·Find one of my books (pick your favorite!) and have someone take a picture of you holding it. Or if you no longer have a copy, write the title on a piece of paper and hold it up for the photo.

·Next, email the picture to me at leslie@lesliegould.com by May 29.

·Within 2 days of the deadline, I will randomly select five winners out of everyone who sends me a picture and will notify you by email.

·I will post pictures on my blog, Facebook page, and Pinterest, so look for your pictures there!

Let me know if you have any questions! I’ve already received quite a few photos and will post them soon–I love seeing my readers! (It makes me so happy.)

Photo courtesy of reader Courtney Phillips (thank you Courtney!)

Respond through lisatawnbergren.com to claim your prizes!

Thank you to all who participated,

Leslie

I’ll post the grand prize and other over-all winners when I find out who they are. In the meantime, I’ve emailed the five winners of my Bonus Contest–I’ll be sending a signed copy of Adoring Addie to each. They are Bethany W., Glenn W., Amy N., Meagan W., and Sarah M.

I’m running another Adoring Addie contest this week. Check back tomorrow for all the details.

Blessings to all,

Leslie

If you’ve JUST discovered the hunt, I recommend you begin at the beginning, Stop #1, found at LisaBergren.com. But you can also begin here, and keep on rolling. Just be aware that you have to have the COMPLETED phrase in order, which you construct gathering the clue at each stop, within 24 hours of email notification from Lisa Bergren that you won. If Lisa doesn’t hear back from you with the correct phrase within the time limit, she will move on to the next winner Rafflecopter draws.

Ready? Here we go!

ROBIN LEE HATCHER

I am so pleased to introduce the amazing Robin Lee Hatcher. She’s a prolific, multi award-winning author, but even more importantly she’s a devoted follower of Christ and an inspiration to her readers and other authors too (including myself). I am truly honored to host her this weekend.

 
Robin is known for her heartwarming and emotionally charged stories of faith, courage, and love. She discovered her vocation after many years of reading everything she could put her hands on, including the backs of cereal boxes and ketchup bottles. Winner of the Christy, the RITA, the Carol, the Inspirational Reader’s Choice, and many other awards, Robin is also a recipient of the prestigious RWA Lifetime Achievement Award. She is the author of nearly 70 novels.

Robin enjoys being with her family, spending time in the beautiful Idaho outdoors, reading books that make her cry, and watching romantic movies. Her main hobby (when time allows) is knitting, and she has a special love for making prayer shawls. A mother and grandmother, Robin and her husband make their home on the outskirts of Boise, sharing it with Poppet, the high-maintenance Papillon, and Princess Pinky, the DC (demon cat).

Robin’s latest story is about a mail-order bride, and she’s come up with a fun time-travel twist for this post. The following is in Robin’s own words…

Ten things I would pack if I were an 1800′s mail-order bride

I loved writing a novella about a mail-order bride in 1870 (A Bride for All Seasons, June 2013), but I would have a tough time being one. I’m a thoroughly modern Millie. I preferred getting to know my man and fall in love with him before we said our “I do’s.” But for centuries, women have married for many other reasons than love. Arranged marriages were the norm until quite recently.

Well, let’s pretend I’m single and that traveling back in time is a possibility. My groom awaits me in the 1870′s West. What ten things would I pack?

1)    My Bible (I’m thinking I’ll need direction)
2)    Penicillin (I’m a practical girl)
3)    Neosporin (still practical)
4)    Bandaids (still practical)
5)    Comfy undies (they are not getting me into a corset)
6)    A flashlight with batteries (I don’t want to get lost on the way to the outhouse)
7)    My favorite lotion in a giant economy size (dry skin isn’t pretty)
8)    Poppet, my dog (I might need her company; she loves me)
9)    A box of my favorite gel pens (just because)
10)    24 rolls of toilet paper from Costco (self-explanatory)

What would you take if you were headed back to 1870 to marry someone you’d never met? I’d love to know.

Leslie here again…

If you enjoy historical fiction, you’ll love Robin’s new release.  A Bride for All Seasons is available at bookstores or online at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Christian Book Distributors.

OPTIONAL: BONUS PRIZE!

I’m going to give away five additional copies of Adoring Addie, choosing from participants (international readers welcome too!) who:

1. sign up for my e-newsletter in the top right-hand corner of this page

2. “like” my author page on Facebook and

3. leave a comment below

AND NOW, YOUR NEXT STEPS:

Write down this clue: us.

Now hop on over to Robin’s blog, stop 22!

Thank you so much for stopping by! Please enjoy the rest of your hunt!

W. Sommerset Maugham

I love this quote. It’s freeing. And confirming.

There’s one thing I do know, at least for me. What worked to write one novel isn’t going to necessarily work to write the next.

I plotted my first novel, Garden of Dreams, out on a huge whiteboard in my office.  My second novel, Beyond the Blue, came straight from my heart. For my third novel, Scrap Everything, I created elaborate Excel docs of character charts, chapter breakdowns, and scene descriptions. For The Amish Midwife, I crafted a 35-page outline, divided it by paragraphs into chapters, and then by sentences into scenes.

I know authors who figure out a method and stick to it, doing the same prep work before each novel and sticking to their system. I envy them—but can’t seem to emulate them. Maybe mixing it up keeps me from becoming bored. Or maybe different stories need different systems.

What I do know is that once I find my method for the current project, the words begin to fly.

I ended up emailing the following to my laptop:

This first one is of my dad during World War II. The war in Europe ended on the eve of his 22^nd birthday. Or, in other words, 68 years ago this last Wednesday, May 8^th.

This one is my mother’s high school graduation photo. She was 12 years younger than my father and married him at age 20. After having four kids in five years, she went back and finished her college degree and then taught elementary school for years. She was very gifted when it came to working with children—which made her an amazing mother, teacher, and grandmother.

This photo is of my parents with five of their nine grandchildren. It was taken the year before my mother was diagnosed with cancer. She intentionally made memories; I’m so, so thankful for that. She passed away seven years ago at the age of 70.

This photo was taken yesterday. I am very blessed to have two sisters, who live in the same town I do, and a brother, who lives a ways away but visits when he can. I am so thankful for family.

If you make the loop around all 31 stops, you’ll be in the running to win:

GRAND PRIZE: An iPad Mini loaded with all of our new e-releases! (Estimated Value: Over $700; if you live outside the United States, you will receive the equivalent value in your country’s currency to the USD prize, to be used on Apple, Amazon, Book Depository, or Christian Book Distributors.)

TWO RUNNERS-UP: A paperback copy of each of our new releases, autographed to you! (Estimated Value: Over $300; if you live outside the United States, you will receive a copy of our books, but they will likely not be signed–sorry! International shipping is expensive, and we’ll be shipping via Book Depository.)

IN ADDITION: Many authors will feature additional contests along the scavenger hunt route!

Participating authors are:
Lisa T. Bergren, Grave Consequences
Robin Lee Hatcher, A Bride for All Seasons
Ronie Kendig, Talon
Ruth Axtell, Moonlight Masquerade
Stephanie Grace Whitson, The Message on the Quilt
Tracy Higley, So Shines the Night
Marta Perry, Lydia’s Hope
Jill Williamson, Captives
Margaret Daley, Scorned Justice
MaryLu Tyndall, Forsaken Dreams
R.J. Larson, King
Susan Sleeman, No Way Out
Deborah Raney, The Face of the Earth
Winnie Griggs, The Bride Next Door
Sandra Robbins, Mountain Homecoming
Julie Lessman, Love at Any Cost
Leslie Gould, Adoring Addie
Vickie McDonough, Whispers on the Prairie
Carol Cox, Trouble in Store
Rachel Hauck, Once Upon a Prince
Terri Blackstock, Truth Stained Lies
Louise M. Gouge, A Lady of Quality
Missy Tippens, Georgia Sweethearts
Richard Mabry, Stress Test
Lynette Eason, When a Secret Kills
Patricia Hickman, Tiny Dancer
Lorna Seilstad, When Love Calls
Colleen Coble, Rosemary Cottage
Maureen Lang, All in Good Time
John Otte, Failstate: Legends
Anne Elisabeth Stengl, Dragonwitch

To take part in the hunt, you’ll begin here,  on May 17 at noon or later that weekend, and loop through each successive blog or site, and finish here too, by May 20. There is no race—you can complete it at your leisure, through the weekend. So mark your calendars to stop by here again the weekend of May 17! YOU could win one amazing prize!

This year, I’m feeling that old anticipation for May Day. Not because I plan to deliver flowers around the neighborhood, although that would be fun, but because Adoring Addie, the second book in the Courtships of Lancaster County, officially releases.

Inspired by Romeo and Juliet, this novel was a joy to write!

Look for Adoring Addie at your favorite books store or on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and ChristianBooks. I’m feeling blessed by the reviews that are already popping up on these sites. I’m so thankful for my readers.

Check back here for information on giveaways, a Summer Scavenger Hunt (featuring Adoring Addie along with lots of other new releases), and other fun “events.” I plan to celebrate all month long.