Lena Nelson Dooley – Real Life Romantic Interview – Part 1 of 1

Shannon here: Historical romance author, Lena Nelson Dooley shares a glimpse into her real life romance, plus a chance to win a copy of her book, Love Finds You in Golden New Mexico. Comment on any post dated June 6 – 10 for a chance to win. Deadline June 11, 11:59 pm central time. Here’s Lena:

      1.    What’s the most romantic thing your spouse has ever done for you?
Other people might now think of this as romantic, but I see the deepest love shown through his tender care of me though adversities. An example, I had the horrible, terrible flu one year. The nurse even said afterward that I had the worst case they treated that year.
He wouldn’t leave me and go to work. He wanted to be sure I was all right. He took the utmost care of me. Then when I was getting better and said I wished I had homemade chicken noodle soup. He sat beside the bed and had me tell him how to make it. Then he went to the store, bought all the items, then came home and prepared it for me. He’d never cooked before, but it was delicious.
      2.    Where is the most romantic place you and your spouse have ever been?
We’ve been on two different cruises. I loved to walk the deserted deck at night with him, then sitting under the stars with him in a private place. Very romantic.
      3.    What’s the most romantic present your spouse ever bought for you?
James was in National Guard summer camp when our first child was born. He came home the next day. And he took his pay and bought many things for the baby at the PX before he left. Then when he got home, he went to a store and bought me a dress to wear home from the hospital … in the size I was before I got pregnant. In his eyes, I looked just like I did when he fell in love with me.
      4.    Do you and your spouse have a favorite romantic vacation destination?
We love beach destinations – a Caribbean island, the Mexican coast, Galveston Island
      5.    What simple gesture does your spouse do that melts you every time? 
Now that we’re older, he has become more attuned to me and what I like. When he goes out of his way to find something that I’ve only mentioned once, it melts my heart.
      6.     How soon after meeting your spouse did you know he/she was the one?
We were married three months and three days after we met. Does that tell you anything? Actually, we were a blind date, and I told the person who set us up that I’d go with him if the guy asking would leave me alone and let me graduate from college. This friend had been hounding me to get out and see other people after a breakup.
James was so different from anyone else I’d dated that I kept going with him, because I didn’t want to let go of him.
     7.    How soon after meeting you did your spouse know you were the one?
 He asked me to marry him by the end of three weeks.
     8.     Who is most romantic, you or your spouse? 
My idea of romantic has changed a lot. I used to want all the pretty words, but he’s a man of few words. However, he’ll read all the greeting cards to find one that says the words that express what he feels for me. And he often buys me flowers for no reason, or he’ll see something he thinks I will like, and he brings it home to me.
     9.     What is the most caring thing your spouse has ever done for you?
From about twenty years on in our marriage, he has cherished me and protected from myself and from others who would ask too much from me. And he totally supports me doing what God called me to do. He’ll drive me to a speaking engagement and listen to me teach, sometimes on a subject he’s heard before, and take pictures for my records.
   10.    What is the most caring thing you’ve ever done for your spouse?
We take care of each other through all the things in our lives—good or bad. Two years ago, he almost died, and I nursed him back to health. It took a long time, but he was my focus for a year and three-fourths, until his strength returned.
   11.     Who said, “I love you” first, you or your spouse?
I wouldn’t say “I love you” first. I was always afraid to get hurt, and in other relationships, I was the one who got hurt. So I was wary of committing to those words too soon. But he was so different from anyone I’d ever dated (I’d been engaged before) that he soon won me over.
    12.     Where did you and your spouse go for your honeymoon?
Don’t laugh. Because I was teaching in secondary school, we didn’t want any of the students to know where we would spend out wedding night. So we took a chance and didn’t make reservations. I was teaching in El Dorado, Texas. We went to San Angelo, but it was rodeo weekend and San Angelo College homecoming, and every room in town was taken. One manager took pity on us and called around, and he found us a room at the Desert Inn in Ballinger, Texas. I had to go back to teaching on Monday.
We went back to the same Inn on our 18^th anniversary.
About Lena: Award-winning author, Lena Nelson Dooley, has more than 650,000 books in print. She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writershttp://www.acfw.com/ and president of the local chapter, DFW Ready Writers. She’s also a member of Christian Authors Network, CROWN Fiction Marketing, and Gateway Church in Southlake, Texas.
Lena loves James, her children, grandchildren, and great grandson. She loves chocolate, cherries, chocolate-covered cherries, and spending time with friends. Travel is always on her horizon. Cruising, Galveston, the Ozark Mountains of Arkansas, Mexico. One day it will be Hawaii and Australia, but probably not the same year. Helping other authors become published really floats her boat, with fifteen signing their first book contract after her mentoring. Three of her books have been awarded the Carol Award silver pins from American Christian Fiction Writers and she has received the ACFW Mentor of the Year award at their national conference. The high point of her day is receiving feedback from her readers, especially people whose lives have been changed by her books. And she loves chocolate, especially dark chocolate.
Her latest release is Love Finds You in Golden, New Mexico, from Summerside Press. Lena is currently under two 3-book contracts with Charisma House/Realms. Her McKenna’s Daughters series contains Maggie’s Journey–which releases October 2011, Mary’s Blessing–May 2012, and Catherine’s Pursuit–January 2013. Her Restored Heart series releases in October 2013, May 2014, and January 2015. 
In addition to her writing, Lena is a frequent speaker at women’s groups, writers groups, and at both regional and national conferences. She has spoken in six states and internationally. 
Lena has an active web presence on Shoutlife, Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, and with her internationally connected blog where she interviews other authors and promotes their books. You can check out her books and find out more about her on her blog by clicking the tabs across the top. http://lenanelsondooley.blogspot.com
About the book: All that glitters is not gold.
It’s 1890, and Golden, New Mexico, is a booming mining town where men far outnumber women. So when an old wealthy miner named Philip Smith finds himself in need of a nursemaid, he places an ad for a mail-order bride—despite the protests of his friend Jeremiah. Hoping to escape a perilous situation back East, young Madeline Mercer answers the ad and arrives in town under a cloud of suspicion. But just as she begins to win over Philip—and Jeremiah himself—the secrets she left behind threaten to follow her to Golden…and tarnish her reputation beyond redemption.
Come back June 10th for romantic suspense author, Margaret Daley.