The View is Amazing...

My review of the WOMEN OF VALLEY VIEW: TERRI...

When I first heard of the "Women of Valley View," I wondered what could be so interesting there. Was it a neighborhood? Was it a home for women? Was there something mysterious going on? Well, sort of. You see, Valley View is a church, and the women are a circle of friends who attend there.

Each book spotlights one of the women, and Terri's story gives us an excellent look at what is most special about this series. It's the way all these women react to each other. They hold each other up during hard times, do fun things together, and they are best friends. The stick-by kind. The kind you wish you had more of. 

Terri is a single woman looking for "Mr. Right," and has been looking for him so long that she begins to go ahead with her plans in spite of not having found him, yet. There's someone on her mind, of course, but he has older children and a granddaughter, already, while Terri wants very much to have babies. So, she becomes a foster parent. In hopes that this will fulfill some of the desires of her heart whether she finds a husband, or not. 

That's the premise. A lot of things happen to both thwart and encourage her, and one finds themselves reading to the last page just to see how everything turns out for everybody. It's a good read based on that alone. Very well-written, too. Ms. Srock brings people and place alive so vividly that you will actually recognize people you know there. Or at least wish you knew. But that isn't what makes it special.

What sets this book apart from most is the perspective. I might even go so far as to call it "the view." Like a movie running across the window of your mind, it gives you a front row seat to not only observe how Terri works out her problems, but how we can possibly apply those same methods to work on ours. Because that part of the story is real. Something you can take home with you.

Would I recommend the WOMEN OF VALLEY VIEW: TERRI? You bet. Because in my opinion, anytime you can walk away with something that valuable from an enjoyable piece of entertainment makes it priceless. Which is why I think everyone should meet the "Women of Valley View." By the way, you can get a delightful little introduction to them by visiting http://bitly.com/SmQmUs

Meet Sharon Srock...

Click here to find out about Sharon, read 
excerpts of  her books, and much more!

After I read the WOMEN OF VALLEY VIEW: TERRI, there were a few questions I just had to ask Sharon, myself. The first was: How did you come to choose foster care as a background for this book?

Well, Lilly, Terri is a baby person. I wanted her to have a child. As an unmarried woman, foster care seemed the fastest way to get that done for the sake of the story.

It worked because foster care will definitely take a person right to the heart of the matter, ready or not. Speaking of which, you seemed to know a lot about youth and family services and the entire foster care system. Have you ever had any personal experience with it, yourself?

Not personal. But I have good friends who fostered 3 sisters just about the time I started on Terri's story. I picked her brain about the parenting side and I contacted a social worker to get some input about the administrative side. By the way, my friends adopted those three little girls to go with their 3 natural sons. It's nice when there's a happy ending to what is often a sad situation. 

I think that's what makes it so rewarding for those who are willing to share their homes in that way. Having good friends around can really be a help, too. Your "women of valley view" seemed to be the kind of friends we would all like to have, is this group based on special relationships you have enjoyed in real life?

I've worshiped at the same Pentecostal church since I was 14. These people are my "forever" family. I have been on the giving and receiving end of the very relationships Terri and her friends portray.

A "forever family" is a wonderful way to look at it. I like that. And you did a great job of showing us just how that works. Besides being an example of Christian community, what do you hope readers will take away from Terri's story?

I think it would have to be that God keeps his promises. Terri feels like God made a promise to her. That if she gave her life to Him and folowed His direction, He would give her the desires of her heart. Sometimes it might look like God is taking us in the opposite direction, but if we'll trust, we'll end up where He wants us. I hope that's the message in Terri's story. Turst.

Watching her find her way was a strong thread in the story, and it was fascinating. Now, I'm wondering if, after spending so much time with your characters during the writing process, do you ever miss them when it's time to go on to another story? Will you be writing other books about these same women?

The WOMEN OF VALLEY VIEW: TERRI is the second in the series. The WOMEN OF VALLEY VIEW: CALLIE was released last October. The WOMEN OF VALLEY VIEW: PAM is under contract and I'm expecting an early 2014 release date. I'm about half done with The WOMEN OF VALLEY VIEW: SAMANTHA, and  Kate and Karla will also have stories.  So you see, I haven't had a chance to "miss" them.  (SMILE)

Well, they're easy ladies to get attached to, that's for sure. Thanks so much for visiting with me here, today, Sharon. I'll definitely be looking forward to meeting more Women of Valley View! 

Thank you for having me, Lilly.

Could I interest you in staying for some seaweed tea and mermaid cakes?

Sure... what are they made out of?

Monday was a good day…

This was not the assignment Luke 

Nemec expected when he came to the

UK-- babysitting a beautiful widow. 

It wouldn’t be so bad... 

if Sara wasn’t such a “hostile” witness.

Well, I don't know about you, dear readers, but I'm starting to look forward to each new release that Clare Revell offers us. Because I love the versatility. Yep. The versatility. It's refreshing. How she comes up with so many different plots and settings that I get totally wrapped up in (and declare I am going to visit afterward), is beyond me. But then that's part of the fun for me. This time, it was off to Scotland with MONDAY'S CHILD.

I love Scotland. Have always wanted to go there. I even have more than a few Scottish ancestors tucked away somewhere. But do I know much of anything about what the place is like today? Not half enough. Which is why I was so enjoyably drawn into the ebb and flow of the town from a real and contemporary perspective. And with an American police officer on assignment thrown into the mix, I did not feel like an outsider. 

QUESTION for Clare if she shows up here: Have you ever been to Scotland? 

(I wonder about these things)

But here's the thing. I had sort of a question about this book. It's the first in a seven book series (one for every day of the week-- for a hint, read the poem), and I wondered how Ms. Clare would be able to keep her marvelous versatility if she had to reign in her imagination too much. Well, don't worry, she had plenty of everything we have come to expect from her. That's when I realized that the things I enjoy most about her books are the constants. All of her books have these things: 

A feisty, not-so-typical heroine 

A realistic hero who is not always perfect (but his heart is)

A colorful setting with people you will think you have known somewhere else before (or would like to)

A plot you've got figured out halfway through that proves you delightfully wrong at the end. One that even lines up with spiritual values

So, I feel much better about this every-day-of-the-week book series. In fact, I'm already looking forward to TUESDAY'S CHILD (who tenders direction), which will be coming up next.  But as for MONDAY'S CHILD? Let's say, after having just read the final words, that I'm sitting here with a cup of tea and a quiet smile, because…

Monday was a good day.

Clare writes inspirational romance, usually of a suspenseful nature. Her books are available through her publisher Pelican Book Group and Amazon. She is married with three kids and lives in the UK. She loves watching sci-fi, crime drama, cross stitching, reading and baking. You can find out more about her on her website.

Dora Hiers... Southern By Choice

Today, I am thrilled to have Dora Hiers for a visit, talking about her recently released novel, JOURNEY'S EDGE, which I enjoyed very much. Welcome, Dora! Before we get into writer questions, though, I just have to say you seem to have a strong sense of place, along with a lot of contentment in being there. Is it because you have lived in the same area all your life? What do you like best about it?

Actually, five years ago, my husband and I moved to North Carolina from Florida, where I’d lived most of my life. I haven’t looked back. I love the wide-open spaces and living within a two-hour drive to the mountains, flicking the fireplace on for the first time in winter, and the different seasons. Who knew leaves exploded into so many different colors? And now I get to wear something besides shorts. 

The Smoky Mountains are just a couple hours away, too. Close enough that we can buzz up there for a long weekend. You can find me on a secluded cabin deck, sipping coffee or iced tea, snuggling on the couch with a good book, walking around the lake with our golden retriever, or enjoying a cookout with family. It’s always an awesome, relaxing time. Yes, you could say I am very content, here.

Something to be said about being able to choose a place to live simply because you like it. could be it's your best inspiration for writing novels, too. Speaking of which, do you listen to music when you write? 

The only music I listen to while I work is the chirping of birds and rustling of squirrels outside my office window. And the occasional snore of my golden retriever.

It can't get any better than that! What is it you enjoy most about writing books?

I'd have to say journeying with my characters as they come alive on the page, from that first spark of an idea, to their first zing of attraction, all the way to their happily-ever-after.  

Hmm… do you think up characters to fit into your plots, then, or do you think up plots to fit your characters?

I'm organized to the point of dividing my shopping list by aisles in the grocery store. Planning comes naturally to me...in everything but writing. As methodical as I am in other areas, I’m not a plotter. My goal is to give birth to great characters and hook a reader into an opening scene, and let the story flow organically from there.

Well, it certainly works for you, I can say that. Which makes me wonder if you've always wanted to be a writer, or something you got into more recently?

I wasn’t born with a pen in my hand like most writers. My urge to write came later in life, when my youngest son started middle school and didn’t want me hanging out at school with him anymore. I knew I needed something more to fill my days. An avid inspirational romance reader, God planted a story idea that pinged around in my head for a few months until I finally confessed my desire to write to my husband. With his enthusiastic support, I started pounding out the story, soaked up online writing courses, attended a writer’s conference, and joined American Christian Fiction Writers, Carolina Christian Writers, and a critique group.

All the right things, in my opinion. Not to mention I've always felt that avid readers make wonderful writers… if they don't mind all the hard work! What can we look for next, Dora? Are you working on anything, right now?

I just submitted When Truth Whispers to White Rose Publishing for consideration. It’s the first in a novella series set in Promise Lake, a fictional city in the Smoky Mountains of North Carolina. Want a peek?

Oh, yes, definitely!

After a humiliating breakup, best-selling romance author Teal Benning flees to Promise Lake to complete her current novel, minus paparazzi and flashing cameras. Suffering from writer's block and a broken heart, Teal accepts the offer of help from neighbor, Hunter Miciver. Hunter longs to be more than the friend who picks up the shattered pieces of Teal's heart. When Teal finds out his secret, will she see him for the man he is, a man of faith and devotion, a man who would cherish her for the rest of her days? Or will she lump him into the same category as all the other men in her life, including her father? Will Teal recognize when truth whispers her name?

It sounds fascinating, I'll be looking for that one, for sure. Thank you for coming, today, Dora, I've been looking forward to visiting with you for a long time.

Thanks for having me, Lilly, I've enjoyed the visit, too. 

It's been my pleasure. Now, before we get into a look at JOURNEY'S EDGE, can you tell why you wrote this particular book?

Actually, Trey Colton from Journey’s End inspired this book. Renner was Trey’s partner, both Deputy U.S. Marshals, but total personality opposites. I knew the moment Renner appeared on the page that he would have his own book. I had to dig around in his past to find his sweetheart, but when you meet Kinny, you’ll understand how perfect they are for each other.

That they are. Let's give readers a look...

A Routine Audit? Hardly.

Red flags—including some goon who's following her—raise McKinley Frasier's suspicions that numbers don't add up at the insurance firm. When someone tries to snatch McKinley's daughter from school, she turns to police officer and ex-fiance, Renner Crossman—the cop who walked out on her a month before their wedding. But Renner's not the same guy who broke her heart ten years ago. He calls himself a "new man." She trusts the new Renner with her daughter's safety...but what about her heart?

My Review…

JOURNEY'S EDGE is one of those books that makes you feel as if you are actually peeking into someone's life. That's how real these characters feel. And while all books have some form of conflict, and you know something like that has to pop up somewhere, I kept finding myself hoping none of it was going to happen to these people, because I liked them too much. 

Renner is the type of man we all admire: capable, considerate, and he knows how to protect the ones he loves. After all, protecting people is what he does for a living. However, when his emotions get jumbled up with his heart, he turns out to be as vulnerable as the rest of us. And like us, he can be distracted, or biased, and not always on the top of his game. Which makes for page-turning suspense when so much is at stake. Such as Kinny's heart. Which he has broken once before, and is determined to win back, again.

But can a person really ever go back? One can forgive, but they can't always forget. That is, unless forgiveness is something more than unburdening your own heart, so  you can get on with life, guilt free. But what if it's more than that? What if there truly is something supernatural that changes things whenever one turns their life over to God? If that was true (and I believe it is), it just might work in real life, too. That everyday one we are all caught up in and think we have so little control over. Then, again, maybe we do, if we could only turn it over to someone who can actually do something about it. 

Journey's edge made me think about that. 

You can find out more about Dora Hiers and her books by visiting these places:

Website: www.dorahiers.com 

Blog: http://dorahiers.blogspot.com/

Facebook: Dora Hiers Author
Twitter: @DoraHiers