Never Say Never by Patti Shene Gonzales

Today, I'm hosting Patti Shene Gonzales. Patti is an amazing encourager who has written her first Christmas novella. She shares a bit about herself, her journey, and her story, Cathy’s Christmas Confession: A Christmas Ridge Romance Book 3.

I have wanted to be a writer since childhood. However, a career, a family, and other priorities always seemed to get in the way.

The biggest stumbling block to my writing career came from my own weakness, my procrastination. As a member of American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW.com) and an attendee at several writers conferences, I have encountered agents and editors interested in my work over many years. However, in my opinion, my manuscripts always needed improvement before submission, and therefore were never really 'finished'.

There were things I said I would never do if I did pursue a writing career. Number one, the last story I would have any interest in writing would be a Christmas story. It’s not that I have anything against Christmas. It is the most joyful and meaningful time of year. I just could not see myself coming up with the type of amazing Christmas stories that I have seen others write.

Second, I was never going to self-publish a book. I wanted my work to be accepted by a royalty paying publisher who, by contracting it, would validate that what I had written was worth publishing.

Sometimes God has other plans. He has an amazing way of changing the minds of even the most stubborn.

A few months ago, a friend invited me to participate with four other writers in a multi author series. This happened to be a Christmas series. She assured me that, having written Gunsmoke fanfiction in the past, this would be easy for me, since the setting and some of the characters were already established.

The project sounded intriguing, so I decided to accept the challenge. I encountered many obstacles along the way as I prepared this manuscript, mainly, as mentioned before, my almost pathological propensity to procrastinate.

I spent way too much time tossing ideas around in my head without writing them down. Suddenly, my deadline date loomed a mere few weeks away. Several nights found me up until 4 a.m., struggling to put the words together that would make a readable story. Sometimes, I went to the Lord in tears, wondering if this was a project I should pursue. The ideas just didn’t seem to be coming.

The more I wrote scenes and deleted them, changed the names of my characters, and tried to create conflict and resolution, the easier it became. I thank God for that. He has a way of putting ideas into a writer's head that can be transposed onto paper or a computer screen to convey a message.

I had promised myself that I would never publish a book that had not been edited by someone other than myself, I sent the manuscript to a friend who edits in an unusual manner. She is blind, so using a reading program, she picks up things the average person doesn’t, such as a missing open quotation mark, a missing period at the end of a sentence, a commonly misspelled word.

Next, I sent the manuscript to two friends who served as beta readers. These were authors I could trust to tell me if the manuscript had merit or did not deserve to see the light of day.

I then tackled the hurdle of learning how to self-publish the book through Amazon. That took a bit of time, but once I got the knack of the program, it wasn’t that hard. I spent several hours at my friend's home as she showed me how to upload the book to Amazon.

So, this aspiring writer who claimed she would never self-publish a book, especially a Christmas story, is excited to announce the publication of her first novella, Cathy’s Christmas Confession: A Christmas Ridge Romance Book 3. The book released on November 22, 2022 at this link (https://tinyurl.com/mr26ekaj) on Kindle. Hopefully, a print copy will follow.

If you choose to read Cathy's Christmas Confession, out of the many hundreds of Christmas stories that will be published this year, I will be truly honored. My prayer is that the story will glorify my Heavenly Father and bless you as the reader.

Blurb for Cathy's Christmas Confession

Christmas is not a time of joy for the hurting.

During a snowstorm, widow Cathy Fischer creams a stop sign on her way to work at the Christmas Ridge Community Church. Acquaintance David Martin stops to help. Cathy sees signs of deep grief in David, a recent widower. She reaches out with support in an attempt to help David through this most difficult first Christmas without his beloved wife.

David Martin struggles with grief over the death of his wife. He blames God for her rapid demise after her cancer diagnosis. Cathy reaches out to him with compassion and support and soon enlists him in her mission to bring joy to others at Christmas. Will their joint quest restore David’s faith?

David needs to turn loose of the past and embrace his future. Cathy has a confession to make to the entire community that may give David a different perspective of who she really is. Will her confession set her free?

Does God have plans in mind for the two of them they did not anticipate?

Check out our Amazon Christmas Ridge Romance page (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BLCJ9P9J) to learn about other books in the series and receive updates!

BIO:
Patti Shene Gonzales hosts Step Into the Light, a weekly interview style podcast, where guests share their journey out of darkness or ways they lead others back to light. She hosts writers on her two blogs, Patti’s Porch and The Over 50 Writer. Patti is published in two anthologies and local publications and has three novels in progress. She enjoys writing, reading, critiquing, and spending time with family and friends. Patti lives in Colorado with her devoted feline companion, Duncan. Cathy’s Christmas Confession is her first novella.

Visit Patti at her website www.pattishene.com

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/pattishene/

Twitter https://twitter.com/PattiShene

Introducing Tanya Eavenson

I'm happy to introduce you to Tanya Eavenson 

and her To Gain a Bodyguard books 1 & 2.

To Gain a Bodyguard - Book One

Undercover ICE agent Madi Reynolds has spent years infiltrating a human-trafficking ring, but when her life is threatened, she is forced to walk away and advised to leave the country. Undeterred, she continues her plan to attend her brother’s Christmas wedding, with her partner assigned as her bodyguard. But after seeing Brice care for her niece, she finds it's more than her life that needs protecting. Is there really any defense for the heart?

War Veteran and ICE agent Brice Johnson has been defending his country and American lives for as long as he can remember. Now, he faces the biggest assignment of his life--protect the woman he loves. He's never been one to run from a fight, but when an old flame butts in expecting a second chance with Madi, and crippling visions of war call out to him, he begins to wonder if surrender is an option after all.

To Gain a Bodyguard - Book Two

Undercover ICE agent, Brice Johnson, fell in love with his partner, but the fight to control his PTSD drove him to leave her and his assignment.

Deep undercover, ICE agent Madi Reynolds’ identity is blown, and she is involved in a hit-and-run meant to kill. Lucky to be alive after her vehicle was forced off the mountain, she finds herself in a wheelchair and facing an unknown future.

Even though the men responsible were tracked down and brought to justice, Brice’s gut tells him Madi is still not safe. Details of the investigation aren’t adding up. In secret, Brice moves to Helen, Georgia, across the street from Madi. But how long can he stay in the shadows when seeing her struggle day in and day out bombards him with memories of their happier days.

Unable to forgive himself for Madi’s accident, Brice vows to protect her, but is it enough? Is he enough?

Take a "Look Inside" & Purchase To Gain a Body Guard

The Next Chapter

As a writer, I consider what goes into each chapter of a book.

As I edit and make the words work, 

the characters develop and lead the way through their story.

As a Christian, God knows what my next chapter is,

but because He allows me to have free will, 

He knows I'll make mistakes, even when I try my best.

In my desire to seek God's will, I trust Him

because He knows my future, and 

He gives me courage, grace, strength, and wisdom

each time I turn the page.

 

An Interview With Author Jackie Layton

I love cozy mysteries. Often set in small towns with quirky characters, the stories offer an escape and a bit of fun detective work. Last month I came across a cozy I loved, Dog-Gone Dead by Jackie Layton. The author's name sounded familiar. She and I had met on Instagram several years back. I was so excited to see her published!

I invited Jackie to tell us about her writing journey:

Hi Penny, 

Thanks so much for hosting me on your blog! 

I began my writing journey while my youngest son was in high school. I took online classes and attended conferences to learn more about the craft of writing. I worked full time and went to tennis matches and all the other things mothers do.

From the beginning, my husband has been very supportive. I appreciate him more than you know. I started out writing romances and romantic suspense stories. I did well in contests, but whatever I pitched to publishers was never the right fit for what they were looking for that year.

I’m a member of ACFW, and the last conference I attended was a huge turning point in my writing. I met with an editor looking for authors interested in writing cozy mysteries. As we chatted, a peace fell over me. I have always loved reading cozies, but at conferences romantic suspense was the thing everybody wanted. Very few authors were writing mysteries.

After that meeting, I prayed about my conversation with the editor. I began writing my first cozy mystery. I often learn by doing. It’s probably not the most efficient way to write, but it’s what works for me. I visited cozy mystery websites and studied the craft of mystery writing.

One of the most special aspects of cozies to me is the characters. I love that so many cozies are written as series. It allows each character to grow throughout the series.

I keep my notes in Scrivener, and I have secret Pinterest boards to help me keep up with details. I also have public boards so readers can get to know my characters and setting better. 

I’ve always loved the beach, and I set my first series on the coast of South Carolina. Heyward Beach is a fictional town with some of my favorite elements from various coastal towns. It’s got the small-town vibe, and I hope readers enjoy visiting Heyward Beach.

Thank you, Jackie. I love how God worked in your writing and gave you a sense of peace as you pursued the cozy mystery genre. I'll be reading Bite the Dust: A Low Country Dog Walker Mystery, your first book in this delightful series. Read more about Jackie on her website.

An Author's Love for Jesus and Writing: Meet Joi Copeland

Joi's desire to write began like many others, at an early age. She loved writing short stories as early as fourth grade. During her college years, she wrote stories that depicted where she was on her journey with Jesus. In 1999, she married her best friend, Chris, and put writing aside to focus on building her family. Her three boys kept her busy for many years. After moving to Colorado in 2008, Joi was encouraged by her sister, brother--in-law, and husband to pick up her writing once again.

Not long after that, her first novel, Hope for Tomorrow, published by Comfort Publishing, was released, followed by Hope for Journey. The third and final book in this trilogy, Hope from the Past was published and released in June, 2013. She's written two novellas, Christmas Rayne and Sheriff Bride, Rob's Story. Her short book, Letters of Love, hit closer to home for her than any other she'd written so far. Actual letters from her grandfather to her grandmother while he was stationed in China during WWII became the center of this fictional novel.

Joi continues to write. Her love for stories allows her to come up with many different themes. Though, hope and forgiveness seem to be one of the constant themes in her writing.

Joi makes her home in Denver, Colorado, with her husband and three boys. On occasion, you can find her sitting at Starbucks with her laptop working, or enjoying coffee with a friend. She not only writes, but is currently employed with Executive Scheduling Associates where she spends much of her time filling up calendars.

The most important decision of her life happened March 18, 1990, when she accepted Jesus as her personal Lord and Savior. Following Him has been a journey, and not always an easy one, but she's never regretted it. She feels like the disciples when Jesus asked if they were going to turn away also. Their response, like hers, was this, "Where would we go?" That's exactly how she feels. Jesus has been her life for over twenty years, and will continue to be so as long as she lives.

Her prayer is through her writing, you will come closer to Him as she has through so many Christian authors.

One huge recent development this year was God's calling for Joi and her family to move to Ireland to church plant. It's an exciting time in her life, and she prays she will continue to write once overseas. Those stories will be focused on redemption and hope to a society that has lost its hope. Joi and her family will be church planting in Ireland, building disciples for Christ, and raising ambassadors to the nations.

For more information on that or on any of Joi’s books, contact her at booksbyjoi@copelandclan.com.

Visit her on Facebook or her author page 

Work In Progress

Hi,

I’m so glad you stopped by. For the blog hop, I’m talking about my work in progress, my first ever novel. I’m excited to say that I’ve finished the rough draft and am in the process of editing.

What is the working title of your book?Peace, Love and Mashed Potatoes 
I chose this title because my main character finds all of those things when she moves home after several years away.

Where did the idea come from for the book?

The idea was planted in my heart by God. I never dreamed that I’d write fiction. I’ve been writing devotions, book reviews and articles for several years. One day God nudged me to write Willow’s story. When the story came to me, I knew that Willow was a troubled soul who needed to find her way home. Because I love stories where the town has a strong role, I wanted Willow to return home to a place that had memories, but had also changed.

What genre does your book fall under?

I’ve settled on the contemporary romance genre after playing around with women’s fiction and romance.Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?

 
Willow Abbott would be played by Gemma Arterton. 

Reed McRae would be played by Rob Mayes.

Bess (Willow’s sister) would be played by Emily Blunt.

Micah (Bess’s husband) would be played by Geoff Stutts.

Bailey Joy (Bess and Micah’s daughter) would be played by Taylor Hogue.

Annie Abbott (Willow’s mom) would be played by Bianca Spender.

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

For Willow Abbott, moving home meant a short break until she found a new job, but Reed McRae has other ideas that might just involve her heart.

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

I am hoping to find an agent who will represent my work. I appreciate their knowledge of the publishing business as well as the market.

How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?

I wrote the first draft over a period of two years and for the last several months, I’ve edited. I also work a full time job and have a family.

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

I’ve been influenced by the writing of Robin Gunn Jones and Debbie Macomber. I love the books they’ve written about small towns and finding love. The Glenbrooke series by Robin Gunn Jones might be a good comparison.

Who or What inspired you to write this book?

Reading so much good fiction written by Christian authors has pushed me forward. Several people in my life, including my family and my critique group in the ACFW have encouraged me. I’ve written for several years, but never considered fiction until I felt a nudge from God. I don’t know where this will take me or who I will touch with my story, but I know that God has a plan for the manuscript.

What else about your book might pique the reader's interest?

The book is set in southwest Ohio and has several references to areas around Cincinnati and the rural areas that surround the city. Willow is a professor who teaches English and Reed owns the local bookstore. Part of the story focuses on Willow’s journey back to God as she seeks to forgive her father.

As far as the love story, about the time Willow accepts that Reed might be the one, a twist brings an unexpected discovery that may make or break they’re relationship.

I also have a Pinterest page for Peace, Love and Mashed potatoes. Visit at: http://pinterest.com/pennyfmcg/peace-love-mashed-potatoes/

Thanks for stopping by.