Sit-Down with Gail Palotta #Giveaway

Howdy y'all! Welcome to another Sit-Down Saturday with today's host Crystal Barnes. With her, telling about her soon-to-be released story Barely Above Water is author Gail Palotta. [signal happy applause]

Welcome to Stitches Thru Time, Gail. Tell us a bit about yourself.

I’m a wife and Mom who loves God, the beach, swimming and books, reading and writing them. My first published work appeared in a grammar school newspaper a friend and I put out. Including Barely above Water, I have written four books. I’ve also published poems, articles and short stories.

In addition to spending time writing and reading, I’m often in my kitchen. My mother, grandmother and aunts were avid cooks, so I grew up with a knife in one hand and a spatula in the other. I also enjoy traveling and getting together with family and friends.

Sounds like you and I enjoy a lot of the same things, Gail. :) 

Congratulations on your newest release! Tell us a bit about Barely above Water.

It’s a contemporary romance about a young girl who has Chronic Lyme Disease, but she doesn’t know what’s wrong with her. The plot and characters are fictitious, but the symptoms and treatments are real. Also, the book has a section in the back with questions and answers about the mysterious malady by two experts.


Blurb for Barely above Water:

An illness comes out of nowhere and strikes Suzie Morris. Her boyfriend dumps her. She has no living family, and her physician can’t diagnose the malady. Suzie relies on her Christian faith as she faces the uncertainty of the disease, and turns to a renowned alternative doctor in Destin, Florida. She takes a job coaching a county-sponsored summer swim team. She’s determined to turn the fun, sometimes comical, rag-tag bunch into winners. Her handsome boss renews her belief in love, but learns of her mysterious affliction and abruptly cuts romantic ties. Later he has regrets, but can he overcome his fear of losing a loved one and regain Suzie’s trust?

Where did you get the inspiration for your story?

I have Chronic Lyme Disease and found it extremely difficult to find information or help. By the grace of God, I found two Lyme literate doctors, David Lee, D.C., Ph.D., C.Ad., and Raphael d’Angelo, M.D., who’s also a holistic doctor. Now I have an active lifestyle. I wanted to share what I’ve learned with others, especially those who may suffer from the disease and know it, or in some instances, suffer with it, but don’t have any idea what’s wrong with them.

David Lee, D.C., Ph.D., C.Ad., runs Wellness Revolution Clubs 
in Woodstock, Georgia, and Daytona Beach, Florida. 
To learn more about him visit
 http://www.pmadirectory.us/georgia/woodstock/health-practitioner/david-lee

Raphael d’Angelo, M.D., and holistic doctor,
runs ParaWellness Research Program in Aurora, Colorado.
 To learn more about him visit
https://www.alliance-aromatherapists.org/tag/dr- dangelo/

Wow! What a story behind the story. So glad God provided the help you needed. 

What do you hope folks will take away from your novel?

I hope the readers, especially those who may be ill, will know that help is available and have some knowledge of how to find it. I also hope they’ll see God’s love and faithfulness in the story.

Where can readers connect with you? Where can readers buy your book? 

I love to connect with readers. They can visit my web site at http://www.gailpallotta.com, my blog at http://www.gailpallotta.blogspot.com, Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/AuthorsandMore and Twitter at https://twitter.com/Hopefulwords

Readers can buy Barely above Water here.

Gail, thanks so much for joining us today and sharing more about you and your new book.

Everyone, Gail is giving away an e-book copy to one of this post's commenters. The winner will have their choice of a free copy of Barely above Water  (releasing April 15th,2016) or one of her other ebooks. The winner will be chosen from those who comment on this post and will be announced in Monday's Weekly Windup post on April 11th so be sure to check back to see if you've won. 

Since Gail loves the beach and books, let's chat a bit about both. Have you ever been to the beach? If so, do you have a favorite beach you love to visit? Do you like to read a book outside or inside?