Loree Lough ~ Interview + Giveaway!

Today author Loree Lough is telling us about her new book, Prevailing Love. She has offered an autographed copy of her book to one lucky commenter. She will also be stopping by throughout the week to answer your questions! So if you have anything you want to ask her, you can include it in your comment for entering the contest. If you are only leaving a question in the comment and not entering the giveaway please say so.

Welcome, Loree! Tell us a little about yourself.

Married, 2 daughters, 7 grandkids, 1 neurotic dog (rescued from abuse). Former professional singer, presently a professional writer, and in between a couple hundred goofy jobs!

How long have you been writing? How many books do you have published?
Started writing with an eye toward getting published in 1986, and was blessed with assignments that allowed me to see more than 2,500 articles published. My first novel came out in 1994, and since then, 73 more books have joined it on the shelves.

If you compared your writing style to any other Christian Fiction author, who would it be? Also, how would you rate the romance in you books?
Wow. That’s a tough one. Readers have compared me to Mary Jo Putney and Nicholas Sparks, but neither write strictly Christian fiction. As for rating of the romantic scenes in my books, reviewers have called it “gently sensual”, so I guess that would be, maybe, PG?

In your own words tell us a little about Prevailing Love.
PREVAILING LOVE is a 3-in-1 compilation. Three full-length romances for the price of one. How cool is that!

Sealed with a Kiss is the story of jet-setting Ethan Burke, suddenly thrust into the ‘father’ role when his best friends die and put him in charge of Molly, their 11-year old daughter who hasn’t spoken since her parents fiery car crash. Ethan prays that Hope Majors, the pretty Christian counselor who specializes in traumatized children, can reach the grieving girl. Will they all be blessed with much-needed healing? Or will past heartaches keep them all from finding true and lasting love?

In The Wedding Wish, Leah Jordan (terminal cancer patient) must find a home for two year old Fiona before she meets her Maker. Desperate to assure her little girl a warm and loving home, she brings her two best friends together and hopes they’ll revive the love they’d felt for one another in high school. Jade, the dedicated nurse, has recently broken up with a long-time beau, and Riley, self-appointed bachelor veterinarian, has sworn off marriage. With time running out, will there be a wedding and a loving home for little Fiona… and Riley and Jade?

Blurb:

Sealed with a Kiss is the story of jet-setting Ethan Burke, suddenly thrust into the ‘father’ role when his best friends die and put him in charge of Molly, their 11-year old daughter who hasn’t spoken since her parents fiery car crash. Ethan prays that Hope Majors, the pretty Christian counselor who specializes in traumatized children, can reach the grieving girl. Will they all be blessed with much-needed healing? Or will past heartaches keep them all from finding true and lasting love? (Picture CSI NY’s Melina Kanakaredes as Hope, and Bones’ star David Boreanaz as Riley.)

In The Wedding Wish, Leah Jordan (terminal cancer patient) must find a home for two year old Fiona before she meets her Maker. Desperate to assure her little girl a warm and loving home, she brings her two best friends together and hopes they’ll revive the love they’d felt for one another in high school. Jade, the dedicated nurse, has recently broken up with a long-time beau, and Riley, self-appointed bachelor veterinarian, has sworn off marriage. With time running out, will there be a wedding and a loving home for little Fiona… and Riley and Jade? (I envision Pushin’ Up Daisies star Susanna Lewis as “Leah”, Psych’’s Maggie Lawson as “Jade”, and Simon Baker of The Mentalist as “Riley”.)

Montana Sky is about two lonely people who have put duty and work ahead of romance. They’re drawn together by tragedy and danger, and when they find themselves involved in a volatile ‘wolf war’ in the wild Montana woods, more than just gunpowder is ignited. (Julia Roberts has the ‘look’ of Sky, the tough-yet-tender veterinarian, and Chet could be played by the slick-and-savvy Raising the Bar’s Mark-Paul Gosselaar.)

What made you want to write this story?
I guess I’d have to say… the same thing that inspires me to write every story: The Lord put the themes into my heart, and I had no choice but to write them down!

What research did you have to do for this book?
I needed to learn about the characters’ professions, the settings, and the psychological stuff that made each story ring true. All three earned “Readers’ Choice” awards as well as 4- and 5-star reviews from industry pros.

What are you working on now or going to write next?

Right now, I’m working on the 2nd book in my Lone Star Legends series, tentatively titled Lonely No More. This historical, like its predecessor, is set in Eagle Pass, Texas, 1888-9. Lots of old-west adventure and action, including outlaws and gunfights, horses and the lonesome prairie. I’m also working on Book One for my First Responders series, From Ashes to Honor. That one features characters who are still coping with the horrors of having worked at Ground Zero on 9/11.

How can readers get in contact with you?
I’m on Facebook, Shoutlife, Twitter, and MySpace, and all the screen names are available at my web site, http://www.loreelough.com/. They can also visit me at my blog, designed for readers and writers, http://www.theloughdown.blogspot.com/.

What are you currently reading?
I just finished The Missionary by Dave Lambert and William Carmichael. Wow. Talk about intrigue!

Tell us something surprising about yourself that readers may not know.
Well, I love to sketch and draw, and one of my line drawings (a sketch of her house) is hanging in the home of actress Lea Thompson.

What is your favorite birthday memory?
I guess I’d have to say the Dressel cakes my mother used to buy… two moist chocolate layers with a 2” whipped cream filling, topped by fudgy icing. I believe the company went out of business. A good thing, too, or I’d probably need Omar the Tent Maker to sew all my clothes!

FAVORITES:
Cake flavor/kind?
Chocolate cake w/marshmallow icing and chocolate sprinkles.

Most treasured birthday gift?
When we were married 7 years, my husband surprised me with a diamond engagement ring, and he paid for it with his annual bonus. It’s the one I still wear, 32 years later!

Disney Princess?
Ariel the Little Mermaid. I never learned to swim, so I envy anybody who can!

What is/was this book’s release date?
PREVAILING LOVE hit bookstore shelves in Janurary, 2010.

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**Anyone can enter this giveaway**

 

Okay readers, here is your chance to win an autographed copy of !

To enter:

*Leave a comment with your name and email address (so I can contact you if you win).

*Please specify that you want to be included in the contest!

*If you want an extra entry, become one of my followers.

*The comment is mandatory. (Please, say in the comment if you are a follower!! It makes my job easier when you do.) You will not be entered unless you leave a comment. If you are already a follower, and then you leave a comment, you will still get two entries in the contest.

*The contest will run from today (March 5) until 6:00 CST on Thursday (March 11). I will announce the winner that night. The winner is always randomly drawn. I will contact the winner on Friday the 12th, and then that person will have one week to reply. If the winner doesn't reply within that time period, I will pick a new winner.

Good luck! Thanks for visiting.