Character Spotlight ~ Sarah Loudin Thomas’ Perla with a giveaway

Miracle in a Dry SeasonMeet a gifted cook in

Sarah Loudin Thomas’

debut novel

Miracle in a Dry Land

Bethany House

********

The Story

In a Drought,
It’s the Darkest Cloud
 That Brings Hope

It’s 1954 and Perla Long’s arrival in the sleepy town of Wise, West Virginia, was supposed to go unnoticed. She just wants a quiet, safe place for her and her daughter, Sadie, where the mistakes of her past can stay hidden. But then drought comes to Wise, and Perla is pulled into the turmoil of a town desperately in need of a miracle. 

Casewell Phillips has resigned himself to life as a bachelor . . . until he meets Perla. She’s everything he’s sought in a woman, but he can’t get past the sense that she’s hiding something. As the drought worsens, Perla’s unique gift divides the town in two, bringing both gratitude and condemnation, and placing the pair in the middle of a storm of anger and forgiveness, fear and faith.

Introducing Perla

Brief physical description

Perla Long is 24 and petite with blonde hair and blue eyes.

Resembles…

Grace Kelly without any makeupgrace kelly 1

Strengths and weaknesses

Loves her child deeply, wants to give back and take care of people, excellent cook, struggles with forgiving herself and believing she has value because of a bad choice she made.

Quirk (if any)

Her quirk is the core of the story—when she cooks she can feed however many are hungry and always have a little left over.

Your inspiration for the character

A friend from church who looks a bit like Perla and has a husband who plays the mandolin (as does the hero of my story). Although Perla ultimately has little in common with my friend—once I had the seed she sprouted on her own!

Background to the story

Christ’s feeding of the 5,000. What if there were someone who could multiply food that way? And what if having that ability almost felt like a curse instead of a blessing?

Thanks Sarah

Relz Reviewz Extras
Visit Sarah’s website
Learn about Sarah’s free e-novella
Buy at Amazon: Miracle in a Dry Season (Appalachian Blessings Book #1) or Koorong

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32 Responses to Character Spotlight ~ Sarah Loudin Thomas’ Perla with a giveaway

  1. Many times the cover influences my decision or the recommendation of others.

  2. Most of the time it’s because of a review I read about the author and their debut novel.

  3. I look at the cover first especially if it is an author I have read good reviews of and sometimes I pick it up even if cover is not especially interesting and read the back cover.

  4. I generally go by the description and reviews. If it grabs my attention, appears well-written, and has decent reviews (if any), I’ll at least add it to my to-read list. The cover has some influence, but if the book looks really interesting I’m not going to avoid it simply because of the cover. If there are typos in the description or it’s otherwise poorly written, I am less likely to read the book.

    Also, just a note that I am a fan of the Facebook pages as my blog, poetree.

  5. I buy a book by a debut author when the storyline intrigues me! Good reviews also help convince. I like to read at least the first chapter or so, to get a feel for how the writing flows and if it’ll keep my attention. A great cover (like this one) will make me pick it off the shelf, but it’s what’s inside that convinces me to buy it.

  6. What makes you buy a book by a debut author?
    ~ Knowing that the publisher is one that I trust
    ~ The cover is appealing
    ~ The cover blurb sounds interesting

  7. Good reviews on blogs I regularly read help influence my reading of a book by a debut author. A great cover helps spark my interest too.

  8. A great review, an interesting storyline or location will draw me into a debut book.

  9. In this case, I liked the cover…then saw Debbie Macomber’s recommendation (a big plus)…then read the book description…all positive!

  10. Sometimes it’s the cover, but more often I’ve red reviews about it, or had it recommended to me.

  11. Usually the theme of the book will inspire me to pick up a new author. I have a few themes that I gravitate towards, so that would be my first inspiration. However, since I have been subscribing to some of these reviews, I have found many new authors, within my theme list, and outside of it that peak my interest.

  12. covers peak my interest…but the storyline is important to me, too!

  13. I read reviews when I am trying to decide whether to buy a book by a new author.

  14. Hello Relz. The title and cover will draw me in, but then I need to look at the writing on the back to see if I’m interested in the storyline. And the authors I have read and then liked. tried and true ( of course) But it helps to read some reviews. And there some Genres I just don’t care for. Would love to enter this drawing. Thanks! Maxie

  15. Hey Sarah! I take many things into consideration but most of the time the book makes my list anyways. 😉 Publisher isn’t too important to me, neither are bad reviews because there is always someone who will either be picky or just not like the book. The cover draws me to look at the book, the author does influence me, but what really makes the decision is the description. Draws me in every time, hope to get to read your book!

  16. the plot

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