Showing posts with label Linda Swift. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Linda Swift. Show all posts

Tuesday Book Excerpts

Make sure to read and comment today and you might win a copy of one of these books.



Blurb: Sienna has survived what most succomb to - the death of a spouse and child and has maintained her faith despite her troubles. William has never met anyone who actually lived out what they say they believe. Is it true love between the faithful optimist and broody pessimist or simply winter madness?

Excerpt:
They met on a cold winter morning in a cozy coffee shop. Not just the tinkle of the bell above the door announced his arrival, but also the quickening of her heart, the slow thud of blood through her veins, the sharp curl of need in the pit of her stomach. Even before she saw him, she knew the minute he’d walked in. A dream from her past.

He turned; their eyes met.

William’s eyes widened, and his breath caught. There she sat all soft and glowing. A ghost from his past. He hesitated, blew a soft rush of air to cool the steaming brew he’d just purchased. A sigh escaped followed by a resigned shrug. There was no way out of the meeting now. Only a few steps separated them physically, miles emotionally. One hurdle at a time, he thought, and joined her at the table for two beside the window.

This book releases in March from The Wild Rose Press

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Refusing the offer of a ride, Rex put on his coat, preparing for the grueling trek back to his hotel. Kala walked him to the front door and stepped out onto the dark porch, already covered in a fine layer of white from the blowing snow.
"Come for pancakes and sausage in the morning." She shivered in spite of her bulky knit sweater. "About eight or anytime after."
Without thinking, Rex opened his jacket and wrapped her up inside, folding her into his embrace. Instinctively, Kala lifted her face and his mouth covered hers. The kiss, which began as a friendly goodbye, took on momentum as he deepened it into a hungry tangling of tongues when she responded. The effect left them both breathless when they finally pulled apart.
"Maybe," Rex whispered, before he plunged into the drifts and disappeared in darkness.
Kala stood there for a moment, touching her lips with her fingertips, wanted to call after him, "Don't go. I need you. I . . .I love you." Love? Stunned by the unexpected realization, she hurried inside. Thank goodness, she had guests to feed. She didn't have time to worry over Rex now; her feelings would have to wait until later.
Although his feet were numb with cold, Rex plowed with dogged determination toward his apartment, wishing his mind were as frozen as his limbs. He could have stayed. So why did he invent an excuse not to? Because being with Kala Vandergriff, even with a houseful of people, would be too tempting. She made him lose control, forget his resolve. Like kissing her just now, the taste of her lingered on his lips. He wanted her, he admitted to himself with candor, in a way he never intended to want anyone again. And wanting her scared the hell out of him. She wasn't the kind of woman to have a casual fling, and he wasn't sure he was willing or capable of offering anything more. He saw the lights of the Ritz ahead and quickened his pace. He'd make a stiff drink and think about his feelings later.

This book releases tomorrow from The Wild Rose Press

Tuesday Book Interviews - Pam & Linda

Pam Thibodeaux

Hi Pam. Thanks for being here today. Tell us about your holiday release.

Merry Christmas! Thank you, Cindy, for having me here today. I don’t have a holiday book to talk about, but I would like to introduce my upcoming release, Winter Madness. Here’s the blurb: Sienna has survived what most succumb to - the death of a spouse and child and has maintained her faith despite her troubles. William has never met anyone who actually lived out what they say they believe. Is it true love between the faithful optimist and broody pessimist or simply winter madness? Winter Madness will be released on March 11, 2009 through The Wild Rose Press.

I love titles. How did you come up with this one?

Titles usually come to me from something that occurs or is said by the characters or as a result of the overall theme of the book. For Winter Madness, the hero, William is pessimistic and when I wrote the opening scene where Sienna talks about how lovely the first snow of the season is and his response was “sheer madness if you ask me” I just knew ‘madness’ had to be part of the title. Since the book is set in winter, the title Winter Madness just seemed to click and resonate within my spirit so that’s the title I chose.

Did you have to do a lot of research for the book?

No, not really. I did a little research about the area around Peg Leg Falls in Oregon but that’s about it.

Where did you get your idea for this particular book?

Well, Cindy, as with all of my stories my ideas come from a vision or a thought. Winter Madness started out with this thought... Normal 0 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 They met on a cold winter morning in a cozy coffee shop.


I “saw” this meeting in my mind and the conversation that ensued. The rest evolved from there. I must admit, this is one story that took a very long time to write in light of how short it is. Life just kept getting in the way of me finishing, but one evening after a very stressful day, the words flowed.

Which character did you like writing about the most, and why?

I liked writing about William the most because it is always beautiful to me when a person realizes the simplicity and beauty of a personal relationship with Jesus. William had heard all the rhetoric about Christianity but never met anyone who actually lived the concept – in fact everyone he knows who professes to be a Christian had lives as screwed up as his. For him to see and understand a true relationship with Christ by Sienna’s example and testimony was a wonderful thing to watch unfold and I ended the story with a sense of knowing that his life was and would continue to be changed through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Where can we get in touch with you and purchase your book?

Winter Madness will not be available until March 11, 2009 however I am GIVING AWAY an advance copy to ONE lucky person!

You can purchase my other short stories, Cathy’s Angel, Choices and A Hero for Jessica as well as my full-length novel, The Inheritance at The Wild Rose Press. If you purchase one of these between now and December 15th your name can be entered in TWRP’s contest to WIN a Sony E-Reader!!

I also have my 4 part ‘Tempered’ series available from Com Star Media. All full-length novels are also available in Print.

Folks can find out more about me by visiting my Website and/or Blog.

They can also email me at: pthib-7@centurytel.net, pthib07@yahoo.com or pthib07@hotmail.com

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Linda Swift

Hi Linda. I'm excited to hear about your holiday release.

The book's title came from the song "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen." And a version of that song plays on my web site and another version of it plays on MySpace. Kala copes with so many disasters with such effortless grace and ingenuity that I felt this title suited the story well.


Did you have to do a lot of research for the book?

The only research required was a tour with "Sandy," who is one of the real tour guides at the Welcome Center to learn what goes on behind the scenes. A local newspaper did a story about the book first time around and featured pictures of Sandy and me in the mansion. I visited her there again last week and we caught up on each others lives. She has a son fighting in Iraq now and plans to send him a copy of the book.

Where did you get your idea for this particular book?

This book is about a real place called Whitehaven, an antebellum mansion built at the time of the Civil War. It was home to one of Paducah's mayors when I was a little girl and I had a terrific crush on his grandson who also lived there. So I used to imagine myself living there some day. Then the place fell into grave disrepair and was finally bought by the state and renovated to become a welcome center, the only one of its kind Kentucky. At Christmas, they always hold a open house and I had been there a few times and the story began to grow in my mind. The young mother and her small children who appear in the story were in a short story I wrote and they were heading North for Christmas. Imagine my surprise when they stopped in the Welcome Center and stayed over with Kala! So the book started with a place and a time and then the people came into it.

When my husband and I were looking for house to buy many years ago, we were shown a large old brick home on Fountain Avenue and I fell in love with it. It needed new wiring and heating and cooling and plumbing and we had to pass it up. But in my heart, I think I have always lived there. So the next best thing was to have Kala own this house in my story.

Which character did you like writing about the most, and why?

I liked writing about Kala best. I always identify with the heroine of my story. Doesn't everybody? She usually has the character traits I wish I had and her life always turns out the way it should. In this book, Kala has the house I've always wanted, a job in another place I've fantasized about, she is a good cook, and has grandchildren (which I also want). And though I never want to be a widow, she finds happiness with a handsome man in the end so who could ask for more?

Where can we get in touch with you and purchase your book?


You may contact me at lindaswift22@yahoo.com and visit me at my web site www.lindaswift.net
LET NOTHING YOU DISMAY is a heartwarming holiday story peopled with characters of all ages. It is 64 pages, categorized as "Sweet" and can be ordered on December 10 from www.thewildrosepress.com as a e-book for $3.

Tuesday Party

Please welcome today's guests:


Pamela Thibodeaux


Award-winning author, Pamela S. Thibodeaux is the Co-Founder/President & Treasurer of Bayou Writers Group in Lake Charles, Louisiana. Multi-published in romantic fiction as well as creative non-fiction, her writing has been tagged as, “Inspirational with an Edge!” and reviewed as “steamier and grittier than the typical Christian novel without decreasing the message.”



Linda Swift


Linda Swift has had over one hundred poems, articles, and short stories appear in a variety of publications and a play produced on WPSD-TV, an NBC affiliate, and has won numerous awards for her work. She has also had a novel and novella published by Kensington. In her "other life" she worked in public schools in Kentucky, Tennessee and Alabama as a psychometrist, counselor, and teacher of special education. Linda has been married to the same wonderful man forever and has a son and daughter. She now lives in Kentucky and Florida, but mostly in her head.


We'll follow the same format as yesterday. Next I'll post the book interview followed by holiday recipes or poems and lastly excerpts. Comment and you will be entered into the contest to win one of the two books from these authors. Thanks for visiting today!