First off, the winner of my autumn candle giveaway is Kali Edwards. Congratulations, Kali! I will contact you via email to arrange to mail your candle. Thanks for leaving a comment!

And now, for my guest author, Shaunna Gonzales, Author of Dark Days of Promise.

Shaunna, thanks for being here today.

First of all, your cover is very provocative. Tell us about your book.

While Vicki’s children grapple with the death of their father — a man whom she’s successfully fabricated as loving, a lie her rebellious teenager recognizes — she must find a way to support her family and find a role model for her boys. She never intends to fall for Staff Sergeant Chase, her best friend’s son, who suffers from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). She’d much rather choose a safer man to love, but her children have a voice in the decision she makes. With two deaths to deal with, a suitor after her money, a rebellious son, and Sergeant Chase’s repeated attacks, she can only hope to survive the danger she faces. If she doesn’t, her children will be left without either parent.

What made you decide to become a writer?

After reading most of J.K.Rowlings Harry Potter series I craved more great reads and went to the local library. After spending months wading through awful fiction, one touting its prize winning status, I threw it across the room. (In my weakened condition it only made it to the bed for a soft landing.)

“I could write better than this!” I grumbled. My hubby, ever understanding of my turbulent moods answered with a calm, “Then why don’t you?” It wasn’t long before I set out to do just that!

Who inspires you?

I’d rather answer “Who and What.” Many things. This novel, Dark Days of Promise, was initially inspired by Christmas and the young women I was working with at the time. It mutated as the season passed to what it is today after my being inspired by a few friends, veterans, some dealing with PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.)

What would you like your readers to get out of your writing?

It is my hope that readers will become more aware of PTSD. It effects more than the veterans and their families, those who love them. It isn’t unusual for me to be talking with someone and get this “Oh, they are dealing with Post Traumatic Stress” this way or that way. The “Disorder” part, as far as I have learned, comes from intense stress, such as battle and other potentially fatal situations. Some deal with PTSD with faith and prayers on the one hand while others use counseling and sometimes drugs to manage the disorder. But for me, my PTSD is rather low key and manageable.

Where did you get the idea for Dark Days of Promise?

Would you believe me if I said the Lord? I had this love story so smooth that it bored me, the writer to tears, literally. I knew I had to “speed” it up, give it something to make it fly but didn’t know what. I prayed and pulled my chair up to the computer. My fingers flew with very few mistakes, something that is unusual for me. That scene is in the book with very few changes — only a few grammatical corrections. I’ll give you a hint: Victoria goes flying!

Who is your favorite character?

SS Kelly Chase. I fell in love with him and still don’t know him! He’s quite the man of mystery.

Any advice for aspiring authors? Write what you know and love. Write for yourself, not your imagined perfectly matched editor or publisher. Should you one day find them, they will, if they know their stuff and we all hope they do, bruise you and your precious fledgling novel. (Smile – those bruises heal and make you both better.)

What can we expect next from you?

My current project is a Time-travel Romance. Trish Larsen, having failed the bar exam yet again just before her thirtieth birthday, takes Grammy at her word and uses the antique talisman for more than a pretty babble, though surviving in 1885 might prove more difficult for a modern woman than Trish imagined.

Thank you for joining me, Shaunna! Dark Days of Promise is available on Amazon and other retail stores. You can find more about Shaunna Gonzales on her blog http://shaunnagonzales.com