Sunday, October 17, 2010

Candace Calvert interview and BOOK GIVEAWAY









Candace thanks for taking the time to visit us today! I appreciate you answering these few questions. It will be fun to get to know you better. Tell us a little about yourself.
It’s my pleasure to be your guest, Wanda, and to have a chance to connect with your readers. I’d love to have them “scrub in” with my Mercy Hospital team!

How long did you write before you were published?
Like most writers, I began early: all those girlish diaries and adolescent journals—which in my case contained actual history, from the JFK assassination to man’s first walk on the moon! My first published work was an inspirational essay in Chicken Soup for the Nurse’s Soul. After completing my first novel, I queried 100 agents . . . and received 99 rejections. (The fabulous) Natasha Kern signed me in late 2002 and sold my first humorous mystery in 2005. In 2008, I followed my heart to write for the Christian fiction market . . . and found a “home” with Tyndale House.

Tell us about “Code Triage,” the featured book.
My agent and I wrote this back cover copy together:
Dr. Leigh Stathos likes her ER shifts fast, furious and adrenaline-infused, “Treat ‘em and street ‘em” with no emotional complications. Life’s taught her a soul-rending lesson: nothing lasts forever, including marriage. The clock is ticking toward the end of hers. Then an unwelcome confrontation with “the other woman” begins a whole new set of lessons.


San Francisco police officer Nick Stathos never gives up, whether protecting his patrol neighborhood, holding fast to faith—or trying to save his marriage. Seven days is all he has to reach Leigh’s heart. But when a desperate act of violence slams Golden Gate Mercy Hospital into lockdown, it starts a chain of events that will change lives forever.


Is there any person who has been a strong influence in your writing journey?
I’d have to say it was my father, a charismatic storyteller who could keep me enthralled by tales that included everything from “magic glow worms” to talking leaves. His stubborn tenacity was a genetic gift that helped me through those 99 rejections!

What message do you want to be clear to your readers?
My tagline is “RX: Hope.” And that’s what my stories offer. I think it’s just what the doctor ordered in these challenging times.

What are some of your likes and dislikes? Your hobbies, interests? Where do you like to vacation?
I dislike so few things . . . except for selfishness, TV game shows, and Escargot—can’t get past the garden pest aspect of that fancy dish! People who follow me on Twitter and Facebook know that I love to cook and bird watch, and that I’m my husband’s biggest Karaoke fan. We are enthusiastic travelers and particularly like to cruise. I’ve been blessed to enjoy adventures that found me hiking Alaskan rainforests, swimming with stingrays, singing with a Newfoundland band, paddling the canals of Venice . . . and climbing aboard a camel at the Pyramids.

Tell us a little-known fact about yourself that readers may not know.
On an impulse, I went skydiving—dropping 13,000 feet from an airplane. And still ask myself, “What were you thinking?”


How do you spend your writing days? Do you set goals to reach a certain number of words per day? Can you give us a general idea of how long it takes you to write a novel?
I’m fairly compulsive and approach my writing goals with a concrete plan: chapters per week (and thus words per day) to complete a book at least a month before deadline. I wrote the books in the Mercy series 6 months apart, but think 9 months allows for a more life-friendly experience. After all, experiencing life is the best way to generate story ideas.


What are you currently reading?
I’m reading Leanna Ellis’ (quirky, delightful) women’s fiction novel, Facelift.


Do you grow flowers or vegetables? What are your favorite flowers?
I grow both, and agree with my agent Natasha Kern that “Angels live in the garden.” For fragrance, sweet peas are my favorite. For flamboyant color, I love Zinnias. We’ve recently moved to a home that has a rose garden, and it stirs wonderful memories of my mother.

What are you writing now?
The first book in my proposed Grace Hospital series, (working title) Trauma Plan.


How can readers find you on the Internet?
I welcome readers to visit me at my website www.candacecalvert.com , on Facebook at Candace Calvert Books, and on Twitter @CandaceCalvert.



And thanks for spending this time with us, Candace.
We wish you much success.
My delight, Wanda. Thank you for hosting me! I look forward to signing a copy of Code Triage for your drawing winner.



Former ER nurse Candace Calvert gives readers a chance to “scrub in” on the exciting world of emergency medicine. Her new Mercy Hospital Series for Tyndale House offers charismatic characters, pulse-pounding action, tender romance, humor, suspense--and an encouraging prescription for hope. Think “Grey’s Anatomy finds its soul.” A wife, mother, and proud grandmother, Candace makes her home in northern California.



To win a copy of the book Code Triage
Leave a comment with your name and email address. You will not be entered unless you leave a comment AND your email address.

For extra entries:
~Be or become a follower +1
~Be an email subscriber +1
~Read and leave a comment on any recent two reviews. +2

Make sure to tell me in one/your entry comment on this post which of the things you did to get extra entries. You can earn a total of 5 entries if you do all of the above entry options.
Entry Deadline November 1, 2010



50 comments:

kykitty said...

Thanks for the chance to win Candace's new book. She is an absolutely amazing author.



Renee
kykitty@att.net

kykitty said...

I subscribed to email


Renee
kykitty@att.net

kykitty said...

I became a follower.



Renee
kykitty@att.net

Carmen said...

I commented on Spoils of Eden and Don't Look Back via desertrose7351.
I follow by GFC.
I subscribe by email.
I love medical mysteries and would love Candace's book! Please enter me.
desertrose5173 at gmail dot com

Unknown said...

Thanks for the interview! That's so cool you have been skydiving, Candace! That must have been so exhilarating!

I have become a follower of you via GFC.

I have become an email subscriber

I have read and left comments on the reviews: "Don't Look Back" and "Code Triage". :)

Thanks so much for the opportunity to win this book!
Kim
lonebanana(at)msn(dot)com

April said...

'Code Triage' is definitely a book I would love to read! Thank you for the chance! I like hospital dramas!
April
apeygirl[at]gmail[dot]com

Unknown said...

I love that you chose to interview and give away Candace Calvert's newest book. I have her first two in the Mercy Hospital series. I won Critical Care through her blog. I first found Candace on twitter as a fellow nurse. I have enjoyed following her (especially when she tweets what she's cooking). :)

For the extra entries I became a follower, a subscriber and commented on blog entries for "Don't Look Back" and "The Vigilante's Bride".

My email address is teri.hospicenurse@gmail.com

CandaceCalvert said...

Thank you for hosting, me--delighted to be here. I'm excited about signing a copy of Code Triage for your winner. Good luck, everyone!

Blessings,
Candace

Wilma said...

I've read all 3 of Candace's books on my kindle, so I really would love to win the real thing to collect them.I loved them all. She takes you right into her stories & you really don't want it to stop.
The people are so real to you that you feel you know them personally by the end of the book. She's a great person besides being an awesome writer.
Can't wait till the next book comes out.
Wilma
wjmet@bellsouth.net

Unknown said...

You're such an inspiration...truly in your faith and that's what we need all the time! Thank you from the bottom of my heart :)

Susan Duncan

Medic61 said...

Hi there! My name is Sam, and my email is ontheclockblog@gmail.com. I've just become a follower and email subscriber.

I follow Candace on twitter, and she is such a lovely woman! I'd love to read this book!

Patsy said...

This book sounds great. Would love to win it. Thanks for giving it away.
plhouston(at)bellsouth(dot)net

Benita said...

Please count me in.

+1 Email subscriber.
+1 GFC Follower.

bgcchs(at)yahoo(dot)com

Stephanie said...

Love Candace's books! Critical Care is my favorite!
Stephanie
stefls@cox.net

Stephanie said...

I became a follower and an email subscriber
Stephanie
stefls@cox.net

Anonymous said...

what a great interview!
I am a email subscriber.(+1)
And i am a Follower.(+1)
I think it would be really fun to go skydiving!
The book sure sounds great!
Thanks for this giveaway!

Anonymous said...

I forgot to leave my email....(oops!)
dymesich(at)juno(dot)com

Renee G said...

Would love to read this.
Renee G
rsgrandinetti@yahoo(Dot)com

+1 new follower as Renee G on GFC.

Janet and Maya said...

I love Grey's Anatomy and I love Christian fiction, so this sounds perfect for me. Thanks for the opportunity!

janetandmaya at yahoo dot com

Janet and Maya said...

I'm a follower
janetandmaya at yahoo dot com

Janet and Maya said...

I subscribed by email
janetandmaya at yahoo dot com

Janet and Maya said...

I commented on Vigilante Bride and Cowboy for a Rainy Afternoon
janetandmaya at yahoo dot com
#1

Janet and Maya said...

I commented on Vigilante Bride and Cowboy for a Rainy Afternoon
janetandmaya at yahoo dot com
#2

Charlotte Kay said...

Loved the interview:)
It's always so good to know what an author is currently reading. That's a good question to ask!
I am a follower +1
I am an email subscriber +1
I read and left a comment on two reviews: Lynette Eason and Linda Lee Chaikin +2

chakasa58(at)gmail(dot)com

Anonymous said...

I love to read books with a medical theme and Candace Calvert is great writer.

+1 I am a GFC follower of this blog.
+1 I am an email subscriber of this blog
+2 I left comments on the reviews for The Spoils of Eden and Cowboy for a Rainey Day and The Spoils of Eden.

CarolNWong(at)aol(dot)com

Unknown said...

I've heard this is an EXCELLENT book and I'd love to read it! Thanks for the giveaway!
I am a follower +1
I am an email subsriber +1

Thanks again!

Kait
knownasjane(at)gmail(dot)com

MaureenT said...

You are brave...there is no way I would jump out of an airplane. Please enter me in this giveaway!

alekee02[at]yahoo[dot]com

MaureenT said...

I am a follower!
alekee02[at]yahoo[dot]com

MaureenT said...

I am a subscriber.

alekee02[at]yahoo[dot]com

MaureenT said...

I left a comment on Don't Look Back!

alekee02[at]yahoo[dot]com

Shonda said...

I would love to win this book. Carmen sent me! shondaet at gmail dot com

Shonda said...

I'm a follower. shondaet at gmail dot com

Cathy W said...

Thanks for a wonderful interview.
Be or become a follower +1
Be an email subscriber +1
cjwallace43 at gmail dot com

Unknown said...

Enjoyed the interview. Carmen sent me and I'm happy she did. I've been wanting to read this book for a long time and would love to be entered in this giveaway. I enjoy the medical genre and this is a great book to read. Thanks for this giveaway and the chance to win. I hope I do.

Blessings,
Barb Shelton
barbjan10 at tx dot rr dot com

Unknown said...

I am a GFC follower.

Barb Shelton
barbjan10 at tx dot rr dot com

Unknown said...

I am an email subscriber.

Barb Shelton
barbjan10 at tx dot rr dot com

Unknown said...

I commented on "Bringing up Bobby." Sounds like a funny and wild movie.

Barb Shelton
barbjan10 at tx dot rr dot com

Mozi Esme said...

We posted about this giveaway at Winning Readings: http://winningreadings.blogspot.com/2010/10/code-triage_20.html

Janemaritz at yahoo dot com

Linda Kish said...

Being a nurse for about 35 years, I love reading medically-related books.

lkish77123 at gmail dot com

grannyvon said...

Great interview and I would love to win this book. Thanks for the chance. ybutler@oppcatv.com

Giveaway Lady said...

Please enter me in this giveaway. Candace is giving away a copy on my blog but I wasn't able to read it. Would love to win this:) Thanks!

esterried[at]yahoo[dot]com

Giveaway Lady said...

I am an email subscriber +1
And a GFC Follower +1

esterried[at]yahoo[dot]com

Grace said...

I haven't read a book by Candace, but I most certainly would love to! Please enter me in this giveaway =)

+1 I'm a new follower
+1 I subscribed

*Thanks*
gracethorson at gmail dot com

Merry said...

I'm ready for Code Triage, my heart is beating in anticipation. Count me in!
worthy2bpraised[at]gmail[dot]com
I'm a follower.
I'm a subscriber.
I commented on the reviews for Code Triage and Don't Look Back.

karenk said...

would love to read your latest story candace...thanks for the opportunity :)

karenk
kmkuka at yahoo dot com

holdenj said...

What a great interview. Would love to win and read Candace's new book! Thanks!
JHolden955(at)gmail(dot)com

CandaceCalvert said...

I'm so enjoying your comments, and eager to see who will be "scrubbing in" for the adventure, romance, and soul-soothing hope in Code Triage. Blessings to you all!

Candace

Joanne Sher said...

This sounds great - Candace seems like such a genuine lady. Would love to win this one. I'm commenting, as you know, and I'm now a follower.

Debbie F said...

count me in! thanks
I'm a follower!
dcf_beth at verizon dot net

Norma said...

I enjoy reading medical fiction especially if the author has actually worked in the field. Count me in. I came over from Carmen's blog. nloewen(at)sasktel(dot)net