Showing posts with label Lena Nelson Dooley. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Lena Nelson Dooley. Show all posts

Saturday, August 19, 2017

Sit-Down and #Giveaway with Lena Nelson Dooley

Howdy, y'all! Crystal here and call me bias, but today I've got another great Texan author in the hot seat, the wonderful Lena Nelson Dooley! I met Lena for the first time at an ACFW conference years ago. What do I recall? My friend Joy in the driver's seat, Lena in the passenger's, a crammed trunk, and equally full backseat. 🙂 Did I mention a lot of laughter? I think we guffawed all the way to the airport. Since then, I've gotten to know Lena better as she's roped me into doing a number of covers for her. She's such a sweetie, y'all! So strap in and enjoy this interview. (Oh and be sure to watch out for the info on her generous giveaway.😉)

Welcome back to Stitches Thru Time, Lena. For those of us who don't have the privilege of knowing you, tell us a bit about yourself.


I was born on a dark and stormy night. I remember it well. (Just kidding.) I grew up in the Ozark Mountains of northwest Arkansas. My family moved to Texas while I was in college. I transferred to a Texas college, and they soon moved to New Mexico. I stayed in Texas and married a Texan. We’ll be married 53 years in November. I came from a family with members who always wrote. The only other one who is published is my brother who was a pastor. He had a book of sermons published.

That's so cool. I didn't know all that. Thanks so much for sharing, and speaking of sharing...

Since we're celebrating our 4th birthday here on STT, can you share with us a funny birthday memory or a memory from when you were four years old? 


No. As old as I am, it’s hard to pinpoint specific memories. This one is about my brother and me on his birthday, maybe about 9 th or 10 th . After we had a birthday meal with cake and ice cream, we were doing the dishes. We took turns each meal with who washed and who dried. He was washing and I was drying. He decided we should have a sword fight. He handed me a large butcher knife and he took a paring knife out of the water. We weren’t that good at controlling them. One time, I swung the knife and hit him on the side of his thumb. It wasn’t funny then, because his hand really bled a lot. I screamed bloody murder and the parents came running. They were able to take care of it without going to the doctor, and he told them it was his fault. That’s when my older brother became my hero. We never knew whether they found out the truth.

Awww, sounds like you have a great brother, but what a memory! That one would definitely stick. Speaking of the past, I know you write stories from yesteryear. Where did you get your love of history?


I’ve always loved history, just not remembering the dates. When I was old enough to read books, I often chose historical novels from the library. Every elective in college was a history course about a country or time period I found interesting.

That's interesting. I didn't enjoy history as much until I began reading inspirational historical romance novels. Can you tell us about your newest release? What is your story about?


My last full-length release is A Heart’s Gift.


In July, this book won the Faith, Hope, and Love Readers Choice Award in the long historical category.

Congratulations!


Since then, I’ve been published in a 9-book novella collection. My story in that is contemporary, Strange Voices in the Night in the Summer Fireworks collection.


Those covers look awfully familiar. 😉

Where did you get the inspiration for your story? 


This story had percolated in my brain for quite a while. I believe that every story comes from God. And I pray while I’m writing it. In this one, God turned it into a suspense novel about 2/3 of the way through.

Cool! I pray about my stories and for my readers too. I love it when God throws me curve balls. :) What do you hope folks will take away from your story?


That God always has a plan. We just need to stay connected with Him and be obedient to His directions.

Amen!

Do you have a favorite scene in the book? If so, can you tell us a bit about it?


There are so many. I especially loved the wedding scene in this marriage-of- convenience story. Things happened that neither the hero nor the heroine expected.

Unexpected twists are always fun. :) What do you plan to work on next? 


Right now, I’m working on a proposal that my agent is going to send to my dream publisher.

Ooo. Fingers crossed. :) 

Where can readers connect with you? Where can readers buy your book(s)?


I am all over the Internet:
If readers go to my Amazon Author Page, they can find all of my books. The link is in the list above. Or they can ask their library or local bookstore to add the book they’re interested in to their shelves.

Thanks so much for that list and info. Last but not least, apart from writing, what is your favorite creative outlet?


In all my long years (I’ll be 75 on November 13), I’ve done a lot of different things from painting to needlework and beyond. Right now, I’m a screenwriter for a Christian movie.

Coolness! Can't wait to hear/see more about that! 

Thanks so much for being our guest today, Lena. It was such a treat! And speaking of treats...


Lena has generously offered to give away three different audio books to three different people. The winners will get to choose from the book covers on this site (Listen to Lena Nelson Dooley Audiobooks | Audible.com) (Any except the Pirate's Prize book).


Winners will be announced in the Weekly Windup post on Monday, Aug 28th and are responsible for contacting STT to claim their prize.

So tell us, folks, do you prefer historical or contemporary stories? Paperback, audio, or ebook? Let's talk!

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Saturday, October 15, 2016

Sit-Down with Lena Nelson Dooley #Giveaway

Howdy y'all! Crystal here and I've got the special thrill of sharing this sit-down today with fellow Texan (and redhead) Lena Nelson Dooley.

Welcome to Stitches Thru Time, Lena. For those of us who don't have the privilege of knowing you, tell us a bit about yourself.

I’m the middle child between a younger sister (who has gone on to heaven before me) and an older brother. I exhibit many of the characteristics of a middle child. I often felt as if I had to try harder because of that.
I’m married to the love of my life. We’ll celebrate 52 years of marriage in November. My life revolves around him and our children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren. We’re a very close family.
Oh, yes, and I write books.

Fifty-two years---That's awesome! 

Congratulations on your newest release! What is your story about?

My very latest, which will release in November is Oh, Fudge! A novella in the A Sweet Noel Christmas novella collection. It’s about a woman whose life is supposed to move up in the company, because of a promised promotion. A man comes into her life, and he causes upheaval in ever facet of her life. (The book has three Christmas treat recipes in it.)
Christmas Rescue may release before the end of October. If not, it will be in early November. After the release of the novella, it will become part of the Mail-Order Christmas Angels collection. My heroine’s mail-order bride situation doesn’t have a happy ending, and she loses her ability to trust any man. But a man rescues her from death. You’ll have to read it to see how he becomes a man she can trust.

Where did you get the inspiration for your story?

God created me with a vivid imagination. And I seek Him during the writing of any story. I have a storyline and a timeline when I start. Often, God drops something into my heart that moves the story along and makes it a better story.

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

Even though we live in a fallen world, and bad things can come into our lives, God has a plan for our lives. If we trust Him, He will work all things together for our good.

Do you have a favorite scene in the book? If so, can you tell us a bit about it?

I always love the scene when the hero and heroine finally realize they love each other. I love writing those scenes.

What do you plan to work on next?

I will be publisher for Autumn Love (a Thanksgiving novella collection). I’m eager to get on with that one. A Heart’s Gift should release very soon. This is the longest novel I’ve ever written. You know all about that one, Crystal. I love the cover you designed for it. And I have two more novels in the works after that.

I’m also slowly turning all the single novellas I’ve published into audio books. They’ve become very popular. I’ll continue to have books turned into audio. My last long novel The Gold Digger is one I had turned into an audio book.

Where can readers connect with you? Where can readers buy your book(s)?

Every book I’ve ever written appears on Amazon. Some books are on Christanbook.com and other sites like Audible.com, Kobo, and iTunes.

Last but not least, what is the quirkiest thing you've ever done?

Crystal, my middle name is quirky. There are so many things. How do I pick just one? I’m almost 74 years old, but my gray hair isn’t pretty. It’s kind of a dishwater gray with black streaks in an unusual pattern on my head, so I have my hairdresser daughter keep my hair some shade of red, even though red wasn’t it’s natural color. I’m not sure anyone remembers what that is.

Thank you, Crystal for having me on this site.

You're very welcome, Lena. It was a special thrill to have you here. We're so glad you could join us. 

Ladies and gents, Lena has graciously offered to giveaway a FREE audiobook copy of her novel The Gold Digger to one of this post's commenters. (Winner to be announced in the Weekly Windup post.)



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