Today’s guest is Peggy Blann Phifer, a retired executive assistant, who is plunging into writing now that she has the time. Her debut novel, To See the Sun, was released in 2012. Then came a novella, Somehow, Christmas Will Come, came out in 2014. at the request of the publisher, she has revamped the story and extended it to a novel which should be released about now. Peggy will select one person who leaves a comment to receive a free copy of the digital version of Somehow, Christmas Will Come. Here’s how the book started.

Dateline: Las Vegas, Nevada, 2005

Las Vegas turned one-hundred years old this year. A huge Centennial celebration was underway. I became fascinated with this history of this city I adopted as my new hometown and wanted to learn more.

I bought up every book published during this time, and as I read and absorbed everything, a germ of an idea sprouted: Why not write a novel about the development of Las Vegas?

Thus began Molly Dugan’s journey. Where I came up with her name, I have no idea. It just seemed a perfect name for a character in 1905. I placed her in St. Paul, Minnesota, because I wanted her to be a northern city gal arriving to this raw railroad town on the behest of her brother, her only living relative, who lived there and had struck gold.

So, Molly takes the long train ride across the country, only to find her brother had died from a rattlesnake bite the day before she arrives. She learns that her brother has an ex-partner who thinks he has a right to her brother’s gold. Perfect setup for a Historical Romantic Suspense.

That same year, I was invited to submit a short fiction piece–1,000 words– for the Christian Fiction Online Magazine (CFOM) called “Dugan’s Deed,” based on the rough draft I’d been working on. It was published, and I thought I was well on the way to writing a full novel.

I had about 36,000 words written when life happened, and the forward momentum stalled.

Fast-forward to October 2012, when my husband passed away suddenly. All thoughts of writing died with him. With nothing left to keep me there, I pulled up roots and returned to northern Wisconsin to be near my adult children and their families…after thirty-three years in the desert southwest.

I played around with writing until, in the first part of 2014, my long-time online friend, multi-published and award-winning author, Kathi Macias, then acquisitions editor for Elk Lake Publishing, asked if I’d like to write a Christmas story for her publisher and I jumped on it. I picked up my ‘Molly’ story. But no matter how hard I tried, I could not manage to make that story work, and decided historical fiction was not my forte.

But I hung on to Molly and reset the story to present-day Las Vegas. That novel was released in November 2014. This year, the new editor for the same publishing house approached me asking if I’d be interested in redesigning and re-releasing that book for this year’s Christmas offering.

And that’s the story of Molly Dugan’s Journey.

• Book Title: Somehow, Christmas Will Come
• Publisher: Elk Lake Publishing
• Release Date: November 2015 (date pending)
• Genre: Women’s Fiction

Back Cover Blurb:

When Molly Dugan’s best friend gets married and leaves St. Paul, Minnesota, to live in Georgia, Molly feels alone and plans a visit to her brother, Patrick, in Las Vegas. Molly had been worried about him ever since his wife died in a tragic boating accident. Grieving she could understand, but she sensed something deeper going on. And she was concerned about Patrick’s six-year-old daughter, Bethany.  So she sets aside her life in St. Paul to spend an indeterminate time in Vegas. When Molly gets there, she finds more than she bargained on. And in the lead-up to Christmas, the situation only gets worse…. 6 year-old Bethany loses her last anchor. How does Molly convince her that somehow, Christmas will come?

Remember, one person who blogs will be selected at random to receive a digital copy of this book when available.  So, leave a brief comment and get a chance to win!

• BLOG/WEBSITE: www.whispersinpurple.com
• AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE: https://authorcentral.amazon.com/gp/profile
• E-MAIL: peg@peggyblannphifer.com