1:22 PM

In the Author Spotlight & Contest

Rebecca J. Vickery

CONTEST: Rebecca will give away a copy of Seeking Shelter to three different commenter’s in a random drawing. The ebooks will be downloadable in any format from Smashwords with a special code that Rebecca will provide to each winner. She will draw the names on Tuesday afternoon of the 30th and notify them so be sure to leave your email addy.

AL: Hi Rebecca Thanks for being in the “Author Spotlight” this week.

Rebecca: Hi Ann, I’m delighted to be here.

AL: So, tell us what’s happening with you.

Rebecca: I am kept on the run by my three-year old granddaughter who lives with us. Taylor is a bundle of energy. My mom also lives with us and we’ve just found out she has the beginning of Parkinson’s Disease. Please send some prayers and healing thoughts her way. I have a very patient husband who does endless errands and helps out as best he can. We all stay pretty busy and are looking forward to our next trip to the campground at Myrtle Beach. The ocean is so relaxing and rejuvenating.

AL: Would you like to tell us about a new or upcoming release?

Rebecca: Seeking Shelter is my newest release. It is a sweet romance, based on a woman’s love of a horse and her need to find a safe place. A rancher takes in the horse and then the girl. It was inspired by my grandson when he kept asking could I not write a story about a horse.

AL: What other works are you deep into?

Rebecca: Funny you should ask that. I’ve just entered into a brand new project that is growing already. With the help of my friend, wonderful cover artist, Laura Shinn, and a whole group of talented authors, I am going to publish some romance anthologies. Our first one, A Summer Collection, is set to release in June and will contain five romance stories by five different authors. They will be coming out from Victory Tales Press. We will be publishing through Smashwords, Amazon and B & N in ebook and we hope to also go to print.

AL: Who inspired you to follow your dream of becoming a writer?

Rebecca: That would be my sister, Wanda. She loved the stories I always made up to keep us occupied and she began finding my scraps of plots and scenes everywhere. She encouraged me to put them all together on the computer. She didn’t live to see me published, but I’m sure she knows.

AL: What do you feel is the most important thing that a first-time author should know?

Rebecca: You can’t please everyone, so stay true to your own heart when writing and don’t give up when you hit a bump in the road.

AL: What do you hope for your writing career in the next few years? Any goals that you have yet to obtain that you have set for yourself?

Rebecca: I try not to set too many lofty goals. I prefer to set small ones and then feel good when I attain them. Like all authors, I wish for a bestseller, but my real goal is just to have my writing pay its own expenses. I hope someday my idol and favorite author, Kay Hooper, will send me an email saying she read one of my books and loved it. That would be the pinnacle of my writing.

AL: So, now for the important questions. Sometimes people envision an author’s life as being really glamorous, so tell us what’s the most unglamorous thing you’ve done in the past week?

Rebecca: LOL –You really do not want to know. Taylor was sick and failed to reach the bathroom in time. The wall, the floor, her clothes, and Dixie (our poodle) were all recipients of what happened. The clean-up—Very unglamorous. YUCK!!!

AL: If you could have any car in the world; would it be a slow rider, or one that the wind has to hurry just to keep up with you?

Rebecca: Blow away those cobwebs, baby!!! Give me a hot, muscle car anytime and crank up some beach music. I would love to have a 1969 Oldsmobile Cutlass Cruiser Supreme, two door coupe with a 350 cu. in. engine and a four barrel Holley Carburetor, two-toned, blue on steel blue. Or a teal blue Ferrari Testarossa. (Think Magnum PI car only in teal.)

AL: If you had to go live on an island for six months, which three things would you HAVE to take with you?

Rebecca: EWWW, tough decision. Husband, chocolate, laptop or Dr. Pepper??? Dr Pepper or laptop??? OK, laptop.

AL: Can you describe yourself in 3 sentences or less?

Rebecca: I am a Christian wife, mother, grandmother, daughter, and author. I strive to do better everyday, but often fail. I love life and am enjoying the journey.

AL: What is this romance writer's idea of the "perfect romantic evening"?

Rebecca: That one is easy. My perfect romantic evening would be spent snuggled up to my hubby by a campfire on the beach. We would be watching the waves roll in under a full moon while sharing a large bottle of Dr. Pepper and a Hershey bar. Heavenly!!! (I’m a woman of simple pleasures.)

AL: Please share a favorite quote(s) with us.

Rebecca: “We cannot hold a torch to light another's path without brightening our own.” Ben Sweetland

AL: Thanks so much for sharing with joining us this week, Rebecca.

Rebecca: Thank you so much for having me over. I love all the interesting things you share with your followers. And this was fun, but you did ask some tough questions.

AL: If you’d like to find out more about Rebecca please visit:

www.romancewithatwist.com
http://www.rebeccajvickery.blogspot.com
http://rebeccajvickery.webs.com

FEATURED TITLE: SEEKING SHELTER

Blurb:

Brigham Montgomery buys a rogue stallion and a world of trouble. Being the boss of a working ranch isn't easy either. Loss and fear sends Kat to South Dakota searching for the one friend she has left in the world - a special horse - a horse someone wants dead.

A stable fire, gunshots, and two greedy men bring Brig and Kat together in a way neither would ever imagine.

Excerpt:

Moaning with pain, the girl put her hands to her ears to try to shut out the strange screeching and thumping noises that wouldn’t stop. As she rolled over and tried to get up, she realized the sound was the frantic screaming of terrified horses kicking at their stalls in panic. Oh God, please no, she thought over and over as she pushed to her knees. Then she smelled it.

The acrid, ashy, smoke burned her nose—she could taste it on her tongue. The heat almost seared her throat as she inhaled. In spite of the pain in her head, she knew one of her worst fears was coming true. She was in a stable fire—a horse lover’s most horrific nightmare.

Flickering red and yellow lights danced before her eyes throwing strangely shaped shadows throughout the center aisle. They added to her growing terror. Shrill neighs and pounding hooves echoed in the long building signaling animals going out of their minds with fear. Crawling to the nearest stall partition, she pulled herself up and staggered back to the corner stall holding the black stallion. She saw vague movement through the swirling haze and firelight toward the front of the stable. Shouts indicated the arrival of others as they began working to rescue the horses from the burning building.

The smoke grew thicker with every moment. Flames roared through the wooden structure like a runaway locomotive. The back side of the stallion’s stall was already an inferno. He lunged repeatedly at the solid Dutch door on the inside aisle in an effort to escape. Rearing, he smashed his front hooves against the wood.

Reaching out, she shakily unfastened the latch and began talking as calmly as possible to the terrified horse. He screamed his fear and jerked back when a portion of the ceiling caved in near her, directly in front of his stall. Embers flew into the air all around them. Straw ignited as the flaming cinders landed. Then the stallion reared and lunged, nearly stomping her feet.

Moving fast, she stepped in close to the stud’s side. Grabbing a handful of mane she swung herself onto the broad, black back. That seemed to be the safest place to avoid the huge hooves. It was also the only chance she might have of bringing the panicking animal under any sort of control.

Amid the noise and confusion she used her knees, heels, hands, and voice to urge the trembling stallion forward into the stall doorway. The horrible smells of singed hair, burning wood, and smoldering straw filled the stifling hot air. As flames crackled and popped among the fallen timbers on the stable floor, loud creaks and groans warned that other parts of the roof were giving way. They were trapped with no way out.

The horse reared and whinnied shrilly, almost unseating her when a burning ember landed on his rump. She quickly reached back flicking it off while trying to keep her seat on the bare back of the dancing animal. The fire spread rapidly across the floor of the stall and the smoke got darker and thicker. The blistering heat caused creosote to bubble from the stable supports.

It can’t end like this, not after all we’ve been through.

* * * * *

Brig jerked awake to screaming and banging from the direction of the stable. The odd light flickering in his window alerted him to the reason for the disturbance.

Fire! The stable’s on fire.

Diving into a pair of jeans, he ran down the back stairs, hastily shoved his feet into his boots on the mud porch, and rushed out. Several of the men ran toward the burning building from the bunkhouse and were grabbing up water buckets and dousing burlap sacks.

“Forget the building! Save the horses!” Brig shouted to be heard over the confusion and threw open the wide double doors of the stable. The walls were already burning in several places and the sudden rush of air only fed the flames. Fire licked upward, leaping for the roof. There was only a matter of minutes to save the horses trapped inside.

REMEMBER: Rebecca will give away a copy of Seeking Shelter to three different commenter’s in a random drawing. The ebooks will be downloadable in any format from Smashwords with a special code that Rebecca will provide to each winner. She will draw the names on Tuesday afternoon of the 30th and notify them so be sure to leave your email addy.

29 comments:

Andrea I said...

Great interview, Ann. I always enjoy the questions and author's answers. From the excerpt, I can't wait to read the rest of the story. It's nice to find new authors with intersting books.

Andrea I said...

Forgot to leave my e mail.

ainfinger@comcast.net

Rebecca J Vickery said...

HI Ann,
Once again, thanks so much for having me here on your beautiful site. I love being able to share a bit of what I'm about with everyone.

Hi Andrea,
Thanks so much for dropping by. You are entered for the drawing and Good luck.

Anne Patrick said...

Awesome blog, Ann! Great interview Becca! I’m so sorry to hear about your mom. She’ll definitely be in my prayers. Ah, the beach…who doesn’t love going to the beach. I’ve been fortunate to have visited the Pacific, the Atlantic, and the Caribbean. The latter being by far my favorite. I like your choice of muscle cars, but I’d have to go with a 68 Camaro—black with leather interior. And I loved your excerpt. Seeking Shelter sounds like a real winner. Good luck to you. I wish you mega sales with all your works.

Becky said...

Great Interview! I loved the excerpt and now can't wait to read the rest of the story.

Rebecca J Vickery said...

Hi Anne,
I love a Camaro but my heart belongs to that Cutlass. LOL Thanks for dropping by and for the prayers for my mom.

Rebecca J Vickery said...

Hi Becky,

Thanks for the comment. Hope you get to read Seeking soon. I'm entering you in the drawing.

Laura Shinn said...

What an outstanding interview, Becca!!! And thanks for the mention on your cover designs. Seeking Shelter is one of my best and I'm so proud of it and glad it's working well with your story.

Ann, you asked some terrific questions and it was so much fun to read Becca's answers. I hope to have a surprise for Becca very soon. We'll see... *looking secretive* *ggg*

Ann Lory said...

Thanks everyone for stopping by. You are most welcome, Rebecca. It's a treat having you here.

Rebecca & Anne -

Hubby and I are planning a Caribbean vacation Feb of 2011. Looking forward to that. Have a travel agent putting packages together for us. Woo woo! We're going to be going with another couple that were good friends with. It will be so much fun.

Ann

Ann Lory said...

Posting for:

MELISSA BLUE said...
Great interview! I have to say the campfire on the beach sounds VERY romantic...

Melissa

a52shorty@msn.com

She put this on the wrong post. :-)
Welcome back, Melissa!

Anonymous said...

What a fun interview, Rebecca and Ann. Rebecca, you always have some interesting responses. You may long for that Dr. Pepper, but that laptop will come handy. :)

Rebecca J Vickery said...

HI Laura,
My favorite cover artist and as my hubby says, my partner in crime. LOL
Thanks for stopping by and now you have me all curious about my surprise. LOL

Rebecca J Vickery said...

Hi Melissa,
I love snuggling with the hubby, but something about the beach makes it really special. We can sit and watch the waves for hours. It's our best alone time and we don't get it near often enough. I added your name to the hat, too.

Rebecca J Vickery said...

Hi Evie,
We have to have a little fun. LOL I loved Ann's question about the car. I was a tomboy growing up and could set points and the gap on the spark plug better than most of the guys. LOL Between my love for cars and horses, I could have cared less about boys at fifteen.

Rebecca J Vickery said...

Hi Laurie,
So glad you made it over. I really have to limit myself on the Dr. Peppers but I do love them. LOL
I try to share a bit new about me at every interview to make it special. Ann asked some great questions and made it easier. LOL Dropped your name in the hat too.

SiNn said...

awesome interview! u always come up with the coolest questions the book sounds awesom!


mortalsinn @ yahoo . com

Diane Craver said...

I don't know about the Dr. Pepper but the Hershey bar sounds great. LOL And that's great you're happily married. I enjoyed reading your answers to the interesting questions.

Rebecca J Vickery said...

Hi SINn, Thanks for dropping by and leaving a comment. I've dropped your name in the hat.

Hi Diane, Always great to have you stop by. I thought Ann asked some fun questions. Thanks for checking them out.

Unknown said...

Thanks so much for the great interview. I love discovering new authors and Seeking Shelter sounds great added to my TBR list.

ritbs.fairy at gmail dot com

Karen Michelle Nutt said...

Great interview questions!

Hi Rebecca or should I say Dr. Pepper Gal! lol

Had to stop by. :) Really good excerpt and you always have the best book covers!

Hershey chocolate bar is my husband's and my favorite dessert. We stash them in the refrigerator to share when we're watching TV. So yummy cold!

Malcolm R. Campbell said...

Every horse lover will love this story, I bet.

Rebecca J Vickery said...

Hi Book,
Thanks for dropping by and reading the interview and excerpt. You're added to the drawing.

Hi Karen,
I love to put the Hershey's Kisses in the fridge and grab one now and then when it's hot outside. A mini pick-me-up. And they melt so good. LOL Thanks for stopping in.

Hi Sun Singer,
I find you are a fellow author at Smashwords. Thanks for popping over. I sure hope you're right about the horse lovers liking this one.

Tara S Nichols said...

I'll send good vibes in regards to your mother, Rebecca. I love what your grandson requested about the story about a horse. They are so sweet. My son is four and at times pretends to be a horse and denies that he is a human.

Great excerpt! And great romance anthology prospects!

-Tara

tarasnichols@gmail.com

Rebecca J Vickery said...

HI Tara,
Thanks for coming over and sending good thoughts for my mom. I still love horses and it's something my grands and I share. That's so cute about your 4 yr old. I'm putting your name in the hat.

Liza Quisisem said...

Hi Vicky,

Very interesting that the story is about a horse. I don't have a horse, and unfortunately, I'm allergic to them! :( Anyway, I'm glad your grgandson kep'tt bugging you. Aren't little kids much more persistent than adult? :)

Keep selling your e-books. One day you will sell a "print" book and be as famous as Kay Hooper. Honestly, I really like her in Romance series like Loveswept, etc. I saw that she was in print, but her books were no longer straight romances. They were suspenceful romance which I don't choose to read because they are like heavy tomes. I only like to concentrate on 2 or 3 books at a time. She kinda dropped from my all time favorite authors, but I can highly recommend her books.

Anyway, good luck with your writing.

Liza Quisisem
lizelli@yahoo.com

Rebecca J Vickery said...

Hi Liza and thanks for stopping in. What a shame you are allergic to horses. I love cats and bunnies, but am allergic to them, so I heartily sympathize. And kids can really be the most persistent little munchkins. In this case it worked out well, though. My books are available in print at Amazon.com for those who love to feel the pages in their hands.

Rebecca J Vickery said...

Thanks again for having me here, Ann and thanks to everyone who dropped by and left a comment.
Taylor will draw the three winners from her little red hat and I will contact them on Tuesday. Good luck everyone.

Ann Lory said...

You are most welcome, Rebecca! Thank you for being in the "Spotlight". :-D

Rebecca J Vickery said...

Taylor has just picked the three winners out of the hat and I've sent an email to you.

Melissa Blue
Becky W
SINn

Congratulations and I hope you enjoy Seeking Shelter.