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| Attribution: Creative Commons |
Please welcome award winning author, Leanna Ellis's, return visit to Over Coffee. Leanna writes a variety of genres from sweet romances and women's fiction, to dark paranormals such as her Plain Fear series.
What I enjoy about the Plain Fear series is it's rich complexity. The stories are emotionally intense and aren't shy about dealing with the crisis of faith, the heartbreak of betrayal, damnation and redemption, and set against a backdrop a group known for it's strong faith. They are also a riveting read.
Leanna kept me turning the pages with her latest, Plain Fear: Forbidden. You can read my 5 star review on Amazon.
Writing is like running a marathon. Now, don’t think for a
minute that I’m a marathon runner, but I do know a few runners. And I’ve spoken
to them about the highs and lows of running a marathon. There are times when
you want to give up and collapse onto the ground in a heaving, writhing mass of
quivering muscles. Those times come in writing a book too. For me, it’s usually
in writing the rough draft. Writing Plain
Fear: Forbidden, book #2 in my Plain Fear series, felt like I was running
out of energy, out of words, out of ideas, and that I might crumple to the
keyboard as I crossed that ‘finish line’ of “The End” on my rough draft.
Before I revised my manuscript and sent it off to my editor,
I scheduled a trip to Ohio to visit a friend of mine, Shelley Shepard Gray, who
lives there and writes Amish novels. Frankly, neither of us had much time, just
about two days, for me to do some research. We had originally talked about
driving up to Holmes County but our time constraints prevented us from doing
that. So, she told me about a little enclave in the southeastern corner of her state, right near Kentucky, which had an Amish community we could visit.
First, we checked into a fabulous bed and breakfast Shelley
had frequented with her critique group. We had a little cabin, nestled against
some woods. The weather turned against us and it rained most of the time. But
that turned out to be a blessing in disguise. The whole trip, early in the fall
with the leaves changing and tumbling around us, the cool night air, and the
dark, sinister clouds gave a wondrous atmosphere that fit my book perfectly.
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| Attribution: Amish on Shaefer Road Sia McKye |
That trip may have been short but it was oh so very sweet.
Spending time with my dear friend, who has such a calm, giving spirit, and
visiting with a couple of other writing friends while I was there, plus seeing
the terrain, which planted a firm picture in my mind, gave me the energy I
needed to finish my book. I rushed back home, eagerly writing all the way. I
felt like a runner, turning a bend, finding a refreshment stand, a friendly
face, a pat on the back, and a gulp of water before racing for the finish line.
There is a lesson in all of that, not just for writers but
also for our lives. When difficulties come, and they will, we all need a friend
to reach out to, beautiful scenery to inspire us, time to process it all (good
food doesn't hurt and neither does laughter), and then we are ready to run the
race set before us.
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| Amazon • Books•A•Million • Barnes & Noble • IndieBound |
How Long Must We Pay for the Sins of Our Past?
She blames herself for her
husband's death. But for Rachel Schmidt Nussbaum, redemption may only lie in
the ultimate sacrifice.
When a stranger arrives
claiming only she can save him, Rachel's impulsive instincts lead her on a
perilous journey, one that leads her to a battle that will decide both the fate
of her soul and the life of her unborn child.
A far–from–ordinary story of
love and desperation, sin and sacrifice, Amish faith and vampire lore, Plain
Fear: Forbidden is an imaginative thrill ride that's like nothing you've ever
read before. Excerpt Chapter
Photo attributions: photos are my work unless otherwise stated, or are by author/publisher permission, or from creative commons, or wikimedia.
