Scavenger Hunt Stop # 9!

Jim Giveaways, James L. Rubart 95 Comments

Yes! You made it to Stop # 9, your next step to winning fab prizes like a Kindle Fire HDX and/or 30+ novels. We’ll get to the good stuff in a few seconds, but first a few housekeeping items:

Contest Details

  • The Hunt starts officially at noon Mountain Time on Friday, Oct 17th so if you’re here early, you’ll want to start at Stop # 1, here, which is Robin Lee Hatcher’s site once the Hunt opens. Then work your way through all the sites, getting your clues, and entering extra bonus giveaways till you reach the final stop which will be at Robin’s site as well.
  • The hunt ends on Sunday, October 19, 2014 at 11:59 pm Mountain Time so you have the entire weekend to get visit all the sites and put the clues together.
  • As you probably already know, you’ll collect a CLUE IN RED at each stop. At the end of the hunt, you’ll enter the clues into a Rafflecopter form. (The answer will make sense, even if you aren’t familiar with the quote.) The hunt is open to international entries. The grand prize is a Kindle Fire HDX. Two runners-up will receive a new release from all of the authors taking part.

IF YOU FIND A BROKEN LINK…

Robin has prepared a cheat sheet with direct links to each author’s post just in case a site goes down or a link gets broken. So please make note of the URL for the Participating Authors & Stops page so you can check back and be able to complete the hunt.

Now, On With The Countdown! Lisa Wingate!

I first got to know Lisa as we walked around Dallas with group of fellow authors looking for live music during a writer’s conference. All the places we went to were sold out, but that made for a long walk and  gave me the chance to get to know Lisa a bit.

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Yes, Lisa is an amazing author, but she’s an even more wonderful person. I’m proud to call her my friend, and proud to be hosting her on this stop of the Scavenger Hunt.

Selected among BOOKLIST’S Top 10 of 2012 and Top 10 of 2013, Lisa Wingate skillfully weaves lyrical writing and unforgettable Southern settings with elements of women’s fiction, history, and mystery to create stories that Publisher’s Weekly calls “Masterful.” Find her at www.LisaWingate.com, @LisaWingate on Twitter, or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/LisaWingateAuthorPage 

Now, here’s Lisa:

Writing Stories In Dual Time Frames

I never know where my story ideas will come from. I keep a drawer filled with random bits of inspiration. Some ideas languish there and some are so powerful, they never make it to the scrap drawer at all.

The Prayer Box was the result of a moment of irresistible inspiration, and like many of my novels, the tale bloomed in not one, but two stories, or more accurately a story within a story. I glanced across the room, saw the small prayer box that had been given to me as a gift, and thought, What if that box contained many prayers accumulated over time?

What if there were dozens of boxes? What if the letters chronicled the life of a woman who could no longer tell her story? What effect might the prayers of a faithful servant have on a modern woman who has lost faith?

Those questions generated The Prayer Box, in which a troubled young mother finds the story of a lifetime in an old home on Hatteras Island.

I love working in dual time frames, telling a historical tale interlaced with a contemporary one. There’s something about the juxtaposition of a modern life and a life (real or fictional) of long ago, that lends reality to both tales.

There are a few tricks that help intertwined dual-time-frame narratives to interact in meaningful ways:

Even though you’re telling two stories, one narrator’s story will control the pace and drive of the story. Typically, that’s the present-day narrator, who is discovering or in some way mirroring the life of the historical character.

It’s helpful to employ a physical connection between the characters — an object, a place, a written record like letters in a prayer box. In my latest novel, The Story Keeper, the connection between a modern-day editor and a Melungeon girl in turn-of-the-century Appalachia is an old partial manuscript that lands unexpectedly on an editor’s desk. Her search for the rest of the manuscript takes her on a journey back to the Blue Ridge.

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One story must significantly affect the other. Perhaps the modern character is learning from the story of the historical character? Perhaps he/she is living through events and emotional changes that mirror those of the historical character? Perhaps the modern character is solving an age-old mystery, clearing the name of the historical character (in Wildwood Creek, modern-day Allie is clearing the name of historical Bonnie Rose, who stood accused of mass murder).

Perhaps the modern character is making her counterpart’s place in history known to the world? Perhaps the characters are distantly or closely related, and the quest is an issue of family, identity, or ancestry?

The possibilities are many with dual time frame stories. I never know exactly where each story will lead, but ultimately the journey of discovery is a thrilling ride!

The Prayer Box

prayer box final cover

When Iola Anne Poole, an old-timer on Hatteras Island, passes away in her bed at ninety-one, the struggling young mother in her rental cottage, Tandi Jo Reese, finds herself charged with the task of cleaning out Iola’s rambling Victorian house.

Running from a messy, dangerous past, Tandi never expects to find more than a temporary hiding place within Iola’s walls, but everything changes with the discovery of eighty-one carefully decorated prayer boxes, one for each year, spanning from Iola’s youth to her last days. Hidden in the boxes is the story of a lifetime, written on random bits of paper–the hopes and wishes, fears and thoughts of an unassuming but complex woman passing through the seasons of an extraordinary, unsung life filled with journeys of faith, observations on love, and one final lesson that could change everything.

Where you can pick up The Prayer Box

 

Scavenger Hunt Next Steps

You stopped by! Thanks for taking part. Before you hit Stop # 10 (Lisa’s site, click HERE) make sure you jot down the next part of the clue: A BOOK IS

Wait! There’s More!

If you’d like to win all three of the novels in my Well Spring series (Soul’s Gate, Memory’s Door, and Spirit Bridge) simply sign up for my newsletter (right hand side of this page) and you’ll automatically be entered into the drawing. Thanks!

FYI: A lot of authors are using Rafflecopter for their giveaways which needs JavaScript to work right. If you can’t see the form, please turn JavaScript on in your browser in order to enter. And since Rafflecopter sometimes doesn’t work on mobile devices you might need to get to a computer if you’re not seeing it on your smartphone.

Comments 95

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  1. Linda Dietz

    Did not find where to sign up for your newsletter. The side of the post I am looking at is black. I will try your homepage/blog.

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  2. Renee Blare

    Thanks for the wonderful post as well as the chance to sign up for your newsletter, Jim. 🙂 Lisa Wingate sounds like a terrific author. These books are definitely on my “To Read” list now.

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  3. Donna EHD

    I very much liked your four steps to freedom. I’m not sure I’d even thought of freedom in exactly this way, and certainly not using these steps. But they totally make sense — I’m going to have to work a little harder at a couple of them.

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  4. Helen Clouse

    Your four steps to freedom has been taught in our church’s Bible study group. We have them copied and are visible when we are busy in the office. Good reminders all the time.

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  5. CC

    Mr. James L. Rubart, thank you for the interview and info. I am not familiar with your works, but will look into them soon. 🙂 Ms. Wingate, I believe I have one of your books on my Kindle. I’ll have to try to read it soon… Thank you both. Blessings…

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  6. Necee L

    Your books look really interesting & I haven’t had a chance to read them yet. Now I’m feeling hooked in : ) Your 4 step devotion for the day is powerful…thank you for sharing! I have an 11 year old daughter that is an avid reader (reading at my level in speed & retention). Do you have books you recommend of yours for her level? She is bored with her age books & needs more depth. It is hard to keep up with my young reader & I am so thankful for the wonderful Christian authors that are out now! Thank you for all your hard work. I haven’t read Lisa’s books yet…yay…new authors : )

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      Jim

      Glad you liked my thoughts on Four Steps to Freedom, Neece!

      So hard to tell with regard to reading for your daughter. My son started reading my novels at age 14 and he was fine with them … so you might try adult novels and see what you think. So much depends on the maturity of the child!

  7. Glenda

    The Prayer Box is awesome, Loved it! I have truly enjoyed the books I have read of Lisa Wingates. Jim, Love your books too! You had me at Rooms and they just keep getting better.

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  8. Carol Smith

    I am already signed up and enjoying your newsletter. It is very informative and useable information. Thanks for writing it.

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  9. Becky

    I love the background of your website. It really speaks to the glory of God! Thanks for participating in the scavenger hunt. It’s a lot of fun!

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  10. Ingerlise Pietromartire

    James L. Rubart , thank you too for participating in the scavenger hunt! I loved the comments you made on Tricia Goyer’s website and am going to tell my husband about you. Your stories sound like some of the genre he loves. He is always pleased when he is able to find a new male Christian author 🙂

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  11. Ingerlise Pietromartire

    Thank you for participating in the Scavenger Hunt. You are a new author to me and your stories sound wonderful!

  12. Molly R. Moody

    I haven’t read any of your books yet so winning these would be very nice. I’ve tried reading The Prayer Box for haven’t been able to get into it all that much though I am determined to finish it.

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  13. Peggy Meadows

    Thanks for hosting Lisa. i have all her books and enjoy them so much. I have not read any of your books yet but look forward to it. This is my first Scavenger hunt and i’m glad i am participating this time, many of the authors are new to me but many i have read before and enjoy.

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  14. Julianna Rowe

    I too enjoyed the mini-devotional that you shared with us on the previous blog stop and am passing it on to my family members. Our pastor has been preaching on that..Thank you for sharing with us! I look forward to reading your books. Lisa Wingate is one good author. 🙂

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  15. Kat Connolly

    In the previous stop, you mentioned four steps to freedom – they are so true!

    I teach 6th Grade Sunday School and I always tell my students that as soon as you’re saved, it’s like you have a neon sign taped to your forehead blinking, “Saved! Saved!” The lion roars around looking for those neon lights.

    Then we talk about knowing the Bible well enough to fight that old devil off. LOL.

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  16. Caryl Kane

    Hello Jim! Thanks for being a part of the hunt! I can’t wait to read “Spirit Bridge”. I haven’t read any of Lisa’s book, so I plan to add her to my list of authors to read …. 😉

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  17. Anna Weaver Hurtt

    Hi Jim,

    I really enjoyed your mini-devotional at the previous blog stop. Great stuff. I have all three of your Well Spring series on my Kindle, I just haven’t had time to pick them up yet. Sounds like I might have to move them up to the top of my list. 🙂

    All the best,

    Anna

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