Winner!
And the winner of Margaret Brownley’s A Suitor for Jenny is . . .
Debbie! (Dreilly316@ . . .)
Congrats, Debbie! I just sent you an email.
My Friend Vickie – Interview & Giveaway
Today I’m happy to welcome Vickie McDonough back to my blog. A few months ago she gave away one of her Heartsong series and now I’m tickled to talk with her about Second Chance Brides, book two in the Texas Boardinghouse Brides series from Barbour.
Vickie is offering a copy to one lucky reader, so please leave a comment below with your email address for a chance to win. And be sure to click “Follow” if you haven’t already!
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About Vickie
Vickie McDonough is an award-winning author of 20 books and novellas. Vickie’s books have won the Inspirational Reader’s Choice Contest, Texas Gold, and the ACFW Noble Theme contest, and she has been a multi-year finalist in ACFW’s BOTY contest. The Anonymous Bride, book one in her debut trade fiction series the Texas Boardinghouse Brides, released this spring, and the sequel, Second Chance Brides, is now available. Vickie’s books promise An Adventure into Romance.
Vickie and her husband live in Oklahoma. She is a wife of thirty-five years, mother of four grown sons and grandma to a feisty four-year-old girl. When she’s not writing, Vickie enjoys reading, gardening, watching movies, and traveling. To learn more about Vickie’s books, visit her website: www.vickiemcdonough.com
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What’s your latest book?
Second Chance Brides, book 2 in the Texas Boardinghouse Brides series
Barbour, April 2010
Here’s a blurb:
Rejected mail-order brides, Shannon O’Neil and Leah Bennett, are stranded in Lookout, Texas, without husbands or future plans. Thankfully, the marshal has ordered the rascally Corbett brothers to pay for the women’s lodging at the boardinghouse, since they were the ones who brought the women to town in the first place. But the brothers are searching for a way to marry off the women and be free of their financial burden. Getting into the matchmaking business doesn’t sound as far-fetched as it once did. Will the Corbett brothers’ idea of hosting Saturday socials really bring these women the kind of loves they long for? Or will their plans backfire?
Okay, that sounds like flat-out FUN. What’s your favorite part of the story?
I loved making Mark squirm as he wrestled with falling in love and at the same time not wanting to and feeling worthy of a woman’s love. Also, I enjoyed seeing more of Jack, the daughter of the boardinghouse owner. In book 2, she is still causing trouble and battling her nemesis, the town bully.
Make ’em squirm! =) What was the hardest part to write?
There is a scene where one bride walks away from her fiancée when he’s in a big bind and needs her deeply. That was hard to write. I wanted to help him, but that wasn’t something my female character could do at the time.
Always tough on us, though, isn’t it? What do you hope your readers will get out of the story?
It’s my hope that readers are entertained and taken away from their own worries and struggles while they’re enjoying Second Chance Brides. But more importantly, is that I hope they will see that God is always several steps ahead of them. Even though they may be going through hard times, like Shannon and Leah in my book, there is always a way out. If we turn to God, He can bring us through the difficult times and help us learn something in the process.
So true! Is there a theme to this book?
Trusting God during hard times.
What’s your favorite genre to write? To read?
That’s an easy question. Historical Christian romance—and if the book has a cowboy, lawman, or rancher, that’s even better. I watched all the westerns of the 1960s and early ‘70s with my dad and fell in love with them way back then.
Is there any one thing or reference you keep handy when writing? Anything you kept around for this particular book?
I love using the book Heroes and Heroines: Sixteen Master Archetypes when I’m first creating my characters. It lists the 8 archetypes for heroes and 8 for heroines and tells their strong and weak points. It also explains how the different male and female archetypes mesh and clash, which I find very helpful when developing the conflict of my books.
Sounds like a good one! Aside from writing, what takes up most of your time?
I’m primary caregiver to my partially handicapped mom. She can’t leave her home without assistance, and I do all her errands, things at her home that she isn’t able to, and fix some of her meals. I also pick up my four-year-old granddaughter from school two days a week and watch her until her mom gets off work.
If someone were to give you $5,000 to spend on anything you wanted, what would you buy? (No saving or gifts to charities allowed!)
I’d buy an Ipad and then probably use the rest to get the outside of my house painted. That’s our next big project.
Those things look sooooo cool! Any funny family stories about living with a writer?
I have three grown sons still living at home, although one is currently at college and another just deployed this past weekend to Egypt. They got in the habit of calling before coming home from work and asking, “Did you cook tonight?” They learned that when I’m on deadline, dinner is usually pizza, carryout Chinese, leftovers—or whatever they choose to but on their way home.
Reminds me of a Facebook status my hubby saw a while back: “How am I supposed to make dinner when the Pizza Hut website isn’t working?” LOL. Any upcoming releases we should keep our eye out for?
I’m in a Christmas novella collection that just released. Christmas Mail Order Brides tells the tale of four brave—and sometimes desperate—young women who travel the transcontinental railroad to marry men they’ve never met.
Heartsong Presents is releasing the first book in a South Carolina trilogy in December. It’s called Mutiny of the Heart. The other two books, Indigo Dreams and Dueling Hearts will release in 2011.
Also, Finally A Bride, the third book in my Texas Boardinghouse Brides releases next April. It’s set ten years later than the first two books. Jack is the heroine, and she’s now a young woman, but she still finds herself in odd predicaments. Garrett, one of the Corbett brothers, also gets lassoed by a most-unexpected woman.
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Thanks for visiting again, Vickie! Readers, you can check out her website at www.vickiemcdonough.com and find her books at Amazon, ChristianBook or CrossPurposes.
Void where prohibited. Entry into the contest is considered verification of eligibility based on your local laws. Chance of winning depends on number of entries. Contest ends 10/14/10. Winner will have two weeks to claim prize.
Thoughtful About . . . Taking That Leap
I’m a by-the-books person. Can you tell that about me from blog posts? I mean, I can’t help it. I just love books so, so much. 😉 Okay, so I imagine it’s more that following rules is ingrained so deeply within me . . . other than a few minor rebellions when the rules went against something even deeper ingrained (like, say, logic), I was the one who listened.
In some strange and perhaps useless way, I approach the publishing industry according to rules too. For instance, once I signed with an agent I left all communication with editors to her, except for at writers conferences, of course. In my mind, this is just the way it was done. This was the way to be professional. And, well, leaving the business end to her meant I only worried about writing. Right?
But given that I didn’t make it to the ACFW conference this year, and given that my agent has a little more to worry with than just me, and given that I still hadn’t heard back on anything sent out upon request after last year’s conference, I gave it some prayer and had the feeling it was time to break this “rule” I had in my mind. I emailed my agent to get her okay (I am such a goody-goody, LOL) and then dropped a few “Hi, remember me? Just checking in” notes to a few different editors.
I must pause to say that God is so stinkin’ cool. No, no one immediately replied with, “What, didn’t you get the contract we sent you??” (ha!), but I did get a couple “Of course I remember you!”s and, when I asked these editors what they might be looking for now and proceeded to pitch pretty much everything I have in my Documents folder, I got requests, between them, for pretty much everything I have in my Documents folder. (Did you all hear me squealing in surprised glee last Thursday evening??) Also got the news that one of my projects in penciled into a publisher’s 2012 schedule.
Does this guarantee a contract with a major publisher? Um, no. But what it does do is remind me that (a) God knows what’s he’s talking about (duh, right?) (b) boost my confidence and (c) establish connections.
So back to work I go. FYI, my blog today was either going to be about this or the dream I had right before waking that involved a very poor rewrite of the Twilight saga, which I then apparently recognized was a poor rewrite, and which was then about how the characters put the story back the way it should go. (I’m such a dork, LOL.) It also involved an alligator under my couch. Don’t ask me why. I really, really don’t know. 😉
Remember When . . . You Had to Rediscover an Old Love?
So I found myself rather unexpectedly working on a Regency-era romance this week. It’s fun, and interesting. I’ve always loved regencies, and in college I read so many novels written at the time and in the time that it was pretty natural to come up with an idea for a story set there of my own. But . . . well, then I left it hanging and pursued other eras, other books.
With the resurgence of popularity of regencies, though, I’ve broken this novel back out–and, as usual, realized my research from back-in-the-day was awful. I’d started the revision process a few months ago and even written out a solid outline for the story, but still. There were some details missing. For instance, my hero still lived in ###. Ever been there? Yeah, me neither, LOL. So Roseanna had to go on a virtual tour of England and figure out where it would best be set.
I decided on a little town called Bishop’s Waltham outside Winchester, in Hampshire. My hubby got a kick out of this, because a nearby county to us here is Hampshire, WV . . . which is rather near Winchester, VA . . . and there’s a school in Cumberland only a few letters off from Bishop’s Waltham. His reaction: “Do we live in Little England or something?” LOL.
Anyway, doing this research has proven to me yet again how much I love this stuff. The research itself, the places I learn about, the whole culture of 200 years ago. It’s so awesome. I learned that Bishop’s Waltham was a parole town during the Napoleonic Wars, for instance, where French officers were held as prisoners of war. I learned that there are sand boils in the moor for my heroine to got lost in (he he he). And that what is hailed as King Arthur’s Round Table is on display at the Great Hall in Winchester. All sorts of cool things for my characters to experience!
Happy sigh. I love my job. =)
Story Time with Shannon Vannatter – Interview & Giveaway
I’m happy to welcome Shannon Vannatter back to my blog. She was here a few months ago talk about White Roses, and today she’s talking about her next book, White Doves.
Shannon has graciously offered a copy to one lucky reader, so as usual leave your comments below with a way for me to reach you. And be sure to click the “Follow” button if you haven’t already!
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About White Doves
Romance wasn’t what Laken had in mind.
Laken Kroft left home eight years ago and never looked back. Who knew when she applied for the promotion to postmaster that she’d end up in Romance, Arkansas, and much too close to her parents, the town drunk and the local gossip maven?
Hayden Winters has his hands full raising his paraplegic nephew, Brady, and wrestling his guilt over having caused the child’s injury. When the boy’s father, Laken’s brother, turns up and starts talking custody, Laken’s influence is Hayden’s only hope. But whose side is she really on?
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About Shannon
Central Arkansas author, Shannon Taylor Vannatter is a stay-at-home mom/pastor’s wife/writer. White Roses her debut novel is available through heartsongpresents.com and hits store shelves in November. Two more books in the series will follow: White Doves releases to the book club in October and stores in April and White Pearls releases to the book club in January and stores in July. Her blog, The Inkslinger, is a celebration of romance and marriage with true love stories, inspirational author’s real-life romances, insight into the love lives of their fictional characters, book excerpts, romantic destinations, and weekly romance novel giveaways.
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What’s your latest book?
White Doves releases to the Heartsong Present’s book club in October and in stores in April.
What’s your favorite part of the story?
The opening. The heroine is openly checking out the hero. I love that concept for a change. Several years back, there was a Coke commercial with a woman in her office checking out the cute construction guy down on the street. I loved that commercial, except that it played a tacky song. The opening of White Doves is my take on that commercial, only cleaner.
Oh, that sounds like fun! I do like a new twist on something like that. =) What’s your favorite genre to write? To read?
Romance on both counts. My first several books were romantic suspense. Back when I started, late 1999, there really wasn’t a market for it yet. And I soon realized I wasn’t really that good at it. I don’t like writing physical fight scenes or researching forensics. I finally attended a conference and heard a speaker say writers should pay attention to what they read the most and that’s very probably the genre they should write. I had a “Duh” moment and switched genres.
Sounds like something I’ve done, LOL. What are you reading right now—and what do you want to read next?
I’m reading Making Waves, my critique partner, Lorna Seilstad’s debut novel. Even though I read the book before Lorna’s editor did, it’s fun to hold the finished product in my hands in book form.
Oh, I got one in the mail a while back–and promptly sent it out to another reviewer, I believe. It looked so great! What lessons have you learned through the publication process that you wouldn’t have guessed as a pre-published writer?
Publication is when the real work starts. I didn’t know it would be a full time job and I thought once I finally sold a book, I wouldn’t get rejections anymore.
Ha! If only, right? Any funny family stories about living with a writer?
One wintery day, my son and I were playing an African Safari game on his Playstation.
Our church treasurer called, “Did I catch you at a good time?”
I said, “I’m just hunting cape buffalo.”
She paused a minute. “Is this a book?”
LOL. Never can tell with us, can you? What are you writing right now?
I recently finished the first book in a potential Rodeo series and sent it to my editor. While I wait for a decision, I’m working on a full length romance featuring an estranged married couple, who’ve both become Christians since their estrangement.
Any upcoming releases we should keep our eye out for?
The final book in the Romance, AR series is White Pearls. It releases to the book club in January and stores in July.
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Thanks for visiting again, Shannon! Readers, be sure to check out the wonderful romance blog she hosts at http://shannonvannatter.com. You can purchase it from the publisher.
Void where prohibited. Entry into the contest is considered verification of eligibility based on your local laws. Chance of winning depends on number of entries. Contest ends 10/11/10. Winner will have two weeks to claim prize.
Modern . . . Familiarity
Oddly enough, research for a historical gave me the idea for this one. Which is, in turn, about research. =)
Though researching for a contemporary doesn’t usually require the amount of involvement for me that researching for a historical does, there’s always some. I still have to learn about where it’s set, about the professions of my characters, about the ins and outs of whatever drives the story. Sometimes that means staring at boat pictures for a while, sometimes it means reading about the CIA, sometimes it involves giving myself a refresher course in insurance.
But you know one really great thing about that kind of research? It isn’t immediately outdated. As I was looking up towns in England yesterday for a Regency, I kept running into the frustration of “Well, sure, that’s what it looks like now. What did it look like then?”
That’s not a problem I run into while choosing a town for a contemporary book. I can use Google images. I can use Google maps and even Google Earth. Heck, I can take a trip and explore it myself (ahh, Outer Banks. I miss you so.)
That said, it still must be done, all that research. Because if you set a story somewhere and then totally misportray the area, the people who live there will know. Luckily, I love diving into discovery of new places and things. So much fun!
And now to work I go. There’s a Book in a Week challenge going on in one of my groups, and I’ve got 2,000 words to write today. Ta ta!
About Me
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.