Featured Author Interview: Dan Walsh

Dan Walsh is the award-winning author of several books, including The Discovery and The Reunion. A member of American Christian Fiction Writers, Dan served as a pastor for 25 years.

Dan writes contemporary and historical novels, mostly love stories and family-life dramas. He's been called “the Nicholas Sparks of Christian Fiction,” and often compared to Richard Paul Evans. His goal, whether writing historical or contemporary novels, is to create an entertaining and inspirational experience for his readers. He wants them to thoroughly enjoy themselves, while exploring together some of the themes in life that matter most.

Dan lives with his wife Cindi in the Daytona Beach area, where he's busy researching and writing his next novel.

The following is an October 2013 interview with Dan.

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ENTER THE GIVEAWAY 
AT THE END OF THE INTERVIEW

Be in to win a copy of 
The Dance or The Promise
by Dan Walsh & Gary Smalley

Three print copies to be won

Contest open to entrants in the USA, Canada, Australia and NZ only.

Contest runs from 25 October - 7 November NZDT

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October New Releases in Category Fiction

New Releases in Category Fiction for October 2013 include titles from Love Inspired, Love Inspired Suspense, Love Inspired Historical, and Heartsong Presents. 

The following blog post is a title listing with descriptions of each release.

PLUS!
ENTER THE GIVEAWAYS

Comment at the end of the blog post on which titles you would love to read the most and you can enter the Rafflecopter draws for a copy of Thread of Suspicion by Susan Sleeman, A Family for Christmas by Winnie Griggs, The Secret Princess by Rachelle McCalla, Taming the Rancher by Rhonda Gibson, or Big Sky Bachelor by Lesley Ann McDaniel.  

Contest entries close Thursday October 31 NZDT.

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Featured Debut Novelist: Keli Gwyn

Keli Gwyn writes stories that transport readers to the 1800s, where she brings historic towns to life, peoples them with colorful characters, and adds a hint of humor. 

A California native, Keli lives in the Gold Rush-era town of Placerville at the foot of the majestic Sierra Nevada Mountains. Her debut novel, A Bride Opens Shop in El Dorado, California, set in the heart of the Gold Country is currently available at all major booksellers.

When Keli’s fingers aren’t hovering over the keyboard of her newfangled laptop, she enjoys strolling past stately Victorian houses in her historic town, burying her nose in reference books as she unearths interesting facts to include in her stories, and interacting with other romance readers. Her favorite places to visit are her fictional worlds, historical museums, and the Coach Factory Outlet Store. Yes, she loves a fine purse.

The following is an October 2013 interview with Keli.

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ENTER THE GIVEAWAY 
AT THE END OF THE INTERVIEW
Be in to win a copy of either 
A Bride Opens Shop in El Dorado, California by Keli Gwyn
or Golden State Brides*
by Keli Gwyn & Erica Vetsch

Two copies - one print (USA) and one digital (international) - to be won

Contest open to entrants worldwide.

Contest runs from 18-31 October NZDT

*NB: Golden State Brides is a 2-in-1 title that includes A Bride Opens Shop in El Dorado California by Keli Gwyn as well as A Bride Sews with Love in Needles, California by Erica Vetsch

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The TREASURES OF NORWAY Sweepstakes

To celebrate the release of the novel An Untamed Heart, author Lauraine Snelling and Bethany House Publishers are pleased to present the TREASURES OF NORWAY Sweepstakes, and your chance to win one of three spectacular prizes, all closely connected to the story.

In An Untamed Heart, the latest novel by bestselling author Lauraine Snelling, twenty-year-old Ingeborg Strand is certain she is destined to be an old maid.

When tragedy strikes, and the future looks bleaker than ever, Ingeborg considers leaving Norway to start afresh in America. But how will she accomplish that with little money and no one to accompany her?

Then she meets Roald Bjorklund, a widower who plans to go to America with his young son. He’s a good man, a hard-working man–and his son desperately needs a mother. But is he the answer to her prayers? Could love grow between two people whose hearts are filled with grief?  And can Ingeborg leave her treasured Norway for such an uncertain future?

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This giveaway starts October 5, 2013 and ends October 24, 2013 @ 11:59 pm (PST). Entry is open to US residents only, age 18 and over. 
Winners will be selected Friday, October 25, 2013, and announced at laurainesnelling.com.

Read on to find out more about the TREASURES OF NORWAY Sweepstakes and how to enter.

Featured Author Interview: Kelly Irvin

Kelly Irvin is the author of the Bliss Creek Amish series, published by Harvest House, and the spin-off series New Hope Amish.

A graduate of the University of Kansas William Allen White School of Journalism, Kelly has been writing nonfiction professionally for 35 years. She studied for three semesters at the University of Costa Rica, learning the Spanish language. As a journalist, she worked six years in the border towns of Laredo and El Paso, where she was exposed to culture and language that serves as fodder for her fiction writing.

The following is an October 2013 interview with Kelly.

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ENTER THE GIVEAWAY 
AT THE END OF THE INTERVIEW

Be in to win a copy of 
Love Still Stands
by Kelly Irvin

Two print copies to be won

Contest open to entrants in the USA, Canada, Australia and NZ only.

Contest runs from 11-24 October NZDT

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Featured Debut Novelist: Jordyn Redwood

Jordyn Redwood is a pediatric ER nurse by day, suspense author at night. As a self professed medical nerd and trauma junkie, she was drawn to the controlled chaotic environments of critical care and emergency nursing.

Her debut medical thriller, Proof, released June, 2012. It received a starred review from Library Journal and has been endorsed by the likes of Lynette Eason, Mike Dellosso, and Dr. Richard Mabry.

Poison, the second book in the Bloodline Trilogy, and the third book, Peril,  both released in 2013.

The following is an October 2013 interview with Jordyn.

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ENTER THE GIVEAWAY 
AT THE END OF THE INTERVIEW
Be in to win a copy of 
Peril 
by Jordyn Redwood

One print copy to be won

Contest open to entrants in the USA and Canada only.

Contest runs from 4-17 October NZDT

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October New Releases in Christian Fiction

New Releases in Christian Fiction for October 2013 include titles from Vannetta Chapman, Laurie Alice Eakes, Ruth Logan Herne & Anna Schmidt, Michael Landon Jr. & Cindy Kelley, Murray Pura, Lauraine Snelling, and Jen Turano, among many others.

• Choose your October favourites and be in to win a new release or existing title from these authors. 
• See the end of the blog post for contest entry details. 
• Contests end 15 October 2013 NZDT.

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Featured Author Interview: Anne Mateer

Anne Mateer is a three-time Genesis Contest finalist who has long had a passion for history and historical fiction. 

While she has been writing for what feels like her whole life, she began seriously studying the craft in 2000. Since then she has completed five novels, had several pieces published in local periodicals, attended six writing conferences and managed to final in ACFW's Genesis contest in 2006, 2008, and 2009. Her first historical novel, Wings of a Dream, released in September 2011.

Anne Mateer lives in Texas with her equally history-obsessed husband. They are the parents of three young adults,  who have spent many a family vacation touring historical sites.

The following is a September 2013 interview with Anne.

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ENTER THE GIVEAWAY 
AT THE END OF THE INTERVIEW

Be in to win a copy of 
A Home for My Heart 
by Anne Mateer

One copy to be won

Contest open to entrants in the USA and Canada only.

Contest runs from 27 September - 10 October NZDT

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The Carol Awards: 2013 Winners Announced

The Carol Awards are ACFW's recognition for the best Christian fiction published by traditional publishing houses in the previous calendar year.

The following are the winners for the 2013 Carol Awards that were announced during the the Gala held at the 2013  ACFW National Conference in Indianapolis on  September 15, 2013.

Feel free to leave comments of congratulations at the end of the blog post.

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Featured Debut Novelist: Michèle Phoenix

Michèle Phoenix is an international writer with multi-cultural sensitivities, having been born in France to an American mother and a Canadian father.

A graduate of Wheaton College, she taught writing, music, and theater at the boarding school for missionaries' children she attended as a teenager.

With a background in screenwriting, Michèle soon turned her attention to novel writing.  Two of her novels have been published by Tyndale House Publishers: Tangled Ashes and In Broken Places. In 2013, Tangled Ashes was nominated for a Christy Award.

The following is a September 2013 interview with Michèle. 

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ENTER THE GIVEAWAY 
AT THE END OF THE INTERVIEW
Be in to win a digital copy of either 
Tangled Ashes or In Broken Places

 One copy of each to be won. 

Contest open to entrants worldwide.

Contest runs from 20 September - 3 October NZDT

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September New Releases in Category Fiction

New Releases in Category Fiction for September 2013 include titles from Love Inspired, Love Inspired Suspense, Love Inspired Historical, and Heartsong Presents. 

The following is a listing with descriptions of each release.

Featured Author Interview: Laura Frantz

Laura Frantz is a lover of history, is the author of The Frontiersman's Daughter, Courting Morrow Little, and The Colonel's Lady, and currently lives in the misty woods of Washington with her husband and two sons.

Passionate about all things historical, she writes her manuscripts in longhand first. Her stories often incorporate Celtic themes. Her family lineage is Scottish, English, and Irish.

Laura Frantz credits her grandmother as being the catalyst for her fascination with Kentucky history. Frantz's family followed Daniel Boone into Kentucky in the late eighteenth century and settled in Madison County, where her family still resides.

The following is a September 2013 interview with Laura.

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ENTER THE GIVEAWAY 
AT THE END OF THE INTERVIEW

Be in to win a copy of 
LOVE'S AWAKENING 
by Laura Frantz

One copy to be won
Contest open to entrants worldwide.

Contest runs from 13-26 September NZDT

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Featured Debut Novelist: Julie Cantrell

Julie Cantrell is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of Into the Free, which won Christy Awards for Best Debut Novel and for Book of the Year 2013. 

Cantrell has served as editor-in-chief of the Southern Literary Review and is a recipient of the Mississippi Arts Commission Literary Fellowship. She and her family live in Mississippi, where they operate Valley House Farm. Her new novel, When Mountains Move, hit shelves from September 1, 2013.

The following is a September 2013 interview with Julie.

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ENTER THE GIVEAWAY 
AT THE END OF THE INTERVIEW

Be in to win a set of Julie's novels - two sets to be won
~One USA winner (print copies)
~One international winner (digital copies)

Contest open to entrants worldwide.

Contest runs from 6-19 September NZDT

 

ACW Blog Launch: Book Giveaway Bonanza

Today is the launch of the new Australasian Christian Writers group blog. To celebrate launch week up to 16 books including fiction and non-fiction in both print and ebook format are being given away.

To join in the celebrations and enter the week long book giveaways from today until Friday 6th September, please visit the blog at http://australasianchristianwriters.blogspot.com

The following fiction titles are available to be won...

September New Releases in Christian Fiction

New Releases in Christian Fiction for September 2013 include titles from Nancy Mehl, Jody Hedlund, Julie Cantrell, Dani Pettrey, Irene Hannon and Keli Gwyn, among many others. 

• Choose your September favourites and be in to win a new release title from these authors and more. 
• See the end of the blog post for contest entry details. 
• Contests end 14 September 2013 NZDT.