Saturday, November 7, 2009

Review & Giveaway: Blue Bells of Scotland by Laura Vosika



On the outside, it looks like Shawn has it all. He has a girlfriend named Amy but that doesn't stop his female admirers. When he wakes up one morning, Amy is gone and he is Niall, a warrior. These two completely different people are now living each others life. Will they figure out a way to return to their natural lives or will they now live the rest of their lives as someone else?

Absolutely brilliant! I was so taken with this book and I am impatiently waiting the second installment.

Author Q & A:

When did you know that you wanted to be a writer? From the time I was 8, maybe younger.

Who has been your biggest inspiration? For this book, Margaret J. Anderson, who wrote the children's novel, In the Keep of Time. In life, many people. My friend Micki, who lives her faith. She changed my life by challenging me to do likewise.

How do you create the characters in your books? Are they based on people you know? Some characters come to me full blown. Some walk onstage unexpectedly and reveal themselves as I write. Some, I need to sit down and do 'interviews' and dossiers, and really create them myself.

What is the one book you think everyone should read? I hate to give a common, almost cliched answer, but the Bible. Whether you believe in God and Jesus or not, is full of good advice on living and character. My brother in law read it three times through as an agnostic, simply because of its place in history.

If you weren’t a writer, what would be your profession? My other professions are mother (of 9) and teaching private music lessons. I used to play semi-professionally on trombone, flute, and harp, and if I had all the time in the world, I'd still be doing that, also.

If you could trade places with anyone in the world, past or present, real or fiction, who would it be and why? This is exactly the situation in which my characters Shawn and Niall find themselves! I'd trade with a professional symphony musician on trombone, flute, or harp. There is nothing in the world like being in the middle of a professional symphony, especially during the 1812 Overture.

If you were stranded on a desert island and could only have 3 things, what would they be?
Any three things in the whole realm of my imagination or in the world of what really exists? In the whole realm of possibilities, a replicator to produce food and drinks, shelter, and a computer hooked up to the internet. In the real world, a boat. Then I wouldn't be stranded. :-)

What is your favorite movie of all time? It's a toss up between The Princess Bride, Second Hand Lions, or Inkheart.

What is the one thing that you want all your fans to know? Life is largely what you make of it. We all have advantages, and we all have disadvantages, and it is our choice what to do with them. Look at Stephen Hawking and Tony Melendez!

If you could invite 5 people to dinner, who would they be and why? My friend Micki, who has been such a great and positive influence on my life. Jesus, for wisdom and to thank Him for all the good in my life. Mary, the mother of Jesus, who lived life with grace. Benjamin Franklin, because he had such an active, questioning mind, so many interests, courage, passion, was never afraid to try something new, and didn't let anything stop him. Since I've learned so much about Robert the Bruce, I'd want to know what gives a man such courage and conviction, to continue what seems a hopeless task, against many detractors, and so many hardships. I'd be honored to be in the presence of a man who sacrificed so much, personally, for his people and country.

Book Information:
Blue Bells Of Scotland by Laura Vosika
Blue Bells Trilogy
Gabriel's Horn Publishing
9780984215102
Sept. 2009
372 pages
$14.99 US

Visit the website and blog. The author is on Twitter and Facebook.




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