Welcome Mollie Rushmeyer

Posted by Penny Frost McGinnis

I got to read an early copy of Mollie Rushmeyer's debut novel, The Bookshop of Secrets. This is one of the best books I've read this year. Mollie is giving away an e-copy of her book. Please comment by October 19 to be entered to win. 

We'll start with 'what is your favorite' questions:

Coffee or Tea? Oh, man. You’re going to make me choose? I don’t think I can! I love coffee for my everyday morning caffeine pick-me-up. But tea is a great “treat” in the afternoon and reminds me of England. I’m a total Anglophile!

M&Ms or Reece’s Pieces? Reece’s, for sure. I love peanut butter!

Cat or Dog Person? Cat person, though I’ve come to enjoy dogs a lot more in the last several years. But we’re sticking with just our one sweet kitty boy, Brooks, at home.

Spring, Summer, Fall, or Winter? Fall. Hands down. I live in Minnesota where autumn means crisp air, vibrant foliage, apple and pumpkin picking, and all things glorious fall.

Let's get to know Mollie as a writer:

When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?

I wrote little stories and poems as a child, but I first thought I wanted to be a writer while in college. I was reading voraciously (maybe a little escape from the stress of homework, tests, and essay writing), and I remember thinking I wanted to do for someone else what these beloved authors had done for me. Provide a safe place to escape, adventure, think and feel and explore in a way that we don’t always have space to do in the real world. I hoped to create stories and characters that would live on in the hearts of readers. The way I carry all of my favorites with me.

What is your favorite childhood book?

I’m sorry, I have to be the rebel once again because I can’t pick just one. The stories that had the most impact on me were all given/recommended to me by my book-loving grandpa. The Giver by Lois Lowry. A Wrinkle in Time (and really the whole Time Quintet) by Madeleine L’Engle. And The Chronicles of Narnia series by C.S. Lewis. The all had characters I still think about and captures my imagination as a young person.

Do you have any upcoming projects, releases, or sales?

There’s my debut, The Bookshop of Secrets, releasing October 25^th, 2022.

It’s up for pre-order on all book-buying sites. It is on sale at Harlequin and you can read the first two chapters free! Here’s the link: https://www.harlequin.com/shop/books/9781335426215_the-bookshop-of-secrets.html

I also have a second book coming out with Love Inspired Trade/Harlequin next August 2023 called The Lost Manuscript. It’s set in Northern England and is about an estranged married couple coming together to find a famed lost medieval manuscript. So stay tuned!

Tell us about your book:

Do you have a new release you'd like to tell us about?

Yes! My new release is actually my debut novel, The Bookshop of Secrets. It’ll be out in the world on October 25^th.

Here’s the back cover: A collection of lost books holds the clues to her family's legacy…and her future.

Hope Sparrow has mastered the art of outrunning her tragic past, learning never to stay anywhere too long and never to allow anyone control over her life again. Coming to Wanishin Falls in search of her family's history already feels too risky. But somewhere in the towering stacks of this dusty old bookshop are the books that hold Hope's last ties to her late mother—and to a rumored family treasure that could help her start over.

Only, the bookshop is in shambles, and the elderly owner is in the beginning stages of dementia and can’t remember where the books lie. To find the last links to the loved ones she's lost, Hope must stay and accept help from the townsfolk to locate the treasured volumes. Each secret she uncovers brings her closer to understanding where she came from. But the longer she stays in the quaint town, the more people find their way into the cracks in her heart. And letting them in may be the greatest risk of all…

Is there a certain Bible passage or verse that goes along with the theme of your book?

“Strength and honour are her clothing; and she shall rejoice in the time to come.” ~Proverbs 31:25

I chose this for my character Hope who has endured unspeakable tragedy and trauma in her past. For her, the idea of looking to the future with joy seems impossible, but her heart longs for this very thing.

Just for fun:

If you could travel anywhere without worry about cost, where would you travel?

This is easy! England and Scotland. My family and I were planning a trip back to these countries of my heart in 2020. We’d still like to make that happen in the next couple of years!

Bio:

Mollie Rushmeyer writes contemporary fiction with a heart for history. She loves to write inspirational fiction in contemporary settings with fascinating historical elements, people, and stories woven throughout.

A born and bred Midwestern gal, Mollie, makes her home in central Minnesota with her husband and two spunky, beautiful daughters. She is not only a bibliophile (the dustier the better, in her opinion), she’s a true anglophile at heart. Tea and coffee fuel her travels, by Google maps at least, and her passion for the written word.

Meet Mollie:

• https://www.facebook.com/mollie.rushmeyer and https://www.facebook.com/authormollierushmeyer
• www.molliejrushmeyer.com (newsletter sign-up here)
• https://www.instagram.com/molliejoyrushmeyer/
• https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21798490.Mollie_Rushmeyer
• https://www.bookbub.com/books/the-bookshop-of-secrets-by-mollie-rushmeyer

Universal pre-order link: https://books2read.com/b/3kP87L

Mollie is giving away an e-copy of her book. Please comment by October 19 to be entered to win. 

Sign up for her newsletter at: www.molliejrushmeyer.com

 Sandra Kay Vosburgh interview with GIVEAWAY 

 By Kathleen L. Maher

Hi Sandra and welcome to the Diamond Mine of Christian Fiction. We have some terrific readers here who would love to hear all about you and your new release.

Sackets Harbor Mysteries sounds like wonderful autumn reading. I mean, who doesn't love to curl up with a hot coffee or tea and a cozy mystery as the evening temperatures dip? Tell us a bit about the series and your latest release. 

 My cozy mystery series is set in Sackets Harbor, a small tourist town on the shore of Lake Ontario, amid the Thousand Islands of NYS.

In Book 1, Scandal at Stonecroft, twenty years after the disappearance of the treasurer of Stonecroft resort, an article appears in the Ontario Times, "Whatever happened to Harold Ramsey?" reigniting the town with rumors, whispers, and gossip. Retired spinster Ada Whittaker intends to find the answer with or without help from the sheriff.

 In Book 2, The Death Collector, Ada Whittaker thought it a good idea when her widowed sister moved to Willowdell, Sackets Harbor's premier senior living village. But the upsurge in unexplained deaths among the residents makes her ask, when do too many incidents stop being accidents, and is Frances in danger?   

 

What got you on the path to writing/publication?

I've always loved story and loved to read, but I never thought of writing until my children were grown, and my husband showed me an advertisement for The Christian Writers Guild course.  

Were there mentors, maybe a school teacher, an angelic visitor, or even a favorite book that sealed your literary fate?

Several, but the one who means the most to me is not even aware of her impact. Patti Souder directed Montrose Christian Writers Conference in 1998, the first conference I ever attended. I stepped through the door that first day, unsure of myself, not entirely convinced I belonged there. Patti came up and hugged me, and I just felt God was affirming this step of faith.

 What is your proudest moment so far in your writing calling? 

I've attended the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference for years, but never entered their contest until this year. God overwhelmed me when my novel, Anchorless Summer, won the Foundation Award in women's contemporary fiction. 

 

Wow, congratulations on that auspicious win! 
Was there ever a moment when you wanted to give up on writing?

One moment will stand out forever. I can't put into words how "at the end of myself" I felt that day. I wanted to walk away from writing completely. I figuratively wanted to burn down my office. I can say this because I know other writers have been there. I remember that moment because within minutes, I received an email from Scrivenings Press informing me I had won the grand prize in the GetPubbed contest and was offered a contract. At that moment, I was glad I hadn't burned down my office. 

 

Now that is affirmation. Beautiful testimony.
What's next? What are you currently working on?

I'm currently working on assignment with David C Cook for devotionals. I'm also working on Book 3 in the series. I recently asked my readers to offer suggestions as to where Miss Ada should travel to have her next misadventure. One suggestion almost gave me an instantaneous plotline.

 

Would you tell your younger Writing Self to do anything differently?

Yes, don't be in a hurry to publish your first novel. Take time to develop the craft. Be patient. You don't have to settle for the first publisher that offers you a contract anymore than you have to settle for the boy who gave you your first kiss. Pray about everything.

 

Sandra grew up on a dairy farm in western New York, giving her not only the ability to milk cows, bale hay, and drive a tractor but an appreciation of nature's beauty. Her story settings reflect this love of the woodlands, lakes, and mountains. She allows only her favorite characters to get lost in them. She is a speaker, Bible teacher, and pastor's wife. Sandra currently makes her home in the warmer state of South Carolina.

 Visit www.sandrakayvosburgh.com and signup for her monthly newsletter and check out her blogposts. 

You can follow Sandra on Bookbub, Goodreads, and Amazon.

GIVEAWAY: Enter to win your choice of a Sandra Kay Vosburgh ebook by sharing this post to your social media. Just mention in the comments how many shares, and where, ie Facebook, twitter, Pinterest, etc. For fuirther entries, follow the author on her social media pages, and let me know in teh comments how many extra entries you earned/which you followed. Drawing will be held and winner announced Tuesday, September 27th.

Thank you for reading! Good luck in the drawing.