Publishing Party with Peggy Trotter (with Giveaway!)

It’s proving to be another powerful release week for one of our Miners! Peggy Trotter’s first publication, Year of Jubilee hits the market on April 10^th. Let’s pop on over to the Hoosier state and profile this new release.

RB: Woohoo, another Miner publishes. Congratulations, Peggy! We’re all wanting to know how it got started.

PT:  Wow. So much to cover in such a little space! Well, let’s see. I won a contest as young girl, was encouraged to write by my Senior English teacher, but took a different turn as college approached. Once I had a teaching degree, however, the writing bug kept biting. Anything that needed writing in my life, I just wrote. Poems, verses, children’s programs, speeches, intros, just about anything that needed writing, I wrote without much thought. But life in general kept me from my true love, Christian Romance. With the encouragement of my husband, I never let the dream fully drop, but didn’t commit to publish until about three years ago.

RB: Three years ago? You’re teasing us now…please go on…

PT: I met Lynn Austin at a women’s conference. I gathered my courage, stepped up to her, and asked her what to do to get published. She directed me to the American Christian Fiction Writers organization and my sprint toward seeing a book published blossomed.

RB: Sounds like a pretty simple process. Was it?

PT: Uuuuuh, no. But I can tell you this. Through all the things I had to learn through the hard knocks of cruel contest feedback, discouragement, edits, re-edits and re-editing the re-edits, I could feel God’s guidance.  And everyone once in a while, when I ceased my ever-busy mind and hands, I would look around, see the progress and the steps that God had pre-planned for me, and it took my breath away.

RB: I know from previous experience with my own writing that publishing a product is an enormous undertaking. What pushes you to write?

PT:  I remember reading secular romance long ago and being quite discouraged with it. A lot of the story lines ventured outside Biblical morals. Then I discovered Christian Romance, and I was thrilled! I could read in my favorite genre and not feel like my beliefs had been stomped into the dirt. Plus, in the pages of these books, I saw other believers struggling and striving to place their lives in God’s hands, surrendering to God’s plans. That’s real stuff! That’s where we live.

I especially love to take a character who has run out of all human possibilities and open doors of God’s plan of abundant life. We often think in the midst of an extreme trial that there are no other options, but there is. There’s God! That’s what I want people to truly take from my books.  Life’s not ever a lost cause...because of God.

RB: Please pass on what genre is your personal favorite?

PT: Historical Christian Romance is my favorite to read. But I write both historical and contemporary, and even a tad of suspense.  As a matter of fact, I have another releasing on Oct. 9 that is a contemporary entitled Reviving Jules.

RB: You’re one of the few who managed an ACFW Genesis win. Talk about that process for us.

PT:  Oh, my. Still not sure how I pulled that off. I entered in 2013 and didn’t even make the semis. But 2014 started with my wonderful crit partners and me on an adventure to write romantic versions of fairy tales. Your book, Beast of Stratton also became a semi-finalist. And somehow mine ended up at the top of the pile. My mouth still drops at the thought of winning that prestigious award. It was God’s doing.

RB:  Well, I still think it’s an amazing feat. Congratulations again. Let’s pop back to the previous one, Year of Jubilee. Can you provide a little portion of your book?

PT:  I’d love to! Here’s a sneak peek:

     “Okay, I’ve been thinking about this all day.” Rafe paused and fixed his gaze on Jubilee’. “I gotta a lot of work in store for me on this property.”

     She clenched her hands in her lap and stared at him with those huge dark eyes. The fire’s light revealed dirt smudges across her forehead. He returned to focus on the campfire.

     “It might work to have a little help around here. Like a ‘business arrangement,’ of sorts.” His eyes flicked back to her.

     The woman’s eyebrows drew together. Rafe cleared his throat and kept talking.

     “You’d stay in the cabin and cook dinner and clean up. I’ll occupy the barn. You could also tend the garden, put up the harvest, and take care of the barn animals.” He paused as if he’d just thought of something, “You do cook, don’t you?”

     Hesitantly, she nodded.

     Satisfied with her answer he continued, “I’ll clear the land and plant the crops according to my plan. I’ll make sure we have food, clothing. The basics. The whole thing will sort of be a, cooperative effort.”

     The woman’s hand set to kneading the fabric of her skirt. His eyes narrowed. What was going through her brain? Didn’t she understand the arrangement?

     “Course, folks roundabout will soon get wind we’re both living out here, and to keep any damage to our reputations, we probably ought to marry.”

     She gasped and her hands flew to her mouth.

     Rafe shook his head. That hadn’t gone well. “We’d still stick to our arrangement of you in the cabin and me in the barn, but to everyone else we’d be just…a married couple.”

     It was finally out. Rafe took a deep breath. Jubilee blinked at him.

     “Now, you’ll probably need a night to think it over. Either way you decide, we’ll be heading into town tomorrow morning.” He cleared his throat and stood. The woman nearly broke her neck trying to jump up and stutter step behind the bench.

     “Well, I’ve got a few chores to tend to.” He strode to the barn.

RB:  Ah, it sounds as if he’s got his hands full! I love it.

PT:  You don’t know the half of the pickles they are about to get in, either. LOL

RB (laughs) Yep, sounds like another prize winner. Can you post your links so people can pinpoint you.

PT: Sure ‘nuff. Here’s my usual haunts:
peggytrotter.com
diamondsinfiction.blogspot.com
https://www.facebook.com/PeggyTrotterAuthor
https://twitter.com/peggy_trotter
https://www.pinterest.com/pegtrotter/.

RB: It’s been great having you on the Diamond Mine, Peggy (as a guest not a Miner this time). ;) I’m so happy about your new publication!

PT: Thanks for having me.

Hey everyone, Peggy's giving away one copy of Year of Jubilee.

Comment below for your chance to win!

(minimum of 5 comments to validate contest)

READY...SET...GO!

PeggyTrotter is a small town Hoosier native who teaches 1^st and 2^nd grade at a small Christian School and writes Christian Romance in her spare time. God blessed her with a wonderful husband who cooks and helps clean while supporting her crazy dreams. She has two incredible grown kids, one fabulous son-in-law, and two rays of sunshine, commonly called grandchildren.