It’s National Get Up Day

Posted on: February 1, 2020February 1, 2020 by Sandra Orchard

Today is National #GetUpDay, founded in 2017 as a reminder to Get Up when we stumble. After all we never know when our efforts to seek a goal or overcome an obstacle will encourage another to do the same.

Of course, my grandson is my GetUpDay hero . . .

But since you know me best as a writer, I thought I’d share a few “GetUpDay” stories from my writing journey.

I began writing my first novel, after a back injury seriously restricted my ability to continue many of the activities that had been occupying my time. I loved that story writing expanded my horizons and gave me new challenges to meet.

Of course I encountered numerous disappointments and setbacks along the way to my first publishing contract, but with each one, I learned a little more. For example, an early version of what later became Deep Cover once finished dead last in a contest I entered.

However, after following the judge’s suggestions and those of a few trusted friends, I transformed it into my first contracted novel. Fast forward ten years, now I’m working on my 22nd contracted novel, with two more waiting to be written after it.

So . . . if writing is your passion and dream, I encourage you to Get Up and Keep Going. And remember that your perceived destination isn’t the only place where you and your writing can touch lives.

Not far into my writing journey, I realized that even if I was never published, persevering was not for naught. God opened doors for me to minister to others through my writing long before I ever signed a contract. Some were people I likely would never have met if I wasn’t part of a writer’s group. The most important people were my own children.

My children saw me reveling in learning new things. They saw me risk being criticized and crushed by putting my work “out there”. They saw my frustration with negative feedback and my determination to learn from my mistakes. They shared in the excitement of editor requests and the disappointment of rejections.

They saw me rewrite the same story again and again until it was as good as I could possibly make it. And then rewrite it again when I’d learned more.

They learned that pursuing your dreams is hard work. They learned there is joy and purpose in the journey, and that God uses your obedience each step of the way to not only grow you, but to encourage and teach and inspire those around you. They learned that it’s okay to fail.

And they learned to dare to dream.

I hope today is the beginning of an exciting and challenging new journey for you, whatever that journey might be. My spare time and energy these days is spent learning as much as I can about the human body and applying the knowledge to regaining lost mobility and range of motion.

It’s been mind blowing to me to realize how different muscles have taken over the job of others to compensate for weaknesses. Retraining the proper muscles to do the jobs their meant to do is hard work. There are days I feel as unstable as my littlest grandchildren learning to take their first steps!

But I persevere, hopeful that eventually I’ll be able to do more than ever pain free.

Your Turn: What are you Getting Up to do? Please share your GetUpDay stories of past or present experiences in the comments as an inspiration to others.

Life’s Like That

Posted on: December 18, 2019 by Sandra Orchard

Ever notice how challenges have a way of piling up on you?

Being a writer who exploits such scenarios on a continual basis, I’ve grown to take a philosophical approach to the twisters that want to wreak havoc on my plans.

This month the twisters came mostly in the form of helping care for sick grandchildren and trying not to succumb myself. So when my edits landed in my inbox and the children all seemed to be on the mend, I envisioned an entire uninterrupted day of work.

😆 😆 😆

A stray dog, with no collar, had another idea. The adorable, lovable and unbelievably needy chocolate brown lab showed up on my doorstep at 7 am. I fed her and tied her up . . . three times. She looked to be about 8 months old, but clearly had already learned the fine art of being an escape artist.

Of course, she didn’t run away each time she escaped. No . . . She came and threw herself at my door and begged to be let in. I think my dog thought Christmas had come early in the form of a playmate, but I wasn’t about to let the kamikaze canine inside.

Visions of Christmas tree ornaments spewing in every direction at the wag of the dog’s tail filled my head!

So . . . I did what any responsible person would do. I woke my nearest neighbours to ask if they knew who she belonged to. 😳

They didn’t. And of course, the local animal shelter didn’t open until 10.

Yup, my FULL day of working on edits was quickly spiralling out of control.

The title of said novel, YULE BE SORRY, was clearly an omen.

But alas, eventually the friendly lass was carted off to await her owner’s call and I was able to sit down to my edits.

The whole episode reminded me of Rusty, the heroic goldendoodle in Identity Withheld.

Have you read that story? Do you remember Rusty?

For fun, I thought I’d share his interview once more. Identity Withheld takes place at Christmas time, so if you haven’t read it yet, it’d be a fun one to pick up for an edge-of-your-seat read on a blustery day.

Sandra: Rusty, could you start by telling us about yourself?

Rusty: I’m a really, really, really good dog. Don’t pay no attention to what Tommy’s dad, Jake, says. He’s a firefighter and gets hot under the collar just because I chew a shoe or corner of the couch or something. His parents adopted me for their grandson Tommy who is the nicest boy on the face of the earth. I live with them, next door to Tommy and Jake. Tommy’s mom died not long after he was born so Tommy’s at his grandparents a lot when his dad’s working, and we play and play and play.

Sandra: I hear you took a shine to Kara Grant, too, when Jake brought her to his parents after her house burned down and she had nowhere to go.

Rusty: Oh, yes, I loooooove Kara. She understands dogs. I could tell she was sad so I sat right down beside her and let her cry into my fur and she let me sleep on her bed with her. And she taught my person, Tommy, how to train me so his dad wouldn’t get so mad at me. Of course, I didn’t listen when she told me to stay before she went out for a jog, because I sensed she wasn’t coming back and I knew that would make Tommy real sad.

Sandra: So what did you do?

Rusty: I chased after her. And it worked! She came back to the house to stay a while longer. But…she was more scared than ever, because bad guys are after her.

Sandra: Did Jake have a new respect for you after that, too?

Rusty: More like he was jealous that Kara was always hugging me instead of him.<big, tongue-lolling grin> But after that, at least, he figured “I was smarter than I looked.” Although…I think I look adorable. Don’t you?

Sandra: Absolutely. Is there anything else you’d like to tell us?

Rusty: I don’t want to give away the story, but everyone keeps calling Jake the hero, when I should get top billing. Kara fell in love with me the first time she laid eyes on me and… <glances from side to side and lowers his voice> if you read Identity Withheld, I’m sure you’ll agree that it wouldn’t be much of a story without me.

Me Again: I hope you enjoyed catching up with me. It has been awhile!

For those of you who aren’t on Facebook or who may have missed the post I made there. I’m proud to share that my grandson, who lost his leg in the lawn tractor accident a month before his third birthday, is this year’s War Amps Safety Ambassador.

If you’d like to see the commercial he did with a couple of Hamilton’s TiCats, you can find it here:

https://youtu.be/lTNV7JQwO2I

A 2 ½ min behind the scenes feature is here: https://youtu.be/9uJKzPvSpMI

Crying Baby Image courtesy of imagerymajestic at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Download A Fool and His Monet for Free in August

Posted on: August 20, 2019 by Sandra Orchard

If you haven’t met my plucky FBI art crime agent, Serena Jones, this month is your chance to read about her first adventure for free!

Almost every online retailer is on board, offering a legal free download of A Fool and His Monet by Sandra Orchard.

Here are links to some of the most popular retailers:

Amazon US. Nook. Kobo. CBD

If you know others who might enjoy A Fool and His Monet or all the Serena Jones Mysteries, please let them know about this great deal.

Click here to learn more about A Fool and His Monet.

Click here to checkout its bonus features.

Canada Day Sale on Deadly Devotion

Posted on: July 1, 2019July 4, 2019 by Sandra Orchard

Are you looking for a lazy summer day read?

Looking for a mystery with a pinch of humour and dash of romance?

The Ebook version of Deadly Devotion is on sale for 99 cents!

Already read the book? Please tell a friend about the sale. And check out Deadly Devotion’s bonus features.

Here are some of the online retailers it’s discounted at:

Deadly Devotion is book one in the Port Aster Secrets series, set in Niagara, Ontario, about an herbal medicine researcher that turns amateur sleuth when her mentor’s sudden death is ruled, at best, the accidental ingestion of a poisonous herbal tea or, at worst, a suicide.

Kate Adams is determined to do whatever it takes to unearth the truth about what happened to the woman who changed her life. But as she digs into the mystery, she unearths more secrets buried in her sleepy town and soon finds herself tangled in a web intrigue she might not escape.

To read more, and to learn about print options, visit the Deadly Devotion book page and Deadly Devotion Bonus Features

This is what critics have said about Deadly Devotion:

“Romantic suspense maven Orchard (Shades of Truth) plunges readers into the fray immediately … Stakeouts, possible bombs, … keep up the breakneck pace of this tale as Adams and Parker try to uncover a killer and, perhaps, a little romance as well. … Fans looking for a quick read and a unique mystery will surely enjoy it.”

– Publisher’s Weekly

“Orchard’s first Port Aster Secrets book is suspenseful with plenty of action and a fascinating mystery that readers as well as tea lovers will enjoy.”

– RT Book Reviews

“I loved how the author used this understated, odd-couple comedy to not only raise the stakes for the characters, but to flesh out their personalities as the story progresses.”

-USA Today HEA blog

New Release ~ Weeds of Doubt

Posted on: December 31, 2018December 31, 2018 by Sandra Orchard

Weeds of Doubt, my fourth cozy mystery with Annie’s Fiction ships in January to subscribers of the Victorian Mansion Flower Shop Mysteries. (Click the links for more information on how to get these books).

As you might guess from the title, I researched a lot of “weeds” in preparing to write this book. And I discovered that I should eat a lot of the ones I’d been pulling from in and around my vegetable gardens every summer, because in some cases, they’re even more nutritious than the plants I’m nurturing.

Best of all, weeds thrive on being ignored!

So this summer I added purslane, young dandelion leaves, lambs’ quarters and chickweed to my salads and I dug up the roots of the dandelion and burdock and infused their goodness into vinegar, which I’ve been using to make my salad dressings. I also dried and roasted some of the dandelion roots for quite a tasty tea that does a humdinger job of cleaning me out. 😉

Of course, I knew better than to go anywhere near hogweed–a highly noxious plant that may or may not be a clue to this mystery’s killer. 😆

The Victorian Mansion Flower Shop series is about mysteries encountered by a former forensics botanist professor who takes over her her grandmother’s flower shop on Orcas Island in Washington State.

In Weeds of Doubt (#14 in the series), Summer is winding down and florist Kaylee Blue and the other residents of Orcas Island are planting fall flowers and preparing for another bustling autumn tourist season. But Kaylee has a full course load. Turtle Cove High School’s most beloved teacher has retired and is about to move off island, and mild-mannered school librarian Wilma has begged Kaylee and the other members of the Petal Pushers garden club to help her assemble a last-minute class reunion so that everyone can say goodbye before he leaves town.

Unfortunately, there’s nothing gym-dandy about the social when someone is killed on the beach. It’s not a former-student body that Kaylee nearly stumbles over while walking Bear. It’s the photography buff brought along as a date by one of the alumni, and other than Arnold, the poor sap, no one knows her. So who else would have a motive to kill her? Unless Wilma, who’s harboured a secret crush on the dentist for more than a decade, got jealous enough to pick a peck of poison and ring the final bell on her rival . . .

Kaylee will have to do some old-school detective work is she’s to mow down a murderer–before someone else becomes dead of the class.

For those who don’t subscribe to the series, these hardcover books can sometimes be found in libraries (thanks to patron donations), flea markets, and at used book stores (including online retailers, such as those distributed by Amazon marketplace).

Here are some options for my previous Annie’s titles:

The Hound and the Fury ~ Through Amazon.com

On Pens and Needles ~ Through Amazon.com

Digging Up Secrets ~ Through Amazon.com

Click on the “more buying choices” option for each book on Amazon to see the vendors selling used copies and the associated shipping cost if any.

Justice Betrayed – A review

Posted on: August 7, 2018 by Sandra Orchard

I’m afraid I’ve been quiet online for much of the summer. I have been enjoying cultivating my vegetable garden, well, four gardens plus a pumpkin patch to be exact. And I’ve been having tons of fun experimenting with new recipes, including making sourdough for the first time and fermenting some of this year’s bounty from the garden!

But in between reading “how to” articles and watching videos to hone these new skills, I have managed to do some reading. One of the books I most anticipated delving into was the next instalment in my friend Patricia Bradley’s Memphis Cold Case series. Although if you haven’t read the first books in this series, it does read well as a standalone. And . . . if you’re a longtime Elvis fan, you’re especially in for a treat!

Here’s the book blurb:

It’s Elvis Week in Memphis, and homicide Detective Rachel Sloan isn’t sure her day could get any stranger when aging Elvis impersonator Vic Vegas asks to see her. But when he produces a photo of her murdered mother with four Elvis impersonators–one of whom had also been murdered soon after the photo was taken–she’s forced to reevaluate. Is there some connection between the two unsolved cases? And could the recent break-in at Vic’s home be tied to his obsession with finding his friend’s killer?

When yet another person in the photo is murdered, Rachel suddenly has her hands full investigating three cases. Lieutenant Boone Callahan offers his help, but their checkered romantic past threatens to get in the way. Can they solve the cases before the murderer makes Rachel victim number four?

My Review:

Justice Betrayed is a keep-you-guessing romantic suspense that is light on the romance. Now, I have to say that I prefer it when authors keep the “bad guy” a mystery, even in a suspense, so I was a little disappointed to “meet” the bad guy in the prologue. Until . . .

I discovered I didn’t have a clue who the person actually was in the present!

I love being kept guessing and Pat provided enough possibilities to keep me on my toes. She also had some great secondary characters, including the heroine’s polar opposite grandmothers, as well as, a sweet, mentally challenged young woman whose adoration of Elvis inadvertently entangles her in the mystery, which takes place during Elvis week in Memphis and begins with the death of a tribute artist.

I really enjoyed this book. Ask for it at your favourite bookstore or find it all the major online retailers.

And . . . if you’re looking for Ebooks to stock your kindle, iPad, tablet or phone these last few weeks of summer…

A Fool and His Monet and Another Day Another Dali are both only $1.99 each through to the end of the month. You can find them on google play for your android devices, iTunes for your Apple devices, Nook, Kobo, and Amazon for kindle.

On Pens and Needles

Posted on: June 9, 2018 by Sandra Orchard

My third cozy mystery with Annie’s Fiction shipped this month to subscribers of the Secrets of the Castleton Manor Library series. I love this series set at a luxurious mansion on Cape Cod that serves as a place for book lovers and writers retreats.

On Pens and Needles is the thirteenth book in the multi-author series, set in October, so I had fun playing off various superstitions.

I love the title the publisher chose. It’s reminiscent of all those fun Serena Jones Mysteries titles. 🙂

Sadly for those hoping to pick up my book without subscribing to the whole series, it isn’t available through regular retail outlets. However, sometimes you can find used copies for sale online or at flea markets or donated to your local library.

For those in Niagara, Ontario, I plan to donate a copy of this and my other Annie’s Fiction titles to my local library, which once it’s catalogued means it will be available throughout Niagara via interlibrary loan. I’ll keep you posted.

Here’s the back cover blurb:

The spine-tingling scene is set at Castleton Manor in Lighthouse Bay, Massachusetts, when the grand mansion plays host to a retreat for horror writers and fans. Librarian Faith Newberry feels unusually ill at ease about the event celebrating frightening stories, and all the talk of superstitions and bad omens makes her apprehensive. Her sense of foreboding only grows when the retreat organizer devises a series of hair-raising stunts to keep the guests constantly on edge.

But then something happens that no one could have predicted. One of the stunts turns deadly.

As Faith and her friends in the Candle House Book Club investigate the suspicious death, another mystery develops. Horror novelist Pierce Baltimore becomes the victim of pranks inspired by his latest book. The writer made many enemies during his climb to the top of the best-seller list, so is someone seeking revenge? Or are the pranks just part of the retreat’s entertainment?

Join Faith and her friends—including her dedicated cat, Watson—as they roll the dice on these two mysteries. Will they be able to solve them both before Pierce’s luck runs out?

If you get a chance to read this book, I hope you enjoy it. I had a lot of fun with these characters.

This is my 16th published novel. Check out the complete list here: http://sandraorchard.com/my-books/

Revisiting an Old Friend

Posted on: April 25, 2018April 25, 2018 by Sandra Orchard

This week, I had the pleasure of speaking at a Women’s Spring Event–meeting new people and catching up with old friends. I had so much fun, I started thinking we should revisit some of my old characters here and find out what they’re up to these days.

Since my recent visit to an art auction aboard a cruise ship had me reminiscing about the art crime in Perilous Waters, released four years ago this month,

it seems appropriate to start with FBI agent, Sam Steele.

(BTW, Serena Jones fans . . . Sam knows her and has an inside scoop)

He’s the star of this Love Inspired Suspense:

Cover of Perilous Waters

Not to be confused with the 1948 movie of the same name:

And as an added bonus, for those who haven’t read the book, it’s only 99cents on both Amazon.com and Amazon.ca at the moment.

Would you believe that even though I dreamed up every one of my characters and they spent months and months traipsing around my head as I wrote their stories, I often forget more about them than I remember?

So . . . before we get into the “what are you up to now” questions, we’ll have a few get to know you questions, for those who’ve never met Sam and for the rest of us who have probably long since forgotten him.

Sandra: Tell us a little about yourself, Sam, and how you came to be in the midst of a thief hunt on an Alaskan cruise.

Sam: I’m an FBI agent, with our art crime team. Art crime is overlooked by a lot of police departments. Yet, it’s a seventy-billion-dollar-a-year crime with criminals using paintings as collateral to finance everything from arms, drugs and money-laundering deals. So when we got a tip that a stolen Native American painting was being sold out of Skagway, Alaska, to the Robbins’ Gallery, I did some digging.

When I learned Jennifer and Cassandra Robbins, who are the heiresses to the gallery, currently being managed by their guardian, booked a cruise to Alaska, I knew I didn’t have time to set up a sting by my usual methods. So I decided to book my parents, widowed brother, my nephew and myself on the same cruise, under the pretense of celebrating our parents’ 40^th wedding anniversary.

Sandra: Ooh, sounds as if it could be risky, exposing family to criminal types. What did you hope to actually accomplish?

Sam: Not to put my family at risk, for sure! In fact, they had no idea of my true motives and I’d hoped to keep it that way. My goal was merely to befriend the women in order to gather the evidence against them that I needed.

Sandra: That doesn’t sound like something a nice guy would do. And I can’t believe I’d make the hero of one of my stories not be a nice guy!

Sam: It’s the job. Sometimes I’ve even had to pose as a criminal to recover stolen art and bring bad guys to justice. More than once I’ve posed as an unscrupulous private collector willing to overlook a masterpiece’s provenance for the opportunity to own it.

Sandra: I guess sometimes the ends justify the means. But there must be some things you’d never do.

Sam: Yeah, I’d never again lie to the woman I love.

Sandra: Ooh, I think that’s a bit of a spoiler for those who haven’t read you’re story. Why don’t you tell us about the women you are investigating. What was your first impression? When did you know you had feelings for Jennifer?

Jennifer Robbins and her twin sister Cassandra were raised in a small rural Washington State community, where their mother taught art and her father managed a store. After her mother’s art was “discovered,” the family moved to Seattle where they opened what quickly became a lucrative art gallery.

Sadly at seventeen, the girls lost their parents and became wards of the gallery’s curator. Cassandra now works at the gallery and seems to love the glamorous parties and publicity that goes along with it, while Jennifer works for a charitable foundation and seems to embrace a quiet and humble lifestyle. Of course, as an agent, I can’t take anything at face value. I’ve been duped before by a beautiful woman that almost cost me a case. But from the first time I met Jennifer, I felt an undeniable attraction to her beauty inside and out. My family adored her, too, especially my nephew who she helped win a game of dominoes against our family aboard ship. Spending time with her and my family felt like the idyllic life I’d once dreamed about having.

Sandra: Is there anything that scares you?

Sure, the thought of making a wrong call, a mistake that could cost someone his or her life.

Sandra: What do you hope people will learn from your story?

Sam: Love is worth the risk.

Sandra: So true. Now it’s been four years since your story took place. What have you been up to since?

Sam: Well, those who’ve read my brother Jake’s story in Identity Withheld and my cousin’s story Emergency Reunion know that I left the FBI to become a sheriff deputy and married Jennifer. And I’m thrilled to say we’re expecting our first child.

Sandra: Congratulations! I imagine your parents are thrilled.

Sam: Over the moon, but you know all about the joy of grand parenting I hear. 😉

Sandra: Oh, yes, I’m eagerly anticipating the arrival of grandchild #6. 😀 One last question from our Serena Jones fans who are eager to know what she’s up to these days. You both worked on the FBI art crime team. Have you heard from Serena recently?

Sam: It’s interesting you should ask, because yes, she reached out to me when a situation arose on her honeymoon on one of the Greek Isles. But that’s a whole other story. 😆

Your Turn: Any questions for Sam?

P.S. Serena Jones fans please refrain from posting spoilers in your comments here. We can continue the discussion of Sam’s conversation with Serena over on the private Facebook group open to anyone who has finished reading Over Maya Dead Body (and can prove it by answering the admission questions) at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1680399125601702/

Digging Up Secrets

Posted on: April 10, 2018April 10, 2018 by Sandra Orchard

“Where do you get your story ideas?” is the most common question I get asked.

For Digging Up Secrets, my upcoming cozy mystery from Annie’s Attic, the answer is . . . my life!

I was staying at the hospital with my grandson Jed when I was invited to write this story for a new multi-author Victorian Mansion Flower Shop cozy mystery series, but I knew instantly that I’d have no trouble finding fodder for it.

First of all, the heroine, Kaylee Bleu, has just taken over her grandmother’s flower shop housed in an old Victorian Mansion and I live in a similar old house—very old. In fact, two days before the editor contacted me I’d been home for the weekend and our well’s foot pump went kaput, so we had to dig down to the well head. Trouble was . . . we didn’t know where it was!

We had a general idea, based on where the pipes entered the basement, and began digging. But by the time we unearthed the well head, we had a grave-size hole, five feet deep beside our house. So . . .

Of course, I knew the same trouble needed to befall Kaylee. And although being without water for several days is troublesome enough for a flower shop with countless thirsty flowers inside, how much better to find unknown human remains in the hole?

Thankfully, that part came from my imagination, not personal experience!

Then again . . . when my kids were younger, they did set up an “archaeological dig” next to our house and came across some bones.

But I’m pretty sure they were old beef bones a dog had buried.

I hope.

But I digress.

As if we didn’t have enough crazy things to deal with that summer, once we had the new pump installed, the awesome improved water pressure blew our hot water tank and flooded the basement. So . . .

Guess what other trouble Kaylee will face, besides trying to figure out who’s buried in her backyard? 🙂 To make matters worse, the police are slow to release the crime scene and allow the plumber to get her well back in operation, which not only puts her plants’ health in jeopardy, but her entire business.

It also helps that I have tons of “plant research” under my belt from my Port Aster Secrets series.

Translation: I know lots of plants that can ~~kill~~ hurt people, as well as many ways forensic botanists can glean clues from crime scenes. 😉

myrtle spurge

Did I mention Kaylee has a PhD in plant taxonomy, and had been a university professor who also did forensic botany consulting for law enforcement, before her position was suddenly eliminated?

Kaylee also tends to refer to plants by their taxonomical name, rather than their common name, a phenomenon I also have ample experience with, since my eldest daughter studied horticulture for three years.

Sadly, I didn’t actually get to visit the story’s locale, the picturesque Orcas Island of the San Juan archipelago off the west coast of Washington State, but I did a lot of “island life” research for Over Maya Dead Body, which helped.

So aside from interviewing a few florists for anecdotal details and reading up on Orcas Island, this was one book I could dive right into writing. Or should I say dig?

About Digging Up Secrets:

Nothing is coming up roses for Kaylee Bleu. Not only are all of the plants in her flower shop going thirsty because of a busted well pump, but a competing florist on Orcas Island is stealing customers from The Flower Patch. As if that wasn’t enough to turn her into Florist Grump, a new client who could be Kaylee’s golden ticket to the lucrative country club set is also her most persnickety yet—and continuously threatens to take her business elsewhere.

But all of that seems like no big deal when Kaylee’s plumber discovers a fractured skull in her shop’s yard. The remains belong to Danny Lane, a troubled teen accused of killing a high school girl in a boating accident thirty-five years ago. The consensus around Turtle Cove was that the boy fled town shortly after the accident, but Kaylee thinks the holes in that story are as big as the grave-size pit dug up around her well head.

Unfortunately, somebody on Orcas Island wants Kaylee to leave the past buried.

Image courtesy of stockdevil at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

SaveSave

A New Giveaway and the Story Behind it

Posted on: March 21, 2018 by Sandra Orchard

This week I’d like to give you a glimpse into a new historical fiction novel in a bit different way. Author Amanda Cabot and her publisher are hosting a three-prize package giveaway to celebrate the release of A Borrowed Dream, the second novel in her current trilogy.

The idea of giving away the book and its predecessor, A Stolen Heart, wasn’t surprising, but I was curious about the other prizes being including and I asked Amanda why she chose those things, assuming they must be connected to the story in some way.

Here’s her response:

Well, when Revell’s Marketing Director first asked me for gift ideas to go along with the books, I was stumped. I asked her to let me think about it, but the ideas flowed more like the proverbial molasses in January than clear water. It wasn’t writer’s block – after all, how can you have block over an apparently simple question? – but something was keeping me from being creative.

That’s when I realized I needed to ask my characters for their ideas.

On Thursday, March 4, 1881, a late winter ice storm strands two of schoolteacher Catherine Whitfield’s pupils in the small town of Cimarron Creek, Texas. Neither Hannah, the too silent daughter of handsome rancher Austin Goddard, nor Seth Dalton, whose frequent bruises suggest his father is far from the gentle man Austin is, can reach their ranches. So Catherine takes them home with her, never dreaming the simple action will have dramatic consequences.

The next morning, I (Amanda) sat all three of these characters at Catherine’s kitchen table and asked the simple question, “What are your favorite things?”

“Popcorn,” Seth declared.

I stared at him, startled by his response. I would have expected him say pencils and paper since he loved to sketch. “Why popcorn?”

He gave Catherine a shy smile. “Because she let me make it all by myself. She trusted me.” And trust wasn’t something he’d been given before.

I nodded as I turned to Hannah. “What about you?”

Her reply was the one I’d anticipated. “A music box like the one I used to have before …” She stopped abruptly, clapping her hand over her mouth as if she’d said too much.

Knowing I would get no more from her at this point, I posed the same question to Catherine.

“Books. A whole room with floor-to-ceiling shelves filled with books.”

And just that simply, I had my answers for my publisher.

Seth would have popcorn, but not ordinary popcorn. No, indeed. He’d get gourmet Texas popcorn. Hannah’s request was almost as easy to fulfill, with a beautifully carved music box that looks like it could have been made in the nineteenth century. Catherine’s wish posed the biggest challenge. We obviously couldn’t give away a room of books, but we could – and did – find a beautiful jigsaw puzzle of a book-filled room that looked like her dream.

So there you have it – the story behind the three gift packs for A Borrowed Dream. I hope you’ll enter the contest http://bit.ly/2ptas6E and that I’ve intrigued you enough to add A Borrowed Dream to your TBR pile.

Sandra: You’ve certainly hooked me. Readers, be sure to click through to enter the rafflecopter giveaway. If you have a question for Amanda, leave it in the comments below.

Here’s a little bit more about A Borrowed Dream:

There is no such thing as an impossible dream . . .

Catherine Whitfield is sure that she will never again be able to trust anyone in the medical profession after the local doctor’s treatments killed her mother. Despite her loneliness and her broken heart, she carries bravely on as Cimarron Creek’s dutiful schoolteacher, resigned to a life where dreams rarely come true.

Austin Goddard is a newcomer to Cimarron Creek. Posing as a rancher, he fled to Texas to protect his daughter from a dangerous criminal. He’s managed to keep his past as a surgeon a secret. But when Catherine Whitfield captures his heart, he wonders how long he will be able to keep up the charade.

With a deft hand, Amanda Cabot teases out the strands of love, deception, and redemption in this charming tale of dreams deferred and hopes becoming reality.

Amanda Cabot is the bestselling author of more than thirty novels including the Texas Dreams trilogy, the Westward Winds series, the Texas Crossroads trilogy, A Stolen Heart, and Christmas Roses. A former director of Information Technology, she has written everything from technical books and articles for IT professionals to mysteries for teenagers and romances for all ages. Amanda is delighted to now be a fulltime writer of Christian romances, living happily ever after with her husband in Wyoming.