Dan Walsh

When Night Comes

Dan Walsh has long been one of my favorite writers. His stories have a way of taking me the time and place and drawing me in as a part of it.

Imagine my surprise when I discovered he was venturing into the suspense realm, my favorite genre. My first thought was no way could he pull that off. But he did, and When Night Comes is a page turner that keeps the reader guessing. So here's my review followed by the blurb.

Breaking away from his usual story lines, Dan Walsh brings the reader a story in When Night Comes that involves suspense, intrigue, and just the right touch of romance. With all the twists and turns, Dan makes the events so realistic that I found myself saying, “No, don’t do that. Don’t go there.” to the characters as they followed their courses and met their fates. Although not what one might expect from Dan Walsh, the story is completely satisfying, the plot intriguing, and the characters thoroughly believable with a touch of what may be in the future for research as well as well-researched history. Loved the ending and wanted to go on the next journey with Jack. What journey? Read When Night Comes and you’ll know. 

Blurb

Jack Turner comes back to Culpepper to give a series of lectures for his old history professor. Within days, he starts having bizarre experiences at night. Like he’s traveling back in time, experiencing the epic events in his lectures firsthand. He has no control over these experiences and can’t make them stop. 

Joe Boyd thought he’d left big city crime back in Pittsburgh when he took a detective job in Culpepper, Georgia, a sleepy southern college town. His peaceful life ends when two students turn up dead in two weeks. The coroner is saying natural causes, but something doesn’t add up. 

Rachel Cook, a teaching assistant at Culpepper, can’t believe Jack is back in her life again. She’s had a crush on him since she was fourteen, but Jack never knew. He instantly seems attracted to her, but she can tell…something is deeply troubling him. 
Watching all this from a distance is Nigel Avery. He’s certain this experiment’s about to unravel. It’ll be his job to tie up all the loose ends when it does. 

Bestselling author Dan Walsh is known for page-turning storylines. Fans of his novels The Discovery and What Follows After will especially love…When Night Comes. 

Available in paperback or e-book. Amazon: http://amzn.to/1savMpx

Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/1ySJuSB

Good News!!!! Dan is giving away a copy of this book to some lucky person who leaves a comment and answers the following question:

If you are a Dan Walsh reader, do you have a favorite from his past books, or if you've never read Dan Walsh, what genre do you usually read or is your favorite?

Be sure to leave your email address so we can contact you if you win. Subscribing to the blog will garner an extra entry if you'd like to become a member. Names will be drawn and announced on Thursday, November 6. 

Fall Scavenger Hunt Stop 11

Follow the clues for a Chance to Win a Kindle Fire HDX or 30+ novels

Welcome to the Autumn 2014 Scavenger Hunt. You have arrived at Stop #11. The hunt begins at noon (Mountain Time Zone) on October 17, 2014. You may have arrived here before the start which could mean all of the sites aren't ready quite yet. Once the official start has begun, you should go to Stop #1 http://www.robinleehatcher.com/autumn-2014-scavenger-hunt-participating-authors-stops/ and then work your way through the sites, gathering clues and entering bonus giveaways, until you reach the final stop #35 which will also be on the site of Robin Lee Hatcher.  http://www.robinleehatcher.com/scavenger-hunt-stop-35-entry-form

The hunt ends on Sunday, October 19, 2014 at one minute before midnight (Mountain). That means you have all of the weekend to finish it, so take your time. Enjoy reading the exclusive content the authors have prepared for you. You will collect a CLUE IN RED at each stop. Write them down as you go. At the end of the hunt, you will enter the clues into a Rafflecopter form. (The answer will make sense, even if you aren't familiar with the quote.)

The hunt is open to international entries. The grand prize is a Kindle Fire HDX.  Two runners-up will receive a new release from each of the participating authors.

In case you find a broken link…

A page with direct links to each author's post in case a site goes down or a link gets broken, make a note of the URL for the Participating Authors & Stops page so you can check back and be able to complete the hunt.

I’m pleased to introduce Judith Miller, known to her friends as Judy, and the author of more than thirty novels. Judy’s books reflect her avid research, unique settings and love of history. Before “retiring” to write full time, Judy worked as a compliance analyst for the Kansas Insurance Department. She currently makes her home in Topeka, Kansas.

You can learn more about Judy at her website: www.judithmccoymiller.com

Judy’s latest release is The Brickmaker’s Bride. Here’s a little about her book which has received a starred review from Library Journal.

Set in the clay rich hills of the newly founded state of West Virginia, two families tentatively come together to rebuild a war-torn brickmaking business.

Ewan McKay has immigrated to West Virginia with his aunt and uncle, promising to trade his skills in the clay business for financial help. Uncle Hugh purchases a brickmaking operation from a Civil War widow and her daughter, and it’s Ewan’s job to get the company up and running again.

Ewan seeks help from Laura Woodfield, the former owner’s daughter, and he quickly feels a connection with her, but she’s being courted by another man—a lawyer with far more social standing and money than Ewan. Resolving to make the brickworks into a success so he can afford to bring his sister from Ireland, Ewan pours all his energy into the new job.

But when Hugh signs a bad business deal, all Ewan’s hard work is put in jeopardy. As his hopes for the future crumble, Laura reveals something surprising. Can she help him save the brickworks, and will Ewan finally get a chance to win her heart?

Choosing a Setting

The settings for my novels is extremely important to me because it’s usually where I begin formulating my ideas for a new book. I’m drawn to places where I have a personal connection or to unique settings that captures my fancy.

When I finished my final book set in the Amana Colonies of Iowa, I knew I wanted to set a series in West Virginia. Why? Well, for a number of reasons. West Virginia is the birthplace of my father, and the state where my mother lived for many years before marrying my father. Although I grew up in Pennsylvania, I spent many a summer vacation in West Virginia and I cherish those memories of the Allegheny Mountains. I also had done enough research to know that not many novels had been set in West Virginia, and I wanted to share a glimpse of the beauty. This scenic picture was taken while I was visiting West Virginia to conduct research.

Because the series is set in the state where my father was born and lived most of his life, I decided to research some of my paternal genealogy. A little bit of time on the Ancestry.com website revealed my father’s branch of family was Scots-Irish and that they came to the United States and temporarily settled in Pennsylvania before moving into the area that was then Virginia and later, when the Civil War erupted, broke off and became the state of West Virginia. I drew upon my personal history and included some of the research in my story. Even more fun, was tying Pittsburgh into the story since my parents moved to Pittsburgh after they married and I was born and reared there. The black and white photo is a picture of my parents and brother when they lived in Fairmont, West Virginia.

Since West Virginia is so deeply tied to the coal industry, I wanted to reveal some of the other assets of the state and decided to emphasize the clay deposits. In this first book, I feature the many challenges Ewan McKay faces as he indentures himself to his uncle with the promise that he can bring his sisters from Ireland and one day have the opportunity to purchase a business of his own. A blossoming love and unexpected deceit create a fracture in the family that Ewan fears will never be healed.

Thanks so much for stopping by my site and participating in the new Christian Fiction Scavenger Hunt. Before you move on to Stop #12: http://judithmccoymiller.com/scavenger-hunt-stop-12/, which is Judith Miller’s site, to pick up your next clue, be sure to write down this Stop #11 clue: the world

ONE entry per person. If we find you've registered under separate IDs, you'll be disqualified. Please, be HONEST. Because, you know, Jesus would WANT you to be. If you're an international winner, your prize will be the equivalent of what we're offering in the USA in terms of USD$$, based on that day's exchange rate, and what we can figure out in terms of online options (ex. Apple in Australia, etc.). If the Kindle Fire HDX is more expensive in your country than it is in the USA, we shall give you an Amazon gift card for the equivalent of the USD value. International runners-up winners will receive most of their books via Book Depository, and therefore, they cannot be autographed—sorry. The giveaway is open to those who are ages 15-17 with a parent or guardian's permission and to those who are 18 and above.

As an added bonus, I will draw a name for my Christmas book, Christmas at Holly Hill from those who leave a comment on this stop. If you have a copy of it, then I can send you a surprise gift. Be sure to leave your email address for the drawing.

PROBLEMS WITH INTERNET EXPLORER REPORTED: Some hunters have reported problems with a couple of sites failing to load. When they switched from Internet Explorer to another browser like Firefox, the sites loaded without a problem. If you run into trouble, try changing browsers.

SCAVENGER HUNT

Have you heard? A new Christian Fiction Scavenger Hunt is coming.

Those who join the hunt will have a chance to win the grand prize of a Kindle Fire HDX or one of two runners-up prizes of over 30+ new novels by the participating authors.

Add to that all of the bonus giveaways that the authors are offering on their own web sites/blogs, and there are lots of opportunities to win.

The hunt will begin on Friday, October 17th, at Noon MDT on Robin Lee Hatcher's blog. (Stop #1). 

http://www.robinleehatcher.com/autumn-2014-scavenger-hunt-participating-authors-stops

It will end at one minute before midnight on Sunday, October 19th.

That gives everyone plenty of time to visit each site/blog, read the content, collect the clues, enter the bonus giveaways, and finally, submit the answers in the Rafflecopter form for the Scavenger Hunt giveaways.No need to rush. Finishing first won’t give you an edge.

So mark your calendars. Tell your friends. Share this blog post on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, etc.

I hope to see next week on October 17. 

.

CAN Catch Us If You Can Scavenger Hunt Stop # 12

Catch Us If You CAN: Spring Scavenger Hunt! Stop #12 Martha Rogers’ blog.

http://www.christianauthorsnetwork.com

Welcome to the Catch Us If You CAN: Spring Savenger Hunt! We hope you enjoy meeting Christian Author Network members as you chase down the clues for the chance to win our grand prize: $200 in gift cards from CBD, Barnes & Noble, or Amazon, plus free books, one from each participating CAN author!

2^nd &3^rd Prizes: $50 Amazon, B&N or CBD gift cards.

Catch us on this hunt beginning at Noon on Friday, 03/21/14 and ending at Midnight on Thursday, 03/27/14. No need to hurry as you search for clues—you have almost an entire week!

If you need help along the way, go to:
http://illuminatingthewordthroughfiction.blogspot.com/2014/03/resource-page-for-catch-us-if-you-can.html

Enjoy all 29 of the stops, each featuring a different CAN author.

Gather the clues from each post, beginning at STOP #1 and ending at Stop #29. Follow the directions and fill out the Rafflecopter form. Be ready to provide the complete clue in sentence form, gathered from all 29 stops, within 2 days of email notification or another winner will be randomly drawn. There no need to email/submit the clue, unless you are notified by 03/29/14.

Sorry, due to international regulations and postage costs, prizes will be awarded to US residents only. Individual contests within the hunt may vary, so please read the rules presented with each giveaway.

Welcome Hunters! It is my pleasure to introduce Gail Gaymer Martin to this stop.

Gail, I understand you had a favorite way to spend summer when you were a teen.

Yes, I loved picking up novels at the library and lying under a large tree in my front yard to read. It was a great way to avoid doing dishes, too.

You’re right about that. I’d tell you about my sister’s way to avoid that job, but that’s a story for another time.

Did you have a career or other work before you became a full-time writer?

Yes, I did. My first career was teaching English and public speaking at the high school and university levels and then I earned my master’s degree and worked as a counselor for 23 years.

How interesting. I also taught English at the high school and college levels.

One other interesting note, you said your teacher complimented your writing as a child.

Yes, my third grade teacher wrote on my report card, “Gail is a good writer.” It was almost fifty years later that my first novel was sold and published.

Gail's a multi-award winning novelist blessed with 54 contracted novels in three genre - romance, romantic suspense and women's fiction. She has nearly 4 million books in print. Gail is also the author of the Writers Digest book, Writing The Christian Romance. CBS local news named her one of the four best writers in the Detroit area.

Besides her book, Writing the Christian Romance for Writer’s Digest, Gail has a comprehensive blog on Writing Fiction on her website. http://www.gailgaymermartin.com

 Other places to find Gail:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gail.g.martin.3   
 Twitter: http://twitter.com/GailGMartin  
GoodReads: www.goodreads.com/author/show/83354.Gail_Gaymer_Martin

Here’s a blurb from Gail’s latest novel, Rescued by the Firefighter which earned a 4 star review from Romantic Times.

Paula Reynolds is looking for a new job, a new home, a new everything—except for love. Determined not to repeat old mistakes, she's staying away from romance. She never counted on falling for handsome firefighter Clint Donatelli. Clint is used to saving lives, but with the beautiful Paula, he faces a challenge. Getting to know her is a daunting task, especially since he's just as wary of relationships. When he learns a stunning secret from her past, he must choose—to live the way he's always lived, or trust in a new love.

“The Apple of His Eyes” appears in The British Brides Collection

Sarah Hampton is intrigued by the new gardener and orchard keeper for her father's cider apples. In a time of strong social rules, Sarah struggles against propriety and her mother’s determination for her  to find a proper husband, and pursues where her heart leads her despite her upbringing. Can John Banning keep this woman out of his mind and heart? The British Brides Collection includes 9 short romantic novels from varied novelists spanning over 500 years of history in the British Isles.

Thank you, Gail. It’s been a fun visit.

Wait! Before you go, I will have a drawing for my latest release, Love Finds Faith, for those who leave a comment for Stop #12. Be sure to leave your email address for contacting.

Wait! CAN hunter, before you go, be sure to copy down this clue: marketing for

Now on to the next stop and clue #13: 
 http://www.gailgaymermartin.com/2014/03/catch-us-can-spring-scavenger-hunt-stop-13/