Weeds or Wishes with Mary Manners

" The Small Town"

 Life Made for Heaven

Howdy, folks and welcome back to the Diamond Mine for another week of exciting chatter about Christian Fiction. I'd like you to meet a fabulous new friend of mine, Mary Manners. She hails from the beautiful state of Tennessee. In addition to being an awesome writer, she's a generous soul and offered an e-book of her latest release, Promises Renewed in exchange for a few healthy comments. Check out the giveaway details after the interview! How about we get this show on the road?

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Renee: Mary, are you ready?

Mary: Yep, thanks so much for hosting me today. I am thrilled to be here!

Renee: Thanks for stopping by the Mine on this glorious day. I was trying to think about what to ask you first. Writing, playing, then I thought about how I tried to write today and  I couldn't bring myself to do it. It was absolutely gorgeous outside. (Not that I could do a whole lot about it, mind you, but still...) The point is that I could not, for the life of me, concentrate on the computer, much less make sense of the words on it! Not with the warm sun shining all around me. What is your biggest challenge as an author, Mary?

Mary: That would be tough. As for me, my biggest challenge as an author is keeping my cat Colby out of my chair! No, really…protecting my writing time is a challenge. With a dog, two cats, 12 chickens, 13 fish, and a husband, there is always something that needs attention. It takes creativity to adapt to the daily challenges, but I wouldn’t have it any other way!

Renee: Wow. That would be tough. I don't know if I would be able to keep track of that many animals! Plus a husband? Maybe you could teach me about chickens? I want to have chickens one day. Hey, stop the snickering out there! I can hear y'all! As much as I can hear the amount of work and dedication all of this takes, I can also hear the joy in your answer. What is it about your job or jobs that you like the most? Is there anything you dislike?

Mary: How long do you have? I'm just kidding! Truly? I love the freedom. I don’t have to leave my house and battle rush hour traffic every day. I can (and sometimes do) work in my pajamas. And I can drink coffee all day long. I am my toughest boss, as I really push myself on projects. I love receiving emails from readers…so encouraging! The only thing I dislike about my ‘job’ is that there aren’t enough hours in the day to write all of the stories that are waiting to be told.

Renee: Oh, Mary, I love the way you talk about it. I know you are so grateful to have your life. As I'm sure you are aware, many, many authors dream of such. You are blessed. What is it about your home that is unique?

Mary: I grew up in Chicago but relocated to East Tennessee in my early twenties. I love the scenery of the Smoky Mountains and the small town setting, so that’s where most of my stories take place. It works for me, and readers seem to love it as well.

Renee: Ah! So that's where the small town comes from. I love the Smoky Mountains. I've only been there a time or two but I'll never forget it. I want to visit them again. They are special. What do you like to do when you aren't writing? Do you have any hobbies or anything?

Mary: Of course, I love to read (all writers should do their ‘research’). I also run marathons (a nice balance to the time sitting at my desk) and enjoy mowing the lawn and antiquing. My husband and I are closet pickers!

Renee: How fun! I grew up antiquing with my mom. Marathons, uh, no, but I love to check out auctions. They are cool. Not that I have the money to buy anything but they're still fun! I'm into fun. Speaking of that, if you could spend a week anywhere in the world, where would it be?

Mary: I would love to go out west to Montana or Wyoming and spend a week on a ranch. It is on my bucket list. I am a country girl at heart and love the outdoors.

Renee: Really? Well, I don't know about Montana, but there are some awesome ranches here in Wyoming. It depends on what kind of experience you want...fancy, dude-ish, down-home...Wyoming has it all and everywhere. Uh, except people. We don't have a lot those. More cows are wandering around than people. But you know how that is, right? You're outnumbered at your place!

Mary: (laughing) That is very true. But even with my gaggle of pets—my dog named Axel, two cats named Colby and Jax, 12 chickens (all named, of course), and 13 fish, I am trying to talk my husband into a potbellied pig, but so far no luck. Stay tuned, though…

Renee: Believe it or not, I've seen some pigs around here. No matter where you're from,  Tennessee or Chicago, I think you'd be right at home in Wyoming. I guess we'd better rap this thing up, but before we move on to the giveaway, is there a particular quote or saying that comes to mind during times of need or adversity that you can share with our readers?

Mary: “When you look at a field of dandelions you either see a hundred weeds or a hundred wishes…” Author Unknown. I see the wishes.

Renee: Mary, I want to thank you so much for taking the time to be with us today at the Diamond Mine. You are a blessing to Christian Fiction and I am honored to know you.

Mary: I appreciate you inviting me, Renee. To the readers, thanks so much for joining us today. I am always happy to hear from you, my reader friends. I’d love to give away an ecopy of my latest release, Promises Renewed.

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E-BOOK GIVEAWAY

Comment below (on blog) to enter giveaway!

(Leave your name and email with comment to validate entry)

One winner selected by random draw on 5/23/18 from valid entries and notified via email. Prize will be awarded by Mary Manners via email within 15 days of selection and includes one e-copy version of Promises Renewed.

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About the Book:

A heartbreaking secret stands between Brianna and Jackson, and she plans to keep it that way...

When Brianna Caufield hosts an online auction to raise money for her fledgling youth center, the last thing she expects is to be matched for a date with Jackson Reed. Lured by the fame of an NFL career, the hometown hero and all-star quarterback broke off their engagement without so much as a backward glance. Now, washed-up and wiser, Jack’s come home with renewed faith and a changed heart—and he wants Brianna back. 

No matter how much she still cares for Jackson, Brianna knows the secret she harbors will destroy any chance of a future together. Can Jack find a way to coax the secret to the surface? And if he does, will forgiveness draw them closer together…or will their love be shattered forever?

About the Author:

Mary Manners is a country girl at heart who has spent a lifetime sharing her joy of writing. She has two sons, a daughter, and three beautiful grandchildren. She lives in the foothills of the Smoky Mountains of East Tennessee with her husband Tim and their rescue dog Axel, two rescue cats, Colby and Jax, 12 chickens and 13 fish.

Mary writes stories full of faith and hope. Her books have earned multiple accolades including two Inspirational Reader’s Choice Awards, the Gail Wilson Award of Excellence, the Aspen Gold, the Heart of Excellence, and the National Excellence in Romance Fiction Award.

Mary loves long sunrise runs, Smoky Mountain sunsets, and flavored coffee. She enjoys connecting with reader friends through her website: www.MaryMannersRomance.com.

Your Rough Diamond Miner:

Pharmacist by day, by night and any other time she can spare, Renee Blare writes Christian romantic suspense from her home in the foothills of the Wind River Mountains of Wyoming where she lives with her husband, crazy dog, and ornery cat. She loves to fish, hunt, or pick away on her old guitar…most of the time next to a mountain lake. 

Life is tough, but Renee finds great joy in it by letting the Lord lead her pen and writing about Christians and their exciting journeys. Most of these tales take place in Wyoming, God’s country. She invites you to come along for the ride and discover for yourself what it means for the wild to meet the Forgiven...

You can always find Renee at her website, blog, or on social media where she loves to interact with readers.

Website/Blog: Wyoming Walkabouts

Step Back in Time with Pepper Basham

Greetings, readers. I am so excited to introduce our guest today. I finished reading her latest book, The Thorn Keeper, a couple weeks ago and fell in love with there feisty, strong heroine. And without further adieu, I'd like to welcome Pepper Basham to the Diamond Mine.

Pepper Basham is an award-winning author who writes romance peppered with grace and humor. She currently resides in the lovely mountains of Asheville, NC where she is the mom of 5 great kids, speech-pathologist to about fifty more, lover of chocolate, jazz, and Jesus, and proud AlleyCat over at a group writing blog, The Writer’s Alley. Her debut historical romance novel, The Thorn Bearer, released in May 2015, and has already garnered its first award with Readers’ Favorites International Awards. Pepper’s second and third books in the series arrive in February 2016. Her first contemporary romance debuts in April.





Suzie: Welcome to The Diamond Mine, Pepper. I’m thrilled to introduce your Historical fiction books to our readers today. The Thorn Keeper is book two in your Penned in Time series. What are your favorite scenes to write? What are the most difficult ones?


Pepper: Thank you SO much for inviting me to join you here. I'm so excited to talk about these stories I love.

As far as scenes go? I suppose my favorites to write are the intense emotional scenes. Those flow so much faster and easier for me, usually. High romantic scenes or dangerous scenes - those are my favorites. Sometimes the very poignant emotional/spiritual ones as well.

I suppose the most difficult ones for me to write are the 'filler' scenes. The ones I must write to move the story alone and get to the next 'emotional' scene :-)

Suzie: As a reader, I become engaged and involved with the characters in the books I read and love. Do you find that to be truer when writing? Is it hard to let go when you’ve finished writing a book?

Pepper: I have never had as much difficulty letting go of any book than The Thorn Keeper. For me, I think the characters seemed to alive and powerful that they lingered with me more than usual. I've only had one other book kind of seize me like this and it's my favorite contemporary. I hope and pray that as I continue to grow as a write, God will help consistently develop meaningful, deep, and 'lingering' characters.

Suzie: Your word for 2016 is JOY. What are a few ways you’ve found your joy so far this year?

Pepper: I always find joy in my faith and my family. My kids are such a delight to me and help encourage me on this journey so much. I find so much joy in writing - and just recently found the 'click' I needed for my Work In Progress, book 3 in the Penned in Time series. It's been such a difficult book to 'get going' in the writing process, and I blame Catherine and David from book 2 for that. They left me emotionally exhausted :-)

Suzie: Your husband’s job is in church leadership. I grew up a PK (preacher’s kid) and know that careers in the pastorate often mean a probability that you’re going to move once in a while. In fact, you mention on your website that you moved from Tennessee to Asheville, NC. How do you prepare your family for those kinds of life-changing moves?

Pepper: Lots of prayer! Also my husband and I are very intentional in trying to prepare our kids and listen to them. This move was easily the toughest one of the eight we've made because the friendships were so deep. I'm very deliberate in finding ways for them to keep up those friendships as best we can.

Suzie: You have five children and work as a speech-language pathologist for children with autism. What lessons have the little ones in your life taught you?

Pepper: God is bigger

People are more important than things - building relationships is what lasts.

Perspective makes a difference...so don't jump to conclusions

Kindness is universal, regardless of the way one processes the world or the disability.

Suzie: Asheville, NC is famous for the Biltmore Estate and the Smoky Mountains. What’s your favorite thing about living in Asheville, NC?

Pepper: You already named my two favorites: The mountains and the Biltmore Estate :-) I am a HUGE fan of the Biltmore. In fact, I just had the opportunity to have high tea in the Biltmore Inn a few weeks ago. There's such an ambience of the past there - and it feeds into my passion for the time period. Also, George and Edith Vanderbilt (the original owners of the Biltmore) were fascinating characters in their own right. Generous, kind, with a  heart for the Appalachian community in which they lived. My heritage is Appalachia and I love to learn about how the Vanderbilts made a difference in this part of the world.

Then there are the mountains....their beauty speaks for itself.

This is a photo I (Suzie) took of the Tennessee side of the Smoky Mountains a couple years ago.

Suzie: Name 3 must-haves (or favorite things) to have on hand when you’re writing.

Pepper: Well, sometimes it depends on the book I'm writing :-)

I love using The Synonym Finder as a 'jumpstart' tool for great descriptive words.

Most of the time I have a cup of English Breakfast tea nearby.

And photos! I usually fill my computer screen or desk with photos from the era or of the characters.

Suzie: When all is said and done, what do you want readers to come away with when they turn the final page in your books?

Pepper: Oh what a great question! Hope. I want readers to end the book and understand that there's hope, no matter the circumstances, the wounds, the heartache and grief. And that hope comes from God. If the readers enjoy some beautiful romance, a little adventure, and some added humor along the way, that's fantastic, but in the end, I want them to know hope is near.

Suzie: In addition to your beautiful Historical fiction books, you also have a contemporary fiction book (A Twist of Faith) coming out this spring. Want to give readers a little peek into that one while you’re here?

Pepper: Oh yes! I'd love to share a little about it. It's a modern day retelling of My Fair Lady...with a twist :-) Adelina Roseland is a speech-language pathology professor with a chip on her shoulder and something to prove, so she makes a wager to change Appalachian cattle farmer Reese Mitchell into corporate world material in only 3 months.

Thank you for spending some time with us today, Pepper.

To keep up with Pepper Basham's releases, visit her at her website, Facebook, or Twitter.

Now, for our readers, here's a taste of what you'll get when you pick up a copy of The Thorn Keeper.

With her newfound faith, Catherine Dougall hopes to take the remnants of her threadbare life and make something beautiful, even if society shuns every choice she makes.

Dr. David Ross must save his war hospital from ruin, but when his notorious aunt makes an offer he can’t refuse, he must choose between his surprising affection for a reformed flirt or his dreams.

From the beautiful Derbyshire countryside to the trenches of World War One, Catherine and David must learn to trust in a God who never forgets his children and fashions beauty out of the most broken things.

Pepper is generously giving one lucky reader a digital copy of The Thorn Keeper. To enter, just leave a comment below along with your email. Winner will be chosen on Wednesday, March 9, 2016.