interview

Where Love is Planted ~ Dawn Kinzer

/ Gail Johnson / 9 Comments

Good morning! Where Love is Planted by Dawn Kinzer is a story of loss, hope, and new beginnings. It is on my 2023 Favorite’s List. Let’s get started!

About the Book

Where Love is Planted by Dawn Kinzer

Genre: Contemporary Romance (Christian Fiction)

Publisher: Morningview Publishlishing

Release Date: September 14, 2023

Pages: 301

She’s bound to past promises.
He’s captive to future goals.
Will their loyalty to others cost them their own happiness?
Or will something beautiful grow where love is planted?

Two years have passed since a tragedy changed Beth Miller’s life forever. Since her father’s and brother’s unexpected deaths, Beth has put her future as a licensed horticultural therapist on hold. The garden center and floral shop that her mom and sister love is struggling. And her young brother’s widow is still trying to find her way. Beth’s devotion puts her family’s needs first.

To further his career and atone for his own tainted past, Tyler Sharp accepts a position as a social worker at a women’s prison. The facility is located near his great-aunt in the small port town of Meriside, Washington. While he’s intrigued with the woman living in the studio apartment behind his aunt’s home, as soon as he can return to Colorado, he and his best friend will initiate a program there for at-risk-kids.

As secrets are exposed and hearts soften, their growing feelings for each other bring new challenges. Will Beth complete a necessary internship if it means helping the person who caused her loved ones so much pain? And if she’s unwilling to leave her family, and Tyler will never intentionally disappoint his loyal buddy in Colorado, how could they ever hope to create a life together?

Join Beth and Tyler in the Pacific Northwest as they explore what it means to sacrifice, hope for the future, and experience miracles where love is planted.

My Thoughts

As a Christian, Beth knows what the Bible says about forgiving one another. But knowing and doing are two very different things when forgiving the unforgivable.

Tyler has made his mistakes and done his time. But after he learns the truth about Beth’s father and brother, he struggles with telling Beth about his past.

Of course, I’m a Kinzer fan. I enjoy her writing style, characters, and stories. She’s never disappointed this reader. But I have to say this is the best one yet. Where Love is Planted is a multi-layered story dealing with a complex subject. Forgiveness.

Kinzer didn’t gloss over the strength and determination it takes to forgive an unforgettable event. She did not make it out to be only a God thing but showed the hard choices and negative feelings one deals with in forgiving another. Not only are our spirits involved, but also our hearts and minds. Glossing over the issues belittles a person’s emotions in their loss. I believe Kinzer did an excellent job showing the emotional, physical, and spiritual struggle involved in such situations while sharing the real benefits of forgiveness.

About the Author

Dawn Kinzer, mother and grandmother, lives with her husband in the beautiful Pacific Northwest. Favorite things include dark chocolate, cinnamon, popcorn, strong coffee, good wine, the mountains, family time, and Masterpiece Theatre.

Link to Amazon buy page: https://www.amazon.com/Where-Love-Planted-Meriside-Romance-ebook/dp/B0CDSV4JVS/

Please visit her website at https://www.dawnkinzer.com/ to learn more.

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Dawn-Kinzer/e/B01M04SD8U

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dawn.kinzer.9

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15811132.Dawn_Kinzer

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/dawn-kinzer

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dawnkinzer/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/dkinzer9/

Dawn will be joining me next week for a Facts, Fiction, and Friends interview. I hope you will join us!

Women of Faith and Fiction ~ Trisha Robertson

/ Gail Johnson / 18 Comments

I love reading a book review because I enjoy hearing the reader’s ideas. Every reader will bring something different to the table. So this year for Women of Faith and Fiction, I wanted to give a shout-out to the book reviewers. They do a marvelous job! Let’s begin.

Personal

Who is Trisha Robertson?

Hi, my name is Trisha Robertson. I am a book reviewer/blogger. I have always loved stories. My love of reading began around age 8 and I’ve had my nose in a book ever since. I started writing stories of my own in elementary school. Stories that have never seen the light of day, and many that are lost to the dust of time. I especially enjoy reading and learning about History. Be sure to stop by my blog and say “Hello!” You can find me at www.joyofreadingweb.wordpress.com

You can also follow me at these locations:

Twitter: www.twitter.com/JoyOfReading7

Facebook: www.facebook.com/JoyOfReadingBlog

Instagram: www.instagram.com/trishrobertson

Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/trishrobertson1

Professional

Your love of reading shows, Trisha. Tell me, who is your all-time favorite character?

Honestly, I enjoy all the characters I meet in books. My favorite character changes with each book I read! 😊

I hear ya! What is your latest read about?

As I write this, I’m currently reading The Blizzard Bride by Susanne Dietz. The story is part of the Daughters of the Mayflower collection from Barbour. Each story stands on its own and can be read in any order, but it is fun to read the stories down through history from the Mayflower! This story takes place during the Blizzard of 1888 in Nebraska. It is quite a page-turning story!

I will definitely have to check it out. Please, tell us about your reading process.

I don’t really have a reading process. I just pick up a book and read it!  I do have little sticky flags to mark favorite quotes or things I want to remember. Or in my digital books, I use the highlight feature.

Where would we be without our highlight feature? I like marking my favorite quotes. Moving on… What is your best marketing tip?

Give signed bookplates to members of your influence team. I’m always more inclined to buy a print copy over a digital copy if I have a signed bookplate to add to my book!
Share your book on various social media platforms. The more people see your book, the more likely they are to buy it.

I like both ideas, especially the signed bookplate idea. Do you choose a word or scripture for each year?

No, I don’t really choose a word or scripture for each year.  I know it’s a rather popular thing to do. For me, I feel that just one word or one verse doesn’t fit the entire year.

Inspirational

I believe it’s important to encourage each other in our daily walk. Would you share a word of encouragement with our readers?

Keep your focus on God. It is so very important to have a daily relationship with God! I have found that when I lose my focus on Him, I start to fall. But as long as I’m keeping my focus on Jesus, even when bad things happen, even when I don’t understand, that He gives me the will to keep going. On my own, I’m not enough. But He is enough! Always!

Thank you, Gail, for inviting me to participate in this interview and visit with your readers today!

I agree, Trisha! Thank you for visiting and sharing. You are a gift to your readers and to authors. Keep up the good work, dear friend.

“Give signed bookplates to members of your influence team. I’m always more inclined to buy a print copy over a digital copy if I have a signed bookplate to add to my book!” ~ @JoyOfReading7 via Women of Faith and Fiction @GailJohnson87 #interviews #reviews

Women of Faith and Fiction ~ Jodie Wolfe

/ Gail Johnson / 14 Comments

Welcome to Women of Faith and Fiction. Readers, if you haven’t read Jodie Wolfe’s latest, you are in for a treat! Let’s get started.

Who is Jodie Wolfe?

Hi! I’m Jodie, my husband and I have been married for 32 years and have two grown sons who are married, giving us six grandchildren from the ages of 7 down to three months old.

I’ve been writing since I was a little girl. When I’m not writing, I’m likely reading, knitting, or spending time with my best friend, my husband.

Jodie, you are a blessed woman. Have you always wanted to be a writer?

Yes, since I was in grade school and wrote my first story. I was hooked and knew I wanted to be a writer when I grew up.

I’m so glad you followed through with that dream! From where does your inspiration come?

Most definitely from the Lord. I pray before I sit down to write, and as I’m writing. Then again when the book is sent out to a publisher, when it goes through the editing process, when it’s actually released.

I believe it shows in your writing. 😊 Tell us about your latest book baby.

My latest book is Taming Julia. Here’s the back cover copy:

In 1875, Kansas bachelor Drew Montgomery’s sole desire is to serve God, but his congregation’s ultimatum that he marry or leave, forces him to advertise for a wife by proxy.

Jules Walker strides into Drew’s life wearing breeches and toting a gun and saddle–more cowboy than bride. After years on the trail, she’s not exactly wife material, but she longs for home and family, and will do anything to ensure Drew never discovers what she really is.

I adored Taming Julia! Now, who is your all-time favorite character? This can be one of your own or another author’s character.

It would be a toss-up between Jules Montgomery, the heroine in my recent release and Laura Ingalls.

Julia is definitely one of my favorites. Please, tell us about your writing process.

I spend a bit of time researching the potential setting, time period, and developing my characters. I generally have a loose idea where the story will go, but often once I start writing, my characters develop a mind of their own and take the story the way they want it to go.

I can see where Julia would do that. LOL. Do you choose a word or a scripture for each year or each story?

Yes, each of my stories has a scripture that it revolves around. I find that I often learn a lot more about the verse in the process of writing the story.

Discovery is my favorite part of writing. Especially when it leaps off the page and smacks you in the face. 😊 What is your best marketing tip?

Once you finish the editing process, figure out different sentences from the story that you can use as tweetables. Also have some physical tie-in to an object that you can use for marketing. In my book, Love in the Seams, my heroine was a seamstress, so I was able to use sewing items as a giveaway during my launch party.

Great idea, Jodie. Thanks for sharing that. What advice would you give to an aspiring author?

Trust God’s timing and direction. He knows what’s best.

Last question. I believe it’s important to encourage each other in our daily walk. Would you share a word of encouragement with our readers?

Trust God and His timing. (Are you noticing a pattern? J) Sometimes we spend a long time praying about something and get discouraged when we don’t see any answers. I wrote Taming Julia over eight years ago, and I had a long wait before God brought the right publisher to accept it. I’m so thankful I didn’t give up year five, six, etc.

Jodie, I’m glad you didn’t either. It is a wonderful story. It would be a shame to have missed it. Thank you for preserving. And thank you for joining me and sharing more about you and Taming Julia.

Social Media Links:

Website: https://www.jodiewolfe.com

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/jodie-wolfe

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Jodie-Wolfe-553400191384913

Twitter: https://twitter.com/JodieAWolfe

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/JodieAWolfe

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15220520.Jodie_Wolfe

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Jodie-Wolfe/e/B01EAWOHXO/ref=dp_byline_cont_ebooks_1

Purchase Links:

Barnes and Noble Purchase Link

Pelican Book Group Purchase Link

Google Play Store Purchase Link

I wrote Taming Julia over eight years ago, and I had a long wait before God brought the right publisher to accept it. I’m so thankful I didn’t give up year five, six, etc. @JodieAWolfe @GailJohnson87 #interview #writerslife