Monday, July 31, 2017

Interview with Mystery Romance Author Colleen L. Reece



Colleen L. Reece learned to read by kerosene lamplight in a former one-room school house where her mother once taught all 8 grades. Colleen dreamed of someday writing a book. God has multiplied the “someday” book into 150+ “Books You Can Trust,” six million copies sold.

Welcome to my blog, Colleen. You’re the first author I’ve interviewed that has written over a hundred books. Congratulations! I’m so impressed with your talent. Please tell us about the Shepherd of Love Hospital Mystery/Romance series. What is it about?

Five best-friend, caring nurses serve at the Shepherd of Love Hospital in Seattle, Washington, dedicated to God: the hospital scoffers said it could never be built. Now doctors and nurses follow in Jesus’ footsteps and bring healing to body, mind, and soul. Note: Fans wrote asking to know more about the wonderful hospital/nursing school I created—they wanted to train there!

Wow! Your story must be very well developed for your readers to believe that the hospital is real and not made up. What a wonderful compliment! Please give us a short description of book one: Lamp in Darkness.

Although a respected RN, the heart of a frightened little girl beats beneath Jonica Carr’s uniform. Will God use an accident, a blizzard, and a lamp in darkness to bring the runaway nurse home to Shepherd of Love and Dr. Paul Hamilton?

Now tell us about book two: Flickering Flames.

Helping save young lives in Pediatrics can never erase Nancy Galbraith’s memories of those she failed to save as a child. Nursing helps, but Nancy must deal with secrets from the past that involves both her and Dr. Damon Barton.

A Kindled Spark is the third book. What is it about?

Surgical nurse Lindsey Best and Chaplain Terence O’Shea combine forces to expose and stamp out the kindled spark of evil hanging over their beloved hospital and threatening to destroy it . . . as well as Lindsey’s and Terry’s chance for happiness.

What is the fourth book about?

Glowing Embers: A Mount Rainier-size obstacle stands between Obstetrics nurse Shina Ito and Kevin Hyde, the man she loves. Nancy and Damon are again the victims of racial prejudice. It will take incredible faith and courage for the two couples to extinguish the glowing embers of turmoil.

Now for the last book in this series. Tell us about Hearth of Fire?

“Once bitten, twice shy,” describes Outpatient RN Patti Thompson. She escapes to Montana and becomes a helicopter rescue flight nurse with pilot “Stone Face” Sloan. Only God can save Patti from a stalker and change her hearth of fire to a home filled with peace and love. 

What kind of research did you do this series?

Although I dreamed of writing books, my small western WA logging town didn’t grow authors, just trees, so I planned to be a nurse. I studied accordingly, only to discover it wasn’t God’s plan for me. However, the knowledge I gained plus having my twin best friends become nurses, has proved invaluable in my writing many nurse books.  One editor said, “It is so nice to have a nurse heroine who does more than stick on a Band-Aid.”

Will you please give us a sample of the first book in this series, Lamp in Darkness?

“May I help you?”
A deep masculine voice jerked Jonica back to the present. She whipped around. A tall, slim man with white streaks in his hair and eyes as blue as her own stood smiling at her.
“I-I was just going in.” She put her hand to the doorknob and couldn’t help adding, “I’m Jonica Carr, the new night charge nurse in surgery.”
A surprised expression crossed the older man’s face. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. Welcome to Shepherd of Love.”
“Thank you.” She noticed how young and alive he looked when his smile broadened. “Do you work here?”
He nodded and gallantly swung the door inward for her. “I’ll be seeing you again, Miss Carr. Or is it Mrs.? Or Ms.?”
She glanced both ways and whispered, “Miss, but I like Jonica best.”
He bowed and swung off down the highly polished corridor, stopping now and then to admire the continuing mural of sea, forest, and mountains that brightened the walls.
“He loves this place,” she murmured. It seemed a good omen, as had the friendliness of the staff when she applied for the job a few weeks earlier, not expecting to get it, but confident she could do it well if chosen. She knocked on the closed door.
“Come in, Miss Carr.” The hospital director rose from behind his practical desk, a style in keeping with the paneled walls and muted carpeting. An open window with a view of an early-summer Puget Sound brought a fresh breeze and cooled Jonica’s flushed face. “We feel fortunate to have you join us.”
When she couldn’t hide her surprise, he smiled. She liked his keen eyes, modest dress, and obvious efficiency tempered by caring. “Oh, yes, I make it a point to know each of the staff personally. If there is ever anything you need, do not hesitate to come to me. You’ll notice I prefer to be personally available rather than use a secretary as a buffer.”
“Now.” He changed to brisk business. “We chose you despite your youth and limited charge nurse experience because of several factors. First, your record is impeccable. Even more important, your deportment at your personal interview clearly showed your ability to maintain your composure under trying circumstances.” He smiled again. “Interviewing for a position, even at Shepherd of Love, or perhaps especially at Shepherd of Love, can be trying.” He shuffled papers and paused. “Only one question on your application had a rather sketchy answer. I’m sure that’s due to our shortsightedness in not leaving enough room to write everything you’d like.”
Jonica’s heart plummeted. She knew what question this observing man meant. It had taken her longer to respond to the simple query, “Are you a Christian?” than to fill in the rest of the lengthy form. Hadn’t her penned words, “Yes. I was baptized as a teenager and have been faithful in attending church except when on duty” been enough? If not, why had they waited until now to question it? Surely she wouldn’t be disqualified now that official notice of her appointment had come and she’d served her thirty-day notice in Tacoma.
“You are a Christian, aren’t you?” the kindly director prodded.
“Of course.” She certainly wasn’t a heathen. She believed in God and had accepted Jesus as His Son. If she sometimes felt that God was some faraway Power who had little interest in her, she need not confess it.
Jonica’s quick reply appeared to settle possible doubts. The director rose, shook hands, then asked, “Did you tour the hospital when you were here before?”
“Oh, yes!” She knew eagerness sent a glow to her face. “It’s perfect; large enough to have the best equipment yet small enough to feel almost like a family home.” Wistfulness crept into Jonica’s voice.
“Do you think you can be happy with us?”
She sobered. “I know I can.” She blinked and scoffed at the instant moisture crowding her eyes. She never cried, hadn’t since she ran away from home all those years ago, away from the stepfather she hated, the pretty but weak mother whose only defense against him was a threat to leave if he ever mistreated Jonica . . .

Thank you for this interview. I hope my readers will check out your books. Here are some links so you can find out more about Colleen Reece.

Reece’s Ramblings Blog: www.colleenreece.blogspot.com
Check out Colleen’s Amazon site: www.amazon.com/Colleen-L.-Reece/e/B001H9PAYY

Monday, July 24, 2017

Interview with Inspirational Romance Author Diane Dean White


Diane started her writing at an early age, but it wasn’t until her husband’s work took them to a small southern town she wrote her first column, “Yankee Viewpoint’s” for a local newspaper. Returning to her home-state of Michigan, she did stringer work over the years, ancestral history, and donor appeal letters for non-profit organizations. Diane became a columnist for a weekly magazine, for four years. She is the author of over three-hundred short stories. Her books to date are: Carolina in the Morning, On a Summer Night, Texting Mr. Right, Winter Wonderland , This Side of Heaven, and Stories from a Porch Swing, Lilacs in May, Journey of Redemption, and soon to be released, Beyond the May River. She and hubby, Stephen, have been married for forty-five years, and they are the parents of three grown children and three grand-gals, and live in the Sunshine state.

What is Christmas in July? The term Christmas in July describes Christmas celebrations that are held in the month of July for the southern hemisphere. Seasons down south are in reverse from the northern hemisphere. For those down south, summer is in December. Even though they still celebrate Christmas on December 25, someone decided it would be fun to celebrate Christmas in July specifically for the southern hemisphere.

Welcome to my blog. Please tell us about your Christmas Romance, Winter Wonderland.

During the early 50s many families were seeking employment in the factories in Detroit. Edsel Ford, after Henry’s death, sought workers from all over, and they were very dedicated. My characters left their home for a better future. They are a loving Christian family with three younger children and an older daughter, Ruth.

Where did you get your inspiration for this story?

I’m from Michigan and JL Hudson Company was a huge department store. My mother went there with her family when very young and it continued to serve the area until the malls became popular, and was finally taken down in the late 90s. People watched the landmark come down on television. My inspiration came from the trips I made with my mother from Lansing and then with my husband when we were first married. I wanted to write about Detroit when it was in its heyday, and I felt a Christmas novella would be fun. The storefront windows were beautifully decorated in all the stores. You can imagine the competition.

What kind of research did you do?

I’m laughing out loud!! You wouldn’t think you’d have to do much, just go back a few years and be creative. Mercy! I had to dress Ruth in the right clothing, and her love interest…we’re talking hats, coats, boots, skirts; hair styles…no pierced earrings and then the music! Times were different then, and we didn’t have tension like we do today. I tried to portray that, as well as a bad health issue that was popular then, and we happily have a cure for today. I was shocked to discover that JL Hudson’s had over 80 bathroom stalls in one lady’s rest room…gold fountains and I knew they had elevators and operators…it was the only way to go to the upper floors.

Research is to much fun, isn’t it? Tell me about one of the main characters and what you love about him or her?

I enjoyed Ruth. She was determined to make a life outside of marriage and secured a good position, having had a year working in an office after high school. She took advantage of the lay-away’s and helped get things for her younger siblings, and was a loving daughter. Vernor’s Gingerale was a big company in Detroit at that time, and she literally walked into a representative from there, as they both approached the revolving doors at the same time at Hudson’s.

Where is your website and blog so my readers can check out your recent and past books that you have written?




It’s so much fun to talk about Christmas in July. I hope my readers check out your books. Thank you, Diane, for this wonderful interview.

Monday, July 17, 2017

Interview with Romance Author Christina Lorenzen


Christina started writing as a young teen, jotting stories in wire ring composition notebooks. Her first typewriter made it faster to get all those stories out of her head and down on paper. She is busy working on a modern take on her favorite fairy tale, Rapunzel for a summer release. When she isn’t writing or reading, she can be found walking her dog, talking to her herd of cats and spending time with her family.

What is Christmas in July? The term Christmas in July describes Christmas celebrations that are held in the month of July for the southern hemisphere. Seasons down south are in reverse from the northern hemisphere. For those down south, summer is in December. Even though they still celebrate Christmas on December 25, someone decided it would be fun to celebrate Christmas in July specifically for the southern hemisphere.

What would it be like to be transported through time two generations and meet your grandmother as a young woman? I know I would absorb everything I saw and heard and put it to memory. It would be fun to get to know my grandmother in her youth. This is exactly what happened to Carrie in this story. Through a snow globe, she was able to be transported through time and meet her grandmother. But that wasn’t all. She also met the grandfather of the young man she grew up with, who was also her neighbor.” –Book Review by Linda Weaver Clarke

Welcome to my blog, Christina. Please tell us about your Christmas novella, Snow Globe Reunion.

Stranded by a snowstorm, Carrie Sanders is left holding a bag an old woman she had been talking to left behind in the airport coffee shop. Mystified by the woman’s disappearance, she sits on the bench staring at the snow globe that was in the bag.

Inside the glittery snowy world, it’s Christmas during the 1940s. Fighting sleep, the next thing she knows she’s in the arms of the soldier she last saw skating on the pond in the snow globe. He’s no stranger, but the boy next door who never forgot her.

Where did you get your inspiration for this story?

Actually, my publisher was putting together a collection of novellas for Christmas and each story had to have a snow globe in it. And each story had to take the heroine back in time to a Christmas long ago. I had always wanted to write a Christmas story so without even thinking much I jumped on board.

What kind of research did you do?

Since my heroine gets transported back to December 1942, I did need to do some research war time in our country. I needed to find out as many details as I could like what women wore during that time, the food products they ate, the makes and models of cars on the road and the little things that I knew my readers would be expert at spotting.

Tell me about one of the main characters and what you love about him or her?

I loved my hero, Jimmy Hall. He’s the all American soldier and a true gentleman. When Carrie was a young girl Jimmy had a crush on her that continued until the day she left home. He’s the typical boy next door that most girls dismiss in their quest for Mr. Right. At least that’s what Carrie thinks. It’s not until she ends up back in December 1940 that she finds out who truly is right for her.

Where is your website and blog so my readers can check out your recent and past books that you have written?

I love to talk to readers! They can find me at several places online:


Thank you for this interview, Christina. I read your book and it was such a fun story of fantasy and romance.

Monday, July 3, 2017

Interview with Christian Cozy Mystery Author Deborah Malone

Deborah has worked as a freelance writer and photographer, for the historic magazine “Georgia Backroads, since 2001. Her writing is featured in “Tales of the Rails,” edited by Olin Jackson as well as the “Christian Communicator,” and “The Southern Writers Magazine.” Deborah has two daughters, and lives in Georgia with her husband, Travis

Welcome to my blog, Deborah. Please tell us about the Trixie Montgomery Cozy Mystery Series.

Thank you for having me Linda. Trixie is a journalist for a magazine in Georgia called “Georgia by the Way.” It just so happens that I, too, write for a magazine: “Georgia Backroads.” I guess you could say that Trixie is a lot like me. She gets to travel because of her job, and she usually takes her best friend Dee Dee along with her. They seem to be magnets for murders and have become quite good at solving them.

The settings in my books are real and if you’re familiar with the area you would recognize the buildings, restaurants, roads, etc. This makes it fun for people who have visited these areas or plan to visit them.

Death in Dahlonega is the first book in this series. What is it about?

Trixie is near her sixth month probation period on her job as a magazine journalist. Her boss, Harv, has given her an assignment to cover the Gold Rush Days in Dahlonega, Georgia, a mining town in the north Georgia mountains. She takes her friend, Dee Dee, with her. While they are visiting the Gold Museum, Dee Dee has to go to the bathroom when she happens upon a dead body. Let’s just say it doesn’t go well for Dee Dee since she and the victim had an argument earlier in the day. Trixie and Dee Dee get involved to help solve the murder.

Where did you get your inspiration for this story?

While writing for “Georgia Backroads,” I wrote several historical articles, and while researching fell in love with this unique little town. I knew when I started writing my novel I wanted to set it in Dahlonega. I wanted to use the real setting, because it is such a quaint and unique area, and a well-known tourist spot in Georgia.

Tell me about one of the main characters and what you love about him or her?

Trixie is the main character and I feel close to her because part of myself went into her. And Trixie isn’t perfect. She’s been through a divorce (her husband wanted to move on to greener pastures), she is at a point in her life that her faith has wavered, and she has a bum knee from when she fell off a horse when she was younger. She uses a cane for long walks. In other words, she is real! Through the series, you will see Trixie grow and regain her faith with the help of her good friend Dee Dee.

Where is your website and blog so my readers can check out your recent and past books that you have written?

My website is www.deborah-malone.com.

Thank you for this wonderful interview, Deborah. I appreciate it and hope that my readers will check out your books.