It's a Merry Christmas with Lisa Belcastro!

Merry CHRISTmas y'all! It's Rebekah here and boy, do I have a treat for you! Lisa Belcastro's GIVING AWAY TWO BOOKS! Shenandoah Nights and her latest release:

A Shenandoah Family Christmas

Where is Christmas?

Disease, freezing temperatures, and the Revolutionary War bring bitter reality to the Reed home in December 1777. Captain Benjamin Reed is ordered to sail a supply shipment south to General George Washington. Days before Shenandoah's scheduled departure, Ben's first mate succumbs to smallpox.

Rebecca Reed had never feared the dreaded disease until her one-year-old daughter Felicity breaks out in the telltale rash. In the cold, dark days of Advent, Rebecca, Ben, and the Reed family wait in prayerful hope as Felicity fights for her life and they wonder who could be next.

With the rest of the family at risk, they decide to obtain the forbidden cowpox vaccine. Ben's brother Jonah, his uncle Isaiah, and Shenandoah's cook Adam Greene venture off in search of the outlawed vaccine. A blizzard hits. A tree crashes. Jonah crumbles to the ground. A woman with the face of an angel aids Jonah, but is it too late? And where are Adam and Isaiah?

As the death toll rises throughout the Colonies, the Reed family prays for more than one Christmas miracle. 

 

 

Rebekah: What's your favorite thing about your genre?

Lisa:  I love romance! I'm a happily-ever-after kind of girl. That said, I'm blessed to write in multiple sub-genres so I can let my imagination play in all the areas I enjoy.

 

Rebekah: Describe your latest release, A Shenandoah Family Christmas in 3 separate words.

Lisa: Fear, Hope, Miracles

 

Rebekah: If your book was made into a movie, what actors would you cast as your main hero & heroine?

Lisa: I could see Henry Cavill playing Captain Benjamin Reed. I would love to see Anne Hathaway play Rebecca!

 

Rebekah: How long did it take you to write this book from first draft to final edit? How do you balance writing with other responsibilities (job, family, etc.)?

Lisa: A Shenandoah Family Christmas is a novella, so it only took about six weeks. Novels take four months or more, depending on "real" life. As I start the New Year, my home life has undergone dramatic changes. I'm going to have more free time, as all children will be out of the house on their own adventures. I'm eager to see how this next chapter in my life will play out.

 

Rebekah: When did you realize you wanted to be a writer?

Lisa: When I was a teenager, I could lose myself in a story. I loved the idea of growing up and being a writer. I went to college and became a journalist. From there, it wasn't a far leap to fiction.

 

Rebekah: Do you stick to your TBR pile or are you an impulsive book buyer?

Lisa: Does anyone stick to their TBR pile? LOL! I buy books all the time, and then add them to the TBR pile. If a new book catches my eye, and I simply HAVE to read it, then I put it on top of the pile. Admittedly, I have books that have stayed at the bottom for some time. I'll get to them, but there are so many I can't not read right away, that my TBR pile never seems to get any shorter. And that is a blessing!

 

Rebekah: At some point an author has to torture their characters. Tell us the truth. Do you enjoy or hate it?

Lisa: I hate it!! Sometimes it's too much like real life, mine, a family member's, or a friend's, and I find myself crying while I'm typing. When that happens, I have to read something happy before I go to bed so I sleep well.

 

Rebekah: Who's your #1 fictional character crush?

Lisa: At the moment I'm in love with Captain Hook for ABC's Once Upon a Time. If we're talking about books, I'd have to pick Ryan Crandall from my summer release, A Dream for Love.

 

Rebekah: What's one thing readers would be surprised to know about you?

Lisa: When I was 44 I set a goal to run a full marathon (26.2 miles) in all 50 states. At the time, I had run 8 marathons in only 4 states. On December 8, 2013, I completed my 50th state - in Hawaii - with my daughter Kayla running the last half mile with me and crossing the finish line with me. Next month I'm running the Dopey Challenge at Walt Disney World with a few girl friends who are as running crazy as I am. God willing, we'll be completing a 5K on Thursday, a 10K on Friday, a half-marathon on Saturday, and a full marathon on Sunday. Guess I am a little Dopey about running. :-) 

 

 

Lisa Belcastro lives with her family on Martha's Vineyard. She loves time with her family and friends, running, gardening, outdoor activities, cooking, chocolate, reading, traveling, a healthy dose of adventure, and her cat, Be, who keeps her company while she creates fictional lives for the numerous characters living inside her head.

 

Lisa runs as an ambassador for TEAM 413 (www.team413.org), and has completed a marathon (26.2 miles) in all fifty states.

 

Lisa's stories are set on the Vineyard amidst the magnificence of the ocean, the beauty of sandy beaches, rolling hills, and ancient cliffs, as well as the people and events that make the Island so very unique.

 

When she's not at her desk, Lisa is living in paradise, volunteering at her daughter's school, serving in her church community, planting and weeding her numerous gardens, training to run the Walt Disney World Dopey Challenge in January 2016, walking the beach looking for sea glass, or enjoying a great meal while she pens the cuisine column for Vineyard Style Magazine.

 

Connect with Lisa here:

www.lisabelcastro.com

www.facebook.com/belcastrolisa

www.twitter.com/VineyardRomance

 

TWO books are up for grabs! A Shenandoah Family Christmas and this little beauty, Shenandoah Nights. Your choice of paperback or eBook for both!