Thank you so much for having me as a guest on your blog, Melinda.
Please tell us about your recent release. I am thrilled about my new release, which is titled Kaydie and is book two in my Montana Skies Historical Romance Series (Whitaker House). Here is a short 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?
Cindy Sproles recently produced a book trailer for Kaydie, which can be found at http://youtu.be/Vwihs6rsqDk.
Are your characters completely fictional? Or do you base them off real people? The characters in my fiction books are a potpourri of many different people. I love to people-watch, so this gives me a great resource for characters. For example, I will take the hairdo of the woman in the mall, the nose of the woman in the airport, the eyes of the woman in church three rows up, and maybe some personality traits of two or three people I know as acquaintances. I combine all of these attributes into one person to develop my characters.
Share something you’ve learned about the writing/publishing process of this book. I have learned that the hard work comes after the book is published. I also learned that one of the most thrilling events is to receive your box of author copies (and trying not to stalk the UPS/mailman while waiting for those copies to arrive!)
What do you want readers to take away from the book? I hope my readers will get from Kaydie- and all of my novels- the power of God’s love, redemption, hope, and forgiveness. I want them to catch a glimpse inside my characters’ lives and see that God can and does change hearts. In addition, in Kaydie, I hope that readers will take away from the book the importance of depending on God and putting our full faith and trust in Him. As Psalm 46:1 tells us “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.” What a reassuring promise!
What are some of your likes and dislikes? Your hobbies, interests? Where do you like to vacation? I love spending time with my family and hiking, camping, canoeing, playing volleyball, reading, and gardening. My family and I love to camp in the summers and often head to the mountains. I dislike mean people and asparagus.
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. We still laugh about those stories!
What are you working on now and what's next for you?
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.
Where can fans find you on the internet? I love to connect with my readers at my website www.pennyzeller.com,
my blog http://www.pennyzeller.wordpress.com/
on Twitter at http://twitter.com/pennyzeller,
on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Penny-A-Zeller/96391560959?ref=ts
Where can readers purchase a copy of Kaydie? Kaydie is available everywhere books are sold, including online at Amazonhttp://www.amazon.com/Kaydie-
Any parting comments? I would like to thank you again, Melinda, for having me here, and also thank my readers for their support and encouragement. I couldn’t do it without you! Secondly, I would like to let everyone know that from April 1 – May 15 is my official blog tour for Kaydie. I will have all the details on giveaways (including a chance to win Hailee, the third book in the series) on my FB author page, so be sure to stop by.
Thank you Penny for being here on Walk in harmony. Good luck with all your writings.
Walk in harmony,
Melinda
