Jill Elizabeth Nelson is in the spotlight! Win her new novel!

I just finished reading Evidence of Murder and have the chewed up nails to prove it. Jill's writing keeps you turning the pages and I have to say after the description of the first crime I was a little leery to go to sleep but then I am a little chicken. LOL. I don't read a lot of suspense novel but I have to say it is fun to switch up what you read now and then. I am glad I was able to read Evidence of Murder and if you like suspense I think this one is a great choice. Jill has agreed to send a free copy of her book to a reader so be sure to post a comment but be sure to read the instructions at the end of this post.

WBF: Jill please, tell us a little about yourself.

JN: By day, I'm a full time housing manager/administrative assistant at my local health care complex, but by night, I morph into a wild and crazy writer, itching to share with my readers the exciting things my characters are telling me. My tagline conveys the essence of what I write: Endless Adventure~Timeless Truth. The stories that fill my head and spill out onto the page are full of adventure seasoned with humor, romance, and faith.

The To Catch a Thief series--Reluctant Burgler, Reluctant Runaway, and Reluctant Smuggler--are in print and currently available. These are about a daring museum security expert and a dashing (can I use that old-fashioned word?) FBI agent on the trail of murderous art thieves. Loads of fun!

My February release, Evidence of Murder, is a romantic suspense with the Steeple Hill Love Inspired line, which will be followed by Witness to Murder in June. In October, I will have an untitled book in the Mystery and the Minister's Wife series coming out with Guideposts books. Yes, they do novels now!

My first and only husband and I have been married for over 27 years now and still going strong. We've raised four children, two boys and two girls, in rural Minnesota, and we're expecting our first grandchild in February. Exciting times!More information about me, my books, my appearance schedule, and my speaking topics, as well as opportunities to win books, can be found on my web site. http://www.jillelizabethnelson.com/

WBF: It sounds as if you are pretty busy. Thanks for taking timeout to visit with us.

Here is a blurb about Evidence of Murder by Jill Elizabeth NelsonThe photographs Samantha Reid uncovers in her new store are shocking. Horrifying. And dangerous. This new evidence could reopen a decade-old multiple homicide case that someone wants desperately to keep closed. And when the evidence comes out, a reluctant Samantha is drawn straight into the spotlight. All the attention is wrecking her business--and drawing the killer's eye straight to her. Then she meets Ryan Davidson, the last surviving member of the murdered family. In spite of herself, she's drawn in by his need to find the truth. Together, they work to unravel the mystery, while the killer works to keep the secrets buried--forever. Evidence of Murder should be available in any bookstore, on or off-line, and will also be stocked in Walmart stores.

WBF: Who is the most important influence in your life besides God?
JN: Probably my husband. He's my best friend. We do lots of things together and enjoy many of the same activities. He even loves to go with me to my speaking engagements and writers conferences. If you want to read what he thinks about being around those kinds of things, he wrote a post about it for my blog. Here's the link: http://www.jillelizabethnelson.com/blogarchives/2006_10_01_archive.shtml. He's got a gift for mentoring people one-on-one. Everybody who works very closely with him for any length of time gets to to hear the Gospel and see it in action. I could list people who've come to the Lord because of his casual, everyday witness. People on the job seek him out with prayer requests. How cool is that!?

WBF: Let’s pretend money is not a factor, if you could go anywhere is the world where would you go?
JN: A country in the Far East to share the gospel and help in practical ways. My husband and I went to Thailand with a missions crew in 2006, and we're discussing a trip to Cambodia. Did you know that three out of every five people in the world live in the Far East, and only one penny out of every missions dollar spent in the US goes to reach these people? The number of Christians there are only 2 or 3% of the vast population. Many have never heard that Jesus has opened the way to God for them. Money and workers are badly needed to get the message out! I made a slide show about our Thailand trip. Here's the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RWM4oveAnao.

WBF: What book are you reading now? What books are found lying around your home?
JN: I just finished reading an earlier book in the Mystery and the Minister's Wife series called Dog Days by Carol Cox. This was "homework" for writing the book for Guideposts. The series presents an interesting challenge in that different writers pen the consecutive books, but they are all about the same characters in the same community. Remember those writing exercises where each person would write a part of a story and then pass it on to the next person to add whatever comes next? Well, this is the practical application of that exercise, though in this case, each of us writes a complete story using the same criteria. Next, I plan to dive into Gallimore, the new romantic fantasy by Michelle Griep. I've been waiting for this one to come out, so grabbed one as soon as they became available. An unfortunate fact of my two full time jobs is that they leave me little time for pleasure reading, so it's a real treat when I can, and I'm very choosy about what it is.
WBF: I liked Gallimore. I read it as a pdf galley but it was wonderful.

WBF: If your book was being discussed at a book club what do you think the focus of the discussion would be on?
JN: I suspect there would be a lot of talk about the perennial question of why terrible things happen to apparently innocent people and where God is in the midst of tragedy. I don't pretend to present a pat answer to that question, merely the insistence that, despite anything that happens, God is good, and He loves us. A secondary topic would likely be fears that keep us from fulfilling our potential, and how we can overcome them through faith.


WBF: I always am trying to learn new ways to be organized in the office, what is your favorite organizational tool?
JN: Calendars! They're lifesavers so I don't forget what needs to be done when -- like answering interviews! LOL. I have a book-style calendar on which I keep track of all my engagements and times when this or that are due. I'm also a list-maker. It gives me a feeling of accomplishment when I can check something off. Eventually, any given list gets finished, and I throw it away and make a new one.

WBF: I love old black and white movies and the old musicals. What is your all time favorite movie?
JN: Like you, I love the old flicks. Ben Hur would have to be right up there. It's got everything--adventure, tragedy, heroism, love, the triumph of good over evil, and an incredibly powerful and unpreachy presentation of the Savior, Jesus Christ. I bought the DVD version right before Christmas, but I'm saving it to watch when the kids come to visit around Easter time. I'm not sure they've all seen it, and I want them to.


WBF: What do you enjoy doing when you are not slaving over the computer creating another wonderful novel?
JN: Any time one of my children comes home, and I can spend time with them, I'm a happy camper. And speaking of campers, that's what we all like to do together in the summer time. My husband and I have a venerable old motorhome in good condition (our idea of roughing it) that we take around to various state parks for relaxing outings. Otherwise, when it's just me and hubby, we like to watch movies together. Rarely, do we go to the theater, but that's usually because there are so few new releases we care to see. Probably the last one we went out to see was the most recent Narnia movie, Prince Caspian. That was excellent. We would have gone to see Fireproof, but the timing of when it came to our community didn't work for us.

WBF: What do you want your readers to take away from your novel?
JN: Hope. I could say that about any of my novels. I put my characters through horrendous trials that most of us, thankfully, never have to experience, but a consistent theme of my writing is that there is always hope in God. Where the world offers no hope or false hope, faith offers the ultimate hope. In many secular books, the theme is hopelessness or that life is pointless. I always want to say to the writer or reader, why write it or read it then? Hee-hee!
WBF: You do put them through some aweful experiences but your writing does leave the reader with hope at the end.

If you want to win copy of Evidence Of Murder please leave a way for me to contact you if you win. Disguise your email like this: writebyfaith[at]sbcglobal[dot]net. You have to answer the Daily question in order to be part of the drawing.

Daily Question: What book are you reading now?

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