Welcome Guest Author - Regina Andrews

Hi all, I usually don't do guest authors on Tuesday, but Regina Andrews asked me for a favor and who was I to refuse? *grin* Reinga is an inspirational author who lives in Rhode Island and one of the kindest authors I know. I've visited her blog many times and I've always enjoyed hanging with her for a day? Who wouldn't with a view of Newport, RI & the manisions? *wink* Regina has a new book out, "Angels of The Heart." She's here to share a blurb & and excerpt. Enjoy!
Smiles
Steph

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Blurb:
The life of a television journalist has been good to Maryanne Lynch and life in Sterling Lakes suits her well. That is, until she learns of developer Travis Collimore’s plans to destroy a local landmark, the Townsend Barn along with its rare angel weather vane, as part of the renovations of St. Luke’s Church. The reappearance of her former high school friend who moved away years earlier turns Maryanne’s life into a series of events which put her values, her character and her beliefs to the test. Will she be able to maintain her professional and ethical standards in the face of a ghost from the past…who looks to be clouding her future?




EXCERPT :

"That's a wrap, everyone, thank you. Another great show."

Reviewing the studio audience, WMAS television host Maryanne Lynch started to remove her earpiece as usual and roll the wire into a neat coil. This time though, the stone on her diamond engagement ring snagged the strands of her sleek black bob, tangling up the wire and interrupting her thoughts. She freed herself only to have the ring hitch again, this time catching the jacket pocket of her cappuccino business suit as she tried to slip her earpiece safely inside it.

Kirk Blackstone, her producer, approached her. "Maryanne, there's a bunch of girl scouts here. Doing some badge about media careers. Can you meet with them?"

"Sure, in the conference room. Just give me one minute, okay?"

She moved through the studio, scanning the crowd while remaining intent on her purpose. "I had to wear a pencil skirt today," she mumbled. One of the guests today had looked familiar, but she couldn't put her finger on it. She hurried to catch up with him, while considering an even more pressing matter about the show's topic.

When she turned the final corner before the studio exit doors, she spotted him. With his tall frame and blond hair, he stood out in the crowded lobby area.

"Excuse me!"

"Yes?"

"Thank you for visiting the show today."

His brown eyes traveled up and down her frame. "No problem."

"Everyone is all worked up about the renovations to St. Luke's Church and the new face of Sterling Lakes. It's a hot topic."

"It's good the town folks are interested."

"They are more than interested, they are reborn. This is the new lease on life that Sterling Lakes has been praying for so very long. You can't imagine what it means to us."

"Heartwarming. Now, if you'll excuse me?"

Maryanne had done enough interviews to know his tone of voice probably meant he was not really interested. She took one step closer to him. "There's just another thing to clear up. If you develop St. Luke's the way you explained on my show, it means you'll have to raze the Townsend Barn."

"There is a structure--"

"Townsend Barn."

He nodded. "There is a structure, Townsend Barn, thank you, which currently stands right in the middle of the land that will house the rectory and youth center. To build the extension, the barn has to go."

"That can't happen."

"The architect has designed for it to happen that way."

"The people of Sterling Lakes love the barn. It has an angel weather vane. That's very rare, you know."

"I don't know what to tell you. The plans have been drawn up and approved."

Maryanne arched one eyebrow. "Really? We all know plans are made to be broken."

Link to book on DB site: http://stores.desertbreezepublishing.com/-strse-189/Regina-Andrews-Angels-of/Detail.bok

Guest Author Series - Welcome Author Regina Andrews

STEPH: Tell us a little about you. Where do you live? How long have you been writing?

REGINA: Hi Stephanie, thank you for having me today on your fabulous blog! A resident of Providence, RI, now, I grew up in nearby Barrington. The Ocean State has a lot of appeal for me!

My wonderful mother read to me as far back as I can remember and I am sure that’s why I love reading so much. Loving reading, and being a natural talker, I think writing became the next logical step. It came in handy when I didn’t have an audience to tell my stories to, I could just keep going, and write everything down. That began early on, and I just never stopped. The publishing came later.

STEPH: I don't know much about "Light of the Heart." What's it about?

REGINA: “Light of the Heart” deals with the effects of a difficult childhood on the heroine, Cascade Preston, now a very successful stained-glass artist. As a child she knew her father was abusing her mother but was powerless to stop it. She was aware as a child that the town knew of the trouble in her house, yet did nothing to stop it. Her anger and resentment are so intense that she refuses to return to Sterling Lakes. However, circumstances take a turn and the project to redo the stained-glass windows in the town church becomes hers. As she is challenged to let the light of God’s love shine into her heart, she also meets the hero, Dan McQuay.

STEPH: What was the inspiration behind the story?

REGINA: That's an interesting question. I have always written pretty 'safe' Inspirationals, and I searched in my heart to hear a story that might needed to be told. Many years ago, I knew the hero and heroine of this story (in my mind) but Cascade's back story only came to me recently. I was not sure about it when I stopped and thought about the theme, it seemed so edgy...so I didn't stop, I just kept writing what was in my heart. After all, I had waited a long time for Cascade to tell me her story! I'm so glad the story incubated and now has the depth and substance her story really deserves. Sometimes, a writer has to be patient, and wait for the story to get to them. I'm not patient, at all! But I am so glad I waited!

STEPH: How important was the setting to the story?

REGINA: Oh, setting is always critical to my stories. Here, it is an absolute 'must'! Sterling Lakes, with all the problems the town has had in the past, and all the natural gifts they enjoy, typifies the dichotomy of the human experience: it's beautiful and ugly, good and evil all at the same time...just like the human soul.

STEPH: If you could cast the movie, who would you cast in the lead roles?

REGINA: OOOH! Okay, Cascade Preston: Amy Adams and Dan McQuay: Let me get back to you, Steph!!

STEPH: How long did it take you to write?
REGINA: Well, it's funny, I really ruminate...and I've been 'hatching' this one since way back when lol! The real work for me is thinking, plotting and envisioning the book. Once I sit down, it does not take too long. This was done in a few months, then delivered to a great editor who I must say really seemed to 'get it' quicker than I did, sometimes! Bless her!

STEPH: Do you have an ebook reader? If so, which one?

REGINA: Yes, I have a Kindle that I love love love!!

STEPH Do you belong to any writing groups or writing afflilations? How helpful have they been to you?

REGINA: In the past I belonged to RWA and was in the NE chap of RWA, in fact, I was the librarian for a while. I can't tell you how wonderful that was! What a great group! I am still friends with lots of the writers and count their encouragement as one reason I ever had the confidence to send my work out to publishers!

STEPH: Can you tell us a little about the state you live in?

REGINA: Shakespeare asked "What's in a name?" in Romeo and Juliette and Little Rhody is a good example of a really powerful answer to that query! Rhode Island is the smallest state in the country, but nestled into a section of ocean, mountains and forest, it has incomparable natural beauty. On top of that, we are the nucleus of several world-renowned Universities and Colleges, so our intellectual community is vibrant and ever-evolving. An outgrowth of that is the Arts community, with museums, theaters and -yay - restaurants. Plus, we are a real cultural crossroads, with folks of all nations finding their homes here and propelling the life of the entire community into ever-enriched levels of shared experiences.

STEPH: If you could visit one country, what country would be on your bucket list?

REGINA: In a heartbeat, I'd go back to Greece. I had a trip to Egypt booked for May...I will get there some day!

Thank you, Stephanie!
Big hugs,
Regina

STEPH: Thanks for being here today, Regina! It was great to have you.

Buy Link:http://stores.desertbreezepublishing.com/-strse-template/ReginaAndrews/Page.bok

Guest Author Series, Welcome Regina Andrews

It's All in the Cards
By: Regina Andrews

June is a wonderful month! Graduations, Father's Day, birthdays.…oh and yes, Flag Day. Flag day? Absolutely. Besides loving my country, which I really do, I have another reason to love Flag Day as well as every other holiday that is considered less-than-major. I'm one of those folks who loves to celebrate even the most obscure occasion.

It all began when I became a greeting card writer fourteen years ago, a job I loved for ten years. Flash forward to today: here we are, the company out of business because the world changed to email instead of personal mail. But I am still a greeting card writer. As they say, you can take the girl out of the social expressions industry, but you can't take the social expressions out of the industry girl. ****sigh****

As it turns out, my husband's birthday is in June. Being a romance writer and greeting card maven (and oh yes, loving him madly, of course), one of my favorite occasions is his birthday. Thus, I recently went into the store to find him some cards.
The selection was mostly humorous, and I gravitated to the other sections. At our company we divided the cards by size, theme and style (rhyme or prose). There were basically two themes for cards for "Husband Birthday": those were 1) Can't Say/Don't Say ("even though I never tell you how much you mean to me I hope you know I love you.") and 2)Gratitude ("To thank you for all that you have give me, all that you have done would take a lifetime…and a day.")
Mostly I found cards that looked like this:











Not really working. He's not the teddy bear type.





Or this:




…which was totally too Valentine-y.

I had a moment of nostalgia where I wished the cards all were like this:






























But that was not to be. Realizing that times had really, really changed, I decided to 'join them' (since I can't 'beat them!'). So I sent him an e-card and he loved it!

Regina's latest book, "Destiny's Designs" was released with Desert Breeze Publishing. Regina writes inspirational romance. You can find her book here:http://stores.desertbreezepublishing.com/-strse-68/Destiny%27s-Designs/Detail.bok

Guest Author Friday - Regina Andrews

I'd like to welcome Regina Andrews to the blog today. Regina is a resident of Providence, Rhode Island --- she grew up in nearby Barrington and still belongs to her church family in that town. After graduating from Providence College she attended the University of Delaware, eventually earning her Master's Degree in American Civilization from Brown University. She is inspired by the seashore and the song of the birds... anything to do with nature. She and her husband enjoy visiting nearby Cape Cod.

Regina's latest book is "Destiny's Designs" with Desert Breeze Publishing and she enjoys writing inspirational romance.

Welcome, Regina!

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Destiny's Designs: The Fabric of Faith


You know the moment: when all of a sudden, you realize that your most cherished dream, your most treasured ideal is about to become a reality. It takes your breath away, doesn't it?

That's what happened to me when Gail Delaney from Desert Breeze Publishing told me she had accepted my inspirational romance novel, Destiny's Designs, for publication.


The first novel I wrote, Destiny's Designs is a fast-paced, international romance about finding our path in life by listening to God's message of love.

Set in Newport, RI, the hero and heroine are Neil Lamont, a sailor, and Lisa Machon, an interior designer. Each has had a hurt in their past that impedes them from loving in the present.

Lisa is working for Neil's aristocratic mother, and while doing so she and Neil join forces to help out Neil's sister, Bliss. Their efforts take them to France and Italy in a social whirl, but their hearts are at home with each other...once they learn to trust each other, and to trust God.

Actually, I was working for an interior designer when I began writing this book. Still living at home, I would read my newest pages to my parents nightly around the kitchen table.

You might say I had the most supportive writing group in the world, back in those heartwarming days. When those days ended I put Destiny's Designs away in the drawer. Maybe if I kept it in, I could preserve those sweet times together around the table and they would never go away.

Of course, life is all about change and having the faith to move on. For some reason,
I felt I could trust Gail with this book. So I took a leap of faith and let it go.

And I know my parents are smiling now, happy that Gail's gentle touch propelled Destiny's Designs into the light of day.

You could say this novel is about what it's like to live the phrase, "Let go, let God." What is your "Let go, let God" moment?

***
Thanks for popping in, Regina.

Here's a link to her Desert Breeze Page: http://stores.desertbreezepublishing.com/-strse-68/Destiny%27s-Design/Detail.bok