Can a woman running from her past and a man with no foreseeable future find love along the Pony Express trail?Before we meet today's author, I want to announce that the winner of the signed copy of Fatal Mistake, by Susan Sleeman, is:
alekee02@...
Congratulations! I'll email you for your snail mail address, and we'll get your book right out to you. I encourage readers to keep commenting and/or subscribe at right (above my list of books) in order to participate in future book give-aways! Subscribers are entered a second time when they comment.
And now let's meet novelist Donna Schlachter, author of the historical romance, Echoes of the Heart (in The Pony Express Romance Collection from Barbour Publishing, April 2017).
Donna lives in Denver with husband Patrick, her first-line editor and biggest fan. She writes historical suspense under her own name, and contemporary suspense under her alter ego of Leeann Betts. She is a hybrid publisher who has published a number of books under her pen name and under her own name.
Her current release, Echoes of the Heart, a 9-in-1 novella collection titled Pony Express Romance Collection. Donna is also a ghostwriter and editor of fiction and non-fiction, and judges in a number of writing contests. She will be teaching an online course for American Christian Fiction Writers in June 2017, “Don’t let your subplots sink your story”.
Donna loves history and research, and travels extensively for both.
Please tell us one random thing we might not know about you.
I once ice danced with a gold medalist figure skater.
How exciting! I'm sure many of us would be unable to ice dance with anyone, let alone a gold medalist.
Please tell us a bit more about the plot of Echoes of the Heart.
Catherine answers an advertisement for a mail order bride on behalf of her best friend, who soon dies of TB. After the master of the house makes indecent advances to her, she assumes the identity of her friend and travels to Kansas.Benjamin, the illiterate station master at the Hollenberg Station who was crippled by a horse and thinks no woman would want him, depends on his friend to place an advertisement for a cook-housekeeper, but his friend knows he needs more, so he places the ad for a wife for him. When Catherine arrives, it's obvious Benjamin doesn't want her.
Benjamin wants her, but doesn’t think she wants a cripple for a husband. Can they get over their pasts and weave a future together, or are they determined to run from love forever?
What is it about Catherine that will make your readers care about her?
We all have a past, and Catherine—and we—need to realize that God is bigger than our past.
What is something you’ve thanked God for this week?
For a second bathroom being almost finished in my house.
Oh, yes. It's been many years since I've had to share a bathroom, so I really notice the difference when my circumstances are temporarily changed. That blessing is definitely worthy of thanksgiving.
What is the last novel you read that you would recommend?
Like a River from Its Course, by Kelly Stuart, weaves the stories of lives impacted by the second world war. It's told in a diary format, which makes it seem really intimate.
What are you working on now?
Two more novellas for Barbour that will come out early in 2018, and Book 6 in my Carly Turnquist cozy mystery series, Hidden Assets.
Where else can readers find you online?
www.HiStoryThruTheAges.wordpress.com
www.HiStoryThruTheAges.com
Books
The book can be purchased via the following button:
Finally, what question would you like to ask my readers?
What would be your ideal book and why?
Thanks, Donna, for visiting and telling us about yourself and your book. Readers, Donna has offered to give away a signed copy of her novel next week. To enter, leave a comment below in answer to Donna's question, above. "Please enter me" won't get you entered. Remember that subscribers are entered an additional time in each drawing. The drawing is done by email, so leave your email address, like so: trish[at]trishperry[dot]com.
Also, I'd love it if you'd connect with me on Facebook. Just click on my name at the right of today's post.
Annoying legal disclaimer: drawings void where prohibited; open only to U.S. residents; the odds of winning depend upon the number of participants. See full disclaimer, as well as my Disclosure of Material Connection HERE
17 comments:
this sounds so fun. we run into these type of circumstances even today. I love western books especially if they are inspirational historical. hmmm i dont know what my ideal book would be.i love western and civil war era and earlier
quilting (dash) lady (at) comcast (dot) net
Hi Lori, thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment. Telling us writers what you want to read helps us create the stories, the characters, and the worlds you are interested in. Western and Civil War, even earlier, are great periods of history for our country. Good luck in the drawing!
My ideal book would be a suspenseful action adventure with a Bible study woven through it and recipes to try. That would incorporate three of my great joys in life: reading, studying God's Word and cooking. Now if I could just figure out how to bring Bible art journaling into the mix... :)
Stacey_dale(at)yahoo(dot)com
This sounds like a wonderful story. I'm going to have to see if we have money for me to buy this collection. WOW! Ice dancing with a gold medal figure skater! What an incredible memory!
I didn't know that I should leave my email address on my comment. It is debbiewilder (at) comcast (dot) net.
Lovely interview! My ideal book - hmmm, there are so many styles and stories that I like that I am not hard to please. I love men in uniform, I love historicals, I love westerns and also medievals, I adore mystery and suspense and then a fantastic HEA. :)
lattebooksAThotmailDOTcom
I read a variety of books, including quite a bit of historical non-fiction. For fiction, I think my very favorite would be a well crafted story set in the 1800's, possibly with regard to westward expansion and settlement. Thanks for the interesting interview. I am also a previous blog subscriber. dobeworld at sbcglobal dot net
Variety is the "spice of life" as the saying goes and that's my reading style. I read Christian fiction mainly, but different types. Amish, mail order brides, suspense, contemporary and historical.
I like the idea of your book where someone takes another's identity. That should be very interesting!
tumcsec(at)gmail(dot)com
I read such a variety of books in lots of genres! My top favorite is historical, I love learning things I didn't know through fiction. Suspense keeps the heart pumping & adrenaline flowing, contemporary is a nice way to escape into a modern day world & Amish is for something different. There are many facets (or subcategories if you will) to these, but I'd say a well-written and researched story is what makes a book great for me! I also should add, I love romance in my books and anything I read must be Christian so therefore the romance is the way God created it to be :-)
This collection looks & sounds so wonderful (Barbour are the best)! I just love that cover, it really draws your eye in :-) Thanks for sharing about your story in this Donna & the fun interview.
teamob4 (at) gmail (dot) com
I'm also a subscriber to your blog Trish!
Hi Stacey: Thanks for stopping by. As Christians, I think every story we write would point readers to God and their need for Jesus, and reveal another bit of the truth of the Bible without sounding preachy. Good luck in the drawing.
Hi Debbie W: thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment. The best thing about collections like these is you get 9 great stories for the same price as a regular large-format paperback. Check out Amazon.com (but wait until after the drawing since you might win a free copy :)) I think they were on sale there the last time I checked.
Hi Susan: You enjoy reading across quite a spectrum, which is cool, because there are so many great books out there. Good luck with the drawing.
Hi Gail: thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment. The idea of taking on another identity has intrigued me since watching "The Fugitive" TV series in the 1960's -- oops, just showed my age :) It was a lot easier before photo ID and criminal databases, but I think it could still be done. A real life example is the person who meets another online but isn't really who they say they are. Good luck in the drawing.
Hi Trixi: Barbour knows how to produce quality books, that's for sure. The cover feels and looks like quality, the paper is thick and rough, like old-fashioned paper, and the book itself feels substantial. I agree -- I like learning something new. I think what I see from all the responses is that contrary to past wisdom, readers enjoy a variety of genres and styles. I thought I was the only person who thought historical romance readers would also read contemporary suspense. I do, and my alter ego, Leeann Betts, writes contemporary cozies. Thanks for stopping by, and good luck with the drawing.
My "ideal book" would be any that holds my interest and keeps me reading until the very end and can't wait for the sequel to be published.
Hi Cathy: Thanks. Western expansion and settlement. Hmmm. Methinks a story stirreth :) Good luck in the drawing.
Hi Library Lady: So you like sequels--you probably like a series, too. My alter ego, Leeann Betts, writes a cozy mystery series. Book 6 comes out the end of June. You can find her on Amazon.com
Good luck in the drawing for this Pony Express Romance Collection!
Post a Comment