Bio: South Carolina author, Louise M.Gouge, writes contemporary and historical romance fiction, winning theprestigious IRCA in 2006 and placing as a finalist in 2011, 2015, 2016, and2017. She was also a finalist in the American Christian Fiction Writers CarolAwards in 2005, 2007, and 2008, and placed in the Laurel Wreath contest in2012. Most recently, she was a finalist in the 2023 Selah Awards and is acurrent finalist for the 2024 Selah Awards. A former college English and humanitiesprofessor, Louise is a member of the Christian PEN and has been copyediting forwell-known authors for fifteen years. Married for fifty-four happy years to her husband, David, Louiseis now widowed and spends her days researching and writing her next novel.

Welcomeback to my bog, Louise. Since you’re beingpublished regularly, what new avenues will your future books take? Afterpublishing about thirty historical Christian romances with various publishers,I am now moving into contemporary Christian romance. My current release, SafeHaven Ranch, is contemporary.

Whatconferences will you be attending this year? Will you be a speaker at any ofthem? Although I loved to attend conferences in the past, I’m not able totravel anymore. I would be delighted if a conference were held within drivingdistance of my new home in Columbia, South Carolina.

Iunderstand that. I’m not traveling anymore either. If you were in charge ofplanning the panel discussion at a writing conference, what topic would thepanel cover, and who would you ask to be on the panel, and why? Because Ihave a copyediting business in addition to my writing, I would plan a paneldiscussion about the importance of writers honing their grammar, punctuation,and usage skills. I would invite Kathy Ide and Jeanne Marie Leach to be on thepanel. Kathy began the Christian PEN, of which I am a member, and she haswritten numerous books to help authors write well. Jeanne Marie wrote Christianromance novels before discovering her special gift for editing, which she nowdoes full time. Both of these women have a lot to offer both new andexperienced authors.

Howimportant is it to you to be active in writing organizations? I love beinga part of ACFW. In fact, I think my membership number is something like 90 or190, so I’ve been around since close to the beginning. I am published becauseof connections I made through ACFW. I’m also a member of FHLCW, and the samegoes for this group. I love the online fellowship in both groups and continueto learn from my fellow authors.

MyACFW membership number is 45. Where in the community or your church do youvolunteer? Physical limitations prevent me from volunteering other thanonline prayer ministries.

I’ma part of the prayer ministry at my church, too. Who are the five people whohave made the most impact on your life, and how? My maternal grandmotheroften quoted scripture to me and helped ground my faith when I was quite small.My late husband was a constant source of encouragement to me in my writing, andI miss his input in my stories. My oldest daughter became a widow shortly afterher second child was born, and her courage and resilience have been an exampleto me. My mother was a wonderful mom to her four children, and I tried to modelmy own mothering after hers. My father’s patriotism and courage in fighting inboth world wars makes me proud to be an American.

Ibecame a widow last October after 59 years with my husband. If you could writethe inscription on your tombstone, what would it be? Jesus paid it all. Allto Him I owe.

Pleasetell us about the featured book. As mentioned before, SafeHaven Ranch is my first contemporary for Love Inspired. A special noteabout this book is that it’s a sequel to my historical series, Finding HerFrontier Family and Finding Her Frontier Home. It was so much fun towrite about later generations of the fictional Mattson family of ranchers inNew Mexico.

Here’s theback cover copy:

Can twolittle children help turn a feud into a family? It should be easy forwidow Olivia Ortiz to despise Will Mattson, the man keeping her from buying theranchland she needs for herself and her daughter, Emily. But when Emily becomesinstant friends with Will’s nephew, Jemmy, Olivia and Will find themselvesgrowing closer as well. And as Olivia’s feelings for the handsome cowboy shift,competing for the property could be the start of something more…

Pleaseshare the first page with us.

Outside Riverton, New Mexico

“You what?”

Olivia Ortiz stared ather elderly neighbor, barely sparing a glance at his too-handsome companion. “But,Albert, you promised to sell your land to me.” She was standing in her owndriveway, hands fisted at her waist in a defensive posture.

“I know, I know.”Albert Winslow shrugged his bony shoulders and gave her an apologetic smile. “Butwait ’til you hear what he has planned, and I think you’ll like it. Will, howabout you tell Miss Olivia what you have planned.” As usual, the almostninety-year-old gentleman repeated himself. He looked up at his much tallercompanion. “I think she’ll like it.”

“Um…” The younger man,who fit the very definition of a tall, dark and handsome cowboy—with curlyblack hair thrown in for good measure—grinned, and his blue eyes sparkled inthe sunlight, causing a silly hiccup in Olivia’s chest. “Don’t you think youshould introduce us first?”

“Oh.” Albert blinkedand looked from him to Olivia and back again. “Sure thing. Miss Olivia, this isWill Mattson. Known this boy all his life. He’s the grandson of my old friendAndy Mattson, Lord rest his soul. Will, this is Olivia Ortiz. She and herfather own this property.” He waved a hand around to include the fifteen acresthat comprised her land, just over a quarter the size of his own fifty acres.Centered by matching pink adobe houses, the two properties were separated by afour-foot fieldstone fence, with a single flimsy, never-locked, much-used gatebetween them.

Will reached out ahand. “Pleased to meet you, ma’am.” He gave her a wide smile, revealing perfectwhite teeth set off by his perfectly tanned complexion, which caused anotherhiccup near her heart.

What was wrong withher? She wasn’t about to let herself fall for this man…or any man. No one could ever replaceSancho. Still, she briefly shook his hand as his name registered in her brain.

“Mattson? Are you…?”Annoyance replaced the shock that Albert’s devastating news had delivered.

“Yes, ma’am.” Therewent that cowboy “ma’am” thing again, punctuated by a boyish shuffling of hiswestern boots on the dusty ground. “Can’t escape it around here.”

“Well, if you’re aMattson, why do you need this small property to add to the…what is it? Eight orten thousand acres your family owns?” She didn’t mean to sound soconfrontational, but Albert had just crashed her desperately held dreams, soher social filters were crashing, too. “You plan to buy the whole county?”

Wherecan my readers find you on the Internet?

Web site at https://louisemgougeauthor.blogspot.com/ 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LouiseMGougeAuthor

Follow me on BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/louise-m-gouge

Thank you, Louise, for sharing thisnew book with my blog readers and me. You know how much I love your books.

Readers,here’s a link to the book.

SafeHaven Ranch

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