Today I’m excited to welcome Margaret Brownley back to my blog. She visited a while back to talk about A Lady Like Sarah and is now back to talk about its sequel, A Suitor for Jenny.
Margaret has generously offered a copy of A Suitor for Jenny to one lucky reader, so please leave your comments below, along with an email address. Be sure you’re a follower!
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About Margaret
Thrills, mystery, suspense, romance: Margaret penned it all. Nothing wrong with this—except Margaret happened to be writing for the church newsletter. After making the church picnic read like a Grisham novel, her former pastor took her aside and said, “Maybe God’s calling you to write fiction.”
So that’s what Margaret did. She now has more than 20 novels to her credit and has been published in 15 languages. In addition, she’s written a non-fiction book. Still, it took a long time before Margaret tried her hand at writing inspirational fiction which led to her Rocky Creek series.
“I love writing about characters at different stages of faith,” she says of the new direction her writing career has taken, “and I’m here to stay.”
Happily married to her real life hero, Margaret and her husband live in Southern California.
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About A Suitor for Jenny
Jenny Higgins is certain falling in love and finding a husband are matters of the mind. Her heart has other plans.
After their parents died, Jenny felt responsible for seeing that her two younger sisters were well taken-care of. Tipped off by an article naming Rocky Creek the town with the highest number of eligible bachelors, Jenny rolled into this Texas town with a clear objective: find suitable husbands for her two sister and then start fresh somewhere far, far away.
Jenny believe that women who fall in love at first sight often wish they’d taken a second look, so she diligently begins to follow all the rules set forth in her handy manual on how to land a husband.
But while Jenny is interviewing the less-than-promising candidates, her sisters are falling in love the old-fashioned way–with men of their choosing. And the longer Jenny stays, the more her sense of control slips away. The town isn’t living up to her expectations, her sisters are rebelling against her practical choices, and soon her own heart starts to betray her, as US Marshall Rhett Armstrong stirs emotions in her that weren’t part of her plan.
To relinquish her control to God and calm her restless spirit, she’ll need to give her foregone conclusions about marriage, love, and faith.
~*~
What’s your latest book?
A Suitor for Jenny will hit bookstores the end of September. It’s the 2nd book in my Rocky Creek series (the first was A Lady Like Sarah). Thomas Nelson is the publisher.
I love your premises. What’s your favorite part of the story?
My favorite part is watching the protagonist Jenny Higgins change and grow. She breezes into town determined to find perfect husbands for each of her two sisters. To this end she consults books, administers tests and conducts interviews. She thinks she knows how to pick “perfect” men, but God will prove her wrong. (Kind of makes me think of that old adage: Man plans and God laughs.)
Roseanna laughs too;-) That sounds awesomely hilarious. What was the hardest part to write?
Every once in awhile a book comes along that just seems to write itself. I can’t quite explain it, but A Suitor for Jenny one of those books. The words just flowed from beginning to end. I wrote it without an outline so I never knew what was going to happen next and that was part of the fun. The hardest part to write? Two words: The end. I didn’t want to let these characters go.
Awww, sweet. I love those self-guiding books. What do you hope your readers will get out of the story?
I love to write characters in a crisis of faith, and how they find their way back to God. My hope is that readers will come away from A Suitor for Jenny with renewed faith that God has a plan for them.
Is there a theme to this book?
There are several themes running through the book but my favorite is this: God has bigger plans for us than we can ever dream up for ourselves.
Jenny is very protective of her sisters and in some ways perhaps even overprotective. Does overprotecting our loved ones prevent them from discovering God’s plan for them? That’s an interesting question and is one of the underlying themes.
Oo, that’s a great one! And boy do I love seeing what God has up his sleeve! Is there any one thing or reference you keep handy when writing? Anything you kept around for this particular book?
I have an extensive research Library but I did need special references for this book. Jenny rides her herd on her sisters, demanding they follow all the rules of good etiquette (naturally they fight her all the way). I read tons of old etiquette books and some of the rules made me laugh. The most surprising book I found? “The Marriage Guide for Young Men: Manual of Courtship and Marriage” written by Reverend George Hudson in 1883. His advice to men on finding a wife: take as wide of survey of the world as possible before you select the prize.
Did you hear me snort in laughter there? I’m also particularly fond of the “Rules of Civility and Decent Behavior” as copied by George Washington. (That snort of laughter would have been in very poor taste. 😉 What are you writing right now?
I’m working on a new series which I’m very excited about. It takes place in Arizona in the late 1800s.
Fun! Any upcoming releases we should keep our eye out for?
The 3rdbook in my Rocky Creek series is scheduled for June 2011. I hope by then we have title for it.
Roseanna M. White is a bestselling, Christy Award winning author who has long claimed that words are the air she breathes. When not writing fiction, she’s homeschooling her two kids, editing, designing book covers, and pretending her house will clean itself. Roseanna is the author of a slew of historical novels that span several continents and thousands of years. Spies and war and mayhem always seem to find their way into her books…to offset her real life, which is blessedly ordinary.
Carmen sent me!
Please enter me for this book! 🙂
Kim
lonebanana(at)msn(dot)com
Hope I'm not too late to post a comment. This book really appeals to me. I sense a lot of humor in this story and appreciate it being the giveaway. Thanks for the opportunity to win this book. I hope I do!!
Blessings,
Barb Shelton
barbjan10 at tx dot rr dot com
I love a book with a few chuckles. Please include me!
alekee02[at]yahoo[dot]com
I've been seeing this book reviewed all over the place, and now I really want to read it! so please enter me!!!
Rae
raebyuel(@)gmail(.)com
*Carmen sent me!
I am really excited this book is a giveaway! YAY!!
April D.
apeygirl[at]gmail[dot]com
Oh what a great interview!! I laughed through most of it!
I can't wait to read this book, it sounds SO good!!Please enter me.
I'm a follower, Carman sent me.
dymesich(at)juno(dot)com
Please enter me! I'm a follower.
kate[at]parchmentgirl[dot]com
Sign me up, please. This sounds like a fun read.
Blessings,
Jo
ladijo40(at)aol(dot)com
Oops, forgot to say "Carman sent me here!" 😉
OMGoodness, that almost sounds like me . . . I say that I've never been in love yet, just "in like" (e.g. crushes) . . . which is weird, 'cause I'm a total romantic at heart when it's book, movie, or t.v. characters . . . but I act super logically in real life. =) Sounds like a great read! Thanks for the chance to win, Mrs. White!
jafuchi7[at]hawaii[dot]edu
Great giveaway! Thanks for the entry & excellent review. 🙂
empowered_life (@) yahoo (dot) ca
This sounds like a great book! Please enter me : ) Carmen sent me
potosrose @ gmail dot com
Please enter me! This sounds like such a fun book to read! This will definitely be on my list to read.
Jennifer
jenmmcclure(at)yahoo(dot)com
Please enter me! I would love to read this book!
God bless!
~Katie G.
katiegalyean (at) yahoo (dot) com
My daughter's a big reader. I'm entering this for her!
Jreilly316@verizon.net
Can't wait to read this book! Looks really great!!
Dreilly316[at]gmail.com
Cool giveaway!
Please enter me!
Emreilly303[at]gmail.com
I'm a follower, and I'd love to win.
Ann_Lee_Miller@msn.com
I like to read about this time period and the story sounds great.
I am a follower.
CarolNWong(at)aol(dot)com
I like the sound of this one 🙂 No matter how much we try to "plan" someone's life (or our own), most times God has a different plan! Thank you for the opportunity to win a copy of this book. you know I'm a follower 😉
homesteading[at]charter[dot]net
I'd really like to read about Jenny. Thanks for the chance to win this book.
I am a follower.
janmarien[at]embarqmail[dot]com
Sounds like a book I would enjoy! Thanks for the chance. I am a follower.
nancycdavis AT bellsouth DOT net
Hey, Roseanna, sign me up girl — would love to read this one! Thanks for the giveaway!
Hugs,
Julie
gsus(at)charter(dot)net
would love to read margaret's latest novel…thanks for the chance 🙂
karenk
kmkuka at yahoo dot com
Margret seems like a talented author! I noticed her first book A Lady Like Sarah, and wanted to read it!! 😉 I'd love a chance to win her new book!
legacy1992(at)gmail(dot)com
Katie M
I really enjoyed Roseanna's interview and would love a chance to win her book. Thank you for the entry.
Blessings,
Sandee61
Muzzley56[at]aol[dot]com
Great Review and Interview.
I would love to read this book.
Please enter me in the drawing.
Thank you for the chance.
wdesirees[at]yahoo[dot]com
Please enter me for a chance to win this book. Thanks!
reneeasmith61 [at] yahoo [dot] com
I am really looking forward to reading this. Thanks for the opportunity.
wsmarple/at/gmail/dot/com
Margaret must write an awesome church newsletter! I'd love to be included in the drawing for A Suitor for Jenny. Thanks.
worthy2bpraised[at]gmail[dot]com
This book sounds awesome. Would love to read
JenniferB
ejxd95[at]gmail.com
This sounds like a fun read. Count me in.
julesreffner(at)gmail(dot)com