What would you give up for love?

Posted on: by Sandra Orchard

This past week I read the Love Inspired contemporary Lakeside Reunion by Lisa Jordan about a cop who jilted his bride-to-be mere weeks before their wedding after learning that a night of indiscretion three years earlier had led to the birth of his son.

He chose honor over love and married his son’s mother, a woman he scarcely knew and who was battling cancer. The story begins five years later. Stephen has been widowed for a year, and Lindsey, the woman he’d jilted, and never stopped loving, is back in town.

And Stephen will do anything to make her trust in God and take a risk for love–again.

This story has a similar element to one in Deep Cover in that Lindsey’s father died in the line of duty, and she doesn’t think she can risk enduring that kind of loss ever again. But for Stephen being a cop and eventually becoming captain is his ticket to redeeming himself from his past mistakes and proving himself honorable to his family and community.

Stephen’s friend asks Stephen what he’s willing to give up to keep Lindsey.

I won’t give away the ending by telling you what he decides. But I will share an interesting tidbit about the author. Twenty-three years ago, Lisa begged her then Marine husband to give up his dream of becoming a police officer like his dad. She admits that she was terrified of losing him and didn’t trust God enough to protect him.

Lisa’s husband honored her plea.

Your Turn: Have you had to make a sacrifice for someone you loved (spouse, child, parent)? How did you handle it? Has someone made such a sacrifice for you? Thank them, today.

Lest We Forget

Posted on: by Sandra Orchard

In commemoration of Remembrance Day, I’ve invited the heroine from Catherine West’s novel, Yesterday’s Tomorrow, to answer a few questions. But first let me tell you a bit about this 60s era romance that readers are raving about.

Vietnam, 1967.

Independent, career-driven journalist Kristin Taylor wants two things: to honor her father’s memory by becoming an award-winning overseas correspondent and to keep tabs on her only brother, Teddy, who signed up for the war against their mother’s wishes. Brilliant photographer Luke Maddox, silent and brooding, exudes mystery. Kristin is convinced he’s hiding something.

Willing to risk it all for what they believe in, Kristin and Luke engage in their own tumultuous battle until, in an unexpected twist, they’re forced to work together. Ambushed by love, they must decide whether or not to set aside their own private agendas for the hope of tomorrow that has captured their hearts.

Hi Kristen, so glad you could join us. Could you start by telling us a little about yourself?
Thanks for having me! I’m Kristin Taylor, daughter of Malcolm and Valerie, sister to Teddy. From Boston, Mass. I was 24 when I decided to go to Vietnam. I’m a journalist. Always wanted to be one really, from the time I was very small. My father was one of the greatest wartime correspondents ever. He influenced this career choice in a major way. Actually I can’t even call it a choice. It’s what I was meant to be. Going to Vietnam seemed to be a calling rather than a career move. I have a younger brother Teddy, and after he enlisted, I knew I wasn’t going to be happy back in Boston waiting for that letter or phone call… I needed to be where the action was. To follow in my father’s footsteps and make a name for myself, even despite my mother’s opposition.
  
   How did your father die? 
My father died in 1957, in Vietnam. He was there on assignment. He was in the wrong place at the wrong time. I was twelve years old and I suppose my mother spared me the gory details. She said he died bravely, doing what he loved. Which was true. I found out later that he’d been following a platoon that walked right into an ambush. None of them stood a chance.  
Weren’t you afraid to go to a war-torn country?
I’m not sure I gave myself time to be afraid. I think if I’d really sat down and thought about it, thought about what I was going to see, hear, feel, I’m not sure…I probably would have gone anyway. I don’t give in to fear easily. 
What’s life like on the field as a foreign correspondent? 
In a word, hell. You can’t imagine the things you see. The death. Destruction. You’re literally on your own the minute you step off the plane out there. Unless you’re lucky enough to be working with an established paper already, you need to find work. Get a visa. And then go where the stories are. And that’s out in the field. Most of the time I was able to get rides on Huey’s (helicopters), follow a platoon, get onto base camps, but some of the guys didn’t like having a girl around, know what I mean? They sort of felt responsible, like if something happened to me it was their fault. I had to earn their trust and respect. You don’t get much sleep. The food is awful. It’s hot and damp and sticky and exhausting. And some nights you don’t dare close your eyes because you’re not sure you’ll wake up in the morning. At the same time, it’s a rush. You’re always on, ready to run after the next story. You don’t want to miss a thing. 
How did you meet Luke Maddox? 
Meet? Ha. I would use that term rather loosely. Actually I fell asleep in his apartment by accident, and he pulled a gun on me. It was a rather memorable introduction. His sister and I ended up as roommates, and he lived in the same building, right next door, so he had to put up with me, like it or not, and I had to put up with him. 
What attracts you to him? drives you crazy? 
Oh dear. Laughing. When we first met I couldn’t wait to get away from him. He was probably the biggest jerk I’d ever met. And he wasn’t about to give me the time of day. But somehow we kept landing in the same places and…I realized there was a lot more going on behind those eyes than he wanted me to know. So of course I made it my business to find out. J Aside from the fact that he’s not that hard to look at once he’s cleaned up, I found him to be extremely intelligent. 
That was a shocker. 
But apart from my father, I think he’s one of the smartest men I’ve ever met. He’s brave, loyal and honest. But he’s stubborn and when you get on his bad side, you don’t want to be in the same room, trust me. The thing that really drives me nuts though, is that he knows me. Seriously sees right through me. I didn’t think anyone would be capable of getting past the shallow relationship stuff, you know? But Luke…he just strode right on through, grabbed my heart and laid claim to it like it was always his for the taking. 
Did you ever run into your brother on the field? How did you find out where he was? 
At first I couldn’t get a lead on Teddy. I knew my mother was worried sick of course, and I just tried not to think about what he’d be going through. Whenever I went to a new base camp I’d ask questions, try to find out where he was. It was actually Luke that found him. I learned later that his connections out there were a lot better than mine. It was probably one of my best days in Vietnam, seeing Teddy. Seeing that he was all right. It was a good day. 
Why do they call your brother “Preacher”? 
Yeah, that’s Teddy all right. He’s always had a strong faith. He seemed to have this relationship with God…I didn’t understand it. Not for a long time. But he’s…passionate I suppose…really excited about who God is and he just wants to share that with everyone. He got the name “Preacher” from the other GIs over there because wherever he went he’d somehow end up talking to them about God. But it was good. The guys listened for the most part. I’m sure some thought he was crazy, but I know he helped a lot of them get through their tours by pointing them toward a hope they didn’t know existed. 
What did you want your readers to learn from the news reports you wrote? 
I wanted them to learn the truth. There was so much confusion over there, so many conflicting stories. It was difficult not to take sides. I just wanted to show them back home what it was really like for those boys, for the men and women who served in Vietnam. I felt like we were fighting a forgotten war. While guys were getting killed in the jungles, everybody back in the States was just going about their normal everyday lives, like none of it mattered anymore. I wanted it to matter. I wanted them to know. To see. To feel. And to honor what those boys were doing for their country. For them. 
Do you felt like you made a difference? 
Oh, I don’t know. Does anybody really make a difference in this world? Martin Luther King made a difference. JFK made a difference. But me? I just told the truth. The guys out there, they made the real difference. People just didn’t know it. And now, back home, nobody wants to talk about it. 
Did you see evidence of God in such a devastating place?   
When I went to Vietnam, I was angry with God. Angry with Him for taking my father, just angry I guess. I definitely didn’t have the kind of faith my brother or even my mom did. I was also a bit of a control freak. There was no way I was about to give my life over to some being I couldn’t see or hear. I wasn’t even sure He existed.

The more atrocities I saw over there, the stronger my doubt grew. I found it very difficult to understand how a loving God could just sit back and do nothing in the face of such death and destruction. Yet I saw God in Vietnam. I saw him in the faces of the children. In the kindness of strangers. In the beauty of the countryside, the color of the ocean. Even in death. God was everywhere in Vietnam, even when I didn’t want Him to be. He was. It’s taken me a while to acknowledge that. I’m still growing, still learning. Still forgiving. But God is patient. He’s not going anywhere. 

A lot of people came home with many issues to deal with. They suffered nightmares and found it difficult to assimilate, to function in the life they knew before Vietnam. Did you feel the same? 

Oh, sure. Coming home was hard for a number of reasons. I lost so much over there. Luke and I talked a lot about what it would be like afterward. What it would be like to be home, to live a normal life. In the end you just kind of laugh and shake your head because really, what’s normal after Vietnam?  But you go on. You push through the pain, you try to forget the nightmares and you put one foot in front of the other. You live. And that’s the point really. You live because you can. 

Do you regret your time there? 

No, not at all. I regret the choices I made. Some of the things I did and didn’t do, but I’ll never regret going to Vietnam. I met too many wonderful people. Made friends. Fell in love. If I hadn’t gone to Vietnam, I don’t think I’d be the person I am today. And while I’m not perfect by any stretch of the imagination, I think I’m someone my father would be proud of. Vietnam taught me so much, much of which I was totally unprepared for, but I think I learned a lot. I learned about love, friendship, trust and love. But most of all, I learned how to live.

Educated in Bermuda, England and Canada, Catherine West holds a degree in English from the University of Toronto. When she’s not at the computer working on her next story, you can find her taking her Border Collie for long walks or tending to her roses and orchids. Catherine and her husband live on the beautiful island of Bermuda, with their two college-aged children. Catherine is a member of Romance Writers of America, and American Christian Fiction Writers, and is a founding member of International Christian FictionWriters. Catherine’s debut novel Yesterday’s Tomorrow, released in March 2011 through OakTara Publishers. Catherine’s next novel, Hidden in the Heart, will be available in the near future, also through OakTara. 
You can find Tara online at http://www.catherinejwest.com
Your Turn: Do you have any questions for Catherine? 
Giveaway: Catherine is giving away a copy of her book today at her blog. Click here to check it out.

NOVEL MORSELS – My Gift to You

Posted on: by Sandra Orchard
I’m excited to introduce 
Novel Morsels 
 A collaborative recipe Ebook bringing your favorite Christian authors and their favorite foods together. 
Sixty-five Christian fiction authors have come together in this first-of-its-kind e-book, sharing more than 120 recipes that connect to their books or their characters.
The book retails for $2.99, but as my gift to you, my blog readers, newsletter subscribers and Facebook fans may use this special coupon code [ SandraOrchard ] to download the book for free!!
You can purchase Novel Morsels RIGHT HERE. 



Enter my coupon code in the bottom left hand corner and click apply. The book will then show a zero balance owing, and you can proceed to checkout. 

Just so you know what to expect… 
You will be asked for your name, email address and phone number. You can simply put your first name and n/a for phone number, but ensure you type your email address accurately as your receipt and download link will be emailed to you. 

The receipt will appear in your inbox almost immediately, but I found that the email with the download link was delayed by a couple of hours. Rest assured that it will come. You may want to check your spam file if you don’t see it after a few hours. The book itself is a 55.6 MB pdf file so if you’re not on highspeed, it could take a while to download.

Soon, Novel Morsels will be available for Kindle and Nook. I’ll keep you posted.

P.S. Friday we have a special guest visiting in honor of Remembrance Day/Veteran’s Day that you won’t want to miss. 


Your Turn: What’s the most memorable or touching gift you’ve ever received…not counting God’s most precious gift of his son?

Emotional Connections

Posted on: by Sandra Orchard

Have you ever read a story that a friend raved about and then been stumped at the attraction?

That’s happened to me a few times lately, and I’ve been attempting to pinpoint why. Sometimes, of course, it can be chalked up to different tastes, or different life experiences that make a story resonate with one person and not another.

Lately, I’ve been hungering for stories in which I emotionally connect with the hero or heroine so much that my heart aches when theirs does.

This obsession seems to be spilling over into my people watching–an occupational hazard.

Sunday afternoon my husband and I and two youngest children went to a restaurant for lunch, and a young family caught my attention. There were four adorable blond children ranging in age from about four to eleven and a tired-looking dad. They were dressed like they’d come from church, well-behaved. The eleven-year-old girl was obviously used to mothering her younger siblings.

I wondered if the mom was trailing behind with a baby. Then when she didn’t appear, I wondered if she was sick at home, or had just had a baby and hubby was giving her a few hours of peace and quiet.

Nosy writer that I am, I soon found myself trying to catch a glimpse of the father’s left hand.

My heart sunk when I saw his ring finger was bare. I doubted he was divorced. He looked too melancholy, and I figured that if this was his weekend with the kids, he’d be more…alive.

So I naturally assumed he was widowed–every happily-married spouse’s worst fear.

Instantly, I was emotionally connected.

My heart ached for that little family even as my mind began re-writing their happily ever after.

Hours later, I found myself wishing we’d introduced ourselves, perhaps invited the children to come out for a ride on our sweet old horse. That’s the kind of person I want to be, and the kind of actions I yearn for my characters to inspire in readers.

Your turn: What kind of scenario squeezes your heart, or plays on your mind for hours after you’ve put a book down? Has a fictional story ever inspired you to change something about yourself or do something differently?

A Hook is like a Guard Dog

Posted on: by Sandra Orchard

This week I’ve been working on a Christmas bonus story for my Deep Cover readers–a what are Rick and Ginny doing for Christmas kind of story.

Not sure if it will ever see the light of day, because the process has impressed upon me why romances end at “They lived happily ever after.”

Showing the happily ever after is boring. The fun is in the chase!

Of course, I like a challenge so I’m dreaming up ways to stir up some mischief. And the process got me thinking about hooks. 

A hook is like a guard dog. It either lures in the unwitting reader or sends her running.

A guard dog?

Yup, a great suspense is going to have a teeth-baring rottweiler guarding the house. Fierce enough to make you shake in your boots, but impressive enough to make you curious about what’s inside.

A light romance might have a tongue-lolling golden retriever sitting on the porch. Friendly enough to lure you to the step for a little pat and ready to win you over with a wet, sloppy kiss.

Then there’s the quirky, cozy mysteries…I’m picturing a Vietnamese pot-bellied pig as the guard dog.

Yes, a little pot-bellied pig sitting on someone’s porch is going to make you curious about what kind of character could possibly think the wee-little thing would scare anyone off the property. 

You’ll step closer.

It’ll puff itself up, taking it’s guarding duties very seriously. Snort. Snort.

Pot-belly pigs are intelligent. They’ll wait until you’re only a few feet away, laughing at them. And then…

Two-hundred-pound, Papa pig will lumber around the corner!
Gotcha ya.

Your turn: What kind of openings hook you into a story?

An International Feast

Posted on: by Sandra Orchard
I was recently invited to join the International Christian Fiction Writers blog. Written by authors of Christian fiction representing a variety of rich cultural traditions from Canada to the UK to Tasmania to Brazil to Mozambique, it’s goal is to promote international Christian fiction.

In celebration of our second year of blogging, we’ve collaborated to create an International Recipe Ebook which we’re giving away as a free download to our readers.

Travel with us around the world as we sample delicacies that uniquely represent our home countries or the settings of our books.

Try our exciting selection of entrees, sides, mains, desserts and snacks:

• Peanut soup from Bolivia.
• Chicken croquettes from Brazil.
• Cornbread from Tennessee, USA.
• Cranberry salad from Australia.
• Bobotie and Cape Lamb Pie from South Africa.
• Mennonite stew from Canada.
• Passionfruit and coconut cake from Mozambique.
• Pavlova from New Zealand.
• Scones from England.

And many more! Over 40 recipes in all. 

Don’t miss… the hero of Deep Cover, Rick Gray’s delicious and oh-so-easy chili that he teaches the heroine’s little sister how to make. Click here to download the book. You can choose from a variety of formats that can be read online or on popular Ereaders, or as a pdf for printing. 


Your turn: What’s your favorite international food and why? 


P.S. Please take a moment to stop by the International Christian Fiction Writers blog and meet the authors. 


P.S.S. I’ll soon be giving away free downloads to another cool cookbook called Novel Morsels, which will feature favorite recipes of characters from books. Subscribe to my newsletter and/or Facebook page (links on the side bar) to be sure you don’t miss the announcement.

Get that Plank out of my Eye!

Posted on: by Sandra Orchard

Since we talked about villains last week, these verses in Proverbs 24:17-18 caught my eye yesterday. “Do not gloat when your enemy falls; when he stumbles, do not let your heart rejoice, or the Lord will see and disapprove and turn his wrath away from him.”

Isn’t that an eye-opener?

Yeah, the villain is a bad guy, but taking pleasure in his punishment isn’t good either.

So…at the end of the book when the bad guy gets his just desserts, my hero better not gloat, or the next thing he knows his author will have to help him confront his pride issues!!!

As a writer I spend a lot of time contemplating the truths my characters need to learn. My understanding of these truths, and my need to embrace them in my own life often grows as a result.

Oftentimes, their complexities don’t fully gel in my mind until I tackle crafting the study questions for the back of the book–like the ones we’ve been exploring here each Monday.

That’s where I’m at right now with the third book in my undercover cops series. Originally titled Dose of Deception, the book, at the spiritual level, explores many levels of deception, but most importantly how we deceive ourselves.

In a romance, someone who has been burned by love may say they’re not interested in dating again, but really they’re afraid of being hurt again. Deep down they know they will be…

Even deeper than that, they don’t trust God to be sufficient when the inevitable happens.

Your turn: Can you think of a time when you tried to convince yourself that you were doing the right thing and perhaps even offered noble reasons for your choice or decision, but deep down that choice was driven by fear?

No Toy Left Behind

Posted on: by Sandra Orchard

After a computer villain launched a cyber plot to consume all my time yesterday in trying to get my guest post on the Craftie Ladies of Romance blog to render properly, I decided I’d had enough of villains for one week!

It’s Fun Friday. Time to smile! 

One thing that makes me smile every time I witness it is…

When we leave the house, we crate our eat-everything-in-sight pup, Bella. We always supply her with all her favorite toys and a chew bone.

What’s hilarious is that as soon as we let her out of the crate, she carries her toys one by one to the living room–far from view of that crate.

She’s a true marine. No toy shall be left behind!

Your turn: What made you smile this week? 

Join me…

Posted on: by Sandra Orchard

I’m guest posting today on The Craftie Ladies of Romance blog (a blog of Love Inspired romance writers–suspense, contemporary, and historical) on…
Celebrating Christian Fiction Readers.

Interviewing a Villain

Posted on: by Sandra Orchard
Since we talked about villains on Monday, I wanted to share here the interview Emile Laud did with blogger Suzanne Hartzman at the end of September. I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed playing him. 
Visiting with us today is Emile Laud a character from Sandra Orchard’s debut novel Deep Cover. To help you better follow my interview with Emile, allow me to first share a brief description of the other main characters.

            Rick Gray (aka Duke Black) ~ Undercover cop working as a construction foreman on Emile Laud’s newest development—a group home for his mentally-challenged niece
            Ginny Bryson ~ A web copywriter and the PR person for her Uncle Emile’s construction project. When not trying to raise funds for the project, or writing copy for her uncle or other clients, she cares for her dying mother and coaches a T-ball team of special needs players, including her sister.
            Lori Bryson ~ Ginny’s eighteen year old sister who has a mental age of three to four and works in a supervised work placement during the day.
Suzanne: Your foreman Rick Gray, uh, I mean Duke, would have us believe you’re the villain of this story so I thought it only fair to give you a chance to defend yourself against these accusations. Could you tell us a little bit about yourself?
Emile: I’d be happy to. I appreciate you having me here. I honestly have no idea why Duke would think such a thing of me, especially after I gave him a job. I’m a developer. I’ve done quite well over the years. I left Miller’s Bay almost twenty years ago, following the tragic death of my wife in a house fire. I simply couldn’t bear the reminders the town held of our happy years together. But I returned a few months back to re-establish my business in the community and to give back to the town that helped launch my career by building a group home for special needs adults.
Suzanne: Tell us a little more about the group home you’re building.
Emile: Foremost, the home is for my niece Lori. With her mother dying, it’s the least I can do to ensure she has a stable home in the future.
Suzanne: Tell us what your niece Ginny is doing to help with the group home.
Emile: Her assistance has been invaluable. Thanks to her tenacious fundraising efforts and government lobbying, grants and donations toward the construction are pouring in. She is such a lovely girl, always helpful, never questions my decisions. I try to help her out however I can. She has a lot on her plate holding the family together. Her mother, my dear departed wife’s sister, was an alcoholic you know. She’s quit now, they say. I suppose with the cancer making her so sick, she had no choice.
Suzanne: Oh, I didn’t know that. No wonder Ginny thinks the world of you. In fact, most people in Miller’s Bay seem to think highly of you. Why is that?
Emile: Why because money talks my dear. Show compassion to the less fortunate, donate to a worthy cause, build a home for the needy, and everyone thinks you’re honorable. If only the insurance company was so easily persuaded. If they paid the settlement on the townhouse fire instead of dragging on a fruitless investigation, I’d be able to move forward with construction much more quickly.
Suzanne: I’ve noticed you always dress in expensive three-piece suits and eat at the best restaurants and even own a yacht. Appearances seem very important to you. Why is that?
Emile: I was poor once. Bullied by kids at school. Mocked for my secondhand clothes. Ignored by the girls. I never intend to go back to that life.
Suzanne: I see. And why doesn’t Ginny’s mother, your sister-in-law, like you?
Emile: She blames me for her sister’s death I’m afraid. It’s understandable. I blame myself. If I’d been there that night instead of working late at the office, I might’ve been able to save her.
Suzanne: What evidence does Ri—uh Duke have to make him suspect that you torch some of your buildings to collect the insurance money?
Emile: Come now, you look like a woman of the world. You know how these rumors get started. I was working late the night my wife died. And yes, so was my secretary. But that didn’t mean I was having an affair. And yes, perhaps my business endeavors have been victimized by arson attacks more than most. But any evidence he believes he has is pure conjecture I’m sure. 
Suzanne: What threats are being leveled at Ginny?
Emile: < squirms, looking suddenly uncomfortable> There have been…shall we say, incidents. One nasty note she received said I know. And one way or the other, HE WILL PAY. Obviously, I’m concerned for her. Although it has occurred to me that Duke, not I, is the “he” to whom the note refers.
Suzanne: But—
Emile: I admit that a man doesn’t get to my position without creating a few enemies. That’s why I asked Duke to use his criminal connections to try to find out who’s behind the attacks on my dear niece and put a stop to them. Now, I ask you, if I were trying to hurt my niece, why would I ask Duke to protect her?
Suzanne: Hmm, good question. I guess I’ll have to read Deep Cover to find out who’s really telling the truth. 
Your turn: If you read Deep Cover, were you surprised at the end to discover who was trying to hurt Ginny?