Stars in the Night by Cara C. Putman

A Word From Cara:

I graduated from high school at sixteen, college at 20, and completed my law degree when I was 27.

My writing journey started in 2005 when I decided to write my first novel. Now I have eleven books published with more on the way.

People say I've accomplished a lot and that I must have life by the proverbial tail. Hardly! I grew up as a home schooled kid when home schoolers were misunderstood and oddities.

I struggle with balancing my writing and law career, plus being a good mom and wife.

I often fear people won't like my books.I've walked through the deep pain of miscarriage.Really, I'm just like you – I don't have it all together and have gone through tough times. But in His strength, I've discovered a strength I never knew I had. A strength I want you to discover, too.

In the end I'm just an ordinary mom who has seen God do some wonderful things as I've been obedient to step into the calling He's led me into.

 

Stars in the Night Background

Stars in the Night was an idea that had begun to percolate in my mind. I’d written two World War II series and was actively looking for my next setting. My husband, a huge World War II history buff, and I were kicking ideas around, and I’d decided Hollywood was probably the next place for me. I’d gone to the library and gotten a stack of research books when I got the call. An editor I knew but had never worked with wanted to know if I might be interested in a new line they were starting. As we talked, I got so excited. And then she emailed me their guidelines, which listed that Hollywood was a location they were interested in setting books.

Only God could have known ahead of time. But because I followed His prompting I was ready to run with an idea. Stars in the Night is the result.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Hollywood 1942. When attorney Audra Schaeffer's sister disappears, Audra flies to Hollywood to find her.


Any day Audra might have been flattered by the friendly overtures of Robert Garfield, a real-life movie star. But on the flight from Indianapolis to Hollywood, Audra can think of little else than finding her missing sister. When Audra arrives in the city of glitz and glamour, and stars, and learns her rising starlet sister has been murdered, all thoughts of romance fly away.

Determined to bring the killer to justice, Audra takes a job with the second Hollywood Victory Caravan.

Together with Robert Garfield and other stars, she crisscrosses the southern United States in a campaign to sell war bonds. When two other women are found dead on the train, Audra knows the deaths are tied to that of her sister.

Could the killer be the man with whom she's falling in love?

If you'd like to read an excerpt of Chapter 1 of Stars In The Night, go HERE.

Contest: Lots of opportunities to win and great prizes, and the grand prize contains some of Cara's favorite classic movies as well as all of her WWII novels: Launch Contest!

YOU MUST GO TO THIS BLOG TO ENTER THE CONTEST! DO NOT LEAVE COMMENTS HERE! (Hurry as contest ends July 31st,2010.)

I Write Like....

Try submitting a few paragraphs of your WIP to this site. It gives you an idea of your style.I found out that my writing is like Mark Twain. LOL.

I write like
Mark Twain

I Write Like by Mémoires, Mac journal software. Analyze your writing!

Stars in the Night by Cara C. Putman

My friend Cara Putman has written some books that are on my favorites list, but this new book is my very favorite that she's written. She found her sweet spot with this book. Now she's having this great contest to kick off the debut of Stars in the Night--Hollywood glamour and style all tucked into the prize basket.

The grand prize consists of several DVDs of her favorite classic movies, popcorn, cracker jacks, a signed copy of Stars in the Night. If she reaches over 200 entries, a copy of each of her other six World War II based romances will be included. These DVDs are special because they include some of her favorite movies of all time. Bringing Up Baby and The Philadelphia Story are great romantic comedies, both with Cary Grant and Katherine Hepburn and Jimmy Stewart joins them in Philadelphia Story. Just last week, she rewatched one of her favorite musicals: Singing in the Rain, which you'll also find in these collections along with Easter Parade and Meet Me in St. Louis. And then you can't do better for dramas than Casablanca and Mrs. Miniver. For the final set, she's adding Frank Capra's collection. You'll have hours of wonderful classics to watch.

Five first prizes: a copy of all her WWII books: that means winners receive a copy of Stars in the Night, Canteen Dreams, Sandhill Dreams, Captive Dreams, A Promise Kept, A Promise Born, and A Promise Forged. That's plenty of World War II era romances and romantic suspense to fill your summer with reading.

Five second prizes: a signed copy of Stars in the Night.

So how do you enter?

I'm so glad you asked. There are many ways you can enter for a chance at one of these great packages.

• Help spread the word about Stars in the Night and the contest through facebook, myspace, shoutlife, and twitter.
• Mention the contest and Stars in the Night on your blog
• Ask your library to order Stars in the Night and any other of my books.
• Go into your local bookstores and take a photo of Stars in the Night on the shelf if it’s there or ask the bookstore to order it. If it is there, take a photo and email it to Cara at cara at caraputman dot com.
• Post links to order Stars in the Night at CBD, Amazon, or B&N on your blog or social network and let her know you've done that.
• Also, once you've read Stars, post a review on CBD, Amazon, or B&N and let me know you've done that.
  Each time you do one of the above items, come back to her blog and leave a comment. That will be your entry. So you have the possibility of entering eight to eleven times.
  
  

The contest ends July 31st.

Journey to the Seasons of the Tallgrass by Deborah Vogts

 Today I have a special guest, Deborah Vogts, who is the author of Seasons of the Tallgrass series from Zondervan.  Deborah Vogts and her husband have three daughters and make their home in Southeast Kansas where they raise and train American Quarter Horses. As a student at Emporia State University studying English and journalism, Deborah developed a love for the Flint Hills that has never faded. In writing this series, she hopes to share her passion for one of the last tallgrass prairie regions in the world, showing that God’s great beauty rests on the prairie and in the hearts of those who live there.


Journey to the Seasons of the Tallgrass 

by Deborah Vogt
 In April 2008, I received “the phone call” from my agent, Rachelle Gardner, that Zondervan had made an offer on the Seasons of the Tallgrass, a contemporary romance series set in the Flint Hills of Kansas—a place I dearly love. My long-held dream had finally arrived—my prayers had been answered. But the story didn’t begin there…it began many years ago when I attended Emporia State University and took a summer course called Flint Hills Folklore.

 Along with classroom study, we took field trips into the heart of the Flint Hills and visited with old-time ranchers, schoolmarms and post-mistresses. It was such a delightful experience, especially our drives into the pastures. We would get on these back roads and drive over pasture guards into the open range. We would travel for miles without seeing another car or even an electric line—just pure, native prairie. That summer, I fell in love with the Flint Hills and it has stayed with me all this time, finally culminating in the contemporary romance series, the Seasons of the Tallgrass.

 My first book, Snow Melts in Spring, begins when a horse is terribly injured. Right off, I had to know technical terminology and had to create a scene that was accurate and believable. To get it right, I contacted a handful of veterinarians, asked them a bunch of detailed questions all the way down to possible accident scenarios, which would create the type of injuries required for the story. I even shadowed one small animal vet for a day in order to get a feel for what a "day in the life" might look like for my character who was also a vet.

My hero in this book is an NFL quarterback, so I also had to know something about football. For this research, I went to the children's section of the library and checked out an armload of books. I also watched a lot of football games on television and asked my football-loving friends and family hundreds of questions--all so I could write two or three scenes with authenticity.

On one of my many road trips into the Flint Hills, my husband and I stayed at the Clover Cliff Ranch, a Bed & Breakfast owned by Jim and Joan Donahue. This place became the basis for the McCray's Lightning M Ranch.






 For Seeds of Summer, which released the end of May, I learned about the Miss Rodeo America competition because my main character, Natalie Adams is a former Miss Rodeo Kansas and first runner up Miss Rodeo America. My research for this story included visiting with those at the Miss Rodeo America headquarters, as well as interviewing and questioning the current MRA at that time, Miss Amy Wilson, Miss Rodeo America 2008.






The highlight of this research occurred when I met and visited Amy at her home in Colby, KS. Amy was a joy to work with and is such a lovely person. My visit to her home was an unexpected blessing, as she shared some special moments from her time as Miss Rodeo Kansas and then as Miss Rodeo America.

I learned that Miss Rodeo America has a host of sponsors who shower their queen with lovely gifts, some of which include: a wardrobe of Wrangler Jeans, Justin Boots, Bailey Hats, fully tooled Court’s Saddle with custom Miss Rodeo America conchos and an official Miss Rodeo America trophy buckle from Montana Silversmiths. Accompanying the perpetual Miss Rodeo America tiara made by Landstrom’s Original Black Hills Gold Creations, Amy was given a wardrobe of matching jewelry. These items, along with other prizes were presented to her throughout her reign.

To see some pictures of these items, please visit my blog post HERE.

Crystal again:
I love this series and invite you to pick up both books so far. You won't be disappointed. I loved hearing how Deborah went about gathering her research, as well as seeing how she was inspired to develop these stories.




Seeds of Summer by Deborah Vogts
Zondervan, ISBN 978-0-310-29276-0, Christian Romance, $10.99.


When opposites attract, sparks fly--like an electrical malfunction. That's what happens when former rodeo queen Natalie Adams meets the new pastor in Diamond Falls. A heart-warming contemporary romance set in the Flint Hills of Kansas where a former rodeo queen abandons her dreams in order to care for her deceased father’s ranch and her two half-siblings, only to realize with the help of a young new pastor that God can turn even the most dire circumstances into seeds of hope.

Spanning the Seasons of the Tallgrass, each story in this series reveals the struggle of the people who live there and the dreams they have for the land until they come full-circle in a never-ending cycle, just as man comes full-circle in his understanding of God.


Visit Deborah at her web site: http://deborahvogts.com
Or her Country at Heart blog: http://deborahvogts.blogspot.com