WELCOME, to the Catch Us if You CAN: Spring Scavenger Hunt! You have arrived at Stop #9, Jocelyn Green's blog! We hope you enjoy meeting Christian Author Network members as you chase down clues for the chance to win our grand prize: $200 in gift cards from CBD, Barnes & Noble, or Amazon, plus 29 free books, one from each participating CAN author! ·     2^nd & 3^rd Prizes: $50 Amazon, B&N, or CBD gift certificate! ·     Catch us on this hunt beginning at Noon on Friday, 03/21/14 and ending at Midnight on Thursday, 03/27/14. No need to hurry as you search for clues—you have almost an entire week! If you need help at any time during the hunt, CHECK IN HERE. ·     Enjoy 29 stops, each featuring a different CAN author! ·     Gather the clues from each post, beginning at STOP # 1 and ending at Stop #29. Follow the directions and fill out the Rafflecopter form. Be ready to provide the complete clue in sentence form, gathered from all 29 stops, within 2 days of email notification or another winner will be randomly drawn. There is no need to email/submit the clue, unless you are notified by 03/29/14. Sorry, due to international regulations and postage costs, prizes will be awarded to US Residents only. Individual contests within the hunt may vary, so please read rules presented with each giveaway. Enough of the fine print. Ready for the good stuff?

Welcome, Hunters! I'm pleased to introduce Janet Bly at this stop!

A self-described “city girl with a country heart,” she writes, speaks, and mentors other authors through the Jerry B. Jenkins’ Christian Writer’s Guild. She has also judged many writing contests, including for Writer’s Digest, American Christian Fiction Writers, and My Book Therapy (all three of which are my personal favorite resources for writers, by the way!). I was first introduced to Janet in magazine article, where she shares about finishing her late husband’s book on his behalf. Fascinating and inspiring. Visit Janet at her Web site, Facebook page, Twitter, and Pinterest!

Janet, thank you for being here! When did you learn you wanted to be a writer? After my husband, Stephen, graduated from seminary and was called as pastor to his first church, I wanted to search for my God-given task. That led me on a journey of trying all kinds of ministries within the church and activities out in the community, as well as taking classes and going to conferences. One of these was a writers’ conference at Mount Hermon in California. After several years I determined to pursue writing. I soon got articles, poems and fillers published. I describe this journey in more in my book, Managing Your Restless Search. One day, while transcribing my husband’s sermons for the congregation, I realized some of his stories and sermon themes could be edited for magazines. I asked his permission to send them out, along with mine. When he began to receive acceptances, he focused on writing articles and short stories.

You have written books, too. What are they? I have authored and co-authored with my husband Stephen 31 nonfiction and fiction books, plus been contributing author to five others. My book titles include The Hidden West Series, The Carson City Chronicles, Awakening Your Sense of Wonder, Hope Lives Here and The Heart of a Runaway. My three sons and I finished my late husband's last novel, Stuart Brannon's Final Shot, as a family project. Can a committee write fiction? We had the passion and a four-month deadline to find out. Read more about this story here.

I remember reading about this! What lesson has God taught you recently? When I lost my husband there seemed to be things left undone, unsaid, and unanswered. No complete and satisfying end to his story or our journey together. Threads left hanging stretched beyond my sight. I’ve since realized we are all in the middle of stories. It may take eternity to see the full plot, to get the right point of view for scenes that puzzle us here. I know I must trust God about mine. Most times I do, especially when I consider this verse: “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:8,9 NKJV).

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Those are such powerful verses, and a wonderful perspective for all of us. Tell us what you are working on now. I’m writing a new contemporary women's fiction novel and am more than halfway through. The working title is Wailing in the Wind. I also hope to get started on a nonfiction book later this year. Meanwhile, I've been able to re-release some of Stephen Bly's novels, including one of his most popular, The Austin-Stoner Files. Book #1 The Lost Manuscript of Martin Taylor Harrison will be one of the giveaways for this Scavenger Hunt. The winner will have a choice of hardback/large print or paperback.

What an intriguing title! Tell us a bit about this book. In The Lost Manuscript of Martin Taylor Harrison, New York editor Lynda Austin searches for a manuscript she hopes will rock the publishing world. And boost her career. An eccentric stranger brought a copy to her publishing house. He claimed it's the third novel of Martin Taylor Harrison, their most successful author.  But before they can decide whether to believe him or not, he is killed in an accident and the novel destroyed. Lynda heads West to find the original ... in a remote cabin somewhere in the canyons of the Arizona Strip.  And she finds a guide: a rodeo cowboy named Brady Stoner. Nothing in her urbane, sophisticated life has prepared her for the fear, danger, or primitive conditions of this trip. And nothing has prepared her for this simple bronc-buster.

Thank you so much for being with us today, Janet! Readers, sign up for Janet’s newsletter for the latest on new releases here.

THE SCAVENGER HUNT CAN-DOs:

Before you go, write down this STOP #9 clue: professionals You'll find a link to STOP #10 at the end of this post.

Bonus Give-away!

I am giving away an e-copy of one of my books, too--winner's choice! To see your options, check out these two pages for my nonfiction titles and fiction titles. (Pssst. If you missed my interview at Stop #8, Miralee Ferrell's site, see it here.)

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Did you find one you'd like? Use the Rafflecopter below to enter for your choice! This drawing is open internationally.   a Rafflecopter giveaway

Next Stop. . .

Now, proceed to stop #10: Janet Bly's site!