Quilts of Love authors celebrate latest releases with a Christmas-themed chat



Nothing beats a Christmas party you don’t have to get dressed up for! Readers are invited to grab their quilts and a mug of their favorite warm holiday beverage and settle down for a night in with the authors of the latest releases in Abingdon Press’ Quilts of Love series. The Quilts of Love Merry Quilted Christmas Facebook party on December 9 at 8:00 PM EST will be hosted by the authors of the two latest releases, Jodie Bailey (Quilted by Christmas/October 21, 2014) and Laura V. Hilton and Cindy Loven (Swept Away/November 18, 2014). They will be joined by Gina Welborn (Masterpiece Marriage/December 16, 2014) and Cathy Elliott (A Stitch in Crime/January 20, 2015), who will be giving readers a preview of their upcoming books.

The live Quilts of Love quarterly event will center on an interactive chat between the authors and readers, allowing participants from around the country (and the world) to participate in one large book club. The authors will share the inspiration behind their stories and ask discussion questions surrounding the themes of each book. Chat participants will be eligible for prizes to be given away at the end of the hour, including books, Christmas ornaments, sweet treats and other special selections chosen by the authors. The winner of a Kindle Fire giveaway, held in conjunction with the latest Quilts of Love blog tour, will also be announced. The chat has been promoted online with the help of bloggers participating in the blog tours coordinated by Litfuse Publicity Group.

It isn’t just the readers who are excited to take part in these chats. “I’m looking forward to teaming up with Laura, Cindy, Cathy and Gina to chat with everyone and to give away some fun prizes.  Who doesn’t love a party, especially when there are presents?” asks Bailey.

The authors are also fans of the series and its authors. “I’m in stitches over being a Quilts of Love author!” Welborn notes. Loven feels the same way. “The word ‘excitement’ doesn’t begin to cover the range of emotions I am experiencing being included in this great group of authors. I wouldn’t be here without my great co-author Laura, talent of this story, and Jodie’s book was so sweet. I look forward with great anticipation to reading Gina and Cathy’s books.”

“I’m excited to be a part of the Quilts of Love series with so many talented authors. I wanted to be a part of this line and was honored to write for them,” explains Hilton. She adds, “Any opportunity to chat with readers and hear their stories is a blessing, and I hope to see many there!”

The Quilts of Love series centers on the idea that quilts tell stories of love and loss, hope and faith, tradition and new beginnings. Each release focuses on the women who quilted all of these things into their family history. Featuring contemporary and historical romances, as well as Amish fiction, women’s fiction and the occasional light mystery, readers are drawn into the endearing characters and touched by their stories. January 2015 will mark the last monthly release for the current series of 25 stand-alone titles.

"The best reward for a Quilts of Love author has to be meeting the loyal readers,” says Elliott. “As the author of the final book in the series, I look forward to meeting many long-time readers and some new ones! It’s a great way to hear about their creative interests and get a glimpse into their own stories."

Readers can RSVP to the Facebook chat any time between now and December 9 by visiting the Quilts of Love Facebook page. All fans are encouraged to invite their friends to join in the fun.

Keep up with the Quilts of Love series online at:


About the authors and their books:

Quilted by Christmas by Jodie Bailey (October)

A grandmother’s last wish is to communicate God’s love through an Irish chain quilt.

Taryn McKenna believes she’s easy to forget. Abandoned by her parents and left behind when her high school sweetheart joined the army, she vows to never love again and throws herself into her love for the outdoors and the pursuit of a college degree—something no one else in her family has ever accomplished. Her goal, as a young teacher in the hills of North Carolina, is to leave a legacy in the lives of the middleschoolers she teaches.

When Taryn’s grandmother Jemma, the only other person who ever held her close, has a heart attack that reveals a fatal medical condition, Taryn is corralled into helping Grandma work on a final project—an Irish chain quilt that tells the story of her history and the love Jemma knows is out there for Taryn. As the pieces of the quilt come together, Taryn begins to see her value. Can she learn to believe that God will never leave her behind even though others have?

Jodie Bailey is Tarheel born and bred. After 15 years as a military spouse, she settled with her family back in North Carolina. She is the author of the military suspense novel Freefall and is a contributor to Edie Melson’s devotional for military families, Fighting Fear: Winning the War at Home. While not working on her next novel, she teaches middle‑schoolers to love writing as much as she does.

Readers can find Bailey at JodieBailey.com or on Facebook (JodieBaileyAuthor) and Twitter (@jodiebailey).


Swept Away by Laura V. Hilton and Cindy Loven (November)

Sara doesn’t think she wants love. But her grandmother has other plans.

Sara Jane Morgan is trying to balance teaching with caring for her ailing, stubborn grandmother. When school lets out for the summer, the plans are for Grandma to teach Sara Jane to quilt as they finish up the Appalachian Ballad quilt Grandma started as a teenager. But things don’t always go as planned.

Andrew Stevenson is hiding from his past—and his future. He works as a handyman to pay the bills, but his heart is as an artisan, designing homemade brooms. When Sara Jane’s grandmother hires him to renovate her home, sparks fly between Drew and his new employer’s granddaughter.

Still, it doesn’t take Sara Jane long to see Drew isn’t what he seems. Questions arise, and she starts researching him online. What she discovers could change her life—and her heart—forever.

Laura V. Hilton is an award-winning author and a professional book reviewer. A stay-at-home mom and home school teacher, Laura lives with her family in Horseshoe Bend, Arkansas.

Hilton’s online home is lauravhilton.blogspot.com. She is also on Facebook (Author-Laura-V-Hilton) and Twitter (@Laura_V_Hilton).

Cindy Loven is active in the church and writes from her home in Conway, Arkansas, where she lives with her husband and their son.

Loven blogs at cindylovenreviews.blogspot.com and can be found on Twitter (cndloven).


Masterpiece Marriage by Gina Welborn (December)

He wants to save his business. She wants to be a professor. But are they asking for more than they can really have?

After a flood damages the looms at Zenus Dane’s Philadelphia textile mill and the bank demands loan payment, Zenus turns to his aunt for help repurposing his textiles. Trouble is . . . his aunt has already been hired by the lovely yet secretive Englishwoman Mary Varrs.

Eager to acquire his aunt’s quilt patterns, Zenus attends the summer Quilting Bee, a social event his aunt has uniquely designed with the secret purpose of finding Zenus a wife. However Zenus only has eyes for Mary, but Mary has no such desire for him.

Though his aunt is determined to design a masterpiece marriage, both Zenus and Mary will have to overcome their stubborn ways. Can he realize that love requires stepping out of his routine? And will she recognize that following her heart doesn’t mean sacrificing her ambition?

Gina Welborn is the author of several novels and novellas, including The Heiress’s Courtship. She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers; the president of Faith, Hope and Love; and one of the founding members of InkwellInspirations.com. She lives in Cache, Oklahoma, with her pastor husband and their five children.

Visit her Welborn online at GinaWelborn.com and on Facebook (ginawelbornauthor) and Twitter (@gina_welborn).


A Stitch in Crime by Cathy Elliott (January)

Thea James has accepted an assignment as co-chairperson for Larkindale’s first quilt show extravaganza. Juggling the new assignment with running her antique business, she’s already feeling frayed when things start to unravel.

Mary-Alice Wentworth, a much-loved town matriarch, respect quilt judge, and Thea’s dear friend, is covertly conked on the head during the kick-off Quilt Show Soiree, throwing suspicion on her guests. It also appears that a valuable diamond brooch has been stolen during the attack. The family is furious. But is it because of the missing diamonds or their mugged mother?

When a renowned textile expert goes MIA and the famous Wentworth heritage quilt disappears, Larkindale’s reputation as a tourist have is at risk. Thea attempts to piece the mystery together and save the town’s investment in the Quilt Show before Mary-Alice gets another brain bump… or something worse.

Author and speaker Cathy Elliott nourishes her night-owl habit by creating cozy mysteries and more on her trusty laptop in Anderson, California. Like the protagonist in her new mystery, Cathy is an avid quilter. Besides collecting (too much) cool fabric, she also enjoys hunting for antique treasures.


Comments