Choice of Louise Gouge's books ends August 4th #bookgiveaway

Please welcome a dear friend and wonderful writer, Louise Gouge. Ask Louise a question to be entered into the drawing. She is giving away a copy of her new release or a copy of one of her other books. Don't forget to leave your email address so we can contact you if you win. And let me know if you are a feedburner follower for an extra entry. For those of you who are new to my blog if you follow The Sword and the Spirit via feedburner (they will send you a message through your email every time I have a new post up. Usually once a week) if you let me know when you leave a comment I will give you an extra entry. Just remember to let me know.

Thank you for inviting me to your blog, Debbie Lynne. Today I wanted to tell everyone about an exciting new adventure I’ve been enjoying for the past year: I’ve officially become a hybrid author! That means I’m still publishing with Harlequin’s wonderful Love Inspired Historical imprint, AND I’m also independently publishing my out-of-print books for Kindle and NOOK, and through Smashwords, all at great low prices.

I’ve had such a good response to those older titles that I decided to “indie” publish some of my previously unpublished works. The first one, Escape from Kikwit, based on my daughter’s missionary adventures in Zaire, was released last year. This summer I have Daughter of Destiny, a historical missionary adventure, available for purchase in all formats.

This is an exciting time for authors because we all have manuscripts stashed in our closets (these days, I guess that would be virtual closets, i.e., our computers!) that traditional publishers have rejected for one reason of another. Rejection doesn’t mean the stories aren’t as good as our published works. Maybe the timing or setting wasn’t right, or it’s in a different genre from what our readers expect from us. But those stories beg to be published, to be given a chance to find readers who will enjoy these adventures with us.

And after all, a writer’s focus should be her readers and what they’re interested in. When readers ask for more that is offered by traditional publishers, why not give them other stories?

So today, let me tell you about Daughter of Destiny. Editors tell us that missionary stories don’t sell well, but what about James Michener’s Hawaii, a huge bestseller that was made into several movies to span the generations? Michener didn’t have good things to say about missionaries, but I personally know many pure-hearted missionaries who have dedicated their lives to serving God and loving the people to whom they minister. My novella (short novel) is a tribute to those who took the Word of God to the distant South Seas to bring the beautiful island people to Jesus Christ. Let’s prove those editors wrong!

Daughter of Destiny is set in 1822. Jonah Adams plans to be a missionary on the island of Fénua in the South Pacific, but when the woman he loves rejects his proposal, he impulsively asks his mother’s young companion to be his bride. Leah Smith knows she is Jonah’s second choice, but she loves both him and the people of Fénua, the island of her birth. First separated by miscommunication and then by disaster, both Jonah and Leah seek to find God’s will for their lives in fierce, unforgiving worlds.

My next Love Inspired Historical, Cowboy to the Rescue,
will be released in September 2014. It’s my first western! And it will be available in both print and e-book.

Each of these books can be found by clicking on the titles. Please check them out! I’ll be giving away one title to the lucky winner of our drawing. Leave a comment or question below to be entered. You must be a resident of the U. S. or Canada OR be able to receive a Kindle copy of the book of your choice. Daughter of Destiny is offered only in e-book format. Cowboy to the Rescue
is offered in either e-book or print.

I love hearing from my readers, but I’m a bit slow to jump into Facebook, Twitter, and the myriad other social media. Please visit my website at http://blog.Louisemgouge.com

More about Louise:

Award-winning Florida author Louise M. Gouge writes historical fiction for Harlequin's Love Inspired imprint. In addition to numerous other awards, Louise is the recipient of the prestigious Inspirational Readers’ Choice Award for her 2005 historical novel, Hannah Rose and her 2011 Regency novella, The Gentleman Takes a Bride.