Friday Fun - Meet author Lisa Mondello!

Please help me welcome the talented LISA MONDELLO to the blog today:) 

You can find our more about Lisa at http://www.lisamondello.blogspot.com/

But come on back, grab a cup of coffee and visit with us!

Thanks for being here today, Lisa:)

Hello everyone!  I want to thank Jennifer for having me on her blog today!  And as a thank you for visiting I will be giving away an e-copy of HIS HEART FOR THE TRUSTING to one commenter.  So don’t be shy.  Leave a comment for a chance to win!

Today I want to take a moment to talk about research.  It doesn’t matter what genre or sub-genre an author writes, research will be involved.  How you get the details for a book is as individual as each author!

I know of an author who took up fencing in order to get into the head of one of her characters for one of her historical books.  Another author needed to learn about barrel racing and thought the best way to do it would be to actually take lessons in barrel racing to get the full feel of how to do it.  As for myself, I have the benefit of being married to a police officer.  So any story I write that features a cop I start with my husband.  But I have heard of authors going through the police academy to learn about the ins and outs of the law and what police officers do.

We live in an age where information is right at our fingertips.  You don’t even have to be writing a novel to learn something new on the Internet.  Youtube is my best friend these days.  If I want to learn something new, Youtube is the first place I go.  For my book HIS HEART FOR THE TRUSTING, I needed to know about Native American customs at Powwows.  The Jiggled Dance was a specific type of dance that was important to my story.  Although I’d written HIS HEART FOR THE TRUSTING over 10 years ago when Youtube was not available, Youtube gave me a way to check my research when I went to release the eBook.  It brought what I’d researched and written to life! 

HIS HEART FOR THE TRUSTING is book 2 in my Texas Hearts series.  Her Heart for the Asking is book 1 and is available for just 99 cents for Kindle, Nook, Kobo and Smashwords.

Check out the excerpt for HIS HEART FOR THE TRUSTING below and leave a comment for a chance to win!

My best,

Lisa Mondello

Blurb for His Heart for the Trusting

Ever since Mitch Broader set foot in Texas, he dreamed of owning his own ranch. Now that he’s bought a share in the Double T Ranch, he’s one step closer to the dream. Then his past greets him in the form of a baby basket, complete with infant and birth certificate naming him as the father. He can’t change diapers and work toward his dream at the same time.

When Sara Lightfoot, “Miss Hollywood” in Mitch’s eyes, rescues him with her particular knack for handling his precocious son, he hires her on the spot as a temporary nanny. No matter how much Sara’s dark eyes and warm heart make this bachelor think of making their arrangement permanent, she’s made it perfectly clear she has other plans that don’t include him or his dreams.

Sara Lightfoot never thought she’d return to her home on the reservation. Now she plans to reclaim the life she left by going back to the reservation as a Native American storyteller, teaching the Apache children stories of their culture. She didn’t expect Mitch Broader’s sexy smile or job offer as a live-in nanny to derail those plans. After all she’s been through to come home, can she open up her heart once again to love?

EXCERPT:

Still dancing in circles, Midnight eyed Mitch, seemingly aware of his every move.  Mitch turned his back to the mare and played with the bridle, as if ignoring the horse.  Finally, Midnight stopped running and with cautious steps, she moved forward, stopping every so often and taking a side step, bobbing her head or giving a neigh, as if calling Mitch to pay attention.  Eventually, she stepped up alongside him and gave him a quick nudge with her nose.  Then another until she was settled alongside Mitch.

Ever so softly, Mitch stroked her head and neck and front legs with long, easy strokes.  He smiled his pleasure and crooned softly.

Without even realizing how he'd done it, the bit was in Midnight's mouth and the bridle was around the mare’s head.  Mitch let the reins fall and allowed Midnight to get use to the bit.

Such trust.

“That's amazing,” Sara said quietly.     

“Not really,” Mitch said, glancing up at her as he kept his attention on the mare. 

She turned to him.  Mitch was looking at her, his eyes filled with the same questions she’d seen in the kitchen.  

Then he said, “She still could bolt at any time.”

Sara gripped the splintered rail.  “But she hasn't.  She came to you when she could have easily just kept running in circles.”

“Trust isn't an easy thing for her.  She still doesn't know what to think.”

“She let you put the bridle on her.  You didn't have to chase her.  She came to you.”

“I have to win her trust.  And when I have it, I can't abuse it or she'll never give it up again.”

Mitch carefully took the bridle off Midnight and took a few steps away.  Midnight followed like a stray dog.   

“Does she trust you now?  Enough to ride her?”

Mitch shook his head.  “We still need a little time together before she'll allow me put a saddle on her.  Right now, she's letting me know her boundaries.”

“She let you put a bridle on her as if she didn't even know you were doing it.”

His face was bright with a smile.  “Oh, she knew.  But she's still making up her mind.  She wants to trust me.  I can tell.  And maybe one day she will.”

“Mitch?”

He looked up at her again from across the corral.  He was incredibly handsome.  His dark hair was the color of mica in the fading light, and his eyes had turned from blue to a smoky gray.  He stood tall, his weight shifted to one hip as he held the reins of the bridle.

Such strength.

Sara remembered all too well how it had felt earlier to be in Mitch's arms.  Her heart still raced with the memory.

“What if she's never ready to trust you?”

Mitch's expression grew serious, pulling her into his gaze.  He took a few steps closer, his boots kicking up dust from the ground as he walked.  He stopped a good ten feet from where she was standing and said, “I can wait as long as it takes, Sara.”

Available at

AMAZON http://amzn.com/B007AWZGSM

Barnes and Noble http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/his-heart-for-the-trusting-lisa-mondello/1005039937?ean=2940013956841&itm=12&usri=lisa+mondello

SMASHWORDS for Kindle in Mobi and Nook in ePub http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/134008