Penny Zeller ~ Interview + Giveaway!

*You can earn up to 4 entries in this giveaway. Read below for details*

Today author Penny Zeller is telling us about her new book, Kaydie (April 2011 -- Montana Skies series #2). She has offered a 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 leave a comment on this post to find out the answer!

Author Bio:

Penny Zeller is the author of several books and numerous magazine articles in national and regional publications. She is also the author of the humor blog “A Day in the Life of a Wife, Mom, and Author” (http://www.pennyzeller.wordpress.com/). She is an active volunteer in her community, serving as a women’s Bible study small-group leader and co-organizing a women’s prayer group. Penny devotes her time to assisting and nurturing women and children into a closer relationship with Christ. Her passion is to use the gift of the written word that God has given her to glorify Him and to benefit His kingdom. “Kaydie” follows “McKenzie” in Montana Skies, her first series with Whitaker House. When she’s not writing, Penny enjoys spending time with her family and camping, hiking, canoeing, and playing volleyball. She and her husband, Lon, reside in Wyoming with their two children. Penny loves to hear from her readers at her Website, http://www.pennyzeller.com/.

Welcome, Penny! Tell us about your salvation experience.
I accepted Jesus Christ as my Savior at a Christian church camp when I was 16. However, years later, I moved away from the relationship I had found with the Lord and lived my life the way I wanted. It wasn’t until 1999 while I was pregnant with my first child and experienced life-threatening problems for both my daughter and I that I returned to the Lord. Through those difficult times, I sought the Lord and realized God was there and would take care of me. He never left me – it was me who had left Him. On that day, I rededicated my life to the Lord and have made it my goal to live and to write for His glory.

How do you handle disasters/BIG problems? Do you have a funny or interesting story showcasing how you handle them?
I am a very sensitive person, so I feel deeply. When disasters or big problems arise, I have a good cry, then spend a lot of time in prayer. I then turn to my husband, Lon, and to my friends for encouragement and prayer support.

Tell us something surprising about yourself that readers may not know.
Hmmm, let’s see…when I was 10, I made up this romantic suspense series in my mind where the main character was the handsome and fictional police officer, Josh McClain. Everyday, my younger sister and cousin would excitedly ask me what was going on in Josh’s life (and in the life of the main female character) and what crimes Josh had solved.

I loved telling them my sister and cousin stories about Josh McClain that I had made up in my mind from the night before (usually when I should have been sleeping!) and leaving them at a cliffhanger until I could make up some more details the following night.

What is one book that you recently read and would recommend to your readers?
I just finished reading the contemporary romance novel “Grow Old With Me” by Melinda Evaul. I would highly recommend this book.

What is your favorite time of day to write?
In the morning right after I’ve had my time with the Lord and dropped my daughters off at school.

If you compared your writing style to any other Christian Fiction author, who would it be? Also, how would you rate the romance in your books?
Hmmm. I have no idea. I really haven’t thought about that. Readers have told me that my writing reminds them of the writing of Janette Oke or Tracie Peterson, which are HUGE compliments and very humbling! I would rate the romance in my books as G.

What are you working on now or going to write next?
I just finished the third book in the series, “Hailee,” which is scheduled for release in September. I'm also working on a second historical romance series that takes place in the Post-Civil War Era. I recently finished book one in the series and have started writing book two.

Book’s back cover blurb:

For the first time in years, Kaydie Worthington Kraemer can breathe easily. Although she is still haunted by memories of her abusive husband, Darius, she takes comfort in knowing the man is dead. Staying with her sister McKenzie and brother–in–law, Zach Sawyer, at their ranch, Kaydie is still wary of men, especially now that she has another life inside of her to protect. As she looks forward to her baby's birth, she builds a protective wall around herself that won't be easy to tear down.

Ranch hand Jonah Dickenson views his boss, Zach, like a brother. He does not, however, envy Zach's new role as a husband. Deserted by his mother at a young age and forever despised and rejected by his own father, Jonah has few close relationships. But there's something about Kaydie that draws him to her and makes him question his decision to remain a bachelor.

When Cedric Van Aulst, an old friend of Kaydie's, comes to town, an unforeseen prospect of marriage arises. Cedric is someone Kaydie trusts. Will she settle for a safe union with him, or can she trust God to guard her heart and her life in the arms of Jonah?

What research did you have to do for this book?
My family and I visited two well-preserved ghost towns in Montana for research, which was a lot of fun. I also conducted a lot of research online.

Who would you pick to play the lead roles if this book was made into a movie?

This is always a hard question for me because I’m not up to date on current TV/movie actors. :) But I think based on appearances, I would pick to be Kaydie the woman on the cover of “Kaydie” or a long-haired younger Reese Witherspoon; and a much, much younger Brad Pitt for Jonah.

Do you have a link to a place to read the first chapter or an excerpt of this book?

Yes. The first chapter is posted on my blog at http://pennyzeller.wordpress.com/free-first-chapters-of-my-books/ (scroll down).

How can readers get in contact with you?
I love to connect with my readers! I can be contacted a variety of ways, including:
http://www.pennyzeller.com/ (website)
http://www.pennyzeller.wordpress.com/ (blog)
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Penny-A-Zeller/96391560959?ref=ts (Facebook page)
http://twitter.com/pennyzeller (Twitter)

Is there anything you would like to add, or tell your readers?
I would just like to thank everyone for their support and encouragement and thank you, Carman, for always being willing to promote authors. I appreciate you all! Also, I’d like to mention that from April 1 – May 15 is my blog tour for “Kaydie” and during that time, I will be giving away copies of “Kaydie”, as well as copies of “Hailee” (the next book in the series). Details about the giveaways will be posted on my FB page at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Penny-A-Zeller/96391560959?ref=ts

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**USA addresses only, please**

Okay readers, here is your chance to win a copy of Kaydie!

TO ENTER:

*Leave a comment with your name and email address (so I can contact you if you win). The comment is mandatory. You will not be entered unless you leave a comment AND your email address.

*If you leave a comment you will be entered unless you specify that you do not want to be entered.

*Here are the ways to get entries:

(First entry) The mandatory comment saying you would like to be entered with your email address.

+1 Become one of my followers OR subscribe to my blog by email.

+2 Read and leave a comment on my review of Double Shot.

**You can earn a total of 4 entries if you do all of the above entry options. Make sure to tell me in your entry comment on this post which of the things you did to get extra entries. (You can put them on one comment if you want to, you don’t have to separate each entry into its own comment or anything like that.)**

*The contest will run from today (April 8) until 6:00 CST on Thursday (April 14). I will announce the winner that night. The winner is always randomly drawn. I will contact the winner either directly after choosing him/her or on Friday the 15th, 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.