this lovely young woman searching to know “Who am I? Where do I belong?” comes into his life.

It's a book I truly enjoyed writing, even though I began with a little trepidation. I've never written an inspirational before and I wasn't sure I'd be able to achieve the goal I was going for: a page-turner filled with emotion, tension and characters readers would remember long after the last page was read.

So, when I finished, I gave the book to two friends and fellow writers to read. Stella Cameron (A MARKED MAN, Mira) was the first. She was here for R and R and I gave her only the first fifty pages and she came back begging for more until she'd read the entire book. Not only that, but she gave me some ideas for elements to put into the final "happily ever after" scene--which I never write until the final final draft.

The second read was by Kristin Hannah (FIREFLY LANE from St. Martin's). Kristin has a home here in Hawaii and we share a lot of beach time doing plotting and brainstorming while she's on island. She also blazed through the read. Whew.

Next, HOMECOMING was off to my editor--and as it turns out, she loved the book so much for the first time in what seems like forever, I had not one revision! I was so fired up I've already finished my second book for Steeple Hill. AN ACCIDENTAL LAWMAN will be out next year.

I've spent the past couple of weeks "touring" around on various blogs to promote DESTINATION: MARRIAGE and HOMECOMING. (It's a lot easier than leaving the island, believe me.) It's been fun and exciting. Writing is a solitary endeavor and at times it's hard to stay inside when there is so much to see and do all around me. When I'm in the writing "zone," sometimes a lose a whole day. I get up, shuffle to the kitchen, make some oatmeal, sit down to write and look up and it's two in the afternoon. Lately I've been trying to turn over a new leaf and take short ten to twenty minute breaks at least every hour or so. I've been walking the neighbors' dog. Riding my bike to the post office and back. Walking myself around. Puttering around the garden. It sounds like avoidance, but it's actually working! I'm getting more done and enjoying what I'm doing. It's a mini way to celebrate every day and not let life slip by while I'm plunking away at the computer.

Speaking of celebrating, July is definitely the month to have fun. Not only are my brother and his wife coming to visit us here in Hawaii, but the 4th is just around the corner. Here we celebrate by attending a friend's fantastic bar-b-que and pot luck at a nearby beach. She has an invite list of 400 and they bring friends! Not only that, but there's live entertainment all day long, which includes hula. You can bet I'll be dancing.

Thanks for spending some time with me. If you want to know more about HOMECOMING, visit my author page here at Fresh Fiction or my home page at www.jillmarielandis.com/

Above all, enjoy your day, enjoy life, and celebrate!
Jill Marie Landis