Due to an error in the original blog posts about Faith’s cover reveal, the entry for the giveaway has been extended more than one full day! You have until noon Central time on Friday, October 16th to enter the giveaway. If you tried to email the cover before, please do so again, this time with the following, CORRECT email address: faith.blum.author[at]gmail.com. Thank you!
Happy Monday! Today we have a blog post with a cover reveal. But, there’s a catch. The author, Faith Blum, has split her cover into 14 different pieces! In order to enter her giveaway, you need to put it together and email her your cover. Or, if you don’t want to enter the giveaway, but you’d still like to see the cover, stop by her blog on Thursday.
The Prize
The winner will have to be patient, but the prize for this cover reveal is a signed paperback copy of Lily of the Valley. Unfortunately, due to the high cost of shipping internationally, Faith won’t be sending a paperback outside of the U.S. If you are international and would like to participate and win, you will receive an ebook copy of any TWO of my published books including Lily of the Valley.
To help you a little with putting together the cover, here is the description:
Howdy, Teacher! You don’t know me, but my kids talk bout you a lot. I been lookin fer a wife and mother fer a few years and was wonderin iffen we cood meet and get to no each other a bit. I’ll come after school to git yer answer. Grover Miller
Unruly schoolchildren, three suitors, and too many things to do. When Ruth Brookings rejects one of the suitors, he refuses to accept no for an answer.
To make matters worse, when she prays for guidance, she’s answered with a challenge instead: To encourage her friend to find a wife—whether he wants one or not.
Will she lose her friend just when she needs a friend the most? Will she be able to weather the storms she’s about to face?
Details
Stop by each blog listed below to get their piece of the cover.
Use a program like this website to put the cover together: https://www.befunky.com/features/collage-maker/. If you get a little extra space between each piece, your cover will still count toward the prize. It doesn’t have to be perfect as long is each piece is in the correct place.
Email your completed cover to Faith at faith[dot]blum[dot]@gmail[dot]com NO LATER THAN October 14th at 9:00 PM Central time. (If you have problems with time zones, shoot Faith an email and she’ll help you out).
Stop by Faith’s blog to see the cover and who won.
Piece of the Cover #2
About the Author
Faith Blum is a 24 year old home school graduate who enjoys doing many right-brained activities such as reading, crafting, writing, and playing piano. Her favorite genre to read and write is Historical Fiction, more specifically, Westerns. In the Hymns of the West series, she has endeavored to create clean, fun, and challenging Western stories for the whole family. She currently has three novels and three novellas published. You can find her in various places online: Website | Blog | Facebook | Pinterest | Twitter | New Releases Newsletter | Amazon
Author interview
How did you come up with the puzzle idea?
Another author I know did something similar, only with fewer pieces. I thought it was fun, so I decided to give it a try. Cover reveals can be a little boring, so creativity may help with that some. 🙂
Who is your favorite character to write and why?
Jeremiah Carson. He’s a ten year old boy who comes up with the funniest things to say. I think a universally favorite line from Lily of the Valley is one of his.
Jeremiah crossed his arms. “But I could court her for you and tell you everything she says and does an–”
At this point, the lady in question interrupts him. Saying no, of course.
Pretend it is the apocalypse and you are going into hiding. What book besides the Bible would you take with you and why?
A hymn book. If I have to go into hiding, I would want a Bible to read God’s word and a hymn book so I could remember the words to the hymns I love.
Bloggers
Find the other pieces of the cover on these blogs. If you are coming in late and would like direct links to each of the blog posts about the cover reveal, please go to Faith’s website link here. She will update each link to go directly to the blog post about the cover reveal.
I’m super excited!!! It’s time to reveal the cover for DEADLY DESIGNS…
Book #2 in the Veronica “Ronnie” Ingels/Dawson Hughes series
The planned release date is September 15, 2015.
Private investigator Veronica “Ronnie” Ingels teams up again with Lt. Deputy Dawson Hughes to find a geeky radio broadcaster’s missing wife and young daughter. They fear the woman and child were taken by Islamic terrorists as revenge against a pro-Israel guest host who subbed on the talk show for a week. The investigation takes Ronnie and Hughes to manicured estates, interviewing a snobbish A-List society crowd, as well as to the seamy, drug-riddled underbelly of the fashion world. All the while, the specter of international terrorism hovers.
Ronnie is furious at both Hughes and the broadcaster for waiting two days to start the search. She knows the longer it takes, the less chance there is of finding the child alive. Talk-show host Ed Barton has been hoping-against-hope his pot-smoking, model wife is on one of her esoteric experiences and has simply taken the child while she romps for a few days. He doesn’t want to consider the other, more dangerous possibility…that his radio program has angered some very dangerous people.
Hughes, recently promoted to lieutenant in the TaylorCounty, Texas Sheriff’s Department, is on leave on a special assignment with Authorized Operations (AO), a clandestine, quasi-government agency operating out of a sea-side mansion on Long Island, NY. The only thing is, many politicians and government big-wigs claim the organization doesn’t exist.
We are happy to welcome author Faith Blum once again to Rebekah Lyn Books. Faith is a 24 year old home school graduate who enjoys doing many right-brained activities such as reading, crafting, writing, and playing piano. Her favorite genre to read and write is Historical Fiction, more specifically, Westerns. In the Hymns of the West series, she has endeavored to create clean, fun, and challenging Western stories for the whole family. She currently has three novels and Onisha invited her today to talk about the series of novellas she has begun writing.
Good morning! I’m excited to be here today. I’ve been asked to talk about writing novellas particularly in four different areas:
1. Why do you write novellas? 2. Pros and cons of novellas 3 Easier to market or more difficult 4. Character development in a novella
I’ll start with the first one. The reason I wrote these three novellas and plan to write at least six more, is because I fell in love with some of the minor characters in one of my novels and couldn’t let them go without telling their stories.
In Amazing Grace, I wrote three mail order bride advertisements. The first one was for the heroine of my story. The other two were not mentioned besides in their advertisements. The heroine of the novel wrote back to two men, the hero and Cole Baxter. After writing a scene with Cole Baxter, I couldn’t just leave him there. I had to add more to his story. So, I wrote I Love Thee. Then I got an idea for the other two mail order brides who advertised.
I have ideas for six novellas that will go with my next two novellas, three for each. So, I guess my short answer would be: because I couldn’t leave these minor characters alone and needed to tell their stories.
Pros and cons of novellas
Pros: • They are faster to write, edit, and publish • Readers seem to like shorter stories to read
Cons: • They are harder to market • It is harder to create a complete story
Easier to market or more difficult
I guess I kind of already answered this question. They are harder to market. Most advertising places don’t advertise novellas unless they are part of a boxed set. The good thing is that there are a few places that take them.
Character development in a novella
Character development is hard in a story of any length. In a novella, the development is just slightly more condensed. It’s challenging, but it can be done. It can be fun, too. I honestly can’t tell you who my favorite characters are in each of the novellas. They all have things I like so much about them.
Cole is uncertain, but kind. Overwhelmed, but full of ideas. Charming, witty, hardworking, spontaneous, and loves God above all else. Rhoda is strong-willed, sweet, opinionated, devoted follower of God, and not afraid to take on a challenge. Like baking bread with four children ages 2-8. The children are all super cute and were fun to write as well.
Timothy is gentle, kind, slightly short-tempered, loving, and a devoted believer in God. Abigail is motherly, self-conscious, willing to do anything, and firmly follows God. Louise is an exact replica of her Irish father only more feminine. She is difficult, has a quick temper, is rebellious, hard working, and usually willing to make sacrifices for her brother. Tessa is only five, but she knows right from wrong and tries to obey her older sister.
Alex. If I had to pick a favorite character of all the male characters in my three novellas, I think I would pick Alexander Granger. He’s the spoiled son of a rich rancher who doesn’t like being told what to do. He’s arrogant, self-serving, and hard to deal with. And yet, behind all of that hides a kind, generous, hard-working spirit. Mona is determined to rise above her station and live a life of luxury. When circumstances change, she proves that she can adapt easily and is hard-working and thoughtful.
I hope you have enjoyed finding out how I write novellas, why, and how I market so far.
Feel free to ask any other questions you may have. Who knows? I may even make it into a blog post someday.
Faith has a fun giveaway!
The first prize winner will receive:
~A paperback of the novel that started the novellas, Amazing Grace (or novel of choice)
~One handpainted bookmark (painted by the author’s sister)
~A silver pen nib bookmark
The second prize winner will receive:
~An ebook copy of Amazing Grace (or ebook of choice by Faith Blum)
~Two handpainted bookmarks (painted by the author’s sister)
Also on sale during the blog tour are A Mighty Fortress which will be$0.99 from August 23-30 and Be Thou My Vision which will be $0.99 from August 30-September 6.
This is going to be a busy week for Faith.
Be sure to check out the other stops on her blog tour.
He’s a CIA intelligence officer; he’s a new Christian, and he’s being stalked by an assassin. That’s the description of Titus Ray, the main character in the new series of Christian thrillers written by Luana Ehrlich. In the first book in the series, One Night in Tehran, Titus finds shelter with a group of Iranian Christians after his mission to Tehran is discovered by the secret police. Compelled by their unwavering faith, the battle-hardened, covert operative becomes a believer before escaping to Turkey.
When he returns to the States, he discovers his Iranian mission failed because of political infighting within the Agency. In a hot-tempered outburst, he delivers a scathing indictment against the Deputy Director of Operations, and the deputy forces Titus to take a year’s medical leave in Oklahoma.
Before leaving Langley, however, he discovers a Hezbollah hit man has targeted him for assassination. Now, while trying to figure out what it means to be a follower of Christ, he must decide if the Iranian couple he meets in Oklahoma has ties to the man who’s trying to kill him, and if Nikki Saxon, a beautiful local detective, can be trusted with his secrets. Book 1 is available in both print and Kindle editions on Amazon here.
Meet Luana Ehrlich
Luana has been an avid reader of the mystery/suspense/thriller genre from the moment she picked up her first adult fiction novel at the age of eleven.She’s also a news fanatic and follows events around the world on a daily basis, particularly the Middle East.
Luana is a minister’s wife and has lived in Norman, Oklahoma for the past two decades. Along with her husband, she also served as a missionary in Costa Rica and Venezuela.
For the past several years, she’s been a freelance writer for Baptist Press, a national news service for Baptists, where she’s written about the experiences of newly converted Christians. At one time, she wrote a weekly column entitled “A Story To Tell” for The Indiana Baptist, telling the stories of ordinary people who became followers of Christ.
BOOK TWO: Two Days in Caracas, A Titus Ray Thriller
On the hunt for an assassin, Titus Ray faces a threat he never imagined. Can he overcome the obstacles and capture Ahmed Al-Amin before it’s too late?
In this pulse-racing Christian thriller, CIA intelligence officer, Titus Ray, travels from Costa Rica to Venezuela in an effort to stop Ahmed Al-Amin, the Hezbollah assassin, from murdering a high-profile government official. Along the way, a family crisis jeopardizes his mission, and an Agency division head threatens to destroy his career. As the danger mounts, he’s forced to partner with an untested operative to complete the mission and bring Ahmed to justice. Will he make it in time?
The hunt for Ahmed Al-Amin continues in Book 2 of the TItus Ray Thriller novels, released on June 26, 2015 and now available in both print and Kindle editions on Amazon here.
BOOK TRAILER: Two Days in Caracas, A Titus Ray Thriller
BOOK EXCERPT:
Chapter 1
Monday, June 4
I needed to move. I needed to do it soon. I was standing inside the doorway of an apartment building on Calle Alturas, just a few blocks from downtown San José, Costa Rica. It was an ideal location, but I knew my presence was going to start drawing attention any minute.
Right now, the torrential downpour made it appear as if I were simply seeking shelter from the rain. However, such tropical afternoon showers usually gave way to sunny skies very rapidly in this part of the world
.
Once that happened, I would need to move quickly
I studied the house on the corner. Then, I scanned my surroundings for a building public enough for me to monitor the residence from a distance.
The overall construction of the house, with its concrete-block walls and iron bars across the windows, appeared typical for the neighborhood.
I could see nothing unusual about it.
However, its innocuous look didn’t mean anything. In fact, the normality of the place made it easy for me to believe it might be Ahmed Al-Amin’s safe house in San José.
On the other hand, I wasn’t totally convinced Ahmed was even in Costa Rica in the first place.
When I’d arrived at the CIA’s Operations Center in Langley, Virginia, Douglas Carlton, my operations officer, had briefed me on the status of Ahmed Al-Amin, the Hezbollah assassin I was tracking. Afterward, I’d questioned one of the Agency’s logistics analysts on the authenticity of the San José address he’d given me.
“How can you be certain Ahmed is at this location?” I’d asked him.
“Because we’re getting pings from all the texting.”
I shook my head. “I can’t believe Ahmed is using an unencrypted cell phone. He’s one of Hezbollah’s top operatives, and if he’s using his cell phone, he certainly knows our satellites can track him.”
“Oh, it’s not Ahmed who’s doing the texting. It’s the Venezuelan kid who’s with him. Every night he sends a text message back to his girlfriend in Austin. Ahmed might not even know the guy is using his cell phone.”
Would Ahmed really be that oblivious to what his traveling companion was doing? Somehow, I doubted it, but I didn’t argue with the impossibly young analyst.
Instead, I turned my attention to Josh Kellerman, a briefer from Support Services, who spent the next thirty minutes going over my legend, explaining the myriad of details involved in the cover identity I would be using in Costa Rica.
My business card indicated I was Rafael Arroyo, Vice President of Sales for Global Resources. Kellerman gave me a brief overview of the industrial refrigeration units I was supposed to be selling, along with several boring, but very colorful brochures.
The Rafael Arroyo legend was one I’d used on previous trips to the Middle East, although then I’d been given an Arabic name. Strangely enough, I felt very comfortable in the skin of a refrigeration salesman.
Following my briefing with Kellerman, I went over to meet with Sandy Afton. She was in the southwest wing of the Agency’s New Headquarters Building where Support Services had an area the size of a department store, which was solely devoted to men and women’s clothing. Although the women’s section was twice as large as the men’s section, I’d never questioned the need for this.
As soon as I arrived, Sandy showed me the clothing choices she’d made for me. I approved most of them, and, after that, while my suitcase was being packed by one of Sandy’s assistants, I changed into a guayabera and a pair of dark slacks for my flight to Costa Rica.
When I’d come out of the dressing room—looking like a refrigeration salesman—Sandy had deposited the clothes and shoes I’d just removed—along with my wallet and any other items identifying me as Titus Ray—inside a metal box about the size of a small footlocker.
The last thing I did was hand over the keys to my Range Rover. I did so reluctantly, because, although I’d just purchased the car two months before, I’d already fallen in love with it—or, maybe I’d simply fallen in love with the idea of owning my own vehicle.
I said, “My car is parked over by the west gate in the parking lot used by Security.”
“Why is it parked over there?”
“Because there’s a handgun underneath the front seat, plus a spare in the glove compartment, and I have extra ammo clips in the side pocket of the duffel bag in the back.”
She smiled. “I can see why they wouldn’t let you drive inside the complex. Speaking of weapons, I know you don’t want me to issue you a firearm before you leave, so I’ve instructed the embassy in San José to provide you with whatever you need when you get there.”
I seldom requested the necessary credentials permitting me to get on a plane with a gun. Doing so was too much of a hassle and only served to draw attention to me.
I never wanted to draw attention to myself.
Never.
Sandy said, “I’ve already spoken with Ben Mitchell about the type of weapon you’ll need.”
Carlton had set me up with Ben Mitchell, the “Economics Officer” assigned to the American Embassy in Costa Rica. He was my contact while I was in country. In reality, like me, he was a covert intelligence officer.
Carlton had told me Mitchell had been with the Agency for five years and was classified as a Level 2 officer. While I was a Level 1 officer, I didn’t think Mitchell’s lower status would be a problem for me on this particular mission.
I wasn’t acquainted with Ben Mitchell, but that didn’t surprise me. I’d been in Iran and Afghanistan for the past seven years, and I hadn’t traveled south of the border during that time.
Mitchell was scheduled to meet my flight from Miami. Meeting a refrigeration salesman from Global Resources was a natural thing for him to do in his role as the American Embassy’s Economics Officer.
I was sure he would think Rafael Arroyo was a great guy.
However, as it turned out, Mitchell didn’t come to the airport in San José to meet Rafael Arroyo, because, after leaving Agency’s headquarters in Langley, Virginia, I had decided to change my plane ticket and take an earlier flight.
After landing in San José, I’d rented a car and arrived at my present location without having had any contact with Ben Mitchell.
That’s the way I preferred to work.
Completely alone. Solo.
Now though, as I observed the boxy concrete house from the shelter of the apartment building, I was beginning to regret my decision to ditch Mitchell.
Having another set of eyes at the rear of the house might prove beneficial, and, since I’d come to the address directly from the airport, I didn’t have a weapon on me.
Knowing what I knew about Ahmed, I had no intention of confronting him without some kind of firepower.
When I’d entered the Calle Alturas neighborhood earlier, I’d spotted a man and a woman inside a Toyota Highlander parked about a block away from the safe house. I knew they had to be members of the surveillance team Mitchell had brought in to keep an eye on the house until I arrived. They were clearly amateurs, and if Ahmed were in the house, it wouldn’t be long before he would notice them as well.
If he hadn’t already spotted them.
The rain finally let up, and I stepped out of the doorway and walked over to a small pastry shop located next door to a video store. Three small café tables had been placed on the patio in front of the pastry shop, and when a waiter had finished drying off one of the wrought-iron chairs, I sat down and ordered un café sin leche.
Once the waiter had gone inside to get my coffee, I felt inside my pants pocket for my satellite phone and punched in the numbers I’d memorized before leaving Langley.
When Ben Mitchell came on the line, I told him my location and asked him to meet me. He said he would be driving a late model Jeep, and then he hung up on me.
Faith Blum is a 24 year old home school graduate who enjoys doing many right-brained activities such as reading, crafting, writing, and playing piano. Her favorite genre to read and write is Historical Fiction, more specifically, Westerns. In the Hymns of the West series, she has endeavored to create clean, fun, and challenging Western stories for the whole family. She currently has three novels and three novellas published. You can find her in various places online: Website | Blog | Facebook | Pinterest | Twitter | New Releases Newsletter | Amazon
