Welcome to my fellow Wild Rose Press author Colleen L. Donnelly, here to celebrate the book birthday of her latest historical romance, Letters and Lies.
Louise Archer boards a westbound train in St. Louis to find the Kansas homesteader who wooed and proposed to her by correspondence, then jilted her by telegram – Don’t come, I can’t marry you. Giving a false name to hide her humiliation, her lie backfires when a marshal interferes and offers her his seat.
Marshal Everett McCloud intends to verify the woman coming to marry his homesteading friend is suitable. At the St. Louis train station, his plan detours when he offers his seat to a captivating woman whose name thankfully isn’t Louise Archer.
Everett’s plans thwart hers, until he begins to resemble the man she came west to find, and she the woman meant to marry his friend.
Let’s peek inside:
“He wrote and changed your plans? Why didn’t you tell me? You know I love hearing his letters.”
Everyone loved hearing his letters. Or at least they’d pretended to. I glanced at my friends, especially the one who’d first suggested I correspond with her husband’s homesteading friend in Kansas who was ready to look for a wife. She dabbed at her eyes with a handkerchief while she flicked the fingers of her other hand in a weak wave. I dredged my soul in search of a smile. The man she’d introduced me to truly had penned everything I’d ever wanted in a husband, months of letters which convinced Mama Jim was my open door. Letters I’d foolishly carted from family to friend to blather every word like a desperate spinster. Drat.
“He didn’t send his change of plans in a letter, Mama. He sent them in a telegram.” Don’t come, I can’t marry you. The only words I never shared.
“Well I imagine your Jim has a surprise for you and didn’t have time to send a letter before you left for Crooked Creek. How thoughtful to wire you instead.”
Thoughtful…I felt poisoned and Mama would too if she ever found out Jim had shut my open door. Which she wouldn’t, since as soon as I got out there and found him, I’d wedge it back open again.
Get your copy! https://amzn.to/2yNFGNv
Born and raised in the Midwest, Colleen studied and worked in science, using that career to travel and explore other parts of the country. An avid fan of literature, both reading and writing, she loves tales involving moral dilemmas and the choices people come up against. A lover of the outdoors as well as a comfy living room, Colleen is always searching inside and out for the next good story.
A few questions for Colleen:
- Tell us about your inspiration for this story.
Pure fun. My other books have been mostly serious—moral dilemmas, betrayals, wrong person at the wrong time, the decision to forgive when it wasn’t deserved… They have all done well and found the right audience, but this book is simply for comic relief. And I’m pleased this relief has come at a time when we need it the most.
- What do you love about the genre you write in?
I chose, and am comfortable with, writing historical fiction for two reasons. One, I’m old enough to have a hands-on understanding of how to live without modern conveniences, and with a more rigid moral code that protected many while making great characters of others. And secondly, the lack of modern conveniences forces my characters to act, move, and think rather than push a button…antiquated methods I understand far better than any gadget in my hand.
- What does your writing space look like?
My lap! I have a beautiful, antique writing desk with an equally old-fashioned chair, yet I burrow into my sofa, stack two pillows on my lap, then balance my laptop on those, and begin to write.
- Do you have any particular writing quirks? A special object, snack, music, etc. that helps you with your writing process?
Utter quiet. No music, absolutely no television, no sound at all. That said, I make one concession to my solitude when writing—people. If a friend or family member needs my ear or my time, I stop writing and give it. However I draw the line at mere chatty interruptions that can truly wait. I politely postpone those for later, and return to my necessary silence.
- I love all sorts of fiction and nonfiction, but I can’t abide a protagonist who keeps making dumb, self-destructive decisions. What makes you put down a book without finishing?
My age, for one thing! When I was younger I refused to lay down a book I started, but as I grew older and time became more valuable, I understood the phrase, “Life is too short.” It is too short for sensationalism that shortcuts a good story. If an author resorts to graphic descriptions and bypasses the value of the character and his growth, the book is gone.
- Which authors have inspired you?
Matthew Lewis, author of “The Monk.” Louise Penny and her mystery series built around Chief Inspector Armand Gamache in which she brought true literary skill and poetry to novels based on crime. On a lighter note, I can’t omit Ann B. Ross who wrote the humorous Miss Julia series about a take-charge heroine who never ceases to make me smile.
Follow Colleen L. Donnelly on social media!
Author website: http://www.colleenldonnelly.com/
Facebook:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ColleenLDonnell
Goodreads: http://www.Goodreads.com/colleenldonnelly
