Miralee Ferrell and Free Books!

Against the backdrop of the breathtaking Bridal Veil Falls in a historic Oregon logging community, a schoolteacher finds herself torn between a past love and the man who could be her future.

Before we chat with today's featured author, I want to announce that the winner of the drawing for Mainely Mysteries, by Susan Page Davis and Megan Elaine Davis, is:

rec@ . . .

Congratulations! I'll contact you today for your snail mail address, and we'll get your book to you right away. I encourage readers to keep commenting and/or subscribe at right in order to participate in future book give-aways!

And now let's chat with Miralee Ferrell, author of Love Finds You in Bridal Veil, Oregon (Summerside Press, February 2010).

Miralee Ferrell lives with her husband of 36 years on eleven acres in rural Washington state. They have two dogs, two cats, one horse, and a huge garden that they both enjoy working in, in the spring and summer. Reading, horseback riding with her daughter, sailing with her husband, and puttering in her flower beds are some of Miralee's favorite pastimes. She serves on staff as a licensed minister (not a pastor) in their small church, ministering to women and leading prayer groups. She has three books out now and is another releasing in April. She started writing in the spring of 2005.

Please tell us a bit more about the plot of Love Finds You in Bridal Veil, Oregon.

In the thriving 1902 lumber mill community of Bridal Veil, accidents happened. But nobody expected murder.

Against the backdrop of the breathtaking Bridal Veil Falls in a historic Oregon logging community, a schoolteacher finds herself torn between a past love and the man who could be her future. Sixteen-year-old Margaret Garvey promised her heart to Nathaniel Cooper the night he disappeared from town. Four years later, just as she's giving love a second chance with Andrew, a handsome logger, Nathaniel suddenly returns to town with a devastating secret. While grappling with the betrayal of those she trusted most, Margaret risks her reputation and position by harboring two troubled runaways who might be involved in the murder of a local man. As disaster strikes the town and threatens the welfare of its citizens, Margaret will be faced with the most important choice of her life.

Which character in your novel most interested you while you wrote?

I actually have two favorites (I hope you don't mind!) and they're both secondary characters. Sammie is a thirteen-year-old girl who's taking care of her simple minded fourteen-year-old brother. Her courage, strength and fierce protectiveness towards her big brother all tugged at my heart and made her very real to me.

The second one would be Art Gibbs . . . a timber skidder who befriends Margaret Garvey and the children (after Sammie and Joel come to town). What was so fun about this character is that he was patterned after my great grandfather, Arthur Gibbs, who was a timber skidder, lived in Bridal Veil, and worked for the lumbering company mentioned in the book during that same time period. It was wonderful getting to put a little of my family history into my book.

Why will readers enjoy your novel?

First, it's a historical romance with a lot of accurate history woven in, from the area where Bridal Veil once existed. It takes place in the heart of the Columbia River Gorge, now a huge tourist area not far from my town, at the turn of the century. There are several plot lines, a bit of a mystery, a romance that could go one of two different directions as we have two potential heroes, and two youngsters who will melt your heart. I believe readers will be kept guessing as to who will win Margaret's heart, and possibly even finding themselves swayed from one hero to the other before the book is finished.

This month we're considering sequels. What book (by another author) do you think is ripe for a sequel? On what would you like that sequel to focus?

That's a hard one, as most of the books I've read in the last year or so have had sequels already. One that didn't was Hazardous Duty, by Christy Barritt. I'd enjoy seeing what new schemes Gabby St. Claire comes up with as she solves mysteries tied to her cleaning business. Christy did an excellent job bringing Gabby to life and I enjoyed her fun debut novel.

Oh, how wonderful that you chose Christy's book, Miralee, because she actually does have a sequel to that book, called Suspicious Minds. Gabby's adventures continue!

What facet of the writing craft comes easiest to you? What do you struggle with?

I'll start with my biggest two struggles with, as I think they're equal. I have a hard time coming up with a new and complex story line. Second, when I do come up with a new plot, I know my major plot points but have a hard time concocting the transitional scenes that will carry me from one major point to the next.

The easiest is creating believable characters, as that's something I look for in other books. I want to relate (and have my readers remember and relate) to the main characters, long after closing the book. I find that I can put myself in my characters world and see what's happening around them through their eyes, and they often show me what's going to happen next.

What is the last book you read that moved you? How did it affect you?

I'd definitely have to say the first four books of the Yada Yada Prayer Group series (I'm not finished with the series yet). They challenged my faith and my thinking in several areas, and inspired me to take a closer look at my own prayer life and the things that pull me away from having a deeper walk with the Lord. They're fun, as well as presenting a strong message, and I fell in love with the characters.

What are you working on now?

The working title is Outlaw Angel, a historical romance set in the old west. I don't do category romance, and typically have at least three to four point of view characters, as I like weaving multiple story lines and introducing strong secondary characters along with the main two. It's about a young woman who was raised in an outlaw band. Now that her father is dead she must fend for herself in a man's world, having never been taught the niceties of being a woman. She disguises herself as a young man and works as a hunter, shooting varmints for various ranchers, finally landing on the doorstep of a man and his widowed sister. When her new boss discovers he's hired a woman instead of a man, he must decide if he'll keep the attractive young woman on, or let her go and allow predators to keep ravaging his cattle. It's still in the rough draft stage, so I don't have a polished summary or a complete idea of where it's going yet, as I'm more of a seat-of-the-pants writer.

Where else can readers find you or your writing online?

I can be found several places. My website tells a bit about my writing life, my family and my books: www.miraleeferrell.com.

My blog is updated at least once per week and shares personal tidbits from my life, articles on marriage and family, as well as an occasional contest for a free book. I'm also active on Facebook and besides my profile page, I host Miralee Ferrell's Reader's Group.

You can find my books on Amazon.com. Or, Christianbook.com.

Thanks, Miralee, for visiting with us and telling us about Love Finds You in Bridal Veil, Oregon. Readers, Miralee has offered to give a copy of her novel to the winner of our drawing on Monday, February 15. To enter, leave a comment for Miralee, below. Leave your email address, in case you win, like so: trish[at]trishperry[dot]com.

Check out my interviews with Jennifer AlLee and Janet Dean, below, and leave a comment under each interview to be entered in drawings for a signed copy of each of their featured novels.

Annoying legal disclaimer: drawings void where prohibited; open only to U.S. residents; the odds of winning depend upon the number of participants.