#TuesdayTreasure: Special Guest Post by Hope T Dougherty & a Book #Giveaway!

Good Morning!

Spring has sprung....well still a bit chilly in the mornings but warm, sunny and beautiful in the afternoons.

Mostly.

I'm definitely not a Winter person, so mild weather suits me just fine.

Today I'm pleased to bring back to our blog, Hope T Dougherty who visited with us one Saturday in February, with something she treasures....

Like a lot of people who post on this blog, I treasure my family: two daughters and twin sons who are interesting, fun, and smart, my husband who is excited and so supportive of my writing journey, and my extended family—especially my parents who just celebrated their 60^th wedding anniversary.

Instead of writing about them, however, I want to share about an important piece of furniture in our house.

Our wooden kitchen table is round and five feet wide. It seats the six in my family comfortably plus two visitors. The shape easily facilitates dinner conversation also.  I love when everyone is home from various universities and we’re passing bowls and teasing remarks, discussing current events, and sharing plans. It’s also a great place for Euchre, Monopoly, and Clue games. That table has heard a lot of smack talk over the years because we’re a competitive bunch.

The shape is important, but the interesting fact about the table is that the wood it’s made of spent its first 100 years as a tobacco barn, the crop that sustained generations of my family. When we moved to the farm and built our house, the dilapidated barn topped my husband’s hit list. A master furniture maker from a neighboring county had a better idea for the strong, interior beams. He fashioned a piece of art out of a piece of history with the old wood. 

My kitchen table is a treasure, for sure. I love it—what it meant to my family of long ago and what it means to my family now.

Hope Toler Dougherty holds a Master's degree in English and taught at East Carolina University as well as York Technical College. A member of ACFW, RWA and SinC, she writes for Almost an Author. Before writing novels, she published non-fiction articles on topics ranging from gardening with children to writing apprehension. She cheers for the Pittsburgh Steelers, ACC basketball, and Army West Point Football. Hope and her husband, Kevin, live in North Carolina and chat with their two daughters and twin sons through ooVoo. Irish Encounter is her first novel. Her second one, Mars...With Venus Rising, is published with Pelican Book.

Find out more about Hope by visiting her Website or connecting with her on Good Reads,Twitter, Facebook and/or Pinterest.

Now on to a sneak peek at Hope's latest release, Mars with Venus Rising!  

A meddling horse, paper bag floors and a flying saucer on the town square. The little town of Mars has it all—including a brand new resident who might spell heartache for one of its own.

Twenty-something Penn Davenport yearns for an exciting life in the big city and wants to shed the label of orphan that she's worn for years. To achieve that dream, she must pass the CPA exam then move away from the two aunts who reared her after her parents died in a plane crash.

When John Townsend—full of life and the joy of living—moves to town, he rattles Penn's view of herself, her life, and her dreams...which isn't such a bad thing until she falls for him…and discovers he's a pilot.

Excerpt: 

Penn considered the Tilt-a-Whirl. The cars spun and rocked and rolled up and down like a carousel. The spins looked fast sometimes. Other times the cars only rocked back and forth. Most of the riders howled with excitement, their heads tipped back and their mouths wide open. 

Laughing, not screaming.

Maybe she could ride it. She'd try at least for the handsome man chuckling at the spinning cars full of people having fun. The ride attendant gave them a car to themselves. Nice.

John took her hand to help her inside the car. Very nice.

He gave her a pep talk as other cars filled and the seat bar clicked into place. "You're going to love this."

The platform cracked and began its slow rotation over the rollers, creating an up and down motion. She stole a glance at John with a this-isn't-so-bad look.

He grinned.

Picking up speed, the ride pushed the car into a few partial spins. Feeling the centrifugal force pull her to the left then the right, Penn gripped the ar and planted herself in the middle of the seat, willing herself not to sling into him. 

A giggle tickled her throat. She bit her lip to stifle it. With the constant barrage of swinging back and forth and up and down, she gave up trying to corral her laughs. A steady stream of her chortles mingled with John's chuckles.

Suddenly, the car twirled with a quick whipping motion sending her right into the whole length of him. He didn't seem to mind. Instead, he grinned again, threw his arm around her shoulders, and pulled her tighter against him. "This way we can fight the force together."

Oh, yeah. She liked the Tilt-a-Whirl.

Mars with Venus Rising can be purchased at Amazon and/or directly from Pelican book Group.

Hope is giving away a copy to one lucky person so be sure and leave a comment!

I hope you enjoyed today's treasure! Check back each week for Thursday Thoughts, Saturday Spotlight and more Tuesday Treasures!

Until next time...take care and God Bless.

PamT