Titles By Elaine Littau:

Nan's Heritage Series:


Book I, Nan's Journey

Book II, Elk's Resolve

Book III, Luke's Legacy

Book IV, The Eyes of a Stranger

Book V, Timothy's Home



From the next series - Rescued...A Series of Hope:



Book I, Some Happy Day

Book II, Capture the Wandering Heart

Book III, Walk Slowly Through the Dark



New Series- Nashville

Book I, Six Miles From Nashville

Book II, Christmas in Nashville (Coming soon)





go to http://elainelittau.com/ to order.







I have the first 3 chapters of "Some Happy Day" available to readers for free on my website, http://elainelittau.com/







Thursday, August 27, 2009

God is So Good!

I have to admit that I have been less than excited about Book IV on the Series. It seemed to have a dead end. Today the story line came alive to me. I am really excited about the development of this book. Keep on praying for me.
I am continuing with featuring Tate Publishing and Enterprise Authors. I have "met" most of them through facebook and the Tate Publishing fan page. In the following weeks you will have the opportunity so see the dedication and heart each person puts in their writing. This week I am interviewing Dee Dee Wike.

1. What is your name and the title of your book(s)? My name is Dee Dee Wike and my book is titled Good to the Last Drop: Refreshing Inspiration for Homeschool Moms & Other Busy Women (Tate Publishing, release date TBA -- currently in production)
2. What is one thing you think your readers would like to know about you? Gosh, that's a hard question. They might like to know how I came to write the book in the first place, but it's not important that they know about me -- I want them to know about God.
3. When did you know that you wanted to become a writer? Many years ago when, as a teen, I was hooked on Christian romance novels.
4. What are your strong points in your writing style or methods? I write clearly, concisely, and with a great command of the English language. My high school English instruction at St. Mary's Episcopal School helped hone my writing skills.
5. Are you a reader? Now that I am an adult and a homeschool teacher, I read every chance I get. The older I get, the more I appreciate knowledge and learning. I hardly ever read fiction.
6. What are you reading right now? Besides the Bible, The Money Answer Book by Dave Ramsey. The last book I completed was Scott Hamilton's The Great Eight: How to Be Happy (Even When You Have Every Reason to be Miserable).
7. Do you have another book that you are working on and hasn't been submitted for publication? Tell about it. It is an untitled book of devotions which I expect to have completed by this time next year. I am also working on a book for teens and pre-teens based on the mistakes I have made that I hope others can learn from and not repeat. This will be dedicated to my two children, with whom I have these conversations often.
8. What are your biggest obstacles to writing and how do you overcome them? Like most, finding the time to write is a great challenge. I have found that blogging has unleashed the creative juices that were waiting to be released for so long. When I write in small spurts, I can usually find time to write every day. I am eating the elephant one bite at a time.
9. Please put a description of each of your books here. (back matter is ok) In Good to the Last Drop, author Dee Dee Wike offers encouragement and insight to busy women as she shares her thoughts on the difficulties of finding peace amidst the chaos of everyday life, the adventure of stepping out in faith and obedience to God’s call, and the joy of a lifelong relationship with the Lord. Written from the heart, her reflections on relationships, homeschool, anxiety, and the relevant issues of modern-day living are seasoned with hope, humor, and truths from God’s Word. Good to the Last Dropwill encourage and inspire you to live confidently and joyfully as you pursue the dream God has placed in your heart.
10. How can readers contact you or purchase your books? Please put your website or blog here. www.deedeewike.com and www.deedeewike.blogspot.com.

Friday, August 21, 2009

Fun in the Summer

This weekend I am going to Leatherman Park at Perryton to sell books on Perryton's Celebration Day, Saturday, Aug 22 from 11-5 p.m.
It has been so hot this summer I hope all goes well. It is so fun to talk to people who come by my table. I like to talk with the children who timidly tell me that they love to write stories. Some of them tell me a bit of their story. There are some great writers growing up around here.
Since I was 52 when my first book was published, I think that the fact gives people my age hope that no matter what your age, God can use you. Never let go of your dreams.

I am continuing with featuring Tate Publishing and Enterprise Authors. I have "met" most of them through facebook and the Tate Publishing fan page. In the following weeks you will have the opportunity so see the dedication and heart each person puts in their writing. This week I am interviewing Karina Harris
1.What is your name and the title of your book(s)?
My name is Karina Harris. The title of my book is "Second Chance".

2. What is one thing you think your readers would like to know about you?
I believe my readers would be interested to know that I grew up overseas. My parents were Baptist missionaries, and I spent much of my childhood and teen years in India and Thailand.

3. When did you know that you wanted to become a writer?

As a teenager, I enjoyed writing poetry and short stories. I also wrote several short stories in college, but never did anything with them. After I married, started a career in education, and had children, the writing stopped for several years. This past year I moved to a new teaching position that gave me more free time. My children had reached the age where constant supervision was not necessary. And I felt the call of writing again. I began this book in January, and had an offer from Tate publishing in March.

4. What are your strong points in your writing style or methods?
I believe that characters are the key to a great story. So I spent quite a bit of time developing these characters before I ever started their story. I have been told that I have a gift in being able to describe things well, whether it be characters, scenery, or emotions in the book.

5. Are you a reader?
Yes!

6. What are you reading right now?

I just finished Julie Garwood's "Fire and Ice"; also an FBI romantic suspense.

7. Do you have another book that you are working on and hasn't been submitted for publication? Tell about it.

I have finished the second book in this saga and am working on the third. The second book is entitled "Third Time Around", and tells the story of Quinn and Emma. Quinn is the outgoing, photographer brother of Avalin (our heroine in "Second Chance"). He is put on assignment with Emma, who is professional to a fault. They don't exactly "hit it off" to begin with, but circumstances continue to put them together. A twist in the plot is that someone is after Emma, has threatened her...but nobody knows who or why.

8. What are your biggest obstacles to writing and how do you overcome them?

My biggest obstacle is that I don't know the end of the story when I begin it. That makes it wonderfully fun at times, because it unfolds much like a movie in my mind. There have been times, though, when I don't know where to go next with the story (like the "pause" button has been hit), and it is quite frustrating on those days!


9. Please put a description of each of your books here.
Second Chance:
Avalin Summers’s life changes forever when she is told her parents may not be dead.
In the romantic suspense novel Second Chance, Karina Harris weaves an intriguing tale of hope and uncertainty in the story of Avalin Summers, an art student who is fiercely loyal to her older brothers, Jaden and Quinn. When Jaden requests a family meeting at their childhood farm in Colorado, she doesn’t question him. But what she discovers is something she hasn’t dared to dream about for the past five years.
Agent Ian Martin has spent a year investigating the case of part-time FBI operatives John and Rosemary Summers and the suspicious conclusion to their last mission. Recent intelligence hints they may not have died in the European plane crash, but he needs the help of the Summers’s grown children, Jaden, Quinn, and twenty-one-year-old Avalin, to find out. At the family meeting, Ian presents evidence that suggests their parents may have escaped capture and fled to Portugal.
The siblings’ lives are turned upside down when they learn their parents were working as undercover agents. Hoping they are alive, Quinn and Avalin eagerly join Ian in his search. When they land in Lisbon, they are bombarded with even more uncertainties. Thrown together by circumstances fraught with danger, betrayal, and heartache, Ian and Avalin uncover something special in each other. As events unfold, Ian and Avalin begin to question their beliefs in their government, their families, and even God as they look for someone they can trust. Will they find love on their journey together? Will they discover the truth about the Summers’s parents before it’s too late? Find out in Second Chance.


Third Time Around

Harris brings us back to the Summers family in this gripping tale of suspense and romance. Quinn Summers has been assigned to Peru, as the photographer for a National Geographic expose on a Native Indian tribe. Expecting a short, two day stint, he encounters instead a situation which changes his life.




Emma McDonnell is a career driven journalist who has just received her big break. She has been given her first lead assignment for National Geographic, and she is determined to make it perfect. She's not about to let the overly confident, incredibly handsome replacement photographer, Quinn Summers get in her way.





Events conspire to bring them together, both professionally and personally. Quinn becomes determined to discover the cause of the fear he sees behind her eyes. Emma begins to wonder if perhaps Quinn is someone she should trust.



Just as their relationship begins to strengthen, trouble explodes as someone from Emma's past returns to haunt her. Who is it? What does he want? Will Quinn and Emma be able to discover the identity of the would-be kidnapper before its too late?


10. How can readers contact you or purchase your books? Please put your website or blog here.
My blog is: karinabharris.blogspot.com




My website is: www.karinabharris.vpweb.com


Once the release date is set, people will be able to order a book through this website via PayPal. They will receive a signed copy.

Monday, August 17, 2009

What's He Really Thinking? How to be a Relational Genius With the Man in Your Life by Paula Rinehart

I have read a boatload of books on marriage and how to understand your man. "What's He Really Thinking?" published by Thomas Nelson ranks among the best of what I have read.
There is a lot of wisdom within the pages that I had not heard put in the way that Paula Rinehart voiced it. The principles are not only for marriage but for relationships with all the men in your life whether it be husband, son, brother, father, or boss.
One of the most profound statements in the book to me was to treat the relationship as if it were a very small fragile child that you must protect. Going at one another with cutting phrases and harshness should be withheld for the health of the relationship. Anger happens but reactions must be tempered.
"Treasure the moments" was also a phrase that arrested me. It seems that we seem to work toward the big events of our lives but the bulk of life is the small moments of each day. Those are the things we miss most after the person is gone.
The last pages are questions for discussion. These questions are unlike any that I have ever thought to ask my husband. They are a window into a man's mind and how he thinks. They are questions that are even profitable to ask yourself. I recommend this book.
Elaine Littauauthor of Nan's Journey & Elk's Resolve

Thursday, August 13, 2009

Mess Ups

Those of you who get my weekly newsletter will notice that I messed up. (Stop laughing. I know that you know I mess up.) Anyway, as I schedule each author interview I just copy and paste it on the old newsletter and on Wednesday night or Thursday morning I update my thoughts and my part of the newsletter. This week my computer refused to sign in Wednesday night or Thursday morning so I have made a mess. The truth is, the interesting part is intact. That is the part that features author, Donna Vinke. Her part is lovely. I appreciate Donna for taking time to answer my questions. Be sure to get her book after you read this interview.

1. What is your name and the title of your book(s)?My name is Donna Vinke and I wrote Heaven at Seven.

2. What is one thing you think your readers would like to know about you?I'm not sure about this question but maybe that Lynne and Johnny are my children and I know for sure that I will see them again.

3. When did you know that you wanted to become a writer? about 3 o'clock in the morning on Christmas eve 1996

4. What are your strong points in your writing style or methods?I'm so new at this I'm not sure what my writing style is. I just write what I believe God is putting in my heart and mind.

5. Are you a reader?yes

6. What are you reading right now?Windows of the Soul by Ken Gire

7. Do you have another book that you are working on and hasn't been submitted for publication? Tell about it. no

8. What are your biggest obstacles to writing and how do you overcome them? Time. I'm learning to make the time to put my thoughts on paper.

9. Please put a description of each of your books here.
Heaven at Seven See the eternal city from a child's eyesby Donna Eden Vinke "When Lynne took a train ride that took her over Pike's Peak, she was sure she had found heaven. A brilliant spectrum of colors could be seen in the sky as she rode past the clouds over the mountain. She was filled with the peace she knew only heaven could bring. But as she found out, heaven was even greater than her dreams. In this beautiful, lovingly written novel, a young girl enters heaven and is given a special task: she is to record her spectacular journey in a journal that will be given to the people of earth. The beauty and wonder of heaven fascinate her, and she is overjoyed to worship her Heavenly Father in his throne room, a magnificent, breathtaking place. Her thoughts come alive for the reader as she shares her story. Join Lynne as she experiences Heaven at Seven."

Wednesday, August 5, 2009

Funny Things Always Seem to Happen to Us

This morning I went into the post office in my small town to pick up a package that was too large for our mailbox. Paula waited on me and grinned. "Tangle with any bears this week?" She said.
"Nope, not this week." I said. She came back with the small package and it looked terrible. It was caved in and we decided that it looked like it had been dropped from a plane.

Of course that made me think of a story. When Terry was cubmaster of our cubscout troup, the kids were supposed to pack a raw egg into some kind of package so that when it was dropped from an airplane it would not break.

The trouble was that the airplane arrangements fell through. No pilot. No plane. Dissappointed cubscouts. Terry and the den mothers' husbands climbed upon the camp building at our nearby lake and hurled the packages to the ground with all their might. The trouble was, too many of the raw eggs failed to break. We only had three or so prizes. I don't remember if our kid's eggs broke or not.

Paula grinned and said, "Everything happens to ya'll!"
I guess she could be right.

I am continuing with featuring Tate Publishing and Enterprise Authors. I have "met" most of them through facebook and the Tate Publishing fan page. In the following weeks you will have the opportunity so see the dedication and heart each person puts in their writing. This week I am interviewing Laura Wintczak Eckroat.

1. What is your name and the title of your book(s)?
Hi -- My name is Laura Wintczak Eckroat and the name of my book is The Life of Bud

2. What is one thing you think your readers would like to know about you?
I am a Kindergarten Teacher.

3. When did you know that you wanted to become a writer?
I have always loved to write ... I was just scared to let people read what I wrote!

4. What are your strong points in your writing style or methods?
I write from my heart and I want readers of my books to feel what I am feeing as they read

5. Are you a reader?
Yes ... I love to read ...

6. What are you reading right now?
I just finished Merle's Door and Animals In Translation. I am now reading The Effects of Light

7. Do you have another book that you are working on and hasn't been submitted for publication?Tell about it.
I have a few books that I am working on ... but my second book is in publication now ... it is called A Simpler Time ... it is about a mother and daughter sharing special times together without technology!

8. What are your biggest obstacles to writing and how do you overcome them?
I think my biggest obstacle is just sitting down and finding quiet time to write .... I need an office to write -- maybe someday!

9. Please put a description of each of your books here.
The Life of Bud -- This is the story of life and how important we all are and how hard it is to let go in the end. The story follows Bud, who starts out in life as a tiny bud -- he feels insignificant. But Bud grows into a beautiful, vibrant leaf on the Mighty Oak Tree and becomes a very important part of the tree.
My book can be used to gently talk about life and death to a child, it can be used as a comfort to any adult who has lost a loved one, and it is being used in many classrooms to teach the seasons and the life cycle.


10. How can readers contact you or purchase your books? Please put your website or blog here.
Readers can contact me at thelifeofbud@aol.com . I am still tweeking my website -- lauraeckroat.tatepublishing.net ,
My book is available at tatepublishing.com, or amazon.com, or barnesandnoble.com. Tate Publishing has also turned my book into a coloring book which is very neat! If anyone is interested in a coloring book, they can contact me at thelifeofbud@aol.com -- the cost of the coloring books is $5.00 and they are available directly through me.