JoAnn Durgin and Free Books!

Join the adventure as guppy lips, frog legs and a gazebo lead Louisiana twins Josh and Rebekah Grant on a voyage of self-discovery as each find their own love for a lifetime!

Before we revisit with today's author, I want to announce that the winner of the signed copy of A Proper Companion, by Louise Gouge, is:

want_adventure_write@ . . .

Congratulations! I'll contact you today for your snail mail address, and we'll get your book to you right away. I encourage readers to keep commenting and/or subscribe at right (above my list of books) in order to participate in future book give-aways!

Now let's visit novelist JoAnn Dugin, author of Twin Hearts (Torn Veil Books, April 2012).

JoAnn Durgin works as a full-time estate administration paralegal in a large Louisville, KY, law firm and spends as much time in the evenings as she can writing contemporary romantic adventures. She’s “been around” in the nicest sense, having lived in TX, CA, PA and MA. In late 2005, JoAnn, her husband, Jim, and their three children live in her native southern Indiana.

JoAnn is a member of the American Christian Fiction Writers (national and IN chapters) and the Louisville Christian Writers.

Please tell us five random things we might not know about you.

--I sometimes go to the movie theater for the sole purpose of buying a big tub of buttered popcorn—I take it home and enjoy it for a few days.

--I sleep with at least five pillows plus a bedrest behind me. It’s a wonder I don’t wake up with a stiff neck.

--I’m related to a famous golfer who won the Master’s and the U.S. Open (now on the Senior PGA Tour). His daughter was the flower girl in our wedding.

--Awakening, the first book in The Lewis Legacy Series, is very loosely based on my love story with my husband, and I incorporate something of our lives (including relatives, friends and events) in all my books.

--I saw Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton together on the Broadway stage in Noel Coward’s Private Lives. Don’t remember much about the play, but I’ve never seen so many stars gathered under one roof, and I was close enough to the stage that I was spit on by Richard!

Please tell us a bit more about the plot of Twin Hearts.

Josh Grant is a man seeking redemption. He’s not looking for love, but finds it in a most unexpected and tender way. His twin sister, Rebekah, is torn between two very different men: a dashing, British aristocrat offering her the world, and the other a humble, faithful Louisiana lumber man.

When family tragedy strikes, the twins lean on Sam and Lexa Lewis and their fellow TeamWork Missions volunteers for encouragement. Together they learn lessons in faith and family and what's most important in life as they discover it’s time to stake their claim on love, which means a road trip from Louisiana to . . . the peace to be found in seeking and finding the sweetest desires of the heart.

What is it about your lead characters that will make your readers care about them? 

Josh is my reformed “bad boy,” and I needed for him to find his redemption. Rebekah is at a crossroads in life and seeking answers. She’s at that point we all reach in our lives: discovering who we are and the values we hold most dear. Twin Hearts is their parallel and intersecting love stories, one in Louisiana and the other primarily in Texas.

One of the spiritual takeaways from this book is to show how God’s people aren’t perfect and sometimes fall prey to the same temptations and sins as others. It doesn’t give us a “blank check” for bad behavior either. It’s how we ultimately deal with the consequences of our sin that makes all the difference and can impact others. The twins share a very close, loving, teasing relationship, and they are best friends. I love that aspect, as well as how my core characters in the series, Sam and Lexa Lewis, mentor the twins, both volunteers of their TeamWork crew.

Whom do you consider a fascinating fictional character?

One of my favorites is Atticus Finch. What a hero! Strong in character, he’s willing to stand up for his beliefs. He’s articulate and intelligent, moral, a wonderful father and an inspiring role model. Of course, it didn’t hurt that Gregory Peck played Atticus in the movie. Subconsciously, my admiration for Atticus might be one reason I’ve worked for attorneys most of my working life, and I’ve always enjoyed legal dramas and movies.

What is the last book you read that you would recommend?

I read a lot of contemporary romance because it’s my genre. I’m honored to know a number of authors and I like to support them in any way I can. Beth Vogt has released her first novel called Wish You Were Here. It’s a quirky, fun but layered romance with substance, and I highly recommend it. It’s a book both mothers and daughters of all ages can enjoy.

What are you working on now? 

Daydreams, my fourth book in The Lewis Legacy Series, releases late November/early December 2012. At the same time, I also have a fun novelette releasing as part of White Rose Publishing’s Holiday 2012 Extravaganza. Meet Me Under the Mistletoe is about a hunky but slightly wounded and grumpy firefighter, Jake Marston, who meets his match (corny, I know, but it works), pediatric nurse Julia Sinclair, in tiny Starlight, Iowa.

Where else can readers find you online?

They can contact me through my website at www.joanndurgin.com or I’m on Facebook.

The book is available at fine book stores and for online purchase via the following buttons:





Finally, what question would you like to ask my readers?

Torn Veil Books has asked me to edit an upcoming romance anthology for them (approximately 14 stories of around 5,000 words each). Here’s a two-part question: (a) As a reader, what theme or themes would you like to see in this anthology; and (b) Would you prefer contemporary or historical or a combination of these two genres?

Thanks for the opportunity to be featured on your wonderful blog, Trish! Blessings, all. Matthew 5:16

Thank you, JoAnn, for visiting with us and telling us about your novel. Readers, JoAnn has offered to give a signed copy of her book to the winner of our drawing on Thursday, June 28. To enter, leave a comment below in answer to JoAnn's question, above. "Please enter me" won't get you entered. Leave your email address, in case you win, like so: trish[at]trishperry[dot]com.

Be sure to check out my interview with Vickie McDonough, below. Leave an appropriate comment at the bottom of the post to enter the drawing for a copy of the book.

And I'd love it if you'd connect with me on Facebook. Just click on my name at the right of today's post.

Annoying legal disclaimer: drawings void where prohibited; open only to U.S. residents; the odds of winning depend upon the number of participants. See full disclaimer HERE.