Romantic Suspense Character Interview ~ A Bridge Unbroken

Author Cathy Bryant has a special treat for us today! An interview with the hero and heroine of her new inspirational romantic suspense release, A Bridge Unbroken - well, sort of. Her characters might have other ideas. ;)

Meet Chance and Dakota, and be sure to stick around after the interview for some some exciting info and an ebook giveaway!

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Chance: (finger to lips) Shhhh! Don't tell Cathy. She'll arrive here in a sec to interview me and Dakota. But we're gonna put her in the hot seat for a change. After all, she's put us through the ringer in writing A Bridge Unbroken. It's only fair that we return the favor. Shh, here she comes. (returns to seat and acts all nonchalant)

Cathy: (enters, moves to seat) Hey, you two. Ready to get this interview underway?

Chance: (with a smirk) Of course. Why wouldn't we be?

Dakota: (her eyes shoot daggers) Yeah, it's not like we have anything else to do with our time, thanks to you.

Cathy: (shifts uncomfortably) Uh...what do you mean?

Dakota: Renovate a farmhouse, fix a bridge, work on our relationship, get away from the antagonist, all while dealing with an unexpected gift of a dog and chickens? I mean, really, couldn't you just send us to outer space in a defunct space shuttle or something?

Chance: (pats Dakota's arm) Easy, honey, your Irish temper is showing.

Dakota: (continues to shoot daggers)

Cathy: (swallows hard) Um, sorry. First question: Why did you two introduce yourselves to me with such major problems to overcome?

Chance: Ha! You're the one who created us, not the other way around. Why'd you give us so much to overcome?

Cathy: I wanted to explore the topic of forgiveness. It's a huge part of our faith, but we struggle with it, especially when the offender seems determined to destroy us.

Dakota: (nods) Even worse is when our actions hurt others. We can't go back and undo it. Sometimes we can't even forgive ourselves. And when the other party accepts no responsibility... (her words trail off as she glances at Chance)

Chance: (frowning) Haven't we discussed this enough? Yeah, so maybe I have a hard time seeing the speck in my eye--

Dakota: Speck?

Chance: So maybe it's a little bigger than that.

Cathy: Maybe?

Chance: You, too?

(Cathy and Dakota share a knowing look.)

Chance: (sighs) Okay, beam. You happy now?

(Cathy and Dakota smile.)

Cathy: (glances at clock) Well, let's move on to question two. Dakota, why do you run away so much?

Dakota: As I recall, you gave me a pretty tough childhood. (inserts sarcasm) Let me express my undying gratitude.

Cathy: Anything to help the story.

Chance: Yeah, speaking of that, why do you put the story above the characters? Don't we deserve some gratitude for bowing to your commands?

Cathy: Um, first of all, you are the story. That's just the way it works. And as for bowing to my commands? Y'all are the most unruly characters I've ever written. You took over on more than one occasion.

Dakota: You should be grateful.

Cathy: If I wrote by the seat of my pants, maybe. But I like knowing what you guys are gonna do before I ever start the story.

(Chance and Dakota look at each other.)

Dakota: Great. Our author has OCD.

Chance: Big time. But at least it explains why she put us through so much.

Cathy: Enough about me. Chance, would you explain how you got those scars on your face?

(Chance blushes and squirms in his seat.)

Dakota: (compassion in eyes) Uh, I'll take responsibility for that. Sorry, Chance.

Chance: (smiles tenderly at Dakota) It's over and done with. Besides, I'm not the only one.

Dakota: I think we've done pretty well in moving past it all. (She takes his hand.)

Chance: (brings her hand to his lips and plants a soft kiss) Agreed. (He stands and pulls Dakota up with him.) Interview over.

Cathy: (her face incredulous) What? I'm not through.

Chance: Oh yes, you are. (He and Dakota turn and move away.)

Dakota: (glances back over her shoulder) Seriously, Cathy, how can you expect to write a romance and not give your hero and heroine some alone time? I mean, really.

Cathy: (watches them walk away, with a sheepish grin) Sorry. Did I mention they don't always do what I say? (shakes her head as she exits)

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A BRIDGE UNBROKEN

Letting go to build a bridge…

A frightened runaway's plan to start afresh is derailed when she co-inherits her late grandfather’s farm with the man responsible for the scars on her heart. But he isn’t the only ghost from the past. Someone else is out to get her and will stop at nothing to get what he wants. Will Chance and Dakota lay aside their grudges to restore the old farmhouse and bridge, or will evil forces sabotage their attempt at forgiveness?

CLICK HERE TO READ A SAMPLE CHAPTER AND VIEW THE TRAILER.

| Print Version | eBook Version |

Other Miller’s Creek Novels

| Texas Roads | A Path Less Traveled | The Way of Grace| Pilgrimage of Promise|

“Miller’s Creek, Texas…where folks are friendly, the iced tea is sweet, and Mama Beth’s front porch beckons…”

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A Texas gal by birth, Cathy enjoys spinning tales set in the fictional town of Miller's Creek, Texas. When she's not writing the Miller's Creek Novels, you'll find her rummaging through thrift stores or up to her elbows in yet another home improvement project in the mountain cabin she shares with her minister husband of over thirty years. You can find out more about Cathy and her books at www.CatBryant.com

Here are a few other places to find Cathy:

|Facebook| Twitter | Pinterest | Goodreads |  Amazon | YouTube | Google+|

https://www.facebook.com/groups/ChristianBooks.Giveaways/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/MillersCreekReaders/

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$100 Visa Card Giveaway/Launch Party

Cathy is celebrating the launch of A BRIDGE UNBROKEN with a $100 Visa Card Giveaway. Other prizes include t-shirts, coffee mugs, tote bags, bookmarks, eBooks, print books and Amazon Gift cards. Winners announced at the Facebook Launch Party, May 22, 2014, 7-8 p.m. CST. CLICK HERE TO ENTER THE VISA CARD GIVEAWAY. See you at the party!

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eBook Giveaway!

In addition to the awesome tour-wide giveaway and Facebook party, Cathy is kindly offering an ebook copy of A Bridge Unbroken to one of our BB readers! Just leave a comment with your e-mail address (so we can get in touch with you if you win), and let us know what you think of Chance and Dakota, and their story. Are you a romantic suspense fan?

(Note: This giveaway is open internationally. Winner will be announced next Monday, May 26th, in the comments section of that day's post.)

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Winners!!

Good morning, BB fans! Thanks to everyone who participated in our "puzzling" Friday giveaway! Keep all those facebook and Twitter notifications, coming!

This week's winner is: 

Breanna Brittain (medievalfreak17@gmail.com) - A Promise in Pieces by Emily T. Wierenga.

Congratulations, Breanna! Thank you all so much for stopping by The Borrowed Book.

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Sunday Devotional: Psalm 10

“Why is it that so many people seem to never be tested,” she asked me, “and yet my life is one long, constant trouble? And why isn’t God answering me when I ask him to show me the way?”

We all have times of our life when we ask that.

Psalm 10 (NKJV)

Why do You stand afar off, O Lord?
Why do You hide in times of trouble?
² The wicked in his pride persecutes the poor;
Let them be caught in the plots which they have devised.

³ For the wicked boasts of his heart’s desire;
He blesses the greedy and renounces the Lord.

Granted, it isn’t always the ones we consider “the wicked” who seem to have life easier than us. But we know plenty of those who thumb their noses at God and His laws, and yet apparently do just fine.

⁴ The wicked in his proud countenance does not seek God;
God is in none of his thoughts.

⁵ His ways are always prospering;
Your judgments are far above, out of his sight;
As for all his enemies, he sneers at them.
⁶ He has said in his heart, “I shall not be moved;
I shall never be in adversity.”

Worse still, the conceit of their own hearts convinces them that they are bulletproof, emotionally if not physically.

⁷ His mouth is full of cursing and deceit and oppression;
Under his tongue is trouble and iniquity.

⁸ He sits in the lurking places of the villages;
In the secret places he murders the innocent;
His eyes are secretly fixed on the helpless.
⁹ He lies in wait secretly, as a lion in his den;
He lies in wait to catch the poor;
He catches the poor when he draws him into his net.
¹⁰ So he crouches, he lies low,
That the helpless may fall by his strength.
¹¹ He has said in his heart,
“God has forgotten;
He hides His face;
He will never see.”

Sounds almost overdramatic, doesn’t it? Or maybe not. I think sometimes I live such an insulated life that I forget there are those who live to prey on others.

And then, if nothing else, I watch the news, and am reminded. Forcibly.

Worse, I think, than those who believe God hasn’t taken note of their wickedness is those who believe God condones what they’re doing.

¹² Arise, O Lord!
O God, lift up Your hand!
Do not forget the humble.
¹³ Why do the wicked renounce God?
He has said in his heart,
“You will not require an account.”

¹⁴ But You have seen, for You observe trouble and grief,
To repay it by Your hand.
The helpless commits himself to You;
You are the helper of the fatherless.

Once again we read those words: God sees. God takes note.

¹⁵ Break the arm of the wicked and the evil man;
Seek out his wickedness until You find none.

¹⁶ The Lord is King forever and ever;
The nations have perished out of His land.

As we look over the ebb and flow of history, we see people after people who have vanished from the face of the earth. These men who are so sure their cause is right, or that God doesn’t notice their misbehavior—they cannot endure, either.

¹⁷ Lord, You have heard the desire of the humble;
You will prepare their heart;
You will cause Your ear to hear,
¹⁸ To do justice to the fatherless and the oppressed,
That the man of the earth may oppress no more.

The day is coming,  one way or another, that troubles will end. If that isn’t a temporary end, here on earth, then it’ll be a permanent one in heaven.

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Weekly Drawing

It's Fun Friday at The Borrowed Book! This week's prize is available to residents inside the continental US only.

To enter:

Leave the time it took you to complete the puzzles in the comments section as well as your email address for notifying you if you've won. Winners will be drawn from ALL of the times, so the person with the fastest time may not be the actual winner, but by leaving your time, you double your chances.

Want another entry? Tweet your puzzle time and mention The Borrowed Book, get another entry. RETWEET our Tweet, get two entries!

Post your puzzle time on BB's Facebook wall and...you guessed it...get another entry!

Post it on your OWN Facebook wall and you could get as many as FIVE entries.

It's all a way to spread the word about the great giveaways on BB. So c'mon! Help us spread the word, and have a little fun at the same time. Enter all weekend long! Winners will be announced Sunday night at midnight.

This week's puzzle feature is brought to you by Emily T. Wierenga and her newest release, A Promise in Pieces.

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10 Tips for Writing When You Don’t Want To, by Emily T. Wierenga

I pin the colored fabric as though savoring a mango, this slice of time so sweet, and the sounds of children splashing in the pool. And all I want is to rest. To open wide this moment and step into it, to sit on a beach chair and hold my babies and breathe in their skin, and funny how, once you get what you want, all you can think about is the other.

But I am learning to write, in spite of myself.

Because I want to honor the call.

But I also don’t want to miss out on my children. Nor the man I made them with.

So how do we do it? How do we balance the laptop with the laundry and the liturgy?

Here are 10 tips:

1. Write when you feel most alive. (be it morning, before the kids wake up, or in the evening, after they’ve gone to bed, snag those seconds, those minutes, and let those fingers fly)

2. Don’t over-think it. Just write. Edit later. Stephen King has some good stuff to say about this in his book, On Writing. I don’t read his fiction, but my husband does, and says the guy knows what he’s talking about.

3. Don’t read the same kind of genre you’re writing in, or you’ll get your own writing voice mixed up with someone else’s. So if you’re writing fiction, read non-fiction, and vice-versa.

4. Drink or eat something while you’re writing. I drink coffee in the mornings and snack on raisins or chocolate throughout the day. This fuels the mind and keeps the stomach happy.

5. Give yourself rewards. For example, write for 15 minutes, and then go hug your babies. Or write for 15 minutes and then spend 5 minutes doing something restful or invigorating.

6. Surround yourself with inspiration. My friend constantly mails me encouraging quotes and artwork; if you’ll notice in this photo, I have posted these quotes and pieces of art above my desk to provide visual stimulation.

7. Work in a quiet place. Find yourself a haven, even if it’s a closet, and close the door and write. I wouldn’t use music, because silence allows you to “hear” the characters, or God’s spirit directing the words you need to say.

8. Choose a certain number of words per day, and stick to that word count. You will feel so productive when you’re done. Just focus on getting down 500 words, or 1,000, or 2,000, and then quit for the day, and enjoy the outdoors.

9. When you’re done, choose a varied team to share your work with: friends who you know will encourage you, friends who will offer constructive criticism, friends with a sharp eye, and then those who are just acquaintances and can offer some sort of un-biased perspective.

10. Pray as you write, as you edit, as you rest. Pray through it all. Because God is the Word. He gave you this calling. So trust him to work through you, even on days when the pool and the sunlight and the birds are calling. For in the end, it’s all about him. And if he doesn’t write our books, we write in vain.

“Perfectionism is the voice of the oppressor, the enemy of the people. It will keep you cramped

and insane your whole life, and it is the main obstacle between you and a (poor) first draft. I think perfectionism is based on the obsessive belief that if you run carefully enough, hitting each stepping-stone just right, you won’t have to die. The truth is that you will die anyway and that a lot of people who aren’t even looking at their feet are going to do a whole lot better than you, and have a lot more fun while they’re doing it.”

― Anne Lamott, Bird by bird: some instructions on writing and life

Emily T. Wierenga is an award-winning journalist, commissioned artist and columnist, as well as the author of four books including the novel, A Promise in Pieces, releasing April 15 with Abingdon Press. She lives in Alberta, Canada with her husband and two sons. For more info, please visit www.emilywierenga.com. Find her on Twitter or Facebook.

Make sure to stop by The Borrowed Book tomorrow, when you can enter to win a free copy of A Promise in Pieces!

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Did You Know? ~ Ads for 1908 Ice Box, Recliner, and Earrings

I found these ads in the 1908 Sears, Roebuck Catalogue. I thought our readers might enjoy looking at them.

An Ice Box

I've always wondered what an ice box looked like. Pretty nifty! (Click on the picture to see close up.)

Recliner

  I had no idea there were recliners in the early 1900s. I think my legs would get tired resting on this one with that space between the chair and the foot rest. (Click on the picture to see close up.)

Earrings

 I love gold hoops and these look very similar to what we can buy today, but the prices--wow! What a difference! (Click on the picture to see close up.)

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The Love Story that Finds Us All by Author Emily Wierenga

I was in Africa a couple of months ago on a bloggers’ trip, in a place called Widow’s Village in rural Rwanda. This village is government-funded, and provides housing for widows and children of the genocide. 

The women are older now, but their faces bear the scars of the horrendous losses they’ve suffered. Many of them have been raped, and have watched their husbands and children be killed. Some have lost nine of eleven children. Others are now taking care of their daughters’ children because their daughters have gone mad and run away.

I was there one day when my team leader asked if any of the women wanted to tell their story. And surprisingly, they did. They wanted to tell their story. 

Because no matter how hard it is, our story is one thing we’ll always have. God gives us our stories, not to define us, but to illuminate his presence on earth. 

Our stories do not define us. They explain us, yes, but they do not define us. God’s love for us defines us, and our stories pave the way to that love. 

At one point one of the widows, Margaret—whose breath smelled slightly of vodka—sat down heavily in the dirt as her sister shared about the genocide and the losses she’d encountered. I sat down with Margaret, there in Africa’s red dirt, and put my arm around her. A child in my lap and Rwanda all around me.

Life is hard. 

Sometimes I say to God, “Look at your people—look at how Earth has done them in.”

But then Margaret whispered, “God is so good.”

I leaned in and she said it again. “God, he’s so good. He gives me everything I need. Praise him.”

This is a woman who’s lost everything. Her children, her husband, her home. She’s witnessed evil face-on. Yet she still believes in goodness. 

Our stories do not define us. They are gifts to us, to show how God steps from heaven to earth on our behalf. To show how our Creator interacts with his creation. Our job is not to control the story, but to read it, and wait for the Savior. To wait for him to come and pull us out of the climax—to pull us out of the evil—and to set the lonely in families. 

And this setting the lonely in families is what takes place in my debut novel, A Promise in Pieces. Clara Wilson is a preacher’s daughter who finds it hard to reconcile the faith her daddy preaches Sunday morning with the war happening across the ocean. She slips out one night, through the window of her bedroom, and runs away with a friend to serve as a nurse in Normandy, France, where she comes face to face with evil, and meets a dying soldier who breathes life back into her fractured faith. 

And it’s a letter this soldier gives her, to take home to his soon-to-be-widowed wife, which leads Clara to the family she’s always longed for—while restoring the one she already has. 

We all are like children, longing to belong, and I relate to Clara. I too am a preacher’s daughter who traveled the globe searching for the faith my father preached. Trying to find God in the corners of the earth, and then my Mum got sick. And I found God where I least expected, at the bedside of my dying mom. 

And when Clara finally arrives back home, a baby quilt from the soldier’s wife in her hands, she too is broken by her mother’s illness and spends her days as a midwife and her nights caring for her parents. The quilt wrapped around the shoulders of young and old and the pieces of Clara’s life being woven together like patchwork cloth. 

In the end, love finds us all. It finds Clara through a kind carpenter, a war veteran who gardens and carves a cradle for Clara’s adopted child. It found me through a farm boy who gave me roots and at the same time, wings.

It finds all of us through our stories which lead us to a God who never leaves or forsakes us—who leans close to us as we sit on the red dirt, in the middle of our suffering, and says, “Come home, child. Come home.”

Emily T. Wierenga is an award-winning journalist, commissioned artist and columnist, as well as the author of four books including A Promise in Pieces, releasing April 15 with Abingdon Press. She lives in Alberta, Canada with her husband and two sons. For more info, please visit www.emilywierenga.com. Find her on Twitter or Facebook.

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