Welcome, Inspirational Author Gail Pallotta!

 

It is a real pleasure to welcome inspirational author Gail Pallotta to "Gina's World of Good" this week.Gail's accomplishments include being a finalist in the Grace Awards and finishing fourth in the Preditors and Editors Poll. Not only is Gail a wonderful friend and fantastic writer, but she is also a very special colleague who always encourages other writers to go after their dreams.Gail grew up in the beautiful foothills of the North Carolina mountains. Leave a comment to be eligible to win an ecopy of her newest book "Barely Above Water".

Welcome to my blog, Gail. What is your newest book about?

My latest novel is Barely Above Water. In it an illness strikes Suzie Morris, and her boyfriend dumps her. She has no living family, and her physician can’t diagnose the malady. Relying on her Christian faith, she turns to an alternative doctor in Destin, Florida, and takes the only job she can find—a swim team coach for a fun, and sometimes comical, rag-tag team. Her handsome boss renews her belief in love, but learns of her affliction and cuts romantic ties. Later he has regrets, but can he regain Suzie’s trust?

Where did you get your inspiration for this novel?

The heroine has Chronic Lyme Disease, and I do too. By way of the grapevine others learned of my malady. Talking with or emailing them motivated me to write a book about this mysterious, little-understood illness. However, I wanted the book to be fun to read, so I included a fictitious sweet romance and the kids’ swim team.

What kind of research did you do for this book?

Even though I have personal experience with the disease, I consulted my alternative doctor, David G. Lee, D.C., Ph.D., C.AD, and one of his associates Raphael d’Angelo, M.D.

Did you put real experiences from your research in this story?

Oh yes. The symptoms and treatments are real. Also, Dr. Lee and Dr. d’Angelo explain more about the malady in a non-fiction section in the back of the book. Pest experts predict a bad year for ticks and Lyme disease. Caught in time, the illness can be a non-event, but left untreated as mine was, it can be a disaster. The book contains valuable information for all who will be outdoors this summer.

What intrigues you most about writing these stories?

The way the characters and plots change and grow as I write. I usually have loose outlines, but as my characters become strong personalities, they don’t necessarily agree with what I have planned.

Tell us a bit about your other books.

Stopped Cold, a teen novel, read by adults as well as youngsters, is a 2013 Grace Award Finalist that finished fourth in the Preditors and Editors 16th Annual Readers’ Poll.

In the story Margaret McWhorter enjoys her Freshman year in high school—until that day. Her brother, Sean, suffers a stroke from taking a steroid. Margaret’s angry at Dad for pushing Sean to be a great quarterback, but hatred burns inside her to make the criminals pay. Margaret and her friends, Jimmy and Emily, explore a drug-filled, sub-culture to find them. While Margaret yearns to cure Sean and heal the hate, she sees Jimmy in a new light.

Mountain of Love and Danger is book five in the Fairwilde Reflections Series. A writing friend suggested five of us write a retold fairy tale, and I chose Jack and the Beanstalk.

Jack Greenthumb finds romance in Fairwilde Kingdom—a different day—a different girl. Then a cruel mystery begins. Dad’s beaten, the family farm destroyed and Jack’s true love, Gwenie, kidnapped. Jack must not only save the estate, but also scale a treacherous mountain, rescue Gwenie from the huge man holding her captive and bring her to safety.

Breaking Barriers is part of Prism Book Group’s Love Is...Series based on I Corinthians 13: 4 - 8. My portion is “It (love) is not easily angered.” When I heard of the series, I wanted to be part of it and feel honored and humbled that I am.

In the novella, Ann Jones forms True Light Guardians to keep her faith safe from the terrorists threatening it. She’s attacked and rescued by James Crawford. The love inside him seeps into her heart, cold from her father’s abuse. But she narrowly escapes more attempts on her life. Can they save the church and find true love?

Messages: Poems and Short Stories to Live By is a collection of poems and short stories written over a number of years.

The poems are straight-forward and inspirational. The three short stories are different genres. Getting the Goat is historical. It peeks into the early 1900's when mountain life was tough. In a sweet Southern story, Stitches in Love, Rose's deep love for her grandmother motivates others to share their gifts. Robert Horner is tempted in the paranormal tale, The Stranger, but does he succumb to the lure?

Which of all your characters is your favorite?

I like them all for different reasons. Suzie, from Barely Above Water, for her faith in the face of a mysterious illness; Margaret in Stopped Cold for her persistence and love of family; and Ann in Breaking Barriers because of her courage and devotion to her faith.

How did you get started in this genre?

I’d always wanted to write books. I read that romance was a popular category, and of course, why wouldn’t it be? It’s such an important part of our lives. I wrote a love story that didn’t succeed, but an editor with the publishing company gave me tips and guidance for the romance genre. Then I joined American Christian Fiction Writers and found a writing partner as well as a critique group. I also attended several writers’ conferences and workshops.

When you have time to read, who are some of your favorite authors?

James Scott Bell, Nancy Mehl and Loree Lough.

Let’s get personal for a moment: Please share with us the most daring thing you’ve ever done.

Probably leave a small town and move to a large city by myself with little money and no job.

Favorite meal?

That’s really hard. I love to eat. Let me think. I especially enjoy fried fish at the beach. That’s a double wow, because I get great food and a shore.

City you would love to visit and why?

I’d go to Honolulu, Hawaii, because I love tropical places. Thanks for having me!

To learn more about Gail Pallotta, visit her website at http://www.gailpallotta.com. You’ll find all her books at this site.

Blog - http://www.gailpallotta.blogspot.com

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/AuthorsandMore

Amazon Author’s Page - https://www.amazon.com/author/gailpallotta

Twitter - https://twitter.com/?lang=en

Gail, thank you so much for visiting “Gina’s World of Good”. I wish you many sales!!

Readers, be sure to leave a comment to be eligible to win a copy of Gail's newest ebook, "Barely Above Water".

And join us next week, July 17th-23rd, for more fun and fascinating books when the Cuffee sisters visit "Gina's World of Good". Sadie and Sophie will be giving away one of their books to a lucky reader who leaves a comment.