Author Spotlight/Book Giveaway with Laura V. Hilton!

I’m excited to welcome my friend, Laura V. Hilton, back to my blog for a book spotlight and giveaway! Read on to find out more about Laura’s new book and how you can enter to win your own copy.

Laura’s latest book Promised to Another will soon be released by Whitaker House and is the third in her Amish of Seymour series. Following is the blurb…

Annie Beiler is a spunky, spirited schoolteacher, but she’s struggled ever since the man she was promised to “jumped the fence” and left the Amish of Seymour. To make matters worse, she’s in danger of losing her job because she took her students on an unauthorized field trip.

Soon after Joshua Esh moved from Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, to Seymour, Annie Beiler caught his attention. He’s disheartened to discover that she is promised to another man-Luke, who left the Amish but vowed to return one day and claim “his” Annie. So, Joshua mingles with all of the girls but Annie, not wanting to rock the boat.

Before long, Luke and Joshua are fighting over Annie, and God alone knows what will become of this triangle of tension.

I caught up with Laura to ask her a few questions…

What prompted your interest in writing about the Amish community?  Well I love reading Amish books.  I read somewhere to go check your bookshelves to see what genre of books you keep and then write that genre.  Hmmm.  Not sure that’d work for me.  I have chick lit, contemporary, women’s fiction, children’s, YA, Amish, suspense, historical…..   LOL  But then my agent suggest I “try” Amish fiction.  I thought about it, prayed about it, and well, I knew I had Amish background, but wasn’t sure I could do the Amish justice. But I gave it a shot.

Very fascinating! I love discovering how other authors have chosen the genre in which they write.  So…can you tell me what role have your life experiences played in the characters and/or the situations you develop in your books?   Well, I’m a quiet shy person, so I struggled with acceptance and finding my place in the world. Still do at times. I’ve found that even seemingly outgoing people have issues they struggle with where they find they don’t quite fit in.  We are all made from a different mold.  So, finding your special niche or gift where you fit is a topic that always seems to make it into my stories – so far.

I have been wondering, and I’m sure others are wondering as well…do you want to be Amish?   No, I don’t want to be Amish. I’m too attached to air conditioning.  And being able to go someplace w/o hitching up a buggy to a horse or finding a ride.

Would you please share with us your bio? Sure! Here is my “official” bio:  Laura Hilton, her husband, Steve, and their five children make their home in Horseshoe Bend, Arkansas. She is a pastor’s wife, a stay-at-home mom and home-schools three of her children. Her two oldest children are homeschool graduates and are in college.  Laura is also a breast cancer survivor.

Her publishing credits include Hot Chocolate and Shadows of the Past from Treble Heart Books; a devotional in a compilation from Zondervan; and the first book Patchwork Dreams in her Amish of Seymour series from Whitaker House released in April 2011, the second book, A Harvest of Hearts in September 2011, and Promised to Another in April 2012. Laura has her business degree from Ozarka and is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers. Laura is a professional book reviewer for the Christian market, with over a thousand book reviews published at various online review sites.

Laura loves to connect with her readers through her blog, where she also writes book reviews.

Thank you so much for for joining us today, Laura. It’s always a pleasure to have you as my guest!

And now, my wonderful blog readers, you have a chance to win Promised to Another. The rules to enter are super easy! Leave a comment for Laura (and yes, anyone can enter, but confirmed subscribers receive two entries and be sure to remind me that you’re a confirmed subscriber!)  Giveaway ends on March 8, 2012. A winner will be chosen at random.

I will be announcing the winners of Fay Lamb’s book and Shellie Neumeier’s book this Friday, so if you haven’t entered to win Shellie’s awesome book, there’s still time by going here: https://pennyzeller.wordpress.com/2012/02/23/author-spotlightgiveaway-with-shellie-neumeier/

Join me each Thursday for author interviews and giveaways. Also, join me on Mondays for Movie Mondays, where I review movies, and on Tuesdays for my humor posts.  If you enjoy humor, please check out my most recent humor post Extreme Bathroom Makeover!