Marian P. Merritt - Lagniappe

Where the Bayous Meet the Mountains

Monday, October 19, 2015

Niki Turner - Santiago Sol

Good Monday Morning Readers!

Today, Niki Turner visits 
Lagniappe to discuss her 
latest release, Santiago Sol.


Welcome, Niki!


Tell us a little about SANTIAGO SOL:
I was able to take three trips to Chile, and fell in love with the nation. When Pelican’s call for submissions to the Passport to Romance collection included a story set in Santiago, I decided to take the challenge, which included finding a way to tie three plot elements into the tale. For Chile, the items were a party dress, a diary, and a walking stick.

At the time, I was in a writing funk, and about ready to give up. Again. (Haven’t we all tried to ‘quit’ writing at least once?) Having a fresh project with some prompts was just what I needed.

In Santiago Sol, heroine Tansy Chastain steps outside her comfort zone to fulfill the request of an elderly friend and finds herself on the other side of the world in Chile, at the mercy of handsome and wealthy Sebastian, who’s hiding his real identity. Tansy’s quest endangers her life, and brings her to a new place of faith. Sebastian will be challenged to forgive, and to seek forgiveness as Tansy’s quest collides with his hope for the future.

Do you listen to music when you write? If so, what's on your writing playlist these days?
It depends on the story for me. When I write contemporary I don’t need music, but I find that for historical fiction listening to the music of the era helps me get a better feel for my characters. Thank God for the Internet, and access to music we might otherwise never hear!


What is the best WRITING advice you’ve received?
“If you’re writing a romance, the romance IS the plot.” ~ Paula Moldenhauer.

If you weren't a writer, what would be another dream job?
Honestly, being a writer IS my dream job, since I was a teenager and wrote my first romance on a 1940s-era typewriter. However, my ideal writing life included a high-rise apartment in Manhattan… the budget is not there yet.

Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?
I fight the same battle with my stories that I fight with my body: the dreaded sagging middle. Every story I’ve completed has had several thousand words of blubber in the middle that get cut sometime in the writing process. I wish it were as easy to hit “delete” on my muffin top!

What was one of the most surprising things you've learned while writing your books?
I researched the history of women’s skiing for The Skiing Suitor (Forget-Me-Not Romances) and was genuinely horrified to find out that women were not allowed to compete in Olympic ski jumping until 2014, even though they’d been jumping competitively almost as long as men.


What can we expect from you in the future?
My next two novellas are due to the publisher in January and April. Fully Persuaded will be part of volume 2 of the Austen in Austen series from Whitefire Publishing. First Comes Pie will be one of nine stories in the Blue Ribbon Brides collection from Barbour. I’m looking forward to writing these two stories!

Please include buy links and your website/FB/Twitter etc links.
(if I get the Amazon/B&N links before Thursday I’ll get them to you)

Facebook: facebook.com/niki.turner
Twitter:@NikiTurner716

Goodreads: goodreads.com/niki716

Pinterest: pinterest.com/niki_turner/
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/niki716/

LIGHTNING ROUND   

Biscuits or Dinner Roll? Dinner roll, because of “Heidi,” and how she hid her soft, white dinner rolls in her pockets for her friend.

Nora Roberts or Diana Gabaldon?
AHHH!!! Impossible choice! But if I could only read one for the rest of my life, it would be Diana Gabaldon. Why? Well, the characters, but also because I learn so much real, practical information. I was looking for edible plants on my last hiking trip!

Superman or Batman?
Batman, because he’s a superhero in spite of himself, in spite of his past baggage, and the fact he doesn’t actually have any superpowers… just his brains and his brawn. And I like black.

Vacation: Beach or Mountains?
I live in the mountains, so that’s not a vacation. Definitely the beach. I crave the beach.

Women’s Fiction or Romance?
LOL. We’ve talked about this. Romance, but as I get older I like to see more women’s fiction elements in the story. I’d really like to see romances with older heroines! We middle-aged ladies need hope and inspiration, too! 



Niki Turner is a novelist, journalist, blogger, and the production manager for the Rio Blanco Herald Times weekly newspaper, one of the oldest continuously operating newspapers in Colorado. Her first completed manuscript earned second place in the Touched By Love 2009 contemporary category romance contest. She also blogs at www.nikiturner.net and is a co-blogger at www.inkwellinspirations.com.
Niki is a Colorado native who grew up in Glenwood Springs—home of the world’s largest hot springs pool. She married her high school sweetheart 25 years ago. They have four children, four grandchildren, and two West Highland White Terriers.
In 2014, she published “Sadie’s Gift” as one of the Christmas Traditions novella collection with eight other authors.  The Skiing Suitor, one of the Love’s Sporting Chance series published by Forget-Me-Not Romances, released in August 2015. Her most recent project, “Santiago Sol,” was published by Pelican Book Group as part of the Passport to Romance novella collection. She’s currently working on a new novella for Whitefire Publishing and another one for Barbour House.

Niki, thanks for sharing!


Readers, thanks for visiting Lagniappe.

Niki's questions for you:

What’s the farthest from home you’ve ever traveled? 
How did it change you? 


I pray you find 
"a little something extra" 
in each of your days.

Marian

Wednesday, October 14, 2015

Peggy Trotter - Riving Jules


Good Monday Morning Readers!

Today,  Peggy Trotter visits Lagniappe to discuss her latest release, Reviving Jules.


Welcome, Peggy!

Tell us a little about Reviving Jules.

Reviving Jules is a Christian Contemporary Romance. Jules Summers reels in pain and flees her life—literally. And she firmly shuts the door on God, who is the very one who could restore her. Rhett Carson vows never to marry again. But when his daughter bonds with Jules, he finds he might just need a helping hand. They work together as a team to care for Rhett’s child. But is, “practicality” the only thing God has planned for these two? Or could there be a whole lot more?






If you could be any character, from any book who would you be?

Probably Jules.   Why? I love her quirky sense of dark humor.

What Bible verse speaks to you the most?

Well, my favorite verse is fluctuating on what trial I am trying to overcome at the time.  Right now, Proverbs 3:5-6 is my lifeline. I want to direct the steps of my life and career, but God is forever reminding me it’s in His time on His terms.

 For Christmas, do you prefer white lights or colored lights on your Christmas tree?

I prefer white, but I bought a set that flashes from white to colored just to satisfy my thirst for a little flash.

 What is the best NON-writing advice you’ve received?

Given I have a tendency to open my mouth when unnecessary, probably, “Speak softly and carry a big stick.”

 What is the best WRITING advice you’ve received?

Don’t give up. Lol. Since there were so many people advising this, I’m not sure where it originates.

 What's the worst job you've had and how has it helped your writing?

Waitressing. And that’s what Jules ends up doing. Lol. So I drew a lot of stuff from having worked that job. So it wasn’t all bad. And yes, I worked at the same place that has the greasy yellowed clock from Reviving Jules.

What can we expect from you in the future?

I’m working on a contemporary and a historical while editing a contemporary in the Smokey Mountains.  It’s called, The Secret Things and it adds a dash of intrigue. Throw in a little agoraphobia and amnesia, an wha-la! Trifecta.


Please include buy links and your website/FB/Twitter etc links.
Amazon:  http://amzn.com/B00UZ78ZUA 
                 UK link: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1511561920
Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/reviews/year-of-jubilee-peggy-trotter/1121712754?ean=9781511561921#reviews-header 
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/534087
Books A Million: http://www.booksamillion.com/p/Year-Jubilee/Peggy-Trotter/9781511561921?id=6432785621911
Prism Book Group:  http://www.prismbookgroup.com/Yearo

LIGHTNING ROUND   

Plotter, Pantser, or Planser? Panster
Laptop or Desktop? Desktop
Socks or slippers or both? Socks
Vacation: Beach or Mountains?  Beach
Favorite Decorating Color? Just one! Blue


Peggy Trotter has been writing something for over 30 years. The empty-nest syndrome set her to groping for a new direction, and wow, did God answer! Year of Jubilee, a Christian Historical Romance set in southern Indiana, debuted in April of 2015 through Prism Book Group. A second, a Contemporary Romance entitled, Reviving Jules, is set to follow on Oct. 9th, 2015 as well. She loves to reveal God’s miracles through the world’s underdogs and mix in a little love, a dash of romantic heat, and of course, a happy ending.

She took third place in the Indiana Golden Opportunity Contest in 2013 in the Inspirational Category, and won the coveted Genesis Award in 2014 from the American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) in the Novella Category with her entry, Spun, a Historical Romance.

God blessed her with a wonderful husband who cooks and helps clean while supporting her crazy dreams. She has two incredible grown kids plus two fabulous in-law kids, and two rays of sunshine, commonly called grandchildren. Seldom does she stand still, but when she does, it’s to praise her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, Creator of all gifts and Bestower of all blessings!

My website: peggytrotter.com
Amazon Author’s Profile Page:  http://www.amazon.com/Peggy-Trotter/e/B00V15P2LU/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0

Peggy, thanks for sharing!



Readers, thanks for visiting Lagniappe.


I pray you find 
"a little something extra" 
in each of your days.


Marian