BELOVED COUNTERFEIT - Kathleen Y'Barbo - Free Book

Readers, I've read and reviewed this book, and you're going to love it! Welcome back, Kathleen. What are some of the spiritual themes you like to write about?

Forgiveness is a theme that many of my characters deal with, be it in forgiving others, forgiving themselves, or forgiving God. Obedience is another, as I’ve been known to have a hero or heroine choose between logic and God’s leading.

What other books of yours are coming out soon?

My Western romance THE CONFIDENTIAL LIFE OF EUGENIA COOPER just hit the shelves (June 16) from Waterbrook. CAJUN HEARTS, the repack of my three Louisiana-based short contemporaries will release in August from Barbour Publishing. In the fall I’ll be part of a Texas-set Christmas novella collection called WILD WEST CHRISTMAS and starring Vickie McDonough, Darlene Franklin, and YOU!

And that is one of the most fun collections I've been in. lIf you could spend an evening with one contemporary person (not a family member of yours), who would it be and why?

Willie Nelson. As a 10th generation Texan and a fan since I was a kid, I’d love to hang with Willie for a few hours and listen to him strum his guitar. Surprised?

A little maybe. How long have you known that you wanted to be novelist?

Since I was very young. I taught myself to read sitting in my granny’s hall with her huge Encyclopedia Brittanica open on my lap (I was 5). So, you could say I had a love of language for as long as I knew there was such a thing. I wrote copiously all through school, mostly things that no one would ever see. It wasn’t until 1996 when I decided to give the thought of writing something a chance to materialize into actually doing it. That first book poured out – 120,000 words in 5 weeks – and I’ve been writing ever since.

What can you tell authors who have been receiving only rejections from publishers?

Count each rejection as one step closer to publication. There was a time when I had collected so many rejection letters that I filed them by year! And yes, I keep them – still have them all. I think of those letters as proof that not only did I actually put my work out there to be seen, but I also learned from whatever it was that made that project not right for that house. So don’t be so hasty to toss out any criticism as if someone were telling you your baby was ugly. Let it sit at least a month then go back and see if there’s something to be learned. In the great majority of cases, there is.

Now, Kathleen, tell the readers about the featured book?

Washed ashore on Fairweather Key, Ruby O’Shea and her three nieces—the offspring of the pirate Thomas Hawkins and Ruby’s late sister—have a chance for a new beginning as Ruby takes a job in a boardinghouse and the girls are passed off as her daughters. But will Ruby be able to confess all when she falls for Micah Tate, a widower, wrecker, and soon-to-be preacher?

Micah is determined to marry the young woman who has captured his heart. But will he be able to remain true to his vows when his lady love’s shady past comes to light?

Captain Thomas Hawkins will go to any lengths to discover the whereabouts of his daughters. What will his determination conceive? When Ruby finds herself bereft of her newfound love and protector, she is fair game for foul deeds. Will she run away in an attempt to escape her present as she did her past? Will Micah’s love cover the multitude of Ruby’s sins? Or will Ruby’s duplicity cost her everything?
　
Please give us the first page of the book.

July 1819
O’Connor Plantation, Jamaica
"You were supposed to be watching."

"I have been. Not a ship’s approached." Claire O’Connor turned at the sound of her sister’s voice and held up the most special shell in her of her basket of prizes. "I found some sand dollars. Come and look. This one’s the biggest yet."

"No, I don’t want to see them." Opal hurdled over the small dune and bounded toward her. "You weren’t watching either. He’s back."

Looking toward the horizon, she spied nothing but low-hanging clouds and a sun hot enough to shrivel all that it touched. With no slaver in sight, the only reason for the announcement was obvious. "Papa?"

"Yes, Papa. Who else?"

"He couldn’t be." Claire set her basket down carefully, making sure not to spill the shells she’d spent the morning collecting. "If Mama had expected Papa to return, she’d certainly have sent away her gentleman friend."

That’s what Mama made her and Opal call them, but none of the fellows who climbed the stairs of the big house while Papa was away ever looked like gentlemen to Claire. And they certainly weren’t friendly.

Well most of them weren’t anyway.

"Now come on over here and help me look," Claire said. "I don’t think I’ve seen this many sand dollars on the beach since the big storm blew over last fall."

No explanation of their destination was required as nine-year-old Opal raced across the sand to catch Claire’s wrist and give it a jerk. "I think Papa killed this one."

"Don’t be silly," Claire said, even as her heart thudded against her ribs.

Though Claire was almost a full year older, her sister’s legs were already longer so keeping up took some effort. By the time she reached their secret hiding place beneath the front steps, Opal had already lifted the loose board and shinnied inside.

The hurricane that was their father’s voice rose and fell like heat waves and blew past toward the dry expanse of land that tumbled downhill toward the beach. By contrast, her mother’s bird-like responses chirped across the storm with all the effect of a whisper in a gale. Words like "slave" and "bankrupt" and oaths against the monarchy and Parliament bounced past, all just a part of what they’d heard from Papa since the news that the slavers would be arrested should they dare bring their cargo into Caribbean waters.

Thus far nothing had been said about what went on while Papa was at sea. Perhaps things weren’t as bad as Opal claimed.

Claire pressed her finger over her lips to hush her sister then crept toward the parlor window. She might have risen up to look inside had something not whizzed past her head and landed in the yard, sending Claire racing back to the steps. A glance over her shoulder told her the object was the sparkling necklace Mama had put on for the first time this morning.

"Hurry up," Opal called in an urgent whisper. "You can’t let him see you."

"I’m not afraid of him," she blustered even as her trembling fingers refused to take instruction. Claire let out a long breath. "He can’t get you here. He can’t get either of us."
　
That's a real hook! How can readers find you on the Internet?

Twitter! I love it! Find me at kathleenybarbo.
I’m on Facebook and unless you rank high on the creep factor, I’ll add you. :D
Finally, my new website will be up and running soon thanks to the brilliant mind of Kelli Standish and the crew at Pulsepoint Designs. I’ve got some great plans for contests to celebrate the kick-off the site, which will be http://www.kathleenybarbo.com/

Thank you, Kathleen, for spending this time with us.

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