Miner Tracey Lyons Talks It Up on the Diamond Mine

Hey everybody, guess what? This week we have our very own Tracey Lyons on the Diamond Mine. She gets to sit in the hot seat this time! Her new release, A Changed Agent is out and about and is quite the read so stay tuned at the end of the interview to find out how you can win a copy. But right now, let's get this show on the road!

Renee: Hi, Tracey! Welcome to the Diamond Mine. :) I love interviewing fellow Miners. It's fun to dig out the "nitty gritty" for the world to see. Just kidding... I won't do that to you. LOL I will explore a bit though, if you don't mind. How about we start with something easy? Well, sort of...writing stuff anyway...what's your biggest challenge as an author?

Tracey: Thanks for having me, Renee. My biggest challenge? Keeping my butt in the chair! I like to work on little house projects when I’m developing new plots! And keeping my writing fresh. My biggest fear is that I’m recycling past storylines. So I work hard to bring fresh characters and plots to my books.

Renee: I can relate to that. Distractions! Mine is my job. It takes a lot of my time. As for the writing, yeah, you can start repeating stuff and not even realize it. Not good! What about your setting? Is it unique and how did you select it?

Tracey: I think the setting for A Changed Agent is unique. The book is set in one of my favorite places to visit, the Adirondack Mountains of upstate New York. One of our family’s dreams has always been owning property in the park. Did you know the Adirondack Park is the largest national park in the country? Greater in size than Yellowstone, Everglades, Glacier, and Grand Canyon National Park combined and it’s only a few hours from my front door.

Renee: Wow, what a place. I'd love to visit. Not sure it will ever happen...that's a long way from Wyoming, but I love the mountains. I've been to Glacier, the Grand Canyon, the Canadian Rockies, the Smokies, the Ozarks, Big Bend so yeah, I'd love to see the Adirondacks. I think your setting sounds absolutely awesome. I know this sounds terrible, Tracey, but what would you do if you couldn't write anymore?

Tracey: If I couldn’t write anymore I would go back to full-time charity work. I worked as an outreach worker at Catholic Charities years ago and even though it was for a short eighteen months I still think about the clients who came to me for the food pantry and for help with rent and other living expenses. It was a tough job that had many, many rewards.

Renee: It does sound like a rewarding position. Most jobs like that are hard but very gratifying. You can't help everyone, but the lives you impact make it all worthwhile. Back to the books...do you have a favorite one you like to read and where is your reading retreat? Mine is usually the bathtub. LOL

Tracey: My favorite book is surprisingly non-fiction, but I love the book Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. It is just a fabulous recounting of a famous murder case in Savannah, Georgia that reads like a work of fiction. And I love to read in bed. There is nothing more comforting than lying in bed with a stack of pillows under my head and good book in my hands.

Renee: We just moved into a new house and I really haven't found my "spot" yet, but I'm partial to a shady place beneath in our backyard where I can relax with our dogs. It's quiet and cool. My second favorite is my recliner. LOL Do you have favorite "spot"?

Tracey: We have a fabulous front porch. It’s the kind that wraps around the front of the house and has a white porch swing and rocking chairs. All winter long I look forward to spending time there. We even have a little dining area.  So basically we live out there in the warm spring and summer months. When the realtor showed me the house, almost nine years ago, I told him I was going to buy the house because I knew my family would love to hang out on that porch. And you know what? When they come to visit it’s the first place they head to! So many great family memories have already been made there, and I know there are so many more yet to come.

Renee: That does sound fabulous! I want one. I guess that would mean I would have to buy a house? We'll get there... It's been great having you here, Tracey on the receiving end of the questions this time. I have one more for you before I let you return to your writing and relaxing. Is there a special quote or saying which comes to your mind in times of adversity or need which you can share with us?

Tracey: Be not dismayed whate’re betide, God will take care of you,” from the hymn, Be not dismayed whate’er betide. I truly believe that no matter what comes my way, God will always be there for me.

Renee: Yes, He is and will. He promises never to leave or forsake us. Thank you for being here and and being a Miner! 


Tracey is offering one copy of her book, A Changed Agent in the giveaway below...winner's choice of print (US entrants only), digital, or audio format. Comment or ask a question about the interview and you're entered for the contest! Make sure you leave your email address to validate your entry.

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GIVEAWAY!

Comment on blog to enter contest.

Entries must leave current email address.

One winner shall be chosen from validated comments in one week from post-date of blog.

Prize shall be winner's choice of the following formats: print (US entrant only), digital, or audio of A Changed Agent by Tracey J. Lyons.

Five blog comments required to validate contest.

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About the Book:

When schoolteacher Elsie Mitchell meets rugged William Benton on a train platform in Albany, it appears they have nothing in common. He isn’t the sort of fellow a proper young woman of the 1890s would ever speak to, much less become involved with. But when she arrives at her small town in the Adirondack Mountains, Elsie is offered a job as caregiver for this mysterious out-of-towner’s niece and nephew, who’ve been tragically orphaned. Heartbroken for them, she accepts.
Unknown to her, William is an undercover Pinkerton agent posing as a lumber-company foreman. He’s never wanted family—his work is too dangerous. Yet as Elsie transforms his house into a home and he spends time with the children, he feels drawn to family life—and to Elsie.
As a good Christian, Elsie is troubled by William’s secrets…though she does find him intriguing. And when a sinister figure from her past arrives, Elsie and William will have to trust in faith and newfound love to protect their unlikely family from danger.


Buy Link: https://www.amazon.com/Changed-Agent-Tracey-J-Lyons-ebook/dp/B01AI1UUIM/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1466437236&sr=8-1

About the Author:

An Amazon Top Ten bestselling historical romance author of the Women of Surprise series, Tracey sold her first book on 9/9/99! Her books have been translated into several languages and are available in print, digital and audio formats. Tracey lives with her husband in New York’s Hudson Valley region. She has appeared on the award winning Cox Cable Television show, Page One and on the stage of Lady Jane’s reading salon in New York City. She holds membership in Romance Writers of America, American Fiction Christian Writers and Novelists Inc. A true upstate New Yorker, Tracey believes you should write what you know. Her historical romances are all set in the New York State area. Tracey considers herself a small town gal who writes small town romances. You can learn more about Tracey and her books by visiting her website at www.traceylyons.com.

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