NOELLE MARCHAND'S "THE OUTLAW'S INCONVENIENT BRIDE"

Noelle Marchand is visiting me today as we continue celebrating the February release of The Mail-Order Brides Collection. Noelle will be sharing how she decided on the secondary characters in her novella, "The Outlaw's Inconvenient Bride."


Imagine the sound of a single cello playing a melody--deep, rich, vibrant. Now, imagine two violins and a viola joining in. Suddenly, what was once simple becomes complex with each instrument bringing out a new quality in the others. This is exactly what secondary characters do for main characters.  I always try to create well-rounded characters to interact with hero and heroine.
However, in writing "The Outlaw's Inconvenient Bride," I gained a better understanding of the importance of secondary characters within a novel. Never before had I tasked these characters with so much responsibility. With a huge portion of the story taking place in an outlaw gang's secluded hideout, the six outlaws who lived there needed to provide external conflict, help set the tone of the story, and make the time period seem believable.
It was also paramount, due to the short nature of a novella, that these characters be immediately distinct from each other. I ensured this by researching accounts of real outlaws who lived during the old west. Inspired, my imagination went into overdrive. I created six characters complete with a list of their past crimes, endowed with a weapon of choice, unique character traits, motives for mayhem, and outlaw monikers. Meet all six members of the Renegade gang in "The Outlaw's Inconvenient Bride."

Here's a hint of the plot: After a gang of outlaws uses a mail-order bride advertisement to trick an innocent woman into servitude, an undercover lawman must claim the bride--even if it puts his mission in jeopardy.

http://www.noellemarchand.com/books

Noelle Marchand is an award-winning author and a proud Texas native. She enjoys spending time with family, dancing, and going on daytrips.

LIZ TOLSMA'S "A FAIRY-TALE BRIDE"

Liz Tolsma is visiting my blog today to share her inspiration for writing "A Fairy-Tale Bride," which appears in The Mail-Order Brides Collection. The Collection released this month and is filled with great stories--each one highlighting a different woman's reason for choosing to be
a mail-order bride.



Here's Liz's story behind the story: "A Fairy-Tale Bride," is set just after the Civil War in the make-believe town of Cuento, Texas. Nora, the main character, is a Southern war widow who has lost her husband, her home, and her land. She is impoverished and has no means to support herself. The only respectable option she has is to become
a mail-order bride.

As I researched the story I wanted to write for this collection, I found it was very common for war widows, especially those from the South, to enter into such marriages of convenience. Most of them had lost everything during the conflict. Some of the surviving Confederate soldiers left the Southeast to begin new lives in the cotton fields of Texas. This air of familiarity helped with their transition back into civilian life.
The Texas cotton industry boomed around this time. With their former homes and crops razed and slaves gone, many men turned to Texas as a place to start fresh. The land was fertile, crops were good, and they were able to tap into the now-freed slaves as a work force familiar with growing cotton. Texas quickly became one of the leading producers of cotton in the nation. With the new plantation owners thriving, it was natural for the Southern war widows to go to Texas to enter into new marriages and to start new families.
While I considered not having the sharecroppers appear in the story because of the oftentimes unsavory aspects of the institution, in the end, I decided to show them because sharecropping was a way of life in the South after the war. The hero and his friend would not have been able to sustain their large plantations without this means of getting workers. Neither of the characters is unkind to the sharecroppers, and I don't dwell on it because the characters wouldn't have. It was part of daily life.
As I researched this book, I learned so much about what life was like for some Southerners following the Civil War. When you read it, I hope you learn a little something too.

Here's a link to order the book from Amazon.  https://tinyurl.com/yctnsgwb

The Mail-Order Brides Collection is also available from Barnes & Noble and Christian Book Distributors, as well as your local bookstore.

Liz Tolsma is a popular speaker and an editor and the owner of the Write Direction Editing. An almost-native Wisconsinite, she resides in a quiet corner of the state with her husband and their two daughters. Her son proudly serves as a U.S. Marine. They adopted all of their children internationally, and one has special needs. When she gets a few spare minutes, she enjoys reading, relaxing on the front porch, walking, working in the large perennial garden, and camping with her family.
 

MAIL-ORDER PROXY

Today I'm pleased to welcome Sherri Shackelford to my blog, as we continue to celebrate the release month of The Mail-Order Brides Collection. Sherri has some interesting tidbits to share on how authors create the villains in their stories.





The most important thing to remember when creating a villain is that villains don't know they're villains. In my story, "Mail-Order Proxy," the heroine is interviewing a notorious outlaw for her local newspaper. And why does this outlaw agree to the interview? He craves fame and attention, of course, but he also wants people to understand him. He wants people to know his motivation.
Generally, most villains are sociopaths. They lack a conscience. While most sociopaths do not become predators, most predators are sociopaths. They may not feel guilty for hurting someone, but they are aware of the consequences of their actions. They are aware of how they are perceived in society.
As an author, when I’m creating a villain, I use a regular person as inspiration, and embellish their flaws and weaknesses.
Villains shouldn't simply be twirling their mustaches while lashing the heroine to the railroad tracks. The outlaw in my story does some bad things, but he feels completely justified in doing these things: Why should the banks have all the money when he's just a poor, working stiff trying to get ahead?
There should always be a reason for the villain's actions. In "Mail-Order Proxy," the outlaw is perfectly cordial to the heroine until she stands in the way of what he wants. That's when she sees the darker side of his personality. Most folks aren't entirely good or entirely evil. A well-written villain has human foibles and weaknesses.
It's also important to remember that villains are often very charming and engaging individuals. The outlaw in my novella, "Mail-Order Proxy," has convinced the heroine of his sincerity. Part of her growth is learning to discern the difference between a charming villain and a cantankerous hero.  As the old proverb states "The lion is most handsome when looking for food."
I hope you enjoy my story, “Mail-Order Proxy”!

Sherri Shackelford is an award-winning author of inspirational Christian romance novels for Harlequin/HarperCollins Publishers.

A wife and mother of three, Sherri’s hobbies include collecting mismatched socks, discovering new ways to avoid cleaning, and standing in the middle of the room while thinking, “Why did I just come in here?” A reformed pessimist and recent hopeful romantic, Sherri has a passion for writing. She doesn't live on the prairie, but she can see the plains from her house. Her books are fun and fast-paced, with plenty of heart and soul. Look for her exciting new romantic suspense novel this fall!

 Here's where you can find The Mail-Order Brides Collection.
https://tinyurl.com/y76jqrmc
 

A DISTANT MELODY, by Sarah Sundin

Walter Novak and Allie Miller meet at a friend's wedding. On the surface, they have little in common. But the exigencies of World War II tend to break down normal barriers. Walt is a B-17 pilot about to be shipped out to England, while Allie is a timid, sheltered heiress-to-be.

Normally, Walt is tongue-tied around available women, but they meet on a train and he falsely assumes her to be married and a mother of small children, so he feels safe in talking to her. When he finds out later that she's single he's able to continue his unaccustomed gregariousness, to the point where he draws her out of her shell. The two of them begin a friendship, which forms the basis of this Christian romance.

Walt goes off to England, and Allie returns to her home in Riverside, where she's expected to marry a man who is her parent's choice for her.

The theme that develops through A Distant Melody is the seriousness of even a "harmless" white lie. Through mutual deceptions and silences when words would have been truthful, Allie and Walt's relationship bounces as much as a B-17 in a hard landing.

The wartime air battle scenes are masterfully done. In fact, for me they were the highlight of the novel. The crewmen of Walt’s bomber emerge as real people that the reader comes to care about. These portions of A Distant Melody contain many details realistic to the time period (1942–43) in which the story is set. Sundin has done a remarkable job of researching both the scenes in Europe as well as details of life in wartime California.

There have been so many novels set in WWII that I wasn't sure I'd want to read another one, but A Distant Melody offers a fresh look at an often-told conflict. It was a pleasure to read. I look forward to the next book in the series so I can find out what happens to the other Novak brothers, minor characters in this story. I recommend this book.

MEANDER SCAR, by Lisa J. Lickel

Lickel's third novel, Meander Scar, weaves a tale of surprises and heart-wrenching emotional dilemmas. The term, "Meander Scar" refers to scars on the landscape left after high water causes a river to temporarily change course. When the overflow evaporates, a scar is left in the place where the river once ran.

Meander Scar uses this as a metaphor for protagonist, Ann Ballard's, life. Ann is a forty-something woman who lives alone when Mark Roth, who lived next door as a boy, shows up on her doorstep. At first she believes he’s there to visit his old neighborhood and contact his boyhood friends. But there’s a deeper reason for Mark’s appearance. As the story progresses, Mark’s history makes it clear why he’s come seeking Ann.

Although Ann is attracted to his dark good looks, she reminds herself that Mark is eleven years younger than she is. As he overcomes her initial doubts about his motives, more serious complications come to light from Ann’s own background. Some of the most profound questions raised in this book arise from Ann’s reactions to discoveries about her past.

Lickel has written a convincing novel about love in all its forms. If you want to be intrigued by an unusual plot, Meander Scar is for you.

Rose House, by Tina Ann Forkner

Tina Ann Forkner's second novel, Rose House, is an engrossing and worthy successor to her outstanding first book, Ruby Among Us. In Rose House, Forkner revisits La Rosaleda, a fictional town set in the beautiful Sonoma Valley of California.

I'd call the plot of Rose House "a mystery wrapped in an enigma," to paraphrase Winston Churchill. The main character, Lillian Diamon, is mourning the loss of her family when she finds herself drawn to the fabled Rose House in La Rosaleda. Forkner starts the pages turning right away, with a mysterious photographer who is spying on Lillian. From there the story spins out question after question. We walk in Lillian's shoes as she lives through her grief and confusion--each new revelation deepening the mystery of what happened to her family.

As always, Forkner evokes emotion with her skillful phrasing. One line I particularly loved has Lillian reflecting, "My house is worse than an empty shell. It is full and overflowing with what is missing."

The story is filled with a sense of menace. We share Lillian's doubts about whom she can trust. The reader is drawn further into Rose House to answer questions raised about each of the fully-drawn characters that Forkner introduces. As the plot lines converge, the book sweeps to a heart-stopping conclusion.

The characters became real to me--I'm still thinking about them. I loved the way this novel resolved. I had tears in my eyes when I read the ending.

I recommend Rose House!

Love Starts With Elle

In Love Starts With Elle, Rachel Hauck has come up with another winner. Set in the Low Country of South Carolina, Love Starts With Elle is one of those stories where the setting is almost a character. Reading about Elle's life makes me want to book a flight back to the warmth of Beaufort, especially right now when it's cold and rainy outside.

In Hauck's preceding book, Sweet Caroline, Elle was on a quest to date every eligible man in Beaufort in order to find a husband. Over thirty, she felt time was running out. Love Starts With Elle opens with Elle succeeding in her quest. Or does she? Jeremiah, the magnetic new youth pastor at Elle's church, asks her to marry him. But the proposal comes with strings attached, and Elle has to make some hard decisions.

How she works through the many crises that Jeremiah's proposal bring into her life kept me turning pages to read "just one more" chapter. Love Starts With Elle is a charming story--touching and funny at the same time. I highly recommend it. If you haven't already read Sweet Caroline, buy that one too, and read them both.

Please let me know if you've read this one, and what you thought.

Longings of the Heart

Bonnie Leon's latest book, Longings of the Heart, is a story about the consequences that arise when Hannah Bradshaw decides to withhold a truth about her past from her husband, John. Her decision to lie to him by omission creates ripples that affect many lives. A friendship is sundered, a marriage threatened, and a man violates his principles--all as a result of Hannah's decision.

I'm reminded of a quotation from one of Sir Walter Scott's poems: "Oh what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive." Hannah's web of deception is tangled indeed.

Bonnie Leon has written a compelling story that draws the reader deeper and deeper as the consequences continue to unfold. Using the fascinating backdrop of early-day Australia, Leon brings her all-too-human characters to vibrant life on the page. I particularly enjoyed her portrayal of the boy, Thomas.

When Longings of the Heart soars to its heart-tugging conclusion, readers will reluctantly close the book, wishing the story didn't have to end. Fortunately, we will read more about John and Hannah Bradshaw in the final volume of the series, to be released next year.

Bonnie Leon is a long ways past being a debut author, but her writing is fresh with every volume. I recommend this book.