LoRee Peery - Where Hearts Meet

Good Monday Morning Readers!

Today, LoRee Peery visits Lagniappe 

to discuss her latest release, Where Hearts Meets

Welcome, LoRee!

Shattered by the loss of her parents, Deena pours her love into her patients at an assisted living facility. When the son of one her charges starts showing up to spend time with his mother, Deena's wary heart is warmed by his attention to his mother...and to her. Simon is plagued by his ex-wife's disappearance years before. When he meets Deena, who closely resembles the woman, he fears his attraction is based only on Deena's looks. But she exhibits a warmth his ex-wife never had. Dare he risk his once broken heart? As two lonely souls pursue a tentative, budding love, secrets and lies come forward to tear them apart. Can Simon and Deena overcome loss and allow their hearts to mend?

Buy Where Hearts Meet:  http://tinyurl.com/o3sn5qk

Tell us a little about Where Hearts Meet

As usual, I went through files for ideas and read news clippings, made a few notes, and brainstormed. The title came and seemed perfect. I have a list of possible names and chose Deena Shores and Simon Hart. She’s a receptionist at a memory care facility where Simon’s mother is a resident. The tagline hasn’t changed: Are obedience and trust in God enough to keep Deena and Simon from chasing memories?

The forty words I kept before me as I wrote: Deena strives to keep her attraction for Simon secret while caring for his mother. Simon looks into Deena’s dark eyes, sees his wife, and relives her disappearance. Will his obedience to God override the chance Deena may vanish as well?

If you weren't a writer, what would be another dream job?

I once thought it’d be rewarding to volunteer at a Christian pregnancy center. At home I’ve always dreamt of creating quilted wall hangings where fabric creations draw an observer into a garden or a visual story place. Neither is a job. I consider writing an adventure I can’t ignore, rather than a job.

What led you to choose the genre in which you write?

As a girl I loved the adventures of Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn. I read the Pollyanna series, horse stories, Nancy Drew, Zane Grey. There seemed to be a call to romance in those westerns. What clinched romance for me was Gone with the Wind, which I read at age thirteen. When I first started writing, I played around with suspense themes because I like the tension of solving crimes, but reading a cozy mystery isn’t deep enough characterization for me. In the end, I’m all for happily-ever-after, which equals romance.

What were some of the challenges (research, literary, psychological, or logistical) you faced in bringing this story to life?

I once met a woman with advanced dementia, still living with her husband on their farm, and that experience haunted me for a long time. I tucked away my notes, wondering if I could ever write about such a character. At the time of my first draft for Where Hearts Meet, I’d never been in a facility focused on memory care, though I’d visited friends and family in assisted living. God’s timing warms my heart. I attended an open house at a new facility after I’d written this story. Now, a dear friend resides there.

Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?

Oh, yes. Don’t let anyone try to convince you to believe writing is easy. I need the Lord’s strength from idea to revision and on through promotion. There’s probably a spot in most projects where I say, “I can’t do this without You, Lord,” instead of “Let’s write this together, Lord.” The rewards are worth it. First and foremost, I’m doing what I believe the Lord has called me to do. My characters struggle the same as real people do. The times my hero and heroine take off without me are times to giggle and let the fingers fly. I still do a swiveling happy dance in my chair (a squeal or two escapes as well) when I get the email with a new contract. Reviews and comments from readers make me smile and tear-up at the same time.

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

Though I loved the exploring playful times on the farm when I walked endlessly and enjoyed the outdoors, chores was a challenge at times. The chicken coop and barn and hog pen were yucky during my growing up years. It doesn’t take much of a trigger and I can smell those places. I remember losing my rubber boots in the muck of the corral.  Any farmer will say animals stink. They’ll agree weather plays a part. Overall, I’d never trade my farm experience. I learned how to work, whether I felt like it or not. I learned to appreciate God’s creation and Nebraska, the state of my birth.

What can we expect from you in the future?

I know my plans, but the Lord directs my steps. (Grinning.) I have a Christmas novella with my editor now, a story in the works, and two to polish and submit.

Please include buy links and your website/FB/Twitter etc links.

PBG http://tinyurl.com/kl3h8lk

www.loreepeery.com

https://www.facebook.com/LoReePeery

https://twitter.com/LoreePeery

LIGHTNING ROUND

Debbie Macomber or Nicholas Sparks?

Nicholas Sparks

Superman or Batman?

Superman

Vacation: Beach or Mountains?

Beach

The Voice or Dancing with the Stars?

The Voice

Christian romance author LoRee Peery writes to feel alive, as a way of contributing, and to pass forward the hope of rescue from sin. She writes of redeeming grace with a sense of place. LoRee clings to I John 5:4 and prays her family sees that faith. She has authored the Frivolities Series and other e-books. Her desire for readers, the same as for her characters, is to discover where they fit in this life journey to best work out the Lord’s life plan. She is who she is by the grace of God: Christian, country girl, wife, mother, grandmother, sister, friend, and author. She’s been a reader since before kindergarten. One day she slapped a story in her lap. “I could write better than this.” (Lofty assumption, eh?) Her dear hubby challenged, “Why don’t you?” Thus her writing journey began many moons ago.

LoRee thanks for sharing!

Readers thanks for visiting Lagniappe!

Loren's Questions for you:

Has dementia or Alzheimer’s struck someone close to you?

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

Donna Robinson - The God of All Tomorrows

Good Monday Morning Readers!

Today, Donna Robinson visits Lagniappe 

to discuss her latest release, The God of All Tomorrows.

Welcome, Donna!

Tell us a little about 
The God of All Tomorrows. 

This book has a long history. I woke up one morning with a dream running through my mind. My husband and I were in South America, visiting a missionary doctor named Miles Stone. That was all I could remember of the dream, but that little bit made an impression. I sat down and wrote an outline for a novel. Two years later I finished it.

That was in 1995, twenty years ago! I’ll always think of The God of All Tomorrows as a “milestone” in my writing career, for this was the first novel I ever finished.

On a side note to Marian (and your blog readers), the word Lagniappe actually has its origins in Quechua, the language my heroine learned to speak in Peru. It comes from the Quechuan word yapay (meaning “to increase or add”) with the Spanish article la in front of it. A number of Quechuan “loan words” have entered English via Spanish, including cocoa, condor, jerky, llama, puma, and quinoa. 

Donna, thanks for sharing the tidbit about the origin of Lagniappe! It's so cool to learn something new about things that have been a part of our lives for so long! 

What led you to choose the genre in which you write?

I’ve always enjoyed reading sweet Christian romance, both contemporary and historical. In Proverbs 30, King Solomon wrote about four things he didn’t understand, and one was “the way of a man with a maid.” It really is a mystery why two people are attracted to each other. Why are they attracted to that person, and not someone else? I believe God uses those sparks of attraction to further His will in people’s lives.

What is your hope for the readers of your books?

In writing Christian stories, I hope to point readers to a closer walk with the Lord. The theme of The God of All Tomorrows is trusting in God, no matter how bad things look. Several times, Launi and Miles have to learn to trust the Lord for their very lives. If God could come through for them, He can certainly help us with our problems. Just as He helped us in the past, He can guide us in the future.

What is your least favorite part of the publishing / writing process?

Writing the book! Seriously, I sometimes have to force myself to sit down at the computer and write the next chapter. To me, writing a rough draft takes a lot of energy—a brain drain, which makes me tired (and I’m getting older!) But I really enjoy editing my work, once it’s written.       

Can you give us a brief summary of your writing process from idea to holding a published book or a download onto your eReader.

After many years of writing, I’ve finally narrowed it down to a process! When I get a book idea, it usually simmers in my mind for a while. If I keep thinking about it, I brainstorm the idea with my daughter, Holly, who is also my editor. (She’s married with four kids, and we’ve been brainstorming together since she was in college.) I work our ideas into an outline of the story, which often changes quite a bit before I’m finished writing the book. When I feel good about the story synopsis, I begin writing. It takes anywhere from four to eight months to write the book, depending on family and/or church happenings. Holly edits it for me, and then I have others read and edit it. As an Indie Author now, I format my own books into eBooks. My husband creates all my book covers, and he formats the books into paperback.

What can we expect from you in the future?

I’m working on a two-book contemporary romance series set in West Virginia. The first book is titled The Ballad of Steffie Mae, and it’s scheduled to come out in October, 2015, Lord willing.

Please include buy links and your website/FB/Twitter etc links.

Website:  DonnaRobinsonBooks.com

Amazon Author page: http://www.amazon.com/Donna-Reimel-Robinson/e/B00J43HJKI/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0

Please leave a question you’d like readers to answer.

In The God of All Tomorrows, Launi and Miles have to trust God when there is nowhere else to turn. Sometimes the Lord “paints us into a corner,” so to speak, and the only way we can look is up. Has this ever happened to you? Have you had a bad circumstance where the Lord had to rescue you, and you saw His hand in the situation?

LIGHTNING ROUND   

Plotter, Pantser, or Planser?     I’m a definite plotter.

eReader or Paper book?   Paperback book

C.S. Lewis or J.R.R Tolkien?    C.S. Lewis, especially the Chronicles of Narnia

For Thanksgiving: Pecan Pie or Pumpkin Pie?   Pumpkin pie

Birthday Card: Email or Snail Mail?   Snail mail

In 1934, Launi Fairfield goes to the jungles of Peru to translate the Bible into an Indian dialect. She thought missionary work would be exciting, but her days are taken up with the tedious translation project.

Miles Stone has been a missionary doctor for ten years. He’s a confirmed bachelor, not wanting to be saddled with a wife and children as he moves around to the different Peruvian tribes. He’s content with his life, until he meets Launi.

Together, they end up having more adventure than Launi ever bargained for. They battle snakes, jaguars, sickness, earthquakes, and an Indian chief who wants to add Launi to his harem. Will they trust God for all their tomorrows?

Donna Reimel Robinson is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers. Her publishing credits include Tumbleweed Weddings, published by Barbour, as well as The Knotty Pine Chronicles and The God of All Tomorrows. She and her husband live in Denver, and have four grown children and eleven grandchildren. You can see a list of her books, both digital and paperback, at DonnaRobinsonBooks.com.

Thank you, Marian, for hosting me on your blog!

Donna, thanks for sharing!

Readers, thanks for visiting Lagniappe

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