Saturday, April 18, 2009

Win A Copy of Sara Mills's Miss Match Right Here!


As promised, I am promoting two novels by Sara Mills, a fellow ACFW member. About two weeks ago, Sara's husband suddenly died of a massive heart attack, leaving her a widow with three young kids.

No one is prepared for this at this time of their lives. Many of us at ACFW are rallying to get the word out about Sara's books. If anyone needs book sales right now it's Sara. And what's even better is that we're not asking anyone to buy a book that isn't a good read.

If you like mystery, stories about female private eyes, stories set in the 40s in New York City and points beyond, then these books are for you!

Her first book, Miss Fortune, came out last September about the time of the ACFW Conference and her second book, Miss Match, is being released right about now. I am currently reading Miss Fortune and I have to say -- I LOVE IT!

I just happen to have an extra copy of Miss Match and will be giving it away this coming week through a drawing. Below is an interview fellow ACFW board member, Cara Putman, did with Sara prior to this tragic occurance in her life. At the end of the interview click on the link and leave a comment. I will gather all comments on Monday April 27th and will pull a name from the bunch for a copy of your free book.

Note that you can click on the links next to each book's picture and it will take you directly to the Christianbook.com website where they are featuring the books at a discount!

Here's Cara's interview:

These books are so good, I wish I'd written them. How did you set the stage to capture that gritty PI feel without being dark?

I find that a lot of PI stories are gritty and dark, focusing on the worst of the humanity, and while I wanted the Allie Fortune mysteries to be exciting and tension-filled I didn’t want them to be stark and hopeless.

One of the things I tried to do to counteract the darkness was to give Allie a multi-layered life. She has cases, relationships, friends and family, all of which I hope combine to make the stories textured, rich and full of life.

Allie is a character I'd love to have coffee with. What did she teach you while you wrote these books?

Allie was a great character to write. One of the things I learned from her was that human relationships (man/woman, mother/daughter, friends) are complicated and full of unspoken rules and expectations. Allie is a rule-breaker at heart and it complicates her life on a regular basis. One of the storylines I loved most is Allie’s relationship with her mother and how it grows and changes and how it’s shaped her.

Another dimension of Allie’s character that really taught me a lot was her willingness to do whatever was needed to help those she loves. There is no price on that kind of friendship and it’s a characteristic I’d like to see more of in myself. Okay I admit it, I’ve got a bit of a friend-crush on Allie. LOL.

One last question: If you could be anywhere in the world right now, where would that be and who would you take with you?

If I could go anywhere right now I’d head to Monterey, California (I’m writing a book set there right now) and I’d plant myself on the beach with a notebook, writing my story as the waves crashed. Sounds like my idea of heaven on earth. There’s something about the wind-shaped Cypress trees and the crash of the surf in Monterey that calls to me. I don’t know why, it just is.







469260: Miss Fortune, Allie Fortune Mystery Series #1Miss Fortune, Allie Fortune Mystery Series #1

By Sara Mills / Moody Publishers


In 1947 Allie Fortune is the only female private investigator in New York City, but she's kept awake at night by a mystery of her own: her fianci disappeared in the war and no one knows if he's still alive. Until Allie finds out, she will have no peace. When there's a knock on her office door at four in the morning, Allie suspects trouble as usual, and Mary Gordon is no exception. Mary claims someone is following her, that her apartment has been ransacked, and that she's been shot at, but she has no idea why any of this is happening. Allie takes the case, and in the process discovers an international mystery that puts her own life in danger.

Meanwhile, the FBI is working the case as well, and she is partnered up with an attractive, single agent who would be perfect for her under other circumstances-if only she knew whether her fianci was still alive.





469270: Miss Match, Allie Fortune Mystery Series #2Miss Match, Allie Fortune Mystery Series #2

By Sara Mills / Moody Publishers


FBI agent Jack O'Connor receives a letter from Maggie, a woman he used to love, saying she's in trouble in Berlin. The FBI refuses to get involved, so Jack asks Allie Fortune to help him investigate. Allie and Jack pose as a missionary couple who want to bring orphans back to the United States.

A child finds important documents that everyone in the city - Soviets and allies alike - want for themselves. Maggie refuses to tell Jack what the documents are, saying if things go wrong, they are better off not knowing. Through the course of the search, Allie's past is brought back to her, half a world away from home.

12 comments:

Ashley E said...

I've heard so many good things about these books, and their author! We're praying.

ashley.vanburen[at]gmail[dot]com

Edgy Inspirational Author said...

I have the first book and would love to win the second. Sara has been my roommate at conference for the past two years and I care for her deeply. Of course I would review and promote the book after I finish. I've already done a similar post on my site but haven't posted a review yet.

CarlybirdH said...

I heard about Sara's husband passing and bought Miss Match last night. I would have gotten Miss Fortune as well, but the bookstore only had Miss Match. I will keep an eye out for it though. I'm so sorry for her loss.

Anonymous said...

I would love to read her books.
I'm definitely going to be one the lookout for her books!

Nora said...

I'm sorry to hear of Sara's loss. I'm glad to her about her books and get to know her better through this interview. I'd really like to read her books.

Thanks for letting us know about her and her books.

Nora
www.psalm516.blogspot.com

Rose McCauley said...

Thanks for posting this interview, Pam. It's wonderful how our ACFW group has rallied around Sara and others in their loss. The more we get the word out, hopefully the more people will pray for her and her family and also will get her books.

Julie Lessman said...

My heart grieves for Sara during this difficult time of her life, but what comfort we have in knowing she serves the same powerful Savior we all do.

I would LOVE to win Sara's book because the titles have intrigued me from the very beginning, and now all the wonderful reviews do too!

God bless you, Sara.

Hugs,
Julie

Anonymous said...

Thanks for bringing us this interview. I pray Sara knows she is in our thoughts and prayers.

Susan Stitch said...

I am praying for Sara and her family. I loved reading another interview that talked about how she discovered Allie's character! Thanks for sharing this interview and her book, Miss Match, with us.

I hope all your readers will go out and buy Miss Fortune to support Sara. I know I plan to -- I was planning to with all the great things I've read about Miss Match because I love the concept of a female gum shoe in the 40's!

Sara, please remember to take plenty of time for yourself and don't lose your time to grieve by always being strong for your children. We'll all be waiting for you when you are ready to get back to your writing. Let our prayers hold you up for a while.

susan.stitch (at) sbcglobal (dot) net

Lisa Lickel said...

Hey, Pam thanks so much for doing this. I'd love to help get the word out, too, and would love to see her books and pass the word on.
Lisa
lickels(at)netzero.com

Merry said...

I'm sorry for Sara's loss, she is in my prayers. I would love a chance to win Miss Match.

worthy2bpraised[at]gmail[dot]com

Semi Permanent Make Up said...

Look's like great books i want to learn these books.
Semi Permanent Make Up