Scavenger Hunt Stop #1

Oct 25, 2012

Welcome to the Fall Christian Fiction Scavenger Hunt! It began on the 25th and runs through the 28th (MST, USA)! You start here, to make the loop and collect all the clues, and get them in order. When you know what the clues add up to say (it’s more than a quote), stop by here again for Scavenger Hunt Stop #32 anytime this weekend, in which you submit your name via the Rafflecopter form, to be eligible for the Grand Prize of a Kindle Fire, plus the 31-book prize, or the two runner-up gift card prizes of $50 each. Note: If you’re the winner, you must email the complete statement within 24 hours of notification in order to claim the Grand Prize…so don’t miss a stop! *** UPDATE: GIVEN THE STORM HITTING THE EAST COAST, WE ARE CHANGING THIS TO BE DUE BY THURSDAY pm IN CASE WINNER HAS NO POWER! *** Be ready with your answer if you’re the lucky winner. No need to email it unless you receive the happy word on 10/29. Also, many stops include additional prizes given by that individual author, so be sure to pause and read through each post so you’re in the running for as many prizes as possible. This hunt is rich!

Robin Lee Hatcher

As my part in the hunt, I get to host my dear friend, Robin Lee Hatcher, the novelist known for her heartwarming and emotionally charged stories of faith, courage, and love. She says 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 (now THAT’s desperate). She’s not just a sweet person and persistent writer; she’s won enough awards to fill a few shelves with trophies, among them the coveted Christy Award, RITA, and a Best Books listing from Library Journal. Learn more at her web site or drop by her Facebook Page where she interacts with readers daily.

This is what her new release, Betrayal–the second book in her Where the Heart Lives series–is about:

It’s the turn of the twentieth century and drifter Hugh Brennan is a man well acquainted with betrayal. Hugh finds himself drawn to the attractive widow, Julia, yet when he looks into her eyes, he recognizes the same hurt that haunts him. Julia Grace has little reason to trust men, but she’s going to have to trust someone if she’s to keep her ranch from the clutches of her dead husband’s half-brother. Is it possible God had a hand in bringing Hugh to her door? Betrayal will take you to the high desert of western Wyoming, through the crags of the Rocky Mountains, and into the hearts of two seekers learning to trust God’s love no matter the circumstances.

A Scavenger Hunt Exclusive from Robin:

Picturing My Characters

I have been writing fiction for over 30 years, and over the course of those years, I have tried many different things to help me in the process of writing a novel.

In the early years of my career, I didn’t use photographs of characters. I just envisioned them in my head and then strove to describe them on paper. Not using photographs may have been mostly because I didn’t want to scour through magazines and rip out pictures I liked. The Internet has changed that method of collecting pictures.

I started using a software program called Scrivener about four years ago, and I have fallen in love with the ability to see all of my characters and related photos on a corkboard. Here is the one I used while writing Betrayal.

The photo I used for my hero, Hugh Brennan, is actually another famous Hugh: Hugh Jackman. He was precisely the way I pictured the hero of Betrayal––handsome, rugged, tall. For my heroine, Julia Grace, I stumbled across a photo of an unnamed young woman. Once again, she looked exactly how I envisioned Julia––beautiful and somewhat fragile, yet spirited.

Even though the hero doesn’t look exactly like Hugh Jackman on the cover my publisher designed, I believe they captured the essence of the character. What do you think?

 

I hope you’ll join Hugh and Julia on their journey toward love. And when you read their story, I hope you’ll see them as clearly in your mind as I saw them in mine.

~robin

Isn’t that fun to catch a glimpse into the character-visualization process? I often use the magazine-picture trick too. If you’re interested in ordering Robin’s book, it’s available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, CBD.com, or at your local bookstore.

The Scavenger Hunt Skinny

You can move on to STOP #2, Robin’s own website, to pick up your next clue.

But before you go, write down this STOP #1 clue: “A truly”

BONUS!

If you want to be in the running for one of THREE copies of any of my River of Time Series (Waterfall, Cascade, Torrent, Bourne & Tributary, or if you’ve read all of those, one of my other novels), you can gain points by:

(1) Making a comment below, answering Robin’s question, or on anything else

(2) Tweeting about the Scavenger Hunt and link to this page (if you’re on Twitter)

(3) Signing up for my quarterly enewsletter, which I hope to get rolling this quarter at long last (orange envelope on top right of this page; not spammy, I promise; if you’ve already done so, comment on that below for credit)

(4) “Liking” my author Facebook page (if you’re on the Book of Face).

I hope YOU win! Thanks for taking part in the scavenger hunt!

a Rafflecopter giveaway